toes are numb from the cold.
As he walks ahead, I study Charlie’s unusual tattoos. They run up his arms and under his shirt. I can’t quite make out a discernible pattern or language. They twitch with his muscles as if they have a mind of their own.
The sun starts to set, darkening the trees around us and turning the forest quiet with the sounds of night.
Charlie holds up a hand, stopping us just inside a ring of trees. Flickering light shines through the wet leaves.
“He’s over there,” Charlie whispers, pointing at a small tent at the edge of the camp. “You wait here. I’ll get him.”
“No.” I grab his arm. “I can do it.” He frowns and then nods once, sitting back. I turn back to the camp, thinking. Is someone guarding him? What if he’s hurt?
“No one is watching him. Paradox has always been arrogant. He’s not hurt…he is unconscious, though.”
I snap my head around to meet Charlie’s eyes. “Excuse me? How do you know?”
He shrugs and moves away, sinking into the shadows around us. I can just see his green eyes glinting at me.
Instead of dwelling on it, I start creeping toward the camp, keeping low to the ground. As I reach the tent Charlie pointed to, I quickly look around, making sure the coast is clear before I slip inside.
Jayden is tied up at the center of the tent, a cloth over his mouth and his eyes closed. I gently nudge his shoulder. “Jayden?” He doesn’t move. I pull the cloth from his mouth and sniff it. It smells weird, like chemicals. They’ve drugged him.
“Jayden?” I whisper urgently. He needs to wake up. I can’t carry him.
He still doesn’t move, so I hit him.
His head jerks up, eyes flying open, wild and unfocused. He starts struggling against the ties around his hands. I grab his face and pull it around to face me.
“Hey, it’s just me.” He sags against me and leans his head against my shoulder. I sigh, relieved. “Stay still, okay? I’m going to untie you.”
He doesn’t answer, so I assume he heard me.
I tug at the rope around his wrists until it loosens. Once his arms are free, he pulls me close and whispers in my ear, “I thought you were dead.”
I wrap my arms around his back. “I escaped.” I pause and glance at the tent opening. “A soldier named Charlie…”
“Charlie?” Jayden interrupts me, lifting his eyes to mine. “Did you say Charlie?”
I nod. “Yes, do you know him?”
He ignores the question and tries to stand. I help him throw an arm over my shoulder, and we shuffle from the tent. I’m surprised at how easy it is to make it back to the trees without being seen. It’s almost too easy. Where are the guards? Does Charlie have something to do with this? As soon as we reach the trees, Jayden’s knees buckle, and he goes down. I kneel beside him and glance back at the camp.
“We have to keep moving.”
He nods once, out of breath, and tries to stand again.
Rustling in the trees makes us both freeze. I wait, holding my breath.
A dark figure emerges from the darkness and smirks at me. His arms are coated in a blue glow where his tattoos ink his skin. “That wasn’t funny.”
Charlie laughs softly. “There’s a cave not far from here. It’s protected.”
I look down at Jayden—he’s staring at Charlie with something that looks close to hate in his eyes. Didn’t he say he was one of two successful experiments?
I pull Jayden off the ground, and we slowly start forward through the trees, following Charlie’s dark shadow.
As soon as we reach the cave, I help Jayden sit, and then I lay back on the cold rock, sucking in deep breaths. That was hard work.
Jayden and Charlie stare at each other from opposite sides of the small cave. I sit in the middle, watching them.
“Okay, enough. The way you two are staring at each other is making me feel left out. What’s going on? What am I missing?”
Jayden briefly glances at me. “Nothing.”
His answer makes Charlie snort. “Oh, he’s just sore about me
As he walks ahead, I study Charlie’s unusual tattoos. They run up his arms and under his shirt. I can’t quite make out a discernible pattern or language. They twitch with his muscles as if they have a mind of their own.
The sun starts to set, darkening the trees around us and turning the forest quiet with the sounds of night.
Charlie holds up a hand, stopping us just inside a ring of trees. Flickering light shines through the wet leaves.
“He’s over there,” Charlie whispers, pointing at a small tent at the edge of the camp. “You wait here. I’ll get him.”
“No.” I grab his arm. “I can do it.” He frowns and then nods once, sitting back. I turn back to the camp, thinking. Is someone guarding him? What if he’s hurt?
“No one is watching him. Paradox has always been arrogant. He’s not hurt…he is unconscious, though.”
I snap my head around to meet Charlie’s eyes. “Excuse me? How do you know?”
He shrugs and moves away, sinking into the shadows around us. I can just see his green eyes glinting at me.
Instead of dwelling on it, I start creeping toward the camp, keeping low to the ground. As I reach the tent Charlie pointed to, I quickly look around, making sure the coast is clear before I slip inside.
Jayden is tied up at the center of the tent, a cloth over his mouth and his eyes closed. I gently nudge his shoulder. “Jayden?” He doesn’t move. I pull the cloth from his mouth and sniff it. It smells weird, like chemicals. They’ve drugged him.
“Jayden?” I whisper urgently. He needs to wake up. I can’t carry him.
He still doesn’t move, so I hit him.
His head jerks up, eyes flying open, wild and unfocused. He starts struggling against the ties around his hands. I grab his face and pull it around to face me.
“Hey, it’s just me.” He sags against me and leans his head against my shoulder. I sigh, relieved. “Stay still, okay? I’m going to untie you.”
He doesn’t answer, so I assume he heard me.
I tug at the rope around his wrists until it loosens. Once his arms are free, he pulls me close and whispers in my ear, “I thought you were dead.”
I wrap my arms around his back. “I escaped.” I pause and glance at the tent opening. “A soldier named Charlie…”
“Charlie?” Jayden interrupts me, lifting his eyes to mine. “Did you say Charlie?”
I nod. “Yes, do you know him?”
He ignores the question and tries to stand. I help him throw an arm over my shoulder, and we shuffle from the tent. I’m surprised at how easy it is to make it back to the trees without being seen. It’s almost too easy. Where are the guards? Does Charlie have something to do with this? As soon as we reach the trees, Jayden’s knees buckle, and he goes down. I kneel beside him and glance back at the camp.
“We have to keep moving.”
He nods once, out of breath, and tries to stand again.
Rustling in the trees makes us both freeze. I wait, holding my breath.
A dark figure emerges from the darkness and smirks at me. His arms are coated in a blue glow where his tattoos ink his skin. “That wasn’t funny.”
Charlie laughs softly. “There’s a cave not far from here. It’s protected.”
I look down at Jayden—he’s staring at Charlie with something that looks close to hate in his eyes. Didn’t he say he was one of two successful experiments?
I pull Jayden off the ground, and we slowly start forward through the trees, following Charlie’s dark shadow.
As soon as we reach the cave, I help Jayden sit, and then I lay back on the cold rock, sucking in deep breaths. That was hard work.
Jayden and Charlie stare at each other from opposite sides of the small cave. I sit in the middle, watching them.
“Okay, enough. The way you two are staring at each other is making me feel left out. What’s going on? What am I missing?”
Jayden briefly glances at me. “Nothing.”
His answer makes Charlie snort. “Oh, he’s just sore about me
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