Aftermath (2 page)

Emma's Story

Four Years Later, Present Day

I got out of my car as the first bell rang.

Parked in the last row, furthest from the building, I was sure to be late. Wonderful. Monday morning, the third day of school, and I felt like crap for arguing with Dad.

It wasn’t really an argument. He told me his opinion, which didn’t match mine.

I raced to the doors of Highland Park High School, haunted by the image of Dad’s bright red face. “No way. I’m not letting you and your girlfriends drive two hours to a party at some campground,” he said.

“Dad, I’m a senior, and it’s not just any campground. It’s at Lake Bell.”

“I don’t care where it is. There are no chaperones,” he argued. “Besides, we’re going to Lake Bell this weekend as a family. Did you forget?”

How could I forget? Ever since Mom died, Dad and I went to visit Aunt Barb every holiday and most weekends in between. She lived in Wisconsin and owned a fancy resort on Lake Bell. Weekends consisted of me being bored out of my mind while Dad and his sister drank wine and talked with her friends. It was different when I was young. There were other kids my age to hang out with.

Dad’s angry tone still echoed in my mind when I reached my locker.

I wasn’t trying to lie to him. I thought he knew about the senior trip to Lake Bell each Labor Day weekend. It had been the tradition for years.

“Damn it.” I couldn’t get my lock open on the second attempt.

“Whoa! I never heard you swear before.” Matt’s smile broke my crabby mood and eased my frustration.

I grinned in response and finally opened my locker.

“You didn’t answer when I called this morning.” Matt Bishop and I had known each other since sixth grade, even though we had only been dating for a few weeks. Bishop followed Bennett, which put Matt next to me in every class we had together. Our teachers liked alphabetical seating.

“Sorry. It’s just… Well, I was talking to my dad. That’s all.”

He raised an eyebrow as if expecting more of an answer. I didn’t respond, and he looked away. Could I tell him my dad had ridiculously strict rules?

After picking out my books and shutting my locker, Matt and I merged with the stream of students in the hall. A few people looked at us. I wasn’t surprised. Matt was the starting quarterback on the football team since sophomore year and hadn’t ever had a serious girlfriend.

“I called because of the senior trip,” Matt said.

Great. Just what I wanted to talk about.

“Lewis’ parents offered to have a cookout,” he continued. Lewis Warner was one of the super-rich kids in our school and Matt’s best friend ever since I could remember. “They have a cottage—well, more like a huge house—on Lake Bell. Lewis said everyone could hang out at the lake, go Jet Skiing, play volleyball… whatever.”

“That’s nice.” I wondered if Dad would be okay with that.

“Best of all, we can stay there. You know, instead of the campground.” We reached my classroom and stopped outside the door.

Was that an invitation?

“I heard there are not enough cabins, anyway,” he added.

“Oh. Really?” Aimee Wilkinson glared at us. She was Junior Prom Queen and rumor had it she was interested in Matt. She was a super-rich kid, too, and anything Aimee wanted, Aimee got.

“Yeah. So what do you say?” Did I imagine eagerness in his tone?

“Um… yeah,” Of course, I’d need Dad’s approval.

“See you in Spanish.” His voice was low, almost in a whisper. He stood close enough that our arms touched. I hoped he would kiss me. Instead, he said goodbye and left. 

***

The first three class periods flew by, compared to history, which dragged on.

There was nothing more monotonous that listening to lectures on World War II and the attack at Pearl Harbor. Instead of paying attention, I sent Dad a text and told him I was sorry I upset him. Not telling the whole story was no different than telling a lie, I realized.

My best friend, Melissa Ryan, was waiting in the hall after class.

“So? Did you hear about the party at Lewis’ house on Lake Bell?” Melissa’s energy was in overdrive. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait!”

“Matt told me,” I answered, when she finally took a breath.

“Like, omigod. You and Matt, me and Lewis.” She smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh-huh.” Melissa and Lewis started dating junior year. Even if she and Lewis were getting close in that way, this weekend wouldn’t have the same meaning for Matt and me. He wouldn’t even hold my hand in school.

“This is going to be sooo great!” She squeezed my arm when we reached Spanish class.

“Listen, my dad freaked out on me this morning,” I blurted out.

“What? Why?” She stopped in the doorway.

I shrugged. “You know. His strict rules.”

Students pushed past us as the bell rang.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” She grabbed my arm. “Come on.”

Senora Gonzalez was talking to a student when Melissa and I took our seats beside Matt and Lewis. Matt greeted me with a smile and suddenly, I felt better.

“You’ve got lunch next. Right?” Matt whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe we could sit together.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” My cheeks warmed. Matt had dark eyes and a warm smile, and he knew when to use it. No wonder girls like Aimee were after him.

“Did Matt tell you about this weekend?” Lewis asked.

“Ah, yeah.”

“Good. My parents are cool with a few people staying over.”

“Thanks, Lewis. I’ll check with my dad.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, like I was rejecting him. “You know, he’s welcome to call my parents. They’ll be there. They got rules, you know. No beer. No smoking. It’s cool, though. The locals party on this island… we can join ’em for a bonfire. I’ve got some friends there.”

“Emma’s aunt lives there,” Melissa said before I could answer.

“You’ve been to the island parties?” Lewis seemed interested.

I shook my head. Dad barely let me out of sight as it was. There was no way he’d allow me to go to a party on an island.

“Makes Friday nights around here seem tame.” He laughed, referring to the huge parties a few football players hosted every weekend. “There’s a nice beach there. And a resort my parents go to. Only place in town they’ll have dinner.”

I nodded. “The Carmichael Inn.”

Senora Gonzalez called the class to attention. I should have said my aunt owned the inn, but when the teacher hushed the class a second time, I lost my chance.

Class dragged on for eternity. Quiz tomorrow. Review of last year. Study group today after school. Eleven minutes left in class.

“Abran sus libros en la página diez,” Senora Gonzalez said, handing out packets to each row.
Open your books to page ten
.

A knock on the door interrupted Senora Gonzalez from her presentation. When she went to answer it, Melissa brought up the trip again.

Ten minutes left.

“You can ride up with us, Friday night,” Lewis offered after Melissa told him I couldn’t drive.

When I looked up, Senora Gonzalez was headed toward me. “Emma, can you come with me?” Her piercing eyes stared at me. “Grab your things, please.”

Melissa shrugged. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

I gathered my books and followed Senora Gonzalez to the door.

Why was I singled out?

At the doorway, I paused. All eyes were on me. Matt smiled before I turned and walked out. The office secretary greeted me with an unusual look and escorted me through the maze of hallways to the waiting police officer, Principal Davis, and the school nurse.

What did I do?

Ben's Story

Pete Jorgenson waited at the gate, like usual.

“Good to see you. How was your trip?” He matched my stride.

“Uneventful.” We walked past the long lines and through the maze of security in the Admissions Center in the Northern Hemisphere. We called it the Hub. 

An older man with a scrappy, peppered beard, wearing a shabby, tan overcoat tried following us through the invisible field that authenticated our identities. I heard the sparking sound of the neon-blue web that prevented his access into my world, temporarily paralyzing his movement. It stirred unrest amongst the pending admittents, those people waiting in line for acceptance. Fear filled their minds, but they didn’t flinch. Within seconds, calmness overcame them again.

A security officer waved his hand in the direction of the man, and the sparking vanished. The web disappeared, yet the old man did not move. The swarming crowd retreated as an unseen force separated them from him.

I stopped and glanced at the suppressed chaos. The disruption was so commonplace that Jorgenson didn’t react. Most pending admittents understood they died. After all, their Admissions Guide told them. It was the first words a Guide verbalized to the deceased when they hovered over the remains of their human body. But with so many thoughts, emotions, and memories running through them, it was hard to understand what was happening, and unrest was expected.

“Molly checked in a short time ago,” Jorgenson said. We followed the crowd. Most everyone was approved for entrance.

“I didn’t realize she came home for a visit.”

Jorgenson nodded as we passed slower-moving people in front of us.

A quick update with her would be good before we were engaged in our assignment, and time in our world would be limited. Molly was placed in the field a human-year earlier. Time passed faster in my world.

“Libertyville went well, I trust.” Jorgenson referred to the few hours I spent in the small Illinois town for a group compulsion at a high school football game. It was the easiest way to quickly plant memories in humans. Claire, a rookie, was assigned with me. We simply compelled the student body into remembering us before kickoff. Minutes later, we were greeted like long-lost pals by teens we never saw before.

“Claire did well,” I said, looking Jorgenson in the eye. “She was a bit apprehensive at first, but the cover worked.” It gave us a backstory, should some idiot kid question who we were at some point in our mission. Now, we could legitimately say we were Ben and Claire Parker, two teen siblings previously enrolled at Libertyville High School, active in soccer and well liked. It worked, in case anyone wanted to check up on us. Given today’s technological advances and social networking, we needed to connect the dots ahead of time.

“Good. I’m sure her handler will be happy. I’ll pass along the news. Claire chose not to come back with you?”

I shook my head. “No, she wanted to stay.” I chuckled. “She’s enjoying the life of a high school student. Doing better than I expected. She’s made friends.”

Jorgenson’s smirk was understood without my need to read his thoughts. Claire was a cute kid that spent a number of years in rehabilitation before entering the academy. Her past life ended tragically when she overdosed. It was a breach of her life contract. “She’s young, Pete.”

Not that young,
he said in thought.

Young enough. She’s only been here a few decades… And she’s a rookie.

We aren’t old. We’re just more experienced.
Pete Jorgenson transitioned decades before me. He was forty-eight years old the day his third contract expired, when his human body died, and he stood in a similar admission line as the pending admittents we passed.

“I’ll tell her that,” I said aloud.

“By the way, Bianca asked about you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“She wants in on your assignment.”

“Of course she does. Bianca is a very persuasive woman.” And she didn’t take no for an answer, despite the numerous times I told her I wasn’t interested in her romantically.

She’s also very attractive. Most agents would jump at the chance—

I’m not like most agents.

But—

Look, if you’re interested in her, go for it.

She’s requesting you.

“Not interested,” I said. We walked through the last checkpoint in the long tunnel called the Bridge. It connected the Hub with our world and provided a database purge or download, if that was necessary. An admittent, one who was approved for entrance to my world, would regain knowledge lost during their human life, here on the Bridge. Those taking on a new human life would lose our world’s memory as they walked the tunnel’s length on their way out. It was a good filtering system, but one that did not apply to me.

I was an immortal agent.

Emma's Story

My heart began to race when I saw the police officer.

He stood with the principal, school nurse, and a man in a gray sport coat. Despite being two classrooms away, an uneasy feeling came over me when the cop looked in my direction. This couldn’t be good.

The man in the suit motioned his hands, exposing a badge and gun hanging on his belt. He looked like the detectives I saw on TV, and I guessed he was in charge.

Two cops? Omigod. What did I do?

Even though I tried to slow my breathing, my body took over. My chest rose and fell in extreme sways like the metronome I used to play with on Aunt Barb’s piano. A lump formed in my throat.

What could I have done and what I would say in response?

I didn’t even drink that beer at last weekend’s party.

The secretary continued walking toward them, and I kept pace. I wondered if my knees would give out before we got there.

What if I got kicked off the soccer team? How could I explain that to Dad?

I took a deep breath. I didn’t do anything wrong. They had to believe me. Right?

I have no idea who was drinking,
I rehearsed in my head until Principal Davis motioned me inside the administrative office. 

The uniformed officer and the detective followed behind me.

My heart thumped, and I couldn’t hear the words they spoke. Everything sounded like garbled mumbles. The nurse led the way past the reception counter, around the corner, and into a small conference room on the right. When she held the door open, I saw my aunt sitting at the table. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Aunt Barb rose to hug me, but I stood stiff, emotionless.

I felt the weight of the air around me. They didn’t have to say a word.

Suddenly, I knew.

Instinctively, I touched my phone in my pocket. Dad never texted me back.

Principal Davis suggested we sit. The door was shut, cutting me off from the outside world. Introductions were made, but I didn’t hear anyone’s name.

My head started pounding.

Aunt Barb sat across from me. The principal was to my right, the detective to my left. I looked around the room and noticed the uniformed officer at the door. His eyes were somber.

The detective spoke first. His expression was serious, but his tone sympathetic. As he spoke, Aunt Barb’s eyes swam with tears. Mascara streaked across her cheek when she tried to catch the runaway river. She looked like hell.

I couldn’t hear them.

I didn’t want to know.

My head hurt.

My heart ached.

I was in a trance. This couldn’t be real.

I watched the detective’s lips move, but I only heard a few words. He spoke of an accident in the city, a car, and my dad.

Aunt Barb sat with her arms crossed, her well-manicured fingers curled into fists. She periodically dabbed a torn-up tissue to her eyes. Her golden-brown hair was tousled, not in its usual, perfect form. She was a beautiful woman, always well dressed and physically fit, except today.

Today, she was broken.

“Emma?” The detective called my name, more than once, I thought.

“Huh?” Was he talking to me? He looked familiar. Should he? My mind wandered. I couldn’t concentrate.

“I know this is difficult,” he said.

I heard noises in the hall. Voices, footsteps. The bell must have rung. Flashes of color passed the window, separating me from my life on the other side. It was lunchtime. Matt was going to have lunch with me.

Wait.

Was that Melissa’s voice? I caught a glimpse of blonde hair and a purple shirt through the partially opened blinds. What was Melissa wearing today? 

I had to get out of here.

“Emma, is there anything I can get for you?” Principal Davis put his hand on my shoulder.

“I… uh… I don’t know.”

I heard Aunt Barb’s voice answer for me, but I couldn’t register what she said.

The detective apologized for my loss. The uniformed officer nodded in consensus.

Dad was gone. Hit by a car on his way to work. Aunt Barb identified the body.

My dad’s
body
.

“We’ll gather your things from your locker, if you’d like,” Principal Davis said in the same monotone voice he spoke with during announcements each morning. “Then you can head home.” He paused, looked at me, and then to Aunt Barb for response.

“That would be nice, Mr. Davis. Thank you.” She turned to me and reached for my hand. “Is that okay with you, Emma?” She hesitated for a moment. “Or would you like to do it yourself?”

I shook my head. Tears began to spill over the edges of my lids and down my cheeks. Aunt Barb pulled me to her, holding me while I cried. I closed my eyes tight and hoped this would all go away. 

Everyone made small talk. Everyone that is, except Aunt Barb and me. The detective assured the uniformed officer he would drive us home. The principal offered condolences.

When the secretary came back with a bag full of the contents from my locker, it was time to go. While they could all go back to work, back to their daily routines in their normal lives, I could not.

My life, as I knew it, was over.