Take Me Tomorrow (14 page)

Miles cursed, and Lily pinched his leg to warn him. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not,” he said.

“It’s reality,” Lyn added.

The entire atmosphere thickened
, and Falo screamed like he could sense it. Lyn leapt up to return to his room. Miles tensed, and Lily twitched without looking at her brother, reminding me of the connection they shared. Even with her dyed hair, I could see the resemblance the twins had. Their contorting expressions were even the same.

That’s when Argos barked.

“What was that?” Lily squeaked, jumping up, only to fall on the couch next to her brother.

I stood up slowly as
Falo’s screaming stopped. Footsteps echoed up the stairs, and a figure appeared through the fogged glass. The doorknob turned. Argos’ fur stood on his backend, and I had to scream at him to prevent him from attacking.

“Heel,”
I screeched as the door opened, and a boy stumbled in.

“That dog hates me,” Noah mumbled, leaning backwards on the door as it shut. Without saying anoth
er word, Noah fell forward and grabbed onto the landing as his feet slipped out beneath him. “I know,” he said, looking directly at the kitchen wall. “It will be hard, but I have to. I have to. She’s my sister.”

I raced forward, and Argos ran into my legs as I stopped, inches away from the boy.
“Noah?” I spoke up, hesitating. He wasn’t reacting to me. “Can you hear me?”

His green eyes flashed, and he waved his arm dramatically. “I’m fine, really. I’m handling this perfectly,” Noah continued to s
peak, his eyes focused in front of him. No one was there. He was talking to a wall.

“Lily,” Lyn called out from behind me
. “Take Falo.”

I didn’t look, but I heard Lily’s footsteps. Falo cooed, and I knew Lyn had handed the toddler over.
Without hesitation, Lyn walked forward and grasped Noah’s shoulder. He froze.

“Noah,” Lyn
spoke harshly but clearly. “Can you hear me?”

He jerked away and spun around. When he tripped, he almost crashed down the basement stairs. His forehead was covered in sweat, but I could only concentrate on his eyes. They flashed brilliant colors, maroon and gold. He had cat-eyes I had never seen before, not even on him.

“I told you to run. Run!” he shouted, his voice ripping against his throat.

Argos growled lowly, and I grabbed onto his fur to keep him away.
Noah grabbed his shoulder and pulled as if he would tear his arm off. His fierce scream shattered the room as he bent forward, tearing his shirt, scratching his skin off. I couldn’t breathe.

“I told you what I want,” his
shriek splintered any peace that had lingered in the living room. When he shouted again, he banged the back of his head against the wall behind him. Instead of stopping, he hit his head again. It reminded me of an animal caught in a trap – an animal that wanted to die quickly instead of starve to death.

“Hey—” Lyn was quiet, but I wasn’t.

“Stop it,” I shouted, diving past Lyn to get to him. “Stop it, now,” I said, latching onto his arm.

I half-expected him to slam his head again, but he stilled. I dug my nails into his arm, and he turned his face toward me. H
is green irises gazed back, foggy. He twitched, and his entire body jerked against the wall.

I
never let him go. “Noah, stop,” I begged. “Please, stop.”

“Sophie?”
His delicate voice sounded like a hurt child.

I nodded,
even though he couldn’t see. “I need you to stop.”

Breath escaped his lips as he slumped against the wall. His eyes rolled, but he brought his hand up to my cheek. His fingertips were still. He wasn’t shaking. “How?” he whispered.

“Keep him talking,” Lyn said, rushing away.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, following her orders.

Noah’s grip tightened on my hand. “How’d you live?”

I didn’t have a chance to speak.

His fingers found my curly hair. “You,” he said, staring at my hair between his fingers. His green eyes were clearing the fog. “I wouldn’t let Tony hurt you.”

“I know that,” I
responded as Lyn rushed across the entryway and collapsed next to us. Where was Broden?

“I need you to sit up, Noah,” Lyn instructed, holding out a syringe filled with purple liquid. “Can you do that for me?”

Noah blinked at her, clueless, and I shifted my weight so that my knee supported my weight. “Come here,” I asked. When he didn’t move, I pulled him into my lap and held him against my ribs. “Sit up,” I whispered against his hair.

His fingers tightened on my leg. “I got you,” he said.

“She has you,” Lyn corrected, taking his forearm. “This is going to hurt. Do you understand?” She was looking at me instead of him. She didn’t know how he would react.

I nodded, and she jammed it into his arm where it bent.

He sucked in breath, and his fingers pressed against my ribs. I gasped, but I kept my hold on him. There would be bruises. His wheeze was the only breath I heard as he leaned forward, relaxed.

Lyn grabb
ed me and dragged me away. “Let him throw up.”

As she said it, he vomited. An unnaturally
purple liquid splashed across the tiled floor. He convulsed, and I pushed against Lyn who continued to hold me back. “What did you do to him? What’s happening?”

“His system
has to clear the drug,” Lyn explained calmly. “Leave him alone for a minute.”

No
ah coughed. “Rinley.”

I backed against the wall, and Lyn let me go so she could pat his back.

“Get a mop, Miles,” Lily said, either disgusted by the vomit or Noah’s presence. Probably both. Either way, she wanted her brother to help, and he leapt up like he was able to. When he fell back on the couch, Lily sighed.

“I’ll get it,” Lyn said, gesturing to me.

I took her place, but I didn’t put my hand on his back. He only continued to repeat his sister’s name. The sour smell made me want to throw up, too.

“We’ll find her, Noah,” I spoke through the nausea.

His hand came up, but he didn’t touch me. Surprisingly, even with the vomit, Noah looked as normal as he could be. Barely disheveled, shadows clung to his eyes, and a sad smile hung on his lips.

“We will,” he agreed, light returning to his eyes in a way that made the last few moments seem
like a dream – or a nightmare, really − and then, he placed his hands on the ground and attempted to push himself up.

“Easy goes it,” Lyn intervened, steadying his stance.

He wobbled, holding onto the wall like it had handles. He looked around the house. “Where am I?”

“Sophia’s house,” Lyn answered,
already mopping up his mess.

He stepped toward it like he couldn’t see it. “Where?”

He didn’t remember my house. He didn’t remember my name. He didn’t remember anything.

“Sit,” Lyn said, but he had already collapsed on the stairs.
“Where’s Broden?” she finally asked.

“
Haven’t seen that kid in years,” he muttered, rubbing his head.

Lyn laid the mop against the wall before she picked him up again. He was her practical ragdoll. “Let’s get you lying down, Mr. Tomery.”

He flinched at his own name. “I’m not exactly a popular person.”

“Quite the opposite
, actually,” Lyn laughed lowly. “You seem to have a lot of people after you.”

Noah didn’t say anything
as Lyn lowered him onto the only couch we had left. His head fell back onto the couch before anything else did. He sighed, and Lyn let him go as I draped a blanket over him.

“Sleep it off,” Lyn commented
.

“Will do, ma’am,” Noah cheered sarcastically, still affected from the medication Lyn dosed
him with.

I turned away.

“Wait,” Noah grabbed my hand, looking up at me with tired eyes. “Sophie?”

Apparently, he did remember me.

“I’m here,” I said after a moment.

“Stay,” he breathed, and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.
I turned away, only to be met by Lily’s widened gaze. Miles’ jaw dropped, and Lyn smirked like she knew he would ask for me all along.

His fingers dragged across my wrist. “Please,” he breathed.

“Okay,” I murmured, sitting on the edge next to him. Argos curled up at my feet. “I’ll stay.”

“Good,” Noah whispered, his foggy eyes glossing over as he closed them and surrendered to sleep.

No One Was Silent

Early morning sunshine beamed through the entrance windows. I squinted at the dust floating in the rays as they sprayed over the living room. The house was silent, and Argos slept at my feet soundlessly. Glancing around, my eyes took a moment to adjust, and I looked at Noah lying on the couch. His arm was draped beneath him as if it was a comfortable pillow, and his lips were slightly parted as he breathed, his side lifting and falling. I held my breath, struck by the absolute stillness of his expression − calm and relaxed − one that he never wore when he was conscious. It was as if I was looking at Noah Tomery before his last name became public enemy number one. Instead of a criminal or a drug addict, I was looking at a boy − just a boy.

It was morning, but no one was silent.

“Were you down here all night?” Lily asked as she came down the stairs. Miles and she had slept in my father’s room.

“I guess so,” I said, rubbing my eyes. At some point, I had moved to the floor, and someone had gotten me a blanket. Now that I was awake,
I refused to look at Noah.

Lily plopped down on the floor in front of me. “What was that about?” When I didn’t respond, she tilted her face toward Noah and smiled. I understood now.
She was interrogating me about Noah.

“I don’t know,” I responded truthfully.

“If I had to pick up his vomit, I think you can tell me if something is going on between you two,” she said. “He’s passed out anyway.”

“Nothing’s going on,” I promised, but my voice squeaked.

Lily’s smile scrunched up. “Seriously? Him?” she said it like I had confessed.

“I swear.” I scooted away from his couch as if to prove a point. Lily laughed because it didn’t prove anything.

When I looked back at him, I was tempted to move back. His face was drained of color, and his shallow breath was unnerving. He looked like he was in a coma, and according to Lyn, he basically was.

“I didn’t know you could overdose on tomo,” I muttered, slowly standing.

“You can overdose on water,” Lyn said, entering the room. Her ability to eavesdrop was starting to suffocate me, but when she pointed to me, I calmed. “Best you stay there.”

I sulked back into my seat, and
Noah’s hand brushed my side. As he turned, his shoulder skimmed my waist, and my eyes squeezed shut. “What happens if he overdoses again?” I managed to ask. “Can he die?”

“Do I have to repeat myself?” Lyn asked. “W
ater can kill you.”

I didn’t understand nurse-speak.

“If someone drinks too much water too fast—”

“This isn’t about water,” I snapped.

Lyn’s mouth hung open. “Sorry,” she managed as she sat across from us. “He can die from tomo, yes.” In the dim lighting, her already dark features were impossible to read. “It’s happened before, but he won’t die. He threw most of it up.”

“How?”

“How, what?”

“How can tomo kill you?” I asked.

Lyn’s shadow shifted. “It’s hard on your eyes, but it’s worse on the rest of your body,” she said. “Just look at him. I mean, really look at him.”

I didn’t move because I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to see him. I wanted to pretend he wasn’
t there, that he had never been there.

“Does he look sixteen to you?” Lyn continued even though I hadn’t turned around. I didn’t have to look at him to know the answer to her question. He looked older, maybe nineteen. He only seemed younger when he laughed. I hadn’t even realized his age until now.

“That’s the tomo,” Lyn said. “It ages you. It wears you out. It damages your senses, and I mean all of them.” She tapped her head.

I closed my eyes like I could erase her gesture from my mind. “Why do people take it
, then?”

“Because the
y justify it,” she said. “The reward is worth more than the risk.”

My eyes popped open. “Have you ever taken it?”

Lyn froze, but Lily and I were staring at her. When she glanced between us, she nodded. “Before I was pregnant,” she clarified. “It does weird things to unborn babies.” She sucked in a breath like she could inhale her words.

“What?” I asked. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head and sprang to her feet. When she rubbed her tattoos, I knew she was lying. It was definitely not nothing.

Noah
groaned, causing Lyn to stay.

“He should wake up soon,” she said. “There are withdrawal effects.”

“Good to know,” I grumbled just as the front door opened.

Everyone leapt up because no one had heard him coming. He was quieter than Noah’s slumber, but he was louder now that he was inside, “Where is he?” Broden bellowed. He was covered in mud.

“Broden,” I hissed, standing up. Argos only opened one eye. He never reacted to Broden.

He slammed the door behind him as his eyes shot behind me. His shoulders rose, and he opened his mouth like he would scream, but Lyn shot him down, “Be quiet,” she ordered. “All of you.”

It was the mother in her. She could always control us.

Broden turned away as he shook off his jacket. Dirt fluttered to the ground as he kicked off his shoes.

“What’s going on?” Miles asked, walking out of the kitchen. When he saw Broden, he chuckled. “What happened to you?”

“I had to hide in the trees,” he said, “in them,” he emphasized.

Miles continued to laugh, still intoxicated. I couldn’t wait for him to sober up.

“The cops were everywhere,” Broden ranted. “They even saw us, and I have to bet that someone called them on us.” He raised his voice when he said someone, and his eyes were all over Noah.

“He’s asleep,” I said. “He showed up here last night.”

I didn’t have a chance to explain how he was on drugs. Broden had already snapped,
“And you’re his watch guard?”

I stepped back. My friend never glared at me, but he was now, and he wasn’t calming down.

“I’m making sure he doesn’t stop breathing,” I justified.

“He deserves to stop breathing,” Broden snarled.

“Morning to you, too,” Noah yawned as he sat up to stretch. “Where am I?” he asked, looking around. When he recognized my house, he grinned. “Must have been a good night.”

Broden glowered. “Are you done flirting now, Tomery?” Broden spat Noah’s last name, trying to dig under his skin, but Noah didn’t flinch. Instead, he glanced at his watch
− his untimed watch − and shrugged.

“I do believe it’s breakfast time.”

“You left me out there,” Broden yelled.

Noah studied Broden’s disheveled appearance for the first time. His lips pulled into a smirk, “You can handle yourself,” he said, borderline proud. “Obviously.”

Broden didn’t budge. “Where did you go?”

“Here,” Noah answered blankly. His poker face hinted that he didn’t remember much of last night, but I didn’t dare intervene. This was the boys’ fight, and Broden wasn’t accepting Noah’s answer.

“You never even showed up.”

Noah sighed,
running a hand through his hair. “You were fine, man.”

“But the others—”

“They were fine, too,” Noah answered, “Better than fine, actually,” he continued. “They should have an alibi now.”

Broden blinked. “An alibi.”

Noah shrugged. He wasn’t about to elaborate on what he did, but he did do something. “Everyone was seen by the cops, right?” he pressed. “So, they couldn’t have been elsewhere.”

I wondered how many others there were. I only knew of Broden, Noah, and Miles, but my father had turned out to be involved
, too. Pierson was the only stranger I had met, and Tasia was the only person I had heard of. For all I knew, everyone was involved in one way or another.

“Where were you?” Broden repeated.

“We’ll talk about this later—”

“Where—”

“I got into the record’s building,” Noah said.

Broden’s jaw dropped, and mine did the same. The record’s building had top-of-the-notch security. Rumor said that the record’s building was the only place in all of the regions that held every person’s information, even the ones that supposedly didn’t exist.

“I think I did, anyway,” Noah added.

Broden raised his hands. “What do you mean by that?”

Noah didn’t speak. He simply kicked his feet off of the couch and laid his elbows on his knees. He hung his head and moved his neck in slow circles. From my position, I could see red marks on his collarbone where he must have hit it, but I didn’t see anything else. For breaking into a secured building, he was strangely in good shape.

“Let’s continue this conversation after we eat,” Lyn suggested, waving toward the kitchen.

Noah’s eyes lit up. “You always say the perfect things.”

Even Lyn was capable of
smiling. Noah had that effect on people, charming them even after doing something horrible. Broden was the only one who was immune.

“I still don’t believe you,” he said as Noah stood up.

“I’m used to it,” Noah retorted, walking right past him.

I grabbed Broden’s arm before he could follow. “Wait,” I said.

“What?” he snarled.

My hand dropped, and Broden’s gaze fell. “Rough night,” he said. It was his apology.

“I know,” I said, making sure that no one was listening to us, “but I need to talk to you.”

“About Noah?” he guessed. When I nodded, he glared at the wall. “I don’t need to listen to you about taking his side again.”

I ignored the hostility. “I’m not.”

Broden’s neck didn’t move, but his per
ipheral vision met my determined stare. “What is it, then?” he asked.

“I don’t think he got into the record’s building,” I said.

Broden’s torso faced me. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he was on tomo
when he came back,” I said. “He wasn’t even gone that long.”

“
Why does that not surprise me?” Broden grumbled. He thought Noah ditched him to take drugs. He didn’t understand what I was saying.

“Listen to me,” I said, grabbing his arms as if I would shake him. “I think Noah
saw the record’s building, but I don’t think he went there,” I said. “Not yet, anyway.”