Take Me Tomorrow (4 page)

Run I
f Anything Happens

“This,” Miles complained, “is the help you got?”

Broden nodded proudly, but
I crossed my arms. “You two could walk,” I threatened. The black Jeep, which now had a night pass sticker, rumbled behind me, the orange fog lights allowing me to see in the dark.

Miles and Broden were dressed in black s
weaters and pants. While Broden kept his short hair free, Miles covered his long locks with a beanie. “I’m not walking,” he muttered, “but you shouldn’t be here.”

I
tensed. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are,
” Miles clarified, but Broden interrupted our mediocre argument.

“I asked her to be here,” he explained
before looking at me. “Miles doesn’t want you involved because it isn’t safe.”

“
I didn’t invite Lily for a reason,” Miles grumbled. His right eye twitched, and he rubbed it. “If you’ve already forgotten, this is illegal.”

Broden tilted
his head toward the Jeep. “We won’t get caught.”

Miles looked
at the parked vehicle. Even he understood that the government sticker allowed us to travel without question. “How did you even get that?” He knew my father took his Jeep with him everywhere. The car I had was Lyn’s.

“Tell him you stole it,” Broden whispered, and I laughed, knowing Miles would pull his hair out if
I increased the list of laws we were breaking.

M
iles glared. “Seriously, guys,” he whined. “I’m risking my entire reputation on this. I should know everything that’s happening.”

“Don’t worry so much,” Broden stated
, walking right past us. The orange lights illuminated his face before he got into the Jeep. He waited.

Miles
wouldn’t move, but I made him, “You two won’t even tell me what’s going on,” I defended. “Stop complaining.”

Miles
was taken aback. “Broden didn’t explain?”

I shook my hea
d, and Miles stared at the car, “Tell me how you got the car, and I’ll explain everything when we get in.”

I
smirked at our deal. “It’s Lyn’s,” I reminded him of her nurse job.

Miles looke
d at me as if he had never seen me before. “You stole her car.”

“Borrowed.
” I winked. “She won’t notice. She’s resting for her double shift.” In reality, Lyn had given it to me willingly. She was practically a Gray, and Gray’s broke the rules. Our only rule was simple − if you get caught, no one else knew about it. We wouldn’t take one another down with our own actions, but we would try to help each other out of the repercussions if we could. That’s where my dad normally came in handy.

Miles pointed toward the night pass. “You’re sure this will work?”

“Positive,” I remarked as Broden stuck his head out of the passenger window and tapped the roof of the Jeep.

“Are we going or not?” he asked
loudly. He ignored the fact that Miles’ mom, Ms. Beckett, might hear him in the street.

“
Coming,” Miles hissed as we ran to the Jeep, ready to drive toward the lumberyard.

…

“There’s really nothing to know other than we’re meeting an old friend,” Broden stated, his eyes locked on the dark streets outside the window. It was a rare occasion for a minor to be able to witness Topeka’s streets at night.

T
he Jeep swayed with the road. We passed the correctional institute for girls that Lily often volunteered at, and I wondered if Miles’ twin was aware of her brother’s actions. As far as I knew, we would drive to the offices outside of the lumberyard and enter the forest that way. The parking lots would be closed off at this hour, but the boys were unfazed by that fact. They, apparently, had a plan. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised.

“So
, you’re meeting an old friend after curfew, and that’s it?” I asked.

“Broden is under the impression that Noah is in town,”
Miles informed me as I dug through my memory for any mention of the name. I had never heard of Noah before.

“
Noah is back,” Broden said, pulling a square object out of his sweater to cradle it in his hands.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Miles sat up from the backseat to lean between us. “An old tape recorder,” he said. “It was in my mailbox this morning.”

I concentrated on the
road as we neared the corner of town. “Why your mailbox?” I asked, “and who is Noah?”

“A
n old friend,” Broden repeated the same information over and over again.

“But why the tape recorder?”
I interrogated, expecting more. “Why wouldn’t he just call you?”

Broden ignored my question and pressed the pla
y button on the recorder. A rough voice floated out, “Meet me under the birds. 2:36 p.m. Park inside the fence.”

Before I could ask
about the birds or the horrible timing we had, Broden glanced at Miles. “He wouldn’t joke.”

Miles
stared out the window. “You know I’m not going in there, right?”

Broden
didn’t respond. We remained that way, silent for only a few moments. The road curved, and the streetlamps flickered, brightening as we passed them. If the lights weren’t motion censored, the entire street would have been enveloped in darkness. Even with the dim lights, the area near the lumberyard felt deserted.

“Sophia,” Broden whispered, his body
suddenly rigid. Miles sucked in his breath, and instantly, I knew what had them panicking. A cop was parked at the edge of the lumberyard, and he was watching the road only a few yards ahead of us. Last time I had been in this situation, Lyn and I were pulled over, questioned, and lucky enough to be let go. This time, I was confident we were fine.

“Sit back,” I instructed
.

Broden
bent over, and Miles hit the floor, covering himself like a child. The boys didn’t know what to do, and I wanted to laugh at them as I drove past the patrolman without red or blue lights following us.

“You can sit up now,” I said as we passed the cop.

Broden’s eyes widened as we continued to drive, and I laughed as Broden spun around to hit Miles’ shoulder. “We did it, man,” he cheered, his nerves expelling with his shout. “We got past him.”

“What?” Miles
perked up like a prairie dog, turning his head to look around in all directions. His jaw dropped. “How—”

“I told you
, I am good help,” I said, wiggling in my driver’s seat.

Broden
’s cheering stopped as he pointed a few yards in front of us. “There, Sophia,” he ordered. “We need to go in there. You know what to do, Miles.”

I squinted at the building in front of us, my br
eath leaving my lungs. “But it’s closed—”

“I know
it is, Sophia,” Broden consoled me. “Keep driving.”

M
y hands shook as I pulled the turning indicator, steering the Jeep toward the gated off parking lot. The copper gate was normally shackled shut, but tonight was different. The red bars were pushed apart, and one silver chain wrapped around the metal spring. My heart stopped as I pulled the car in, rolling past the open gate. Broden instructed me to park, and I did, unable to believe what was happening.

Miles, as quick a
s I had ever seen him move, darted out of the Jeep and sprinted toward the gate.

“He’s locking the gat
e behind us,” Broden explained, revealing what I should’ve figured out. They knew the gates would be open. Miles was here to watch over it.

“Who’s this Noah kid?” I managed through my panic.

Broden opened the car door and swung the black bag I had given him earlier over his shoulder.

I followed him.
“Is that stuff for him?” I did not think my father’s weapon was going to a complete stranger.

Without answering me, Broden
walked around, checking the bag like he was afraid the objects would escape him. His eyes flickered at me, but then, he stared into the darkness of the trees. Before I could demand an explanation, footsteps rushed toward us.

Mil
es spoke before I saw him, “It’s locked,” he breathed as his features dissolved out of the blackness. With his black clothes, the dark turned Miles into a shadow. To see him standing in front of us made my stomach twist. Miles, the hard-working student, was a natural at trespassing, and Broden didn’t look surprised at all.

“You coming with or not?” he asked.

Miles shook his head. “There’s a cop right there,” he said. “It’s too risky, even for me.”

Broden
checked his arm’s splint. “Wait in the car, then,” he ordered blankly as if he had expected Miles’ reaction. “Run if anything happens.”

Miles didn’t budge. “You’re going by yourself?”

Broden shrugged. “I didn’t come this far to leave Noah standing there, now, did I?”

“I’ll go,” I
volunteered before the boys could argue. Both of them gaped at me, and I repeated myself. “I drove you two here. I think I have the right to go to − wherever you’re going.”

“Sophia,” Miles sighed. “You don’t want to.”

Broden lifted his hand to Miles, “She can come if she wants.”

“What if you guys get caught?”

“Then, we’re all in trouble,” he pointed out, “whether she’s waiting in the car or not.”

Miles
mumbled curses to himself. “I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it,” I stated, marching over and pulling the black beanie off his head. “Now
, give me your jacket.”

You Have to Jump First

“This way,” Broden whispered as he pulled
the tree branches to the side.

D
espite Miles’ heavy jacket, I shivered and leaned into Broden, our biceps pressed against one another. In the darkness, his copper eyes focused beyond the leaves, and his jaw locked as he army-crawled through the congested space near the trunks. I followed his swift movements, careful not to fall off of the rocky ledge and into the parking lot below us.

The manmade cliff was
a decoration for the offices we had trespassed in, but now I understood why Broden had chosen the spot. The cliff hung directly over the main road across from the lumberyard, and the separated streetlamps left patches of darkness across the asphalt. The dim lighting would allow us to dart across without exposure.

Broden pointed at three tiny trees in front of us.
“Stay as close to me as possible,” he spoke in a perfected low tone. “I’m going to yank the branch back. You have to jump first, so I can hold it back for you.” The conversation made my head spin. “It’s not a long fall,” he promised with a meek smile.

My fingernails du
g into the cool dirt. Leaves crunched beneath my feet, and my blood burned my insides. I could barely breathe.

Broden’s index
finger moved from the ledge to the road. “I’ll jump after you, and then, I’m taking off. Keep up,” he ordered, even though he knew I was a fast runner. Probably faster than him. “Do exactly what I do, and don’t hesitate. Got it?”

I nodded
, and the branches tugged at my curly hair as if to hold me back. I ignored them.

“And Sophia?”

I turned to my best friend, close enough to touch foreheads, and his eyes briefly searched mine. “Yeah?” I breathed, and his fingers skimmed the cuts on his brow. It was then that I realized his black eye was slowly fading.

“We—” Broden
paused to look over the street. “We can’t make mistakes,” he clarified, reaching up for the last branch. “Understand?”

I nodded
for the umpteenth time, and he yanked the branch back. “Then, go.”

…

I sprung forward and jumped before I had a chance to glance at the ground. Miles’ sweater rippled against the wind as air exploded into my lungs. The drop was higher than I was expecting, and I yelped as I hit the ground. My feet slid beneath me, and I fell, hearing my jeans rip. Before I could stand, Broden dropped out of the sky. Unlike mine, his body recollected gracefully.

He stood up
and darted into the streets without hesitation. I staggered, pulling up grass as I raced after him. The grass beneath my feet turned to asphalt in seconds. We were darting across the street − only one yard apart − when Broden leapt toward the sidewalk. He disappeared into the blackness, and my heart slammed into my ribs.

I had seconds. My eyes shot back and forth, desperately searching for my friend, but I only saw
the dark field in front of me. Suddenly, without catching sight of him, I fell into a storm ditch. My feet slammed against the drain, and my hands sprung up in front of me before I slammed into a concrete wall.

T
he sound of my panicked breath echoed around the tunnel with a hiss, but Broden’s soft chuckle is what I focused on. He had known we would fall from the beginning.

He patted my shoulder.
“You did good,” he praised me in-between breaths.

I
glanced over. “You could’ve warned me about the second drop, you know.” The drop had to be over six feet because it covered his head.

“I thought you’d enjoy
a surprise.”

“The
first drop was surprise enough,” I mumbled, leaning back to survey my leg. My knee was scraped, and my jeans were ruined.

“Not so bad,”
Broden stated before looking at his watch. “We have to go.”

He turned
, following the drain as the concrete curled under the fields. I followed him without questioning his directional capabilities, and his speed increased with every turn. He kept looking at his faulty watch, and I was beginning to suspect the silver jewelry wasn’t as broken as he wanted it to seem.

“Do you think the pa
trolman saw us?” I asked, quickening my pace to stand next to him.

He
climbed up from the drain to a dirt trail. When I joined him, he answered, “He’s caught us once.”

Apparently, he had done this before, numerous times
, and not alone. My only question was a stereotypical one − why? − but I didn’t have enough information to ask yet. If I had learned anything from my father, it was that most people didn’t offer information, and if you’re going to ask for it, you better know they will answer. At this point, Broden was keeping his mouth shut, even if I pried it open. If I wanted an honest answer, I would have to wait for a better opportunity to begin an interrogation.

Broden slowed down, his
freehand tightening on the backpack. “Listen, Sophia,” he whispered as the dirt trail turned into a hooked, gravel path. We were closing in on the lumberyard. “This whole situation—” his voice sounded like a hesitant apology. “Miles is right when he says you shouldn’t be involved.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It is,” he said, trying to turn away, but I had already seen his expression. The mixture of contempt and dread made me lose my breath.

As we neared the last curve,
the sounds of rushing water surrounded us. “Don’t speak. Don’t do anything rash. Just let me talk to Noah, and then, I’ll get you out of here, and we never have to talk about this again.”

I nodded, but I doubted he saw
me. His stride turned into a march as we made our way around the last corner. The trail ended at a river, and a bridge arched over it, enveloping us in shadows. Full of rainwater from the previous storm, the creek rushed over rocks and logs, and I gaped at the site. Considering I was never near the lumberyard, I was oblivious to the beautiful bridge. In fact, I was shocked by it. This area wasn’t a park. It was an abandoned forest. To see a manmade creation in isolation made every alarm in my body go off.

Unfazed,
Broden walked in front of me, and I managed to tiptoe behind him. Gravel beneath my feet disappeared and reappeared as clouds flew across the sky, covering the moon only to conceal it again. One second, I could see the glittering water in front of me, only to have it disappear the next. I kept pushing forward, allowing my ears to be my eyes. The running water was soothing, but Broden’s voice was defensive when he spoke, “Noah.”

My neck snapped up
as I stared at my best friend talking to the shadows beneath the bridge. It wasn’t until I stepped closer that I saw the boy he was speaking to.

N
oah was leaned against the stone wall, but his green eyes focused on Broden with a stillness I was already familiar with. Shadows lingered beneath his gaze, and his black t-shirt blended into the darkness. If I weren’t closer, I wouldn’t have been able to see him. The only light part about him was his hair, blond and frayed, yet it hung over his forehead like a masquerade mask.

Broden’s old friend – the boy that Miles seemed terrified of – was the same boy I had encountered in the forest behind my house. He was the strange
r who had my address in his hands.

I ste
pped back, hoping to hide behind Broden’s tall body.

Broden, though, kept moving toward him.
“It’s me,” he said.

Noah stepped forward,
and the darkness fell behind his shoulders. His face was lit up, but it was his gaze that shattered any safety I had previously felt. Noah’s eyes had flashed. He had cat-eyes. He had taken tomo, and he had consumed it recently.

I
pulled my hands out of my pockets as Broden yanked the black bag off of his shoulder. When he threw it at Noah, the boy caught it, almost as if on instinct. In reality, he had probably seen Broden throwing it before Broden even knew he would throw it. That was what tomo did to a person. They could see everything, even the future.

Noah’s
green eyes flashed yellow once more before his stare focused on Broden’s arm. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked.

Broden’s injured arm was completely covered by his sweater, but Noah somehow knew.

“What do you think?” Broden spat before throwing the recorder at him.

Noah caught that, too.
“Where’s Miles?” he asked, placing the recorder into his pocket.

“Watching the car
.”

Noah’s expression remained unreadable.
“I saw the Jeep,” he noted. “You’re working for the State nowadays?”

Broden gestured toward
me. “The car was hers.”

When Noah’s gaze landed on me, I held my breath, but
Noah’s attention quickly returned to Broden. Despite knowing everything else, he didn’t seem to recognize me.

“You’re really back,” Broden continued to speak.

Noah grimaced. “How have you been?”

“Better,” Brode
n answered. “They let me out of military school,” he added, “but it looks like I’m going back in.”

Noah’s eyebrows furrowed,
“I’ll get you out.”

“There’s no getting out this time.”

The boy’s face turned to the side, and his gaze focused somewhere far away from the park. He looked as if he was mentally transporting himself elsewhere, somewhere that didn’t have this moment in existence, somewhere that was completely still. He had done the same thing when he faced me only a few days prior. He wasn’t the type to care about his exposed back. At least, I knew that about him.

Broden shifted
. “Why are you back?” he asked, and Noah’s jaw locked. From where I stood, I watched his bone flinch as if he were holding his words back. Broden sighed heavily at his friend’s silence. “There’s a reason.”

“I need it back,” Noah
snapped. “I need the tomo back now.”

“What?” Broden
’s voice rose. “No way,” he remarked. “I’m not giving it to you. Forget it.”

Noah’s eyebrows raised beneath his long hair. “So
, you kept it?”

Broden had broken my father’s first rule
− never offer information – and he was already dealing with the repercussions.

“Noah,” Broden dug his feet into the gravel
. “Border patrol knows you’re here. Phelps knows, and he’s looking for you.”

“He’s
looking for someone,” Noah corrected, his voice dancing with amusement. “They don’t know who.”

My father’s conversation flickered through my memory. Phelps had brought my dad back to look for someone who had illegally passed the regions. Phelps was looking for Noah, my dad was looking for Noah, and Noah was looking for tomo.

Broden was right. The situation was bad.

“I need it,”
Noah continued, crossing his arms. “I’m not going to use it, but I need it back.”

Broden raised his chin
. “I don’t believe you.”

“You really think
I came the whole way back just to use it myself?” Noah asked. His smirk never left his lips. A challenge lingered in his expression.

Broden glared,
“You seem to be using it now.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then, what are you doing with it?”

“I’m going to be boarded up in the military hostiles as
some kid from the Boise Region,” he changed the subject. “Nate Harper. That’s my name.”

“Nate Harper,” Broden
stuttered over the false identity.

“Looks like we’l
l be in school together again.” Noah touched the concrete wall behind him as if to remind himself where he was standing. “I shouldn’t be here for long.”

“So
, you’re not staying.”

“Is
that a surprise?” he asked in a low tone.

“No,”
Broden admitted, “I guess not.”

Noah
ran a hand through his blond hair, and his bangs stuck up. Neither of the boys spoke for a moment, and we were buried in the sound of the rushing water, cool and calm. I didn’t dare move, as if moving would suddenly bring Noah’s attention to me, and I didn’t want him to recognize me if he hadn’t already.

I didn’t want to listen, and now, I was wondering why I had gotten involved in the first pl
ace. Whatever was going on here − crossing the border, military school, and tomo − I didn’t want to believe Broden was involved with someone like that. Even worse, I wanted to believe that Noah wasn’t either.

Broden
held his splinted arm. “Does your dad know?”

“He’s the one who sent me,” Noah
answered, his voice rough.

“Y
ou’re not telling me something,” Broden growled, suddenly enraged. “Do you realize how much trouble you’re in?” he ranted. “Do you realize how much trouble you could get me in? Miles in? Anyone in?”