Cheating Time Read online

  "Until now, your mom's never really wanted to admit that she's the reason we are where we are, that her technology has been President Barone's greatest weapon when it comes to silently executing by the hundreds anyone who doesn't meet his expectations of the perfect citizen. She…" Dad put his hand to his mouth and choked on his own words.

  I'd only ever seen Dad cry one other time, and that was when Aunt Christi, Tawney's mother and Mom's sister, and her husband Uncle Ron had been violently murdered while Tawney slept the night away in the safe room Gran had built for her.

  I felt guiltier for making Dad cry than I had all night long… than I had in a long time. Maybe ever.

  "You have this all wrong, Carlie. Your mom's the one leaving us tonight. Not you. At first, we were going to send you back with Jayden. Actually, he probably thinks that's still the plan. The thing is… she's worked out a deal with Barone in hopes that he'll leave us alone. Leave you alone," Dad said, having to clear his throat several times afterward.

  What the hell?

  Chapter 6

  Revelations

  Carlie

  My stare snapped up. "Mom can't go back to the capital… She can't go anywhere near Barone by herself. You and Jayden can stay with Gran and Tawney. You'll be fine. I'll go with Mom. She'll need someone to help her. I can be her assistant. I can make sure she's safe."

  With pride I'd seldom seen from Dad (at least not when it came to me and not Jayden), he smiled down at me. He, a military man through and through, may have been yelling at me a few minutes earlier, but his frustration was more about how powerless he was over our situation, not how angry he was with me. I'd seen that side of him every single time Barone sent Jayden on a mission. Dad would pace our house the entire time Jayden was away. The instant Jayden had returned so had the Dad I'd known and loved.

  There was no way for me to understand fully how Dad felt at this moment, but the stress etched into his every tight-fisted grip was evidence he was feeling out of control when it came to what was happening with his family.

  "Sweetie, you can't go with her. Sh-she needs someone who is better equipped to protect her. Jayden's that person. He'll keep her safe," Dad assured me.

  "It needs to be me. You know Barone will manipulate Jayden just like he always has. He'll send him on missions and leave Mom unprotected. We can't let that happen," I argued.

  Dad looked at me strangely before saying, "Carlie, I know you and Jayden have always had a unique relationship. It's as if you've never really understood what a Surrogate is… You've never really realized he has no biological mother or father. At least not ones he can call a parent. Your mother and I have taken on those rolls for him, and you've resented any respect we've afforded him. That's not like you at all.

  "What you need to know right now is that I trust him. He's the only person besides me that I'd let protect your Mom. All Jayden knows is what he's exposed to. We've spent years showing him he can be a better person than the one Barone was trying to mold him into becoming.

  Dad stared over my shoulder, studying something. Studying nothing in particular. He sighed.

  "I've known Barone my entire life. He's always been a talent scout. He took one look at Jayden, who was still a toddler at the time, and saw his potential. He did the same thing with your mother. He used his charms to win their trust and loyalty.

  "Until Jayden began living with us, he thought the package Barone had been selling was the real deal. When Jayden became a member of our family and saw what a real family was and what real love was, he changed. I saw it. I knew he was different." Dad chuckled, and it was nothing less than sad. Then he gulped. "Jayden has never known what to think of you. He… he'd never been loved unconditionally until you accepted him and loved him like he was the big brother you always wanted. Even as a small child, you were opinionated and demanding. Unsure of what to do with you, he pushed you away. Not because he didn't care just as much as you, but because your intensity scared him. It took a long time, but you eventually began to follow his lead, pushing him away."

  Dad's gaze was still faraway, and all I could think was how alike he and I were. In the middle of the mayhem we were dealing with, he was taking time out to consider events that had shaped our lives. Like me, he feared the cusp of change we were so obviously on. With it, there would be no going back. The only guarantee we had was that our lives would move forward with or without each other. That thought frightened both of us and instigated memories that had led us to where we were.

  "You probably don't even remember this, but when you were two and Jayden was four, Ms. Sarah watched both of you. Of course, Jayden stopped going to Ms. Sarah's house when he started Elite, the Surrogate preparatory school, but until then, the two of you were inseparable.

  "Ms. Sarah thought of the two of you as a married couple. You'd bicker and argue over the silliest things. Who would go to the bathroom first. Who got to pick the movie you were going to watch." Dad chuckled. This time it was more sincere. "Like I said, silly things. What was frustrating to Ms. Sarah was the way you would hide in the corner and cry if she used the first cross word with Jayden. Even at two years old, you had a sense of justice about you. You couldn't stand it when anyone treated him, or any other Surrogate, with anything less than respect. Ms. Sarah was prejudiced. In her eyes, Jayden was not your equal. In yours, he was.

  "Funny enough, the only person who could get you out of the corner after you'd gotten upset was Jayden. No matter how many warnings Ms. Sarah gave you about keeping your distance from the Surrogate you ignored her.

  "When you were at your most defiant, you would hold Jayden's hand and demand he skip around the parameter of our yard with you. It was as if you knew how much the integration of Surrogates with Procreates bothered her, and you were on a mission to prove to her there was nothing wrong with it. Honestly, if President Barone himself hadn't insisted she be Jayden's caretaker, she'd have never agreed. Not as much as she hated Surrogates."

  My brows furrowed. "I remember a little boy and the way I harassed him nonstop, insisting he play hopscotch, baby dolls, and jump rope with me, but I can hardly believe that complacent little boy was Jayden. The same Jayden who's so hateful to me," I exclaimed.

  I couldn't help but soften when I thought about the torture I'd put Jayden through, when I remembered how sweet he'd been to me when we were little. My chest squeezed tight.

  "Okay, Dad, I get it. You trust him. I hear you. Like I said, let him go with you, Gran, and Tawney. He'll keep all of you alive. You may have to get used to eating bug drop soup as a staple, but there's no doubt in my mind he'll keep all of you alive until Mom and I can figure a way out of this for us."

  Dad shook his head. "No. No. You're right. Someone has to go back with your Mom. I told the Coxes I'd stay here and help them, but I can't leave your Mom. I'll go back with her. I want Jayden to go with you, Tawney, and Gran to the next house. By then, I'll know if it's safe for you and Tawney to go to the academy. Jayden won't let the Surrogates pick up the two of you until he gets word from me."

  As soon as I opened my mouth to disagree, Dad put his hands out and said, "I mean it, Carlie. I need you to be the soldier I've raised you to be and for you to do whatever I ask you to do without questioning me. This one time. I need you to do that for me. Can you? Please."

  Dad had turned into the slightly frightening soldier that was not to be refused. The only options being handed to me were impossibly difficult ones and all of them split our family apart. The only ray of hope I had was the fact that Dad was almost as famous as Mom. He'd once single-handedly taken back the president's house after it had been hijacked by Shadow Soldiers.

  It was before I was born, but I'd heard the stories my whole life. There was an entire population of people who considered him a hero because he'd taken down the Shadow Soldiers who'd successfully crossed the border, made their way to the capital, invaded the presidential home, and captured the former president and his family. If anyone could keep Mom safe and get our
family out of this and back together, it was the man who'd forever be a hero in the eyes of this nation's citizens: Dad. It was my responsibility to make his job easier, to listen to him and follow his instructions meticulously.

  Straightening my back, I turned into a soldier more loyal than any to ever exist and said, "You tell me what you need me to do, Dad, and I'll give my life doing it. I promise."

  Again, a smile of pure pride crossed Dad's face. Everything about it felt good and reinforced the promise I'd just made.

  "I'm going back with your mom, and I'm going to let Jayden take you, Gran, and Tawney to the next house. You'll be safer in the woods or at the next house than you'll be here. There's too much going on here. You are leaving this farm tonight. I don't want any of you to come out of hiding until I give the all clear," Dad ordered.

  In my new soldier mindset, I knew his decisions should not be questioned. As his daughter, I wanted to demand that we not be separated. Letting the soldier win out, I had every intention of doing exactly as he was asking.

  I nodded. "You take care of Mom, and I'll take care of everyone else, Dad. We'll be back together before you know it."

  Before the words were out of my mouth, a look of fear and anguish crossed Dad's face. As quick as it came, it was gone. He tried to hide it before I saw it, but his cover-up had come too late. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and sob. I didn't. I refused to have him worry that I wasn't going to be able to make it without him and Mom.

  Dad's head bobbed. "We will be together again, Carlie. Your mom and I'll work to get back into Barone's good graces. When that happens, you'll be able to come home from the academy on weekends. It'll be just like old times," Dad lied.

  No matter how hard he was trying, I didn't believe a word he was saying to me. I kept that to myself.

  "Yes, sir." I agreed.

  "There's something else you need to know. Your mom wasn't sure if we should tell you, but you've proven to me that you're ready to know just one of the many things that makes you more important than anyone will ever know."

  My brow furrowed as I waited for Dad to finish.

  "Every bit of the research your mom and Gran has ever done has been scanned into a file and stored within your MicroPharm chip. Your Mom wanted you to have it in case anything ever happened to her. She knew you would be one of the only people in the world to understand it.

  "After you began assisting her, she realized you were as much of a researcher as she and Gran. You've been working with your mom in the lab because that training is just as important to your survival as your combat training," Dad explained.

  Over the clucking of chickens, I heard the barn door behind us open and close. Dad and I glanced toward it and watched Mom as she made her way to us.

  Before she was halfway, I ran toward her, slung my arms around her shoulders, and wept.

  "I'm so sorry, Mom. I'll keep my mouth closed from now on. Everything I do… I swear to you… I swear to you everything I do will make you proud."

  Mom pulled back and tucked my bangs behind my ears. "If you never do another thing in your entire life, I'd be proud of you. You're an amazing person with a giant heart. I love you. I want you to take care of your dad. I'm going back to the capital. Barone swore to me he'd leave all of you alone if I did that. Gran offered to take my place, but I'm the one who shared my research with Barone. Not him. It's my responsibility to make this right," she shared.

  Reminding me of Jayden after he came back from Barone's assignment, Mom had a gleam of determination and resignation in her eyes that made me want to join her on her mission.

  Dad stepped next to us and cleared his throat. "Babe, Carlie and I've been talking. There's going to be a slight change of plans."

  Mom cut her eyes Dad's way. Just like he'd done to me earlier, Dad held up his hands in surrender.

  "Just hear me out. When Jayden arrived tonight, he was muddy and soaked from the rain we had earlier. I told him to go into the bathroom downstairs and strip. While he did that, I found him some clean and dry clothes. He-he hadn't locked the bathroom door. I didn't think anything about opening it up so I could throw the dry clothes in to him and he could get dressed. When I opened the door, his back was faced my way. Jesus, Selma! Someone's been beating him… beating him pretty bad. I-I can't let him go back. He doesn't deserve whatever it is that Barone's been doing to him, and I'm not sure he can help you as much as I'd hoped."

  Mom sucked in a deep breath and put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my God! Why would Barone do that to him? "

  Dad shrugged his shoulders.

  "You're right. He can't go back. I'll go myself. I'll be fine," Mom insisted.

  Dad shook his head. "No. Carlie and I have a better plan."

  Mom arched her eyebrow, suspiciously bouncing her gaze from Dad to me before landing squarely back on Dad.

  "I'm going back with you, and Jayden will take my place getting everyone to the next house… making sure everything is okay before chaperoning Carlie and Tawney to the academy.

  "He can do it, and you know it. Hell… he was always better at surviving out in the woods than me, and I'm military trained. He was born to do it. I need to go back with you so I can make sure Barone isn't going to do anything stupid. He needs you so I know he won't kill you, but that doesn't mean he won't mentally torture you," Dad said.

  Betrayed, Mom backed away from us like she was a caged animal. "I need you to go with Carlie, Sam. I need to know she's okay."

  "Selma, it's been settled. This is what we're going to do."

  Recognizing his military general mode—the one I'd witnessed minutes ago—Mom saw there was no arguing with him. After a long few minutes where she thought through all of our options, she sighed in exasperation, ran her hand through her hair, and rolled her eyes.

  "The two of you are going to be the death of me. Not Barone. The two of you."

  I slid my arm through my mother's. "We'll all be fine, Mom. We just have to remember to do whatever Dad tells us to do."

  Dad quickly said, "You, young lady, need to do whatever Jayden tells you to do. I know that will be hard for you, but that's what I need for you to do, Carlie."

  I offered Dad my own sigh and eye roll for what felt like the millionth time that night. "I got it, Dad. I said I'd follow your orders, and I will. Even if that means partaking of Jayden's infamous bug drop soup," I said sarcastically.

  "Why do you keep saying that? He's never made you eat anything like that." Dad laughed.

  I giggled. "I'm here to tell you right now that he fortified at least one weekend survival soup with bug protein."

  Joining in, Mom shook her head. "He did no such thing, Carles Enoche. Stop saying that."

  "You just don't want to admit you willingly ate bugs, but whatever helps you sleep through the night, Mom."

  We spent several more minutes reminiscing about Jayden's hardcore survival training weekends. Before long, we all sobered, silently conceding that our time together was quickly coming to an end.

  Dad finally said what we were all thinking. "We need to go."

  Mom's head bobbed, but she didn't move an inch. "Carlie, I've updated your and Tawney's MicroPharms. For your protection, I've overridden its code. There are only two people who will ever really know your location. Your father and me. There will be people who think they know where you are, but that is just a farce meant to keep them from realizing what I've done. I've also updated it so it will never administer a lethal dose of medication to either of you."

  Holy hell!

  Apparently naïve beyond common sense, the thought of death by lethal injection, courtesy of my MicroPharm, had never occurred to me. I contemplated what Mom had said while the three of us walked hand in hand, me in the middle just like we'd done when I was little, back toward the barn.

  "Let me tell Jayden. I'm not sure how he's going to take it. Even though he's been brainwashed since birth, he broke away from his troop and made his way here to warn us. It was with a whole lot of hes
itation that he agreed to go back with Selma while I led the rest of us to the next safe house. If I ask him to totally change plans and lead you, Tawney, and Gran to the next house, he'll never be able to go back and pretend he just got lost. Not only will everything he's worked for will be at risk, but openly disobeying Barone's order is not something that'll ever come naturally for him," Dad said.

  He's probably afraid he'll be beaten to death, I thought sardonically.

  As soon as we walked through the barn door, a very anxious Jayden approached Dad. "Sir, they're an hour away. If you want to have any sort of jump on Isaiah and his team, you need to leave now."

  Dad took another exhausted breath. I couldn't help but wonder if that moment in time would be forever etched in my memory as the last time I'd see him. He'd never looked so tired. By all accounts, he seemed even more exhausted than his breath sounded. It was with a quiet reluctance that he'd admitted to himself that the plan before us was the best one we had, the best chance at us all being together one day.

  There wasn't an optimistic bone in my body. I instinctively knew that after we parted from each other, our lives would forever be changed.

  We would forever be separated.

  Even if we saw each other again—though I had serious doubts that would ever happen—we would all fundamentally be different people, hardened and made cynical by the journeys we were about to embark upon, the paths we were about to take, and the decisions we would be forced to make.

  If only I'd known just how much I appreciated the life I had six months ago. The one where my family, including Jayden, and I were together.

  Healthy.

  Happy.

  Contented.

  Chapter 7

  Separations

  Carlie

  As if ripping off a Band-Aid, Dad said, "Jayden, son, there's been a slight change plans. I need to go with Selma, and I'd hoped you'd agree to go with Carlie, Tawney, and Gran. You and I both know you can keep them as safe as I can."