EMIT (THE EMIT SAGA) (47 page)

“But why? There are no more envelopes, the attack has stopped and you have the bad guys.”

“I don’t want to
scare you, but Gilles Barnes has no knowledge of that fake Laura Burke woman or anything about that tracker. We have no idea who implanted Amber. Since that tracker is from the future, I’m concerned.” He started kissing me and said, “So, no arguing.”

Who could argue with him kissing me? At least we’d be together and I’d pretend that the surveillance team didn’t exist.

My cell rang and it was Mom telling me to come home that Lily was there. After everything that happened, I had forgot about Lily. I wondered why she hadn’t texted me herself.

As we walked home, Daniel told me the rest of the saga. Right after I’d found the envelope, EMIT arrested Farid in the South of France. He
wasn’t cooperating, so they planned on giving him the truth serum. He said that international law forbids the use of the serum, but the one that EMIT uses was from the future and was totally safe and untraceable. The NSA was accessing the bank accounts and freezing the assets. Another team was working with the European authorities to locate everyone responsible for the plot.

When we walked into the kitchen, Lily and Mom were talking.

“Hi. Why didn’t you call me you were on your way?” I asked Lily.

“I was talking to Chad the whole way here and I figured you were home.”

“So what are your plans for tonight?” Mom asked us

“I don’t know yet. How’s Dad? Is he sleeping?”
I asked.

“I’m not sure.
Would you go up and make sure he’s not working?”

“No problem
.” I looked over at Daniel and Lily and said, “Why don’t you guys think of something to do tonight?”

I peeked in and
Dad looked like he was sleeping. I turned to leave I and he called out, “Paige, don’t go. I just had my eyes shut.”

“How are you?” I sat in the chair next to the bed.

“Same as before, fine. I’ll humor your mom and the doctors, but Monday I’m going back to work.” Mom was going to have quite a battle keeping him home.

“I’m sorry about London.”

“It’s only for a little while. Maybe we’ll go for a long weekend in the fall. We’ll check your school schedule and see what days you’re off and work around it. We’ll go for Thanksgiving.”

Looking at him confused, I said, “Ah, Dad, Grammy would get really upset.” Thanksgiving was always at Grammy’s house on Long Island. It was tradition. How could Dad forget that? Was his concussion
messing with his memory? I had to tell Mom.

He furrowed his brow and looked bewildered
, but then there was a flicker in his eyes. “You’re right. What was I thinking?” he laughed, shaking his head. “I meant for Christmas.” Nothing else that he said troubled me, yet I was still scared.

Downstairs, Lily was texting and Daniel was reading the newspaper. I couldn’t believe all the things that had taken place recently. As I stood there watching Daniel, he glanced up and smiled. Everything I had been through was worth him.

I found Mom in the kitchen and told her about Thanksgiving. She said she’d watch him.

Back in
the living room, I told Lily that we found the other envelope and she was so relieved. When I told her that Daniel and I were going to London, she said she was jealous.

Daniel suggested an Italian restaurant and Chad met us there. Afterwards, we went to a movie. Out and about like a normal couple and not having to worry that goons were going to attack or kill me was very liberating.

“Lily, stay over tomorrow night, too. Your parents were supposed to pick up Amber on Saturday, now they don’t have to. They could swing by and get you instead on the way to Grammy’s.”

“They
did want to see Uncle Oliver. I’ll ask Mom.”

“Truth is what stands the test of experience.”
Einstein

Lily woke me when she got up. I rolled over to see that it was seven o’clock. Lying in bed staring at the ceiling, I decided to get my packing started, so that Daniel and I’d have more time together. Thoughts of his beautiful face kept me very focused. When Lily came out and saw me packing, she was surprised and kidded, “I know you want to see Daniel, but I’d still be sleeping.”

“If you could see Chad, you’d be up early too,” I said, knowingly.

Lily left and I called Daniel.

“You got up early this morning. For me I hope?” Daniel asked.

“Always for you.”

“I’m very glad. Let’s pick up breakfast and go to my place. How about in thirty minutes?”

“Okay.”

I walked by my parents’ room and the door was shut so I went downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen reading the paper.

“I was afraid to go in your room. Is Dad still sleeping?” I asked. Mom nodded. “I’ll see him later. I’m meeting Daniel for breakfast.”

“Okay, have fun.” I was waiting to hear a lecture
, but there wasn’t one.

The elevator door opened and there he was standing against the wall in the lobby waiting for me. “Hey,” he grinned and I walked into his arms. People were entering the lobby, so we separated, but held on to each other tightly. On the way up Columbus Avenue, we stopped at a bakery and picked up some pastries, muffins, fruit and coffee.

After breakfast, I wandered around the apartment and snooped, knowing that Daniel was the real owner of the apartment.

In the library, I found photo albums on a bookshelf. I handed one to Daniel and asked him to tell me about the photos.

“You’ll be so bored. They’re just pictures of me when I was young.”

“I want to see them. You saw pictures of me. Wait, you were there when I was young,” I huffed. Daniel grabbed the album with one hand and my hand with the other. Pulling me into the living room, he motioned for me to sit on the couch.

Page by page, Daniel lovingly told me about each photo and explained what was happening in each. Whenever, the photos were of his parents, his voice sounded wistful. At the end of the album, I decided one was enough because there was plenty of time to see the rest.

Daniel got up and got his guitar. “Don’t I owe you?” he joked, facing me.

“Yes, you do.”

“I wrote this song for you,” he said.

“Really!” I was so surprised. No one had ever written anything for me.

“It’s called Mental Crossroads. I hope you like it, but if you don’t just lie,” he kidded.

“He's standing at a mental crossroad,

Drowning in his frantic thoughts.

Should he tell her the very secret

That might rip them apart?

He spent his whole life trying to look past it,

But now it stares him in the face. 

It could lead to his life being shattered

Just as it was falling back into place. 

Who knows where decisions will lead us. 

I think life is just a tapestry

Of little coincidences, hard decisions.

Who knows where fate will blow us,

So let's just cross our fingers and open our minds. 

Maybe that's how we'll find our way.
 

She spends all day thinking, 

Lying on her bed with a distant stare.
 

She always thought that she loved him,

But for this secret she was unprepared. 

Part of her wants to run away from the relationship,

But part of her wants to run straight into his arms

To hear him tell her it'll be okay now,

To reassure her they can keep moving on.
 

Who knows where decisions will lead us. 

I think life is just a tapestry

Of little coincidences, hard decisions.

Who knows where fate will blow us,

So let's just cross our fingers and open our minds. 

Maybe that's how we'll find our way.
 

And by the way if you're wondering about them.

Well they turned out okay.
 

I guess the world has a way of working everything out

The way it was meant to be. 

Who knows where decisions will lead us. 

I think life is just a tapestry

Of little coincidences, hard decisions.

Who knows where fate will blow us,

So let's just cross our fingers and open our minds. 

Maybe that's how we'l
l find our way.”

His singing voice was much lower than when he spoke. When he finished, I started clapping and said, “I loved it. What a great song!”

“You inspired me.”

“Really? That’s the same reason, I wrote some too.”

“You did? When do I get to hear yours?”

“Probably never. Mine are sappy. I’m so glad I never sang them.”

“I’ve heard you sing and you have a great voice.”

“It’s so weird the stuff you know about me,” I said shaking my head and I looked down the long hallway at all the closed bedroom doors. “Can I see your bedroom?”

“Sure, come on,” he said and helped me up.

After I walked in, I almost fell over. On one wall there was a huge framed corkboard and there were at least fifty pictures of me from different years. I swung around and looked at him as he watched, smiling.

“So I have a picture wall, too. Do you like it?” Daniel asked.

“How did you get these?”

“Over the years, we needed to take pictures of your family to show the new agents. Whenever you aged they took new ones and James put the discarded ones in your file. After we met, I found them and made a collage for my wall. It’s my homage to you,” he joked as he walked over and started kissing me. No wonder James didn’t like me, it all made sense now.

Regaining my composure, I looked around his room and saw there were also pictures of his family and grandparents. His room was quite sparse and it was apparent that he didn’t spend too much time there. The focal point in the room was a beautiful wooden four-poster bed.

“Now that’s a very royal bed,” I joked.

“It was my parents, so I kept it.”

“It’s beautiful,” I said. As I walked further inside, I noticed an open door leading to another room. Peeking in, I saw that it was an office. On one wall was a framed poster that read, “Keep Calm and Carry on” with a crown overhead. “What’s this?”

“It was a poster that my dad had in his office. In 1939, the British government put these posters up to calm Londoners anxious about the war with Germany.”

Everywhere I looked, it was spotless and it was diametrically opposite to what I envisioned. At the same time, Daniel wasn’t a typical nineteen year-old guy. “This apartment is so clean!”

“I have a housekeeper who comes in weekly.”

“But if you’re not here for months or even years, why use a housekeeper?

“It still gets dusty and I want it to be clean when I do come.”

“How do you pay for it?”

“EMIT has a department where a staff takes care of all the travelers monthly bills.”

“They think of everything.”

“They have to.”

“What about laundry?”

“I have a washer and dryer down the hall and there are laundromats and drycleaners that pick up and deliver.”

“But if you’re not here?” I asked.

“The doorman holds it and when the housekeeper comes she puts it in the apartment.”

When I sat on his bed, I really felt uneasy.

Daniel asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, suddenly I got very nervous,” I admitted.

“Paige, you wanted to see my bedroom, I didn’t suggest it.” He was right.

He leaned over to kiss me and we fell backwards on the bed. Delicate kisses brushed my face, my neck, and my shoulders, ending at my collarbone. He was driving me insane. Things were escalating when Daniel stopped, looked at me and stroked my face.

I noticed his tattoo and had to ask, “What is this for?”

Daniel was reticent to answer me
, but finally said, “It’s the markings of where my hand goes on the machine.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Under each dot, there is a tiny chip. The three chips and my fingerprints authorize the use of the time machines.”

“Wow.” Every day I learned something new.

“Let’s get out of here. Its almost one and I’m starving.”

When we exited the Dakota, I almost collided right into Eden. Paul and Billy were with her.

“Paige, how are you? How’s your arm?” asked Eden in a happy mood. Eden had called after my accident, but I never called her back. Billy said nothing and when he glanced at Daniel, he looked scared.