Sleeping Jenny (17 page)

We found a seat together in the back. “You all right?”

She swallowed and rolled her tongue around her mouth. “Uh-huh.”

“Good.”

Pell kicked her feet against the seat. Thump thump. Thump thump. What would happen to her if I joined the Timesurfers and scouted the universe for Paradise 15? If she missed me for one morning, she'd miss me all her life, just like Timmy. I tried not to think about it too much.

“Your birthday's coming up.” I tickled her and she giggled, crumpling forward. “I know what you're getting!”

She clapped her hands together. “What?”

I shook my head and smiled. “I can't tell you.”

“Pretty please with sappy sauce on top?”

“Nope.” I zipped my finger across my mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

“Then I'm not telling you what you're gonna get.”

I straightened up. “What?” Since when did a seven-year-old know more than me? “You heard me.”

Now she has attitude?
I sat back, contemplating a bargain, but her stop came up and she jumped out of her seat and gave me a kiss on my cheek, like she did every day. “Bye, Jenny.”

For some strange reason I got all teary-eyed. “See ya, Pell.”

Her little black braids bounced as she ran to the door. Maybe it was better I didn't know what Valex and Len had gotten for me. I'd just feel guilty anyway. I didn't need any presents for my birthday, especially from my substitute family. They'd already done so much for me, and I could barely make time to spend with them.

I didn't have time to think about my birthday any further, because Ridgewood Prep came up in a gleaming façade of glass, and I pushed toward the front of the bus. When the door opened, I practically leapt off the hoverbus and ran to homeroom. If I was lucky enough, Maxim would get there before Exara and I'd have a few minutes to set up a time to talk.

That's if he wants to risk everything to talk to me. Again
.

Swallowing doubt, I settled behind my screendesk and tapped my fingers impatiently. Sure, I could try to send him a message with the screendesk, but I hadn't mastered all the intricacies of the privacy settings. I didn't know if everyone could see it, or if the principal could read every correspondence that went through. I wouldn't put it past them and I didn't want to chance it. Besides, it was hard to get the tone of the message right. I didn't want to leave a video message on his miniscreen. Too much evidence. It would be much better to talk to him in person.

Students shuffled in, and I tried not to stare at the doorway. Exara strutted in between the screendesks wearing pink high-heeled boots and a minitunic, and my stomach sank. I'd wished it was one of her “beauty treatment” days, but I wasn't so lucky. In fact, she hadn't missed a day since the dance. She gave me an evil sneer and settled into the seat in front of me. Was her perfect attendance a ploy to keep Maxim and me apart?

Maxim ran in two seconds before the techno jingle, and I crashed my head down on my desk. The one morning I decide to come early, he was late. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

As I brainstormed another way to get an alibi, a miracle happened. Principal Hall came on the main screen with the announcements, and Exara left her seat, asking to use the bathroom. Maybe an eyelash was out of place.

Seconds after she turned the corner, I whirled around. Maxim was sleeping on his desk, the fluorescent light illuminating the side of his face like a ghost.

“Psst.”

He didn't budge, so I shook his arm. “Maxim, wake up.”

“W-what?” He glanced up through waves of dark, luscious hair, hair I wanted to run my fingers through.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, okay.” He straightened in his seat, a curious spark in his eyes. “What about?”

I couldn't explain the Timesurfers in the two minutes it would take for Exara to redo her makeup and come back to class. Besides, I needed a more private place to talk. “It's a long story. Can we meet up sometime?”

Maxim looked down, drumming his fingers, possibly calculating the risk. “I'll be at the fencing club after school.”

Fencing? That sounded kinda scary. I had a hard enough time with volleyball. “Do I have to join?”

“Nah, just say you're coming to try it out.”

I weighed my options, which were close to nil. “Okay.”

“I'll make sure you're my partner and then we can talk.”

“While we're fencing?”

“It's the best way to ensure privacy.”

He was right. Seconds ticked away with me blatantly leaning across his screendesk. One fist to the jaw was enough. “Sure.” I whirled around and turned on my screendesk. By the time Exara came back, I was typing furiously about theoretical physics, creating a theoretical distraction.

“Trying to cram?” She flashed me a wicked grin.

I ignored her.
Yeah, I could cram it all the way up your
…

Cue the techno jingle. This time it came at the perfect moment, before I could open my bitter mouth. Everyone bolted up, like they sat on hot potatoes, or I guess it would be soytaters nowadays. I still hadn't seen a whole vegetable or fruit in all of our overly processed meals. Maxim passed by my desk, giving me a slight wink before his wave of hair fell in front of his face.

Mission accomplished. Appointment made. So why did my stomach gurgle in protest? Now I had to tell him the truth. I hadn't confided in anyone in over three hundred years. Well, maybe Martha, but it was easier to talk to someone who understood my situation.

The rest of the day moved at a turtle's pace, if turtles still existed, of course. I kept rehearsing what I was going to say over and over. I had to admit I was excited to have a meeting planned with him, even if it was during a sport I had no prayer at. I reminded myself this was strictly business. Maxim needed me as much as he needed a thorn in his side.

The fencing team met in the cafeteria, so as the last bell rang, I headed straight over. Shizznizz met me at the door, his hair, more red than orange today, stuck up in a Mohawk. “Hey, Jennifer. I didn't know you were into fencing.”

“Oh, I'm just trying it out.” My voice sounded so lame I was surprised he didn't see right through me. He gave me something from a box by the door; it looked like part of a broom handle. “Great. Here ya go.”

“This isn't a sword.”

He grinned. “Press the side button.”

I did, and the handle zinged in my hands. Purple light shot out in the form of a medieval sword, thick and heavy like King Arthur's Excalibur. I almost fell backward on my butt in surprise. “It's a laser sword!”

“Yeah. What did you expect, some tiny silver thing?”

“Isn't this dangerous?”

I shrieked as he waved his hand through the light stream, thinking he'd never play drums again. His fingers slid through the light unharmed. “It only reacts to other swords. Something about the frequency…”

I swung the light sword in an arc, pretending I was in a video game. “You don't have to get all technical.” Fencing wasn't the real reason I was there. Although, after swinging that light sword, I reconsidered.

I don't have time to join a fencing team. Not when the Timesurfers are knocking at my door
.

“Watch this.” Shizznizz put his arms around me and pressed another button on the side. The sword changed into a samurai katana blade. He pressed it again, and I held a black dagger. The handle's weight changed with each weapon, making it feel like I held real steel in my hands. “You can select the type of weapon here.”

“This is amazing.”

He still had his arms around me. His voice grew deeper. “So, you have a partner?”

“She's already taken.” Maxim spoke before I could respond.

Shizznizz's arms flew up, and I whirled around. Maxim wore a white jumpsuit with the front half unzipped just enough to tease me with a glimpse of a totally ripped chest, hard as a statue by Michelangelo. I tried not to stare and failed miserably. “So you play music
and
fence?”

“I'm loading my resume with activities so I can apply for a decent job when I graduate.” Maxim offered his arm.

I slid my hand underneath like I'd done it a thousand times before. “You think laser sword fencing is going to make an impression?”

He shrugged, leading us to a quiet part of the cafeteria. “Maybe. You never know what qualities companies are looking for.”

We walked to the same spot where we'd kissed that night at the Autumn Ball. I wondered if he'd chosen the spot for a reason, but he didn't seem to notice.

“What do you want to do when you graduate?”

Maxim turned on his laser sword, and it glowed into a golden Spartan warrior blade. “I want to be on one of the first teams that mine minerals on the moon.”

I chose the medieval sword, thinking the size would protect me even though it weighed down my wrists. “Why?”

“I'd make a ton of money. I'd be able to support my family within two years.” He lunged and our swords clashed, the light buzzing as they touched.

“That's a long commute.”

“You're telling me. They're saying average shift will be six months on, one month off.”

The fact that Maxim would give up so much to take care of his family impressed me. He was like a knight in shining armor, and he had the sword to match it, too.

“Think about your defense. Try to predict my next move.”

Maxim lunged and I fell back swinging. I didn't even know the footwork. But, I wasn't here for sword fighting, I wanted to talk without Exara suspecting anything. So, I had to make it look like I knew something about fencing. My sword met his as I regained my footing. I pushed back against his weight, and we met in the middle, our faces a centimeter apart as our swords clanged.

His eyes soaked me in and I steadied my shaking knees. “You're stronger than you look.”

The cryosleep must have done something to me, because I had never been this good at anything gym-related. Or Maxim was letting me win. “There are a lot of things you don't know about me.”

He leaned in farther, and his lips almost brushed mine. He arched an eyebrow playfully. “Don't I?”

Now was the time to tell him. I breathed the spicy scent of his after shave. “I had dreams, like you do.”

His grip softened, and our bodies pressed together, interfering with the light of the swords. “Where are they now?”

“They're still there, only they've changed. They had to because of what's happened to the world.”

His face grew serious, complicated. “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

I nodded, glancing at the fading glow of our swords. “You said at the dance my purpose may be staring me right in the face. Well, I found it.”

“You did?” His voice was so shaky, I glanced back up. An eager expectation lit his eyes.

My voice fell to a light whisper. “Have you heard of the Timesurfers?”

The muscles in Maxim's chin tightened. His face was guarded. “I've heard of them.”

“You know how I always wanted to help animals? These people want to bring them back.” I swallowed and held his gaze steady to attempt to look like he couldn't change my mind. “They've invited me to join them.”

Maxim pulled away, shaking his head. His sword fell to his side and flickered out. “Cyberhell, Jenny. Joining the Timesurfers isn't like joining the fencing team.”

“I know.” After Jax's and my runaway escapade, I knew what I was getting into. I couldn't tell him about the danger or he'd never let me go.

“They're not well-liked. Some people call them crazy fanatics with suicidal plans.”

I thought about Jax and how he'd saved me and then thanked me for saving him. “They're not crazy. They only mean to do good.”

“Yes, but sometimes doing good gets you in a tough place. Believe me, I know about choices.”

I remembered how his dad had lost the company when they decided against recycling more than artificial plastics. Yes, he knew about sacrificing for ideals.

“Well, this is my choice. Are you going to help me or not?”

He put up his hands like he was helpless. “What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to cover for me on Saturday. They're giving a tour of the facilities, and I want to be there.”

Maxim came up and grabbed my arm, pulling me against him. “Is this really what you want? Can nothing else make you happy?”

I nodded; the magnetism drew me into his velvety lips.

“Nothing else?”

My heart ached to close the distance. If I said I wanted nothing else, I'd be lying. “There are some things I can't have.”

His forehead touched mine and he leaned into me. “Me, too.”

The world could have ended right then and I wouldn't have known. I could only stare into the flecks in his eyes and feel him against me, caressing the flame that shivered in my chest.

“Since when did fencing require romance?”

We both turned, breaking the spell. Shizznizz stood next to us with a purple katana.

Maxim growled, “If you don't mind.”

He shrugged. “Just looking out for ya, man. Wouldn't want word to spread about a new form of duel.”

I ignored Shizznizz's implications and stared at Maxim. “Saturday?”

Maxim rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah. You're all set. Go.”

I clicked off my sword. Our cover was blown anyway. My fencing time was done. “You'll figure something out?”

Maxim walked toward the door as if he couldn't handle being near me.

I died a little inside.

“I always do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Candidate

I
avoided Maxim for the rest of the week. Whenever we were together it was like some ancient volcano that was close to erupting, and if it exploded, it would take Ridgewood and everyone in the school along with it. Besides, I didn't want him to have the chance to tell me he'd changed his mind.