Jump When Ready (12 page)

When Karen came into the room, I listened.

“Are you hungry? Here, you need to drink this. I know,
I’m sorry.”

Bethany didn’t say much. She ate a little. She drank the
water.

Karen came back a couple hours later. “I brought you a
clean T-shirt to wear while I wash your clothes. How does that sound?”

“My clothes kind of smell,” Bethany said.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Again, later. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”

Bethany nodded.

Karen led her out and a few minutes later they came back.
What choice did Bethany have but to allow it? They kept her so drugged she
could barely think. She didn’t know where she was. And there was always Will
nearby, watching. As soon as she left the bedroom, Karen guiding her, Will stared
until Bethany was locked away again.
“How’s your
arm?” Karen asked.

“Kind of stiff.”

“I’ll switch the cuff to your ankle tonight, okay?”

“Thank you.”

It totally pissed me off hearing my sister thank someone
for handcuffing her ankle rather than her wrist. I knew Karen meant it to be
kind but I didn’t see it that way at all. She could put a stop to it any time
she chose. But she didn’t choose that, did she?

~~~

Late that night, I couldn’t take it anymore and I went to
sit on the roof. I had to get out of that room. Even though I felt guilty for
going, Bethany didn’t know any better. She’d fallen asleep hours ago. When the
sun cleared the horizon, I stayed there looking out at the mountains
remembering different times when my family had made day trips to see the fall
colors. I knew I’d never do that again with them, but I told myself Bethany
would.

When I finally dropped back into the room, I saw that
Bethany was still asleep but it didn’t seem like she would be much longer—she
was starting to toss and turn in bed. The cabin was quiet, and I suddenly
realized Will and Karen were still sleeping too. Which meant they couldn’t
possibly have given Bethany any drugs yet. Maybe last night’s dose had worn off
enough for her to think. Maybe, just maybe, we still had time before the door
opened and Karen came in with a glass full of sedatives. I went and crouched
next to the bed.

 “Bethany, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

At first nothing happened and I felt my hopes fading. I
wondered if she might still be too groggy, Still, I tried again. “Bethany, try
to hear me. I know you can do it.”

Bethany didn’t open her eyes but after a moment she
turned her head in my direction. She spoke softly. “Henry, I miss you. I wish
you were really here.”

“I’m right here!”

Bethany smiled, her eyes still closed. “Henry, you can’t
be. You died. Don’t you know that? I thought I heard you before. Just before…”
The smile left her face. “…before this happened. Henry, I wish you were really
here. I feel like I’m starting to lose my—”

Suddenly, Will threw the door open. “Who the hell are you
talking to?”

Bethany blinked against the light streaming into the
room. She raised her hand to block her eyes. “No one. I was just—”

Will glared at her. “You were talking to someone. I heard
you. Give it to me, now!”

Bethany sat up, covering herself with the sheet. “Give
you what? I don’t have anything.”

“The phone. Give me the phone!”

“I don’t have my phone—you took it, remember? I thought I
was talking to my brother. I must have been dreaming.”

Will tore the sheet off the bed, leaving Bethany exposed
in just the T-shirt she’d slept in. He locked his hands around her wrists and
pulled her up to face him. “You better not have gotten the phone.”

Tears rose to Bethany’s eyes. “I don’t have a phone! I
must have been talking in my—”

“Leave her alone!” Karen rushed past Will, picked up the
sheet and threw it over Bethany’s legs, then turned to face him. “What do you
think you’re doing? Let go of her.”         

Will released Bethany and stepped back. “She was talking
to someone. I thought she might have gotten the phone.”

Karen dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling it
back from her forehead. “How the hell could she get the phone when she’s been
chained to the freaking bed the whole time? God, you scared the crap out of
her. Look at her!”

Bethany had pressed her face against her knees and was
crying into the balled up sheet. Will went to say something, then stopped. He
thought for a moment, then pointed to the door. “We need to talk.”

In the kitchen, Will kept his voice low. “Listen, I know
you mean well, but there’s too much bonding going on here. Do you understand
me?”

“I’m only trying to be—”

Will slammed his hand onto the counter. “Don’t be! It’s
too dangerous. Too risky. Do you still want to get out of the country and start
a new life?”

Karen nodded. “Yes.”

“Then think of this as business. Look at me.”

Will waited for Karen’s eyes to meet his.

“That’s all this is. Business. We hacked into their lives
and they’ll pay to make us go away again. It’s as simple as that. Don’t mess
things up by playing big sister or some shit. Okay?”

Karen wiped her eyes. “I was just trying to be kind.”

“I know. I get that. Now, can you go get her drugs? I
need to go into town for a few things.”

Karen went to the cupboard and took out a bottle of
pills.

“Are you going to be okay? I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Karen said. “Sorry. You’re right. I
messed up.”

“Business,” Will said. “That’s all this is.”

~~~

It took everything I had to wait while Will drove down the
mountain. But if I had any chance to make something happen, I needed to be sure
we weren’t alone on some isolated road. As he drove, I thought about Martha’s
words.
Bear in mind, it can do the same kind of damage to people you don’t
know or love.
Damage. That’s what I needed to cause right now. Some sort of
damage. Maybe I could make him crash the car, get him noticed somehow.
Something, anything to bring attention to what was going on.

I waited until he was in town and looked to be sure other
people were nearby. Then I perched forward from the back seat. “You’re going to
pay for this! All of it, do you hear me?”

Maybe it was a coincidence but Will frowned. I couldn’t
tell if he’d heard me but I took that frown as a sign of confusion and tried
again. “Listen to me, you twisted creep! You’re going to pay for all of this!”

Will winced that time, like suddenly he had a headache.
He was definitely hearing me, I could tell, even while he told himself it had
to be his imagination. I tried to think of a way to get through, something that
might strike home and convince him I was truly there next to him. Suddenly, I
had an idea.

“Richard trusted you! How can you do this to him?”

Will shook his head violently and the van swerved.

 “He treated you like a son, didn’t he? Do you hear me,
Will? I’m talking to you!”

Will stomped on the brakes and the van lurched. He drove
at a crawl, his eyes bugging as he looked around. “What the hell am I hearing?”

“You’re hearing me, cockroach! And you’ll keep hearing
me. You’re not going to believe how much you’re about to keep hearing me!”

Will hit the gas, still looking around to find me even as
the van surged forward. “This is nuts! Not happening. No way this is
happening!”

A car honked as Will blew through a red light. A man
steered his truck to get out of the way, almost crashing into a mother driving
a car full of children. The van kept gaining speed, bumping off a curb as Will
turned onto the town’s main street. A lady on the sidewalk jumped back and
stared. Only then did I realize the mistake I was making—the people around us
had nothing to do with any of this. What if I caused one of them to get hurt?
How would I feel if that truck had rammed into the car full of kids? I tried to
think but didn’t know how to stop what I’d started.

Then a feeling came over me, a peaceful feeling even
though it didn’t seem possible. For some reason, I imagined Martha nearby.
Somehow, I knew what to do. I leaned forward again and whispered into Will’s
ear, so softly that I barely heard myself.

You’re just tired. It’s all in your mind.

Will seemed to relax a little and the van started to
slow. “Just tired, that’s all,” he said. “Totally my imagination.”

I tried that approach again, barely a whisper—like I was
somehow pushing a thought his way.

You don’t want to cause an accident. Be careful.

Will slowed the van to where he was driving normally,
taking deep breaths to calm down. A moment later, he pulled into a grocery
store parking lot and killed the engine. He pressed his hands over his eyes.
“What the hell just happened?” he whispered.

Someone knocked on the window and Will jumped. He turned
to see a cop looking in at him. I couldn’t believe my luck. A cop! Something
was going to happen—I totally knew it. Finally, all of this was going to end.

 “Are you all right, sir? Can you roll down your window?”

Will took another breath, then rolled his window down.
“Good morning, officer.”

 The cop stared at Will. “I saw you come around the
corner. Do you realize you went up onto the curb?”

Will nodded. “I know. Really sorry about that. I have a
migraine.”

“Should you be driving?”

Will exhaled and rubbed his forehead. “It kind of spiked
on me for a moment. I think I’m okay now. I was going to get some stuff, but
maybe I’ll do it later.”

The cop thought for a moment. He looked inside the van.
“Okay, sure. I noticed you coming into town a few times. Are you maybe renting
the Baker property?”

My heart was pounding fast. The cop had noticed Will and
he knew where they were staying. Maybe he’d already been suspicious for some
reason. Now, I’d caused this to happen. My plan had actually worked!

Will hesitated, just for a second. “Yes, me and my
girlfriend.”

“Big property, lots of privacy up there,” the cop said.

“It’s really nice,” Will said. “We’re enjoying it.”

“Glad to hear that.” The cop took another look at Will,
then said, “Have a nice day.” He turned and walked away.

I sat there freaking out. That was it? No way! I jumped
out of the van and chased after him. “He’s lying! They kidnapped my sister!”

The cop took another step, then stopped. He turned slowly
and looked back at the van.

Will smiled. “Everything okay, officer? I’m sure I’m fine
now.”

I stood there between the two of them, looking back and
forth. “I need your help! Please! He’s lying!”

The cop glanced in my direction, his eyes landing right
on me. He’d heard me—I totally knew he’d heard me! Then he turned back to Will.
“Just be sure to drive carefully.”

“Won’t happen again,” Will said. He rolled his window up
and drove slowly out of the parking lot.

~~~

I sat next to Bethany for the rest of the day. As the hours
passed, I kept thinking about how close I might have been to rescuing her. I
couldn’t believe I’d missed an opportunity like that. As Will had driven back
through town I’d almost started screaming at his brain again. I’d wanted to so
badly it hurt. At the same time, I’d thought about that truck and the car full
of kids. I’d forced myself to stay calm, telling myself to wait for the next
chance, that another would come.

As far as I was concerned, the fight was nowhere near
over. I also knew it was no longer a matter of me just getting through to my
family. Will had definitely heard me and I was pretty sure the cop had too.
Maybe it was just a matter of how I spoke and how to get through. I wasn’t sure
about anything else, but I knew one thing. It seemed strange to think of it
that way, but I had to go home.

Jamie’s Got Skills

I’d only been back in my room a few minutes before someone
knocked on the door. I opened it to see Jamie and Nikki staring back at me.

“We sensed that you came back,” Jamie said. “Are you
okay?”

I wasn’t quite sure what to think. They sensed me coming
back?

Nikki took advantage of my confusion, of course. “Think
about it. When was the last time you took a shower?”

The fact was I hadn’t felt much like getting wet since my
failed attempt at drinking the James River. So, yeah, showering hadn’t once
occurred to me. I went to sniff my armpit but Nikki rolled her eyes.

“River Rat, I’m kidding. We sensed your presence. Don’t
worry about it. How’s Bethany doing?”

“Any changes?” Jamie asked.

For a moment, I’d wondered if they might try avoiding the
issue or even act like none of it had happened. But they definitely seemed
worried.

“Pretty much the same,” I said.

“Damn,” Jamie said. “Dude, I’m really sorry.”

“Me too,” Nikki said. “I really wish there was something
we could do.”

“That’s why I came back,” I said. “Listen, I have news. I
think I found a way to hack into Will’s brain. Feel like getting involved?”

~~~

When we got back to the cabin, the sun had already set. Will
sat at the kitchen table with a half empty bottle of whiskey in front of him
while Karen stood next to the refrigerator, her back pressed against the
counter. From the tense look on their faces, I got the feeling they weren’t
exactly having a great time together.

“I keep going over it,” Will said, “He definitely said
he’d noticed me coming and going.”

“Yeah, I know. You told me,” Karen said. “But maybe it’s
no big deal. It’s a really small town. Did you maybe forget to factor that into
your plan?”

Will raised his glass and took a gulp. “No! Sure, it’s a
small town but people rent places in these mountains all through the summer.
Besides, Charlottesville is a pretty big city and it’s just down the road. Lots
of people come through here.”

“Did something else happen? You’re acting really weird.
What’s the issue?”

I turned to Jamie and Nikki. “Me. I’m totally the issue.
I freaked him out. Does he kind of look like a cockroach to you?”

“You know, he really does,” Jamie said. “All skittery and
nervous.”

“Shut up, you two,” Nikki said. “I’m trying to listen.”

Will poured more whiskey into his glass. “It was just the
way that cop stared at me. And then when he was leaving, he turned back again
like he was thinking something was up.”

Karen lit a cigarette. “Okay, you’ve got me worried now.
Maybe we should get the hell out of here and leave her. That way we can still—”

“Still what? Spend the rest of our lives sitting in some
cubicle? Wait tables? Screw that, we’re good. I’m just going over things to be
sure.”

Karen looked at the bottle of whiskey. “You’ve been
going
over things
for hours. Maybe it’s time to stop.”

Will stared at the bottle. “Okay, you’re right. What time
is it?”

“After nine.”

“Go ahead and dose her.”

Karen went and got the pills. “This is a lot we’re giving
her. You know that, right? She also keeps saying she’s having trouble
breathing.”

“Just give it to her. Like I care if she has allergies or
some crap.”

“Okay, that’s it!” I said. “No more!” I walked toward the
Will.

“Hang on,” Jamie said.

“Jamie’s right,” Nikki said. “Think about what they’re
doing.”

I stood there, my hands balled into fists. But Jamie and
Nikki were right. What if I got them all freaked out and they messed up with
the drugs they were giving Bethany?

 After a moment, Jamie said, “I just thought of
something. What if you try the thing you were talking about? Like when you were
in the van with the cockroach.”

I nodded and took a breath, forcing myself to calm down.
I went over to Karen and used the same technique—barely a whisper, pushing a
thought into her mind.

You already gave Bethany drugs tonight. Just a while
ago. Remember?

Karen glanced up at the ceiling. “Didn’t we already
sedate her tonight?”

“Right there,” Jamie said. “I think you just nailed it.”

Will set his glass down on the table. “No way. We never
dose her before—”

I was already at his ear.
You did tonight. When you
gave her dinner.

Will frowned. “Hang on, maybe we did. Yeah, I think so.
Why did we do that? We need to stick to the routine from now on.”

“Okay, sure.” Karen yawned. “I think I’m starting to
fade. I couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Why don’t you hit it? I’ll be right behind you.”

After Karen left the room, we hovered at the ceiling
while Will sat there thinking and drinking. He filled his glass two more times
and we were afraid he might go for round three when he finally started to nod
off. Finally, he got up from the table and stumbled down the hall.

“Looks like our man’s a drinker,” Jamie said.

“Great, a drunk cockroach,” Nikki said. “What could be
nicer?”

It wasn’t easy but we made ourselves wait until we were
sure Will and Karen were totally asleep before going to Bethany. She was laying
in bed with her eyes open.

I crouched next to her. “Bethany,” I said, “can you hear
me?”

Bethany’s eyes shifted back and forth but otherwise she
didn’t move.

“She’s still groggy from the stuff they gave her
earlier,” Nikki said. “Try again.”

I raised my voice a little. “Bethany, can you hear me? I
stopped them from drugging you tonight.”

That got through. Bethany looked right at me. “Henry?”
She spoke softly, probably thinking about what happened when she’d been heard
talking to me that morning.

I leaned in closer. “Yes, I’m right here.”

“Henry, you can’t be here,” she whispered. “You’re—”

“Total B, it’s me. Seriously, I’m right next to you. You
believe I’m here, right?”

A couple moments passed before Bethany whispered, “I
don’t know. I thought I heard you this morning too. Maybe they put me on some
other kind of drug. Maybe I’m just going insane. I can’t tell.”

“She doesn’t know what to think,” Nikki said. “She’s
happy to hear your voice but doesn’t really believe you’re here.”

Bethany settled back in bed and closed her eyes. She
rolled onto her side and whispered, “Henry, you couldn’t possibly be here. But
it was nice to think you might have been.”

I jumped to my feet. “Bethany, no! Don’t go to sleep!”

Suddenly, I felt Jamie’s hand on my shoulder. “Tell her
to open her eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just tell her.”

“Bethany, open your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

At first, I thought she was going to ignore me, but then
Bethany opened her eyes. I watched them widen, not knowing what she was seeing.
“Henry, who is that? I can see someone here in the room!”

I felt it around me in that moment, an electrical charge
that seemed to be buzzing right next to me. I turned to see Jamie surrounded in
a glowing orb of light.

“Tell me what you see,” I said.

“Some kid with a mohawk! Who is that?”

I felt a grin spread across my face. “That’s Jamie,” I
said. “No doubt about it. You’re definitely seeing Jamie.”

~~~

Once I was sure she could hear me, I told Bethany what was
going on—about who Will was and the ransom plan, as well as what we knew about
Karen. I told her how Jamie and Nikki had also been trying to help her. She
listened, nodding and whispering questions. After that, it took a while for her
to calm down enough to finally go to sleep. Who could blame her? As far as she
knew, she’d just seen a ghost and spent more time talking to another. But
eventually she allowed herself to rest.

Then Jamie, Nikki and I met in the living room.

Nikki stared at Jamie. “So, you were lying to me? Why?”

Despite Nikki seeming completely pissed off, Jamie kept a
big smile on his face. “I didn’t lie, I promise.”

“Okay, what was that? You’re an Emerger? Did I like just
hallucinate that whole deal or what?”

Jamie shrugged. “No, that was for real. I just wasn’t
exactly sure I could do that until now.”

Nikki folded her arms across her chest. “So, you’re
telling me you never did that before? Seriously?”

“Basically,” Jamie said. “I mean, back when I was around
my family I figured the last thing they needed was me popping up in front of
them. Not after my brain exploded. Think about what I would have looked like to
them.”

“But you wouldn’t have looked like that, right?” I said.
“You’d look like you do now.”

“I had no way of knowing that. See, I kind of freaked out
and hung around for a while after my funeral. Martha eventually had to come and
coax me back to the other side. Sort of embarrassing, really.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. “Whatever. That was like
twenty-five years ago. But you had the feeling you might have been able to
Emerge like that, right?”

“Well, I kind of wondered,” Jamie said. “The thing is,
there was just this one time right after I died. Come to think of it, that was
the very same day Martha talked me into giving up and coming back with her.
Anyway, nobody was home at my old house and I saw some guy wandering around in
our back yard. I thought he was like a burglar or something, so I kind of ran
at him. I’m not really sure what I was thinking but the guy stared right at me,
went totally pale, then completely freaked. The next thing I knew, he blasted
out of our yard like he had a Doberman on his ass. Poor guy, as it turned out
he was just some dude from the power company reading the meters behind our
house.”

Nikki stared at Jamie, blinking repeatedly, as if at the
total end of her patience. “I think it’s safe to say you totally Emerged at the
guy. I mean, he stared at you. He went pale. He nearly had a heart attack. I
may not exactly be an expert on these matters, but that’s pretty much a classic
seeing a ghost sort of reaction. So, you thought what—that he needed to use a
bathroom all of a sudden?”

“I really wasn’t sure what to think,” Jamie said. “Like I
said, Martha kind of gave me the wakeup call that same day. Either way, that
was the last time I crossed over before I came back here with you guys.
Besides, even if I could Emerge, why would I want to go around scaring the crap
out of people?”

“I can think of a bunch of reasons right now,” I said.

Jamie raised his eyebrows. “Dude, totally true! So, it
looks like this was the right time for me get super-talented. Think you guys
can get used to it?”

“It certainly won’t be easy,” Nikki said. “I figured you
were stretching it at skateboarding without falling over. But, hang on—this is
like the freaking planets aligning. River Rat can Speak, I can Read and you can
Emerge. So, what’s the deal?”

That’s what had been on my mind since our conversation at
the pond. It couldn’t all just be a coincidence. Nikki must have been wondering
about the same thing the whole time.

“Listen,” I said. “I know I’m new at being dead, but I’m
starting to get the feeling our group may be kind of special. Think about it,
Curtis is also a Manipulator.”

Nikki nodded, but didn’t seem too happy about that part.
“I know. I always try not to think about Curtis—he’s such a creep. I was kind
of hoping his little talent for messing with people might not enter into it.
But, obviously, he’s part of whatever it is too. What are the odds of this
happening? Wait a minute, what about Simon and Naomi?”

Nikki had a point, definitely. “Maybe they just haven’t
figured out yet what their talents are?”

Nikki thought about that, then sighed. “Naomi, I’m not
worried about. But I think I’ll pass on being around when Simon puts it
together. Probably a totally new category. Let me guess, he’s an Annoyer!”

“Hang on.” Jamie started pacing. “So, we’re like the
gifted group or something. Like Advanced Placement in high school? Cool!” He stopped
pacing. “Wait, I always hated those kids.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Or maybe we’re totally
the opposite. Maybe we’re the kids most likely to cause problems.”

Jamie burst out laughing. “Awesome! Total renegade
punks!”

“Speak for yourself,” Nikki said. “Maybe we’re just the
really cool crowd. I’m going with that.”

Suddenly, something occurred to me. “Maybe, on our own,
we can’t have enough of an effect on this side. Not if we can only have an
impact on one sense alone. At least now there’s the three of us here, but do
you think we need Curtis?”

Nikki only gave it a moment’s thought. “You better hope
not. Fat chance of that happening.”