Origin (Book 2)

Chapter 33

I guessed it was about twelve in the afternoon when I caught Sage.

She stopped on the side of the road so we could talk.

"What happened? Why did you come behind me?" she asked.

"I slowed Adam down," I said. "We have some time."

"Time for what?"

"Time to figure out how they keep finding us."

We met eyes, and it struck us.

"Trackers," we said.

A car passed by on the road. I waved to the kids inside, making a funny face that made them laugh.

When I focused on Sage again, she was lying down in the grass with her eyes closed.

"Sage, I really don't think now is the best moment to be resting," I said slowly.

"Shut up," she said.

I sat down with a small grunt. Relaxing after so much fighting and running was literally giving my body pain.

We sat like that for a while- her lying down, me sitting with my legs crossed- and I had a lot to think about.

Images of people and places I'd never seen before kept popping up in my head. There was this blonde girl who kept twirling her hair; a dark-skinned guy who looked like he walked out of a magazine; and even a monster. We're these my memories making a final appearance?

Even though I couldn't remember anything about them, I was certain I never wanted to see them again. Each of them had hurt me in some way, and I wasn't exactly keen on seeing other people who were trying to kill me.

Full circle, I thought. That brought me back to our current predicament.

"We have nowhere to go," I said. I looked at where Sage was lying down in the grass.

She was gone.

I jumped up. Spinning around like a top, I looked everywhere for my sister.

"Sage!" I called out. "Where are you?"

Then I quieted myself. We were still being chased. Someone could find me here. I was exposed.

I felt my front pocket for my phone and was relieved to find it there. I must have stashed it before I left my room.

Now, I needed a miracle. I had to assume I had her number, Sage also had her phone, it wasn't damaged from the freeze-over, and that she could use it right now.

I scrolled through my contacts. Locating her name, I tapped on the call button.

"Come on, come on," I said. I tapped my thigh impatiently.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice-messaging system...."

"Gah!" I threw my phone at a tree.

It missed, though, and landed at someone's feet.

"Now that's not very nice," Jake said.

He picked up my phone, turning it over in his hands.

"I'll help you with that."