15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller (Rewind Series) (4 page)

I scowl at the pages. “What the hell?” I
whisper.

The
aroma of bacon and eggs wake me. My usual favorite, but this morning my stomach
wants anything but food. My first thought is about my dad. I have traded one
parent for another, and the guilt stings like a bee as my alarm clock beeps.

I
take a shower, and the water tickles my back. The pressure is much stronger
than in my old apartment. Life should be a lot sweeter now. I have all the
perks money can buy. But that doesn’t absolve me of guilt. It intensifies it.

Mom
is alive, and I am thankful one day I will have more memories of her, but Dad
is imprisoned. Will I eventually forget the last ten years of memories we’ve
built up together? He cared for me when I was sick, and when we needed medicine
he scrimped for change and sometimes went hungry so I could be fed. At some
point I might wake up, and that sacrifice will mean nothing to me. Maybe I’ll
only know him as the one who tried to kill Mom and ruined our happy ever after.

And
apparently men are following me. That or I’m insane. I’m not sure which option
sounds scarier. I’ll wait for breakfast to decide.

My
hair towel-dried, I wrap myself in a bathrobe soft as a cloud that wicks the
moisture from my body. Poking through my closet, I search for something
comfortable but come up almost empty. All the clothes are designer labels, and
every purse is Coach. I feel more like a Barbie than a person.

I
grab a pair of jeans to put on, wishing I could wear the work boots I find in
the back of the closet, but that'll alert suspicion, so I slip on glistening
pink ballet slippers. A navy blue clinging top completes my ensemble. Lara
would wear makeup, but I can only bring myself to apply lip gloss. I slip a
headband lying on the dresser over my curly locks and head down the stairs.

Heated
conversation between
Jax
and Mom is coming from the
kitchen. Is it about me? I approach the door.

 
“It’s research,” Mom says, her voice strained.

“Dangerous
research. You promised me you weren’t going into memory merging. What if
something goes wrong?”

Mom
sighs. “We aren’t even into the human study. Only seeing if we can do it with
the mice.”

“If?
If? Maybe you should ask yourself if you
should
. That's the sort of
power no human should have, and especially not a corporation.”

“If
it can be harnessed and used to help treat victims—”

Jax’s
voice seethes with anger. “I don’t care what
the lofty goals are, Miranda. You need to stop and stop now. Don’t you know
what’s at stake?”

“You
have never been through a major trauma. Can you imagine if we could pluck the
memory of it from my brain? Lara’s?”

Jax
sighs “Like I didn’t go through it too, right?
I didn’t help Lara with nightmares?”

“Enough!”
Mom says, slamming something on the counter. “You’re no longer my boss at work
and not here either, so please stop.”

Pushing
open the swinging door, I see the twins are eating cereal and reading comic
books at the table. They talk in strained voices, pretending their parents
aren’t fighting behind them. Mom and
Jax
are both at
the counter, one putting away dishes and the other pouring coffee, all the
while trying hard not to look at each other. They continue glaring at each
other out of the corners of their eyes, pretending everything is okay, and I go
along with it. I don’t want to be in the middle of their argument, whatever it's
about.

“Hey
squirts,” I say to the twins as I reach past Molly to grab an apple from the
bowl in the center of the table.

 
“Hi, Lara!” they echo, but it's Molly who
twists her head to give me a small, forced smile. “We missed you last night at
dinner.”

I
shift uncomfortably. “Sorry. I had…an errand. I’m here now.”

Bustling
around, getting ready for the day is Mom, wearing a suit similar to the one
from last night.

I’m
reminded of the words from my diary—how bitter and neglected I feel. Did I save
her so she could go to work? Earn money? No, I saved her for me. Yes, that’s
selfish. But I. Don’t. Care.

Jax
pours a cup of coffee, and they both turn to
me at the same time. Shock is on his face, and cream sloshes out of his
steaming mug.

“What?”
My eyes dart to each of their faces. “Is there something between my teeth?” I
scratch at my front
chompers
, hunting for a piece of
spinach or something.

Mom
walks over. Can she tell something’s different about me? Part of me hopes she
can. “Your hair. It’s been so long since you’ve worn it like this.” She strokes
one of my ringlets while I struggle for an answer that won’t contradict my
previous choices.

“Decided
to try something different. Getting tired of all that effort to get rid of my
curls. I thought it looked nice.”

She
smiles and kisses my cheek. “It looks beautiful. I’ll be home late tonight.
Don’t wait up.”

I
try to cover my disappointment, but her eyes flicker.

“
Aww
, hon.” She reaches out and touches me. “I promise soon
we’ll do a girls’ night. Just us.” She fluffs my hair as if this should make me
feel better, but it doesn’t.

What
kind of job could be so important? I never asked Dad what she does, and now I
wish I had. My eyes divert to the twins eating their breakfast, and I listen to
them talking about school. They’re young and impressionable. I bet if I can get
them alone, they’ll spill their guts.

“Remember
what I said, Molly. Stay out of my office. There’s things in there you
shouldn’t see.”

Molly
nods.

I
wonder where her office is. Probably upstairs somewhere.

Mom
kisses the tops of their heads, grabs her briefcase from the counter, and
leaves only her lingering perfume behind.

Jax
drinks his coffee, but his eyes study me
rather than the newspaper laid out in front of him. “You better grab your
orange from the fridge. Don will be here any minute.”

Donovan.
My stomach rolls with dread. I forgot all about him. What was I going to do?
Break up with him? Right before prom?

I
see a plate of nuts on the table and reach for them, but
Jax
grabs my wrist. “Those are honey roasted. There are some plain ones on the
counter.”

Thankful,
I nod. Last time I had something with honey I ended up in the hospital.

“C’mon,
kids.”
Jax
picks up the twins' backpacks. “Don’t want
to be late for school. See you tonight,
Lar
.”

“Bye,
Lara!” they chorus and give me hugs.

I
give them a playful smile. “Today we’ll have a special snack and maybe even
play a game.”

Their
faces light up.

I
plan to pump them for information before anyone else gets home. I pour myself a
cup of black coffee and turn on the television while I drink it. The last thing
I want after my previous night is to be alone with my thoughts.

On
the news is a reporter outside of what looks like the Cambridge branch of Rewind.
Do they know something is wrong? The words scroll across the bottom,
“Breakthrough at US Run Rewind
.
”
Curious, I turn the volume up.

“For
a while, Rewind
has been working on a
new service, Jim, as you know—the ability to store important memories. Births,
weddings, your graduation, anything you want, for a fee. Then you can revisit
it virtually, rather than going back in time. It’s cheaper and considered safer
because everyone knows there’s always a risk of time travel sickness.”

“Dangerous
stuff. Thank you, Sue. Doesn’t this take away from their model of traveling in
time? What if these memories were lost … or stolen?”

“They
have their critics, sure, but listen. Time travel is expensive and scary! Plus
it’s highly regulated and each client must go through an extensive vetting
process that checks brain function to make sure they can handle reliving time.
Now there’s a cheaper—and faster—option.”

“So
far we have only basic information about how they retrieve and store these
memories. They would be held here in this highly secure, state-of-the-art
facility, which I doubt they’ll let us tour any time soon.” Sue smiles large
and plastic like. “Back to you, Jim.”

I
flick the TV off and drain my coffee. When I’ve placed the mug in the sink, a
horn honks outside. Grabbing my books, I rush out the door. Donovan is in his
convertible with his wrist balanced on the steering wheel. My stomach churns as
I slide beside him.

“Hi.”
I can’t believe how shy I sound. What the hell is wrong with me?

Donovan
gives me a small smile, brushing my hair off my forehead. “You look real
pretty.”

A
nervous laugh bubbles up. “Thanks.”

He
leans in to kiss me, but I can’t push him away. His eyes close, and mine follow
suit. His lips graze mine, making my heart skip a beat. Our kiss deepens, and I
slip away, being pulled further into the moment. My body responds as if it
knows him, wants him, but my mind shouldn’t.

I
try to think of Rick. I try to remember what we were, but all I can remember is
yesterday and how he looks at me now. I’m no one to him. I’m less than that.

My
arms sling over Donovan’s neck, and I relax, leaning back in my seat. His arms
hold me, caress me, and part of me feels safe with him.

My
eyes fly open. What am I doing? What am I beginning to feel? My stomach clenches.
I feel as if I’m cheating on Rick, but he’s not my boyfriend anymore. Still, I
can’t settle how angry I am with myself as Donovan’s lips move down my neck and
across my chest.

Rick
was my forever. Now what was I doing? Kissing Donovan because it was expected
of me? So what if he’s hot? That never mattered to me before. I need Rick, but
how can I convince him he loves me if he doesn’t? He won’t even take me
seriously. I take a deep breath and keep myself from pushing Donovan off of me.

“Missed
you last night.” He purrs against my cheek, but I resist the urge to run my
fingers through his thick, blond hair.

“I
had a thing. Sorry.” I cross my arms and push a stray hair from my face.

“Your
dad told me. Sounds rough, rock star. I’m sorry.” He sounds sincere as he
starts the car.

So
he talks to
Jax
on the phone about me? It’s enough to
make my blood boil. Maybe it was an arranged marriage type of thing. Did our
parents know each other? But the words of love I found in my diary seemed real
enough. Speechless, I watch him out of the corner of my eye.

He’s
quiet as we drive to school, but his free hand creeps up my thigh. I resist the
urge to push it away. Not because I don’t like what he’s doing, but because I
do. Chills run all over my body. I wish he would stop. I don’t want Donovan,
and I don’t
want
to want him. I
remind myself I’m not in love with him.

But
what if I am? What if I’m beginning to remember that I’m in love with Donovan
and not Rick? There’s no right answer.

We
drive into the parking lot. Kids are everywhere, so we have to drive to the
back of the lot to find an empty space.

He
turns the engine off and lifts his sunglasses to study me with his sparkling
blue eyes. “I’ll walk you to class if you want.”

I
purse my lips. “Sure.”

 
His eyebrows furrow. “Some days I can’t read
you. You’re chilly, but a few minutes ago you were all into it. And last night
you didn’t return my calls. What’s going on?”

I
swallow back some spit. “Just a rough night and morning. I was in the hospital
late. Can’t you cut me a little slack?”

His
face shows the hurt of my words, and I wish I weren’t so hard on him. His
fingers pull at my curls. As he releases them, he watches them spring back into
a coil.

 
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. When I heard
you were at the hospital, it scared me. I’m glad you’re all right.” He edges
closer to me, concern on his face.

His
words soften me, but I still don’t want to kiss him. However, when he leans in,
his lips are soft, totally into it, and he massages my arm with his eyes
squeezed shut. The passion should be forced; I shouldn’t feel a thing, but I
melt in his arms again. I try to remember Rick and how much we mean to each
other, but as Donovan’s hand creeps under my shirt, all I can do is quiver
against him.

“We
should get to class,” I whisper against his ear to break the trance he has over
me. I suddenly realize one of my hands is under his shirt, caressing his chest.
He has muscles under there I didn’t realize existed.

He’s
smiling, and his eyes regard me softly. “I’m glad you’re all right.” He gets
out and opens the door for me. When he offers me his elbow, I sling my arm
through his.