12

BRIDGER

FEBRUARY 12, 2147

Sunday morning, Grandma takes Shan and me out for breakfast. Neither of us eat very much. We don’t talk much, either. I guess Shan is still too depressed, or whatever is wrong with him. I’m too angry about my memories being stolen, and I’m torn over Dad’s too-brief reappearance. It’s all I can do to keep pretending that everything is fine while I’m around Grandma. The only thing I really want is to punch something.

Then we head straight back to the apartment. More Purists are out today. Many gave hateful looks to us and other Gen Mods, and one idiotic Purist tries to start a fight with a Gen Mod just ahead of us. At least there are still plenty of police officers out patrolling; they immediately take control. Still, the whole time we’re outside, I can’t help but wonder how long it will be until another protest takes place. The Purists are still angry.

As soon as we get back to the apartment, Shan makes for his bedroom. That’s where he’s been all weekend, just playing one Sim Game after another.

“Hey, come back in here,” Grandma calls out to him.

He glances back, raising an eyebrow. “What? You want to talk to me?”

“I want to talk to both of you,” Grandma replies, her steely gaze cutting between the two of us. “Both of you, on the couch. Now.”

Shan give me a what-does-she-want look. I just shrug and sit down. He slumps on the opposite side from me, the leather creaking as he settles in.

Grandma takes a seat across from us, but she doesn’t say a word. I start to squirm. Shan looks down at his hands, his lips pinched together in a sour expression. I can see how Grandma rose to such a high rank in the military—she can be intimidating when she wants to be. That happens to be pretty much all the time.

“I’ve noticed you two aren’t very happy,” she says.

“That’s not true,” I begin, but Grandma holds up a hand.

“That’s complete bull. Shan has been moping around here all weekend. And you weren’t too bad until yesterday, when you came back from the Green Zone.” She takes a deep breath. “So I’ve decided to do something about that. I think we need to go camping for a few days.”

Shan’s head snaps up, his mouth forming a little “o” shape. And me? I’m not sure what to say. I used to love camping. Dad took us a lot when we were little. I carried on the tradition with Zed and Elijah. In fact, last year we used a camping trip as my cover story while I traveled to Georgia so I could illegally shift back to 2013 to find out why Dad wanted me to save Alora.

“Isn’t it too cold? And what if it snows?” Shan asks.

“It’s not that cold. And there is no snow in the forecast. I’ve already reserved our campsite, and I’m not taking no for an answer,” she says, gesturing in the direction of our bedrooms. “So go pack. We’ll head into the mountains tonight and come back Tuesday morning.”

“But what about school?” Shan asks.

“They’re not going to kick you out for missing a few days. With everything that’s happened lately, I’m sure Chancellor Tyson would agree that it’s best for you two to get away. The fresh air will be good for you.”

Shan glances at me, then back at Grandma. “What about Mom? Does she know?”

Grandma sighs. “Your mom would be perfectly happy letting you go.”

I snort. Grandma winks at me, then orders us to get cracking.

I’m nearly finished when I hear loud voices coming from the living room. Shan is standing in the hallway with the guiltiest expression I’ve ever seen on his face

“What did you do?” I ask as I walk down the hall. Shan follows me.

We stop at threshold of the hallway. I immediately spot Grandma, standing in front of the TeleNet on the far side of the living room. Mom is on the screen, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she’s in her royal-blue and black field uniform. Even with dark circles under her eyes, she still looks furious.

I glare at Shan and whisper, “You just had to tattle, didn’t you?”

Shan argues back, in a quiet voice. “I thought she should know. Mom’s in Louisiana, and I didn’t even know if she knew we were here. And now Grandma wants to drag us camping without even asking her? I didn’t think that was right.”

I rake my fingers through my hair, to stop myself from wrapping them around his throat. “Shan, you can be such a furing idiot sometimes. All Grandma wanted to do was get us out of town for a few days. In case you haven’t noticed, things aren’t great around here.”

“Yeah, but …”

“But nothing, Shan. She was just trying to help us. And you had to go and call Mom.” I storm away from him. “It’s time you grew up.”

Shan recoils. “You think I’m stupid and that I’m babied by Mom, but maybe you’re the one who doesn’t get it. Maybe Grandma is doing something that isn’t good for us. Maybe I needed to look out for us.”

“Yeah, right. You don’t know how to look out for anybody but yourself.”

I join Grandma in the living room, where she and Mom have escalated to shouting at each other.

“I never gave my consent for them to stay with you, Judith, and I’m certainly not going to give my consent for them to go camping. It’s too dangerous. There could be Purists hiding in the woods.”

Grandma rolls her eyes. “If you believe that, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought. The mountains just might be the safest place I can take them.”

Mom notices me. “Bridger, I absolutely forbid you and your brother to go with her. I want you two to return to the Academy immediately.”

Grandma’s face flushes. “I’ve heard enough of this nonsense. I have every right to visit with my grandsons. And I’d love to see you try to stop me from seeing them.”

Mom’s lips flatten to a tight line, then she says, “Judith, those boys are my world. I don’t want anything to happen to them. Please, don’t do this.”

“I would never put them in danger, Morgan. They’re all I have left of my son.” Grandma says in a much quieter voice.

Then she deactivates the screen and turns to face me. “Well, that went well.”

I don’t know what to think of that. Mom said we’re her whole world. Not just Shan. Touching, but not really accurate.

I look back at Shan. He’s still standing in the hallway, looking like he could faint. Like I said before, he’s a total mama’s boy. I turn my attention back to Grandma. “So, does that mean we’re staying here?” I ask.

“Of course not. I’m not about to let her tell me what to do. Let’s go, boys!”

It takes us a little over two hours to rent a mobile camping shuttle, travel to the campsite in the Rockies, and set up everything up. I kind of wish we could have used Dad’s old army-green tent and thermal sleeping bags. He used to say camping that way made him feel more connected to the ghosts we visited on each time trip because it allowed us to experience life the way it was for some people in the past. But since it’s still cold, Grandma figured the mobile shelter would be best. I’ve never used one before. It’s a rounded, silver vehicle about the same size as a small transport shuttle, but it has beds, indoor plumbing, and a tiny kitchen area. This one cost a small fortune to rent. But if anyone can afford it, she can.

“Well, that’s done,” Grandma says when we’re finished setting up the camp. She steps back and admires the view. It’s gorgeous. Nothing but mountains and pines and crisp air. “It’s been too long since I’ve been out here. Leithan and I used to come out here a lot when he was little.”

Shan does a weird double take at her. “You used to camp with Dad?”

“Seriously? Dad used to tell us stories about his trips with Grandma all the time,” I snap. How could he not remember? It was just Grandma and Dad. He didn’t grow up with a father figure, since Grandma never married, instead using a sperm donation from an anonymous Time Bender to have a child. Dad said that she claimed the military took the place of a demanding spouse.

Shan manages to look a bit sheepish. “I don’t remember a lot from back then.”

“Or maybe you weren’t paying attention,” I snap.

Before Shan can reply, Grandma interrupts. “You know what? I have something to show the two of you.”

While she steps inside the camper, Shan spits out, “I wish you’d stop being such a jerk. I really don’t remember things Dad talked about. I just remember having fun, so give me a break. I was a little kid when we did all of that.”

A few moments later, Grandma emerges holding her DataPad. “You might not remember this, but sometimes Leithan would record the two of you out here with him, and he would send the vids to me. It let me keep up with you from afar, since I couldn’t be here all the time.”

Shan and I stand next to her while she taps on the pad a few times and retrieves one of the messages. The time stamp reads August 22, 2137, when I was eight and Shan was four. The message starts with Dad’s face filling the screen, and then he starts speaking. Just hearing his voice makes me miss him even more, even though I know the cloned version of him is still here.

“Hi, Mom. I thought I’d show you what you’re missing since you couldn’t get away from work,” he says, his eyebrows raising in the way that always showed he was being slightly sarcastic. Then he pans his camera around to show the view. “Bet you’re kicking yourself in the pants now, huh?” He grins, then points the camera to his left, where Shan and I are wading in a creek. We’re laughing and splashing each other.

Then the scene cuts away several times, showing us doing different things. Toasting gooey white globs called marshmallows, which were a rare treat for us since they’re no longer made in this time. Occasionally, Dad found some on time trips and brought them back for us.

Then we see scenes that include hiking and fishing. The final scene shows me catching a fish, yelling in glee because I was helping Dad with our supper. Shan is standing next to me, pouting. He looks back at Dad and says, “No fair! I want one too!”

Then it cuts away again, this time showing Shan reeling in a small fish. The look on his face is one of pure delight. “Daddy, I did it!” he screams while holding it up.

I’m standing next to Shan, grinning and yelling along with him. I remember that moment. I was so happy for him. He had been trying for hours—he wanted to be just like Dad and me.

Dad’s voice cuts in over our excitement. “Good job, boys! I’m proud of you!”

Shan suddenly jerks away from us. I look up from the DataPad in confusion as he rushes into the camper.

Grandma swipes her finger across the DataPad, ending the message. A huge ache fills me. I miss those days. I miss being little and not having to worry about anything. I miss actually getting along with Shan, even if it was sporadic.

“Do you think I should talk to him?” I ask. “He’s really not acting right.”

Grandma shakes her head sadly. “No, I think I should talk to him. I get the feeling that he might open up more if he’s alone with me. But you know, watching that old vid has me craving fish right now. Why don’t you go see if you can catch some for supper?”

“Do you have a back-up plan in case they aren’t biting?” I ask. It’s been a while since I’ve even tried to fish. I could have luck, but more than likely I’ll come back empty-handed.

“I have Ready Meals. We won’t starve,” she says with a wink.

“I’ll try extra hard, then,” I reply. We get enough Ready Meals at the Academy. I can do without having to choke down one of those tasteless things.

The stream is about a mile away, down a path leading from our campsite. I find myself relaxing more the farther I get from camp. Maybe this is what I need: just to be by myself for a while.

I’m almost to the stream when I suddenly get this overwhelming feeling that I’m not alone. I hear a crackling in the forest, as if someone is following me. I spin around, but there’s no one on the path, or in bushes. I set out again, feeling foolish. I tell myself that it’s just my nerves. That’s to be expected after everything that’s happened to me. Right?