Phantom Universe Page 6

CHAPTER 5: JADEN

  15 years old

  Long, shiny black hair, beautifully bronzed skin, and eyes so dark you can’t even call them brown. The girl is about her age, she notices. But who is she? They’ve never seen her before. Around her neck is a leather necklace with five wooden button-like beads that look like they’re choking her. The girl holds her hands up to say that she means no harm and whispers low in an American accent, “Follow me if you want to live.” The voice is familiar.

  “And why should we?” Landon interrogates, his voice low and sure. His muscles are stiff, and he’s on high alert.

  “Did you not understand the part about living?” the girl asks in disbelief. “Suit yourselves, but when you’re flying around as ghosts remember I told you so.” The girl turns, flips her black hair behind her back, and strides away.

  Summer pulls at the back of Landon’s shirt. When he looks back she can tell he’s not certain of what he should do. She points at the girls back and gives him a little push.

  “Wait!” he calls out, and the girl freezes.

  She pivots around while a smile creeps up her face. “Ah, thought you’d change your minds, but you had me thinking otherwise for a second.”

  “What’s yer name, and what’re ye doing on this ship?” he asks sharply.

  “My name’s Jaden, and I’m here to capture Summer,” she says simply, like this is normal for her.

  “Pft!” he huffs, but a surprised Summer peeks around him and points at herself in question. He sidesteps so she’s not in view anymore.

  “Yes you, silly. Remember me? We used to have cells next to each other.”

  Summer steps the other direction and looks around him again. The memories of her time as a four year old are some of the worst of her life. The only part she remembers without physically flinching was when she and Jaden would sneak in conversations when the guards left. They never saw each other besides through a slot in their doors, but her voice sounds so familiar. She nods at Jaden.

  “I see you never got out of the slave business. Well, neither did I.” Jaden frowns and absently rubs her scarred wrists.

  Landon steps back to look between the two girls and their interactions. “Ye know her?” he asks Summer.

  She nods, her eyes not leaving Jaden who’s almost Landon’s height. She has scars up her arms that remind Summer of her own burn marks. Her eyes look haunted, though her face is unruffled. Her body is not quite as small as Summer’s, but clearly her diet isn’t that healthy.

  “And can we trust her?” Landon asks out the side of his mouth like Jaden can’t hear them.

  Summer glances at Landon then back to Jaden. The years of slavery are etched into Jaden’s skin. This is the girl who gave her advice to stop the beatings—she’s partially the reason Summer’s mute. But beneath the haunted exterior of her eyes, there is a spark of hope. It’s the one thing she lost long ago. She raises her hand slowly and shakily to the rusted metal wall of the hallway and raps once. The noise reverberates eerily down the empty hallway.

  “Lead the way,” Landon says to Jaden.

  “We’ve wasted too much time already.” Jaden begins to run down the hallway. “They’re looking for you, Summer. We need to find a place to hide so I can explain what’s going on, and so we can find a way off this ship!”

  Landon gives her instructions on where to go until they stop in front of Summer’s room. She quickly pulls free her key, and he takes it to unlock the door. All three of them enter, and Jaden quickly falls on Summer’s bed like she’s known Summer all her life.

  “All right,” Jaden begins. “Here’s the deal—apparently these people have been tracking you since you were taken.”

  Hope, for the first time in forever, blossoms inside Summer like a vine reaching toward the sun in a dense forest. People have been looking for me?

  Jaden sees the look in her eyes. “These aren’t people you want to find you, Summer. We’re slaves—considered property. We might as well be a lamp in the corner for all they care, which means I’ve overheard a lot more than they realize. This is some secret society that believes if they terminate you, all will be well in the world.”

  “They?” asks Landon.

  “The Secret Clock Society,” answers Jaden with a grim expression. “They have power like I’ve never seen. I don’t know why they want Summer, but she should stay far, far away from them.”

  “Wait!” Landon cuts in. “Are ye sayin’ they want to kill her?” He quickly wraps an arm around Summer’s shoulders. “No way!”

  Jaden and Landon quickly talk with each other, but Summer can’t seem to hear them. Her blood is pounding in her ears as she remembers back to the last time she saw her mum. When she replays the day again it all starts to make more sense. Her mum wasn’t acting like herself, and they were in the car for quite some time. Was her mum running away from these people? And why are they after her? What is so special about her?

  “Summer, did you hear me?” Jaden waves a hand in front of her face.

  Summer shakes her head no and tries her best to put on her Apologetic Face.

  “They bought me from my previous owners.” She shudders and absently rubs her wrists again. “Anyway, they’ve been searching for you, but your captain, Travis Jones I believe it was, has been dodging them, apparently. So this is where I come in—they knew we were in that house at the same time. When they found out I had known you they wanted me to help them capture you.”

  Summer begins to tremble in Landon’s arms, and he pulls her in for an infamous side-hug. “So is that what you’re doing? Keeping us in this room until they come?” he asks vehemently. Summer can feel the tension in his body and only hugs him more. Like always, he is her salvation and protector.

  “Of course not,” Jaden says smugly. “I’m just playing their little game, when in reality I plan on all of us escaping. You think I like this life as a slave?”

  Summer stiffens and turns around so fast she almost stumbles. What does she mean? Escape? It isn’t possible . . . is it?

  “No, but maybe you’re doing this so you’ll be free!” he disputes crisply.

  Jaden thrusts her arms out, and in the light you can see even more scars. “I wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy. I’m not going to help them with this. They let me free so I could find her.” She points at Summer. “We’re getting off this ship with or without your help!”

  Summer practically falls over herself trying to get to Jaden before she wraps her tiny arms around her. Those words are the most beautiful thing she’s ever heard. Freedom is like one of the creatures she reads about—mythical. She wants to tell Landon that if it’s possible for them to be free, then it’s sure as hell possible there are faeries!

  “Whoa there!” Jaden giggles. “I know it’s been bad—for all of us. But this is our chance to escape.”

  “If Summer’s going, so am I,” declares Landon.

  “Great! I’ve got an idea,” says Jaden. And with that, they begin to plan.