Shift by Jessica Gilliland

Author:Jessica Gilliland [Gilliland, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Gilliland
Published: 2019-02-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“How can you be sure she was following you?” Dozer asked. He unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a long swig. I didn’t feel the same urgency or worry coming from him as I was feeling from Charlie. She nervously picked at her chicken salad, but couldn't consume a single bite.

“She chased us across downtown. We had to almost drown ourselves to shake her,” Cash said, almost defensively. I guessed he sensed Dozer’s skepticism, too.

“Maybe she thought you were stealing those weird little glass sea turtles you’re so obsessed with.” Dozer laughed and took a big bite of the pastrami sandwich Charlie had brought him.

My cell phone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket, relieved it hadn’t gotten wet under the pier. I hit ignore. I couldn’t talk to Jason right then.

“Seriously, she was on top of us. It wasn’t normal. She’s got to be with ACT,” Cash reaffirmed his point, but Dozer wasn’t hearing it.

My phone buzzed again. Ignored.

“Maybe she’s just a weird singer stalker. You’ve had those before. Remember? That girl with the curly red hair followed you around for days.”

Cash thought about it, and I felt the idea sinking in.

“It felt weird to me, too,” I said, looking down at my phone again, buzzing away. His persistence gave me the feeling that something was wrong.

“I have to take this,” I said quickly, and stepped away.

“Jason? What’s wrong?” I asked, hushed.

“I need to see you.” His voice was heavy, grainy and slurred like he was sick.

“No,” I said flatly.

“Damn it, Liv, I’m sorry! Stop punishing me!”

“Jason, did you just come from an injection?” I walked further away from the others and repeated, “Are you still letting Stone give you those Genesis injections?”

“Yeah, because we’re helping people. It helps people.” Jason’s voice had a sharp edge. “Why can’t you just listen to me?”

“I am listening.”

“You’re listening to me, but you don’t hear anything. Nothing gets through.”

“Jason, you’re sick, and you’re not acting like yourself. Get some sleep and try again tomorrow.”

Before I hung up I heard him say, “I need to see you, Liv."

I returned to the group and set my phone aside, so it wouldn’t get wet in my pockets.

“Guys, I don’t want to leave,” Charlie pouted.

“It’s fine, Charlie. We’ll wait it out. If anything else suspicious happens, we can reevaluate,” Dozer said, and then gave Cash a sharp look, annoyed that he'd gotten Charlie worked up.

I looked at Cash. He seemed to agree with it. Or at least, he didn’t argue it further. Charlie was on edge, but slightly calmed by Dozer’s insistence that nothing was wrong. We finished lunch quickly so Charlie could get back to Headset and Cash and I could get back to the Lair and change out of our wet, sandy clothes.

On the way to The Beast, I realized I’d forgotten my phone at the table.

“I’ll go grab it for you,” Cash offered sweetly, but I declined, not wanting Jason to call while it was in his possession.

“I’ll be fast.

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