Vortex: A Tempest Novel by Julie Cross

Vortex: A Tempest Novel by Julie Cross

Author:Julie Cross [Cross, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780312568900
Amazon: 0312568908
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 2013-01-15T08:00:00+00:00


CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Damn!” Dad’s voice.

“This is your fault, Agent Meyer!” Chief Marshall.

Chief Marshall stood beside Dad, his hands raised in the air. Dr. Melvin stared at the empty space on the other side of the room. No one even noticed me.

That was when I saw him. Lying at their feet. The man named Harold … supposedly one of Dr. Ludwig’s clones. I couldn’t be here, could I? My eyes traveled to the couch, and sure enough, she was there. Passed out. Hair falling around her face.

007 Holly.

The empty space Dr. Melvin stared at … that was where the other me had vanished … the exact moment I’d left 2007 and finally made it back to 2009.

I barely heard Dr. Melvin clear his throat, trying to get Dad and Marshall to notice me. This moment, the fact that I abandoned this Holly, had never left my mind. Everything was exactly how I’d envisioned it: Holly still lying here, waiting for me to come back.

“Jackson?” Dad said.

I looked up at him absentmindedly, before remembering how much I’d wanted to see him. All the days that had passed with virtually no contact. The only problem was, based on the events from this version of 2007, I knew I had landed in a different timeline. Not what I’d intended to do at all. But it wasn’t much different than seeing him in a half-jump.

“His clothes are different,” Chief Marshall said, scrutinizing my face with his X-ray vision.

“Uh … yeah,” I muttered, then walked closer to Holly.

“Jackson, you need to give us some time to explain everything before you try to do anything else,” Dad said, moving toward me. “I promise Dr. Melvin will tell you all about Axelle.”

I looked at Dad again and then at Dr. Melvin, trying to figure out what he meant. “I already know about Axelle. Why—” Oh, wait. Now I get it. They were under the impression that I was both scared and not trusting any of them. Hadn’t I done a half-jump out of this exact moment with Chief Marshall’s hands around my throat? The jump that led me to that hospital room with Courtney. Seemed like years ago. “It’s fine, Dad. I understand.”

“You do?” Marshall asked.

“Yep.” I knelt down in front of Holly. “Dr. Melvin, how long is she going to be out?”

He gaped at me, his mouth hanging open. “Uh … a couple hours, probably … are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” I shook her shoulders a little. “Holly? Hol?”

She mumbled something incoherent and rolled toward me, but her eyes stayed closed. I wasn’t sure what, exactly, I wanted to tell her, but I hated the idea of this moment being suspended. Hanging by a thread while I lived a different life in another timeline.

I shouldn’t be forced to choose … or maybe I shouldn’t be allowed to choose.

Dad knelt beside me. “Jackson … where did you come from … just now?”

“2009.”

“Again? Or for the first time?” Dr. Melvin asked.

I sat down on the floor in front of the couch.



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