The Journey to Duskwood

Chapter 14

  Jake and I spent a total of two hours on the subways. Once we reached the second to last stop on the first train, we hopped on another one. The city we are in now is New Vale. I haven't been here before, but from what I can tell so far, it's a typical city – busy, full of people, and the perfect place to blend in.

  After getting out the subway tunnels, we walked a few blocks to one of the motels Jake found. It's not the best thing or the worst, but conspicuous enough to not draw any attention.

"How long will we be staying here?" I ask Jake once we settle in the room. It took a few minutes to do so because he had to make sure the room wasn't bugged. It's a good thing I'm not alone in this, because he's checking things I never would have even thought about.

"Assuming no one has followed us, we can try to stay here for at least a couple of days," Jake answers.

  I sit on the edge of the bed while Jake unpacks his laptop at the desk. It feels surreal being on the run with him. I don't like that someone is after him again – and trying to go through me to get to him. But I am thankful I'll know he's okay this time.

Why is it that as soon as things start to calm down something crazy happens?

"So," I break the silence, "do you know who is after you right now?"

Jake swivels the chair around to face me. "I cannot say for certain, but I have an idea." His response doesn't comfort me. "I pissed off a lot of people, Flora."

"Can't you tell me what happened?" I ask. It isn't like I'm going to report him.

He sighs but agrees, finally. "I suppose I have kept you in the dark long enough." I nod and wait for him to continue, but he doesn't say anything.

"Jake..."

He shakes his head, stopping me. "I just need a minute, Flora. I have not told this to anyone." Jake takes a deep breath. "I trust you. It is not easy to talk about though."

  I scoot closer to him in anticipation. Hearing Jake tell me he trusts me gives me a warm feeling, but I have the sense it'll go away once he starts telling his story.

"When I was about 12 years old, I got my first computer. Right away I learned I had a knack for technology. I had always been very technically inclined." He pauses and moves over to the bed to sit by me.

"My mom wasn't around very much because she worked two, sometimes three, jobs. I'd get rather bored at home, and quickly fell into the world of hacking. For the next several years, I learned everything I could about computers and the web. By 15, I built my own computer, and at 17, I developed a basic program."

"That's incredible." I can hardly troubleshoot when my internet goes out, so hearing just how smart Jake is astonishes me.

"Mhm. I started hanging around other people who were good with computers, and eventually took jobs that made me a lot of money."

"What kind of jobs were you doing?" I ask, curious.

Jake rubs the back of his neck, seeming somewhat embarrassed. "Well, some illegal things sometimes – most of the time." He laughs nervously. "But I was desperate. My mom was getting older and couldn't keep working so much. It also did not help that the people I was friends with weren't the best influence." His cheeks redden slightly as he talks. "I was able to make enough money for my mom and me to live on, pretty comfortably. I felt I owed it to her, after she'd given up everything to provide for me."