Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

A wretched smell of something burning forced open my still heavy eyes. The early morning sun was now streaming through a nearby window. I stretched out on the small, narrow couch, taking in my surroundings. Someone had put a blanket over me at some point during the night.

Theo was lying on the floor. A small blanket barely covered his large, muscular body. It was hard not to stare at his peaceful facial expression as he lay there with his eyes closed. It made me wonder what sort of history we had together. I tried to get up from the couch without making any sounds that would wake him.

"Good morning, Esa."

Samuel's voice came from behind me. He was sitting in a small wooden chair near a table.

"What is that god-awful smell?" I asked, pinching my nose. It smelled like burning tires mixed with ammonia.

"Mary is working on something for us to take back to 2105. I'm not really sure what, but she swears it will be able to treat any cough. Just ignore the slight odor for now." Samuel waved away the matter.

"Slight? That's an understatement. It's horrible." The smell was making my eyes begin to water.

"Hey," Theo said opening his eyes and rising from his makeshift bed. "Did you guys sleep okay?"

"Yes." I shrugged. "I was more tired than I'd realized."

Samuel looked at me. "We need a lot of rest to be able to handle the Jump Line. You will probably be more tired over the next few days as your body adjusts. It's also one of the reasons we like to visit Mary. No one in the town nearby visits her, so it stays very quiet allowing us to get the sleep we need."

"Good to know. How long did I sleep for?"

"We all slept for a few hours," Samuel said. "I just got up a little bit ago."

"Oh, good... I guess." I rose from the couch and assessed my surroundings.

"Esa, we need to go back to our primary year pretty quickly—I'm not really sure how much travel your body will be able to take—but before we do, I want to make sure you understand what we're up against," Theo said, his tone authoritative. "The military isn't going to stop until they get us, especially the two of you."

"What is that supposed to mean? Why are they more focused on me and Samuel?"

"You two are particularly important because of your parents. Paul desperately wants both of you back at OnyxFive. There have been new rewards offered for someone to help capture both of you, as well as the rest of the team. The rewards have strict stipulations that you must be captured alive. The rest of the team doesn't have those requirements."

"Who is Paul, and why haven't you mentioned him before?"

"He's our father," Samuel responded. "Sorry, it's hard for me to remember what sort of information you know and what you don't."

A knock at the door made me still. "Who is it?" I looked over anxiously at Theo.

He walked to peek through a small hole, and chuckled. "Esa, it's time you met the other half of our group."

"Fine." I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly. "But I still want you to tell me more about Paul."

"Okay. Later."

He opened the front door and a beautiful, tall girl with almond-shaped eyes entered. Her silky white hair cascaded around her shoulders. She rushed over to hug Samuel.