Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

"Esa, stay focused," Theo said from somewhere hidden among the thick forest as we continued to hunt each other down. I could hear his slow, laborious breathing. He was close by. Very close. In seconds, I knew he would be mine.

Spinning, I tried to take in the entire scene. I could feel him, feel the electricity coursing through his veins. He could also feel my energy. He must know I was close and could attack him at any moment.

Theo had found some clothes at Mary's house for us to put on over our white suits while we were out training. He said it was important for us to blend in as much as possible, but the rough fabric made it hard to hide in the bushes without constantly getting snagged.

Now!

I lunged forward. A branch scraped against my left cheek, thinly slicing through the top layer of skin. Unfortunately, there was no one on the other side to help break my fall and I crashed face first into the ground with a loud thud.

Ugh. That wasn't as graceful as I'd planned.

Theo's deep, throaty laughter echoed through the still forest. He was toying with me. I still couldn't see him, but I knew he was close, and now he was giving me a clue as to his location. Payback was going to be fun. His laughter was just what I needed to get focused. Prepared. To get ready to attack the boy who made me feel so uneasy. There was no doubt, Theo would pay for his constant taunting and mean glares.

Turning to the right, I stealthily rolled behind another large bush and waited. A flock of birds flew overhead. Suddenly, I could feel Theo's presence. He was even closer now. Two seconds later, I knew it was time. I thrust out my hand and grabbed ahold of his leg, hitting him with a surge of electricity.

It felt amazing. I had achieved my goal and gotten my target.

"Crap," he mumbled, shaking his head in defeat.

"Told you, I'm getting good," I responded, still beneath the bush, watching him. He knew where I was, but I didn't want to rush out of my hiding place. There was always the chance he had a secondary attack waiting.

"Nice job, Esa." He leaned down to catch my gaze through the branches. Our eyes locked, and the look he gave me made my stomach do flip flops. "You're getting better, but you still have a long way to go. This is just the beginning. You need to get more focused."

"Meh. Better? That's all you can say?" I rolled out from under my cover and wiped my hand over my face to clear away the dirt and leaves.

Theo rolled his eyes. "You're good, Esa, but you're still not at the level you use to be. You were a strong soldier before you disappeared; now you're just a normal fighter."

"Whatever," I wiped my hands on my clothes. The dirt fell to the ground. "We both know I'm good, and I'm definitely not normal."

"You're getting better. That's all I'm going to say." He shrugged, still unwilling to admit what we both knew.

"I'm good and strong, and possibly better than you."

"No, you're not."

"Fine. When are we going to meet up with the others?" I asked, looking down at my feet. I rolled my foot over a large rock.

"We will be leaving in a little bit to find Luther. Audrina sent me a message that she still can't find him. We originally thought he was at NorthStar, but for some reason, Audrina thinks he's now at OnyxFive,"

Theo's eyes bore into mine, as if he were searching for something. I stared back, unsure what else I could do to make him realize that I was better than he thought.

Gave suddenly popped out of the bushes. "Theo, I've got your back in case she tries to pull a fast one. We all know Esa usually has some sort of trick up her sleeve."

Theo laughed, but then he grew serious. "Esa, when we get back to 2105 there will be things you aren't going to understand. Technology is different. The world is different. It's going to take time, but, unfortunately, that's not something we have right now. I'm hoping more of your memory will come back within the next few hours."

"I think I can handle 2105. Samuel told me some about it. I'm ready."

"We'll see. Theo moved closer. "By the way, you really are doing well. You're still not the old Esa, but you're not that far off. Just keep practicing. Don't get too comfortable yet. You never know who the real enemy might be."

"Thank you," was all I could think to say in response.

"Esa, I missed you, but I understand you feel differently." He cupped my face, and I could feel the energy from his palms against my cheeks. There was something so inviting about his touch. It almost made me want more.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that. I don't know how I feel about anything at all."

"I know. One day, I hope we can make sense of everything." With that, he walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts, the air suddenly feeling heavier.

After several steps, he turned to look back at me. "I've got to go somewhere. Stay here and watch over Mary. I'll be back shortly."