Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Esa, wake up. It's time to go," I heard someone whisper from somewhere in the darkness. There were two shadows standing upright in front of the couch where I had fallen asleep. I stared at them, blinking intermittently, as my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

Uneasy, I sat up. Even in the darkness, I could see the shimmer of Theo and Samuel's white jumpsuits. Both looked wide awake.

"Sorry, I guess I fell asleep again. You're right; this cottage definitely makes a person sleepy." I raised my arms over my head and yawned. It took me several seconds to process things before finally mumbling, "Samuel, you're back?"

"Yes. I wanted to be with you for this mission," Samuel said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me slightly, like a rag doll. "Is this helping you wake up?"

"No. Stop shaking me," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm awake. I'm awake. Just give me a minute. Besides, where is Gave?"

"Good. Thought that would work." Samuel released me. "Gave went with Audrina."

"Okay, I guess I'm ready. Let's go," I said, standing. I glanced down at my jumpsuit, which shimmered in the light cast by the fire's embers. "I'm afraid if anyone comes to Mary's front door, they'll think aliens have landed and abducted her."

A goofy, boyish smile lit Samuel's face. "Why would anyone think that?"

"Because we look weird in these suits. Couldn't you come up with different colors?"

"No. They need to be white to protect us, but, honestly, we usually try to blend in, whatever year we are jumping into."

Theo stood perfectly still next to Samuel and hadn't uttered a word. I looked over at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" He huffed. In a matter of seconds, the tension between the two of us had grown uncomfortably thick again.

"You're just standing there, not saying anything. It's a little weird."

"Is there something I should be saying right now? We're getting ready for a mission. You do realize that, Esa?" Theo abruptly put his hands on his hips.

"No. I didn't realize that. You haven't told me exactly what we're doing or where we're going," I said as an uneasy feeling rushed through me. Theo had mentioned earlier that we needed to find someone named Luther, but that was all he had really told me. "Where are we going? Are we going to OnyxFive to find Luther?"

"You'll see in just a few minutes." Theo's medallion shimmered in the pale light.

"Seriously, where are we going?" I asked again, but neither one of them responded.

"Ready?" Theo asked as he tapped on his necklace.

Various shades of blue lit up the room as we walked toward the opening of the Jump Line. The energy coming from the entrance made my entire body tingle. Theo looked calm as we stepped fully into the light. Then I was thrown forward with a jolt.