Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

The house got quiet the minute the other four left, except for the sound of Gave in the kitchen, cooking up something. His knife lightly hit the cutting board again and again, in quick succession, as if he were a trained chef.

"What are you making?" I asked, walking into the kitchen. His back was turned to me as he continued his cutting.

He peered over his shoulder and smiled. "The others should be home in just a few minutes. I know they'll be hungry. This is what I do to calm down."

"Playing with knives calms you down?"

"No, but cooking does." He winked. "Esa, I like talking to you, but it's still a little freaky how easy it is to have a conversation with you these days. I'm not sure what happened to you over the past three years, but I have to admit, I do like the new Esa."

Just then, Theo, Audrina and Luther popped back. Audrina's hair was disheveled, and a smudge of dried blood covered one of her pale cheeks. The looks on their faces made me forget what Gave had just said.

Luther's white jumpsuit was torn near the shoulder, exposing his skin. Theo also looked as if he had just fought off a dozen large tigers.

Gave laughed. "What kind of trouble did you guys run in to?"

"Paul was waiting for us. He knew we were coming." Theo jabbed his finger into Luther's chest. "How would he know something like that, Luther? Did you tell him?"

My thoughts went back to the time I'd come face to face with Paul. His steely eyes had bored into mine. The image sent chills up my spine.

"Why are you looking at me?" Luther spat back at Theo. "I have no clue how Paul knew anything about this mission, but you are definitely right, he knew we were coming and he was ready."

"Where's Samuel?" I asked, trying to hide any sort of shock from my voice. This group had seemed unbreakable, yet here they all sat showing a different side. A vulnerable side.

"Paul's army grabbed him. He tried to fight them off, but they were much stronger and faster than they've ever been in the past." Theo hesitated and then lowered his head. "They were just too quick this time." He balled his hands into fists.

"We have to go back and get him," I said, my voice rising. "Right? We're not going to just leave him there?"

"No, not yet," Luther responded in a deep voice. "We need more Intel before we go after Samuel. It's too risky right now. I'm going back to a month before my last visit, to figure out what Paul's got up his sleeve. Give me a few minutes."

"I'll go with you," Audrina quickly said, the look on her face declaring she wasn't planning on taking no for an answer.

Luther rolled his eyes. "Fine, princess. Let's go."

"Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes," Gave said.

Luther pulled at his medallion and threw it into the space in front of them. Their white jumpsuits shimmered as they disappeared into the Jump Line's vibrant ring of color.

Fifteen minutes passed. Theo began to pace.

"I should have gone with them."

At that moment, Luther and Audrina reappeared.

"Got it," Audrina said with a scowl. "Paul not only has Samuel, but he has managed to capture Samuel's primary and secondary. He has Samuel working on something called a traptor. Anyone ever heard of that?"

"I bet it's his newest class of soldier. He needs Samuel to make the project a success."

"All right, lunch is ready," Gave yelled from the kitchen, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

An amazing aroma floated out of the kitchen. Our growling stomachs gave in, and none of us hesitated, all heading toward the main table. Gave had outdone himself. A pile of burgers sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by homemade macaroni and cheese and some apples.

"Let's talk about how we're going to get Samuel out of OnyxFive while we refuel our bodies," Theo said.

"We should go back right now," I said, ignoring my growling stomach.

"Esa, it's important we eat. If we are too weak then it can cause problems. Samuel will be fine for a little bit."

I looked at the table. "This looks more like a holiday meal than a lunch." I'd never seen so much food for five people, but then again, for the past three years I had lived mostly on scraps. None of my foster parents had been good in the kitchen. Most nights were spent eating something out of a box.

Gave looked sheepish. "We like to eat... a lot."

Luther slapped me lightly on the back. "Yeah, we love to eat. It's our favorite thing to do. You know, when we're not pulling normals to use in this year or evading soldiers who want to capture us and force us to work for them."

The sound of LUX's voice cut through the room, "Yes, you all eat a lot of that stuff you call food."

Laughter erupted around the table, helping to break the tension from the fact that Samuel wasn't currently with us.

"LUX, you can join us," Gave said, looking up at the ceiling.

"No thank you. Food is for humans. LUX prefers a much better source of nourishment: knowledge."

"Yes, and you definitely have that," Luther mumbled as he stuffed a burger into his mouth. "Sometimes, I think Samuel needs to reprogram you with a little less."

"Seriously, though, Esa, you will soon discover that our bodies use a lot of energy on the line. Just like we need a lot of sleep, we also need to refuel," Audrina piped up. "We also need to get you to the gym, to go over some moves. Maybe we can do that right after we eat, so you'll be ready when we decide to go and get Samuel. Plus, I want to see how well Theo was able to train you." Audrina lifted her hands in a defensive stance. Both her palms were completely flat, as if she planned to karate-chop the table. "Something tells me that his training is inferior to what I will be able to show you."

"Fine with me. Maybe we could do that after we go and get Samuel." Everyone suddenly seemed to be watching me eat. Theo hadn't said a word. I wondered what he was thinking. Did he even care that I still couldn't remember simple things like the notion that we needed to eat so much food?

Finally he spoke. "Esa, is any part of your memory starting to come back? Do you remember this place at all?"

"No," I mumbled through bites. "But Gave did tell me a little bit ago that he likes the new me."

My comment made Gave laugh. "Yep. Not going to deny that. This version of Esa is a lot more fun to talk to. Plus, I don't have to fear for my life if I say something that makes her mad."

Theo just stared off into the distance, ignoring Gave. "LUX, scan the house and then please get some Intel on Samuel. We'd like to see his condition on screen two."

An image of Samuel sitting hunched over a desk, staring intently at whatever it was he was working on, appeared on the far wall.

"What's he doing?" I asked.

"It looks like he's working on this thing for Paul," Luther said.

"How do we get him back?"

Luther smiled. "We go and get him."

Audrina rolled her eyes. "If rescuing him was that easy, Samuel wouldn't be there in the first place. C'mon guys. We all know Samuel could have escaped Paul. Why is he still there?"

"I've got it," Luther said between bites of his hamburger.

"Shut up." Gave glared at him. "Audrina is right. We've got to get serious. Our time is running out. We've finally got Esa back, but we need Samuel, too, if we're going to survive. Now is not a time for games."