Precedent

Chapter Thirteen

I cry until Venus comes and slumps down beside me. Then we both just sit there and cry. I don't know where A-M and Drew are. I don't care where they are. All I care about is the fact that my father is gone, forever.

He never even knew I existed. He will never know I exist.

"Olivia," Venus says softly. I don't ignore her. I think she's hurting too. "I love you. I can't wait until I get to see you grow up into the person who, right now, is my best friend."

In any other situation, any other time, I would be overjoyed at hearing my mother say that. But not now. Not after Taylor threw himself off the bridge.

Venus is not discouraged by the absence of my reply.

"I was going to marry him," she informs me. That catches my attention.

"I thought you ha...hated him," I stutter. She gives me a small smile.

"I would have learned to love him just to give the child, you, I suppose, a chance to grow up with both parents. I was going to ask him at our graduation in a week and a half."

A week and a half until the Originator begins his attack on the world. Perhaps it's a good thing Taylor Greycen never lived to see his inventions used for evil.

I jump to my feet. Taylor sold all of his inventions to Cray Anderson. Cray Anderson sold them to the Originator.

I take off running, pushing through the crowd once more. I have to find A-M. We need to get out of here. We've left the person providing the Originator with an endless supply of R.A.C.O.'s alone with the time-traveling technology.

I find A-M not far from the gazebo. He is not with Drew. I didn't expect he'd be. There probably isn't much to talk about between the same exact person. Drew doesn't strike me as the person who would be concerned with his future. Or finding out what's going to happen in it prematurely.

"A-M, I mean Andrew, I mean..." I stutter.

"He told me that you two, we, kissed," A-M blurts out. I close my mouth immediately.

"Yes," I say awkwardly. "Just before I returned to our time."

"I'm too old for you," A-M states. I scowl.

"Don't you think I know that," I hiss. "We've got more important things to worry about." A-M's face goes slack.

"You've heard about Taylor Greycen," he says. I nod. "I didn't know you two were friends."

"Five minutes before I found out about his suicide, Venus told me that he is my father," I tell him. A-M looks taken aback.

"She hated him," he replies.

"I know. She was drunk." I sigh. "Look, he sold all of his technology to Cray Anderson. Taylor told me so. I saw his blueprint for the R.A.C.O.'s. He sold them to Cray and Cray sold them to the Originator." A dawning look comes across his face.

"We've got to get out of here," A-M states. "Do you know how?" I realize for the first time that I don't know how to open the time warp from inside it.

"I have no idea," I admit. I rack my brain. Surely Franklin said something about it. He didn't really say anything though. In fact, I learned more from a single glance at his report than from anything he said.

My eyes widen. A-M stares at me.

"The report!" I exclaim. "Come, quickly!" I had shoved it in my bag. My bag is now resting on the floor of Mrs. Hopkins' shop.