Chapter 2
Acting
After I had calmed down a little bit, Jack led me through the doors to a small car waiting outside. I hesitated at the passenger door while he plopped down in the drivers seat. He was still a complete stranger and all of my muscles screamed for me to run away now, but I know I didn’t have a chance. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
Jack watched me as I slid in, making me feel uncomfortable. I got the feeling he didn’t miss anything.
“So where exactly is this safe haven?” I asked
He glanced back at me as if wondering if it was safe to tell me then said, “Minnesota,”
I stared at him in disbelief. He couldn’t seriously be taking me to Minnesota? “What?” I said.
“Minnesota, you know that place half way across the country, known as the state of 10,000 lakes,” he said almost sarcastically
“Yeah I know what it is, but why?” his brief description didn’t help at all.
“You need somewhere where they’ll never think to look for you. Don’t worry we’ll be stopping somewhere else on the way to pick up a few more of you,”
Now that was kind of insulting. Bunching us together like that, and saying they were like me when I had no idea who they were. “A few more of me? You mean the others?” I said correcting him.
“Nope, I meant what I said, we’re picking up some clones to use as decoys,”
When we reached our destination, which turned out, unsurprisingly, to be an old shack, I found that he had been serious. Not only did I get clones, but we also did meet up with 2 more of the elemental children. A boy named Nico and a girl named Jennifer.
Nico had straight black hair that fell over his forehead, and almost covered his eyes. He was short and skinny, and I got the feeling that if I fought against him, he would win on pure agility. His protector was tall and muscular, with blond hair spiked up in the front, someone had told me his name was Garret.
Jennifer was tall and graceful; each step she took was like a dance. She had wavy read hair that rolled artistically down her back. Even dressed in a simple long sleeved purple T-shirt and jeans she looked like a super model. The way she held herself told you not to mess with her, and the look in her blue eyes told you she was smarter than you, and she knew it. Her protector’s name was Kayla and she was also thin and tall, but had a friendly smile on her face, her brown hair almost as long as Jennifer’s.
When Jack said clones for me, he had meant clones for both of us. Keno would be able to pick me out if he saw that I was the only one with a Jack, so we both got 6 clones. Both the other two teens and their protectors got clones as well.
I thought it was a little much to give us 6 clones. At first I had been worried about the clones, because they seemed to be real people. (or real me’s) If Keno went after one of them they would be hurt. Only when the clone’s voices were tested did I realize they were not real people. They were indeed mindless clones, and Jack assured me that they could not think let along feel. And then another question came to mind.
“How did you clone me?” I asked, and noticed that Nico and Jennifer looked over from their clones to hear the answer.
“We took some DNA samples when you were sleeping a few nights ago to check if you really were who we were looking for. Since we had it, we made clones out of it”
“You what?” I really wasn’t expecting that and I saw Nico smile sloppily, and Jennifer smirk, then their smiles faded as they realized that DNA must have been taken from them while they slept too, to make their clones.
Jack grinned in delight at my reaction, I could tell I would get nowhere but his entertainment by arguing with him.
After all the clones and their cloned were outfitted in the same outfit, we all left for the airport in separate identical cars. I knew the drive would take a few minutes and we would pass my house on the way so I found this opportunity to bring up the subject of my mother.
“Jack?” he looked over at me, “What about my mom. She’ll be worried sick, we can’t just leave without her,”
Jack winced at this question. I could see in his eyes that he had hoped not to have to be the one to answer it. This is probably what set me off. Before he could gather his thoughts I had started rampaging.
“No! I won’t go with you. I need to take care of my Mom,”
“Sorry kid, we can’t take her with. It’s too dangerous for anyone not trained to be around so many of the elemental children. I really wish I could help you but I can’t. Your free to stay behind but just so you know, if you stay behind your putting your mom in danger and you’ll get kidnapped in the next week anyway. If your mom is anywhere near you when you’re kidnapped, they will kill her just because she knows something,”
Those words crashed into me like a tsunami. I was putting my mom in danger. I could feel my eyes swelling with tears but I held them back.
“Can I at least say goodbye?” I managed to squeak out.
“No, I’m so sorry but she can’t know anything,” he replied, “It will be dangerous for her. And besides, we can’t stop at your house because then Keno will know that you’re in this car,”
I couldn’t help myself, a tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, not wanting to seem like a little kid. I needed to be strong for my mother’s sake. I would be strong for her. And when this was all over I would come back to her and protect her.
My mother is going to be heartbroken beyond repair when she finds me gone. She already lost my father, and now she was loosing me too. I don’t know what I would do in her place but I know for sure that she won’t cope with it well. My mother is one of those people who will fall apart at the toss of a hat. Not in public though, never in public. She has always been a good actress that way. You will never know what she is feeling until she is home and breaking down because something small went wrong.
All I could hope for was that my mom was a good enough Actress.
