Restored (The Missing: Book 9) [Formerly Titled Rescued]

Chapter Fourteen

As soon as the sun had risen high enough to shine down through the branches of their makeshift shelter, Jonah saw Katherine and Alexander stir. Katherine rolled onto her back and let out a sigh, while Alexander groaned and cut a glare at Jonah.

It's going to be a great day, he thought sarcastically.

"That was the worst. Night. Ever," Katherine complained, sitting up. She had a thin layer of mud caked to the side of her clothes and face, which she rubbed onto Jonah as she brushed by him on her way out of the tee-pee.

"At least it stopped raining long enough for you to get some sleep," Jonah said. Although he'd meant to be cheerful and encouraging, it came out sounding flat and bored. He gave up on trying to sound positive so early in the morning. "C'mon, Alexander."

Jonah crawled outside, stood, and stretched, relishing the feeling for a moment. Then he gently smacked himself in the face a few times to wake up as Katherine tried to brush off the mud. He spied the fire again and decided to take a look. It was completely drenched, and the same could be said about the wood they'd collected yesterday. Trying to make another fire with that would be pointless.

He sensed Katherine and Alexander walk up and stand beside him, although he didn't look their way. His sleepy eyes were stuck on the fire pit. It reminded him of the first official day of summer break. For the past three years, Jonah, Jordan, and Katherine had stayed up late celebrating the end of school by watching movies, playing games, and talking until four or five in the morning. Mom, of course, always made the get up by ten-thirty, even though none of them could function properly with so little sleep. After waking, they sat in the living room and stared at baby Kevin as he played on the floor, communicating with each other only by grunts for the rest of the day.

"Okay, let's make a plan for today," Jonah said, clapping his hands together, trying to motivate them.

"Where's breakfast?" Alexander asked.

"I bet we could find something back in the town," Jonah said.

"But that's so far away," Katherine argued.

"What do you want me to do about it? Catch a squirrel with my bare hands and cook it with our nonexistent fire?" Jonah snapped back. Honestly, he couldn't even remember seeing a squirrel.

"What do you think we should do?" Katherine asked in a huff, whirling to face Alexander.

"Me? About food?" Alexander asked with wide eyes, surprised by her intensity. When he looked at Alexander's face, Jonah noticed a red, yellow, and blue colored mark on his cheek where he'd punched him yesterday.

"About everything!" Katherine sighed. "We don't even know what we'll be doing two minutes from now, and we still have so much to figure out!"

Why's she acting so weird? Jonah wondered. Then the conversation he'd had with Katherine last night flashed through his mind. So she's acting, huh?

"If you have any ideas..." Jonah began, looking back to Alexander. The ugly bruise was the only thing he really saw, and guilt crept upon him. I can't believe I punched a kid in the face!

Alexander raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

Jonah could tell he knew something was up, so he held his breath. It's not like he thought Alexander was going to figure out exactly what they were doing and shout, "Of course! You're trying to manipulate me into helping you!" but Jonah had never claimed to be an actor, and he could tell Alexander knew something was odd.

After a few seconds, Alexander shrugged and replied. "What are the most pressing issues right this minute? Getting food and water? Finding that time agent? Rescuing those kids and time?" Alexander asked, but it didn't sound quite like a question. "Why don't you just make use of your Elucidator? You can use it to gain access to food and find out what happened to JB after we were separated."