Origin (Book 2)

Chapter 31

"The wheels on the bus go round and round," the voice sang in my head.

"What the hell, man?" I thought.

I didn't get it until I saw the bus I almost ran into a few steps later.

"Oh, thanks."

"No problem. But now you need to follow it," the voice said.

"You want me to follow a bus?"

"Is there an issue?"

I took that as a challenge and tailed the bus.

I shifted Sage's body from arm to arm as I ran, her weight becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

"Your mother is riding the bus," the voice said. "She's getting off at the next stop."

"I just happened to come across the bus Mom is on?" I asked him.

"I had my part in it," he admitted.

I thought about what that meant.

Then, I wondered why I listened to this thing. The sensation was odd. I knew that I knew the voice before, even a few seconds ago, but now I didn't know what it was. I pretty much remembered remembering him.

Why did I listen to him at all? I didn't know anything about the guy.

"If we're going to keep doing this, I'm going to need to know more about you. Because, you know, it seems like you know everything about me, but nothing goes the other way."

"You'll find out soon enough," he said ominously.

Thank God it's dark out. Someone could see me using my powers, I thought.

I spotted the bus stop before the bus got there, so I ran over to the bushes behind it and deposited Sage there. Her shell had been reduced to a thin sheet of ice. Her limbs could move freely now, but I worried she wouldn't wake up.

I walked up to the sign as people started coming out. Mom hadn't shown up yet.

I pushed my hands in my pockets and put on my hood. I respected how warm it was at night now compared to Jake's environment.

"Get on," the voice ordered me.

"Without Sage?" I asked.

"Take her with you."

"Won't the bus driver-?"

"I've handled it. Now hurry. The person who captured you is following you now."

Jake was following us? How did he know here we were?

I grabbed Sage's leaden body and stuck her through the doors before walking through them myself, nodding my head to the bus driver to say hello.

I spotted Mom at the back of the bus, wrinkling her pants again. When she saw Sage, she almost fainted.

I placed Sage's body next to me on our seat, which was in front of Mom's.