15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller (Rewind Series) (20 page)

When
my eyes open again, I am in a white sterile room with padded walls, wearing
baggy pajamas. This time my room contains only my bed, a small sofa, and a
table filled with magazines. There are no chains or restraints, which surprises
me. It takes a moment for my legs to respond, but I am able to stand on my feet
and steady myself with the furniture until I reach the table.

I
find a newspaper beneath all the fashion magazines. It is crisp and has never
been unfolded. The date makes me
suck
in my breath.
If this newspaper is real, one month has gone by since I traveled back in time
and changed the past.

That
means I’ve been Rex’s prisoner for more than three weeks.

I
put the paper down and jump back when the door opens. It’s an orderly, who
appears to have a tray of food for me. I eye it suspiciously. He’s a big guy
and barely glances at me as he slides it on the table. “Better eat up. They
need your strength back.”

“Are
they going to put me under again?”

He
shrugs. A noncommittal frown on his face.
 
“Doubt it. They said that approach isn’t working on you. They’re going
to go another way.”

“Another
way?”

He
shrugs. “Not like they tell me anything. I’m here for the paycheck.”

“Yeah,
thanks for that,” I say, and he leaves.

The
door latches with a resounding echo. I tear into my sandwich because there’s a
hole gnawing in my stomach. I am suspicious they could be trying to poison me,
but I know they don’t want me dead.

I’m
no longer in a fantasy world, which is good, but how can I break free of what
seems to be a guarded facility? Physical strength won’t be in my favor, but I
can time travel at will. That’s my biggest strength, but how do I use it to get
out of here?

When
the orderly came in, a key card was hanging from his belt hoop. I need to get
that, lock him in my prison, and find Molly, all before anyone else realizes
I’m free.

The
room spins, and I feel as though I’m traveling backwards through space.
Suddenly, I am staring at myself. She blinks when I do. I hear the click of the
door, and we both turn to look.

“Better
hurry and hide,” Lara says to me. “I’ll distract him.”

Sprinting
into action, I stand against the wall, where the door will hide me. It swings
open and stops short of hitting me in the face. The orderly comes inside and
puts the tray of food on the table where he put it before. Lara smiles at him.

“Why
are you smiling?”

“Because
I am going to beat your ass.”

That’s
my cue. I spring into action, leaping through the air, and my body slams into
his. Lara pins his arms down, while I snatch the keycard from his belt.

“Hurry,”
she says and begins to fade from existence. I run from the room before the
orderly can get up and latch the door shut. I can tell from my surroundings I’m
in what used to be a hospital. Of all the hospitals around, I can only think of
one that was shut down—an old rehabilitation center.

I
don’t know how long it will take them to realize I’m gone and have a key. The
only thing I can do is keep moving and hope I can escape before they realize
I’m missing. I need to find Molly and fast.

At
the elevator, I find a directory, but there's nothing useful. I guess I was
expecting a listing for
Dangerous Lab
or
Prisoners Kept
Here
.
I check all the rooms and find an
unguarded office with a computer and a printer. I check it for a flash drive
but find nothing. Swearing under my breath, I check
 
through the drawers. The middle drawer has a
hidden compartment that I manage to slide open. I find pens, paper clips, and a
simple flash drive. I take it, stick it in the laptop, and check its contents.
I can’t read anything off of it, which I consider a good thing. This must be
what I’ve been looking for.

Scanning
the laptop’s hard drive, I find private correspondence between the Senator
 
and Rex, recorded conversations, financials,
everything that links them together, including the deed for the hospital’s
property in Patricia’s name. I copy everything to a folder, and while counting
the seconds, I move it over to the flash drive.

Once
it’s finished, I snatch the drive and slip it into my pocket. I rush out of the
office, right into Rex’s waiting arms.

“You
think we didn’t know you would try this?”

My
sneakers skid on the floor as I try to gain ground, but his arm clamps around
my neck and begins to squeeze. I can’t breathe! I try to bite his neck and
scratch his forehead as hard as I can but to no effect. The guy is strong,
tough, and trained to withstand a lot more than I can throw at him.

I
think of his office, and suddenly, I’m standing in it again, snatching the
flash drive from the laptop. I open the door, and instead of being seized by
Rex, I kick him in the balls, and he bends over to clutch at himself.

I
scoot past him and run down the hall. “You’ll never reach Molly in time!” he
screams.

But
I’m already in a full sprint.

The
bottom floor is crawling with guards, white coats, and enough people to know
what I’m trying to do is beyond impossible. I duck against a wall and slide
into an old examination room.
 
I grab an
old rusted scalpel from the assortment of tools laid out. I need to find Molly,
now. I wait for an orderly to walk by. Snatching him, I throw him down onto the
ground, cover his mouth, and hold the scalpel to his throat, gritting my teeth.

“Tell
me what I need to know, or I will shove this in your throat. If you try to
scream, I won’t think twice. Understand?”

With
eyes wide he nods his head.

“Where
are they holding the little girl? Where?” I remove my hand and watch him lick
his lips. He takes a long, shallow breath.

“Second
floor, room 215.”

Letting
him go, I run toward the elevator as an alarm is triggered, probably by the
orderly. As I run down the hall, a gunshot rips through my shoulder. I grunt
and realize this isn’t
 
going to work. I
think of an office.

I
rip the flash drive from the laptop and this time knock Rex out with a
paperweight … I sprint to the elevator and go to the second floor instead of
the first.

Molly’s
room is unguarded. Everyone is probably out looking for me; they won’t suspect
I found her so easily. Inside, she is strapped to a gurney and is unconscious.
I push my alarm down and rush to her. I unstrap her arms and legs, take a
moment to check for her locket. It’s still there with the microchip still
attached. I lift her unconscious body in my arms and give her a squeeze.

“Wake
up,” I beg in a whisper.

She
only moans, but her arms wrap around my neck.

We
empty into a hallway, and I hear the skidding of feet as people charge our
location. I run for the emergency exit. Nurses are charging from all sides,
grabbing at my sleeves, but I am pumping as hard as I can. I’m at full tilt,
and nothing can stop me as Molly sobs and buries her face into my neck.

“Lara?
I want Mommy!”

“Me
too,” I whisper, huffing for breath as I charge up the hill.

I
see a subway stop not far away, but I also see a yellow cab parked on the curb.
I open the passenger door and shove Molly inside. I jump in and scream,
“Drive!” I glance back as the car shifts out of park. Men in suits run for
their cars, and with them is Rex.

“Where
to?”

“Police
station. The closest one you can find.” Molly lies in my arms, and I hug her.

She
whimpers. “I was so scared.”

I
kiss the top of her head and see her locket glistening in the sunlight. I flip
the heart pendant open and see the tiny computer chip I embedded against the
gold.

“Me
too.” I smile. “But now we’re all going to be okay.”

The
police question me for what feels like hours. Molly sits on my lap and won’t
move or go anywhere, her face still buried in my hair. No one will tell me
anything about where anyone is or what is going on, but they take the flash
drive from me, and I hear talk about getting an arrest warrant. I hope that
means Mom and
Jax
will be found soon and rescued.

 
I don’t know whether I’m safe, if I’ll ever
really be safe, but I think for now Rex and Patricia are going to have enough
problems on their hands without coming for me or Molly.

The
police are nice to Molly and give her soda. She sips it as I pull the hair away
from her face and cover her in kisses. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her
eyes.

Behind
me I hear a terrified voice scream, “Lara! Molly!”

We
both turn and see Mom running toward us, and
Jax
too,
lingering in the background. They seem ragged from their captivity. We are out
of the chair like a lightning bolt running toward their arms.

The
hug is so intense we all fall on the floor. I swing my arm over her and
squeeze. I was desperate to be with Mom all this time, and now I have her. She
pulls my hair back.

“Oh,
Lara. You were right, about your father,
Jax
,
everything. I’m so sorry.”

I
press my lips together and glance at
Jax
over her
shoulder. “I wasn’t right about
Jax
. I was wrong. He
loves us. He does.”

Her
face shows she’s not sure about that, and I guess I can’t blame her, but I hope
I haven’t torn our family apart. I hope maybe my dad can become part of it
somehow. As Mom rocks Molly in her arms I consider how everything I did was
worth it.

The
police behind me mobilize. They’re going after the Senator. They’re going to
bring her in, and I hope it’s enough to stop Rex. I hope for a while maybe
we’ll all have some peace.

“Can
I see Dad?”

Mom
nods and strokes my hair. “He’s going to be acquitted, like you always wanted.
Everything you did for him, you proved he was innocent, and I … should've
listened too. I’m sorry, Lara.”

As
Molly lies against Mom’s chest, I realize I can’t wish her away any more than I
could wish myself away. I need her in my life as if she had always been part of
my family.

“It
wasn’t all for Dad.”

Molly
smiles at me as she’s tucked in Mom’s arms. I touch her chubby cheeks, wanting
nothing more than to protect her. “Can we go for sodas? Maybe burgers?” she
asks.

The
imagery of something so simple, so mundane, makes me laugh.

Mom
wipes her eyes. “Tell you what, how about we go get Mike, and we go get those
burgers? The four of us?”

My
heart soars. I stand up, and we both take one of Molly’s hands. “I’m sorry,
Mom, if you get in trouble. If Rewind—”

“It's
just a corporation. Nothing but a stupid company. I never should’ve let myself
be manipulated by Patricia.” Her voice is strong, resolute. “I have you, Molly,
our family. That’s all that matters.” She lifts Molly up in her arms again and
gives her kisses, while my sister squeezes her back like there’s no tomorrow.
My heart swells with happiness.

“I’m
sorry it took so long for me to see it.” Mom frowns and touches my face. Her
thumb strokes me. “I can fix it, if there’s still time.”

“There’s
still time.”

I
step forward and smile at
Jax
. His lips are drawn and
his eyes sad. His shoulders round forward like a sad boy who misses his dog,
and when I call him, he barely looks up.

My
arm extends, and I offer him my hand. “Maybe we should make it five burgers.”

His
eyes lock with mine, and he fights back tears. He nods, takes my hand, and
squeezes it. Before I know it, he pulls me into his arms and crushes me into a
bear hug. I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my head against him.
Jax
is a victim in this, same as me and Mom. He has been
living with his crimes for so long, I can’t judge him. He did his best to
protect Mom, me.

Molly
hugs my leg, and Mom hugs me and
Jax
. We are a unit.
A family.

“So
a time traveler, huh?” Donovan asks.

We
are holding hands and walking through the park. It’s summer now, and I’m
wearing a cozy outfit of shorts and a blue tank top.

I
shrug. “It’s no big whoop.”

He
smiles, shy and reserved. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, I’m
not sure what to say next. His mother is arrested and awaiting trial. That’s
all my fault, even if she was guilty as sin.

Donovan
tucks my hair behind my ears. “You saved your mom’s life, your sister’s, and
stopped a dangerous group from trying to shape our country, the world. I’d say
pretty big whoop.”

I
smile.

“All
that time the video was right in Rex’s grasp?”

“Yup,
right on Molly’s locket.”

He
shakes his head. “And now that you’re a time traveling superhero, what are you
going to do with your new power?”

My
eyebrow arches. “I hope nothing. I hope Mom can come up with something to fix
me, but even if she doesn’t, I hope never to time travel again. Believe me.” I
take a deep breath. “Donovan, about your Mom—”

He
places a finger over my lips. “How about we don’t. She kidnapped you, Molly,
and was ready to kill anyone who got in her way.”

“She’s
still your mother,” I whisper. “You must have things you want to get off your
chest.”

He
holds both my hands, and we are closer to each other than we have been in ages,
our chests practically touching. “How about instead of all that, I kiss you and
ask you what you’re doing tomorrow night for dinner?”

I
smile and bite my lip. “I think I’d like that a lot more than you realize.”

He
grins, and when our lips meet, it’s magic. I haven’t forgotten Rick and how
much I loved him once, but my heart belongs to Donovan. He is everything to me.
I know things will be hard for him in the future with his mom’s arrest, but I
look forward to facing it with him.

He
walks me uptown to where I’m staying with my dad for the weekend and kisses me
goodbye. I go inside the small apartment and watch Dad cook mac and cheese. He
doesn’t see how nostalgic it makes me, but when he shows me the small yellow
lab puppy he bought, I melt. “Oh, Sparky,” I whisper, and the puppy comes to
me. I crush it in a hug.

“I
figure with all that money the government is giving me for wrongful
imprisonment, I have enough to spend on a dog. What do you say?”

My
dad’s face is wide and full of joy. I pet the puppy, and even though I know he
isn’t my old dog, I’m sure we’ll be great friends.

“I
say it’s great. I always wanted a dog.”

I
follow Dad into the kitchen. It’s a tight fit with a table and chairs, but the
room sings with love. I hug Dad around the waist, and he kisses the top of my
head.

“Make
things right with your boyfriend?”

He
says the word with disdain in a way
Jax
never does,
but it makes me smile. He is my dad. That gives him a right.

I
nod. “We’re going to go out tomorrow night.”

“Only
if you’re back by nine.”

“Dad!”
I roll my eyes.

“Ten,”
he says with a twinkle in his eye. “Set the table, okay?”

I
nod and head to the cabinets. The table is by the window and has a beautiful
view of the city. I watch the traffic roll by with a smile on my face.

My
cell phone rings. “Hi,
Jax
.”

“Hey
… peanut. Just wanted to wish you goodnight. Mom and I have counseling tonight
and wanted you to know we’re looking forward to picking you up in a few days.”

“Me
too. I’ll see you soon. Tell the twins I love them.”

“Will
do. See you soon. Tell John ... well, never mind. See you soon.”

When
I hang up, Dad brings the food to the table. He says grace, leaning across the
table so we can hold hands. “Mac and cheese still your favorite?”

“Oh,
definitely!” I pick up my fork and dig in.

For
a moment it feels like nothing has changed. As though I never time traveled at
all.

Almost.

I take a spoonful of mac and cheese to my mouth. Blowing on
the steaming pasta, I look up. The clock catches my eye.

The hands are spinning backwards.

Find out what is next for Lara in the next
Rewind Adventure coming soon.