Parallel: The Secret Life of Jordan McKay Read Online Free Page B

and began to cry, finding that I missed her more than I ever thought I would.
    “Mom…” I cried, “Mommy.”
    “Shhhh….”
    She rubbed the back of my head, flattening my soft hair behind my giant ears. I reveled in the feeling, breathing deep and taking in her familiar scent. She rocked me from side to side and I shut my eyes as hard as I could, drinking in the moment but finding it too hard to handle much longer.
    “Mommy.” I paused as I snuggled closer to her ear. “You deserve better,” I whispered.
    She pulled me away from her, shock coating her face as her grasp cut into my arms with desperation. “What did you say?” Her brows were pressed together, her brown eyes storming under her thick lashes.
    “You deserve better. Mommy. I want to leave.” I was terrified to say it but this was my chance.
    She pressed her lips together as she fought to blink back tears. “Okay.” She began to nod as she looked toward the sky, then back at me. She opened her mouth to speak again, her lip shaking. “Okay honey, we’ll leave.”
    I leaned against her chest one last time, squeezing her as hard as I could. It was then that I realized I had done more than save Rover. I had saved her. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth, trying to get back to age six and wondering what I would find.
    I felt my blood begin to cook, my stomach now sour and my head sweating. The ground began to shake as I felt the familiar pull on my sides, taking me back to where I came from, back to six.
     
     
     
     
    Formulated from the journals
    of Patient #32185
    July 6th, 1988
    3:56 p.m.
     
    I crashed onto the grass from what felt like twenty feet, the malleable ground around me molding into the shape of my body. The breath was knocked from my lungs and I gasped for air, my skin tight as though stretching from a youthful age four to now. As I lay there lifeless on a bed of grass, I was at least relieved that it wasn’t gravel and pavement this time, counting my blessings. I kept my eyes squeezed shut, not willing to open them to the fact that she was now gone.
    I let a painful breath escape my lips, my whole body covered in a cold sweat as I shuddered. I could feel the afternoon sun fill the air with warmth, and I waited for my heart to slow. At this point, breathing was my only goal, nothing else mattered.
    “What are you doing?” A shadow fell over me as a young voice rang in my ears.
    I jumped, lifting my head from the cool grass and shielding my eyes from the sun. A young girl of about four loomed over me, her blue shirt catching the wind and rippling around her waist.
    “Hi,” she spoke again, smiling.
    “Er…hi,” I replied. I lifted myself from the ground with a wince, brushing the grass from my pants and seeing that they had now dried from the popsicle incident of before, a moment that now felt had happened hours ago.
    “What are you doing?” she asked again, eyeing the dented grass where I had laid. Her auburn hair blew in the wind, and she brushed it from her face, revealing her bright green eyes. I swallowed hard, finding those eyes easy to remember, my mind racing in disbelief.
    “If we’re meant to meet…” I whispered under my breath, repeating the words the woman from the bus had told me. She was right; if we were meant to know each other, then surely we would meet again. I just didn’t figure it would happen so soon. “I uh…” I stuttered, my eyes becoming wide as I realized who she was. “Hi.”
    She giggled and clasped her hands behind her back, twisting in her spot as her skirt fanned out around her. “You’re funny.” She crinkled her nose and tilted her head, “You remind me of someone.” She was missing a front tooth, and I found it cute.
    I laughed. “Really?”
    I looked at the palms of my hands as I squeezed them into fists, finding they felt strange and seeing that I now had two large scars on the palms of each. I flipped my palm over, the scar from the dog now gone without a single trace, as