“I said, I got it.” Parker turns away from me, running his hand through his hair. “Shit, how many times do I have to say it?”
I want to trust him, but when it comes to Ella, Parker’s judgment has always been clouded. A knot forms in my stomach. What if Parker only wants to get his powers back so he can stay here with her? Would he do that? I shake my pounding head. It doesn’t matter. Once his powers are restored, Parker won’t be my problem anymore. “Good, because McGregor emailed me, and he wants to meet.”
Parker’s head shoots to the desk dividing our beds, and the ancient, second-hand laptop we use to communicate with McGregor. “Already?”
“Yep.” I take off, but Parker’s hand snakes around my arm.
“Wait.” His eyes search mine. “Rose, I need to talk to you.”
“Later,” I bark. “McGregor’s waiting.” I shrug him off and run down the stairs.
I hold my breath and open McGregor’s office door.Please tell me he has good news.
He’s silent as we enter, remaining seated behind his large oak desk. On its surface, a pendulum of metal balls swings back and forth.Click. Click. Click.
The silence between each click is deafening.
“Please sit,” McGregor says, gesturing to the chairs before his desk.
I tiptoe between piles of coffee-rimmed papers—many with notes scribbled in the margins—and sit among the organized chaos.
I can see Parker’s reflection in the shiny pendulum, a dark blur shifting on his feet behind me.
Click. Click. Click.
I look away. I’ve been too hard on him. If this doesn’t work, he has a lot more to lose than I do. “Please tell me you have something, McGregor,” I say, leaning so far forward in my chair I’m in danger of falling.
He considers us. “I analyzed the blood from the sample you gave me, and I found cells I’ve never seen before. They must be the key to your time-traveling abilities, albeit a small component of a much larger signaling pathway… I’ll need to conduct more studies to further my understanding.”
There’s excitement in the professor’s voice. He’s as intrigued as we are desperate to discover what was done to Parker. He wants answers.
Join the club, buddy.
“Does this mean you can find out what’s wrong with me?” Parker asks.
“I can tell you what’s different about this person’s blood from a normal individual. But to tell you what’s happening in your body, Parker, without a sample of your blood, would be quite impossible.”
Click. Click. Click.
I suppress the urge to grab the pendulum and hurl it across the room. “That’s not what you said before,” I say through gritted teeth. “You know we can’t get that for you.”
When did I stand? I clench my shaking hands into fists. I can’t believe we’re back to square one.What the hell are we going to do?
Professor McGregor is also on his feet. “I’m sorry. But if you can get me another sample of blood, I—”
My mind goes blank, McGregor’s words fading to white noise. The clicking of the balls on his desk reverberates through me.Click.McGregor can’t help us. No one can.Click.Everything that brought us to this moment has been a complete waste of time. My pulse pounds in my ears.
Click.
I want to scream. I want to lunge across the desk and throttle McGregor. Parker’s hand touches my shoulder, pulling me from my trance. His face is as dark and empty as the pit in my stomach.
“Rose, let’s go. We’ll find another way,” he says, turning toward the door.
“Wait,” McGregor says. “There must be research behind the drug given to Parker. Scientific articles or future literature?”
I pause, halfway between McGregor and the door.I should follow Parker, but my feet won’t budge. Can I even get access to that sort of information? It goes against the oath I live my life by. And it’s risky. If it doesn’t get us killed, it’s going to take an incredible toll. But what’s the alternative? If we don’t fix Parker, we’re stuck. I can’t carry him in a different time forever. McGregor’s our only hope.
I shake my head, but find myself staring at Parker, waiting for me by the door.
