Free Redeemed by Margaret Peterson Haddix

thought. I get it! You really don’t want me talking or doing anything else to give away that we’re here!
    But if the three people who worked with Gary and Hodge didn’t want all of time to end—wasn’t that something that Jordan and Katherine would agree with? If Katherine was willing to work with that Second guy to get Mom and Dad back, wouldn’t she be willing to help other bad guys save time?
    Jordan saw that Katherine was also holding Jonah’s arm, as if she didn’t trust him to keep still and silent either.
    â€œI’ll cover your tracks if you want to go to your source at the time agency,” Deep Voice was saying. “Do you have any theories? Any leads?”
    â€œThe Skidmore incident has to be the key,” the woman replied. “Gary and Hodge despised those two kids.”
    The “Skidmore incident”—something connected to my family? Jordan wondered, with chills traveling down his spine. Too many strange things had happened for him to guess which “incident” they might mean. And the “two kids” they’re talking about . . . Are they Katherine and me? Jonah and me? Jonah and Katherine?
    Why would two men Jordan had never heard of until this morning hate him?
    It looked like Katherine was about to claw through Jonah’s arm. Jordan felt as though she was trying to smash his mouth down into the floor. Along with the rest of his head.
    â€œAll right,” the first man said. “Let’s all see what we can find out, and then meet here again this afternoon. Does five o’clock work for both of you?”
    Maybe the other two just nodded. Jordan couldn’t hear any replies.
    â€œWe’re not telling Curtis Rathbone about any of this, right?” the woman asked.
    â€œVery funny,” Deep Voice said.
    And then the door opened and shut again, and Jordan was sure that all three adults had left.
    â€œWould you let go before you tear my face to shreds?” he hissed to Katherine. Though it sounded more like“Unh, unh, unh . . . sssss . . .” because she had such a tight grip on his mouth.
    Katherine looked down at the hand she had digging into Jordan’s face, and then the one digging into Jonah’s arm.
    â€œOh, sorry,” she muttered, pulling away. But then she shot her gaze back to Jonah, as though he mattered a lot more.
    â€œIf they were telling the truth, we’ve got to do something,” she said. “We’ve got to tell JB, or, or—”
    â€œDon’t you think JB already knows?” Jonah snapped. “Don’t you think that’s why he was so tense and stressed out back at our house?”
    â€œWasn’t it enough to stress anyone out that Mom and Dad were the wrong ages?” Jordan asked. “And that two—no, three—dimensions were squished together?” He really wanted to say, And that this whole goofy time mess gave me a twin brother I don’t even want? But he managed to hold back that question. “Look. Why don’t we just find Mom and Dad and let them figure out what to do and who to tell?”
    For a moment it seemed like Jonah and Katherine were the identical ones: They shot Jordan the same look of utter disbelief.
    â€œMom and Dad don’t know anything about time travel or Gary and Hodge or how to save time,” Katherine said.
    â€œBut don’t you still want to save them?” Jordan asked. He hated the way he sounded: like a little kid whining, I want my mommy and daddy! Give me back my mommy and daddy!
    â€œSure, but what good will it do to save them if all of time ends right after that?” Jonah asked. “We’ve got to fix everything.”
    Don’t let him make you panic, Jordan told himself. There’s no way the three of us could fix everything. Nobody could expect that. He’s just messing with you.
    Wasn’t he?
    Katherine shoved a stray strand of hair