Free imperfect by Tina Chan Page B

them both a hug. “Thanks guys. I
really appreciate it.”
    Chelsa made a face. “Don’t get all mushy on
me.” All the same, she returned Kristi’s hug, then said, “I’ll go
see if I can find some sleeping bags for you two.” She brushed
cracker crumbs off her sweatshirt. “And don’t you even think about
leaving—it’s too risky for you to show your face in public.”
     
    “ There’s no way Maria
and Don could’ve known about Chelsa,”
Jaiden said. He twirled the pen masterfully through his fingers.
In. Out. In. Out.
    “ Who knows what they
knew?” Kristi glanced at the clock; Chelsa had been gone for over
an hour.
    “ So you think the others are other
Accidents?” He grimaced at the word.
    “ I don’t know
anything. Others could be other Accidents, it could
be other spies, and it could be a secret family of dwarves, for all
I know.” Not for the first time, Kristi wished her parents’ message
could’ve been a little less vague.
    “ We’re getting nowhere,”
Jaiden stated the obvious.
    “ Go shower. You smell.”
Kristi pushed her brother in the direction of the
bathroom.
    Then she wandered around the room, picking
up different objects and examining them. There was a map tacked up
on the wall. On the desk was a cup holding a bunch of pens and
pencils. She picked up an album off the desk. Ghost looked up from
cleaning his whiskers and growled softly.
    She ignored him and flipped open the book.
The first page showed a younger Chelsa standing in front of a man
and a woman. Her parents. Chelsa had her mother’s hair and nose;
from her father, she inherited his high cheekbones and green
eyes.
    She flipped on to the next page. Chelsa was
much older now, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old. Beside her
was a boy a few years older. The boy had light, curly hair and
impish eyes. They were playing with Ghost beside a lake.
    Kristi turned the page. The picture showed
an even older Chelsa (fifteen, or sixteen years old?) being hugged
by the same boy in the previous picture. Over the picture, someone
had scribbled “Chelsa + Alex” in permanent marker. Kristi wondered
how things stood between them now.
    Ghost growled softly once
more and Kristi realized with a start she was snooping through
Chelsa’s private stuff without her permission. What a great friend I am , she
thought, replacing the album as she had found it.
    Ghost stared at her, as if
to say, “You should’ve known better than
to do that.”
    The doorknob jingled and the door was flung
open. Chelsa returned with her purchased goods. At the same time,
Jaiden stepped out of the bathroom, toweling off his wet, dark
hair.
    “ I got you new clothes,”
Chelsa said, tossing Jaiden a stuffed bag.
    He caught it one-handed. “Thanks. I’ll go
change into them now.”
    “ I got you some, too,”
Chelsa said and passed another bag to Kristi.
    “ Is there any way I can
repay you?” Kristi didn’t want to become a burden to
Chelsa.
    “ How about making
breakfast tomorrow?”
    “ Deal.”
    She helped Chelsa take out the rest of the
purchases from the bags. All the food was stored in a plastic bin
and the sleeping bags were kept underneath the bed until
needed.
    “ Did you find any news
about Maria and Don?” Kristi dumped a container of water-purifying
tablets into a bin.
    “ They’re being held in a
high security prison until their trial takes place. As for the spy
group Maria and Don work for, all I know is that they work for the
South Union, but I can probably find more information given some
time. Here, you can check the news on my electro-slate for more
information.” Chelsa removed the slate from her shoulder bag and
pitched it onto the cot.
    Kristi pulled up the NRN website on the
electro-slate and browsed the headlines until she found one that
read: Officials Uncover More Information About Shea Spies. The
article read:
     
    After breaking into the electro-slates of
the two convicted spies, Shelly Smiths and Kyle Rogers (cover
names: