Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter Two: You Took Tomo

"Don't talk," Lyn said, pulling her long sleeves to her wrists so they covered her tattoos. Only Albany residents had tattoos, and Albany was notorious for being chaotic. Most citizens avoided the topic, which was easy to do when most denizens lived and died in whatever region they were born in. Lyn was an exception. She gained her Topeka citizenship through my father, but she wasn't about to peak the officer's suspicions by showing off her ink.

She slowly pulled the Jeep over and waited. The vehicle rumbled beneath us. In a minute, the cop's flashlight jumped in the rearview mirror as he stalked up to Lyn's window. She had already unrolled it.

"Hello, officer," she spoke as the bright light flashed in our eyes. It remained there, only allowing his silhouette to be visible, but neither of us complained. It was typical behavior. The officer had to check our eyes for reflecting irises, a side effect known as "cat-eyes." It was caused by consuming tomo, the forbidden drug.

I squinted as he spoke, "And what are we up to this evening?" His baritone voice sounded harsh against the onslaught of rain.

"Trying to avoid the storm," Lyn said. "Mind if I grab my wallet? It's right there on the console."

The officer lowered his flashlight enough for me to see his nod. Even then, she cautiously leaned forward to grab her identification. "I'm a night-nurse," she said. "We received this Jeep last week, so I haven't gotten my night pass yet, but I should soon."

The officer took her wallet, flipped it open, scanned the information, and looked up at me. "And who's this?"

"Sophia Gray," Lyn answered. "Her father is Dwayne Gray, Cooperate Manager in Transportation Communication for the State. He works for Wheston Phelps himself." Lyn smiled as if she were proud. "I have guardian rights over her while he's out of the region."

"Is he traveling then?" he asked. Lyn nodded. "Where to?"

"I'm never told," Lyn responded truthfully, "but his info is on the back of my card, and my son, Falo, is asleep in the backseat."

The officer leaned in, so close his wet hair dripped rainwater onto Lyn's lap, and then he peered into the back. He smiled at the sleeping toddler. I wondered for a moment if he had a son himself, sleeping at home, but the question dissipated when a wicked smirk crossed his lips. "Well, then. I'm going to go back to the car and check this information out. I'll be right back." He left the Jeep, disappeared into the rain, and returned to his vehicle.

Lyn and I let out a heavy sigh as if we breathed together.

"Good job," I whispered, keeping my eyes on the dash while Lyn applied gloss to her bitten lips.

"Everything is a scare tactic with these people. They don't check everything, never have," she reminded me of how she had spent twenty-four years of her life in Albany. "A coworker told me they upped security recently, though. Hopefully, he's done asking questions."

Before I could question our decision, the officer returned, his expression no longer tense. He handed Lyn her wallet. "Everything checked up. Though, I'm assuming you're off to work."

Lyn's polite smile was practiced perfection. "I didn't want to leave the kids at home by themselves. Not on a weekend anyway."

The officer chuckled, and rain bounced off of his jacket. "If only more parents were like you, we wouldn't have as many problems." Then he nodded, wished us safe travel, and returned to his car.

Lyn gripped the steering wheel as she pulled away from the curb. "You still want to go through with this?" she asked, referring to my visitation of Broden. She knew how much his friendship meant to me. He had been in trouble before. In fact, he had just gotten out of military school. But if he was getting sent to Phoenix, I had to see him now or I might not have the chance to again. Even then, my decision was selfish.