​“TELL YOUR MOTHER, I FORGOT TO BUY THE PEAS AND CARROTS!” Cassi’s father shouted, his voice urgent and strained.  

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“What?” Cassi shot back, confused. Groceries? Why was he talking about groceries now?

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“Just do it!” he insisted, before a towering, muscle-bound man in a suit brought a gun crashing down on his head, sending him crumpling to the ground.

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Cassi froze, her breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with the man who had just leaped out of an SUV that had pulled up in front of where she and her father had been jogging.

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She thought he was going to ask for directions, but instead, he lunged from the passenger side, gun in hand, and ordered her father to get into the vehicle.

 

The driver sauntered around the SUV, casually opening the back door as his colleague dragged Cassi’s unconscious father toward it.

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As the large man stuffed her father into the back seat, the driver’s gaze locked onto Cassi’s. His eyes were sharp, focused—predatory.

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Though smaller than the brute who had attacked her father, the look in his eyes conveyed without question… he was the more dangerous of the two. For a heartbeat, their eyes met, making Cassi’s blood run cold. Realizing the danger she was in, she spun around and bolted.

​

Unsure if they would chase her, Cassi veered off the path, darting through a small forest that bordered her route home. Having grown up playing in these woods, she knew them well—the hiding spots, the shortcuts—and sprinted toward a fallen tree with a hollowed-out section where she could duck inside.

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Heart pounding, she pressed her jacket to her mouth, muffling her breath as she strained to hear any sound—footsteps, breaking twigs—anything. Silence. Slowly, she peered through a small gap in the tree, her eyes searching for the slightest movement. Seeing none, Cassi knew that if the men were headed to her house, they would be driving—and she had better get there first.

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Cassi raced the rest of the way home, bursting through the back door with a force that startled her mother and sister. Panting, panic in her voice, she blurted out, “Dad said to tell you he forgot to buy the peas and carrots!” As soon as she saw her mother’s face drain of color, Cassi understood—this was no grocery reminder. It was a coded message.

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Her mother’s gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by steely determination. She strode to the hall closet, pulled out two backpacks, handed them to Cassi and Haley, and began barking orders.

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“You have two minutes to fill these with pajamas, underclothes, a jacket, and any personal items you cannot live without. Also, bring me your cell phones and put them on the table.”

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No one moved, then Haley opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by their mother’s sharp, “Now!”

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Startled into action, Cassi and Haley darted to their rooms as their mother grabbed her own pre-filled backpack, moved to the fireplace mantle, and added smaller framed family photos to the front zippered pocket.

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Cassi grabbed crumpled pajamas from the floor, a change of clothes, a pullover sweatshirt, and clean underwear and socks. As she rushed out, she swiped her journal from the nightstand and shoved it into her backpack.

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In the kitchen, Cassi placed her cell phone on the table, Haley was right behind, setting hers next to Cassi’s. Their mother added her own and, with a hammer, demolished all three phones.

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Cassi and Haley stared wide-eyed at their mother. “Who is this woman?” Haley mouthed to Cassi, both of them stunned to see this side of her.

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“Okay, girls, get to the car. Now!” their mother ordered, her voice leaving no room for hesitation.

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As they ran to the garage, Cassi’s mother stopped at the pantry, slid a sideboard out of the way to reveal a hidden cabinet, and grabbed a courier-sized backpack. Slinging it over her shoulder, she snatched the car keys from the wall hook and pressed the button to open the garage door.

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Without another word, they dove into the car. Their mother reversed out of the driveway with the precision of a stunt driver, whipping the steering wheel until the car slid sideways and aligned to speed forward. Maneuvering through the neighborhood, she took side streets, circled back, and looped around until she was certain they were not being followed.

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No one spoke. For hours, they wound through back roads and highways, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.

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Finally, they turned onto a hidden path leading deep into the mountains. The bumpy dirt road seemed endless, but eventually it brought them to a small cabin.

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Another car was parked in front, and a rush of hope swept through Cassi—maybe her father had escaped and was waiting for them inside.

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They quickly unloaded the backpacks, as Cassi’s mother unlocked the door.

“Dad?” Cassi called softly, stepping inside.

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“He’s not here, Cassandra,” her mother replied wearily.

​

Cassi’s heart sank. A cold chill ran through her, and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Her mother wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and held her close. Cassi could feel her mother trembling too.

​

“What is happening?!” Haley cried, tears streaming down her face. “Where is Dad? What does forgetting peas and carrots even mean? Why did we just leave everything?”

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Haley collapsed onto a small couch, sobbing. “What is going on?”

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Their mother walked over, rubbing Haley’s back as she struggled to decide what to tell them.

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“It’s too quiet,” their mother muttered, agitated.

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She walked to an old record player behind the sofa, its wooden surface worn with age. With a steady hand, she turned the knob and carefully set the needle on a record.

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Soothing piano music filled the room. Taking a seat beside Haley, she took a deep breath… preparing herself to tell them everything.

​

“When I married your father, he was working as a quantum physicist,” she began, her voice warm with affection. “He was so passionate about his work and often told me the world had so much to share—if we only paid attention, it would reveal all its secrets. I used to joke that he loved his world of quantum physics more than he loved me.”

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A small, nostalgic smile touched her lips before she continued.

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“A few years later, your father began working on a highly confidential project involving dimensional pathways. One night, he confided to me that he had discovered a pathway between our dimension and another.”

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She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I didn’t understand the majority of what he was telling me, but I could see he was excited—and worried. He said the information could be dangerous in the wrong hands.”

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Her expression grew serious. “Eventually, your father decided that sharing his discovery was too dangerous and he began corrupting parts of his data to prevent it from being misused.”

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A shadow passed over her face as she added, “We didn’t know it at the time, but your father’s research was being monitored. His boss began asking questions about his work, mentioning details your father had intentionally removed from his encrypted files.”

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She paused, her tone softening. “But your father was brilliant. He calmly explained that his research had taken a new direction, claiming that the data pointing to proof of multi-dimensional pathways was outdated and inconsequential.”

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Her voice dropped, laced with a mix of awe and disbelief. “I don’t know how he stayed so calm.”

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Leaning forward slightly, her tone turned more urgent. “Around this time, we realized we were being followed. A shiny black SUV would park near our house, at restaurants, even in grocery store parking lots when I was alone.”

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Her hands shook as she nervously brought her fingers to her bottom lip, as if trying to hold the story in.

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“When we learned I was pregnant with the two of you, we were beyond excited,” she began, her voice softening with the memory. “At the first ultrasound, when we saw your two tiny heartbeats, our life changed forever.”

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She paused, her expression darkening. “But as thrilled as we were, we also felt your father’s job was becoming more dangerous. He requested a new position, hoping to work fewer hours and spend more time with his growing family. Instead, they allowed him to split his time between home and the lab.”

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Her eyes narrowed in exasperation, a mix of irritation and disbelief in her voice as she recounted the details. “Within a week, workers showed up, claiming they needed to create a secure connection to the company’s servers from our home office. We suspected they were bugging our home with cameras and microphones. We couldn’t prove it, but we were careful about what we said and developed ways to communicate in code.”

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Her gaze drifted as she clutched her hands together, knuckles white, recalling how frightening it had been.

​

“We were terrified,” she whispered, barely audible. “What would happen if we tried to leave? We knew we weren’t prepared to live on the run, especially with me being pregnant, so we started making plans. We discovered we could talk privately at concerts, so we began going to live performances nearly every week.”

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She paused, a gentle smile spreading as her eyes softened with the memory of those nights at concerts with her husband.

​

Coming back to the story, she continued, “We knew we needed a way to hide passports, money, and cell phones, so we hired your Uncle Jack to build secret compartments into the walls of the kitchen and living room. We told him it was to keep dangerous items out of the reach of small children. To anyone who asked, we told them we were repairing water damage.”

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A small, sad smile tugged at her lips as she glanced around the room. “We even bought this cabin with cash when you were two years old, and over the years, we stocked it with essentials—money, passports, anything we might need if we had to disappear.”

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Her tone grew more somber as she reached the crux of the story. “A few months ago, your father noticed his boss and senior executives meeting with members of the military. The pressure on him to complete his research on what they called The Exogenesis Project increased dramatically.”

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Shaking her head with a sigh of frustration, she pressed on. “He was afraid that all of our lives would be in danger if he didn’t provide them with his uncorrupted data and proof of the pathway’s existence.”

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She paused, her eyes distant. “To keep you safe, we created a coded message to use if we ever needed to leave with both of you immediately. You may be twins, but you are as different as peas and carrots…”

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Her voice trailed off, and she swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears.

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A heavy silence hung in the air. Cassi and Haley exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them as the full meaning of their father’s message sank in.

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Their mother cleared her throat, brushing away her tears as she regained composure. “Girls, it’s late, and we have a long drive in the morning.”

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“A long drive? We just had a long drive!” Haley started to argue, but Cassi shook her head, mouthing, “Not now.”

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Haley caught a glimpse of their mother’s pale, exhausted face and relented.

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She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug. “Goodnight, Mom.”

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Her mother kissed the top of her head, her voice soft but weary. “Goodnight, Haley.”

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Turning to Cassi, she pulled her into a warm embrace. As she held her close, she gently rubbed Cassi’s back.

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With a final, reassuring squeeze, she retreated to the bedroom, the quiet click of the door closing behind her.

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Cassi and Haley lifted the cushions on the couch, revealing a hidden bed frame underneath. The metallic creak of the unfolding bed echoed softly through the quiet cabin.

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After rummaging around, they found a stack of blankets and pillows tucked neatly in the entryway closet. The soft fabric brought a small measure of comfort, a momentary escape from the overwhelming emotions of the day.

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Once the bedding was in place, they laid down fully dressed, the blankets heavy and warm as they faced each other in the dim light. Their breaths intertwined in the stillness, and in hushed voices, they began to unravel everything they had just experienced.

​

“What happened to Dad?” Haley’s voice trembled.

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Cassi recounted it all—the man in the SUV striking their dad, the cold, calculating stare from the driver, the frantic scramble to hide in the forest—every moment that led up to her bursting into the house, screaming their father’s message.

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“I’m scared. What if they find us?” Haley’s voice was barely audible, thick with fear.

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“I don’t know,” Cassi admitted, her throat tightening as the images of their father being dragged away flooded her mind. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want to think about it. I just keep seeing that man drag Dad off.”

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The silence between them stretched as Cassi swallowed hard, wiping away her tears. “Mom and Dad are the smartest people I know,” she said, her voice steadying. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to help Mom find Dad and keep us safe.”

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Haley nodded firmly. “Me too.” She then chuckled softly. “Who knew Mom was such a badass?”

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Cassi shook her head in disbelief, laughing quietly with her.

​

The bedroom door opened, and their mother leaned out. “Get some sleep, girls. We have a long day ahead of us.”

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“Yes, Mom,” they said in unison. Cassi and Haley locked eyes, a silent agreement passing between them—they would do whatever it took to follow their mother’s lead.

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Rolling over, they pulled the blankets closer and willed themselves to sleep.