One (One Universe)

bottle of water from the fridge. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious. What did you do today?”
    I shrugged and pulled out the big salad bowl full of lettuce and put it down on the counter. Deep breaths. Play it cool. Get her into our normal routine, then slip in the possible brain tumor.
    “Not much. Finished a book. Watched some TV. Pretty typical summer vacation stuff.” I grabbed a knife out of the drawer. “Want tomatoes?”
    She nodded. “Sounds like a good day. Hey, Leslie at work said that new sci-fi film is really good. Want to go to the movies this weekend?”
    “The one about the robots? That would be cool.” I pulled another tomato from the bowl and started chopping. “Hey, will you pour me a glass of milk?”
    Mom nodded and poured two glasses. The soft murmur of voices on the TV filled the house. “Bad news from government facility Los Alamos today. Hackers broke into a classified server and downloaded a terabyte of top-secret military plans. An explosion rocked the facility, killing three…”
    Crash.
    One of the glasses shattered on the floor, but Mom stared at the television, her face as white as the spilled milk.
    “Mom?” I set the knife down on the cutting board as my heart jumped. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
    She shook her head and held up a finger. My skin prickled as I turned to the TV and watched as smoke billowed from a squat, nondescript building in the middle of the desert. A piece of paper fluttered against the wall and the camera zoomed into show some sort of logo. A rifle and a microscope crossed like an X on a field of pale blue.
    “Until the culprits are found and the records retrieved, the government is treating this as a matter of national security.” The news anchor turned the next story over to his co-host and Mom stepped through the puddle of milk and turned the TV off.
    Her hand trembled.
    “What’s going on?” I asked. She looked like she had in the mall last week. Like she was going to be sick.
    Mom shook her head. “Will you take care of the mess? I need to call your father.”
    My jaw dropped open. “Dad? Why?” I couldn’t remember a single time in the last ten years when she’d actually chosen to call him. Now she’d talked to him twice in one week.
    “Lexie, please. I’ll be back in a minute. Just clean up this mess.” She grabbed her cell phone off the counter, rubbing the back of her neck as she left the room.
    I did a few quick swipes with a handful of paper towels, dumped them in the garbage under the sink, and then tiptoed down the hall to the living room. I pressed myself against the wall so I could peek inside.
    “William, I just saw the news. What did they get from Los Alamos? That really was Grant at the mall, wasn’t it?” Mom paced between the couch and the window, her cell phone pressed to her ear. She moved stiffly, like all her muscles had tensed.
    Almost a minute elapsed as my dad spoke. My chest tightened as I waited for her answer.
    “Three days? That’s it?” She let out a soft sigh. “I understand. I wish it hadn’t come to this, but we’ve been lucky for the last few years.” Another pause. “I miss you, too. We’ll see you soon.” She clicked the cell phone off and then dropped it on the coffee table with a clatter before burying her head in her hands.
    My stomach hit the floor. Miss him? Mom could barely stand the guy. I leaned back against the wall and took a shaky breath. She needed to tell me what was going on. Now.
    A moment later, Mom sighed and marched out of the living room, spotting me in the hallway. Her gaze narrowed. “What did you hear?”
    I pressed my palms against the cool wall and tried not to lose it. “Enough to be completely freaked out. What is going on?”
    “We’re going to take a trip to visit your dad this weekend. How about you start packing?”
    I shook my head. “Uh-uh. You’re not getting out of it that easily.” Panic twisted my stomach into one big knot. Mom and I were close. I told her everything. And I’d thought until last week she did the same with me.
    Her brown eyes were full of worry, but she put on her best everything’s-okay-voice. “Nothing to worry about, but your Dad needs to see you about your ADHD meds. The clinical trial is almost up and they need to finish collecting data on you.”
    I blinked. “Why didn’t he tell me that when we talked last week? And what does that have to do with the news?”
    “Nothing at all. Just jolted my memory. Besides,