by Laura Winter
“Gross, get a room.”
I rolled my eyes but thought harder. “Actually, it was a lot easier to stick my landing last night through the shadows. And Clara’s ridiculously strong now. She puts us to shame.”
“Clara cheats, so that’s not fair.”
“You ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’,” Clara mumbled through the pillow. I chuckled.
Glitch let out a groan. “I take it C just made a snide remark. Just remind her that you were my best friend before she even came along.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you if anything else comes up or if we need a rescue.”
“Good luck escaping your family cult!” He hung up before I could groan.
Clara didn’t move out of her face-plant as I slid under the covers with her. After a few minutes, she couldn’t stand breathing into the pillow and rolled over to face me.
“We really do need to escape to go find that old Complex. Or at least see if The Assembly found anything on our evil Cold Souls.”
“My parents getting kicked out doesn’t help our situation. We need to trick someone into telling us something.”
Clara frowned and sat up. “Wait, no we don’t. You took me through the shadows last night. Was it easier?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it actually was. I even got us out with ease. What’s your plan?”
“Do you think you could sneak us into The Assembly room and stay in a shadow?”
“Probably. I guess if I have any issues we can just slide out in a different room,” I replied with a shrug.
Clara stared into space, thinking. “If you get us into the room, we can hear them talking. Or better yet, if I’m in the same room I can pick up the thoughts they don’t want me to hear.”
“You are brilliant and I love you.” I slid her closer and kissed her forehead. “Are you okay after last night?”
She paused. “I’m fine. Remembering my mom for the first time was hard because I knew what was going to happen. I couldn’t stop it.” Clara lifted her hand to my face. “But when Finnley was talking to my mom, she wasn’t surprised that I was going to look for you.”
“Finnley said she was going to look for me?”
Clara frowned as she nodded. “Yeah. Angie didn’t know I was running away to find you, but then my mom said she knew we were meant for each other.”
I shrugged. “My mom told Finnley about me, though. And Jeanie pushed us together too. Why is this surprising?”
“Jeanie thought we only had four months together. Angie tried to keep us apart. My mom said we were meant for each other. It’s just interesting, given the other accounts we have of my past.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, your mom was more right than Jeanie, who literally knows the future. My mom is just a downer,” I said, pinching her side as she relaxed.
“You’re right,” she mumbled, sticking her nose up.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I joked back at her as she pushed off of me.
“I said I’m going to take a shower.”
Clara grabbed her bag and dragged it along the floor to the bathroom. I heard the water start and rolled onto my back. I could probably fall back asleep in a few minutes if I closed my eyes. Suddenly, something hit me in the face. I pulled her sweatshirt off my head and looked up.
“Are you joining me or what?” she asked, poking her head around the door frame.
“Wait, yes.” I jumped up but she locked the door before I could get there.
“Too bad. Now that you’re up, will you make me coffee?” she laughed through the door.
“I could literally use a shadow to get in. A locked door won’t stop me.” I felt my nose pinch. “Ow, rude.”
“Save your energy. We have a lot of trouble to get into today.”
56
Nate
“Are you two not sick of each other yet?” Dad asked, eyeing us suspiciously. I was sitting on the couch while Clara was on her back, her legs resting on my lap.
Clara shrugged. “Not really.”
“Maybe it’s the connection,” my mom said, still scribbling furiously in her notebook.
I leaned forward, squishing Clara’s kees between my legs and chest. “What are you writing?”
“Documenting,” she replied. “Writing down as much as I can remember about your childhood and everything from the last few months.”
“That’s not weird or anything,” Clara said, tilting her head to look at my mom. “What’s the point?”
My mom looked up, frowning. “The point? You two are the first individuals born with powers, and the only ones to interact with the Blue Star — Soul. I think that’s worth keeping track of.”
“We’re also the idiots who released the Cold Souls into the world. I’d rather not be remembered for that,” Clara grumbled, sliding her legs off me as she sat up.
Dad leaned back in his chair. “The more we can understand, the better chance we have of figuring out what they are up to. Maybe we can also figure out what’s going on between you two.”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to intervene,” I said, poking Clara discreetly to signal the start of our plan. I needed to get my parents to think about the right things so Clara could read their minds. “Isn’t that The Assembly’s job?”
“I’m just gathering all I can,” Mom answered. “If they find anything from their lab tests, it could help this information make sense. You do want them to find the Cold Souls, right? The faster they stop them, the faster you get out of here, and this info could help. You still have another semester of school to worry about.”
Clara huffed and leaned back into the couch. “I thought sitting here all day was boring, but now you’re making us go back to school?” Nate, I know where to go. We need an excuse to leave.
“Seriously,” I said, leaning back just as dramatically as Clara. “We’ve been cooped up in a library for months and now here with nothing to do. Can we at least go walking around or something?”
My parents looked at each other nervously. “That might not be a good idea for Clara…” Dad hesitated.
“Please, I’m antsy,” Clara pleaded, clasping her hands together. “I promise we will avoid all people and stay on the sidewalks.”
Damn, she was good at this. I think my dad was convinced. Mom not so much. She narrowed her eyes. “No snooping, stay on the paved paths, and don’t go into any buildings.”
Before she could change her mind, Clara grabbed my hand and stood up. “Deal.”
The cold afternoon air rushed inside the hallway as we left the side door. I could feel my parents watching us from the window so we started our path toward the plaza, trying to look as normal as two teenagers with light sweatshirts on in below freezing temperatures could look. There weren’t many people walking around, and most of them were just rushing to get back inside, so they didn’t pay much attention to us.
Your parents think the lab tests are coming back today, or at least that’s what the doctor told them. Clara bumped me so we could turn across a different path and away from The Assembly building. I think I remember a small paved park over here. It’s out of sight so we can disappear without raising any suspicions.
The path extended to the left of the parking lot, lined with thicker trees. Their shadows didn’t move in the still air, but I could feel them stronger than before. It was like a new flow of energy, and that connection filled me with power. I played with a few of them as we walked further on the bath, pulling and pushing them to make it look like the trees were swaying without a breeze.
“Could you do that before?” Clara asked, watching where she stepped with a smile on her face.
“I don’t think so. They feel different in the sunlight,” I replied.
“Cool.” She stopped walking and glanced around. “I think we’re good now. You ready?”
“Let’s snoop.”
I wrapped my arms around her and slid easily into the shadow I was playing with. We wove through the trees and along the rear of
the buildings, pausing whenever someone walked by. In a place that was full of people with powers, they’d be more suspicious of a moving shadow.
As we slid into The Assembly building, the same guard stood at attention in front of the doors. The only problem was the gap in the hallway between shadows. He would easily see us.
Create a distraction. I expected to wait for her to come up with something but Clara already had a plan.
One of the light fixtures down the opposite hallway shattered, causing the guard to jump away from the door. As soon as he turned, I jumped across the gap and slid through the door easily. The left wall was dark, which made it easy to relax and hide. The Assembly was gathered around the table, but the doctor wasn’t there yet. My parent’s seats at the end of the table were left empty.
No one spoke, so it was Clara’s turn to dig through their heads. She started reporting thoughts back to me.
They haven’t found the Cold Souls. That fat man is digging through Finnley’s file. Apparently I got in trouble a lot with them.
More than just stealing keys for the library?
Yeah. Destruction of property, trespassing, oh, and I blew up a building.
Holy shit. Because of headaches?
No, I think I literally just mixed a bunch of chemicals I wasn’t supposed to. Damn, Finnley was a genius. For being a little shit, she got perfect scores on all their tests, including The Trials. I think I like her now.
That didn’t surprise me, but at the same time I was impressed. Clara continued as she moved to the next person.
That old woman… she thinks we should be separated and locked up.
What? Why?
I didn’t catch enough. She’s suspicious of what we can do together.
You have a bunch of mind powers ad all I can do is hide in a shadow. What’s so suspicious about our telepathic connection?
The door swung open and the doctor walked in, clutching a file folder to her chest as she moved across the room and stood at the end of the table. The Assembly waited patiently.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
The doctor’s statement was met with several confused looks.
“How is that possible?” the fat man asked, tossing Finnley’s file on the table.
“They have the same levels of energy as everyone else who has taken the power from a source. Maybe the Blue Soul wasn’t as powerful as we once thought.”
“The Blue Soul had never reacted to a person before. How certain are you about these findings?” the old woman asked, not convinced. I could hear Clara growl at her.
“As certain as I can be with a blood sample. Perhaps the Blue Soul was just selective, but with the same energy levels, it’s impossible to track the Cold Soul signature.” The doctor flipped through her notes one more time but shut the file.
She’s protecting us. I could feel Clara’s heartbeat pick up.
Protecting us from what?
From them. She knows someting is up with our powers and she’s trying to keep us from becoming test subjects.
“This can’t be a dead end,” a slender, balding man snapped. “They were already a danger with their powers before, and now they have a power source. Not to mention the Cold Souls have the same power as they do, and significantly more dangerous.”
He thinks we’re working with the Cold Souls. Actually, a lot of them think we are the Cold Souls and are toying with them.
I was about to respond but felt something slide along my ankle. I kicked, but only waved into empty space. Could that feeling have something to do with staying in a shadow too long?
“Assembly,” the doctor said, trying to keep her composure. “I can assure you that their energy levels show no indication that they are any more powerful or dangerous.”
She’s lying. She faked the report to protect us. Something is going on between us.
The old woman knocked her chair back as she stood. “There has to be more. Go get the two of them and run whatever tests you can think of.”
“Ma’am, you promised Angie and Tom—“ the doctor stuttered.
“Those two are responsible for releasing a powerful and evil force into the world, which now threatens our existence,” she shouted. “Until we can get conclusive evidence of their power and how they got it, they will submit to our request. I’ll do it myself if I have to.”
The same feeling around my ankle now slid up the back of my leg. This time when I kicked back, I felt my foot connect. My stomach twisted.
Clara, we need to get out of the shadows. Something is in here with us.
What?
I moved as fast as I could out of the building and launched us into the trees. I turned my body to cushion our exit, crashing into a stump as Clara slammed on top of me. In front of us, I watched the shadow we had just left shake and extend out of the ground and toward us before snapping back into stillness.
“That wasn’t me,” I stammered, scrambling out from under Clara. I looked around, unable to see any other moving shadows.
“Nate, we have to go. Now,” Clara said, grabbing my hand as she yanked me toward the apartments.
57
Clara
I was busy shoving our clothes into our bags, carefully hiding the blank book in the bottom of mine when Nate hurried in with his parents.
“You did what?” Angie shouted at him.
“Mom, I don’t have time to justify what we did, but we have to go. They’re coming to get us,” he replied, out of breath. He tried to push her out the door so they could start packing their things.
“Hold on,” Tom growled. “What did the doctor say exactly.”
“She didn’t tell them the truth. She gave a false report. Clara heard her thoughts, though. The doctor knows we have more power thans he led them to believe. Now they want to keep us as lab rats because they think we’re dangerous,” Nate said, tapping his leg nervously. Tom turned and hurried back to their apartment.
“Dangerous?” Angie asked, wide eyed.
“Mom, we aren’t dangerous, but until they run their tests, we aren’t safe. I get it, we have a lot of power, and that scares them. Please, just let us try to figure this out. If we can find the Cold Souls, we can make this right.”
Tom returned and held out the car keys. “You stole them from us before you went out on your walk,” he said, slowly and deliberately. “We never heard you come back and assumed you were still out walking around. Don’t use your powers until you’re far away from this place.”
I stopped zipping our bags and looked up to see Nate frozen.
“Hold on, you aren’t coming?” I asked.
Tom shook his head. “If we’re here, we can calm the waters and keep you updated on their plans. We’ll be okay and this is far safer for you.”
He had a point. They were our last connection to this place. If The Assembly discovered something, or if the doctor contacted them, we could get more answers.
Angie lunged forward and pulled Nate into a hug. I heard him grunt as she squeezed him. Tom patted him on the shoulder and nodded to me.
Keep him safe, please. Keep yourself safe.
I nodded and he pulled me into a quick hug.
“Okay, get going,” Angie said, stepping back as she sniffed. “Be safe and check in when you can.”
“We’ll get answers and come back, promise,” I replied.
Angie gave me a half smile and slid to the side so we could get out the door. Nate and I picked up our bags and started jogging down the hallway.
The plaza was still empty as we ran toward the parking lot. Every few feet, I would turn back to make sure no one was following us. Nate kept watching the shadows around our feet, trying to see if something moved. We made it to the car without trouble and drove off.
Nate hesitated as we reached the highway before turning in the opposite direction of Forest Hills. “Get that address and map from the glovebox. We need answers so we can keep them from dissecting us.”
According to the m
ap, we had about two hours of driving. Most of it was spent in silence as we worried about what we might find. Jeanie said the old Complex was destroyed and then gave us a blank book. If she could see the past and future, shouldn’t she have been able to see what happened? Why couldn’t she tell us?
And that word ‘dangerous’ kept popping up. Jeanie said it, the doctor thought it, and The Assembly believed it. Our future had changed, according to Jeanie, and now she was directing us to find the Original Complex. There had to be a connection somewhere. We needed answers before the Cold Souls made their move. They were the dangerous ones.