by E Kathryn
Overreacting, Kip’s hands ignited with a bright light. “Hey, take that back. It’s burgundy!”
Mark gave a laugh. “Kimberly told me you overreact a lot…” he mused.
Eyeing Mark anxiously, Kip plopped onto the side of the bed, pinning down the cape under him. Sighing. Kip grimaced. “What else did she tell you?”
Tensing, Mark met eyes with Kip gravely.
Kip smiled weakly. “Kimberly raised me pretty closely to her when I was young. I don’t remember much, but I know she’s always been really worried for me, like she has some expectation for me that she’s afraid I won’t be able to uphold…”
Kip smirked, still cheerfully. “I’m not weak, I just feel like she’s always been protective of me, even from a distance.”
Mark placed a hand on his new friend’s shoulder. “Is something wrong?” he asked, concerned.
Hesitantly, Kip lost eye contact with Mark. Silently he folded his hands in his lap, whispering, “I like her. I feel like she used to care a lot more before…” he trailed off, hiding the truth.
Abruptly, the elevator doors opened, and the blood drained from Mark’s face as Keller entered the room. Immediately, fear shrouded Mark’s mind in a cloud as he thought of the possibility that Keller knew of their plan to escape. Mark reverted, not wishing to reveal it to him by his poor judgment in fear and he turned away preventing Keller from reading his intentions in his face.
“Ocie, can you come with me?” he called firmly to his daughter.
Ocie came toward him without hesitation. “Yes, sir,” she answered surely, but not without a bit of disrespect in her proper choice of words.
Mark got up from Kip’s bed and hurried over to her, any fear he had of Keller blocked out by madness. “Ocie, what’s going on?”
Ocie gave a sad smile to him. “It’s all right. He’s my father. I’m sure he just wants to talk.” Her sweet voice was overwhelmingly kind, but it couldn’t mask the sorrow behind her eyes.
She seemed so confident, but Mark couldn’t help but see how sad she was. She knew what was going on, what the Shadows already knew. She placed her hand on Mark’s arm and he heard a rustle in the Realm, quietly assuring him.
“Wait…” Mark whispered, stepping out after her. “Wait!” The elevator doors closed on them. Mark’s eyes widened as Ocie smiled warmly and waved goodbye while large wholehearted tears streamed down her face. “No!” Mark called when he could no longer see her.
Suddenly, Mark turned to Sil and Emilie, “Did you know that was going to happen?”
Sil and Emilie glanced at each other befuddled, but that was all the confirmation Mark needed. “Ocie didn’t know anything about the plan, right?” he shouted.
“Keep your voice down!” Elise urged.
Mark shook his head, adamantly. “She was supposed to come with us, right? Was she planning to distract Keller?”
Sil contemplated the situation with a curled finger under his chin. “It could be. She’s very strong in the Realm. It’s probably better that she stays behind because she can keep Keller busy.”
Mark seethed. The Shadows remained silent, every one of them completely unaware of the escape plan they had concocted. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind, especially Ocie. She was such a strong Shadow, invaluable to the group, the one who kept them the most unified.
Cracking his knuckles, Mark pushed past his anger. “It’s time to stop sitting here waiting for something to happen! This is it.”
Emilie stepped out. “He’s right! Now is our best opening. Keller will be distracted by Ocie. We can’t let this chance go!”
From her bed in the corner, Rita crossed her arms. “Easy for you to say. You’ve been planning an escape all your life!”
Lightening his heart, Mark came closer to Rita. “That’s it, Rita. You can teleport us out of the ASH.”
Rita scoffed at this. “Oh, aye!” she mocked in her thick accent getting up from her bed. “So how do you suppose we get past the ASOs if we all walk out there? The doors are all closed! Have you planned that one out!”
Mark stepped closer to her. “We don’t need to! I can defy the ASH! This is our ticket out of here. Are you going to take it?” Mark felt a chill run down his spine and jumped as Sil got behind him.
The ice Shadow gazed deeply into Rita’s heart as he coldly stated, “Rita, Mark is our ticket, and you are the key. We can’t do this without you!” he stated firmly in an intimidating manner.
Mark flustered. Sil was backing him up. Rather than cowering, Mark figured he should stand up straight and remain firm.
Behind him, Sil flared his eyes at Rita nearly threatening her until she gulped and lost eye contact with the both of them. Abruptly, she teleported and reappeared in the center of the room.
Rita smirked, proud and spunky. “Well… let’s do it!”
Emilie zipped over to stand next to her with a wide smile. Sil laid a hand on Mark’s shoulder, briefly signifying affinity between them before he joined Emilie in the center of the room.
Mark watched as the Shadows gravitated to the center. Elise, Fliiy, Goran, and Sage, each cautiously neared the group. Fliiy joined hands with Rita, who took hands with Emilie until the Shadows formed a circle in the center of the room. All the Shadows gazed at Mark curiously waiting for only him now.
Kip smiled and urged him closer. Mark gulped, taking a step toward them. Now was the time for the Shadows to be free. They had waited so long for this moment and Mark was ready to give it to them.
Am I ready for this? Mark asked himself.
He took hands between Kip and Fliiy and sighed, breathing firmly before he started using his Shadow. The room darkened as Mark intertwined himself with the powers of those around him, everyone’s: Sil’s, Rita’s, Fliiy’s, Emilie’s until his mind held no distinction over which Shadow was truly his.
Using Rita’s Shadow, Mark allowed himself into the power and before they could comprehend, the green mist of the power of teleportation surrounded them and abruptly they vanished.
Light of the outside shone brightly and stunned the Shadows. It took an agonizing moment for their eyes to adjust. The sky was overcast, and a light rain misted the courtyard where they had appeared still inside of the ASI. Tripping up on the mud, he dashed toward the shield with the others who followed with equal disorientation.
Mark paused staring at the bronze-gold shield covering them from the outside world. He did think twice, all the stories about a Shadow who had passed through the shield months ago and that this Shadow died.
Unsure of the outcome, Mark pushed himself through the shield first. It felt like he had touched nothing and stepped forward without obstruction. But he did feel something in the instant he pushed through, strange memories pouring into him.
He learned fast that for the other Shadows, he had to consciously extend his power to them for them to pass through. Kip hesitated on the opposite side, watching Mark as he pulled the others through one by one.
Cloaked in a film of bronze-ginger light, Mark’s hand came through the shield directed at him. “Hey, take my hand!” Mark urged Kip, who took it hesitantly and then let himself be pulled through the shield.
Kip felt immediate discomfort as the shield passed through his body. A sharp sting shot through him the moment he reached the other side. Kip’s chest imploded and he cried out, falling to his knees outside the shield. Mark felt his gut turn inside out as he watched this happen and in a fit of panic he dropped to the gravel. Kip gripped his sides and his chest as he fought to inhale.
“What’s wrong!?” Mark yelled, grasping Kip’s shoulder.
Kip struggled to stand up, his shoes slipping in the gravel and suddenly he fell into coughing, agony painted on his face. “My whole chest’s burning up,” he whispered breathlessly.
Mark helped the last few Shadows through the shield but they were more reluctant, seeing Kip on the other side, coughing painfully, and struggling to breathe. Mark took Kip’s right arm and hoisted it up ov
er his shoulders. “We can’t stop now.”
Gripping his throat, Kip struggled to recollect himself and run with Mark. Their group rushed into one of the two fifteen-passenger vans, one of them was locked, the other wasn’t and each Shadow selected seats with Elise behind the wheel and Emilie in the passenger’s seat. Mark pulled Kip into the middle seat and squished himself into the corner by the window. Sil filled the aisle seat, remarkably composed.
Kip laid his head against the back of the seat and panted shallowly to weather the pain. Mark kept his arm around him to help him keep his head up. “What is it?” he called into his face as Elise started the van, finding the keys already in the ignition.
Kip’s fingers pawed loosely at his throat. “I can’t breathe…” he wheezed. “It hurts to breathe!”
Mark grimaced, gazing away from Kip. Maybe he was wrong to try and free the Shadows, maybe to pass through the shield was what killed that Shadow. But then, why weren’t the others affected the way Kip was?
Elise got into the driver’s seat and put on a seatbelt, glancing about nervously as the fearsome engine hummed. She knew about as much about driving a car as the rest of them did, nothing except what she could glean from books. It was beyond Mark how she was the best choice just because she was tallest. Mark was legitimately surprised she knew how to put the car in reverse without them ramming directly into the bushes in front of them.
She backed out slowly, watching her corners, and keeping a wary eye on the ASH’s slick stone walls, then when she was certain she was clear, she shoved her foot on the gas. The vehicle accelerated faster than she expected, running over a curb as she acclimated herself to the van’s limits. Mark could tell she could barely reach the pedals with her toes, but with her Shadow, she extended her reach with an unearthly elasticity.
The dark clouds hung low in the sky as the van sped down the road from the ASH. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and their fear rose as they reached the gates. Mark could see cameras on high, and face recognition programmed to every Shadow in the ASH, apart from that, a fortified gate blocked their exit.
He spied a single man guarding the gate in a tiny tollbooth which pathetically protected the poor man from the elements. He was human, and Mark was thankful for that.
As they neared the gate at racing speeds, swerving towards the bottom of the hill, the Shadows began to panic. Mark, however, kept himself calm. Sitting forward in his seat, he extended a hand before him, a dark mist enveloping his being and spreading out to the guard. He closed his eyes, breathing in a quiet whisper, “Open the gate.”
The man had only half-noticed the van barreling towards him when his hand involuntarily opened the gate. It moaned as it slid on its rails into the fence around the property. It wasn’t moving fast enough, and Mark’s heart trembled and pounded in his chest, fearing they would hit it if it didn’t move faster.
Elise increased their speed as their fear of the gate grew more potent. “Hang on tight!” she shouted.
Suddenly, the driver’s seat window shattered, and Elise screamed, swerving the vehicle before they broke through the gates, scraping along the side of the van as it skimmed past the narrow opening. She prevented the van from overcorrecting and suddenly the realization struck the Shadows. They were no longer on the ASH’s property. They were free!
Alarms blared throughout the ASH, alerting Keller who was walking alongside his daughter solemnly. He cursed aloud as he heard it. ASOs flooded the halls and hurriedly made their way to the balconies overlooking the ASH to see the last seconds of the gray van disappearing down the road.
“What is this!” Keller shouted to one of the ASOs passing in the hall. Keller saw with his own eyes that the gate was broken open; although unable to see the van now, he knew immediately what it meant. “No!” he shouted, leaving Ocie.
Grabbing a guard’s arm, he demanded, “Watch my daughter!” as he ran down the hall to the security camera room throwing aside the curtain and hastily finding the camera for 13-15.
Before his eyes, the Shadows were still in the room together and a sigh of relief passed over him until he spotted the date displayed in the corner of the screen. Yesterday’s date. “Someone manipulated the data!” he exclaimed, dashing out of the small space he sprinted to see for himself.
As he reached 13-15, Kimberly came his way in the halls and followed him down into the room. As soon as the elevator opened, their eyes widened in fear. Keller stepped into the empty bedroom with heavy feet. “How?” He gasped. “How did they do this?!”
Kimberly didn’t leave the elevator, her hands clasped over her mouth. “No…” she whispered as eyes welled up. “Kip!” Keller looked to her eyes, stunned. “Kip is with them!” she cried.
Keller gulped knowing the gravity of the situation, “He’s not going to last very long out there…”
Kimberly ran to Keller, pleading with him, “We have to find them, please.” Tears streamed over her face. “I won’t lose Kip too! Not after what happened last time! I can’t lose Kip too!”
Keller reached out and embraced Kimberly. “We’ll get them… We’ll find them.”
As the van barreled down the road away from the ASH, Emilie white-knuckled the passenger’s seat armrest next to Elise. Something wasn’t right. Elise seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open.
Elise gripped the wheel so hard that her wrists were shaking. “Emilie?”
Emilie looked to her directly, but Elise kept her eyes on the road, only repeating, “Emilie!”
Reaching over, Emilie touched Elise’s shoulder, feeling her shaking. From the arm next to the window, Elise strained herself to pull something out of her skin and showed Emilie.
“A dart!” Emilie exclaimed.
Elise’s head fell forward as she struggled to stay awake. “Take the wheel,” she begged. “Take the wheel…”
Floating up in the car, Emilie’s head hit the roof of the van before she got her hands on the steering wheel, weightlessly slipping into Elise’s place. Sil rushed forward, grabbing Elise and dragging her into the back seat with him as she dozed away.
The van’s side tires slipped off the side of the lane, and Emilie overcorrected, fighting to keep the swerving vehicle on the road. Luckily it had slowed, giving her a moment to get her bearings before reinstating the gas gently. She couldn’t freak out and didn’t dare slow down because they’d be in a weak spot when the ASOs caught up with them.
Her hands steadied as she got the hang of it. She exhaled forcibly and sped up a little. “Is everyone all right?” she asked, glancing back at the Shadows.
They were scared, unaware of where their escape would lead them. Sil held Elise securely. Mark’s arm was still tightly wrapped around Kip, whose eyes were closed and his breathing was rapid, but he seemed to have lost consciousness.
Even in her brief glance, she sensed Sil’s unease despite how collected he appeared on the outside. His warm eyes reassured her, and that was all she needed.
Sirens from behind them caused the Shadows to startle and Emilie found herself slowing down. Emilie knew what it meant and caught herself hyperventilating in fear. “What are we going to do?” she cried out, spying flashing blue lights in the rearview mirrors.
Mark looked back, the state vehicle drawing nearer behind them. Thinking fast, Mark looked through the Shadows to Rita. He touched Emilie’s shoulder suddenly. “Pull over,” he advised her. Emilie pushed the brake, listening to what was going on behind her.
“Rita, I need you to get rid of that cop. The rest of us will hide in the Realm.” Mark instructed, taking the initiative.
“My pleasure!” She grinned evilly when she realized what Mark was asking her to do and teleported away. Emilie stopped the van, and they all vanished. In the Realm, Emilie floated out of the van through the broken window to be ready if Rita needed help.
Behind them, the state vehicle stopped several paces away and the officer got out, walking cautiously over to the large van. The man swore as he looked through t
he shattered window and saw no one was inside.
Emilie saw Rita appear several yards behind the cop car, dusting the green mist off herself before she screamed out haplessly, “Hello!” Her strong accent echoed down the road, beckoning. “Can you help me?”
The cop walked away from the fifteen-passenger van toward her. “Who are you?” the officer asked.
Rita held her hands behind her back. “Just a Scot who’s a long way from home…” she pleaded, shifting then running her fingers through her coal red hair.
The officer hurried to her. “You’re from… Scotland?” he puzzled.
Rita nodded with a smile then eyed the man with her enchanting green eyes. Emilie had to keep from laughing when Rita said, “You should be careful. Don’t ya know of the dangerous people who’ve escaped their prison?”
Emilie heard the officer’s radio in his car already blaring with warnings about the Shadows. “Ach aye, of course, you have,” Rita said.
The man extended a hand worriedly. “Stay right here,” he instructed, watching her cautiously while he walked to his car to listen to the police broadcast about the Shadows.
Rita teleported over to the car adopting a casual posture, as Emilie hovered in the Realm some distance above her. The word Shadow was heard on the radio, loud, clear, and ominous. “Fifteen people escaped from a prison, fifteen powerful people, who share one thing in common…”
A shudder rippled through the man’s body when Rita appeared. “I told you to stay put.”
Rita teleported back before the man’s eyes. Emilie cackled as the man screamed and Rita teleported around erratically. Rita vanished from him teleporting back into the van and Emilie dove in the window. “Let’s go?” Rita inquired with an urgent brow.
Mark looked flustered with a disapproving glare, glancing out at the cop who stood on, perplexed. Rolling her eyes, Emilie watched Rita lay her hands on the seat of the van and dreamily she inhaled. “It’s time for us to be free.”