Windy (Manipulators Series Book 1)

by A. Kennedy

  My heart ached. I was angry at the world. I couldn’t sit on the porch any longer. I had to get up. I looked over and realized it was Boa next to me.

  He smiled but kept quiet. I’m sure he was searching for the right words to say. I leaned into Boa and buried my head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. The pain I had been trying to hold back flooded to the surface, and I cried while Boa rocked me.

  I finally released Boa and sat back up. “Boa, I need to get up. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Concern filled his face.

  I slowly shook my head. “No ... I should be fine.”

  He nodded, understanding. “Well, I will be right here waiting for you. And Windy ...”

  His voice trailed off as I looked into his brown eyes that showed signs he had been crying.

  “I will always wait for you,” he said with his voice lowering a notch.

  I mustered up the best smile I could and headed for the shoreline.

  I walked, lost in my own world. My mom would beat her sickness. She had done it once before. She could do it again. But what if she couldn't? Would she give up? She was the only family I had. Tears sprung to my eyes, and knots twisted in my stomach. I stopped, ready to vomit. The cool breeze brushed my hair out of my face and cooled me. My mom was strong. Very strong. She would beat this. Deep down, I knew she would. I could feel color return to my face and knew that I wasn't going to lose my lunch. I began walking again, knowing there was hope.

  Houses and hotels that I'd never seen before sat just beyond the sand dunes. The sun was going down, letting me know I had walked for a while. Stopping, I turned to go back to the beach house, surprised no one had followed me. I would have expected one of the guys to stray behind, making sure I didn't do anything drastic.

  There were a few people out on the beach. I watched as a father and daughter held hands looking for seashells. When I was little, I did the same with my dad. It was one of my favorite pastimes while at the beach. Others were packing up to head inside before the storm hit. One woman was enthralled with a book and didn’t seem to notice anyone around her.

  I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I let out a girlish giggle, “Boa…” I turned; startled to see that Boa was not who grabbed me.

  I stared into a pair of icy blue eyes that sucked the breath right out of me. His finger came up to my mouth to hush me. I tried to push him away, but the motion was futile.

  A demonic smile crept over his face. “Quiet, my love,” he purred into my ear. “Let’s do this without making a scene.” He hugged me tighter. “You have already caused a mess from our last journey.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes, “What do you want, Zac?” I hissed.

  His mouth met mine and he held me tight, not letting me move from his embrace. He pulled his head slightly away and said, “I want to take a walk. I have some freaks I need to meet.”

  Fear entered my whole body. “No …” I said in an attempt to sound stern.

  He released his grip just enough to show me he had a gun in his hand. He placed it on my hip and said between gritted teeth, “Take me, or I’ll kill you.”

  “Go ahead.”

  The pistol flinched, causing me to jump.

  He laughed, “Then I'll kill your mother. I don't need you to take me to her, Windy. I already know where she is.”

  I kept silent. If he was bluffing, I didn't want to accidentally give information away.

  “She's at the beach house, down that way,” he pointed toward the area I had walked from. “And then, I can kill all the freaks there, too.” He pulled me close again. “I'm sure they'll still love you when I tell them you told me where they were and you didn't care if they died or not.”

  My mom wasn’t at the beach house, but he knew where everyone else was. I was looking down, watching the gun that was in his hands. He wouldn't let it go off in front of witnesses, would he? He yanked my hair back so that I was looking up at him.

  “Why?” I asked, my voice raspy. “You're a good guy. Why would you want to hurt innocent people?”

  “I am the good guy, Windy. I'm protecting the world from demons, demons like you.” He honestly believed what he was saying. “And after I kill them all, you will see how much better the world will become.”

  “It'll be worse,” I said, gritting my teeth.

  He yanked my hair back again and brought his face closer. “Then I'll make sure you watch me kill every last one.”

  I spat in his face.

  He yanked my hair harder. I felt like my scalp was about to rip off.

  “Do you honestly believe I’m a demon?” I said between gritted teeth.

  His eyes were wide and wild. “Yes,” he said without hesitation.

  “But what about the love you had for me?”

  “It wasn’t love. It was infatuation.”

  My heart sank. I wasn’t sure why. My feelings were no longer the same, but to find out that he never really loved me and was willing to marry me made me feel deceived.

  “Walk, bitch,” he demanded.

  I was helpless. I had to walk.

  Chapter 20

  From afar, we probably looked like lovers who couldn't get close enough, and that was what Zac was going for. He didn't want to get too close to anyone who might see that he had a gun placed at my side.

  Zac's nearness nauseated me. I couldn't even think of an escape plan. There was no option to run away, and I couldn't lead him to the wrong house. Tears burned my eyes, making it almost impossible to see where we were going. The sun was almost gone. Only a few golden and pink tones lit our way.

  We were close to the beach house. So close, I recognized a lonely figure standing near the waves. Boa. He was waiting as he had promised. He looked up and saw us walking toward him. Fear gripped my insides, causing my body to tense. I struggled with putting one foot in front of the other. I wanted to warn Boa to run, but I couldn't speak.

  Zac must have noticed my changed demeanor. “Who is that?” he whispered in my ear.

  “I don’t know ... ayyy ...” I gasped as Zac forced the gun deeper into my skin and grabbed my waist tighter.

  “Don’t lie, Windy. You know you are a terrible liar.”

  Zac, tired of half dragging me, lifted me off the ground and carried me toward Boa. Boa started coming over toward us. If he knew something was wrong, he didn't show it.

  “Don’t come any closer or she dies,” Zac growled.

  Boa stopped immediately. There was nothing I could do. I felt completely paralyzed. I screamed inside my head, but I couldn’t even conjure up a windstorm. Any other time my emotions heightened, I could cause the wind to move like crazy, but not when fear was bubbling from deep inside.

  “So, you are the infamous Zac,” Boa said and I could hear the taunting smile.

  “If your people think of me as infamous, then I take that as a compliment. I will gladly accept the title as the infamous one who killed you all,” Zac replied, sounding more like the monster I remember the night I witnessed him murder another Manipulator.

  Boa laughed as if he were talking with one of his buddies.

  “What demonic powers do you possess?” Zac said as he took a few steps closer to Boa.

  I could see Boa's face filled with fear. His jaw was locked, ready to dive for me at any moment.

  “Let her go. You know she doesn't love you.” Boa said while looking at me but speaking to Zac. Boa came a step closer.

  I was shaking my head hard in warning, but Boa took another step.

  “I said I would shoot her. Don't come any closer.” Zac squeezed me, causing me to gasp in pain. “Answer my question, freak.”

  Boa stopped, studying me to see if Zac would stay true to his word.

  “I don't have powers,” Boa finally answered.

  “I wish I could believe you.” Zac didn't sound like he really cared.

  “He doesn't,” I wheezed out.

  Zac turned me to face him
, his eyes cutting me like a glacier. “Do you have feelings for him?”

  I turned to glance at Boa and saw the longing in his eyes. I wanted to have feelings for him. He was the one I trusted with everything, but I knew I didn’t.

  “You do.” Zac whispered in my ear, “You slut.”

  Boa had moved closer, causing my eyes to widen in warning. Zac noticed. He shoved me to the ground and I heard a shot. I looked up to see Boa’s hands go immediately to his chest as he looked down at the gunshot wound. Blood seeped out of his mouth. He looked up, and his brown eyes locked with mine before they rolled back into his head.

  “BOA!” I cried. He fell backward and blood started flowing around him, staining the sand dark red. “No, no, no, no, no, no,” I cried. I pushed myself up on my hands. I was almost to a standing position when I felt an object hit the back of my head. I fell to my knees in agonizing pain.

  “Don’t move or I will do it again.” Zac got down behind me and grabbed a wad of my hair. He snatched my head back until his mouth was next to my ear. “I know there are more, and I am sure they heard the gunshot. Make yourself comfortable and don’t try anything stupid.”

  He kicked me back into the sand. Making his point clear, he kicked me again in my side, creating so much pain I was positive something was broken.

  “Windy,” I heard a male voice call out for me.

  Zac got down on one knee and said quietly enough for me to hear. “Tell them you’re over here.”

  I nodded my head and with a weak scratchy voice said, “Over here.”

  My world had ended. Zac was about to take out all of my family. He already took Boa from me, and now he was going to take Ryan, Jason, Mr. Spence and Kate. Then he would take my mom. I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer, hoping that somehow, some way everything would work out. I looked up and saw that Ryan was getting closer. Zac, still kneeling beside me, watched Ryan. His gun was ready in his hand.

  The pain and fear inside me turned to raw anger. I stared at Zac as if my eyes had the power to make him explode. My little prayer gave me strength, and I could feel it growing inside me. My skin felt like sparks of electricity were flying off it. The sensation was the strongest I had ever felt.

  “Stop right there or she dies,” Zac called out.

  Ryan stopped, but someone else was walking right next to him and didn't heed the warning.

  “I said STOP or she dies,” Zac growled.

  “Kill her, see if I care,” Jason said with a smirk and a shrug of the shoulders.

  Zac pointed the gun back at me. “One thing I'll miss, Windy … oh wait, I won't miss anything.”

  Ryan moved closer, seeing that Zac was distracted. Zac noticed the movement and pointed the gun toward Ryan. “You see that body over there? He took another step, and I didn't hesitate. Did I, Windy?”

  Ryan was looking at me. I shook my head, tears burning my eyes.

  Ryan looked back up at Zac. “You didn't kill Windy, and that is who matters. Go ahead, kill me.” He lifted his head confidently, and his words had an edge to them.

  Zac pointed the gun at me and shot. I screamed. Sand kicked up behind me and I was left with a ringing in my ears. The agonizing noise only lasted for a moment, but it felt longer. The bullet missed me. The energy pulsed stronger and I could see sand spinning in a stationary funnel around Zac and me. The sand became a barrier. Ryan and Jason were no longer in sight.

  The bewilderment on Zac’s face told me I had my enemy by surprise, an unexpected advantage. “You. Are. A monster,” I said between gritted teeth.

  “You?” Zac said in shock. “You are doing this?” He laughed his evil laugh.

  “Surprised? I thought you realized I could do this.” I lifted my hand at the tunnel of sand.

  “I knew you were one of them.” He turned his head to the side a little, “I should have put it together long ago ... Windy ... wind. I always thought the spelling of your name was a little strange.” He laughed and couldn’t stop. “But I didn’t realize you’re the one. You are the one, Windy.” He continued to laugh even though I didn’t find it funny.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard rumors that I am the one,” I said, unnaturally calm. Honestly, I had no clue about me being the one, unless the one was the same as the fifth element.

  “You know, I might keep you. I really do love you despite the mutation,” he smiled, like he had just won a prize. “Yes, I'll keep you, and maybe find a way to rid you of your curse.”

  I snarled. “I'd rather die than have you rid me of who I am.”

  The back of Zac's hand came across my face, knocking me back flat on the ground. A coppery taste filled my mouth, and I felt the energy around me decrease. I knew if I were going to do something, I had to do it soon.

  “You know I'm destined to kill you, right?” Zac boasted.

  “But you just said you wanted to keep me.” I squinted my eyes in hatred.

  Zac shrugged, and a sinister look filled his face. His eyebrows arched. His lips curled up in a snarl. “I changed my mind.”

  I spat out the blood that flowed in my mouth on his chest and smiled. He went to hit me again; the time was now. The other day, I watched Jason force wind at Ryan. I had to be able to do it too. Clearing my mind, I forced the funnel of sand into Zac's hand, knocking the gun from his grip and planting him in the sand. Ryan and Jason jumped Zac before he could regain control. Zac was stronger than I thought. He punched Ryan square in the face, knocking him back. Jason grabbed Zac’s arm and started twisting it behind his back. Zac started kicking backward blows at Jason that would break my bones.

  Zac was quickly regaining the upper hand. I looked around for the gun. It had skirted its way toward Boa's body. I started to army crawl my way to the firearm. If Zac couldn't be restrained, then he needed to be dead. I held the cold metal in my hands. I had never shot a gun before, and I shuttered a bit. I turned my body and saw that Jason had been flung to the ground and wasn't making an effort to move. Ryan, however, had regained his stance and was tossing and kicking blows wherever he could.

  Zac hit Ryan with his right fist, then left, knocking Ryan back to the ground. I watched, horrified. Zac sat on Ryan and continued to punch him. It wouldn't be long, and I knew Zac would grab Ryan on either side of his head and twist, cracking his neck. I wasn't going to let that happen. Breath. Aim. Shoot. That was all I had to do.

  I aimed the gun toward Zac. Ginger’s question replayed in my head. If it came down to your life or his, could you kill Zac? I finally found the answer. No. But, if it came down to the life of someone I cared about, then yes, I could kill him. My entire body started shaking. What if I missed and hit Ryan instead? I took a deep breath and realized Zac was starting to strangle Ryan. I took another deep breath, aimed, and fired.

  The kick from the gun put me flat on my back. The sky had finally turned a dark gray. The storm was here. I closed my eyes and felt the rain start to hit my face.

  Chapter 21

  “Life gives us many trials, Windy.”

  “I know, I know, Daddy. If life were easy, it wouldn’t be life.”

  “Well, yes, but our trials are what make us or break us.”

  We were soaking up another summer day out on the beach. My dad was filling me in on life’s little secrets while we waited for mom to show up with lunch.

  “Everything happens for a reason. There are never any accidents.”

  “Daddy, why are you telling me these things?”

  He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, “Because, baby. One day I may not be here to tell you, so I want to make sure you know.”

  “Why won’t you be here?”

  “Shhhh, here comes your mom. Always remember, my princess.”

  I heard a beeping sound that seemed to surround me. Without opening my eyes, I could tell the room wasn’t big. I heard movement, and someone with a tender, cold hand was gripping my hand.

  “Windy, if you can hear me, I just want you to know how much I love you. You are amazing, and I k
now this is not your final chapter so please come back to me,” I heard my mom cry softly.

  I felt myself drift back into oblivion.

  I was in my third-grade class. A boy sat alone on the swings at recess. He was looking at the other kids and yearning to be back at his old school where he had friends. Fascinated and curious, I walked up and sat in the swing next to him.

  “My name's Windy. What's yours?”

  “Boa.” He continued to look down.

  “Do you like it here?” I asked as my hands gripped the metal chains and I began to swing slowly.

  “No.”

  I felt bad for him and I wanted him to like it here. My mom always told me to make all people feel welcome, like they have a friend. I dug my feet into the sand pit below to stop the swing. “I can do something really cool. Do you wanna see?”

  “No,” he said while he continued to look at the sand he was kicking around.

  “Do you like magic?” That got his attention. He looked at me for the first time and I laughed at his silly boyish curiosity.

  I giggled. “If I show you, you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

  His face lit up. “I promise.”

  “You have to pinky promise. I'd be in huge trouble if anyone ever found out.”

  He nodded. I held out my little fist with my pinky finger ready to make the contract. When his pinky locked with mine, I looked into his brown eyes and said, “I can make wind.” I lifted my hand and tickled his face with whispers of wind. He laughed, which made me laugh.

  I felt tears run down my face. Boa.

  Someone squeezed my hand, and I saw that my mom was holding my hand with her head close to my shoulder. I squeezed her hand back. I tried talking, but finding my voice was impossible. I laid there, confused. I looked around the unknown room. There were machines and cords attached to me. A huge window and a reclining chair occupied the white space. On a table nearby sat flowers and balloons that said Get Well.