by Lucy Rains
“I needed to know I could trust you,” Matteo shrugged.
“Well, how the hell are we supposed to trust you?” Alex shot back.
Pierce coughed, taking a new glass of water from Kyson. “You couldn’t trust your own partner?" Pierce nodded at Charles who was walking into the room with a silver handled broom.
“Of course I trust Charles,” Matteo affirmed. “But that doesn’t mean I can trust you. In my line of work, trust is given out sparingly. If ever. More people want me dead than the president of your country.” He spun on his heel and began walking, “Follow me.”
“This guy inspires my inner serial killer,” Alex grumbled. “Are we sure about him?”
Pierce coughed again, “He has his reasons.”
Gavin held onto my hand and pulled me along with him.
“The information I am about to share with you is of the utmost secrecy.”
“That pretty much defines us,” I mumbled under my breath
“Lets go over to my office area,” Matteo said, as he walked back down the hallway and took us to the other side of the apartment. We pushed through swaying glass french doors that opened up to a sleek digital environment. White desks, white chairs, white blinds, white vases, nothing looked out of place, down to the white abstract pen holders. Flat panels lined several desks, as well as the walls. Yellow post it notes dotted the walls next to the screens, or alongside the desks.
My finger smoothed one down as I read it. A mixture of numbers and french scribble that I could not decipher.
“Now-” Pierce started, cutting off when the sound of the front door rang through the apartment. The sound of young male voices echoed back to us. Their chatter was lively, animated. A mixture of french and english.
A door to the office opened and Lettie walked in with a silver platter full of slices of bread and little jars of jam. Charles followed in behind her with an arm full of water bottles.
"I promise this water is safe ” Matteo started, shoving his hands into his pockets. “We should begin.”
Pierce opened his mouth to ask a question when the door to the office opened again. I scowled at the source of distraction.
A tall lanky African-American young man stepped into the room, his eyes bright with curiosity. Behind him was the source of the other male voice I had heard earlier, also tall and lanky, with floppy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was incredibly slim, with narrow shoulders. They regarded us with open curiosity, looking us up and down, studying us.
“Est-ce eux?” the one with brown hair asked, his eyes lingering on my face, before turning to Matteo.
My response to his question flew out of mouth, my years of french kicking in. “Oui, c’est nous.”
“What did he say?” Alex asked me.
The corners of the french boy’s mouth turned up, his emotions turning warm. He smiled at me.
I broke our eye contact, not sharing his wordless greeting, and turned to Alex. “He wanted to know if it was ‘us’.” I shrugged, “I said yes.”
“Z-is is amazing!” The other boy said with awe in his voice. He dropped his bag on a nearby chair and stepped closer to us.
Matteo motioned towards the african-american boy, “This is Clive.” He pointed to the other boy, who still stared at me. “This is Tobias.”
Tobias’s smile turned borderline seductive and I leaned into Pierce, who wrapped a hand around my waist. His smile dropped slightly as he looked up to Pierce.
“Tobias is my son,” Matteo continued. “Clive is a good friend of the family.” He turned around and pointed to Lettie. “Lettie you already met, she is also a friend and employee.”
“Enough of this,” Gavin said.
“Agreed,” Alex jumped in. “We didn’t come for a social call.”
“Understood,” Matteo said, “let’s begin.”
“Wait,” Pierce interrupted, “shouldn’t they all leave?”
My eyes darted between the strangers before us. Lettie pushed her glasses up her skinny nose, and Clive folded his arms. They seemed comfortable, like they belonged.
“These people work for me,” Matteo said firmly. “They know what I know. In fact, they helped me to find most of it.”
“They know about…us?” I asked softly, suspicious energy radiating through me. Piece pulled me closer.
Tobias nodded,“Yes! And ve -ave so many questions!”
Gavin’s lip curled, “We have no answers for you.”
Tobias was not deterred by Gavin’s surly response. “But ze lab! Ve have so many questions about ze lab! How you got in? How vere you able to destroy it? And get out even though it-”
“Tobias,” Matteo interrupted, a fatherly tone in his voice. “Later.”
Tobias smiled and nodded, sitting down in a chair by Clive and lacing his hands behind his head. Excitement hummed through is veins and I could feel every bit of it.
Matteo looked at me, then to Pierce. “What do you want to hear about first? How to help Jade? Or about your...past?”
Heads turned, the guys looked at me. I looked at them.
“How to help Jade,” Kyson spoke up.
Matteo let out a heavy sigh and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You are connected, the five of you. There is an energy that runs between all of you that binds you, mentally and physically.”
“We know that,” Alex said. “We could have told you that.”
Matteo didn’t acknowledge Alex’s comment. “Jade’s life depends on this energy. The reason her health is failing, is because you are missing one.”
I tilted my head, not fully comprehending was Matteo had just said.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Matteo did not add anything else. He was waiting for his words to sink in.
My eyes widened, my lips parting. “Missing one?” I repeated, my hand reaching out for Pierce.
Matteo met my eyes and nodded. “There is another.”
Everything around me disappeared. A humming started in my ears. I no longer felt the emotions of everyone around me. My mind turned into myself as I took in what Matteo had revealed.
Missing one.
Missing one.
My eyes lost focus, my fingers came to my chest.
Missing one.
My head swirled.
Missing one.
Another guy.
How? How could there be another?
“His missing presence in Jade’s life is like missing an ingredient in a recipe, a piece to a puzzle. Her physical being relies on bringing him into your life and into your group.”
I looked over to Alex, his face grim. “Did you know? Already? Did you see this from Charles?”
He shook his head, “I saw that we needed to go see someone to help you, a man in Russia.”
“Russia?” Gavin scoffed. “What the hell?”
He's in Russia?
Russia...
Why isn't he here?
Why not with the rest of us…?
I looked back to Matteo, “How do you know about him?”
Matteo took a drink of an amber colored liquid that Charles handed to him, “Because the person that hired me to find you, also hired me to find him.”
“Hired you?” I asked. “Who hired you to find us?”
Matteo sat down in a leather office chair and gestured to other ones. “Please sit.”
Too distracted at the new information to argue, I perched on the end of a padded chair while the guys settled into various seats in the room. Lettie and Charles stayed standing.
“Many years ago, a woman approached me in the Sydney airport. She knew about the work I did, my expert abilities at seeking out impossible information, and offered me a job. She needed my help in finding several young children.” His eyes passed over each of the guys and then me. “Children that were special, she told me. These children would be kept in private facilities under tight lock and key. I didn’t believe her at first, but it didn’t matter. I would do as she asked.”
Matteo took a small drink from his glass and swallowed. “It took many months, but I found them.” He raised his hand holding the glass to motion towards the guys. “You. I found all of you. The other, I found in Russia. When I told her what I had found, she explained your circumstances to me. That you were not from this planet, and that the effects of you not all being together would wear on Jade.””
“How do you know we're connected though?” I asked.
Matteo motioned towards Charles. We all turned to Charles, waiting. He nodded and spoke. “The vessel you arrived on, landed, or crashed, in the remote forests of Lithuania. You were taken into custody by their government and then to a private research facility. They kept your arrival, your presence, quiet and contained from any public knowledge.”
“And then what?” I asked, trying to understand where this would lead.
“There were two scientists at this facility that you are familiar with.”
“Petrov,” Tobias jumped in. “And Doctor Parker.”
Charles nodded. “Doctor Parker and Doctor Petrov conspired in secret and in blunt terms, stole you from the facility and took you to the states.”
“Why?” Pierce asked.
“Because they wanted you for themselves,” Charles answered. “They knew you would be special and were already laying their plans for future genetic testing. Vera was loyal to her home country and Petrov was loyal to Vera.”
“How did they know we were special?” I asked. “We were so young, no where near puberty or with any of our abilities.”
Charles nodded at my question, “Because they saw how you healed.”
I nodded, of course. Remembering the photos from Vera’s office, the vessel had crashed into the forest, with broken pieces, ripped metal, but the children had looked perfectly fine.
“I’ve seen the photos,” I murmured quietly, almost to myself. “I only saw the four children. And the baby…There wasn’t a fifth boy.”
“You have not seen all of zee pictures,” Clive responded.
My eyes met his, and his thick lips pursed into a knowing smile. He turned his screen to me, showing me pictures similar to the ones from Vera’s office. A couple were identical, but there was one that was not. Grainy, forested, black and white coloring. This time the children were not looking at the camera. They were facing away. Five of them.
My eyes were glued to the image, focusing on the small frames of the young children, their short cropped hair, their light tunics.
Five of them.
Matteo set his now empty glass down on a desk. “When I found all of you, I sent Charles right away to insert himself in whatever way he could to be close to you. It just happened, Vera needed to hire a helping hand at home. He kept me updated on everything there.”
“But the other one?” I asked.
“Why didn’t the doctors bring him with them?” Gavin asked.
Matteo shook his head, “No one would know these details but the doctors themselves.”
A finger went to my top lip and I traced it softly. Too many questions piling on top of each other for me to pick one out. So I dwelt on the most important piece of information.
Another.
Another guy.
Another one to our group.
“Where is he?” I asked softly.
“In zee mountains of Russia,” Clive answered, typing quickly on the keyboard in front of him. “Chersky Mountain Range, very remote, very private.” He stopped typing and turned his paper thin monitor in my direction.
On the screen were several images. All were taken from an aerial view, a drone or satellite was my guess. It was a snow-covered landscape, with white powder lined trees. In the midst was a large, ominous looking building. A thick sort of gate surrounding the property. Figures dressed in white camo holding black rifles stood within and outside of the gate.
“Why haven’t you gotten him out yet?” Pierce asked over my shoulder. “Why is he still there?”
Matteo leaned back in his seat, “Because we are not soldiers. Well,” he looked towards Charles and glanced at the young men that worked for him, “we have some combat capabilities, but in all honesty, we needed you. We could not get him out with much risk, so we waited for your help. Plus,” he shook his head, “I was hired to find him. Not retrieve him.”
My eyes closed and my head began to shake slowly. Side, to side to side. “When can we leave?” I looked at Charles, then Matteo. “When can we go get him?”
Charles and Matteo looked at each other. Matteo cleared his throat, “Now that you are here, we need time to put things into motion. Contacts to reach out to, preparations to make so that everything goes smoothly.”
I frowned, looking to Pierce for help. “How long?”
“At least a week,” Charles said.
“Maybe 2,” Tobias chimed in.
A week? A whole week, perhaps more? My stomach tightened and my eyes burned. We needed to leave now. We needed to go to him.
“Where is this woman?” Kyson asked. “The one that hired you? Who is she?”
“Somewhere in your country. Her name is Nara, so she tells me. I don’t know who she is, exactly, but she tells me that she is from the same place as you. Said that she and others also came to earth on various vessels, escape pods. Something about a war on your world.”
A new voice spoke up. A soft feminine voice. Lettie’s. “She lives with others like you, somewhere in the Northwest of the United States.”
“She requested to speak with you as soon as possible,” Matteo said, and even with my eyes closed I knew he was looking at me.
My stomach tightened. I opened my eyes, met his, my face showing no excitement at the idea.Matteo’s words become heavy as mud and pulling my eyes closed. I needed a break. Time to digest. To organize my thoughts and questions.
“When you are ready.”
My stomach clenched even tighter and I shook my head again. Pierce put an arm around me and pulled me into him. “Perhaps tomorrow,” Pierce offered. “After we rest.”
“Of course,” Matteo nodded once. “Charles will help you with anything you need. Food, linens, toiletries. Clive and Tobias can answer questions if needed about what we have discussed. Lettie can help Jade with any items she might be in need of.”
Lettie smiled hopefully at me, she wanted to help, was eager. I could feel her desire to socialize. I forced a smile to soften the rejection when I turned away from her.
“I would like my dinner in my room, if that’s okay?” I asked Charles.
He nodded, “Oh course, Miss Jade.”
Throwing a look at all of the guys, I stood up and left the room. The sounds of chairs moving and shifting bodies told me they were all following.
“Wait,” I paused, holding up a hand. I turned back, looking to Matteo. He held my gaze, a small smile on my lips. It was as if he knew what I was about to ask. Was waiting for my final question.
“What is his name?”
Matteo smiled wider. “Roman.”
Chapter 15
I was exhausted. Ready to fall over and pass out when my head hit the pillow. My body was heavy, my head beginning to form a dull ache. But I didn’t touch the bed. Instead I paced.
The guys stood around the perimeter of my room, all arms folded, all moods somber. They watched me pace, their worries of my fading energy flitting around my mind.
The stunned reaction had not left me yet. Excited, anticipating, curious. My mind ran over Matteo’s words on repeat and my stomach twisted. I pinched my lips, pulled at my hair, adjusted my neck line.
What did we do now?
Gavin broke the silence and spoke first. “How can we trust him?”
I huffed, not wanting to even debate the idea of Matteo lying to us. “You saw the picture on the monitor right?” I asked.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” he responded. “They could easily be doctored, photoshopped.”
“He wasn’t lying,” Alex spoke up. “At all.”
My feet stop
ped and I looked at Gavin, “Alex would have told us way before now if he had been lying. So, why would you ask that? Do you wish it wasn’t true?”
Gavin avoided both looking at me and answering my questions. He looked to Pierce, who was also avoiding my eyes. Animosity, regret, and...I closed my eyes to focus, displeasure.
My lip curled, almost into a snarl, and I glared at the two of them. “What is your problem? You got your answer and now you don’t like it?”
“No, I don’t like it,” Pierce admitted.
Gavin continued to be silent.
My head shook slowly again, bewildered at their answers.
Kyson with a softer tone spoke up in Pierce’s defense. “Its risky Jade, its alot to ask.”
“Why?!” I demanded. “He is one of us!”
“No,” Gavin growled, “he’s not.”
“Awe man,” Alex sighed, leaning his head back on the wall, “lighten up. It’s nothing worse than what we’ve done before.”
My jaw went slack as I stared at Gavin, “Didn’t you hear anything Matteo said?”
“Just because he came from the same place we did, doesn’t make him ‘one of us’,” Gavin argued.
Damn Gavin and his hard heart. I realized that letting another guy into our group was going to be risky if not lethal. Gavin barely let me into the group when I had first arrived. Now that he had expressed his feelings for me, and we were bonding closer as time went by, the idea of another guy sharing my affection was pushing Gavin into hot jealousy. And not just any guy, one we knew nothing about.
I took a step forward, wanting to reach out to Gavin. His regret at so desperately wanting answers that ended up disappointing him produced a bitter taste in his mind.
My head turned to Pierce, “Why don’t you like it?”
Pierce sighed, “Kyson said it, it’s a heavy risk. We are trying to avoid risks.”
My feet began moving again, “Charles told you over the phone he has information, right? Maps? Pictures? Details? That would help us? Make this easier?”
“It’s not that easy,” he said, his voice low.
“Why the hell not?!” My voice teetered on the edge of a shout. I didn’t understand Pierce’s hesitation, his reluctance.