The Elysian Prophecy

by Vivien Reis

  With a whoosh, Theo appeared before them holding a tray piled high with food.

  "Guys," he said in greeting, sitting down in front of Abi, but angling himself toward the others. "Abi." He smiled. "I knew you were one of us."

  "Yeah, yeah," Jesse said, throwing a tiny glowing orb toward Theo's plate.

  Abi blinked, not trusting her eyes.

  He batted it away in a quick smack and it faded to nothing as it fell to the ground. "Just admit it," Theo teased, leaning forward to slap the side of Jesse's knee.

  “You got lucky." Jesse was stern.

  "Wait, who was it that guessed she was Marked? It wasn't you, was it?" Theo pointed at Myra. "Ohh, that's right. It was me!" He took a large bite of his wrap, grinning.

  "You got lucky."

  "Lucky, my ass. One of them was pinging that night, and it wasn't your blue-haired sister."

  “Cora." She hadn't meant to utter it aloud, but they all turned to look at her. Saying her friend's name sent a dull ache through her chest. How long had it been since they’d talked?

  Theo snapped his finger. "Yeah, Cora!" He took another bite and there was a second of silence.

  "So, you didn't think I was one of you?" Abi was attempting casual conversation with Jesse but she felt like it flopped.

  "I wasn't sure."

  "Whoa now, don't let him fool you into thinking it was that simple. That's his job, mind you. As in, that's all he does. And I did it better than he did. An untrained Marker. I think I should change careers, come to think of it."

  "Oh-kay, boys," Myra cut in. "How long are y'all back for?"

  "Just a couple of hours." Jesse seemed happy at the change in subject. "We have to go debrief the Commander over in Roden."

  Myra nodded and Abi wondered where that was. An area on the island or another place altogether?

  "Have you found any leads at least?" Myra asked.

  "Eh. They're sending someone over from out in California,” Jesse explained. “Apparently he just got his private Tracker license from the Institute."

  Myra raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Well then, he must be smart. Sounds like you'll be able to learn from the best."

  Jesse finished chewing his last bite and rubbed his hands together. "Yeah. We'll see how good he is, I guess. Ready, man?" He stood and waited for Theo, who had somehow managed to finish the entire tray of food.

  "We'll catch up with y'all later. Abi, enjoy your training." Jesse smiled at her and her heart melted a little around the edges.

  "Bye, lover girl." Theo snickered and they vanished.

  Abi blushed so hard she was certain her face would explode. Myra failed miserably at suppressing a laugh.

  "What?" Abi demanded. "I didn't think anything that time."

  "Emotions come across like thoughts do. Guess I should have mentioned that."

  "Yeah, you should have." Abi looked back down at her soup, stirring her spoon around in the broth. Even though she was a little upset with Myra and highly embarrassed about what had just happened, something about it seemed so normal.

  She felt like a teenager again, like there was a tiny beam of light in her pitch-black life.

  # TWENTY-EIGHT

  Ben left Mr. Flynn's classroom with leaden feet and a pit in where his stomach should be. The ritual two days prior made the pain in his head dissipate, but it had been replaced with an odd sensation he hadn’t felt before. Like he was constantly on the verge of the first drop in a roller coaster, a buzzing permeated his entire body and made it hard to eat or drink.

  When he had asked about it after class, Mr. Flynn assured him it was a good sign.

  "It means your mind has passed the most critical part of the Turning Point. You may have odd sensations for the next couple weeks as your neural synapses rewire the connection with your body. Soon enough, those are the emotions and feelings you'll be able to manipulate in yourself and others," Mr. Flynn had explained.

  He should have been relieved but something felt different. Wrong.

  A gust of icy wind hit his face as he stepped outside. His truck sat alone on the opposite side of the parking lot and he kicked roughly at any stones in his path as he walked.

  This waiting game was wearing on him. Mr. Flynn had told him this gift would help them find Abi and his mom, and then it'd be a quick thing to heal his dad. But nothing had been quick about it so far. It had been nearly two weeks since Abi's disappearance—the sheriff hadn't been by to see him or Gran in days because there was simply nothing to update them on any longer.

  As he walked, a morbid thought crossed his mind. What if the sensation he felt now was a result from whatever root he had with his sister breaking? What if she was dying or dead already and it was all his fault? When Mr. Flynn had told him about being an Oracle, Ben had been ready to help right then, not have to wait for weeks for his stupid mind to heal.

  The crunching of tires on asphalt made Ben glance up. A sleek Mercedes was coming to a stop a few paces in front of him, blocking his path. Just as the sedan came to a halt, the passenger door opened and a man stepped out. He was large, both tall and muscular, with a beard and long dark hair pulled back in a bun.

  He squared up with Ben.

  Panic choked him. He looked toward the school but the distance stretched out. If he was fast enough, he might be able to run back into the building. His truck was out of the question as the car was parked in the way.

  Should he yell for help? There were still a few cars parked in the faculty spots, but would they hear him?

  The man was tall and broad, with obvious muscles underneath his dark suit. He had a thick beard and long hair pulled back into a bun, visible as he looked toward the back end of the sedan before facing Ben again.

  Was this one of the men that Abi had seen? Had he taken her and his mom?

  "Benjamin Cole?" the man asked.

  He held his breath, unable to speak even if he wanted to. When should he run? Now? Should he wait to see what these people wanted? Maybe they were harmless reporters looking for a story...

  "My employer would like to speak with you." The man motioned toward the car window, which slid down in a smooth motion.

  The woman sitting in the seat had stern features with strawberry-blonde hair, neatly curled and positioned over one shoulder. She sat upright and tall in the seat and her red lips parted slightly before she spoke.

  "Benjamin. It's so nice to meet you." Her voice was husky and slow, as if she had all the time in the world to talk to him.

  "Who are you?"

  "My friends call me Red. I manage a team of highly trained private investigators. We've recently received donor funding to work on your mother's case." Her eyes cut to the man standing outside her door and he wordlessly opened it.

  An expensive-looking black heel clicked against the asphalt as she stepped out, followed by the other. She was as tall as the man she now stood next to, owning every inch of her height. A thin coat over her dress was the only thing protecting her from the cold.

  Ben shuffled from one foot to the other, still wondering if he should make a run for it. "And what do you want with me?"

  "We would like to interview you this week. I just wanted to introduce myself and let it be known that we're here to help you in any way we can."

  Once again, she looked at the man standing next to her, who, eyes still trained on Ben, reached one hand into his jacket pocket. Ben's heart exploded in his chest, expecting the long barrel of a silenced pistol. A card came out of the man's pocket, though, and he held it out toward Ben.

  He chewed on the inside of his cheek, a strange sense of obligation prompting him to take the card, to not be rude, but he didn’t know these people. True, they could really just be there to help him, but what if they weren't?

  "We believe that you can help us find your mother. You and I both know what she's really capable of, what you will soon be capable of."

  Was she talking about his mom being an Oracle, or did she know he'd recently been hospitali
zed for symptoms much like his mom’s? He didn't know what he was allowed to say or what he shouldn't say, so he kept quiet, a long silence stretching between the three of them.

  The man's hand stretched out farther toward him. Ben took a slow step forward and accepted the card, stepping back quickly. He would read it after they had gone.

  "If you're able to, I'm free on Friday at lunchtime. We can meet at the café on Third Street, if that's suitable for you. Just call me if you decide to come."

  Ben nodded.

  Mr. Flynn had mentioned some contacts that might help. He would have time between now and then to discuss with Mr. Flynn what was happening, and if these were trustworthy people.

  “You won’t find assistance like what I can offer, Benjamin. Your teacher doesn’t know what I know.” She paused, a light breeze ruffling her hair and he wondered how she knew Mr. Flynn. "We’ll be in touch, Benjamin."

  He wanted to ask her what that meant, what else she might know about his mom but he didn’t.

  The man opened the door for her again, and she slid inside without another glance at Ben, even as the car pulled smoothly away.

  Ben didn't like when people used his full name, but she pronounced each syllable and letter, sounding formal and regal.

  The card was black with silver foil text.

  Evelyn Rouge

  Cross Investigators

  Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he looked down to find a large cockroach crawling slowly over the toe of his boot.

  Click, tick, tick.

  Its tiny legs inched forward with jagged movements and the contact each made with his boot reverberated in his ears.

  Ben cocked his head. The tiny bug was staring at him from way down there, the antennae moving as if it knew something, as if it were trying to tell him something.

  “Mmm.” It gave a gravely mumble.

  A door slammed and Ben looked up. Mrs. Applegate's car was pulling out of the parking lot—she must have stayed late. The sky was darker than it should have been though, the moon bright in the black sky. Ben checked his phone and saw a mass of texts and phone calls from Gran, the latest saying she was coming to find him. It was 7:32 P.M.

  He had been standing in the parking lot for three hours. How was that possible? Not even a minute ago he had been talking to those private investigators. The cockroach was still on his foot.

  Ben shook it off his boot and tried to jog to his car but stumbled. His limbs were slow to move and his toes felt stiff from the cold. The distance between him and his truck seemed to lengthen on and on before him, and then he was suddenly at his vehicle.

  The light from his phone made him squint as he texted Gran back.

  He knew he couldn't call her. If he did, she would know something was wrong—she would hear it in his voice.

  Gran would sense the fraying edges of his mind and know he was just as broken as his mom.

  # TWENTY-NINE

  Abi went to sleep after Myra's help getting ready for bed. She had left with the same request as the night before—that Abi call out for her if she needed anything.

  The comforter had a pleasant weight to it without being too warm. She was exhausted, every muscle in her body throbbing, and looked forward to sleeping off the fatigue.

  Before she could fall asleep, she felt a tug on her body like she was being pulled somewhere by a string. When she opened her eyes, she was in Gran's kitchen, watching Gran and Ben at the table. She was floating, looking down on them from above. Untouched breakfast food sat on their plates while they talked. She strained to listen, but their voices were garbled. When she tried to focus on their facial expressions, they warped and distorted. Their faces melted like wax on a hot day, dragging their lips and noses down toward the ground. Fire erupted all around Abi and she screamed.

  She hit the ground, running through trees and dodging low hanging limbs. It was the same forest she had run through before, but the trees were black and the surrounding air was green and smoky. A loud hum buzzed in her ears, making her stumble and fall. As she went down, a loud growl and animalistic snarl echoed around her. Struggling to get back up, she stumbled forward in a different direction, not sure whether she was running toward the thing or not. It growled again, closer, closer to her ears. She changed directions, her legs burning.

  "Abi," a gentle voice called to her.

  No. It wasn't going to fool her. She wouldn't be tricked…

  "Aabbbii," it sang. "Where are yoouu?"

  The earth shook underneath her, throwing her to the ground. She turned on her back, bracing for the attack.

  "Abi!" it snarled.

  She jerked upright, crashing into something with a hard crack.

  "Ow!" Abi rubbed at her forehead, matching Myra's pained expression.

  "I was trying to wake you," she groaned. "You were having a nightmare."

  The weight of Abi’s body magnified as the adrenaline wore off, and she collapsed back on to the bed with a tremor. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

  "You were broadcasting that nightmare so loud you must have woken half the island. Here, let me see." Myra laid one hand over Abi's embarrassingly sweaty forehead and closed her eyes. "Hmm." Abi waited, not sure if she was also supposed to close her eyes for this. "Interesting..."

  Several minutes passed, and Abi's eyelids grew heavier.

  "I'm trying to access the part of your mind that regulates dreams, but it's blocked. I'm closing those sections down until your mind heals itself more. You should sleep better tonight."

  The last words fell through the air swiftly as Abi drifted off.

  She woke early, hardly remembering the night before, and expected to feel worse considering how little she had slept. Her muscles were still stiff but she could manage walking around in the hut without tiring, at least not as much as she had the day before.

  There was a knock at her door, and Abi wasn't surprised when Myra walked in. She was surprised at what lay on the tray Myra held out.

  Bacon. There were also a few other things on the plate, but Abi didn't pay attention to those. The salty and smoked scent hit her nose, and her mouth watered like she was one of Pavlov's dogs.

  "I thought you might enjoy some comfort food for breakfast, now that your stomach seems healed."

  "Oh my God." She snatched up a piece before Myra had set down the tray and took a bite. It cooked to perfection with just the right amount of crispiness and chewiness.

  They ate for a few minutes in silence, which Abi worshiped. She hadn't eaten bacon in weeks, and holy God, it was so delicious.

  "You're up and about now, I see. Feeling better today?"

  It was obvious Myra didn't have to ask this question at all, that she was somehow feeling much better.

  She nodded. “I thought I’d be down for at least a week.”

  “Well, now that your mind is healing properly, your body should repair itself rather quickly. I wanted to take you on a more in-depth tour of our island, but I have a shift that starts in a couple of hours. I'll take you to Elysia Square so we can pick up a stone to block your thoughts. You can explore the rest of the island today if you like."

  Abi crunched on the last piece of bacon, savoring its flavor with her eyes closed, when another smell hit her nose. Coffee. After adding sugar and cream, she barely stirred it before taking a sip. She closed her eyes, the world melting away.

  "How is all of this so delicious?" This was it. She was in culinary heaven.

  Myra laughed. "Everything is fresh from our organic farming district. Makes you never want to eat that grocery store or fast food crap again, doesn't it?" She took a bite of her own food, an omelet with veggies.

  Even though Abi wanted a moment alone to savor her food, she looked forward to learning more about the island and this society. It seemed she had inherited membership to an exclusive club, one that might prove necessary in finding her mom.

  "We're hardly a club. There are no membership dues and most adults never even come back to the island a
fter they leave. It's altogether up to them."

  Must be nice.

  "This is the first stop for most of the young initiates, so in the coming weeks, you're gonna see a lot of elementary school kids. There are other facilities here on the island so don't worry, you're not on an island full of children. I work at the hospital and research lab, the best in our society. Actually, it's the best in the world, but we kind of have an unfair advantage."

  They really did have an unfair advantage. Her rapid rate of healing proved that but what else were they capable of? How many people could be saved by the abilities these people possessed? And they were keeping it hidden from the rest of the world. How was that right? She knew Myra could hear her, but Myra didn't respond to any of her thoughts.

  "What other research do you do here?"

  "You'll see." Myra raised an eyebrow at Abi before taking the empty tray from her. “I’ll meet you outside?” She didn’t wait for a response but hopped from the room, making Abi flinch. It didn’t seem natural—there one second and then gone, as if Myra’s presence had been a figment of her imagination.

  Abi dressed as fast as she could, amazed again at how her sore muscles could do so much more than just a day before. The soreness felt good in a way, like she had reawakened muscles that had been long dormant.

  The air outside was warm, but the breeze was still cool. It was early enough that the sky was still predominantly dim, with only a hint of light tracing an outline in the clouds above her.

  It wasn’t Myra that was waiting at the bottom of the steps—it was Jesse.

  “Hey.” He was leaning against the handrail, the stance pulling his shirt up just enough that Abi could see a thin strip of skin just at his hip. “Myra asked if I could take you to Elysia Square. She had something she needed to attend to for a few minutes.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t expected to see Jesse again so soon. It had seemed like he’d been so busy the day before—

  “Come on. It’ll feel good to walk around a bit. I can’t imagine how sore you are.”

  They set off at a slow pace toward their left, the opposite direction of the caves. The paved path ended and became hard-packed earth. Trees crowded in on either side, making the trail just wide enough for the both of them.