Replicator (The Gifted Book 2)

by C. C. Lynch

  Beatrice watched me patiently as I twisted my lips, preparing my spiel. “Please keep this between us.” I gave her a moment to agree, though she never did. She gave a simple nod indicating I should continue with my confession. “I don’t know who to trust anymore. I don’t want to trust Erik because if he was trustworthy he would have asked me to come here, not help with the forcing of my arrival to the tree house. Everything he does is to keep me happy and comfortable so I can’t help but inherently rely on the guy. I don’t want to trust you, but my empathic nature tells me to.” I shook my head, “but how can I trust my instincts if I can’t even remember the tiniest details?”

  I stood up from the chair and paced the room. “Can you imagine what it’s like to not know how long I’ve been wearing these sweatpants?” Leaning on the desk I stared into her eyes and slowly asked, “am I going crazy?”

  Beatrice clicked her pen on the table a few times before finally adding some vocals to my thus far one-sided conversation. “Abrielle, it is perfectly normal to feel confused when you undergo an abrupt transition. Please keep in mind that you recently suffered a concussion and this could account for your feelings of memory loss. If it makes you feel any better we can run a few tests to assess your mental status.”

  Beatrice began taking notes before looking back up to me. “And yes, I can imagine that feeling you’re talking about.” With a light, fake laugh she added, “but my problem is that I’m getting older. I have a hard enough time remembering that I wore a cream colored outfit yesterday and cerulean the day before.” A forced caring grin curved its way between her pale cheeks. “Your color options are plain and I’m sure it’s easy to forget. You wore completely white then completely blue and today, as you can see, you are mixing it up with grey and blue.”

  Lacey was here!

  The fact that Beatrice had mentioned my all white outfit was proof that I had been successful and Lacey had effectively manipulated her way out of Replyx. The smile on my face was evident and I had to come up with an excuse for its presence. “So you think my memory will get better then?”

  “Yes,” she nodded, “it can take weeks to heal from a concussion. Perhaps you can try little memory games with yourself in the meantime.”

  “Okay,” I nodded somberly. “So I’m not crazy, just stressed and concussed?”

  “That is my interpretation. Abrielle, you will find that you question who you can trust all throughout life. Whether it be family, friends, peers, employers, or what have you. You were born with an empathic gift, so it would be silly for you not to trust your gut.”

  “Thank you Beatrice, you’ve definitely put me more at ease.” I was not lying. Knowing that I could affect memories and my encounter with Lacey was true had eased my nerves. I could alter my appearance, alter memories, teleport from certain rooms, and turn invisible. There was no way I would be staying at Replyx for much longer. The biggest obstacle I had was finding Nicholas.

  10

  Once I was in the sensory deprivation tank I tried to formulate a plan. I would find a memory of Nicholas in Beatrice’s easily navigable brain then use invisibility and teleportation to get out with Nicholas. If I was unable to teleport then I would walk right out the front door appearing as a worker.

  The plan needed some finesse but after only a few minutes hallucinations had set in. My mind was fighting to create stimuli that it was lacking, thus trying to force my mind to work at my own will was nearly impossible. Bizarre music of all types was playing in my mind. At one point my brain was filled with what sounded like shamanic drumming and swirling colors had replaced the darkness.

  When the light filtered into the pod and Beatrice’s face appeared I was ushered out with a towel and new set of clothes. Strangely enough, she handed me a polo tee shirt to change into. Before I could question the new garment I was guided into the shower that was stocked with shampoo and conditioner. Once out, she tilted her head towards a hair dryer and brush resting on a seat.

  I wondered if Erik’s father’s arrival had something to do with my sudden access to new items of comfort. “Am I to impress someone today?” My statement was rhetorical, though I was hoping for a response.

  Beatrice was not going to cave on the details of the visit. “You’ll be practicing with Slade for an hour today and we will have a meeting afterwards.”

  I was greeted in the demonstration theatre with a giant ball of fire that Slade must have been saving solely for me. I jumped out of the way taking care not to let my newly primped hair get scorched. As I walked closer to Slade I examined the ball of flames gathered between his hands. The overly extended tip of his olive nose was blurred by the haze. My fingers began to tingle and burn as I created my own sparks with my hands by my side. In a quick movement he tossed the giant blazing sphere at my chest and I caught it inches from the freshly cleaned white Replyx polo shirt. Pressing the fire orb like a stress ball between my hands, I tested my control over Slade’s creation. In one rapid movement I threw my hands forward as if I was passing a volleyball, thrusting it straight into Slade’s chest.

  Flames blazed over Slade’s entire torso and he threw himself to the ground rolling over to extinguish the fire. A moment of time elapsed before I doubled over in agony. I could feel the searing pain of the fire that was melting Slade’s flesh. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, the blinding pain took over my entire body.

  While I was doubled over on my hands and knees a whoosh and sudden loss of breathe came simultaneously with the cease of throbbing. I looked up to find myself in an examination room with Luther holding onto my forearm.

  “We need to get your father and get out of ‘ere.” There was no cigarette hanging from his mouth, mordant expression, or humor. Luther was sincere and grave.

  Flabbergasted, I panted, “You’re not really working for Jeremiah?”

  “No, I find the man bloody insipid, to be honest.” Luther pursed his lips, “And the nonsense about time and space was your father’s words. I think it’s easier just to think about it fluidly. Now you’ve got one shot here so don’t muck it up.”

  My mind was racing as I tried to fight through the confusion and trust the man seeing how it was my best shot of freedom in that moment. “Wait, where am I going?”

  “To get your dad,” his words were urgent. “I’ll get your boyfriend. We meet back here then go to Glaston together.”

  I couldn’t just teleport to a random location. “Where is he? I need a destination.”

  “Ugh,” he rolled his eyes, “no wonder you can’t get it right. You’ve an analytical mind. Call out to your dad with you mind then swim to his voice.” His nostrils flared, “But swim really, really fast.”

  “Okay,” I nodded in compliance.

  Dad? Curtis? Can you hear me? I called out hoping he would respond.

  Abrielle, I heard in my head.

  I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and imagined swimming to him. I connected his voice with my fascination with teleportation in my brain and imagined him on a plane in space and I just needed to get to his voice. I had no idea if that was the proper way of using the ability, but it was all I could think of at the moment.

  I opened my eyes and Luther was next to me with Nicholas’s limp body cradled in his arms. Nicholas was strong, righteous, and brave. Seeing him so vulnerable was just wrong. It made me sick. In that moment all I wanted was revenge. I was sure I could explode Replyx into a blazing inferno decimating everything to do with the vile place. The very face that made me want to exact revenge was the one to stop me. Nicholas would never want me to give into the hurt, anger, and hatred. It would have been so easy to incinerate that atrocious facility, but I would have lost part of myself in the process.

  I closed my eyes and tried again. This time I was not swimming towards the voice, I was flying at jet speed, soaring to get Nicholas out of there and healed. When I opened my eyes I was looking at my father. I did not allow myself the time to be in awe; I just grabbed his arm and did the same thing back
to Luther and Nicholas. Once we were in the room I grabbed onto both Luther and my father and Luther did the rest.

  The lobby of Glaston Academy greeted me when I opened my eyes. I leaned forward, tears of joy rolling down my cheeks. Before I was able to gather my composure Luther had tossed Nicholas into my father’s arms and teleported out of the school.

  Slow and calculated footsteps came towards us. I knew the sound of Osiris’s footfalls and they served to be both inviting and intimidating. Forcing my focus away from my trepidations, I stood and put a tender hand on Nicholas’s face. He was still unconscious and his ragged breaths indicated some sort of lung trauma. I did not have the strength to heal him, not until I knew we were safe.

  “Is he going to be okay?” My eyes remained on the pallid complexion of my friend.

  “Yes,” my father cleared his throat, “he’ll be okay.”

  I looked up to the man that I shared my DNA with, not knowing how to even begin a conversation with him. Osiris was facing my father, his jaw clenched briefly before stating that we needed to move our reunion somewhere more discreet.

  I had assumed that Osiris meant the room by the portrait, but he began leading us outside instead. My eyes remained on Nicholas until I saw a familiar silhouette in my peripherals.

  “Liz?” I exhaled her name in complete relief before yelling it out again excitedly.

  We met each other in a tight embrace before she pushed me back and put her hands on my face, assessing any damage that may have come from my captivity at the tree house.

  “I was so worried about you.” Her blonde brows were furrowed, creating a wrinkled clover design. She was warm, kind, and caring; completely atypical for Liz, but certainly a welcomed change. Her eyes darted to my father and Osiris before returning to me. “How did you…” Her words were shaky from fear.

  I squeezed her hand. “Go hide and I’ll find you once I know it’s safe.”

  Before walking back to the men, I formed a small sphere of fire in my palm and pushed it towards the bit of snow on the ground. Just in case, I thought to myself.

  The men were in the middle of a low discussion, one I felt like I was intruding simply by being in their presence. Though Osiris seemed confident that we were safe, he decided to bring us out to the stables for some reason that I could not understand.

  Nostalgia tingled in my chest as I heard Cinnamon whinny from afar. As we rounded the further edge of the wood building Osiris opened up a closet and moved a false panel inside of it that led down a set of stairs. I had been in the stables so many times, had opened that closet, and never knew there was anything more than just what met the eye. I was learning that Glaston Academy had more secrets than I would ever truly come to know about.

  The steps were lit with large string lighting leading to a small room that had water stacked in one corner, canned goods lining shelves in another, half a dozen beds protruding from the wall in the style of bunk beds, and some seating around a table. We were in a large storm shelter.

  My father placed Nicholas gently down on one of the beds and just as we found our places in the small room clonking footsteps made their way down the steps. I looked up to see Vlaine rounding the corner, sweaty and out of breath with Draxe on his heels.

  “Vlaine!” My heart was in my throat and I wanted to run to him and melt in the same instance. My body moved swiftly towards him before my brain could stop it. In a matter of seconds he had his arms around me holding me tightly with his lips pressed to my forehead. Draxe joined in on the hug, making it an awkward group embrace.

  I looked back to see Osiris and my father watching us patiently. A mix of emotions whirled in my gut. My trust in Osiris was wavering. Feeling his eyes upon us, I wondered about the things that Lacey had told me. The school of a powerful replicator was attacked twice and no harm came to his children, the only threat was a tranquilizer to Vlaine. She said that Glaston Academy practically gave away the students. Then there was the fact that Jeremiah and Erik’s father were in cahoots and somehow Erik remained friends with Draxe and Vlaine throughout the years.

  Vlaine squeezed me a bit tighter, bringing my attention away from my morbid thoughts. I wanted to stay in Vlaine’s arms all day where it felt safe, but the need to talk to my father overpowered my desire for comfort.

  “Dad,” I sighed, brushing away a tear, “you’re a good guy, right?”

  “Yes,” he cleared his throat, “I am a good guy.”

  The next few minutes in the storm shelter were chaotic but Osiris ultimately took the floor and decided that getting Nicholas to safety was the first priority. I would not let Nicholas leave until I felt that I had done something to help him. After weeks of feeling guilty and useless concerning my friend’s health, I needed to heal him. An alarming portion of that need being more for my own mental wellness above Nicholas’s well-being.

  Vlaine’s hand slipped from mine slowly as I moved to my friend’s limp body. I put my hands over his chest then a light touch halted my efforts and I looked up to my father.

  “Can I help?” I could see the empathy in his eyes, proving that I had gained my innate abilities from him.

  “Please do.” I lifted half my mouth into a welcoming smile while concern kept the other part motionless.

  In our first father-daughter bonding experience we healed Nicholas. He remained unconscious even after we healed him, which was for the best. Once we did all we could for Nicholas, Osiris decided that Curtis and Vlaine would be in charge of bringing him back home. They developed a seemingly fool-proof story that explained his disappearance. My father took care of the transportation while Vlaine worked his manipulation on my incapacitated friend. They assured me that once Nicholas was fully conscious he would be in a hospital with a slight case of amnesia remembering only that he had gotten lost in the Adirondacks when partying with a friend. A few of Glaston’s alumni worked in the hospital and would assist in his treatment and safety.

  I pecked Vlaine’s cheek quickly before he left and hugged Nicholas’s body, wishing that I could be there to see him arrive safely at the hospital. I would have fought with Osiris’s plan but I found myself afraid to defy his orders after my time at Replyx.

  “I’m going to go find Jay and set up a perimeter around the school.” Draxe announced before walking to me and patting me on the back affectionately. “Glad you’re back safely, Abrielle.”

  “Thanks, Draxe,” I smiled, “me too.”

  I watched Draxe walk out of the room, afraid to turn to the only face left in the storm shelter. After the trauma I had dealt with, Osiris was ripping my father, friends, and Vlaine away from me before I had a chance to feel settled.

  I rested my body on one of the beds in the shelter waiting for everyone to return.

  Once my father and Vlaine returned Headmaster Josnic was back to giving out orders. “Curtis,” he demanded the floor, “will you contact the headmasters and decide where the students of Glaston Academy will attend until the premises are secured and this situation has been dealt with?” His commands boiled my blood.

  As my father began to nod my temper exploded. “For three and a half seconds can I please just have some stability here? I’ve been away for, I don’t even know how long, and I know that things need to happen quickly right now to get everyone safe but,” I stopped and took a breath meeting my father’s gaze, “did you even know I existed before all this started?”

  “Of course,” a look of confusion and hurt halted the glow of his bright blue eyes. “I send you birthday cards every year and call twice a month.”

  “Wait,” I held my hands up as if it would stop and reverse the last fifteen seconds of time. “You’re telling me that you’ve been trying to contact me my entire life but haven’t been successful? Even if my mother kept you from me, you’re a telepath. I heard your voice in my head when Erik was beginning to manipulate me.”

  “When you were six Cherie said you wanted nothing to do with me so I kept sending the cards and calling. I always kept
an eye on you via telepathic routes, but for a long time you had your own barrier up keeping me out.”

  “Oh,” I exhaled, thinking about the wall I had built to keep the thoughts and emotions of others out of my head. “I couldn’t really deal with being an empath so I had to stop my abilities,” I explained. My mother certainly kept a lot of parcels from reaching my hands, so it was possible he was telling the truth. I took a deep breath, trying to counter my anger with the amazement that I was looking at my Dad. “Maybe she was just so mad at you for leaving that she thought it would be better off if she just cut you from my life. Anytime I asked her questions about you she would change the subject.” Chuckling, “I don’t even know your last name.”

  Headmaster Josnic cleared his throat and demanded our attention in an authoritative tone. “You will have time to mend your emotional wounds, but for now the safety of the students is the priority. Curtis, please contact the other academies. Vlaine, come with me and…”

  “No,” I cut him off, “stop taking away the only person in here that I trust. If you don’t think we’re safe and are in such a hurry then let us teleport to Antarctica and continue our conversation there.” The men stared at me to which I responded acridly, “What? I don’t know Curtis from a hole in the wall and Osiris, well you’re throwing weird vibes at my empathic radar.”

  Vlaine gave a quick nod to his father who walked out of the room with Curtis. “Abbs, we’re all trying to keep you and the rest of the students safe. Time is of the essence here.” His voice was gentle and he wrapped his arms around my back.

  I leaned into Vlaine and sighed as the tension in my shoulders lessened from his presence. “I know,” I grumbled. “I just wish this was a bit less of a delegation and more of a discussion.”

  Vlaine nodded and held me tightly. I kept my eyes closed and pressed my forehead into his chest. Colors danced in the dark, a strange phenomenon that had started happening when I closed my eyes since the mental trials Jeremiah had put me through. I watched the shades of red, blue, green, and purple flow into shapes that pareidolia could not even make sense of.