by Ruby Knight
As he walked down the halls, I grew almost positive three hundred days went by. I scanned the people as Cole gently pushed his way through them and noticed a lot of eyes on him, particularly female eyes, though a few males watched him lustfully, too.
Apparently, the boy-next-door had quite a few admirers. I closed my eyes and listened to the room around me, trying to understand how so many kids had been snatched up by the government, only to be recruited by the Sway. The government had done some questionable things in the past, but I knew who I was and where I would draw my lines … or I thought I knew. This would change everything. How I defined myself, who I became. My god, who was I? I slowly opened my eyes and locked on a section of kids. They couldn't be older than nine or ten. How did they end up here?
“Those kids are taken from foster care. Once they developed their abilities, the kind that manifested in outward ways, their parents abandoned them. You’d be surprised how many of us aren't wanted by the people who made us,” Cole said.
He went into an elevator and up a couple of floors. He stepped off and continued toward the end of the hall. Only two doors stood in this hallway, one on each end.
“Cole Thomas,” he said in a monotone voice toward the wall.
The speaker blared.
“Identity verified,” a nice robotic computer voice echoed.
I heard pressurized locks release, and the door slid into the wall.
“Welcome to my humble abode. It doesn’t have a Central Park view, but it isn’t bad.”
He made his way over to a king-sized bed and put me gently on top of it. I looked around the room, getting a better idea of its layout. The bed sat in the far corner, close to a mini living area with a couch and recliner. A flat screen had been mounted on the wall. Another door I’d guess led to the bathroom to the side. It could almost pass for a hotel room. Cole walked over to a four-by-four inch computer screen flush with the wall and clicked on it.
The blinds opened up to a view of the Catskills, and I quietly gasped.
“This is amazing!”
If I’d had any energy left in me, I would’ve demanded to see the grounds of the property. Another day, hopefully sometime when peace had been re-established, thanks to the world war Hank Thomas had just started. Crap. I wish I had a chocolate marshmallow milkshake right now. Everything would be more manageable with chocolate. A sigh escaped me as my muscles tensed up.
“What’s going to happen with your dad? What are we going to do?”
Cole leaned back into the recliner and rocked slightly.
“This thing with my dad isn’t just about my dad. Because of the business he keeps and his personality, I think he has become the face of these people. Like he is a puppet. I wish I could find proof that he didn’t really want this. I swear I know my dad better than this, but some days, all I see in him is pure evil.”
I nodded, yawning. “So you don’t think he came up with the idea, but he was forced to collaborate?”
Cole looked into my eyes. “I think he was forced to collaborate because of me, because people think that I’m a weakness for him. They have no idea what I’m capable of.” A vein on his neck pulsed out.
What exactly was Cole capable of? He acted like there was more to him, that he was more than just a regular guy.
“If I’ve learned anything in the last twenty-four hours, it would be to never trust outward appearances. Some people look completely put together and beautiful, with their pressed suits and painted lips. But just because the outside is nice doesn’t mean the inside isn’t decaying with an ugly disease. Some of the most evil men in history were well-groomed and claimed to be doing things for the greater good, but their insanity was eating away at the very thing that made up the good in their souls, their own humanity,” I said.
Cole nodded to me and stood up. He made his way to me, squatted down, and ran his fingers along my arm. He gripped my hips with one arm, lifting me up, and pulled the blanket away from the bed, only to use the other arm to replace it. He leaned close enough to my ear that I could feel his breath tickling my neck before he lightly pressed his lips against my temple.
“I have to give you this medicine. You’re going to be out in thirty seconds flat, but you need to know that whatever Eisenhower took away from you, they didn’t take it all. I can still see the girl from a small town in there. It’s her I want to get to know,” he said before brushing a kiss on my forehead.
My skin heated up, and I pressed my lips together to hide an all-out grin.
“I’d like that. Give me some time to find out if there’s really any of what you see left or if I can be someone without the government,” I said quietly.
Cole nodded and smiled. “Don’t you see, Julia? You already are your own someone.”
He popped open the plastic container with the sedative in it and loaded the tube.
“This tastes like crap.” He held up the cup and a little candy wrapped in plastic. “So, I have a cherry Jolly Rancher right here, but if you fall asleep, like I think you will, I will most likely have to fish it out of your mouth so you don’t choke. So I’m just going to apologize for that in advance.”
I smiled.
“I can take it. Bring it on.”
Chapter Five
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
I reached across the bed to stop my phone from vibrating. My hand landed on something warm that felt suspiciously like a boy. I walked my fingers up the chest and felt a rise and fall, then brought my hand back to my side. The buzzing continued. Why was there a boy in my bed? Did I get drunk?
I opened one eye, probably resembling a pirate, and took in my surroundings … before I sat up straight in bed.
The Sway, Cole, the Eisenhower Protocol, Hank Thomas, End of the World.
“You missed dinner but I brought you up some leftovers. They are on the coffee table,” Cole mumbled out, his eyes still shut. “But if you aren’t hungry, feel free to continue exploring,” he added sleepily.
My skin was on fire. I was sure the satellites circling earth could pick up on my blush. Holy hell, what was I doing?
“What time is it?”
Cole slapped around on his nightstand until he found his phone. It lit up and the numbers displayed 3:23 in the morning. Oops, I should have let him stay asleep. I patted down my hair, released it from the ponytail I had put it in yesterday morning, and ran my fingers through it, only to have them caught in tangles at the bottom.
“There is a brush for your hair in the bathroom. I don’t have an extra toothbrush but you can use mine. I don’t really care.”
Cole rolled over and the blanket fell away from him, displaying his bare chest. He had an athletic build and a body that had been worked and used—confirmed by how his muscles were defined, even in the dim light of the room. He scooted up in the bed until in a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. I slipped out from under the covers and made my way to the bathroom. When I came back out, he had on a lamp and was listening to a voicemail on his phone.
He held the phone in his lap, looking down at it, and sighed. Something in my mind began ticking, almost like a timer. I glanced around the room trying to find a clock. When I looked back to Cole, he was tying his combat boots. I walked over to the table that held an assortment of food items and grabbed a banana. Why might he need combat boots at three in the morning?
“Did you know we share about fifty percent of our DNA with bananas?” I took a bite and smiled at him. He barked out a laugh and met my eyes.
“You might want to get dressed. We have to head back to the city,” he said.
I snapped around to face him. “What? Why would we go back to the city? I just got here and the government will be looking for me, not to mention the whole world ending thing.”
Fight, Julia. I had to try to push down the bubbles of panic rising in my throat. Cole slowly shook his head.
“No, they won’t be looking for you. A fake helicopter crash happened thirty miles outside o
f the city. Your blood and your hair were there. They’ll have enough DNA evidence to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you’re dead.”
How could he sound so calm and blasé? Like it was no big deal that I was dead or fake dead. I took a bite of the fruit and swallowed quickly.
“If I’m with you, they will see me. They’re still going to have people on you. Our doorman is one of my guys, for heaven’s sake. You can’t just go back with me in tow.”
Cole pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing against them.
“I told my dad that I wouldn’t go with him unless you could come with me. This is his MO. He takes me out of the states when things get shaky. You’re coming with me,” he mumbled into his hands.
“Why would you do that?”
He shook his head and stood up, grabbed a leather jacket out of the closet, and tossed a similar one onto the bed.
“It’s going to be cold from here to my cabin. You’re going to want that. My dad thinks we’re dating.”
He used a nonchalant tone. My jaw popped open slightly.
“I can keep you safe and teach you about The Sway. I can let you see my ability and tell you about others. I can help you develop yours, too. Quade and I agreed that I should train you. So you’re stuck with me for the time being. If you prefer another trainer, I’m sure we can find someone for you when we get back.” He dropped his gaze to the bed as he pulled his jacket around him and zipped it closed.
“I need my last dose. I won’t be very good company when I’m knocked out,” I said.
Cole’s eyes met mine. “This one isn’t laced with morphine. It will sting more while running its circuit through your veins, but you’ll be conscious the entire time.”
Yay, that just sounded like a barrel of fun. If it hurt that much with drugs, what would the torture be like without that buffer? Seemed like there would be no way out here. Best to comply. I threw my banana peel in the garbage then grabbed the jacket issued to me by The Sway and after that, the leather coat sitting on the bed by Cole.
“When are we coming back?” I asked.
“I think this weekend. We should only be gone a couple of days. Part of the reason I’m here is to play double agent. You’ve got to see how beneficial the position I’m in can be. When my dad says jump, I have to say how high. He’s my dad, Julia. I have to go. I just, I have to see for myself.” He sighed and held out his hand to me.
Our gazes locked as I reached for his hand. This felt important. Like I was taking my first step in acceptance of my identity.
We made good time back to Cole’s cabin—a quaint little craftsman bungalow. We took off from a helipad on The Sway’s property and flew into the city, landing on the building we had left from. Except, instead of watching the sun set, we watched it rise. Two days ago when I left the city, I was one girl. Today, I felt like I was someone completely new, like the sun was rising with a new life, just for me.
When I gripped my hands at my side, they felt stronger, almost like if they accidently got smashed in a door, it wouldn’t even phase me. I was crazy. When I glanced at Cole, I could see the hairs on his chin that were trying to push through and break free from his morning shave. Every foot fall, fingers tapping on a smartphone, and quiet whisper two blocks away, I could hear. Not sure what the Eisenhower protocol had been blocking in me or what the supposed cure was doing to me, or if I had always been this way and was just now realizing it because I’d been told to be on the lookout. But the Julia I’d been was gone.
The Julia they’d created had been a weapon. Made lethal by my body perfectly executing every thought and anticipating every action made by my opponent. In all honesty, I wish I could’ve stayed with The Sway, so I could explore the new recognition I had in my body with the Eisenhower protocol gone. That place might be crazy, but they’d serve a purpose for my ends at this moment. And we also couldn’t dismiss the end of the world catastrophe beckoning behind the door. The Sway was on that at the drop of the mic; what was Eisenhower doing about it?
“What's on your mind? You haven't spoken since we left the Catskills.”
I tried to shake off my inward thoughts and pulled away from the view of the sunlight breaking through the buildings.
“Sorry, I'm processing. I have a question for you,” I said, turning to face Cole. “I feel different without the Eisenhower chemicals in me. Like I can see what every single action is going to be and what reaction it will make. Like my body would instinctually react and make whatever situation I’m in become a favorable outcome for me. Is that weird? I know it sounds crazy. I get that.. is it a new normal? Do you feel that way?”
Cole smiled, and his fingers twitched in a way that led me to believe he wanted to reach out for my hand but decided against it. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t take my hand; we slept in the same bed last night, didn’t we?
“I understand the whole change in your body, because that happened to me when I was seven. I don't have the ability that you have.”
Huh? “What ability do you have?”
He smiled and his face flushed. “I can read emotions and can push any emotion I want on someone to feel, just by touch.”
For real, so not only had the boy been following me for the last six months, but he had been able to read my feelings. Every single one of them. “Awesome. That's just fan-freaking-tastic.”
Thank you, I love it. Oh no, he’s reading me now, too. I sighed obnoxiously loud.
I walked away from Cole and gripped the railing on the side of the roof. This was going to be an issue for me. I could already tell. Ugh. Nobody had taught me how to shield my thoughts, just how to not let them show on my face.
“Julia.”
I turned to Cole. His eyes bore sadness in their depths.
“My dad is waiting inside. Let’s go.” He slipped his arm around my shoulders after I’d nodded and walked to him, and he leaned into my ear. “I know you’re upset. I’m sorry. I won’t ever push you, unless you ask. I promise.”
Unless I ask? I wouldn’t be asking for him to push emotions onto me, ever. Thanks, but no thanks, crazy. My shoulders dropped half an inch when I relaxed into Cole’s side. As we approached the doors, Hank Thomas slid them open from inside.
“Miss Caldwell, is it?” Hank said.
My eyes went wide and my body tensed. He shouldn’t know my real last name. Cole stopped walking and instinctively pulled me tighter to his side.
“No, it’s Julia Statton, sir,” I said, having recovered my cool and also maybe drawn strength from Cole’s support.
Hank smiled, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “That’s right. I’m sorry for the mistake. I understand now that you aren’t going to be leaving my son’s side. Do you need anything for a four-day trip?”
It felt odd to have him being so civil toward me, especially considering our first meeting, followed by his threat to end the world. It would be easy to run down to the apartment and grab a bag.
“Julia has what she needs already. We have a bag from our trip up North,” Cole said.
Right, I no longer had a home, no longer a government asset. I didn’t have an apartment on Central Park anymore.
“Anything else I might need, I can just pick up wherever we are.” I smiled at him in nonchalance. How I would do that without any money, I had no clue. My bank account through the government would’ve been shut down, and it would for sure be monitored.
“All right, then. We’re going to leave here in an hour. Be ready by then,” Hank said before turning toward an empty hallway.
Cole tugged me in the direction of his room, and I slowly let out the breath that had been caught in my lungs ever since the face of The Sway had started getting up close and personal with me. I was pretty sure I’d heard Hank chuckle and that pissed me off to no end. Once behind the closed door in Cole’s room, I dropped his hand and paced the length from the door to the window.
“He knows, Cole. He knows who I am. Or who I was … I shouldn’t have come. Cole, I�
�m made. He is going to kill me.”
Cole pulled things from drawers and piled them on the bed. I mindlessly began folding the items while he slid a leather duffel bag from under his bed.
“He’s not going to kill you. Believe me, if he wanted you dead, you would be dead.”
Jeeze, how reassuring. “That's messed up.”
He shrugged. I knew what he said was true, but the actual vocalization of it made me cringe.
He held his hand out to me. “Can I have my boxers?”
I looked down to the black boxer briefs I had made a nice little pile of and blushed, picked them up, and threw them at Cole. He rewarded me with a heart-stopping smile and sparks of attraction bounced off my skin. His cheeks flushed and I remembered he could read me.
“Can you turn it off? The empathy? Or is it an all-the-time thing?”
He slid the remainder of his clothes into the duffel. “I can’t turn it off. Quade and I have tried a million different approaches and nothing works. I have improved, though. Before, I couldn't touch someone without pushing the emotion I was feeling onto them.”
He ran a hand against the hairline at his neck. “It made for some awkward make outs,” he added with a smirk.
Laughter bubbled out of me. Cole quirked a half smile in my direction. How often did he make-out? What if he had a real girlfriend? What did I even mean to him?
He was giving me a funny look, and I shook my head while I stuttered out, “I’m glad you have some control. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have complete control.”
He walked into a closet and pulled out a black backpack similar to the one I had been issued with at The Sway.
“Here, this has girly stuff in it.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
“How long have you been planning on initiating me into The Sway?”
Cole held a finger to his lips. Right, bugs everywhere.