Prevail

by Wendi Wilson

  “Don’t move,” I ordered, pulling the power from my gut.

  All three of them froze in their seats, looking bewildered. The tears I’d been holding back spilled over, pouring unchecked down my cheeks. I hated myself in that moment, but I couldn’t think of another option that would keep everyone I loved safe.

  “Savanna, what are you doing? Let us go,” Wyatt said, his voice panicked.

  When I didn’t respond, Beckett uttered, “Savanna, please.”

  Jett opened his mouth but I cut him off, sending a command to all three of them. “Don’t speak.”

  The sounds of my heart pounding in my chest and their panting breaths were all that could be heard after that. I sniffed, the sound echoing off the walls. I wanted to keep my eyes downcast, but that was the coward’s way. I was a great many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.

  I met Jett’s eyes, seeing the anger there mixed with a large dose of disappointment. Beckett’s eyes were pleading, begging me to release them so we could talk it out. Wyatt looked puzzled, like he couldn’t believe I was using my power against them after I’d spent months preaching against the use of persuasion altogether.

  But circumstances had changed and I had to do what was best for everyone, myself excluded. I didn’t care what happened to me as long as the ones I loved were safe… starting with my boys.

  “I’m sorry, but this is the only way,” I said, faking confidence I didn’t really feel. “I love you all too much to let you get hurt.”

  Jett grunted, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

  “Please understand,” I begged. “If I let you come with me, he could kill them.” I didn’t need to clarify that I was talking about my parents. “I can’t call the police because there’s no way of knowing who’s a Purist and who’s not. I can’t take chances with their lives. I have to do as he says.”

  I scrubbed viciously at my eyes, wiping the tears away while pulling myself together. Time to be strong.

  Taking a deep breath, I let the power flow through me as I spoke, “You will let me leave here without argument.”

  Each of them relaxed in their chairs, like the fight drained right out of them. Watching them bend to my will really sucked. I was becoming everything I hated, but I couldn’t stop there.

  “You won’t come after me. You won’t worry about me or think about me at all.” I took a deep breath as fresh tears started flowing. “It won’t matter that I’m gone because you don’t love me, at all.”

  Deep, ugly sobs erupted from my chest as I ran from the room. I stopped and turned back as I grabbed my duffle bag by the door, sending a telepathic command that they could move and speak again. Grabbing the keys to my mother’s car from the hook on the wall, I ran out into the afternoon sunlight, slamming the door closed behind me.

  I opened the back door of the car and shoved my bag inside before jumping behind the wheel. I shoved the key into the ignition and cranked the engine but didn’t move to shift the car into reverse. I stared at the front door of the house, tears streaming down my face.

  I didn’t know what I was waiting for. Maybe I thought the boys’ love for me would be stronger than the persuasion. That they’d come pounding through the door, giving me hell for trying to leave them. Demanding that I take them with me. Telling me they loved me, despite my traitorous actions.

  The door remained closed.

  Taking a gulp of air, I shifted the car into gear and backed out of the driveway. Pulling out onto the street, I didn’t check the rearview mirror. I didn’t look back over my shoulder. Steeling my spine, I accepted what I’d done, strong in the belief that it was my only choice.

  At least, that’s what I told myself as I drove away from the only boys I’d ever loved.

  Chapter Ten

  It was dark by the time I pulled into Washington D.C. My tears had dried somewhere along the way, I wasn’t exactly sure when. I searched for a cheap motel, only having about seventy-five dollars left of the cash my dad gave me when I left home.

  I found a slightly shady looking place outside the city center with a big sign that told me it was within my budget, no credit card required. I checked in at the office, requesting a room in the back corner, away from the main road. After parking, I grabbed my bag from the back seat and trudged into the room.

  The scent of industrial cleaner assaulted my nose as I closed the door behind me, but it gave me some small comfort. At least the place had been cleaned. I dropped my bag and fell back onto the king bed. The rough polyester comforter made my arms itch when they brushed against it. But it didn’t bother me.

  I was numb. Uncaring and despondent.

  As I lay there, replaying my last moments with the boys in my head, I began to second-guess myself. They were big, strong men, despite the fact that I always thought of them as boys. I had no reason to doubt their ability to take care of themselves. They’d been doing it all their lives.

  I berated myself, cursing my panicked decision. What I would’ve given to have them there with me, comforting me and promising to stay by my side. I knew in my gut that was never going to happen.

  Even if I survived, escaped with my parents and made it back to them, breaking the persuasion and begging forgiveness, there was a chance they wouldn’t forgive me. I’d taken away their free will, made the choice for them. And I had to live with that choice.

  I pulled myself up from the bed and, digging through my bag, grabbed some pajamas and essentials and headed for the bathroom. I turned on the shower, making the water as hot as I could stand it, stripped off my clothes and stepped in.

  The steaming water pounded into my back, soothing the tense muscles. I moved mechanically, lathering my hair and washing my body before shaving my legs and armpits. I rinsed and conditioned my hair, using the products I bought right after Jett pulled me into the storage room for some heavy making out.

  The remembrance brought a sad smile to my face, but I didn’t cry. I was done crying. I had always been strong, not letting anything get to me. Standing on my own two feet.

  I’d done more crying in the last twenty-four hours than in the last few years combined. I was not that person, a fragile snowflake that broke down at every little thing. I was Savanna James, the hotheaded giant who earned the fear of her classmates. Savanna James, who gained the love and respect of the Patton brothers. Savanna James, an Alt who could persuade the masses, norm and Alt alike.

  I was done crying.

  I woke the next morning with a start, confused as to where I was and what I was doing there. It only took a moment to gain my bearings, and a quick glance at the clock showed it was only seven-fifteen. I had nearly five hours to kill before meeting Dr. Patton and saving my parents.

  After dressing and brushing my teeth, I repacked my bag and dumped it in my car before walking to the office to check out. I returned to the car and climbed in, cranking it to turn on the air conditioner. It was already warm out and I had tiny beads of sweat popping out across my nose.

  I pulled out my phone, using the internet search app to look up directions to the Lincoln Memorial. It only took about fifteen minutes to get there. I dropped my phone into the center console and buckled my seatbelt. Pulling out of the parking lot, I drove toward the city, looking for someplace to get some breakfast.

  I found a fast food joint and pulled into the lot. They had a value menu, and I needed to conserve money, just in case. I ordered two sausage, egg and cheese biscuits and a large coffee. I ate quickly, but the gnawing in my stomach didn’t abate.

  I realized the feeling had been there since I left the Madsen’s but I’d mistaken it for the churning of grief in my gut. It wasn’t grief. At least, not completely. It was also hunger, the kind food couldn’t diminish.

  I’d used persuasion and I needed blood.

  I cursed myself for not planning for it. I could’ve packed a stash from the Madsen’s supply. There I was, in a strange place, with very little money and no idea how to procure the one thing I needed to lesse
n my discomfort. Basically, I was screwed.

  I decided to try to ignore it. I could survive a few hours more. Dr. Patton would get some for me if he wanted me at my best for… whatever he had planned. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Only four hours to go.

  I drove straight to the memorial, not stopping to sightsee or visit one of the many sites I would normally want to explore. I could only think of what lay in store for me, servitude to a madman doing something I was sure to hate.

  I found a parking lot, the kind where you pay by the hour. I didn’t have a credit card to pay for a metered spot closer to the memorial. My parents could pay the fee when they left. Without me.

  I walked beside the long reflecting pool until I found an empty bench in the shade. I sat, staring at the water, my tired mind zoning out as daydreams of happy endings danced through my head. Happy endings that I knew may never happen.

  I had set an alarm on my phone for thirty minutes before noon, and before I knew it, its chiming music pulled me from my dazed stupor. I turned off the alarm and looked around. I was surprised, so sure that time would have dragged interminably as I waited. The opposite had happened.

  I was out of time.

  Though I technically had fifteen minutes left, a familiar figure walked toward me, moving at a fast clip. I watched as he approached, my heart rate escalating. Repugnance mixed with a healthy dose of fear filled me. I looked around. I didn’t see my parents anywhere.

  “Hello, my dear,” Dr. Patton said as he slid onto the bench beside me.

  “Where are my parents?” I asked.

  “Do not worry. They are safe… for now.”

  “What do you mean, for now? You promised to let them go if I came. I’m here. Now, let them go.”

  “I never promised any such thing,” he argued, his patronizing smile grating on my already raw nerves. “I only said they would remain unharmed if you cooperated. It would be unwise, don’t you think, for me to let them go now? I’d lose my leverage.”

  “You son of a b—”

  “Tsk. Tsk. No profanity, now.”

  He stood, holding out his palm toward me. As if I would take it. I stood up, ignoring his proffered help and motioned for him to lead the way.

  Things were not going as I had expected, but I wasn’t about to let him know he’d thrown me. I needed to keep my wits about me. I needed to at least pretend like I had the upper hand, even though we both knew I didn’t.

  When we reached the street, a large, black SUV with dark tinted windows sat idling by the curb.

  How cliché, I thought.

  The door swung open and as I took a step forward a shout rang out behind us. I whipped around, recognizing the voice screaming my name. My three boys were running toward me from across the plaza, followed closely by Lizzie, Silas and Slade.

  Before I could react, rough hands shoved me forward, pushing me into the car. I had no choice but to climb in. Dr. Patton heaved his way in behind me, slamming the door and yelling at the driver to go. I turned in my seat, watching the six of them slow to halt, their chests heaving as we sped away.

  “I told you to come alone,” Dr. Patton growled.

  “I did,” I said, suddenly afraid. “I swear, I persuaded them before I left. I told them not to follow me. I made them…”

  “Made them what?” he demanded when my words trailed off.

  I steeled my spine, unwilling to show my pain at the admission. “I made them stop loving me.”

  His face turned thoughtful as he watched me for any sign of deception. “Smart move,” he said after apparently deciding I was telling the truth. “But how did they break your persuasion?” He tapped a finger to his chin. “Did they have access to your blood?”

  I started to shake my head in the negative but froze before slapping a hand against my neck. My eyes widened as I stared back at him.

  “One of them bit you?” he asked, seeming amused. “So, he wasn’t susceptible to your persuasion.”

  “No,” I said. “No way. It was a very small amount and the effects had to have worn off by yesterday afternoon.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because there’s no way in hell Beckett would have let me walk out of there alone if he wasn’t affected by my persuasion.”

  He remained silent for a moment before nodding. “I believe you. So, the question is, how did they overcome your command?”

  “I have no idea,” I said, falling silent when my stomach rumbled.

  “Do you need food?” he asked.

  “No, I need blood,” I admitted. “I forgot I was going to need it after I persuaded the boys. I’m starving.”

  “Good thing I am always prepared for any situation,” he said, smirking.

  He snapped his fingers between the two front seats and the driver reached over into the passenger seat. Grabbing a small, black cooler, he passed it back to Dr. Patton’s waiting hand. Flipping open the lid, he pulled out a metal flask and handed it to me. It looked like Jett’s, only smaller.

  I unscrewed the lid, sniffing the contents. I wouldn’t put it past the doctor to drug me or add something to the blood in the name of science and experimentation. He chuckled, shaking his head.

  “It’s just blood, Savanna.”

  My stomach twisted and I knew I had no choice but to trust him, despite the fact that every time I’d done so, I’d been burned. My body was turning on me and I needed the blood. I flipped the flask up and took a long pull from it. It tasted normal, so I drank again. Relief hit me and my tense body relaxed a bit.

  “What, no thank you?”

  I bared my teeth at him, snarling. It would be a cold day in hell before I ever thanked him for anything. He shook his head as if he were disappointed, but the slight smile on his face belied the movement. I wished I could claw that self-satisfied smirk right off his face.

  But I couldn’t. I had to play the good little hostage, doing as he said no matter what. My parents’ safety depended on it.

  “They will not give up,” Dr. Patton said, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Who?” I asked, confused, thinking he was talking about my mom and dad.

  “My nephews and their friends,” he clarified. “They won’t give up until they find you. Things may get a little… ugly.”

  “You can’t hurt them,” I begged. “I’ll persuade them to leave. Please, just don’t hurt them.”

  I was falling back into panic mode despite the fact that I’d decided just the night before that they were grown men who could take care of themselves. I couldn’t help myself. I already felt guilty, blaming myself for their uncle even needing them in the first place. If he hurt them because of me…

  I didn’t think I could survive it.

  He didn’t respond to my plea, only making a huffing sound as he stared down at his phone, tapping away at the screen. I turned to stare out the window, watching the scenery zip by as scenario after scenario played through my mind of the boys getting hurt. Or worse.

  “Where are we going?” I asked when I returned to the present.

  “I have procured a house for us to stay in while we’re here.”

  “Are my parents there?”

  “Yes,” he said. “You’ll be reunited with them soon, my dear.”

  His attempt at a pleasant smile did nothing but make my stomach turn. I hoped he was telling the truth. That he hadn’t hurt them. That they had forgiven me for using my persuasion against them and running away.

  It was my fault they were hostages to a madman. If I hadn’t left and had just done what Dr. Patton wanted, they’d be safe at home. I would do whatever it took to get them away from him.

  Exhaustion hit me like a bag of bricks. Worry about Dr. Patton’s plans for me, my parents, my boyfriends and the others was weighing down on my shoulders. My burden was heavy, but it was mine.

  I looked over at Dr. Patton. When he finished tapping on the screen of his phone, he set it in his lap and met my eyes before holding out his palm.
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  “Give me your phone.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  He only raised an eyebrow and jiggled his hand, an impatient gesture that made me sigh. I pulled my phone from my pocket and slapped it into his hand. He pressed the button to wake it up and sighed again.

  “Code, please.”

  “One-seven-four-seven,” I mumbled.

  “Thank you,” he said, his polite tone only making my anger spike. “Ah, twelve missed calls and seventeen text messages.”

  “What?!” I exclaimed, reaching out to snatch the phone back from him.

  He pulled it out of reach. “No, I think I’ll keep this. Can’t have you trying to reach out to them. To tell them where we are.”

  How had I missed all those calls and text messages? I thought, slumping back against the seat. I had turned the device to vibrate, only leaving the alarm volume on its loudest setting. But it would have vibrated, and I would have felt it.

  I must have been more out of it than I thought. The whole situation was just overwhelming. I turned towards Dr. Patton and he looked up to meet my eyes.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked.

  His eyes lit with an unholy light as he smiled at me. “All in due time, my dear. All in due time.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Savanna!”

  My mother’s arms wrapped around me as soon as I stepped into the cramped living room. Despite my resolution to abstain from crying, I couldn’t stop the sobs that wracked my body as I buried my face against her chest. When I tried to pull away, she tightened her grip, refusing to let me go. Pulling back just far enough to see my face, she ran her fingertips over my brow and down my cheek.

  “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “I’m fine,” I said, using my sleeve to dry my cheeks.

  “Hey, Pumpkin.”

  I pulled out of Mom’s arms so I could hug my dad. He squeezed me tight, making it hard to even take a breath. We stood that way for a long while, the heat from my father’s body warming me. His grip on me only loosened when Dr. Patton cleared his throat.