Psychic Lies: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 2)
Page 18
The top floor was just as much of a mess as the bottom floor. Ten cots were lined up against the wall, each with a young teen, somewhere between the ages of twelve and sixteen sitting on them. They were sleeping with one wrist handcuffed to the bed so they couldn't escape.
My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. "Oh my god," I said.
"Who would do this?" Zoe echoed my feelings.
The boys didn't stop to think. "Hey, wake up, help is here."
The kids were slow to wake. They looked weak and tired. "What's going on?" The youngest girl said.
I recognized her and some of the others from the news. "We're here to get you out." I said, breaking her handcuff with my energy. Zoe glanced at me before walking to the next bed to do the same.
The room was hot and stuffy. The air conditioner in the window was plugged in but not running. I wiped sweat from my face and broke the last handcuff.
The kids sat silent and dumbfounded. I had expected a warm welcome or a thank you at the very least, but they were almost like zombies.
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
They all shrugged.
"They're probably dehydrated and in shock," Luke said. "I'll take them two at a time and they'll be safe in no time."
"You're taking us away?" A curly-haired boy said.
"We've come to save you," Luke replied and extended his hand. "Come with me and we'll get you back to your parents."
"Are you working for that woman?" One kid asked.
"No, we're the good guys." Luke said. He was trying to stay calm, but we could be caught at any moment. We needed to get these kids out while we had the chance.
"So who wants to go first?" I tried, plastering the best friendly smile I could muster. "Luke is here to take you to safety."
It was obvious from the look on their faces that none of them trusted us, which, given what they had just gone through, was to be expected.
The smallest girl raised her hand. "I'll go." Her voice trembled. She and the curly haired boy took Luke's hand.
I breathed a sigh of relief as they vanished.
The other kids gasped.
"Luke will be right back," Ryland promised. "We're all getting out together."
The younger kids crowded around the oldest, a girl who'd I'd guess to be about sixteen. She hadn't yet spoken or made eye contact with us, but I knew her face from the news. Fatima. She set his shoulders and looked at me. "We didn't think anyone was going to come for us." She said softly.
"Help is here now," I said. "No one is going to get left behind."
A minute later Luke reappeared. "Let's go quick, I have an agent standing by to retrieve them." He panted.
Two more kids raised their hands to go with him.
"Hey what's going on here?" A voice shouted. A Rogue was standing at the door, so large he nearly took up the whole frame.
I recognized him from our last fight. His nose was still crooked. How did he escape the FBI? I didn’t have time to dwell on it. "Go, Luke, we got this!"
Luke grabbed the kids and teleported out before he could be stopped.
I held up my hands and forced my energy towards him. He fought against me with his own telekinetic powers. He was stronger than last time, probably fueled by adrenaline at the thought of the hostages getting away.
Zoe planted her feet beside me and her powers intertwined with mine. Together we overpowered the man and threw him against the concrete wall.
"Ryland, get the kids into pairs, we'll hold him off." I shouted.
The Rogue grunted and forced himself off the wall. "Our master is not going to like this one bit," He snarled.
Luke reappeared, grabbed two more and vanished.
The man roared at us. "Those are our recruits!" He shouted, spit flying as he spoke.
Fatima stood at my other side. "You're not recruiting anyone!" Her eyes blazed.
I could see the anguish behind them. How long had she been gone from her family and kept in this disgusting hovel? My heart ached for her. "Are your psychic powers active?" I asked.
The girl nodded. "I'm just like you."
"Great," I grinned. We just had to hold off this guy long enough to get the kids out safely and then we'd be in the clear. I pushed harder with my energy and the other girl did the same.
The Rogue was stuck to the wall and unable to move. "You bitches," He shouted and struggled against the force. Three against one was too much to handle.
Luke was panting and sweating when he teleported back in. He rubbed his eyes and reached out for the next pair.
"Just two more after this. You got this, man," Ryland said.
Luke nodded and vanished again.
"When Luke comes back, you need to go with him." I said to Fatima.
"No, I'm staying and fighting." She said, her eyes not leaving the Rogue. "I can't let them get away with taking me away. I haven't seen my family in weeks."
"I know you're angry, but there are agents out there to help us. The best thing you can do is get to safety and go with the kids." I had only been with them for a few minutes, but it was obvious they saw her as a leader, as a source of strength. "Please, you have to for them. They need you."
The girl's powers slipped and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so tired of being strong." She sniffed.
"It's ok, go with them," I said.
Luke reappeared. "Last round, let's go!"
Fatima stepped backwards, waited for one last reassuring glance from me, and then grabbed Luke's hand.
"That's all of them." Ryland shouted.
"No!" The Rogue pushed off the wall and grabbed something from his pocket. It looked like a tracker with a big button. He pushed it and an alarm rang out. "Now you're all going to pay." He fainted from exhaustion.
I let my powers adjust to a resting state. The clip in his hand was still beeping. "Turn it off!" I shouted.
Ryland stomped on it with his boot. It took a few strikes to silence it.
"What was that?" Zoe asked.
"I don't want to wait to find out." Ryland said. "Where's Luke?" The time between teleports was getting longer as he grew more tired.
The pulling energy returned to my chest and I felt faint. "Oh no," I mumbled. The energy surrounded me and filled the room. It was suffocating and the sensation was only emphasized by my realization of what was coming.
"We need to get out of here now!" I shouted.
"Why?" Ryland asked.
There was a flash of light and shadow and the masked woman appeared. "Ah, what a pleasant surprise. I see you've come back to me already, Bianca."
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
The woman snapped her fingers and in a second we were transported out of the building and into the front lot. Everything around us stopped. It was like someone had paused a video game. A dome of purplish light enveloped us.
"What's going on?" I demanded. It was just me and her now, finally alone.
The woman tipped her head, her face still hidden by the mask. "I wanted to give us an opportunity to chat, my dear." Her voice was in my head.
I cringed. "Don't call me that!"
"But you're my daughter." She said.
"You may have given birth to me, but you're not my mother!" I spat. "I would never call someone who hurts innocent people my family."
"I think you might change your mind if we got to know one another." The woman said. She hovered eerily off the ground with her white dress floating just above her ankles. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
I hesitated. Of course I did. What kid wouldn't? "There's nothing I need to know that is worth letting you go free," I said.
The woman laughed, and it rattled my mind. "Such brave words, coming from a girl who's just discovered her powers." The purple dome around us was fading. "I cannot pause time for much longer, my dear. You need to decide."
"Decide on what?" I asked.
"On what you will do from here, knowing what you know now." The woman gestured around us. The psychic
agents and Rogues were locked in a battle, paused mid-strike, mid-shot, mid-breath. "You have the power to stop this. Come with me."
"Why me?" My voice sounded small.
"Because you are my daughter. I want to show you the truth of this world. I've been looking for you for years, my darling." The woman said.
I flinched. Had she really been looking for me? Did she really care about me, even after giving me up?
"I can read your thoughts," The woman said. "If you come with me, I will answer any question you ask." The purple flickered and the energy waned. "We don't have much time."
A psychic who could control time? Just what kind of person was she? I forced the thought away. "No, you need to face justice for your crimes. Kidnapping children? Attacking psychics? What's wrong with you?"
The psychic dome around us began to crack.
"How dare you take that tone with me," The woman hissed in my mind. "Can't you see your options are limited? If I were you, I'd think carefully." She threw up her hands and the dome evaporated. The agents and Rogues around us blinked and staggered where they stood. She held up her hands and clenched her fists. Every agent was lured into her grasp. There were about twenty of them in total, gasping for air.
"Stop it!" I screamed.
"Then choose," The woman said.
"Bianca!" Ryland, Luke, and Zoe came running out of the building. The Rogues grabbed Zoe. Two more aimed their weapons at the boys.
"Stop right there!" The woman shouted through our minds. The feeling made me dizzy and sick. The crystal that hung around her neck began to glow and the energy pulled me towards it. "Anyone move and I will have them killed."
"No!" I screamed.
Luke and Ryland exchanged a glance. Luke could teleport before a shot could be fired, Ryland wouldn't be so lucky.
"Please let them go!" I begged. "Please, you've made your point."
"Have I?" The woman echoed.
"Yes, please, don't hurt them. I'll do whatever you say."
The woman burst out in laughter, the sound reverberating through everyone's heads. "So now you'll do whatever I say. Are these precious little boys that important to you?"
"Everyone's life is valuable to me," I said.
"So young and innocent," The woman hummed. "It's adorable, really. I remember when I used to think like that. Why should I bargain with you?"
"Please, I'll do anything." I choked. "If you hurt anyone, I'll never forgive you."
"Then come with me." She held out her hand and the energy waves pulsed around us.
"No! Bianca, no!" Ryland shouted.
"Silence!" The woman flicked her wrist and tightened her psychic grip around him until his face went pale. "One more outburst like that and you're dead, boy."
I stood facing her, my hands at my sides. I didn't dare use my talents against a psychic who could make time itself stop. I took a glance at Ryland, who shook his head furiously, unable to do anything else. I took a deep breath. "If I go with you, do you promise that everyone will leave here safe and alive tonight?"
"You have my word," The woman said.
"And the Rogues will not harm them either?"
"No, your little friends and the agents are free to leave. I guarantee it," The woman said. "Being with you is more important to me than any of them." She stretched her hand out further. "Come with me and everything will make sense."
My hands trembled. I ignored Ryland's pleading look. I was doing this for their safety. To save their lives. It was my only option. I took a step forward, my shaking hand hesitating above hers.
I looked at her blank white mask, hoping to find some sliver of humanity and coming up with nothing. This was it. I had no other choice.
"Come with me, daughter." Her voice echoed in my head.
"I'm sorry!" I shouted out and took her hand. Her skin was soft and cold to the touch.
The last thing I heard before we teleported was Ryland's screams.
EPILOGUE
RYLAND
Watching her teleport with that woman was the hardest thing I had ever done.
I sat in the hidden boardroom, cracking my knuckles against the table. The room was dead quiet. No one said a word. The Major was pacing back and forth. Luke had no expression. Zoe and the other few students who agreed to meet were just as shell shocked, only half of them were brave enough to show their faces at the meeting. Ms. Blackwell seemed the most distressed, tapping her fingernails on the table, her hair was a mess and her eyes were dark. She probably hadn't slept since Bianca vanished.
Neither had I.
All I could do was go to the gym to block out the pain in my heart. How could she have left us? Why did that woman take her away? Two weeks and no word of her? Even the Rogue activity had ceased. It was as if they disappeared off the face of the earth.
The past two weeks were the longest weeks of my life. Every morning I woke up I hoped that today would be the day that Bianca would be found. I dreamed of watching her walk through the front gates completely unharmed and everything would go back to normal.
The telephone rang and everyone jumped, staring at the Major until he picked it up.
“Hello. Yes, this is Major Griffiths.” He turned away from us while he spoke. There was silence. “I see. Thank you for the update.” He set the receiver down and shook his head.
“So, what is it?” Luke demanded. “Any word?”
“Possibly the worst news,” The Major said.
We all sucked in a collective breath.
The major tapped away on his laptop and brought up a video on the screen behind him. It was from a CC security camera, the recording was grainy, but not too distorted to hide the truth.
Bianca.
It was Bianca, flanked by two Rogues. They were breaking into a warehouse, trying to get something out of boxes. The lights flickered and the trio teleported out of sight.
How could she do this? Bianca. The most amazing, innocent, talented, caring girl I had ever met. She wouldn’t be working with the Rogues. Working for her mother? No way, it had to be a mistake. The video looped again and I knew I could not deny it. It was Bianca, there was no doubt.
Everyone sat in stunned silence.
“It seems,” Major Griffiths said. “It seems that Bianca has gone Rogue.”
COMING FEBRUARY 2020
PSYCHIC
TRUTH
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER BOOK 3 OF THE PSYCHIC ACADEMY!
PSYCHIC TRUTH
Last term, my world was turned upside down by a shattering revelation.
Apparently, I have more in common with the Rogues than I thought. As I dig deeper, I realize that there’s more going on behind the scenes that I could have ever imagined and those who I thought were friends might be enemies after all.
I’ve been given an ultimatum - join the Rogues or watch everyone I love die. Now, with the deadline drawing closer, I’m going to have to chose between those I love and my destiny, and I can’t have it both ways.
*****
PSYCHIC TRUTH is an upper YA/NA Urban Fantasy with a hint of slow-burn love triangle romance.
Psychic Academy
Book 1: PSYCHIC SECRET
Book 2: PSYCHIC LIES
Book 3: PSYCHIC TRUTH
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER BOOK 3 OF THE PSYCHIC ACADEMY!
READ RYLAND’S STORY…
Before Ryland Williams came to the Federal Psychic Training Academy - North Campus, he was the star pupil of the West Campus. Then it all changed because of a simple mission gone wrong. Now, he only has one chance to redeem himself and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone stand in his way.
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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for reading PSYCHIC LIES (Psychic Academy Book 2). I’m so excited to share the ending of their story in the next installment of Psychic Academy. :)
If you liked PSYCHIC LIES, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. This helps indie authors like myse
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BOOKS BY SAMANTHA BELL
***Psychic Academy Series***
PSYCHIC SECRET
(Psychic Academy 1)
October 2019
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PSYCHIC PRODIGY
(Psychic Academy 1.5)
October 2019
Newsletter Exclusive (FREE)
PSYCHIC LIES
(Psychic Academy 2)
December 2019
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PSYCHIC TRUTH
(Psychic Academy 3)
February 2020
Pre Order on Amazon
***Magical Delinquents Series***
WAYWARD WITCH
January 2020
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***The Bloodletters Series***
THE BLOODLETTERS
(The Bloodletters 1)
October 2019
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THE BLOOD CROWN
(The Bloodletters 2)
TBA 2020
Coming soon!
***Stand Alone Novels***
BECOMING HUMAN (2017)
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SAMANTHA BELL
SAMANTHA BELL is a writer, student, and self-diagnosed book hoarder.
She has been living in her imagination as long as she can remember.