“That’s right,” I whispered gently. “You are okay.”
I was still a little wobbly and woozy myself from the exchange. Everyone was hovering around her, myself included. Her eyes were closed and if we didn’t know any better, we might have assumed that she was just blissfully dreaming.
“She’s quite beautiful,” Jude said.
I glanced up at him and nodded. “Yeah.”
I held onto the side of the counter, trying to regain my balance. I needed to sit down a minute. Using mind control exhausted my internal resources. It was as if there was a stream of energy being forced from my body during the time I was locked into the mind of someone else and it took a moment to recover from that.
“Are you okay, man?” Liam raised his eyebrows and gave me a look of doubtful concern.
“I’m fine,” I reassured him.
“Really? You look a little pale to me.” He was unconvinced.
“Yes,” I said and held up a hand in front of me impatiently. “Just give me a moment to gain my strength back.”
Each of them gave me wary glances but then peered back curiously at the Mutant girl on the cot. Her chest rose and fell serenely and her arms were folded across her chest.
Liam scratched the back of his head. “So, now what?”
“What do you mean?” I asked him. “The sedation feeling should leave her brain in a few minutes. The endorphins fade after only a little while.”
“I’m not talking about that.” Liam shook his head and frowned. “I mean, what are we going to do with her?”
“We are going to take her as far away from here as we possibly can,” I said, and then eyed the group to make sure they were all in agreement and on the same page.
Jude nodded formally and then placed his index finger on his chin, pondering.
“That’s why we have to do our best to convince her,” Pete said, the last one of our group to get back to his feet.
He adjusted the glasses on his face. He was the most calm and rational of all of us. To call him a book worm or a teacher’s pet was an understatement, but he was still physically ripped enough to inflict some damage on an enemy target.
“I don’t really want to take her against her will,” Nick said with a worried expression.
“We can just tell her she has two choices. Wait to be captured by the Fundamental Society or go with us.”
“I know which option I would choose,” Liam said with a chuckle.
I glanced at the girl. She was still out of it, but she was beginning to stir a little. “She’s waking up.” My heart quickened with a fresh batch of excitement.
Pete took a deep breath and held onto the top of his head. “We need to restrain her.”
“Are you kidding?” I gave him a sideways glance. “And that’s supposed to prove to her that we are trustworthy?”
“What if she tries to bolt from the room again?” Pete countered.
I shook my head. “She won’t. That I can assure you of. She’ll be groggy and delirious for a few minutes with the aftereffects of the mind control. It doesn’t wear off that fast. It’s not an instantaneous thing.”
Pete nodded as if he was convinced with my answer and satisfied, at least for the time being.
“We will just strap her up to the cot and explain who we are,” I suggested.
Jude grunted as if he wasn’t fully keen on the idea. “I’m not sure I’m on board.”
“Then someone go stand by the door and close it, so she can’t break loose,” I said, feeling frustrated that we were running in circles. I hated arguments where no definitive agreement could be reached amongst the group.
“I’ll do it,” Pete said with a nod. He cracked his knuckles and walked to the door, closing it and standing with his back pressed against us. He gave us a confident smile. “I’m ready when you guys are.”
I took a deep breath. “I know we are all putting ourselves on the line here. I know what we are doing is risky, but just think about the fact that she’s young and vulnerable. If it was any one of us, I would want another Mutant to come to my rescue.”
Liam and Nick nodded in unison. As twins, they were normally on the same wavelength. “Agreed,” they chimed in at the same time.
The girl moaned softly and clutched the side of her head as if she were in pain. I internally cringed with guilt. Throbbing and pulsing in the brain sometimes could be a side effect of the mind control.
Oftentimes, the person unleashing the telekinesis would experience the same type of reaction, but I had recovered quicker than usual this time around. It probably had to do with the fact that I hadn’t been locked in with her mind pattern for a substantial amount of time before she crashed.
She sat up with another soft grunt and blinked. She appeared to be a little cross-eyed, as she swatted at the air and frowned. Then she began swinging her legs slowly up and down on the edge of the cot.
She glanced up at us with a dazed expression on her face. I froze, unsure of how she was going to react to us now.
Then, something completely unexpected happened. She grinned. Her mouth stretched into a giddy smile and she tumbled off the edge of the cot.
“Whoops,” she said with a cackle as she fluttered around the room.
She hobbled at first, like a deer just learning to walk. Her knees were slightly bent, and she extended her arms out in front of her.
I exchanged a glance with Jude, who looked as perplexed as I felt inside. “What did you do to her?” he mouthed to me.
I shrugged. “I honestly have no clue.”
Liam cleared his throat. “It’s good to see you awake again,” he said with a friendly smile. “We go to the Mutant Academy, and we are here to take you back with us.” He glanced around the room and shifted his weight. “That is, uh, if you want to come with us…” He trailed off a little less assertively.
The girl was still traipsing around the room, strutting her hips and swaying in a sexual manner that was making me feel a rock hard bulge between my legs. Her eyes fluttered gently as if she was still experiencing a dreamlike state.
She gently banged into the side of the counter and giggled again as if it was the most hilarious thing she had ever done in her entire life. I just continued to stare at her, dumbfounded.
Jude gave me a sideways glance. “Is this the aftereffect you were referring to?”
“I, uh…” I cleared my throat and whistled. “Not really.”
Liam cocked his head to the side. “She’s hot.”
“Shut up, you idiot,” Pete muttered under his breath to Liam.
I gulped and squared my feet on the ground. Her carefree aura was having a lingering effect on me too. I was intoxicated by her graceful, fluid movements around the room. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but her and her charismatic beauty. She had enough charm to flood the entire room with joy.
“Oh,” she said, and her eyes brightened. Her cheeks were flushed pink. She began walking in my direction.
I glanced at the guys out of the corner of my eye.
“She’s hungry for love and she’s coming for you, buddy.” Nick gave me a brotherly slap on the back and squeezed my shoulder.”
I gave him a lighthearted glare. “Stop.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. This girl had us all hooked with her demeanor and I had to learn to expect the unexpected when it came to her. She was by far the most interesting Mutant I had ever encountered.
I turned back to face her and watched as her silky hair fell down her back and shoulders like feathers. I yearned to reach out and run my hands through the delicate strands. Liam hadn’t been wrong in his observation. She was hot.
The girl’s eyes were lovestruck as she approached me. She had a glazed, vaguely lustful expression on her face. She stood right in front of me, the heat of her body radiating around us.
I locked eyes with her and held my breath. There was a burst of chemistry that sizzled and danced through the air between us. I was flooded with desi
re. She was peering up at me with a hungry look of longing on her face, as if she wanted to devour me. I was certain if that were true, I would not resist the temptation. No, I wanted to let her do whatever she wanted to me.
I knew that none of these fantasies could be true in reality. After all, we had only just met the girl. We didn’t know who she was, and clearly, she was a fighter. We had witnessed a dose of what she was capable of. I knew I wanted to see more. She had me in her talons and I was ready to ride with her on the waves of life.
“You are so fucking sexy,” she said to me with a wild grin and a gleam in her eye.
“Me?” I was taken aback and pointed to my own chest.
“Yes, you.” She laughed. “You are so silly.” She flung her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight. She yanked me closer to her and kissed me on the lips.
I felt a volt of pleasure electrify me from the inside out. My senses were awakened and I began to breathe rapidly. The touch of her lips on mine continued to linger even after she had pulled away.
Her eyes rolled back in her head and she began swaying as if she were suddenly overcome with dizziness. She looked as if she might be on the verge of passing out again.
I quickly held her in place before her neck went slack and her arms went as limp as noodles. I caught her before she fell.
She giggled again. “Thank you for coming to my aid.” She gazed deep into my eyes as if she were mentally trying to tell me that she knew that I was the one who put her under this spell and that we were having a little private joke.
I glanced at the guys, who were staring at us in awe. This was the weirdest exchanged I’d ever had with another Mutant.
“Geez, Gabe, what the hell did you do to her?” Jude asked again.
“I don’t know.” I was suddenly shaky as I placed her tenderly in a chair next to the wall.
Part of me hoped that she would remain giddy like that for a while, but I knew it wouldn’t last. As soon as she got her wits about her again, she would probably be disgusted with all of us. In the world I knew, ecstasy was always short-lived.
7
Gabriel
My friends and I continued to stare at the strikingly pretty Mutant girl as if she were some kind of oasis in a desert, an angel descending from the clouds. I even blinked just to make sure she wasn’t just a figment of my ripened imagination.
She was real all right, gazing loopily at us with an enticing grin spread across her juicy red lips, a pair of lips that I longed to kiss a second time.
As if reading my thoughts, Liam elbowed me in the side. “I can’t believe that she kissed you, man,” he whispered.
I glanced at him as if I didn’t know how to process the information, because honestly, I didn’t. I was still trying to figure out what was going on and how I had managed to gain complete control over her mind.
It hadn’t been my intention to seduce her or make her feel lust, but here we were. The reaction from the victim of mind control could never be determined in advance, but this one took the cake. I had never experienced this kind of response before, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a huge turn on that she had given me positive attention.
We didn’t have time for this right now, though. We were still under the threat of the Fundamental Society, especially because we now had proof that she had a tracking device in her wrist. Due to the fact that she was with us, we were under significant risk as well.
“Look,” I said and glanced around to gain the attention of the group. “We can’t stay here much longer. Lest you forget, we are Mutants too.”
I blatantly ignored the kissing comment from Liam, who rolled his eyes in response.
“Yeah.” Nick nodded in agreement and then his facial features shaded with worry. “The scientists would have a field day if they found us.”
“I’ll die before I let them capture me,” Jude said and cracked his knuckles with a defiant scowl.
“Me too.” Pete shook his head and adjusted his glasses again, even though he didn’t look as confident as Jude in his declaration.
I took a deep breath and observed the silver-haired girl. She looked like she was snapping out of her delirium. The expression of euphoria on her face was fading like a fog dissipating with the rising sun.
I gave the guys a wary gaze of concern. “She’s going to wake up from this trance-like state pretty soon and then she’s going to want to crack skulls again.”
Jude chuckled with amusement. “I can’t speak for you guys, but this time I’ll be ready to resist those blows no matter how sexy she looks right now.”
I wrinkled my forehead and inspected her. She really was quite unique and beautiful, almost ethereal. She was slender yet muscular and had proved that she could defend herself.
What have you been through, gorgeous girl? My thoughts had a mind of their own. I want nothing more than to take your pain away.
The girl stood up from the cot and gave each of us peculiar glances.
“Who…” she questioned and trailed off.
I opened my mouth to speak but thought better of it and quickly clamped it shut again.
“Where?” She shook her head and clutched the sides of her head as if she were experiencing a throbbing migraine.
I internally cringed, knowing full well that I was going to be to blame for that obnoxious side effect as well.
“It’s okay,” I said and took a brave step forward.
This time, she didn’t go into a protective stance. Her eyes darted skeptically between us, and her cheeks where flushed a cherry red color.
“What is this place?” she asked in a stronger voice than before. “Who are you?”
“We are Mutants,” I explained. “We’re here to help you.”
The girl had an untrusting glare on her face. “You’re Mutants?”
I nodded at the others and turned back to look at her. “Mm-hmm. That’s right.”
She shifted her weight and frowned. “Then why don’t you have silver hair or red eyes?”
“We’re in disguise right now,” Pete told her from behind me. “If the Fundamental Scientists or their guards spotted us, we would be instantly captured. Having the disguise buys us a little time to go freely through the woods.”
“You know about the scientists?” she asked, her tone apprehensive.
“Yes,” the five of us responded in unison.
She stared at us blankly, as if she couldn’t figure out whether she was in a dream or a real situation.
“Why do you want to help me?” she asked.
“Because you’re one of us,” Pete said.
Her doubtful expression lingered, and she adjusted her positioning in the chair. “What’s to say this isn’t just some trap? How do I know that you all aren’t just humans claiming to be in disguise?”
I exchanged a glance with my friends. Pete was the first to nod. I took off my baseball cap to reveal my silver hair that was beginning to reveal itself with its shift from black. Then one by one, each one of the guys did the same.
The girl just stood there with her mouth hanging open.
“Now will you trust us?” I asked.
She gave me a humored smile. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Will you at least listen to us and hear us out?” Jude asked.
She looked among us for several seconds and then shrugged. “Sure. I guess if you haven’t tried to kill me yet…”
“Which is more than we can say about you,” Liam teased.
I gave him a stern glance but apparently the girl took it all in stride. “It’s never going to be our intention to harm you,” I assured.
“I didn’t try to kill you,” she stated casually. “I was merely defending myself and putting you all at the debilitated end of the spectrum.” She locked eyes with me and again, her tantalizing gaze temporarily immobilized me.
I cleared my throat. “I, uh…” I trailed off and scratched the back of my neck. “I’m Gabriel.”
“I’m Jude.”
He cast her a friendly wave.
“I’m Liam and this is my twin brother Nick,” Liam declared.
The girl gave them a quizzical glance. “I thought you two looked alike.”
“I’m Pete.” He gave her a smile.
“I just thought it might be good if we started over and at least got on a first name basis,” I said gently.
The girl shifted her weight uncomfortably and peered down at her shoes. “I’m Tara,” she mumbled, but wouldn’t look up at us.
“Tara? That’s a beautiful name,” I said kindly.
Tara scoffed. “Save the flattery. It won’t get you very far with a girl like me.”
“Sorry,” I said and tried to recover. “I meant no offense.”
She seemed tough, I would give her that much. Whether it was an act or not, I wasn’t certain of yet.
Tara flicked her gaze briefly at me. “No offense taken.”
“Anyway,” I began again, trying not to agitate her defensive mood. “We go to the Mutant Academy.”
She lifted her chin and peered at me curiously. “The Mutant Academy?”
“Yes.” I nodded with an enthusiastic smile. “It’s a school for Mutants.”
She frowned. “Then why are you out here in the middle of the woods?”
“Our school is actually back that way,” Pete stated as he pointed abstractly over his shoulder. “Across the way on a little island beyond the woods.”
“Oh.” Tara looked at us as if she expected more of an explanation.
“We stumbled upon the outside perimeter of the Home Base camp where you were on accident,” I confessed. “It just so happened to be perfect timing that the alarms and gates were going off and you ran into us.”
I gave her a warm smile, but she continued to eye me as if she didn’t trust me as far as she could throw me.
“We need to get out of here,” Liam told her.
“Get out of here?” she asked and set her attention on him. “And go where?”
“Back to school,” Nick said.
Tara shook her head. “No way. I’m not going anywhere with you guys.”
“So, does that mean you are willing to take a chance on your own out there in the woods where guards will be searching for you? They will soon find you.”
Mutant Academy (The Fundamental Society Book 1) Page 6