“The true antidote is able to cure the disease and destroy the effects of the cure that I have created. Whoever finds the real cure will be provided endless gifts and power. I can guarantee that. With a true cure, we can rule the world.” He laughed delicately and I didn’t know how I felt about this. The world seemed to be so distant from where I stood over the ocean in this house. “Do not let me down. You start searching for these sick humans as soon as you can.” He sounded out each word as if they were a menacing threat. His eyes never left mine.
***
We had class. Whatever the heck that meant. I followed Theo into the room. It reminded me of any old classroom except in the far back, was a place that looked like a workout room. There were many machines, including a long tunnel, as well as a huge mat.
“So, this is our teacher, Dr. Matthews. We work on hand-eye coordination in the back. We have to fight each other but don’t worry, they’ll take it easy on you since it’s the first day.” Theo sounded more excited than I had ever heard him so I just nodded to reassure him.
“Like I would take it easy on her. That’s a big joke.” A very tall girl with long blonde hair scoffed at me. “If she is supposedly the savior then why should I take it easy?”
Anger built in my chest. I took a step forward but Theo blocked me with his body, practically shoving me behind him. “Look, I am just showing her around. Give it a rest. You don’t have to act tough all the time.” Theo said as the tall girl stared.
“I don’t have time for this. This girl isn’t May. You can’t make up for what happened by helping out some whinny, bitch girl.” I shook all over with rage but Theo jumped ahead and took his hand ready to slap her. He reached up and grabbed his hand with his other and shook his head all over as if he would cry.
“How about we keep May out of this?” There was a crowd of our classmates all around and I shuddered at the attention.
“You think I don’t know what you did to May? You turned her in, I know you did.” The rude girl said and Theo lurched forward but then a man stepped in between them.
“That’s enough, Cynthia.” Our teacher Dr. Matthews spoke with a calm voice. “Get to your seats.” They all walked to their seats and I was frozen in place.
“Ah. Lena, hello.” He said and I looked at him with curious eyes. “Take a seat anywhere you’d like.” He made his way to the front of the room and I glanced over the room. There was not a seat near Theo and thankfully nowhere near Cynthia. I strode down the aisle and finally found a seat behind a girl with jet-black hair. She was staring down at her desk with a death filled stare.
I flopped down in the seat. As soon as my butt hit the seat, Dr. Matthews began to speak. I scowled because I didn’t have paper. I had none at all. That was when the girl with jet-black hair turned to me. Her eyes were black as night and I was so captivated by them that I didn’t know what she was doing. She turned swiftly around and when I looked back down at my desk, there was a sheet of paper with a pen on top of it.
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t say “thank you” like I should have. I was stunned. It was as if she read my mind.
Chapter Seven: Bad Blood
I WENT TO class everyday. Theo’s behavior had turned a little shy around me and I didn’t understand why. He might have thought that I didn’t like him anymore because of Cynthia but he didn’t mention it again.
Cynthia still seemed to hate me and I had no idea why she did but I didn’t bother to ask. She could have been jealous of me for having the target that everyone seemed to want, but I didn’t know.
The girl who sat in front of me, continued to give me paper until finally I asked Theo where I could find some supplies for class. He led me down to a kind of store. Within the store was everything. Blankets, heaters and the most ironic of all, swimsuits.
“So this is like a resort. Sometimes I really think that.” I laughed as Theo made an action as if he were a waiter.
“Room service?” he asked me as he batted his eyes. I laughed loudly as many people in the store turned their heads to us with disapproval. “So how do you like it here?”
“Well. I have to admit. I don’t like some people. They kind of,” I hesitated for a good way to word it, “don’t seem to like me here.” He nodded.
“Some people are just like that. Cynthia is by far the worst. She hated May.”
“Why did she hate May?”
“May had powers that none of us had. She could lift things with her mind. She could murder us all at prom if she wanted to. She could do things faster than us.”
“That’s insane.” I said and realized I would have been jealous, but I totally would have tried to learn.
“So what about the girl I sit in front of?” I asked casually. Theo stopped and searched around the room.
“You mean Clementine?” I frowned because that certainly didn’t seem like her name.
“Sure. The girl with black hair, who kind of looks angry all the time.” I said with a raised eyebrow.
“Why do you ask about Clementine?”
“I just wanted to know her story. That’s all.”
“Get down.” We squatted behind the aisle of stuffed animals. How cute.
“Clementine was the first to receive the cure. When I say this, I mean she was the first to survive the cure we have.” I felt my eyes glazing over. That meant that Dr. Ravana had killed people to get the cure to work.
“She doesn’t speak. Ever. But somehow she always seems to be up to date on everything. About two weeks ago, before you came, she put a freaking sign on your door saying, “Stay out. Someone is coming.” She even fixed your door. There used to not be a lock on it. She fixed it. She knew you were coming and I have no idea how.” I felt chills run down my spine as he stood, never letting his eyes leave mine.
“What does this mean?” I followed him as he led me out the door of the store.
“Wait. I didn’t pay for this.” I scrambled back in the store and he grabbed my arm with a slight tug.
“Lena we don’t have to pay.” I looked on with confusion registering on my face. “We pay with our service. It is okay.” I nodded but somehow I thought there was more to this place then what meets the eye.
“So, Clementine?”
“Lena. I don’t know more than you do. Let’s talk about something else. Clementine gives me the creeps.” I nodded and listened as he talked about finding some new targets. I half listened, especially when I saw Clementine turn the corner, heading in the direction we were just in.
***
When class began Clementine wasn’t there yet, which was weird. Today was my first day of physical training. All week long, I was learning about targets and what makes them tick. I learned what I kind of already knew. Every Friday was our day to fight one another.
I was eager to see how I would do. I really wanted to fight Cynthia but she had been paired up with a boy named Wes. He wasn’t that intimating. He had bright blue eyes and was even taller than Cynthia but he was very scrawny. That was when the fight irrupted. In our fights, we are allowed to hit one another. Even if they are a girl and you are a boy.
I watched as Cynthia was viciously beaten to a pulp. He lunged for her, toppling her to the ground as he collapsed on her. He landed a punch to her nose. I felt warmth on my leg as I saw Cynthia’s blood there. I cringed but I was too captivated to not watch. Cynthia was finally at a breaking point. Flames erupted on Wes’s hair. Cynthia was burning him and he jumped up to pat his hair down, but the fire engulfed the rest of his boy. Cynthia stood weakly and blood poured down her face.
“Say you’re sorry and I’ll release you.” Fire didn’t hurt me, so I was sure it wasn’t hurting him. That was when he fell to the ground and wailed.
“I am sorry. Please.”
“Beg again.” She smiled and I looked to Wes who was thrashing about. Her fire must hurt.
“Please Cynthia.” He was finally out of the flames. Blistered from head to toe he stood. Shaking his head as he curse
d in pain.
“Bravo.” He held up Cynthia’s hand and said, “winner.” She smiled brightly as Wes limped to the side, almost toppling over. Our teacher was clapping and soon after everyone was clapping. “Now go and heal yourselves.” Each of them ran to a machine. They took turns; Wes went first, as he should have. A green light erupted around him as he stepped into something that looked like a tunnel. When he came out, the blisters around him were gone.
I was so mesmerized that I didn’t hear my name being called. I felt a nudge on my side and looked up quickly. “What?”
The class laughed and I searched around the room. “Lena, it is your turn. Your opponent is Clementine.” My mind froze as I searched the room. There she was. She prowled forward and I stood in place.
She stood in the center of the mat and waited for me expectantly. I didn’t know how to fight. I didn’t know how to do anything.
I walked forward and as soon as I was nose to nose with her. Our teacher yelled, “Fight.” I was knocked right on my ass in three seconds. Clementine jumped up on top of me and started to punch. I heard my scream before I could stop myself from doing it.
As soon as the scream left my body, Clementine was off me in seconds. She soared across the room and landed into the hut machine. When she stepped out of the machine, her face lit up with anger and she raced back toward me, with animalistic speed.
She grabbed my throat as we soared across the classroom. All my peers moved to the side. I caught sight of Theo, his mouth gapping open. She slammed me against the blackboard and for a second, my vision was blurred.
She let go of my neck, long enough to caress my necklace. I jolted at the feel of her cold hands. That was when a foreign voice entered my mind, “pretty necklace.” I froze in place. Someone just spoke into my mind and I would bet my life that it was Clementine. My eyes widened and I stared at her as a malicious look entered her expression.
Before I could stop her, she yanked my necklace. She attempted to take the necklace from me but it wouldn’t budge. She yanked again with the strength that knocked me to the floor. She got on top of me and began to beat my face with her fist, all while repeatedly trying to yank the necklace from me.
“Stop.” I screamed at her as she flew off me again, this time into chairs. I was startled to see that my shouts and yells seemed to have a force behind them. She lunged forward again and grabbed my necklace. She attempted to lift it over my head and I pushed as hard as I could. I spun around and kicked her square in the face. Where’d that come from? When did I learn that?
A voice in my head reentered. “Give me that necklace now.” It said to me as Clementine stared me down from the ground. She sat up quickly and I backed away as she closed her eyes. My necklace lurched me forward, and I was beside her in an instant.
She grabbed the necklace again and this time I felt the chain quiver as if it would break. I gulped loudly. I didn’t know the significance of the necklace but if she wanted it so bad, it had to be important. Letting it go would be a mistake.
My fist landed right in her face and her hands released my necklace. She reached once more, and I felt the chain yank again. I started to talk to myself from within as I closed my eyes. “Don’t let her have this. Don’t let her take it.” I spoke these words as if there were a spell and repeated it over and over again. Fury rushed through me.
That was when the floor began to rumble. I shot my eyes open as the ceiling began to flack off rubble. Desks toppled over and I watched as many students fell from the earthquake like movements. The equipment behind us began to fall and break. Her eyes locked with mine and I heard her in my head. “Stop this.”
I looked at the ceiling to see concrete slam down on Cynthia. “I’m not doing anything.” I shouted to her and she shot forward away from me. Her hands left my necklace. Oh no. I watched in slow motion as she bashed her head into the wall behind her. Blood spilled quickly from her and I rushed over. The rumbling stopped as soon as I took a deep breath.
I was shaking so bad. “Help.” I shouted to the class. My teacher stood in place as shock registered on him. He snapped for two students to help bring Clementine to the back to be healed. Thank god the healing machine was still standing because the room was halfway destroyed.
I swallowed deeply as he approached me. People cowered down as I gazed at them. Many were helping lift the concrete off Cynthia and raising her up to the machine. I felt like a freak. Dr. Matthews grabbed a hold of my hand, raising it slightly, “Winner.” He said softly. It was almost a whisper and I cringed at the silence that followed. No one clapped and if tears were able to fall, they would have been. He let go of my hand quickly.
The class as well as Dr. Matthews left me standing there alone. I hung my head in shame as I saw that no one came over to me. Not even Theo, who avoided eye contact as he rushed to see if Clementine was healed yet.
***
You know the saying, “Let the good in?” I couldn’t. I really couldn’t. I felt confused and I wanted to be alone for the rest of the day. I couldn’t help but feel that Clementine knew something the others didn’t. I had to talk to her. She spoke into my head and that was something I couldn’t just ignore. What happened when she tried to take my necklace? What did it all mean? I looked down at the necklace and held it with my hands.
What did this necklace mean? I let the thought skip from my mind. I was probably never going to have a friend here again. I could count on Theo never speaking to me.
I walked towards my door and heard many voices. I opened the door slightly to see a crowd of people talking together. I shut my door once more and listened. “Did you see her today? What a freak. Cynthia knows not to bother her now. She tried to kill her and Clem.”
“One less freak if she would have killed Clementine.”
I swallowed and tried to ignore the bile bubbling in my belly. The unshed tears were building up in my heart since they wouldn’t fall from my eyes. I backed away. I didn’t want to hear them talking any longer. I sat down on my bed.
I didn’t mind being alone that night. No one spoke to me as I left the classroom. Class was dismissed early, no doubt because of me. Being alone seemed like a normal thing for me and I didn’t want to let this subtle but aching feeling I had into my chest. All the time, I thought of him. My target. He was so intriguing and I felt like I knew him. Not just in a way that I knew Theo, but I felt like we knew each other in a past life of some type. I wanted to see him again. Just examine him from afar again. I had to.
That was it. I couldn’t keep myself restless any longer. All I wanted to do was see him. I could figure out this necklace and Clementine business later. I lifted myself up from the bed and moved to the windows, watching the ocean for a second to clear my mind. The waves crashed over and the sky was the slightest bit of black. It looked as if a storm must be brewing in the heavens.
Before I could doubt myself any longer, I pushed on the glass as it opened. I took flight into the night and let my mind guide me to where he was. I was surprised that as soon as I flew over the water, my eyes were blackened as always. It was as if they didn’t want me to see where I actually was.
I reached the same town but moved more cautiously through the trees to not draw attention to myself again and see my unfriendly visitors. The house I had been dreaming of, well daydreaming because I never seemed to sleep, was like my own beacon of hope. I was startled to realize that I had been so lonely because as soon as I landed on top of the house, I felt at home.
Conveniently he was in the exact same house. However, inconveniently he was inside the house today. I couldn’t break in. He was observant and would know that I was there. I looked intently at the house, trying to discover a way in. I just wanted to sneak around, maybe find out his name. Maybe his room hung a name as mine once did. I froze at my thoughts.
How did I know that? I don’t remember my old room. I shook away the thought. It didn’t matter; this is who I was now.
Again, I looked toward the house, sud
denly being able to see inside, as though I were there. The walls had disappeared. The boy was just beautiful as before. He wore a tight, black shirt, and I could see the curves of his muscles. He was deep in thought and his eyes bored fixedly on the paper in front of him. I looked closely and saw many drawings.
There was a loop around something that looked like the letter R. I didn’t understand what the drawings were but there were many funny looking R’s all along the paper. I tried to make sense of them but I couldn’t.
He let out a sigh and got up from his crouched position. His shoes were the same. They were a black, tarnished pair of combat boots and my heart picked up as I imagined them from beneath a bed. I blinked repeatedly to get the image out of my head and couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a memory of some sort.
He tossed the papers to the ground uselessly and paced back and forth before walking away. He was in the same exact clothes that he wore last too.
As he paced through the house, I noticed pictures of a family. I tried to look hard at them but something caught my attention before I could zoom in. I realized he was walking to a stairwell and before I could catch up to him, I saw beds toppled over, furniture on its back and walls with holes in them. He wasn’t just throwing papers around; the entire house was a disaster and things were strewn all around. Papers were scattered and he delicately stepped so he wouldn’t destroy any of them. An entire bookshelf lay uselessly on its side. Books were scattered throughout the room.
He strode down the hallway and the front door was directly in front of it. As he walked by, he held his hands delicately out and touched the walls. He looked to the left and hesitated. He walked three steps to the left and stopped himself. He held his hand out to the door but he stopped in midair. His mouth curved down into a frown as if to hold back tears.
Antidote Trilogy: The Complete Box Set Page 23