by Marina Epley
“Darn it, Kitty!” I almost yell. “You’re fine just as you are. And I do love you as my friend and sister, and always will. Isn’t that enough for you?”
“No! It’s not enough, I’m not your freaking sister and never have been!” Kitty shouts. “Why don’t you want me?”
“Kitty, you’re fifteen,” I answer. “You’re still a child.”
“I’ve never even had a childhood, Rex. You don’t know what I went through before we met. Trust me, you don’t wanna know. I’m not a stupid innocent child. And even if I were it wouldn’t change how I feel. I’d love you anyway.” She narrows her eyes in suspicion. “Is it because of her?”
“Because of who?”
“That nasty woman with dark hair and the ugly glasses. I saw you and her together in my dreams.”
She’s talking about Rebecca, I understand.
“She has nothing to do with it,” I explain.
“Is she better than me somehow? Do you love her?” Kitty asks angrily.
“Kitty! Just stop it,” I say. “You’re talking nonsense. And we don’t really have time for all this drama. We need to find a way to escape from here.”
Kitty listens quietly as tears roll down her face. I know she’s hurting.
“I came here for you, Kitty,” I tell her. “I agreed to work for Elimination and locate the terrorists. They will spare your life in return. We have to figure out how to contact Elimination.”
“Hammer was right unfortunately,” Kitty says slowly. “You are a traitor.” She steps back from me as if afraid. “I’m not going anywhere, Rex. This is my home.”
“They’re terrorists, Kitty,” I say.
“You are not the guy I thought you were,” she says, covering her face. “You were just using me all those years. My goodness! How could I have been so stupid?”
“Where’s this coming from?”
“You never really cared about me! You just didn’t want to be alone. So you just used me for some kind of pet, you selfish jerk! You never considered the possibility that I may actually feel something for you!”
“Kitty,” I say, reaching for her. Kitty slaps my hand away, stepping back.
“Don’t freaking touch me!” she yells. “You’re a traitor! And you don’t give a damn about me! I hate you and wish you were dead!”
Kitty turns and runs off. I remain standing at the edge of water. I won’t follow her now. We both need time to recover our senses.
I sit down on the sand, thinking. Does she really hate me now? I don’t know. She’s so different. Things have grown wrong between us and gotten too complicated.
I hear hands clapping behind my back. I turn to look. Drake is walking toward me, laughing.
Chapter 23
“Well done, hero,” Drake says, approaching. “I can’t believe you’ve missed an opportunity to have some fun with that little hottie. A very poor decision I think.”
I realize Drake is trying to make me angry, but I don’t react.
“I hope now you can finally accept the fact that Kitty can never be yours,” Drake continues, “unless you choose to join us. So, what’s it gonna be?”
“If you could truly read my mind, you would know my answer,” I say.
“Is that a no?” he sighs. “Such a waste. I don’t understand your continued resentment toward our group here. We’re helping breakers.”
“By burning innocent children,” I counter.
“Not true. I’d never order anything along those lines. I don’t know what kind of lies Elimination may have fed you, but I’m really surprised you’ve fallen for them so easily after everything they’ve put you through.”
Drake walks to the edge of water and stares out at the horizon. I wonder why he denies being responsible for the acts of terror committed at the school and hospital. Is he in denial? Or could be he telling the truth? I don’t know what to believe. I only know I don’t trust Drake and I hate the way he talks about Kitty.
“I don’t blame you for joining Elimination,” he says. “Everybody has to pick a side in this war to survive. You didn’t have much of a choice. Now there’s a very narrow window in which you do. The humans who didn’t develop breaker abilities will not be the ones who win this war. Their time has passed. It’s our time now. Joining us is the only good option you have.”
“I don’t believe you are concerned for my well-being,” I say. “Why do you really want me to join this group?”
“You’re a very strong breaker,” he explains. “We need as many strong breakers fighting for our cause as we can get. Besides, every breaker in the country knows your face. You’d be great for propaganda purposes, telling your story and inspiring our troops for war.”
“Being the inspiration for war is not something I really want to be remembered for,” I say.
“This is a unique opportunity,” he says. “We’re carving our future from right here on this island. Very soon I’ll have enough volunteers to build an army. Can you imagine the power of thousands of breakers fighting together as a single unit? Ordinary humans won’t stand a chance against us. We’ll destroy the old world and build a new one. A country controlled by breakers, where lesser humans are slaves. If you choose to come in at the grassroots of this struggle, you’ll have an opportunity to become one of the leaders of the future. You’ll have an abundance of power and wealth.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong guy,” I answer. “I don’t believe in slavery, and I have no desire to be anybody’s leader.”
“Nonsense. Everybody wants power and wealth,” Drake smiles. “We should feel very fortunate, having before us a chance to create something truly great. A chance to grab as much power as we have courage to take. I’ve had my fill with hiding out and being on the run. There was a time when I hated being a breaker, so I understand all these doubts you’re having. We’ve been conditioned to be obedient and ashamed with being the freaks of society. But we’re not freaks at all, but a vastly superior race. Now we can all be really proud of being breakers. I owe a debt of gratitude to Elimination for hunting and killing us, making this war necessary. Where would I be without them? Working regular hours, living an average boring life? Who really needs it? Elimination helped me to become the leader I am. They’ve empowered myself as well as others in forcing us fight for our very existence.”
“The cost of such a war would be too high,” I say. “You don’t seem to care about all the breakers you’ll be sending to their deaths. Are they just a means to an end, acceptable losses for the gain of power?”
“Power is everything,” Drake answers calmly. “This is why wars have been fought in the past and will be fought in the future. Do you believe that our current government really hates breakers? Or even Elimination for that matter? They’re just trying to hold onto their positions of power. The real problem is that the weak control the strong, but that’s about to change.”
“I see.”
“I’m glad you understand now. What’s your decision, Rex?”
I hesitate for a moment. I’m not going to join these terrorists, but I really need to win some time.
“I need more time to think,” I say. “You may be right in saying that joining the group here is my best option. I haven’t decided yet.”
“You’re a bad liar, Rex,” Drake says. “I’m truly disappointed. You’d be a nice addition to my force.” He looks into my eyes and says, “You realize this was the only way for you to be with Kitty. Upon rejection of my offer you’re losing her forever.”
Drake leaves. I remain sitting on the sand. I’m not sure what to do next. Closing my eyes, I concentrate, thinking of Lena. Where are you, I call. Nothing. No visions. No sense of her presence. She can’t locate me.
It’s getting dark. I get up and head back toward the mansion to look for Kitty. I need to find her and persuade her to leave with me. It won’t be easy. She’s always been so stubborn.
I need to be thinking of an escape, but can’t stop thi
nking of what happened between us earlier. This is all my fault, I decide. I should have never let Kitty become so emotionally attached to me. I should have been more strict with her. But how could I? She was my only friend and family. She needed care, being so little and vulnerable. All those years I saw only a child in Kitty and didn’t notice her growing up so suddenly. Of course she developed a crush on me. Who else could Kitty choose? She always held ordinary people in contempt and I was the only breaker she knew. She wanted to fall in love. I was the only guy around whom she could trust.
I sigh. Maybe it’s not as serious as it seems and Kitty will change her mind about hating me. But somehow I know our relationship will never be the same anymore. She won’t forgive my rejection easily. This is awful. It seems like I’ve lost the only true friend I’ve ever had.
Approaching the mansion, somebody yells from behind, “Hey, traitor! Where’re you going?”
I look back. Hammer and several breakers are walking toward me.
“It’s none of your business,” I answer, proceeding toward the entrance. Hammer jumps in front, blocking my way.
“We don’t allow Elimination dogs in here,” he says, smiling.
I stop, looking at him. My muscles tense, readying for the coming fight. Hammer grins, waiting. His breakers form a circle around me. They remind me of Bulldog and his gang.
“About time for you to become dead for real, hero,” Hammer says, charging into me. I step to the side, throwing a punch to his ribs as he goes by. Somebody knocks me in the head hard from behind. I sway, losing balance. They attack me like a pack of wild dogs, tackling me to the ground. I cover as best I can, rolling onto my stomach. Somebody puts his boot onto the back of my head, pressing my face into the sand.
“Get what you deserve, traitor!” Hammer growls.
“Hammer! Stop it!” I hear a loud command. A furious Kitty runs toward us. The breakers halt my beating for the moment. Snarling in anger, Kitty jumps on Hammer’s back, scratching at his face and shoving him away. “Leave him alone, you moron!” she shouts.
Hammer’s surprise quickly wears off and he slaps Kitty. It’s enough to knock her down. Almost instantly, she scrambles back to her feet and attacks him again, kicking and clawing. Hammer easily avoids the attack this time, securing her arms behind her back.
“Don’t touch her!” I yell.
An enraged Kitty is still trying to bite and scratch. It doesn’t help.
“You vicious little rat,” Hammer says. “Know what? I might just get rid of you too.”
He snatches Kitty up and carries her off somewhere. She’s calling for Drake, kicking the air and beating Hammer with her fists. It doesn’t have much effect on him.
Multiple hands jerk me up to my feet. A gun is pressed to my head.
“Walk,” a breaker commands. “And don’t think of trying anything stupid. The last thing you’ll see will be your brains being blown out the front of your head.”
We follow Hammer and Kitty down the beach. I walk, trying to overcome the pain from the beating I’ve just taken. My head hurts. I spit blood. I need to do something or they’ll kill us both. Concentrating, I project my thoughts toward my attackers. It doesn’t work. I’m too weak at the moment. The ground seems to sway under my feet. I’m nauseated and exhausted from the struggle.
We approach an old water well, made of huge stones. I doubt anybody uses it now.
“Let me go!” Kitty screams. “I’ll freaking kill you, Hammer!”
Hammer brings her to the edge of the well. He turns his face to me and smiles.
I know what he’s about to do. My mouth gets dry.
“No!” I shout. “Don’t!”
Hammer throws Kitty down the well. She screams desperately, disappearing in the dark. I hear water splash and then nothing. Kitty doesn’t scream anymore.
“Kitty!” I call. No answer.
I stare into the well in shock. I can’t move, being temporarily paralyzed.
“What are you waiting for?” Hammer asks. “Jump.”
I approach the well and look down. Everything is pitch black. I don’t hesitate or think how dangerous it is. I just step up to the edge and jump, dropping into the darkness. A momentarily sensation of weightlessness makes me gasp. My body hits the water hard. It’s icy cold and takes my breath away. My momentum slams me down through the water until I collide into the well bottom. Pain shoots through my body and for a few seconds I’m completely disoriented. Shivering and coughing I’m able to stand up on my feet. The water level in the well is up to my shoulders.
“Kitty,” I call, searching for her with my arms.
“Have fun down there, traitor,” Hammer yells from above. I look up and see him and his breakers closing a solid cover over the well. Darkness.
My hand bumps into something under the surface. I grab her and pull closer toward me. Kitty! Her body is slack and I can’t tell if she’s breathing or not. I can’t perform resuscitation because there’s no hard surface to put her on. Only slippery stone walls and water. I realize Kitty may be already dead. Panicking, I yell her name, shake her and slap her face, keeping Kitty’s head above the water.
“Wake up!” I shout. “Please, wake up Kitty!”
Kitty gasps, coughing.
“Is that you, Rex?” I hear her trembling voice. “I can’t see anything.”
“It’s me, sweetie,” I say softly. My teeth are chattering from the cold. I feel Kitty’s body shivering.
“Are we in the well?” she asks. “Rex, what do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully.
We look for a way out, examining the walls with our hands. They’re slick and impossible to climb.
“Help! Somebody help!” Kitty yells desperately. Nobody comes to rescue us. They either can’t hear or just don’t care. Nevertheless, Kitty continues calling for help and I attempt to climb the wall. Useless. I can’t get a hold.
We stand in the near freezing water, holding each other and shivering. I try to warm Kitty, but I’m very cold myself. I hear her weak ragged breath. We have to get out of here or we’ll both wind up with hypothermia. How on earth is the water so cold on a tropical island? It must be coming from a deep underground source, I decide.
“Rex, I’m so sorry,” Kitty cries. “It’s all my fault. I should have listened to you.”
“It’s okay,” I mumble. I can hardly move my freezing lips.
“I didn’t mean what I said to you earlier. Please, forgive me. I can’t hate you. You’re all I have. You’re my whole world.”
“Please don’t cry Kitty.”
She coughs. Her body shudders and sinks down. I hold her, not letting her head go beneath the surface of the water. Kitty feebly grabs my neck. Her feet don’t touch bottom. If I lose consciousness and let go, she’ll drown.
“I can’t feel my fingers,” she complains. “Rex, are we gonna die?”
Looks like it, I think. I see no way out. I say, “Of course not. We’ll get out of here somehow, Kitty.”
“Drake is a telepath,” she says. “We need to contact him. He can save us.”
“Kitty, I think Drake already knows everything,” I answer. “He doesn’t want me to live. I believe he directed Hammer to do this.”
Minutes pass. Kitty stops talking and trembling. Her body relaxes and I feel her head dropping down.
“Don’t fall asleep,” I say, shaking her. “Stay awake, Kitty.”
She moans, but doesn’t answer. I can’t see her face in the darkness, but understand she’s unconscious. I’m sleepy myself. The water doesn’t seem so cold anymore. I’m numb and losing track of time. How long have we been here? Maybe an hour, maybe a few hours. It’s quiet and somehow peaceful. Like a grave, I think.
I will my eyes to stay open. If I fall asleep, we’ll both die. I don’t really care about myself so much. But I can’t stand the thought of my Kitty dying. It’d be my fault. If I hadn’t come here, Hammer wouldn’t have thrown Kitty into this well. If I hadn
’t revealed my breaker abilities at the bank, we’d still be safe in our apartment.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, holding Kitty tighter and listening to her shallow breathing.
I think of Lena. Find me, I repeat in my mind. Save us. We need your help now.
I don’t know if it will work or not.
A few times I close my eyes and float between dream and reality. Every time it gets harder to come back. It seems like we’ve been here forever, surrounded by water and darkness. Nothing changes. Nobody comes to save us. I continue calling for Lena in my thoughts. You promised to find me, I repeat. Please, find us soon.
I’m weakening. Soon I’ll be unable to resist the urge to sleep. Part of me knows I need to remain awake. Another part just wants to rest. Frightened, I snap back awake having nodded off momentarily again. I can’t last much longer.
The rattling sound of an explosion makes me flinch and look up. The walls of the well are trembling. What the hell was it? An airstrike? My heart is racing. It must be Elimination. Who else could it be? They’ve found us!
I shake Kitty. “Wake up, wake up.” She doesn’t move. I put my ear to her mouth. Kitty is still breathing.
I hear gunfire and voices in the distance.
“We’re in here!” I want to shout, but can’t. I’ve lost my voice. “Help!” I keep trying.
Suddenly I’m afraid they won’t be able to find us in the water well. Or it will take them too long and Kitty will die.
I focus on projecting my thoughts toward Lena. In the well, lead them to the well.
I hear muffled cries, explosions and gunfire. I think of all those breaker kids I saw earlier. Elimination could kill them. But even this thought doesn’t bother me much right now. All I want is to escape this well and save Kitty. Nothing else matters.
Somebody removes the cover from the well and daylight floods in. I look up and see a flawlessly blue sky far above. It’s morning. We’ve spent the entire night in this well.
“Rex?” somebody yells.
“In here,” I try to answer. All I can make is a wheeze.
A rope drops down. Somebody is descending into the well. I recognize Chase as he climbs down.