by Lizzie Rose
‘No, they couldn’t . . .’
‘Dammit, Ava, enough!’ He slammed his fists on the table, making me jump. ‘Just go to your room and stay there. Now!’
*
I stayed in my room for the entire weekend. Esther brought up trays of food and left them outside the door three times a day, and three times a day she would sigh loudly then take the untouched trays back downstairs.
On Sunday evening I was coming out of the bathroom when Oscar came upstairs and blanched when he saw me. He turned to go into his room but paused in the doorway.
‘Why did you do it?’
‘Do what?’
He regarded me for a moment, his eyes cold. ‘I was coming to help you and then you screamed at me and I couldn’t move. It felt like I’d hit an invisible barrier.’
My mouth dropped open. ‘Surely that’s a good thing?’
‘Are you serious?’ His lip curled as he spoke.
‘Yes,’ I whispered. ‘You couldn’t possibly have . . .’
‘Oh I see,’ he snarled. ‘That’s what this is about. I’m not a Nex so I couldn’t possibly have done anything, right? Jeez, Ava, is that really what you think of me?’
‘No! Of course not! What did you expect me to do? The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt.’
‘I can take care of myself,’ he yelled. ‘I could have stopped him. I could have . . .’
‘What? Killed him?’ I shouted back. ‘Is that what you wanted, Oscar? You wanted me to let you kill him?’
‘I don’t know! I just wanted you to trust me.’
‘I do trust you!’
‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it.’
‘What do you mean?’
He turned on me. ‘I move in here because apparently you need me to be close by and yet you tell me nothing. I know nothing about your past and you’ve never mentioned this stepfather of yours. That’s who you saw that evening in the car wasn’t it?’
‘I . . . I . . . yes. But . . .’
‘Right, so you see this bloke who you’re apparently terrified of but you don’t tell me about it. You go running off into the middle of nowhere and leave me panicking, thinking you’ve left or got hurt or something. And then I see you getting the crap kicked out of you but you don’t think I’m man enough to be able to do anything so you stop me getting close. What am I supposed to think? That I’m just handy to keep around for when you have nightmares, but the rest of the time I’m just in the way?’
‘No!’
‘Well, I’m sick of it. I’m sorry but I can’t stay here any more. I’m going home. I wish I’d never moved here in the first place. I wish . . .’
‘What? What do you wish?’
He looked straight in the eye. ‘Everything was fine before you got here. Now it’s all complicated. It’s a mess.’
He turned and marched back down the stairs and out through the door, slamming it behind him.
*
The week that followed was not pleasant. The atmosphere at college was no better than it was at home and, to make matters worse, Beth was off sick. I did absolutely no work but no one said anything. My other friends were civil to me although none of them made much of an effort to talk to me.
On Friday morning, Brock drove me to the bus stop on his way to work. ‘Tommy’s calling around later. He’s taking Kenzie over to the diner to meet up with the others. I thought maybe it would be good for you to go too.’
‘They won’t want me there,’ I replied morosely.
‘I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you. It’s been a difficult time for everyone. Don’t forget that Kenzie has been through a similar experience and she’ll be there tonight.’
‘I suppose so.’
The car pulled up at the side of the road. ‘It’s up to you but moping at home isn’t going to solve anything, is it?’
I looked at him blankly then got out of the car, unable to even bring myself to wave goodbye.
*
The day went slowly. On arriving home I showered, changed into my comfy jeans and a grey hoodie, pulled my hair into a pony tail, and shoved my purse into my pocket. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I heard voices coming from the kitchen.
‘I’m not sure how much more I can take. We thought it was the right thing to do but the strain is just terrible. Your mum is beside herself with worry.’
‘No one could possibly have predicted how difficult it would be,’ Tommy answered. ‘I mean, when she first arrived we all just thought that she was another variation of a Nex, but she’s obviously very different from us. She’s wild and unpredictable.’
‘I don’t think I can control her.’
‘We’ve got to try though, haven’t we?’
‘Believe me, I am trying but I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I’m starting to wish now that we’d just let her keep running . . .’
The door behind me opened and Kenzie walked in.
‘Hey, Ava.’ She gave me a small smile. Chairs scraped in the kitchen and Tommy appeared in the doorway.
‘Are you both ready? Ok, come on then.’
*
We arrived at the diner and my heart sank when I saw Oscar and Skye sitting next to each other, holding hands. Skye shot me a filthy look as usual and Oscar glanced up at me then quickly looked out of the window. I slid on to the end of the seat next to Noah. The others were bent forwards slightly, talking fast about something. Unable to feign interest, I sat back and watched the other customers.
A waitress came over and took our order. I wasn’t in the slightest bit hungry so just ordered a drink. On the other side of the room Connor was sitting at a booth, surrounded by a group of youths, some of whom I recognised from college. They’d finished their meal and were lounging about in their seats.
Someone came out of the kitchen and my heart did a small flip when I realised it was Beth. She had her head down and didn’t look up as she placed a tray of food on a table then hurried away. The next time she emerged I waved at her but she didn’t respond. When she still hadn’t acknowledged me by my third attempt, I decided to take action.
The next time she came out of the kitchen, I sprang up out of my seat and darted across to the table she was serving.
‘Hi. Are you ok?’
She gave me a funny sideways glance and nodded, turning as if to walk away.
‘Beth, please, not you too.’
She paused. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Please don’t ignore me. Everyone else is and I can’t take much more.’
She didn’t answer but she didn’t walk away.
‘Look, I’m really sorry about the other week. I know that we were supposed to give you a lift home.’
Turning towards me a fraction, she glanced at me again.
‘I didn’t know where you went. Oscar got to college just a few minutes after you got into that van. When I told him what happened he went rushing off after you.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘They told me it was your stepdad.’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Did he hurt you?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sorry about that. I wish I could have done something to help.’
‘You couldn’t. He was a dangerous man. I’m just glad he didn’t realise we were together.’
She shrugged. ‘Look, its fine, really. Don’t worry about it, ok?’ She turned away again.
‘No, it’s not ok. Would you at least look at me?’ I grabbed her arm, spun her towards me and gasped.
The whole of the left side of her face was bruised. Her eye was swollen and bloodshot, and there were several deep cuts on her cheekbones and across her nose.
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Beth!’
She glanced up at me and blanched at my expression. ‘Ok, fine, just don’t get mad.’
I raised an eyebrow at her.
‘That night – when your stepdad
came. Well, after Oscar left, I went to catch the bus but I missed it, so I walked.’
‘And?’
She shifted uncomfortably. ‘And I got beaten up.’
My whole body tensed like a coiled spring. ‘By who?’
‘Chantelle,’ she whispered.
‘Chantelle did this?’
‘Yes. And three of her friends.’
‘What?’
Beth nodded. ‘Two of them held me down whilst Chantelle and the other one beat me up.’
‘What on earth did they do that for?’
‘Well, she said to tell you to stay away from Connor or you’ll be next.’
I swayed on the spot.
‘Ava? Are you ok?’
‘Where is she?’
‘Look, I really don’t think you should get involved. It’s being dealt with by . . .’
‘Where is she?’
‘She’s in the bathroom. Don’t get into any more trouble, Ava, please. Not on my account.’
I held my hand up to stop her and marched down the walkway between the tables to the end of the corridor.
Flinging the bathroom door open, I stormed inside. Chantelle was standing in front of the mirror, applying make-up to her already covered face. A young girl, who was standing with her hands underneath the dryer, skittered out of the way and ran from the room. As the door closed behind her, I touched my hand to it then turned to face Chantelle.
‘I have nothing to say to you.’ She flung her make-up into a little black bag and zipped it shut, hurrying towards the door. She pulled at the handle but the door stuck fast.
‘Hey! Let me out of here!’ She pulled harder but nothing happened. Spinning round she faced me. ‘Open the door!’
‘What’s the matter, Chantelle? I mean, you’re happy to get three of your friends to beat up one girl in order to pass a message on to me but you don’t have the guts to talk to me yourself?’
As I stepped towards her, she shrank back, her eyes wide with fright.
‘Four against one? You disgust me! Well come on, you’ve got my attention now. What is it you want to say to me?’
I took another step and she let out a whimper. ‘I’m sorry, ok? I only did it because Connor said . . .’
‘Ah, Connor. I wondered when he would come into the equation. So what did Connor say exactly? That I’ve been coming on to him? That I’ve been chasing him?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did he tell you to beat up Beth or did you decide that one for yourself?’
‘He told me that if I scared you by hurting your friend it might be enough for you to leave him alone.’
‘Well, let me tell you something,’ I bore down on her, my eyes not leaving hers. ‘I don’t take kindly to men who won’t take no for an answer. Nor am I impressed by pathetic little girls who get kicks out of beating up my friends.’ The power was there, waiting. I only had to reach out and touch her. But then she slid to the ground and curled up, her hands over her head.
‘I’m sorry,’ she sobbed, ‘I just want him to love me.’
‘Would you look at yourself? Where’s your self-respect?’
She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, making her mascara streak. Rolling my eyes I went into one of the stalls and pulled off some toilet paper.
‘Here.’
‘Thanks.’ She took it and dabbed at her eyes.
‘Is he really worth all of this? You could do so much better, you know.’
‘Do you really think so?’
Stepping over her, I pulled the door open and pushed my way through the small crowd of people who had gathered on the other side. The others had finished their meals and were already outside. Oscar and Skye were deep in conversation and to my surprise Noah was standing with his arms wrapped around Beth, planting kisses on her upturned face.
The door behind me opened and Chantelle walked shakily out. A loud whistle sounded from the other end of the car park and I turned to see Connor resting against the bumper of his car, his friends grouped around him. Even in the shadow of the car park I could see the tears glistening in Chantelle’s eyes as she hurried away.
‘Ava?’ Oscar called after me. ‘What are you doing?’
Chapter Thirteen
Ignoring him, I marched across the car park. Connor stood up, winking at his buddies and smirking all over his face. He nodded in my direction and they all turned to look at me. ‘Have you finally come to your senses, Ava?’ he called.
‘You are a nasty, childish, disgusting little specimen of a man!’
‘Piss off, bitch.’ He grabbed the front of my hoodie and, as he pulled me towards him, he licked the side of my face. His friends roared with laughter.
I screamed with rage as my powers shot out of me like a bullet from a gun. Connor flew backwards through the air, landing heavily on the floor with a yelp of pain. I lifted my hands and his body began to rise up like a grotesque marionette with invisible strings. He yelled out and twisted in mid-air. I let him fall back to the ground then, before he could move, I ran over and grabbed his hand. The powers that had been waiting to respond in the bathroom with Chantelle now leapt into action. He screamed and writhed on the floor as though he’d been electrocuted. His eyes rolled back in his head and his whole body convulsed.
‘That’s enough!’ Something collided with me, breaking my hold on him. Marcus knelt down on the ground next to Connor. My friends stared at me with expressions of horror etched on their ghostly white faces.
‘Stay where you are,’ Marcus screamed at me as Connor moaned. My eyes met Oscar’s for just a moment. He shook his head sadly, turned and walked away. The sound of sirens filled the air and a flash of light exploded in front of me. I felt a crippling pain and my knees gave way. People surrounded me and I was lifted on to something hard. No one spoke to me but the presence of the barrel of a weapon just centimetres from my head told me I was in big trouble.
*
I was inside a fast moving vehicle. After what seemed like an eternity it slowed down and came to a stop. Within seconds I was lifted out into the open air again but I only just had time to take a couple of deep, soothing gulps before we were inside again and the air wasn’t so pure.
We entered a lift and I felt myself moving downwards swiftly. The doors pinged open and we came out into a brightly lit corridor. To the sides I could see clear glass walls but I couldn’t move my head enough to see inside them. The wall next to me moved and I was carried through the gap and placed on the floor. A man with very short hair and dark eyes appeared above me.
‘We’re going to lift you on to the bed. You’re to stay there until we’ve left the room. If you attempt to move before we’ve left the room you’ll be punished. Do you understand?’
I blinked. Strong hands lifted me on to a thin mattress.
‘You may move now.’ The man’s voice echoed around me, then the glass wall slid back into place. The room was tiny. Thick white concrete walls surrounded me except for the glass one I’d seen on the way in. Although it had been transparent from the other side, it was dark on the inside, meaning I had no view of the corridor. The bed consisted of a mattress on the floor and next to it was a small table and chair made out of cardboard. A thin partition wall separated the bed from the bathroom area which consisted of a toilet, a sink and an open shower. There was a door in the back wall next to the bathroom but it had no handle and was locked.
Dropping down on to the mattress, I curled up into a tight ball and wondered what on earth I was going to do now. Just as I began to drift off to sleep, an alarm sounded somewhere above me.
A crackly voice barked into the room.
‘Stand at the back of the room. Face the wall and put your hands on your head.’
Groggily, I complied. Someone entered the room behind me.
‘There are some items of clothing on your chair,’ a woman said harshly. ‘When I leave the room you are to change out of your own clothes, fold them neatly, and leave them in a pile ne
xt to the doorway. Dress in your uniform and make sure you’re wearing it at all times. Do you understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ she snapped.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘That’s better. You may change now.’
The sliding door closed and I turned towards the table. A small pile of fabric had been placed next to a tray. The clothing consisted of a white t-shirt, a pair of baggy blue overalls and a pair of soft, slip-on shoes. Once I’d changed, I left my own clothes by the door as instructed then went to inspect the tray.
It was made of thick plastic with small areas moulded into it for food; not dissimilar to a tray I’d seen Brogan using. There was a slice of white bread spread with margarine, a wedge of plastic-looking cheese, a small tub of what looked like tinned peaches, and a paper cup of water. Feeling suddenly hungry I ate the lot then placed the tray next to the pile of clothes and went back to my mattress.
At lunchtime the same thing happened. An announcement sounded and I was made to stand at the back of the cell while a guard brought in an identical tray of food.
After lunch, I was instructed to push open the door at the back of the cell. I did so and found myself in a tunnel which led to a square of land that stretched along the entire length of the building. There were similar tunnels dotted around the inside length, but no sign of any other prisoners. The entire space was enclosed with thick mesh walls and guards stood around the edges on the outside, their weapons at the ready. I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and jogged around in a large circle three times, but then a buzzer sounded and I was told to re-enter the tunnel. The minute I got back into my cell, the door closed and locked behind me.
Several hours later another tray was delivered. This time the food consisted of a lump of meat covered in some sort of red sauce with a small pile of stewed vegetables beside it and a yogurt. The plastic fork I’d been given to eat it with broke the first time I put any pressure on it so I used my fingers for my main course and drank the plain, watery yogurt straight from the pot. This routine went on for ten full days without changing. I was starting to doubt whether my sanity would survive for much longer, when everything changed.