Exceptional

by Jess Petosa

  Aden’s hand slammed the rail in front of her and she jumped, turning to face him.

  “Why did you bring me here today?” she finally asked.

  He shot her a half smile. “My son is hiding something from me, something I need to know. I believe you may know what that thing is.”

  Ally felt relieved that she could sincerely say, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  Aden’s brows furrowed. “You are sure?”

  She nodded, wondering why he brought her all the way to the Institute just to ask her this question, and why they were up on the fifth floor to discuss it. Perhaps he was afraid that Luke would spot them in the lobby. Maybe Asher was right, Aden may have been testing her usefulness in getting to the Institute. His first impression hadn’t been great.

  “Are you a good listener, Ordinary?” He rested a hand on the railing.

  “I can be”, she said as she held his gaze.

  “I think today you’ll be a good listener. I’m going to set you up on this railing, and I would ask that you not make noise… just yet.”

  She didn’t have time to respond. He grabbed either side of her waist and lifted her as though she weighed no more than a feather. He set her up on the rail and turned her around, forcing her to put her feet over the edge. He kept a hand on her arm, anchoring her to the railing.

  The glass windows in the lobby swayed as Ally found herself in a state of vertigo. She had climbed trees with ease, but looking down from five stories up was entirely different. The floor below was hard concrete, and she would smash into pieces once she hit it. For a brief moment she realized this would be a way to end a life of being indentured to Luke and his family, but she wasn’t so sure that that she wanted it to end just yet.

  “Wh...why am I up here?” Ally’s voice quivered.

  “Enjoying the view?” Aden sounded amused and Ally wish she had the courage to spin around and punch him in the face right then and there.

  “Not particularly. I could see just fine from where I was standing a moment ago.”

  “For your own sake, now would be a time to make noise.” Aden spoke in her ear, his head so close she could feel his warm breath on her neck. He placed his hand on her back and shoved her off the railing. She screamed out at first and then fell silent, plummeting to the floor below.

  Ally had heard that when you are about to die, your life flashes in front of your eyes. She had never really thought about whether this was true, or what moments in her life she would see, but as she fell closer and closer to the ground, one thought was on her mind.

  Luke.

  Chapter Eight

  Luke looked down at Ally, who was now motionless in his arms. He had caught her. He had saved her life. He had heard her scream ring out across the lobby and was able to react in time to catch her. But in the process, he had revealed something about himself that no one else knew. Something he had never planned on sharing.

  “Luke?” Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. She peered to either side for a moment, giving Luke a chance to look up. A few Exceptionals that had been too close to him when he had reacted were just picking themselves up off the ground. They hurried away from him and into the crowd.

  Aden appeared in the growing empty space around them, clapping loudly. “That was some performance, Luke. My special son.”

  Luke’s muscles coiled through his body, and he kept a firm grip on Ally. He wanted so badly to look down and explain things to her, but he couldn’t break his gaze with his father.

  “You set me up,” Luke growled.

  “I had no choice.” Aden smirked. “You are doing the City a great disservice by keeping your special abilities hidden, son.”

  “What happened?” Ally managed to croak.

  His father seemed perfectly happy to answer this for her. “When Luke saw you fall from the upper level, he rushed forward and saved your life, using a special ability that no other Exceptional his age has.”

  She looked up at Luke, ignoring the large crowd gathered around them.

  “You did?”

  Luke answered her through gritted teeth. “Yes.”

  His father walked over to them, patted Luke on the shoulder, and then stepped back again. “It seems our Luke here can cancel gravity in a small area. Or maybe a large area as well. The details will be discovered with some tests and assessments.”

  “I don’t understand.” Ally eyes flitted around the room as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

  “You were weightless, and floating above the ground, unable to fall to the ground.” Luke finally looked down at her. “When I told you that I had extra abilities, I down played it a little.”

  Ally cocked her head. “You think?”

  “It was magnificent, really.” His father beamed at the crowd.

  “Don’t you think this would be better spoken about at home?” Luke snapped his head up.

  “I agree.” His father motioned to the Guards behind him. Ally watched as they stepped past him, stopping next to Luke. “But first, your Ordinary here is going to be taken to ORC and checked in.”

  The whole lobby had been silent until now. The hundred or so Exceptionals began to whisper amongst each other, their eyes on Luke and Ally. He knew his father was going to be upset him with, but he didn’t expect this.

  “What?” His voice came out almost a gasp.

  “Oh, don’t worry.” His father waved his hand in Ally’s direction. “She’ll still be yours. But I think it is time she had a proper induction into the City. I also believe that you need some time to sort through your priorities, something I’ll be directly overseeing. I’m sure you’ll be able to focus much better with out this Ordinary around.”

  Luke’s eyes flicked to the Guards standing beside them. After a long moment of suspenseful silence, he set Ally on her feet. The Guards stepped forward and each took one of her arms. She looked back at Luke, her eyes pleading.

  “Please, don’t let them take me.”

  He just shook his head, holding his hands out in front of him in apology. “I’ll come for you. I promise.”

  He watched as one of the Guards pulled a silver syringe from a case in his hand. He stepped beside Ally and shoved it into her arm while was still holding eye contact with Luke. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed in the Guard’s waiting arms. He threw her over his shoulder as though she were nothing more than a doll, and strolled through the lobby and out of sight.

  For a moment he thought about going after her, but knew that it would do no good. Several Guards had already stepped forward to block his path. His father cleared his throat and waved his hand, motioning for the gathered crowd to disperse. Conversations restarted and Exceptionals ran to their lessons, for which they could not be late to.

  “I’ll meet you at home.” Aden said to Luke, clasping his hands behind his back and walking away.

  Luke burst through the doors to the Institute, taking his trip home at full sprint. With his primed Exceptional body, the people around him became blurs as he sped through the streets, arriving home in ten minutes. He burst through the front door, almost pulling it off its hinges. Most homes had been upgraded with stronger materials as to withstand the unusual strength of the Exceptionals, but they were not damage proof.

  His commotion drew the attention of others in the house. Sabine and Asher made it into the foyer first, followed by his mother, and then Flint and Mazzi. He paced back and forth from the piano to the front door, mumbling to himself.

  “Lukin, dear.” His mother approached him, reaching his hand out. “What’s wrong?”

  “Your husband,” he spat at her.

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” She pouted her bright purple lips. “What has he done to upset you this time?”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Mother? He is awful, and you know it. You try to ignore it and pretend that you have a perfect life with a perfect family, but you don’t. So, please, stop defending
him.” Luke regretted the words the moment they left his lips, but the damage was done.

  His mother clasped her lips together, fighting the quiver that was running through them. Her garishly painted eyes filled with tears and she swept her robe around, disappearing down the hall and into her office.

  “He took Ally,” Luke finally said out loud, looking to the remaining people in the room.

  Sabine stepped forward. “What? Where?”

  “He set me up, and he took Ally. He sent her to ORC. And now she’ll know who I am, and why I’ve brought her here.”

  “The ORC doesn’t change who you are. Ally knows you care about her, I’ve tried to make it clear,” Sabine answered.

  “If it wouldn’t change anything between us, I would have told her the truth about the ORC from day one. I’ve had plenty of opportunities.” Luke hung his head and then looked up slightly. “Did you really tell her I cared about her?”

  She shot him a smile. “Yes, I really did.”

  He went back to staring at the piano, holding onto the hope that Sabine had just given him. She and Asher eventually slipped out of the room, leaving him to his thoughts. Luke started to pace again, caught between the point of extreme anger and overwhelming sorrow.

  The front door opened and his father stepped into the foyer. He glanced at Luke and then walked away from him and into the dining area. Luke followed behind, knowing he had been given a silent command to follow.

  His father took a seat at the large dining table and motioned for Luke to do the same. In the only form of rebellion he could think up at the moment, he sat down at the opposite end of the table from his father.

  “When were you going to tell me?” Aden folded his hands together on the table.

  “Never,” Luke answered honestly.

  “You would have lied to me for the rest of your life, like you have been lying to me all these years?”

  “I never lied. When you asked me about my abilities ten years ago I told you that I could sometimes move objects by raising my palms toward them.”

  “Yes, but you omitted the best part. You omitted your more powerful ability.” Aden struggled to keep his voice calm.

  “I didn’t think it mattered.” Luke shrugged. “How long have you known?”

  Aden smirked. “I’ve suspected it for almost a year now. You’ve always been so unaffected by my threats and punishments and I was starting to believe I would never find a way to get through to you, until recently. I saw the way you looked at that Ordinary girl when you introduced her to me. You found someone you truly cared about, which meant I finally had something to use against you.”

  “Such a fatherly thing to do.” Luke spoke to the table.

  “And I’m disappointed in you, Lukin. Your powers will be of such use to us in the future, and they could have been of use to us before now.” Aden’s face turned into a scowl.

  Luke gripped the table, attempting to control his anger. “And if I refuse?”

  “Oh, I don’t think you will.” Aden smirked.

  “Why is that?” Luke gripped the table.

  “I already said that I have something to hold over your head.” Aden stood, stepping over to the large computer screen he had hung on the wall for business dinners and meetings. He flipped a switch and a picture of Ally popped onto the screen. She was lying on the white hospital bed, her dark hair fanned out around her. Her eyes were closed and tubes ran into her arms, a monitor beside her bed blinked random numbers off and on.

  “What did you do to her?” Luke started to stand, leaning on the table with the palm of his hands.

  “It was such a shame that the Exceptional Guard transporting her gave her a Class A tranquilizer instead of a Class B. He will definitely be punished for his actions.” He made a tsk-tsk sound with his mouth.

  Luke pushed away from the table and charged at his father. “If you hurt her—”

  He was stopped mid-run, an invisible force holding him back. He felt his neck compress, as though an invisible rope had been wrapped around it. He clawed at the source, sputtering for air.

  Aden, whose hand was raised toward Luke, shook his head. “Did you really think you could bring harm to me? You may have a unique ability, but I am ten times stronger than you will ever be. I identified my powers at a young age and harnessed them, getting into the training center as soon as I was permitted. I was a son a father could be proud of.”

  The invisible force released Luke and he took a few deep breaths. “What will happen to Ally?”

  Aden shrugged. “It depends how well you cooperate. She is on the brink, floating somewhere between life and death. She can easily be brought back with a quick injection into her IV. But she can also be easily put to sleep, for good.”

  “All I need to do is cooperate? To go to the training center and learn to use my abilities?” Luke asked.

  Aden smiled, but the effort always made him look more menacing. “That, among a few other things.”

  Luke clenched his jaw, looking up at his father. “I’ll go.”

  THE NEXT MORNING Luke arrived at Institute early, attempting to seem completely devoted to entering the program. Pax came to the training center three days a week, and to lessons only one day a week. He was training to be an Exceptional solider, and had told stories about the process he had gone through when he first started his program.

  Luke would undergo physical evaluation. The doctors would run tests on his endurance and his statistics in speed, jumping, and so on. He would have his blood drawn as well, so they could study his DNA and see if they could pinpoint the extra ability, although it had yet to be done. Luke figured that Aden had plans to duplicate the most powerful abilities in some sort of serum if he could ever manage to find their source.

  The Institute receptionist directed Luke to the elevator, which he was told to take to Level U4. He had forgotten that the training center was underground. Upon exiting the elevator he was greeted by one of the doctors, who must have been alerted to his arrival.

  “Good morning Lukin. I’m Dr. Chal. Shall we begin?”

  Luke was led into a large, open room where other Exceptionals were already gathered. One young male was moving large metal boxes around without touching them. A female was shooting fire from her palms, aiming at targets set up a dozen yards away from her. He tried to observe more of the occupants but the doctor led him into a smaller room off to the side.

  “Before we begin the physical tests, I’d like to see a short preview of what you can do with your abilities. It will give me a better idea of where to begin.” Dr. Chal leaned against the desk that was placed on the back wall, lifting his porta-comp to a writing level.

  Luke decided this would be an easy test. He raised his hand toward Dr. Chal and focused his mind on the doctor’s presence, sensing the space surrounding him. With one thought, he was able to cancel the gravity in a small radius around the doctor. It was almost amusing to watch Dr. Chal startle and yell out as he floated up into the air. He scrambled to grab his porta-comp as it threatened to drift away. Just as easily, Luke released the energy, causing the man to fall back to the ground.

  “Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to work on landings.” In truth, yesterday had been the first time he had used his ability on another human being. He always practiced on objects in his room, being careful enough that no one would discover his secret. Even Pax and Maver didn’t know. At least, they hadn’t until yesterday.

  “That is something we will work on.” Dr. Chal straightened his jacket and picked his porta-comp up off the floor. “We’ll also work on controlling your ability with just your mind so that you no longer have to use your hands. It helps to disguise your power.”

  He thought back to how his father had raised his hands in the dining room the previous day. “Does everyone learn to use their ability with out their hands?”

  Dr. Chal nodded. “Yes, but many chose to use their hands anyway, thinking it adds style to their abilities.”

  Luke let o
ut a small laugh. That sounded just like his father.

  BY HIS THIRD DAY at the training center, Luke had made significant progress on projecting his ability with out having to reach his hand out. It took more energy out of him when he did, and he was not always successful. Still, Dr. Chal seemed impressed that he had mastered it so quickly, saying it took some Exceptionals months. His father had taken a gamble that day in the Institute, relying on Luke to be in the right place at the right time. If Luke hadn’t had such a fast reaction time, that afternoon could have ended very differently. He used that information to fuel the fire burning through his insides, telling him to push himself to be as strong as possible.

  Luke continued to excel in his physical tests and the younger trainers came to watch him work, since his ability had never been seen in their time here. Luke wasn’t sure why it was considered so powerful. He figured the boy who could move objects, or even the woman that could throw fire from her hands, would be of more use.

  At the end of his training session that day, Luke stepped into Dr. Chal’s office for his end of the day assessment. The doctor looked over his porta-comp, scrutinizing notes he had taken during the training sessions.

  “Why am I so important?” Luke decided to ask. “Is it because Aden is my father?”

  Dr. Chal put down his porta-comp and clasped his hands in front of him. “Do you know the full extent of your father’s abilities, Lukin?”

  Luke rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I’ve experienced a few, seen others, and even heard rumors. I know that he is the most powerful Exceptional in the City, maybe even what remains of the county.”

  Dr. Chal smiled and nodded. “That is correct. I was a new doctor when your father came into the training center.”