Elements of the Enemy (Alliance Society Book 1)

by C. J. Felver

  “Ready?” she asks. I nod.

  Putting her finger over the puncture mark, she lets loose a zap. It sparks along my skin and up my arm, zinging along the muscles and tendons as it goes.

  But that’s where it ends. The electricity fades away, not having any effect on my blocked abilities.

  “Feel anything?”

  “Nope. Nothing at all. I guess my body just needs more time.”

  “Probably. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break either. You’ve been out here for a while,” she says. She stares up at the sky for a few moments. “Cleo, I’ve been wondering, do you think we should tell Reese? I mean, about AGAS’s plans with the serum?”

  “No,” I say firmly. “The less people that know right now the better. What if there’s a panic but we’re able to stop AGAS before they go through with their plans?”

  “I get your point, but maybe it would expose how vile AGAS is anyway. Get the word out to the right people and shut them down for good, you know? Besides, mass panic isn't really our problem, is it?”

  If I’m being honest, she’s probably right. But …

  “Would she be safe from AGAS though? If we tell her? I just want her to be safe. After everything that happened with you and my dad, then with me. Oh!” How have I forgotten to tell her this detail? “By the way, I asked Wren about Joe. He never helped AGAS bring in anyone by that name, so I don’t know where he is.”

  “Really? Well, I don’t know if I feel relieved or not. Damn. But I’m sure Reese will be okay if we tell her. She’s a smart girl.”

  “So are you, but you still managed to get caught,” I remind her.

  She just sways toward me, bumping my body with hers. I return it with one of my own.

  “By the way, I’ve been noticing things,” she says, drawing out each word obnoxiously. Something tells me I may not like what she has to say. “Noticing the way a certain someone looks at you.”

  Oh my gosh. This cannot be happening. I groan, slapping my forehead and dragging my hand down my face. “Seriously, Lyza?”

  She puts her hands up in a mock surrender. “I’m just saying. I notice these types of things.” She pauses for a moment. “He’s pretty cute too.”

  With a huff, I slap her arm playfully. She is completely exasperating. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Okay,” I say, “I’ll admit that he is definitely attractive.” There’s no point in continuing to hide from that fact anymore. I mean, I’m not blind. Ugh, why are the jerks always good looking? Okay, that’s not totally fair. He’s not always a jerk.

  She gives me a wide grin, which I roll my eyes at. “I don’t know, Lyza. After everything he’s put us through, how can I trust him?” Except, I do trust him, and I think that’s what’s bothering me. With everything he did to me, to my family, I don’t want to trust him, or admit that I do. My brain is a muddy mess. There’s no energy left in me to separate the dirt from the water.

  “I’m not saying date the guy. I’m just saying it seems like he’s trying to fix his mistakes, make things right.”

  Even though her statement surprises me, I can’t help but agree with her. It’s doubtful he would have gone through all of that otherwise—going out of his way to help me when he didn’t have to, putting his life and job on the line to bust me out of HSI Labs …

  We sit in the yard together in companionable silence. She watches me as I continue to try to regain my abilities. It’s frustrating that I still can’t make a single drop of this water from the glass respond to me at all.

  “This is getting nowhere. I’m going to go check on my dad,” I say. He had gone off to another room, doing who knows what. Since we brought him back, he’s been in bad shape, and not just physically. I’m really worried about him. AGAS messed him up psychologically. If it had anything to do with what I endured for one night, then I don’t want to imagine what he endured over four years of imprisonment.

  “Alright, girl. I’m going to call Reese,” Lyza says. I nod as we wander back into the house. It’s probably a good time to check on my dad anyway.

  My heart sinks as I find him sitting on the edge of the small bed in the bedroom Zander set him up in. He’s rubbing his hands up and down the length of his thighs nervously, muttering to himself. I shouldn’t have listened to him—back when they had taken him and he had told me not to come for him, I should’ve gone after them and found him straight away. Maybe he would still be himself. Maybe he wouldn’t be suffering like he is now. It takes him a few moments to notice me standing in the doorway watching him.

  “Cleo,” he says, standing up and crossing the room to me, “I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but I’m so glad you’re alright. I was so worried about you.”

  “I know, Dad. I’m okay though,” I say, which is not entirely a lie. If I could break this block, I’d be better.

  Not being able to help myself, I pull my dad into a hug. For a moment, his body is awkwardly stiff. It doesn’t offend me, even if it does hurt. I know it’s been so long since anyone has reached for him with affection instead of malice.

  After just a moment, my dad returns my embrace. “You’ve done so well for yourself when I couldn’t be here for you.” He releases me and we walk over to sit on the bed. “Why is he here if he worked for AGAS? I don’t understand.”

  My dad’s reminder sends familiar pangs of anger and hatred through me. But they only last a moment, because the truth is … yeah, Wren played some nasty roles in our lives recently, but he also helped me escape and is the reason I’m able to sit here with my dad to have this conversation.

  “They told me he broke you out, but I don’t know if I believe them. Did that really happen, Cleo?”

  “Yeah, Dad, it did. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Wren. He broke me out of the medical room they had me in and punched Aulder Harlow in the face on our way out.” My dad jolts. The muscles in his jaw tick as he works to compose himself.

  “At HSI Labs? They had you in one of those rooms?” he asks. I nod. “What did they do to you there?”

  I hesitate for a moment. I thought for sure he would’ve liked the fact that Wren punched Aulder, but he stopped listening after hearing they had me in that sterile room.

  “They strapped me to a chair. Doctor Aulder Harlow had some woman named Stone give me a serum to block my power.”

  My dad’s face scrunches in anger. His breath comes out in huffs through his nose as he struggles with himself for a moment. The skin stretching over his knuckles is so white it’s almost translucent with how hard his fists are clenched.

  “He gave you that drug?” he asks, but his tone tells me he’s not looking for me to answer. Hatred comes off him in waves. “For years, I sat strapped to their chairs hoping you would never have to experience that for yourself. It was all for nothing. You ended up there anyway.”

  Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I rub my hands up and down his arms, trying to calm him. “But I’m here now, Dad. Even though the serum is still in my system, we know what his plan is. We’ll stop him and get rid of it. Aulder won’t be able to do this to anyone else.”

  “You won’t be able to stop him,” he says, turning toward me and breaking my hold. His eyes are wide with panic, his hands moving frantically in front of him. All of his previous anger seems to have drained from him, replaced with panic. “Even if you destroy the serum, he’ll just have it remade and give it to our people another time. You can’t risk it. I can’t risk you!”

  In all the years my dad raised me, I have never seen him act in such an alarmed manner. He’s always been composed and serene, like the water he had commanded.

  Whatever went on while he was in Aulder’s clutches broke him, and it breaks my heart to see it. A pain in my chest blossoms at the thought.

  If nothing else, I’ll take Aulder Harlow down for what he did to my dad.

  Revelations

  Once again, I find myself in Zander’s backyard with Lyza, staring at another unresponsive glass of wa
ter. Last night, Wren was surprised to find out that my powers hadn’t come back yet. He was so sure the serum would only last a few hours, max.

  After we made our plans yesterday, he left for his own place, promising to find something to help chase the last of it from my system. I’m not holding my breath. It’ll be dinnertime soon and he still isn’t back. The thought of going another night without my powers is … devastating. It’s been two nights already, and the nightmares are getting worse.

  “You got this, girl. We’ll figure it out. I do have to admit, though, I’m kinda enjoying using you as a punching bag.”

  I appreciate Lyza’s attempt to cheer me up. It didn’t really work, but at least she has me laughing. “I’ll bet. You’ve only gotten in as many shots as you have because I’m distracted.”

  She laughs this time, throwing her head back. “Oh, Cleo. You’re funny.” She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “Just admit it, I’m the better fighter.”

  “No way. You don’t outskill me. I’m just at a disadvantage.”

  I jump as Wren appears next to me. His expression is a little unsure. It’s an odd look to see on his face, one I’ve never seen before. Especially when it’s coupled with the way his hands are shoved into his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his heels. He isn’t wearing his black fatigues today. His muscles are solid under his deep green tee and low-slung jeans.

  “I’m suddenly hungry. I’m going to go see about dinner,” Lyza says, giving me a concerned look. She mouths to me, “Talk to him.”

  “Did you find anything?” I ask, cringing inwardly at the sound of desperation in my voice.

  “Cleo, I’m sorry. I couldn’t find anything. That’s what took me so long. I was digging in deep, trying to dredge up any information I could, but it just wasn’t there.”

  There’s no hiding the way I deflate. How long do I have to deal with this? Is it permanent like my dad?

  “I’m sorry, Cleo” he says.

  The conversation Lyza and I had yesterday pops back into mind. Maybe it is time I get to know Wren better. Because Lyza’s right, he does seem to be a decent guy. Before I can take that leap of faith into getting to know him better—and possibly being friends—there’s something I need to know first.

  Now would be the perfect time, Cleo. Go ahead and ask.

  He starts walking away, taking my chance at truth with him.

  “Wren,” I half shout, his head swivels around to me. “I have to know … why have you been helping me?” His brows pull down, etching bewilderment all over his face.

  That definitely didn’t come across as I meant it to, probably sounding ungrateful, so I rush to add an explanation, waving my hands in front of myself as if I can erase what I’ve already said. “I mean, I’m glad you have, but I just want to understand why.” I pause, taking a breath before diving headfirst off of this cliff of safety. “You were a member of AGAS. You helped capture my best friend—and probably a lot of other elementals. What made you, you know …” I wave my hand in the air, looking for the right word. “Jump ship? Er, swap sides?”

  His eyes roam over my face, seeming to look for something there. Heat unfurls in my chest as his eyes lock on to mine. He turns his whole body toward me.

  “Let’s take this conversation somewhere we can sit down.” I nod, following him to the living room. There, we sit—Wren on the couch, me on the armchair.

  Wren takes a deep breath, tugging his hand through his hair. “I’ve been with—well, was with—AGAS for a long time. I was recruited and trained under Harlow Scientific Industries.”

  “Trained?” Why would anyone need to be trained to work for a scientific lab other than science?

  “Yeah, they taught us many things. It seemed like a bit much, but I didn’t question it at the time. Why would a scientific lab need a division of highly trained security guards, almost military like? It never made sense to me.” The entire time, his eyes never leave mine, and I hang on every word, wanting to understand him—and this situation—better.

  “Once my training was complete, they started me in the field. I realized then how in over my head I was.” He looks away now, eyes distant, focused on his past. “We were sent to rallies, instructed to bring back elementals to test on. They never told us why, but it always made me sick to my stomach. And there really wasn’t a way for me—or anyone—to get out. We knew too much and would be a risk if we left. Everyone was threatened in different ways. No one dared cross Harlow or AGAS.”

  “Holy shit,” I whisper. “Aulder really doesn’t have any morals, does he?” Wren shakes his head. Recruiting people under false pretenses, training them under a half truth, then blackmailing them to stay in submission. My stomach churns at the thought.

  “After a while, I began to channel my disgust and hatred for all of the false pretenses into what I did. It was my only release. I started training harder, getting stronger, getting promoted. My plan had been to somehow expose them for what they really were. That meant I would need to be in a position of some sort of power.”

  I nod. How awful, to know you were part of something so screwed up, but not being able to do much about it. It’s the kind of thing I had assumed only happened in movies. I never would’ve thought that such craziness was actually happening in the world. Never mind right here in Lawrence!

  “Then I saw you,” he continues, looking back at me.

  Hold on. Me? What does he mean?

  “That day at the rally, you were chasing after Lyza,” he says, his voice holding such awe that it makes me uncomfortable, wanting to fidget on the spot. I force myself to sit still. I asked for an answer and I intend to sit here and listen to it, no matter what it ends up being.

  “You were so determined to get to her. There was strength and power rolling off of you in waves. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t be the last time I’d see you.” He chuckles, looking at his lap and shaking his head. “Then you broke Lyza out—and not just her, but your father too. No one should have been able to pull that off, but somehow you did—alone too, I might add.

  It struck me that you would be able to help me with my plans to dismantle Harlow and AGAS.” He pauses for a moment, looking toward the ceiling, the air around us growing thick.

  “Is that why you let me go?” My voice comes out weak, foreign to my ears. His eyes snap back to me.

  “I had to,” he says sincerely. “I knew if I didn’t, I would immediately lose you to Harlow. And then that ass had me gather a unit to collect Frank and the two of you—”

  “And when we weren’t there with him, you waited and followed us to warn us away,” I interrupt, guessing at what his intentions had been.

  “Yes, except I was instructed to have my unit use him as bait to bring you in.”

  My stomach drops, even though he already said as much, it’s still difficult to hear. I suck in a lungful of air, asking my last question. “If you were against it, why did you do it?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, leaving the question to hang in the air between us.

  I can’t stop the vitriol from spilling from my mouth. “There are so many other ways you could have handled that situation. So many different things you could’ve said in that alleyway …” Anger for that moment turns my words into venom. I don’t even try to stifle it. He needs to see how that made me feel. “If you had just told me what was going on, I wouldn’t have been captured and would still have my powers right now.” I won’t ever forget it and never want to experience it again. Something tells me I will though, before this is all over.

  For his part, regret morphs his face. Hesitantly, he leans forward, reaching across the coffee table between us. His hand seems to move in slow motion before catching a stray lock of my hair. “Cleo …” He tucks my hair behind my ear; his fingers barely brush my skin, leaving the ghost of his touch behind. “I can’t take back what happened, but let me help fix it.” His eyes are now depthless pools of brown, burning right through my core.

  “Hey, guys! We�
��re getting ready to order from—” Lyza’s voice cuts off as she looks between the pair of us, her brows drawing down. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “Uh, no. Not at all,” I say, the same time as Wren answers:

  “Nope, all good.”

  “Zander’s calling in a pickup order from Uno Dos Tacos, he and I are going to head out and pick it up. Write your order in.” Lyza drops a sheet of paper on the coffee table. Uno Dos Tacos is one of the best authentic Mexican restaurants in town. It’s actually one of my favorite little places. The food there is better than anywhere else—except Pop’s. I write down my order on the sheet, writing in one for my dad, as well.

  Lyza takes off to give the orders to Zander. Wren pulls out his phone, promising to keep looking into why I haven’t gotten my powers back yet.

  I go in search of my dad, finding him sitting alone on the edge of the bed in his borrowed room. He looks so empty and lost. I’ll do whatever it takes to cheer him up, even if it’s only a Band-Aid for the real problem.

  “Come on, Dad,” I say, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and leading him out of the house and into the backyard. “Let’s get you in the sunshine before it disappears.”

  Together, we sit on the porch steps, staring up at the sky. I never thought I’d have moments like these again. Sitting in my dad’s company. I’m sure I look like a grinning fool, but I don’t even care.

  “I think about that day a lot,” my dad says, breaking our silence.

  “Me too, Dad. I should’ve tried to look for you. I shouldn’t have let them keep you for so long,” I tell him. I’ve lost track of the amount of research I did looking into the Anti-Government Alliance Society and what they really stand for, underneath it all. Lyza would’ve gone with me. Hell, Reese and Joe would’ve, too. But, after so long, I gave up hope that he was even still alive.

  “This is going to make me sound crazy, but I’m glad you didn’t. I never wanted you to end up like me. I wanted better for you. I hoped that by pushing you away, telling you to keep running, that you’d be safe. That you wouldn’t have to keep running. They had me, so you were safe. Even if you were alone, you were safe.”