by Alana Siegel
Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program: The Rescue
By: Alana Siegel
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Cover design by Kristin Centrella.
Copyright 2013 Alana Siegel.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination of are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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To my bridesmaids. As individuals, I admire the countless positive traits that make each of you unique and magnificent people, and thank you for inspiring Jaime's patience and skill, Helen's magnetism and friendship, and Chelsea's altruism and loyalty. It is no coincidence that Olivia is surrounded by wonderful friends, as I am fortunate to be friends with the five of you.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Sliced Down the Middle
Chapter Two: Bent, Not Broken
Chapter Three: A Charm Unmanageable
Chapter Four: Teacher's Pet
Chapter Five: Play Ball
Chapter Six: Who's Your Leader?
Chapter Seven: One Direction
Chapter Eight: Mom Knows Best
Chapter Nine: Horus
Chapter Ten: The Extremist
Chapter Eleven: Gotta Have It
Chapter Twelve: Before Me
Chapter Thirteen: Trust Me
Chapter Fourteen: Freaks
Chapter Fifteen: Lunch
Chapter Sixteen: Party's Over
Chapter Seventeen: Take Responsibility
Chapter Eighteen: The Power of Youth
Chapter Nineteen: Roses Have Thorns
Chapter Twenty: Written in the Stars
Chapter Twenty-One: Push
Chapter Twenty-Two: Rush of Danger
Chapter Twenty-Three: Coit Tower
Chapter Twenty-Four: Whacked
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Single Spark to Light a Fire
Chapter Twenty-Six: It's Just Politics
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Brink of Death
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rehab
About the Author
Acknowledgments
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Chapter One: Sliced Down the Middle
Justin Benz reached up and touched the tips of his fingers to the window from the inside of his two-door silver Accord. With his usual concentration, his hand was steady, his sea foam eyes were focused, and his thin lips sat in a straight line above his perfectly chiseled jaw line. Despite his stoic features, an immense power oozed from his fingers. The air filled with blue Gifted electricity and tickled my skin.
Ping. Ping. Ping. Tiny pieces of glass, smaller than grains of sand, made popping noises as they chipped off the window beneath his fingers. I watched as larger cracks appeared. They weaved their way across the length of the car, dancing from corner to corner of each glass pane.
A low gurgling sound emerged from the car's leather interior as a black inky substance, melted from Justin's touch, careened its way through the cracks, fused with the glass, and healed the flaws.
Justin let out a controlled breath, content now that the windows were tinted. Placing his left hand on the wheel and his right on the gearshift, he put the car in drive and we sped down the streets of Pandora, hidden from prying eyes.
I took a breath in through my nose, held it for a few seconds, and then unsteadily let the air rush out of my lungs. The movement caught Justin's attention, and he placed his hand on top of mine in an attempt to comfort me. Justin was a little too aware of my uneasiness. I immediately felt guilty, and for the thousandth time this week, reminded myself to take quieter breaths.
I looked over at him sitting in the driver's seat and gave him a forced smile to assure him that I was perfectly fine. I must have convinced him because he returned my display with a crooked grin of his own that stirred the butterflies in my stomach. I knew it wasn't right to pretend to have it all together, but I felt a teensy bit better knowing Justin wasn't worried.
I wanted to revel in the attention Justin could now pay me freely. I was ecstatic that he finally made room for me in his lone-wolf life. Every once in awhile we allowed ourselves to get lost on cloud nine, but the escape proved bittersweet each time we returned to reality.
Justin was protective of me. No, protective didn't cover it. He was obsessed with my safety and happiness. He blamed himself for everything bad that ever happened to me. He brooded over the fact that he caused me sadness when he tried to keep our relationship a secret, he kicked himself for not protecting me from Prometheus's obsession, and he beat himself up because I had to follow him to the middle of the Nevada desert to learn that it had been Prometheus who sent my Gifted necklace and Justin's pocketknife to Pandora.
Considering all that had happened in such a short time, I couldn't believe our retreat in Salt Lake City, and search for answers at the Prometheus's Fort Bliss, was only a week ago. It felt far longer ago, and I was frustrated that, instead of answers, we had only found more questions.
One thing I knew for sure: Prometheus hated the Meta. The Meta was the governing body for the Gifted, and Prometheus wasn't alone in his loathing. Feeling pressure from other governments who unfairly blamed tough times on the Gifted, the Meta turned against the people it was created to protect. For decades, the Meta had caused more problems than it solved, and thousands of Gifted were captured, never to be seen again, including Great Aunt Ev's fiancé.
It was in the middle of Fort Bliss that Justin finally explained to me that Prometheus had visited him throughout his childhood, speaking about Gifted glory and his inevitable marriage to me, an act meant to piss off the Meta.
A stranger announcing your future nuptials would be jarring enough for a five-year-old boy, but the bigger fear was the Meta would hear about this intended ceremony. The Meta outlawed the union of Elste girls and Horus boys eons ago when Pyramus and Thisbe's secret love affair caused the Gifted Wars. After hearing of Great Aunt Ev's calamitous run-in at her aborted wedding, the wrath of the Meta would keep anyone up at night.
I hadn't known about Prometheus's meddlesome visits to Pandora. When Justin finally told me everything, I told him I didn't care. There was no governing body, tragic love story, or diabolical force that would keep us apart. I loved him.
I had hoped my word, and my love, would relieve some of the burden he had carried for so long. I still meant every word, but I had no idea what following my heart to Salt Lake City would mean for my friends.
Focusing on the present, I loosened my death grip on the books in my lap. Slowly, I unhooked each finger and stretched them until they were smooth.
Somehow, I was still waking up and heading to class at Pandora High School, in the makeshift and dilapidated old building across town the school board sent us to after the high school building was destroyed last fall. The rest of the town thought a tornado was to blame, but we knew the destruction was caused by immense Gifted powers when we had our first run-in with Prometheus's crew in Ms. Magos's secret room.
Months later, Mr. Rowling still liked to assign lengthy papers, the baseball team still played their games after school, and Mr. Stackhouse still had trouble communicating to his students. From an outsider’s view, Pandora was an average suburban town, but as long as the only female Elste in the
world lived here, it was anything but average.
Justin pulled into the teacher's lot in the front of the school and parked his car in the first spot. The notion that I was worried about making it to class on time felt surreal. There were so many other pressing things to stress about.
I stepped out of the passenger side, and Justin hurried to meet me. I watched his confident strides. He may still be wearing jeans and a zip-up hoodie, but he looked older, mature, and sure of himself. Or maybe he was rejuvenated with a new purpose in life: taking care of me.
Keeping his eyes level with mine, he pushed my hair behind my ear. The slight touch of his fingers sent his Gift coursing through my body, heating up my veins, and causing my knees to go weak. It felt soothing and comforting, and it reminded me that I needed to pay more attention. It was too easy to step aside and let him block all evil from hurting me. I wouldn't allow him to bear the brunt of my problems.
“Are you okay?” he whispered. After the year we had, he pulled himself together while I was falling apart at the seams. Why did our trip to the Midwest have the opposite effect on me? Nevertheless, I nodded to persuade him I was all right. He kissed my cheek, intertwined our fingers, and turned to lead me to the front door.
As we walked, I scanned the row of windows along the building until I spotted Mr. Dimon. I wasn't surprised to see him but the sight of him caused my blood to boil. He was an agent for the Meta, and he doubled as the school's superintendent in order to keep an eye on us. In his sharp charcoal suit and short haircut, he stood with his arms folded, eying us through his office window.
He was the one who announced Justin's name at the student lottery drawing last week, forcing us to use the parking spot in the teacher's lot. At the time, a bunch of kids had clapped Justin on the back, shouting about how lucky he was. It had taken all my energy not to blast them with the dark side of my Gifted charm. Luck, indeed. The manufactured victory allowed Mr. Dimon to watch us like a hawk.
The shock of the previous week hit me as his surly expression bore into me. The memories were torturous as I relived the moment I regained consciousness in Prometheus's mansion, discovered the Gifted Program had been sliced in half, and realized it was Mr. Dimon who had completed the amputation. Helen O'Reilly, Jaime Forte, Max Smarr, Ms. Magos, Prometheus's Horus named Hunter, and my brother Derek had all been hauled off to the Meta's prison cells.
Without input from anyone else, Prometheus and the school's superintendent decided who went to the Meta and who was sent to Pandora. They chose sides like we were going to play dodge ball in gym class.
Apparently, Prometheus bartered with Mr. Dimon, convincing him that there was one person the Meta wanted to capture more than the female Elste, and that was himself. Personally, I wasn't sure what the Meta would want with a vapid old man like Prometheus.
I didn't even get to say goodbye to my friends before Mr. Dimon took the rest of us back to Pandora. When we asked about them, he threatened their wellbeing unless we followed his rules.
Prometheus was the maestro who had, yet again, dictated my life, but it was easy to hate Mr. Dimon just as much, especially when I had to watch him gloat over his successful capture of my friends.
I grasped my charm necklace and smelled my Gifted rose scent as Justin and I walked past his window. I was no longer the weak, shy girl hiding in the back of the class. I knew that no matter what any bully did, I could do much worse. Every inch of my body filled with power. It would be so easy to target Mr. Dimon and overwhelm him with sadness and gloom. Besides, that's how he made me feel. It would only be fair to share it.
“Hurting him won't get them back, Liv,” Justin whispered and squeezed my hand. “He's not worth it.”
I shook my head as if to clear it of the evil thoughts. If Thisbe caused an entire Gifted War, I didn't want to find out what my anger would do. I looked down at the mood ring Justin gave me. A bloodlust red swirled through the stone, and prompted me to keep my emotions in check. It was a life saving tool and reminded me of the importance of control.
I sighed. Our friends were locked in the Meta's prison because of me. I was positive that the Meta would have settled for the capture of the only destructive Elste in the world, but thanks to Prometheus and Mr. Dimon, my friends were taken instead.
I could prove my treacherous power right here and now, and everyone would realize the Meta arrested the wrong people, but Justin was right. Hurting Mr. Dimon wouldn't get my friends back. I promised myself the day we were separated that no one would suffer from the burden of being a friend of the only female Elste—not Derek, not Helen, not Justin—no one. The challenge in front of me was to control my emotions and figure out how to keep that promise and get those friends freed.
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Chapter Two: Bent, Not Broken
As we walked in the front doors, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. The cadence of my steps wasn't in sync with anyone else. It felt really obvious to me, even if no one else noticed. All my senses were heightened. Smells were more potent. Colors were more vivid. I felt different. I was different…but I wasn't alone.
With our hands linked, Justin and I scanned the throngs of students who huddled with friends or rushed to class with their arms full of books. To everyone else, it was just a regular school day. Not for me. Regular wasn't in my vocabulary anymore. I was anxious and on guard and ready for an army of Meta agents to jump out from behind a group of ninth grade girls at any moment.
I looked to my right and saw Luca Hale. He was watching me from his new locker at the end of the hall. His dark skin couldn't hide the purple circles under his eyes, but somehow, broody looked handsome on him.
He gave me half a smile. It wasn't one of his dazzling white toothy grins, but it managed to calm me and loosen some of the knots in my stomach.
With his backpack opened on the floor and books scattered in front of him, he followed Mr. Dimon's demand that we blend with the student body.
That was just one item on the long list of requirements. The list included cutting Luca off from all contact with Aunt Ev in Salt Lake City. I knew the seclusion from the woman who treated him like family drove him crazy, but he refused to act out and risk the lives of our friends in prison. The group sent to Pandora was nothing more than a hodgepodge of former Gifted Program members and soldiers from Prometheus's crew. Tension was high and trust was wearing thin. I didn't know how to tell Luca how grateful I was to have him here.
While Luca's eyes watched me, he nodded at Graham who leaned lazily against the wall next to him and rambled on as if he had Luca's full attention. During the first few days in Pandora, Luca had peppered Mr. Dimon with questions. He asked what the Meta planned to do with us. He questioned Aunt Ev's safety, and he begged to know when he could leave. Each nagging question irked Mr. Dimon and didn't produce any answers. Luca realized his digging wasn't helping. The Meta was going to keep us in the dark.
Luca was an expert at reading people, understanding a situation, and judging a group's mood. However, his best friend, Graham Roberts, was the opposite.
Graham was Prometheus's Ikos, and although Luca fell back into an easy friendship with Graham, I still had a hard time trusting him. After months of fearing Prometheus and his crew, it was hard to reconcile that we were now on the same side, fighting the Meta. Sure, I felt bad that he was forced to live in Pandora, but as far as I could tell, Graham only cared about two things: hooking up with girls and getting into fights.
In a trendy dark tank top, Graham displayed his rippling arm muscles. He whipped his head back to clear his long, dirty blonde surfer hair from his face. From the moment he stepped through Pandora's doors, his overconfidence and physique attracted lots of attention. One look at his cocky grin and you knew that was exactly what he had hoped for.
Justin looped his arm around my waist. I glanced at his face and caught him staring coolly at Luca. Whether it was distrust because Justin hadn't gotten to know Luca like the rest of us at the Gifted retreat o
r just plain jealousy, Justin was extra protective when Luca was around. I set my hand on his arm to assure him we were safe and led him down the hall.
Promising refuge and security was another white lie I told, and I constantly felt guilty. The truth was everyone who hung around me was in danger. Justin should walk away from this debacle. He wasn't obligated to free our friends or fight the Meta. Prometheus had forced him to fall for me. He was sucked in because I loved him, and I couldn't let him go.
I spent hours thinking about it. Why did Prometheus pick Justin? He could have picked any male Horus. His own loyal guard Hunter was a Horus. On the other hand, as the only female Elste, I had no choice but to keep going with this mission, and I was dragging Justin with me.
I hugged my books and leaned against the cool surface as Justin spun the combination of the slim metal locker we shared. Thinking about anything we shared caused the corners of my lips to tip up. Even if the world was crumbling around us, we were together for real this time. He was my boyfriend, and everyone knew it.
The fleeting surge of happiness faded with incredulity at how quickly things had changed. It was only two weeks ago I had fallen to pieces when Justin thought he could spare me from Prometheus's master plan by breaking up with me. I had flown to Salt Lake City overwhelmed with loneliness.
I clenched my jaw as I remembered the cost of my newfound happiness with Justin. I went to the middle of the desert to get answers and wound up losing my friends. As morose and broken as I had felt then, the emotions paled in comparison to the immense fury and helplessness I felt now. I was full of anger and a lust to fight, but I was being guarded like a caged animal.
I had balled my hands into fists by the time Cliff Adams hurried toward us. With his thick, long hair messier than usual and his eyebrows furrowed, he didn't look like the bubbly pitcher on the baseball team we saw a week ago. These days his shoulders sagged, and the frazzled sight of him reminded me that I needed to appear composed. I pushed away my frustrated nerves.