The Rescue (Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program Book 3)

by Alana Siegel

  “Olivia, is the Gifted Program meeting tonight?” he asked without saying hello.

  “Hey man, I heard you're starting pitcher at the next game,” Justin announced, attempting to put a smile on his best friend's face.

  Cliff nodded, brushing off the compliment as if it was unimportant under the circumstances, and turned back for my answer. Anxiety covered his features.

  I stood a little taller. “Of course,” I said with false confidence. It wasn't the first time someone in the Gifted Program assumed I was in charge since Derek and Jaime were captured, but I wasn't comfortable in the role yet. I wasn't sure I ever would be.

  He looked at me expectantly. “Have you heard from anyone?” He was specifically referring to Helen and hope was written across his face. I hadn't realized how deeply he cared for her, until she was taken away from us. I bit my lip and shook my head no.

  He looked down at his feet, and I felt the salt water begin to build in the corner of my own eyes. My involuntary display of emotion made me angry. I knew it was a sign of weakness, and not the reaction of a leader.

  To make matters worse, Justin saw the tears. “Cliff, let me walk you to class,” he said and threw his arm around his friend's shoulder to pull him down the hall and give me a second to pull myself together.

  Luca had been hovering a few feet in the opposite direction, and he took the opportunity to catch me alone. “Liv, how are you holding up?” he asked. His dark eyes reflected his deep concern. I felt the sweetness of his Gift charming me to a carefree place. He knew it calmed me so he always turned it on when I was near. I looked at his charm on the chain around his neck, so much like mine and Derek's. We lit up in a purple glow.

  Luca still considered me a friend, and it was difficult to put into words what a relief that was. Perhaps he wasn't giving up hope that one day we would be together. Even with Justin's new display of affection, I refused to give up Luca's friendship. It might not sound fair, but in desperate times like these, I needed his easy warmth.

  In fact, fairness was something I often debated. Maybe letting Justin go would make things easier. He couldn't protect me from everything. If I lied and told him I didn't love him, he might suffer less in the long run. I would eventually leave to fight the Meta. Justin wouldn’t want me to go, I was certain. If we were already broken up, he wouldn’t feel responsible, and I could protect him from a future of despair.

  Luca would always support my decision to fight. He was the first to show confidence in the strength of my Gift and tell others how powerful I was. He would understand what I needed to do.

  Even as Graham swaggered over to us and broke through my trance, I choked on the idea of telling Justin I didn't love him. “Hey, Olivia,” Graham said. His giant body of muscle and sex appeal loomed over me.

  “Hey, Graham,” I said awkwardly, shifting my weight from foot to foot.

  “Is the Gifted Program still meeting tonight?” Graham asked. Despite my uncertainty of Graham, his renewed friendship with Luca gave him a free pass to our secret meetings. He held my gaze, waiting for my command.

  I stood there between two of the most eligible men in Pandora. “Uhh…yes,” I confirmed, trying to sound like the authority figure rather than a high school junior who got tongue-tied in front of cute boys.

  “Hi, Olivia,” a girl's voice rang out from a pack of passing seniors. Nestled in the middle of the group was the familiar face of a blonde who sat next to me in art class last semester. Claire? Susan? I couldn't remember. We weren't exactly friends.

  “Oh, hi…,” I stammered and raised my hand to wave. It wasn't like she would have noticed if I never responded. She had zoned in on Luca and Graham.

  The girl's suggestive eyes caused army green to waft out from under Graham's shirt like puffs of steam. As they passed us, he kept his vision on her backside, revving his Gift of agility and strength until the group was a few feet in front of us. Cupping his Gifted bracelet, he shouted something about meeting up with us later and took off in the pretty girl's direction at a dizzying speed.

  Luca took the opposite approach to the added attention and gossip from the girls. He politely declined their advances while never taking his eyes off me.

  Finally alone, Luca leaned in close and ground his teeth as he spat out, “I walked past that rat, Mr. Dimon's, office this morning.” I could feel his breath on my ear, and I had to fight the delicious tingle down my back.

  Instead, I channeled my anger. “Me too,” I vented.

  “It's been a whole week, and he hasn't told us anything!! I wanted to rip those beady eyes right out of his head!” Luca fumed. I could feel my own hatred building again.

  I whispered, but my anger with Mr. Dimon echoed in each word. “I would have shown him real pain if Justin hadn't held me back.”

  Luca grabbed both my shoulders and turned me towards him. “Just do it, Liv. Why not? Who cares what Justin says? We are stuck in this small town while our friends are held captive!”

  I shook my head, and repeated the line I had said multiple times over the last few days, “Justin is right; we need to come up with a plan. The Meta will expect us to use force. It's what they want.”

  “No, standing on the sidelines is what Justin wants,” Luca stated, his voice louder now.

  “Since you know me so well, feel free to elaborate on what I want,” Justin pressed, approaching us calmly.

  Luca held my gaze for a second before turning to Justin. “You're only concerned with keeping Olivia safe,” Luca growled.

  “And you're not?” Justin asked, raising his eyebrows, shoving his hands in his pockets, and helping Luca to dig himself into a hole.

  “Of course I am,” Luca said, lowering his voice. “But there are others who need our help, too.”

  Luca's frustration with Justin always came close to a breaking point, but he never let it go too far. Before listening to Justin's response, he spun on his heels and walked into Mr. Stackhouse's classroom. I gave Justin my best “was-that-really-necessary?” look.

  They had been fighting like cats and dogs since we got to Pandora. It was exhausting to be in the middle of it. Justin's unreadable features didn't make him look apologetic. Instead, he took the global studies book out of my hands and handed over my lab book. Then, he grasped my free hand in his own and led me into Mr. Stackhouse's class.

  * * * *

  Chapter Three: A Charm Unmanageable

  Justin and I parted down the aisle in Mr. Stackhouse's science class, and he joined Cliff at a worn wooden lab desk on the right side of the room while I moved further to the back. The knots in my stomach pulled tight. I hated being alone.

  I stared at the empty seat at my station and took a deep breath. I missed Jaime. I wished she were here to tell me what to do or where to start researching.

  Releasing the breath, I cleared my head and focused my attention on moving forward. It was my turn to lead. I couldn't disappear into the ground. I needed to be present and functioning. I sat up taller in my seat.

  No big deal; I would start small. If I could muster the energy for everyday life, I could move on to bigger things like rescuing my friends from the Meta.

  I took out my floppy lab book and opened it. See, I am independent and able to take care of myself. I felt a little better.

  I dug into my bag for a pencil. I found a sharp pink one, and settled in for a long period of note-taking. Maybe for once Mr. Stackhouse's meandering lesson would distract me from my personal drama rather than bore me.

  Snap. My pencil tip cracked off. I glanced at the pencil sharpener that had been broken since January. I sighed. I was already breaking my vow of independence. I would have to ask one of the boys if I could borrow something to write with.

  I hadn't even opened my mouth to speak when Luca and Justin both looked back to check on me. It was as if they had microphones surrounding my desk, monitoring my every breath and sigh. I lifted my broken pencil to show them the tip. “Can I borrow...?”

  I didn't
get to finish my question. They jumped to their feet and scoured their pockets. Luca located a writing utensil first. With a black mechanical pencil in his open hand, he walked toward me. I reached out to take it, but Justin got to Luca's hand first.

  He pressed two fingers to the plastic, and the pencil went limp. Its amorphous shape sagged between Luca's fingers and dripped an indistinguishable black material onto the floor.

  Luca looked at Justin with a stunned face. “You melted my pencil!”

  Justin's blue hue didn't hide his crooked smile. He shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, but Olivia doesn't like mechanical pencils,” he said, transferred his Gifted pocketknife to his free hand, and passed me a classic yellow wooden pencil.

  It happened so fast that I didn't have time to scold them for their petty fight. I just took the pencil. Luca clenched his jaw, and the smug look never left Justin's face.

  “Everybody, take your seats,” Mr. Stackhouse said. “Today, we will be dissecting earthworms.” There were an equal number of groans and cheers. My skin turned cold and clammy.

  “Mr. Stackhouse, Cliff won't mind doing this experiment by himself. I'll be Olivia's partner for today,” Justin announced. Frazzled by Justin's rare, outspoken decision, Mr. Stackhouse nodded and continued setting up.

  Luca rose to his feet, immediately. “I'll join them, too. My lab partner can work with Cliff,” he added. Mr. Stackhouse began to look suspicious. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

  “Not so fast, Luca. I'm sure Justin and Olivia can handle the lesson just fine,” he said and motioned with his hand for Luca to sit down. He turned to the board to show the matter was closed.

  Luca remained standing. I watched the air around him swirl into a purple cloud. With a twinkle in his eye and his charm dangling around his neck, he leaned one hip against his lab desk, crossed one ankle over the other, and tucked both broad arms around his chest.

  “Are you sure about that, Mr. Stackhouse?” Luca challenged. Mr. Stackhouse's body tensed. He was a shy, dorky man, but he was still the authority figure. Twenty pairs of eyes turned to the new kid who dared to disagree with the teacher.

  They didn't see what I saw. Luca was lit with Gifted power. It exuded from every inch of his body and seeped around the room like rolling fog.

  “Groups of two and three make more sense than forcing anyone to work by themselves, don't you think?” Luca asked, confidently.

  Mr. Stackhouse stood there blinking a few times, confused by the need to agree with Luca. “I...uh...guess that makes sense,” he stammered. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

  Luca didn't waste any time and pushed his stool up to my lab station. Justin seethed from my other side. I wanted to lay my head on the desk.

  Fed by Luca and Justin's jealous competition, a purple and blue air mass hovered around my desk. It was so powerful and concentrated that it gave me goose bumps.

  “Please fill in your worksheets, describing the color, texture, and smell of the earthworm's internal organs,” Mr. Stackhouse explained, returning to his lesson. Justin and Luca's evil glares and smug faces were distracting. I tried to focus on the front of the room.

  Mr. Stackhouse picked up a jar and popped off the top. “I recommend taking two or three earthworms. They are slippery, and you will most likely destroy a few organs as you investigate others.” My stomach churned.

  He used a pair of tongs to grab a couple worms and placed them into his petri dish. Then, he passed the jar of worms to the closest pair of students. The girl looked pale and tentative, but the guy dug into the jar with excitement.

  I watched it pass between stations until, finally, it arrived at our desk. Justin grabbed the container. He took his time selecting the worms for our experiment, holding the jar tightly.

  “Here you go, Luca. You can choose your own,” Justin said. The air around him was tinted blue. Something about his sudden shift to nice guy wasn't genuine. With two hands on the jar, he slowly stretched his arms. Luca cocked his head, suspiciously.

  “Katherine, would you mind passing the jar of worms?” Luca asked the girl at the desk in front of us. His voice was soothing and sexy.

  “Sure thing, Luca.” Katherine shot out of her seat and grabbed the container before Justin could object. She had barely taken a step when the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces. Slimy, gooey, brown earthworms covered her hands, clothes, and feet. The pressure from the exploding jar was so great that there were even earthworms in her hair.

  “Katherine, are you okay? What bad luck,” Luca exclaimed with genuine concern for Katherine as an innocent bystander as well as delight in thwarting Justin's set-up. He struggled to appear sympathetic while smiling arrogantly because he had won the round. Justin looked horrified and helpless as Katherine slid through the mounds of worms on the floor to the sink. Justin had obviously caused the build-up of pressure and faint cracks in the glass.

  “Alright, everyone. I'll get a janitor in here to clean this up. Luckily, we have enough worms for the experiment. Let's continue,” Mr. Stackhouse instructed, attempting to quiet the class and get us back on track.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Stackhouse!” Luca shouted over the commotion in the classroom to get the teacher's attention. Again, his Gift was turned on high. The spark of it tingled on my skin. Mr. Stackhouse looked like a dopey puppy as Luca took control of his actions.

  “Justin would like to stand in the front of the class and show everyone how to do the experiment,” Luca declared. A puff of blue air burst out from Justin. He growled as he launched towards Luca. His open hands reached for his throat.

  “ENOUGH!” I shouted. I stood up and felt power building at my center and pulsing out of my hands. Every pair of eyes in the room focused on me, and even Justin and Luca were affected.

  My Gift was the strongest. It demanded everyone's attention, but it was involuntary on my part. Our friends were being held as prisoners while Luca and Justin were having a silly jealousy fight. They were foolish, immature, and out of control. My body reacted because I was frustrated and angry.

  I bared my teeth. If I adjusted the frequency of my Gift ever so slightly, then Justin and Luca would feel my anger. I watched as the classroom cringed in pain.

  No, that was wrong. I glanced at the ring on my finger. It was a gory red. I was too powerful and dangerous. I bit my lip and tried to focus on what was really important. Quickly, I changed my own emotions, picturing a clear night sky, feeling a brotherly hug from Derek, smelling my mom's lasagna. The mood of the entire class switched as I concentrated on happier things. It all happened in a matter of seconds.

  I dried my sweaty palms on my pants, and spoke in a calm voice, “I'm ready to continue the lesson.” Then, I sat back down, releasing everyone from my trance.

  * * * *

  Chapter Four: Teacher's Pet

  I was wrong. There were things I hated far more than being alone. I hated being in the middle of a petty fight. I hated not knowing how to save my friends. And I hated the fact that I was dangerous, and I mean accidentally-torture-my-boyfriend dangerous. Justin and Luca recovered quickly enough from my blast of sadness, but it didn't change the fact that I did it. I felt guilty.

  At the end of Mr. Stackhouse's earthworm dissection, I rattled off excuses why I needed a minute alone, and wedged myself free from Justin and Luca. If the lab session taught me anything, it was how dangerously fast my anger could be sparked, and this made one thing clear: I had to fight the Meta alone. It was the safest way.

  I couldn't risk the lives of the ones I loved, and if they were standing in the line of fire, I wasn't sure I would be able to turn off my Gift next time. The Gifted Program would not take the news well that I intended to fight alone, so I would wait and tell them when the time was right. Maybe I was a coward for putting off the uncomfortable conversation, but for now, we would search for our friends together.

  I was still riled up when I arrived at Mr. Rowling's English class a minute early and stopped in the hallway
outside his door just as Lynn Vapor sauntered into the room and took a seat in the back. An air of detachment and superiority surrounded her, and it wasn't just because she could use her Gift to fade into the background, or turn up when you least expected her.

  Knowing her piercing blue eyes were watching me from on top of her high horse didn't help my mood. She was Prometheus's Hadean, and my brother's ex-girlfriend. He had thought they were in love, but as far as I could tell, she had only dated him to spy on us at school. Lynn had lied and manipulated far worse than anyone else in Prometheus's crew, and I wasn't sure I would ever trust her.

  Since we arrived in Pandora, she kept her distance. She played the role as Mr. Dimon had asked her, showing up to class each day and pretending to be a Pandora student, but she didn't speak to any of us. I wondered what was going on inside that sly blonde head of hers.

  I wished I could call Derek. I missed his lighthearted banter and brotherly advice. I was supposed to be filling in his shoes, but I was doing a poor job of it. How was I supposed to keep the Gifted Program focused on rescuing our friends?

  I was still standing in the doorway of Mr. Rowling's classroom, deep in thought, when Chelsea Steinem, all four foot eleven of her, ran up to me.

  Her long blonde hair was pushed back in her silver Gifted headband, and it swished behind her. Despite her height, she was a fierce fighter. She grabbed my shoulder, jolting me out of my thoughts. She took two deep breaths before she could speak. “I...heard...Mrs. Wolf...on the phone again,” she panted.

  I could smell her vanilla Gifted scent, and I gave her a look of disapproval. “Chelsea, I thought you weren't going to do that anymore. It's too dangerous,” I scolded.

  Chelsea shook her head violently. “Liv, you don't understand. There are millions of Gifted in the world who are being oppressed by the Meta,” she exclaimed.