by Alana Siegel
“And if I don't cooperate?” I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat.
“Derek and Helen die,” she said with a straight face.
I nodded my head like I understood and readied myself. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I had to sacrifice my reputation for my friends, I was more than willing to do it.
This was it. This was the end. Or so I thought. There was an odd scuffling sound from the front of the building below. I peered over the edge and felt my face go pale. A heated mass of Gifted, dressed in ragged grey prisoner gear, were shouting and running to the threshold of the massive rock platform we stood on. Max, Ms. Magos, Graham, and even Hunter were at the head of the pack. They had managed to free all the Gifted prisoners.
I should have felt relieved, but I was panicked. I had already made my bargain with the Chancellor. My other friends didn't need to get involved.
The Chancellor took a step forward, but another buzz of noise grabbed everyone's attention. Boats landed on the other end of the island filled with more Gifted. They poured onto the land and marched toward us as well. Golden blonde hair was vivid in the sunlight. Chelsea and Lynn were leading the group.
The ground began to rumble again. The Gifted were fighting for their rights the best way they knew how, shaking the ground beneath the Meta and keeping the Chancellor on unbalanced footing. The unnatural earthquake made sense to me now. It was how the Gifted managed to get the agents off our tail when the bus stopped on the Golden Gate Bridge.
I looked back at the Chancellor, and was surprised to see she looked ecstatic instead of worried. “Prepare the elixir hoses,” she commanded her Meta army and brought her clasped hands up to the sneer on her lips.
* * * *
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Brink of Death
Appearing indestructible, strong, and confident, the Chancellor marched forward with her arms open. “Hold back your anger, friends; I welcome you. Your timing is pristine. Tonight we will create history,” she told the hundreds of Gifted that had just come rushing to the base of the platform like an angry mob.
There was utter silence. She began to pace along the front of the platform. “In moments, I will sacrifice myself to show you the Elste atrocities the Meta works hard to protect you from.”
She had miraculously commanded their attention. They were shocked into listening to her politician speech. They didn't even notice her Meta agents aiming the nozzle of an elixir hose directly at them.
“Let me introduce you to the most selfish and dangerous female Elste the world has ever known,” she said and stepped back to give the mob a better view of me. The group gasped. I shook my head to deny it. A low murmuring buzzed in the air. I could hear Max's voice in the crowd, shouting that it was lies. No one was listening to him.
“Her lack of a moral compass puts everyone at risk, Gifted and non-Gifted. Her relationship with this Horus is far worse than the original Pyramus and Thisbe. She blinds him from fairness and justice by pretending to love him,” the Chancellor ranted. Justin's grip tightened on my hand. I could feel the hum of his Gift expanding with his anger. I didn't have to tell him that she was telling lies, but the mob of Gifted below didn't know me.
“Olivia, fight back!” Chelsea screamed. I bit my bottom lip. I was disappointing my friends. They didn't know she was blackmailing me. They couldn't see Jaime, Helen, and Derek dangling over the other side of the rock platform.
The Chancellor faced me, squared her shoulders, and said, “Do it! Try your best to defeat us. Isn't that what you came here to do? I just ask that you spare my friends.” She fanned her hand to the crowd that waited with bated breath.
The seconds felt like hours. How could I protect everyone? If I exposed the Chancellor's plan, I would lose Jaime, Helen, and Derek, and the Meta agents would cover the angry mob with the elixir anyway. Only the Chancellor would win.
There was a second option, though. If I went along with the Chancellor’s plan and attacked her, she might spare Jaime, Helen, and Derek. I looked at Chelsea and already felt like I was disappointing her. The Meta agents were prepared with their elixir hose. They would never let the other Gifted escape.
It was a lose-lose situation, and I knew I had to make a tough decision. I thought of the unrelenting support Jaime, Derek, and Helen provided me, and how that same care brought them to the brink of death.
I swallowed hard and nodded. I would go along with the Chancellor’s plan. If we were all put into prison cells, we might still have a chance to escape one day. I made a promise, and I was going to keep it. No one was going to die for me. I was the female Elste. I had a responsibility to fulfill.
I looked at Justin. Our hands were still locked together. His sad sea foam eyes reflected love and respect. He knew I had no other option.
My breathing was surprisingly calm even as my Gift grew and blossomed and flourished. The wind caught my hair and my cape, sending my rose scent backwards. I closed my eyes and let the power fill my body. It didn't overpower my senses like Thisbe. Perhaps I didn't feel the utter sadness that Thisbe felt when her best friend betrayed her, and when she lost her Pyramus. Instead, I was surrounded by love.
I was calm when I opened my eyes. I was ready to ruin my reputation to protect those I loved, but something grabbed my attention behind the Chancellor. With hundreds of eyes focused on me, I was the only one who noticed Luca and Carly on the side of the platform, turning a nozzle at the other end of the agent’s hose to release the vat full of mulberry elixir into the bay!
I forced myself to keep a straight face, but inside I was ecstatic. There was another option. I could follow through with the Chancellor's plan, save Helen, Jaime, and Derek, and the Gifted people would be free from Meta control!
The only downside was that the Chancellor would succeed in proving that I am dangerous, and I would probably be locked up for life. The Gifted mob would help chain me up. I took a deep breath. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
I felt more confident than ever. I looked out from under my lashes and prepared my Gift when a frantic, macho scream cut through the silence from somewhere above us.
Everyone squinted and scanned the fog. Outstretched arms and legs made a beeline for the rock. Someone was skydiving and yelling at the top of his lungs.
Within seconds, Cliff Adams came into view with a parachute jutting out behind him. In perfect athletic form, he swooped in diagonally, scooped up Helen, and landed on the platform. He stood panting and holding her. He was absorbed in his concern for her safety and unaware of the battlefield he had dropped in on.
His rescue lightened the amount of weight that Jaime had to carry, and she managed to swing Derek onto the platform moments later. He took one step and shouted to the other Gifted, “the Chancellor was blackmailing Olivia!”
I braced myself for her wrath. She appeared eerily calm, like a great leader at wartime. She shouted, “THE ELIXIR HOSES, AGENTS!” The ground below turned into chaos as the mob tried to run away. The agents raised their nozzles and prepared to fire, but nothing came out. Luca and Carly had drained their reservoir. The agents panicked, dropped the hoses, and ran for cover.
“STAND GUARD! STAND GUARD!” the Chancellor bellowed, but the Gifted were already igniting their Gifts. For the first time, the Chancellor appeared worried, even shaken. She glanced at the video cameras that were feeding her social media empire as the drama unfolded.
She turned to run alongside her agents when Justin leaned over and shouted over the commotion, “She doesn't want anyone to know her darkest secret...that she is Gifted.” He let go of my hand and opened both of his palms toward the Chancellor's back. A deep blue smoke billowed out. It mixed with the air and caused it to circle. Rain sliced the blue mass and pelted the ground.
The tornado blocked the Chancellor's escape route. She whipped around and sent Justin a piercing, fiendish look. Her polished hair was now flying wildly, and her ironed suit was soaked.
“How dare you insult my family and friends!
It's time you apologized for the years of anguish you caused,” Justin commanded.
His storm taunted her until she was at the platform's edge. She let out a frustrated screech, pulled a shiny Gifted knife out of her pocket, and threw her own storm at us.
It was tiny and unimpressive from lack of use, but it was all we needed to prove she was a liar. It stumbled toward us with barely enough speed to spin.
Justin blocked it, and I threw my hands out to attack her with my Elste power. Months of anger and frustration from feeling different and being lied to were released.
From the pit of my stomach, I built up my strength. I pictured Aunt Ev's mournful face left at the altar when her loved one was taken from her. I remembered Derek's broken heart when Lynn used him to get close to me. I felt the stab of pain caused by Helen's tears when she witnessed my Gift for the first time. Finally, I used the despair I felt when Justin said he couldn't love me anymore.
I blamed all these dreadful memories on the Chancellor and her hatred for the Gifted. It was with immense power and force that I attacked her and brought her to her knees, shaking in agony. I could feel the darkness leaving me and infecting her. I finally felt like I was living up to my name and protecting my friends and fellow Gifted.
It was therapeutic and remarkable. I felt strong and beautiful. I understood why it was so easy for Thisbe to lose control. I was intoxicating. Everybody, Gifted and non-Gifted, was silenced. They watched in awe as I overtook my enemy.
Then it was over, just as fast as it began. I dropped my arms, Justin's storms calmed, and we surrounded the bitter old woman.
Someone in the crowd behind us started chanting, “Elste, Elste, Elste.”
* * * *
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rehab
A sweet-smelling rainbow burst across the early morning sky as the Gifted celebrated their freedom from a tyrant who lay powerless on the floor. Derek wrapped me in a bear hug, and it felt unbelievable. I squeezed him back, relieved that he was alive and safe.
“Great job, V. I'm so proud of you,” he gushed in my ear. Relief flooded me. It was finally over.
We looked out at the chanting crowd. “I think they found their new Chancellor,” Derek told me.
I smiled and said, “Maybe we can ask Aunt Ev to do it. At least until I finish high school.” He laughed and patted me on the back.
The rest of the Gifted Program was making their way to the top of the rock platform. I watched Derek's grin fade as Lynn came into his view.
“You have to speak to her eventually,” I pointed out.
“I guess you're right. You're pretty smart for a kid sister,” he observed, and then walked away.
Jaime, Chelsea, and Helen swarmed me with hugs, love, and congratulations, with Graham not far behind them. I was overwhelmed with happiness. I had managed to rescue all of them.
“I was about to climb the platform and knock some sense into you when the Chancellor told you to blast her with your Gift. I had no idea she was blackmailing you!” Chelsea exclaimed.
“We were lucky Cliff decided to drop in. I wasn't going to last much longer,” Jaime explained.
“I was impressed,” Graham told Jaime and flashed his flirty grin. Her cheeks turned a shade of red I had never seen before.
Graham wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, “Hi, I'm Graham. A few months ago we wanted to kill each other. How's that for a first impression?” Jaime actually giggled, making my mouth drop open.
“Now I've seen everything,” Chelsea joked and left the circle, Graham and Jaime following and chatting a few steps behind her.
Finally, it was just Helen and me. I grabbed both of her hands in my own, but before I could say a word, she said “Don't apologize for anything, Liv. You were great. I'm proud to be your best friend.” She smiled.
A moment later, Cliff walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and breathed her in. I was happy for him. He got what he wanted without being Gifted. It was adorable until I noticed she was focused on someone else.
I followed her gaze, hoping Cliff wasn't doing the same thing. Her eyes were having an unspoken conversation with Derek! His crooked grin made me wonder what happened between them in the Meta's prison. I didn't have a chance to ask.
Hunter was making his way over with his arm wrapped around Prometheus. With all of Hunter's injuries, I wasn't sure who was supporting whom. It looked like nothing that happened in the past few weeks changed his loyalty to the old man. They stopped in front of the Chancellor and stood looking at her. Justin and I hurried over.
“I did what I had to in order to control my daughter,” Prometheus said. He was unapologetic as he turned his gaze to Justin.
“Lies and manipulation. It's not the way I would have done it. I value people more than that,” Justin said to his great-grandfather and wrapped his arm around me.
To our surprise, Prometheus gave him a genuine smile in return. “I'm proud of you,” he said. It wasn't a happy family reunion, but I didn't expect much.
“What are you going to do with your daughter?” I asked, assuming he would take responsibility for her.
“I think it's time for a little rehab at Fort Bliss,” he said. “Hunter, help me take our new guest home.”
The last few weeks of the school year were a breeze, without any Gifted trouble. Plus, the new school superintendent, who replaced Mr. Dimon, excused us from Mr. Rowling's final paper and Mr. Stackhouse's lab assignment.
Things were going so smoothly that I never would have guessed what I was about to hear as I hopped into Justin's car to go with him for some lazy summer ice cream.
My phone buzzed in my lap, and I flipped it over to see AUNT EV flashing on the incoming call screen. “Hello, Chancellor,” I sang as I put the phone to my ear.
“Olivia, we have a problem.”
* * * *
About the Author
A year ago, Alana Siegel completed the level three Chartered Financial Analyst exam, and her fiancé accepted a job at Apple as an iPhone Developer. They decided it was an opportune time to move from New York to San Francisco and try something new. An engagement ring, a move 3,000 miles across the country, and one adorable kitten named Zeus later, the third book in the Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program series was conceived!
Alana Siegel was raised on Long Island, New York. She was the valedictorian of Plainedge High School and graduated with a B.A. and double major in Finance and Accounting from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Since early childhood she has loved to read fantasy books. Add a little romance and a happy ending and in her eyes you have a perfect afternoon of reading.
Connect with Me Online
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/public/Olivia-Hart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AlanaSiegel
Website: http://www.oliviahartbooks.com/
Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Alana-Siegel/e/B006O3NOAK
Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/series/72755-olivia-hart-and-the-gifted-program
The Retreat book trailer (NEW!): http://youtu.be/9mxDa4Puh88
The Charm book trailer: http://youtu.be/q5-v27F7hPg
Tumblr: http://makeeverymisadventureanadventure.tumblr.com/
Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/alana-siegel.html
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to my charming and talented editor, Carol Weber!
Carol Weber’s website: http://www.carolscorrections.weebly.com
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