Lost Energy

by Lynn Vroman

  Empyrean.

  Wilma and Teenesee.

  They were in trouble while I…damn. I needed to get to them.

  The slamming fridge door distracted me from the tears, thank God. I brushed away a few on my cheeks and rolled to my side as Winston walked over holding two Styrofoam takeout containers. I sat up when he offered a box to me. The wings inside smelled amazing, and cold wings, especially BBQ cold wings, were almost a delicacy in my neighborhood.

  We ate in silence, with me staring up at what I assumed was his masterpiece and him looking straight ahead, seemingly not loving the wings as much as I did. He ate mechanically, as if it were just for sustenance. Which, obviously, was the reason why we all ate, but most of us when given wings ate with some pleasure.

  My nerves couldn’t take the silence anymore. I had questions–also a big request. I licked some sauce off my fingers before pointing up. “This all you, Michelangelo?”

  Again with the nods. A simple yes would’ve been nice.

  “They’re, um, pretty.”

  He reached into his pocket, stuck an earbud in his right ear, and kept eating.

  Nope. It’d take more than that to shut me up. “So, you wanna talk about it?”

  He took another bite before answering. “No.”

  I scooted closer. “Listen, I get it. I understand. When me a–”

  “Don’t care, Tainted.”

  “I’m trying to say that I get how difficult loving someone is when you’re…different. You don’t have to be an ass.”

  He sighed. “What do you want me to say, huh?” A pause. “Shaina…she’s everything, okay? That’s all you need to know.”

  Farren’s voice echoed in my head. Protectors aren’t so easy to kill. Still had to pay, though…

  I wouldn’t push. I didn’t really want to know, anyway. It’d make what I needed to ask harder. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”

  He finished his lunch and took my empty container before getting up to throw them into a trash bag by the door. “All right, here’s the plan. We go tonight, around midnight. I get your guy, and then you two get gone. Understood?”

  I stood, wanting to be fine with that, really. But, no. “That’s not exactly all I need from you.”

  He laughed a little, shaking his head. “Well, that’s all you’re gonna get.”

  I pulled the list from my bag and handed it to him. “Um…Avery doesn’t know Farren is in jail. She thought you might be able to help find those people. I-I need your help getting Farren. We need your help finding an army.”

  The small laugh turned into a huge one. “An army? You dumbasses planning on taking out Exemplar?” If his voice weren’t so musical, I would’ve been more pissed.

  But I still fumed. I had to bite my tongue. Literally bite it to keep from going off. “No, not yet, anyway. We need the army to stop Exemplar from taking out Empyrean.”

  The laughing stopped, replaced with paper crinkling, his hold tightening on the list. “What’re you talking about?”

  I told him the story.

  “Goddamn, you can’t ever stay out of trouble, can you? Whatever life you live.” He unfolded the list and skimmed through it. “You’re never going to find these people.”

  “I know. That’s why we need you.”

  Paint cans rattled and the scaffolding shook as Winston stared at the papers, his fists curling around them. I backed up, ready to throw the mattress over my head if cans and metal started dropping on us.

  When he finally spoke, the urge to hide grew stronger. “I don’t know where the fuck they are.” His eyes pointed to the ceiling. “I’ve spent twenty years making sure you people didn’t find me. Stayed off the radar, stayed hidden…now this.”

  “Hey, I love Empyrean, too. I don’t want to–”

  “You don’t get it.” His voice stayed soft, his eyes glued to his paintings. “It’s not about Empyrean. Not really.”

  “Well, then I don’t get why you’re so pissed.”

  He finally looked down. The dread in his eyes made him young, vulnerable. “Where do you think Exemplar gets their power?”

  I shrugged. “Farren said the sun.”

  He shook his head. “That’s a lie they tell everybody. You ever see those green orbs during your illegal trips to Empyrean? The ones buried in the ground?”

  “How do you know I’ve been–?”

  “I know everything about you, Tainted. From this life and the last. Answer the question.”

  Well, that was disturbing. But the picture of those farmers hurling the orbs at the Protectors entered my head, erasing the weird stalker comment and causing my throat to dry up. Those green balls I thought looked like emeralds exploded into fire as soon as they touched something solid. What the hell…? “Yes. They were like bombs or something.”

  “They ain’t bombs. That’s power. Those orbs, they are energy, some sort of magic Empyrean shit.” He handed the list back to me. “They’re the reason why people like you and me exist. Why our energy is so fucking strong.”

  Fear tickled the back of my neck and left goose bumps on my arms. “I don’t understand.”

  “You, me, all Exemplians, we’re science experiments. Science experiments created with help from those magic balls…Empyrean power.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  He wouldn’t elaborate, even when I begged, demanded, and begged again. All he’d say was it didn’t matter. That part he got right. What mattered was making sure Exemplar didn’t succeed–something Winston still refused to help us with.

  I didn’t stop nagging about responsibility and concern for others–Wilma taught me well.

  Until he froze my mouth.

  When I decided to use my feet and fists to get my point across, he lifted a hand, sending me flying onto the mattress, freezing my entire body. “Get some sleep.”

  Fighting against his hold made my lips ache. I managed a few closed-mouth screams, but with my head unable to move and my arms at my sides, all I accomplished was screaming at the unfinished painting on the ceiling. Oh, and giving myself the mother of all headaches. The shitty part about the whole thing was how Winston managed to ignore me. He slept, called who I assumed was Shaina, and showered. What I would have given to take a piss, maybe wash the layers of sweat from my body. Drown the bastard in the toilet.

  At some point, I fell asleep, the exhaustion from the past two days too much to fight. I lay curled on my side when I woke up, once again in control of my body. My sore lips felt like I’d spent hours holding my mouth wide open.

  Jackass.

  I sat up, my bladder ready to explode, and scrambled to the room I’d watched Winston go in to take a shower. When I came back out, feeling ten pounds lighter, Winston stood by the front door. Under his T-shirt, a sizzling undercurrent zipped light from his neck to his stomach. A taser rested in the lip of his sweats.

  “You think the fairy suit’s a bit much? I doubt brainwashing guards will require Exemplian protection.”

  He shot me that stupid smirk. “Ain’t the guards I’m worried about.”

  “You really think Protectors are staking out the place, waiting for me to break him out?”

  “Of course they are.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, because they think I’m that crafty.”

  “No, because they think you’re that stupid.” I opened my mouth to give him a verbal ass kicking, but he held up a hand. That worked. No way would I give him a reason to freeze my mouth again. “They don’t have high opinions of people who are not Exemplian. It’s their flaw and our advantage.”

  “And how are we gonna use that?”

  He crossed his arms and shook his head. “Imma give you a minute to think of the answer on your own.”

  What a cocky sonofa–oh. Oh, yeah. “Use me as bait.”

  He tapped his temple. “See, you ain’t all stupid.”

  I stretched, annoyed. So what if the asshole wouldn’t help find the list people. As soon as he freed Farren, we’d head to Arcus–where decent people were
ready to help. Screw this guy. “What time is it?”

  He opened the door, his bike already in the driveway. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.”

  Dick.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Since Farren still sat in county, we’d have to go right into the heart of Mount Pocono. The jail connected to the courthouse, something I found stupid. But, hey, I’m no criminal expert or anything.

  As we drove down Main Street, the bar scene was in full swing. Drunks staggered too close to the curb, their driving counterparts too close to the sidewalk. Police patrolled, but they never bothered anyone much unless a fight broke out or the driving got too erratic. The perks of living close to East Stroudsburg University. College students on a mission to be complete idiots got some leeway from Pocono’s finest.

  The courthouse hid two streets behind Main, which made it a virtual ghost town, with the whispers of Main’s party curling into the shadows. Winston kept the bike at a crawl, going about three blocks past the courthouse before parking. He even put a couple quarters in the meter.

  “You don’t have to feed those after six.” The guy would steal a soda, but needlessly pay for parking? Whatever.

  He shrugged and headed toward the back of the jail. I followed, though not liking the whole trailing-like-a-puppy feeling. The way he walked, as if he owned the damn sidewalk. Man, I really didn’t want to be impressed. I had to cling to the hours he kept me frozen. Okay, maybe it was fifteen minutes or so, but still. The fucker froze my mouth.

  Yeah, Winston was pretty badass. The epitome of cool.

  Asshole.

  But when he turned away from the courthouse and toward the party, I had to question his intelligence, at the very least, his sense of direction. “Um…wrong way.”

  I mumbled that little directive under my breath. No one ever accused me of repeating mistakes. The guy didn’t like questions–proof being my sore mouth.

  He heard me anyway. We stopped and he pointed at the loudest crowd, drinking on the patio of an old bar. “Imma hang out here for a minute. You go on and take a lap around the courthouse.”

  Okay, that command was getting old, fast. “And what do you think should I do after? Maybe get a cone at Dairy Queen?”

  “If you want.”

  “Hey, I–”

  He put up a hand, freezing my goddamn mouth again. “If I get too close, they’ll feel me. You go, weed them out, lead them to the party, and then I’ll go in and do my thing.”

  When his hold on my mouth broke, I shoved him. As average as he was in height and weight, trying to move him was like trying to topple a megalith with my hands. “Don’t. Freeze. My. Mouth.” With every word, I gave another useless push.

  All he did was lift his hand, turning me into a water fountain statue. You know, like cupid, with one foot in the air and an arm held out. Embarrassing. “Play nice, Tainted, and I’ll let you go.”

  My ego couldn’t take another beating. At least he kept my mouth free. “Fine. Stop it.”

  He waved, and I fell to my knees. I so didn’t want to face his smirk, but my current position left me at a complete disadvantage when trying to maintain a little pride. I stood, straightened my tank, and smoothed back my sweaty hair.

  He watched with boredom written all over his dark face. “You done?”

  Deep breath in, slow breath out. “Yes.”

  “Okay, take a lap.”

  “You know what? I hate that. Hate. It. Say it one more time, and I’ll…I’ll…” Damn, I’ll take another lap.

  He smiled a genuine smile this time. “You got guts. I’ll give you that.” He hung an arm across my shoulder and squeezed. If I thought he had any redeeming qualities, I’d have sworn he tried to comfort me. “Fighting Protectors won’t get your friend out of jail. It’ll just get us noticed.”

  Ugh! Full of all the right answers, wasn’t he? “How will you know it’s clear?”

  He guided my attention toward the patio party. “Because you’re going to get lost in the crowd, make ‘em find you. The chaos will distract them enough not to pay attention to the extra static my body’ll create. As soon as you’re inside the bar, I’ll get your friend. Wait fifteen minutes and find your way back out on the street. I’ll pick you up.”

  “You only need fifteen minutes?”

  He took his arm off my shoulder. “I need five, but I can’t fit you both on my bike.”

  Impressed, really, I tried not to ooh and ahhh. “I’m not twenty-one. They won’t let me in.”

  “Already took care of it.”

  Of course, you did.

  “All right.” I backtracked down the cracked sidewalk until the noise level quieted. Before crossing the street, I glanced behind me. Winston disappeared, taking a huge chunk of my courage with him.

  The closer I got near the jail, the more my nerves acted up. The tangy sewer smell coming from the storm drains elbowed its way into my nose. Cats fought a few blocks away and a thumping base came from a house I couldn’t see. Once I made it to the courthouse, I closed my eyes and tried to shut out everything, searching for the sound of footsteps.

  None came.

  I walked farther down, until I stood by the brick wall of our small county jail. Barbed wire topped the wall, but that was the only clue it housed criminals–or drunks spending the night in detox. My dad paid a visit on more than one occasion.

  Sneaking glances around me, I rattled the metal gate once or twice and made sure to act as though I avoided the cameras, anything to make it seem like a serious breakout attempt.

  I listened for any stalking-like noises, while the distant base and mewling cats kept me company. If the bastards didn’t start crawling from the shadows soon…

  Lena.

  Tarek’s voice floated through my brain. It didn’t help me relax, though. Strain colored all his words.

  Come back. Now. Things are…pause…things are bad.

  Anxiety went into overdrive. I wanted to scream, yell for the fuckers to come get me. Didn’t happen, though, regardless of how hot the panic bubble in my throat burned.

  Then the shadows moved.

  Swallowing the terror proved tough, but I managed. They came in slow, at first. I kept my direct attention pointed at the parking garage straight ahead, while catching four shadows coming closer in my peripheral. I didn’t want to alert them, but I didn’t want to stick around and get caught, either. All it’d take would be one zap with a taser, and I’d be in the next portal to Exemplar.

  I rattled the gate one more time before moving toward Main. The dumbasses thought they were stealthy, darting in and out of the shadows, hiding behind streetlamps, or acting like locals when I turned around every so often. Christ, who were the stupid humans now?

  I counted three guys and one woman. They all looked ridiculous, with their contego suits so obviously on and under their summer clothes. Unfortunately, their tasers were probably in their hands waiting for a clean shot, too.

  After rounding the corner to the world of drinking and college co-eds, I picked up my speed, heading straight for the patio with Christmas lights decorating the four small trees surrounding it. The foursome followed, crowding the door a few feet behind me.

  A big, bald guy with tattoos from his skull to fingertips demanded ID from everyone in front of us. Waiting set me on edge. The one thing keeping the Protectors’ tasers from shocking my back were some half-dressed girls, who spent time ogling the people set on killing me. Granted, they were okay looking, but their eyes were dead. Why couldn’t the bubbleheads see that?

  The bouncer’s face turned all slack-jawed as soon as I hit the head of the line. He moved to the side, his milky brown eyes glazing over. “Go ahead.”

  “Thanks, buddy.” I rushed inside; the heat from all the bodies packed in stealing my breath. It didn’t take much effort to blend in with the crowd.

  Didn’t take much for the Protectors to find me, either. I stood in the middle of the dance floor, swaying a bit as the four of them flanked me from ever
y angle. They all nodded to each other before moving forward. Nothing better than feeling like the fox in a foxhunt.

  I made eye contact with one of the guys and smiled, wagging my finger. The action stopped him, exactly what I’d hoped for. He searched the crowd to find his buddies. If they thought I’d trapped them, maybe they’d take their time trying to get me.

  That worked for a while. They stood stalk still, other people bumping and grinding against them as they danced. The woman looked ready to yank my head off, and I’d bet she was more than capable of doing it. They all kept a vigil on the room, checking the exits, the bar. I swayed to the music, trying to act as if I knew exactly what I was doing. Smiling hurt my face, but I forced it to stay there. Even with the body odor masked with flowery perfume stinking up the place, I managed to put on a decent I-got-you show.

  When they realized nothing was happening, they moved in like a machine, my shaking head and wagging finger not working in the least. We played this game for about ten minutes, five minutes short of Winston’s proposed time for me to get back outside. I snuck deeper into the crowded floor, but they kept coming, heaving people out of their way, elbowing those who gave them shit about it. They had me, all four blocking every direction. The single option left was to start a fight.

  I had no problem with that.

  Before Girl Protector reached me, I knocked some drunken chick to the floor, causing her friends to come to her defense. As soon as the first idiot got in my face, I punched her, bloodying her lip. Her scream reached over the loud music and her flailing hands managed to smack Girl Protector against her ear hard enough for the woman to lose focus on me.

  There was my out. I had to jab a few more girls who felt the need to defend the crying drunk on the floor, her short skirt now showing her dislike for undergarments. By the time I made it near the exit, an all-out brawl broke out. All four Protectors were stuck navigating fists and ducking flying glasses.