Invisible

by Alycia Linwood

  I placed my hand on his, squeezing lightly. “We’ll get this done. I promise.”

  “I know.” A smile touched his lips. “But enough about missions. How was your morning?”

  “Horrible.” I grimaced, playing with the food on my plate.

  “Why?” He leaned forward, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

  “It turns out I can use my air like Jaiden. To control people’s minds,” I whispered, holding my hand over my mouth. Sheridan hadn’t forbidden me from telling anyone about our little session, but that didn’t mean I could freely talk about it.

  Noah’s eyes went wide, his mouth slack. “Really?”

  I nodded, dropping my hand to my lap because one of the guards that was across the room was staring intently at me. “But the whole thing is scary. I mean, it feels wrong. I wouldn’t want anyone to use this ability on me, so how could I do it to someone else?”

  “You’re lucky,” he said after a while. “At least you can stop someone from mind-controlling you.”

  “Right. Do you want some of my fries?” I was in a desperate need of a change of topic. Talking about mind control with Noah was very risky, especially because I had no idea how Elemontera wanted him to behave or think. If they discovered Jaiden hadn’t mind-controlled him, we’d all have a huge problem.

  “No,” he said.

  “Okay.” I stuffed a handful of fries in my mouth and chewed. Elemontera could use every single thing we said against us, even if it was just a tiny detail of our lives or affinities. I was sure of it. If only I could mind control every single person in Elemontera to... I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn’t about to let my element take control of me. Or was I?

  I was summoned to Sheridan’s office again the next morning, and I was sure my training with her would continue until she was satisfied. That couldn’t be any good for me because if Elemontera discovered what I could do with my ability, they would definitely build a device that could block my influence so agents would be protected against me. My chances for escape would be much lower if that happened.

  Leaning on the door, I crossed my arms, a strange heaviness in my stomach. Sheridan was seated in her chair, her eyes vibrant, a smile protruding on her lips.

  “Are you ready for our session?” she asked. “I can’t wait to see what else you can do.”

  “Shouldn’t I be training with Jaiden?” I tilted my head. “No offense, but he has actual experience in mind control. I think my progress would be much better if I worked with him.” Not to mention I could convince him to take things slower with my training and maybe even do it far away from any devices that could identify my element while I’m mind-controlling someone.

  Sheridan narrowed her eyes, a pinched expression on her face. “I assure you I know how to help you. I studied Jaiden’s abilities for a long time. I know how everything works, trust me.”

  “Yes, but you don’t have that ability yourself. I still think I’d be able to learn faster if I just...”

  Sheridan slammed her fist against the desk, making me jump. Her nostrils flared, her teeth bared. “That pathetic weakling can’t even control his panic attacks, let alone teach you...” She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide. Leaning back in her chair, she took a deep breath, lowering her hands in her lap. “What I meant is that I don’t think Jaiden will be of much help.”

  I stared at her, my mouth slack. She’d told me something she wasn’t supposed to. My heart hammered in my chest, but I forced myself to sound calm. “What panic attacks?”

  “That’s none of your concern.” Sheridan waved her hand.

  “Yes, it is.” As the words left my lips, my air surged out, too, gently reaching out for Sheridan’s mind. I held my breath, slowing down my air. Could Sheridan realize what was going on? She was just a regular elemental, so she wasn’t supposed to feel it, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have some sort of a detector that would go off if I tried something. My air patiently waited among her brain signals because I didn’t dare to try to trap any of them.

  “No, most definitely not.” A frown creased Sheridan’s brow, but there were no signs she knew what I was doing. Maybe Elemontera hadn’t come up with a device for me yet. Maybe someone was simply monitoring us through cameras and would notify Sheridan in case she acted weird. But even if they did notice what I was doing, I could still say I couldn’t quite control my element and that it had been an accident.

  “I’m just worried his panic attacks will compromise the mission, that’s all.” I let my air trap one of her brain signals, shoving it in the direction I wanted and willing her to tell me what I needed to know. “It could be a huge risk. I mean, we could be in the middle of capturing an elemental and if he broke down or something, it could get us killed. I really need to know what I’m dealing with, so I can come up with a plan if things go wrong.” Talking and pushing my element inside Sheridan’s head at the same time made my knees weak. Sweat trickled down my back, but I hoped whoever was observing us wouldn’t notice anything suspicious.

  Sheridan sighed. “You don’t have to worry about that. It’s highly unlikely Jaiden will be trapped alone in a closed room.”

  I pulled my element back, unwilling to stay any longer in her mind.

  “But I do think you’re better off training with me. Jaiden won’t be interested in your progress as much as I am,” she said confidently.

  I chewed on the insides of my mouth, aware that aside from mind-controlling her into leaving me alone, there was nothing I could do. But if she suddenly changed her mind, everyone would know what I’d done. “I guess you’re right about that.”

  “Of course I am!” The corners of her lips quirked up as she tapped a button. “I have someone I want you to meet. Well, I want you to meet her mind.”

  The door opened and the guards brought in a blonde girl, who just stared at me with her big hazel eyes.

  “What are you waiting for?” Sheridan said. “Find out her name.”

  My mouth went dry, an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I let my air settle itself inside the girl’s mind. The ease with which I could grasp the signals told me that she was a regular elemental. What exactly was Elemontera doing with people like her and where had they found her? I couldn’t imagine anyone being a voluntary test subject for something so dangerous, but I had to push the thought away before my element asked a wrong question. “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “Eve,” she said, her eyes blank.

  “Ask her what she was doing with a tainted elemental,” Sheridan said, and I flinched. Was Elemontera using me to interrogate a prisoner? Damn it.

  “What were you doing with...” I glanced at Sheridan. If the girl knew what kind of elementals Elemontera considered as tainted, then it was unlikely they’d ever let her leave. At least not without a complicated mind wipe, which I probably wasn’t capable of doing just yet. Would they even consider it worth the trouble to use mind control on her or would they simply kill her off? “...a tainted elemental?”

  “I thought he had magic disease. And since he had two elements that didn’t expire, I figured he was an element preserver.”

  Sheridan looked at me. “Just make her answer my questions directly, would you?”

  I nodded, my air swirling through the girl’s brain. The scariest thing was that my element knew exactly what to do to achieve what it wanted... or was it what I wanted? “Answer all the questions.”

  Sheridan got to her feet and faced the girl. “So you were perfectly okay with being with someone who might have murdered another person to gain the second element? Maybe even two people if we consider he could be a carrier who never developed his own element.”

  “I...” the girl stammered. “I thought maybe someone donated him the second element so he’d control himself better.”

  Sheridan chuckled. “Yeah, right. Many people might agree to donate their element before they die, but the element is usually given to those who need
it the most, such as element preservers with three elements. A second element would only make your boy more unstable. Weren’t you afraid he’d kill you for your element?”

  “No! Jeremy would never do that! He’s nice and sweet and...”

  “Stop lying to me. You weren’t afraid of Jeremy because he showed you he could turn into air, didn’t he?” Sheridan’s voice was like icicles.

  “No, I...”

  “Moira, make sure she tells me the truth,” Sheridan said, roughly grasping the girl’s chin. “Where is he? Tell me where is Jeremy!”

  “I don’t know.” The girl sobbed. Something in her hazel eyes made me think she did know where to find the elemental Sheridan was looking for. But if I forced the girl to tell the truth, I’d not only help expose another elemental that Elemontera could threaten and use, but I’d also show them the extent of my abilities. I couldn’t let any of that happen, so I stilled my air and waited.

  “Where is Jeremy?” Sheridan repeated.

  “I told you, I don’t know.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face.

  “That’s impossible. You know him better than anyone else does. You know his secrets!”

  “No.” The girl kept shaking her head.

  Sheridan turned to me, her whole body rigid. “I told you to get her to stop lying, didn’t I?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m trying. It’s just... I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know why it’s not working.” I bit my lip, shuffling my feet. “If you could tell me what to do...”

  Sheridan ran a hand through her hair. “It’s simple. Just do whatever you did before. Focus on her mind and...” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. Where is Jaiden?” She raised her eyebrows at the guards.

  “With the boss,” one of the guards said.

  “Okay.” Sheridan cocked her head. “I’ll guess I’ll have to find another way.” She strode to her desk and leaned forward. A moment later, she pulled out a gun and pointed it at the girl. “Now you’re going to tell me everything or I’ll blow your brains out.”

  My breath got stuck in my chest. If I tried anything now, I’d get us both killed.

  “Moira, get out of the room. I don’t need you anymore. We’ll continue our training tomorrow,” Sheridan said, her attention solely on the girl. My vision blurred as the world danced around me. Elemontera would take another innocent life, even if the girl decided to tell them everything. She wasn’t going to survive, and one look into her eyes told me that she knew it, too. “Moira, now!” Sheridan yelled and I ran for the door. When I was in the hallway, a dull pain shot up my arm, my bracelet getting warmer. They were blocking my elements, which meant they didn’t trust me. Either my dissimulation hadn’t worked or they were being cautious.

  Chapter 13

  After the lights went out in the hallways, I padded to the bathroom, hoping everyone had already gone to sleep. I hated when there were too many agents running around. But as I walked through the door, a shadow caught my eye. Jaiden was sitting on the floor, leaning his back on the wall, his knees drawn up. I blinked just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it, and he looked up at me.

  “Are you waiting for someone?” I asked, wondering if I should go back to my room and come some other time. He just shrugged, so I went over to my locker and got my toothbrush. I could feel Jaiden’s eyes on me as I brushed my teeth, and I wished he’d just stop watching me, my toothbrush nearly slipping out of my hand. Would the girl he was waiting for finally show up or what? God!

  But as I glanced at his reflection in the mirror, I thought about what Sheridan had said about his panic attacks. Obviously, he was fine here, even though he’d been alone and the bathroom was pretty much a closed space. So maybe Sheridan had lied to me or she was misinformed. Or maybe his panic attacks were related to a specific trigger. What did I know? But at least when I thought about Jaiden, I didn’t have to think about the atrocities that Elemontera committed daily for their stupid cause.

  I put away my toothbrush and settled myself on the floor next to Jaiden. “Sheridan is teaching me mind control,” I said.

  A ghost of a smile traced Jaiden’s lips. “I thought she might be doing that. So how is it going?”

  “Fine, I guess.” I raised my arm with the bracelet. “My elements are blocked.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, you’re clearly doing great.”

  “How do you control it? I mean, most of the time I have a feeling my element is controlling me and not the other way around.”

  “Mind control is not easy or harmless. Sometimes it takes more than it gives.”

  I frowned. “Did you ever seriously damage someone’s mind?”

  “I can’t talk to you about that.” He looked away, and I knew my answer. I couldn’t help but wonder once again why he was really staying at Elemontera when he never looked happy here. He’d been free on the island, so something other than the bracelet had made him return and was keeping him here. Maybe I could find a way to use him against his father, but I’d have to get him to really trust me and I doubted I’d have enough time. I needed to escape Elemontera sooner than that.

  Jaiden’s hand covered mine, his thumb caressing my skin. My eyebrows shot up as I looked at him.

  He flinched, taking his hand away. “I’m sorry. I...”

  “It’s okay,” I said softly, placing my hand on his knee. “But I’m tired of sitting here. Would you like to come to my room? If you want to talk, that is.”

  He eyed me for a moment, and then nodded. “Sure.”

  I pushed myself to my feet. If I asked him about his panic attacks and what triggered them, he’d get mad and I’d never find out anything. But if I did a little test, he’d never know about it. My room was almost claustrophobically small and windowless, and I was sure his had to be much bigger and full of windows. He wasn’t just any agent here, after all.

  As we entered my room, Jaiden took a seat in the only chair I had, his shoulders relaxed. He didn’t react as the door closed behind me. I sat on my bed, pulling my feet up.

  “You know, I’ve been here for months and I realize I don’t really know much about Elemontera. I know you’re probably not allowed to talk to me about certain things, but can I at least know when the organization was founded or when it started its work?” I said, glad that I could at least talk to someone about something other than missions and jobs.

  “It was founded over twenty years ago.”

  “But elementals like us didn’t exist back then.”

  “Of course not. Elemontera was just a company that researched elements. It specialized in tainted elements only recently when elementals like us popped up and the government decided to fund the program to stop dangerous elementals.”

  “I just don’t get it how everyone is managing to keep this quiet. I mean, most people aren’t that good at keeping secrets, and after all that happened with element preservers, you’d think someone would tell the world about us.” I really hoped Elemontera wasn’t using a form of mass mind control to ensure our existence remained secret.

  “The government is lucky no one can tell who has magic disease and who doesn’t. So if anyone shows more than one element, we just say he has the disease and is an element preserver. If someone disappears into thin air, we blame it on a special cloaking device. It isn’t as if regular people can know if such a thing exists. The only people who can see us for who we truly are, are those like us, and they can’t prove anything. There’s not many of us, anyway, because not everyone tried genetic manipulation and not every manipulation had side effects.” Jaiden crossed his arms. “Even if one of the scientists tried to expose the secret to the public, Elemontera would get to him before he had a chance to say anything or they’d brush off his theories as ludicrous.”

  “I guess you’re right.” I just didn’t believe we couldn’t prove who and what we really were. Of course we could. If we all gathered and showed that we had perfect control of our elements and that we could do things that other elementals could only dream of, everyone
would have to believe us. But before that, we had to expose Elemontera for what it truly was. Maybe people wouldn’t freak out much or care about our existence, but that was hard to believe. Hell, some would probably side with Elemontera.

  “Anything else you want to know?” he asked, bringing me back from my thoughts. Actually, there was something. It was time for my little test. Hopping to my feet, I headed for the door. “I need to do something. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Jaiden said, getting to his feet.

  “What? No. I’m just going to the bathroom.” It would be totally awkward if he went with me.

  “Then I’ll wait for you in the hall.”

  I giggled. “What? Are you claustrophobic? Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were, because of all these bleak walls and everything.”

  “I just... don’t want to be in your room while you’re gone. I mean, it’s your room.” He licked his lips.

  “Oh, please. You can stay. Really. It’s not as if I have any personal stuff in here. Besides, you could see everything on the camera footage.”

  He scratched his head. “Maybe I should go. It’s late and...”

  “No! I’d love to talk to you a bit more. I’m not sleepy and I haven’t really made friends here, so I’d really like it if you could stay.” I lowered my gaze. My request should make sense to him since we were both kind of lonely. I’d never seen him with agents who looked like his friends either, but then again, trusting someone and getting close to them was dangerous, especially for someone with as many secrets as he had. “Two minutes. That’s all. I’ll be back. Promise. Will it kill you to wait for me here?”

  “No.” He swallowed, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.

  “Great. You can sit on my bed if that chair is uncomfortable.” I winked at him and walked out. As I made my way to the bathroom, one part of me wanted to go back. While it was true that finding Jaiden’s weakness might come in handy one day, I didn’t want him to suffer. Still, I went to splash some water on my face. If Jaiden got uncomfortable in my room, he could just leave. It wasn’t as if I was keeping him locked inside.