The Gifted

by C. C. Lynch

  The thought occurred to me that I should try the gifts that were innate. Miranda was the easiest one to read. I turned to face her and focused on her mind. I tried to slip into her thoughts, but hit a wall. Next, I focused on feeling any emotions around me and found nothing.

  I held my hands up and shook my head. “I’ve got nothing, not a single ability.” I gave Vlaine a pleading look, feeling helpless at first. Then a smile formed and I shouted to them, “I’ve got nothing!”

  “We adjusted it,” Luka yelled into the glass triumphantly. “The walls will contain anything used in there, but we added a device.” He pointed at the floor. “It counteracts your vibration. You can’t feel it, but you should feel a bit fatigued soon.”

  I looked around the room and paused. “But we can still hear each other?” I was surprised that the vibrations of our voice were not canceled by their device.

  “Don’t question the brilliance of Frankie,” Luka winked.

  “Ingenious,” I shouted, giving him a thumbs-up. “Now try passing something through the meal slot.”

  They had added a little opening where food and water could be passed to whomever was in the stall. It could only have one side open at a time; therefore, the seal of the room would remain complete.

  Luka opened his side and placed a small rock in there. I tried to use my gifts while his side was open. I could hear it click closed, then he released my side. My gifts were nonexistent throughout the entire use of the meal cubby.

  “Nothing,” I shrugged and shook my head. “Good job guys,” I smiled with pride.

  Vlaine nodded to Luka and unlocked the door, letting me out of the stall. The moment I was out Frankie held his elbow out towards me, waiting to be teleported back.

  “Be back,” I smiled, before taking Frankie to Ernvlik Academy. The lights were out at Ernvlik and everyone seemed to be asleep. I went into the room with the board of ideas and wrote a hello to Steph, letting her know that I was okay and everything at Glaston Academy was going well. I would have wanted her to do the same if the roles were reversed.

  I did not feel safe being in the dormitory hall at Glaston. There was something about being above ground that felt exposing and dangerous. Vlaine agreed to stay in the bunker underneath the stables with me. Not wanting to be separated in such a precarious location, everyone else decided to stay with us.

  Sleeping in the same room together felt so much safer and comforting. The shelter was below freezing and we huddled in a circle around a large sphere of fire I produced while we waited for space heaters to make the room tolerable. Aiden had gathered a bunch of blankets from the dorms; and between the heaters and blankets, we defeated the cold and got some rest.

  When the morning came, I awoke to Vlaine’s voice. “Abbs,” he whispered to me. My name was question, said tenderly to wake me gently. “Abbs,” he called softly once more. The way he said my nickname made my stomach tingle with butterflies.

  I turned to face him, my cheeks flushed knowing that he was undoubtedly hearing my thoughts. “Yeah?”

  “I’m going down the road to check on my aunt.” He put his hand in mine and squeezed it lightly. “Just wanted to let you know where I was.”

  “Okay,” I nodded, not quite awake yet. “Wait,” I sat up on my elbow, “how are you getting there?”

  “I’m taking the bike.” His mouth pulled up into a half smile and his deep blue eyes sparkled mischievously, “the roads are dry.”

  It’s going to be cold. I thought of when I rode on his motorcycle to meet up with Steph. “Be careful,” I nodded.

  Vlaine lifted my chin with his finger and kissed me quickly. “Be back soon.” He stood up and slipped his hands into leather gloves. It was then that I realized that he was already dressed for his ride. His helmet was by the door and he picked it up and tucked it under his arm on his way outside.

  I watched him close the door softly behind him and fought the urge to follow him. I felt vulnerable with him gone. I knew everyone else in the shelter for less than a week and my confidence was dwindling without Vlaine nearby.

  I looked around to see who was still sleeping. Claire was looking up at the ceiling with her hands folded underneath her head and Al was sitting in the far corner of the room carving something out of wood. Everyone else was sleeping peacefully.

  I stretched out my sore back from sleeping on the thin mattress then walked over to Al. “Want to get Lacey into one of the stalls and try to talk to her?”

  His eyes scanned the room before he nodded his head and stood up, placing the half-carved figure where he had just been sitting. He pulled his long black hair back and tied it with an elastic, shrugged a jacket onto his shoulders, then led the way up the stairs.

  We teleported Lacy, still covered in ice, into the stall and shut the door before Al safely unfroze her. The moment she was thawed out and realized what had happened, she was irate. Strands of lilac hair clung to her face as sweat poured from her thrashing around, trying to get out of the cell.

  “Would it be wrong to lace her food with some Xanax or something?” I joked to Al.

  Though I could tell he was not impressed with my wit, he gave me a half-smile. “I think it would be best to leave her to calm down then try and get a third party to converse with her.”

  Erik! I could emulate Erik’s appearance and talk to her. She made it obvious that she had a crush on him and Lacey was unaware how long she was frozen. For all she knew, Erik could have joined our side. They could have also brain-washed me and gotten me on their side, too.

  I nonchalantly touched my arm to Al and relayed my plan. I’m going to bring her some food and change my appearance to someone that she has a crush on. He’s involved with the tree house and I think I know him well enough to mimic him. Al gave a quick nod, agreeing with my plans.

  Miranda and Claire went off to the gymnasium while I put together a meal for Lacey. Before exiting the kitchen, I changed my appearance to Erik. I had imagined him with his jeans, grey sweater, black belt, and grey beanie.

  The moment I walked into the stables Lacey had calmed down. She was leaning against the glass staring at me, her gaze intense.

  “Here,” I said, slamming the food into the cubby and opening the door on her side.

  “What are you doing here?” She purred.

  I remember the contempt he had for her and tried to channel it. “Feeding a prisoner,” I sneered.

  Lacey pouted and in a catty and almost taunting tone asked, “what, are you still mad about the memory thing?”

  My eyebrows raised unintentionally, thinking that I had been caught in the act. I then tried to play it off and looked away, “why don’t you just eat your breakfast.” What memory thing was she talking about? Did she mess with Erik’s memory too or was there a bigger story I was unaware of?

  She took the plate of food and sat on a stool, propping it on her lap. “So, what is the prince of Replyx doing with Abrielle?” She gave a wry smile, “find someone special enough to make you realize that blindly following your dad might not be the way to go? Or is this all part of the big Replyx plan?”

  Erik had been so angry with me anytime I had challenged Jeremiah or his father. He considered me his friend; therefore, someone he had called a “banshee in disguise” would certainly be the subject of much more disdain. I balled my hands into fists and snapped, “shut it.”

  Lacey’s mouth formed the shape of and o and she whistled, “guess not.” She took a few bites of her food and looked around the stall. “So, is there a bathroom around here or is this bucket seriously what I’m expected to use?” She kicked a tin bucket lightly with her foot.

  My stomach fell to my feet. We hadn’t considered creating a bathroom in each cell. I suppose we weren’t thinking long term. “You can earn bathroom privileges over time,” I said through gritted teeth. I made a mental note to have the guys create a bathroom, and quickly. Aiden would have to stop time to get a restroom attached. Even in the worst of rooms at Replyx I had a toilet.<
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  Her mouth dropped in disgust. “Seriously?” She flicked her piece of toast onto her plate and crossed her arms. “Let’s make a deal. Bring your princess back here and I’ll give her memories back and I get bathroom privileges. I’ll give you yours back and I get a blanket.” The word princess sat in her mouth like something bitter that she needed to spit out. It was the first time that I considered she may have a vendetta against me that I was unaware of.

  I crossed my arms and rolled back on my heels like Erik often did. “I’ll consider it.” I tried to read her thoughts, but my abilities could not penetrate the cell that Luka and Frankie created.

  “Well consider it quickly. I’ve got some matters I need to take care of.” She looked back down at her food and, for a brief moment, her expression was one of pain.

  Was she upset that she was a prisoner? Did she feel remorse? Was she sincerely upset that Erik did not like her? Whatever it was that she was feeling, Erik would not have shown sympathy so I needed to keep my emotions separate.

  I started to walk away and Lacey called out, “she remembers the password to the control room.”

  I turned around quickly and in a truly surprised manner shouted, “what?”

  Lacey’s cheeks were slightly pink. “I walked into her room and she was tracing the password onto the wall. I know that one of the things erased from her memory by Jasco was her time in the control room but her mind is fighting to push the memories to the surface.” She shrugged dejectedly, “maybe she’s partially immune to manipulation.” Lacey wiped her hands against one another, brushing any crumbs off her fingertips. “You know what that means right? If she can get into the control room, she can take that place down. Your dad, Jeremiah, Luther, Beatrice, Jasco, and Curtis will all be in trouble.”

  My stomach dropped, my throat tightened, and the breath escaped my lungs. Her mentioning the name Curtis had to have been a coincidence. There were many men named Curtis in the world. My father surely was not who she was speaking of. Was he?

  “Thanks for the heads up,” I managed to choke out.

  Once I was out of sight, I allowed my actual features to appear then I went to find someone to speak to. With Vlaine checking on his aunt and Draxe at Ernvlik, Aiden was next on the list of people I felt most comfortable with.

  Luka was the only one in the storm shelter. We said good morning to each other then I asked him if it would be possible to make a restroom accessible to the prisoner. He chuckled and made a joke about him not being a plumber then agreed to work on it.

  I finally found Aiden while he was wandering about the school. He had been rummaging through drawers in different rooms.

  He looked up at me and held a flask up, “looks like Professor Warren wasn’t drinking tea every morning.” He tossed the flask back into the drawer and shut it. “What’s up?”

  “Lacey is locked up and quite without a restroom. Luka is working on it though. I changed my appearance to Erik and she was more willing to divulge information. I guess someone at Replyx named Jasco messed with my memories. She mentioned the name Curtis,” I paused, “that’s my dad’s name. Now I’m wondering if he’s actually involved in everything or if I’m just paranoid and it’s a coincidence.”

  I was not sure I could handle such a betrayal. I started twiddling my fingers nervously, “that wouldn’t even make sense, right? I mean, he was helping us. Yeah,” I shook my head, “that wouldn’t make sense at all. Maybe Lacey saw through the whole fake Erik persona thing and was just trying to mess with me.”

  “Well if he is and Luther is actually a good guy, then I’m thinking Luther is probably in trouble.” He shrugged, “sucks for him.”

  “I didn’t even think of that,” I muttered, looking at the floor. “Do you think I should confront my dad about it or just leave it alone?”

  “Why don’t you try getting your dad into one of those cells and interrogating him? I mean, how mad can he be if it is just a coincidence?” He chuckled, “he’ll probably be a proud father or something like that.” Aiden brushed past me towards a metal cabinet, the fresh scent of cologne trailed behind him.

  “Something like that,” I sighed, not knowing him well enough to be able to tell what would make him proud. “I’ll wait until Vlaine gets back to figure out what to do.”

  He raised a brow and moved on to search the cabinets of the room across the hall. “Where’s Josnic at?”

  “He went to check on his aunt.” I telekinetically opened all the drawers in the room to save him time. “She used to be the cook here and she lives just down the road.”

  “Oh yeah,” he looked up to the side recalling a memory, “she’s a nice lady. Hopefully senior Josnic didn’t hurt her.” He was awfully callous the way he seemed so blasé about Vlaine’s aunt. Almost as if he was catching on to my thoughts, he looked up. “I’m not apathetic, I’m just distracted.”

  I walked to Aiden’s side and looked in the drawers. “What are you even looking for?”

  He was pulling stuff out and tossing it behind him, disinterested. “I’ll know when I find it.”

  “Right,” I nodded, “well, let me know if you need any help with whatever you’re doing.”

  “Okay,” he called out without looking my way, “I’ll be rummaging when you get approval from Josnic to go capture your dad.”

  I sighed and shrugged, “do you want to just go get him now then?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Aiden continued to search before he finally stopped and put his hand on mine. “Let’s go.”

  I closed my eyes and searched for my father. I located him at Aldershaw Academy, tucked away in his office. A second later Aiden and I were there.

  “Abrielle,” he smiled, looking up from his desk. “Did you find the plans helpful?”

  “Oh, they’re a bit advanced for me.” A true statement, hiding the fact that we had successfully used them.

  He smirked, looking amused. “They were particularly advanced.” He tucked the papers in front of him into a folder and stood up, giving me his full attention. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Yeah, actually, can you come with us for a few minutes? We’ve got Lacey under ice and I need help interrogating her.”

  He did a double take, not quite understanding what I meant. “Who? What?”

  “When, where, and why?” I finished, sarcastically. “Sorry,” I rolled my eyes at myself, “she was someone that worked at Replyx. She’s in… under a little blanket of ice right now while we figure out what to ask her.” I stumbled on the lie. I really needed to get better at fibbing.

  He shook his head unconvinced. “No one named Lacey worked at Replyx.”

  “You were a prisoner Dad, there’s no way you met everyone. She was a prisoner turned worker. You know, the whole good behavior program they have there.”

  “Oh, okay,” he shrugged, “I would love to help.”

  I took a deep breath, wondering if I was making a mistake, then put my hand on him. The instant I felt the light breeze of Aiden, I transported us to one of the containment rooms that had been created. I blinked and I was standing in front of my father, on the other side of the door. I could see Aiden out of the corner of my eye walking away.

  My father looked around the room, confused. After a few seconds, reality dawned on him and he gave me an irritated glare.

  “Tell me,” I asked him with my arms crossed against my chest, “did the plans work?”

  His lips twitched then he clawed his hands in front of him, preparing to emulate some sort of ability. His eyes opened wide when it did not work.

  “I’m guessing by the look of surprise, they worked a bit better than you would have thought.” My hands began to tremble. I could still get out of this if I needed to; pretend that it was all to make a point that we were successful.

  “Good job, Abrielle. I’m impressed.” His expression lightened to a calm and passive one. “Now where is this Lacey character? I’ll help you speak to her.”

  “Wait here,”
I nodded, “someone else wants to talk to you.”

  I walked around the corner and changed my appearance to Erik. I had never seen the two speak before, but a quick interaction would give me a better idea about my father’s loyalty.

  “Erik,” my father sang out, “switched sides, have you?”

  “Just helping out a friend,” I said with a lazy smile. How would Erik make him think that I was still playing both sides, but ended up here to help me out? I leaned in close, keeping my concentration on Erik’s appearance as tightly as I could. Just barely above a whisper, I said, “she’s awful trusting, isn’t she? Must be a quality she got from her mother.”

  Curtis’s nostrils flared and in a calm voice asked, “still doing Ivan’s bidding, are you? All part of the plan?” My father ran his finger along the pane of glass, clicking his tongue at the end. “You wouldn’t happen to be spreading any nasty lies around to my daughter, would you?”

  I gave a wry smile and shook my head. “I would never.”

  Curtis looked around the room he was locked into, “it kind of looks like it.

  I gave my best irritated Erik impression. “What would you know about the plan?”

  Curtis placed his hands behind his back in a pensive manner. “You’re a foolish child of a foolish man. You think that this great seer can lead you all to the path of this perfect world. You’re quite mistaken. A world where you can magically make certain people replicators and take away the gifts of others is eugenics and, if you haven’t heard, it’s a slippery slope.” His jaw flexed as he clamped it shut, before finishing his thought. “Osiris wants to go back in time and save his wife, Jeremiah wants all the gifts he can’t have, Beatrice wants Jeremiah, and your great seer just wants to stir up trouble.”