Inside, Pt. 1

by Kyra Anderson

  “This?” Dana blinked. “Oh, you mean the testing? Oh yes, he’s the one who started it.” Dana nodded enthusiastically. “He ran over four thousand and seventy experiments when he was heading in the Commission.”

  I choked. Coughing, I reached for my water, hating that the attention was now on me. Dana’s hand was on my shoulder and I froze, startled and frightened by the touch.

  “Are you alright?” he murmured. I nodded quickly and tried to get my throat to dislodge the food.

  “Over four thousand and seventy?” my mother hissed when I stopped making such a commotion.

  “Yes. We still have some of them hanging around the Commission today,” Dana chuckled. He still had not moved his hand from my back.

  “Why did he start it? The same reason as you?”

  “…you know, I can’t remember,” Dana said with a chuckle, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I actually believe it was a request from one of the early Leaders who wanted strong weapons and guards, worried that the American people would overthrow him.”

  “So…you’re doing this because you’re worried about the domestic safety of America,” my mother said.

  “No,” Dana corrected. “Not at all. That was the original plan, when there were still illegal immigrants, homosexuals, and other filth wandering around on the streets. No, everything is much calmer now.”

  “Then why continue the testing?”

  Dana smiled wickedly. “I’m a stickler for tradition.”

  I took a deep breath, my appetite leaving as my nausea grew stronger.

  I looked at my mother.

  “I have to finish my homework, may I be excused?” I asked as politely as I could around my clenched teeth.

  “Of course, honey,” my mother said out of reflex. I stood, causing Dana’s hand to finally slide away. I gathered my plate and took it to the kitchen before darting upstairs. I spared a glance at the room at the other end of the hall. Mykail was laying on his side on the bed, his eyes pained as he stared into space.

  I ducked into my room.

  I sat on my bed and tried to catch my breath, but the panic and disgust was already seated in my chest. Dana was too much to handle in concentrated doses. He was absolutely terrifying. Then again, more things made sense now. If he was young when he had worked under Bryant Morris, running those horrible experiments, he would have had to change to bear up to the horrible images he had seen and horrific experiments in which he had participated.

  I put my head in my hands and shivered.

  Why was it so unsettling to be around Dana? Why was he so interested in me? Everything that Clark had told me could not prepare me for the reality of Dana. A part of me knew I was in greater danger than I was willing to admit. Dana had something planned for me. Inside the workings of his mind, he was devising a way to break me…

  “That wasn’t a very subtle exit,” a voice murmured at my door.

  I scrambled to my feet. Dana was leaning against the door frame. He stepped forward, closing the door behind him.

  I was trapped. My heart began pounding angrily in my chest, my hair stood on end, and everything in my body screamed to run.

  “What are you doing up here?” I hissed weakly, trying to sound angry.

  “Coming to see you,” Dana said, stalking closer.

  “W-What do you want with me?” I whimpered. He smiled, shaking his head.

  “Oh, no, Little Lily,” he said disapprovingly, as if I had made a mistake about which line to say next. “No, it’s too soon to tell.” His eyes changed, dangerous and full of purpose. He tilted his head to the side in a terrifying manner that made me shiver, my heart beating harder, threatening to break my ribs. “I must confess, I am quite impressed that you were willing to stand up to the other kids in the Commission and tell them that you were sleeping with Clark, but I am not at all happy about the lie.”

  He took another measured step forward. My legs hit the bed and I sat on it heavily, unable to retreat further. He placed a hand on my face, closing the space between us. I found myself unable to resist the unnatural power in his presence.

  “However, you are new, pet, and you do not know the rules yet, so I will let it slide.”

  “…y-you don’t like to share…” I recounted. “Does that mean that you’re going to start molesting me? Like you have been with Clark? That’s how you learned about our lie, isn’t it? You tortured it out of him?” My voice was trembling even as I accused him.

  Dana smiled dangerously and every muscle in my body jolted.

  “He’ll tell me anything I want to know,” Dana agreed, leaning closer. I backed away, going back on my elbows as he placed his hands on either side of my hips on the bed, his face hovering close to mine. I was trapped under his energy, my muscles weak. “I just have to know,” his hand ran up my side until his fingers traced over my neck, “which buttons to push.”

  The touch sent a different kind of spark through my body. I looked at him with wide eyes, my mouth falling open.

  He had that seductive power in his eyes again, pulling me to him as my barriers crumbled. His eyes slowly closed before opening again, cat-like and careful.

  “Lie down.”

  The voice ran up and down my spine and I collapsed, losing all strength in my arms from the command. He was in control of my muscles. He leaned over me, only his hand cupping the back of my neck tenderly. No other part of his body was touching mine.

  “You are mine, Little Lily,” he hissed. “And you always will be.”

  “No…”

  “Yes,” he contradicted. He brought his face even closer. I felt his breath on my lips and shivered, my eyelids fluttering. “That’s it…” he cooed. “I can tell that you’re a virgin.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “You’ve never even been kissed before, have you?”

  I could not respond.

  His voice turned sultry, dripping with heat and sex.

  “Let’s fix that.”

  And his lips were upon mine, warm and soft. With his presence above me, he overpowered all of my senses. My body went hot, fire ravaging my veins. I gasped against his lips and, while my mouth was open, his tongue slipped inside. It was wet and foreign, but I didn’t care. I was overwhelmed and filled with a pleasure I never knew existed.

  Dana broke away, standing straight.

  The cold rush of air cooled my body and, when my head stopped spinning, I came back to reality. Fear rushed back and I curled up on the bed, hiding my face in my hands, my brain turning to static.

  “I guess I should be careful,” Dana said, his hand tracing over my exposed calf. I flinched. “I’ll have to take my time training you.”

  Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them flow.

  “Now, I’m going to ask for a tour of the house,” Dana told me, straightening his tie and moving to the door. “I will warn you now, I will be asking you to join. So don’t break down as soon as I walk out this door.”

  He left my room and I felt chills rocket through my body, causing goose bumps to rise over my arms and legs.

  I quickly suppressed the swell of adrenaline at his departure, barely holding myself together. The bastard knew I was on the verge of a meltdown and had patronized me about it, telling me so easily not to break down. I refused to let him have the satisfaction of turning me into a blubbering, frightened mess.

  I counted my breathing and listened as voices moved into the small living room.

  “Lily’s room is just up there,” my mother’s voice said.

  “Could she join us?” Dana asked innocently. The task of walking without my legs shaking seemed impossible but I knew I had to be stronger than Dana’s influence.

  “Lily!” my mother called. I took a deep breath, counted to five, then stood, my legs managing to hold my weight.

  “Yes?” I called down the stairs.

  “I’m giving Dana and Sean a tour of the house. Come and join us.”

  What the hell does he need a tour for? He owns the blue print
s of the house…I sneered silently.

  I walked down the stairs and joined the group, avoiding Dana’s eyes as we moved through the kitchen, living room, into the backyard, and then up the main stairs to the master bedroom and the other guest room.

  “Well, you certainly have turned the house into a home,” Dana complimented, stopping at the top of the stairs outside my parents’ bedroom. He turned to where the family photo wall had been established. He looked at the pictures with a hint of a dark smile in his eyes. I was still angry and frightened from him cornering and kissing me, so every smirk, smile, and blink had me on edge.

  “Look at all these pictures…” he chuckled quietly, his voice distant. His eyes stopped when he saw one of the pictures and his face fell slightly. He leaned closer, studying it intently. It was the photo with my father and grandfather with the fish—my dad’s favorite picture.

  “My God,” Dana murmured in what sounded like disbelief.

  “What is it?” my mother asked.

  “This picture of little Tommy and his father,” Dana said, a secret lining the edge of his voice.

  “Oh,” my father grinned, “it’s one of my favorites.”

  Dana looked it over and then straightened, looking thoughtful as his eyes remained locked on the picture.

  “Wasn’t there someone else in this picture?”

  We all blinked, confused.

  “No,” my mother said with a smile. “It was just squeezed into a smaller frame.”

  “No,” Dana contradicted, “there was another person in the picture.” He looked at it a while longer and then his eyes widened in realization as he snapped his fingers. “Your brother was next to you in this picture!” he declared, pointing to one side of the photo where my father’s ear had been cut off by the frame.

  “No,” my mother said, taking my father’s hand. “Thomas is an only child.”

  I turned to my father and my heart stopped. My father was staring at Dana with wide, terrified eyes. Dana was smiling at him knowingly.

  “…how…how could you possibly…” my father stammered.

  “I research very thoroughly,” Dana breathed coolly.

  “Thomas, what is he talking about?” my mother hissed, her eyes wide as she studied the look on my father’s face.

  “William Sandover,” Dana answered for him, looking back at the picture. “He was…ten years older than you, correct?”

  “Thomas, that’s not true…” my mom said slowly, glancing between my father and Dana, worried.

  “It’s true, Karen,” Dana told her. “Tell them, Tommy,” he urged. “Tell them why you never spoke of William.”

  “…well…I-I…” My father was flustered. “I haven’t seen him since I was eight…”

  “Why not?” Dana pressed, his voice dangerous and sharp.

  “He was disowned…”

  “Why?”

  “…for…” my father looked at us, pained, “for aiding criminals of the Commission of the People in escaping the country.”

  “There you go,” Dana praised my father quietly. “And that’s why your mother killed herself wasn’t it?” Dana continued. “She couldn’t handle that your father disowned his oldest son. And then, said son disappeared.” He stepped closer to my father and the air became colder. “Do you know what it means when people ‘disappear’ in this country?”

  My father closed his eyes.

  “Say it,” Dana commanded quietly.

  “It means that he was called into the Commission of the People,” my father whispered, his voice choked. “Which means…he was made into a test subject…wasn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Dana said strongly. “I handled his case personally many years ago. No wonder your name sounded so familiar.”

  My father closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

  “You were very close to him, weren’t you?” Dana stated, his eyes back on the picture.

  My father nodded slowly.

  “Huh…interesting that you didn’t do anything to stop your father from turning your older brother into the Commission…” Dana turned to stare at my father for a few moments, before sighing heavily and turning to Sean.

  “Well, Sean,” he said, “I think we should go. We have other work to attend to.” Dana put his glasses on and smiled with a short nod. “We’ll see ourselves out.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Thomas, how could you not tell me that you had an older brother?” my mother whispered. It had taken us several long moments before we were able to move from the top of the stairs and talk downstairs at the kitchen table.

  “What was I supposed to say?” he asked. “I was eight when he disappeared.”

  “Dana said you two were close…” I whispered.

  “Well, of course we were.” My father put his head in his hands. “But you don’t understand what it was like…”

  My mother sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes.

  “Well, better late than never.”

  My father looked up at us, pain clear in his eyes.

  “I loved Liam…” he breathed. “He was my idol. He was always so loving…and he cared about everyone over himself.” My father looked down at the table. “With a father who never thought of anything other than his career and the power he could gain, Liam was the one who practically raised me.”

  My father hesitated.

  “But they fought a lot, Liam and my father. Liam was so brilliant and so perfect, my father liked to show him off. Liam hated it. They would get into screaming matches at least once a night, and my father would…well…he’d beat Liam down with his fist if he had to. He wouldn’t tolerate disobedience.”

  “…what crime did he commit against the Commission?” I pressed.

  My father shook his head.

  “When the Commission began taking people more forcefully, Liam was at all the rallies against the cleansing. He started smuggling people over the borders for them to escape if they were marked by the Commission,” my father whispered. “That made the fighting in the family worse.”

  My father closed his eyes.

  “I didn’t really understand what was going on,” he murmured. “I was too young. I just remember…I remember my father kicking Liam out in the middle of the night after one of their fights…and then my mother and father started fighting…and then we never heard of Liam again.

  “I only found out that Liam had been called into the Commission the night before…” My father stopped, cringing at the painful memory. “My mother was screaming at my father about what he had done…that he had called Liam in. The next morning…I found her hanging in the laundry room.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” my mother breathed, her eyes wide in horror. “Don’t you think this is something your wife deserves to know?”

  “I put it out of mind!” my father gasped defensively. “My father used to beat me whenever I asked about Liam. I learned not to think about him.”

  “And now we’re in the Commission of the People!” my mother snapped. “What if someone were to find out about what your brother did, sneaking people out from under the nose of the Commission? It could end horribly for us!”

  “Now you want to be accepted by those in the Commission?” my father asked. “What happened to last week, when all you could talk about was finding a way to get out?!”

  “You’re the one who said there’s no way out!” my mother barked. “We have to adapt.”

  “The only danger I really see in others knowing is that Dana would find out but, lo and behold, he already knows! He’s the one who brought it up!” my father retorted angrily. “And he still wanted us in the Commission. We’re one of his favorites, everyone has said so. He gave us an angel, for God’s sake! My father stayed true to the Commission and reported a man who was dangerous to America. Dana respects that, and the others will, too.”

  My mother shook her head, standing to leave the kitchen.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going
out to pick up some things for dinner,” she said coldly, reaching for her purse on the counter.

  “What do you want me to say, Karen?!” my father called. “You wanted me to adapt to the Commission, I’m adapting. I am accepting that what happened to my brother was the right thing. It’s over. There is nothing I can do to change the situation.”

  “I’m glad it’s so easy for you,” my mother hissed.

  “You’ve accepted the angel into your home!” my father called as she walked toward the garage door. “You’ve agreed to accept that as a norm! But when I do it, it’s cruel!”

  The door slammed shut and my father put his head in his hands.

  I remained silent and still. Dana wasn’t even here anymore and he was tearing the family apart. I wanted to tell my father what Dana had done to me, but I didn’t want to upset him further. Once again, I could see tears gathering in my father’s eyes. I walked over to him, hugging him tightly.

  “I’m sorry about what happened to your brother.”

  My father hugged me back.

  “Thank you, Lily,” he murmured. “Now, I don’t want you to worry,” he said. “We’re fighting right now, but we’ll work it out.”

  “I know,” I said, though I wasn’t so sure they would be able to.

  * *** *

  The entire week was filled with tension.

  My parents were fighting every day about the Commission of the People. I wasn’t sure what started most of the fights, but I figured that my parents were fighting with each other because, really, they wanted to fight against the Commission. But they were powerless against the Commission and could only fight one another.

  School was also different. Becca was still acting strangely and I was beginning to get concerned—and annoyed. I fully planned on confronting her at the nearest opportunity. However, first I needed someone to talk to about what was going on in my house and what Dana knew about our family. I wanted to find Clark, but no one in my group knew where he ate lunch, and I wasn’t brave enough to go looking for him alone.