by Sarah Dalton
“If ma parents were alive I dunnae know if they’d approve of ma life.” Ali shook his head. “But I’d give anythin’ te see their faces one more time.”
Daniel nodded. “Me too.”
“Och, they’d have this Scottish accent outta me in seconds.” He put on a thick Pakistani accent. “Speak your mother tongue, Ali Sheikh. You betray your culture. In Urdu!”
Daniel laughed along as Ali gestured wildly.
“What’s so funny?” Mike glanced up from stirring the beans.
“Our parents would hate us!” Ali said with a flourish. He opened his arms out wide, and almost spilled his food.
Mike scrunched up his face in confusion but Hiro grinned.
“My parents didn’t like me either,” Hiro said. “They wanted me out of their heads.”
“Is this a bad parent contest?” Mike raised an eyebrow. “Because if it is, there’s a lot of entrants just on this damn road trip.” He lowered his voice and glanced at Mina’s dad. “And one contender for crappy parent of the year.”
Hiro kicked Mike from the chair he sat on. “That’s no way to talk about the Professor.”
Ali roared with laughter. “Don’t anger the wee lad. He’ll have ye fer breakfast.”
Hiro nodded. “That’s right.”
Daniel chuckled at the determined expression on Hiro’s small face. It felt good to relax, even just for a moment. Jonathon and Matthew broke the laughter as they came back to the camping stove.
“We should go. We need to reach the checkpoint at midnight.” The professor spoke with his mouth in a tight line.
Daniel thought many things about the Professor. He thought him selfish and stupid for not telling Mina about her mother. He even thought him a liar. Despite all that he couldn’t deny one thing – the man cared deeply for his daughter. It killed Jonathon to think of her in danger, and that only frightened Daniel even more. What happened with Mina’s mother to cause Jonathon’s actions? There was something the Professor held back, and he needed to know before it was too late.
A few miles down the road they found the abandoned cart with the tyres slashed. The group recognised it immediately.
“They took the cart?” Daniel said. “Why would they need a cart when they have Anna’s car?”
Jonathon rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I don’t think Angela is with Mina. I think they left on the same night… separately.”
Daniel raked his fingers through his hair. This couldn’t be happening. All this time he’d thought his sister taken by Anna and now he knew the truth. She’d run off with her boyfriend and friends without even stopping to say goodbye. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh no,” Matthew said. “Oh no, I think I know what happened. When I told Sebastian about his father in Area 14, he wanted to leave. The girl with red hair stopped him getting out of the hospital bed.”
Daniel’s stomach sank. They were heading back to Area 14; right into one of the most dangerous places in the country. “The Enforcers will be all over them.” Daniel kicked the cart, ignoring the searing pain in his foot. How could she?
“I don’t know,” Matthew said. “Sebastian’s father is the Commander there now.”
“What?” Jonathon said. “But that’s not right. Why would they put him in charge?”
Matthew shrugged.
“What was he like?” Daniel asked. Vincent Cole never struck him as the kind of man in control of his own temper, let alone an entire Area.
“He seemed a bit of an odd ball, but friendly enough. He had this second in command… Edward something… always hanging around with him,” Matthew answered.
“I don’t like it.” Daniel shook his head.
“She has Cameron – a trained soldier – not to mention Ginge. They’ll look after her,” said the Professor. “Try not to worry. What I can’t understand is why she went along with them in the first place. The girl always seemed so eager to leave Area 14.”
“Mum,” Daniel said. He remembered the moment he said goodbye to Theresa – his adoptive parent and the person who’d saved his life through kindness – and his heart ached for her. Along with his memories, came the sadness caused by watching her slowly lose her mind, like most Blemished women did after the Operation. It was the Professor who helped get the care she needed and arranged the nursing home.
“Ah,” Jonathon said. “Of course.”
They pressed on with their journey, the truck bouncing over the rough, pot-holed roads.
“Wait,” Kitty said. “You need to stop. Something feels different.”
Ali stopped the truck at a crossroads and the group piled out of the vehicle. Kitty paced up and down the road.
“Mina goes south with her mother.” She pointed across the straight road. “Angela and the others move eastwards.”
“She’s taking her to London,” said the Professor. “It has to be.”
Daniel groaned. “So Mina’s going to London and Angela’s heading to Area 14? Could this get any worse?”
“Angela and the others will be safe,” said Mike.
“How do you know that?” Daniel snapped.
“Because Sebastian’s dad is the Commander. He’s not going to betray his own son.”
Daniel’s shoulder stung as he remembered the last time he’d encountered Sebastian’s father. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He did a pretty good job of locking us up and getting me shot last time. Plus Sebastian’s mother is effin’ crazy. She thought Angela was her daughter.”
“The GEM wouldn’t put a liability in charge of an entire Area,” the Professor said. “He must have proved himself to them.”
Daniel remembered the farm house, and Sebastian’s father showing them the tunnel to the woods. There’d been bullets flying from all angles, and he’d been sure that the Cole family were going to die. Sebastian’s father had sacrificed himself for his son, so he had at least one redeeming feature.
“We track Mina and stop at Area 14 on the way? Check Angela’s safe,” said Daniel.
Professor Hart sighed and glanced at his brother. Daniel didn’t like the expression on his face.
“If we stop in Area 14 we’ll be arrested,” said the Professor.
“No. No, this can’t be happening.” He started pacing up and down.
“Daniel, lad. We can only get Mina,” Ali said. “But Angela is with Ginge an’ Cam. She’s in safe hands.”
“What about Sebastian?” Kitty said. “He was hurt.”
“He had concussion,” Jonathon agreed. “It was touch and go for a while but the nurse gave him the all clear a few days ago.”
Daniel raked his fingers through his hair. He hated this. It was like two forces were pulling him in opposite directions. If he left Mina in London for too long, there was a chance she could become the monster from his vision. Even though he hated the idea of leaving Angela alone, he knew that Jonathon was right. Mina held powers so dangerous that he couldn’t let her remain under the influence of the GEM-warped Anna. With a heavy heart he knew the answer, even though it felt like choosing between his love, and his family.
“We’ll get Angela when everything’s settled. I promise you that,” Jonathon said. “But Mina is dangerous in the hands of her mother.” He faced Daniel with knowing eyes. “You know that.”
“I’ll contact the Resistance on the Plan-It,” Ali said. “I can arrange fer us te meet at a checkpoint on the border. They can get us in.”
“Is that safe?” Matthew asked.
Ali shrugged. “As safe as a life-threatening mission can be.”
Daniel felt all eyes on him. His stomach churned as he thought of his little sister without his protection. What else could he do? He’d ignored visions in the past and deeply regretted it. He nodded in agreement and the group dispersed, leaving Daniel hoping he’d made the right choice.
14 ~ Mina ~
The rest of the drive blurred into an endless smudge of grey roads, distant cities and green fields. For most of the journey I rested
my head against the window and dozed. A strange, euphoric calm sent me into dreams of Mum, and in every one she saved me from a snake, only for it to come back and bite me right at the end.
Mum steered the car onto a new road, and I heard the crunch of gravel under the tyres. For a fleeting moment, I thought we were back in the Compound, but then I opened my eyes to see a huge wall looming down. Enforcers stood on either side of the narrow road, their bobble heads glinting in the sunlight. Each held laser guns pointed towards us – ready.
The calm left my body and I sat up straight. “Enforcers! Mum, we have to leave.”
“Hey, it’s all right,” she soothed, stroking my hair. “They won’t do anything to you while I’m here. You’re not wanted anymore, Mina. You’re free.”
“But where are we?” I blinked and took in my surroundings. Bright painted murals of the Resistance provided the only colour against the grey landscape. It was like walking around the ghettos in Area 14 and seeing the accusing eyes of the Blemished staring down from graffiti marked buildings. I swallowed, thinking about how long it seemed since I’d been in Area 14. Back then, I’d been convinced that something had to be done about the GEM. I was ready to fight them until the very end, so that we would finally have a choice.
The car crept onwards to the guarded check-point. The black leather uniforms seemed two-dimensional against the grey walls. Seeing them made my heart race. Terrible memories flashed through my mind: Matthew being taken away; Daniel wounded; Emily captured and dragged away from the school.
Panic rose. The fog lifted from my mind and it all felt wrong – I shouldn’t be there. I shouldn’t have left the Compound. I glanced down at the bandage on my arm. How did I get that?
“I don’t like it here,” I said.
“Don’t be silly,” Mum replied. She stopped the car and faced me.
“We have to go back,” I said. In desperation I seized her arm.
“Mina, what are you doing?” She tried to shake me off. “We can’t go back now; we’ve just reached the gates. I’ve been driving all day and we’re here now.”
“I left everyone, Mum. I miss Daniel. Does he even know where I am?” The euphoria dissipated completely to leave an ache in my abdomen. “I left Hiro behind, and I always take care of him.”
Mum placed a hand on my forehead and frowned. “You’re burning up, Mina. I think that snake bite has infected you.”
“Snake? What snake?” I asked.
Mum clucked with her tongue. “You’re in shock, darling. Here, take a sip of water. We need to get your Plan-It set up before we go through the border.”
I did feel hot and sweaty. I took the water and drained it. Mum stroked my hair.
“Better?”
I took a deep breath, and all the tension disappeared from my shoulders. Mum continued to stroke my hair.
“We’re at the border to London because that is where you were born. I’m taking you home to the Ministry so that you can live with me. You don’t need anyone else. We don’t need anyone else. You understand that, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“That’s a good girl.” She reached into the glove compartment and retrieved a small clear plastic box, and a white rectangle. “Now, this is your very own Plan-It. You know what they are, don’t you?”
“The GEM use them to communicate.”
“Very good.” She opened the clear plastic box. “This is tricky, Mina. I want you to open your eyes wide. Hold back your eyelids… that’s right.” She took a small circle of something wet and wobbly. “Keep calm, Mina. I’m just going to pop this contact lens in your eye. There we go. Now blink slowly.”
Mum helped with the second lens, and the ear piece, before explaining how everything worked. She even sent me a message, and I watched the words appear in my mind as though by magic. The message said: I love you, Mina, and if you trust me everything will be okay.
I believed her.
“I promise you that, after we’ve settled in, we can bring all of your friends down to your new home,” she said. “I told you on the way here that they’d come, and I mean it.”
She started the car and we drove to the gate. I don’t remember what she said to the Enforcers, but the next thing I realised we were driving into the biggest, and most vibrant, city I’d ever seen. Lights flashed in all colours. A beautiful woman’s face appeared on a gigantic screen across a multi-storied building. She modelled clothes and cosmetics with slogans like: Blingin’ botox – inject some glitter into your life – and your face.
The car sped along the road, passing bright vehicles of all shapes and sizes. I watched them smudge past me like a streak of wax crayon over paper.
“You made it to London, Mina. The capital of the world. Home to the most beautiful and famous people the world has ever seen. I’ve brought you back, darling. I’ve brought you home to where you were born.”
*
Mum drove the car onto a tiny track leading to an underground car park. At a barrier she applied her thumbprint and moved her eye close to the screen.
“Good evening, Dr Hart. Enjoy your stay.”
I searched for the person connected to the voice, and Mum laughed at the confused expression on my face. Then I remembered Sebastian telling me about the way walls talk to you in London. He’d said they recognised your handprints and used them to access your bank accounts. Everything had a link in London.
The barrier rose, and Mum drove the car into the quiet car park well lit with florescent lights. She pulled into a space, applied the handbrake, and tapped me excitedly on my leg.
“We’re here!” she said with a broad grin. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
I stepped out of the car and almost fell to the ground. My legs wobbled under the weight of my body. I was weak – weaker than I’d ever been – and I had to clutch hold of the car door to steady myself. Mum rushed towards me, and put an arm around my waist.
“It’s a good job you’re light, Mina.” She steered us to a dirty white door. “Now you don’t have to worry anymore. You’re home and I’m going to look after you.”
“I’d like that,” I said. My voice sounded dreamy. When did I get so sleepy?”
Mum opened the door to a corridor with stairs to the right and lifts to the left. She pressed the lift button, and I clung to her as we waited. A ping noise indicated the lift was free. Soft jazz played as we waited. I reached out to press the buttons on the wall – wanting to see how they lit up like stars in the sky. Mum gently took my hand away.
The doors opened to another corridor. I thought of the University buildings in Glasgow, with the same white walls, and identical doors. She directed us to a cosier corridor where plush carpets felt springy underfoot. The doors were numbered neatly. Outside number five she reached into her handbag for a key and unlocked the door.
“Here we are,” Mum said. She opened her arms out with a flourish. “Your new home.” She dumped her handbag onto a sofa and pulled off her coat. The door shut behind us.
I saw lots of white: a fluffy white rug and a soft leather couch; plump cushions stacked over sofas. My attention moved to the large screen on the walls, exactly like the ones in Area 14.
“They watch you,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“They watch you through the screens. It’s what Dad said.”
“I think you need a lie down,” she said, taking my hand. “It’s been a long journey, and you’re still not well.”
She led me into a small room with a single bed covered in stuffed toys. By the wall there was a dressing table filled with dolls.
“Yuk,” I said without thinking. “I used to like dolls?”
“Well, perhaps it needs a little upgrade. Aren’t you excited to see your old room again?”
As I tried to remember the room, I saw the expression of hope in her eyes. I really didn’t want to let her down.
“I remember,” I lied.
She beamed. “Oh, that’s wonderful.�
� She moved a stray piece of hair from in front of my eyes. “Now, you can wash and change in the bathroom.” She opened a door, revealing a tiny bathroom the size of a closet, with a toilet, sink and shower. “You need rest tonight, okay. Are you hungry?”
I shook my head. I just wanted to sleep.
“Let me get you some clothes. They might be too big seeing as you’re slimmer than me. Lucky girl!” She smiled, and disappeared leaving me alone in the room.
I ran my fingers over the edge of the dressing table, feeling the smooth, painted wood. Why didn’t I remember this room? I strained, trying to recall anything before I lived in Area 10 with Dad. Even thoughts of my mum were fleeting and fuzzy. Did I just have a bad memory? Or was there something wrong. My head felt too foggy to make sense of everything.
I wandered around the room, taking in all the pink, girly furnishings – which were nothing like me at all – and hesitated by the door. I heard a soft knock coming from inside the flat. It sounded as though someone had come to the apartment door. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked around the corner of my bedroom for a better view into the flat. Mum stood in the apartment doorway with her back to me. The other person remained just out of sight.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Mum said. “I’ve only just got her home.” Her voice was very different; cold and hard.
“Did everything go to plan?” replied the stranger. I frowned, straining to hear. There was something familiar about that voice. “Any problems along the way?”
“None,” Mum said with an impatient tone. “Except I had to give her more. She’s got quite a tolerance. I need to get the balance right, so she’s not out of it but obeys. You should go now. I need to build up her trust.”
“Fine.”
I leaned forward, trying to see more without Mum or the stranger seeing me. I caught a glimpse of red curly hair before Mum shut the door. I rushed away into the bathroom. Mum came into the bedroom with a pile of fresh clothes, as I pretended to fiddle with the shower. I ignored the way my heart pounded against my chest.