Divided

by Madeline Dyer

Elia rises up, laughing. And it’s her too—she’s here as well.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

  And then there’s no more.

  I open my eyes, groggy, disorientated.

  Dr. Andy peers down at me. “She has revived. The Untamed are prone to faints. It’s all the negativity within them, gets them too worked up.”

  “She says she saw my son.” Raleigh’s voice is cold, and I see him watching me from the other side of the room. He turns toward Dr. Andy. “I want your best psychiatrist to assess her as soon as possible. I know I referred her before—but she needs to be seen quickly. These hallucinations are not good. They are bad. Negative. Some Seers are prone to psychosis. And I cannot have Shania developing any…anything that would slow down our progress.” He paces the room for a few moments, then stops, his hand on the door handle. “I have work to do. I will have her brother come here. Stay with her until Tomas arrives.”

  And then he’s gone.

  So quickly.

  Dr. Andy and I watch each other for a long, long time. He makes humph noises at the back of his throat every so often, and gets me some toast and water from a side-kitchen. The main room we’re in isn’t his office. It’s a big room, with a locked door. No friendly, welcoming vibes here.

  And, when my brother arrives, a couple of hours later, Dr. Andy leaves as quickly as he can.

  “Are you okay?” Three asks. “You’ve had a stressful day, and your Seer powers exhausted you.”

  I shrug.

  “Raleigh believes you’re having a…a breakdown. He mentioned you’ve been hallucinating.”

  I shake my head. “No. Jed was there. I know what I saw. I’ve seen him before.”

  “Raleigh’s son?” Three looks uncertain.

  “Yes,” I snap, then rub at my head. There’s slight pain in my temples, nothing too bad though. “Raleigh’s son. My fiancé. Whatever you want to call him.”

  Three’s eyes get wider.

  “What?” I look him up and down when he doesn’t look away.

  “Fiancé?” Three stares at me, aghast.

  “You didn’t know?”

  “I thought you were with Eriksen.” Three says the words carefully, but there’s a hardness to his words.

  “I wasn’t with Jed by choice,” I say. “It was the Zharat—their rules. Oh Gods. How can you not know this? It was Jed. All Jed. All of this—he gave me to Raleigh.”

  But it wasn’t his fault.

  Three lets out a strange breath. Not shaky, but not calm either. “Fiancé…” He shakes his head. “Not with him by choice… Did he hurt you?” He leans closer. “Seven?”

  “No,” I say. “Not like that.”

  “Like what then?” Three moves a little closer.

  I grimace. Jed hit me before—because I tried to save Kyla, the little girl they killed for being a Seer. He manipulated me, scared me, controlled me. And then he bound me to the Enhanced, giving my soul to Raleigh.

  I wrinkle my nose, look around for a moment, and then get up, ignoring Three’s question. “Where’s Mum?” I ask.

  Three watches me carefully. “She’ll be at New Kimearo, where she’s stationed. Look, Seven, if this man hurt you in any way—”

  I cut him off, my shoulders sagging. “She’s gone back there already?”

  My mother’s left…gone without even seeing me properly…that fleeting glance, all that I had of her. And she’s just gone.

  Your mother’s gone….

  Three’s eyes get bigger. “Gone back there?”

  I let out a frustrated exclamation. “She was here, Three—Mum was here…earlier, the end of the meeting with the Section, she was there.” I march toward the door. It’s locked, but Three will have a key. “I need to see her. Come on.”

  And it’s the one thing I know for certain now: I need to see her, talk with her. And she has to still be here. She wouldn’t leave without seeing me. And… I pause. I can sense her… I frown, concentrating. My Seer powers? But, suddenly, I’m sure she’s still nearby. Not gone back to New Kimearo yet.

  And my mother will know what to do.

  But she’s one of them too.

  No. She’s not. Not really.

  Three grabs my arm. I turn and look up at him.

  “She didn’t tell me…and Raleigh didn’t tell me Mum’s here either,” he says, his voice loaded. “Why wouldn’t they tell me?” He shifts his weight slightly, then looks conflicted.

  “Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “We can go and find her now.”

  “Oh.” Three looks at me, then down at his feet. His grip on my arm begins to feel sweaty.

  “What?”

  “I was going to let you see Eriksen again…now… Raleigh’s busy for the rest of today. It’s a good opportunity. And…and I know you both miss each other.”

  My chest tightens a little. Corin.

  “Okay,” I say. “But I need to see Mum first.”

  Three’s grip on my arm tightens. “We don’t know where she is.”

  My eyes narrow. “We’ll find her. This compound can’t be that big.”

  Three breathes out heavily. “It is big. And I—wouldn’t it be easier to see Mum another time? If she is here. You don’t have to see her in secret. But you do with Eriksen. And now is the perfect time to see him. There aren’t many opportunities, you know.”

  I rock back onto my heels and look at my brother, my eyes narrowing even more. “You want me to see Corin?”

  “He wants to see you,” Three says. “He made it very clear what he’d do if I didn’t arrange another meeting for the two of you.”

  Corin wants to see me. A jolt of hotness runs through my body. And, if we’re together, we can sort out this mess.

  Three lets go of me, folds his arms. “Look. You’re not due any other checks from Dr. Andy just yet. If I take you to Eriksen, you can stay there, with him.” He breathes deeply, makes a strange gulping noise. “And I’ll find out where Mum is. Then when I collect you, we’ll know where to go.”

  “What if she’s not staying that long?” I shake my head, watch my brother carefully. Very carefully. “It would be easier if we found her first and you took me to Corin after.”

  He looks conflicted, and the expression doesn’t sit well on him. After a second or so, he straightens up and looks me straight in the eye. I try not to look at myself in the mirrors.

  “There’s no point in wasting time,” he says. “It’ll take me a while to track Mum down here—she could be in any of the regions now. And I need to do it subtly. Raleigh hasn’t told me she’s here for a reason. I don’t want him to get suspicious. I’ll find her, while you’re with Eriksen, and then I’ll come and get you. No arguments, Seven.”

  No arguments. His words ring in my ears.

  I eye my brother carefully. Something’s not right. The Enhanced part of him’s taking more control? But no—he’s going to take me to Corin, put two Untamed together.

  “Okay,” I say slowly. “Unlock the door.”

  Corin hugs me tightly, and I lean in closer to him. I’m shaking now, but Corin’s arms are an unshakable cage. After a moment, he pulls back slightly from me, looks at Three. His Adam’s apple bobs a little.

  “You’re sure Raleigh doesn’t know about this?” Corin asks.

  Three nods, curt. “I’m sure.”

  “I don’t want her being punished.” There’s a hardness to Corin’s voice that makes me gulp. “Not for this. Not for us being together.”

  “She won’t be,” Three says. He grips his hands together tightly in front of his stomach, and a strange look passes over his face as he assesses Corin. Corin and me together.

  It makes me feel peculiar, standing so close with Corin, while my brother’s watching. But it was what Three wanted. He was insistent. And it was how insistent he was that makes me squirm. Something’s really not right.

  Three shifts his weight. “But,” he says, looking at Corin. “I’m not exactly happy with this arrangement. So you better
look after her, Eriksen. If I hear anything from Seven—anything at all that she’s not happy with—I’ll come after you. Understand?”

  I pull back to see Corin nod, looking strangely amused.

  “I mean it,” Three warns, his voice low.

  And I stare at him, try to fathom him out.

  “I understand,” Corin says. “You can go now.”

  Three glares at him for a long time, but then he leaves. Leaves me and Corin alone. In here. Again.

  “What’s been happening?” Corin says, drawing me closer again. He tucks my head in, against his chest, and his stubble grazes my forehead. His arms lock around me.

  I let out a long breath. “Did Three seem different to you?”

  “Well, he’s…Enhanced. He’s not going to be the same as he was when he was Untamed.”

  I shake my head against him. “No. I mean today. Just now. Different to before. There’s something… He’s acting strangely.”

  Corin shrugs. “Seems like the same old annoying Three Sarr to me. Overly protective as well. Did you hear him threaten me?” But he says the words in a way that makes his voice dark, almost sexy.

  I frown, try to think. I pull back a bit. My eyes fall on a bottle of water by the wall. They give Corin bottles of water when he’s locked up? “My mother’s here,” I say, “and I wanted to see her, but Three was insistent I came here instead.”

  “I’m glad.” Corin’s voice is breathy, hot air against my ear. Then his lips press against my ear lobe. He kisses me there. “Very glad. I’ve missed you, Sev.”

  My heart stutters, then I pull back again. “But Raleigh didn’t tell Three that our mother’s here. Three didn’t know.” I stare up at Corin.

  His expression slowly changes, gets more serious. “What are you thinking?”

  “What if…” I shudder. “What if Raleigh’s onto us?”

  “You and me?” Corin’s eyebrows shoot up. “No. He can’t be. He would never let two Untamed be together.”

  “No, all of us. Three, included. I think he’s still Untamed. At least partly… He’s letting us see each other when that’s not allowed.” More than letting, more like instigating it. “And he gave my pendant back.” I mull it over. Could I have been right about that the first time—that it was a sign of resistance? I pull the crystal out from under my shirt, then let it hang freely. The dark green of my top gives the crystal a darker glow. Corin’s eyes widen, but I continue. “What if Raleigh suspects that Three’s still Untamed, or partly Untamed…and he might suspect the same thing with my mother too, and that’s why he didn’t want him knowing she was here. In case they came together and made a plan or something.”

  Corin frowns. “A plan to get us out?” But then he shakes his head. “But if Raleigh suspects Three, then he wouldn’t let him see you, or any Untamed. He could just as easily make plans with you to escape.”

  I process his words. “So why else wouldn’t he tell Three that our mother’s here?”

  Corin’s arms tighten around me, and then his fingers exert pressure against my back. “Who knows what that man thinks? He’s one of them, Sev. They’re not rational. Maybe he likes the power of it, knowing he’s keeping people in the dark.”

  I nod slowly, then breathe in Corin’s scent. He smells different, though, without the cigarette smoke. I lean my head against his chest again, wonder how long it’ll take Three to find our mother. But when he does come back, we’ve got to get out of here, I know that. Me, Corin, Three, my mother, and Esther—somehow. If Raleigh does suspect Three, then my brother’s in danger.

  But Three’s not Untamed, he won’t come willingly.

  But he’s not fully Enhanced either. He can’t be. I’m sure of that. He’s my brother. Sarr blood.

  But not a Seer.

  I look up at Corin. “We need to make a plan, have it ready. We need to get out of here.”

  “Get out?” He looks surprised. “Sev, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re locked in here.”

  “My brother will help…and if we’re right, he could be in danger. Plus, the augmenters will be ready soon. We’ve got to get out before that happens.”

  And we’ve got to get out before Raleigh makes me connect to all the Untamed out there. If I’ve got the pathways dug, then all it takes is for him to make me use the bonds and convert me.

  Corin nods, and a muscle in his jawline pulses. His hands find mine, and our fingers entwine.

  “He can’t make me find the others who are out there,” I whisper.

  “Make you find the others?” Corin’s head jolts a little. “You can find others?”

  “I think so.” I take a deep breath, realize he doesn’t know. And so I tell him about my body-sharing abilities, how I can share with more than two people, and how the Section knows and wants to use me. I don’t tell Corin about body-sharing with him though—something stops me; he wouldn’t like it. I know that.

  Corin lets go of my hands and touches the base of his neck slowly, then rubs the skin there. It looks redder than normal, rougher. Like he’s reacted to something. “Okay. So you can choose to go in other people’s bodies?”

  I shrug, stepping back slightly. “I don’t know how it works. At first, it was by accident. But now? Now I know how to do it. It just sort of clicked, and it feels familiar. Like I instinctively know how to do it. But the last time was a surprise too—unexpected, like I got pulled there. But it was a life and death situation.”

  I breathe deeply, and I feel the powers within me. They’re there, but they’re worn out. Exhausted. I used a lot of energy earlier to save Dominika—more than ever before? And I try again now, to seal them off, but it’s still the same. I can’t do it. Need to replenish them first?

  “So you’ve got control over it?” Corin leans in closer.

  I nod, fold my arms, but then stretch them out. My elbows feel strange. “I suppose so. Yeah.” I exhale hard. “That’s why we’ve got to escape. Raleigh thinks I can’t control it, but it’s only a matter of time before he knows, before he makes me form more connections and send the Untamed into a grave.”

  Corin nods, then walks to the door. He tries the handle, but of course it’s locked.

  “When Three comes back,” I say. “That’s when we’ve got to get out.”

  “And you think Three’s Untamed too?” His voice sounds strange. “He’ll help us?”

  “I’m certain of it.” I breathe deeply, hope I’m right. “He’s not like the others. I mean, he’s my brother, but…but I resisted. I know my mother can, so it could be familial.” Only, as soon as I say those words, I think of what my father said. No, what my mind made me think my father said. I think hard. “And Three wanted us together—what if it was his way of telling us to make a plan—the exact thing Raleigh doesn’t want?” I nod, and I know I’m right. “So, when Three arrives and opens the door, we’ll escape.”

  Corin runs his hands through his hair. “But what if that’s not what he meant? What if he is Enhanced and was just being kind to you?”

  The Enhanced aren’t kind. I want to say that, but I don’t. Instead, I say: “Then we’ll run past him, get out somehow. Corin, I’ve got to escape. Raleigh can’t have me. And you need to get out before the augmenters are ready. They don’t need me to convert you—they’ve already got you, and they’ll do it as soon as they can. They’re just using me for everyone they haven’t got.”

  Corin presses his lips together for a moment. “Okay. I know the way out. The gate I used last time. But I’m not sure where we are now. They blindfolded me, leading me here, once they got me, thanks to the drone.”

  “We’re deep down,” I say. “Underground. Dungeons.”

  “Dungeons?” He snorts, but then he sees the look on my face. “Don’t worry, we’ll make it out. We will, Sev.”

  His arms encircle me again, and I lean in closer. My hands rest on his chest, feeling the hard muscles there through his tight, white T-shirt. He’s in top condition. Even after being out there, on hi
s own—foraging, hunting, scavenging for, what? Days? But how long was he really out there? They could’ve had him here most of the time….

  “We’ve got some time together before the big escape,” Corin whispers. “We don’t know how long Three will be. And it’s late….”

  I nod. “Good. We need time to make plans.”

  “Plans? No, Sev. We need to sleep. We need to be in good form for tomorrow, or later today, tonight—whenever Three comes back—”

  “He’ll be back soon. We had ten minutes last time.” I look up at Corin, and part of me expects him to have a different idea of what we can do. Unless he doesn’t really mean to sleep… A smile brushes my lips.

  “But he’s going to look for Katya,” Corin says, his arms around me tightening. “He could be a while. At least an hour, I’d say. We should…rest. We don’t want to be sleep-deprived. It’s then that you make mistakes.”

  My jaw tenses. I don’t want to sleep. The last time I slept, Raleigh got to me. Drugged me and my dog.

  “My dog’s back,” I say.

  “Oh.”

  “We’ve got to get him out too… I think he’s still in my room.” I sigh, but I feel keyed up. So many people, as well as my dog—and what about the Zharat? Do I leave them here?

  “Sev, you can’t save everyone,” Corin says. “Stop worrying. We don’t know how it’s going to work, whether we really will have help or not. There are too many variables to make a proper plan. We’ll have to play it by ear when the time comes. But you and I will get out, I promise. And we’ll be together. I’m not losing you this time.”

  I turn in his arms. “But what about our families? Three and Esther and my mother?” I shake my head. “We need to get Esther out at least before they get the augmenters sorted.”

  Though the augmenters would fix her hip, wouldn’t they? Without them, she’d have to be carried.

  I squirm a little, look at Corin.

  “We’ll do what we can,” he says, and I’m not sure whether he knows about her injury or not, but his words ring in my ears for the next few moments.

  Corin takes me by the shoulders, looks into my eyes. He doesn’t say anything, just stares at me. And I stare back, allow myself to be swallowed by his eyes, to get lost in them.