Remembered

by Krista Street

  I gasped. “But I thought…” I took a shaky breath. “I thought there were twenty other kids, besides us?”

  “There were, initially at least.” Father shook his head, looking down. “When I took you all away, there will still sixteen other children left behind. Four had died in the other groups. They were also too old when the drug was administered. Just like the oldest twins that died in your group.”

  My mouth fell open. “So that means that thirteen other kids died over the years since we left?”

  “Yes.” An anguished expression crossed Father’s face. “If only I could have taken all of you with me, but I…” His voice cracked.

  Jacinda clasped his hand. “You did everything you could. You couldn’t have known what would happen to them.”

  “I should have done something. Anything.” Guilt hung so heavily in Father’s cloud, it felt like it would swallow me.

  Jacinda squeezed his hand again.

  A few moments of silence passed before Mica said quietly, “So now what do we do?”

  Di crossed her arms. “We go back there and get the last three.”

  I nodded. “There’s no other option. We can’t leave them there. If they’re still being drugged, it’s only a matter of time before they die too.”

  “God,” Jacinda whispered. “Can you imagine what they’re like now? From what I remember…” she paused, her eyes clouding. “Those rooms they kept us in. They were like prison cells. And the experiments that man did on us. Who was that?” She turned to Father.

  “That was Marcus. Albert only experimented on his group.”

  Jacinda shuddered. “He scared me so much. I know he terrified the other kids too, in the other groups. I heard a lot of them talking at night, crying a lot too.”

  I bit my lip. “The man with the ugly, black cloud. I remember him, barely, but I do.”

  Father’s head snapped up. “His cloud was black? I always wondered about that.” A haunted looked crossed his features. “Marcus could charm anyone, but there was a side of him few saw. I always questioned how pure his intentions were. A few times he…” Father cleared his throat, his eyes wide. I could only imagine the memories he was remembering. “Let’s just say I witnessed him doing things that hastened my desire to remove you.”

  “So are these three still kept in the warehouse?” Jasper asked.

  Father shook himself. “Yes, it’s the same place you all were kept. Diamond was right to study it.”

  Amber glanced at Di. “How did you know about it?”

  Di began pacing. “Father told me the night we arrived here. After you all went to bed, we talked late into the night so I could gain more information.”

  I sat back. Flint put his arm around me. As usual, Di had taken charge, not letting the mere inconvenience of not having our memories stop her. She had a goal, and despite my medical issues, she’d spent the last four days working to achieve it. It was ironic in a way. Before Father erased our memories, she and Flint had been the only ones content to stay living in hiding in the Forbidden Hills. But now, she was the driving force behind us confronting O’Brien Pharmaceuticals, freeing the other lost children, and gaining our freedom. Definitely ironic.

  I bit my lip. If I could learn how to reliably use my newly remembered abilities, I could help free the ones still held captive. I could be a big help.

  “Where’s this warehouse located?” Flint asked.

  “Just outside Chicago, in an industrial area,” Father replied.

  Flint’s brow furrowed. “And who is this contact of yours?”

  “An old friend I’ve relied on over the years. I can trust him.”

  Nobody said anything to that. It only highlighted how little we knew about Father’s outside life. Father had never talked about his past, and the few times I’d asked him questions, he’d averted the subject, deterring my attention to something else.

  In a way, Father had a life completely outside of us that we knew nothing about. I guessed that was for one of two reasons. Either he wanted to hide something from us, or he wanted to protect us from something. I’d bet my life it was the second.

  “So that’s where we start then,” Di said. “We return to that underground facility and get them out.”

  Father frowned. “It won’t be easy. It’s guarded twenty-four hours a day and entry requires a retinal scan.”

  Mica perked up. “I may be able to help with that.”

  Father smiled. “That’s right. You could. Have you been working on altering your sight again?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t know I could do it until I got my memories back.”

  I leaned forward. “We should probably spend some time working on our gifts. The more defensive and offensive powers we have, the better off we’ll be.”

  “Not to mention, it would be wise to have firearms too. A bullet would come in handy if someone tried to kill us,” Flint added.

  Jet crossed his arm. “Or capture us. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to go back to that place.”

  Jacinda’s brow puckered. “It sounds like we still have work to do before we go.”

  Di’s mouth set in a grim line. “If that’s the case, we start first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Everyone agreed, all except Father. He sat back, a fearful gleam in his eyes.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Di woke everyone at six the next morning. We barely had time to dress with the five-minute warning. From there, she herded us outside. Several times, she actually nudged and prodded people to get them moving.

  It was still dark and cold out. We all huddled in a big group, shivering. Only Flint seemed immune to the temperature.

  “Come on.” Jet rubbed his hands together. “At least let us go back in and eat something first. I’m starving.”

  Di shook her head. “The more tired, hungry and irritable you are the better. We have to prepare for the worst.”

  Amber muffled a big yawn. “What do we need to prepare for that requires us being tired and hungry?”

  “I want to see how you all do under stress,” Di replied.

  I brushed hair out of my eyes and stuffed several strands under my hat. “Why isn’t Father here?”

  Di put her gloves on. “He’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him. Besides, we can’t always count on him. We need to find a way to work together without him always looking over our shoulders.”

  I crossed my arms, shivering again. “Won’t he come with us when we return to O’Brien?”

  “To Chicago, yes, but not when we rescue the other three.”

  Amber gasped. “He’s not coming into the warehouse with us?”

  Di gave her a sharp look. “Father isn’t young anymore. He’s not as strong or fast as the rest of us, despite the effects of our drugs. Who knows what we’ll be up against, and if we need to ensure that one of us always stays safe, it’s Father. Without him, we have no inside contacts and no resources other than what we have in our bank accounts from before.”

  I swallowed uneasily. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but Di was right. The only money we had to our names was from what Father gave us in April, to live off of when he took our memories away. That money still sat untouched in our bank accounts. Other than that, we didn’t have any resources. Not to mention, we had no way of contacting his inside O’Brien contacts, no way of alerting his pilot for an emergency flight, and no way of knowing where Marcus was or what he was up to. Nothing.

  What she said made sense. We needed Father to stay safe and alive. No matter what. And we also needed to learn more information from him. At the very least, a few of us should know how to contact his pilot.

  “I guess you make a good point,” Jasper mumbled.

  I nodded. “I’ll ask Father for some of that information when we finish out here.”

  “So now what?” Jacinda asked. Her long hair hung down her back, the top of her head stuffed under a wool hat.

  “Now, we see what each of us can do, no
w that we have our entire memories.” Di turned to Mica. “When we were younger, you were working on changing your eyes, not just enhancing your vision. Do you really think you’d be able to fake a retinal scan?”

  “There’s seriously no reason we can’t do that inside, by the fire,” Jet muttered.

  Di ignored him as Mica stepped forward.

  A down jacket puffed around Mica like a marshmallow. “I can try, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. It would require a complete transformation of my genetic makeup.”

  “Try.” Di crossed her arms. “From what I’ve seen in their security system, we need to pass a retinal scan to access several areas.”

  Mica rolled her eyes. “No pressure or anything.”

  Jet snorted. “Di, how is this going to work? It’s not like we have a retinal scan to practice on.”

  Mica’s eyes narrowed. “Jet, come here.”

  The twin sauntered over, his dark curly hair ruffling in the early morning breeze. Mica stepped closer and glanced up at him. Her dark brown eyes stared into his blue ones. Sweat erupted on her brow. Closing her eyes tightly, she made a noise, as if in pain. At least a minute passed before she opened them.

  I gasped.

  Mica’s brown eyes were now blue. Well, kind of. One of them was half blue and half brown, but the other was completely blue. She stared up at Jet, sweat pouring down her face. After a minute, she sank to the ground, breathing heavily.

  Jasper rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s so hard to do.”

  I didn’t tell her she hadn’t completely pulled it off. Nobody else did either.

  Jet crossed his arms. “What were you doing when you did that?”

  “Mimicking your eye’s genetic makeup. I think.” From her uncertain tone, perhaps she was aware she hadn’t completely pulled it off. “Father helped me discover this ability about a year before the fire. It hurts so damned much every time I do it, though.”

  “We’ll need that skill to get past security,” Di said. “You need to practice and hone it. We may need you to conjure someone’s eye makeup in a split second. Our lives may depend on it. Do you think you can do that?”

  Mica stood shakily. “I’ll try.”

  Di put her hands on her hips. “Who’s next? Jet? Jasper?”

  The twins stepped forward.

  Di raised her eyebrows. “What do you remember about your manipulative powers?”

  The twins eyed one another. “We can alter thought patterns and affect people’s moods,” Jasper replied.

  An image of Mica slapping Jasper flashed through my mind. She’d accused him of using his powers on her.

  “Can you do it as strongly as before Conroy drugged us?” Flint asked.

  “Only one way to find out.” Jasper stepped closer to Flint and stared at him. His face grew serious. Similar to Mica, sweat popped on his brow.

  Flint stood beside me, staring at the twin. Ten seconds passed. Flint shuffled his feet. A few more seconds passed. He glanced over his shoulder. Then, his breath became shallow before he pulled me to him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, pressing my ear to his chest. His heartbeat reminded me of a jackhammer.

  A moment later, Jasper took a step back, panting. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, his breaths audible.

  A few more seconds passed before Flint shook his head. He looked down, seeming to only now realize he held me. “Wow, that was a strong one. I completely fell for it.”

  “So it’s just as strong as before the drug.” Di grinned. She turned to Flint. “Tell me what you felt.”

  “I…” Flint began. He shook his head. “I don’t know exactly. All I know is I felt fear. A sense that some kind of impending doom was upon me, that I needed to find someplace safe.”

  Jasper nodded. “I put emotions and images in your mind, triggering the primitive areas of the brain.”

  Di was still smiling. “Like a fight or flight response.”

  “Exactly,” Jasper said. “Couldn’t have described it better myself. But we can make things positive too, remember? It’s not all negative.”

  “I remember you doing that last year when you practiced on us. Jet, your turn,” Di demanded. “I want to know if it’s as strong.”

  Jet snickered. “Any volunteers?”

  I stepped forward. “You can use me.” It wouldn’t be the first time the twins had manipulated my emotions. At least this time, I was a willing participant.

  Jet’s wide shoulders blocked the rising morning sun. For once, the cocky expression that usually adorned his face was gone. His expression became like Jasper’s. Serious. Sweaty. It was obviously hard work for the twins.

  Similar to Flint, at first I didn’t notice anything unusual. I stood there, waiting for something to change.

  When it finally did, it was subtle. I almost didn’t notice it at first despite the twins having done this to me dozens of times before. To describe it, I became…content. Flint still held me in his arms. I slumped into them, a smile spreading across my face, but it didn’t stop there. Out of nowhere, a bubble of laughter erupted from me. Before I knew it, I was laughing uncontrollably in absolute joy. I had no idea why. It was like someone surprised me with a present I always wanted or told me some joyous news I’d been waiting to hear. I giggled and hugged Flint, practically singing it felt so amazing.

  And then, it stopped.

  “Oh!” I almost tipped over it ended so abruptly.

  I shook my head, my eyes focusing on the circle of people around me. We still stood outside, at dawn, cold and hungry. Nothing happy about that. I blinked.

  “Oh…” I felt more aware as my brain slowly returned to normal. That short-lived instant happiness was gone. I shook my head. “I’ll never get used to that.”

  Jet grinned. “Good times, huh?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Di’s mouth tightened. “All right, Lena. You’re up.”

  Her abrupt order made me stiffen.

  “Um, sure.” I stepped away from Flint and put a few feet between me and everyone else. I took a deep, unsteady breath and stared across the backyard. The rising sun brightened the pebbles and caused a hazy hue to erupt across the land. I smiled. So many plants. So many animals. So much untapped power just within my reach. Now, if only I could reliably harness all of that energy.

  A brief image of my struggles yesterday flashed through my mind. I pushed the nervousness away.

  “Come on, Lena,” Mica said. “You can do it.”

  “Err, right.” I wiped my hands on my pants. An image of O’Brien’s men tackling and capturing us flashed through my mind. They pinned me to the ground while they hauled Flint away. My insides grew cold.

  I can’t let that happen.

  I switched my vision. Everyone’s clouds appeared. Like I’d predicted, all of us had pale green in our auras.

  I concentrated on them. Breathing deeply, I tried to center myself as I watched the beautiful, colorful images. I imagined them growing and coming together. A few seconds ticked by.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried again, willing our auras to join. When they refused to budge, I turned my concentration to the small plants and animals. Concentrating harder, I willed those clouds to appear. One by one, they lit up: a wispy haze around a creosote, a bubble of white surrounding a passing insect. Sweat trickled past my ear. I stretched my reach farther. Clouds bubbled around every life force in the backyard.

  My heart pounded. I breathed faster.

  Groaning, I tried to join the clouds nearest me. Again, they didn’t budge. Another image of O’Brien hauling my family away flashed through my mind. The small aura around a cactus lifted. I almost slumped in relief but pulled myself up just before I lost control.

  Knowing my family may depend on my ability caused anxiety to rise within me. I grabbed onto the aura around a beetle and joined it with the cactus. Keeping my sight focused on the joined clouds, I moved them as one and brought them to Mica’s cloud. Wha
t if they take Mica? What if I never see her again? With a mental push, I joined the three together.

  A brief triumphant surge burst through me. It worked!

  Breathing heavily, I carefully lifted Mica’s cloud from her shoulders. This time it moved. Sweat poured from my face. It felt like my heart would leap right out of my chest, but I kept my focus. My entire world became the energy of all living things within the area.

  I closed my eyes and focused on that steady, subtle hum. I could feel them now. It was almost like the electrons circling each nucleus, creating those infinitesimal fields of energy, called to me. They grew more and more alive the longer I focused.

  My entire body trembled. The energy grew. I felt its power as I joined more clouds. I could feel them lifting from everyone’s shoulders. A huge ball of energy that only I could feel formed in our midst. It crackled until it was a force that I could manipulate.

  With a burst of sheer determination, I flung the power as hard as I could.

  Someone screamed.

  The power left me.

  I snapped my eyes open. Amber lay on her back, ten feet away. My eyes widened.

  Everyone rushed to her side.

  “Are you okay?” Jacinda kneeled down.

  Amber sat up, rubbing the back of her head, a dazed look on her face. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  My mouth dropped. “Did I…” I swallowed. “Did I do that?”

  Di glanced up from where she squatted at Amber’s side. She grinned. “Yes. You did.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “But…how…” I shuffled guiltily at Amber’s feet.

  The others kept eyeing me, wide shock apparent on their faces, as if surprised as me by what I’d done.

  “You haven’t done that in four years!” Mica exclaimed.

  Jet gripped Amber under her arms and hauled her up while Jacinda brushed Amber’s pants off. “That was pretty wicked.” Jet grinned.

  I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “I’m sorry, Amber. Are you okay?”