She rubbed her head. “Yeah. I think so.” Her pixie haircut was in disarray. Her hat sat a dozen feet away.
Di’s eyes gleamed as she assessed Amber’s head. “It was just like that power you conjured when you threw Jet off you during Capture the Flag.”
“But…I haven’t been able to come anywhere near that amount of power since then.”
Di stopped inspecting Amber’s head. “What did you do differently?”
“I…well…” I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“You were trembling,” Flint said. “And sweating. It was almost like you were in a trance.”
“How long did it take me?”
“A few minutes,” Mica said.
“That’s way too long if I’m going to be of any use to us.” My shoulders slumped. “We won’t have that kind of time when we’re hurrying through the warehouse.”
Flint’s energy pushed into me. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s no reason you need to go in.”
Di didn’t seem to hear her brother’s words. That excited gleam was back in her eyes. “You need to figure out how you did it. That’s something you may need to do on a moment’s notice if we get in trouble.”
Flint’s energy kicked up another notch. “Like I said, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We haven’t decided who’s going in and who’s staying outside.”
Another image of O’Brien hauling Flint away flashed through my mind. If I had the power to stop that from happening, I needed to help. Memories of the past four years surfaced, where I’d tried to replicate the power I’d conjured during Capture the Flag. I’d never been able to create that much power again…until now. But how did you do it? And can you do it again?
“I think I should practice more. Di may be right.”
Flint placed his hand on my back and leaned down. “I know you can do it. I’ve always known you have it in you, but I don’t think we need to rely on you to stop O’Brien’s men. We’ll get guns. You can always stay outside and guard the door.”
I met Flint’s gaze. “But I need to do my part in this. I can’t hide outside just because it’s safer.”
Flint’s brow furrowed. Rolling energy was his only reply.
“You need to keep working on it.” Di gave Flint a haughty glare. “Guns can jam. We can’t rely only on firearms. Practice, Lena. You’ll get better.”
Flint scowled at her while I wrapped my arms around myself. That’s what Father had said. Only thing, in the last four years despite how many times I’d tried, I’d only been able to do it twice.
DI TOLD EVERYONE to return to the house. She said we’d done enough for one session.
“What about you, Di?” I said as we stepped inside. “How reliably can you see the future?”
“I’ve been practicing. Don’t worry.”
Di’s additional power was her ability to control her visions. At times, she was able to foresee the future in a certain area or for a particular person. Not like the random visions that usually pummeled her. However, like all of our enhanced powers, it wasn’t reliable.
“So…” Jet chimed in. He closed the door behind us. It automatically locked. “Will you be able to see if we get into some deep stuff? Like if we make a wrong turn and start walking down a dark tunnel, would you know that at the end lurked a giant alien, ready to eat us for lunch?”
Mica rolled her eyes. “Back on the alien topic, I see.”
Di gave Jet an annoyed glare. “Something like that.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when we trudged upstairs and thoughts of breakfast lured everyone to the kitchen. I hung back in the stairwell, though, letting everyone pass. When they all disappeared, I stopped and leaned against the wall, wringing my hands. Despite wanting to do my part in this, I didn’t know how much help I’d be.
Four years.
In four years, I’d only been able to conjure power worth using twice. And each time, I’d had no idea how I’d done it. That didn’t make me a reliable asset. It made me a liability. I wanted to practice to get better, but that didn’t mean it would do any good. How can I possibly learn that kind of control in such a short amount of time?
Sounds filtered down the stairwell – pans banging and the fridge opening in the kitchen as everyone chatted among themselves.
“Are you coming?” Flint appeared at the top of the stairwell. His chestnut hair was mussed as if he’d been running his hands through it. He frowned. “You look worried.”
I stayed slumped against the wall. “That’s an understatement.”
He jogged down the steps until he stood at my side. “Want to talk about it?”
I sighed heavily. “I need to figure out how I harnessed all of that energy, and I’m not sure if I can.”
“Hmm.” I felt the conflicting emotions in his cloud. While he wanted me to learn more about my ability, since it meant so much to me, he didn’t want me in harm’s way.
I felt the pleading in my eyes when I glanced up. “What if I never learn how to control it? You saw how long it took me to do it out there. We could have been dead by then if it had been up to me to save us.”
“Keep practicing. With time, you’ll get better.”
“But I’ve been practicing for four years and what do I have to show for it? Knocking around rocks, small kitchen items, maybe a book or two? I’ve only been able to form two powerful energy balls, and I have no idea how I did it. How can I possibly be ready?”
It all seemed so impossible. There was no way I could learn that much control in the little time we had. Amber’s form laying dazed on the ground flashed in my mind. The last thing I wanted was my family sprawled in front of me while men from O’Brien came at us. If by some miracle I actually learned how to form energy balls reliably, there was no guarantee I could learn to control them. I could just end up hurting those I loved.
Flint placed his hands on my shoulders. His dark eyes bore into mine. “We’ll have guns too.” He tugged me. “Now, come on. Let’s have breakfast.”
Delicious scents floated in the air when we finally entered the kitchen. Sausage sizzled in a pan while pancakes cooked on the stove.
Father appeared a moment later, freshly showered. “I see you’ve all been up for a while.”
Mica downed a glass of orange juice. “Di made us get up early.”
“I saw from the window. If I had known you were getting up, I would have joined you.”
Di ducked her head. “I didn’t want to wake you. We need to figure out how to work together without you.”
Father frowned. “Without me?”
She gripped his arm and pulled him from the kitchen.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad I wasn’t the one to break it to Father that him joining us in the warehouse wasn’t a good idea.
Ten minutes later, they still hadn’t returned. The rest of us sat down for breakfast. No one said much, but a nervous, eager energy buzzed around the room. Like a fly that couldn’t sit still. Several times, I switched my vision. Everyone’s clouds appeared. I forked food into my mouth and studied their auras. I concentrated in between bites, trying to make the clouds join again.
It didn’t go well. Most of the time I couldn’t move them at all.
IT WAS MID-MORNING when we returned to the backyard. Bright sunshine streamed down. A few vultures circled overhead. A falcon cry sounded in the distance. Gone were the towering aspens and scampering sounds of forest creatures. The dry, cool air and desert horizon had a completely different form of beauty.
Father was with us this time. From his grim expression, I guessed he didn’t like the thought of us venturing into the warehouse without him. However, I hadn’t heard arguing when he and Di discussed our viewpoint. Perhaps he accepted that above all else, we needed him safe.
“Show me what you remember,” Father said to Di, the twins, Mica and me.
Flint, Jacinda and Amber sat in the patio area to watch. A rather extravagant outdoor barbecue and bar area sat off to
the right under a large pergola.
Mica stepped forward, offering to go first again.
Much the same happened as earlier. She closed her eyes, sweat popped on her brow, while her hands fisted at her sides. Exertion was apparent in every line of her body. After a few minutes, her eyes flashed open. They looked identical to Father’s. Almost. She held it for longer this time. Maybe ten seconds, before she doubled over and gasped for breath.
“Good,” Father said. “Try again. This time, I want you to concentrate on the individual cells in your irises. I know that sounds impossible, but I think…”
And so the morning went.
Father spent time with all of us, helping us hone our skills and remember the abilities we’d learned in the past years. It went better with him coaching us. I felt surer and more capable under his guidance. However, I quickly realized my success earlier in the morning was as I predicted – a complete fluke of good luck.
After a few attempts, I still wasn’t able to form an energy ball. I was able to see clouds around the plants and animals easily – my entire four years of practice wasn’t a complete waste. However, my continued efforts drained me. By the end of the day, it was only out of sheer determination, that I was able to form a small ball from three shrubs, but it wasn’t strong or powerful. I also had little, if no, control over it. Forget about throwing it. All of my concentration required keeping the energy together.
Once again, success seemed impossible.
BY SUPPER TIME, I felt like I’d run a marathon while being intermittently dragged by a truck. We’d never worked this intensely before. In the Forbidden Hills, Father would spend an hour with us here and there, when he had time outside of the lab. Never had we done ten hours straight of grueling practice. I was tired, sore and was pretty sure I’d pulled a muscle or two. It was bizarre. Everything I did was with my mind, yet my entire body felt the effects. Even my toes hurt. That was a first.
“I think we’ve done enough for today,” Father said.
Di, Mica and the twins were in no better shape. Mica complained of a pounding headache while the twins said they could barely stand. Di insisted she could keep going, but after Father’s insistence, she quit too. If Father hadn’t been there, I was pretty sure Di wouldn’t have stopped until exhaustion rendered her unconscious.
Flint, Jacinda and Amber stood from their lounge chairs.
Di gave them an irritated glare. “Watching is hardly helping us. You’d all be more useful if you did research on O’Brien.”
Flint quirked an eyebrow. A steady push of energy rolled toward me. It was again filled with worry. I knew he didn’t like the thought of me using my abilities to help in the warehouse, but I didn’t have the energy to argue or push his energy back. I simply let it roll through me.
Flint crossed his arms. “It’s just as important that we learn what you’re all capable of. If we want to work as a team, we need to function as one. Once your control improves, we should do mock drills. Mimicking situations we may be in will prepare us for possible scenarios to come. It’ll make us more effective at handling situations together when they arise.”
Father nodded. “I was going to suggest the same thing.”
“But in the meantime, how about you use your free hours to do more research on O’Brien,” Di said.
“I can do that, but we also need guns.” Flint gave Father an expectant look.
Father frowned heavily. “As much as I hate firearms, I think you’re right. I can purchase handguns tomorrow.”
THE NEXT DAY we split into teams: the research/firearm group and the practice group. Father purchased handguns for Jacinda, Amber and Flint. Of course, Flint took to the gun as if it were an extension of his own body. He watched a YouTube video on how to use it. Within the hour, he was hitting targets a hundred yards away. Considering his drug enhanced his physical abilities, I wasn’t surprised. Hand, eye coordination was like breathing for Flint.
Jacinda and Amber weren’t nearly as confident. At first, both were squeamish about using a firearm. However, Flint spent time with them until they knew how to safely load and use it. After each was able to handle the weapon without turning green, Flint left them to target shoot. Since Flint also had hacking skills, he spent most of his time continually trying to breach O’Brien’s firewall.
Despite their growing confidence with guns, Jacinda and Amber both had more to offer than simply carrying a weapon. Jacinda was a natural with social skills. Her looks didn’t hurt either. We all agreed she’d be the one to approach the first guard when we got to the warehouse. It was possible, although not likely, she’d be able to talk her way into the premises with help from the twins’ manipulative powers. That would be preferable. If we could get in without violence, our chances of succeeding were higher.
Amber’s small frame and flexibility could also come in handy, not to mention, her ability to smell emotions. If an O’Brien employee was honest, scared or deceitful, Amber would pick up on it. All useful skills in the right circumstances.
We spent the next week practicing and practicing. From sunup to sundown, Flint worked on the computer while Jacinda and Amber practiced shooting. The twins, Mica, Di and I practiced in the backyard going over and over our advanced abilities while Father coached us. Some days I did better than others. On three separate occasions, I was able to form huge energy balls. However, it was again out of sheer determination and took hours of practice before I was able to do it. A year ago, I would have been ecstatic at that progress. Now, it was too little too late.
Three energy balls.
Hardly reliable and hardly something to gloat over. With entering the warehouse looming over our heads, I needed to be able to make three energy balls a minute, not three in a week after hours and hours of practice.
It didn’t help that with each passing day, I grew more hesitant. In a way, it was a head game. I hadn’t been to the O’Brien warehouse since I was five years old, yet I remembered enough to know I never wanted to return. Part of me wanted to run and pretend that all of this was crazy, that men from a giant pharmaceutical company couldn’t possibly be after us. But then I’d watch us in the backyard, observe our skills as the others slowly grew stronger and I’d realize that we were living proof of the illegal activities done by the company. Nothing about us was normal. We were loose ends – best snipped and discarded than left to unravel the entire cloth.
Deep down, I knew that as long as Project Renatus was up and running, we were still at risk. We’d never have a normal life until that threat was eliminated, and of course, there were the three other lost children.
We couldn’t leave them.
ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, two and a half weeks since arriving in Arizona, I woke early even though it was still dark. I’m sure my aching muscles and cramped neck could be partly blamed for that. Practice yesterday had been particularly brutal. However, I’d been able to form a usable, fairly strong ball twice in an hour.
It was the best I’d ever done.
Flint’s warm, sleeping form lay beside me. I snuggled closer to him, using his heat to soothe my aching muscles. He murmured something in his sleep. A heavy arm reached out and pulled me tightly to his side. I sighed in contentment, my eyes starting to close when suddenly, they flashed open.
Putting a hand on my lower abdomen, an excitement that had nothing to do with secret O’Brien sectors, experimental drugs or other lost children came over me. I eased out of Flint’s arm and tiptoed to the bathroom. Once inside, I grinned when another bout of menstrual cramps seized me.
I didn’t think I’d ever felt more excited to have my period. I cleaned up and then rummaged through the bathroom. I’d put the birth control Father gave me somewhere in here. I swore it was on the shelf by that scented candle.
I frowned when it wasn’t there. Where did I put it?
After ten minutes of searching, cursing, pulling a few hairs out and more cursing, I finally found the tiny package under a towel I’d left on the bathroom floor.
How it ended up on the floor, under a towel, I didn’t know. Then again, I swore half the stuff I lost grew legs and walked off. Seriously, I could only be partly blamed for my uncanny ability to lose things.
I pulled out a small pill, the tinfoil wrap crinkling. With a pop in my mouth and a quick drink of tap water, it was down. I grinned.
Dawn light peeked through the curtains when I crept back into the bedroom. Flint still slept, his body prone, his beautiful back and shoulders bare. The sheet tangled around his waist, accentuating his lean hips. In the morning light, his golden skin glistened like smooth honey – warm, inviting, and delicious. The image he presented conjured images of Greek Gods on Mount Olympus, with their dark hair, beautiful features, and magnificent bodies wrapped in togas.
Easing under the covers, I crawled to his side before peppering his back with soft kisses.
After a while, he stirred.
I slipped a hand under the sheets, finding his firm, round backside. I continued to kiss his warm skin. A groan escaped him when my hand reached around to cup his front. His eyes slowly opened and he turned.
I quickly rearranged myself. We lay facing one another, my hand moving slowly and rhythmically over him. He closed his eyes and groaned again. It didn’t take long until he found release. His body shuddered, his thighs tightening. When he finished, I propped myself up on an elbow beside him.
He smiled lazily, the early sun streaking off his chestnut hair. “Good morning.”
“Did you enjoy your wake-up call?”
He chuckled. “Very much. Feel free to do that anytime.”
He reached for me. I knew he wanted to return the favor, but I inched back, getting a raised eyebrow out of him. I traced a finger across his hard abdomen, a smile tugging on my lips. His muscles bunched and tensed in response.
“I have something to tell you,” I said. “I got my period, and I just took my first pill.”
His eyes opened wider. “Really? So that means…”
“Yep. In four days or so, things should be wrapping up down there.”
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