“Did you have a good weekend?” Anders asked once we were moving, and I jumped at the opening.
“Yeah, it was great. The Lewises are a really nice family… I wonder if my real parents were anything like them?”
Anders was silent for a moment before finally replying. “You don’t remember them?”
“Not really. I have vague recollections, but they don’t amount to much. Do you know anything about them?” I actually remembered quite a lot about them, but I was more interested in what Anders might reveal if he thought I was clueless.
Anders worked the muscle in his cheek and looked back and forth between me and the windshield for several moments. Finally, he sighed. “Your parents were conscientious objectors, Griffin. They believe our powers are dangerous, evil. They refused to use their powers, and they tried to separate themselves completely from our community. They changed their name from Foster to Easton and disappeared, probably around the time you were conceived. No one knew where they went, and no one knew about you and your brother.”
I gasped as his words sucked up all the oxygen in the vehicle, and my chest tightened against my empty lungs. Details clicked into place. Conscientious objector — CO. I’d bet anything that’s what the code meant. And the name change explained why our last name was listed as Foster/Easton. It didn’t have anything to do with us being foster kids.
“How do know all this?” Phoenix growled, pushing his head between the front seats.
Anders glanced at Phoenix. “Your parents were… located, some time ago, but by then, you boys were already in the foster care system. No one knew about you, so no one knew to look for you. Believe me, you would’ve been brought to the academy long ago if we’d known of your existence.”
“So, how did you figure out who are parents were?” I asked.
“Well, once I’d found you, the name Easton rang a bell. I knew your parents had been using the name Easton when they were… found. Plus, you bear a striking resemblance to your father. I put two and two together.”
“So, where are they now?” Phoenix blurted out the million-dollar question.
Anders ground his teeth and shifted his eyes repeatedly from me to my brother. I realized in that moment that he knew exactly where they were, and there was no way he was going to tell us. Everything he’d said up till that point rang of truth, but everything else would be a lie.
Anders shrugged. “They haven’t been seen in public for several years. Specials are free to live how they want, use, or not use, their powers as they wish, as long as they don’t bring negative attention to our kind.”
Was he trying to say that they were out there somewhere, living normal lives? Or was he hinting that their beliefs had motivated them to do something damaging to the Special community? The POW annotation lingered in the back of my mind, and I searched for a way to get him to explain it without revealing what I knew.
“What happens if they do?” Phoenix asked.
“There are… leaders who decide when disciplinary action is needed.”
“Were our parents disciplined?”
Anders shook his head. “There’s no crime in being an objector.”
Phoenix frowned and rubbed his fingernail up and down the seam on the side of my seat. “Do you think you could help us find them?”
I stiffened and held my breath. What was Phoenix doing? He was going to ruin everything! If something nefarious was going on and Anders suspected we were looking for our parents, he’d make sure we never found them.
“Your parents disappeared a long time ago, boys. I’m sure they had their reasons.” His words were vague, carefully calculated to discourage us from searching, but told us nothing.
What was he hiding? I was sure he knew way more than he was saying, and I was even more determined to find out what he knew.
* * *
Jaxson hovered near the front stairwell when we arrived, almost like he’d been waiting for us. As soon as Anders walked away, Jaxson pounced on us.
“Did you find out anything?”
“Not here. Let’s talk in our room.” I led the way up the stairs and down the hallway.
Phoenix and I dumped our bags just inside the door and sat down on our respective beds. Phoenix stretched out, and I reached for Lexus, knowing she’d need support to talk about her father. I smiled when she sat on my lap instead of next to me.
Jaxson paced across the small area between the beds, his long legs eating up the space in only a few steps, and ran his hands through his raven-wing hair. “So, did you find your father?”
Lexus nodded.
“And?” He stopped in front of her, his lanky form towering over her.
Lexus stared at his knees. “He doesn’t know anything. He hasn’t used his powers in years. He doesn’t want to be part of this world anymore. He didn’t even know that Anders was in charge of the school now.”
Jaxson huffed. “Did you press him for information about our parents?”
Lexus shook her head.
“Why not?” Jaxson demanded.
I glared up at him and hugged Lexus closer. “He didn’t know anything, Jaxson. He was in prison for five years, eaten up with guilt about what happened. When he got out, he found a little house in the country and started living like a Normal.”
“He still might’ve heard things. What the hell were you doing there if you weren’t getting any information?” he growled.
Phoenix and I both stiffened and opened our mouths to lay into him, but Lexus narrowed her eyes and spoke through clenched teeth. “I was reconnecting with the father I haven’t seen in seven years, Jaxson, and after he told me the woman I’ve lived with my whole life isn’t my real mother, I was a little distracted.”
Phoenix and I both raised our eyebrows in surprise at her response, and Jaxson took a step back.
“Really? Wow. So where’s your real mother?”
Lexus shrugged. “Add her to the list, I guess.”
“She’s missing, too?” Jaxson actually had the decency to look sympathetic.
“I don’t know. I guess. She took off when I was a baby, and my father hasn’t seen her since, but I’m not sure he’s ever really looked for her.”
“Do you think her name is on here?” Jaxson reached for the flash drive laying on our desk.
I grabbed it from him and picked up my laptop, and Lexus scooted off my lap and onto the bed beside me. “Let’s find out.”
“There wasn’t another Wren on the list besides Lexus and her dad,” Phoenix said, sitting up.
“Maybe she’s using a different last name,” Lexus suggested.
I sorted the spreadsheet by first name and scrolled to the R’s. There were two Renees — a Catalyst with no code next to her name, and a Conduit coded CO POW.
“Does the last name Morgan mean anything to you?” I pointed at the one that was listed as a Conduit and glanced at Lexus.
She shook her head.
“Maybe you could ask your dad,” Phoenix said.
Lexus pulled out the slip of paper her father had given her and stared at it. Slowly, she typed the number into her phone.
With shaking fingers she typed a quick message and hit Send, sucking in a deep breath. The phone chimed back immediately.
Lexus’ words were soft with finality. “Morgan was her maiden name.”
She dropped her head, and I set the laptop down and reached for her. “We don’t know what it means yet, Lexus. It could mean something totally different than what we think.”
Lexus shook her head and pulled in a rasping breath. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t miss what you’ve never had, right? She didn’t want me, anyway.”
My heart melted at her pitiful attempts to console herself. I hated that Lexus had always felt unwanted, unloved, unaccepted. I would do anything to prove to her that none of that was true. She deserved two boyfriends who couldn’t live without her to make up for all the people in her life who acted like she didn’t matter at all.
“So
what do we do next?” Phoenix asked.
If Lexus’ real mother was out there somewhere in need of help, I would do anything in my power to find her and give her a chance to make amends.
“I have an idea,” Griffin said.
19
Griffin was such a pussy; I didn’t know what Lexus saw in him. At least Phoenix had some balls, even if he was an imbecile. I don’t know why I thought I needed their help in the first place. I was a level four, the most powerful student in this school, although Lexus was definitely giving me a run for my money. I could make Anders’ life a living nightmare if I wanted. What was stopping me from demanding he give me what I wanted?
Absolutely nothing, that’s what. I was like one of those circus elephants staked to the ground with a thin rope around my ankle. It was only the idea of captivity that kept me bound. I’d had enough of kowtowing to Anders or anyone else. It was time for me to show my strength once and for all.
I left the twins’ room on a mission, intent on finding Anders and making him tell me what was going on. My anger must have been obvious, because everyone cleared a path for me as I pounded down the hall towards Anders’ private quarters.
I banged on his door three times and shoved my hands in my pockets as I waited, bouncing on the heels of my feet. After a few seconds, Anders cracked open the door and frowned at me.
“Jaxson? Everything okay?”
I shoved the door open and stomped inside, pushing Anders backwards into the apartment.
“No, everything is not okay, Anders,” I growled, shoving my face in his. “I want to know where my parents are. I want to talk to them — tonight. And then I want to go see them. And if you don’t give me what I want, I’m going to turn every Catalyst in this school into my bitch and tear this whole place apart.” Spit sprayed from my lips and my face twisted into a snarl.
Anders didn’t freak out as much as I’d hoped he would. Instead, all he did was narrow his eyes.
“Don’t underestimate me, Anders.” I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, digging my fingers into his flesh.
He just sighed and shook his head, and I clenched my fist to punch him when he said, “Why can’t you trust me, Jaxson? Haven’t I been like a father to you all these years? Teaching you, guiding you. Does that mean nothing to you?”
“You’re not my father, Anders. Now, where the hell are my parents?” I scowled.
“I told you, they’re safe. You need to trust me on this, Jaxson. There’s more to our world than you can understand right now. But MVA is where your parents want you to be. With me.”
I raised myself up to my full height, several inches taller than Anders, and puffed up my chest as I loomed over him with malice in my eyes. “Maybe so, but I want to hear it from them.”
Did I imagine that, or did Anders finally flinch a little?
“Fine. I’ll take you to them. You can hear it from their own mouths.” Anders grabbed his keys off the counter and pushed me out the door.
Adrenaline flooded my system, and my body tightened. Was he serious, or was this some kind of a trick? Anders had been like a father to me ever since I came here, and he’d never shown me any kind of duplicity before. I wanted to believe him. But his recent deceit had soured my trust.
We stalked down the hall that lead out to the parking lot, and Anders threw open the door. The cool, fall air engulfed me, and the indigo sky loomed dark and enormous overhead. A million tiny stars dotted the sky, and a sliver of moon illuminated the handful of cars in the lot.
Anders headed towards his SUV, and I climbed into the passenger side, my heart racing and my blood rushing through my veins like ice water.
“Where are we going?”
“To a neutral location where it’s safe for you and your parents to talk.”
I wanted to press him for more information, but I knew he wouldn’t give it. I settled in for the ride, placated by his promise.
A few minutes later, Anders pulled up in front of a small house, hidden behind a thatch of overgrown trees. He got out, and I hustled after him, taking the porch stairs in one leap.
The inside was homey and generic at the same time. Well-worn furniture filled the living room, but there were no personal touches to indicate that anyone actually lived there — no plants, no pictures, no books or magazines lying on the end tables. The air was stale and cold; the furnace wasn’t running.
“Wait here. I’ll be back soon.” Anders pointed at the living room then turned and left.
I was too nervous to sit, so I took the opportunity to investigate the house, instead, but found more of the same. The kitchen held a full set of dishes and cookware, but there was nothing in the fridge but a few condiments. The freezer held one frozen dinner past its expiration date.
Down the hall, a bed was made up with a cheap comforter, but no clothes hung in the closet. The tiny bathroom had a bottle of shampoo, a dry, cracked bar of soap, and a tube of toothpaste. The medicine cabinet held a pack of toothbrushes and a bottle of aspirin.
What was this place? It reminded me of a vacation rental, but who would want to stay in this tiny house in the middle of nowhere? Was it a safe house for Specials? I could imagine someone hiding here. I’d been insulated from the real world for so many years, I had no idea what it was like on the outside. Were there Specials in danger — from Normals, or each other?
Anders was right, there was a lot going on I didn’t know about, and I berated myself for being so ignorant. It’s not like I had much of a choice, though. Anders had kept me isolated from everyone but himself and a carefully chosen group of others. That was no excuse, though. This was my world, and I needed to understand it. I vowed to educate myself better from now on.
A few minutes later, headlights cut a path across the yard, and I heard the sound of a car pulling up. I rushed to the front of the house and waited by the door, my heart pounding in my ears.
I gasped as the door swung open and my father entered the house. It had been several years, and I could see them etched in the lines in his face.
“Dad,” I sighed, as the heavy weight of worry slipped off my shoulders. He was okay, he was alive.
“Jaxson?” He looked at me curiously, but reached for me, and I accepted his embrace. My arms wrapped tight around his thin frame, and I realized I was taller than him now.
“You look good, Son. Strong, healthy.” His eyes still held a glint of confusion, but he seemed happy to see me.
My mother was waiting behind him, and she smiled at me and hugged me tightly. “Jaxson. You shot up like a weed, didn’t you? You look just like your father did when he was young.”
I smirked at that, and looked up at Anders. He gave me a small smile, and I nodded back, my anxiety eased.
“You wanna sit down and talk, Mom, Dad?” I waved my hand towards the living room and they nodded and settled down on the old furniture.
I took a chair across from them, but my butt sank into the sagging cushions, so I perched on the edge instead.
“So, where’ve you been? Why’d you move? And why didn’t you tell me?” I started immediately.
Anders frowned, and my parents looked at him quizzically. My father started to open his mouth, but Anders interrupted him. “We can’t tell you any of that right now, Jaxson. Just know that it was for your parents’ safety.”
I frowned at him, but my parents just nodded in agreement.
“I miss you. I want to see where you live now. I want to come visit for the holidays.”
“You can’t do that, Jaxson. It’s… not safe,” Anders said.
I jumped to my feet. “Screw that! It’s not up to you, Anders! Mom, don’t you want to spend Thanksgiving together this year? Aren’t you going to make my favorite pumpkin pie?”
My mother glanced nervously at Anders, and he nodded slowly. “I’d love that, honey. But the school is where you need to be right now. It’s best for everyone. You’re happy there, right? And Anders says you’re doing so well.”
I
grimaced. This was not going the way I expected it to. What had happened to the strong, powerful, confident parents who’d raised me? These people seemed like puppets, and Anders was pulling the strings.
“Dad? Are you just going to stand by and let Anders dictate how you live your life? Since when did you become a lemming? You taught me better than that!” I hovered over him, and he slowly lifted his head to look at me, a pained expression on his face.
“Anders knows what’s best, Son. Listen to him. Do what he says.”
I turned away in disgust. I couldn’t believe my parents were acting this way. It was so not like them. “What’s wrong with you people?”
“I’ll be back in a moment,” Anders said, and slipped out the door.
“Tell us about your school, Jaxson. How are your studies going? Have you gained any new powers? Met any special girls?” my mother piped up all of a sudden, like this was a normal, dinner table conversation.
I sighed and plopped back on the chair, burying my face in my hands.
I opened my mouth to answer my mother, but before I had a chance, Anders returned, this time with two strangers, a man with dark hair and grey eyes, and a woman who looked a lot like Lexus. I glanced at him in confusion.
“Jaxson, this is John. He has something to tell you.” Anders took his arm and guided the man towards me.
“Jaxson, your parents are alive and well. You don’t need to worry about them ever again. You must trust Anders and obey him in all things. You must never defy him.” His words hit me the same instant as his power, and I felt his command go straight to my center and lodge itself like a thorn in my brain.
Anders turned to the woman, and she came forward. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Renee, let’s make Jaxson forget about our friend John, and you as well.”
20
After ten seconds of listening to my brother’s lame-ass plan, I was already headed for Snoozeville. Griffin wanted us to slink around, spying on Anders, in hopes that we might see something or overhear something useful.
Taking Flight (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Caged Series Book 3) Page 11