by Elodie Colt
He’d eased Jenna’s panic attacks. Like he’d done with me in the closet?
“One night, they left the compound for a night out. Jenna volunteered to drive, and Dylan got drunk. When they were on their way home, the Hunters attacked them in a side alley. Dylan tried to fight them off, but he was too wasted to move or think properly.”
My heartbeat rose up a notch. I didn’t want to hear what happened next, the story foreboding a morbid ending.
“Even back then, Dylan was an outstanding Fighter, and I have no doubt he would have won if he’d been sober. But that wasn’t the case. A Hunter slashed at his face with a knife, and it put him off guard. You noticed the scar crossing his eyebrow, right?”
I nodded. How could I not? It was the first thing I’d noticed when I saw him.
“It looked a lot worse. Half of his face was slashed open. Sarah could have healed it, but Dylan wouldn’t let her. He said he wanted to keep the scar as a reminder…” Chris trailed off, a faraway look on his face. After a sigh, he continued. “Anyway, Jenna panicked when she saw Dylan was hurt and lost control. She got caught in the Bluster. An innocent guy crossed the street, lighting a cigarette, and it escalated.”
I took a sharp breath as I realized what he was saying. Jimmy had told me Jenna wasn’t able to create fire, only to manipulate it. A glowing cigarette seemed to be enough to get the fire burning, in the truest sense of the word…
“Jenna got caught in the flames, along with a few surrounding cars, and created an explosion. Dylan took one of the Hunters as a shield when everything blew up and came away with a few broken bones. Everyone else within a few feet radius,” Chris spread his fingers wide and made a wiping motion for visualization, “burned to death, including Jenna. Dylan saw Jenna burn,” Chris slowly dragged out the last words.
“Oh my God.”
Chris swallowed laboriously. “Dylan got into the Bluster himself, but he was unstoppable and caused mayhem. He killed three innocent people in his uncontrollable rage. When Jimmy finally arrived, he somehow managed to bring Dylan back to his senses and brought him back to the compound. Sarah healed his bones, but she could only do it in steps. After Dylan was back on his feet, he vanished without saying a word and turned himself in. Jimmy took matters into his hands and hired an overpaid lawyer to get the sentence lowered. Dylan got three years.”
The story was even more horrible than I’d feared. I rose from my chair and took a seat next to Chris on the bed, feeling the urge to comfort him. He had one knee propped up, his wrist casually leaning on it while playing with a leather band on his arm.
“Have you… were you there?” I asked carefully.
“No. It’s ironic, really, but I had a hangover from the night before and decided to stay here. I can’t stop wondering if I could have changed anything had I been there.”
I put my hand on his. There weren’t any words I could say to him now. To my surprise, Chris turned his hand upward, entwining our fingers. He squeezed once, as if he needed my mental support.
“I can’t believe it… Jimmy told me…” I tried to swallow, but my throat seemed to constrict.
“Jimmy didn’t tell you the entire truth because you weren’t ready.”
Yeah, probably. How would I have reacted if Jimmy had told me Jenna blew herself up? And then another wave of panic hit me—what if the same fate awaited me? What if I lost control, killing myself and risking other people’s lives?
“And now I’m ready?” I asked impassively, knowing more nightmares were about to come.
“Probably not, but you needed to know about Dylan and why he is who he is.”
I nodded, glad I knew the background now, even if the knowledge heavily weighed down on me.
“So, Jenna was the first Natural who died under his hands,” Chris went on, shaking me out of my reverie when he added, “The second was… your sister.”
My head snapped up at hearing his words. I’d surely misunderstood, right?
“W… what?” The words stuck in my throat. She died four years ago. I didn’t know Dylan back then, and I was sure Shawna didn’t either.
“Dylan had just been released from jail and came back to the compound, but he wasn’t the same anymore. He’d certainly lived up to his Fighter nature and had changed in every way possible. He was strong, trained, focused, cold, numb, emotionless… the perfect soldier. As we didn’t have access to the traffic system yet, we needed to rely on scouts, Watchers and Catchers, to patrol the streets in search of Roes. One night, they found a Natural, and we all got ready to get to her, but it was too late. Dylan was the first to get to Shawna’s lifeless body being carried away by the medics. Shawna was Dylan’s second Natural in his life he couldn’t save. And all Naturals have the same eyes, so you are an everyday reminder.”
Dylan was there? I wouldn’t know, as the medics had already dragged me into the ambulance. He must have arrived a few seconds later.
“And the third was Ricky, his brother,” I finished, spitting out the last word that felt like poison dripping onto my tongue. I put a fist into my mouth and bit into it to hold back the scream threatening to erupt.
“Yes,” Chris concluded, defeated. “Now you know the reason why Dylan can’t cope. He dedicated his life to saving Naturals, and he still sees it as his duty to do so, but, in his opinion, you also remind him of everyone he failed. And the cherry on top is, Ricky saved you only to die shortly afterward.”
“Goddammit. No wonder he resents me so much. And I yelled at him today and said awful things and I…”
Chris grabbed my face and forced me to look at him, his appion eyes slicing into mine. “He needed to hear it. You’re stuck in the same horrible past as he is. Your fate is no better than his. Also, he needs to see you are his chance to make up for everything.” He paused, continuing to penetrate me with his intense gaze, as if he needed the assurance that I understood the sincerity of his words.
“Haylie, if he doesn’t succeed in keeping you alive, then I don’t know if we’ll be able to save him again.”
Jesus... That was why Dylan had wanted to go on this mission with me. He needed to protect me to prevent a fourth failure, despite the animosity he felt toward me.
I was wrong. Fate didn’t just fuck me hard.
It fucked Dylan double time.
My eyes were glued to the monitor for at least fifteen minutes, zooming in on the aisle to my room… and Haylie’s.
Chris had gone in there half an hour ago, and I didn’t like it. At all. What the hell was he up to?
Finally, the door opened, and Chris stepped out. He spoke to Haylie who followed behind, leaning against the doorframe. She looked tired, and her eyes were swollen and glassy. Had she been crying?
Her words from earlier were still tumbling around in my head. Her usual composure and calmness had vanished, and she’d confronted me with questions I couldn’t answer.
Chris kissed her forehead in a reassuring gesture, prompting my Fighter blood to boil and my fingers to twitch with the urge to drive my fist into the screen. Haylie closed her eyes briefly, feeling comfort in his touch. When Chris left, she let out a sigh and closed the door.
Damn him. Chris had come closer to Haylie than I would have liked. When had that happened? What did they talk about? What did Chris know about her she only shared with him and no one else?
A minute later, the door to the control room opened, and Chris appeared.
“Did you have fun?” I couldn’t help but ask, nor could I hold back the grudge underlying my tone.
Chris looked taken aback for a second until it clicked where I was going with this. “Did you stalk me?” he asked in a cold voice.
“I’m on surveillance duty. I cannot not stalk you.”
“I don’t have to justify myself just because it goes against the grain for you,” Chris retorted in a clipped voice, dropping into one of the chairs.
“You’re going too far,” I cautioned, hoping to get the warning across.
“No, you’re going too far, Dylan. We need to support her, and that’s what I’m doing. Most of all, you should know how important it is Haylie gets through this in one piece.”
“By slipping into her room in the middle of the night? Not enough pretty girls down here for your taste?”
“We were just talking. Jeez, could you ease up, man?”
“What did you tell her?” I pressed, not ready to drop the subject. Chances were high they’d been talking about me behind my back.
“What was necessary for her to know,” Chris answered, giving nothing away.
“Are you letting her stand between you two? This is ridiculous,” Cassie’s cranky voice sounded from the other end of the room where she was organizing folders on her desk.
“Shut up, Cassie,” Chris retorted.
“Oh, you’re telling me to shut up?” Cassie dabbed a finger into her chest as her temper shot high. “After her hysterical breakdown today? After she lashed out at Dylan in front of everyone?”
Oh dear, this was going down the wrong road. “Cassie, we all know you have issues with her, but that’s not what this is about,” I countered in hopes of avoiding a sure-to-follow drama.
To be fair, Haylie hadn’t said anything against me earlier, only blaming herself in every sentence. Not that I wanted to defend her, but I didn’t want her to be condemned by Cassie, either. We clearly had two different points of view here.
“Why are you defending her? What’s wrong with you?” Cassie snapped, shutting a folder more forcefully than necessary and glaring at me.
“Would you please continue with your heated debate elsewhere? I’m trying to work here,” Jimmy mumbled monotonously from behind me, as usual not bothering to pick a side when some of us had a fit.
“Yeah, shouldn’t you have your beauty sleep, anyway?” Chris growled.
Cassie stood up, fuming. “You’re pathetic,” she barked and stalked out of the room.
“I’m going to kill her someday,” Chris huffed after the door shut behind her.
“I’m going to kill all three of you if you don’t pull it together,” Jimmy replied, clearly annoyed.
The door opened again, and Scott entered, a yawn overcoming him as if he hadn’t a care in the world. I would make sure to change that.
“Where the fuck have you been?” I snapped at him, causing Scott to stop short in his tracks, looking clearly helpless.
“Um, okay… Where’s the fire?” Scott eyed me innocently, still standing in the doorframe.
“Did you get Haylie stoned today?”
“What?” Jimmy shouted, his work suddenly forgotten. I watched Scott as his face fell. At least he had the decency to look guilty.
“Haylie was high when she came in. Don’t deny it. I could smell it a mile away, and her eyes were bloodshot.”
“You’re pissed,” Scott stated unnecessarily. “So, she didn’t tell you the good news?”
“What good news?”
“I guess Haylie figured out about her ability,” Scott answered with caution, eyes flipping between each of us.
“What?” Jimmy shouted again, this time shooting out of his chair and slamming his hands on his desk. “Could somebody please tell me what’s going on here? Now!”
“Um,” Scott mumbled again, unsure of what to say. “Okay, yeah, she took a few pulls from the joint, but it made her relax. Um… literally. Enough to… float.”
Silence.
“What are you saying?” Chris asked, as confused as the rest of us.
“She floated. Really floated. Like, a few inches above the ground. It was so crazy,” he exclaimed. “I saw the realization on her face as it all clicked together, but she stormed off to tell you before she told me. I swear, I have no idea about her ability. She figured it out on her own.”
Fuck. That’s why she came to the control room in the first place. She’d wanted to tell Jimmy, but I’d chased her off.
“Did she tell you?” I directed at Chris.
“No,” he replied with a frown on his face. So, Haylie hadn’t confided in Chris, either. For some unknown reason, this lifted my spirits. “Should I wake her?” And this question made them plummet down again. Yeah, Chris would only be too eager to slip into her room again.
“No, we’ll wait. Let her sleep,” Jimmy replied with a tired sigh.
“Why didn’t she fill you in, anyway? She hurried off to tell you,” Scott mused.
“She got caught up in a confrontation with Dylan,” Chris answered for me, the underlying accusation not lost on me.
“Again?” Scott groaned in annoyance, and I was close to flipping him off.
“This is getting out of control. I need her to trust us,” Jimmy interjected. “I want her to tell us whatever she needs to tell us. If she’s keeping secrets because she’s afraid, then this isn’t going to work. There is too much at stake. Dylan, you’re responsible for this.”
“Me?” I asked incredulously. Haylie had shouted at me, and I was the one to blame? Figures. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”
“She’s indecisive around you. She doesn’t know if you are friend or foe. I can’t have that. You will talk to her. I don’t expect you to become close friends. Just… fix this,” Jimmy ordered and got back to work.
~~~
The next few days passed by way too slowly. Jimmy had overloaded my schedule with surveillance duties at night, training lessons during the day, and whatever came to his mind for filling my free time in between, like checking the gas pipes down in the tunnels, making an overall backup of our footage or—my favorite—doing bureaucracy stuff. Not.
He forced me to be close to Haylie as much as possible, which didn’t exactly lighten my mood. My schedule was so tight, I couldn’t even leave the compound, which resulted in making me slightly cranky. I was in desperate need of a distraction, preferably of the female kind.
Danielle had texted me two days ago letting me know she wouldn’t be of service anymore. She was furious with me for not answering her last seventeen text messages full of dirty suggestions, which I chose to ignore. Danielle took my silence as her dismissal, and she wasn’t far off track. I’d had my fun with the curvy nurse, but my interest had weakened ever since, meaning I’d have to find myself another play toy.
No need to mull over much as there didn’t seem to be an opportunity to leave the underground any time soon. Jimmy wouldn’t loosen his leash on me as long as I didn’t solve the issues with a certain Natural, which appeared to be an impossible feat.
To be honest, I hadn’t made much progress on that particular matter. Although I’d tried to give her personal advice during our training sessions, she hadn’t warmed up to me. If anything, she was more distant than ever.
Since the day she’d wanted to announce her discovery, none of us had managed to break through to her. Sarah and Scott had tried multiple times to reveal her secret, but neither of them succeeded. Haylie was always nice to them, smiling and cracking jokes, but as soon as anyone mentioned the word ‘ability,’ she would withdraw.
In science classes, she was outstanding, but she only answered when addressed by Scott, never volunteering to relinquish her knowledge. In training classes, she was training harder than before. The progress she’d made so far was enormous. Throws and takedowns, striking skills and submission techniques—she always did as well as the best ones. There were even a few skills she was better at than Jared, and this was something, considering he was one of our best Freshmen and a Racer on top.
Although Jared was miserable in science and educational schooling in general, he was outstanding in physical combat. He was pushing her, and she welcomed it. I tried to pair them up as often as possible, hoping Jared could fill in the holes I couldn’t. He didn’t treat her like a freak as the other girls did. Seriously, I’d tried to inhibit that issue, but even the strongest Fighter couldn’t break through the torrent of hatred of jealous women, and I wasn’t fond of trying any longer.
In the morning, Haylie would be aw
ake early and leave the compound where it exited to the cemetery. Sarah told me she’d go there to meditate. Jimmy let her, as we knew she couldn’t escape nature’s lure. At night, she would sneak out of her room to train, repeating the moves she’d learned in her lessons over and over. A few times, I wanted to approach her and give her guidance, but I was afraid to scare her away a second time, and then Jimmy would bite my head off for sure.
I kept a close eye on her during classes and pointed out her mistakes to her personally, trying to sound as neutral as I would talk to any other student. Well, not exactly like that, as I was known to be one of the gruffer trainers in the compound. Haylie always accepted my advice, quickly implementing my suggestions, but she’d never spared me a glance since our heated confrontation. Whenever I approached her, she would hang her head or avert her eyes. The confidence I was accustomed to had completely vanished.
Maybe she was ashamed. Maybe she was scared. A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have cared, relieved not to be forced to look into those haunting eyes, but for some reason, our silent treatment didn’t sit well with me.
I wasn’t exactly what you’d call the sharing type and tended to recoil from endless discussions or pronouncements of emotions. This was a weakness of mine my many ex-girlfriends had to suffer. How the hell did Jimmy intend to get me to break Haylie’s barriers? Me, of all people?
“Today, we’ll focus on one specific joint lock,” I announced to my class. At least half of them were still gasping for air from their warm-up. Not Haylie. Her condition had improved drastically. “Dominic, come over.” I waited until Dominic was positioned in front of me and demonstrated to the Freshmen the move they had to repeat.
“Most attacks start with a punch, which is why it’s advisable to know how to use that to your advantage. Avoiding getting hit is one aspect, but this alone won’t make you win. Your goal is to find counter-strike opportunities to get the upper hand. So, if your opponent is punching you,” I indicated to Dominic who moved his fisted hand slowly forward for demonstration, “you’ll get out of his attack line, twist out of his grip, and now you have the chance to strike back.” I stepped to the side, twisted my arm around, and grabbed Dominic’s wrist. Now, I was standing outside of Dominic’s initial range of vision, my opponent’s arm extended to my side.