by Yalu Taylors
“The reason J.O.Y wants you so badly is because your blood holds the key to curing the rest of the test subjects. Your blood only helps the test subjects if it is harvested during the change. Once the change is over you are no longer of use to J.O.Y.” His voice changes every time he says J.O.Y, it becomes deeper and doesn’t sound like Peter at all. “Who are you?” I ask feeling more confident that he is not in fact Peter. Peter has never been this nice or this forthcoming with information. I look closer at the guy sitting next to me and as I watch his features begin to morph. I blink and he once again looks like Peter. “You, are not Peter.” I actually feel relieved about that. The Peter look-alike smiles at me and holds his hand out to me.
“You’re quite perceptive, my name is Frank Jacobs.” My mouth drops open as his features morph into that of the man in the photograph Zack had shown me. His golden brown hair has more grey in it than it did in the photo but he looks almost the same. “You’re my father.” I state. He sits back and we just stare at each other for a few minutes before either of us react.
“How do you know that? I told the boys that you had died, so they wouldn’t have told you.” I tell him about how the guys had taken me to Lance’s house. By the time I’m finished, he is ranting and swearing about how his “Brother” is always getting himself in trouble and dragging others down with him.
“I was an orphan you know, my parents adopted me when I was only a kid. I didn’t know they were a part of J.O.Y at first. I became on of the very first test subjects when my parents discovered a formula that they thought would cure hereditary diseases. When I was eighteen a friend and I broke out of the facility and started a group called the Genetic Liberation group. We spent the next five years trying to rescue others J.O.Y had corrupted. It took me four years at university before I was able to re-join J.O.Y and infiltrate their ranks. That’s where I met your mother.” He pauses and just sits there staring at me in silence.
“You remind me of Kelly. Your mother. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her golden hair glowed in the sunlight and her eyes, you have her eyes.” I smile until I see the unshed tears in his eyes. “How did she die?” He asks me if I really want to know and I nod my head. “She escaped with me after we found out she was pregnant. We stayed on the run almost the entire pregnancy but when she was nine months along, she began to haemorrhage. Going to a hospital was out of the question because she was carrying a genetically modified baby. I tried everything I could but no matter what I did I couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. When Kelly’s heart stopped I had to cut her open to get you out.” He hiccups and I wipe the tears from my face.
“It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I had to choose, the love of my life or my child that was barely hanging on inside her.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. He stares sadly at it for a minute, tears openly streaming down his face, then opens the wallet. Behind the little clear window is a creased and tattered photograph of a woman with light gold hair. The sun is streaming in through a window behind her casting a soft shadow across her face, making her look angelic. The bottom of the photo cuts off just below the waist showing off her obviously pregnant belly. “This was the last photograph ever taken of her.” He pulls the picture out and passes it to me. “I want you to have it. This way you will always have a picture of you and your mother together.”
I don’t do sad very well so I pocket the photo and quickly change the subject before I start bawling. “So, what happened to the real Peter?” Frank laughs. “He’s in the boot. I was serious when I said I took care of two of those Ultra subjects.” I think he means that he killed the Ultra subjects but he just sits there smiling again. “Want to see what your old man can do?” Curiously I follow, Frank opens the boot and I peer in, I almost burst out laughing. Peter is lying on his side in the foetal position sucking his thumb with a contented look on his face. Frank smiles again and asks me if I’d like to see him dance. I laugh out loud, I can’t help it. After everything Peter has put me through over the last five months, he deserves to get a taste of his own medicine. Once I recover from my laughter I tell Frank that he should just make him forget about everything. “Give him a clean slate. Maybe he will become the man he was meant to be before J.O.Y got a hold of him.” Frank smiles and tells me that he is proud of the woman I have become.
A thought occurs to me so I ask Frank why he faked his own death. “If I hadn’t the boys would have been in more danger than they are now.” He doesn’t elaborate so I don’t ask. I’m just happy to know that he is still alive and fighting on the side of good. At least I hope he is. After he wipes Peter’s mind he hands me the keys to the SUV and a mobile. “You’ll have to call Ace, I don’t want the boys knowing I’m still alive. I’m sorry Hal, uh Tessandra. It’s better if they don’t know about me.” I ignore the name slip and ask him what we should do about Peter and he tells me that Ace and Kalum will take care of it. “Just tell them a friend told you to tell them ‘Blue under the bridge’ and they’ll know what to do.” He turns to walk away and I ask him to wait. “Before you go, could you tell me about the change and what I can expect?”
“The worst is over now Tessandra. Once your power goes dormant, you’ll have a few days before the mood swings settle down, then it all gets better. Your powers should return by the end of the week. But Tessandra, stay away from anyone who has mind control powers. If you lose your memories while your powers are out, the memories will be lost forever.” He turns his back and quickly faces me again. “No matter what, just remember, I will always love you.” He takes a step closer and gives me an awkward hug before turning around and literally vanishing into thin air. I unlock the mobile and call the only number saved to the phone. “Ace, it’s Tessandra, a friend told me to tell you blue under the bridge.”
Chapter 5
Tessa
I’ve been sitting in this stupid SUV for nearly an hour and there is still no sign of Ace or the others. He said they would come and get me, I assumed they meant teleport but apparently I was wrong. The new Peter has been creeping me out, he just sits there in the front passenger seat staring out the windscreen. I can’t sit still much longer so I get out and start pacing back and forth next to the car. I feel like a spring that has been wound too tight. I start counting the steps I take, trying to calm myself down. I reach fifty and turn again only to be attacked by a very worried looking Braydon. He squishes me in a huge hug and I grunt as the wind is squeezed out of me.
“Happy to see you too. Could you let go now, I need to breathe.” He pulls back and before I can react Hunter is wrapping me in a gentle hug. He’s so sweet I almost cry. When Hunter finally lets go I look around for the twins, I’m disappointed when I realise they aren’t here. “Zack and Zayne wanted to come but they had something else they needed to do.” Cryptic answers again, I’m really getting sick of them. I want to yell at them for not telling me but after last time I’m just going to let it slide. Just this once.
Ace steps up behind me and touches my shoulder, I flinch from the contact and find myself frowning. With Hunter, Braydon, Zack and Zayne giving me random affection, I thought I had gotten passed the not liking people touching me thing. Ace shrugs his shoulders in apology and asks me where the package is. It takes me a moment before I realise he is talking about Peter. I point to the car and he runs over to the passenger door. I watch curiously wondering what will happen to Peter now. I have no sympathy for Peter but with his memories wiped he is as vulnerable and innocent as a baby. I don’t think he should be punished for something he did before he lost his memories but I have no idea if he will ever get them back. Ace opens the door and politely asks Peter how he has been. He talks to him for a few minutes then nods his head and motions for Hunter to join him. My mind is screaming that Hunter shouldn’t be any where near Peter but to my surprise he goes over and starts talking like they are old friends. I turn back to Braydon and he tells me we will be heading back to Ace’s cabin with Kalum while Hunter and Ace t
ake care of Peter.
The trip back is really short and just as horrible as the first time Kalum teleported us. I feel really sick when we arrive and I slump exhausted against Braydon. He leads me straight to the kitchen and makes me a sandwich before telling to me I need to get some rest. I’m yawning my head off so I don’t argue. He tucks me into a king size bed decorated with so many pillows and cushions I feel like I could get lost amongst them. As soon as my head hits the pillow I’m out like a light.
I wake up to a dark room, and blink a few times to get my eyes to adjust. It takes a few seconds for me to figure out what had woken me up. An arm is across my side and at first I panic but then I hear Braydon’s soft whisper. “Go back to sleep Tessie, it’s too early to get up yet.” I relax back into him and smile as he tightens his grip on me. I’m wired, I’m not sure why but I feel like I have been sleeping for days. The darkness is bugging me and thinking I’m in the campervan I reach up to turn on the light. A glow comes from my hand and Braydon grunts against my back. “Tessie, turn off the light.” I laugh with happiness to find that not only am I in Ace’s house but then I start to hiccup. I’m glad the glow is not coming from fire, but the hiccups are starting to drive me nuts. “I’m not sure how to turn this one off.” I manage to say in between hiccups as Braydon sits up. “What the fuck?” He scrambles away from me in shock. My whole arm is glowing now, I’m not sure why but I’m not freaking out, I feel almost peaceful except for the hiccups.
Braydon jumps from the bed and runs to the door, he yells out for everyone to come quickly. “Something weird is happening to Tessie.” Zack and Zayne are the first to come running into the room both have their hands up ready for a fight, with identical looks of worry on their faces. I let out a laugh and they both come to a complete stop, staring at me. “Holy shit she’s turning into a glow bug.” Zack starts laughing at my hiccups and a shiver runs up my spine. I’m not feeling any other emotion beside happiness but when I hear his deep laugh my body responds by glowing more.
Hunter runs into the room and bumps into Zack’s back. “What the fuck?” Ace asks from behind him.
“I don’t know but it’s kind of cool.” I’m still hiccupping and my words come out between hiccups.
“Maybe you should make it stop now Tessa. It’s getting too bright.” I look over at Kalum and Declan as they too enter the room. With so many people in here the room is starting to feel really small. I’m not normally afraid of small spaces but I start to panic. “I need to get out of here.” I whisper in a small voice. I blink and the next thing I see is the huge fireplace in the lounge room. I’m half curious why my powers are working when Fran said they would take a week or more before coming back. My mind is so scattered from the feeling of being trapped that I lose the thought almost immediately.
I’m calm again now that I am in an open space and the hiccups have stopped. I’m curious if the claustrophobia is a side effect so I concentrate as hard as I can on going back to the room where I woke up. I’m sucked into the nothingness and spit out into the bedroom. It feels weird to teleport but it’s really great that I’m no longer feeling sick each time it happens.
Hunter starts calling my name and I race over to the bedroom door. “Sorry, I teleported to the lounge and back.” Braydon and Hunter both reach me at the same time. “You aren’t glowing anymore.” Braydon states. I look down at my hands and shrug. “Guess it doesn’t work while I teleport. Oh and I think I found the cure for hiccups. Let me try again, this power thing is kind of fun.” I think about how I felt when it was dark and my hands begin to glow, the hiccups start again. As I watch the glow spreads up my arms. I teleport down to the lounge room and back and look at my hands again. “Awesome. I did it without having to concentrate.” I do the glow thing again and then hiccup. “Oh shit! Be right back.” I grab my shoes and my purse.
I teleport to the toilets at my favorite shopping complex and an old lady at the sink looks at me strangely. I realise my mistake when she speaks. “Where did you come from?” I walk over to her and smile, “I just teleported for the second time, on my own.” I nod my head and walk out giggling to myself as the old lady says something about smartass teens. I run across the food gallery, passed all the closed shops and straight into the twenty-four hour store. After making my purchase I head to the back corner and teleport back to the guys. I hold my bag up and smile at them all. Chocolate mint ice-cream and strawberry frozen yoghurt. “I’ve always wanted to be able to get these when ever I want.” The guys all leave the room shaking their heads, mumbling about women who don’t listen. “What?” I call out after them. After eating myself into a sweet induced coma, the guys played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would stay with me. The twins won and we snuggled up for the night.
I wake up to something digging into my lower back. Wriggling to move the offending object doesn’t help me. Zack groans and I immediately stop moving, remembering the last time I had overstepped the line with one of the guys. It was the first time I had spent the night alone with Braydon and he had been turned on. It was the first time I had even thought about sex with any of the guys. Dating them and sleeping with them are very different things when you are a virgin. Laying here now with Zack pressing against me has me once again thinking about sex. I’m not really sure I’m ready but it’s become a question of when not if. I’ve tried to decide who I want to be my first but honestly can’t choose. It wouldn’t be fair to the others if I chose one of them. I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t even notice Zayne creeping back into the room until he steps on the squeaky floorboard next to the bed. “Where did you go?” I whisper to him. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He grabs my hand and I slip out from under Zack’s arm.
I silently follow Zayne down the stairs and outside into the cold morning air. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The sun is just kissing the top of the snow making everything glow with a soft light. Zayne steps up behind me and pulls me tight against his chest. “I was looking at the stars but this view is way more beautiful.” I look up at him and see he’s not looking at the mountainside. He’s looking at me. A smile breaks out across my face, he’s so sweet sometimes. I’m not sure how long we stand there but when we hear noises coming from the kitchen it breaks the spell we were under. “Guess we should head back in.” He whispers quietly against my ear and I get goosebumps across the back of my neck. He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips, but he pulls away all too soon. “Yeah, I guess we should.” I whisper back sadly.
I should have known the peace and quiet wouldn’t last forever. Ace, Braydon, Hunter and Zack got into a fight over breakfast about weather or not to tell me what was happening with J.O.Y.
I’m walking through the lounge room to get to the kitchen only to hear Ace, Hunter and Zack yelling at each other. Braydon joins in the argument and I hover just out of sight to listen to them. “Tessa should know what is going on with J.O.Y.” Ace yells.
“It’s safer for her if she doesn’t know.” Hunter shouts back his deep voice echoing through the house.
“Maybe we should let Tessie decide what is best for her.” Braydon tries to be the voice of reason but none of the others are listening.
“Hunter’s right, we should keep our plans a secret for now. Going to the other J.O.Y facility is too dangerous for her.” Zack interjects. I’m getting more pissed off by the second. I take a step towards the kitchen and Zayne grabs my arm.
“How exactly were we keeping her safe if she ended up in the hands of Ultra agents anyway?” Zayne argues. Hunter and Braydon start yelling about there being more dangerous people than Shaun and Peter out there and I’m beginning to lose my temper. Zayne turns me around and tells me to take a walk. I grumble under my breath but still walk outside. It’s been annoying me for ages how they are always trying to protect me, like I’m some damsel they need to rescue all the time. I’m not and I’m determined to prove it to them.
I’m leaning on the railing of the verandah when out of the corner of my eye I see Hunter
and Braydon come outside. “Instead of trying to protect me, why don’t you all help me learn to control my powers. That way I can help, and I won’t burn out. If I knew how to use them for defense then you all wouldn’t have to worry so much about me.” I look up at them and see they are starting to relent. “If I don’t learn control I might accidently hurt someone or myself.” Braydon begins to nod his head but Hunter glares at him. “No. If she gets hurt. I just can’t. I’m sorry Tessa but it’s too risky to get you involved in all this.” I huff and turn to face him full on. “I’m already involved. How many times do I have to end up trapped alone, before you accept the fact that I’m a part of this as well?” Hunter’s shoulders slump in defeat and I do a happy dance inside at having won this part of the argument. “Teach me so I can defend myself, teach me so I can control these damn powers.” I state trying not to sound too happy at the prospect of learning how to fight with powers.
Chapter 6
Tessa
We’ve all gathered at the back of the house and although the sun is now high in the sky it’s still freezing out here. I love the views, the snow capped mountains make me feel like I’m in a fairytale, add in the fact that I’m surrounded by hot guys and yup I feel like a princess. Time to make that a warrior princess. I laugh out loud at my thoughts and Braydon stared at me like I’ve gone insane. “What?” I ask innocently. “Come on, lets start with your pyrotechnics.” I smile as I summon my fire. My palm tingles at the warmth but it doesn’t burn my flesh. Declan calls out and I look up to see him standing about three hundred meters away. Quinn and Phoenix are standing either side of him with targets made out of wood. I wait impatiently for them to put the targets down but they just stand there holding them. “Well are you going to throw that fireball or just stand there staring at us all day?” I blink a few times confused. “Seriously?” Braydon tells me that I wont hurt them if my aim is true.