The Vanished

by Sarah Dalton

  It wasn’t fun anymore. The world had turned. It was darker and more frightening that I thought possible, with faces that loomed through the shadows and a fire with terrifying flames that grew and grew until I thought they would consume me. The music was a desperate beat, hypnotising and cursed. We were going to dance to our deaths and I panicked. My heart drummed against my chest in irregular palpitations. Everything was wrong. I saw Angela’s face through the flames, and then I saw Sebastian through the flames, his fist raised and then the music stopped.

  I fell to the floor when Daniel let me go. He turned to run towards Sebastian but was dizzy from the dancing and staggered from left to right, moving too slowly to help. I blinked over and over to clear my vision. What was I seeing? Had Sebastian really just lunged at Angela? Was he fighting Cam now? I shut my eyes and counted to five before I opened them. The fight had multiplied. Ali was dragging Cam away from Sebastian, who instead turned to fight a Compounder that I didn’t recognise. The guitarist lunged for Daniel and my heart surged into my mouth as I watched Daniel fight back. I had to get to him. I tried to drag myself to my feet but a wave of nausea floored me. Kitty ran over, dodging people in the chaos.

  “Good job Mike isn’t here,” she said. “He’d be as green as you.”

  She didn’t seem concerned by the fighting. She flopped down on the grass next to me, watching it all unfurl as though it was a boxing match. Daniel finally got away from the guitarist whilst Sebastian threw a punch at a short stocky man. I recognised him as the man who had confronted Sebastian in the market place a few days ago. Ginge tried to put a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder but, mistaking the action for something more hostile, Sebastian turned and punched her squarely in the eye. There was a collective gasp and Mary was running towards the scuffle with Sergeant Kinsella. Ginge jumped up to her feet, holding her bad eye whilst Sebastian, with a look of pure horror on his face, tried to touch her, in an apologetic way. The fighting had stopped at the same time, everyone’s eyes on Ginge. She stood very still in front of Sebastian for a few seconds as though trying to decide how to handle what had just happened. And then she pulled back her right arm as far as it could go before hitting Sebastian on the nose. He fell backwards, blood spurting out in a fountain. His nose was almost certainly broken. Mary was upon him in seconds.

  “A night in the cells fer you, lad,” she said, dragging him onto his feet. “Ye dunnae start a brawl and hit a lass on my watch.” A pair of cuffs were pulled out of her pockets and clicked around his wrists.

  “My nose,” Sebastian said. His voice trembled with the shock of the blow.

  “We’ll clean ye up. We ain’t animals,” Mary replied.

  Sebastian twisted his body around in between Mary and Sergeant Kinsella. “Ginge! Ginge, I’m so sorry! Please, it was an accident. I’d never…” his voice trailed off as Ginge turned and walked away from the furore.

  “Come on,” said Sergeant Kinsella as she twisted Sebastian back to face the front. “A night in the tower will do you good.”

  Daniel walked over to me and sat down. We watched them lead Sebastian off together.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked.

  “Just a couple of bruises.” He shrugged.

  I examined his face, but there was little to worry about – a few scratches but nothing serious.

  “Nice punches out there,” Kitty said with approval.

  “Kitty!” I cried out. “Don’t encourage him.”

  “Come on,” she replied. “We practice fighting all day. At least he’s got some proper combat experience.”

  I looked at Daniel and wondered if Kitty had ever seen real combat whether she would be so keen on watching violence. It was true that I loved to train and learn how to defend myself, but I hated using that power on other people.

  “Poor Ginge,” I said. If it had been Daniel who had hit me, even accidentally, I would probably have broken his nose too. I doubted that there could be anything worse than being hurt by the person you cared about the most. “Maybe I should go and talk to her.”

  “Maybe you should keep your GEM on a leash.”

  My blood ran cold. I turned towards the speaker. Angela.

  “This is all your fault,” Kitty blurted out. “You stupid, spiteful little girl.” She tried to get to her feet, but I pulled her down. There had been enough fighting for one night.

  Angela grimaced. “No. It’s their fault.” She pointed to us with one finger before turning and leaving me shivering in the darkness.

  20

  I’m not sure if I helped Daniel or if he helped me to his tent, but we both leaned on each other while walking through the Compound. For some reason the punch had turned my legs to jelly and I was having problems staying upright.

  Kitty headed off to see Mike, who was still hiding away from the crowds of people. It was hard for him to spend time around people with emotions loosened by alcohol. By now all young children and their mothers were tucked up in bed. The sounds of drunken singing and cheering were more of a distant background noise than an oppressive wall of sound. There was a scent of stale beer and ash. I looked up to the stars, but they were hidden by a thick blanket of clouds and somewhere in the distance was the crack of thunder.

  “I knew it,” I said as we approached Daniel’s tent.

  “You knew what?” he said with a hint of amusement.

  “That it was going to thunderstorm. I always feel like I’m going to get a nosebleed when it’s going to thunder.”

  Daniel laughed. “The only one with a nosebleed tonight was Sebastian.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “No, you’re right it isn’t.” Daniel unzipped the front of his tent. “Everything that happened today, with Angela and Sebastian and Ginge – it was awful. I guess I just wanted to make light of it. Then it might not feel so… real.”

  I nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  He looked at me with his lop-sided grin. “Want to come in for a cup of tea?” He spoke with a GEM inflection, imitating the bad story-lines on the soaps from the screens in Area 14.

  I put my hand over my heart and part swooned. “Oh, why, I thought you’d never ask.”

  Daniel took my free hand and led me through the flaps of the tent into his new home. It was cramped but smelled like Daniel, and that was good enough for me. We lay down, with our heads touching, and watched as the first splatters of rain drummed against the tent fabric.

  “That was good timing,” I said. I snuggled into the soft sleeping bag, finally away from all the drama, and glad of it. This was a safe place with someone I could trust my life with.

  “Mmm-hmm,” Daniel murmured. He paused and then said, “Do you think Sebastian will be all right in the jail?”

  “I guess so. Mary took him, and she’s a fair woman. She’ll make sure that he’s treated okay.”

  The rain drummed harder against the tent and in the distance more thunder cracked through the sky, louder this time, like the rumble of a huge drum. Outside the tent I heard a few shrieks as people dashed around, trying to get out of the downpour. Shadows leapt across the fabric, made visible from the glow of Daniel’s torch.

  “Do you think it was Angela who tried to hurt you in the tree?” Daniel said.

  I tensed just thinking about that moment. The panic as the rope wrapped around my wrist. I swallowed, trying to remove the thoughts from my mind. “She wouldn’t. Would she?”

  “I don’t know her anymore,” Daniel said. His voice was quiet, almost defeated. “I’ve known her since she was young enough to be tickled. I’ve known her jump up and down in excitement about spaghetti on toast.” He sighed. “I’ve known her almost all her life and yet in these last few weeks she’s become a stranger.” He said the word as though it felt strange in his mouth. “A stranger. Can you believe that? Is it possible?”

  I took his hand and squeezed. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s still in there somewhere. Maybe we just have to find a way to get her back.”

  Daniel wr
apped an arm around me and pulled me into his chest. His heart hammered against my cheek. His body was scorching hot, and my fingers tingled with anticipation as the rain created a barrier around us, a little bubble that blocked out the rest of the world. It was now so heavy that we heard nothing else, just rain and our heart-beats. Daniel moved my hair away from my face and leaned down towards me. I moved towards him and our mouths found each other – hungrily.

  As we kissed I thought about our dancing, the way our bodies moved together in time to the music. Heat travelled through me like a pulse. It throbbed with the beat of my heart and my legs stiffened. Daniel’s hands moved across my body, pressing me into him so hard that, for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Above us the rain was as relentless as Daniel’s touch. His lips were rough against mine and as the thunder rumbled through the sky his body moved on top of mine, moving me onto my back. Even with my eyes closed I saw the lightening, my eye-lids flashing orange from the bright lights. It was a wake-up call and I knew that I had to get out. This was too much too fast. I didn’t want things to happen like this. I pushed against Daniel’s chest, but he didn’t budge.

  “Daniel,” I whispered. “That’s enough.”

  He ignored me, his hands travelling up my side. I pushed harder against him, but he was too heavy to budge. My heart quickened in panic.

  “Daniel,” I said more loudly.

  He murmured but didn’t stop, kissing my neck with little caresses; as delicate as a butterfly’s wings. I flinched away from him and punched him in the chest.

  “Oww,” he said, pulling away, his face confused and hurt.

  By now I had tears pricking at my eyes, and there was the usual heat in my cheeks that meant that I was blushing. I pushed past Daniel and clambered out of the tent.

  “What’s wrong?” he called after me.

  I unzipped the tent with trembling hands and staggered out into the rain. It fell in relentless sheets, soaking me to the skin within seconds. Daniel climbed out of the tent, calling after me. I began to run but he never gave up, catching me and spinning me around.

  “What’s wrong?” he had to shout to be heard over the rain. “I thought that was what you wanted.”

  “Not yet. I didn’t want it yet.” I shook my head firmly.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “You should have said something.”

  I hit him on the shoulder. “You should have asked.”

  His expression changed to one of pure horror. “You’re right. What was I thinking? I’m so sorry, Mina.” He kicked the ground in frustration. “I’m a total, bloody idiot. Can you forgive me?”

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, contemplating his apology. My hair was stuck to my forehead and the rain streamed down my face in wide rivulets. My feet sank into the grass.

  “Just don’t ever make me feel like that again,” I said. I couldn’t work out if there were tears falling down my face or if it was just the rain. More lightening split through the sky in a spear of light.

  Daniel hugged me. “I promise.”

  He pulled back for a moment and I saw that his eyes were almost as dark and brooding as the sky. I buried my head into his chest and he held me tight. His body convulsed. I thought he was shivering from the rain until he fell limply against me.

  “Daniel?” I struggled to keep him upright and had to wrap my arms around him as he began to sink towards the ground. “Daniel?”

  His face slackened as he lost consciousness, and his wet, slippery body fell through my fingers. I tried to hook my arms under his but he was too heavy and he fell towards the floor, almost pulling me down with him into the mud.

  “Daniel? What’s happening? Are you having a vision?” I cried.

  No answer.

  I tried to shout out for help but the rain was still falling so hard that no one would hear me no matter how loud I shouted. It was too far to the tent, I had to try to get Daniel back to my trailer.

  I leaned forward and grabbed him under the arms, slipping my hands around his chest and joining them so that I could drag him. His limp body was the heaviest object I’d ever tried to lift and it was no good. I managed to pull him a few feet before collapsing onto the ground with him on top of me. Our clothes were covered in slimy mud, sticking to our bodies. I tried to move my hair out of my eyes and smeared more of it onto my face. Above me the thunder rumbled through the night sky. I had to use my gift. I felt weak from the alcohol and it would take up all my energy, but I had no choice.

  Leaving Daniel in the mud I climbed to my feet and closed my eyes. It didn’t take long for the familiar heat to tingle in my fingertips, I had a lot to be angry about after this evening, I just had to focus my energy, which was hard when still tipsy from too much punch. I calmed my breathing and with each deep breath I imagined Daniel being lifted from the ground. The Compound was mapped out in my mind, and I pictured Daniel hovering a few feet above the mud, negotiating the twists and turns to the caravan. The picture kept slipping and I had to open my eyes more than once to make sure I hadn’t dropped him. Whilst Daniel travelled bit by bit the energy drained from my body, but I forced him along, getting him as close to the trailer as possible. Then I just had to find the energy to follow him, when all my body wanted to do was collapse into the mud. My legs were like jelly and I forced myself on. To this day I don’t know how I lifted him into the trailer, but I do know that as soon as we both hit the dry floor I lost consciousness, collapsed in a heap by him, finally letting myself go when I knew he was safe.

  21

  It was the sun filtering through net curtains that woke me. I blinked and stretched my muscles, cramped and aching from sleeping on the hard floor. The first thing I wanted was water, and the second thing was a headache pill. My head throbbed. I felt around me, disorientated, until I found the soft lump that was Daniel, and the evening came flooding back to me. I turned to see him sleeping soundly. His nose wasn’t bleeding as it usually was after his visions, but I was worried to see that he was still unconscious.

  The flapping of the open trailer door distracted me, and I pushed it wider to look out into the Compound. It was chaos. The sun might have been shining, but the thunderstorm had done some real damage around the site. Tents were flooded and had drifted on top of each other, half submerged by mud. People crouched down, picking belongings out of deep puddles of water. The tables from the fete were bare and, with disappointment, I saw that Ali’s beautiful fabrics were strewn all over the Compound, covered in mud and water. The glassware was broken and tossed in mud. I would have to help, but first I needed to change and wash. My clothes were still damp, but the mud had hardened on my skin and in my hair.

  “Mina?” Daniel muttered.

  I moved away from the door and took his hand. “I’m here.”

  “What happened? Why am I here?”

  “You had a vision and passed out. Do you remember the vision?” I asked.

  He pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his temple. I recognised the familiar action. Visions gave Daniel terrible migraines. “Yes, I do. It… it was horrible.”

  The expression on his face frightened me. He was deathly pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes, darker than the bruise on his cheekbone from the fight last night.

  “I’ll get you a pencil and paper.” I jumped up and staggered backwards from the searing pain that shot through my skull. There was no way I would ever be drinking again.

  “Are you all right?” Daniel asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.” I rifled through a drawer next to my sofa-bed. There had to be something that Daniel could write on. Eventually, I found an old, chewed HB pencil and an envelope.

  Daniel took them and then went to work, his hand moving swiftly across the envelope. I loved to see him draw and the look of concentration on his face. It was one of the few tasks Daniel completed whilst still. The delicate lines and the cross-hatch of his shading began to take shape. It formed a man standing still with his face towards us. He wore large boo
ts and britches. There was a gun on a holster around his hips and two ammo belts crossed his chest. In his hands the man carried a large automatic weapon, aiming for a target in the distance. Around the man there were people collapsed in heaps with glassy eyes; their legs and arms spread out at strange angles. I had seen a sight like that once before, during the battle to get out of Area 14, and it made my stomach churn. They were dead bodies.

  The man’s expression frightened me. I’d seen a lot of hateful looks over the last few weeks, looks of jealousy, bitterness, dislike, fear, disgust. This man did not have any of these expressions – he was happy. He was elated, even. Whoever the man was shooting at, killing them made him the happiest man alive. He was the kind of man who would leave a trail of death and destruction and relish in it. I shuddered.

  As Daniel finished the last details I examined the man’s face. It was scarred and weathered with tough, wrinkled skin. There were two scars, one running along his cheekbone, ragged and ugly, the other above his lip. I shuddered to think what caused those scars. There was a dirty shadow of stubble along his jaw and straggled hair licked the collar of his shirt. Even in the pencil drawing it looked dirty.

  “Do you know this man?” I asked Daniel.

  “No,” he replied. “I was just going to ask you the same question.”