The Riser Saga

by Becca C. Smith

  Isabelle shrugged off Harry’s hold. “He wouldn’t do that to us! He’s the only dad I ever knew.”

  “What about me, Izzy? I consider you a daughter. I’m the one who has your best interests in mind.” Harry desperately wanted Isabelle to believe him. “Turner’s lost it. He’s created a title for himself, ‘Vice President of Population Control,’ whatever that means. I don’t know how, but the world leaders are acting like his puppets. He’s becoming the most powerful man in the world and he’ll destroy anyone who can take him down.”

  “What proof do you have?” Isabelle was incredulous. I could tell she thought Harry was crazy.

  “This.” Harry pulled out a small holo-reader (I guess technology had progressed enough at this point in their lives). He pressed Play and a holo-image of Turner and Harry popped up. They were see-thru, not solid like today’s holo projections, but both men were clearly visible.

  Turner was fiercely intense, confronting Harry, and even as an eight-inch holo-image he was still intimidating. “If you don’t get everyone on board, Harry, I’ll have you all killed.”

  Holo-Harry spit on Turner. “I’d like to see you try you little weasel!”

  “How far the mighty have fallen. I played the game, Harry. You sat behind your console and took orders. I made sure I was the man who gave the orders,” Gramps snarled.

  “There’s no way you can rally the U.N. to your side. They hated us a month ago. They find us useful, but they’d never let someone like you in any kind of public position of power.” Harry laughed at Turner with a mocking tone.

  Turner didn’t flinch. “I have them all in my pocket. I can make them do and say whatever I want.”

  Yeeks.

  I knew Gramps well enough to know that he had killed whatever world leaders they were talking about and controlled them using his black magic. The ramifications of that hit me hard. Isabelle would have no idea. She probably still hadn’t connected those particular dots since this memory was more emotional for her than political. But I did. Gramps was the most powerful man in the world because he literally controlled the people who ran it.

  If Elisha knew that…

  Oh man.

  We were dead.

  Holo-Harry stopped his argument and looked sad. “Geoffrey, we’ve known each other almost our whole lives. I introduced you to Roberta. We built this organization together. How can you ask me to do this?”

  “Isabelle is the most dangerous human alive. If you don’t kill her, I will. I know you care about her, but she’s never been more than a tool for me to get where I needed to go. She’s dispensable and she always was, I thought you knew that,” Turner said as if he were talking about a lab rat.

  Harry looked broken. “I can’t kill her. I won’t.”

  “Then I will.” Turner left Harry standing alone. The holo-image flickered and died.

  Isabelle pulled me back into the hallway. I could see her trying to hold back emotions. Turner’s words had destroyed her that day. For someone who was raised by abusive fathers, then trained as an assassin, to be betrayed by the only father figure you knew and trusted was devastating.

  I understood her pain, but I was raised by a mother who loved me unconditionally. She never had that chance because Turner killed her mother too. We had a lot in common.

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. I felt horrible for her, but my mind was racing a mile-a-minute. Elisha must know about Turner controlling all the world leaders. All she’d have to do was watch some old footage of them and see their swirling black holes. It made so much sense now! A policy over a hundred years ago for “security reasons” had made all important figureheads for each country stay off camera. One of Turner’s main duties was to be the face of world leadership. That’s why, when anything happened, he was the one everyone turned to.

  I, personally, had never even seen a world leader. It was considered normal not to see anyone else but Turner. If I was right and they were all dead, then I would have known right away what Gramps was up to if I’d seen them on holo-TV.

  It would have been a great way to take him down back in the day. All I’d have to do is disconnect the leaders from their holes and they’d be dead for good.

  Of course, that would cause mass panic as they’d turn to skeletons in front of their constituents. Maybe keeping the world leaders “alive” was better. Ugh. I really hated this crap. Politics were not my thing AT ALL!

  Isabelle was still thinking of her memory, though. “After that, before Turner could do anything, we staged a mission where we made it look like the whole team blew up. We’ve been running our own organization ever since. Turner never knew, though I’m sure at times he suspected. I always wondered if he’d come after me and try to kill me himself.”

  “Isabelle,” I started cautiously, “I really am sorry my grandfather wanted you dead after how close you two were, but we’ve got bigger problems.” I told her my theory.

  Isabelle stood there, her face unreadable. Then she nodded her head. “It makes sense. The higher-ups distrusted Turner, they knew what kind of man he was, that’s why they hired him. Then suddenly not only were they taking orders from him, but they were publicly campaigning for his new title. We never knew how or why.”

  “I know you hate Turner’s guts. I do, too, most of the time. But the bigger picture here is the fact that, in all those years, Gramps has never abused the power that he’s had. I mean not in the I control the world kind of way anyway. Elisha on the other hand…” I left that open-ended.

  “She’ll burn us all to the ground for sport, yeah, I get it.” Isabelle took a deep breath. “Okay, we need to work together on this, you and me only, because there’s no way Harry is going to work with Turner again.”

  I interrupted her, “There’s a kill order out on your whole team.” Thought she should know that.

  “No surprise there,” Isabelle sighed. “We probably can’t meet up in person is what you’re saying?”

  I nodded.

  “Then we’ll have to meet this astral-whatcha-call-it way until we can figure it out. I’m okay with that. But you’ll have to come to me. I have no idea how to do any of this stuff.” Isabelle tossed her hands around to indicate how crazy she thought this astral thing was.

  “Deal.” I wasn’t sure if we should shake hands. Isabelle didn’t strike me as the kind of girl who did that kind of thing. “I know I’m related to Turner, but I’m my own person. He didn’t even care that we were related when he tried to kill me.”

  “I know. I trust you. I don’t know why, but I do. The only other person on this planet that I trust is Dean, so you’re on a very short list.” That was a huge responsibility! But one thing I knew: I was trustworthy. If it came down to Isabelle being on the right side and Gramps being on the wrong, I’d pick Isabelle hands down. I wasn’t about to let him lead me down the garden path again. I didn’t want it to be like Havenville all over again, when Turner promised he wouldn’t kill anyone and then he killed almost everyone!

  “Are you and Dean…?” Wow. I sounded like I was in high school. Of course I was in high school, but I tried not to sound like it when I could help it. I just had to know though.

  “Yes. For almost three hundred years.” Isabelle actually smiled at that point. So when it came to Dean she was a softie. It made me happy in ways I couldn’t describe. From everything that I knew of the poor girl it seemed like her life was full of sadness and chaos. It was nice to know she had a ray of sunshine in there somewhere. Even if it was with a jerk.

  I smiled back. “Just tell him not to kill me next time he sees me.”

  Isabelle mock-saluted me.

  I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m gonna go.”

  I jumped out before she could respond.

  I slammed back in my body and the jolt made me reflexively sit up. Ryan wrapped his arms around me and started kissing my neck to calm me down. “Where were you this time?”

  I turned around in his embrace and kissed him.
Man it felt good to do that. Why did my life have to be full of world domination and death crap. “Isabelle’s head.”

  “Yikes, what did she say to you?” Ryan couldn’t seem to stop kissing me. From my neck to my ear to my cheek. It was giving me shivers.

  “Stuff.” I just wanted to ignore everything that wasn’t me and Ryan.

  Ryan apparently agreed: he grabbed the back of my t-shirt and drew me in for the most amazing kiss ever. I could barely think straight as I felt his lips move with mine. It always amazed me how much this boy could make my head explode. I could feel his hands touch my waist and then his grip tightened. Of course this made me want him even more.

  I ran my hands across his back, feeling his muscles tighten at my touch. He let out a small gasp as I pulled him in even closer so our bodies were pressed together. I could barely breathe as every nerve in my body was on fire.

  Ryan’s gentle touch was maddening as he ran his hand through my hair while touching the small of my back with his other hand. I could literally kiss him forever. There was nothing like it. It was a moment of pure joy, and I could use as many of those as I could get.

  When he wasn’t kissing me he was telling me how much he loved me, which made me respond even more. I told him I loved him too and we made love.

  Afterwards, Ryan and I held each other, snuggling close in pure contentment. He laid up against my back with his arm draped over my side holding my hand. I played with his hand while he gently kissed the back of my neck.

  “We’re going to have to have a big talk with the gang tomorrow,” I said not wanting to ruin the mood but knowing that I’d have to wake up to reality sooner rather than later.

  “I figured,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s just enjoy the moment and worry about saving the world in the morning.”

  “Sounds good.” I kissed his hand again.

  “Good night, beautiful.” Ryan snuggled in closer.

  “Good night,” I answered back and couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness when he called me beautiful. I closed my eyes, still smiling when I fell asleep.

  We woke up to Jason knocking on our door and letting himself in like he owned the place. “Rise and shine, lazy butts, we have a lot to discuss.”

  “Turn around!” I scolded Jason.

  Jason groaned in annoyance, but turned around all the same. Ryan and I quickly dressed and sat up in the bed.

  “All right, we’re decent,” I informed him.

  Jason whirled around and made himself comfortable at the foot of our bed. “You guys just make yourselves at home anywhere, don’t you?” He said it with a smile, but my face turned red regardless.

  “Kidnap and torture will do that to a person,” Ryan leaned back on his pillows to emphasize his point.

  It was true, though. When you’re constantly on the run, anywhere soft and fuzzy becomes home.

  “So spill, you look like you’re going to burst.” I observed, noticing Jason’s fidgeting behavior.

  Jason tried to hide his deep worry, but I could see it as clearly as if he had screamed We’re doomed. He focused on me like I was a patient about to hear the news that I was dying. “That fiasco at the mall… It’s been a lot harder to squelch than I thought it would be. Thanks to my superior reporting,” (no modesty there!) “I’ve managed to convince some of the public that you may have been set up, but the majority just isn’t there.”

  “What exactly does that mean?” I asked. Sure, I knew I was enemy number one out in the world, but I somehow just believed that Turner would take care of it. Naïve of me, I know.

  “It means you’re on lockdown until we can get this thing settled.” Jason shrugged. “I’ve never seen it this bad, Chelsan. People are screaming for your execution. There’s a public outcry that I’m positive is being flamed by Elisha, and I’m not sure if we can control it.” Jason looked defeated.

  The fact that being locked up in Elisha’s dungeon may have been a safer place for me than a walk down the street seemed ridiculous, but according to Jason it was. I never thought in a trillion years that being at Population Control would be a safe haven for me. My how things had changed.

  Nancy and Bill walked in at that moment and I was instantly relieved. Seeing their friendly faces made me feel like no matter what happened at least I had my amazing friends to back me up. Nancy sat next to Jason and rested her head on his shoulder, which instantly made him relax. Bill did his normal thing and kind of stood close to me, but far enough away that Ryan wouldn’t think he was intruding. Boys and their territorial instincts!

  Bill spoke first, “Tell us everything.”

  They had no idea what Ryan and I had just gone through. Ryan didn’t even know it all. So I gave them the scoop. When I was done Bill and Nancy looked like they wanted to hug the horribleness out of what happened.

  Then Nancy reached over and examined my arm. “That’s crazy. Not a scratch on you. We need that serum with us forever.”

  Bill piped in, “Hopefully there are no side effects.”

  Nancy gave him a reproachful glare, “Bill!”

  “It’s too late now,” I said. “It was that or die for both Max and I.”

  Just saying that out loud was far more dramatic than I actually felt about it, but it was the truth.

  “But we’re fine now,” Max’s voice was a welcome sound as he and Jill entered the room. It was starting to feel like a party.

  Jill and Max were holding hands and I thought I would burst with the cuteness of it all. Jill looked different. Calm. Like she’d finally figured herself out and was at peace with her past and present. It truly made me happy seeing her like that.

  Jill spoke, “Max told me everything that happened from his end. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “How did you control Fortski and Isabelle?” Max asked.

  “I connected to their life force, if that makes sense. Like the way you and I can connect to dead things. It was the same when I used the twins’ powers. When I’m actually inside a person I can see their swirling white light and connect to it, but when I’m in my own body I can’t.” I tried to reason it out myself.

  “Can Elisha do that?” Jill asked what everyone was wondering in horror.

  Max allayed everyone’s fears, “Don’t worry, that’s not how Elisha controls people, or at least, not how she controlled me. She uses astral projection like Chelsan, but she can’t connect to the white-light-life force like Chelsan can. Elisha nestles into the part of the brain that controls a person’s decision-making process. She’d tell me what to do, trying to make me think it was my idea, when I refused, Elisha would convince me I was wrong and I felt like I had to do what she said. But she never took over my body. And she was only able to do it with me and for some reason our teacher, Ms. Floster. She tried with Eva, but it didn’t work. She even tried with the guy that controlled the metal stuff, Charlie, before she killed him. Elisha was afraid by killing Charlie his powers wouldn’t work. But Charlie wouldn’t listen to her and tried to kill her, so she shot him. That’s why she wants Isabelle, Dean and Terence dead, so she really can control them.” Max was pretty certain of his analysis and it made me sigh a breath of relief.

  I was terrified that I might somehow let my guard down and Elisha would take over. Thinking back to when I first met Elisha, she had tried similar “influencing” tactics on me though not as blatant as what she did with Max. Elisha gently tapped on the decision-making part of my brain and made me think things like, I don’t know… breaking her out of prison and walking into her lair were a good thing! I remember thinking it was a bad idea, but then I’d talk myself into doing it anyway.

  Max’s information gave me some hope. At least Elisha didn’t have body-control in her arsenal. I assumed the reason I could do it was due to my connection with the twins. Because I had been the only person who controlled them, that experience had given me insight to how their power actually worked.

  Everyone was quiet. The enormity of what was happening ha
d finally hit us all. I didn’t know what to say. No one knew what our next move should be, or if we should make a move at all.

  Nancy finally broke the silence, “So, anyone buy their dress for prom yet?”

  We all laughed, even Jason.

  Prom. If only my life could be that normal. It was the first time I envied someone like Joan. As shallow and horrible as she was, her biggest concern was what she was going to wear to our senior prom.

  “I know it makes you all uncomfortable to bring it up, but I need to tell you: I’m going to save Eva,” Max said with conviction in his voice.

  I knew they were bonded, but I also knew he was blinded by his emotions. Eva was a sociopath.

  “Max, she tried to kill me and she did nothing to save you.” I didn’t mean to sound harsh, but I really wasn’t on board with a Saving Eva campaign.

  “I thought you should know,” he said. “I’m not leaving her behind and I’m not letting Elisha have her.” Max’s mind was made up and I didn’t want to be the one to argue, so I let it go.

  “I’m telling you right now you’re not getting any help from us,” Ryan said pretty defensively. “She’s dangerous because you care about her. She’d let Elisha kill you all over again.”

  Max wasn’t upset by Ryan’s comments, he simply responded, “I know. But she is a good person at her core, she’s just been brainwashed by Elisha.”

  I had to say something, “That’s partially true, yes, but like I’ve told you before, Elisha picked you two for your genetic markers. Markers that indicate that you’re like Elisha. The psychopath part.”

  “But I’m not a psycho, you know that, so maybe Eva isn’t either.” Max turned to Bill. “She loves you, you know. That wasn’t fake. She’d talk about you for hours to the point where Elisha locked her in a room with no food for three days until Eva promised not to speak your name. But she still did, to me, when Elisha wasn’t around. A sociopath wouldn’t care. Eva would have been just using you to get close to Chelsan, but she fell for you instead.”