“Are you sure about that?” Tobey’s voice was dry. “Are you certain?”
“Is there something I should know?”
“No. You’d die once. But you really shouldn’t assume things about anyone here.”
“How old are you? Please, at least give me that.”
“I’m from the 1600’s. I travelled over and was a part of the Puritan movement.” Tobey tapped my knee with a funny looking hammer. “I grew sick and nearly died. Our mother, or our beginning, saved me. I was the only one.”
“How many others were sick?”
Tobey’s lip trembled. “My whole family died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, running my fingers along the side of his arm. He jumped. “That’s horrible.”
“They died right before my eyes. Our mother made me watch.”
“The Native American in the prison? That’s horrible. She didn’t look like an evil person, a little nuts but I haven’t met a single one of you that’s not.”
“Yes, she’s got an evil streak in her.”
“Who here doesn’t? That’s really awful. I’m sorry, Tobey. No one should have to go through that.”
He smiled.
“What?”
“I didn’t watch my family die. I was just messing around. No one died.”
I smacked him. He shot me a look.
“Who do you think you are?” Tobey shouted.
“What kind of person pretends to have watched their family die?” I asked. “Sorry, for hitting you. It seems to be what I do; ask Michael, if he remembers me this week anyway.”
“She’s hit me numerous times,” Charles said. He’d slicked his hair back and wore strong cologne. “What’s the verdict? Is Lisa ready for training?”
Tobey shrugged his shoulders. “She’s impossible to analyze.”
“I’m sitting right here.” I waved my hand in his face. “Now I know what Donna feels like whenever people talk about her right in front of her face.”
“Keep in mind, that you are a prisoner.” Tobey sneered. “All I have to do is press this button and Dr. John will be here in an instant.”
I frowned at the red push button. It reminded me of a battery operated click light. I used to have one as a child. “Let Dr. John come, I welcome him.”
Charles shook his head. “I think it’s time I put her back in her cell.”
“No,” Tobey said. “She wants to meet Dr. John.”
“Come on, Tobey, she doesn’t understand anything. She’s new, inexperienced, and already transforming. Don’t you remember what it was like?”
Tobey thought, nodding. “Lock her up. I’ll try to re-examine her later.”
“You’re not putting me back in that cell!” I screamed. Volts of electricity shot from my fingers. Tobey’s hands opened, consuming the sparks.
I couldn’t swallow. Had he just sucked up my volts in the palm of his hands? Who was this guy? “Who the heck are you?” My heart pounded. “What do you want with me? Let me go home, right now! I don’t want to go back in that cell.”
Charles scooped me up, barreling down the hall. “Shut up, you idiot. Do you want to get yourself killed? Be smart about this. You just have to pass a measly exam. Why can’t you act like a normal hostage?”
“I won’t let you do this to me!” I punched him in the back. He grimaced. Where was his padding now? “I’m stronger than all of you here.”
“I wouldn’t advertise that information. You may be stronger, but you don’t have a clue how to use it. You’re out of control, causing storms and natural disasters all over the world. Mass destruction has a new name and it’s Lisa Brown.”
“I didn’t know!” I cried, kicking my feet. “Put me down, let me go home. Alex! Save me, please.” Tears poured down my cheeks. Why did I feel so helpless? Power flowed through my veins and yet, I couldn’t tap into it.
“Mother, you’ve got another guest.” Charles dropped me on the stone floor. Pain shot up my spine. “She’s a bit feisty.”
The Native American woman glared at Charles. “You’re better than this,” she whispered. “I’m ashamed of you, ashamed.”
“Well, it’s the only way—” His eyes glossed. “Be nice, Mother, to our new friend. Help her.”
“I’m not your friend!” I yelled, struggling as he clasped my hands in shackles. “I’ll never be your friend, you spineless freak!”
“Don’t worry, precious, you’ll grow to love me.” He snapped my feet into place. “Now, you and your death dog can be together. I hope you didn’t blow your chances at freedom.”
“Where are you going?” I stood, running towards him. My body jerked back, the shackles, taut and heavy on my limbs. “Let me out of here! You can’t do this. Charles, please.”
He stood before me. “Sorry, love,” he whispered. “I don’t really have a choice in the matter.”
“Charles!”
He pulled on the iron door. I dropped to my knees. The bars blurred in front of me. I closed my eyes as it slammed shut.
REGINALD—
Donna ran ahead of Celeste and Reginald. “Hurry! We need to hurry.” They watched her disappear inside Alex’s shack.
“Is she always this insistent?” Celeste complained to Reginald. “Why is she still alive? What purpose does she serve?”
Reginald shrugged. “Lisa—she’s who I blame.”
“Alex should’ve allowed Dr. John to eliminate her when he first examined her. What changed his mind about Donna?”
Reginald pointed to the chicken coop. “See that cat right there?”
Celeste nodded.
“Alex made Dr. John touch the cat and then all of a sudden, there was an understanding between them.”
“Interesting,” Celeste said. Her eyes focused on the Himalayan. “I’ve much to explore. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll interview you later on the Alex matter.”
“Be careful, Celeste. You may not like what you learn. Trust me; I’ve got firsthand experience with Rat.”
She smiled. Her eyes narrowed and her body pointed towards the cat. “I’m just doing my job.”
“No, Celeste, you’re resorting back to your old ways. I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret.”
“As if you really care what happens to me.” She snapped her head forward, sauntering past the lake.
He shook his head. “Good bye, Celeste. I actually did like you.”
“Reggie!” Donna shouted. She appeared around the corner. “What part of hurry don’t you understand?”
He took quick steps forward. Reginald never went inside Alex’s house. It was one of their rules. No one was ever allowed inside. Michael, Ally, and Millie were the only ones permitted—and now Lisa. Michael wasn’t technically allowed inside but, Alex never stopped him from intruding. How was it that Donna entered without punishment?
Droplets of sweat formed along his brow. How was that possible? Donna stood on the porch, tapping her foot. “Where’s Alex?”
She stepped inside. Reginald followed. Alex’s skin was barely visible, exposing his muscular and skeletal make-up. Reginald could see Alex’s heart pumping straight through his chest. In his legs, he saw muscles expand and contract, blood vessels intertwined with each other. Alex’s face was still intact, only with strange dots all over his skin. His arms were covered in them too.
“Do you know what’s happening, Reggie?” Donna asked. She knelt beside Alex. “Can you fix this?”
Reginald couldn’t speak. What in the world was happening to Alex?
LISA—
“Oneida”
Lisa, the Oneida…
“Stop fighting, Lisa the Oneida,” Mother ordered. “You’re going to waste valuable power. It gets sucked into the walls and then Dr. John uses it to make himself grow stronger. Our powers feed him.”
I collapsed on the cold stone floor. How in the world did Dr. John know to do such things?
Pig crawled into my lap, nuzzling against me. His body shivered and I held him close. “W
e’re getting out of here, Pig; you just wait.”
“Are you the new beginning? You’re the Oneida?” Another prisoner, who sat in my old cell, said. I strained to see what he looked like. His face was covered in a beard and his eyes were hazel. “I’m Francisco.”
“I’m Lisa.” This was the guy they were going to murder in the morning. “Are you okay? What were they doing to you in that room?”
“They were torturing me.” Francisco struggled to stand. Blood seeped down his arms and legs. “Dr. John can be very cruel when he wants to be.”
“Why did he do this to you?”
“I tried to free our beginning.”
“Do you mean her?” I pointed to the Native American.
He nodded. “She feeds the doctor with her powers down here. Now, you make him stronger. The village does not want him to gain any additional strength.”
“What’s the village?”
Francisco glanced away, his eyes set on the Native. “Is she the one, Mother?”
“I think so. I have more jewels than ever before.”
“How did you grow so strong?” Francisco questioned. “Who changed you?”
“Answer me first. What’s the village?”
Pig growled. I patted him, encouraging more bark.
“Does that dog really kill our kind?”
“Yes. I’ve seen it.”
“So have I,” the Native American said. “The poor soul deals what he would never wish upon anyone.”
“Pig is a good dog. He cannot affect Alex, Ally, or me.”
“That’s because they were created before the epochalite,” she said. “Anyone who is not a leader created after the epochalite can be destroyed, even its creator can suffer death if the creator is not a leader.”
“Someone had to make Pig this way? Can I reverse it?”
“No epochalite has ever been successfully reversed without dire consequences.”
“How did Pig become an epochalite? Are there others like him out there?”
“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?” Francisco frowned, motioning for me to look at a loose stone beside me. “There, beneath the stone, lies the history of your pet.”
“You may be saddened by what you learn,” the Native said. “Be certain it is what you want.”
Pig scratched at the loose rock. His nub wagged and he barked, leaping in the air. Pig seemed to want me to know his past. What could I possibly learn about him that would upset me?
The rock was heavy and crumbled bits littered my hands as I moved it. Underneath the stone, a ratty cloth covered something square and thin. I picked it up and blew. Dust swirled in the dim light.
“Whose book is this?”
Francisco pointed to the Native.
She answered. “It’s Amie’s.”
Was this the girl Alex loved?
I blew more dust away, opening the faded pages carefully…
JOURNAL ENTRIES FROM AMIE
June 5, 1891
Mathew has decided to change his name to Alex. Isn’t that positively daft? He insists I do the same. Why can’t I be who I am? What is the matter with him that he insists on keeping us a secret?
May 1, 1893
I have been going through some trying things and haven’t bothered to write in a while. I suppose to a normal human, two years without a journal entry is a long time but to me—it is like a week. Sometimes, I grow so tired of those around me. Celeste is a nuisance. I wish to destroy her. She suspects I am up to something. Having powers should be wonderful but instead I’m stuck holding them in, following orders from Alex who listens to the dreaded Celeste.
He used to be exciting. He used to listen to me. He’s rather dull now. Besides, how many times can one person listen to “back when I was a regular guy” stories before wanting to hurl?
June 5, 1893
It amuses me how easy it is to manipulate Alex. He thinks he is the one training me to control my powers. Doesn’t he realize that I don’t want to control my darkness?
June 9, 1893
I met Dr. John secretly by the graveyard. Does it surprise you that Jane, or Ally as she now calls herself, was sobbing by the gravestone again? It’s pathetic. Anyway, back to me.
Dr. John has deep, penetrating eyes. He was there for the guardians. Some are considering his point of view. There’s talk of the resistance. He feels more epochalites are needed to control our ever growing population. Soon, our powers will wane and we’ll age. I don’t want that to happen. I’m happy with how I am. If we get too many like us there won’t be any room left in Lynn to contain us. Doesn’t that bother them?
July 21, 1893
Dr. John invited me on a picnic with himself and the other John. They brought a girl, an Indian with large eyes and a familiar smile. Did I know her once? They’ve decided to make her an epochalite. She cried when Dr. John told her the news, begged him to pick another. What would it be like to have such power? With a single touch, to be able to kill another?
The doctor shook his finger at the Indian, accusing her of being a traitor. She screamed, storm clouds darkened the skies and wind tunnels ripped patches of grass right out of the ground. The other John told the Indian girl to run away.
I almost offered myself for the task. Wouldn’t that be grand? Who wouldn’t want to control who gets to live or die? How does an epochalite come about? That’s what I need to find out from him. I need to know what other secrets he holds. Alex doesn’t know half the things this Dr. John has revealed to me. I now can control my electric currents—zapping things without a visible spark.
July 27, 1893
Do you know how exciting it is to read Alex’s thoughts of me? Sometimes, when he thinks wonderful things about me, I remember how fond of him I once was. But, someday, I will be more than he is—ever powerful—taking Anna’s strength and making it mine. Dr. John will help me. His loyalty to Anna will not prevail. I can easily cause a drift between them the same way I did with Alex and Ally.
August 14, 1893
Anna has taught me something new. She says that if I want to become an epochalite then I must join the resistance. Somehow, she seems like a manipulator—far better at it than me. I almost did what she suggested, but I couldn’t bear to leave Alex behind. I know I say I hate him but, he’s my best friend and I do care for him. He loves me and treats me better than Dr. John ever would. I’ll continue to learn from him. He fascinates me.
September 3, 1893
Today Alex and I had our first argument. It wasn’t really a fight, more like a disagreement. I told him to choose between Celeste and me. Who wants a man who won’t listen to you? Not me! I won’t tolerate her any longer. I will find out how to become an epochalite so that I may destroy her.
November 1894
It’s been a while. I’ve been busy trying to keep up with Dr. John. His ideas are unconventional—to put it nicely.
Celeste followed me into the woods today. I told her to disappear from in front of my eyes. She screamed, sending me onto my back. My dress is completely ruined. I spent a fortune on it, customizing it to flatter my figure. But what doesn’t look splendid on me?
Celeste will not get the better of me. Her mousy brown hair doesn’t impress me. Why does everyone call her a jewel? She isn’t half as lovely as I am. I turn more heads just walking down the street. Alex complained about my dresses. He says they’re inappropriate. Little does he know the world is slowly corrupting itself; soon, my wild ways will be conservative. He rolled his eyes, telling me it made him jealous to have others desire me. That was sweet, I suppose. Sometimes I wish I didn’t hate him so much. Why can’t I be satisfied with the life he’s given me? He has promised to fix up his old house, adding an addition to it, just for me.
January 6, 1895
Finally! I’ve won Dr. John’s trust. He’s invited me to the meeting with the guardians. Celeste is escorting me. I hate her. She gets under my skin.
I will finally see the creation of an epoch
alite. Someone has volunteered. I won’t let this opportunity slip by me. Whatever I must do, I’ll do it. If being bosom friends with Celeste is a must, then I shall force myself to do everything in my power to convince her of my loyalty.
January 7, 1895
Tonight has changed my life! Celeste came to my room at C I N today. She pressed her finger to her lips, motioning for me to follow her down the hall towards the lavatory. In the second shower stall, she pointed at a chipped tile. She pulled it to the left, twisting with all her might. The wall opened, revealing a dark tunnel.
We stepped inside, our feet slipping on what I could only imagine was mold or maybe moss. A dim light was our only guide. How had I missed this for so many years? Who would have ever imagined underneath my old boarding school was a maze of hidden tunnels?
After a good half hour, we stopped walking. Celeste pulled me towards the floor and told me to climb down inside a hole. There was an iron ladder and I took it, nearly slipping many times. My feet did not reach the ground. Celeste shouted at me to not jump. It was a good thing, too. Water flowed below us and I couldn’t see the small rock mass in the darkness. Celeste shined a light so that I could place my feet upon it. I fell, hitting my head on the stone.
Round steps lay before us in a maze of gray dots on a black river. What sort of algae created such dark water? Celeste told me to follow her. She led us towards the left. Her feet slapped the stones. I tried to do the same but nearly slipped. She said it was a signal to the guardians and that it wasn’t necessary for me to copy her. I wonder what would’ve happened if she did not slap her feet against the stones. Were there others watching us?
The C I N Series Bundled Page 25