by Dee Benson
She looked up as Prince Drake and Angelo approached. Already. They were fast.
"You're going too fast," Nigel called. "We're not racing yet, just warming up."
They slowed down, but not much. Soon, they were dots in the distance again.
Axel couldn't hold back tears as she stood there, watching her classmates come and go in the air. A horrible, trapped feeling filled her. She felt suffocated. She needed to find a way to get out of this nightmare of a place.
"Non-flight is actually pretty common," Nigel said after a while. "About thirty percent of Supers are never able to fly."
Axel looked at him. His eyes were strained. She had a feeling he was just looking for someone to talk to, so that he could feel human again after the monstrous thing he'd just done. Maybe his conscience was eating him alive.
He swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed. A spark of pain flashed in his dark eyes. Then he blinked and it was gone. Had Axel imagined it?
She felt herself softening towards him. Quickly, she forced some steel into her heart.
He's The Firemaster's protégé, she reminded herself. His personal assassin. He's been killing since he was four years old.
Just because he was trying to be nice to her now, that didn't change who he was.
He has blood on his hands. Including Trojan's blood. And he'd almost killed her. The only reason he hadn't was because The Firemaster had told him to hang fire.
A tear rolled over. It tickled its way down Axel's cheek.
"Please don't be afraid of me."
Axel wiped the tear away. Why did he care whether she was afraid of him or not? What did it matter to him?
"I have every cause to be afraid of you. If The Firemaster orders you to kill me, you will carry out those orders."
Nigel was quiet.
"Why did you neutralize me?" Axel asked.
He didn't reply. Candy and a bunch of other girls were approaching overhead.
Nigel looked up. "How many times have you been around?" he called.
"Eight," they called back.
Nigel's eyes glazed over and then tracks appeared in the sky, like lanes on an athletics track.
"Do you think The Firemaster will ever release me?" Axel asked.
"I don't know." Nigel's eyes came into focus. "I doubt it."
"What if I go to the Super government for help?" She didn't know why she was asking him, but she sensed that he would tell her the truth.
"Your best bet is to join forces with the good organization I told you about. They call themselves The Commission for Change. If you go to the Super government, it's possible things will get worse for you."
"Why?"
"Because of who your parents are."
"But my parents were against The Firemaster. They were on the government's side."
Nigel observed her quietly for a moment. "Your mom was a powerful aristocrat and your dad did many things to hurt the government."
Axel frowned. "Like what?"
Nigel shook his head. "There is something about you that is not my place to tell you. But I'll tell you that your mom could tap into the Gifts and Graces. That's hereditary. And you have proven that you can do it. The Super government isn't going to like that."
"Why?"
"It's not my place to say."
Axel wanted to press him further but Angelo and Prince Drake landed beside them, both sweating and panting after obviously over exerting themselves. They were so competitive.
Over the next few minutes, everyone else finished the warm up and landed around them. Axel noticed that nobody but Jasper came close to her. Nobody wanted to associate with a rebel lest they be accused of being a rebel too.
The races began and Nigel ascended into the air too, leaving Axel alone on the ground.
She sat down and watched, although her mind was far away.
She wasn't sure whether she was glad that Nigel had neutralized her. The drugging was wrong, but it took away the pain.
NIGEL WAS TEACHING ALL afternoon, but between classes he appeared to escort Axel to her next class. He didn't speak to her and she didn't speak to him.
After her last class of the day, she emerged to find him waiting for her in the hallway.
"In order that the rebels may be monitored more closely," he said coldly, "each of you has been given a new room where you will stay alone for the next few weeks."
Axel shrugged. That was fine. Going back to the dorm would be difficult without Trojan. Seeing his empty bed would be heart-breaking.
"I'll need to get my things from the dorm."
"Your belongings have already been collected for you."
Of course.
She followed Nigel down the hallway. At the exits, the eyes of the dragon head above the door were lit up.
Axel and Nigel stopped.
There was a squeeze in Axel's chest as the dragon breathed fire. How was she ever going to get over the death of her marshmallow-eating, toasting-fork-carrying friend?
It was almost as bad as her parents' death. Maybe because she'd watched it happen. Seen Nigel pull the trigger.
Once the dragon head finished breathing fire, Nigel pushed open the door and walked through. Axel stared at his back as she followed.
His head must be a messed up place.
It had to be. Only a psychopath could kill and move on, but a sane person with a conscience, like Nigel seemed to be, would be tormented. He had to be living in torment. Hell.
They walked through the campus until they came to a part that Axel had never been in. The rest of the campus swarmed with people, but this area was empty. A sole building loomed before them. Its plaque read 'Detention Center'.
At the door, Nigel placed his hand on a sensor. The door swung open. This time, he waited for Axel to walk in ahead of him.
She stepped inside and was hit by hot, close air. Every other building was cool from the twenty-four/seven air conditioning. Didn't the detention center have air conditioning?
They were in a tiny reception area that contained only a small desk. No one was sitting at the desk. There was a staircase on the left side of the room.
"Up the stairs," Nigel ordered. "You're on the fourth floor."
Axel began to climb. Nigel followed. Their steps echoed in the stillness. By the time they reached the fourth floor, sweat soaked Axel's Super suit and trickled down the sides of her face.
There was a row of doors. Nigel took out a single key from his pocket and unlocked one and then pushed it open.
Axel walked into a small lounge. Two plastic chairs were set before a low center table. Threadbare curtains fluttered at the open window.
Nigel shut the door behind him and then pointed to another door in the room. "The bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are that way."
Obviously, Axel thought.
Nigel looked at his watch. "Dinner has started but we have plenty of time before it ends. You can go and get changed out of your Super suit."
"I'm not hungry," Axel replied. "I won't be going for dinner. You can leave now if you want."
"I'm not leaving."
Axel frowned at him.
He looked back at her.
"What do you mean you're not leaving?"
"I've been charged with monitoring you."
"So you're going to be staying here with me?"
"Yes."
Axel stared at him. "Are there two bedrooms?"
"No. But I'm not expected to do much sleeping."
Axel couldn't believe this was happening. She was cooped up with a killer.
"You're lucky I volunteered to monitor you. Anyone else would be giving you a much harder time."
Axel looked away from him. She didn't want to be alone with him. Anyone else would have been better.
She felt a tickle across her forehead.
"Even Serloyd?" Nigel asked. "He wanted you. Maybe I should have let him have you."
Axel glared at him. "You read my mind?"
"Maybe."
"I felt that. You read my mind."
He moved to one of the chairs in the room and dropped into it heavily. He tugged loose the first few buttons of his shirt and then raked a hand through his hair.
Suddenly, it hit Axel how weary he looked.
Don't feel sorry for him, Axel told herself quickly. He killed Trojan.
"Are you sure you don't want to go for dinner?" he asked,
"Positive."
He held out his hands.
Axel frowned.
His eyes glazed over.
A moment later, a dish appeared on his hands, and food began to pop up on it. Steak and vegetables. A bottle of water appeared on the table.
Nigel began to eat.
A horrible thought hit Axel.
He was The Firemaster's personal assassin…
"Did you kill my parents?" she blurted.
Nigel stopped as he was about to shove a piece of steak in his mouth. He looked up at her.
Tears sprang in Axel's eyes. Why did she want to know? What would she do with the knowledge if he confirmed it? It wasn't like she had the power to take revenge on him, or The Firemaster, or anybody here.
"No," Nigel said quietly.
Axel was surprised at the force of the relief that hit her.
"As you know, they drowned."
"Did you cause them to drown?"
"No."
"So you had nothing to do with my parents' death?"
"I had nothing to do with it." He paused. "But I kidnapped your cousin."
Axel's heart beat up into her throat. She stared at Nigel, her breath shallowing. "Where is she? Tell me where she is."
Nigel popped a chunk of steak into his mouth and then piled vegetables onto his fork.
Axel crossed the room and punched his shoulder as hard as she could. "Where is she?"
Nigel looked up at her.
"Tell me." Tears rushed forward, blinding her. "Nigel, all that's happening here is…too much. I don't want to be here. I just want to find my cousin and leave. You understand, don't you? I know you do."
Nigel said nothing.
Axel wiped her eyes so that she could see him.
There was a haunted look in his eyes. But then his eyes shuttered and his emotionless mask slipped back into place.
"Where is she?" Axel screamed.
There was a knock on the door. "Are you having trouble with her?" came Serloyd's voice from the other side.
Chapter 24
"EVERYTHING'S OKAY," NIGEL SAID, as he opened the door.
Serloyd pushed past him and charged into the room. Two men followed him in. Serloyd's gaze fastened on Axel.
"I heard shouting," Serloyd said.
Axel tried to look as meek and obedient as she could, tried to ignore the boiling rage inside her. Nigel had been right when he'd said things would be worse for her if Serloyd was given custody of her. She'd take Nigel over Serloyd any day.
"She's upset over Trojan's death," Nigel said quietly. "That's all."
Serloyd studied Axel for a moment longer, and then nodded toward the seats. "Sit down."
Axel sat.
"We're here to prepare you for your pledge tonight," Serloyd said. "I'm sure you know that failure to obey anything you're asked to do tonight will result in immediate punishment. Maybe even death."
"What will they ask me to do?" Axel asked.
"Pledge allegiance to The Firemaster."
"Yes, I gathered that. What will that entail?"
Serloyd frowned at her. "Didn't you receive an injection after the meeting in the Dome?"
Axel nodded quickly. She couldn't be too sarcastic, too snarky, or she'd get Nigel into trouble for neutralizing her. Although she wasn't quite sure whether she should care about protecting Nigel since she didn't know why he'd neutralized her.
"She did," Nigel said.
"Then why is she upset about Trojan's death?" Serloyd demanded. "And why is she talking back?"
"She's due another dose soon," Nigel replied. "I'll see that she gets it."
Serloyd stared at Nigel for a moment. Nigel stared back. Axel guessed they were engaged in some silent battle of wills.
Eventually, Serloyd looked away from Nigel and focused on Axel. "Before we prepare you, we have some questions about the group of rebels you were involved with. We have asked your fellow rebels the same questions, so if anything you say doesn't line up, we'll know you're lying, or trying to cover something up." He gave her a sly smile. "It's in your best interests to tell the truth."
The other two men accompanying Serloyd took notes as Axel answered Serloyd's questions. She told the truth. Trojan was dead now so she might as well tell them everything. They couldn't hurt him any more than they already had. Trojan had told her about the organization only the day before they went for the meeting. That meeting was Axel's first. She couldn't tell whether Serloyd and his assistants believed her or not, but it was the truth.
They wanted to know who was sponsoring them, and whether they were affiliated with any other organizations. Axel didn't know. All she knew was that Victor seemed to be the leader. She didn't mind revealing that since he was dead too.
"So the group wasn't linked with anyone else?" Serloyd asked. He looked dubious. "Victor had no links with any other organization?"
"I don't know," Axel replied. "I only went to one meeting. Trojan told me very little about them before he took me there."
"Have you ever heard about The Commission for Change?" Serloyd asked. "The CFC?"
Axel's heart skipped a beat. The Commission for Change was the good organization that Nigel had told her about.
"Did Trojan ever mention them to you?" Serloyd asked. "Were they mentioned during your little rebel meeting?"
It took every ounce of restraint that Axel possessed not to look at Nigel. She could feel his gaze on her. She wondered whether he was worried about what she was going to say. "No. I have never heard about them."
Serloyd was watching her intently.
"Who are they?" Axel asked.
"Enemies," Serloyd replied.
Axel lifted her brows.
"Anybody with links to them will be killed instantly, no questions asked, no explanations allowed."
"I've never heard of them," Axel said. "Well, I have now that you've mentioned them."
"Then I must warn you that if you were to do any research about them, we will find out, and we will kill you." He lips stretched in an evil grin. "Oh, and your beloved Zanda, too," he added.
The rage boiling within Axel became even harder to suppress.
Keep it together, she told herself. She couldn't afford to incur Serloyd's wrath. She needed to act compliant and buy herself time to come up with a plan to find Zanda and escape.
Just because the rebel group had been busted didn't mean she couldn't continue to work on the plans they'd made. She could devise a way to escape all by herself. She had to get out of this hell hole.
She glanced at Nigel. He was watching her, his eyes tense.
Serloyd began to lecture her about how she was on her last chance, and how she had better be on her best behavior tonight at the pledging. "Well, you will be on your best behavior," he said, rising from the seat. "You'll be so drugged up, you won't know your own name."
"Then any allegiance I pledge will be false."
Serloyd glared down at her.
Axel bit her tongue. What is wrong with me?
"That…is true," he said slowly. "The only way we'll know whether we have broken you down sufficiently and gained your allegiance is if you pledge your allegiance without the influence of drugs. I will speak to The Firemaster."
He walked out. His assistants followed.
A dozen thoughts ricocheted through Axel's mind. Maybe being drugged would be easier. Under the influence of the drugs, she would do whatever she was told and save herself from punishment. If she was clearheaded, she might not obey. It all depended on what they would ask her to do. If it was just an oath, or something like that, she
might be able to say it.
She remembered how she'd felt after bowing to The Firemaster. She covered her face with her hands. No. She wouldn't be able to recite an oath pledging her allegiance to The Firemaster. She hated him. Even more now that she'd seen just how much of a psychopath he was. A mild-mannered assassin. A polite dictator.
No wonder her parents had feared him.
Axel lowered her hands from her face. Her heart was racing in her chest. Tension tightened her gut. It was only a matter of time before living here completely destroyed her. She had to get herself and Zanda out.
She looked at Nigel. He was watching her.
"May I speak into your mind?" he asked.
Axel was about to tell him to say whatever he wanted to say out loud, but then she realized it must be something sensitive. "Okay," she said slowly.
She felt a tickle across her forehead, and then Nigel's voice filled her mind. I don't think you should see Zanda. It will destroy you. But I know you'll never believe me, so tomorrow I'll tell you where she is and let you go and find her. Then, we'll be even.
Axel felt him slip out of her mind. She stared at him. Tears began to fill her eyes. Hot, stinging tears. He was going to tell her where Zanda was? "Why not now?" she asked, whispering around the pain swelling in her throat.
"Serloyd doesn't trust me not to help you. I'll bet he's monitoring our every movement. After the pledging the scrutiny will reduce."
Axel sucked in a breath. "Thank you." She wiped her eyes. "What have they done to her?"
A muscle worked in his jaw. "You'll see tomorrow." He raked a hand through his hair. "Obey whatever The Firemaster tells you to do tonight. Just pledge your obedience so that he won't decide to kill you."
There was an undercurrent in his tone. Axel heard what he wasn't saying. He didn't want to have to kill her.
"I drug myself in order to be able to kill," he said quietly.
That explained the crazed look in his eyes earlier at the Dome.
"I will drug myself tonight," he continued. "That means I will carry out any order The Firemaster gives me. He doesn't want to kill you, but if you push him, he will. Don't make him order me to kill you."
AN ENORMOUS BALL OF fire hovered in the night air, illuminating the sports field and causing sweat to slither down Axel's back. Despite the crowd of thousands of people, dead silence filled the air apart from the crackling of the fire before Axel and the other rebels.