Unhinged

by Shelley R. Pickens

  “We’re here,” Brett states softly from beside me.

  I was so into my little cocoon, I didn’t even realize we had turned off the highway and traveled some time on smaller roads. I look up ahead and am temporarily blinded by the sun as it reflects off a glass surface. I look down and focus on the paved driveway as I try to regain my sight. I follow the pristine driveway all the way up to what looks like a house made of glass. The sun flares out in all different directions as it hits the different panes. Spectrums of light from the sun cascade every which way, making quite a spectacle as it reflects off varying surfaces. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.

  “It’s a light house,” I manage under my breath.

  Beside me, Brett tenses. It seems like now that we’re here, his resolve has somewhat weakened. His hands grip the steering wheel as he watches the house on the ridge up ahead of us. I do my best to calm him, since without him my friends will never make it out of this alive.

  “It’s going to be all right. You can do this,” I assure him. “Just remember, this is your plan. Get Logan and Dejana to safety and I’ll do the rest.”

  Brett looks over at me, his eyes full of an emotion I can’t quite place. Quicker than I ever thought possible, he reaches over, drags me to him, and places his lips on mine. I brace for the memories I’m sure will come, but I absorb nothing save the soft warmth of his lips. I don’t have the brainpower to ponder why I don’t absorb any of his memories. All I can do is feel. His kiss is gentle and full of longing. Soon, his lips just touching mine isn’t enough, so he pulls me closer so that my chest is touching his as he runs his hands through my hair, pulling me nearer than I ever thought you could be to another human. His lips are warm against mine, and he tastes like sugar. I long to put my arms around him; to lose myself within this bliss, but I hold back, knowing what waits for me on the other side of tomorrow.

  Finally, Brett breaks the kiss and pulls back slowly. “Sorry,” he begins, “I just couldn’t let you leave without one kiss. Just in case you never come back. Carpe Diem and all that you know.”

  I smile at him, flustered and flattered, not only by the kiss, but by his words. “I forgive you. But don’t ever do it again or I’ll be forced to slap you,” I tease, smiling to ease the blow.

  “And I’d deserve it for kissing my best friend’s girlfriend,” he admits.

  We both look up at the house again, as it spews light like it’s a strobe. “So we wait now, right?” I ask him, confirming what we talked about on the ride over.

  “Yes, just a few minutes more. The closer we get to dusk, the better chance we have of the plan working.”

  “I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it,” I say with a bit more of a bite than I intended.

  “And you don’t have to like it for the plan to work,” Brett points out.

  “True. But waiting has never been my strong suit.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” Brett whispers beside me.

  I sit restlessly for a minute, wondering how in the world I’m going to be able to wait even a few more minutes to face David. Then it dawns on me, I can’t. I look over at Brett and our eyes meet. Without words, I beg him to understand my silent plea. I’m too worried to wait for darkness. I have to save my friends. He seems to know what I’m thinking even before I do, because he sighs deeply and looks over at me, resigned to his fate.

  “Go then, I’ll do what I can with the cover of the trees.”

  I smile as my heart practically explodes with gratitude. For a moment, I’m amazed at how well he knows my every thought, even before I voice it. My hand is on the door handle, ready to take action, but a look of horrible shock on Brett’s face stops me. I turn quickly to look out the window; David is standing just outside of the truck. He has a gun in one hand and a sledgehammer in the other. He smiles sardonically at me as he smashes the window and I’m hit with a hundred shards of broken glass. My world becomes unfocused. My face stings from the glass cutting my tender skin. The last image I have is the hard end of a sledgehammer as it slams into my temple. The last thought is of Logan and Dejana, and of how utterly and completely I’ve failed them.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ~ Betrayals ~

  I awaken in the semi-darkness, though I’m not sure if that’s because I’m in a dark room or because night has fallen. My head is throbbing and feels like it’s been hit with…well exactly what it had been—a sledgehammer. I rub the bloody area on my forehead for a minute before I realize that I’m not bound. I’m lying on a couch that looks like it was taken out of a movie from the 1800’s. Its floral pattern makes me want to puke. Or is that the pain in my head? Either way, a good puking would only make this couch more attractive.

  I sit up and panic a bit as I feel blood trickle down my face. I use my shirt to wipe it away, unable to find anything else. Though the darkness is overwhelming, I’m able to see by the light of the full moon that’s shining through the glass walls of the house. Sometime between David smashing the window, and right now, I was carried inside the house.

  I get up and fight the vertigo that has seemed to plague me since the day I began eradicating memories. It’s sad what you can get used to. I make my way along the walls and over random pieces of furniture that fill the room to go look out the glass wall of the house. I want to yell out, to see if anyone is there, but I don’t dare for fear that my head would explode from the noise. I finally make it to the wall and do my best to take in my surroundings.

  The light of the full moon allows for great vision as I follow the meticulously maintained backyard all the way up until it hits the lake. I gasp in shock when I see an actual lighthouse by the water. It’s smaller than a normal lighthouse, and it sits at the edge of what looks like a small cliff that leads to the lake. It seems a bit out of place and eccentric. When Brett said they only built million dollar mansions here, he meant it.

  My discoveries are momentarily halted as a wave of pain hits me. My head throbs, but I breathe, trying to push through it. I have to clear my head so I can find Logan and Dejana. And I guess Brett now, since I have no idea what happened to him after David got me. I place my hands upon the clear glass and lean my head against it, hoping to borrow some of its coolness to soothe my aching brain.

  From behind me, a loud noise pierces the silence. Startled, I jump and turn my head involuntarily towards the sound. I’m immediately sorry that I did when the vertigo once again plagues me. I have to find out where my friends are and end this one way or another. I use the light of the moon, shining brightly through the abundant glass, to guide my way to the door. I turn the knob and breathe a sigh of relief when it gives way. I step out into the foyer, doing my best to find my way as quietly as possible.

  Though I know David is somewhere around, I’m hoping he hasn’t figure out yet that I’m awake. I stumble down the hall, feeling my way along the wall to check every room for my friends, but this is a huge house and there’s only one me. I’ve just finished checking another small room and am about to go upstairs when I hear a whimper. My heart beats faster as I make my way down to the room at the end of the long hall. Paintings adorn the walls but I ignore them; my only mission is to find where that whimper originated.

  I arrive at the colossal double doors and use all my might to push one open. Entering a large circular room lined with shelf after shelf of books, I nearly fall to my knees when I see Dejana and Logan lying on beds in the center of the room. Another whimper escapes Dejana and I run to her, desperate to help.

  “Dejana, can you hear me?” I ask feverishly. “It’s Aimee. I’m going to get you out of here, I promise.”

  A sinister laugh fills the room, extinguishing any hope I have of getting us all out of here alive. “I don’t think so, my dear. You and your friends aren’t going anywhere.”

  I look up at a big mahogany desk littered with books and papers, but there isn’t enough light for me to see who spoke. But it doesn’t matter, I don’t need to see him. His voice tells me exactly
who he is. He’s been instructing me on my powers now for days.

  “I wondered how you knew so much about my curse, Doctor. I guess it makes sense that I’m not the only person you’ve ever studied who can absorb memories.”

  Dr. Evans stands up from his overstuffed leather chair, the wheels squeaking as he uses his legs to push it out of the way. He walks around to the front of the desk where the light of the moon is strongest. “Quite right you are, my dear. I’ve been with David for years, helping him hone his powers. I’ve documented what you call the curse and taught him ways to benefit from seemingly insignificant memories.”

  “Well, congratulations then,” I say sarcastically. “You’ve created the modern day Frankenstein. But tell me, what did he get out of it? Other than the perfect father figure, I mean?”

  Evans’s lips curl up sardonically. “How do you think he found you, my dear?”

  Rage boils up inside me, but I keep silent, hoping he will keep talking so I can think of some way to get Logan and Dejana out of here. I wish I knew what the hell happened to Brett.

  “Poor boy became too weak from absorbing all those memories I instructed him to take for profit. The only option left to make his mind stronger was to ascend. So, I began looking for the one girl he knew existed in the world like him. Not an easy task I assure you. You ran entirely too much in your short life, my dear.”

  I have no idea what the hell Evans means by ‘ascend’ but I don’t have time to worry about it. If my friends have any hope of surviving, I have to find a way out of here. And my chances diminish with each moment this asshole keeps talking.

  “Sorry my stint in the foster system was inconvenient for you.”

  “That sarcastic mouth on you will get you into trouble, young lady,” Evans warns in a deep voice I’ve never heard him use. It makes me wonder what else he’s capable of. He continues his story without even checking if I’m listening. This guy has a bigger ego than I ever thought possible. “Anyhow, once I found you, it was easy to come up with a perfect plan to blow you to smithereens. But alas, you are much slicker than I had first thought, and infinitely more powerful. So, we had to come up with a better idea for you—one that tested your skills and enhanced your powers. And in the end, left you completely and utterly alone.”

  “Great job, Doctor. Stellar, really,” I spit out, not even bothering to hide my contempt.

  Evans’s lip goes up in a snarl. He stomps over to where I’m standing between Dejana and Logan and slaps me hard across the face. The sting from his palm and the intense pain that accompanies the slap makes my face feel like it’s going to explode. I put my hand over my cheek and breathe in deeply, hoping he doesn’t see how much this slap affected me.

  “Don’t interrupt me again, bitch,” he spits.

  I pretend to be submissive, not only to hide the pain, but to buy me more time. It’s so hard to figure out a plan with this guy spitting all sorts of crazy nonsense at me. Other than the few seconds he wasted slapping me, the good doctor is otherwise non-deterred from telling me how much of an evil genius he is.

  “So David began inserting horrible, evil memories into everyone you hold dear. The fact that they’re tormented by psychos and murderers was simply a happy side effect of the grand plan. It was all by design. I knew that Brett would turn to me once everyone else in your life was gone. Then all I had to do was pretend to train you a bit, get you just strong enough to make this match even. Robust enough to fulfill your fate.”

  I don’t want to, but I’m compelled to ask, “What fate?”

  “Why, to die by David’s hand, of course. In order for David to ascend, he has to kill you. Once he does, he gets to absorb all of your power to add to his. Then he will be invincible.”

  “Awesome,” I say with my usual sarcasm, despite the fact that I was just slapped for it. My rage is driving me now, not my logic. He tells me it’s my fate to die by David’s hand. Well, screw that. If I have to die to save the ones I love, then that is what I choose—no one else. But who says I have to go down easy? If I go down, so does David. And if I’m able, this douchebag as well.

  “Fine,” I acquiesce. “I’ll let David kill me, but on one condition: release my friends. They’re innocent. It’s me you want, not them. Free them from the nightmares David inserted and let them go. Otherwise, I’ll run again, and David will lose any chance of having this ascension thing.”

  Evans’s face contorts into a snarl as he debates my offer. I can tell he loathes giving me anything. He’s internally battling this unpredicted turn of events against how much he needs me to confront David. I know if I run, he will eventually find me. But it isn’t me I’m worried about. It’s saving the people I love.

  Having arrived at some decision, I watch as Evans walks back around his desk and pushes a button on a machine beside the lamp. “Bring him in.”

  I turn as I hear the door to the library open, and am immediately relieved to see Brett walk through the door. My happiness is short lived however, when I see he has a gun pointed at his back.

  “Brett?” I whisper. “Are you hurt?”

  Brett shakes his head, but says nothing. He doesn’t look worse for the wear, but I can tell from the horrified look on his face, I must look a mess. “Better question is, are you?”

  I nod, incapable of much else right now. I’m happy that he’s safe, and still hope that he can help get Logan and Dejana out of here and away from danger.

  “Aww, such a sweet reunion, don’t you think, Dr. Evans?” David says sarcastically as he pushes the butt of the gun further into Brett’s back, propelling him forward toward Dejana and Logan. “Time to repay me for not killing you, Brett. Take their memories and restore their minds so I can finish this bitch and ascend. I would do it myself, but I’d rather save my strength.”

  Utterly confused, I look at Brett, and then back at David, wondering what the hell is going on. “I don’t understand. How can he help them?”

  David just smiles at me wickedly as Brett hangs his head, unable to meet my eyes. From behind me, Evans clears his throat, clearly elated by the opportunity to show me exactly how ignorant I am.

  “Oh, my dear little innocent Aimee. There’s so much you don’t understand.”

  Disgusted and sick to death of being kept in the dark, my fury takes over. “Then enlighten me, asshole. Just what in the world is going on?” I demand of the doctor. Emboldened by my anger, I take a step towards him, ready to punch him in the face, desperate for some kind of outlet for my rage. But I halt just inches away from him, deciding it’s best to save it for David.

  “Like you, Brett can absorb memories. But, unlike you, he’s evolved. He’s infinitely stronger than anyone in this room because he’s already ascended. With one touch, he can release both of your friends with little to no effect on him.”

  My world starts to spin as I digest what Evans just told me. Brett absorbs memories? How can that be? He touches people all the time. All the times I’ve seen him around school or with Logan, he’s been normal. How can it be that he’s like me? Well, not exactly like me apparently, since he’s done that ascending crap I don’t understand. All this time he’s been pretending to help me when all along he could have helped them with one touch. I’ve been through hell and back to try to save those I love as Brett just stood by and watched my torment, pretended to be a part of it. Was his desiring me part of the ruse too? Was any part of what he felt real? Disgusted with myself, I finally realized why I never absorbed anything when he kissed me. It was the same with David all those years ago. There aren’t any memories to absorb when you’re cursed with everyone else’s.

  I hear his soft voice, full of guilt, break the tension in the room. “Please, Aimee, whatever you’re thinking, don’t. I only ever wanted to help you.”

  “Stop. Just…stop,” I plead, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to fall down my face as I look at him, his betrayal slashing my heart into tiny pieces. “Just heal them and take them home like you promised. And I
swear, if any harm comes to either of them, you will pay,” I threaten as I cross my arms trying to ward off the evil that lurks within the walls of this library, despite the fact that I know it won’t do a damn bit of good.

  Reluctantly, Brett walks over to Dejana and places his hand on her forehead. I watch in fascination as a white light radiates from his hand, illuminating Dejana’s forehead. It enlightens the otherwise dark library, mesmerizing all of us. Briefly, I wonder if he’s hurting her, but as the seconds go by, her eyes that were once creased in agony, begin to relax. Slowly, the white light dims until it’s absorbed back into Brett’s hand. I watch Dejana’s face for any sign of life. Her eyes flutter, and my knees almost buckle from the sheer joy of seeing my best friend awaken. I walk over to her and place my gloved hand on her arm. The tears of betrayal I tried so hard to hold back, flow down my face. But this time, they are tears of joy.

  “Hey you,” I say to Dejana, my smile wide and happy.

  She looks around the room, clearly confused as to how she got to this strange library in the middle of nowhere. “Um, where am I?” she asks as she looks around the room at the three guys staring at her. “And who are these guys? Wait, Brett, is that you? Oh good, I was thinking that I might still be hallucinating. Why is everyone staring at me?”

  “What do you remember?” I ask tentatively, not trusting that Brett removed all of the evil memories.

  Dejana looks at me, clearly befuddled. “Well, last thing I remember I was in my room getting ready for bed since I didn’t feel well. Things had been strange at school. I texted Brett that I wanted some food and that’s the last thing I remember. What happened after I fell asleep?”

  “Well, that’s kind of a long story. And one that Brett can fill you in on when he brings you back home. But right now, he has another job to do.” I point out as I look purposefully at Brett.