EVO Shift: EVO Nation Series: Book Two

by Chapman, K. J

  The door opens and Jude rushes in. He turns, stopping the people outside from following him. “Give us a minute,” he tells them. He races to me, but stops when he sees my face. “We’re doing what we can, Princess. There are numerous EVO detention centres throughout the UK. We will find them.”

  “They’re in the UK?” I ask. Jude nods. “We need to go back to the UK.” I get to my feet and Jude slips my arm around his shoulder before my legs give way beneath me. “I’m fine. Get me some clothes.”

  “We’re already in the UK,” Jude says, sighing.

  My mind fires with questions and fear. How long would have it taken to get back to the UK? I must have been operated on before I was flown here. How long have Adam and the others been at the mercy of the government? “How many hours have I been out?” I ask.

  “We’re not talking hours, Princess. It’s been six days.”

  My stomach swoops, and Jude and Cooper lift me back onto the bed. “Six days? They could have been tortured to death by now.” I lunge over the side of the bed, vomiting on the floor. “They’re dead,” I cry.

  “We don’t know that. We’re trying to find them, Princess, but we’ve also got to—”

  “NO! There is nothing else. We find them,” I scream at him.

  “I’m sorry about your friends,” says a voice from the doorway. “Sincerely, I am, but rash decisions will get more people killed. Hello, Teddie, I’m Grayson James.”

  Grayson offers me his hand and I shake it, taking in his every detail. He smiles and his face lights up. His face is kind, his eyes are kind, and his smile is kind. He is a good man; I don’t have to use anything other than intuition to read him. I knew Isaac had a dangerous look in his eyes when I first met him, but I ignored it. I was desperate for him to be who I needed him to be. Stupid, stupid girl.

  “Are you well enough to walk with me?” Grayson asks, offering his arm. “Jude has informed me that you have an impressive link with your boyfriend. I must severely advise against the use of this link for the time being. You may not only endanger yourself, but Adam too.”

  “He’s right, Princess. It’s not safe. Promise me you won’t link, for now.”

  The request jars with me, but still I agree.

  He removes my cuff. “We maintain a no-ability rule at headquarters. We have both EVO and Non-EVO members and we all agree that abilities should be used only when absolutely necessary. Can you agree to that?” I nod. “Thank you. Now, there are some people I would like you to meet.”

  I’m bare foot and wearing a hospital gown, but Grayson doesn’t appear to think it is an issue. I take his arm and follow him out of the room, closely trailed by Jude and Cooper. We pass the odd person here and there and Grayson greets them, but offers no introduction. They watch me as if I’m about to disappear in a puff of smoke.

  “So, you’re in charge here?” I ask

  Grayson nods. “Yes, but I installed a Council. It’s wiser and more democratic, and this way we are accountable. We learnt important lessons from the E.N.C’s mistakes.” We ascend a flight of stairs that have seen better days. The walls have been graphitised and the carpet tiles are stained and lifting at the corners. “We’re not looking for dominance. We want a new world; an equal, just world. But, like you said, I’ll let you judge that for yourself. Only a few Council members are here at headquarters today, but enough for our meeting.” He smiles kindly and removes his denim jacket, draping it over my shoulders.

  He opens the door and the chatter stops instantly. “Teddie Leason, this is Rakesh Reddy. You already know Silvain, of course.”

  Silvain kisses both my cheeks. Rakesh is Indian, mid-twenties, with a shaved head, and a body full of tattoos. He isn’t muscular, but is in good shape. He wears skinny jeans, flip flops, and a sleeveless t-shirt. He greets Jude and Cooper like old friends.

  “Call me Kesh,” he says. “I’m the resident Technokin.”

  Grayson removes a plastic office chair from a stack and ushers me into it. He places another chair beside me and takes a seat. “We’re going to have a Council meeting in a few moments. You need only listen, but if you would like to contribute, please do.”

  Two women enter the room carrying clothes. The first woman has a bird’s nest of wiry, blonde hair framing her round face. I recognise her as the nurse from before. She wears a pair of burgundy corduroy trousers, hiking boots, and a lime green, knitted jumper. She beelines for me, shaking my hand enthusiastically.

  “Hello, hello, hello,” she says. Her voice is overly cheery, but I take it as genuine. “Ingrid Bryn,” she says, setting clothes on my lap. Up close, she seems younger than I had first thought. I wouldn’t place her at more than thirty. “I will look you over properly when we’re done. I would prefer it if you wore a sling whilst that wound is healing.”

  “Ingrid is a Non-EVO member. You may also know of her EVO sister, Celeste,” says Grayson.

  Jude swipes his hair out of his face, poorly attempting to hide his grin. “Oh, Teddie knows of Celeste.”

  I can’t picture Ingrid and Celeste growing up together. They’re polar opposites. Celeste is a stereotypical Barbie girl who just happened to date my boyfriend. Ingrid is a homely, comfort over fashion sort.

  Ingrid rolls her eyes. “Who doesn’t know of her? That sister of mine is a law unto herself.”

  Celeste is many things, but when push came to shove at the complex on that Friday night she stepped up. “Celeste helped get the message out about Isaac. She was very brave.”

  Ingrid laughs. “Maybe, but I am yet to see Celeste do anything that doesn’t in some way benefit her.”

  She’s probably right, but that’s beside the point. “Have you heard from her?”

  “She called me a week or so ago. She was heading off with her new friends. She had me transfer some money to her. She said she was safe, so I doubt I’ll hear from her again for a few months until she needs more. We’re not the closest of sisters.”

  I’m not surprised.

  The second woman isn’t as receptive. She stands in the doorway, her eyes scouting every inch of me. Her dark skin has a sheen of sweat, and her deep, brown eyes are red and bloodshot. I would hazard a guess that she is in her mid-forties, although, there is a youthful edge to the way she dresses; skin tight jeans, heeled boots, and a leather jacket. Her long hair is in dreads with a headscarf holding it back out of her face. She places my freshly washed converse on the table and swiftly takes the seat furthest away from me.

  “Leoni Vickers,” she says, when she sees Grayson eyeballing her. “Memory manipulator.”

  Her ability makes me wary. The only other memory manipulator I have met was sadistic, warped Yvette- Isaac’s groupie come lover come government doctor.

  Cooper takes the seat beside me, casually leaning back in his chair.

  “Are you on the Council too?” I whisper to him.

  “Nah, this isn’t my kind of thing, but for now, Jude wants me here.”

  “If there are no objections I’d like to begin,” Grayson says. “The government know you are Dual-EVO, Teddie, they have your friends, and they are taking EVO children and experimenting on them.”

  Whoa. Talk about easing me in gently.

  “Jesus, Grayson. At least take the girl to dinner before you screw her,” says Cooper.

  Grayson grimaces at Cooper’s crudeness. “Would you rather me tiptoe around the issues here?” he asks me.

  I shake my head. “Just tell me what you are doing to locate my boyfriend and my friends.”

  Grayson keeps eye contact and his soft expression sends tears to my eyes. He’s going to tell me something I don’t want to hear. “I’m sorry, Teddie, but we can only locate your friends if they show up at one of the fight houses. We have many members working from inside the fight rings. As it is, they seem to be in government custody. We’re working on gaining intel as far as the government are concerned. I’m hoping for more any minute now.”

  “Jude said something about detention centres.
Do you have any idea where they are?”

  “Not at the moment, but the information would be pointless without the numbers to take on such a facility. They have near on impenetrable security systems in place. Jude said you are familiar with TORO?”

  I physically shudder, my chest restricting to such an extent that I’m gasping for air. “What if they turn him back into a TORO,” I cry to Jude. I stand, gripping the edge of the table. The ground seems to dip and wobble beneath me.

  “He’s been through it before. Adam is strong, and if he is a TORO at least he isn’t dead,” Jude soothes.

  “He may as well be,” I sob. “You have no idea. None of you do.” I look from face to face, only Leoni seems affected by my outburst. She looks nauseous and watches me through glazed eyes. “You have no idea what they could be going through!”

  “Tell us,” says Grayson, gently taking my hands. “Tell us what they did to you, Teddie.”

  “What good will it do? The first thing I remember when I think back to that hell hole is Adam. Not Roscoe having me beat on in the middle of the night, or being made to fight each other, or the hallucinogens, or being stripped and doused. It’s Adam. It’s hard to imagine that one person can get someone through so much, but Adam got me through. Alan Roscoe killed my family, Isaac Woodman killed my friends, and I’m sick of having my life torn to shreds by people who claim to need me. I’m sick of it because no one can ever need me as much as I need him. Thank you for what you’ve done for me, but I need to find them.” I get to my feet and start for the door.

  “I’m not letting you go on a suicide mission. If you leave now you’re as good as dead. You’ve been brought back from the dead once, Princess. I doubt you’d be so lucky next time,” says Jude.

  He slouches in his chair not looking at me. He can’t look at me because he knows as well as I do that Adam and the others are probably being tortured as we speak.

  “Since when do you have a say over me?” I snap. “You may not give a shit about them, but they are my family and I know you understand that concept at least.” I sway on my feet. Cooper grabs my elbow to steady me, but I pull myself free. “Do you reckon Adam would sit here if he knew Towley had me?” I ask Jude.

  He finally meets my eye. “Hell or high water wouldn’t keep him from you.”

  My sobs pour from me like a tidal wave. “Exactly, but you will never understand that. How long did you know that Tess was at Facility One? You were willing to kill her. You will never know what Adam and I have. I won’t just leave him to die.” I know I’ve hit a sore spot.

  Jude slams his hands on the table, his chair screeching as he flies to his feet. “Don’t you dare go there. Don’t think for one minute that my guilt doesn’t consume my every thought. I loved Tess, and now, she is dead. And yes, I was willing to kill her and end her suffering even though that would have destroyed me,” he shouts, pointing a finger in my face. “Can you even imagine living with that? I loved her, she is dead, and there is nothing I can do to bring her back no matter how hard I wish for it.”

  I bury my face into my hands. A dizzy spell washes over me, and the burn in my chest grows in intensity. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” I cry into my hands. “I’m so sorry, Jude. I’m so sorry.”

  He lowers his finger, pulling me into a strong embrace. “We will do everything we can to find them all, but don’t make me let you go too, eh?”

  “Promise me,” I say.

  He looks straight into my eyes. “I promise, my little Telekin.”

  A sudden, screaming pain rages through my skull. “What’s happening? It hurts,” I shriek. The pain sears, blurring my vision. “It really hurts,” I cry, grasping at my skull.

  The room starts to shake, everyone staggers, and the chairs upturn. I stumble and both Jude and Cooper catch me, lowering me to the floor.

  “What the hell is wrong with her?” Cooper asks, fighting to stay upright. “Why does this keep happening?”

  What does he mean ‘keep happening’? My vision blurs to nothing more than dull light and shadows, and a warm hand rests on my forehead.

  “Leoni, what are you doing?” Grayson asks.

  “It was me,” Leoni replies. Her voice is strong and confident. She clips a cuff back onto my wrist, and the familiar sting of sedation is followed by a warm, heavy feeling seeping into my skull. The room falls still, and Cooper releases his grip on my shoulders.

  “I’ve been un-manipulating the memory manipulation I did to her as a child,” she adds. My head feels fuzzy, and my eyelids close. “And my name isn’t Leoni Vickers, it’s Leoni Lovick. I’m Adam’s mother.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Dad tucks me into bed with my Raggy, a scruffy, old blanket I have had since I was a baby. He talks about painting my room for my next birthday. I look at the blocks of pink, lemon, and mocha that line my walls like a tub of Neapolitan ice cream and get giddy at the thought of my pink Princess palace that Dad has promised me. I’m aware that this isn’t real, it’s a memory, but it feels like an out of body experience.

  Voices carry up over the stairs, and Dad looks toward the door in confusion.

  He kisses my forehead. “It’s time to sleep. I love you, Teddie Bear.” He leaves, closing the door behind him.

  As soon as I hear the bottom stair creak, I climb out of bed, and take my door off the catch. I open it just enough to hear the conversation below.

  “Why is she here? I said no, Shana. This is a bad idea,” Dad whispers. I can hear the anger in his voice.

  “I think I better leave, so you can discuss this,” says a female voice that I don’t recognise. “I don’t want to cause—”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” says Shana. “Rob knows this is what’s best for Teddie. Leoni can help her, Rob. Do you not want her to lead a normal life?”

  The woman speaks again. “This may not work, and even if it does, it cannot be a permanent fix. I can manipulate the memories and hopefully that will suppress her telepathy a little longer, but she will need to be un-manipulated at some point in the future.”

  “And this won’t hurt her?” Dad asks.

  “Not at all, but I will only do this if you assure me that you understand that she will need to be un-manipulated. If Teddie continues showing signs of telepathy you must contact us. If this works, she will still need to be un-manipulated at around eleven years old. Most EVO get their abilities between fifteen and seventeen, some sooner. I must un-manipulate Teddie at around eleven years old to make sure that there are no untoward effects during puberty. I’m only offering to do this because of her age. I’ve never heard of a five-year-old with a developing ability. You cannot stop this even if you want to. Teddie is EVO and her DNA will always win.”

  “If this will stop the nightmares and help her get by until she’s at an age that she can deal with it, then okay,” Dad says, sighing.

  “Let’s start now,” Shana says.

  “Not tonight, I have my son in the car,” says Leoni. “I’ll come by first thing tomorrow. And can I offer you a word of advice? Give up on this idea of a normal life. People like Teddie and I are far from normal. The best way for you to help your daughter is to accept her for what she is.”

  The front door bangs as it shuts, and I tiptoe to the window. I see a black woman with curled, long hair walking away from the house. She wears a long, black skirt, boots, and a blue, sleeveless blouse. I want to shout out to her, to speak to the woman who knows what it is like to be me, but as she opens the car door, the interior light flicks on and illuminates a boy in the back seat. He has brown skin just like his mother, but his eyes are green and piercing. He looks about ten years old, and he sits with a football on his lap. He stares up at me. I shy away from the window slightly, but I can’t take my eyes off of him. Is he like me too? I push my hands against the glass willing him to show me that he is different.

  Shana follows Leoni out of the house and says something inaudible. Leoni turns away, but I catch a glimpse of her rolling her
eyes. The boy still watches me.

  Are you like me? I think to myself.

  “Yes, I am, but don’t tell anyone,” he replies. I start away from the window, gasping from the clarity of his voice in my head. I’ve never had a conversation in my head before. “You’re a Telepath, right? What’s your name?”

  Leoni starts the engine and reverses to get passed Dad’s car.

  I stare at the boy in a haze of euphoria and fascination. “I’m Teddie. What can you do?”

  He waves to me with blue electricity sparking briefly between his fingers. “I’m Adam,” he says, and Leoni drives away.

  ***

  I grasp at thin air until I grab something solid, firm, real. Leoni sits behind me with her hands on my temples. Her arms are warm and I reluctantly let go.

  “We’re not done,” she says, closing her eyes.

  “I met Adam when I was a kid?” I ask. My voice comes out hoarse and dry.

  She sighs. “Yes. Now, can we continue? We have a lot of memories to unlock before morning.”

  “He developed his ability early. Why does he not remember that?”

  “The same reason you didn’t remember your telepathy,” she replies, digging deeper into my mind.

  She manipulated her own son.

  ***

  Dad walks toward the cove with a tall, skinny, brown haired man. They talk animatedly, and I can tell Dad hangs on his every word. Adam kicks a football around, stirring up the gravel outside the house. Occasionally, he kicks the ball at the garage wall with a thud, throws his arms in the air, and runs around cheering himself. I hide behind the garage wall, giggling at him acting the fool.

  “Teddie, can you come here a minute?” Mum shouts from inside the house.

  I feel silly as I have to sidle out from behind the garage and Adam will know I have been spying on him. He stops kicking the ball to let me pass safely.

  “Have you been hiding?” he asks. I can’t think of a better excuse, so I nod. “Are you scared?”