Embers & Ice (Rouge)

by Isabella Modra

  She was sitting in a simple surgery room with only her bed and a chair beside it. Sensing the familiar cold, she soon became aware that the bracelet was glowing blue again, the same spidery veins pulsing beneath her skin sending ice into her blood. The fire had disappeared, frightened of the power entrapment, leaving her shivering on the outside.

  “What happened… after I blacked out?” she asked.

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “Nothing, really. It was over. You were brought here to my care, and I attended to your injuries.” He indicated to a stitched cut on her forehead that she couldn’t remember getting. “I’m aware that this place can be very discomforting.” He rocked back on the balls of his feet and placed his hands behind him. “How are you finding it?”

  Hunter couldn’t figure out if this was some sort of test, and if she got the answer wrong or said something smart, she’d be sent straight back into the Orb. “It’s… fine.”

  “Hmm. Unlike our genius Dr. Wolfe, I am genuinely concerned for your well-being.”

  That’s a little hard to believe.

  “Who are you?”

  “Rosenthal,” he replied. “Dr. Albert Rosenthal.”

  The name was vaguely familiar. She eyed him suspiciously, deciding to be careful of what words she used. Dr. Rosenthal was looking at her in such a way that made it seem like he was waiting for her to say something. Maybe that she recognized him or remembered him from somewhere. Hunter remained completely emotionless.

  “That was well played, what you did in the Orb,” he said slowly. “What most children do in those situations is save their own necks. I’ve seen far worse injuries than yours come out of that awful place.”

  Hunter didn’t understand the context of his words. Is he pretending to be nice and caring, or is it a front?

  “Well,” she said, “Will could heal himself. That made it a tad easier.”

  “You still protected him from the rain. And I believe you refused to burn him yourself, am I correct?”

  Hunter bit her lip.

  “You can talk confidently here Hunter. I promise you that nothing said in this room will be spoken to anyone else. You have my word on that.”

  His blue eyes were truthful, but could he be lying? Hunter had learned that all the scientists at ICE were heartless. Could this man be different?

  “Is there something you need, Dr. Rosenthal? Or may I go back upstairs to bed? I’m pretty tired.”

  Dr. Rosenthal stepped away from the bed and gestured to the door. “Be my guest.”

  Cautiously, Hunter swung her legs over and went to the door. Her head swam, but she was eager to get away. The doctor was wigging her out.

  “Miss Harrison, I wonder if you might answer a question of mine first.”

  She turned with her hand on the door handle. “Okay.”

  “Did Joshua ever go back to the shack?”

  Hunter said nothing in reply, but her heart was racing as she clung to the door. The shack? How does he know about the shack?

  Dr. Rosenthal chuckled. “Oh dear, that boy did not know what he was doing. But you’re here and you’re well, and your powers are marvelous. He must have figured out how to take care of you.”

  “What are you talking about?” she hissed. “How do you know about the shack?”

  Dr. Rosenthal patted his hand on the bed. “I understand you’re tired Hunter, and I know that what I have to say might be too much for you to comprehend, but it is important that I tell you now. This may be the only time I have alone with you. If you do sit down, you must promise me this: you cannot tell a single soul in the institution what I am about to tell you. Is that clear?”

  Hunter gazed into his old face and glimmering eyes and suddenly knew she trusted him. Her curiosity got the better of her common sense and she ignored the warning radars. Something was pushing her to listen to him.

  She sat down. Dr. Rosenthal gave her a grateful smile, the bristles around his lip stretching out as he grinned.

  “Thank you, my dear. I appreciate that. Now, to explain myself. In a nutshell, I met Joshua what must be… close to sixteen years ago. You were with him. You were this tiny two-year-old filled with bright color. They separated you from Joshua and put you in the nursery. Back then there weren’t too many kids like you. The only other child we had was dear William.”

  “Will?”

  “Yes. For such young souls, you were quite good friends. He was pleased to have some company, even if you were only a toddler. The scientists didn’t know how to take care of you, so I took it upon myself. I tried to keep you away from Dr. Wolfe as much as possible. Sometimes I would sneak you back to Joshua so he could see you.”

  “Why?” Hunter interrupted. Her voice was thick, as though she’d been holding back tears. “I mean, why would you risk that?”

  “Because it broke my heart to see him so wrecked. He was only just learning to use his own powers, Miss Harrison, and while he confided in me, he told me how controlling the power inside him was. How it whispered to him at night. How cold he felt. He was in a bad place here, and the times when I brought you to him were the only times I saw him happy. Not only that, but Joshua was terrified you would end up a slave to your own powers… when they breached the surface. You didn’t know you had abilities at that age. He couldn’t bear the thought of your power controlling you. He wanted to raise you away from the truth.”

  Hunter wrapped her hands around her waist, staring down at her bony knees, guilt closing in on her heart. A war raged inside her; did she hate him or did she thank him? He was only trying to protect her. Sometimes people do crazy things for love, right?

  “Now… I’ve worked for this institution for many years. In fact, I was one of the first geneticists employed here. I was young – well, younger – and naïve. To the outside observer, this place is a scientist’s paradise. ‘Genetically enhanced humans’ is something everyone wants to be involved with. Most of the workers here are only in it for the fame, but as you already know, your identities are secret… for now. Once I started, I found myself trapped. I can’t stress to you how much I risked when I helped you and Joshua escape.”

  “You helped us escape? But… why?”

  “My dear,” he sighed, “I may work for the devil, but I can assure you I’m as pure as they come. I’ve seen a lot in my time, and the pain I saw in that broken man sixteen years ago was something shocking. I didn’t care how valuable the both of you were; I had to get you out.”

  “What about the others? What about Will? Haven’t you seen what kind of pain he goes through?”

  Dr. Rosenthal grimaced. “I know William has suffered. And one day, I hope to help him out as well. Times will change very soon, Hunter. But back then, young William had nothing. His family abandoned him. He was classed as a freak. This wasn’t the best home for him, but Will had no responsibility. He didn’t know love. Joshua, however, had you. He struggled with his powers, and he worried that soon you would as well. He wanted to get you away from Dr. Wolfe, and I knew I had to help.”

  “How did you do it?”

  “I will tell you soon. But our time is up for today.” He rose to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder.

  “But can’t you-”

  “They will be coming for you if you’re not upstairs soon. I just need you to know that you can trust me Hunter. I won’t force you to, and I hope you think a lot about what I’ve said. And remember one more thing-” He urged her to the door. “-Try not to defy Dr. Wolfe. He doesn’t like rebels, and he won’t be afraid to make you suffer.”

  “Dr. Rosenthal, I…” Hunter trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say. As she gazed into those warm blue eyes, the sense of familiarity became a sense of comfort. It was a strong vibe and it grew stronger every moment she spent with him. “Thank you for helping me, and for helping Joshua.”

  Dr. Rosenthal nodded, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “We’ll talk soon, my dear.”

  The door opened and Hunter headed out of the surgery roo
ms. As she moved into the labs and veered left down the long corridor with the glass windows displaying a nearly empty lab on her left, two Men in White were coming from the opposite end, half dragging a very disheveled scientist in their arms. His eyes darted to Hunter and quickly looked away. He was covered in sweat and his eyes were bloodshot.

  Feeling the hairs on her arms and neck stand up, Hunter pushed on towards the elevator. She passed another corridor beside it and caught a glimpse of what was going on in one of the other rooms just as the door was sliding closed.

  Fearne stood over a desk with two scientists behind her. There was no metal brace on her head. She stared at something, a look in her eyes so murderous and pain-filled that Hunter felt her insides start to squirm.

  As the door shut off her view, Hunter caught the first of a series of male screams before she heard nothing more.

  TWENTY-ONE

  “There she is!” called Zac and he waved her frantically over to his table. “The Dragon!”

  “Don’t call me that,” said Hunter as she slid in beside Chantal, her plate full of breakfast. Before Zach even blinked, Hunter was shoveling food into her mouth.

  It had been late last night when Hunter returned to the cell block. It was strangely eerie, walking down the corridor on her own in the dark. Even more eerie after what had happened with the guard in the bathroom. Hunter had crawled into bed, and even though her body was exhausted, her mind was wide awake. She didn’t sleep well at all, and it showed on her face that morning. She could tell by Chantal’s grimace.

  “But you can breathe fire, right?” Zac pushed.

  “Probably. I’ve never tried it.”

  “Why the hell not?” he frowned. “It’d be the first thing I’d try.”

  “That’s because you’re a lunatic,” said Chantal. “How are you feeling Hunter? I mean about the Orb and everything.”

  Hunter’s eyes roamed the breakfast hall and found that Will hadn’t come down yet. He was usually last to arrive. There was a chance he might still be in surgery. Hunter had been so busy trying to process her evening with Dr. Rosenthal – not to mention struggled with the idea that Joshua wasn’t all psychotic-killer – that she was surprised to dream of Will again that night. Of his sacrifice for her. Of a small boy in a dark room talking to her as a child as they lay awake and alone in the cold. Her heart softened at the very thought of him. It was something she hadn’t felt since… since Eli.

  “I’ll be alright,” she finally said. “It was hard, but we got through it.”

  “Hell yeah, you did,” said Zac through his food. “And it was bad-ass. I was almost sad Will knocked you out.”

  “Thank you for reminding me,” she winced, dabbing her fingers against her bruised jaw. “Anyway, what has everyone else been saying about it?”

  “Nothing much. After Will knocked you out, he sort of…” Zac looked at Chantal for help with words, but she avoided his eyes. “Well, he just looked at you for ages. Then he… he picked up your head and… and he held it really carefully, you know like someone holds a day-old baby, and he bent over and…” Zac’s voice softened as he pretended to hold an invisible head in his hands, his eyelids fluttering. Chantal dropped her fork, the sound snapping both of them out of the intense moment.

  “Oh my God, Zac!”

  “What?” he exclaimed, staring at her crossly. “That’s what he did! It looked like he was about to kiss you,” he said to Hunter, who found herself caught between a breaking heart and extreme laughter.

  “The guards took him away, that’s all that happened,” Chantal blurted and went back to playing with her food after shooting a sideways scowl at Zac.

  “We all went down to the common room after,” Zac continued. “Except Marcus and Mosi. They went to the fitness room, as always.”

  “What are they doing in there?” .

  “I dunno, bumping ugglies?” Zac suggested.

  “You’re vile,” said Chantal.

  “Fearne disappeared. Jet and Mikayla got up to their usual snuggling, but they were separated by the Men in White and sent to their cells. And us… well we sat down for a game of chess with Benji and Ryo and couldn’t stop talking about the fight. It was the most excitement we’ve had since Chevie’s escape.”

  “What?”

  Zac’s eyes widened. “No one’s told you about that yet! Oh man, it’s the best story ever!”

  “Did you say someone escaped?”

  “Chevie Pulicover – great name, huh?”

  Hunter glared in a way that said ‘Zac. Get on with it’.

  “Okay anyway, he was pretty much the coolest person you’ll ever meet – one of those real indie types. Everyone loved him.”

  “What was his power?”

  “Uh…”

  “I’m pretty sure he could fly,” said Chantal.

  Zac clicked his fingers. “That’s it! He could fly. So yeah, Chevie had been here for only… two years, I think, before he decided he needed to get out. We all thought he was joking. One morning at breakfast he said ‘guys… I’m going home tonight.’ Yeah right,” Zac snorted.

  “But he wasn’t kidding, was he?”

  “Nope. The next morning, he was gone. Benji swore he saw him sneak out of his cell in the middle of the night, and he wasn’t seen again.”

  “His time was nearly up,” said Chantal. “He’d already reached twenty-one. Gorgeous guy, too.”

  Hunter stared at the both of them. “How long ago was this?”

  “Mmm, about three months I think?”

  Chantal nodded in agreement.

  “So this guy escapes–”

  “Well we don’t actually have proof that he did technically escape. He could have been caught and locked up somewhere, or killed, or both.” Zac scooped food into his mouth and pointed his fork at her. “But Dr. Wolfe was really pissy the next day. And since then, they always have guards patrolling the corridors at night. So we figured he got out.”

  Hunter felt elated, as if a balloon had blown up inside her stomach. If someone could walk out just as easily as this Chevie guy, maybe it was possible for the rest of them to escape as well.

  “So no one else has tried it?”

  Zac and Chantal exchanged glances.

  “Hunter… Chevie was a genius. I’m not kidding, his power might as well have been intelligence. And he never told anyone about his escape plan. He just up and left us.”

  Thinking of Joshua, Hunter looked down at her plate. “He didn’t come back for you, obviously.”

  “Well,” Zac shrugged. “I never pinned Chevie for a dickhead. None of us did. But that’s the way life goes, right?” They ate together silently. Hunter found herself falling deep into her thoughts, running over possible escape plans, letting herself dream of freedom as she so often did.

  Fearne walked by their table a few minutes later looking drained of all happiness. She limped on one leg and swayed, as if intoxicated.

  “Can I ask you something?” Hunter bent her head closer and the two of them did the same with eagerness. “Do you know anything about what Dr. Wolfe does to Fearne? And not just the testing?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Chantal.

  “Well… last night I saw her down in the labs in this room with a few other scientists. She didn’t have her brace around her head.” Their eyes narrowed, as if this was news to them. “She was staring at this guy and he was… screaming. She was doing something to him.”

  “Sounds nasty,” said Zac.

  “Were they testing her power?” suggested Chantal.

  “Maybe they were trying to see if she could make someone’s brain explode,” said Zac.

  “Maybe.”

  “So anyway,” said Chantal, “we never got to hear why you two were even put in the Orb so suddenly.”

  Hunter looked Chantal in the eye and wondered if the truth would scare her. Then again, nothing in this place was ponies and ice-creams.

  “One of the guards tried to take advantage of me in the sho
wers.” She watched Chantal’s eyes darken and her small smile fall away. “Will pulled him off of me just in time. They beat each other up and I tried to stop it, but I got knocked out of the way and passed out. I woke up in the Orb.”

  “Those bastards,” said Zac.

  “Will saved you?” asked Chantal in a small voice. “What a hero.”

  Hunter frowned at her. The bite in those words made her wonder if Chantal had been through exactly the same thing. She wouldn’t be surprised if last night wasn’t the only attack on a girl in the bathroom.

  “It’s okay,” Hunter said directly to her. “Revenge is sweet.”

  Chantal muttered something so quietly, Hunter thought she’d imagined it. With that, she slammed her tray down, whirled out of the bench and stalked away in a huff.

  “Damn, that girl always has serious mood swings,” said Zac.

  Hunter rolled her eyes. “You really can’t read girls, can you?”

  Zac’s mouth dropped as Hunter pushed her tray away and ran to catch up with Chantal. “What did I say?”

  Hunter slipped through the door and bumped straight into Will. Her heart leapt in her chest at the sight of his damp brown hair tucked behind his ears and that stoic expression. She had to admit, despite his pale color and disfigured posture, he was very well built and definitely the tortured, handsome type. But her relief went beyond that. He had put his safety at risk when he pulled Jamison away from her in the showers and how did she repay him? She burnt him alive and punched him in the face.

  “Will, I need to-”

  “Not here,” he muttered.

  A guard brushed past him, knocking him in the shoulder and forcing him against her. Hunter’s back hit the wall and they froze as the guard shot them a crooked smile. Hunter’s eyes widened. She’d know that smile anywhere.

  Jamison.

  The fire exploded within her. Hunter made a move to attack him, but Will whipped an arm around her stomach and held her back. The guard chuckled, his eyes raking her body with malicious thirst, and then he disappeared inside the breakfast hall.