Embers & Ice (Rouge)

by Isabella Modra

  Second in the running was her afternoon gym sessions with Mosi and Marcus that had, since that day, turned into a sort of amateur fight club. Most of the others came to watch as she and Marcus practiced the skills that Mosi taught them – Hunter having covered the basics with Joshua. Mosi never told them where he learned to fight so cleanly when all they knew of him was his work in the mines as a child. But he was a patient teacher, and sometimes other volunteers joined in for a lesson. They were caught several times by a passing guard, but since the numbers grew, he could only close the fitness room and give them a warning rather than send them all to Solitary. The fight club started out of boredom, but became – for Hunter and some others – like a sort of silver lining; if they learnt to fight, then their chances of escaping Death Cave were greater. It gave them all hope, and especially the younger ones who observed with careful attention.

  The constant nightmares she’d been having about Eli and Joshua and Dr. Wolfe slowly drifted away the more her friendships grew. Despite still being locked up in a prison from hell, Hunter learned to grasp the positives. After the fight club, she no longer feared an attack from the guards. She grew closer with Fearne and Will and all the others, and found she actually enjoyed getting to know them. Hunter had never really had close friends, particularly in the past few years of her high school life. At ICE, everyone was the same. Sure, they all had different powers and some were a little nuttier than others, but they could get along – minus Jet, who was an asshole to everyone – and soon she was part of the family.

  At breakfast, she always sat beside Will at a table with the others. Hunter noticed everyone come together – Marcus and Mosi joined Zac and Chantal, Benji and Ryo sat with them, and Will and Fearne were no longer alone. It made the institution feel much smaller now that they were all good friends, and Hunter knew everyone by name and power. She often smiled and laughed with the others at Zac’s hilarious jokes and goofy nature, greedily consuming plates of food after early morning workouts. She and Will decided to start exercising more often to gather their strength back. It was more for his benefit. The weights, boxing and strength training were much harder when Will didn’t have enough energy in his system from the surgery he still undertook in the evenings. Often when they spent time together in the secret room, Will was so weak that they would just lie there in silence. She didn’t mind though. Helping him recover his energy kept her mind off of other things.

  Like Fearne, for instance.

  Ever since she saw the young girl interrogating a scientist, Hunter knew it had something to do with the lack of security. The guards were either being fired or killed, and no one had any idea why. Fearne could never remember anything about what Dr. Wolfe was forcing her to do. Hunter was almost afraid to get involved. If she knew Dr. Wolfe, and by now she had a pretty good inkling, he was most certainly up to something sick and twisted.

  Dr. Rosenthal was no help on the matter. He was quite good at not giving anything away when Hunter saw him every once in a while for a consultation, but it was obvious he wanted to tell her. She often didn’t understand why he couldn’t help her escape again when he’d already done it. But above all else, Hunter trusted Dr. Rosenthal. He was kind to her and there was an aura of knowledge about him, as if he knew everything that was going on now and in the future at ICE. He was never afraid of anything. Not even Dr. Wolfe could control him.

  Over the past weeks, Hunter’s desire to stand up and turn things around tripled. She wanted to escape with Will, to show him the world the right way, to let him live his life. She wanted to get the children away from so much pain and harsh treatment to a loving home with real parents and a life to live. She wanted, especially, for Fearne to be free of the mind controlling device that restricted her powers and turned her insane. Maybe Will was right; maybe she did have a hero tendency, and every day she trained in the fitness room or fought with Mosi or spent time with Dr. Rosenthal or even lay on the operating table in complete agony with Dr. Wolfe leering over her was a day that strengthened her need for some serious payback. Hunter was waiting, waiting for the day when she and the rest of the special kids she now called her family would be free and could inflict their own batch of pain on the guards and the scientists who treated them like aliens.

  Then, when she was free, what Hunter wanted most of all was to find Joshua. She wasn’t sure why exactly, because the fire hadn’t had a chance to really react to her emotions since she’d been bound by the bracelet. It could still be hungry for revenge. Sometimes, when she thought about Joshua before she went to sleep at night, Hunter could feel the dark power of her fire stirring. It longed to burn him until he melted. But Hunter was confident she had control over it. Her love had control over it.

  But did love still exist? Every day away from Eli was a reminder of how she missed his love. Every day she spent in ICE with the neglected, unloved children with no purpose was a reminder of the parents and families who simply gave them up for being different. Hunter struggled to find love in such a cold place, but she knew it was there. It was in those times she spent with Benji and Ryo playing chess in the common room. It was there when she read Peter Pan to the younger children after dinner. It was there when she laughed with Zac and Fearne as Marcus wrestled with Mosi who was unbeatable. It was definitely there when she lay close to Will in the silence of the old quarters amidst a cloud of smoke and burning candlelight. And although there was so much anguish and rage and terror biting down on her heart, Hunter stayed strong. She focused on getting the others out, on the bright sunny skies that lay beyond, of freedom. Of starting life over and forgetting her dark past.

  Maybe, even, of saving the world.

  “This is bullshit. I’m sick of this food!” Zac threw down his fork in frustration, splatting a large clump of gray goo in Chantal’s face. He immediately put his hands up in apologetic surrender. “Oops.”

  “You son of a bitch,” she growled. “I just showered.”

  “Go ask Cook for a cloth to wipe it off,” said Marcus in his easy-going manner. The more time he spent with Hunter and the others, the more she realized how completely different he was from his brother.

  Chantal stormed off towards the door and the rest of them went back to eating their dinner. Hunter was now used to eating the same food day in and day out, but God, she would kill for a thick, cheesy pizza. Even just a cup of coffee for a bit of variety.

  Will nudged her with his knee and she looked up. His lips were pressed together in that way that said something was amiss, and then his doe eyes locked on the door. Hunter turned and saw about six or seven Men in White stalk into the room and take their posts around the perimeter. It was the most she’d seen in one place in weeks.

  The others noticed it as well.

  “Think the brute squad is back?” asked Marcus.

  One of the guards marched straight past their table, and Zac gave him a nod and a smile. The guard rolled his eyes.

  “Hey Ryan,” he said. “Did you get a haircut?”

  The guard didn’t answer.

  “I will say this,” Zac said to the group, “they’re touchier than before.”

  “So what, they were just on break or something?” asked Marcus.

  “God knows,” Zac scoffed and picked at his dinner.

  As they watched the door, two more Men in White entered the room. This time, they were not alone.

  Hunter remembered her very first day at ICE like it was yesterday. The first time she entered the breakfast hall, every eye stared her down as though she were a new toy at the toy store. So as the newest member of their mutant crew stumbled into the hall, Hunter stared along with the rest of them and wondered if her face looked just as terrified as his.

  “Ooo,” said Zac, glee plastered across his face. “Now it’s getting interesting! A new person already?!”

  “He needs seven Men in White to escort him in?” said Marcus unbelievingly. “What kind of power does this kid have?”

  “Shh!” hissed Hunter, for at
that moment, the boy passed their table.

  The first thing Hunter noticed was his eyes. They were so red and bloodshot, she couldn’t even tell if they were blue or green. His blond hair was greasy and stuck up in all directions. He was lanky and tall, about Zac’s age, and he walked with heavy feet, his back slightly arched. He stared them down, too exhausted to look away, and made it to the cafeteria line after his guards split off.

  “He looks rough,” said Ryo. “We should make some room for him.”

  “He might already be making friends,” Hunter said, and they watched as Mikayla and Jet slid in the line right behind the boy and tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Oh no,” said Marcus. “That poor kid.”

  The rest of them ate their breakfast and tried to read the conversation between the two snakes of the institution and the very vulnerable new addition. Hunter saw the boy’s face pale after Jet slapped him across the back. The word ‘faggot’ spilled out of Mikayla’s mouth. The boy paled even more-so, and Jet and Mikayla laughed.

  “I can’t watch this,” she muttered to Will and got to her feet. There were many things Hunter missed about the real world, but bullying was not one of them. She would not allow the poor boy’s first day at ICE to begin with Jet opening his mouth.

  “Hunter, don’t-”

  Ignoring Will as he reached out to grab her, Hunter stormed through the tables towards the cafeteria line.

  “So then, you must be one of those quietly sensitive gays, am I right?” Jet asked in a mock-serious tone. “Because I wouldn’t have guessed it by the youthful sound of your voice.”

  Mikayla chuckled behind Jet, but the boy said nothing as he collected food on his plate and moved along.

  “Where did you say you were from again Alfie?” he asked. “Sweden? Is gay marriage even legal in-”

  “Hey!”

  Jet and Mikayla turned as Hunter approached them. Alfie’s eyes flicked up and met hers. Instead of throwing her fist into Jet’s face, Hunter decided to pretend they didn’t exist.

  “Hi, I’m Hunter,” she said and held out her hand to the young boy. He looked up at her in shock and shook her hand. “Welcome to ICE Institution. Do you want to come sit with us?”

  “Uh, thanks?” He picked up his tray and followed her towards the others.

  “Hunter,” said Jet from behind her. “He’s not interested, okay? He only likes booyyss.”

  Hunter spun and glared at Jet’s smug face. “I know that you enjoy a little sexual banter as much as the next person,” she said with a forced smile. “And maybe one day you’ll figure out exactly which team you bat for – no offence Mikayla.” The girl scoffed. Hunter let her smile fall away as she turned back to Jet. “But I swear to God, you slimy little leech: if you say one more word to him, I’ll…”

  She trailed off instantly when Jet’s face started to fall. And it wasn’t because of her threat. His eyes were still on Alfie. There was a crash and a squeal from Mikayla, and Hunter turned to see what exactly had wiped the smirk right off Jet’s face.

  Alfie was quivering. He stared down at his hands, his chest heaving, his tray of food splattered over his feet. Whatever Jet had said triggered something inside him, and now he was starting to change.

  “Alfie?” asked Hunter. “Are you okay?”

  “He’s changing,” said Mikayla from behind her.

  “Into what?” asked Zac, who was sitting up on the table only feet from them. “What is he?”

  Alfie was breathing hard through his teeth.

  “You’re about to find out,” said Jet.

  And then, right in front of the entire table, Alfie seized up and let out a shrill scream like the cry of a banshee that deepened instantly into a roar.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Well-” said Eli as he slipped into the backseat of the car, coffee sloshing over the rim of the plastic lid, and slammed the door just as Joshua skidded away from the curb. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty keen to put Minneapolis in the rear vision mirror.”

  He handed Jenny the coffee and she took it wordlessly. Joshua wriggled in the driver’s seat, his eyes – as always – glued to the road. There was tension in the air, and Joshua wasn’t sure if it was his fault or if it had something to do with Jenny as well.

  “Guys?”

  “Why, did something happen to you last night while you were out gallivanting around the city behind my back?” Joshua snapped. He remembered hearing the boy sneak back into the hotel room at an earlier hour than he expected, but decided to leave it until morning to get furious.

  “For your information,” said Eli, “I visited my mother, a mother I haven’t seen nor heard from in nine years since she ran out on me and my dad. I’m terribly sorry if that was any inconvenience to you. I’ll try to be less selfish next time.”

  The car went instantly cold. Joshua squirmed in the seat and said nothing.

  “Are you alright?” Jenny asked him.

  Eli shrugged. “I guess so. It wasn’t worth the sixty bucks I spent in cab money, I’ll tell you that. So did you guys get up to any mischief last night?”

  Jenny choked a little on her coffee and wiped a hand across her chin to cover it. Joshua pretended to fiddle with the radio, but his palms were getting clammy. And that never happened.

  “Okay… something’s going down that you two aren’t telling me.” Eli leaned forward and tapped Joshua on the shoulder. “Is it something to do with this professor guy you’re taking us to?”

  “It’s…” Joshua shot a sideways glance at Jenny, and then he blinked several times. “It’s nothing.”

  Eli must have seen the blush that crept into Joshua’s cheeks, for he sat back against the leather seat and huffed a laugh.

  “Holy shit. You guys buried the bishop, didn’t you?”

  This time, Jenny spat coffee all over the windshield. Joshua let out a yelp and the car swerved, jerking all three of them to the right.

  “Hey, watch where you’re driving!” Eli groaned at the sight of half his coffee sloshed on the carpet floor of the car. “Now I have half a laté. Thanks.”

  Joshua flicked his wrist at Eli and instantly, his laté turned to ice. Rock solid ice in a Styrofoam cup.

  “There. Now you have half a frozen laté.” Joshua stepped on the gas and they all lurched forward. He didn’t have the patience to deal with Eli any more than he wanted to re-live the awkwardly terrifying events of the night before.

  “Joshua, I think you need to relax a little.” Jenny lifted a tissue and delicately wiped away the coffee dripping down the dashboard. “Do you want to get pulled over?”

  Joshua didn’t like Jenny telling him what to do, but sometimes her voice was like a cool rush of water that moved through his body and commanded the ice to stop whatever it was doing and listen. He eased his foot off the break.

  “You’re right. We don’t need that kind of trouble.” Joshua’s eyes sought Eli’s in the mirror. “We did not do anything of that sort, for your information Eli.”

  He coughed a clearly audible ‘bullshit’. Jenny hid a smile.

  Joshua readjusted his hands and turned onto the highway. “It’s about nine hours to Dickinson. I suggest you both… sleep for a while. I’ll stop for gas in about an hour and we can eat a real breakfast.”

  Jenny nodded and opened her book, kicking her feet up on the dash. Joshua didn’t even order her to put them back down. He focused on the road ahead, but his thoughts were miles away. Without realizing it, Joshua drove straight into a bump on the road and the three of them were jolted upright.

  And just like that, Joshua was taken by a memory. He and Liz were driving through the mountains in Cuba into town to buy some groceries and visit the hospital for a check-up. He glanced at her sitting in the passenger seat, examining some data he’d printed out earlier.

  “Honestly, don’t you think that sometimes these readings have a mind of their own?” Liz asked, turning the paper upside down as if that helped the data appear reg
ular.

  Joshua swerved around another bush, cursing the rough terrain. The heat of the mountains was making him jittery. “Not really, yours look pretty-”

  “Not mine; Hunter’s. Are you sure you did this right?”

  “Liz, that’s my first homemade ultrasound in a power-generated shed out in the middle of nowhere. It’s highly probable I made a mistake.”

  Liz groaned and shoved the pages back in her bag.

  “What’s wrong? I told you, no one will find us out here. I mean we’re living here illegally, I know, but after the fire I was sure you just wanted to run and-”

  “It’s not that, it’s the baby.”

  “I promise you, you’re not going to give birth to a demon, alright? Everything will be fine.”

  “I just don’t know Joshua,” she sighed. “Everything we’ve searched for here has only led to more questions. And then there’s the heat flushes, the random fires in the shack, the voice, the-”

  “The what?” He turned to stare at her and almost swerved completely off the track. “You’re hearing a voice now? When were you going to tell me this?”

  “Never,” she said softly. She was biting her lip. “It’s nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Joshua snorted. “Yeah, because I hear a voice in my head all the time.”

  “Don’t mock me,” she sneered. “I just get these random thoughts, okay? Sometimes they come in the middle of the night and I wake up in a heat flush, sometimes I get them when I’m in the shower, sometimes when I’m outside lying on the hammock. They’re just… feelings.”

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” He leaned forward and checked both ways before turning right on the wider dirt track that led to town. “What exactly does your mystery voice say?”