by Tess McKenna
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
“Thanks,” she says.
“What’s the story?” I ask.
“Well, the phoenix reminds me of my brother. Kono and I are actually triplets. Our brother’s name was Kane. Like Kono and I, his powers dealt with the mind. Kono can move things with her mind; I read people’s minds; and he could hypnotize people and convince them to do what he wanted. He was very good at it, too”
Kiaria smiles as she tells the story. That’s how I know it’s all true. But it’s a broken smile. That’s how I know it’s a sad ending.
“Long story short,” she says, “he became consumed by his powers and became lustful and uncontrollable, which led him to his death. Right before he died… he realized what he had become and righted his wrongs… but he died in doing so. He said something to Kono and me: ‘I burned my soul to ashes, but now I am reborn.’”
Now it’s my turn to take Kiaria’s hand. I do, and she grips mine back.
“I guess we all have our histories,” she sighs.
I’m reminded of my first night at Kenyon when I heard Kono, Kiaria, Abraham, and Nate arguing outside my bedroom door. With so many dangerous young people at Kenyon, it comes as no surprise that some had imperfect paths to get to Kenyon. Nor are all guaranteed a spotless future after Kenyon.
“Do you have any tattoos?” Kiaria asks.
“Not the same kind,” I say.
Kiaria doesn’t have to read my mind to know what I’m talking about. The scars on my body are my tattoos, and they tell the story of my entire existence.
A few minutes later, after Kiaria and I drink the rest of the coffee, a low rumbling sound echoes from behind the wall next to the kitchen. It’s a car… behind the wall? The humming grows louder and louder as the vehicle approaches. I wait for the car to drive through the wall, but then it screeches to a hault.
“They’re back,” Kiaria says.
She takes the last gulp of her coffee and stands up. The wall next to the kitchen slides open, and the rest of the Metanites make their way out of the hidden garage and into the Base. Elijah is first to come through; he’s chanting and pumping his first while Zoë hangs onto his back. Lazzer flips through the entrance. Abraham struts in with his arms draped over both Kono and Izzi, who are both smiling. Nickel and Xander enter with wide grins, punching each other playfully. Nate and Marissa are last to walk through the entrance; she’s clutching his right arm with both of hers and presses against him. Nate smiles and laughs at the others who came in before him.
My heart leapt when they first came through the door, but now it stings with a small pain I don’t recognize. Zoë waves to me, and even Izzi gives me a smile. Nate’s eyes lock with mine, and pain sinks a little deeper. His smile changes, as does mine.
“Hey! Great plan, Kia! It worked perfectly.”
“Awe, well done, Lazz,” she says.
“Did you see the part when Eli lit the wall behind the oven on fire?! I thought they were going to catch us!”
“You should have seen how small Abe was! It was ridiculous; I was so close to cracking up right in front of the cops!”
“Did you see their faces when they saw the police? I should have taken a photo… it was perfect!”
“Annika, we did it! Aren’t you ecstatic?” Marissa exclaims. She lets go of Nate and gives me a tight hug.
“Sure,” I say. I try to sound happy, but I don’t fool all of them.
Then Nickel comes over and gives me a giant hug; when he touches my shirt, his skin transforms to a solid grey and is as soft as cotton.
“Hey, everything’s going to be okay! The bad guys are going into custody, you’ll be safer, everyone else will be safer…” Elijah says.
I open my mouth to speak, but I don’t have the heart to tell them that their mission was only a partial success and that there are many more of them out there. I can’t tell them now, not when they are all so happy.
“What is it?” Zoë asks,
“There’s more of them,” Kiaria says. I swear, sometimes it’s like she can actually read my mind. “That woman with Jericho you saw on St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t there. And there’s also that second location we haven’t found yet.”
“We’ll find it,” Nate says.
“But for now, let’s celebrate!” Abraham says. “Who’s in for Wade Oval Wednesday?”
The Metanites cheer, but not me. Wade Oval is outside the walls of Kenyon; therefore, I’m not invited.
“Awe, but what about Annika?” Marissa says.
“It’s okay. It’s not really my thing,” I say.
“Well, with all of us there, it would be totally safe. Moton could even come with us,” Marissa says.
“Moton would say no, no doubt,” Lazzer says.
“I think it’s best if I just stay,” I say.
“I’ll stay here with you,” Nate says.
The Metanites beg and bribe him to come with them, but none offer to take his spot and stay at Kenyon with me. They know someone has to stay, and Nate and Marissa are probably the only two who would want to stay with me.
“Nah, my foot is somewhat sore. You all should go, though! It’s the spring opener, so it will be great,” Nate says.
Lame excuse. I bet he just wants breathing room from Marissa.
“Well, okay. The circle doesn’t open until ten, which is only fifteen minutes,” Kiaria says. “Do you think we can be ready to go in ten?”
“Maybe.”
“If we started getting ready now.”
“Awesome.”
“Let’s go!”
“I’ll tell Moton where you’re all going,” Nate says.
He follows the Metanites as they take off toward the elevator, but I stay behind to grab my untouched bowl of cereal. Kono hasn’t been outwardly rude to me yet, so I won’t risk it by confining the two of us in a crowded elevator. I hear clicking behind me and know that someone else stayed to catch the second elevator with me.
“Hey, Annika. I’m sorry you can’t come with us—I wish you could! We should all do something fun later tonight,” Marissa says.
I know she’s trying to be nice, although it’s annoying. I should give her a little lee-way. She has always been kind to me, even when I don’t deserve it.
“Thanks, but I’m really fine. Still need to eat breakfast, anyway,” I say.
“So do you like staying with us… in Kenyon?” Marissa asks.
Ugh. Small talk. I wonder where this is going. I shift my weight to my other foot and think about her question. What do I say? I haven’t asked myself that question.
“I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t thought about whether I like it or not—it just seems to be the best option for me right now. I mean, not that I dislike it. I guess I do kind-a like it… I think what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been several places around the world for the past two years. Liking where I was seemed a bit irrelevant because it was where I had to be,” I say.
“Well, now that you’re thinking about it, what do you think of Kenyon?”
“I guess I do… parts of it,” I say.
“I’m glad,” Marissa says, “because we like having you here. Well, most of us.”
“Yeah, Kiaria warned me to stay away from her sister and Izzi,” I say. As if the giant “Piss Off” plastered on Kono’s forehead didn’t warn me enough.
“Don’t worry about them. They’re just sensitive to outsiders,” Marissa says. “I know that… Nate… and Abraham, of course, are really happy to have you. As am I. I’m really glad you’re here, too.”
“Thanks,” I say. I walk over to the elevator, convincing myself that standing closer to it will make it come faster. “I think they’re hung up on the idea of me saving Nate.”
“I think there’s more to it than that,” Marissa says.
Ughhhhh… come on, stupid elevator.
“Well—hm—you know,” I say. I clear my throat. “They’re both very outgoing and kind to strangers. Abraham could talk t
o a wall if he tried.”
Marissa nods, smiles a little, but says nothing.
“Nate mentioned you. So has Zoë. They think highly of you,” I say.
“Really? What did he say?” Marissa asks. She turns and looks at me, her face brighter and eager. I guess she missed the part when I said, “Zoë.”
“He told me that the two of you used to date,” I say. Did Nate tell me that, or was it someone else?
“Yes,” she sighs, blushing. “We dated for a while, but then we decided to take a break, you know? You know… you get really close to someone, and then you just get tired or—or bored, but not bored, just tired, and you want some time to yourself?”
“No, not really,” I say.
The elevator comes back, and the doors open. Thank god. I step into the elevator and wait for Marissa to send us back to floor 71.
“It’s like… like everything is just fine, but you’re tired of fine, and you want something better than just fine. Like—you want him to fight for you, or—or do something that upsets you, just so you can fight about it and feel something, and then make-up and be better than where you started. You know?” she continues.
“No,” I say.
Marissa starts pressing buttons, but not fast enough. Maybe if I tell her I have to go to the bathroom then she will speed things up.
“I don’t know what to do, Annika. I miss him! I do! But I feel like I’ve lost him, and I’m afraid to tell him that I miss him because… because I don’t know if he wants me back. It’s hard to talk to any of the others about this because they would all think I’m being dramatic and needy. But it matters to me. I mean… Nate and I are just taking a break, but… what should I do?”
“Look, Marissa,” I say. I sigh. “I feel for you, really… but I don’t really do relationships. I have no clue what you should do or what I’m supposed to tell you.”
The words stutter off my tongue, maybe because it was such a pathetic answer to her problems or maybe I was copying the way her thoughts stuttered out of her mouth. I do feel sorry for her. Out of all the Metanites she would choose to talk about her feelings with me, all because she’s afraid her friends would think less of her if she told them. I feel sorry for her for holding her vanity so high. I also feel sorry for her because I doubt Nate cares.
“I could talk to him about it while you are all gone—you know, without flat-out telling him,” I say.
“Would you!? That would be awesome,” Marissa says. “You don’t mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?”
“Fire away.”
“Do you and Jericho know each other well?”
Ahh, how do I drop the subject quickly? The elevator starts to move—finally.
“We knew each other. My family took him in until his sister found him,” I say.
“His sister who works for Dr. Nancy?”
“Half sister, yes. She moved to Cleveland to be with him.”
“And you grew up here, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did. That doesn’t mean it holds a special place in my heart. I got out of here as soon as I could.”
“What made you leave?”
The elevator keeps climbing… almost there.
“Because I didn’t like what I was turning into,” I say.
“And what was that?”
The elevator comes to a stop, and the doors open. Marissa follows me through the exterior elevator and into the hall. We start walking toward our bedrooms where we hear the Metanites getting ready to leave.
“A monster,” I say.
“So why did you come back?” she asks me.
Cassie. I remember that day she came to me, asking me questions I didn’t have answers for. Questions that led me back to Cleveland, not because the answers were here, but because the answers forced me back here. Cassie. She wanted this to end. She wanted to go home, home to Cleveland. She never made it back.
“Annika?” Marissa calls to me.
I jerk my head up to her, and we look each other in the eyes for the first time since the conversation began. Her eyes beg me for answers, just like Cassie’s eyes, and I force myself to not look away.
“Because I had to,” I say. “It was the only way I could stop him.”
“Stop him how?”
“There you two are,” Nate says.
Marissa and I see Nate walking toward us. He is still wearing the silver suit marking him as a Metanite. His left pant is stuck on the black straps binding his foot—the only indication that he’s injured. He doesn’t limp anymore. If he wanted the others to buy his excuse that his foot was hurting too much to go to Wade Oval, he should have limped a little.
I am relieved to see it. His timing prevents Marissa from inquiring more about the tangible dirt I have on Dr. Nancy.
“Marissa, hurry!” Xander yells from down to hall.
“Okay, sorry I have to change!” Marissa says. She starts running down the hall. “I’ll catch up with you both later!”
Neither Nate nor I respond, which makes me feel worse for her. She’s a nice person. She deserves someone who is going to care for her.
The rest of the Metanites rendezvous around Nate and I, chatting on and on about the mission, Wade Oval Wednesday, and all the other fun things they do without me. I’m not missing much, though. They may be entertained by small victories, but ignorance is bliss. I should let them enjoy their bliss before they’re too deep into my mess. Marissa is last to join, and she comes running back to the group with skinny jeans and a low V-neck shirt. Nate places his hand on my shoulder and leans closer to me.
“I’m going to shower and change, but I’ll be back soon,” he says.
“Okay, I will be in my room if these guys leave before you come back,” I say.
“Sounds good,” he says as he leaves.
The Metanites leave right as Nate does, and now I’m alone in the hall. I’m glad though… after one week of no casualties, I’m glad the Metanites are loosening the babysitting reins. I go back to my room and place my untouched cereal on the table next to my bed. Finally, I have a chance to eat.
I mess with the buttons to control the Bleu-screen in my room. I spend over five minutes skimming through the different window views from Kenyon—hard pass on the cafeteria window’s view—until I find a view from the roof.
I finish the entire bowl of cereal when I notice a white envelope under the cereal bowl. Was that there the whole time? The envelope is sealed but has no address nor recipient. Odd. I guess there’s no harm in opening it…
I pull out nine flashcards from the envelope. All have a picture of a person on them with their name, age, height, weight, eye color, date of birth… and date of death.
Dr. Gina D. Vowels
05/28/2012—03/08/2065
Dr. Otis Raynor
10/21/2025—03/08/2065
Dr. Gordana Klarić
10/04/2031—03/08/2065
Dr. Phillipp Becker Jr.
05/06/2030—03/08/2065
Dr. Bogomil Blažević
01/30/2002—03/08/2065
Dr. Joseph E. Barnhill
09/14/2023—03/08/2065
Dr. Mary E. Ayala
10/23/2020—03/08/2065
Dr. Joel Davey
05/13/2018—03/08/2065
The eight people who died in the break-in at the Cleveland Clinic. The eight people I killed when I stole the tangible dirt from Dr. Nancy’s factory.
Jaser Macura
01/03/2032—03/17/2065
Katja Pabst
11/03/2031—03/17/2065
Abigail Morgan
04/19/2046—03/17/2065
Ryan Yates
06/18/2043—03/17/2065
Erika Yakes
02/23/2043—03/17/2065
Benjamin Hart
10/09/2027—03/17/2065
Harriet Cunningham
06/15/2012—03/17/2065
Arno Mačkić
07/09/2043—03/17/2065
The eight people who died i
n the bombing on St. Patrick’s Day.
Marissa O’Brien
Date of Death: 03/26/2065
My heart stops. Marissa is the hunting crew’s next target, and they’ll kill her to get to me. I flip the card over:
Come alone.
I have to go to her. I have to stop them. Nate’s gone… this may be my only chance.
I turn around, and the blonde girl is standing between me and the door. Cassie. She stares at me with those big blue eyes, begging me for something. But what? What does she want from me? Is she just here to remind me that everyone I come close to dies, or to remind me that I can’t save anyone? Or is she warning me not to go, knowing that if I leave Kenyon to track down Marissa and the hunting crew, someone I care about will die because of me?
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” I say to the ghost, “but I have to try.”
I close my eyes and run toward her—through her—and into the hall. My heart starts again after I run through the ghost, but now I can hardly breathe. I look up and down the hall—no Nate.
Time to go, and fast!
XVI: Sunlight and Radiation
Wednesday, March 26, 2065; 10:35 a.m.
First person
Clear skies and fifty-three degrees. It’s the perfect day for the spring opening of Wade Oval Wednesday, and half of Cleveland came out to enjoy it. People and food tents fill the oval; the smell of cinnamon nuts and churros flood my sinuses; and local bands compete with happy chatter for domination of noise. The sunlight makes everything feel that much brighter and happier.
It’s my absolute nightmare.
I push through crowds and strollers and tents of local artists and jewelry makers. Marissa… where is Marissa? I pull my jacket close and tighten the strands of my hood to prevent any sunlight from hitting my skin.
She must be somewhere. If only I can get to her before the hunting crew… or maybe they already found her. Perhaps I should be looking for them instead.
I trip on a wire holding up a tent for chili dogs and cheese. I twist my ankle and fall sideways into someone. My hood falls off, and I look at the person who I fell into.