"They later told me I went mad, throwing things and screaming. They said I was shouting about having to stop him, though they didn't know what or who I was talking about.
"Sometimes I wonder what really happened to me. I had never had a vision so strong, so powerful it was debilitating. The others didn't understand it either, so they classified me as mad. I was pretty much shut away for my own safety and the baby's safety. No one would listen to me when I tried to tell them of what I saw. I was crazy.
"I had tried to contact Joshua a few times, but something had happened outside the PRDI and Joshua was gone. If there was ever a time I wanted him with me, it was that moment, when I was alone and no one would listen to me.
"I soon found out what had happened to cause Joshua to leave. A religious group had taken it upon themselves to wage a war of sorts against the PRDI. We were under constant attack, physically, politically, emotionally, and Joshua had left to keep himself safe. A lot of the PRDI members did. We almost went under, but somehow Gavin kept us strong.
"I was still considered insane by most members, so I was taken away from the PRDI, both for safety reasons and because, well, I don't think they wanted me there. I ranted and raved, trying to get their attention but nothing would work. No one would listen and the threat of Quenten was passed off as delusions.
"So I was secluded in a hospital. No, it wasn't like Quenten's ‘hospital'. This place was legitimate and I was coming along nicely, according to the doctors there. They were careful with medication, not wanting to give me too much for the sake of my pregnancy. I tried to tell them I didn't need it, I really wasn't crazy ... but still no one would listen. Who would trust the crazy woman?
"Months passed and I was close to the end of my term. I had gotten better. I was no longer considered crazy, though a close watch was kept on me. I heard from Joshua once, maybe twice, but the telephone has a way of making you realize just how much distance remains between you and the ones you care about. We talked about the baby, talked about raising it together.
"But Joshua was still scared. The religious radicals were still waging their war and he was reluctant to begin our family just yet, not with that hanging over us. I agreed to stay with the PRDI until he could collect both me and the baby. I was to be released shortly to return to the PRDI, to have my baby.
"Despite Joshua's unwillingness for us to be together right away, things were going rather well...
"Until it happened again.
"Like before, I can't remember what happened except the same vision came to me again. This time, it was stronger, more real. I could smell the blood, almost taste it on the air. I could feel the power growing in Quenten. His laughter was louder, more vicious.
"I snapped again, but this time I was further into my pregnancy and there was more risk. My convulsions, the pain that ripped through me caused an early labor.
"I gave birth to you in that hospital a few hours later. Because I was stark raving mad from the power of the vision, they didn't even let me hold you. I saw you, tiny and red, screaming. They wouldn't even let me hold you."
Amelia stopped there to wipe her eyes. She let out a shuddering breath, raising her gaze to the ceiling for a few moments.
"I'm sorry. Whenever I remember I get overwhelmed with hurt and anger. It was wrong what they did. I would never have hurt you. I would've fought for you, had I not been weak from the birth.” She looked back at Jason and smiled, sadly.
"When I next came to, you were gone. They tried to tell me you had died, that the baby I had carried nearly nine months was stillborn. I didn't believe it. I had seen you, had heard you. I knew you were alive. I still don't know why they lied to me. But those lies were just the beginning.
"I was not released as they had promised. I was crazy once again, and they had further proof that I would never be sane. It was all wrong and I was powerless to stop it. I was powerless to find my child.
"I threw a fit of anger on a few occasions, demanding to know where my child was, demanding to be let out. I am not an angry person by nature and anyone else would be strained under the same circumstances. My powers were out of control when I lashed out, though exactly how I can't remember. I know I must've frightened them because the next thing I knew, I was in solitary, in a straight jacket.
"But I insist again—I was not insane. I knew what had happened to me was a vision and I knew what I had seen was true. I knew it was a very real danger, but no one would listen. I was a victim of my own abilities, unable to get anyone—even the PRDI—to listen and believe me. I felt betrayed by my own. There was nothing much left I could do.
"Months later, maybe a year I don't know, I was back in my own room, but I had given up on fighting. I didn't rant or rave or say much. I was listless, wanting to see the outdoors. I wanted the trees and the air, sources of power. I wanted to be free. I wanted my child, my life.
"I learned of the transfer only after it had been completed. Two large orderlies had entered my room and before I could even protest, I had been sedated. I was taken to Quenten's ‘hospital'. I woke up in a dark, dingy place. I sensed unfriendliness.
"The moment I saw Quenten, I knew I was right. This place was evil.
"He had his men strap me down, draw blood and inject me with something, some sort of drug. It made me unstable. My powers went crazy, I couldn't control it. And I knew he was watching, taking notes, seeing what I could do.
"The experiments went on like this for weeks. I lived in minimal comfort. I was poked, prodded, tested beyond my capacity. Quenten did ... he did horrible things to me, things I don't want to talk about. I sometimes prayed that he would just kill me and get it over with, but no—Quenten didn't want to kill me. He wanted to use me.
"My powers were useless against him because he knew everything about me. I made the attempt to escape many times, but each time he foiled it. I knew from my vision that something horrible was going to happen and I didn't want to be around when it did.
"I vowed to stop him, stop the events of the vision before it was too late.
"After a while, the experiments began to wane. He didn't send his men to get me very often any more, no doubt he had new subjects. I was left on my own, solitary once again. I used this time to strengthen my own powers. It took years to achieve the level of power I now have. It didn't happen overnight.
"Without Quenten's drugs, I was able to shield my mind. I was able to expand it as well, until I could touch the mind of his guards. I could follow their steps in their minds and memories, and in doing this I learned the halls of that place. I learned of all the exits. I stretched my mind further until I was able to use my powers with more control.
"But there was one person whose mind I couldn't infiltrate—Quenten's. No matter how I tried, he couldn't be touched. I knew though, somehow through the guard's thoughts, that he had injected himself with a psychic's blood. That was how he was able to block me, to do some of the impossible things he could do.
"Imagining how he had gained this power sent a shock through me. He was already starting what I had seen in that vision so long ago. Why he was delaying it confused me. It was just a matter of time before he injected himself with more blood."
"And then what?” Jason found himself curious, despite the fact he didn't really want to know any more.
Amelia stared at him, silent for a moment. She appeared to be gathering her thoughts, as if surprised by his question. She studied Jason for a while before she continued.
"I was there for too long ... I can't even remember the years, but seeing you as an adult frightens me. You have to be how old? Late twenties or early thirties? To think, I had been in his clutches for that long...
"I hadn't attempted an escape in years. I had almost forgotten an outside world existed, until the cries of new subjects woke me from my sleep one evening. It was Lex. I formed a psychic bond with her, tried to calm her. I discovered from her thoughts that Quenten was performing the same gross experiments on her.
"When
I saw from her mind that there were others here, particularly Toby, I knew I had to come up with a plan. It was time to escape.
"The three of us combined our minds and I found that once we did so, our powers were tripled. I thought of using this power, manipulating it to shut down the electricity and open the doors. After that, I was stumped.
"Even with our combined energies, it wasn't enough. We needed someone else.
"I scanned the building, trying to find another one of our kind, but I had no such luck. There were no other psychics, or vampires, or werewolves or any other supernatural creature there that was, well, able-minded. See, Quenten's experiments often left his subjects in a mindless state. I needed to find someone who was conscious, who could help..."
* * * *
* * * *
"And that someone was me,” Jason interrupted. He couldn't help it if he sounded bitter. The story she was telling him was incredible, so much so he was disinclined to believe it all.
He knew the story of Joshua and Amelia from the letter that had revealed his brotherhood with Simon, so it wasn't news to him. What he really wanted to know was why she had contacted him and why now.
Now they were getting somewhere.
"Yes,” Amelia said wearily, tired from telling her story. “That someone was you. I didn't know until I saw you at the PRDI."
"What do you mean? When you saw me in the PRDI? How is that possible?"
She took a deep breath. “I have always associated the PRDI with strong, psychically inclined supernatural creatures. I guess it was no wonder I returned there.” She looked at Jason, her eyes bright. “During my incarceration there, I learned how to astral project."
"Astral project?” Jason raised an eyebrow.
"It's the ability to remove a part of one's self from the physical. It's the ability to go out of body, travel to different places—"
"I know what it is,” Jason said angrily. He really didn't know what it was, but he just wanted her to hurry up with it all.
"I returned to the PRDI. I could feel the presence of so many there—more than had ever lived there in the earlier days but there was one presence that was stronger than the rest. I drifted toward there, taking my time."
Jason sat back in his chair, affixing his gaze to his lukewarm cup of coffee. He remembered seeing her at the PRDI, in his dream. She had been wandering aimlessly about the house. Was that an astral projection?
"I found the presence stronger upstairs, so I continued to follow it. I found her in one of the bedrooms, sleeping."
"Rose,” Jason said, lifting his gaze back to Amelia. She looked confused. “Her name is Rose.” Jason shook his head, dismissing the thought of Rose with power. That's not what he wanted to know. “I thought it was a dream when I saw you there."
"You were astral projecting, too. When I turned and saw you there, you looked just like your father. I was so shocked I was pulled back into my body. That's when I knew you would be the one to help us."
"And that's why you called out to me."
"Yes,” Amelia said with a nod. “I knew at that moment you were my son. I had to bring you here. You could help us."
Jason sighed and lowered his head. His fists clenched together. “So you knew I would get captured?"
There was no response. He looked up to see Amelia's pale face flush.
"That was something I didn't want to happen, believe me. I was able to get away from Quenten's goons when they were taking me out of my cell for a routine inspection. I knew you were out there, outside waiting for something so I ran to the nearest window."
"I saw you."
"I know, and I saw you. I hadn't expected Quenten's goons to be so fast. I tried to warn you, but they got to me first. Then, when I came to, in the solitary room, you were already in custody. I'm really very sorry about that. I had hoped it wouldn't happen."
Jason could only sit there, willing his anger back down. Blowing up at her wouldn't change what had already been done. Once he felt calm enough to speak, he did.
"Apology accepted,” he said tersely. “Now what?"
"Now, we have to get away and come up with a plan. You know first hand the kind of sick person Quenten is. You know he has to be stopped. For all we know, he may have already absorbed all those powers. I don't understand why he hasn't done this before, unless something is holding him back...” She drifted off.
"So you didn't just need me to break you out. You need me to stop him."
"Yes."
Jason sneered and leaned back in his seat. The waitress had returned to refill his cup and they were silent long after she had turned away. Amelia sighed.
"If circumstances had been different, perhaps it wouldn't have turned out this way. This is all unexpected and hard to digest, but if there was any other way ... Believe me, I had tried to reach out to others, to my family, to Joshua but I came up with nothing. Once or twice I tried to contact my sister, but I was mistaken. The girl I contacted wasn't her.” Her voice softened, became sad. “I haven't heard from my family since I've been here. They probably think I'm dead."
Jason nodded. “I was told you were, from Joshua."
"You met Joshua?” Amelia looked at him, her eyes widening. “When? How is he? Where is he?"
"I met him about fifteen years ago—or at least it was close to fifteen years, I really can't remember. I met him in a diner somewhat like this. It was the only time I met with him.” He paused. “He's dead now."
"Dead? How did he die?"
Jason took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This wouldn't be easy to explain to her. He looked up at her, into her expectant eyes.
"He was murdered."
Amelia let out a hiss of a breath and leaned back. She closed her eyes, but not before Jason caught a glimpse of tears sparkling in them. “Murdered. I should've guessed. All of my reaching out to him, all of my calling was for nothing.” She reopened her eyes, the tears making them bright.
"It's a long story,” Jason explained. “Maybe one day, after all this settles, I'll tell you."
"I would appreciate that.” Amelia looked out the window, toward the horizon. “The bus should be here soon. Where are we going again?"
"North,” Jason said. He laid enough bills on the table as he slid out of his seat. Amelia remained seated but turned her attention to him.
"Just north?"
"Yeah.” Jason hadn't thought very far ahead. He was improvising as he went along. A few days ago, he had been rambling; now, he was on a mission, albeit reluctantly. He had no idea he was going to meet his mother, much less stop a mad scientist she had had visions about before he was even born.
He wasn't even sure he wanted to do any of it. He had set out on his quest to find out about himself, to avoid the pain and he had done that. Now, he just wanted to go home and see Rose. He didn't want to fight any more.
But what about Amelia? Jason wasn't sure just what he was going to do with her. He had never expected to encounter anyone, much less his mother. Could he just leave her someplace, let her fend for herself?
His inner voice spoke up. You know you can't. She is your mother and it is your duty to help her, regardless of your relationship or lack thereof.
He let out a hissing breath as he turned away from Amelia. His instinct was right. Perhaps it was the wolf within that clung to familial bonds. Whatever the reason, Jason knew he couldn't abandon her.
But he knew he wouldn't fight his battles for her. Dealing with Quenten was not on the top of his list and he would have to let Amelia know that as soon as they were safe and away from danger.
Together, they exited the restaurant and started to cross the parking lot. The bus wasn't due to arrive for another ten or fifteen minutes, but Jason wanted them to be the first in line when it arrived.
Amelia stared at the horizon.
"I haven't seen a sunrise in years,” she said softly. “I've missed the trees and the smell of rain. I've missed the sunlight. I've missed so much."
Jason neve
r really thought about the trees, rain or sunlight in every day life, but he didn't want to imagine what it would be like to be without these things. He didn't turn to Amelia or say anything about it. What could he say?
He walked on in silence, Amelia falling slightly behind him. The sky ahead of them was lightening. It would be morning shortly. He couldn't wait for this night to be over and done with.
As he walked, he thought about what Amelia had said about her family being strong psychically. They were witches. It explained how he had been able to survive so much. It explained how he was able to know things before they happened. It explained his visions. It explained a lot.
But he still had questions about himself and about Amelia. There was still so much he needed to know. They had only scratched the surface.
He turned back to say something to Amelia when he caught a scent on the air. It smelled familiar, dangerous. He met Amelia's gaze a moment before he realized who and what the smell belonged to.
The dart made a quiet pfft in the dark, but Jason's werewolf hearing picked up on it quite well. Amelia started when it hit her in the neck.
"What—?” she asked, touching it. The confusion in her eyes told Jason she didn't yet realize what it meant, but he did. A second later, her eyes rolled back and she slumped forward.
Jason meant to catch her, but another pfft alerted him to the second dart only a moment before he felt it in his arm. He looked down at it and yanked it out in one deft move, but it was too late. The tranquilizer was already taking effect.
Feeling himself growing groggy and his limbs turning languid, Jason turned his head. Three men, armed with rifles stepped out from the shadows of the parking lot. Samuel Quenten's lab coat was a bright white against the night and it was the last thing Jason saw before he passed out.
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Chapter Seventeen
Aurora awoke with a start, her bed sheets tangled around her body. Sweat drenched her skin and hair clung to her forehead. She blinked in the darkness, trying to figure out just what it was that woke her.
Dark Moon Magick [The Moon Series: Book 4] Page 21