Affinity

by Dianne Wilson

  “You!” Kai shot up, nearly toppling into the water. Reality flooded back. “You have to help me. I don’t know how to get to Zee. I couldn’t stop what happened to Bree—” Words stuck in his throat and he broke off.

  The smile faded from Tau’s face. He uncurled himself from the grass and leaned towards Kai. “Hear me: things are about to get a bit crazy. Remember this. Not everything that hurts you causes damage. Not everything you see is as it seems. Before you run, listen. You can do this.” The smile on his face broke through like sunlight through storm clouds.

  Everything swirled in a maelstrom of dark and light, and Kai was sucked backwards, faster and faster until he smacked back into his body, into reality with enough force to knock out his wind.

  Before you run, listen.

  Kai lay still, forced his breathing to stay even, and peeped through his eyelashes.

  The Recruiter paced, red spots high on her cheeks. She held a phone to her ear and her other hand ran through her hair, scrunching and knotting it. “He’s turned. You have to come get him.” She fiddled with the control panel, flicking a switch. “No! He is beyond that point. He’s a third timer. I’m sending you the results now.” She shook her head as she listened. “Of course I ran the pre-test. You have to send someone. We can’t let him walk.” She hung up and leaned on the desk, rubbing her forehead as though plagued with a headache.

  Kai’s belly twisted, annihilating any hope that he’d rescue Zee this way. It seemed getting out on his own two legs might even be pushing it.

  Her back was to him as she shifted over the keyboard, opened a new email, and started typing. It rained harder now, pelting the roof with a rhythm that matched the speed of her fingers.

  The restraints on his arms weren't designed to keep someone captive, but merely as a safety mechanism should someone react badly to the testing. He eased himself out of them with little trouble and no noise. Now was as good a time as any. Shifting his weight over the seat, he forgot about the crack and bit back a yelp as it pinched him. He leapt to his feet, rubbing his tender rear as she hit send.

  The Recruiter turned, stared at him, speechless for a second. She blinked and found her voice. “Sit down! We're not done.”

  He took a step backwards toward the door. “I'm sorry I wasted your time—I guess I just don't have what you’re looking for.” Kai inched himself back, watching for any sudden movements.

  Hunter and prey, their gazes caught and locked.

  The inside of the van suddenly felt small.

  With a hiss, she turned away and hit a button on her console.

  Kai expected an alarm but heard nothing. He grabbed the gap, turned, and ran for the door. He expected it to be locked. It wasn’t. A muddy puddle caught him, splashing dirty water into his eyes and down his throat. Cold shock slammed through him, and he gasped, breathing water into his lungs. Blind and choking, he found his feet and ran.

  Reaching his backpack, he threw it on and didn’t stop. Tears ran down his face, not caused by emotion, but sand that stung like fire. Not everything that hurts you causes damage. Just a moment to breathe, a choking-cough that spat up the liquid in his lungs.

  Run, boy, run.

  As he rounded the tree, a hand clamped onto his neck, a knee slammed into his ribs, a fist to his cheekbone. It all blurred, running like melted wax into a mess of pain and agony that made stars dance in his head. Kai was dimly aware of being dragged, soggy pants clinging to his legs, getting wetter from the rain and mud, then dumped in a heap. His instincts jabbered on about running, but his mind couldn’t figure out what that actually meant. Cold wetness soaked through to his bones, Kai began shivering so hard, his teeth clacked together.

  “Open that grate. He won’t give us any more trouble, not with this rain.” There was no malice in the voice, no emotion at all. Whoever had spoken might as well have been a med student sharpening his scalpel to dissect a rat.

  “Storm water drain?”

  “You fool! What other grate do you see?”

  “But it’s raining.”

  “And the problem is…?”

  “Oh, I get it.” The not-so-bright-one chuckled as if he’d been let in on a private joke.

  “Just do it, half-wit.”

  More dragging that made Kai’s muscles burn, then the ground disappeared out from under him and he fell into darkness. He tumbled, grabbing at air and trying to stop himself. He landed with a splash. Cold smacked through him and it was hard to breathe. He found his feet and pushed upright. The freezing water was only waist deep. Icy cold shocked him back to awareness and he swallowed hard. The grate above clanged shut and the light cut off in staggered shunts as something solid was pushed on top of it.

  ~*~

  It was still lights out.

  Eva collected every pip and stalk of evidence and stowed all of it deep in the crack in the wall. The crack was in the corner where she slept with Peta. It must have been placed there by Divine Providence.

  Two new Recruits were brought in soon after.

  Torn fetched them all for breakfast.

  Morgan caught Eva’s eye across the room, and nodded once, almost smiling.

  Eva got it—none of those who’d eaten the stolen fruit struggled as they normally did. The newer kids weren’t so lucky, Eva forced herself to watch as a small boy gave in to his hunger and attacked another one who was eating. She’d seen enough of the boy to know that he was gentle in nature, the kind of kid who would spend his summer rescuing bugs from drowning in the pool. But this place had turned him.

  And there was nothing Eva could do except memorize his features, remember his shy smile, not the twisted mask he now wore that had been goaded out of him through days of mindless cruelty. She’d heard him laugh once. As he wrestled on the floor, she brought back the memory of that sound – clung to it as a lifeline, not just for him—a small boy who couldn’t last without sustenance, but for Peta, for Morgan, for all of them. Even for herself. They couldn’t resist forever. A wave of hopelessness washed through her.

  Torn stepped in, hauling the boy to his feet with a cruel laugh. Torn carried the boy from the room. The boy’s feet dangled, his anger turning to tears that ran freely down his sunken cheeks.

  Weep, boy. Weep for us all.

  ~*~

  Kai’s panic rose with the water level. There was a tide to the storm water drain, an ebb and flow that sucked his legs out from under him only to wash over him as it rolled back in. Each time the water rushed back, there seemed to be more of it. As long as the rain fell outside, the water level in the tunnel would continue to rise. His only hope was to keep moving and find another outlet hatch.

  Trying to breathe normally, he turned from the only way he knew how to get out, and felt his way forward with his hands like a blind man.

  Things are about to get a little crazy.

  Something brushed past his arm, trailing tentacles of sorts. Kai flicked the nameless horror off him, shut his eyes tight and sloshed onwards. The next wave hit and knocked him off his feet. He doggy paddled, keeping his nose high, and realized how daft he’d been. Why walk when you can swim? Without thinking too deeply, he switched to breast stroke, all the while keeping his eyes above for any sign of another hatch.

  Cold rippled through him, his core temperature dropping with each moment he spent in the water. It numbed the pain from the beating, but it also made his limbs heavy and unwilling to move. He kept his strokes long to the front, short to the sides so as not to touch the side of the tunnel and remind himself of where he was. Just an ordinary swim, like any other day. Nothing strange or unusual going on here.

  Another incoming surge clonked his head on the roof of the drain, dunking him beneath the surface. He gasped, sucking in mouthfuls of dirty water. Choking, fighting hard against panic, Kai felt for the floor with his feet. The water level dropped slightly. He cleared his lungs, breath evening out. Sheer willpower forced him onwards, though his head swam from the blow and lack of oxygen.

  L
ight spots danced across his vision and warmth flooded through his arms and legs. His brain turned pirouettes inside his skull. It was enough to make him laugh. He did laugh. This was where it would all end for him. Water washed in over his head and he floated beneath the surface, not fighting the current, or the small angel who appeared next to him, blowing bubbles as she yelled. Had to be an angel, come to take him away.

  He’d never see Zee again, but just maybe he’d see Bree. That would fix everything. Even if she was fed up with him for letting her die.

  ***

  Being dead really wasn’t great. For one thing, the pain in his head had doubled. Worse than his head though, was the burning in his armpits. Who would have guessed that dying would sting your armpits?

  “Wake up! You’re not dead! Stop saying it!” Something smacked his head.

  Kai knew that voice. His brain flew in circles like vultures over a fresh kill. Slowly the pieces fell together. The voice belonged to a small girl with a silvery mark of wings on the arch of her foot. What was her name again?

  “Runt.” His eyes shot open to see her there, perched on the edge of a manhole, feet tucked under his armpits to keep his head above water. He spat up water, spluttering.

  “You big oaf. Of course it’s me! Help me get you out. I can’t hold on much longer.”

  Runt was as wet as he was. She would probably have hauled him out too, if she’d been slightly bigger. As it was, she’d only just managed to get herself out and hold him up.

  “Am I dead? Why are you here?”

  The girl was red in the face. She shook her head. “Out!”

  His limbs felt leaden, but with her help he managed to haul himself out of the hole. It was too dark to see where they were, but no rain fell on his face as he lifted his nose to sniff the air. The air hung musty, damp but not in the way of forests. At a guess, the drain had brought them to the basement of a building. From the vague shadows of boxes piled high, it seemed that it was being used as a storage area. It had a hollow, echo-ey feel of a deserted place.

  “Where are we?” His mind spun. He’d left her locked tight at his place, so how on earth was she here? “What are you doing here? How did you get out? Did you follow me, you little brat?”

  Runt sat with legs and arms crossed, eyeing him with a lifted eyebrow. “Breaking out is what I do.” She looked vaguely sheepish. “I was bored so I followed you. Besides, I like Zee. I want her back.” Her face lit up, “Look! I have your bag!” She handed over his soggy satchel. Whatever was inside would be soaked through.

  Kai took it from her. “Thanks. I think.” He opened the flap and tipped it sideways. Water poured out, and the rolled-up map landed with a clang. “I doubt this thing will still work.”

  “We can try. Unroll it.”

  Kai didn’t have the energy to argue. Easier to prove her wrong than debate it. He uncurled it, brushing water from the surface.

  Runt tucked her legs underneath her and sat up straight in anticipation. The moment her corner flattened, she pressed hard onto the wings.

  Kai reached out for his corner, not expecting much.

  With a quiet hum, the map lit up, lines tracing burning light along the edges and corners, tracing the outline above and below the map as before. This time though, two red dots flashed on the bottom level just next to a tunnel that came in from one side, leading up to a circle in the very bottom floor of the building.

  “Look! It’s you and me! We’re here, just where we need to be to rescue Zee!”

  “Runt, how did you follow me through the storm water drain?”

  “I swam like you.” She shrugged. Obvious.

  “How did you get in? They blocked the entrance with something heavy. How did you move it?”

  “Just a dustbin. Not heavy.”

  Not everything you see is at it seems. He could have moved it, after all. Instead he’d given up and gone for a joy ride through the tunnel that had nearly killed him. What kind of fool was he? And to put Runt in danger, too.

  “Runt, don’t get me wrong—I’m glad you saved me. But the next time I lock you up for your own safety, you had better stay put. Do you hear me?”

  Runt sighed and he could almost hear her eyes rolling in the dark. “Fine. Can we rescue Zee now, please?”

  He rolled his arms back, clicked his neck to the left and right, and gingerly got to his feet. His ribs were bruised for sure. “You’re impossible. Do you realize this?”

  26

  No sooner had Eva rolled on her side, when the door flung wide, “On your feet. Today you start climbing.” Torn filled the doorframe, silhouetted against the dull red glow.

  Even though she was a Stage Two according to Elden, Eva still trained with her normal group. Two nights had passed since she’d met Elden in the lounge and stolen fruit for her friends. Eva hadn’t seen him again, but each night the lounge stood open and she’d found the fruit bowl refilled. As she brought back fruit, the same warmth flooded through her as before, and she hadn’t needed to eat any herself. Her nighttime excursions cost her, though, and she staggered to her feet, more asleep than awake.

  They followed Torn past the room where they ate, through a low cement passage that spiraled downwards and opened up into a vaulted hall. Climbing walls covered an entire length of the hall.

  “Here is how we’ll do this. Find a spot and climb. Keep going until your arms can’t hold you and you fall off. When you hit the ground, if your legs ain’t broke, run laps until you fall over.”

  “And then?” The redhead asked.

  Torn turned, staring him down, lips pulled back in a snarl. “Then you start the climbing wall again.”

  Many climbs later, Eva sucked her bleeding fingertips. It had taken a few climbs to work out the best height to aim for before dropping. Too low and Torn raged like a bull, too high and the drop became a broken bone waiting to happen. Eva ran laps until stars danced around her head. It took every bit of focus to put one foot in front of the other. Not eating had sapped her body of every energy reserve.

  Why am I here?

  By her fifth lap, she was stumbling, battling to keep up. Her head pounded and she couldn’t string two logical thoughts together. She was losing it. High up on the wall she could swear Kai stared at her through thick glass. Her vision tunneled. At the far end Peta lay in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the climbing wall, clutching her ankle. Something stirred inside, though she couldn’t pin the thought down. It scurried beyond her reach every time she tried.

  Peta.

  Get up girl, don’t let them get the better of you.

  Eva’s face was wet. Tears or sweat. She couldn’t tell.

  Peta needed help.

  ~*~

  Evazee lay awake in the dark. Peta had been carried off after her fall and they hadn’t seen or heard anything of her since. Eva rolled onto her other side, missing her little space invader. A shadow at the door made her heart jump.

  Elden. He motioned for her to join him. A finger to his lips warned her to be quiet. He took her hand and led her to the lounge. She breathed in the smell of fresh fruit, and it made her mouth water. Shutting the door behind them, Elden’s gaze darted and he pulled her into a corner. “You have to get out of here. You know the last time you were here and I took you to the testing grass I said—”

  “Where have they taken Peta?”

  “Peta’s fine. You are in deep trouble if you st—”

  “Take me to her. Please.”

  “I can’t do that. Listen, what I saw on the testing grass…there is no way they will ever turn you. Your light Affinity is too strong. It’s only a matter of time until they find out, and then—”

  “Take me to Peta, and then I’ll go. I won’t go if I don’t see her.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “Fine.” Elden breathed deeply and clenched his jaw. His lips pulled in a tight line, and spots of colour rode high on his cheeks. He opened the door and led her down the passage without another word.

  Eva lost
count of the turns and stairs they took. They arrived in front of a door marked Infirmary.

  He pulled her close. “We don’t have much time. She’s near the back, far left. Stay close,” he whispered in her ear.

  Eva nodded and turned to whisper her response. His lips brushed hers lightly and she froze. He half-smiled, half grimaced, but turned and led the way into the room. That must have been an accident. Or was it? She breathed deep to settle her heart back into a regular rhythm, trying to decide if she should be angry. Then she saw Peta.

  The small girl lay on a metal gurney, twin tear tracks through the dirt on her face. Apart from rows of similar stretchers, all empty, the dirty room was bare with no medical equipment to be seen. Recessed alcoves lined the back wall with broad pillars set at intervals. It looked more like a room set aside for those waiting to die than an infirmary. Peta seemed to be sleeping, but even so she whimpered, and a frown creased her forehead.

  Eva ran to her friend and stopped, feeling useless. She wanted to scoop her up and run. Run until this place was so far behind, it was nothing more than a bad memory. But if Peta had damaged her spine in the fall, Eva could cripple her. “What do we do?”

  Elden was staring at the door with his head tilted sideways. “Someone’s coming. We’ve got to go.”

  “I’m not leaving her.”

  The squeak of door hinges opening was audible over the hum of the overhead lighting.

  Elden grabbed Eva and pulled her into an alcove along the back of the room. She pressed up close to the pillar they hid behind. Elden’s breath was warm on her neck. “It’s Shasta himself. He mustn’t find you here.”

  Eva nodded, wishing her blood would pump more quietly. She felt exposed even though they were out of sight. Shasta probably didn’t need to see them to know what was going on.

  Torn came in after him, as well as three other trainers, talking quietly amongst themselves.

  Elden breathed behind her. His chest rose and fell against her back, his arms still looped around her waist. Neither of them dared move a muscle.