When she placed the painting back in its original spot, the penlight in her mouth accidentally slipped. Charlie watched the light roll away from her until it bumped into the right corner of the wall. Intrigued, she took the penlight back, walked over to the painting, and tried to roll it in another direction. Instead, it diverted its direction and rolled back to the right corner of the wall. Charlie picked up the light again and inspected the edge of the wall.
Charlie tried to push the wall forward, then sideways. It did not budge. She directed the light on the edge and noted the small gap between the two walls, camouflaged as merely the corner between them. She knocked on the walls, and one side was indeed hollow. Using telekinesis this time, she attempted to pull the wall towards her. It moved slightly, but nowhere enough to get in. She tried doing the same, but in the opposite direction, but still nothing happened.
Frustrated, Charlie tried knocking on the wall from the top going down. Her soft knocks all sounded the same until she was crouching on her knees. There, it sounded as if something was directly against the wall. Charlie tried to picture what it was in her mind and push it off, but it didn’t move. She tried it again, pushing it downwards this time. It didn’t work. Finally, Charlie imagined them as bars that needed to be lifted off the ground. One clicked. Triumphant, Charlie pulled on the door, but it still didn’t open. There’s more? Charlie thought. She pictured the same thing happening in her mind. Another clicked. And then another. Finally, the wall moved. Charlie placed her fingers between the gap and pulled it further, allowing her to squeeze inside the small room within.
The room was quaint. Two filing cabinets and a small empty office table were the only furnishing. Charlie felt cramped inside, but the delight of her discovery brushed that away. Charlie moved over to the filing cabinets, checking the drawers one by one until she reached the second drawer, where she discovered Jeanne’s and her missing files.
Dread and eagerness mixed as Charlie flipped the folder open. There she saw a picture of Jeanne wearing a gray sweater over a black top. Her eyes were piercing, her expression dangerous. People were right about labeling her as a fighter; the photo alone suggested such. She flipped over to the second page and read the information.
Jeanne, born August 11, 1995. Transferred from an orphanage in Massachusetts. Passed the conditioning and evaluation phase from July-August 2012.
“That’s it?” Charlie whispered to herself. She moved over to the next page and found a report different from what she saw with the other student’s profile.
“Project Athena. Subject 1: Jeanne Weaver. Ability: Absorb energies from different sources and redirect them. September 2012, Subject’s Transitioning failed when the Subject demonstrated her superhuman ability before the transmission of the Unlocker to her system. Subject expressed no recollection of the event. October 2012, Subject gave consent to Project Athena. October 2012 to January 2013, Subject went through personal trainings. Below is the chart of her progress.”
Charlie skimmed through the file, trying to make sense of the words written about her sister and what this Project Athena meant. One thing was clear: Jeanne wasn’t in an advance training center for the national military. Near the end of the first page, one sentence caught Charlie’s attention. “December 9, 2012. Subject caused a blackout during personal training in ANDREI Training Room II.”
Her eyes widened. Jeanne has been to the school? She flipped through the pages frantically, searching for any indication of Jeanne’s true location. Charlie felt her own desperation, felt her anger ruling over her mind. Where is she? At the bottom of the second to the last page of the folder, Charlie found her answer. “April 23, 2013. Subject transferred to Quarantine room at GEN Laboratory.”
Charlie’s knees gave in. Jeanne is inside this building. Relief washed over her, knowing how close to her sister she really was, and yet she felt betrayed for being told she was in an undisclosed location and unreachable. Her thoughts brought her back to the first marked room on the third floor. With the sentinels standing guard by a concealed window, Charlie deduced that must be the room Jeanne was being held in.
Charlie pulled herself up and planned to return the file to its place. She had enough information to plan her mission to save her sister. But curiosity prevailed and Charlie pulled out her own file. On the first page, she only found information she already knew. Turning over the next pages, she read all her progress records. From her first stage of training, to her second, even the incidences she’d been involved in since setting foot in the institute were all documented. It made her feel Big Brother was watching her every move.
Stomach revolting at the idea, Charlie moved over to the rest of the pages. There, she saw something new. “Immune to control.” Her face scrunched. What does that mean?
Below the statement, Charlie read more information about her telekinesis than she had come across. The manipulation of objects without physical contact was something she already knew. But the report suggested her powers has potential to generate force fields, molecular manipulation, shock waves, and even psychic shielding.
Joshua suggested to Charlie that Amanda Pitt was capable of controlling the minds of the students of this school, but that she, Charlie, was somehow immune. Is this the reason why? Charlie wondered.
The sound of footsteps broke Charlie’s thoughts. It sounded like the same set as earlier. Charlie quickly replaced the file back in the drawer and moved to the door. Determining the coast was clear, she peeked, walked out, and pushed it forward until she heard the locks click back. Quietly, she proceeded to the restroom and hid herself behind the door but left it ajar to watch the scene.
Amanda Pitt was too busy studying the iPad in her arms as she walked towards the painting of the smiling child. As if by habit, she turned towards the corner and kneeled in front of the wall. From Charlie’s perspective, she couldn’t tell what the woman was doing. But as expected, the wall revealed the secret door which Amanda pushed and entered the hidden room Charlie had just left.
Charlie returned to her room undetected, her mind filled with information.
Upon getting in her bed, Charlie closed her eyes to rest but sleep eluded her even until sunrise. Sunlight flooded the room between the gaps of the drapes of their floor to ceiling windows. She’d tossed and turned in bed, but the newly acquired information plagued her mind. The Unlocker serum was used to activate supernatural abilities of all the students. ANDREI was not the only project Amanda was handling. Charlie had yet to understand what Project Athena was and how Jeanne fit in it.
Joshua came to the forefront in Charlie’s head. ANDREI wasn’t as noble as Charlie believed it was. ANDREI took her sister and kept her for themselves, and Charlie wouldn’t be surprised if she was next. Charlie needed to infiltrate the other hidden room where she was certain to find Jeanne before someone decided to relocate her. But first, Charlie would have to behave normally and not arouse any suspicion.
CHAPTER 13: One Eye Open
Matching the school’s entire mood, Charlie carried on with her life in ANDREI as normal as a telekinetic girl could. She was up and out of her room by seven after barely three hours of sleep. Thankful for the steaming hot coffee at the cafeteria, Charlie sipped her caffeine fix and waited for its effects to kick in. Charlie selected a table in the far corner of the cafeteria, away from the boisterous crowd.
Both the cereal and apple tasted bland in her mouth. With all the thoughts swirling in her head, her brain didn’t have the time to register the signals from her taste buds. Charlie became the observer of the entire student populace, noting all the differences between today and her previous weeks in ANDREI. Everyone kept to themselves today; even Bradley and Madison didn’t demand the attention of the others anymore. Like mindless drones, the teenagers choose their breakfast staples, took them to their usual tables, consumed them and went about their day.
She spotted Hilary’s black curly hair bobbing around, apparently in search of Charlie. She intentionally moved away from h
er usual table with her friend, confusing the girl. A stab of guilt hit Charlie. She didn’t like leaving Hilary in the dark, but neither did Charlie want the institute to use Hilary to discover what she knew. She grabbed her half-eaten meal and headed out of the cafeteria.
“Whoa, what’s the rush?” Otto stepped in front of Charlie. “Training starts in an hour. You don’t have to rush your meal, Charlie.” He flashed the smile that easily melted her defense.
But Charlie kept her walls up today. “I lost my appetite. I wanted to take a walk around the garden for a bit.”
“I’ll go with you.” Otto was quick to offer. He presented his arm for her to hold, and Charlie saw the same Otto she had grown fond of in the past few weeks. Boyish, but a gentleman. A walk with him was something she needed to clear her thoughts, but knowing he was under the control of Amanda’s hive mind, she feigned disinterest.
“No, Otto. I want to be alone.” The look on his face was a mix of hurt and concern.
“You sure you’re okay, Charlie? I can take you to the infirmary if you need--”
“No, Otto.” She repeated, a little more spiteful than she’d intended. Otto reeled back from her, his brows pulled together and his lips forming a frown. Charlie sighed heavily, the words tasting like knives as they rolled out of her tongue. “If I need to go there, I can find my own way without having you hold my hand. So, for once, can you mind your own business?” She couldn’t bear to see the pain in Otto’s eyes. Charlie turned on her heel and stormed out of the cafeteria, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Focusing on the real problem at hand, Charlie sought for escape in the quiet garden. The peaceful and empty scene allowed Charlie to let go of all the frustrations running in her mind. She took a seat at a bench concealed behind some bushes and buried her face in her hands. Charlie thought of all the things she learned from her mission last night.
Staying in ANDREI was no longer an option, yet she couldn’t ask for help in getting out. No cellphones, monitored internet access, minimal to no resources to contact the outside world. The protective concrete structures around the school were now literally prison walls.
Leaning against the bench’s back rest, her eyes were directed to the leaves dancing by her feet. The wind made a miniature tornado in front of her. Charlie lifted her hand and tried to counter the wind’s flow and redirect the leaves to swirl counter clockwise. It took little effort to orchestrate them to perform a dance in a circle and then around and over her head. She misses the times when she used her powers just for entertainment. Now she had a weapon, one the government had its eyes on.
Or could it be just Amanda Pitt’s? If it were, then it can be my weapon as well.
The records she read on Project Athena suggested her powers could evolve in ways she never thought of. She couldn’t fathom how to manipulate the molecular structure of objects, but a force field and a psychic shield were abilities she could hone. Charlie had little doubt left about Joshua’s claim regarding Amanda being able to control the students. The question was whether or not Charlie really had such a shield that prevented her from falling prey to mind control. Charlie released her control on the leaves, letting them rain on her. It wouldn’t hurt to practice this supposed ability she had. Charlie vacated the bench and proceeded to her assigned training room for the day with more purpose than she had before.
She arrived sooner than the rest. The room was empty except for the guards who eyed her suspiciously as she walked in. Charlie stood at the center of the room, remembering her first day of training with Natalia on sound waves and brain scanners. In very rare cases, Natalia noted her readings showed Charlie successfully blocked out the effects of those sound waves. If she were to believe she had a psychic shield, that news would make sense.
To the left wall was the posting board where the cards bearing the Unlocked students’ names were already set in pairs. Charlie had spent the past week checking it to know who she was assigned to battle with each day. Charlie stared at the board with head held high. Checking over her shoulder for the guards, she took a step back enough for them to see her. Charlie didn’t need to go near the board to manipulate the cards. Four minutes later, Charlie’s name stood beside Jian’s, the school’s illusionist. The rest of the students marched in, with Instructor Ross following close behind. Eyebrows raised at her early arrival, but no one asked any questions. Charlie joined the others. For the past few days, Instructor Ross had been teaching them basic combat skills and asking them to spar amongst each other. The first two hours were spent with physical exercises: stretching, push-ups, crunches and jogging. Charlie thanked the school for pushing her to her limits. Her muscles were refined, her stamina improved. Where the exercises caused her great pain during her first week, they now fueled her with adrenaline.
The sparring sessions began after a short break. Charlie and her chosen partner were the fourth pair, giving Charlie enough time to think how to access her psychic shield against Jian’s illusion. She tried to picture herself in front of the psychologist, Natalia, once more. What was she thinking that caused her to block out the effects of the sound waves? Was it fear? Charlie didn’t have a solid answer when Instructor Ross called her and Jian’s names.
Jian had kind eyes. He remained friendly towards her, even after all her achievements triggered envy among a number of students. Charlie felt a pang of guilt for using him in her experiment. “Begin!” Instructor Ross ordered them. Charlie watched Jian change into a defensive position; she didn’t move a muscle at all. She just studied him, his expression and his movement. The kindness in his eyes became blank orbs staring at her, sending cold shivers down her spine. Suddenly, Charlie felt her balance shifting. Her eyes lowered to see the floor turning soft, almost like standing on a waterbed. Her arms were spread to her sides in an attempt to steady herself when a force threw her off her feet, sending her skidding on the floor. Charlie struggled back to her feet, punching at open air in hopes of hitting her assailant. But the scene changed before her eyes.
Her eyes blinked multiple times before she fully absorbed the change in her scenery. The steel floors of the training room turned into a meadow that stretched farther than her eyes could see. The sun beat down on her. Eyes squinting, she shielded them with her arm. From afar, Charlie saw something flying towards her. Looming larger as it sped closer, Charlie shut her eyes. It’s not real. She commanded herself to break away from the illusions. She pictured the room in her mind as she remembered it. Instructor Ross was nearby, barking orders she could not hear. The other students observed from the mezzanine. Guards stood by the door. But where was Jian?
She opened her eyes slowly. The flying creature zoomed towards her. Dark and sinister, it was akin to an awakening monster’s shadow. Charlie braced herself, imagining the creature as the boy she was fighting. Then the fog cleared, and she saw Jian charging at her instead. With a wave of her hand, she flung him to the side and the training room materialized before her.
“Ouch,” Jian’s voice came from Charlie’s left. He struggled into a sitting position, holding his back. “You got me there.”
“You weren’t a very convincing monster.” Charlie held out her hand for him and pulled him up. But as soon as Jian got to his feet, he staggered back so that Charlie had to steady him.
“You okay?” she asked with genuine concern. Jian’s face frowned as he looked at his leg, “I think I pulled a muscle or something.”
“Take him to the infirmary.” Instructor Ross’s deep voice ordered her. Charlie looked around to see the instructor standing near the door with arms over his chest.
“Yes, sir,” she replied. Charlie raised Jian’s arm around her neck and held him as they made it out of the training room.
Charlie thoughts went back to her first sparring round where Bradley injured her. Now the tables were turned; it was she who hurt someone. Their footsteps echoed as they made their way to the infirmary, the tall and thin physique of Jian awkwardly leaning on Charlie’s smaller body. The idea
of Bradley escorting her to the infirmary was not a palatable one. Charlie shook her head and returned her attention to Jian. “Hey, how’s your--?”
She stopped, realizing her injured schoolmate wasn’t in her arms anymore. “Jian?” Charlie called out, but there was no answer but her own voice bouncing back towards her. “Jian?” She called again. Charlie retraced her steps and looked around for any sign he’d decided to play a prank on her to get even.
As she marched down the hallway, her feet started slipping. The floor began to slope down and Charlie couldn’t stop gravity from pulling her down. She screamed as she lost her footing and hit her head on the hard cold floor. Charlie turned, trying to grab at anything to stop her fall. But something that tightened around her ankles, began scratching, gripping and pulling her further into the dark abyss beneath. Charlie gritted her teeth, digging her nails into the floor, but nothing caught. She kicked her feet, trying to get rid of the strange force dragging her. A gurgling laugh emanated from the shadows that resonated throughout her bones and teeth. She screamed, kicked and grabbed with all her might. And then her fall stopped abruptly. Charlie found herself lying on the even floor.
Her head whipped around for any sign of life. The hallway was still as empty as before. A soft snickering drew her attention to a closed door on her right. Charlie stood and reached out to the knob. “Very funny,” she announced sarcastically as she threw open the door only to be greeted by a familiar face.
“Princess?” The peaceful face of her adoptive mother greeted her. Sarah Hartley smiled like she always did when she welcomed Charlie from school. Her mother sat on the edge of Charlie’s bed. They were in her dormitory room which she shared with the elusive Brianna who, like always, wasn’t around. Charlie felt her heart lighten. She walked towards her mother and wrapped her arms around her. Sarah held her in a tight embrace. She smelled like chamomile and home.
The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) Page 17