“Mom, what are you doing here?” Charlie asked her when they released each other. She sat beside her mother while Sarah brushed Charlie’s hair from her forehead.
“Ms. Pitt told us about you having problems at school. She suggested we come over to cheer you up,” explained Sarah, gazing at her daughter like she were a star. “Your father wanted to come along, but you know how expensive a train ticket is. Ms. Pitt offered to take care of our fare, but we really couldn’t let her do that after what she has done for our Charlie.”
Charlie smiled. “Mom…” She wanted to tell Sarah about her life in this school, about all the lies she uncovered, about Amanda Pitt and Jeanne. But something at the back of her mind told her this wasn’t the time nor the place to do that.
“Where’s Jeanne? How is she? What’s she like?” Sarah asked Charlie, eagerness present in her eyes.
“She’s-” Charlie stopped. She had nothing to say about Jeanne yet except all the lies she’d been fed.
Charlie looked away from her mother, searching for her answer in the few items in her bedroom. Then, a strange feeling caused her breath to catch. Something was different.
“Charlie?” Sarah reached out to her hand. “Honey, I want you to know how happy your dad and I are knowing you are developing your powers the right way. Happier too that you are reunited with your twin sister.” She beamed at Charlie like she did during her graduation ceremony. Charlie tried smiling back, but she couldn’t shake away the feelings of foreboding.
Her room looked like how she always left it. The bed had been neatly made before she went for breakfast. Her jacket hung on the foot of her bed with her backpack hidden underneath it. Charlie craned her neck and reached for the backpack. “What is it, princess?” Sarah asked her. Charlie ignored her to open the zipper and inspect the items inside. “Charlie?” Sarah asked once again, but her eyes were glued to her backpack.
“I took my laptop out of my bag last night,” Charlie muttered under her breath. “I took it out with this notebook.” She reached for the notebook and no sign of the messy notes she’d copied from the files were present. Inside the bag, there was no sign of the DVD or the floor plan, either.
Charlie stood from the bed, looking at the image of her adoptive mother with doubt. “What’s going on?” she asked Sarah.
“What are you talking about, honey?” Sarah stood with the smile still plastered to her face. “It’s okay, honey. You’re in control of your powers now that you’re in ANDREI. And soon, we’ll be together again. You, me, your father, and Jeanne.”
“I haven’t even seen Jeanne personally,” Charlie snapped at her. “How do you know she will come with us?”
“Because we made the right choice,” Sarah said. “Because fate brought you to this school so you can be reunited with her.”
Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, the notebook falling from her hands as she buried her face in them. What’s happening? She asked herself. Remember! Charlie rubbed her eyes with her palms and when she opened them, her bedroom turned to the white room she kept seeing in her dreams. Something moved behind her and Charlie turned around to see her own face staring back at her.
“Jeanne?” Charlie stepped towards her. “Jeanne, is that you?” Tears filled her eyes as she moved closer, arms outstretched to the girl in front of her. But instead of skin, her hand was met with cold smooth glass. The confusion in her face was mirrored by Jeanne’s. Charlie stepped back. It wasn’t a mirror; the reflection wasn’t following her every move. Instead, it just stared at her quizzically.
“Jeanne?” Charlie said again. “Can you hear me, Jeanne?” Charlie reached for the glass and banged her fists against it. “Jeanne!” She hit the glass again, harder this time. The first crack appeared, and Charlie aimed her fist at it once more. The crack branched out further and further.
“Don’t fight it,” a voice inside her head said. She looked at Jeanne from the other side of the glass and watched her lips say again, “Don’t fight.” But Charlie reeled back and charged at the glass with her shoulder. She heard the glass shatter and drop, breaking into a million pieces.
And then, there was nothing. Charlie looked around, but the space was empty and dark. “Jeanne?” She called out. “Mom!” Charlie lifted her feet and ran, but the darkness stretched out and outran her. “Mom!” Charlie screamed. Her feet gave in. She stumbled on the invisible ground and rolled. There was nothing, there was no one.
Charlie breathed in and choked. She gave in to the tears. Trapped in the eternal darkness, she curled on the floor in a fetal position. Fear and despair buried her, and there was nothing she could do. I should have done nothing at all from the start. If she had gone about her days in ANDREI normally, maybe she could have still been reunited with Jeanne. Instead, she tried to fight it all, and she was met with consequences she could not break away from.
Fear is not a threat, a voice once told her. “Then, what is the threat?” Charlie asked into the empty space. Was the threat the darkness trying to swallow her whole and the hopeless journey she blindly chased? Charlie looked up. Hopeless journey? She questioned that thought. But she had hope moments before. She could move forward. With the information she discovered the night before, there was hope!
Charlie pushed herself up from the darkness. There is hope. Charlie knew more of the truth than she had a day ago. She knew about the serum, the Andreians, about Jeanne and that she was nearby, and the growing strength of her powers. “Wake up, Charlie. You may be more powerful than you know.” Joshua had said that to her.
I have a shield. Charlie reminded herself. She focused all her power into the darkness. If bending light was possible, she could bend the darkness. Charlie’s eyes burned through the darkness, and a light peeked from within. It disappeared after one second, but it was enough for Charlie to go on. She closed her eyes and relaxed every fiber of her body while her mind opened. She breathed, in and out, slowly. Footsteps reached her ears from behind, growing nearer. Charlie imagined the person behind the footsteps. A silhouette came closer to her with calm measured steps. Charlie opened her eyes.
The light shone again. Charlie focused on its location. She imagined it shining again, and it did. She closed her eyes once more and pictured the light growing brighter. When she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing in front of her. Jian. Charlie’s head snapped up. Fighting the illusion, she imagined a force field around her, and the invisible shield enveloping her body and mind. Pain shot through her head, but she did not let it bring her down.
With one last push, Charlie let the force seal her mind. She blinked and it was all over. The training room appeared before her eyes and the overwhelming feeling of her triumph washed away her pain. She broke away from Jian’s illusion; she’d managed to block it out.
Charlie searched for her opponent and found Jian alternately shifting his weight. Charlie rushed to his aid as his body gave in. Charlie sank to the floor, holding the young man on her lap. She looked around, wanting to ask for help. But neither the students nor Instructor Ross were there. Her eyes searched the wall on the far left. There was no board with the student’s names posted. Charlie shook Jian, “Hey, are you okay? What happened?” He was unresponsive. Charlie reached for the spot on his neck and felt the low pulse.
Lifting Jian up, Charlie forced her knees to carry both their weights. She trudged on towards the door to find the only audience she had. The smooth face of Amanda Pitt watched her with a knowing smile. Behind her were the two guards, but they were different from the ones Charlie saw earlier. Amanda turned to the men, “Will you please take the young man to the infirmary?” The two guards hesitated for a moment but did as they were told. They marched towards Charlie and she stepped back. “It’s all right, Charlie. They will take Jian.” Amanda assured her, but Charlie wasn’t convinced. Though retaliating wasn’t her best option, she let them lift the poor young man off her shoulder.
Charlie fought the urge to keep Jian away from them. She knew be
tter than to trust the school faculty now. She believed all the students were victims. But to take Jian would mean losing hope of saving Jeanne. After moments of internal conflict, the door shut behind Jian and the guards, leaving Charlie with Headmaster Amanda Pitt.
“That was impressive, Charlie,” Amanda commended her. Her steps echoed across the training room as she walked towards Charlie. “I read Jian’s records. His illusions are of great caliber. I’m surprised you managed to defeat it.”
“I got lucky.” Charlie explained.
“Don’t be modest. I know hard work when I see it,” Amanda said. Her smile was akin to that of a mother whose child came home with straight A’s. But Charlie wouldn’t let herself fall prey to the woman’s manipulation.
“I think my hard work is how long I survived his illusions. The way I see it, Jian had exhausted himself before he managed to break me. That’s why I defeated his illusions.” Charlie mirrored the smile Amanda gave her, which displeased the woman.
“I see.” Amanda whispered to herself. She checked her wristwatch. “You should rest, my dear. Your fellow students retreated to their rooms on account of that prolonged match. You should do the same before dinner is served.” Amanda squeezed Charlie’s shoulder gently before making her way to the door. The door creaked open, but Amanda paused momentarily to tell Charlie, “I appreciate you pushing your powers to their limits, Charlie. Keep it up.” And with that, she disappeared.
Charlie wasn’t ready to face the army of teenagers over dinner. She entered the cafeteria to pick up a sandwich and disappeared as quickly as she possible. Walking along the lonely halls felt safer than being in a room of puppets. She hurried to the dormitory, hoping to eat her dinner while drawing out her plan. But her journey was cut short when a familiar brunette appeared around the corner and touched her elbow.
“Hi, Charlie.” Natalia smiled at her. “Do you mind walking with me to the garden?” Charlie was doubtful, but something in the way the woman breathed suggested the urgency of her request. Charlie nodded and followed Natalia out into the garden.
The moonlight shone beautifully on the pond water. Natalia sat down on one of the larger stones and beckoned Charlie to do the same. Before Charlie said anything, Natalia broke the silence. “Charlie, there’s something I forgot to tell you during our training sessions.” Charlie opened her mouth to speak but Natalia cut her words. “Emotions are very tricky things, Charlie. They will not only relinquish your control over your powers, but over your better judgment as well.”
Natalia met her eyes and Charlie saw determination and worry in them. “I know what you’re trying to do, Charlie. And I know why. The problem is, you’re being too reckless. Anyone can tell you’re up to something. It’s only a matter of time before they find out what it is. Charlie, be careful.” Without giving her a chance to ask for an explanation, Natalia stood and walked back towards the main building, leaving the confused Charlie to digest her words.
Charlie reached her empty room and felt a hint of fear, remembering what Jian had showed her during training. Shaking off the paranoia, Charlie pulled out her notebook and laptop while eating her sandwich as she studied the information she currently held. Her session with Jian and Amanda’s claim of his illusions to be impregnable only strengthened the possibility of Charlie’s psychic shield. She had little control over it, but she knew it existed. But to practice it was not going to be easy.
“...it’s only a matter of time before they find out…” Charlie knew what Natalia was speaking of, but her question was how she knew. Was she the one who gave me the DVD? What was her intention when she decided to share it, then warn me not to do anything afterwards? She shook her head. Natalia’s motives weren’t Charlie’s problem, she had a bigger matter at hand.
If people were growing suspicious, it meant Charlie had little time to make her first move. Charlie spent another sleepless night formulating her plan with only one clear goal in mind: I have to find my sister.
CHAPTER 14: Unexpected Alliance
The sun shone through the flimsy curtains in Madison's bedroom. It was seven in the morning, but she tossed and turned, like she did every morning before finally getting up. Sleep came as a mechanical routine to pass time but had no added value. The past few days she’d felt fine, but it seemed like the restlessness of the previous day finally caught up with her. She corrected herself: she didn’t feel fine; she didn’t feel anything. It almost came as a relief to feel something.
Opening her eyes, she saw a figure standing by her bedside. Madison quickly sat up and narrowly missed hitting her head on the headboard.
The figure stepped into the light and Madison recognized who it was. "Charlie?"
Charlie held both hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"How long have you been standing there?"
"I... a while."
Madison scratched her head. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"
Given her history with Madison, Charlie did not expect this to go well. In fact, she was prepared to have it the hard way if the girl refused to agree peacefully to her request. "I need your help, Madison."
"What for?" Madison clutched her chest. Charlie was reminded that Madison was human, too. Looking at her, Charlie saw how vulnerable she was. "Goodness, Charlie. You scared the bejesus out of me."
"I said I'm sorry. It's not my fault you're jumpy."
Madison's brows creased. "You're not so different from her. In fact, you're just the same. They think you're all nice, but you are exactly like Jeanne."
A bad taste rose up from Charlie's stomach. She wanted to retaliate, but she needed assistance only Madison could give her. "I really am sorry, Madison. I should've waited for you in the cafeteria. But I want to ask something others shouldn’t hear."
Madison's eyes grew wide. "Look, I know it's not allowed here at ANDREI, but I've used up my stash. I've been clean since last month!"
"Stash? What stash?" Charlie asked. Madison laughed nervously.
"Sorry. For a second there I thought you were talking about my weed. I'm all out, just so we're clear."
Charlie stood there, dumbfounded, then laughed. For a second she forgot about her purpose. She shrugged. "I'm not here for weed, Madison. I'm here to ask your help."
Madison straightened up. "Help with what?"
"Help me look for Jeanne. Please."
"Jeanne is at the Advanced Training Center. She is now under the National Security Agency's purview."
"I know, but I don't believe that."
At that point, Madison stiffened, the skin on her neck stretched taut and her hands balled into fists.
"The American National Development, Research and Education Institute is a school devoted to training superhuman individuals and turning them into government operatives upon successful completion of the program," Madison said mechanically. Charlie had heard the robot-like response before, but she was determined to pierce through whatever it was that held the girl in thrall.
"Madison, snap out of it!" Charlie raised her voice three times higher and summoned the usual Madison who responded violently to such. "You're not as mighty as you think. In fact, you're useless without any superhuman around!"
Madison had yet to snap out of the trance so common among the Andreians, save for Charlie. Then a force pushed her backwards, her head meeting the wall behind her. Madison was herself after all. The only thing that gave her away was the blank stare pasted on her face with eyes that bore through Charlie's soul. With all the guts she could muster, Charlie lifted Madison up in the air.
There was something poetic about seeing Madison only an inch away from the ceiling, like a karmic force she created herself. But looking at her, Charlie realized she didn't want revenge. She just wanted to find Jeanne. Madison started kicking, recognition spreading across her face. "Put me down," Madison commanded.
"Madison, please." Charlie approached her. "Listen to me." Charlie fixed her eyes on Madison, willing her to stop struggli
ng and hear her out. After a few minutes of silence, the robotic Madison suddenly reverted to her usual self and started shrieking.
"What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" She struggled but when she saw how far she was from the floor she screamed, "Oh my god! Put me down, you psycho!"
"Are you Madison again?"
"No, I'm Otto. Of course I'm Madison! Put me down!"
Charlie slowly lowered Madison but kept her restrained. "Help me find Jeanne, please."
"Okay, okay!" Charlie's psychic shield seem to be working.
"But first, tell me about everything you know."
"Can you at least let me sit?!" Madison whined.
"Be my guest," Charlie pointed to the bed.
"I'm not going to run, okay? You're blocking the damn door anyway!"
"You could easily copy my powers and throw me out of the way."
"That'd be stupid, since you obviously know how to protect yourself," she grumbled irritably.
"Okay, point made. Now tell me everything."
“Can you give me at least a minute to take everything in?” Madison shouted.
“Please don’t shout. I’m sorry, it’s just we’re pressed for time,” Charlie replied.
Madison sighed. "I came from Hands of Change, an orphanage in Missouri. Nearing the age of majority, I was about to get thrown out of the home. Then one day, these uniformed men came and in and got me out of there. My initial reaction was fear, then relief, and then fear again when I got to the lab."
Charlie nodded, prompting her to go on.
"When I got here, there were other kids. All orphans. Jeanne was one of them. Feisty girl. I hated her guts, and she hated mine. Suffice to say we didn't become friends. We spent two months getting fed, clothed and sheltered, normal stuff. Just as I was getting comfortable, we were told we had to go through this process called 'The Transition.’ Knew what the word meant, didn't know what it meant to me and all the other kids."
"Turns out you were going to be injected," Charlie butted in, remembering Joshua's claim.
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