“You don’t have to worry,” I said. “Lily will be fine.”
“Honey, I know you would never...” my mom started to say, but my dad put his hand on her shoulder.
“Let’s go,” he said.
My mom sighed and got to her feet. “We’ll be outside if you need us. Just yell.”
“Sure.” I managed a small smile. My mom gave Lily a warning look before closing the door.
Chapter 2
“What do you want?” I all but growled at Lily.
“Do you still want to go back to Elemontera like we agreed before Sheridan attacked?”
Elemontera still had to be stopped, and until I regained control of my elements, I was a danger for my parents too. They’d be safer far away from me, especially now that Sheridan was dead. Elemontera would be looking for us everywhere. “I do.”
“Good.” She clapped her hands, a smile breaking out on her face. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell your parents of what I’m about to ask of you.”
“Ah, I see.” I should have expected she’d want something that would piss off my parents.
“Sheridan planned to steal you away from Elemontera, so I bet she didn’t tell anyone about your new ability. She couldn’t have been completely sure you had it either, I guess. This means that you could solve most of our problems really quickly... if needed. Elemontera’s boss is one of those problems.”
“You want me to get back there and kill the boss.” My mouth went slack.
“Well, when you put it that way...” The corners of Lily’s lips went up. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to do it, but your ability is unique and could be very useful. After you release the virus and we gather all the info we need to discredit the organization forever, the boss could still escape, bribe someone, or find a way to continue with his business somewhere else. But if he were to die of what appear to be natural causes... we wouldn’t have to reveal any of the information to the public and risk the wrath of the government.”
I chewed on the insides of my mouth. Lily made the whole thing seem so easy, but I knew it wasn’t. Getting back inside of Elemontera would be difficult, let alone finding a way to kill the boss.
“I know taking a life isn’t something you want to do ever again, but the boss has killed hundreds, and he will continue to destroy innocent lives until we stop him.” A somber expression flitted across Lily’s face.
“You do realize I probably won’t be able to bring Elemontera to its knees on my own, even if I do get a chance to kill the boss?”
“I do. That’s why Jaiden is in custody for now. He won’t tell my interrogators or me anything no matter what method we use, but you... he’d tell you something. Or you could convince him to help you. One way or another.”
“Okay. I’ll have to talk to him and everyone. If we want to make this work, we need a very good plan,” I said, ignoring the protest of my muscles as I pushed myself to my feet and leaned on the bed.
“There’s something else you need to know,” Lily said hesitantly. “Since Elemontera’s bracelets have been destroyed, they’ll need replacing. The problem is we can’t really recreate the bracelets so fast, and I don’t think we can fool Elemontera with our fake ones either. And we’ll have to hurry with our plans. It’s only a matter of time before Elemontera sends all their agents after us, and we’ll have to explain Sheridan’s death somehow without revealing your new ability.”
“Wait, what do you mean you can’t recreate the bracelets? If I go without a bracelet, Elemontera will know something strange happened and they’ll make me a new one that might be even stronger.” I rubbed my arms, my eyes wide. If Elemontera blocked my elements for good when I got back and left me with no options to free myself, then there would be little I could do to help anyone. I’d be trapped. “And how do you even plan to sneak in that virus? Elemontera’s agents aren’t stupid. They’ll notice I have a fake or broken bracelet.”
“We can get the virus inside with you. It won’t be detectable. Trust me,” Lily said with all the confidence in the world. “The bracelet is our main problem, but if you pretend Sheridan had taken it off you, then it won’t be strange when you come back without one. And after they make you a new one, they can only block the amount of energy they think you have, so you’ll have to be careful and never expose the full strength of your elements in places where they can monitor the levels of your elemental energy.”
“Right.” I stretched my stiff body, feeling a bit stronger on my feet, so I slipped into my sneakers that were next to the bed. “How long have I been out?”
“Half a day.”
I ran a hand over my face. “Shit. We should hurry. Where is everyone?”
“In the living room,” Lily said, going for the door. “Let me show you.”
Chapter 3
As soon as I stepped through the door, I found myself in a well-lit hallway. The pale yellow walls were full of portraits and paintings. A vase with fresh flowers stood on a cabinet. Coats dangled from a hanger in front of a large mirror. As I passed by it, I briefly caught a glimpse of my pale face and the dark circles under my eyes. Lily led me into a large room with green walls. A big glass table was in the middle of it, surrounded by three large couches and two black sofas.
Everyone except Jaiden was here, including my parents. Noah was the first one to stop looking at the news on a big plasma TV and jump to his feet. He pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping tightly around me.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said, his blue eyes traveling my body. Marissa was the next one to hug me, while Nick and Sam waved at me, and Ashley inclined her head, her green eyes wary.
“Listen,” Noah said as we made our way to the couch. “I know you planned to go back to Elemontera, but I don’t think that would be a good idea now. Lily told me her team wouldn’t be able to recreate the bracelets, so if you go to Elemontera without one, you could be exposed. And even if somehow they don’t discover you, I’m sure Elemontera’s new bracelet will be stronger no matter what you say or show to them.”
“I know that, but I hope they won’t be able to block my elements completely. Maybe Sheridan didn’t tell them about all of my abilities since she clearly planned to betray Elemontera all along.” I didn’t know if there was a device strong enough to block all of my elemental energy. It would be nice to think there wasn’t, but I couldn’t be sure. Still, I couldn’t let doubts stop me. One look at my parents’ smiling faces was enough to confirm that I had to take out Elemontera no matter what. After what happened to Bailey, I knew we’d never be safe no matter where we went.
“It was really awesome how you knocked out everyone,” Nick said. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
“Um, actually it was Jaiden who did that. I just... took care of Sheridan.” I looked down at my hands in my lap.
“Jaiden? What do you mean, he did that?” Noah wrinkled his nose, his blue eyes growing cold.
“I mind-controlled him to do it,” I said.
“Oh,” Noah said. “Well, that definitely proves that you can’t trust him, even if you succeeded in mind-controlling him once.”
I raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “But I can’t go to Elemontera without him.”
“He’s very powerful. He shouldn’t be going anywhere. Not with that ability he has. If he could knock out a bunch of soldiers at the same time, just imagine what he could have done if it hadn’t been you who gave the order. He might be able to kill that many people only with his mind. And even if you mind-control him to play nice, who says he won’t find a loophole or fix his own brain?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not sure I can do much without his help. He’s the boss’s son. He’ll have access to more places than me. Even if I somehow mind-control people, I could be discovered, and a new agent like me would never get as many privileges without showing some major ability, which I can’t do. I need Jaiden to come with me.”
“Why don’t you just use Sheridan?” Noah said, and
I flinched, my mouth going slack. “She could tell you things, or you could get inside her mind and use her like a puppet.”
“I... I don’t understand.” I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat.
“Think about it. No one in Elemontera knows about Sheridan’s betrayal. We could use that,” Noah said, his eyes sparkling.
I glanced at Lily, who shook her head. She clearly hadn’t told Noah the truth about what had happened to Sheridan, so Noah and the others were probably thinking that Sheridan had been simply knocked out, like the soldiers. Lily must have thought it was better that not many people knew about my ability, but I didn’t want to hide something so big from my friends.
“I have to tell you something,” I said in a steady voice. “But it’s a secret, and no one else can find out about it. If you’re willing to let me mind-control you so you don’t tell anyone about what I’m about to say, then you can stay and hear me out. If you don’t want me in your head, then please leave now.”
No one moved from their seat, expectant eyes staring at me.
“Tell us what?” Ashley asked, leaning forward.
“Sheridan is dead.” My throat constricted a little as I said it.
“What? How...?” Noah’s head jerked back, his voice full of disbelief.
“I killed her. With my element.” I mentally braced myself for their reaction.
“That’s impossible.” Noah shook his head. “You’re not... You...”
“Sheridan wasn’t lying when she said I had the same ability as Jaiden. I know it looks like she died of a heart attack, but... I know what really happened,” I said quietly.
Ashley gaped at me, her eyes full of suspicion. “How are we supposed to let you into our minds after you just said that?”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” My two bracelets burned slightly, and I had a feeling my element was looking forward to reaching into someone’s mind, but I knew that couldn’t be true. I could control myself. All I needed was a bit more time before I dived into someone’s head again.
Noah placed his warm hand over mine. “We know you won’t.”
“Did you know anything about this ability?” I looked into his eyes. “I mean, you kept yelling at me not to use it and...”
“I was trying to buy us some time. And I figured that if it turned out that you actually have that ability, I couldn’t let you kill Jaiden because I knew how much that would have affected you. But Sheridan... it never occurred to me you could get inside her head. I thought she was protected.”
“She was, but it wasn’t enough.”
“I have an idea,” Sam said with a wide grin on his face. “Why don’t we just send Moira to Elemontera so she can kill them all?”
Marissa jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, making him groan. “Are you out of your mind?” She glared at him. “It’s not that simple.”
“Well, I say it is,” Sam said. “People can’t get inside that building with guns or blow it to pieces without getting caught, but this would be perfect. No one would know it was her.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she can do it that easily. And it would be impossible to explain dozens of sudden deaths in one building,” Marissa said. “Then the world would find out about us and send even more organizations after us. They’d think we’re all killers and...” Her eyes were wide when she looked at me, her lips slightly parted. “I didn’t mean...”
“I’m not going to kill anyone,” I said, my voice shaky. “We just need enough proof against them and we’ll find a way to stop them from coming after us.” I didn’t even dream of telling anyone what Lily had suggested I do.
Noah turned to Lily. “What exactly does that virus of yours do?”
“It’s designed to sneak into Elemontera’s system and record everything they do, which means we’ll get access to their hidden files and passwords.”
My mom shifted on the couch. “And how do you plan to protect my daughter? She infects Elemontera’s system with the virus, they rebuild her bracelet, and then what? You just leave her in there on her own?”
Lily licked her lips. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do, so yes, she’d mostly be on her own. But with her abilities, I think she can handle herself just fine until we gather enough information to get permission from the government to shut down Elemontera once and for all.”
“Then simply send a random agent to infect Elemontera’s system,” my dad said. “Surely a trained professional can get into their headquarters somehow.”
“We tried that already,” Lily said. “We need someone who can access Elemontera’s inner quarters—their main lab, to be exact. And we don’t have any tainted elementals that we could train. It would take too much time. If we don’t act fast, your daughter will be hunted down. You have to be aware of that. You can’t outrun Elemontera. The safest place for her might be inside that organization. Besides, she will have a much better chance of gaining the boss’s trust if she returns on her own.”
“What about Sheridan?” Nick asked. “Elemontera will want to know how she died, and when they find out, they’ll figure out Moira did it, and they’ll never let her go.”
“They won’t find out. We’ll blame her death on that group of elementals that attacked Elemontera the other day,” Lily said. “We know they haven’t been caught, so while Elemontera is busy looking for them, we’ll do our little thing. That will also give Moira a chance to go out and secretly impart inside information to us.”
“What about Jaiden? He knows the truth,” Ashley said. “If he escapes...”
“He won’t,” Lily said with confidence that I didn’t like. “We’ll get information we need from him and make sure he doesn’t reveal anything to anyone.”
“Yeah, as if you can trust anything that monster says.” Noah rolled his eyes.
“I have a hunch he won’t lie to Moira.” Lily’s lips spread into a smile.
“He has his secrets. If he doesn’t want to tell me something, he won’t,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lily said. “Talk to him and find a way to get some info out of him. It seems like using mind control on so many people has weakened him a lot, and he isn’t regaining his strength as fast as you. I believe you could force him to tell you everything without much trouble. You just have to be ready to do it.” She gave me a sharp look. “We need to find out what is the easiest way for you to get inside that lab. That’s all. We can improvise the rest.”
“I...” I didn’t want to have to force the information out of Jaiden. Not when I suspected Lily would kill him as soon as she deemed him no longer useful. “I still think he should go with me. He’s the only one like me, and I might need help when I’m back in there. I’m sure he’d help me if I needed it.”
“But can you be a hundred percent sure that when it comes to choosing between you and his father, he will choose you?” Lily asked.
I averted my gaze. No, I couldn’t be sure about that. Jaiden’s father was a true monster, but Jaiden had stayed with him all these years despite everything his father had done, and I suspected there was still some part of him that longed for his father’s approval and affection. I was just some girl who might have had more faith in him than anyone else, but I wasn’t family.
“Okay, that’s settled then,” Lily said a moment later. “I’ll discuss the best strategy with my team, and you, Moira, go talk to Jaiden before he regains his strength. I don’t know for how long we can contain him in this place if his elements return to normal, so you better hurry.”
“Wait! What are you going to do with him after he gives us what we need?” I asked before Lily could leave the room.
“Make sure he doesn’t take another life ever again,” she said calmly.
Her words cut through me like a sword, and I just sat there, my mouth hanging open. My mom and dad were at my side immediately, trying to list as many reasons as they could think of to convince me that going back to Elemontera as a double agent was the stupidest idea eve
r, but I blocked out their voices until all I heard was a distant buzzing in my ears.
“Hey,” Noah said, placing his hand on my cheek, “he’s killed innocent people. He has to pay for that.”
“I...” I got to my feet, swaying a little. “I have to go talk to him.”
My mom caught me by the arm. “Honey, you don’t have to do this. It’s better if you don’t see that boy ever again. He might be only pretending he’s weak. He could be waiting for you to attack and use you as his way out of here. Or he could hurt you because he knows you plan to go back to Elemontera and that his father will be in danger.”
“I’ll be fine.” I tore away from her and hurried for the door before anyone else could stop me. Arguing voices filled the room in an instant. Everyone had a suggestion or an opinion about what I should I do, but what they all didn’t seem to realize was that the decision lay with me no matter what they thought or said.
I didn’t want to judge Jaiden before I talked to him. Things often weren’t what they seemed, and I at least wanted to hear his side of the story. Maybe there was something he could tell me that would help me and convince Lily to spare his life. But it had to be something good, because Lily wouldn’t let him live and go with me for no reason when she saw him as a threat that needed to be eliminated. In fact, she could even kill him and blame his death on Sheridan. I couldn’t let that happen.
Chapter 4
I stumbled through the empty hallway until I saw one of Lily’s guards, whose left arm was in a cast. He looked up at me, his hand flying to his weapon, but then the tension left his shoulders.
“I need to speak with Jaiden Maiers. Where is he?” From what I saw of the hallways and rooms, this house looked like a regular family home, not a secret base. So where on earth could they possibly be hiding Jaiden?
Monster (Tainted Elements Book 3) Page 2