“We already have. She managed to switch Jaiden for whoever... There’s definitely someone who can change shape and become someone else, and Sophia is the prime suspect. When I was following her, another person appeared there instead of her, and I couldn’t understand where she’d gone. She might have slipped through some hole, but it’s possible she just changed her appearance, and that was why she wasn’t scared anyone would try to stop her, follow her, or recognize her. That would explain how she can just disappear and not be caught or seen. And there was a witness who said Noah had gone off with a friend... Well, maybe he did. If she turned into one of us...”
“Oh God.” Marissa’s mouth was hanging open. “That’s... But then she can get to the president, kidnap him, and pretend to be him!”
“Wait, how would shapeshifting even work?” Ashley paled. “Please tell me she doesn’t need a body to animate...”
My stomach clenched, and I swallowed bile. No, Jaiden wasn’t dead. I refused to even think about it. “I don’t know. Maybe she just has to see that person...”
“Then why hasn’t she already claimed the body of an influential person to get what she wants?” Sam asked.
“Probably because she wants all the glory for herself and not for another person. She wants it to be her who gets everything.” Or she wouldn’t have shown her face all over the news. No, Sophia wouldn’t be satisfied just with taking another person’s identity.
“How do we even stop someone like that?” Marissa asked.
“I don’t know. We get all the weapons we can and make sure our elements stay strong.”
“Will we have to bring some tainteds with us?” Sam asked.
“No, it’ll be just us.” I didn’t want to drag any tainteds into this, especially if they didn’t have experience with fighting with their elements. “We might get a chance to confront her or whoever it is once we get to that place.”
“What if we get mind-controlled there? We won’t be able to do a thing.” Ashley rubbed the back of her neck.
“And how are we even going to know we are truly who we say we are?” Marissa’s brow furrowed. “We have to spend a night or more with this person! If she takes the shape of one of us...”
“We need a secret word. Something no one will be able to figure out,” I said.
“That won’t help if she can mind-control it out of us,” Sam pointed out.
“We have to figure out how to work around that.” I didn’t know what else to do. Involving someone else was complicated, especially because not many would be able to stand against Sophia and her followers.
“How many people can do that? If it’s more than just Sophia...” Marissa’s voice quivered.
“Jack said only Sophia and Terry were the experiments who returned from the dead, or survived, or whatever. I’m not excluding the possibility that he might have been lying, but it’s possible that the experiment gave Sophia and Terry unique abilities.” If there were more of them, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the chaos the world would end up in. Mind control and killing with one thought was already scary enough... taking on another person’s appearance... that was truly terrifying.
“Yeah, let’s hope so.” Sam ran his hands over his arms.
“I still don’t get why she’s doing this. She could’ve taken all of us...” Marissa said.
“Maybe that’s exactly what she’s doing, Nick, Noah... now Jaiden...” Kenna said. “Who says she won’t kidnap another one of us? Hell, if Sophia is at the lab pretending to be Jaiden, then what if Terry is pretending to be one of us? That would really bust all of our plans.” Her eyes darted from one person to another. “Since you came to us with this weird story, maybe it’s you.” She pointed her finger at me.
“Yeah, how do we know you’re really you?” Sam said.
“Ask me anything that you told me or I told you, or I can tell you about the things we’ve been through together,” I said. “Sophia failed to fool me, so that means she doesn’t have access to Jaiden’s mind. At least not completely. Even if she mind-controlled some details out of him, she still doesn’t know him well enough to be able to convincingly act like him all the time.”
“Okay, so how are we going to do this?” Sam tilted his head.
“I could mind-control you. Then you’d use our secret word if someone else mind-controls you, and it could be used to confirm your identity too. I would make you forget the word until someone messes with your head. Then you’d come to me and tell me the word or give me a sign.” I had no idea if Sophia was planning to mind-control any of us, but we needed to be cautious.
“Fine, but what about you?” Kenna asked. “Are you going to mind-control yourself?”
“I can’t do it to myself, so I guess we’ll have to take a risk with me. I have higher chances of defending myself against another mind controller since I’m one too.”
“So does Jaiden, and look where...”
“Just observe me carefully, okay?” I said. “You’ll figure out if I’m acting weird or suddenly agree too much with Sophia’s plans.”
“Okay, so how do we do this?” Sam asked. “If we just revealed our plan to the enemy...”
“You all look fine. Not like Jaiden,” I said. “But you’ll come to me one by one, and we’ll do a little test to see if you and I both remember some things from our past that no one else could know. Once that is done, I’ll mind-control you so you don’t end up following anyone’s orders.” Entering my friends’ minds wouldn’t be the easiest thing in the world, but I didn’t want to lose them or give Sophia any power over them.
“But if she’s like you, she might be able to override or erase your mind control,” Ashley said.
“I know, but many tainteds don’t know how or haven’t even tried to heal anyone’s mind, so let’s hope she doesn’t know about this.” It wasn’t foolproof protection, but it was something. “Oh, and one more thing. Find small cameras that we can attach to our clothes. If we want to expose her for who she really is, we need evidence. But make sure the cameras are undetectable and aren’t connected to anything. We don’t want her or anyone to find out about them.”
Sam nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Chapter 22
I was sick to my stomach when I had to look fake Jaiden in the eyes once again. “Are we going to that place you told me about anytime soon?”
“Yeah, did you tell everyone what they’re supposed to do?” the impostor asked.
“Sure. Once you show them where to go, they’ll go to the city and gather all the tainteds they can find,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “And then they’ll guide them to your safe place. I hope it isn’t far.”
“No, it’s not too far.” The impostor got up from the chair he/she had been sitting in. Jaiden’s lips twisted into a smile so unlike his that it took all my effort to smile back.
“Good. Then just tell us when we can go.” Spending days around the impostor while not knowing what had really happened to Jaiden was driving me crazy, but I had to stay strong. Sophia wouldn’t tell me where Jaiden was anyway. Well, at least not yet. I’d find a way to get it out of her as soon as the opportunity showed. One part of me wondered if she was the one looking at me from behind Jaiden’s dark eyes.
“We can go right now, actually.”
“Okay. I’ll tell everyone.” I headed for the door. The impostor hadn’t tried to contact anyone while staying with us. I’d made sure to check the computer and the room for any hidden devices, but I couldn’t find any. Unless they were kept in Jaiden’s clothes. Marissa, Ashley, Sam, and Kenna looked up at me when I approached, their eyes filled with anxiety.
“We’re going today. Get ready.” I gave them all a meaningful look, which meant they should find as many weapons as they could and hide them so the infiltrator couldn’t see them. If we ended up trapped in anther place that could block magic, we’d need something that could help us break out without a problem.
“Do we really have to let Sophia or w
hoever it is carry us with her air?” Ashley asked, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, just like you would let Jaiden.”
She pressed her lips into a tight line, but she probably knew we had no choice other than to pretend everything was fine. If we were going to play this game, we had to play it right.
We were flying above the endless fields until we reached a small village just outside the city. The impostor led us straight to a big farm, but as we landed and materialized, I noticed there was a metal construction in the middle of it. As we came closer, I thought it looked like a silo. Its metallic blue walls reflected the sunshine, and it seemed like it had been built recently.
“How do you know this place?” I asked the impostor.
“From my Elemontera days. It’s an old lab, but no one’s been using it for a while.”
“That’s not big enough for many tainteds,” I said. “It’s high, but too narrow.”
“No, it’s not. The main part is underground.” A smile crossed Jaiden’s lips.
“Oh, okay then. But are you sure this is safe?” I couldn’t exactly just smile and nod because that would be suspicious. “If your father knows about this, we’re going to have a problem. He’s already trying to create a new Elemontera, so how come he’s not using this?”
“Don’t worry. He won’t be coming here. This place is too far from the city. He’d risk getting caught out here, and it’s hard to smuggle things from the city that he needs without being seen. Large trucks are too obvious and he doesn’t have tainteds anymore to do his dirty work for him.”
“Can we take a look inside?” I eyed the rest of the farm, but I couldn’t see any people hiding anywhere. Ashley, Kenna, Sam, and Marissa were standing behind me, probably too afraid to come closer.
“Of course.” Jaiden’s hand extended toward me and I had to take it. We all made our way across the dry grass and reached the metallic door. The impostor let go of me and placed a hand against the shiny screen at the door, which swirled with white and green, and then opened. White and green? Air and earth, maybe? Sophia? Was Sophia the one hiding behind Jaiden’s face? Terry had water, so the lights would’ve been blue, if that was how the elemental lock worked.
The impostor stepped aside, waving his hand to indicate that I should go inside first. Bracing myself, I entered a small, dark, windowless room. There were various panels on the ceiling that were releasing a light yellowish glow. Most of the equipment was covered, but on the ground were pipes similar to those we’d seen in the mansion. Actually, as I looked at the plain walls, I suspected this place was working on the same principle as that mansion.
“You can all go look around.” Jaiden’s voice broke the silence. “When you’re done, head immediately to the city and find as many tainteds as you can. Moira, stay with me. I want to show you something.”
Marissa gave me a quick look, and I inclined my head when the impostor wasn’t watching me. They followed the narrow hallway toward what look like another room, but the impostor and I stayed behind.
“What is it that you have to show me?” I asked, keeping my voice soft and light.
The impostor’s eyes observed me carefully. “There’s enough room here for many tainteds, but I thought we could use our own special space.”
“Oh?” My eyebrows shot up.
The impostor lowered a latch and one of the panels on the ground moved, revealing a stairway that led into the darkness.
“Go on.”
I carefully stepped into the darkness, half-expecting to be pushed and have the door closed shut behind me, but the impostor followed me downstairs. Something beeped, and light filled an empty room.
“I didn’t buy any furniture yet, but...”
I turned around, checking every corner, but I didn’t see any strange devices in here. Wherever Sophia had taken Noah, Nick, and Jaiden, this wasn’t it. I hadn’t even spotted any guards or anyone. Deciding I had nothing to lose since there wasn’t anything here that could tell me why Sophia wanted all tainteds in this place, except maybe to trap them, I turned toward the impostor and enveloped my arms in fire. I couldn’t go another second without knowing where the real Jaiden was.
“Who are you?” I asked, ready to unleash my element at the slightest movement.
“What do you mean, Moira? Are you okay?” A frown creased Jaiden’s brow. “It’s me. Did something happen?”
“You’re not Jaiden.” My voice was low and edgy. “Don’t try to deny it.”
“How can you say that? You know me. What’s gotten into you?”
“Show yourself!” I’d had enough of this, so I blasted my fire at the impostor, who immediately turned into air and evaded my attack.
“Well, well, Moira.” A familiar female voice rang out. “What gave me away?”
“Everything.” I didn’t wait for Sophia to materialize. Instead, I sent a gust of air toward her to try to destabilize her.
“Bravo! You’ve figured me out. Do you want an award?” She became visible not far from me, her lips stretched into a smile, and I was glad she was back to her true form. “Sadly, no one will ever find out about it.”
“How are you doing that? Changing into other people?” I let my air shimmer in front of me in case she tried anything.
“Ah, little Moira. Some of us are more powerful than you could ever imagine.” She disappeared and flashed in front of me within a second, and when her air crashed against mine, my shield gave.
“Then why are you hunting us? You’re worse than anyone else. You’re going against innocent people of your own kind.” I rolled to the ground to dodge a gust of air aimed at my head.
“I’m merely trying to help people!” Her eyes flashed dangerously and she took a step toward me. A branch appeared out of nowhere, wrapping itself tightly around my neck.
I coughed and spluttered, grabbing at the branch, but it was too strong for me to break. Focusing on my fire, I let it surge through my neck. “Help? You’re insane. How is hunting down tainteds and turning people against each other helping anyone? We’ll end up killing each other! You even called for war!”
“Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to achieve the things you want.”
“Yeah, I heard a madman or two say that.” I called to my fire and flung blue fireballs at her. She dodged all of them, but one caught her on the arm, unbalancing her briefly.
“You don’t understand anything,” she hissed.
“No, I don’t. Where are my friends? What did you do to them?” I blasted her with my air, but before her back hit the wall, she became invisible and shimmered away from me.
“Don’t worry. They’re not dead yet. I just needed to familiarize my element with their bodies so I could use their likeness.” She became corporeal in the corner of the room, but as I threw more fireballs at her, thin branches formed a net in front of her, and my fire crashed against them, barely having any effect.
Gritting my teeth, I found my air again and started a powerful blast, spinning it until it formed a small tornado. Sophia met it with a tornado of her own, and our forces clashed, the elements exploding and throwing us both backward. My head hit the floor, and black spots danced in my vision.
“Surrender. Now. And I won’t hurt you... much.” Sophia appeared over me, and I had only enough time to raise my hands to shield my face from her air. I sent my own air out, but she didn’t budge. Her hair was flying wildly around her, her brows drawn in concentration. Her air somehow found its way to my throat, choking me. I rolled over, kicking out with my leg and bringing her to the ground.
The pressure in my throat started ceasing, and I let my fire consume my body. As I got up, Sophia glared at me. With one flick of her hand, tiny bits and parts of earth and dust surrounded me, hitting my fire as if a million bees were stinging me.
I tried to find my air inside of me, but I couldn’t keep the fire up and blow away the dust at the same time. As the tiny particles were getting stronger and stronger, I pulled my fire back and exchanged it with
air. Pushing against the particles, I let out a cry. I didn’t know if the others could hear me, but I was hoping someone might come to check up on me and give me a hand.
“You don’t have to scream.” Sophia laughed. “This room is soundproof, and I made sure to close the door. No one will find you here.”
“What do you want from me?” I blasted away the particles, my breathing ragged.
“Right now I want you to stop fighting me.” Two branches tried to wrap themselves around my feet, and I stomped at them. Usually, earth elementals had to have a plant or a tree nearby to be able to control it, but Sophia seemed to be able to conjure it. A shimmering thread followed, but I broke through it with ease.
“My friends are not stupid. They’ll find us.” There was no way the others would just believe Sophia and I had disappeared, especially when they knew the truth.
“Keep telling yourself that.” Sophia’s air slammed into me, knocking my breath out of my chest. I wanted to summon my own air, but I couldn’t focus on it. She lifted me up and pinned me against the wall, her air closing around my neck. I flailed my hands and feet, trying to force any of my elements out, but it wasn’t working.
“Go to sleep, Moira. I want to familiarize myself with your body. You see, no one will know you’re here, and I’ll come out wearing your face. Tainteds will follow me and I’ll bring all of them here. No one will be able to stop me.”
The darkness clouded the edges of my vision.
Chapter 23
The whole building started to shake and I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or if it was real. But judging by the look on Sophia’s face and the weakening grip of her element, it was all real. While she was distracted, I found my air inside of me and pushed her invisible threads away from my throat and body. I sank to the floor, creating a protective shield of air around me.
A loud banging came from the top of the stairs, and when a breeze whooshed inside, I knew the door had been opened. Sophia pursed her lips.
Hunted (Tainted Elements, #5) Page 13