“Just…leave him alone,” Eliana piped up with her mousy voice.
“Leave him alone? What, have you got a crush on the new delinquent?”
“No,” she mumbled as her dark blue eyes darted around, embarrassed, “but…if he’s not telling you why he went to jail, then…then maybe he doesn’t want you to know.”
“But you know,” Hartman said, leaning forward to ogle past Ackerly at Eliana, “because you read minds.”
She scratched her forehead and quickly looked away when Hastings’s red eyes, for the first time, glanced up at her. “I can’t read minds that well…”
“Maybe Fraco was going to ask him,” Hartman wondered out loud. “Hey, Mr. Leve, what did you want to talk to Hastings about?”
“Oh—yes, yes,” the man said as he spun toward the back. “I was going to ask if you were certain you wanted to accompany us, Mr. Lanio, but that question seems unnecessary now.”
“It’s ironic that prisoners get more of a choice in being hauled away than law-abiding citizens do,” Tray said sardonically. “Did you want to come to Wackoland,” he asked Hastings, “or do you feel as though you’re being forced to like the rest of us?”
Adara was beginning to believe their newest addition was mute. Instead of answering, he kept his emotionless eyes trained expectantly on Eliana.
“Uh…um…he—he wanted to come,” Eliana spewed, her vision fixated on Hastings as she spoke. Although the mind reader likely had more insight to his thoughts, Adara could have guessed that much just by the trauma that plagued his expression. How easily she could have been wearing the same pale prison garb as him if Mitt hadn’t protected her…
“Well, then welcome to the band of Wacko misfits, Blood Boy,” Adara droned, glancing over at Hastings only after he whipped his glaring gaze toward her. “What, does that offend you? I’d be glad if it did—my nicknames are meant to be offensive.”
“We know,” Tray mumbled.
“Besides, it doesn’t have anything to do with your personality, since you don’t talk,” she went on. “It’s only because of your hair and eyes—they’re the color of thick blood.”
5
Wackoland
Eliana was not as skilled of a mind reader as the others thought, but she didn’t need to read specific thoughts to comprehend how shallow their understanding of Affinities was. Mind reading wasn’t some fully-developed cognitive function that had appeared in Eliana’s brain one day—it was an ability that had manifested and grown over a matter of years. Even now, her capabilities were pathetically limited.
Even without her Affinity, she sensed the tension building in that compact van over the next few hours. It hadn’t taken long for the other teenagers to grow tired of Adara’s quips. Tray had been the first to close his eyes, though his mind had been far from tranquil, his thoughts raging with frustration and antipathy. The blonde girl named Kiki had dozed off next, her consciousness fading as she nuzzled her boyfriend’s shoulder. As the sun began to set, plunging the open fields they drove through into darkness, the rest gradually followed suit.
Eliana had remained awake, mostly because she’d been too distracted by the orange-haired kid’s attempts to send her mental messages. Her skill wasn’t advanced enough to decipher exactly what he was thinking to her, but she assumed it was something obnoxious and immature.
Regardless, she enjoyed watching the sun dip beneath the horizon, staring in awe at the vibrant hues it produced. Even once blackness blanketed the sky, the lack of civilization in the open fields allowed her to admire the stars—until the orange-haired boy, Hartman, violently tore her from her quiet appreciation.
“Wake up! Wake up!” he hissed, nudging every indistinguishable body surrounding him in the van. “I see light!” he exclaimed, accidentally whacking Lavisa in the face.
The yellow-haired girl instinctively reached for her boot and then groaned. “I didn’t get my boot knife back,” she muttered before rubbing her eyes.
Adara replied to this with an equally miffed grunt. “And I didn’t get my pocketknife. Hey, Fraco, do they sell weapons in Wackoland?”
“There are…just too many things wrong with that statement for me to answer!” he fumed from the front seat. “But, for starters, you will call me Mr. Leve—”
“Oh damn, we are in the middle of nowhere,” Seth said, eyelids fluttering, as he finally focused on the nothingness outside the window. Kiki let out a high-pitched whine at the sound of his voice in her ear.
“Look out the front, though,” Hartman insisted as he leaned forward, his eyes glowing orange in the reflection of the lights ahead.
Squished on Eliana’s right, Ackerly appeared to be cleaning the lenses of his glasses, and at the far side of their row, Lavisa fixed her misshapen ponytail. On the floor at Eliana’s feet, the boy named Hastings stared blankly at the van door, numb to his surroundings.
When everyone had asked if Hastings wanted to be here, Eliana hadn’t truly known. The emotions he’d been projecting toward her, however, were positive enough that he must not have been distraught to leave the detention facility. Based on that raw anguish in his red eyes, anywhere would have been better for him than that place—even the ominous town for Affinities that lay before them.
“Wonderful, we’ve reached Wackotown,” Tray droned as he pivoted to glance out the front window. Beyond the van, a small town grew closer, lit mostly by small buildings and the spotlights that lined the perimeter’s fence. On the far right of the town was a thin tower that blinked like a beacon.
“It is called Periculand,” Fraco snapped back.
“That’s a bit of a ridiculous name,” Hartman said. “Why isn’t it called Affinity World? Add some rollercoasters, some cotton candy—”
“That would be awesome,” Seth agreed.
“Don’t talk to him,” Kiki whispered loudly enough for the entire van to hear. “Don’t talk to any of them—they’re all freaks. We’ll find the cool people when we get to this Wacko place—if there are any cool people…”
Eliana noticed Adara’s eyes roll as she spun her head to observe the oncoming town. The van approached the two-story fence, which seemed to be humming and flickering with electricity. The massive gates parted, and as they passed through them, Eliana saw the outline of a person standing on the covered platform atop the fence.
“Stop breathing in my face, Stromer,” Tray griped, as they were now nearly nose to nose, trying to stare in opposite directions.
“Stop breathing, period, Nerdworm.”
His head shook impatiently and he turned to face the other way. “What’s with the high security at this place? Who could the Wackos possibly be trying to keep out?”
“The fences are to keep the Wackos out, Mr. Stark,” Fraco said, clearly reveling in the irony. “You will all understand your ignorance soon enough.”
Aethelred pulled the van into a mostly-vacant parking lot not far from the town’s entrance. Directly adjacent to the lot was a modern, four-story building painted white with large square windows that matched its cubic structure. No light shone through these windows, but beyond the other side of the parking lot was a village with illuminated windows scattered like stars.
“What’s that building?” Hartman asked as they began to file out of the vehicle. Eliana remained in her spot, but their voices drifted toward her through the van’s open door.
“That,” Fraco began, motioning toward the structure before them, “is the Naturals Building.”
“Is it a museum?” Adara asked dully as she jumped out after Tray.
Fraco looked almost offended by this. “No. It is composed of classrooms—and a cafeteria.”
“Food,” Seth breathed, nearly drooling as he ogled the Naturals Building. “Is it open?”
“Not now,” Aethelred said as he rounded the van to join the group, “but it will be open for breakfast in the morning. Come—we’ll be meeting the others in the Residence Tower.”
“Others?” Tray asked, hurrying af
ter Aethelred as he led the group toward the campus.
After Ackerly hopped out, Eliana joined them, breathing in the earthy scent that characterized the town while studying the simple beauty of all the white buildings littering the landscape.
“What others?”
Aethelred sent Tray a raised eyebrow over his shoulder. “You didn’t think you nine were the only Affinities your age in the state of Ohio, did you?”
“I didn’t think anyone had powers at all,” the boy retorted. “I still don’t think so…”
As the teenagers followed Aethelred and Fraco across the grass, Eliana paused to linger by the open van, peeking inward at Hastings, who blended into the dark floor. Awake but motionless, he hugged his knees to his chest and refused to regard her presence.
“C’mon,” she beckoned softly as she extended her hand toward him. “I…I know you’re nervous—I can tell. I’m nervous, too. This is all very weird, but…um…I think it’s going to be okay.”
His eyes rose to hers, the red in his irises flickering in a few stray beams of light. It had taken her years to grow accustomed to the increasing blueness of her hair and eyes, which had previously been black and brown. Even now, if she caught sight of the dark blue strands, she would balk, unable to believe her features had truly morphed into such an unnatural color. But there was something organic about the red tint of Hastings’s hair and eyes, as if he’d been born this way or, at least, had adopted this odd color a long time ago.
After a moment of hesitation, Hastings unfurled himself and scooted out of the van, ignoring her outstretched hand; she shut the van door and scurried to catch up with him as he stalked toward the group. Though their short walk to join the others was one of understood silence, she could still sense his mind pressing on hers, emitting emotions of gratitude and warmth. However mysterious and potentially evil this delinquent boy might have appeared, Eliana was glad he was here—glad the world had given him this chance and that she could give him one, too.
“That is a tall building,” Hartman said as the two stragglers approached.
Despite the distractions of this new setting, Tray hadn’t failed to notice the blue-haired girl loitering by the van and then appearing a few moments later at Hastings’s heels. Anyone unruly enough to end up in a juvenile detention center was definitely not to be trusted—Tray would watch him with a cautious eye. Eliana, on the other hand, was intriguing. It wasn’t that he believed she could actually read minds, but she was intuitive, at least, and he could respect that.
Once the two had joined the group, Tray refocused his attention on the slim skyscraper ahead: a white cylinder of seemingly endless height that was speckled with round windows, like a spotted caterpillar. A paved path surrounded it and then branched out in different directions, linking this center tower with the Naturals Building and two others of the same cubic structure.
“Unusually tall compared to the others,” Tray noted. “How tall is it?”
“About twenty stories,” Aethelred said proudly. “This is where the dormitories are and where you’ll all be staying. The roof also doubles as a helicopter pad.”
“You land helicopters on top of the skinny building we live in?” Tray questioned in disbelief.
“Sounds entertaining,” Adara said from beside him.
“Oh good,” Aethelred said, blatantly ignoring Tray’s question as they stepped up to the tower. “Than and Sherman are already here. Medea should be here shortly—”
“Formality, Mr. Certior!” Fraco scolded as he stepped in front of his colleague. “Dr. Floros, Mr. Sherwin, and Dr. Wright are their names. Now,” he said as he turned toward the group of teenagers, “you will all be on your best behavior as we enter the tower. I do not want any snide remarks”—his dark eyes fell on Adara—“or any petulant questions”—his glare was now aimed at Tray, who scoffed in response—“and there will certainly be no verbal or physical fights.” His eyes slid to Lavisa, and Tray was curious as to how, exactly, this small girl had combatted prisoners Adara had labeled as giants. “Within,” Fraco continued, “I will explain everything you need to know. Everyone in Periculand is your friend. Here, Affinities do not quarrel amongst themselves. This is a tight-knit community. Understood?”
“What if they’re all losers, though?” Kiki inquired as she craned her neck to see through one of the round windows. “They don’t look very cool, and I can’t be associated with the uncool.”
“What if we encounter snobby bullies?” Adara shot a poisonous glower in the blonde’s direction. “Do we have permission to assault them?”
“Enough, enough! This is what I’m talking about!” Fraco hissed impatiently. “Just…go inside and keep your mouths shut, hm?”
Kiki grumbled as Aethelred pulled open the glass double doors and revealed the circular ground floor of the tower. About twenty students were already inside, chatting or glancing around nervously at the modern décor. Three flat-screen televisions flanked the white walls, and brightly-colored sofas, chairs, and tables were scattered in clusters. A spiral staircase ascended from the center of the floor, carpeted in pale gray—a color that made the vibrant hues of the furniture and many of the students’ hair stand out in contrast.
“How does everyone else know their power?” Adara complained, not for the first time, as she observed the new group of students, about half of which had oddly-colored hair.
“I said no snarky questions, Miss Stromer,” Fraco crooned before scurrying to assert himself in front of the groups. Behind his and Aethelred’s, another horde of about twenty teens entered the tower accompanied by two female adults.
“Where are the twins?” the shorter and older of the two women exclaimed as she wobbled into the room. Her large, deep purple eyes were alight with enthusiasm as she pushed her stubby body through the huddled students. When she caught sight of Tray and Seth standing idly beside each other, her thick lips formed a beaming grin; she pulled back her crazy purple hair as she approached them.
“There you are!” she greeted as she stepped in front of the Starks. “My, my! We have had some twins, but never have I seen Affinity DNA so exactly the same—astonishing! It was like looking at the same sample!”
“Um…who are you?” Tray asked as the woman took his pale hand in her dark one. She squinted as she examined him decisively.
“Let me see yours, as well,” she prompted, grasping Seth’s hand. She was about to compare the two when Fraco’s voice cut through her focus.
“That is Dr. Wright,” he informed them tartly. “Now, we really must begin—”
“Medea Wright,” she introduced herself absently as she again fixed her eyes on the twins’ hands. Fraco cleared his throat—an odd gurgling noise—and with a quick shake of her head, Medea dropped them from her clutches. “Sorry, sorry. I am the doctor of science here at the training school, and they always send me DNA to analyze when they think it might be Affinity blood. Seth and Tray Stark… I’ll never forget those samples.”
“Dr. Wright, if you would step up here, please,” Fraco said, beckoning her with his clipboard. “Mr. Sherwin, Dr. Floros, Miss Smith…”
Mildly dazed by the woman’s sudden excitement, Tray flexed the hand she’d held and wished he could examine his own DNA in a microscope. Shaking out of his analytical thoughts, he fixed his vision on the four adults joining Aethelred and Fraco where they faced the crowd of curious adolescents. Of the new group of twenty that had entered, less than half had exotically-colored hair.
“Yes, hello,” Fraco said, holding his clipboard before his face to skim it quickly. “I am Mr. Leve, which is what every one of you will call me. To my right is Mr. Certior, the chief of the Mentals and also our resident therapist, for any of you hormonal teens who need to vent about your feelings. On his other side is Dr. Wright, the doctor of science here at Periculand Training School.”
Medea raised her hand to wave at everyone, and when her eggplant-colored eyes fell on the Stark twins, she winked.
“An
d I’m Floretta!” the woman on Medea’s other side announced before Fraco could get another word out. With perfect teeth beneath her beaming smile, she bounced in place and waved, making a few kids blush with her joviality. With a spritely face and vivid lavender hair that matched her girlish dress, she didn’t look a day over twenty-five. “I have an Affinity for flowers!”
“Flowers,” Ackerly breathed, his grassy eyes widening.
“Stop drooling, Greenie,” Adara muttered as she backhanded his arm. Her attention then turned to the bubbling adult as she called out, “Your name is Floretta and you have flower powers? How ironic.”
“Her name is Miss Smith and you will call her that,” Fraco interrupted, tapping the air with his clipboard for emphasis.
“Miss,” Ackerly repeated dreamily. “She’s single.”
“Yes,” Floretta sighed in response to Fraco as her mood drooped. “My name is Julie Smith—so plain. Students call me Floretta, though—a nickname one of my favorite students gave me.”
“All students will call you Miss Smith!” Fraco shrilled hysterically. “Now, Miss Smith is the chief of Naturals, and to my left we have Mr. Sherwin, who is the chief of Physicals. Last is Dr. Floros, who will teach you the history of Affinities.” He motioned carelessly toward the flawless individual at the end of the line. Not one blemish scarred the man’s tanned skin, and his thick, brown hair was without even a tinge of gray. Despite his lean body and ageless face, he still reminded Tray of an elderly man.
“Now,” Fraco prompted, drawing everyone’s attention back toward him. “Periculand is the first town of its kind—the first all-Affinity town, that is. Our training school’s principal, the esteemed Angor Periculy, is the man who founded this great town where Affinities can be free from prejudice and are guaranteed safety. We have a very high reputation here, and because of our success, the government is considering building Affinity towns in every state. Therefore, we expect the very best behavior from each and every one of you. Anyone with disorderly conduct will suffer consequences, and we reserve the right to expel any student or citizen who does not obey our laws.”
Blood: An Affinities Novel (The Affinities Book 1) Page 6