Mind of Darkness

by Jes Drew

  “Or course I am. Never been better. Just glad it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.” I reach for him and he steps up beside me and takes my arm like the gallant knight he is.

  Squeezing him more tightly than I normally do, I lean into him as much as I dare.

  But soon the Cure will heal him completely. And soon I’ll be the Emily I should be, one he’ll have been proud to be hobbled for. Not that he’ll be hobbled for much longer…

  “Emily?”

  I blink and look up at his concerned expression. “Hmm?”

  “We’re here. And I’m not so sure you’re all right.”

  “Of course I am.” I find myself touching his face, which only seems to confuse him more. But why should it? He’s my boyfriend and practically my fiancé. So maybe I’m shy.

  But it’s time I be the Emily I’m meant to be.

  Grabbing his shoulders, I push myself up and press my lips to his.

  He kisses back, one hand looping around my waist either to support me or him. Then his other hand reaches for my shoulders and pushes me away.

  I blink. “What-?”

  “Emily, this isn’t right.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because… we’re not married.”

  “It’s just a kiss.”

  He shakes his head. “And a kiss has never become more than that. We’re not married.”

  I blink. “Or maybe you’re just too scared.”

  Christopher steps back, startled. Cowardice was never something either of us saw him being accused of.

  “I-” I shake my head. “I’m sorry. Right, but sorry.”

  “Emily, I don’t think you’re okay. Was it your therapist-”

  “He’s not my therapist because I don’t need a therapist!” I blink, startled at my raised voice.

  Several people glance at us, but I don’t even blush. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

  Or maybe I’m finally overcoming my insecurities to be the Emily I’m meant to be.

  He steps back toward me cautiously, like someone approaching an injured animal. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all have issues.”

  “Not you. You’re perfect. Except for where I maimed you.” My eyes fill suddenly with tears. “No wonder you don’t want to touch me.”

  “Emily-”

  I turn and flee into the dormitories without looking back.

  Violet, however, looks up when I barge into the room. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Instead of answering her, I barge into the bathroom and slam the door behind me.

  Then the bathroom floor seems to jump up at me and my head hits something hard.

  Chapter Six

  Oto and Ata Forager look around the Island that had been their home for the first sixteen years of their lives. And though they’ve spent their seventeenth year in the Outside, there is still something pleasantly familiar about the Island, even if it does have a new name.

  A small village of tents stands at the edge of the beach, but that is not the village they and the rest of the Rogers and Company seek.

  Together, Oto, Ata, and the others march further inland, past a pond, through a forest, and to a wall built up of upright logs. They round it until they come to a door in the wall. Near the door is a metal cube used as a jail, which may or may not contain the one known as Dodo and Despair- not that either Oto or Ata cared enough to check. However, unlike the last time they visited the Island, several other buildings stand outside the wall. Wooden buildings.

  “They’re expanding,” Ata says.

  Oto nods, both excited for his friends and regretful for his forest. Then he knocks on the Forager’s door.

  “Who knocks?” a familiar voice on the other side of the door asks.

  “Same person who knocked the last time I was here,” Oto answers.

  The door swings open, and Popo, Oto’s best friend on the Island, grins at him.

  “About time you showed up,” Popo says. Then he pulls both Oto and Ata into a bear hug.

  “Careful,” Joseph warns, “that’s my fiancé you have your arms around.”

  “Really?” Popo asks, releasing Ata. “Congratulations! And I suppose Holly is your promised now, Oto?”

  Holly glares at Oto. “Not yet.”

  “You’re both too young anyway,” Richard mumbles.

  “Speaking of promised, did the Shining Hope cure Emma’s promised?” Popo asks. “Where is she anyway?”

  “Chris is cured,” Oto assures. “He and Emma are at a fancy Outside education thing.”

  “Oh,” Popo says. “Poor them.”

  Oto nods. “Now, you’ve met most of my group, but not all of them. This is Richard’s wife Neva; Gerald’s wife Donna; their mama Ruth; and Chris’ papa Walter.”

  “Welcome to the Island,” Popo greets. “Or should I say, Emma Isle. I’m Popo, head forager since Oto deserted us.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Gerald answers. “We’re here to visit and offer any assistance you may require.”

  Popo nods. “Thank you. Also, thank you for the books you sent us- the Bibles.”

  Mr. Williams nods in return. “It was the least we could do after all the help you gave us in finding the cure for my son- to help you see the cure for your souls.”

  “So, where would it be best for us to stay?” Joseph asks quickly. “Because- no offense- but I don’t think we’ll all fit on your roof. And I don’t even want to sleep on the roof.”

  “Of course not,” Popo agrees. “We have a, uh, hotel now.”

  “You do?” Ata asks.

  “Where was that when we were on the Island?!” Chase demands.

  “Or, more importantly,” Joseph says, “when I was here.”

  “We’ve had it for three seasons,” Popo answers. “Not long after you left with the Shining Hope, the Prime Minister of England visited us.”

  Both Oto and Ata shrug. The Prime Minister’s coming comes as no surprise.

  “Really?!” Mary-Ann cries. “She’s like the queen, right?”

  Ruth smiles and ruffles Mary-Ann’s hair. “Uh, something like that. I remember hearing about it on the news.”

  “What news?” Popo asks. “Never mind. Anyway, she helped us convert the Masters’ three mansions into more useful buildings. One we made into a hotel, another into a museum/library, and the third into a town hall.”

  Donna raises an eyebrow. “That was very helpful of her.”

  Popo shrugs. “She’s on her way to visit us again, actually. She seems to enjoy our Island.”

  “Who doesn’t?” Ata asks.

  “Emily,” Neva and Richard answer in unison.

  Holly laughs. “Ironic since it’s named after her.”

  Chase pouts.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Joseph orders. “The Prime Minister of England is coming here in a matter of days?”

  Popo nods. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “No,” Joseph answers. “But aren’t you even a little excited at the prospect. Any of you?”

  The Rogers and Walter all nod. Holly just shrugs.

  And Oto and Ata ignore him in favor of finding their friends in the village.

  Chapter Seven: Charisa

  I wake up from a nightmare and find that in reality, it’s much, much worse.

  Sucking in my breath, I (carefully) climb down from bed.

  “What now?” I whisper as I comb my fingers through my hair. I destroy more nails than tangles, but I stubbornly continue. I will cling to whatever snatches of normalcy that remain for me.

  “We wait,” Faith says suddenly from a corner.

  I startle. “What are you doing over there?”

  “I like corners,” she answers, her large eyes focusing on nothing in particular. “They keep me from being sucked into space.”

  “Uh, okay...” I begin braiding my hair to the best of my abilities. “What exactly do we wait for?”

  “We wait until they come.”

  “What will they do when t
hey come?”

  Faith blinks and then goes back into her unfocused stare. “It depends. It’s best not to think about it. It’s best not to think at all.”

  “Now what kind of reasoning is that?” I demand. “Bad reasoning, that’s what, because you’re not even using your thinking cap. Now, Faith, I don’t know what you’ve gone through here, but now that I’m here, I’m going to do my best to watch out for you.”

  “One said the same thing,” Faith answers numbly. “But he couldn’t stop what they did to me.” She blinks rapidly before returning to her blank stare. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.”

  I lick my lips and look away. Then I whisper, “Two. Four. Six. Eight.”

  “Three. Five. Seven. Nine,” Kyle answers in the distance. “Good morning.”

  “Wish it were. Where are you? Are you still with One?”

  “I’m in the same place they dumped me yesterday. And yes, I’m still with One. Where are you?”

  “Also stuck where they stuck me. Faith is here too.”

  Suddenly the door opens.

  “Gotta go,” I whisper.

  “Chrissie? Chrissie?!”

  I ignore him and focus on Wanda, who stands in the entrance, flanked by two guards.

  “Two, Four, follow me,” she orders.

  Faith and I obey.

  Wanda leads us past two doors to a third door.

  “Leave your clothes in the basket to the left,” Wanda orders. “You’ll find fresh garments in the basket on the other side of the shower. You have ten minutes before I send someone in after you.” Then Wanda opens the door and pushes Faith and me into the room before slamming it behind us.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, taking in the locker-room-like area complete with two sinks, two shower heads, and two baskets- one next to us and the other on the opposite side of the showers. There is also a table laden down with towels on the opposite side of the shower.

  Faith walks over to the sinks, the counters of which containing four toothbrushes, a tube of toothpaste, a carton of floss, a comb, and a small assortment of shower supplies. “They need to keep us in pristine condition in order to properly use us,” she answers, picking up the second toothbrush to the left. “We’re the control group, after all. Yours will be the fourth toothbrush.”

  Well, I do want to wash up. But why like this? Like we have no humanity or use beyond what they give us.

  But better this than to be cruelly treated and deprived of much worse than my own bathroom.

  Sighing, I join Faith at the sink.

  Less than ten minutes later, Faith and I step back out of the shower room wearing fresh clothing identical to the clothing we left behind.

  Wanda and the two guards are waiting for us.

  Wanda gestures for us to follow, which we wordlessly do. I keep my face as emotionless as Faith’s, but my mind silently screams at Wanda and Jin and the world.

  Wanda leads us to a room that reminds me of a jailhouse cafeteria (I thought I escaped that fate when Dad busted me out of jail). Several guards are eating. Several others are wandering around looking watchful.

  Pointing to an un-inhabited table, Wanda orders, “Sit.”

  Faith immediately does so. Biting my lip and trying not to feel like Dad’s dog Rylie, I do the same.

  “Stay,” Wanda adds before marching away with her entourage.

  I really don’t like that woman. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

  And, boy, am I hungry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday and it’s enough to make the unappetizing food on the guards’ plates look almost consumable.

  Wanda finally returns. And I see Kyle behind her, dressed in identical clothing to Faith’s and mine, his hair slightly damp.

  My heart leaps to see him. Then, behind him, I see another boy in the same clothes. A stranger. One?

  One or not, this boy doesn’t appear to be much older than I, and has a laid-back aura that nearly- but not quite- masks the intelligence of his sharp, green eyes. His bright red hair, which doesn’t look like it’s been trimmed recently, seems to rebel against the colorlessness of its surroundings.

  I like this boy already.

  “Sit,” Wanda tells them.

  Kyle sits down like that’s what he wants, not Wanda. The other boy sits down absently like he hadn’t even heard her.

  “I’ll be right back with your food,” Wanda says. “Behave, or there will be serious consequences.” She leaves the room again.

  Kyle turns to me. “Ch-”

  “Chrissie,” I supply.

  “Chrissie, this is my roommate One.” He gestures to the boy. “One, this is my girlfriend Chrissie.”

  One smiles lazily, but his eyes seem pained.

  I clear my throat and turn to Faith. “Faith, this is my boyfriend Kyle. Kyle, this is my roommate Faith.”

  “A pleasure,” Kyle answers.

  Faith just blinks at something beyond Kyle.

  “Faith?” One says.

  I nod. “I can’t have her going around as just a number, now can I? Speaking of which, we need to come up with something for you. Can you remember your name?”

  One frowns slightly. “Sadly, no. I don’t remember anything about my life before this. All I remember is that when they were capturing me, the force of the gas bomb caused me to bang my head really, really hard. And I have a hard head, so it’s difficult to damage it, but this did. And before my super health or whatever you call it could kick in, the gas got me.”

  He shrugs. “At least I think that’s how I went. Everything’s kind of hazy. For all I know, I could have been given my freakish abilities here, like F-Faith. Though, I don’t remember anything like that…” One smiles. “Of course, I don’t remember much of anything, so who knows?”

  I imitate Faith and blink blankly. Then I ask, “Do you know how long you’ve been here?”

  One shrugs and leans back in his chair. “Dunno. I used to keep track, but after a year, and after what they did to-” One glances at Faith briefly, his eyes brimming with sorrow and regret. Then he shrugs again. “I decided it wasn’t much use anymore. What happens, happens.”

  Wanda appears with four trays of colorless food. She sets them in front of us. “You have fifteen minutes to eat.” She walks away again.

  I avoid looking at my food as I take my first bite. The food is tasteless, but I’m hungry. After taking a few more bites, I say, “Well, since you don’t remember your name, Kyle and I will have to give you one. Faith can help too.”

  Faith continues staring at nothing and robotically eating her food.

  I frown. “Or not.”

  Kyle studies One for a moment. Then he grins. “You know what? You look like a Rylie to me.”

  “Really?” One asks lazily. “That sounds like a decent enough name.”

  I roll my eyes. “Rylie is the name of my dog.”

  One raises an eyebrow at Kyle.

  Kyle grins. “Hey, it was worth a try. Wait, I got it! What about Theodore?”

  One chuckles. “I don’t think that suits me. Too presidential.”

  “How about Tim?” I ask. “I like Tim.”

  “Nah,” Kyle answers. “You look more like a Bob.”

  We both turn to One.

  “I’m going to go with you, Chrissie,” he answers. “You didn’t try to name me after a dog.”

  “Very well then,” Kyle says. “If you’re sure you don’t want the name Rylie-”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Then I dub thee Tim.”

  “And I second that,” I add.

  I turn to Faith, but Faith continues to ignore us.

  Tim looks away.

  Wanda returns. “Time’s up. Follow me.”

  “All four of us?” I ask. Then I glance at her entourage. It’s doubled.

  Wanda doesn’t answer, so Tim, Faith, Kyle, and I follow her out of the cafeteria. We are led past five doors and into the track room. Jin Yin is waiting inside.

  Kyle, Tim
, and I all glare at him. Faith just stares at the wall beyond him.

  Jin Yin clears his throat- it can't be comfortable to be disliked by three superhumans. “I want to see how well superhumans can work together with their powers.”

  “The four of us can show us how well we can simultaneously jump you,” Kyle offers.

  Jin Yin clears his throat again. “I don’t think the guns with men- er, men with the guns would appreciate that. And I highly doubt little Two would do that to me.” Jin reaches to pat Faith on the head, but Tim blocks him.

  “You have no right to touch her,” Tim hisses. “Especially after what you did to her.”

  I gape at Tim. Laid-back or not, he definitely can use his emotions.

  Jin Yin jerks back his hand. “She’s my daughter.”

  I gape at Jin Yin.

  “All you did was take her from an orphanage to this place,” Tim retorts. “That doesn’t make you her father in my book.”

  Jin Yin clears his throat again. “Well, go do stuff on the track together. And don’t step out of line, cause, you know, them.” He nods to the guards and their guns.

  Kyle and I share a Look. We will show Jin Yin exactly who he’s messing with. I glance at Tim, who’s still seething.

  Tim nods.

  Faith, however, disappears into a corner.

  Kyle, Tim, and I work together, helping each other do astonishing moves. If we were against an enemy, we would have won easily.

  “Very good,” Jin Yin says at last. “But it’s time for you to return to your rooms.” He clears his throat. “Wanda, escort the girls.”

  Wanda nods. “Two, Four, follow me.”

  Faith obediently appears again, and Wanda, along with half of her entourage, leads us back to our room.

  The moment Wanda locks the door behind us, Faith returns to her corner.

  “Two. Four. Six. Eight,” I whisper.

  “Three. Five. Seven. Nine,” Kyle answers.

  “I’m in my room. Where are you?”

  “Being led to my room.”

  “Oh,” I say. “Contact me if anything new happens.”

  “Will do. Over and out.”

  I turn to Faith. “So, what now?”