Eden

by C J Singh

  Babyface!

  His roar of laughter caused LaRae, our torturer or what everyone here called a scientist, to almost fall off her chair. She stood quickly, brushing off her lab coat and looking between our cages. “What was that about?” She walked to the small hallway between our glass walls, looking right at Jace. “What’s so funny?”

  Jace strutted toward the glass, leaning on it. “Well, our golden girl over there thinks she’s funny.” He shrugged and looked toward me, his one blue eye sparkling.

  I raised an eyebrow at him, still lying on my cot.

  Golden girl?

  You called me babyface.

  You’re an insecure boy.

  LaRae turned toward me. “She didn’t say anything? I didn’t hear anything... I mean... I mean she hasn’t said anything to anybody in two days.”

  Jace chuckled. “She talks to me all the time. I mean, All. The. Time. She’s annoying really.” He walked back to his bed. “I wake up daily, praying she’ll just stay quiet for one day, but then nooooo, there she is. In my head.” He poked his head with a finger.

  I covered my face with my single blanket to hide my smile. He really was overdramatic at times, but I had come to really like him, trust him.

  Oh please!

  LaRae looked between the two of us. I avoided her eyes but felt her gaze on me. “Well, maybe you can tell her to please talk to me... talk to anyone. Zane isn’t going to give her much more time and I fear for...”—she sucked in a raspy breath—“well for you, Jace. For you. It won’t end well for you if she doesn’t talk to me. To someone, anyone.”

  Her words wiped the smile from my face and put the dark pit back in my stomach. The reminder of Zane’s threat hung over me like a blade – well, over Jace more like it. Whatever they had planned for Jace if I refused to talk wasn’t good. They already killed Tristan, and I’m not sure what happened to Brian. Because I wanted to keep the camp as safe as possible, I hadn’t mentioned him.

  Remembering Tristan’s blood on my hands makes it hard to swallow. Reaching up, I held the silver butterfly necklace in my hand. First Ellie, now Tristan. If anyone else I love is taken, I don’t know if I will recover. I closed myself off, my mind, my senses, and pulled my body as far into the corner as I can. Sitting in my cage the last few days, I have mastered my ability to allow Jace into my thoughts but also to keep him out. I could feel him nudge me, but I ignored him.

  “Eden!” His muffled voice and knock came at me through the glass. “Eden. Don’t push me out. Please, look at me! Please!”

  Keeping my face down, covered by my arms, I tucked into myself. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t let them hurt Jace, but I didn’t want Zane to have any leverage for whatever he planned on doing. I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t live like this, so I tuned out the world, every sound, every scent, every feeling as I hid in the corner of my cage.

  ***

  I kept myself blocked off from the world for the next two days. I didn’t leave my cot, didn’t eat, didn’t talk to anyone, not even Jace.

  He watched me anxiously from his cage, frequently nudging at my psyche to get my attention, but I ignored him. He tried yelling at me, dancing, pretending to be sick and hurt, but I disregarded it all.

  On the third day of silence, the dishes full of stale food piled up in the corner caused a wretched smell in my cage, but I did my best to ignore it. A man came to talk to LaRae. He was average height, middle aged, dressed in a suit, and had familiar facial features. Even with his greying temples, I could see it had been the same dark, shiny black as Jace and the bright blue eyes were the same.

  David, Jace’s father. He walked into Jace’s cage and pulled up a single chair.

  I glanced over at Jace to see his reaction. All I could see and feel was anger and annoyance. He sat on his cot, elbows on his knees leaning forward, ignoring David.

  My ear twitched as I anticipated listening to their conversation through the glass. Some days I was thankful for hyper senses.

  “What were you thinking?” David said.

  “Thinking about what?” Jace continued to look down at his fingers. He was picking at a small piece of napkin from his last meal.

  “Do you know how much trouble you put me in?”

  “Put you in? You shoved me outside the walls! Banished me!”

  “I had no choice, son!” The man’s voice was so loud he almost sounded like he was in my cage.

  Jace’s eyes glowed and he fisted the napkin in his hand, crushing it, “Do. Not. Call. Me. Son. You lost that right when you discarded me like a piece of garbage!”

  David’s face fell. I almost felt sorry for him... almost.

  “Jace, I did the best I could. If I hadn’t done what I had, you would have been here. You would be dead.”

  Jace put his arms out to show his cage. “Well, I am here anyway.”

  “Yes... yes...” He lowered his eyes. “How is it you...”—he searched for his words—“that you have... I mean... what happened to your eyes?” His voice ended almost in a whisper.

  I sat up, setting my feet on the ground, keeping my eyes on Jace. He focused on his father’s face, not glancing at my movement. “Does it scare you, father?”

  David just looked at him. “No... but it’s the same as... her.” He nodded his head toward me but kept his eyes on Jace. “What did she do to you?”

  Jace growled.

  Jace! Relax. He’s your father.

  I let the barriers of my mind down, but Jace didn’t reply. He clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes.

  “She has a name. Eden. Don’t you presume to think she did anything to me. She saved my life; that’s more than you did.”

  “Saved you?” His father stood. “Look at you! You’re an... an animal!”

  David turned toward the door. With a burst of strength, Jace pinned him to the wall, holding him by the neck, their noses touching. “You know nothing!” His voice was deeper, almost unrecognizable. There was nothing there showing the funny boy I knew.

  LaRae, who watched from the safety of the door, ran to her desk and picked up the phone. I was up, banging on my window. “Jace!” He didn’t acknowledge me.

  Jace! Stop! Relax!

  I saw the tension in his shoulders slip, but his grip tightened. His father’s mouth gaped open and shut trying to breathe; his face was red with a tinge of purple.

  LaRae was now off the phone and rummaging through one of her cabinets, pulling out a gun. Panic ripped through me. I would not let her shoot him. Banging on the glass, I screamed, but what came out of my mouth was a roar. I continued to roar, trying to break his focus.

  Jace! Please! They will kill you!

  His face dropped at my voice in his head, glancing at me for a second before turning back to his suffocating father. As quickly as he grabbed him, he dropped him and stepped away. LaRae was at his cage door, panting and pointing the gun with shaking hands. David hunched over, rubbed his throat, and coughed. He bumped into LaRae as he backed toward the door.

  “You’re...” he croaked, “not my son. My son... would never do... that.” He pushed LaRae out the door and locked it behind him.

  Armed guards poured into the lab with their guns raised ready to shoot. They lowered their weapons when they took in the scene. Jace moved to the wall, resting his forehead on the metal, his back facing me as he breathed deeply.

  Jace?

  Nothing.

  Jace?

  Leave me alone.

  The defeat in his voice made me want to break down the glass between us and hold him. I had never seen him so... helpless.

  Babyface?

  He turned toward me with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Golden girl!

  I smiled; he would be all right.

  Chapter 38

  Tristan

  The bright light bl
inded me when I opened my eyes. Bringing my hands up to block it caused my stomach to throb, and I winced. “Ahhh...”

  “Oh! Don’t move.” A petite blonde woman moved to my side, pulling the blanket away to inspect the bandage over my belly. “It looks all right, but you need to move slowly.” She turned her bright green eyes to me and smiled. “How are you feeling otherwise?” She straightened the blanket over me.

  “Ummm...” Shaking my head, I tried to focus on what she said. “All right, I guess.”

  Standing straight, she smiled, showing perfectly straight white teeth. She couldn’t be much older than me. “Good. It was really touch and go there for a bit. I’m glad you’ve made it through the hard part.” She walked over to a table against the wall and resumed sorting through papers.

  I wiggled but stopped when pain shot through me. Taking a long breath, I croaked, “The worst part?”

  “Yeah.” She glanced back at me. “You were in pretty rough shape when you arrived. A bullet lodged in your belly, causing excessive bleeding, and you got blood poisoning, but luckily, we got it in time.” She turned back to her work. “You have only been out for three days. I had expected longer, but it’s a good sign you woke.”

  I cleared my throat. “Can I get some... water?”

  “Oh! Of course!” She rushed to my bedside table and grabbed the pitcher and cup for water. “I’m sorry I didn’t offer you before. You’re probably totally thirsty.” She put the full cup to my mouth, and I drank it all.

  “Thanks.”

  “More?”

  I shook my head. “What’s your name?”

  “Andy.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Andy?”

  “Yeah, it’s short for Andromeda, but it’s just easier to call me Andy.” She chuckled. “My mom was a little... eccentric.”

  “Ahhh.” It is all I can think of for a reply.

  She turned to face me, leaning on the table with crossed arms. “As long as we are playing the question game, maybe you can answer a few for me.”

  “Sure.”

  “Name?”

  She was straight to the point. I liked it.

  “Tristan.”

  She nodded her head slightly, then grabbed a clipboard and pen to jot down notes.

  “Age?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “Really?”

  “Ahhh... yeah. Why?”

  Shaking her head, she looked back down at her clipboard. “Oh, nothing. Ok, how did you come here?”

  I stayed silent. I didn’t plan on coming here; it just happened when Eden decided to try and save the world. Eden. “The girl. There was a girl with me. Is she all right?”

  “She’s fine.” She didn’t take her eyes off the clipboard. “So how did you get here?”

  I tightened my body, biting back the pain, and scooted myself up. After letting out a long breath, I narrowed my eyes back at her. “Where is she?”

  “How did you get here?” She met my stare, and her eyes were fierce. She wasn’t afraid of me.

  “You get nothing until you tell me where the girl is.”

  She slammed the clipboard down and stomped over to her phone. Her eyes stabbed into mine as she held the phone to her ear. “Zane.” She waited a moment. “He’s awake.” She slammed the phone down and stomped back to where her clipboard was. “Zane will be here to answer all your questions.” She turned back to the work at her desk.

  I waited as she kept busy, trying to move my arms again, and this time instead of feeling pain at my wound site, I felt it in my right arm. Looking down, I saw tubes tapped into my inner elbow that were attached to a tall metal stand holding bags of liquid. Using my other hand, I pulled at the tubes, but Andy’s voice startled me to a halt.

  “Don’t touch that!” She rushed to check the tubes.

  “What’s this?”

  “It helps keep you hydrated and the pain down.” She stepped back, satisfied I hadn’t pulled anything out of place. “Just sit still, will you? We don’t need anything coming out. It could cause a lot of issues.”

  I leaned my head back on the wall, just as a tall man in a pristine suit strode in. “Andy,” he said as he walked over to my bed and pulled up a chair. “Hello, Mr....” He held out his hand and Andy set the clipboard in it. He searched her notes. “Tristan.” He smiled at me. “So, you came with our little superstar, Eden.”

  “Is she all right? Can I see her?”

  “She’s fine, fine. Stubborn, but fine.” He smiled and looked back to the paper. “I see here Andy wasn’t able to get some information. Maybe you will answer for me. “How did you get here?” His grey eyes bore right into mine and the look turned my blood to ice. There was something not right about him.

  “Like I told Andy, I’m not answering any questions until I can see Eden.”

  Surveying me a moment, he sighed. “All right.” He stood abruptly. “Andy, I think our new guest needs to be moved to the accommodations in the labs.”

  “Wait... what? Labs? Where’s Eden?”

  He dropped the clipboard on her desk and left the room as briskly as he came. I looked over to Andy, who watched me with worry. I dropped my head back onto the wall and squeezed my eyes shut, cursing Jace for putting crazy ideas into Eden’s head.

  Chapter 39

  Eden

  After the incident with Jace’s father, I decided not to block him out. We needed each other.

  I sat on the cot, calmly watching LaRae babble at me. She shook as she sat in the chair across from me. “Please, Eden, I don’t want anything to happen to Jace, to either of you.” She looked down at some documents in front of her. “Just let me take some blood. That’s all I am asking at this time.”

  I cocked my head at her. “What for?”

  She shook her head, startled at my response. It was the first time I had spoken to her. “Ummm, well, so I can...”—she looked at her papers—“umm... analyze it. See how it is different or the same as the previous subjects I have... worked with.” She almost whispered those last words.

  “Subjects?”

  She closed her eyes for a brief second. “Yes. People like you... we call them... subjects.”

  “They don’t have names?” I sat forward and she flinched.

  “Well, yes... but. . .”

  “But. . .”

  “But if we keep their names, it will be harder for us to do our jobs since they will be more—”

  “More . . .human?”

  She blinked at me; regret flowed through her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered.

  I sat back. “So, why call me by my name? You won’t get attached to me?”

  “Well, you’re... ” she started, but her words hung in the air.

  “I’m what?”

  Awesome!

  I scowled over at Jace, who was sitting in the chair right at the glass, watching us like we were some kind of entertainment. All he needed was a bowl of popcorn, and he would be set.

  Shut up.

  “Special.” LaRae finished, glancing between us, curious still of our relationship. We hadn’t told her of our ability to communicate, but I’m sure she has figured out there is something special about us.

  Awe shucks, she called you special.

  I rolled my eyes, turning back to LaRae. “So that’s what is written on my paperwork? Special?”

  “Well, no... it says Eden.” She flipped through the papers, nodding in confirmation.

  I sighed. “All right, take my blood.” I put out my arm toward her.

  She stared at me, mouth ajar. “Really? Ahh, all right. Hold on, I need to grab my equipment.” She quickly shuffled out the door to gather her supplies.

  Jace watched me, the humor in his face faded as he leaned on the glass.

  You think that’s a
good idea?

  It’s just my blood.

  Right, but it’s not the same as others.

  I nodded my head back and forth in contemplation.

  We may learn something.

  LaRae stumbled back into my cage, holding a bucket full of supplies. “All right, let’s have you sit right here.” She moved the chair to the little table and put on plastic gloves.

  Avoiding Jace’s eyes, I held out my arm.

  “If you don’t look, it doesn’t hurt as much,” LaRae mentioned as she wiped a cool, wet cotton pad on my arm and tapped the skin at the bend.

  I looked toward Jace. His eyes linked with mine and everything around me silenced. All I could see and feel was him. His mouth twitched into a smirk, showing the single dimple on his left cheek, and bubbles in my stomach built. I hadn’t noticed it until his hair was cut short, but it suits him. My cheeks warm, and I’m sure they are red.

  “Little prick,” LaRae says quietly.

  The needle stung my arm for a second and I closed my eyes, breaking my link with Jace, but I still felt the tingle of his gaze on me. When the needle was pulled out, I opened my eyes again to see he had lain down on his cot and was looking up at his ceiling.

  “There.” LaRae put a bandage on the bleeding dot. “It should be good in a few minutes. Drink some water. That always helps after some blood loss.” She stood and motioned to the pitcher and cup on the table before leaving my cage.

  Taking a drink, I watched her put my blood in different machines to analyze it. I observed her face turn pale as she looked through the machine. She looked many times, scratching her head before picking up the phone to call someone.

  ***

  It didn’t take long for Jace’s father, David, to arrive. He flew into the room out of breath and went right to the machine LaRae was looking in. She fidgeted and shuffled her feet next to him as he gazed at my blood for a long moment.

  Jace stood and walked over to the glass to watch the scene with me. I sat on my cot but was itching with anticipation about what they saw. The memory of the drawings in Derek’s tent flashed in my mind. The two ladders twisting together. I had no idea what it meant, but from Sarah’s explanation, it had something to do with human blood, animal blood, and the Fever.