Power Up: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Supernatural Prison Trilogy Book 2)

by Aella Black

  Until we weren’t.

  More obnoxious laughter. “Do it. I dare you,” taunted the kid with carrot-colored hair and large front teeth.

  Teens from nearby tables all turned their attention to the argument. Jelly flushed red. “You don’t want that,” he said, his voice wavering.

  “Because you can’t do it.” The bully opened his palms wide. “But I can turn you into toast.”

  Flames erupted from the bully’s hands. I could feel Birdie tense up next to me.

  Now the whole cafeteria was tuned in to the display of power. “Fight!” someone yelled. Then the chanting began.“Fight, fight, fight!”

  Birdie tugged on my arm. “We have to stop this. Jelly’s going to get burned alive!”

  For a moment, all I could think of was how sad it was that such a horrifying thought would even cross this little girl’s mind. I didn’t think it would come to that, but I was surprised the guards hadn’t stepped in already.

  Then the bully swung a hand over Jelly’s hair, causing it to crackle, and an acrid, burnt smell filled the room. Jelly screamed, ducking away. The bully stood, eyes bright with malicious glee. “I’ll show you not to mess with Blaze again,” he said.

  I jumped to my feet, my chair squeaking against the floor. “Hey, man. Leave him alone.”

  The guy, who weirdly referred to himself in the third person, looked me up and down as if he wasn’t nearly a head shorter than me. He reminded me of a chihuahua. Small dog, barks like they’re bigger than they are.

  I never liked chihuahuas.

  “You’re one of the new superfreaks, aren’t you?” he sneered.

  I looked pointedly at my gray uniform. “Did you figure that out all on your own?”

  “We don’t want you here,” he said, stepping into my space.

  I had no intention of fighting. But I also knew that I represented the Leavenworth inmates, and we needed to show we wouldn’t tolerate being pushed around. If this guy lifted a finger against me, he would find out what this “superfreak” was capable of.

  “Well, this may come as a surprise, but we don’t want to be here,” I responded. “Now leave the kid alone.”

  Blaze’s eyes narrowed. “You gonna make me?”

  “Only if necessary.”

  With a cry, Blaze threw a ball of flame in my direction. I ducked just in time. Then he made the mistake of trying to throw a punch, but I blocked it easily and shoved him away from me.

  It was meant to be a light push, but he went crashing into his group’s table and it broke on impact.

  A deafening silence followed. It didn’t last. Shrill whistles sounded from every direction, and guards suddenly surrounded us.

  One guard with long, greasy hair stepped out from the crowd, hunched forward, sporting a disturbing grin. The guy couldn’t be much older than twenty, but he was clearly on drugs or something, because they’d aged him.

  The whistles stopped. The guard stood right in front of me now, mouth hanging open with glee. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

  The tension in the room had shifted. I could almost taste how afraid everyone was of this guy. I clamped my wrists together and held them out to the guard. “Take me away, boss.”

  No sooner had I read his name badge—Warrick—than the guy grabbed one of my wrists and squeezed.

  Pain like I’d never felt in my life exploded across every part of my body. I crumpled to the ground, trying to fight it, but there was nothing to fight. The agony consumed me.

  Someone was screaming, a never-ending, horrific sound. I was fairly certain it was me. It felt as if each of my bones was being shattered, my skin slowly peeled off, piece by piece. I wanted to die.

  Maybe not die, but I just needed it to end.

  I didn’t know how much time passed by the time the pain receded. It felt like hours, but it might have been minutes. Possibly even seconds.

  When I could finally think straight again, I found I was curled up on the cafeteria floor, my cheek pressed against something sticky. Did I throw up?

  Sweat dampened my back and neck. Slowly, my bunched muscles relaxed, and I was able to push myself up to a seated position. Clearing my throat, I realized it was raw from screaming. I glared at the guard who had done this to me.

  He grinned his unnerving grin. “That was fun. Who’s next?”

  Silence. The inmates avoided Warrick’s gaze.

  “Blaze! Thank you for volunteering.”

  “What? I didn’t do anything—”

  Screams ripped from the redhead, and he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. I winced. Blaze was a jerk, but I couldn’t help feel for the guy since I knew first-hand what it felt like.

  His eyes squeezed shut, his neck muscles bulging, and he curled into a tight fetal position.

  Someone had to stop this.

  But no one would. I saw the way everyone avoided looking at Blaze, backs hunched, eyes now focused on their plates. No one wanted to be next.

  Warrick didn’t even have to touch Blaze. His beady eyes stared intently at the boy, that crooked smile making my stomach turn.

  In seconds, it was over. Blaze lay on the ground, shuddering and gasping… exactly how I was moments earlier. Then he heaved himself onto his knees, his breakfast spewing from his mouth. A sound of revulsion rippled through the inmates.

  Warrick’s gaze swept the cafeteria. “Anyone else?” No one moved a muscle. The guard pointed at Jelly. “Did you start all this?”

  Jelly went white as bone.

  “Warrick, that’s enough.” A large guard with ebony skin and not a single hair on his head stepped in. “I think you made your point.”

  “Didn’t the warden tell you to stay out of my way, Heath?” Warrick’s face twisted into a nasty smirk. “Plus, if you’d done your job, I wouldn’t have had to make my point.”

  A flash of what looked a lot like guilt crossed Heath’s face. What was that all about?

  “Yeah, well, the situation seems to be de-escalated now,” Heath responded in a smooth voice. “Let the kids finish their breakfast.”

  Warrick grunted and then glanced around at everyone within earshot. “Let this be a lesson to the newcomers, and a reminder to everybody else,” he said, raising his voice. “Anyone steps a toe out of line, and you get to deal with me.”

  Warrick shuffled away, and just as Heath turned to leave, his gaze collided with mine. He gave me a subtle nod, and strangely, a soothing calm filled me.

  By default, I didn’t like the guards here. But this guard was different. I wasn’t sure how exactly, but I just knew.

  Birdie was at my side as I rose to my feet. Tears streaked her face. I felt fine now, the pain only a memory. But exhaustion nearly made me tumble over. Rocky moved in quickly, and I gripped her arm for support. Talk about being humbled. “It’s okay,” I told her, my voice low. “I’m okay.”

  It sounded crazy, but Leavenworth was a five-star resort compared to Lansing.

  We were in bigger trouble than I thought.

  4

  Phoebe

  “Phoenix!”

  I startled at the sound of my nickname. The one only someone from Leavenworth would know.

  Cathy rushed at me, throwing her arms around my shoulders. “Thank goodness I found someone I know!”

  I hugged her back hard, and then we joined the line for breakfast. Not a moment too soon. I’d been wide awake at six a.m. and starving by seven.

  The moment I entered the cafeteria, I’d searched for Xander and the others. Fortunately, Lucy had stuck by my side, and the girl could give Cathy a run for her money in chatting. In fact, Cathy had interrupted my cellmate mid-sentence.

  “You haven’t seen anyone else?” I asked.

  Cathy shook her head. “Some from Leavenworth, but none from our group. I hope Birdie’s okay,” she said, visibly worried.

  “Why don’t you reach out to her?” I asked. I tapped a finger to my skull. “You know…”

  “Shh!” Cathy threw a nervous glanc
e at Lucy. “What if they have ways to track if you’re using your powers? I heard that a couple kids were tortured for using them this morning at breakfast.”

  “Tortured?” I shifted uncomfortably.

  “Oh yeah, that sounds like Warrick’s kind of welcome,” Lucy said.

  Warrick was the one Lucy said had powers similar to hers. I fought a shiver. “Who’s this?” Cathy asked.

  “This is Lucy,” I said, gesturing to my cellmate. “And Lucy, this is Cathy. She was at Leavenworth with me.”

  Lucy looked pointedly at our gray uniforms and then down at her blue one. “I may be blonde, but I’m not stupid.”

  I felt my face burn. I hadn’t meant to imply she wasn’t smart. Despite the past few months at Leavenworth, my social skills were still rusty.

  Cathy, also a blonde, laughed as if it were the funniest joke in the world. “I hope we get blue too. It’ll match my eyes. Plus, no one looks good in gray.”

  “It’s not bad. And telepathy, huh? That’s pretty cool.” Lucy looked over at me. “Phoebe won’t tell me what her power is.”

  Cathy shot a glance in my direction and pressed her lips together.

  “It’s okay,” Lucy said amiably. “I survived the night, so it can’t be all bad.”

  Lucy seemed cool, and I knew I lucked out in the cellmate department. She could have been a lot worse. But that hallucination power gave me goosebumps… and not in a good way. There was also something that slunk just below the surface I couldn’t put my finger on.

  Perhaps I was distrustful because of what happened with Woody. If that were the case, I needed to give her a fair chance. And she certainly was forthcoming.

  “Mine’s hallucination, by the way,” she said to Cathy.

  “And she’s really good at it,” I said.

  “Wait… so you can use your power and not get punished?” Cathy asked, cocking her head. My stomach rumbled as we moved closer to the food.

  “There’s no way for them to track if we use our powers, but I’ve heard they’re working on that,” Lucy explained. “You can use your powers, just be subtle about it.”

  Cathy nodded. “Okay. I’m going to reach out to Birdie.”

  “Ask her if she’s seen Xander,” I blurted.

  I immediately regretted it. I trusted Cathy, and Lucy was pretty chill. But I didn’t know who else was listening in on our conversation. The last thing I wanted to do was reveal any kind of weakness—and Xander was definitely a weak spot for me.

  Cathy gave me a funny look. “I can project my thoughts, but I can’t hear others, remember? I’ll just let her know we’re here.”

  “Oh. Right. Sorry.” I’d been stupid to suggest it in the first place.

  Cathy scrunched her eyes closed, then opened them a moment later. “There. I told her we’re in B rotation and to find us if she’s here, but otherwise, stay safe. I hope it makes her feel a little better to know we’re okay.”

  Were we okay? Some kids had been tortured at breakfast. That didn’t seem okay at all.

  I’d spent the past two hours staring at the ceiling above my bed, thinking about how things had gone so terribly wrong. Maybe I wasn’t the reason we were sent to Lansing, but my escape plan had been faulty. I should have known Woody would betray us. I could have planned better. If I had, we’d be halfway to Alaska by now.

  But we’d failed. And now we were in an even worse situation, one that kept us separated from one another. It hurt to think of Birdie scared and alone. I knew Xander, Tex, and Cal would look after her. And though Rocky wasn’t the nurturing type, she was fiercely loyal so I knew she would too.

  “So you wanted to check on Xander, huh?” Cathy asked, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. “I knew you liked him!”

  I shot her a warning glare, and she hid a smile behind her hand. Lucy caught on. “What’s going on? Are you two making fun of me?”

  “No,” I assured her.

  Two girls in front of us spoke loudly, and we tuned in to their discussion about what happened during the first rotation.

  “Yeah, Blaze was one of them,” a short, dark-haired girl said. “I’m sure he deserved it. Jerk. The other was a new guy. Heard he’s a hunk.”

  “Oh yeah? Too bad he’s not with us,” the other girl pouted. “I’d have shown him around.”

  They giggled, but I didn’t find it funny at all.

  The only guy from Leavenworth I’d consider a “hunk” was Xander, but I tried not to assume the worst. There was no reason for the guards to torture him. Not one. Unless…

  He was trying to protect someone else. That sounded like something Xander would do.

  I ran a shaking hand through my limp hair. Please be okay, Xander.

  When we reached the food, I grabbed for a tray at the same time as someone behind me. Our hands collided, and I snatched mine back like I’d been burned. “Sorry,” I muttered.

  “Please, by all means.” Excited by the sound of that southern drawl, I whirled around. My face fell when I realized it wasn’t Tex.

  The guy laughed. “Wow, I’ve never gotten that reaction before.”

  I bet that was true. The guy had golden eyes to match honey-colored hair that flopped over his forehead like a surfer. A spray of stubbled graced his jaw, and he was built. His uniform was rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his bulging biceps and solid forearms.

  He grinned at me, and my words became stuck in my throat. I ripped my eyes away and clumsily grabbed a tray, trying to calm my suddenly galloping heart.

  “Hey, Dane,” Lucy said. “What’s going on?”

  Lucy had mentioned Dane. What had she said? Was he one of the jerks? A good guy? My mind somersaulted over itself, completely scrambled. Did he have the ability to turn brains into mush?

  “Oh. My. Gosh.”

  Here we go. Cathy had always been a bit boy crazy. She’d obsessed over Oscar, and I had a feeling we’d just stumbled upon the new object of her affection.

  “Same ol’, same ol’,” Dane responded in that same drawl. “You know, except for the arrival of hundreds to our humble abode. Speaking of, who are your new fine friends?”

  I expected Cathy to blush, but I was infuriated with myself when my cheeks burned too.

  “Hi, I’m Cathy, and this is Phoenix.” Cathy held out her hand and Dane took it, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. The girliest giggle bubbled from Cathy’s lips.

  My hand remained glued to my side. Nope. Nuh-uh. I wasn’t letting this guy touch me.

  Lucy turned toward me with an accusing stare. “I thought your name was Phoebe?”

  “We call her Phoenix,” Cathy said.

  Before she could say another word, I said, “I’m good with either.”

  “I like Phoenix,” Dane said, grinning. “It suits you.”

  How would he know what suited me? For a moment, I thought he might know about my power, but I had a feeling he was just trying to be charming.

  “Hey, why don’t you three join me and the boys in a game of dodgeball today at rec? We’re looking for more players.”

  “Yes!” I winced when Cathy yelled in my head. Aloud, she said, “We’ll be there.” I nudged her in the ribs.

  But even Lucy seemed thrilled by the invite. “Sounds fun.”

  All eyes turned to me. I sighed. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s do it.”

  Dane’s grin widened further, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he had an ulterior motive. I hated that my mind went there when he could very well just be a friendly guy welcoming the newcomers.

  But these were strangers. You couldn’t be too careful.

  I quickly grabbed my breakfast, trying to shut off Cathy’s incessant prattling in my head.

  “He’s gorgeous! Can you believe he wants to hang out with us? Think we should sit at his table, or is that too obvious?”

  In answer, I picked the first empty table and sat down. Cathy plopped down next to me, and Lucy sat across from us. I was surprised, but I tried not to let it show. Did she not have
other friends here?

  “Dane and his posse are like the cool club around here,” Lucy informed us. Then her gaze grew distant. “I was popular… before. Head cheerleader at my high school.”

  Cathy looked at Lucy with newfound admiration. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this information. Why would a popular girl be sitting with us? And if Dane was in the “cool club,” why wasn’t she already one of his friends?

  I liked Lucy, but I still wasn’t sure I trusted her. Anyone who had that kind of power over someone’s mind could abuse it, and I didn’t want to be her guinea pig.

  Once breakfast was finished, we were herded to the showers. These were timed just like the ones at Leavenworth, but now we only had three minutes to wash instead of five. At least there was hot water though.

  After taking the fastest shower of my life, we were escorted back to our cells. “Rotation A is still having rec time,” Lucy explained, once the door was locked behind us. “We’ll be in here for an hour, then have rec for two. The A group will be in their cells for an hour until lunch, and then they eat. We go right after.”

  I sat on my bed, avoiding the stains. “Do we ever see the inmates from the other rotation?”

  “If you’re late leaving rec and they’re early, there’ll be a crossover.” She shrugged. “But that’s about it.”

  This news made me sick to my stomach. I’d hoped the groups would cross paths during the day—and not just for a minute or two.

  I hadn’t seen my mom today either and kept thinking what I would say when I finally saw her. What would she say? Would she ignore me? I felt like I’d been disowned somehow, though I had no clue what I could have done wrong.

  Did she even know Dad was missing? Did she care?

  Lucy lay on her cot and closed her eyes. I wondered if she was giving herself hallucinations, and if so, where she went. As I lay there with absolutely nothing to do to fill the time, I imagined the places I’d go in my mind if I could. I was kind of jealous of her ability, actually.

  I must have dozed off for a bit because it seemed like only a minute later when a bell rang and the cells were unlocked. A line of SWAT-like guards stood at attention while we shuffled out into the hallway. Lucy and I followed the crowd to the rec room, which wasn’t much different than the one at Leavenworth.