Replicator (The Gifted Book 2)

by C. C. Lynch

Lena was leaning in the doorway upon our return. “That,” Lena laughed heartily, eyebrows raised with astonishment, “was pure skill.” She sighed and cocked her head to the side. “Question. Why exactly aren’t we just going to put these bad people in jail?”

  The shock and anger on Liz’s face said it all. “Oh, are we going to just go up to the police and say ‘hey we have special powers and these bad people with other special powers want to hurt us. Please, please lock them away in a cell that they can probably escape from before you even turn your back to them.’ No one knows about our gifts. We keep it that way so people like Jeremiah don’t try and drain our blood and torture us.”

  Everyone in the room was silent, staring at Liz who typically never uttered a peep. Her hard stare remained on Lena, urging caution with whatever quip could follow.

  Lena, still chipper, began making hand movements along with words. “If they had you locked up at this Replyx place then there’s obviously technology to make a cell for gifted people that they can’t break out of. Why don’t we just make a jail for them or use their own cells against them?”

  Liz gritted her teeth and threw her hands up frustrated. “I’m done here.” Blonde hair spun quickly as she pivoted and walked out of the room.

  Lena laughed incredulously. “Does no one understand what I’m trying to say?”

  “We know what you’re trying to say,” Ovolina chimed in, suddenly coming up from behind her, “but what you don’t seem to understand is that’s impossible. We don’t have the technology to build something like that.”

  “And if we try to lock them up in their own cells, we’re walking into some real dangerous guerrilla warfare type of stuff,” I added. “I could try to teleport people into them, but how could I get out once I’m in there if it’s truly escape-proof?”

  “Knock them out,” she smiled simply.

  “Okay, Snow White,” Aiden stepped into the space. “I think we all need to take a time-out from this conversation.”

  “Ugh,” Lena rolled her eyes defiantly. “Can’t Frankie create a chamber that can stop any sort person from escaping? I mean, it has been done before.” She turned to me. “What stopped you from escaping?”

  “Hey,” Vlaine snapped, closing the distance between them in slow and angry steps.

  I put my hand on his arm to calm him. “It’s a valid question, Vlaine.” I pumped my foot on the ground nervously. “I really wasn’t good at teleportation until I practiced it a bunch with Luther. I only found out I was a replicator a few months ago and it’s not the easiest thing in the world to get a handle on. The most effective thing was the sensory deprivation chamber. I couldn’t hold a thought together long enough to try and get out. But that is torture,” I pointed to everyone, “and we are not savages.” After a moment of thoughtful silence I continued. “They had these fire and blast proof rooms that were used for demonstration purposes. I was monitored closely and if I tried to use a gift I was taken to a worse room.” Laughing uncomfortably, “I spent a lot of time in a metal solitary confinement cell. The things that kept me from leaving were mostly mental, not physical.”

  “Well I guess that does put a wrench in the plan.” Lena’s lips curled into a thoughtful expression. “I’m sure Frankie can figure something out anyway.” In response to the silence, “it’s the only plan we have that doesn’t involve outright killing or attempting to heal an entire building of people.”

  It felt awkward that no one seemed to be saying much. “We value your input,” I smiled to Lena. “And your ideas are really good. We’ll need to have a meeting once we warn the other students. Once we do that we can figure out exactly how we’re going to tackle the Replyx problem.”

  19

  When Liz finally emerged from her makeshift dorm she had her nose deep in a book. Frankie went to work on trying to create the holding cell that Lena had described and the rest of us relaxed while we caught up on some mind-numbing television. In nine hours Liz and I would be teleporting to Aldershaw to get a head start on finding the three students that had made their way onto the tree house list while Aiden, Ovolina, and Draxe would simultaneously work on their list at Intervael Academy.

  After getting a few hours of sleep on the small single sized bed, Vlaine woke me up gently before Liz came rushing into the room to hurry me along.

  “You haven’t even showered yet?” Liz crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

  “I’m going, I’m going.” I yawned then rushed to wash and dry my hair as quickly as my muscles would allow.

  Once I was ready I grabbed hold of Draxe, Ovolina, and Aiden. Less than a second later we were outside of Intervael Academy. The sky was dark and clouded, not a single star could be seen. I whispered to them that I would meet them in that exact spot once I finished at Aldershaw Academy.

  Liz and Vlaine were waiting in the doorway when I returned to Ernvlik. The second I appeared they made their way to my side and as soon as they touched me, we were in Scotland. Getting our bearings, Vlaine listened in to the minds of the people around us.

  My father’s office, that I had transported us to, was far enough away from the students and staff that no one should have caught on to our sudden arrival. I could tell right away that most of the people were gathered in a certain area, but pinpointing the exact individuals we wanted to find was best left to Vlaine’s expertise.

  “Saundra is inside, but Luka and Seamus are in the courtyard. I’ll go find her, you two go get the guys.”

  I sucked in an anxious breath and nodded.

  “Be safe,” Vlaine put his hands on my shoulders, “stay with Liz, and get back here as soon as you can.”

  “I will,” I nodded then kissed him lightly on the cheek. “We’ll be back with Luka and Seamus before you have time to worry about me.”

  “I doubt that, Abbs.” He winked then pivoted to leave the office and head towards wherever Saundra’s thoughts were emanating from.

  Liz and I put our cloaks on, raised the hoods, and stood next to one another.

  “Here we go,” I put my hand in hers.

  Liz and I stepped gracefully into the hallway. In the distance there was a group of pupils huddled in an antechamber. We watched patiently to see where they would go or if anyone would lead us to the festivities. They remained in the same spot and after a few moments we turned in the opposite direction hoping that the cloaks made us inconspicuous.

  Thick stone hugged enormous windows on the edge of the carpeted hallway. Being shrouded in a hooded cape, I felt as if I was walking through a medieval castle. My eyes were drawn to the windows where you could see gently rolling hills surrounding the academy.

  As we walked further into the building, I was picking up more emotions. Touching a finger to Liz’s wrist I thought, this way, there’s a terrace outside. I can hear a bunch of people out there.

  She nodded and followed my lead. Before stepping onto the terrace Liz whispered, “I’m going stealth to cover more ground.”

  I chuckled and nodded, “good, we’ll meet back here in an hour.” Liz vanished, leaving only a slight breeze behind.

  Nearly two hundred students were gathered around. Food stands were set up near a small stage where musicians were expertly playing Celtic tunes. My mind scanned the crowd, listening for the names Luka or Seamus.

  As I weaved in and out of the students and professors laughing together I felt out of place. It was like I had just walked into an enormous family gathering laced with the pride of their heritage, and I was an outsider trying to play the part. Had there even been a festival at Glaston Academy, no one would have gone or socialized.

  Preoccupied by my goal, I walked straight into a guy holding a plate of haggis and chips, nearly spilling his entire meal on the ground. He had managed to save the haggis, but the fries were on the grass awaiting their fate of being trampled.

  “I am so sorry,” I looked up, shocked by my clumsiness.

  A light Scottish accent flowed through thin lips. “Not at all,” he shook his he
ad, “it was my fault.” His blue eyes glittered with amusement. The man before me was about six feet, two inches tall and when he scooped the spilled food to toss it away he revealed red hairs that were speckled about the mass of light brown ones. The grey hood was ruffled along the back of his neck and draped over a navy blue cardigan and dark jeans. “Have I seen you before? You don’t look at all familiar.”

  “Oh,” I giggled nervously, “I have a pretty forgettable face.”

  He shook his head and a sincere smile formed. “I wouldn’t agree with that.”

  I blushed and looked away, my knees practically buckling form the charming accent. “Actually, I’m looking for someone. Do you think you can help me?”

  “Of course,” he nodded giving me his full attention.

  “I’m looking for Luka. Do you have any idea who he is?”

  “Yeah, I know who he is. Let’s go look for him together.” He led me around the perimeter of the terrace and stood in front of a glass pane. “There he is.”

  I looked through the glass seeing no one behind it. “Where?”

  “Right there,” he pointed at his reflection in the glass. “So,” he took a bite of his food and swallowed, “do you mind telling me why you’re looking for me?”

  “Well,” I giggled, “that was just blind luck.” What were the chances of literally walking into one of the people I needed to bring back to Ernvlik Academy? “I need to speak to you and Seamus about something pretty important. Do you think we could arrange a quick meeting?”

  “Tell you what. Let me finish my meal then I’ll get Master Seamus and meet you in the hall there.” He nodded towards a stone bench inside the school.

  Trusting that he was honest, I waited on the bench for him and Seamus to meet me. Luka walked towards me with a short, lean man by his side. Seamus’s shifty eyes made me nervous. He kept looking around as if he were waiting for something to happen. I stood in front of them, finding myself a few inches taller than Seamus and nearly a foot shorter than Luka.

  Just as I was about to begin my explanation, Vlaine and who I could only assume to be Saundra made their way down the hall towards us. Saundra was beautiful and could easily pass as royalty with her poise and graceful movements. Her thick black hair fell in perfect waves against her pleasantly angled face. A bindhi drew my gaze towards her deep brown eyes.

  According to Luther’s cheat sheet, Saundra could siphon energy, Luka could change his atomic structure, and Seamus could manipulate people’s emotions. They were an extremely powerful crowd and I was about to plead my case to them.

  As I began to speak, I kept fumbling on my words. I had no idea how I could vocalize exactly how dangerous and morally wrong Jeremiah and the rest of the tree house were. “You know, it would probably just be faster if I showed you guys what I had to say instead of taking the time to do it verbally.” I reached my hands out for theirs. “May I?”

  Saundra put her hand delicately in mine then Luka and Seamus soon followed suit. I played the memories of everything I could that told them who I was, why I needed to get them out, and what the plan was at the moment. I tried to conceal any details that could give away the location of the other gifted students.

  Saundra’s words flowed in a posh accent. “They treat humans like this?”

  “Yes,” I nodded, “and he wants the three of you.” I looked over to Vlaine who gave a light nod, indicating for me to continue. “We wanted to make sure you at least had a heads up about this, but you’re also welcome to join us. We have a pretty discreet setup and anyone on the list is welcome to stay there for the time being.”

  “I certainly wouldn’t mind going on a vacation.” Luka nudged Saundra with his elbow. “How about you, queen Saundra?”

  Saundra stood tall and pressed her shoulders back. “I don’t trust that this is the safest option.”

  Seamus was so motionless that for a moment I was not sure if he was frozen. “What is it you need from us?”

  “I just want to make sure you’re safe. To give you a heads up and offer a safe place to go in the very least.” Saundra and Seamus had obvious doubts. “I understand your reservations, but I can promise you that coming with me will be safer than staying here.” I adjusted the hood and sighed inwardly. “The option is yours, but you have to decide quickly.”

  “Give me a moment please,” Saundra turned and walked away.

  Liz and Vlaine were by my side before Saundra had even left my view. “We need to go now.” Vlaine put his hand on mine. “Trust me, she made her choice. Let’s get back home before you find out what it is.”

  “Oh, okay,” I stammered before putting my hands out for everyone to take hold.

  “I’ll find you if I need to,” Seamus shook his head and jogged out of sight.

  Luka grabbed my hand eagerly and grinned. “I’m always willing to travel to new places.”

  Once we were back to the underbelly of Ernvlik Academy I turned to Vlaine who clearly had insight to something that none of us were privy to. “What happened with Saundra?”

  “She was going to come back with friends.” Vlaine’s forehead was crinkled with anger.

  I understood exactly what he meant. Jeremiah, or one of his lackeys, had gotten to her before we had. I hoped that Draxe, Ovolina, and Aiden were able to get to the others before the same thing that had happened with Saundra could be repeated.

  With a quick peck on the cheek to Vlaine, I teleported to the same spot at Intervael that I had told the group I would meet them. Hardly three quarters of an hour had passed since I had dropped them off there, but Ovolina was only a few yards away twirling her burgundy ringlets in her fingers while giggling and leaning towards a guy with a similar build to Draxe.

  Ovolina seemed completely unaffected by the frigid weather or the creepy silence cut only by their hushed conversation. The other two people that they were in charge of finding were Claire and Miranda. Claire was a master of geometry, something that would certainly need further explanation, and Miranda could manipulate light by taking it from one place and putting it elsewhere. Their early morning wake-up call would either be well received or they were going to be angry as hornets. I hadn’t thought of the time that we would be completing this round-up, but hopefully the attractiveness of Draxe and Aiden would make them a bit more receptive to the ordeal.

  I sat exactly where I told Aiden I would meet them and eavesdropped on Shane and Ovolina’s conversation. Nearly twenty minutes passed before four silhouettes came out of a side door of the school. Light had just begun to filter in the horizon revealing a twilight sky filled with more grey hues than blue.

  Two girls were walking side by side just a few feet behind Draxe and Aiden. The girl on the farthest end had a muscular build and her dark hair was pulled back tightly in a pony tail revealing a long slender neck hugged by large deltoid muscles. Black exercise clothes and a dark pink jacket hugged her sporty little frame. Her high cheek bones seemed to squish her hazel eyes into beautiful, but intimidating, almond shapes. The girl next to her was short, curvy, and let her gel-curled hair hang loose around her neck. As she came closer I could see that her hair was dyed several different colors. The back of her hair was black, but the front was sectioned into purple, blue, yellow, orange, and red. She had the rainbow in her hair and somehow it looked amazing on her. With bright blue eyes, a perfectly curved cupid’s bow, and a complete air of self confidence, the girl seemed unstoppable.

  I nodded a hello to the girls, Aiden, and Draxe as they drew close then waited for Ovolina and Shane to make their way to us. Once everyone came over I put my arms out and closed my eyes hoping that I could teleport that many people in a single shot.

  A sense of accomplishment came upon me once I felt the warmth of the Ernvlik room surround us. The girl with the dark hair looked around as if she was getting ready for battle while the other stared in awe.

  “That was my first time teleporting,” the girl with rainbow hair laughed lightly, “can you go anywhere in the world tha
t way?”

  A smile crept on my face. “I can go places that I’ve been to before or can visualize really well. I’m still getting a handle on it, but hopefully after this whole ordeal is over I can see the seven wonders without having to worry about emissions.” Without wasting another moment, I put Ovolina to work. “Ovolina, why don’t you give everyone the grand tour. Afterwards we can meet in the sitting room and get acquainted with one another.”

  20

  I found Vlaine waiting patiently in our temporary room. In his hands was a piece of classical literature that seemed to have no affect on his attention span because as soon as I walked in he put the book down on the bed.

  “We’ve got Miranda, Claire, Shane, and Luka here. I still need to go to Lanshaw with Aiden to warn Connor and Heinrich. Before I do, I want to get everyone here settled and acquainted.”

  “Okay,” he nodded.

  As the newcomers entered I asked Luka why he called Saundra “queen.” The fact that Saundra was a lost cause bit deeply. “She’s a wee nyaff, that one.” Luka’s impish grin met his sparkling eyes. I was waiting for him to giggle churlishly as if he was a child that had just cursed. Though I had no idea what a “nyaff” was, I just nodded my head and assumed his title for her was condescending.

  I could see the girls in the room swooning as soon as they heard his accent. The first to approach him was Lena. She stepped forward with her hand outstretched and introduced herself with a loud giggle. “Hi, I’m Lena!”

  I looked over at Vlaine and winked, Liz was once the invisible one and now it’s just every man in here aside from Luka. Vlaine’s nostrils flared in a disapproving manner.

  “I never did get your name.” Luka put his hand out for mine.

  “Abrielle,” I smiled while giving him my hand.

  Luka turned my hand over and kissed the back of it chivalrously. “Thank you, Abrielle, for inviting me to join you on your mission.”

  I could feel the heat of Vlaine’s gaze upon us as Luka charmingly introduced himself.