by Amy Hale
With wide eyes focused on her, he swallowed and said, “What are you gonna do to me?”
She glanced at him, his feet dangling about a foot from the floor. She’d considered slamming him upward into the ceiling. Or possibly she could drop something on his thick skull and give him a matching scar for the other side, but she felt that wasn’t the best path for the moment.
“I’m going to give you a chance to forget any history we have together. If you can forget it, I can forgive and move on.” She looked at the ceiling, bouncing him closer to it than before. “If you choose to continue to hold a grudge … Well, let’s just say I can dispose of your body in several ways, and no one would ever know you were missing.”
He nodded. “It’s already forgotten.”
“Smart guy. Now, if you’d be so kind as to leave me alone forever, I’ll put you down and you can go back to whatever it is you do here.”
He nodded once more, and she allowed his feet to gently float to the floor. He backed away from her, running into a chair here and there. Once he made it to the door, he turned and scampered down the hallway.
Jane blew out an anxious breath and moved to sit in a large leather chair nearby. Overwhelming relief flooded through her at the knowledge that she had her gifts back. She wasn’t sure if they were at full power yet, but she had enough to defend herself at least. She saw this as a promising start to putting an escape plan in place. Now if she could just find a way out.
Jane’s frustration bubbled over. She’d spent the entire night looking for some method of escape, but the building seemed to be locked down tighter than Fort Knox. Every window and door had been sealed shut and outfitted with an alarm. If she broke out a window, they’d know in a heartbeat. And while she wasn’t keen on abandoning the others, again, she knew she couldn’t help them from the inside. She had to get back to Colt and her friends. She couldn’t do any of this on her own.
As the sun crested the mountains and light began to shine down into their little valley, Jane had given up her search and skipped breakfast in exchange for a couple of hours of sleep. She’d hoped a little rest would give her clarity. She would have to employ some creativity to get out of this mess and help the others.
At roughly nine o’clock in the morning, a loud bang jolted her from her sleep. She sat up and tried to make sense of the commotion just outside her door. She quickly dressed, ready to help if somehow needed. No one would hurt these children on her watch—she couldn’t allow it.
She flung open the door to see Jeremy in a stare down with Cameron. An angry scowl marred Jeremy’s face, but he didn’t move a muscle. Cameron wore a bored expression.
“Cameron? How did you get here?” Jane’s voice was calm and quiet as she tried to tame her inner turmoil at seeing him again.
Cameron faced her and rolled his eyes. “I’m tired of living out in the damn cold. The cabin I was in burned down.”
Jeremy squinted his eyes in suspicion. “How did you even know we were here?”
“Dumb luck, I guess.” Cameron shrugged his shoulders. “I was looking for Jocelyn. She got pissed at me and left.”
Jeremy shook his head. “Jocelyn doesn’t know about this place either. Stop lying to me.”
“I ran into her fella.” He nodded toward Jane. “He told me about all that happened—said they couldn’t get her back. I told him to tell me where and I’d come get her.”
Jeremy balled his fists. “I see your arrogance is still intact.”
Cameron laughed and waved one hand towards Jeremy. “Quit your bellyaching. I didn’t mean it. I just wanted someplace to get warm. This snow sucks, and I’m freezing my nuts off.” He turned his gaze to Jane. “I couldn’t care less what happens to her. She’s a pain in the ass.”
Jeremy continued to eye him warily. “So, you expect us to just welcome you with open arms? Believe everything you’re telling me?”
Cameron shrugged. “I don’t give a damn what you believe. If you don’t want me here, I’ll just move on and find some other place to stay.”
Jane could see the wheels turning in Jeremy’s mind. Cameron would be a powerful ally, if he could be controlled. She wasn’t so sure how cooperative Cameron would actually be, but she could see that Jeremy had no intention of letting this opportunity pass.
“So, you have no intention of breaking Jane out? You’re here to be a part of our new family?” Jeremy asked.
“No, not gonna break her or anyone else out. As for the family part, you know I don’t do commitments of any kind, but I’ll hang around and see if this would work for me.”
Jeremy nodded. “Fine. We’ll give this a try. If I see one suspicious move from you, though, you are out. No second chances.”
Cameron nodded but didn’t say another word. Jeremy motioned to Jed, a tall guard standing directly behind Cameron. “Jed, show Cameron to one of the empty rooms and give him a run-down of the rules and schedules.”
Jed nodded. “Yes, Sir.” He marched off with Cameron close behind him.
Jeremy walked over to Jane’s door and leaned against the wall next to her. “Think he’s here to rescue you?”
She shook her head. “No. He’s not my biggest fan. I doubt he’ll want anything to do with me while he’s here.” The hurt in her voice broke through her last sentence.
Jeremy placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. If he screws up, he’ll be taken care of. If he makes you uncomfortable in any way, let me know. I can’t have him upsetting my favorite chess piece.”
He gave her a wink and strolled back down the hall in the direction of the community room. She backed into her room and closed the door. Disappointment consumed her. Cameron really didn’t like her much, especially since she’d been the instigator of the original idea to take The Curators on.
A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought that he had no intention of helping her. A second tear escaped as she remembered his words. “I ran into her fella.” She smiled as she wiped her eyes.
Colt was alive.
After lunch, Jeremy had made the announcement that they would have gym again. Enthusiasm over the exercises still vibrated through the students. Cameron seemed especially eager to learn what these exercises were for. Jeremy explained in vague details, still behaving cautiously with Cameron.
Cameron smiled and cracked his knuckles. “Sounds awesome. I haven’t really gotten to use my gifts much in the last few weeks. I could stand to crack some heads.”
Jeremy frowned. “No, this isn’t ‘cracking heads,’ you big oaf. This is improving skill without violence or harm to the others.”
Cameron’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? That’s a change.”
“It is. There have been a lot of changes since I came back,” said Jeremy. “I’m working toward a more civilized version of The Curators. Something we can all be proud of in the end.”
Cameron shrugged. “Whatever, man.”
Jane sat in a nearby chair and pretended to read while she eavesdropped on the conversation. She worked to contain the nervous energy she’d been feeling since Cameron arrived. She wanted desperately to ask him how Colt was, but she knew that’d only make Jeremy angry. She worked hard to keep up the appearance of a reluctant team player. She also felt sure Cameron would brush her questions off. He didn’t even remember Colt’s name, so she doubted he’d care about his health.
Cameron sat in a chair next to hers and picked up a magazine. He flipped through the pages but Jane got the impression he wasn’t really reading them. His movements seemed a little too rushed for someone genuinely interested in the articles.
After flipping through his third magazine, he quietly rose and left the room. She knew him to be an odd guy, but sometimes he completely baffled her.
She read for another twenty minutes, trying hard to concentrate on the words swimming before her eyes. Finally giving up, she determined her best course of action would be to prep for gym and hope she could sneak away long enough to check out the locked room she�
��d found the previous evening. She walked to her room with her eyes focused on the floor as she contemplated the possibilities.
She’d just neared her room when she ran into Cameron. Her face collided with his muscled chest and she’d been slightly knocked off balance.
He put out a hand to steady her. “You okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” Her soft voice barely loud enough to hear.
He stepped away from her. “Good. Watch where you’re going next time.” With that he walked away briskly, shoving both hands into the pockets of his jeans.
She watched him leave and frowned. He had to be up to something. She just wished she knew if whatever he had planned would work in her favor or Jeremy’s.
The sun had just risen above the Smokey Mountains when an urgent knock at his door startled Colt. His usual routine had him awake by six A.M., but he’d spent his night dreaming of darkness swallowing him up, then moving to get those he loved. His night had been far from restful.
He shoved the covers away from his legs and pushed himself up off of the bed. He yawned as he took the few steps necessary to reach the door and turn the knob. Kyler stood on the other side, his eyes wide with an emotion Colt couldn’t place. It looked like a mixture of elation and fear.
Kyler pushed his way in and flipped on the light.
Colt shielded his eyes and silently thanked his lucky stars he hadn’t decided to sleep naked for a change. “Good morning to you too.”
Kyler looked as if he were ready to bounce off the walls. “It worked. It freaking worked!”
Colt snapped to attention, his sluggish body and mind now fully alert. “You heard from Cameron already?”
“Yes! I was worried about it working from so far away. And it honestly works better in sleep, but he actually woke me up enough to talk with him.” His excitement couldn’t be contained. With a quick glance, Colt could confirm Kyler came straight from his bed. His usually tidy appearance had been traded for the comfort of sleep. He still wore his sweatpants and an old t-shirt that had certainly seen better days. Unruly blond curls seemed to reach for various corners in the room, as if they wanted to escape Kyler’s scalp.
Colt looked at him with expectation. “Well? Are you gonna tell me what he said?”
Kyler nodded. “Cameron saw Jane. She’s fine, if not a little tired looking. Oddly enough, he said everyone seems to be not only doing well, but happy. He’s still working on the details behind it all.”
Colt let out a breath of relief and dropped his chin to his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered to whoever he hoped might be listening in the universe. “They seem happy? I guess that’s something positive anyway.” He glanced at Kyler’s face as it transformed into something similar to agony. “What is it?”
“He hasn’t seen Elana. If she’s there, she’s not with the rest of the group.” Kyler closed his eyes. “I’m trying not to let that psyche me out.”
Colt placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a brotherly squeeze. “Keep your faith. We’ll get her back if we have to search to the ends of the Earth.”
“Thank you, Colt.” He took a cleansing breath. “I appreciate that you care about Elana as much as Jane. Most people in your position would be ready to get out of this situation as soon as possible.”
Colt smiled. “I’m not most people. Elana is now my family too. No one gets left behind.” As soon as the words left his mouth he knew they were true. This involved more than trying to make Kyler feel better. These people were his family, and he’d do what it took to keep them together and safe.
Kyler nodded. “Well, I guess we should tell the others. We have a lot to figure out, and Cameron said he’d send me more info as soon as he had something. We’ll need to let him know our plans as well.”
Colt spent a moment considering what they’d learned so far. They had a rough layout. Jane was alive. The other children seemed to be okay. And Elana’s location wasn’t clear. He made up his mind. They would leave tonight. He’d had enough of waiting and there could be no telling when it would all go south for those trapped under Jeremy’s thumb. The time for action had arrived.
Rachel gathered empty breakfast plates as they all seated themselves around a long table in the dining area. She talked as she worked. “So, do we know the best way to get in?”
Kyler shook his head before taking the last bite of his breakfast and she confiscated his plate. “No, but Cameron is going to complete his inspection of the property today. He said he’d get back to us as soon as he was sure of the easiest entrance. We can compare it to the layout Grant gave us to make sure it all matches with what Cameron is seeing.”
Brett leaned back in his chair. “So, what do we do in the meantime? I really hate sitting here doing nothing.”
Blake spoke up. “We practice.”
Everyone turned to look at him.
Brett’s brows pulled together in confusion. “What’s that gonna do? Hasn’t everyone already learned all they can?”
Blake stood and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Alone, yes. But as we’ve learned through Cameron and Kyler’s experiment, when we join forces, our gifts are even stronger.” He looked each of them in the face before continuing. “We need to decide which gifts complement each other and practice the teamwork.”
Colt nodded. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”
Within the next half hour, they all stood in the back clearing of the camp. The unseasonably mild November day worked in their favor. Each had on a warm but functional coat that Kyler had recently picked up on one of his trips to town. Colt suspected he wouldn’t like to know how Kyler acquired them, so he didn’t ask. Kyler had no issues bending the rules when he felt the necessity. But Kyler had a good heart and Colt was glad he was on their side.
Brett stood with a clipboard in his hands. “I’m gonna make a list of your gifts so we can compare them and work on teams.” He moved to stand in front of Rachel. “What can you do?”
She smirked at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Brett sighed, and she laughed, enjoying getting the upper-hand with him for once.
“Okay, fine,” she said as she held up her hands. “I have speed and telekinesis.”
Brett wrote those down and then moved to Wes next.
Wes shrugged. “Telekinesis. That’s it.”
Rachel gave him a playful shove. “The one time we need you to brag and you decide to be humble?”
A grin tugged at the corners of Wes’ mouth. “Okay, I’m also really smart. I can retain any information given to me and use it in any situation.” He thought about that for a moment. “Well, almost any situation. The whole bullet in Colt thing didn’t work out so well.”
Brett wrote those down and flashed a genuine smile at Wes. “You did your best, and in the end, you still saved my brother. That’s good enough for me.”
Wes nodded and then looked at the person to his right.
Kyler put his hands on his hips. “Telepathy, mind control, and exceptional senses.”
Brett looked up from his sheet of paper. “Exceptional senses? What’s that?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. I can sense things—good and bad. But it’s not usually specific. More like a gut feeling kind of thing.”
Brett shrugged and wrote that down as well.
Blake spoke up next. “I can manipulate emotions for a short time. I’m also an excellent climber.”
Colt’s eyes rose in surprise. “Really? What can you climb?”
Blake smiled. “Anything. And I can do it rather quickly.”
“Cool,” said Brett as he again scribbled notes on his clipboard.
Caesar chose that moment to run forward and jump up and down in front of Brett. “Me! Me next!”
“All right—amaze us, little man.” Brett held his pencil over the paper, waiting for the information.
Caesar smiled. “I have tele … telect …” He frowned as his face turned thoughtful.
“Telekinesis.” Rach
el filled in for him.
“Yes!” Caesar said excitedly. “That! I’ve also been practicing something new.”
Rachel smiled at him. “What do you mean new?”
“It’s something I didn’t know I could do until a few days ago.” Excitement shone in his bright blue eyes. He stepped around Brett and gave himself a little space. With his eyes closed, he inhaled sharply and then slowly blew it out. As he released the air from his lungs, the air around the group began to move. The harder he exhaled, the faster the wind blew. He opened his eyes to find everyone looking at him in surprise, some of them now covered in a few dead leaves and dirt.
Wes grinned at Caesar. “Now that’s cool.” He held up his hand for a high five, and Caesar happily ran toward him to comply.
Brett blinked rapidly and then remembered what he was supposed to be doing. “Got it.”
The last to share, Jocelyn cleared her throat. “I don’t think my gift will be useful.” She glanced nervously at the group. “I see snippets of the future when I touch people. It’s why I don’t like physical contact.”
Wes walked over to her side. “You can do more.”
She shook her head. “No, that was a one-time thing. I don’t think I can repeat it.”
Wes nudged her with his elbow, making sure he left his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t trigger a vision.
She frowned. “Well, there was this one time I managed to see through a wall. I don’t know how or why, though. It’s never happened again.”
Colt smiled at her. “We’ll keep it in mind anyway. You never know.”
