An older man with glasses knelt down beside me, his brown hair wet with blood.
“No,” I gasped. “I can’t help you.” It was for his own good.
“Are you all right?” he yelled over the cries.
I didn’t notice the pain until he asked. Suddenly I realized why my right leg felt cold. My jeans had been died a deep scarlet from a laceration that ran across my thigh. I pushed myself up to sitting trying to remember how it had gotten there. I had no memory of the accident.
“Get away,” I screamed, not knowing what else to do. I couldn’t walk. “Get away!”
The man looked at me with resentment and jogged off to help another.
“Please!” a woman yelled from a few feet away. She cradled her daughter closely and rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her own grief. The girl lay limp in her lap, blood seeping through her shirt. I doubted she would make it without help.
I looked at my bracelet and threw myself back on the pavement with my eyes closed tight. If I healed anyone, Ryder would kill them all. No matter what my decision, the little girl was going to die. There was nothing I could do. I thought of the day my parents crashed, the day they died. Here I was again, unable to save them, useless, helpless. The woman’s cry was gut wrenching, and I couldn’t escape it. I leaned forward, unable to control myself and retched onto the blacktop.
My heart ached and burned with anger. Why would they do this? What purpose did it serve?
“Please!” the woman yelled. I tried not to hear her, to ignore her sobs and my own tears that dripped into my ears as I lay there. Focus on the pain, I told myself. My leg was throbbing, and the cold was spreading. How was I supposed to get out of here like this?
It wasn’t until I heard the sirens wailing from a distance, growing louder as they approached, that I felt dread swarming in around me. I was losing a lot of blood. What if they took me to a hospital? Would they do a blood transfusion? The dizziness was starting to hinder my thinking, and my heart beat wildly trying to keep up with my hemorrhaging wound.
The fire trucks arrived, followed by ambulances and police cars, all before I could get myself out of sight. As a last resort, I attempted to stand and walk, dragging my useless leg behind me, but the world began to spin.
“Over here,” I heard a voice call as I collapsed against the hard ground.
“No,” I protested, but it was little more than a whisper. I hadn’t realized how weak I was.
I felt the gurney beneath me and saw the clouds move by as I was carried away. Part of me was glad to be rid of all the chaos as I was rolled into the ambulance. I needed to escape the weeping woman.
The doors were latched shut leaving me with a lady in a navy blue jump suit and a low ponytail. I felt her hands on my leg and heard her speaking comforting words, but none of them registered. I had to make sure I never made it to the hospital. How many people would they kill if my ability was discovered in a public place like that? With my last ounces of energy I sat up and heaved my body toward the ambulance door. I had to get out, by any means necessary.
“Whoa,” the woman said, trying to restrain me.
“Stop the truck,” I demanded. “Let me out.”
“Calm down, you’re all right—”
“Please,” I begged, struggling with what strength I had left. “Just let me go.”
My heart stopped at the moment I caught sight of a syringe in her hand. This was it. My last chance before the situation would be out of my hands. She attempted to restrain me with one arm and prepared the needle with the other, as I squirmed and pleaded for release. It wasn’t enough to hold me down, and just as she was about to stick me with what was surely a sedative, I broke free, flinging the needle into the air. The woman reached for her radio, but before she could call, the syringe landed at my feet. I grabbed it and plunged it into her neck.
Her eyes widened, and she looked at me in shock. When she slumped to the floor, I shuffled my way to the rear door and waited for my moment. At first I thought I’d have to jump out of the back at full speed. I imagined how I would do it, trying to convince myself that I wouldn’t die on impact or get run over by another car, but for once, luck was on my side. In San Francisco, rolling hills and innumerable cars caused the vehicle to slow for traffic, and I made the jump without killing myself.
I hobbled on one leg to the sidewalk. Drivers and pedestrians all turned their heads. Somewhere along the way my adrenaline must have kicked in, because as soon as I rested my body against the wall of a nearby building, I couldn’t imagine where I’d found the will to get out of that truck.
I prayed that nobody would call 911 after seeing me jump out of a moving ambulance and told myself I would have to move to a safer place. I just needed five minutes to rest, a few seconds to close my eyes.
Focusing on the sounds of the city kept me lucid. People talked and walked past me without pausing. I heard footsteps come closer and then fade away, but when someone stopped next to me, my eyes snapped open.
“It’s me,” William said, quieting my alarm. He knelt down next to me, brushing my hair away from my face. I let my eyes close again as he slid his arms under my body. “You’ll be all right.” His lips met my forehead as I snuggled into his chest. Only then did I allow myself to fully submit to unconsciousness.
18.
MY BODY WAS rigid with fear as I sat unmoving on an unfamiliar couch in an unfamiliar living room. William was next to me, but that only made me more afraid. He might not survive this, and his presence made me afraid for two. I tried to understand where I was from my fixed position on the sofa, but the windows were pitch-black with night. I felt trapped and anxious as we awaited the impending doom, as if the quiet lonely room was taunting me. Behind the black wall of night, I was aware of the war taking place. I wanted it to take place—I was their leader.
The blare of the city’s alarm shook my bones. This would be an attempt against us, to breed fear amidst the masses. The alarm kept on, urging me to leave the house, to escape, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Suddenly the faceless image of the wispy gray oracle came into view. She had a message for me.
“Wake up, Elyse,” she yelled.
My eyes snapped open, all my senses abruptly confronted with shards of light. It was all a dream. My heart relaxed, and I began to return to reality. Nothing around me was familiar, nothing but William.
His smile brought me back. “Is it just me or are you prone to passing out?” He’d been waiting patiently at the foot of a navy blue couch for me to come to, and was pleased to see me awake.
I stretched my feet out over his legs and moaned into the pillow beneath my head. “You try getting punched in the face or losing half of your blood. See how you turn out.”
I rubbed my eyes, still trying to get my bearings. I was in someone’s family room. The air smelled of sweet almonds, and the eggshell colored walls and cream carpet were comforting.
“What about my leg?” I asked, peeking under the throw blanket that was draped over me.
“My mom took care of it,” William answered.
“Hi, honey,” said a high and cheerful voice from the kitchen. A countertop bar with three stools was all that separated us from her. She had a kind face and the heavy-set body that belongs to most moms.
“Hi,” I returned.
William reached under the blanket and warmed my cold bare toes with his hands, our skin building heat on contact.
“I tried to help,” he said, “but she used her mom powers to fight me off.”
“I’m Sofia,” she introduced herself, making her way to my side. Her hair was the same honey color as William’s, and her eyes wrinkled around the edges as she smiled at me. “How are you feeling?”
I flexed my feet and felt the muscles tighten in my thighs.
“Okay, I guess.” There was little strength in my right leg, but I could move it. “Thank you for healing me.”
“I was able to close up the skin, but you lost a lot. You might still fe
el some pain and be a bit weak,” she explained. “Just let me know if you need anything, all right? I’ll leave you two alone.”
When she left us to ourselves, William moved to sit on the floor facing me.
“What the hell happened?” I let out, finally facing the incident I had hoped wasn’t real. “One minute I’m at Headquarters, the next I wake up in a war zone.”
“Ryder obviously planned the whole thing.”
“Why?”
“You’re flagged. I think this was the only way he could get to you, through official channels.”
I sighed. This guy was going to be a problem. “I hate him.”
“Well, at least you passed. His plan sort of backfired.”
I shook my head in disgust. “People died, William.”
He traced his fingers along the skin of my arm. “I know. Ryder made me watch the whole thing.”
“How?” I asked, mortified.
“He had me frozen in one of the buildings near the crash. We were watching from a window.”
I couldn’t believe any of it had happened. It was too horrific to be real.
“I don’t remember even getting on that bus. I don’t remember any of it.”
“That’s how it was for me, too.”
“How did you find me?” I asked, looking into his eyes. I felt so grateful. He had saved me.
“We were watching the ambulance on monitors, and once you got out, Ryder let me go. I recognized where you were, so I just ran for that intersection.”
“I don’t know what I would have done.”
He leaned forward and kissed my shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now, and safe.”
“Have I been out for a long time?”
“A few hours. Woke up in time for dinner, though,” he said. “Feeling up to eating with my parents?”
With everything weighing so heavily on my mind, including Anna’s condition, I hardly wanted to have to put on a happy face for anyone. I felt more eager to cure her than ever after what I had been put through. Even if that eagerness was fueled by hate, I welcomed it. Nevertheless, I was starving, and couldn’t deny myself a home cooked meal.
William helped me to the dinner table, insisting I shouldn’t walk on my own. I exchanged pleasantries with his parents as Mrs. Nickel doled out portions of pork stew and homemade bread. The smell reminded me of my mother’s cooking, which I hadn’t had in nearly fifty years. I waited eagerly to taste it.
“So,” Dr. Nickel said, braving conversation once we’d been served. “Have you thought about the prophecy?”
Spoons clanked against porcelain bowls in the silence.
“There’s an ice breaker for you,” William said, shaking his head. “You just had to bring it up.”
“I think it’s relevant given her circumstances. Maybe the test has changed her mind.”
All three of them looked at me for a response, but what could I tell them?
“Iosif says whatever I do doesn’t matter. The prophecy will play out how it is supposed to.”
“Great advice, huh?” William added. “Now we know exactly what to do.”
“It’s true, son,” Dr. Nickel said with a nod. “Don’t take his words so lightly. It will happen.”
William stirred his food, avoiding his father’s eyes. “What if I don’t want it to?”
Dr. Nickel looked at me before he answered. “It’s not your choice.”
“Does she even get a choice? What if she doesn’t want this?”
“She will in time.”
Mrs. Nickel and I stayed quiet while the two of them talked as though I wasn’t in the room.
“She doesn’t have time,” William argued. “They know she’s the new mother which means they’ll figure out the rest soon enough. What if they come after her?”
“How do they know?” Mrs. Nickel jumped in.
He shook his head. “Kara told them.”
Mrs. Nickel’s brow furrowed. “Why would she do that?”
“She was trying to help me,” I said, unable to keep quiet any longer. “It doesn’t matter anyway. They won’t come after me. I’m flagged.”
“Elyse, that isn’t . . .” He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts. “We don’t know why, for how long, who flagged you. It isn’t a safety net. We can’t rely on that.”
The Nickels, still shocked by the news, didn’t say a word.
“After what they put her through today, I think we should leave,” William continued.
“We can’t.” I reacted without thinking. I couldn’t leave Anna.
William looked at me with surprise. “Why? Who knows when they’ll make a move?”
I thought quickly, searching for another reason to stay. “If I’m supposed to fulfill this prophecy, it won’t do any good to run. I’ve been running for too long—my whole life.”
Dr. Nickel smiled brightly. “I like the way you think.”
William looked at me, angry and defeated, and I wondered if he could see through to the real reason I needed to stay. We ate the rest of the meal in silence, and when we were finished, I followed William out of the dining room.
“You want to see my room?” he asked. “I don’t want to stay down here.”
The upstairs hallway was typical of any family. Collage-like framed photos filled every blank wall with captured images of the three of them. There was a young girl as well. I hadn’t known about her.
“Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to a younger version of William’s mother. “You have a sister?”
“Yeah, Edith. She’s at a friend’s house.”
I noticed that the photos were recent, or at least within the last few years. There were no baby pictures or classic wedding snapshots.
“So, she has your dad’s ability?”
“Unfortunately yes, and she thinks it makes her queen of her forty-year-old universe.”
I smiled at the idea of a little sister pestering him.
I knew we’d found his room before he said a thing. Everything about it was him. Immediately upon entering, it was impossible to miss the entire wall of CDs accompanied by all the means to enjoy such a collection of music. A skyline of speakers, amplifiers, and pieces I didn’t even recognize were stacked high to the ceiling. The afternoon light spilled onto the floor from the right, and next to the window was a finely crafted acoustic guitar. His bed was large enough for two and seemed to be the only seat in the room, so I made myself comfortable.
“You know,” William said, mulling over music choices. “Whatever you decide is okay with me.” He sighed and his eyes drifted to mine. “My dad’s right. This isn’t my choice, it’s yours. I’ll be there for you no matter what happens or what you choose.”
“Let’s just not talk about it.” Even if it was only for one night, I was desperate to escape the choices that followed me. Just for now I wanted to pretend none of it was real.
“All right,” he agreed. “I just need you to know that.”
After he’d selected the perfect background music, I made room for him, slipping my sandals off and moving to lean my back against the wall. He moved close to me, taking a pillow and lying casually in my lap. With his glorious face so close, so easy for my eyes to find, I became overly aware of his affect on me. Even without the pulling power of his ability, I still felt drawn to him.
William left his head in my lap as we listened to his music, insisting each track was better than the last. Lost in a daze that drifted in and out of the lyrics of each song, I gently combed my fingers through his hair and tried not to think about my future. His eyes stayed peacefully closed as I examined the unique details that made him so irresistible. I traced the outline of his jaw, the shape of his eyebrows, the bowed curve of his lower lip with my finger, and eventually William dozed off into a sort of half sleep.
My hand moved on, grazing the skin around the collar of his shirt and down his freckled arm. Even the strangest parts seemed attractive to me. The delicate skin in the crook of his elbow
, his strong thick knuckles, there wasn’t a single inch of him that didn’t appeal to me. As I glanced back to admire his face once more, his eyes were open ever so slightly.
“Feels good.” He stretched, burying his head into my stomach as he woke up. “My turn.”
He sat up and went casually for my neck, sliding his fingers up into my hair and making me melt into the bed. His lips, soft as the skin of a rose, danced lightly over the top edge of my collarbone. The sensation his touch could generate was somewhere between a pleasant tickle and a deeper more intense sense of pleasure that nearly drove me wild for him. It was hard to enjoy the light tickle without letting the latter overcome me, but this time it did. I reached for his face and drew it to mine with a burning need to feel his lips. The kiss was everything I wanted it to be and more, exhilarating and satisfying, but I hadn’t thought about what was to follow, and I began to panic. In reaction to my overly zealous kissing, his hand had found the bare skin of my lower back and I froze internally at the feel of it. My mind told me to pull away, but my eager body, greedy for more contact, disobeyed.
“Wait,” I breathed.
His reaction was quick. He pulled away, eyes wide and filled with regret.
“I’m sorry,” he stammered.
“No.” I shook my head. “Don’t be.” Clearly I was the eager one, moving things faster than I even knew how. “It’s just, I’ve never done this . . . with anyone. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I mean, you were my first kiss, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.” I was rambling now. Clear things up Elyse, get to the point. “I’m just new at this—”
“Hey,” he cut my rant short. “It’s okay. We’ll go slow.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
I knew we were supposed to be soul mates, but everything had just moved so fast. William sank back against the wall, propping himself up with pillows, and I followed, laying my head against his chest.
Oppression Page 17
