Gemini (Gemini Adler Book 1)

by TJ Hines

  Contents

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  For my family, Teagan, Taylor, and Jason, who give me the encouragement and love to follow my dreams.

  I love you!

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was dark times for Gemini Adler. She was trying to make ends meet while taking care of her little sister, Taura. Their mother was strung out on drugs most of the time and was never really there for them. And their fathers, whoever they were, were never in the picture. Their mother had a long string of men come in and out of the girl’s lives: some were nice, some were mean, and some should have been killed long ago. There were more times than Gemini wanted to think about where she would have to trade places with Taura to keep the disgusting perverts from harming her little sister. Gemini always felt disgusting and ashamed after each encounter, but she knew she had no choice. She had to keep her sister safe. Her sister was special and that was the only thing that got Gemini through the long, horrible days. Days like today when Gemini had to explain to her little sister once again that she couldn’t share her gift with everyone no matter what. She had to keep it a secret; otherwise, people would take her away. Taura just wanted to help people but Gemini knew better. If she started helping people, word would spread, and then the government would come for her just like they did all the others.

  Thankfully, Gemini’s mother never realized how special Taura was probably due to the drugs she was always on. Gemini noticed Taura’s abilities when she was three. Gemini was nine and cut herself trying to make dinner for her and Taura. Her mom was of course high at the time and Gemini was scared and didn’t know what to do. Taura put her hand over the cut and a radiating glow of light came from her hand and Gemini’s cut was bathed in warm energy emanating from Taura’s hand. That was the first time Taura had used her powers and it had been absolutely shocking to Gemini. Gem had no idea what to do but she knew she had to protect her sister because she was old enough to know that nothing good could come from others knowing about Taura.

  A year later Gemini knew she had made the right decision to keep Taura’s abilities secret when men in tactical gear walked into her fourth-grade classroom at Riverpark Elementary and took three of the kids with them. One of the boys picked up the closest guard to him and threw him into the wall where all their artwork hung. He was ten and picked up a full-sized adult male above his head and threw him like a basketball. That’s when Gem knew he was special too. Just like her sister. One of the other guards shot him with a taser gun. Gem was so upset that she became immediately ill and was sent home to cope with what had happened. That was the first time Gem wanted to run away with Taura. She started planning that day in case the government came for her baby sister.

  The second time she wanted to run away with Taura was when her mother sold all their belongings for drugs, including Taura’s special brown teddy bear that one of the nurses gave her when she was born. Gemini held Taura all night listening to her cry because all she wanted was her teddy. And in the other room, her so-called mother was getting high.

  The third time Gemini wanted to take Taura and run away from everything was two years ago when her mother brought another man home with her. This man wasn't like the others, so self-involved with the need to get high or drunk that he ignored the girls. No, this one was sober from what Gem could tell and took way too much interest in Taura, who was nine at the time. Gem made Taura sleep in her room every night he stayed over, and she always remembered to lock the door. But one night he came over after the girls had fallen asleep. Gem heard Taura yell and was on her feet before she had completely woken up. She ran into the room to find the man standing over Taura trying to hold her down while he messed with his pants. Gemini did the only thing she could think of and took the lamp off the nightstand and hit the man in the head with it. He collapsed immediately, falling on Taura. Gemini was able to maneuver the man off her little sister and she took her to her room and locked the door and barricaded it so that they might remain safe for the rest of the night. Taura slept in Gem's arms that night like she did when she was little, and Gemini didn't sleep a wink guarding her baby sister with every fiber of her being.

  This was the final straw though. There was no turning back after this. She had no other choice but to take Taura and leave immediately. They would come for her now and they would take her baby sister with them.

  CHAPTER TWO

  She didn’t mean to do it. She had no other choice. Gemini knew that but it still didn’t make it better. Gem and Taura had been at the local YMCA, basically their home away from home. Gem had been doing her homework while Taura played with some friends. Taura didn’t have many so Gem encouraged her to interact with the ones she had as much as possible. They were playing hide and seek from what Gem could tell through the glass walls that separated the common areas in the building.

  The screaming got her attention because it went from fun screams to earth-shattering screams in a heartbeat. Gemini was on her feet, looking for the bright blonde-headed child with a purple bow in her hair today because it ‘matched her outfit perfectly’. She searched and couldn’t find her. Gemini’s heart was pounding through her chest and she was about to have a full-blown panic attack when she finally spotted Taura near the edge of the pool. Taura was wet but that was not the worst part. Taura was using her ability on the boy in front of her. In front of a group of kids. This was not good. Not good at all. Gemini had to get to her and fast. She jumped over the couch separating her from the pool room door and managed to get to it just as the final ray of light left Taura’s hand. She was finished. Thank God. Gem pulled open the door as some of the personnel started to make their way to the group next to the pool. The group where her sister was. Her sister who just used her special power in front of people. She had to get Taura. Gemini ran to her sister and grabbed her by the shoulder helping her up. She started pulling her to the door leaving all their school stuff behind. Gemini didn’t care about that stuff now. They wouldn’t need it where they were going. Which was far away from Chicago if Gemini’s plan worked out correctly.

  They reached the doors and Gem looked back one last time to the only safe haven the girls had had growing up with a drug-addicted mom. She saw the boy that Taura had her hands on sitting up and looking around like nothing had happened to him. She was so talented and kind of scary at the same time if Gemini was being honest with herself. She smiled down at her sister knowing that everything was about to change and there was no going back. They had to run and run now.

  Gemini and Taura ran the four blocks to their dilapidated apartment building. When they made it up the five flights of stairs, they saw the tie on the door meaning mom was entertaining some man again for drugs or money. Normally they would go to the YMCA when they saw that sign but today, they didn’t have that option. Gemini took Taura straight to her room and handed her a backpack from her closet.

  “Pack up Taura. Anything you can fit in the backpack and don’t forget your toothb
rush and clothes,” Gemini said starting for Taura’s closet.

  “What’s going on Gemi? Did I do something wrong again?” Taura asked sitting on her bed holding her backpack as if it was her teddy.

  “We just need to leave munchkin. Just in case someone comes looking for you.” Gemini handed her two shirts and a couple of pairs of pants to put in her backpack. Gemini’s stuff was already packed. She refreshed it every few months or so since she was fifteen.

  “But I don’t want to leave Gemi. I want to stay here with my friends,” Taura said softly as tears began to swell in her eyes.

  Gemini’s heart broke for her little sister, but she had to stay the course because she knew what would happen to Taura if the government got their hands on her. She had been doing her research on it ever since she was able to scrape enough money together to buy a decent enough phone. She used the free WiFi at work to do searches on the government and the kids with special abilities. Apparently, there was a whole agency set up to handle those types of people, people like her little sister, and there was usually reward money for those who turn “Unnaturals” in. That’s what the government called people like her sister, “Unnaturals” like they were abominations.

  “I know munchkin, but this is the safest thing for us right now. Now hurry up and finish packing. We need to hit the road ASAP.” Gemini started for the door when she heard her little sister ask in a tiny voice, “do you think she will even miss us?” Gemini knew exactly who the ‘she’ was that Taura was referring to…their mom. Lord knows Gemini knew that their mother stopped being a mother to them a long time ago, but Gem tried to keep the complete truth from her baby sister. She had been lying for her mom for so long that she almost told her sister ‘yes, she will miss us so much’ but she stopped herself because Taura needed to hear the truth, at least part of it.

  Gemini turned back towards her. “Maybe. Who knows really what she feels anymore? She is so messed up most of the time that I never know. But I do know that deep down she really loves us and that will have to be enough right until she gets her act together. I love you and you love me and that’s all we need. Right?”

  Taura smiled sadly and with tears in her eyes told her sister “right” and started packing again. Gemini hurried to her room to gather her backpack and the few other things she wanted to take with her, a picture of her and Taura at the zoo, a blanket Taura bought her last Christmas, and her stash of money she kept hidden away just for this reason. She hurriedly packed all her items and rushed back to Taura’s room.

  The girls left the apartment, without telling their mother goodbye. Taura wanted to write a letter to her explaining things but Gemini talked her out of it, citing the lack of time. Taura said she understood, though Gemini could tell she still wanted too. They made it to the bus station within ten minutes. It took them a little longer than normal because they tried to stay off the main routes hoping that the authorities were not already on the hunt for them. Gemini kept checking for cops around every street corner. Her anxiety was off the charts at the time. Every little noise had her squeezing Taura's hand a little harder, afraid someone would take her little sister away from her.

  She saw a patrolman about a block away from the bus station but thankfully he was already arresting someone so he never noticed the pretty little blonde girl with an older brunette, walking alone in a rough part of the city at dusk. In this part of Chicago, people didn't ask questions and kept to themselves. It was the only way to survive. Gemini was going to miss Chicago. It was her home and she loved so much about it. She would miss the skyline, the YMCA, the little deli near her house who always gave Taura and her free cookies, and her neighbor Ms. Nelson, who used to watch Taura for Gemini while she was in school. Ms. Nelson was elderly and couldn't do her grocery shopping so Gem would pick up her groceries for her and Ms. Nelson would watch Taura in return and usually by the girls some extra food too. She wouldn't miss her mother, no matter how bad that sounded.

  Gemini didn't get to have a childhood. She was raising her baby sister at the age of nine when her mom started using. She felt even worse for Taura who never even knew a sober mom. Gemini's mom was so awesome when she was little. Always playing games with her and taking her to the park. Making Saturday morning pancakes for her and Taura. Her mom was the best and she loved her so much. Gem didn't really notice when her mom started falling into a depression. She just noticed that her mom stayed in the bed longer each day and then finally she stopped going to work and then she started staying out all night and coming in drunk in the morning. The next thing Gemini knew her mom was spending all their money on drugs. Gem put a stop to that by stealing most of the money from her mom's purse each month along with their food stamps card. Her mom never noticed until it was too late because she was so high. When she did notice, she would hit Gem for stealing from her, but she would forget about it by the next month, so Gem was able to continue to take care of her and her sister. Even if it cost her a few bruises to do so.

  Her mom usually only hit her because the one time she tried to hit Taura, Gemini hit her mom back. Gemini had been thirteen and it was the first time she stood up to her mom and the last time her mom hit her. She still yelled at her and told her how worthless and stupid she was, but she was never physically abused by her mother again.

  Gemini and Taura made it to the bus station and bought two one-way tickets to the furthest place the bus line was currently going, Huntsville, Alabama. Gemini knew nothing about where they were going. She just knew it put the most distance between them and the government, who surely had been notified by now of Taura's abilities. Taura liked to believe the best in people but Gemini knew that greed always won out and giving people money to turn people like Taura in would come before decency and honor. Gem just hoped that the government hadn't figured out that they had run away yet. She knew their mom would sell them out in a heartbeat to make some quick cash for her next fix. She just prayed that someone was looking out for them and would help them get away without any problems.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Gemini and Taura got on the bus headed for Alabama and sat near the back. Gem took a ball cap from her backpack and placed it on Taura's head pulling it down low in the front. She pulled another one out, placing it on her head and then pulled her hoodie up over it hiding her naturally chocolate brown hair from view. She also pulled a pair of glasses from her bag, that she swiped one day from the lost and found box at work. Gem gave them to Taura to put on, hopefully camouflaging her features enough that she wouldn't be recognized. The girls settled in for what they hoped would be a long ride as more and more passengers loaded the bus.

  A couple of hours outside of Chicago, the bus was swarmed with blue lights. Gemini tried to remain calm on the outside but inside she was a ball of nerves. Thankfully, Taura was asleep which eased some of her anxiety. She tucked her head down and waited. Someone in black tactical gear, just like the ones who came to her school all those years ago, boarded the bus, armed with an assault rifle. She glanced at the officer barely making eye contact and then looked at the gun.

  Guns scared Gem. Growing up in Chicago's Washington Park, gun violence was an everyday occurrence. That level of violence daily made some complacent and comfortable around guns but not Gem. She could never be comfortable around them. The guys that her mom hung around always carried them and would just leave them lying around for anyone to pick up. Gem used to have to watch Taura constantly when she was younger to make sure she never picked one up.

  The agent walked slowly towards the back of the bus where the girls were located. Gemini sent another prayer up that the agent wouldn't recognize them and would let them be on their way. He got about halfway to the back and got a call on his radio that the girls had been spotted on a bus headed toward Oklahoma about thirty minutes ago. Whoever was on the other end told the agent to hurry up so that they could catch the other bus before it got too far away. The guy gave one last sweep with his eyes, decided everyone was on the up and up, and started h
eading back towards the door.

  "What's going on?" Taura asked groggily as she started waking up. Crap on a cracker, Gemini thought. They were almost home free.

  "Nothing. Go back to sleep," she answered her little sister quickly and quietly. The officer started to turn back around when his radio went off again, 'Hurry up Steve!', the voice called. A few more minutes of waiting and the bus was back on the road again.

  Gemini explained to Taura what had happened, and she knew that her sister was panicked. So, Gem pulled her in closer and sang her favorite bedtime song too her as quietly as possible. When she finished, she gently played with Taura's hair until she fell asleep.

  The bus stopped at a travel center about halfway there to let everyone take a break and stretch their legs. Gemini grabbed a couple of bottles of water, two premade sandwiches, and a map when she and Taura went into the store. She hated getting off the bus but neither one of them had had anything to eat since lunch and she knew Taura had to be hungry. Especially after using her ability to revive that boy.

  Taura recounted the events to Gemini when they first got on the bus before she drifted off into a fitful slumber. She said that she and her friends, Sam, Jenny, and Trevor were all playing hide and seek when Trevor fell into the pool on the deep end. There was no lifeguard on duty because the pool was closed. Trevor wasn't a particularly good swimmer, but Sam was, so he jumped in after his friend. Sam managed to get Trevor to the side of the pool but by the time she and Jenny managed to pull him out of the water Trevor had stopped breathing. Sam ran for help when he got out of the pool, Jenny started screaming, and Taura did the only thing she knew to do. Save him. And so, she did. Gemini couldn't fault her for saving her friend's life no matter what the consequences.