by Rebecca Ann
“Hang on.” I teleported to the door, locked it, and teleported back to the desk. I sat back in the chair, picking up the net-screen. “Yeah. Now, can we not talk about it? I’m already nervous enough as it is, especially after what happened this morning.”
“Wait, what happened this morning?”
I drew out a long breath. Might as well tell him. “I kinda—well—I mind-controlled this morning. I think. I’m not exactly sure what happened.”
Mark sighed, and my stomach twisted at the way his mouth turned down with disapproval. “Linds, you gotta be careful. You can’t go mind-controlling people just because they make you a little angry. You get caught, and you won’t be helping anyone.”
“Yeah, well, when someone is harassing my best friend, I don’t really care. Besides, it’s not like I asked to be Half-Controller.” I dropped my hand to my lap. “You think I can do this?” The uncertainty I’d tried to hold back all week bubbled within me, but I wasn’t backing out. Not after everything that I’d seen today.
“I know you can do this. If you can just behave until tonight. You’ve scored higher than anyone on all the exams. You should be grateful they’re letting you become a Watcher.”
“Every day, Mark. Every day. Though I still wonder why they lifted the ban on LIs becoming Watchers in the first place.”
Mark shrugged, running a hand through his dark hair. “Beats me. Maybe they want us to teleport people to jail. I mean, it’d be faster than driving hovers around all the time. For you at least. I’m just a lowly Half-Invisible with no teleportation abilities.” He held up a green badge. “You’ll get this tonight if you pass.”
“Yeah.” I glanced at the clock. “Hey, I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight, Captain.” I disconnected the call, tossing the device on the desk.
“Tell Victoria,” Mark said in my mind. “She deserves to know.”
“Shut up!” I teleported to Victoria’s room, appearing in the open doorway. She sat at her desk, going over an assignment with a student, Lauren, a Lighter and one of the sweetest girls I’d ever had the privilege of meeting. Shy, quiet, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt every day with her long brown hair in a ponytail, Lauren always had her nose in a book.
“When did LIs come to Earth?” Victoria asked. She sat stone-still, not saying a word. She conducted herself with the utmost patience and worked hard to help her students succeed.
“Um...” Lauren twisted her hands together. “I don’t...” She let out a frustrated sigh. “History is so hard!”
“Not if you use ways to help you remember.” Victoria grabbed her net-screen and typed something, pointing to the net-viewer that sat on her desk. “Remember we talked about this in class the other day?”
“Kinda.”
Victoria smiled in that encouraging way of hers. “LIs came to Earth in 2040, twenty-three years ago.”
The room fell silent for only a couple seconds before Lauren said, “In 2040, LIs came to Earth to escape the experiments.”
“Yes,” Victoria whispered, the enthusiasm gone from her words. “Try to answer the other questions. If you get stuck, send me a net-message or come see me before school tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Ms. V.” Lauren ran out of the classroom, her net-screen tight against her chest, backpack swinging on her back.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I perched on the edge of Victoria’s tidy desk as she looked at her net-viewer, pulling it closer to her. “So, are you doing anything tonight?” I had to take this slow.
Victoria glanced up and sat back in her chair, hands in her lap. “My dad’s coming tonight, and Princess Madalina is here. She wants to have dinner tomorrow.”
I stared at her. “Um, wow. Okay. What is she even doing here?” Keeping the disdain out of my voice was next to impossible. I didn’t care how nice Madalina appeared to be. She was still the princess of the most dangerous planet in the universe, which meant she was probably siding with Queen Carmella, AKA the evil stepmother.
“Meeting with the president, I guess. I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I do know I’m not going to dinner with her. No matter how cheerful she is.” Victoria sat back in the chair. “Can we talk about something else? Why did you ask me if I had plans tonight?”
I took a breath. No turning back now. “Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go to dinner after I, um—finish an exam.”
“An exam?” Victoria asked, brow furrowed. “What kind of exam?” She leaned against the front of her desk, arms folded, expression placid.
“The Watcher’s exam.” I played with the bottom of my white t-shirt. “You know how I’ve been busy a couple nights a week for the last six months or so, working out and stuff?” When all I got was a nod, I said, “I signed up when they lifted the Invie ban.”
Silence and then, in a whisper, “You—you’re going to become a Watcher?” As if she’d flipped a switch, Victoria charged forward. “Are you out of your mind? How could you—why didn’t you tell me? Why would you make such a huge decision alone? What about your ability? What if the wrong person finds out?”
“Because I’m tired of watching Lily and the other kids not be able to be kids. I’m tired of not being able to walk in the park or use our powers freely or fear that just walking down the street will land us in jail. I can help make our lives feel more—normal.” The word tasted bitter. Our lives would never be normal. “I’m also doing it for the resistance. After this morning with Daniel, it’s even more important.”
I looked out the window long enough to gather my thoughts, but I could feel Victoria’s eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. “I’m not letting you or anyone I love get taken to that secure location.” I turned to look at her. “I have a plan.”
Hurt flashed across Victoria’s face, but I didn’t turn away. I’d caused this. I had to fix it.
“I don’t care if you have a plan,” she spat. “No. You’re talking about arresting our own kind if they break a law. You’ll have to arrest our friends, maybe even your family.” She sat down at the desk. “This is a huge risk. Even for the resistance, which is dangerous in itself. I worry every time you have a meeting.”
“I know. Still, I really wish you’d join. We could use your research skills. Especially right now.” I glanced toward the open doorway. Crap. Hopefully no one had heard that. “Anyway, if all goes according to plan, I won’t be arresting people.”
“What’s the plan?”
I perched on the edge of the desk. “I can’t tell you that, but I’m going to do everything I can to keep you, my family, and our students and their families safe.”
Victoria shook her head. “What about this morning? If the wrong person finds out—” She trailed off, her gaze on the desk.
I slid off the desk. “If it happens, it happens.” The words tasted like sour lemons. Probably because I didn’t believe them.
“You don’t mean that. I know you. You’re terrified. You don’t have to play the hero.”
I sighed. Damn. She knew me too well. “Okay, I don’t, but—”
Voices drifting from the hall cut me off as they filed into the room.
“I’ll let you get to work. Come find me at lunch. There’s something else I want to talk to you about.” I squeezed Victoria’s hand and headed out of the room, nodding to a few students on the way out.
Chapter Three
VICTORIA
I grabbed my net-screen and walked around the desk to lean against the front of it as my students filed in line to sign in. It was easier to have them do it than me try to do it with the automated voice on. I also used this time to have them send me their homework from the night before.
“Okay, guys,” I called as I placed the net-screen on the desk and turned to face them. Their forms blurred together in a sea of color, their faces not visible in the glare of the bright lights. “You don’t need your net-screens today.”
“I thought we were going to talk about the Ada rebellion,” Tori asked. I looked at her. I coul
d just have them read about it. Yet in light of this morning’s announcement, I owed it to my students to share my story.
“We were,” I said. “But I want to tell you a different story. It’s still true, and still about the rebellion, but what I’m going to talk about won’t be in your textbook.”
"What kind of story, Ms. V?" Ryan, another student, asked.
I took another breath in hopes of slowing down my heart and keeping my hands from trembling. I’d never shared my story with anyone except Lindsey. Not even her parents knew what had happened on Ada. Yet I couldn’t hide it any longer. It was time to unlock the memories from the back of my mind. "Mine."
Silence. Then, slowly, hushed whispers filled the room. Heart thundering in my ears, I gripped the edge of the desk and leaned forward. “I know you are aware of the experiments that took place on Ada just over two decades ago. Only a few years before a lot of you were born.”
“My mom was experimented on,” Tori spoke up, so quiet I could barely hear her. “She doesn’t talk about it much.”
My blood ran cold at the thought. Someone, though I couldn’t tell who, came around and wheeled my chair out from behind the desk. I sank into it. I swallowed as my throat threatened to close. “Mine too,” I rasped, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. Why did I think this would be a good idea? I’d barely started, and already I was falling apart. I couldn’t do this! If only I had the ability to push my memories into their minds like Lindsey and the Coopers could. It would save me a lot of time and emotion. It would also be cheating. Kind of.
“I remember how small and scared I was when it happened. Did you ever feel that way, Tori?”
I waited for her raspy “Mm hmm” then pressed on. “I didn’t understand why she had to leave for hours and why she would come back barely able to move. I’d hear her crying at night when she thought I was asleep.” My voice broke, and several tears ran down my cheeks. “This continued until I was seven. My mother and a few other Lighters decided enough was enough. They formed a plan to get LIs off Ada and rebel against the queen.”
“Your mom is Elizabeth Mathews?” Kevin spoke up.
I nodded. Several students echoed his astonishment.
“She’s amazing!”
I opened my mouth to say, Yes, she was, but shut it. I hadn’t seen my mother since the day she handed me over to Bill Thompson. I knew what she’d done. I remembered some of it. I hadn’t talked to her in fifteen years. She was my mother, but I thought of her the same way my students did. As a heroic person who’d done something unthinkable for the sake of her people. Finally, I settled on offering a soft, sad smile.
“My mother’s story gives me hope. She fought for the freedom of our people and won. Even with the odds stacked against her.” I stood again, on shaking legs. “No matter how many new laws they give us, no one can take away our right to choose or fight for what we deserve.”
“We’re not exactly free here either,” Bethany pointed out. “My parents were experimented on too, and my mom—” Her words halted. My stomach clenched. Had something else happened today?
“Mine too!” another student spoke up. “And I heard LIs in the north are getting rounded up and taken somewhere.”
“I heard they’re getting sent back to Ada,” Bethany said. “If it happens here, we’re screwed. We should be trying to do something.”
As murmurs of agreement came from all directions, a realization hit me in the gut. This wasn’t just my story. This was our story. And as I looked at my students through the haziness, another thought struck. Lindsey was doing something to help our people and taking a huge risk to do so. She was helping make change while I sat here scared of my powers and terrified of getting sent away.
Someone coughed, and I jumped. Guess I’d zoned out. “Listen,” I said, and the few people talking toward the back of the room quieted, “I know the announcement this morning was scary, but Principal Cooper and his daughter Lindsey are going to do everything they can to keep you all safe.” Lindsey’s father was also part of the resistance, and if Lindsey said they had a plan, he would know about it.
“Like a rebellion?” Bethany asked, and a few students started whispering in excitement.
“No,” I said with a laugh. I started to say more, but the familiar crackling sound of the intercom forced me to stop.
“Attention, students and staff,” Lindsey’s father began, and my heart quickened at the seriousness in his tone, “I apologize for the short notice, but classes will be dismissed in five minutes. Students, please go to the main lobby to wait for your parents. Teachers, please report to the cafeteria in fifteen minutes. Thank you.”
I got to my feet as the room came alive with students heading for the door. As I said goodbye to each of them, the lump in my throat grew. Would this be the last time I’d see them? Was Rick shutting the school down? Once the last student was gone, I shoved my net-screen in my bag and exited the room, turning off the light and closing the door.
“Vi!” Lindsey made her way through the cluster of students toward me.
“Hey. What—” She didn’t let me finish before grabbing my hand, pulling me through the crowd to her classroom and shutting the door.
“I wanted you to hear this before the meeting in a few minutes.”
I tightened my hold on my handbag. “What’s going on, Linds? Why did he end school three hours early?”
“Because notices are being given out in the north and south provinces, and it could be a matter of hours before they start here. We can’t wait any longer to start taking people down to the hideout.” Her words tumbled out in a rush, and her fingers shook in my grip. “I just need a few more hours, and I’ll be a Watcher.”
“I know. You’ll pass,” I whispered. “I want to help. What can I do to help? You said you wanted to talk to me at lunch.”
“Oh. Right.” Lindsey leaned against the desk. “I might as well tell you. The place we’re going is where Shannon’s father has been living for the last twenty years. But the place is in danger of being in the dark. We need to figure out how to keep the lights on before we send everyone down there. You’re amazing at research.”
I stared at her. “Thank you for the compliment, Lindsey, but I don’t know anything about electricity. My dad’s coming to see me tonight, though. I’ll talk to him about it.”
“He already knows. He’s down there already,” Lindsey said, and my whole body went numb. He was already in the hideout? Why? “It’s where we hold our meetings for the resistance.”
As the words clicked, I stumbled backward. “Wait, my father is part of the resistance?”
“Yeah, he—oh, Vi! I’m so sorry!” Lindsey came forward until I could smell the coffee on her breath. “I thought you knew!”
I shook my head as my throat closed up again and tears filled my eyes. “Tell your dad I’m sorry, but I need to go home.”
“Vi,” Lindsey started, but I held up a hand as I hurried for the door. If I looked at her right now, I’d lose it. “Please don’t be mad. I thought you knew about your dad.”
I stopped halfway to the door but didn’t turn around as I answered, “I’m not mad at you. I just need time to process all this.”
“At least let me teleport you home.”
I sighed. I wanted to say no, but riding the train or walking didn’t sound appealing right now. “Okay.” I faced her and held out my hand. She took it, and the world spun, the gray rising up around us. Only seconds passed before everything righted again, and I opened my eyes to make out my kitchen counter. “Thanks.” I squeezed her hand. “You should get back. I’ll be okay. Eventually.”
“No way. I’m not leaving you alone. I’m so sorry, Vi. I really thought you knew.” Lindsey walked over to the fridge and opened it, taking something out of it. “We could really use alcohol right now. You want some wine?”
I slid onto one of the white hardback barstools. “No.” I let out a sigh as I put my face in my hands. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Why would he
keep this from me?”
Lindsey slid onto the barstool to my right. “I don’t know, Vi. Maybe he was trying to protect you.”
I slammed my palms onto the counter. “Why does everyone feel the need to protect me? I’m not some fragile little girl. I’m a grown woman who is capable of taking care of myself.”
Silence hung in the air for a split second before I realized how I’d sounded. I looked over at Lindsey, able to see her face but not her expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I just—”
“I know. It’s okay. I know you’re capable, and I’m not going to push, but I still think you’d make a great addition to the resistance.”
“I’m not researching electricity,” I muttered as I got off the stool and went around the counter to the fridge. “And don’t you dare say I should know about it because I’m a Lighter.” I opened the fridge and pulled out a yogurt. “I don’t even know much about that.”
“Liar. You’ve read everything on Lighters,” Lindsey teased.
I glared at her as I grabbed a spoon and returned to my seat. “I have. Ordinarily, I’d help Shannon keep the lights on in the Hope place or whatever it’s called, but you know how I feel about my powers and—”
Suddenly, Lindsey was on her feet, spinning my chair around so fast I almost fell off it.
“Linds! What—”
“You’re a genius! That solves the problem right there!”
I stared at her. “I know I’m not well-versed in the joking department, but what I just said was intended as such.” I turned my chair back around and tore the top off my yogurt.
“Maybe so, but it’s an awesome idea! Do you think it’d be possible?” Lindsey sat down again. “I know it’s scary. I can’t even believe I’m suggesting such a thing, but—”
I swallowed the bite of yogurt. “You’re right. It is scary and impossible. There’s no way anyone would agree to do that. It goes against everything we’ve been teaching our students.”
