Lightning Proof

by Rebecca Ann

  “Why should we believe anything that so-called princess says,” the same woman from earlier called out. “Her family has been nothing but cruel to us. And I know who you are. You led a rebellion to get LIs out of Ada. You spent twenty years in prison for it.”

  “Yes, but—” Elizabeth started but was drowned out as voices rose from all directions, echoing off the walls in such a way that my ears seared with pain.

  “Please!” Elizabeth called over the noise. I could only stand there with my hands fisted as the tingling in my fingers intensified with every shout.

  “How could you bring her here?” a woman asked, blocking my view of the room. Jackie. I’d recognize her voice anywhere. “Please tell me you don’t believe these lies, Victoria! You’re better than that!”

  I opened my mouth but shut it again as a spark I’d been holding back released at last. It traveled through the crowd that had gathered by the door, and my stomach sank. Crap!

  With a lump in my throat, I made my way through the cluster, breathing in the familiar smell of dirt as it caked the air with its sweet earthy scent. As my fingers wrapped around the cold railing, the sob burst from my lips, and I almost fell down the last few steps. When my feet met the gravel, I sat down on the last step, covering my ears. I couldn’t listen to her anymore. This was all too familiar. I buried my face in my folded arms resting against my knees, the images of that day all those years ago too vivid.

  “We can be free!” she’d said, her voice booming across a large room as people called out. “Your children can live without fear on Earth. There are programs being set up all over the United States and Europe.”

  Another sob left me as the image faded. Hours after that speech, she’d given me to Bill and told me she’d catch up to us. It never happened. She’d gotten arrested and never made it to Caldwell. I’d asked for months when she was coming back, but Bill never had an answer.

  More tears flowed down my cheeks. She hadn’t come here for me; she’d come here to play the hero. Once we reached Ada, she’d leave me. Again.

  A burst of noise came from the dining hall as the door opened and shut. I stayed where I was as footsteps pounded the concrete stairs. Whoever it was could go around me.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Bethany said from next to me as the gravel crunched under her feet. “I believe your mom is telling the truth. I’m going with you to Ada. The others are scared. They’re still stuck on what happened twenty years ago.”

  I wiped my eyes. “Yeah, well, I don’t believe this program is legit either.” I rested my elbows on my knees, cheeks in my palms. “I’m mainly going to check on Lindsey. My mother has nothing to do with that. I’ll get Lindsey, and we’ll come back here. I don’t want to spend any more time than necessary there.”

  “Because it’s where your mom left you?”

  I looked at her, confused. “How did you know that?”

  “I wasn’t sure, but the fact that she’s been in prison since you were seven...” She shrugged. “I had a pretty good idea.”

  I nodded, too tired to reply. “Yeah. And she’s down here trying to convince me to believe in this program. Thinking that I’m gonna go along with it because she’s my mom.” I sighed, fingers in my hair. “Never mind. You don’t need to hear all this.”

  “No. It’s okay. And I get it.”

  I scrunched up my face. “Get what?”

  “I know what it’s like to want to believe someone you love. It happened with my dad when he came back into my life after fifteen years of being absent. He was my dad, but I didn’t know him. He left when I was a baby.” We started down the street, and Bethany’s hand came around my arm, helping me sit on a nearby step. “Sorry. I should’ve asked first.”

  “It’s fine, and you’re right.” A tiny laugh escaped. “You know, I should be the one giving you advice. I am the teacher, after all.” I squeezed Bethany’s arm. “I’m tired of having to fight to belong, but the only thing we can do is go to Ada and see what’s going on. We won’t know unless we try.”

  “Right.” Bethany nodded. “Are you up for another practice? We may need our powers there.” Bethany stood, and I accepted her outstretched hand.

  “Yes,” I said as I slowly went down the steps. “I think that’s the best thing I can do right now.” I took hold of Bethany’s arm, and we walked down the quiet street. If I was going to go to Ada, I needed to practice. I wouldn’t learn to control my powers and get out of this dirt hole if I didn’t take a risk.

  “AWESOME!” BETHANY CHEERED as another large spark left my fingers an hour later. “Can you tell where it’s going?”

  I listened for the hum of electricity. “Off to my right, but I can’t tell where it stopped.” I opened my eyes, barely able to make out Bethany’s form through the thick haze and the dim light. “This isn’t going to help in a crowded or loud place.” I walked over to the chair by the door and sat down, accepting a water bottle Bethany held out.

  “It will if you know what to listen for.” Bethany sat down in the other chair. “You did great!”

  I took a long sip of water and, screwing the cap back on, said, “I wish I trusted my powers like you do.” I leaned back. “I don’t know how to not make our relationship complicated.”

  “I get it,” Bethany said, and had I not been worn out, I would’ve smiled at the sincerity in her words. “That’s how I feel about my dad. I haven’t seen him since I was seven. I don’t really know him. Your mom made you a bunch of videos, but that doesn’t mean you know her. She’s only been back in your life a day and a half.” Bethany rose to her feet. “Ready to head back?”

  I stood and followed Bethany out of the practice room and down the quiet hallway. Every part of my body ached, but for the first time, accomplishment settled within me.

  “I’ll see you later,” Bethany said.

  I glanced up at my apartment door, shaking my head to clear it. I didn’t even remember coming up the steps. “I’m sorry, Bethany. Thank you for helping me practice.”

  “You’re welcome! I’ll see you in the morning! I’m gonna go pack!” Bethany scampered off in the other direction but then turned back around. “When are we leaving?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know.” With a sigh, I unlocked the door and walked inside to find Sarah and Lily on the couch, the automated voice on the net-screen reading a book to them.

  “Your mom was looking for you,” Lily said as she paused the book. She stood and came over to me. “Did you go for a run or something? You’re all sweaty.”

  “No. I was practicing with Bethany.” I kissed Lily’s forehead. “We’re gonna find Lindsey, okay? I promise.”

  “Of course we are!” Lily sat back down on the couch. “I’m so ready to get out of here.”

  “Well, we leave tomorrow morning,” Elizabeth said as she came into the sitting room. “There you are, Vi!”

  I stiffened at the nickname. Only Shannon, Lindsey, and her family ever called me that. “Please don’t call me Vi.” I walked over to where she stood in the doorway to my room. “We need to talk.” I pushed past her into the room and, sitting down on my bunk, took off my shoes. They hit the floor with a soft thump.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked as she shut the door. “Where did you run off to? You had me worried.”

  Something in me snapped at the word worried, and I was on my feet before I knew what was happening, a spark shooting across the room. “So now you’re worried? You didn’t seem all that worried about my well-being when I was seven! You cared more about leading a stupid rebellion!”

  “I did it for you! To give you a better life!” Elizabeth took a step forward, but I held up a hand.

  “You came down here because you said you wanted to see me, but you’ve spent the entire time trying to convince everyone that Ada is safe. Well, guess what, no one believes you. Not even me. The only reason I’m going tomorrow is to see Lindsey and get her out of whatever prison she’s in.” I took a step closer as tears
filled my eyes. “I want to get to know you, I do, but not like this. Not pretending to believe something I know deep down isn’t true. Ada will never be safe, and if Lindsey wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be going. I know you want to believe it’s changed, but a few months working with Madalina won’t change what happened to our people. You led a rebellion, Elizabeth, to get us out of Ada, and years later, you’re here telling people it’s safe again.”

  “Things change, Victoria. That’s what life is. People grow and change. You think you’re scared of going there? Do you have any idea how scary it was for me to be in that prison?” Her words came out heavy with emotion. “And when Madalina freed me, I saw that things had changed, and I promised to help her.”

  “You helped her! You helped my dad! You helped everyone but me!” The words came out in a soft, broken whisper. A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I would cry later. “It’s too late for us, Elizabeth. We can be friends, but it’s too late to be mom and daughter. Not like you wanted. It takes me a long time to trust because of you, of what you did. I’m so scared I’ll never see Lindsey again, and it’s tearing me apart. I haven’t slept since I found out.” I backed up until my legs hit the bunk.

  “I’m sorry, baby! I’m so sorry! If I could turn back the clock, I would.” She turned away from me, and if it wasn’t for the sound of her crying, I wouldn’t have known what was going on.

  I sank to the bunk as my throat split with a sob, and I covered my mouth. What I’d said was true. I wasn’t going to Ada for her. I was going for Lindsey.

  Chapter Eighteen

  LINDSEY

  I paced around the garden behind the palace, jumping as a bird chirped in the nearby tree. After shaking off the shock, I moved to the pond. The gentle flow of the water as it ran over the rocks along the bottom helped calm my nerves. Tree branches danced in the wind. I stared at the movement, entranced for a mere two seconds before my net-screen buzzed in my pocket. I accepted the call. “Vi!”

  “Linds!” Victoria’s relief came from the tiny speaker, but no hologram appeared. “I just realized you called. Are you okay? How’s Ada? We’ll get into the fact that I’m seriously so mad at you—”

  “Later, okay, Vi? I have something to tell you, and I don’t have a lot of time.” I walked to a quieter part of the garden, sitting down on a bench. The wood was cold and rough even beneath my thick Watcher uniform. “The program Madalina’s been telling us about is real, but Carmella is using it to bring LIs here so she can enslave them.”

  Silence and then, “What? A-are you sure?” I wanted to kick myself at the fear in Victoria’s voice. I should’ve eased into it. “What do we do?”

  “I don’t know. I was planning on returning to the hideout tomorrow.”

  “Don’t do that. I’m coming there with Elizabeth and a few others! Things are—well—we can’t stay here much longer. Since you got arrested, Rick’s worried we’ll be discovered.”

  I sighed, fingers tangled in my hair. “That’s my fault. I was stupid. I just couldn’t sit by and watch our Lighter friends get their powers forced out of them.”

  “I know. As much as Ada scares me, I’ll be happy to be up top again. I’m going a bit crazy. My sense of time is off. I have no idea how long we’ve been down here.”

  “Five days,” I muttered. I shifted on the bench. “So what do you want me to do? Madalina made me a Royal Watcher, so that should help.”

  “She did? When?”

  “Long story, I’ll tell you when you get here. When are you coming?”

  “I should be there tomorrow afternoon sometime.”

  Footsteps thumped along the path, and I whirled to find another Watcher coming toward me. Crap! Hopefully we hadn’t been overheard. “Vi, I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you. We’ll talk more about this then.”

  “I love you too. Be careful.”

  I shut off the net-screen and attempted a smile to hide the panic crawling up my spine as the Watcher approached. Thankfully, he didn’t glance my way, instead sitting down on a bench and looking at his net-screen.

  “Watcher Cooper?” a male voice asked. I spun around to find no one behind me. I looked back at the Watcher sitting on the bench, still staring at his net-screen. “I’m a Monitor, Lindsey. My name’s Chris.”

  I bristled. “What do you want? Were you the one controlling Madalina a few hours ago?” I headed across the garden and back inside through the back door that led into the downstairs kitchen and living area for the staff. Scents of chocolate and fresh bread filled the air, but I charged through the kitchen and upstairs. I wasn’t going to stand in that garden talking to some random Monitor.

  “Whoa, calm down. I’m not doing anything to Madalina. I tried to protect her from Carmella, but another Monitor got there before I could. I just wanted to tell you that we need more Monitors like you. Your power is strong. With a little more training, you could’ve booted Carmella out of Madalina’s thoughts.”

  I continued up the stairs. My footsteps were loud, but they helped cover up my erratic heartbeat. “Yeah, well, I didn’t. Now what was it you wanted to tell me? There has to be some reason you barged in.”

  “Queen Carmella wants to meet with you.”

  “Watcher Cooper!”

  I froze, quelling a groan, and forced a smile. “Yes, Your Majesty?” I turned to face her but didn’t make eye contact.

  “Come with me, please!” Carmella started down the hall, head held high, her long dark hair flowing down the back of her elegant burgundy dress.

  Every instinct told me to run, but I forced my feet forward. The best thing to do was pretend like I was complying. We headed into another long hallway, lined with doors on either side. A sharp smell assaulted my senses, but I couldn’t identify it. Our shoes tapped in an almost perfect rhythm, and I slowed my pace. I didn’t want to be in sync with Carmella about anything.

  Carmella knocked on a door, and it opened to reveal a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark blond hair. I shivered under his penetrating gaze but dared not look away as his blue eyes stalked my frame. Creep. His thin lips set in a straight line as he turned to Carmella.

  “Is she the new Watcher?” he asked as they stepped into a room with nothing but a table and two chairs.

  My heartbeat pulsed in my ears as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. Oh, yay. Another room with no windows and cement walls.

  “Sit over here.”

  My gaze traveled to where he stood behind a chair, his large hands on the back of it. Was he going to be a gentleman and pull it out for me? Probably not. My legs wobbled as I made my way over to the table. The chair moved across the floor with a sickening sound that sent shivers down my spine. I backed away, breaths fast and ragged. The satisfied grin slipped into a look of irritation, and as Carmella came toward me, I prepared to teleport. I didn’t get halfway into the cocoon before a large hand grabbed my forearm.

  “Sit down!” Carmella’s voice boomed across the small room.

  I glared at her as the Watcher pushed me into a wooden chair with such force it shoved backward. “What do you want?” As the Watcher’s hold loosened, I wrenched my arm free. What had I been thinking, following her? It was easier to pretend to go along with Carmella in theory, but actually doing it was a whole other matter. And I wasn’t about to sit in a windowless room that smelled of mothballs and stale coffee. I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat.

  Wait.

  That wasn’t a bad idea. Throw up on the queen of Ada, and she’d be out of commission for a few hours trying to get it out of her precious curls. Before I could do anything, the Watcher placed a basin in front of me. I cursed under my breath. Crap. This Watcher was also Monitoring my thoughts.

  “I do this with every new staff member,” Carmella said as she sat down in the chair on the other side of the table. “You cooperate, and this will go smoothly.”

  I stared into the plastic container, trying to imagine every word Carmella spoke ending up at the bottom
of it.

  “I see you’ve formed a friendship with my stepdaughter.”

  I narrowed my eyes, hands clenched into fists in my lap. Oh, how I wanted to strangle this woman. But I had to at least play along for a little while. “Go ahead. Look in my thoughts. I know that’s why I’m here.”

  Carmella’s lips turned up into a smile I couldn’t quite place. “You catch on quickly.” She nodded to the Watcher, but before I could figure out what it meant, his hands grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the table with such strength I couldn’t begin to get out of his hold.

  “Hey! Let me go!” I grunted, but I was too late as a pair of metal handcuffs came around both wrists.

  “I wouldn’t attempt teleporting,” Queen Carmella said, her voice rough with authority and a warning. “Now, I know my stepdaughter told you about the plan.”

  “Oh, you mean your brilliant plan to use LIs as slaves? Yeah, she told me. And news flash, Your Majesty, it’s not happening.” My voice came out between ragged breaths as I moved both wrists in an attempt to get free. As a searing pain started in one of them, I relented.

  Queen Carmella cackled low in her throat as she rose from the chair. In the bleakness of the room, she looked out of place, like a Christmas tree alone in a forest. Her heels made a sickening clicking noise as she walked around the table. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.”

  I sucked in a breath. I didn’t need an explanation to know what she meant. I braced myself. The entry was hard and drastic enough that my head pounded, the feeling intensifying as she pushed her way through the block and directly into my thoughts. I used all the mental energy I had left to push her out, but like the Watcher, she was too strong. I slumped forward, my shirt wet with sweat. “You won’t get away with this,” I rasped out. I wanted to sink into the floor. I should’ve practiced harder. Had Madalina known Carmella would do this?

  “I already have. Now I suggest you stop trying to push me out. You may be Half-Controller, but your powers are weak. Weak like a baby’s.”