by S M Olivier
The gifted that we were able to rescue was disseminated among the groups for maximum effectiveness. We now had an additional twelve people in our group, including Kirk and his connections.
“Guys, we have a problem,” Darren’s voice was laced with worry. “Over forty hostiles just showed up on my monitor and they’re headed your way, Will.”
“Will,” Greg said grimly. “It’s Horatio.”
For the second time since I’ve known Will, I heard him utter an expletive. “Where did they come from?”
“They opened up a wormhole,” Greg stated grimly. “Will, it looks like he found Mercedes and Bentley, and they’re definitely not here of their own volition.”
“Who is Mercedes and Bentley?” Jaxson asked in confusion as he looked over at us.
“The twins. My brother and sister,” Lincoln responded bleakly.
Chapter 29
I turned and gaped at Lincoln. “I thought you said you didn’t have any other siblings.”
“I just found out about them,” Lincoln responded as I saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. His expression was nearly enigmatic. “My mother apparently had twins when I was four. I never remembered them. I found them in one of the pictures my mother sent to my…father.”
I wanted to ask him more questions, but I saw his eyes shutter down. He wasn’t sharing anything else in front of everyone. Apparently, this was still a raw subject for him.
“They must have the ability to open up portals,” Jace commented darkly. “Team, we need to get moving. There are very few people that can stand against Horatio.”
“It’s time for me to end dear ole dad once and for all,” I bit out as we began to run towards the elevators.
We pushed the button and impatiently watched the numbers light up.
“We should just take the stairs,” one of Kirk’s wives Julie stated.
We were briefly introduced to Julie and Carrie. They were both similar in appearance and mannerisms, from what I could tell. They both seemed to be alphas as well, which I’m sure made an interesting household.
“That’s over twenty flights to climb,” Kirk stated as the lights flickered off.
I closed my eyes against the darkness, knowing it was asinine. “Jace,” I immediately called out.
Now was not the time to shut down and let the demons play.
“Right here, Sweetheart,” Jace responded as I felt his hands on me. He didn’t need to touch me, but I knew he did it for me to reassure me.
I wasn’t surprised to feel other hands reach out and touch me. I felt his reassurance chase away my panic, and I embraced it.
“We need to get moving,” Kirk reminded us. “Troy, a little help please?”
“As you wish,” Troy joked dryly before a fireball appeared.
Troy took the lead as we ran towards the stairwell. We all stopped as we looked up at the stairs we were going to have to climb.
“I’m not relishing the fact of climbing all those stairs,” Jaxson stated matter of factly. “Let’s take a ride.”
A glass box appeared, reminiscent of the flying machine I remember seeing in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
“Really man,” Troy snorted in laughter.
“I always wanted to be Charlie.” Jaxson sighed dramatically. “Let’s take a ride.”
“Um, I’ll take the stairs.” Carrie stared at it dubiously.
“It’s tough to take Jaxson seriously at times, but his Non-Illusions are fine,” Kirk said as he took a step on the contraption.
“Is it going to fit us all?” Julie asked skeptically.
“No,” Jaxson shook his head. “I’ll send half of you up, and then the rest of us will meet you there.”
Kirk nodded and stepped into the contraption with confidence. Some of the others were slightly hesitant to walk on after him, because I could still see the uncertainty in their eyes.
“Blake, you think you can give us light?” Kirk asked as he settled in.
I looked at the guys.
“Jace and Jaxson, you should go too,” Lincoln stated. “Drake, Troy, and I can take the next one.”
I nodded and imagined the ball of light. I looked over at Jaxson and smiled. I wondered if I could combine my gift of illusion and fire together. I envisioned the colorful images that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory invoked in me. I smiled in satisfaction as the light changed into unnatural colors. The purples, bright yellows, blood red, emerald greens, and electric blues were mesmerizing.
I could hear Troy chuckle as the doors closed. Jaxson grinned at me wickedly.
“Hold on tight, I’m not sure how this is going to work out,” Jaxson stated in his best impression of Gene Wilder.
Carrie let out a noise of concern.
“Please ignore him.” I giggled. “He often uses his sense of humor to alleviate tension. It’s his coping mechanism.”
Jaxson gave me a mischievous grin.
“Says the girl with the kaleidoscope fireball.” Julie grinned. She leaned forward and looked at me. “What’s it like having seven men as your connections?”
“Julie, not the time or place,” Kirk groaned with a fond smile.
“I’m pretty sure all of us have thought it.” Carrie grinned. “I just want to know why you allow them to wear shirts? Because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t allow them to, and I’ve only seen four of them.”
“So, if I wanted you girls to wear only bikinis all day long then, would you?” Kirk asked cynically.
“If you were Lincoln Hudgens.” Carrie said without skipping a beat.
“I don’t know about that,” Julie said with her head cocked to the side. “Something about Jace and Remy makes me think I could parade in a bikini all day.”
Kirk looked sharply at his connections while some of us laughed. I didn’t feel threatened by their comments or even slightly territorial. I could see they were just trying to get a rise from Kirk. Needless to say, they were succeeding.
Jace looked over at me and smiled. “I’ll walk around topless for you if you want,” he teased.
To say I was shocked was an understatement. Remy and Jace had different ways of wanting to please me without looking like they were…suck-ups. Lincoln struck me as having the same temperament.
“Promise?” I asked with a smile in return.
We came to a smooth halt, and I looked over at Jaxson. The ride went by faster than I thought it would. We climbed over the railing onto the landing. Jaxson took a step forward to brace the rail once everyone was off.
“If you can draw from their gifts, why couldn’t you bring the other group up?” one of the guys from the South Carolina group asked in an almost condescending tone.
“We’re not going to wear her out when we don’t need to,” Jace said bitingly. “Giving us light isn’t nearly as draining as making an elevator we can all ride in.”
“No explanations were needed, Jace.” Julie said with an eyeroll. “He of all people should know that. He’s horny as hell, eating like a horse, and sleeping for at least a day every time he looks through a wall or tries to peek under a girl’s clothes.”
“Which explains the horniness,” Carrie said pragmatically.
Eww, gross! What a creeper!
“Hmm, I guess,” Julie agreed.
“Can we worry about the task at hand?” the man in question asked defensively.
“Just waiting on the rest of our team,” Kirk reminded him with a smirk.
Jaxson began to chuckle to himself. I was confused until I saw the elevator that arrived. It really wasn’t a lift, more like those rides you used to see in front of department stores. The ones you fed a quarter to spin in circles. The ones that resembled a carousel but on a much smaller scale.
One by one, the other came up with disgruntled, stooped over riders.
“Oh Jax,” Lincoln gave a long-suffering sigh. “When will you learn who to play your games with and who not to?”
“Not now, man!” Jaxson nearly sounded pa
nicked. “We’re on a mission.”
“Back up needed!” I heard Victoria’s terrified tone come over the radio.
“What’s your location Vick, and where’s your team?” I responded to her immediately.
“We were attacked. I was able to grab Ben, but the other ones are still out there,” Vick said, her voice trembling in fear and unshed tears. “He’s hurt. We’re on level six.”
“We’re right above you. We’ll be right there. Vick, you’re going to be okay sweetie, you’re doing a good job,” I reassured her.
“What room are you in?” Jace asked her.
“The old classroom,” she whispered. “Can you hurry? They’re coming, and I’m getting tired.”
“We’ll be right there,” Jace reassured her.
“Thanks,” she whispered back.
We ran up the stairs, and Creeper held out a hand. Then he held up nine fingers.
I tried to feel them out, but it felt like I was hitting a brick wall. Nothing but a giant void was all I felt.
“I can’t…reach them,” I said frowning.
“Me neither,” Jace explained with a scowl.
“It doesn’t feel like a blocker,” I continued. “At least not the ones we’re used to.”
“It’s more like a shield,” Lincoln explained quietly.
“You can see them…” I said slowly. “I can see them,” I said brightly.
Lincoln gave me a crooked smile. He slipped up behind me and put his arm loosely around me. “Remembered what I told you,” he murmured softly in my ear. “Reach out to him and once you find him, let go. Let completely go, or he will push you out. He’s fairly strong.”
I nodded and inhaled. I reached out to the man Lincoln was talking about. It was nearly ethereal. I felt like a…spirit. I pushed out and projected myself. I could feel a healer, some kind of earth manipulator, a weak defense wielder, and finally, I contacted him. I jumped him and saw the others around me. I felt him begin to push against me. My control was slipping.
“Let go!” Lincoln reminded me.
Unlike before, his voice wasn’t faint in my head. It was loud and clear like he had spoken aloud. His grasp on picking up our silent communication was impressive. It almost made me want to let go…almost.
I was a control freak in so many ways, and the concept of letting go was a huge inner struggle. Of course, it didn’t help that instinctively when you were being pushed you felt compelled to retaliate in kind.
“Mon trésor,” Lincoln insisted quietly. He spoke inside myself, but I felt something cool being slipped onto my ring finger of my right hand. “It was my maternal grandmother’s,” he explained. “Rub it to remind yourself that you can’t and won’t lose yourself.”
I was shocked to see a beautiful sterling silver ring in one of the most unique designs I had ever seen. Little turquoise gems were in the shape of an oval on the outside, and a single line of turquoise pearls ran down the middle. It was gorgeous.
“I can’t−” I began as I felt the man try to make a final push, and suddenly an image of the tug of war rope we used to play with in gym class flashed in my mind. I remembered that moment you knew you were going to lose, that the rope was close to crossing that line. You either dug in your heels, or you let go and found some satisfaction with watching the other team fall ungracefully and hilariously.
I rubbed the ring. I wasn’t going to lose control, so, I let go, and suddenly I was looking at eight other people. I was looking straight in the eyes of a glowing girl. She looked like a human glow stick. It was both enthralling and creepy at the same time. Other than the disturbing glow thing she had going on, she was gorgeous. She was tall and model thin. Her long dark hair fell to her waist, and her eyes glowed blue unlike the rest of her.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” some obnoxious man cackled. Not only was his voice intolerable, his looks were…interesting. Every possible inch of him was pierced or tattooed. I wholeheartedly supported someone who wanted to express themselves, but I also believed some people expressed themselves…revoltingly. Was seven demon-like figures, six skulls, a few graphic pictures of women in suggestive poses, and several repulsive innuendos really necessary? And that was only what was visible.
I pulled my eyes away from him and saw Sierra, Mike, Taylor, and Rick strung up to the ceiling with vines. I barely stifled my gasp. The vines secured them tightly to the beams of the ceiling tile. They appeared to be passed out for the moment.
“They’re near,” Mr. Obnoxious tattoo guy grinned.
I looked over at him and watched as his tongue snaked out like a reptile, three times as long as the normal tongue and forked. I nearly stumbled back. I had to remind myself that I had jumped and technically I wasn’t myself.
“Mmm,” he moaned out creepily. “I smell the sweetness of a young, nubile girl. She wears vanilla and…uses coconut shampoo. She with a man, he’s sweaty and bloody.” He cackled gleefully. “You got him, Spike. You got him.”
“I always do,” a young black guy said smugly.
I looked over at him, and porcupine-like appendages began to emerge on every surface of his skin.
Creepy snake-tongue man stuck his tongue out once more. “Let’s go get them.”
I followed the man knowing I needed to save Victoria and Ben.
I felt a small hand link through mine. I went to pull away but noticed the look in the eyes of the glowing girls. Something in her eyes told me that it was Lincoln. He had found the closest person in the vicinity and had jumped them.
“How do you resist the urge not to grope your own boobs?” I blurted out.
I heard him chuckle in my head. “The same way you aren’t fondling the extra appendages between your legs,” he replied back.
Note to self: I still had the ability to use my other gifts while I was jumping. Out of curiosity, I held out my hand and imagined a little mouse in my hand. I then envisioned him eating a chunk of cheese. My mouse was more cartoonish looking with his big ears, but he was definitely real. I nearly giggled as his small little claws tickled my palm.
“Blake,” Lincoln hastily reminded me.
“What was that?” a man asked me suspiciously to my right.
I turned and looked at him. He looked like he belonged on a hippy commune. He had long dirty blonde dreadlocks and wore a brown handmade woven poncho with a pair of Birkenstocks. Who wore Birkenstocks in this kind of weather?!
The hodgepodge looks in this group was interesting, to say the least.
“No−” I began to speak but was momentarily shocked by the deepness and very maleness of my voice. “Nothing.” I continued hastily.
“They’re here,” Snake Tongue stated as he went to open the door to the room Victoria and Ben were in.
“You see nothing,” I compelled them silently.
“I still smell her! They’re here somewhere,” Snake tongue barked as he began to kick over chairs and turn over tables.
The rest of the animals joined into his search before I could even react. I watched as a chair nearly hit Victoria in the head.
“Stop, no more!” I silently screamed.
The hostiles stopped their search and stood stoically still.
“Jace you can come in,” I silently called him. “Noah, I need you in the old school room,” I called out in concern as I ran over to Ben. A significant amount of blood was pooled beneath him. Victoria had his head cradled in her lap, and she was ineffectively trying to remove the spike-like barbs from his skin.
I ran over to Victoria, and she shirked back from me.
“Vicki, it’s me,” I murmured to her. “I just called for help.”
“No!” Victoria screamed. “Stay away,” she tried to valiantly disappear once more, but she was too weak to.
“Vicki,” Lincoln who was still the glowing girl insisted. “It’s Lincoln and Blake. It’s us. We promise.” He went silent for a moment as he thought quickly. “Tonight, Nadia lost her glow in dark ball, so you spent twenty dollars w
inning her a new one. By the way, it would have been cheaper to just buy one at the counter,” Lincoln teased.
She laughed sniffing back the tears. “But what fun would that have been? Um, can you change back? This is kind of creepy. I mean, Lincoln, you’re a girl! And, Blake… you’re a man.”
I tried to laugh as I attempted to pull at the quills out of Ben. “We’ll be back to normal soon enough.”
“He’s breathing,” Lincoln said in relief. “His pulse is thready, though.”
“Come on, Ben,” I muttered quietly. “Please hang in there.”
The lights chose to come back on at that moment. It momentarily caused me to lose my concentration, and I felt the man that I had jumped begin to try to fight me once more. It was physically draining to be inhabited in him and use my other gifts.
Now that he couldn’t use his gifts against us and help was on the way, I decided I needed to be back in my body once more. This was just too weird for me to continue as this man. It was even more disconcerting to see myself walk through the door with the rest of my group. I went to try and jump back, and it literally felt like I crashed into a steel wall.
The body I was currently inhabiting collapsed over Ben.
“Rub the ring,” Lincoln said softly in my head. “You haven’t lost yourself.”
I watched the real me rub the ring, and suddenly I was looking at the man. Again, evil proved to have many faces. Even beautiful ones. The man I had just been inhabiting was ruggedly handsome. He looked like he would be more comfortable in a country western bar, line dancing in his flannel shirt, jeans, and boots.
It was slightly disturbing to see these newcomers from my own perspective. The glowing girl, hippy man, snake tongue, porcupine boy, and the others in their group were in different positions. I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts and tried to find my bearings once more.
I looked over at Lincoln and smiled. “Thank you.” I looked back at the rest of the group. “Can someone release our friends from the hall?”
“From the−” one of the guys started before his eyes widened. “Oh, there. No problem.”
I rushed back over to Ben. “Move,” I told the guy that I had inhabited. “Go join your friends.”
