I tucked my head down, wishing the voice would get out of my head. I gritted my teeth and counted down from ten. This was not the time to panic.
The sound of a twig snapping behind us broke through the silence. Ms. Blackwell turned around first and she was thrown to the ground by an invisible force. She didn't move.
Two Rogues emerged from the bushes and lashed out with telekinetic energy, freezing us where we stood.
I strained against the force, but was unable to move an inch. I gasped for air as they squeezed us.
"Looks like we found the little bird that master has been asking for," One of the Rogues snickered. His face was concealed with a black mask.
His partner nodded and let out a shrill whistle.
Ryland groaned, pushing forward inch by inch, trying to gain traction on the muddy bed of leaves beneath us.
"Ah, ah," The first one threw his hand forward and locked his power onto Ryland. "Don't get any bright ideas."
Zoe fainted beside me and fell to the ground.
I didn't have time to worry about her. The masked woman appeared between her two Rogue grunts. She hovered in a long white dress, barefoot, in an oddly calming sort of way. "There you are, Bianca."
The woman snapped her fingers and the Rogue released me from his telekinetic grip. "We don't need to be using force like that on her." She said, her silent voice pushing into everyone's head.
I couldn't speak. Tears were leaking from my eyes. I tore my night vision goggles from my face.
Ryland winced and looked away.
"Don't worry, boy, I'm not here to hurt anyone." The masked woman continued.
Ms. Blackwell groaned from where she lay on the ground.
I coughed to cover up the noise. She was the only one here strong enough to take them on. She needed to wake up and fast. "What do you want with us?" I asked, staring at the masked woman.
The woman spoke in our heads. "I have come for you, Bianca."
"Me? Why?" I demanded. "What the hell makes me so special that you're willing to hurt people over it?"
The woman chuckled. The sound echoed in my mind. "Oh my dear, they haven't told you, have they?"
"What?" I asked. "Who hasn't told me what?"
If it were possible for a blank white mask to look smug, now was the time. "They haven't told you that you're my daughter?"
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
"Your daughter?" I shrieked.
Ms. Blackwell groaned and wrapped her hand around my ankle. The energy trembled around us and we teleported.
I landed on my ass and rolled against the fence. "What the hell?" We were back at the academy. "What the hell!" I jumped to my feet.
Ms. Blackwell stood and dusted off her clothes. "I'm sorry Bianca," She said.
"No. Send me back! Bring me back!" I screamed. "That woman! That woman is my mother?" My words failed me as I was overcome with confusion and grief. I fell to my knees, choking back my sobs.
"I'm sorry," Ms. Blackwell repeated. "If I would have known, I wouldn't have brought you."
Anger surged through me. How did that make it any better? "Bring me back!" I growled.
"I can't do that. You're not in the right mind to be fighting right now."
Her calm voice infuriated me. I jumped up again and forced my energy towards her.
Ms. Blackwell batted my psychic hold away as if it were a fly. "I believe you just proved my point."
I let my hands fall to my sides and the psychic energy receded back to my spine. I let out a long sigh and wiped my tears. "I just can't believe it," I whispered.
"I don't know what to tell you," Ms. Blackwell said. "Come with me. Maybe the Major will have some answers."
We walked in silence to the main building. The Major was holed up in the boardroom with two other teachers. A two way radio was at the center of the table and maps were transmitted on the screens. Yellow dots moved about the map, one for every student with a tracker.
"Sir, there's been an incident." Ms. Blackwell said as she slammed the door.
The Major's eyebrows shot up. "What? What happened? Are the students all accounted for?"
Ms. Blackwell gestured to me. "I believe someone has been keeping something from us."
The major looked from me to Ms. Blackwell and sighed. He sunk back in his chair and rubbed his temples with his short fingers. "I see."
I stomped up to the table and slammed my fist down on the wood. "The Rogue leader is my mother." It wasn't a question; the rage gave my voice an edge.
Major Griffiths didn't flinch. "Well, that is a surprise," He said.
"So you didn't know the identity of my mother?" I asked.
"Oh, no, I did. But I didn't know she was involved with these Rogues." He knitted his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "Interesting."
"Interesting?" I echoed. "That's all you have to say? You knew the identity of my birth mother and didn't tell me?"
"I believe you were the one who told me that Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez were all the family you needed." Major Griffiths replied.
It took all of my strength not to wipe the smirk off his face. "How dare you," I said. "How dare you keep this secret from me!"
"Why do you think we wanted to secure you as a student so badly? Why do you think I asked Ms. Blackwell to personally teach you, when she normally only mentors graduating students? If you're as powerful as your birth mother, well, I needed to make sure all controls were in place."
My jaw dropped.
"I'm not the enemy, Bianca. I assure you I meant no harm. But, it is my job to protect all young psychics from the world and from themselves. I had no choice."
My legs gave out and I grasped the table to keep myself upright. I stared down at the wood grain. "My mother. Someone knew. Someone knew this whole time."
"If she is involved, I'm afraid the students need to fall back. This is not the battle we planned for." The Major motioned to Ms. Blackwell. "I will notify the agents. You need to return for our students."
"What about me?" I demanded.
"You will stay put, young lady. We cannot have you compromising this mission. We'll deal with the rest later." The Major said and swiveled in his chair, the phone already pressed to his ear.
That was the signal that the conversation was over. My shoulders slumped.
Ms. Blackwell touched my shoulder gently.
I flinched away. "Don't touch me." I took a deep breath and wiped my tears away. Grabbing the door handle, I took one last look around the room and at the back of the head of the man who had broken my trust beyond repair. "I need to be alone. I can't handle this right now."
"Bianca!" Ms. Blackwell called after me.
I didn't look back. The door slammed behind me and my footsteps echoed down the hall. It was dark and empty, a fitting description of how I felt. I came to a stop in the middle of the hall. I didn't know what to do or where to go. Did I go back to the dorms? Did I call Daniel? What about my parents? I was numb.
I started walking again, letting my feet lead me down the familiar path towards the training facility. When I entered the empty training room my numbness faded away and furious buzzing replaced it. Energy began coursing through me, threatening to break out.
I let it out. I screamed at the top of my lungs, throwing up my arms and grasping everything I could reach with my psychic connection. Stacks of mats, weights, and balls came crashing to the ground. The racks and shelves came next. The rattling metal echoed, the sound amplified by the tall ceiling.
It wasn't enough. I grabbed a few rubber balls and tore them in half. It came easier than anything that I had learned in class. I threw the balls back down and ran my fingers through my hair. My fingers got caught in the elastic so I ripped it out.
How could have people known who my mother was and not told me? My adoptive parents always said that the records were lost. There was no trace of my birth mother. She just disappeared.
My chest began to hurt again. This stress might give me a heart attack if I didn't get
my emotions under control. I took a long breath in and out.
The Rogue woman who had hurt so many people, including me and my friends, was my mother? Why now? Why her? I had lived my entire life not knowing who put me up for adoption and I had always accepted my adoptive parents. Blood didn’t make someone family, especially if that blood abandoned you as a child.
I kicked open the back door of the training facility to let in some cool air. The breeze hit my sweaty skin and took my breath away. I stopped for a moment just to enjoy the stillness of the night. The stars were visible for once, without a single cloud to obscure them. The grass waved back and forth and the breeze rolled through the academy grounds. One of the lights atop the fence was flickering off and on in a slow rhythm.
I took a deep breath of the cool air and let the sensation wash over me. My heart slowed to it's normal pace and my hands stopped shaking.
My mother was out there this whole time. What a strange thought. I had lived eighteen years without thinking twice about her and yet I had just seen her face to face. Well, face to mask, I guess. Why hadn't anyone told me? Why hadn't she come for me sooner? Why was she a Rogue of all things? Just my luck, I finally met my birth mother and she was probably getting arrested this second.
I rubbed my arms and crossed them over my chest. The empty feeling in my chest wouldn't let up. I knew what I had to do. I had to go back to Major Griffiths and demand to meet her. I could not let this chance of knowing my birth mother slip away, even if she was a criminal.
"Hurry! We need to get to the coordinates. An SOS has gone out. The agents need to pull back!" Someone shouted.
"I don't give a shit about the agents, our students are out there!" Ms. Blackwell's voice came next.
I saw Ms. Blackwell and another teacher running to the teleportation point as fast as they could.
"What the hell?" I thought out loud. I watched them dash to the teleportation point and disappear in a flash.
I ran out of the training facility and towards the teleportation point before I could talk myself out of it. The students were in trouble. Ryland, Luke, even stuck-up Zoe. They were in danger because of me. If I hadn't gone, Ms. Blackwell would have been there.
I skidded to a stop at the gate. What was I going to do now? Wait for them to get back? I glanced around and saw no one. I shivered and swept my hair away from my face. I wasn't out of ideas yet. I looked over my shoulder one last time before slipping into the teleportation area.
There was one option left. I didn't know if it was even possible, but I had to try. I stepped into the middle of the sandy teleportation area and closed my eyes. I centered my mind and then reached out with my energy. After a moment, I began to see spots of light in the dark, marking the energy signatures of students who had teleported recently. Most were dull and barely visible, thankfully one shined brightly.
I opened my eyes and knelt down beside Ms. Blackwell's energy signature. It was invisible to the naked eye, but I could feel it in my mind. "You're crazy, Bianca," I said to myself. Could this really be possible? There was only one way to find out.
"Please work!" I held my breath, planted my hand on the pulsing energy signature, and hoped for a miracle.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of a forest. I gasped, unable to believe that it wasn't my imagination. I bolted to my feet and looked around. Yep, this was it, the conversation area.
"Holy shit!" I breathed. "Yes! I did it!" I barely contained my excited screams. I didn't think it was possible, but here I was. I hijacked the energy signature entirely on my own. It was too good to be true.
Once I caught my breath, I backed against a tree to get a good look at my surroundings. I lost my night vision goggles and my backpack during the confusion last time; I had nothing but a pair of gloves and a tiny flashlight in my pocket.
I plucked my tracker off my belt loop and tossed it on the ground. I didn't need anyone interfering this time. No more saving me for my own good. I could handle this myself.
With the help of the pathetic beam from the tiny flashlight, I navigated through the trees and bushes until I found what looked to be an over-grown dirt path. The indents in the road were more narrow than a car, a four-wheeler maybe? They said this used to be a research facility, so that path probably went directly to the building the Rogues were using as a hideout.
Keeping the flashlight on the ground, I made my way down the path in what I could only hope was the right direction.
After what was probably only a few minutes, I could hear sounds of other people in the distance. Someone was shouting orders, but I couldn't make them out. I continued to follow the path, hoping the voices would get louder. I hesitated when I heard a gunshot, but pressed forward.
"No time to chicken out now," I whispered to myself. My only way home would be to find the agents, help them take down the Rogues, and hopefully not have to explain how I got myself back here. Hopefully, if they realized how useful I was, they'd overlook yet another instance of insubordination on my part.
The unkempt dirt road began to widen and I could see lights in the distance. A small building came into view. It was square and made of cement bricks, with two floors and many broken windows. The abandoned research building.
I stopped at the rear of the building. I could hear the agents not too far off, probably attacking at the front. There was no guard posted at the back door.
"Bianca? Bianca!" Someone hissed.
I whirled around, my power surging. "Who's there?"
It was Zoe, Ryland, and Luke. They were hiding in the bushes at the edge of the path.
My arms fell to my sides. "Oh, thank goodness you're ok!"
Ryland grinned. "I should say the same for you. We got separated during a scuffle."
I crouched down beside them in the dark. "How did you escape?"
"The Rogues vanished after you did." Ryland said and then paled. "Wait. How did you get back here? Did you hear what that mask lady said?"
"It's a long story, and yeah I did." I brushed off the topic of my teleportation hijack to focus on the more important matter. "She said she was my mother."
Luke gasped. "So it's true!"
"I told you," Zoe snapped. "So what are you doing back here? How can we trust you if this Rogue is your mom?"
Ryland and Luke glared at her.
"You don't have to trust me," I said before either of the boys could come to my defense. "But I did come back to help, so you can either come with us or stay here."
Zoe shrunk back at my tone. "Ok."
"So, what's the plan?" I asked Ryland. "Or, what was the plan before I interrupted you?"
Ryland nodded to the back of the building. "The agents have the Rogues distracted at the front and they've left the back door unmanned. We are going to get in there and save the hostages."
"All of them?" I asked.
"I'll teleport them to the agent base camp." Luke said. "It'll take a few trips but that's all we got. Once the hostages are secure, then the agents can do their work without having to worry about those kids."
I nodded. I wanted to ask if they had seen the masked woman, but I didn't need to give anyone a reason to doubt me.
"Once we get the kids out safely, Luke will teleport us back to the camp. We're not to go head to head with the Rogues under any circumstances." Ryland added. "Let's all get back safe in one piece, alright?"
Everyone nodded.
Ryland was in his element, a natural-born warrior and an inspiring leader. I felt my chest go tight watching him prepare for the mission. He was so ready for this. I felt safe just having him around.
"So are we teleporting into the research building?" Zoe asked.
Luke shook his head. "Nope, we're going to do this the old-fashioned way."
Ryland lead us to the abandoned building. A strange energy flowed around the building that made me feel dizzy. If anyone else noticed it, they said nothing.
Ryland pulled on the door but it was
rusted and wouldn’t budge. "Bianca, would you do the honors?"
I grinned. "Of course," I said.
Zoe rolled her eyes.
I ignored her and grabbed the door with my psychic energy. With one hard pull, the handle snapped off, and the door swung inward, hanging crooked off the hinges. It took all my effort to not look back at Zoe to see the expression on her face.
Ryland peered into the darkness. "There's no sign of anyone," He said and motioned for us to follow him.
I couldn't use my flashlight so I settled with waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and following the shadowy outline of Ryland through the building. The entire back room was empty except for some old boxes and tables.
"It's a walk-out basement," Luke said. "We need to get upstairs."
We stopped at the stairs to listen for sounds of anyone above us. The agents had them distracted and outside, so the likelihood of anyone in the house was slim. We had to hope that we could overpower whoever had been left behind to watch the kidnapped teens.
"I really wish we would have been allowed some weapons," Zoe whined.
Ryland bit back a laugh. "Zoe, what's gotten into you? We are the weapons."
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. He wasn't wrong, but I'd never want to refer to myself as a weapon. I forced those thoughts away and focused on listening for footsteps on the wooden floorboards above us.
A few minutes of complete silence satisfied Ryland and he opened the door a crack. A line of light slipped through. He paused again before opening the door a little wider. "Clear," He whispered.
The first floor was a mess. Tables were overturned, trash and food lay on the floor, the broken windows were boarded up, and graffiti was sprayed over the walls. It looked barely inhabitable.
I wrinkled my nose at the smell. "Come on, let's get upstairs." I whispered.
Ryland nodded. We slipped around the corner and went up the next flight of stairs.
More shouts and gunfire erupted from somewhere outside. I blocked out the noise and focused on the task at hand.
The door at the top of the stairs was locked. I made short work of it with another telekinetic trick. We paused before opening the door.
Psychic Lies: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 2) Page 17
