by Vivien Reis
"I don't know, a guy? Boy makes me sound like I'm a toddler."
She chuckled and could feel the satisfaction rolling off Jesse. It was almost cheating, being able to sense the other person's emotions, but she was glad. She felt closer to him than she had any other boy...guy...before. And it felt right.
"Jesse?" Her heart hammered. Should she ask this? What if he didn't really feel like she did?
"Yeah?" He sounded calm, giving her a minute to build up the courage to ask her question.
"When we collided..." Does a collision mean you don't truly like me? Does it mean these feelings aren't real? How was she supposed to ask him this?
The light clicked on and Abi fought the urge to duck under the covers. Jesse sat down next to her and she rose up, hugging her knees to her chest.
"There was a reason we collided, Abi."
He scooted closer to her, his crossed legs touching hers. She looked up, and felt him looking at her, through the surface and straight to her center. And she saw him. They barely knew anything about one another, but she could see the fire in his soul reflected in her own.
Her heart hammered, a slight tremor shook her hand as she trailed it up his arm. He reached out, his fingers lightly holding her chin.
He leaned in, and she sensed from his mind what he was doing. He opened his mind to hers and kissed her delicately, his lips pressing into hers with warmth, his mind on fire with heat.
She slid her hand behind his head, deepening the kiss as she released her mind to him, their mental energy twisting together, furling and unfurling as one.
His hand slid around to her back, pressing her body to his until their breathing became ragged. He pulled away, a hand still intertwined in her hair.
Their minds twisted apart, leaving an after-image of Jesse's energy, a part of him to carry with her.
He lay down, and Abi nestled in the crook of his shoulder, seeing and hearing and feeling the steady beating of his heart as it lulled her, her own heart beating with purpose.
Abi's eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.
____
A funny feeling washed over Abi. The same feeling she had experienced yesterday morning.
Why hadn't Jesse told her about the lack of surveillance? If one person had been there, they might have seen who attacked Cora, been able to stop them from getting the necklace.
The cave erupted into a cacophony of commotion. Abi and Jesse ran back to the amphitheater where two men were carrying a hulking person, blood dripping from his eyes, nose, ears.
It was Benning.
He wheezed, coughing, trying to stand on his own feet but failing. "They're...bringing...Him...back."
Abi could hear the blood in his lungs with every rasping breath.
They lay him down, the Vikars quickly putting their hands on top of him.
"Ready...our...forces."
"He escaped their camp." Perseus's eyes were squeezed tight and he grimaced, trying to access Benning's fading mind. Abi could feel it leaving, the haunting cold taking over Benning's form.
"Keep him alive!" Cecelia shouted.
"They were moving them...it's hard to see—he was under some bafflement cast, all of them. There are dozens of Oracles."
All the Vikars opened their eyes at the same moment and stared down into Benning's empty eyes. His face had gone slack. Abi hadn't realized she was gripping Jesse's hand so hard until he squeezed back. Hot tears stung her eyes. She had hated this man. But she had known him. She had known his mind before she had known anyone else's. And he was gone.
"He managed to escape somehow. That's all I could get..."
Still staring at Benning, Cecelia began speaking rapidly. "Roderick, gather as many able-bodied Oracles willing to fight as you can. Gowri, assemble any Healers able to go on mission." Roderick and Gowri hopped away immediately. "Perseus, call a meeting in Elysia Square. The war we've been so desperate to avoid is at our doorstep."
The last glimmering wisp of Benning's mind evaporated into the air around them all.
# FORTY-FOUR
All day, Ben's head had been pounding.
The dull ache was constant against his skull, piercing with the throbbing of his heartbeat. It was like a sledgehammer against the back of his eyes whenever he accidentally tried to move them.
Even worse, he had a vision of his mom crouched over his dad like an animal. The rabid look in her eyes before she darted from the room, soaked in bright red blood.
She would sprint from the room, panting. And then she would be right back in, crouched over his father.
Over and over again.
No matter how hard he pressed his hands against the sides of his head, he couldn't rid himself of that image.
He couldn't gauge how long he had been lying there in the cold, sweaty sheets.
Time was something that flitted from his mind before it properly took hold, and then he was writhing against the images again.
He was in hell.
And there was no escape.
A door clicked closed nearby. Someone lifted him, carrying him away.
Clicking footsteps overlapped one another.
Click.Click.
Click.Click.
Another door and then he was sitting in a chair.
He looked around, trying hard to focus on what was in front of him.
"Mom?" He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, expecting another one of his strange hallucinations.
She looked horrible.
The hatred he had for her slowly sank away. Her dark hair was in a giant matted mess, and she still wore the nightdress she was last seen in. He stiffened as he realized that the dark stains on her dress were dried blood. This was the dress she’d attacked his dad in.
But Mr. Flynn had told him she hadn't done. She hadn’t been in control of herself when it happened. Had she? Her eyes bored into his, tears welling up in them, but they were distant.
"How did you find her?"
Her mental condition seemed to have worsened in the short time. That or they had drugged her.
"With your assistance, of course. The ritual worked." Evelyn gave him an approving smile, standing out in the dim and stink in her bright yellow dress.
"Why didn't you take her to the police?" His tongue felt swollen, the words muffled in his head.
Even if his mom had done it, she shouldn't be in a mess of her own clothes. He hadn't expected them to treat her like royalty, but he hadn't expected them to treat her like an animal either.
Ben's gaze drifted to the rest of his mom's surroundings.
A chain was locked around her ankle, snaking down to a bolt on the floor. Behind her, a single toilet was bolted to the floor, with nothing to offer her privacy.
"We thought you might like to see her first. Once she's taken into custody, you probably won't get that chance."
That struck him as odd. Why would they care if he got a chance to see her? She was catatonic—it wasn't like she would confess to him what really happened.
His head floated around the room. Anger roiled for his mom, but he also pitied her. He was glad these people had found her, but he hated the disgusting conditions she was being kept in.
"I saw her. Now call the cops."
Red’s face was cool. "You don't have any questions you would like to ask her?" she asked in a tone one would use with a small child. Ben bristled at it.
"She's not going to respond. I've seen her like this too many times to count."
She nodded to the man on the opposite side of the room, standing guard in the corner. He moved quickly, yanking his mom's arm so she was forced to step forward. This seemed to wake her up a bit, but Ben didn't like how rough the man had been. He looked at Red, but her face held no reaction.
"Tell your son what you told us," she commanded.
His mom swayed slightly, and then hissed at her arm. The man must've been squeezing it.
"Hey!" Ben gripped his seat, the metal biting into his hands. The man
stopped. "Leave her alone." She may have attempted to murder his dad, but that didn't make any of this right.
"Tell him." Evelyn’s order grew louder.
Mom looked from Red to Ben, her eyes widening. "Bennie." Her voice was gravely and shakey, nothing like it had been a month ago. "Bennie, you're not supposed to be here." Goosebumps rose on his arms. There was real fear in her voice.
"Tell him what you told us." Red seemed frustrated at his mom's disobedience.
"Ben. You need to run. Leave!" She thrashed against the man holding her arm but it did nothing.
"Tell him what you did. Tell him you tried to kill his father. Your husband."
Why was she doing this?
His mother screamed, shouting the word no so hard that spit flew from her mouth.
Ben's feet were rooted to the ground. Part of him wanted to stop Red, but the other part wanted to know the truth. His mother was obviously crazy, but he still didn't want to believe she had done it. He still wanted the cops to be wrong.
Her shrieks echoed around the room, making his head pulse with blinding pain.
"Tell him."
His mom was shaking and sobbing, still screaming no.
"Tell him!" The redheaded woman's voice rose to match the level of his mom's. His fingertips were sweaty, his breathing quickened.
A long wail pierced the air, startling him so badly he fell backward, tipping the chair over with him.
The man let his mom fall to the ground. She rocked gently back and forth, still sobbing. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to."
His heart felt like it was going to thump out of his chest. The fast, loud beats boomed in his ears.
"What?" He was on the ground and at her level now, not four yards away from her.
She cringed away from him, seeming so small, so frail, her bones poking from under her nightdress unnaturally.
Her sobbing halted, and she met his gaze. "I couldn't stop myself. I had no control."
Disgust replaced every feeling of pity he had for her. The throbbing in his head increased in intensity with each word she spoke. She had done it. She had intentionally done it. He needed to get out.
"Why?" Spittle flew out his mouth. "Why!"
Her lips didn't move, but he knew. He knew why. Mr. Flynn. They’d had an affair, all behind his dad's back. And she’d had enough of it. She didn't want to sneak around anymore.
"It was them!" she screamed. "You can't trust them. They're liars, they did this!"
"You did this!" Something flashed in his brain, a rapid succession of stabs and crazed looks and blood everywhere. She had done it. She had done it.
"Bennie!" she shrieked, and for a moment, it stilled him. "Listen to me. I love you. I would never hurt you. Do you hear me?" This woman wasn't his mom, couldn't be his mom. She had never spoken coherent words like this to him, loving words to him.
"I didn't do any of this. They've been controlling me, stealing my mind from me." There were visible lines of dirt down her cheeks as the tears spilled.
"No. No! You did this. I saw it!" He had, he had seen it with his own eyes. Hadn't he?
"Don't believe them, Ben. You can still fight it. You don't have to give in. Fight Him, Ben."
She knew Him. But how?
"It's my fault," she choked out roughly. "I did this. I didn't want to lose you and I—I did something terrible. Please, Ben. I can't lose you," she cried.
"You. You're the one who did this." Something jaggedsnapped inside him, cracking him apart. "Why couldn't you just die!" he screamed, and she crumbled beneath his hatred, the tears flowing faster now. She was on her knees, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Ben, please. Bennie."
"Don't call me that!" His voice roared through him, deep and powerful.
The visions He had given Ben were true. His mom had stood over his dad, stabbing, watched as he bled out on the ground. He had believed in her and she had failed him.
Ben stood and stumbled toward his mom. She tried to squirm away but her chain clinked—she was at the end of her chain and she screamed. His fingers wrapped around her neck, squeezing, squeezing.
“She did it.” His body stiffed, vision darkening as He took control.
Instead of fighting it, Ben embraced it.
Darkness spread over his limbs and up to his chest, constricting his breathing. There was a brief moment of weightlessness as his body fell to the ground.
At last, he welcomed the darkness.
Red snapped her fingers at a soldier who stepped in to lower Ben's limp body to the floor. Another man in a lab coat pulled a vial out of his pocket and expertly filled a syringe with yellowish liquid.
Barrett ripped the fabric of Ben's long-sleeve sweater until his pale arm was exposed. The doctor sank the needle into the crook of Ben's elbow. A tiny swirl of red appeared in the syringe before the plunger sank down.
"Get him to the medical ward." Red removed a phone from her pocket and keyed in the lead researcher. She hated using these things, but the person she needed to reach was a human incapable of receiving comms. When the woman picked up, Red gave the orders she had been dreaming of for years. "Miss Summers, prepare the suite and ready the additional serums. Benjamin has entered the third stage of transition."
She would never admit it to anyone, but Red was quite pleased with herself. Nearly everything had gone according to their plans, with very few hiccups along the way. Everyone had played their parts perfectly.
"How did you know that would work?" Miss Summers intercepted the group and had already swung her stethoscope off her neck and pressed it to Benjamin's chest. She was a heavyset girl and her breathing grew labored from the pace.
"Miss Summers, I presume you do not mean to say that you're surprised by the success of my plan?"
The woman blushed in splotches across her face and neck. Her hand shook as she reached for a pen in her coat pocket.
"Not at all, Ms. Evelyn. I'm sorry I misspoke." Miss Summers rapidly took notes in Ben's chart.
Of course, Red hadn't known the last parts of her plan would work. But the night's events seemed to confirm her hypothesis. The serum, the stress they had induced in Ben's life, the surprising bio-kinetic connection with his sister, and Ben's willingness to give up had been the answer to all of their problems. Centuries of work had finally culminated in success.
Following the team into the suite, Red settled to the side, watching each doctor rush about in a flurry of lab coats, prepping their test subject for the final act.
Benjamin was going to be their salvation. He would be the one to bring them out of hiding and into the light. He would be the catalyst that would eliminate the Brethren once and for all.
Everything was going according to plan.
Until the heart rate monitor went from a steady beep to a constant tone.
Benjamin was dying.
# FORTY-FIVE
The chaos of the island days before was nothing compared to its current state.
Everyone took turns heading to the cave systems in droves, none wanting to use their precious energy reserves to hop anywhere.
Abi had taken to helping Gertrude with the stones. If she wore thick gloves, she didn't have to worry about affecting the properties of each stone. Gertrude gathered boxes of biocrystals that came in varying shapes and colors, mostly pastels.
It was Abi's job to transport these crystals to the cave, where Shelly, who Abi hadn't seen in weeks, imbued each one with the energy emanating from the crystalline water. As soon as one crystal was finished, Abi would hand her another and gingerly set the biocrystal into a sack.
Although the stones were small, her arms were killing her. There were so many preparations happening on the island, that. Abi couldn't begin to complain, though. She did as much as she could, under the constant watch of Jesse, who had taken to gathering holy water in glass vials. These vials were used as a healing balm to the bolts used during battle.
She shivered at the thought. How
many people had volunteered to fight? Rumors circulated about the Consul being unaware of where this battle was supposed to take place.
Abi had been there as Perseus accessed Benning's thoughts. He hadn't spoken of any specific location, and Abi was left wondering the same thing as everyone else: what were they really preparing for?
Half of the story was missing, and to Abi, that made it impossible to properly prepare.
Jesse and Abi left again to gather more crystals and vials, taking turns pulling the wagon uphill and downhill to and from Gertrude's shop.
It was Abi's turn to pull the cart, but a sharp pain stabbed at the center of her chest. She dropped the handle, doubling over with her hands on her chest.
"Abi. Are you all right?" His hand went to her back, but the pain eclipsed the sensation.
She gasped and static pricked her skin, all over her body. She panicked, trying to suck air in but failing. Jesse yelled something and she felt hands on her. She attempted to wriggle free but couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, no air would come. She was suffocating.
A loud snap and her head exploded in all directions. It sailed across the ocean, the brightness blinding her. Wind whipped all around her and then she was over land, sailing faster and faster.
Another snap and she was looking down on a room. It was a hospital.
A person lay on the bed, tubes coming out of his arms and medical equipment surrounding him. There was garbled yelling and a frantic team of doctors swarmed the person in the bed.
They cleared out of the way, placing the metal surfaces of the paddles against the boy's bare chest.
And then she recognized the boy, feeling him more than seeing him.
"Ben!" she screamed, but no one heard her.
His body stiffened from the electric shock, hers brimming with the same sensations. Pain seared her chest and in that brief moment, seemed everlasting.
It finally released her and she panted to catch her breath, the burn marks singeing her chest.
Beneath her, they halted, and checked the vitals on all the monitors. Syringes pumped liquid directly into Ben's veins. More yelling, movement. A pause. A shock that tightened all the muscles in her torso, burning her from the inside out.
