A Hidden Element

by Donna Galanti

  No! No! He banged his hands to his head. Guilt took over and he lay down on the bed, his head bulging with all that had happened over the day. How he wished Adrian had brought him here sooner so he didn't have to suffer all those years of not belonging.

  He couldn't stop thinking about the morning and all he'd experienced. Eating the home grown food for breakfast in the dining hall. Then taking part in their fall festival and being presented to the community. Best of all he got to see Leah again. She was so pretty. When she kissed him on the cheek he felt his face burning hot. Adrian said he would be seeing a lot of her.

  He'd never had a girlfriend, although many in his class did. All the other kids would be so jealous. The one time he had ever kissed a girl on the lips was at a birthday party and they played spin-the-bottle. He had to kiss Amy LeFay in front of everyone. Her lips had been wet and slobbery. He hoped Leah's lips would be different.

  He liked being here. Everyone approved of him. They called him their new hope. He was someone. A surge of power rushed through him. Every time Adrian touched him he felt all tingly inside. Charlie rolled over on his side, trying to block out his parents. His feelings for them were so confusing now. Days ago his life had been simple but depressing. Now his life was happy but confusing and complex. He decided to go with it.

  He closed his eyes but a knock jerked him awake. He stumbled to the door and opened it. A tall, dark haired man with bright green eyes stood there. He frowned at him. Charlie remembered seeing him at the fall festival.

  "Your robe," the man said.

  Embarrassed, Charlie reached for his robe and pulled it on. The man came into the room with a white cloth draped over one arm. Leah stood behind him. Had she seen him in his underwear? God, he hoped not. The man placed the clothes on the bed. More robes?

  "I'm Caleb," the man said. His bright green eyes glowered down at Charlie. "And you know Leah already."

  Charlie smiled at her with what he hoped wasn't a goofy smile. She smiled back and looked at the floor.

  "Leah is here to teach you of Elyon ways."

  "Like seeing into the future?"

  Caleb didn't reply, just shook his head and continued to frown at him. Who was this guy? He had a familiar look to him. He reminded Charlie of someone. He looked at Leah, but she remained with her gaze locked on the floor.

  "Does Adrian know?"

  "Adrian knows everything. He is my father and his orders are always followed."

  The revelation struck him. Caleb looked like his mom. Homesickness swirled inside him. "We're related."

  "Yes." Caleb pursed his lips then turned and strode out the door, slamming it behind him.

  Leah sighed and looked up. "Now we can have some fun." She smiled at him and took his hand. Charlie felt the homesickness fade away replaced by something else, a warm feeling that tingled with wonder and the unknown.

  "Jeez, what's wrong with him?" Charlie tried to sound casual but her hand in his distracted him. His heart pumped a little faster.

  "Oh, he and Adrian never got along. That's all. He's really not so bad once you get to know him."

  "I don't know if I want to get to know him."

  "Well, never mind him. We're going to get to know one another." She smiled.

  Charlie swallowed a huge lump in his throat. "Um, okay. Do you know when my mom and dad will be here?"

  Leah touched his hand. "I don't know, but we'll take care of you until they arrive. But first we have to change into our initiation robes." She picked up a robe and held it out to Charlie. He hesitated then took it.

  "Why?"

  Leah picked up the other robe. "So our community will know we've been bonded to one another."

  "Bonded?"

  "Adrian has said I am to be your first family."

  "Family, like a sister?"

  Leah laughed. "You're adorable, Charlie." She motioned for him to turn around. "Now we both change into our new robes back to back. It's the first step to our bonding."

  "But what does that mean?"

  "When each male Elyon comes of age they are bonded to another Elyon in the community before they give their seed to all. It's the one time in their lives they are bonded. Then after a period of time the bond is over and they belong to all the community."

  Leah turned around away from him. Charlie stood there for a second unsure of what he was getting himself into. Give his seed? Belong to the community? But he wanted to please Leah. He turned around and pulled off the itchy gray robe. He threw it on the bed. He heard Leah take hers off and he forced himself to look at the wall in front of him as he put on his new robe. He hoped she didn't cheat and look at him in his underwear. Talk about mortification. The white robe hung heavy and soft and tied at the waist. A definite improvement. He ran his fingers over the yellow shooting star embroidered across the top left side.

  "Charlie?"

  He turned around and she stood before him. She looked even prettier in white. Her shimmery hair fell in waves on the bright robe.

  "Now everyone will know we are to be bonded." She touched his star then touched the star on her chest. "Our stars have come together to reside over our heart. They have blazed in the dark to meet in light. The light we create in bonding will live on forever. Our world will be blessed with a rain of stars. A golden shower begun by you and me that will wash all darkness away."

  She reached up and touched Charlie's cheek. She spoke so strange, like a poem. A poem meant only for him. He didn't know what to say. Anything he did say would come out awkward, so he remained silent.

  "Today is our day of music. Tomorrow is dance."

  Leah pulled Charlie toward the door.

  "What's next?"

  "Then it's the day our music and dance are joined. And then it's the day we're bonded. Come on!"

  "Where are we going?"

  "To the sanctuary. This afternoon we learn our song together. We must then sing and dance for the community before our final day."

  Charlie was more and more confused but filled with longing to remain with Leah. He didn't want to break her spell which had mesmerized him. He followed her out the door. People smiled at them as they passed down the corridor and nodded as if they approved of their 'bond'. And Leah's hand felt so warm in his. He held hers tighter. They left the corridor and entered the courtyard. His breath hung frosty in the air. He shivered.

  "Final day?"

  "The day our family bond is complete. The day your initiation is complete." She smiled at him and kissed is hand. "No worries, Charlie. We're having fun, right?"

  He looked down at her and nodded. "Right."

  "Then come on. We have work to do."

  Was this the women's work Adrian spoke about? He didn't know. But he didn't mind at all.

  He let Leah lead him across the courtyard to the sanctuary. Her hair gleamed in the autumn sun under a cold, blue sky. Her dainty hand fit so small in his. Was this ritual some brother-sister thing? He didn't feel very brotherly toward her. And he didn't know why he was to bond with her. But he would follow her anywhere.

  CHAPTER 24

  Laura and Ben hiked fast up the rough trail that grew unrecognizable and disappeared altogether. The state forest markers had ended a while ago. They moved deep into the wilderness with no one around for miles. Ben stopped but Laura hiked on.

  She sensed where to head, but exhaustion overcame her. She stumbled. Pain ripped through her abdomen as the weight of her child yanked down on her with each step. Ben put a hand under her elbow to steady her. His other hand held a Glock aimed and ready to fire.

  She felt his fear for her, for their baby. But her fear right now was for Ben. Deep inside she knew she needed to go this alone, but Ben would never let her. She had left him and gone it alone years ago when her brother hunted them. And Ben had nearly died that fateful night. Was he meant to die then and would fate realign itself now to fulfill his destiny?

  Suddenly, there in the forest floor, tracks appeared.

  "Look," Laura pointed. "A
vehicle's tracks." She knelt and placed her hand in the dirt and closed her eyes sensing the memories of the earth.

  "What is it?"

  "They have their own ATVs. It's how Adrian transported Charlie to their compound." She reached her hands out in the air. "All the way from the woods behind our house. Drugged."

  "Bastard!" Ben lifted her up. "But you've got to rest."

  She pulled away and took off, following the faint tracks. "No. There is no rest until we get Charlie back."

  "What happens if you push yourself too hard and go into labor?"

  She slowed down a bit then stopped. Ben helped her sit on a fallen log. Crows cawed overhead, stark and full of despair. Like she felt. The woods grew lighter as the sun crept overhead. A deer burst through the trees. It looked at them with panicked eyes and darted off.

  Ben knelt before her and took her hands. "We'll find Charlie. We'll get him back."

  "I wish I was a Seeker and could see into the future and know that for sure. I wish Felix was here to help."

  "You're a Healer for a reason, Laura. And Felix would have wanted you to take care of yourself first. You carry two people I love. You need to be okay to help us find the third." He sat on the log next to her and put a hand on her belly. She covered his hand with hers. Their child pulsed inside her. A cool breeze swirled around them drying the sweat on her brow. Sunlight sparkled on Ben's face. For a moment he looked like the young man she first met, although his face was deeply etched with lines now and his hair nearly all gray.

  She pulled out the flogging whip. "I wonder whose blood this is." She touched the tips. Adrian flashed before her. He had a name now. The face which haunted her dreams. There was no redemption to be found within him. There he stood naked before a mirror flinging the whip. Blood streaked across his burly chest and thighs. His tendons bulged out with each strike but he did not flinch. He smiled at himself and flung the whip harder. With each grunt he moaned and stared into her eyes from the mirror. Laura, you are mine. She dropped the whip, shaking.

  "What is it, Laura?"

  "It's his blood. Adrian's. My uncle. He flogs himself. He enjoys it."

  "Sick bastard. What has he done to Charlie?" Ben got up and slammed his hand on a tree.

  "Nothing. Yet. He wants him for his own."

  Ben turned to her, his face tight. "What does that mean?"

  "He wants him for his son. To turn him to evil."

  Ben nodded. "He'll never turn him."

  "Light and dark reside side by side."

  "Our son is not evil." He held out his hand. "We need to go. Are you feeling well enough to go on? I can do this alone, Laura. I can save our son. Our son."

  "No, you can't. Not from this. You don't have powers to fight with." She picked up the whip. "And he knows we're coming. He wants us to come."

  "Why?"

  "He's been here for years. Secretly guiding Charlie in his powers and waiting."

  "Waiting for what?"

  "He wants to breed his Destroyer kind and take over Earth."

  "But why does he need Charlie?"

  Laura looked at him. "Because Charlie has a Destroyer hidden inside him."

  "A hidden element."

  "Yes." It came out a whisper. She dared not tell him about the dreams. Especially the one where Adrian made love to her.

  Ben stared at her. She sensed his feelings of fury and sadness.

  She took his hand. "Let's go."

  The air grew warmer. Fall was being forced out with the brief return of summer heat. Sweat rolled down her back. She didn't know if they would reach Adrian's world by nightfall. They still had miles to go and she was so tired.

  They marched on toward a hidden enemy who watched—and waited.

  CHAPTER 25

  Adrian watched Leah and Charlie from the sanctuary's balcony. She led him in the initiation song. Their voices rose together in a sweet clamoring. He looked uncomfortable singing and kept glancing over his shoulder, but Leah touched his cheek and he faced her to sing louder.

  Adrian was pleased. The boy would be ready for Leah's intimate instruction on the final day. He would continue to brush off Charlie's inquiries of his parents and mind bend him to think what he wanted. By the time they arrived the boy would no longer be under their influence but under Adrian's full control as his rightful son.

  It pleased him that he had chosen Leah for the boy and angered Caleb in doing so. It would teach Caleb not to become attached to any one female. Their community would not grow and thrive as one body with individual families. He began to suspect his allowance of one night of free love between his people was a mistake. He had looked into the future and no longer saw himself in the White House. Laura remained a blur on the edges, as if she was being erased. It can still be changed. I will make it so.

  He had already admonished three couples he had caught kissing and holding hands in the shadows of the compound wings. Public affection was not allowed and neither was a single partner. He had separated them, ordered them to work the latrines and garbage route for a month, and sent them to the assignment clerk to be reassigned new partners to breed with.

  The one female had cried. He had fought the urge to slap the wench. Her desires did not matter. The whole of the community mattered, and he was in charge. He told the female such and she had sulked off with the others. As she did he had caught Tollen watching him from across the courtyard as if he were keeping a list of his failures to use against him.

  You can't touch me, Brother.

  Tollen raised one eyebrow with a half-smile. We'll see.

  The community chooses me. Just like Manta chose me.

  Only for a short while. Just like Manta did for only a time.

  Adrian took a step forward, but Tollen did not retreat. What do you mean? She left you for me.

  Tollen's half smile became a full grin. She never left me. I was with her the day before she died. Deep within her. So, so deep inside. She couldn't stand your rough ways. I was the one who brought her to the heights of ecstasy. She had grown tired of your ways.

  You're just jealous because she chose me.

  The community flowed around them, sneaking looks at their private battle. Adrian gripped his thighs and a hot pulsing in his temple pained him.

  She didn't even want your child, Adrian. She was going to get rid of it.

  Liar!

  Confusion filled him. Tollen thought Manta carried Adrian's child, not Brahm's? Before he could spout out the true father of Manta's child, Tollen turned and strode away. Adrian's anger cooled. Another time then.

  He brought himself back to the bonding business at hand and watched Leah and Charlie a little while longer before heading to his room. He knelt on the floor and let his mind soar into the woods. There he watched Ben and Laura on their trek. She was enormously pregnant and this pleased him. He waited for her child's birth with immense delight.

  To have Laura and her son would be his last act of vengeance. She represented all that his brothers, Feo and Brahm, had taken from him. They had betrayed him. Both having been selected for Earth's mission decades apart. They had both lost. He had won. He took Feo's daughter, Laura, now for his mate and she would replace his true love, Brahm's wife. The taste of double revenge was sweet.

  He soared in closer. She looked so lovely with her auburn curls gleaming in the sun as she moved toward him. He envisioned her naked as he had seen her so many times—and taken her, been deep inside her. Even in pregnancy, her swelling breasts and belly called to him. Come, Laura. You are mine. We will be together. You shall be my goddess and I will be your god. And our sons shall rule our new world.

  He relished taking care of Ben. Perhaps Laura could help. When nightfall came he would have his fun with them.

  Charlie and Leah walked hand in hand toward Caleb. He had been waiting for them at the combat arena. Adrian ordered him to work with Charlie on his powers as part of his Destroyer training. Jealousy streaked through Caleb as they drew closer. He had to let it go. It w
as not the boy's fault. Once again, his father drove his anger.

  Leah saw him and looked away. She let go of Charlie's hand and walked quickly back to the compound. Charlie stood before him, massive already at fourteen. He looked like a man. He could be a formidable foe, or ally.

  "Adrian said I'm to come here and work with you," Charlie said. His voice went up a notch and Caleb couldn't help but smile. The boy was not a man yet. They faced each other under the open sky in the outdoor arena. The blustery wind had died down and the September sun warmed them with its final heat.

  "Yes," Caleb finally said. "I know my father has been working with you for years on how to move objects with your mind powers, but now we need to work on other powers as well."

  "Like seeing into the future?"

  "Not yet. But yes, Seekers can seek out people and the future. However, we can't seek out an Elyon who doesn't wish to be found."

  "What about healing?"

  "Yes, you'll learn that along with mind bending."

  "Mind bending?"

  "It's what we Destroyers do, with training."

  "I want to see the future."

  "Someday."

  "And how can I do that?"

  "You give in to hate."

  Charlie nodded, accepting this premise. Caleb would not. If he gave into hate and learned how to be a Seeker he could seek out the Elyons he'd saved to ensure they were all right…and he could watch over Rachel. But he could not give in to hate just to gratify himself.

  "But first," Caleb continued. "You'll learn to control the minds of others, bend them to our will. This power we wield will enable humans to help us as needed. It's how we've made it here on Earth so far. We've convinced humans to give us money, sell us land, and let us live here alone in our community, until the day we grow throughout the world. According to my father that day is coming soon."

  "What happens then?"

  "This world becomes a new Elyon."

  "So you steal to get what you want."

  Caleb smiled. "It's how we must survive. We left our dying planet for a new life. You have a saying here. What is it? Survival of the fittest."