Awaking (The Naturals, #1)

by Freeman, Madeline

  She rounded on Kellen. “You Pushed me. And you’re Pushing Corbin right now.”

  Kellen smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, his tone clearly indicating the opposite.

  Morgan’s fist clenched at her side.

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Instinctively, Morgan turned, expecting to see Orrick’s office. However, the doors revealed a hallway that was unremarkable but for the fact that two men stood in it. Before Morgan could register anything else, the men lunged inside the elevator, grabbing Corbin and pulling him out into the hallway. Morgan started after him, but Kellen grabbed her from behind. She thrashed in his grip, but it was no use. The elevator doors closed and the car began rising again.

  “What the hell is going on?” Morgan demanded, twisting against Kellen’s arms.

  No one responded, and the elevator dinged once more, opening its doors to reveal Orrick’s office. Kellen picked Morgan up and deposited her in the room. She turned, thinking she could get back into the elevator to go after Corbin, but Tesin and Wen stood before it like sentinels. Undaunted, she attempted to push through them.

  Kellen grabbed her again, and in one fluid motion, he picked her up and positioned her over his shoulder. She kicked and pounded at his back like a toddler, but his steps didn’t falter as he walked toward Orrick’s desk. When he set her on her feet, he held her still with his hands on her shoulders.

  Orrick stood behind his desk, silhouetted by the city lights. He smiled at Morgan, as if he were genuinely pleased to see her and not at all off-put by her behavior.

  He made a sweeping motion toward the chairs in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

  She made no move to comply. “Where’s Corbin?”

  “Safe.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It most certainly is,” Orrick said, just the slightest edge to his voice. “And it’s the only answer you’ll be getting.” He approached the desk and stood behind his large office chair, placing his hands on its back. He raised his chin at Tesin and Wen, and Morgan heard the elevator doors open and close. “Now, I hear you have some concerns you wish to present to me.”

  Morgan straightened under the hands that held her still. “The Veneret are taking energy from unsuspecting people. These guys seem to think it’s the way it’s always been, and it’s okay, but it’s not. These people who are being drained deserve better than to be treated like… like some sort of snack. They’re human beings.”

  “Human beings.” A sneer flitted over Orrick’s handsome features. “What exactly is it about them that makes you think they deserve better?”

  Morgan gaped at him. “What do you mean, them? You sound like you think you’re not human—and since no one has said word one about the mother ship—”

  “We’re better than human. The common. They don’t deserve to possess the power. It’s wasted on them. What do they do with it?” Orrick slammed his hands down on the back of his chair and turned from it, starting to pace. “The few that ever manage to wield it don’t manifest abilities. At best, they become the charismatic leader. But even that tends to end badly, with other, weaker minds following these leaders to their death. Death and destruction—that’s all the world is since we faded to the shadows and allowed the common to take over. But we’re poised now—poised to put ourselves back in the position we were born to but have abdicated for so long. For generations we’ve worked toward this end, Knowing that you were to come, Knowing that you would be born soon. This is what you were born for, Morgan, to lead us back to our rightful place in the world.”

  She shook her head, struggling against Kellen’s grip. “No. You already have these insane abilities—why do you think you need more power? If you think I’m gonna have anything to do with helping you steal energy from anyone, you’re crazy.”

  “But you will. It has been foreseen!” Orrick’s voice rang clearly through the room.

  “By who? By you? Forgive me if I don’t believe—”

  “By your mother.”

  Morgan froze. Orrick’s words hit her like a rushing wind, halting her thoughts, shifting them to an entirely different path. She shook off Kellen’s hands and sank down into the nearest chair. “What do you know about my mother?”

  Orrick eyed Morgan, appraising her before responding. “I know quite a bit, actually. More than you, probably. And more than your father.”

  “You’re lying,” Morgan accused, but she wasn’t convinced she believed it.

  Orrick’s eyebrows hitched upward momentarily, and he smiled knowingly. “I assure you I am not. Would you like to know something you don’t know about your mother?” Without waiting for Morgan to respond, he continued. “Kellen already told you she was a Natural. The first I’d ever met. And powerful, too, with a gift that so few Veneret possess today. And you are aware she was a Knower. The Veneret have known for generations that one day someone would be born who could lift us back to the positions we deserve, who would make sure the common wouldn’t rise up against us. But we had no idea when that One would be born. Your mother is the one who realized you would be the One.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Now, Morgan, you were how old when your mother disappeared? Seven? How well do you really remember her? How much does a seven-year-old really know?”

  Morgan bristled, her fists clenching. “But my dad would’ve known. And if my dad knew, he would’ve told me. If she could really see the future, he would’ve told me.”

  At this assertion, Orrick actually chuckled softly. “There were a number of things your father never knew about your mother. Her abilities were certainly most prominent among them. That’s why she married him, you know. To escape the life she was born for. She felt like she was losing something, joining the Veneret. Her sister is common so she couldn’t share this world with her. That, I think, was the biggest obstacle to her embracing the life. Had her sister been a Natural, Morgan, then you would have grown up among your people, the way you were supposed to. But she wasn’t, and Chelsea chose her sister over her purpose, her destiny. She turned her back on us and married the first man she met—”

  “She loved my dad,” Morgan interrupted. “They loved each other. They were happy together—”

  This time Orrick’s laugh wasn’t a polite chuckle, but a loud guffaw. He even halted in his walking as he laughed. He pulled out a handkerchief as he turned his attention to Morgan after his fit subsided, dabbing his eyes. “While I’m sure your father is still under that impression, believe me, your mother had no love for the man. He was an escape, that is all.”

  Morgan opened her mouth to protest, but Orrick continued talking.

  “Have you ever asked about when your parents met? How long it was before they were married? How long after that you were born?”

  Morgan could feel her mind fighting to work through what Orrick was telling her, fighting to dredge up the dates and numbers he mentioned. But her brain wasn’t cooperating—instead, she found herself both accepting his premise and trying to argue with it. But the part of her mind that was arguing the point became weaker and weaker as Orrick began speaking again.

  “She was pregnant with you when they married. She lied to him in a misguided attempt to keep you safe from us.”

  As if through a fog, Morgan asked, “Are you saying…? Who’s my father?”

  Orrick just smiled. “All in good time.” He crossed to where she stood. “You want to see her again, don’t you?” he asked, looking directly into Morgan’s eyes.

  She nodded, the movements slow. She felt like everything she did took more concentration, more energy. “More than anything.” Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she wasn’t sure why.

  “What if I told you that you could see her again? Better than that—that you could be with her again? The two of you can be together, Morgan. You want that, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you have to do something for me.”

/>   There was something strange occurring, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. She found herself nodding.

  Orrick smiled. “You have to be strong. To be with your mother, you have to be very strong. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes. I can do that. I can be strong.” And she believed it. “What do I need to do?”

  “I was hoping you’d ask,” Orrick said. As he turned toward the elevator, the doors slid open and Tesin walked out, guiding a young woman in a white button up shirt and black pants. The girl’s face was oddly blank as she was marched to the seat beside the one Morgan sat in. Tesin eased the girl into the seat and then went to stand against the wall.

  “Do you Feel her?” Orrick asked, his attention riveted on Morgan. “Her energy?”

  Morgan found herself automatically reaching her mind out before Orrick had even finished speaking. She was vaguely aware of Orrick’s anticipation, of Kellen’s cool detachment, of Tesin’s nervous excitement. But she focused instead on the dim glow of the girl before her. She could Feel the girl’s energy, but it was muted. Because she’s common, Morgan realized.

  “Yes, I can Feel it.”

  Orrick nodded eagerly. “Now… take it.”

  Morgan looked at him, her mind struggling with something. It seemed like a simple request, but she felt as though she couldn’t comply. “Take it?”

  “Yes, Morgan. You have to be strong to be with your mother. This is the only way to be stronger. Take her energy. She’s not using it.”

  Morgan looked at the girl, who seemed completely unaware of her surroundings. She seemed almost like Ris had the night Kellen had taken energy from her, like the petite brunette from tonight. Morgan wondered if that was the case here or whether she was simply being Pushed, convinced to sit there.

  Something in Morgan stirred. “I can’t.”

  “You can,” Orrick insisted.

  “No, I can’t.” Morgan turned to him, feeling bolder. “It’s just… it’s not right.”

  “I thought you wanted to be with your mother,” Orrick said quietly, sadly.

  The sensation that was bubbling within her grew. “How can I trust you? You could just be lying to me—telling me what I want to hear. You probably don’t even know her, do you?”

  “I most certainly do.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “Of course.”

  Morgan stared at him. “Wait—you know? Where is she?”

  “Nice try,” Orrick said quietly. “She is safe. Where do you think she’s been all this time? She’s been with us.”

  Morgan shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. You said she didn’t want to be with the Veneret. Kellen said she left to protect me. How does leaving me and going into hiding with you do that?”

  “Do this, and she’ll be able to tell you herself.”

  Morgan just stared at Orrick for a moment. She attempted to discern whether or not he was telling the truth but found she couldn’t break through his exterior feelings. She couldn’t get to the truth beyond. She’d have to take him at his word.

  She turned to the girl, who still sat, staring blankly ahead. I can’t do this. I came here to tell Orrick that taking energy from the common was wrong. I can’t do it, Morgan told herself. But another part of her mind struggled against her resolve. She had to do this. If she wanted to see her mother, she had to. But, if it was true that her mother had been hiding out with the Veneret all these years, then why should Morgan want to see her? If Chelsea really wanted to be a part of Morgan’s life, why couldn’t she just come back of her own volition? What could Morgan taking this girl’s energy accomplish?

  “No,” she said quietly.

  She Felt Orrick start behind his desk. “What?”

  Morgan turned to face him. “No. I won’t do it.”

  In an instant, Orrick’s face changed. He no longer had an air of pleasantness around his features; instead, something about him seemed to harden. “You have to.”

  Morgan shook her head. “No, I don’t. I won’t.”

  “You will.”

  Suddenly, Morgan felt almost as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Blackness tinged her peripheral vision momentarily as she turned back toward the girl seated before her. From a back corner of her mind, she watched as she kneeled down in front of the girl, as she took the girl’s hands in her own.

  From the back corner of her mind she found herself in, she knew what was about to happen. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she knew that she would reach forward into the girl’s mind, she would feel the girl’s energy, she would take hold of it, take possession of it. She knew it, but she found she couldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to do it. She felt like she should; nearly every fiber of her being wanted her to, but a small part of her resisted.

  She listened to the small part. It felt more true, more like her. And she fought.

  She felt anger flare up in Orrick. “Morgan, give in.”

  Morgan felt her hands grip the girl’s harder, but she managed to say, “No.”

  “Morgan,” Orrick said again, his voice tight. “Do as I say.”

  Unbidden, Morgan felt her mind taking hold of the girl’s energy. She knew what would come next and focused her energy on forestalling the inevitable. “Don’t tell me what to do,” she managed to say between clenched teeth. “You’ve got no right to tell me what to do.”

  “I have every right,” Orrick said in the same tight, pained voice. “I’m your father.”

  The concentration Morgan was holding shattered as Orrick’s words registered. She turned her head toward Orrick, and he took the opportunity to push his will further into her mind. Morgan sensed herself reaching farther into the girl’s mind, tugging at the girl’s energy as if trying to pull it loose. It was unavoidable that it would happen now; Morgan couldn’t muster the will to fight. And suddenly, she didn’t want to. The part of her that was still in control broke and she knew what would come next: she would take that girl’s energy. She wanted it.

  A commotion in the room jarred Orrick, jarred Morgan. Morgan felt herself filling her mind again—Orrick’s oppressive presence left her as he turned his attention toward the elevator.

  Releasing the girl’s hands, Morgan stood and turned to see what was going on behind her. She saw Wen followed by two people in ski masks running into the room. Morgan’s first thought was that this was an odd place for a robbery, but she did not have much time to reflect because the new arrivals were running toward her. Orrick moved to position himself in front of Morgan, between her and the people headed for her. It was then that the last minute’s happenings became clear to her. Orrick’s assertion.

  Anger flared up in Morgan. She grabbed Orrick by his shoulder and spun him around to face her. She barely had time to register the shock on his face before she began speaking. “You’re not my father! How dare you say that!”

  “Morgan, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Orrick said calmly. “Not about something like this.”

  Morgan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It couldn’t be true. Her father was Dylan Abbey, the man who had raised her mostly on his own, the man who had loved her since she was born. And now this man was trying to claim that title? Morgan felt the rage bubbling hot within her, felt the pounding of her heart, heard the rushing in her ears. She focused the fury at Orrick, at his mind, pushing through the barriers he kept up to keep others out. She knew there was one place he couldn’t lie to her. She would pull the truth from his mind.

  Something solid collided with Morgan’s shoulder and she felt herself being propelled across the room. She slammed into the window to her left so hard that she heard it splinter, felt the rough cracks against her shoulder, her back. Her feet were inches from the ground. When she looked for her assailant, she saw Kellen standing before her, his arm outstretched toward her, his hand out as if holding her in place. He hadn’t touched her; he had Moved her across the room.

  There was tumult in the room beyond Kellen, but Mo
rgan couldn’t see it. All she could see was Kellen, and all she could feel was how pliable the glass behind her felt as her body was pressed into it.

  “Kellen…” she managed to say. “Don’t.”

  “I have to protect him, Morgan,” Kellen said, his voice strained. “You attacked him.”

  “Did you see what he was making me do? Did you hear his lies? He’s not a good man, Kellen.” Morgan gasped as her body pressed ever more steadily into the glass behind her—glass that now felt more like plastic, conforming to the shape of her back.

  “How can you say that? Everything he’s done has been for you.”

  Morgan opened her mouth to say something, but fear stilled her tongue. Instead, she thrust her emotions forward—her fear, her rage, and the feeling of betrayal she felt toward Kellen himself. And for an instant, she swore she saw a relenting in his eyes.

  And then she was falling.

  A split second later, she landed, crumpled, on the office floor, and there was a person at her side, tugging on her arm. “Morgan, get up. We have to go.”

  Morgan heard the urgency in the female voice—and something else, something almost familiar. Her face was obscured behind the ski mask, so she couldn’t identify the speaker. But the familiarity was enough for her. Morgan struggled to her feet and allowed the woman at her side to lead her over to the elevator. As she went, she caught sight of Orrick, Tesin, and Kellen pinned up against an interior wall seemingly by an invisible hand. Before them stood the second ski mask-wearing person, one arm outstretched toward them the way Kellen’s had been toward her moments earlier, the other arm clutching Wen by the shoulder.

  The woman leading Morgan hit the elevator button and the doors slid soundlessly open. She whistled as she ushered Morgan into the elevator, and they were quickly joined by Wen and the other person. The doors slid closed behind them and Wen jabbed at a button. The elevator began its descent.

  Morgan turned to Wen. “What the hell just happened?”

  “No time for that now,” Wen said as the elevator gave a slight jolt and the doors slid open again. “We still have to escape.”