Invisible

by Alycia Linwood

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said, a lump forming in my throat. “I’m going to figure this out. I promise.”

  Noah gave me a pained look, shaking his head slightly.

  “No, don’t move!” I had no idea if Noah’s fidgeting would trigger the bomb, but I wasn’t about to risk it. “Please. I just have to think this through.” Rubbing my forehead, I considered using my air to reach out for the button, but I had no idea where exactly it was and how far I’d have to go inside the vent to find it.

  Looking up at the vent, I realized it was too small for my body to go through, even if I managed to use a burst of air to push myself up enough to reach the opening. Maybe I could turn myself into fire to get inside the vent, but I doubted I could use my fire quickly enough after such a powerful burst of air. Besides, the fire could damage the button. Damn it! Jaiden had left me without options.

  I’d been confident Elemontera wouldn’t harm Noah just because of me, even if they’d found more elementals with three elements like him, but now I wasn’t sure what to think. Everything about the bomb looked real. Was the boss so confident threats worked on me that he’d be willing to risk Noah’s life? I wished I could talk to Noah. Maybe he knew what was going on. Maybe Elemontera didn’t want him as much as me because he didn’t have a family they could threaten. Then again, maybe this was all Jaiden’s idea so he could prove himself.

  I clenched my jaw, gritting my teeth. My muscles went rigid, my fingers curling into fists. My vision was blurry, overcome by pure rage. The pressure of my element built and built inside of me until my body felt like it was about to explode. I let go of my air all at once. Pain erupted somewhere deep in my chest, spreading through my every bone. A bright light flashed behind my eyes, followed by a splitting headache.

  The pain pulled back almost as fast as it came, and my body was as light as a feather. I blinked, the room tilting around me. Reaching out for something to steady myself, I ended up rolling over. What the...? I lifted my arm, but I could see only shimmering. Oh, God. I’d done it! I’d finally fucking done it. I imagined lifting myself up, and my body whooshed through the air a little bit too fast. Luckily for me, colliding with the ceiling wasn’t painful at all, but I had a feeling some invisible force was tugging on me and spreading me in every possible direction.

  I flipped myself onto my stomach and looked down at Noah. The timer was still on, and I realized I didn’t have much time. Directing myself toward the vent, I effortlessly slid inside. A green light was flashing at the end of the vent and, as I came closer, I could see a button right underneath it. But when I tried to press it, my invisible hand split around it. Shit. I wouldn’t be able to do this while I was fully turned into air, at least not now. I willed my air to pull back a little, but my hand only shimmered, the contours of my fingers appearing only for a fraction of a second.

  I shoved at my air with all I had, ripping it out of my hand and locking it back inside of me. My arm became flesh again, and I slammed my hand over the button, which let out a loud beep. Only half of my body was still air, so I threw myself out of the vent. My back hit the floor, knocking my breath out of me. I grunted, pushing myself on my side so I could see Noah. The timer was no longer flashing.

  Sitting up, I fought the urge to grin like an idiot. My legs were wobbly as I tried to stand up, but I had to get that bomb off Noah before someone sadistic decided to turn it back on. As I untied and ripped off the ropes that held the bomb, a tear slid down my cheek. I didn’t even want to think what I’d have done if Noah had died because of me. Noah’s shoulders relaxed as I threw the bomb across the room. As soon as I freed his hands, he removed the tape from his mouth, wincing.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, placing my hand on his cheek.

  “Yeah, thank you,” he breathed. “How did you...?”

  I shrugged.

  Without warning, Noah put his arms around me and pulled me to him, burying his head into my hair. His body was stronger and more muscular, but so was mine. “You have to get out of here. You’re powerful. Figure something out before they realize it.”

  “What about you?” I put my arms around his neck, lowering my head so none of the cameras could get a good view of my mouth.

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  “Do you know anything about the others?” I knew we didn’t have much time because Elemontera must have sent the guards to get us. “Or anything that could help me get out of here?” I wasn’t planning on leaving him here, but there was no point in arguing over it when we had no time.

  “No, but whatever you do, don’t trust anyone. Not even me.”

  I gave him a quizzical look.

  “They don’t have anything to use against me because I don’t have any family or friends they can find, and I know they won’t hurt you. Mind control is the only way they can force me to do what they want me to.”

  “You think Jaiden will...”

  “Yes. It’s not done often because mind control isn’t perfect and there are too many things that can go wrong, but they’ll do it if they don’t have a choice. I assume Jaiden’s better at it by now,” he said bitterly.

  I shook my head. “I won’t let that happen.” Who knew what Jaiden would have to do to Noah to convert him into a perfectly obedient Elemontera agent? I couldn’t imagine digging through someone’s brain was easy, and the sole thought of taking away someone’s free will made me nauseous.

  “I don’t care what happens to me. You get out, find the others, and make sure Elemontera doesn’t get them.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but the door burst open and the guards spilled inside, pointing guns at us. One of the guards yelled at us to step away from each other, so we did. My bracelet burned slightly, my elements blocked. Was Elemontera afraid I’d lash out for what they’d done? Smart move on their part, because I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t snap. As the guards escorted me to my room, I wondered if I was now officially an Elemontera agent.

  Chapter 5

  “Congratulations, Moira. I knew Jaiden wasn’t wrong about you,” Sheridan said the next day as she pressed some kind of a device to my bracelet. “You will now have access to two more floors and you’ll be able to go on missions. If you prove yourself, you might even get a couple of hours to do whatever you want outside. Under supervision, of course. Your bracelet will be fully functional even when you’re flying.”

  Ah, lovely. I bit my lip to stop myself from saying something unpleasant. There was no way out of here for me unless I convinced Elemontera that I was now one of them. Once I got outside, I’d have more options for escape.

  “You’ll continue your training so that turning into air becomes natural to you, and then we’ll try some new abilities.” The excitement in Sheridan’s voice was sickening. She was really enjoying this.

  “New abilities? Like what?” I did my best to sound interested.

  “You’ll see.” She winked at me. “I’m so glad Jaiden found a way to show us your true potential when everyone else has given up on you. He’ll be your partner! Aren’t you thrilled to have an opportunity to learn from the best?”

  Black spots danced in my vision as I met her eyes. So it had been Jaiden’s brilliant idea to put Noah’s life at risk to make me turn into air, and now they wanted me to be his partner.

  “Are you okay?” Sheridan’s concerned voice broke through my thoughts.

  I nodded. “I guess I’m... a bit overwhelmed.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll do fine.” She gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “Jaiden will explain everything about your first mission. Good luck!”

  “Where is Jaiden? I’d like to talk to him.”

  Sheridan went behind her desk and picked up a tablet, tracing her finger across the screen. “He’s in the training room on the second floor.”

  “Thanks.” I stormed out of Sheridan’s small and sterile office before she could say another word. When I reached the elevator, I thought it wouldn’t open for me, but it did. T
here were over seven buttons to press, but as my bracelet hovered over them, only two started to glow. I pressed the right button and waited. My shoulders slumped as the door opened and I found myself in a hall identical to the one I’d just left. How they expected agents not to go crazy in here was beyond me.

  It didn’t take me long to find the training room because the door opened as soon as I came closer. The sight in front of me made my stomach roll. Jaiden was kissing a dark-haired girl who had her arms tightly wound around his neck. When his dark eyes met mine, he quickly untangled himself from her. She turned her head toward me, her eyebrows going up.

  “Claire, can you please give us a moment?” Jaiden said to the girl.

  “It’s Kathy.” A scowl twisted her features.

  “Kathy, yeah. That’s what I meant.”

  “Don’t bother.” She shook her head and went for the door.

  Jaiden ran a hand through his messy hair, his jaw tense. “Moira, I...”

  Well, at least he got my name right. The door finally closed and I took a step toward him. “You sick son of a bitch! How could you do that to Noah?” I hissed, hoping that our supervisors had better things to look at now that the fun with Jaiden and the girl was over.

  “Look, I know you’re mad at me, but I did what I had to. You need to understand that.” He gave me a pleading look.

  I shook my head in disbelief. “What if it hadn’t worked? What if Noah had died? Was the bomb fake? Did you have a backup plan?”

  Jaiden averted his gaze, and that was answer enough for me. “Great,” I said. “Perfect!”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, and then came closer until he was standing right in front of me. “Go ahead. Hit me. I know you want to.” His eyes were darker than the night itself as I stared at him.

  “What?”

  “You want answers that I can’t give you.” His gaze briefly went to one of the walls, and I spotted a camera. “I can see the way your hands twitch. You have to let go of that rage somehow, so punch me. As much as you want. Let it all out. Then we can talk about your first mission.”

  I blinked. “You’re crazy.” Throwing my hands up, I walked away from him. He was right. I wanted to yell at him, scream and punch him, until he told me why he’d betrayed Noah and me, what he’d done to the others, and why he’d risked the life of someone who had trusted him and considered him a friend. But I couldn’t do any of that here; not in this fort of eyes and ears where every wrong word could end up hurting me or someone I cared about.

  “We’ll have to work together. It would be better if you forgave me.”

  I snorted, and then glanced over my shoulder at him. There was no way I’d ever trust him, but something in his expression made me think he was being honest. Maybe I could use that. Yelling at him might be more satisfying for me, but it wouldn’t get me anywhere. Still, I had to wait for the moment when I could speak openly to him. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Just tell me about the mission.”

  Relief crossed Jaiden’s face, and I wished I could tell him that I hadn’t forgiven him and that he still owed me an explanation. “We’ll be going after a thief.”

  “A thief?” I tilted my head at him. “What are we now? The cops?”

  Jaiden grimaced. “Kind of. We have to step in because regular cops can’t deal with him. He can turn into air, so he uses his abilities to steal expensive and dangerous things for people who pay him.”

  “Umm, okay. What are we going to do once we catch him?”

  “Bring him in.”

  That didn’t sound hard for us, but what would happen to the thief after we captured him? Would Elemontera find his abilities useful or kill him for risking exposure? If I wanted my first mission to be successful, I had to do whatever they wanted me to, no matter what. “How do we find him? He could be anywhere and vanish as soon as he spots us.”

  “Elemontera has been tracking him for a long time. Our intel tells us he got his hands on a very dangerous weapon. We need to stop him before the weapon gets into the wrong hands.”

  “What kind of a weapon?” I narrowed my eyes at Jaiden.

  “Can’t tell you that. National security secret.” His face was serious.

  “You don’t know, do you?” I teased, hoping to annoy him, a smile protruding on my lips.

  He folded his arms over his chest. “Someone will deliver all the information you need to your room. We’re going tomorrow after dinner. Be ready.”

  “I will.” If I didn’t have plenty of reasons to look forward to my mission, I’d have asked him why he couldn’t simply go after the guy, mind control him and call it a day. After five long months, I’d finally get to see the world again and escape the constant stares of the cameras. Hell, even the mission didn’t sound bad because it looked like we weren’t going after an innocent this time.

  Chapter 6

  As soon as my foot touched the asphalt in front of Elemontera’s headquarters, I thought I’d faint. The city was alive with people, traffic, and colorful lights as usual, as if nothing had changed at all. Squinting at the dark sky, I tried to spot the stars or the moon, but it was too cloudy. I breathed in a large gulp of air that smelled of tires and humidity, and I burst out laughing. This was what I’d been waiting for all these months? How utterly underwhelming. But at least I wasn’t in the damn building anymore, which had a very nice glass façade. No one would ever guess what was going on inside.

  “Come on.” Jaiden propelled me forward, his hand firm on my back. Two agents I didn’t know followed us too close for my liking. I should have known they wouldn’t leave Jaiden and me alone on my first day out, but I’d been hoping they wouldn’t be breathing down our necks. We stopped in the back alley, which was dark and empty. “Can you turn yourself into air or do you want me to do it?”

  I gave him a long look. “I’ll try it myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Why? You think I can’t do it?” My air awoke inside of me and slipped out, altering my hands until they were pure air. It seemed that once I’d finally changed into air completely, it no longer caused me trouble.

  Jaiden briefly looked at the guys behind us, who were discussing something, and he inclined his head toward me. “You haven’t had a chance to master your new ability yet. It would be safer if I...”

  “Now you worry about my safety. Where were you when a bomb explosion almost killed Noah and me? Oh, right. You were the one who set it up.” I let my hands turn back to normal. Just because there were no people around didn’t mean someone couldn’t come and see me.

  “They were ready to kill you! I had to do something. You have to believe me! There was no other way,” he said through his teeth.

  “Yes, there was!” I jabbed my finger into his chest, doing my best to keep my voice low. “If you hadn’t been a back-stabbing son of a bitch, we wouldn’t even be here!”

  His fingers closed around my shoulder and he shoved me against the wall, my leather jacket scraping the rough surface. His lips grazed my ear, his stubble tickling my cheek. “I made a choice that day I let Elemontera take the two of you. And the fact that all of us are still alive proves that I made the right one. You would have done the same.”

  “Don’t mean to interrupt, but we should go,” one of the agents said, and Jaiden rested his forehead on mine.

  “Fine.” Jaiden caressed my hair as if we’d been kissing, a small smile on his face. I accidentally stepped on his foot as I pushed myself off the wall, returning his smile. He dematerialized, and I summoned my air. My stomach tingled as I rose up, following the shimmering cloud in front of me. Jaiden was flying slowly this time, but I wasn’t sure if it was for my benefit or so he could have a better view of the city. I was too afraid I’d lose control of my element if I looked down, so I concentrated on staying in the air.

  We descended on the parking lot of a shopping mall and hid behind the cars so we could materialize again. Instead of crouching behind a car, I fell on my stomach, my legs not quite where
I’d imagined they’d be. The two agents sniggered and Jaiden rolled his eyes. I pushed myself up and dusted off my pants.

  “Moira, you’ll go with Rory,” Jaiden said, nodding toward the tall and broad-shouldered guy who had short dark hair and hazel eyes.

  “No.” I crossed my arms. “I’m coming with you.”

  Jaiden’s brow creased, his eyes searching mine as if he weren’t sure he’d heard me right. “Are you...?”

  “Yeah!” I had better chances of getting this mission done properly with Jaiden at my side. Rory had to be aware of that, too, because he was fidgeting next to me but probably didn’t dare to say anything.

  “Okay then. You’re coming with me. Rory, you and Kyle search the streets for anything suspicious. If you spot our target, alert me immediately.”

  “Of course,” Kyle said, scratching his blond head. I was almost a hundred percent sure he wouldn’t contact Jaiden right away but try to capture our target first because whoever managed to capture our guy would probably get full credit.

  “We’re going inside,” Jaiden said, eyeing me carefully. “Don’t try anything funny. Two agents are following your parents right now and they have an order to kill them if you make a wrong move.”

  I gritted my teeth together as we made our way toward the mall. “Is that why you’re doing all this? Are they tracking someone you care about, too?”

  “That’s none of your concern.” He wouldn’t look at me.

  “You’re right. You probably enjoy your status of the best agent.” I studied his face for some kind of a reaction, but got nothing.

  “Elemontera isn’t as bad as you think. You’ll see.”

  My eyebrows shot upward. Did he truly believe that? I opened my mouth to argue, but we entered the mall. My ears buzzed from the constant chatter and laughter, my eyes momentarily blinded by the glittering lights of a nearby shop. A woman with long blonde hair rushed by, and for a second, I imagined she was my mom, even though it would be unlikely I’d find my parents in this part of the city.