Broken - Afflictions of the Evolved (The Evolved Trilogy)

by Shawnda Currie

  I moved closer to them wiping sweat from my forehead with my forearm. “Well?” I asked. “Let’s hear it.”

  Triona looked at Taylor as if to say she didn’t think it was a good idea. Taylor shrugged his shoulders in defeat, she had no choice but to tell me now.

  “I’ll let you two speak in private,” he said and walked out of the room.

  “It’s about your family,” started Triona.

  “Are they okay? Has something happened?” I sounded desperate.

  “They’re fine,” she said lowering her hand. Her body language told me to calm down. The expression on my face concerned her, so she spoke very fast. “They’ve been looking for you. They phone the cops every week pestering them for updates. They even hired a private investigator!”

  I pondered this for a second. This wasn’t the horrible news I was expecting. “Why did you hesitate to tell me this?”

  “Because contrary to you believing your family abandoned you, they really do care about you.” She tugged at her ear. “I read your thoughts that first day at Clear Waters. I felt the pain.”

  She was right. I was in emotional turmoil that first day. I literally couldn’t fall any lower. So much had happened: the car accident, Kate becoming paralyzed, Marcus trying to kill me but me taking his life instead and losing my freedom. I was a wreck.

  “Triona, I’m in a better place now. I have a purpose in my life.”

  “I know, but I thought maybe you would try to reach out to them to let them know you’re alive.” She looked saddened.

  “I swear to you I won’t do that. I know it’s too dangerous. I appreciate the concern but don’t keep anything from me. Please!” I said.

  Triona’s frown changed to a smile and she hugged me tightly. “Great talk. Now go shower, you stink.”

  I jumped in the shower right away as I was covered in sweat. Feeling nice and clean, I strutted into the living room hoping to hear Triona’s story of revenge. I was super surprised to see streamers hanging from the ceiling and platters of food on the end tables. Music played from a radio on the window ledge. Zed and Taylor played cards on the coffee table.

  “What’s all this?” I asked.

  Triona danced her way in to the living room clanging two wine glasses in one hand and holding a dusty bottle of wine in the other. “I found shit loads of wine in the basement. We are going to partay!” At least the evolved had picked up on present time jargon. They really did fit right in here.

  I couldn’t help but become engulfed in her enthusiasm. Upon more careful examination, I noticed Taylor and Zed each had a glass of wine. I had a few drinks before with Kate. I never got too drunk since most of Kate’s boyfriends tended to be douche bags and their friends less than trustworthy.

  I was surrounded by friends here. I could let loose and put all my stressful thoughts behind me for a while. I could act like a normal teenage girl for one afternoon.

  Triona didn’t need a cork screw to open the wine. She used her mind skills to pop it out. The cork sprung quickly to the ceiling and bits of debris sprinkled the floor. We all laughed. I wondered what other abilities she had.

  She poured some red wine into a glass and handed it to me. “Drink up; you have some catching up to do!”

  I took a small sip. I wasn’t a fan of the bitter taste but I chugged it back regardless. The second cup was easier to swallow. I sat beside Taylor on the couch. We lifted our glasses to toast our impromptu party and the safety and freedom of our friends.

  By glass number three, I was buzzed. I couldn’t stop laughing as Triona relayed the story of how she escaped from Clear Waters. She talked while I drank and cuddled with Taylor on the couch. Zed sat with his legs draped over the side of the recliner. Triona paced back and forth in front of us, her arms waving around to add to the dramatic affect.

  “So there I was tied to the bed. I used my awesome telekinesis abilities to loosen my restraints like I did most nights to hide my pill inside a small hole in the mattress.” She paused to take a swig of her wine. “It was late at night so I knew I would have a couple of hours with him (Mr. Creepy) and not be interrupted.”

  I was practically on the edge of the couch, waiting in suspense for the details of her revenge.

  “I waited for him to come into my room as usual. Only this time as he moved his filthy hands up my shirt, I released my arms and legs from the restraints and lifted my shirt to cover his head. I squeezed his disgusting body with my legs. He was completely stunned. I wanted nothing more than to tear his ugly head from his body.”

  Again, Triona took another gulp of her wine. She wiped the excess from her mouth with her arm before continuing. The rest of us remained silent anticipating the rest of the story.

  “As he struggled between my legs and the shirt around his head, I kept punching him and punching him. Nobody could hear him pleading for me to stop. But I didn’t stop. I was punishing him for every single girl out there he had abused over the years. Finally, that son of a bitch was knocked unconscious.”

  Triona let out a small but evil laugh. For a brief second I felt sorry for Mr. Creepy. But then I snapped back to reality and realized the guy totally deserved it. I applauded Triona for her retribution.

  “I dragged that skinny bastard outside, tore off all his clothes – and I mean all of his clothes – and tied him to the flag pole. I slapped his face a few times to wake him up. I wanted him to be aware of his surroundings. I pointed at his package and laughed as I told him it looked like a penis only smaller!”

  I pictured it in my mind. Mr. Creepy wasn’t so tough when he was the defenseless one. God only knew how many years Clear Waters covered it up for. The employees there were less than ethical and trustworthy.

  “Then I hid in the tree line and tripped the fire alarm. I was too far away to see his expression but I heard the laughter from the inmates………it was music to my ears!”

  The three of us clapped as Triona took a bow. Then she turned up the music and we all danced only pausing to refill our wine glasses. I lost count of how many glasses I had. Our afternoon party continued into the evening.

  By the end of the night Triona and Zed were dirty dancing with one another while Taylor tried to get me to drink water. I was slurring my words, tripping over furniture and spilling wine. Taylor finally brought me upstairs. It was not one of my finest moments.

  I flopped onto the bed and prayed for the room to stop spinning.

  Finally, it did.

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  14.

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  I did not consider passing out actual sleep, however, upon opening my eyes I glanced at the clock. It was four in the morning. Surely at least a few hours had passed since my embarrassing display of being a lush. I had no idea what time the party ended for me.

  The others didn’t seem nearly as drunk as I was, but then again my judgment was severely impaired. All I really knew for sure at this particular moment of time was my head was still fuzzy and my throat was parched.

  I wanted to get out of bed but I was scared if I moved, I would throw up everywhere. I wouldn’t appreciate that and I knew Taylor definitely wouldn’t either. My thirst for anything wet finally won over my fear of puking so I slowly crawled out of bed. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other towards the bathroom. I was so desperate for water that I was prepared to drink out of the tap even with the horrid aftertaste. The farmhouse was on well water that hadn’t been treated for years.

  I cupped my hands and sucked back mouthfuls of the cold liquid. The furry feeling on my tongue subsided for a moment. But the aftertaste refused to dissipate. Luckily the toilet bowl was right there for me to hurl into. After all liquid and food from the night before emptied from my body and into the toilet, I suffered a while with dry heaves. I prayed for death just to make it stop.

  Again, I put the water in my mouth but spit it out instead of swallowing. I used a face cloth to wipe the puke residue from my face and hair. I stared at my pale reflection in
the mirror. You stupid girl, you did this to yourself. Now you must pay the price – with your mind and your body. You can’t party like a rock star and not reap the consequences. Plus you hate wine. It would be a long time until I touched alcohol again!

  Zed scared me half to death as I made my way back to my room. Even more disturbing was the fact that Zed was naked. I looked down quickly but forced myself to look away. I was so not in the mood for his antics right now.

  He nodded his head slightly as he walked by me with no shame and smiled coyly. The old Zed had returned. Just peachy.

  I glanced into his bedroom as I continued my walk down the hallway. Triona was passed out, her breasts were exposed but a sheet covered her bottom half. I should have known they were an item. I finally understood the look between Zed and Taylor at breakfast.

  A flicker of jealousy ran through me as I crawled back into bed though I had no right whatsoever to feel that way. My jealousy turned to anger. I tried to convince myself that it was anger for being kept out of the loop. Again. I replayed the scene of Zed rubbing his hand on my thigh. I was angry at him for testing me and angry at myself for not slapping him across the face. If he ever tried a stunt like that again, I would do more than just hit him.

  To melt away my negative thoughts, I stared at Taylor and watched him sleep for a few minutes. His normal quiet slumber had been replaced by deep breathing and loud snoring. It made me laugh. This was the guy I loved. Sweet, kind, intelligent and gorgeous Taylor. Not the selfish and egotistical Zed. I wanted to wake Taylor and tell him that he deserved better than the emotionally unstable girl lying beside him.

  A faint voice whispered in my ear, “You are a loving, intelligent and brave girl.” The voice seemed so real but nobody else was in the room with us and it definitely wasn’t Taylor. Though I felt crazy for hearing voices, it did manage to calm me. I would not wake Taylor or ever tell him of the brief connection I felt with Zed. It would only cause pain and make him doubt my feelings for him. Taylor and the next mission would be my focus from now on. The fun times were over and it was back to business.

  Random thoughts swirled in my mind as I fell in and out of consciousness. My dreams felt so real. I actually felt as if I was living them.

  The space was dimly lit by a flickering light bulb with a pull chain dangling from the ceiling. It smelled of mildew and felt dank. I followed the concrete walls down a long tunnel until a brighter light unveiled a metal ladder leading above ground.

  I climbed the ladder and pushed open the heavy metal door which brought me to what appeared to be a service room. I glanced around the room that contained shelving units of various tools and pieces of hardware. There was a door.

  I turned the knob and slowly looked in both directions of the hallway. Since the coast was clear, I investigated the building. It felt so familiar, like I had been here before. Once I rounded the bend, I realized I had been here many times. This was the place that had occupied my dreams with small flashes. I was finally getting a longer vision of the power plant.

  As I made my way down the hallway, I heard voices coming in my direction but there was no place to hide. Two male workers deep in conversation went right by as if I was invisible.

  I continued to a room with screens and panels. I remembered this place. The calendar on the wall had May 17th circled in red pen. Was this the date of the next event?

  My dream ended and I snapped back to reality. “Lacey, are you awake?” asked a voice in my ear.

  I opened my eyes. “Yes,” I replied groggily.

  “I made you some soup,” said Taylor placing a tray of soup, crackers and ginger ale on the long dresser.

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” My stomach was still upset from partying the night before.

  “You need to eat and revitalize. You’ve slept the day away.”

  I looked at the clock. It was almost four in the afternoon. Strange, it didn’t seem like I slept for that long. “Is that the right time?”

  “Yes. I tried to wake you to see if you wanted to come to town but you were dead to the world. You don’t drink that often do you?” he asked softly.

  “Whatever gave you that impression?” I asked sarcastically. I rubbed my forehead as if that would stop the pounding from going on inside my head.

  “There’s also some aspirin on the tray.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll let you eat and recover.” He left the room.

  I forced myself to sit up and eat some of the soup. Surprisingly, it was delicious. I took a mouthful of ginger ale and sucked back the pills. This was not a normal hangover. I couldn’t explain the feeling to myself. It was odd. I felt like somebody or something had attached itself to me. Like a virus or bacteria had infected my blood stream and was multiplying.

  I walked to a small dresser and pulled open the top drawer. I grabbed the apophyllite and Jet that Sherry had given me back at Serenity and rubbed them in my hands. I returned to bed and covered myself with the blanket. I was completely exhausted and thought it best to remain where I was.

  I held the stones tightly and prayed to whoever was listening to me for guidance. I was hoping for my body and mind to be renewed in a quiet setting. Instead, I was bombarded by voices and flashes of people of various ages and background settings.

  My mind filled with clips of memories: one, two, hundreds, and thousands of images blurring together. I didn’t recognize any of them. I realized that they were not my memories but of other people’s memories or thoughts.

  I was somehow communicating with strangers but I didn’t know if they were dead or alive, maybe both. I couldn’t handle this right now. It was the worst timing in the world to suddenly develop a gift of being bombarded by spirits. I was becoming dizzy and crazy with the chatter. I sat straight up and simply said, “Please, stop.”

  Like magic the images ceased and the whispered voices hushed. I fell back onto the bed and turned my head to face the red numbers on the clock radio.

  My best friend Kate had a similar one in her bedroom. I thought back to the numerous sleepovers we had. We would stay awake into the wee hours of the morning doing each other’s hair and makeup, watching chick flicks and of course talking about boys.

  It seemed like Kate was never without a boyfriend. She tried to hook me up with their friends but I always had an excuse to why I wouldn’t date them. She would tell me I was too picky. You couldn’t fault me for wanting someone who respected me as a person and didn’t try to constantly get into my pants.

  I was so thankful that I waited. Now I had Taylor who was perfect other than the whole not being from my time period thing. Oh, and I can’t forget being a fugitive and people trying to kill us.

  Kate would have really liked Taylor. She would have even liked Zed and most probably would have put the moves on him and vice versa. I was saddened by the thought that she would never be introduced to either of them not to mention we could never see each other again.

  I rubbed the stones in my hand and thought of Sherry. She had given them to me to facilitate astral travel. Maybe I could see Kate again one last time without having to teleport and risk getting stranded from Taylor or ambushed by the dark spirits.

  I closed my eyes and thought of Kate’s bright smile and infectious personality. She would jump on her bed with the music blaring and sing the lyrics into her hair brush that doubled as a fake microphone.

  She would shake her head and her blond hair would whip her in the face. And unlike me, she was a great dancer. I frowned when I thought of her never dancing or even walking again as the car accident paralyzed her from the waist down.

  I wiped tears from my face with my free hand. I didn’t know how this astral travel worked. I was certain it was similar to teleporting but happened while you were sleeping. Maybe if I recalled Kate’s bedroom as I had last seen it, my mind would wander there on its own while my body remained behind tucked safely in the bed.

  After taking stock of everything in Kate’s room, I drifted to sleep. My body felt like it wa
s floating to the ceiling. I turned my head and saw my physical body resting in the bed below. For a brief second my soul dropped lower to re-enter my body. I turned to face the ceiling and kept my thoughts on Kate’s room.

  My soul continued to rise and floated through the roof and high into the sky. The next thing I knew, I was standing at the end of Kate’s bed watching her sleep!

  She was propped up in an elevated position on her back and breathed heavily. Her double bed that I remembered had been replaced by what looked like a hospital bed with metal side rails. Her wheelchair was to the right.

  I floated to her left side and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She moaned as if she felt it.

  My eyes widened. Did she feel my touch? Maybe she could hear me as well. I whispered into her ear. “Kate, it’s me Lacey. I am so sorry this happened to you. I wish I could trade places.”

  There was no reaction from her. My heart sank. I decided to crawl in bed next to her. I desperately wanted to talk to her face to face like we used to over fruit smoothies.

  We would walk to our favorite café and order a different kind of fruit smoothie every time. Kate would flirt with the servers then we would sit at our regular table and chat for hours.

  Sometimes we would make up fake memories and laugh at our creativity. Our imagination would take us running with the bulls in Spain or deep sea diving in the Caribbean. Our outlandish stories would always begin with, “Remember the time we…..” I smiled as I recalled those non-real adventures.

  Kate had always been there for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there for her. I tried to visit after her boyfriend Alex’s funeral but her mother wouldn’t let me anywhere near her. That woman never liked me from the beginning. She assumed I was the bad influence. Little did she know.

  Kate was a wild child. That was part of her charm. She was very sociable. I wondered how many friends actually came to visit her and if she would ever have a boyfriend again. I also wondered if she forgave me for not forcing her mother to let me see her.