Premonition (The Division Series Book 1)

by Leigh Walker

  Emma patted my shoulder. “You have.”

  “And I have this power…I should do something good with it. I don’t think I could go back to my old life.” I shivered, picturing the basement apartment I’d shared with my mom, the empty days that’d stretched out forever.

  “I know I couldn’t.”

  “Since we can’t go back to our old lives, can we go to dinner?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “I think a large amount of food is in order after this crappy day.”

  “Amen. You need to eat extra, anyway. I know Cranston’s going to be all over you in training tomorrow. He’s going to see if you can start another fire.”

  “Great.”

  “I’m sure you’re afraid and probably pretty sour about everything that happened. But your new power is a gift, Ri. I’ve seen what you can do, remember?” Emma linked her arm through mine as we headed to the dining room. “You don’t think I decided to be your friend just because I finally decided I liked you, right?”

  “Ha-ha.”

  “Seriously, the twins and I are fan-girling over you right now. Even Rachel thinks you’re all right.”

  “Don’t let me get a big head.”

  “Don’t worry.” Emma’s face darkened. “The world usually has a way of taking care of egos.”

  “Are you making a prediction?”

  She swatted me. “No, I was just being philosophical. Sometimes it can seem like the same thing.”

  “Can you give me a positive prediction? Something you’ve seen that’s good, about my future?”

  “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “But you’ve seen things; I know you have. Please,” I whined, “after everything I went through today, I could use a little boost.”

  “I swear, you non-cogs drive me crazy.” She rolled her eyes. “But here’s a prediction: no spiders will ever mess with you again. If they see your ass coming, they’ll run screaming in the opposite direction.”

  “Except spiders don’t really run, and they can’t scream.”

  Emma grinned. “Except for that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That wasn’t good enough. I want another prediction.”

  Emma stopped. “Ugh, I know what you want, okay? But I don’t have to use my psychic powers to tell you Finn likes you. Any idiot could see that.”

  “Really?” I squealed.

  She headed into the dining room, shaking her head. “Present company excluded, I guess.”

  21

  A Reliable Source

  Cranston loomed over me at breakfast. “We need to talk.”

  “I have to swallow my food first,” I said through a mouthful of cereal.

  “Finish up, soldier.”

  Cranston had let me eat dinner and go to bed in peace last night, so I should have known he’d be eager to discuss the test first thing this morning. I followed him to his office without saying a word.

  He motioned for me to sit and closed the door. “You did well yesterday—very well. There are a couple of things we need to clear up, though.”

  My stomach tied itself into a knot. “Okay.”

  Cranston stood behind his desk, his spine ramrod straight. “Your father was in the test yesterday. Your monitor indicated you had a strong reaction.”

  “You’re surprised about that?”

  “Not at all. I want to know what he said to you.”

  I lifted my chin up. “He said he knew you.”

  He nodded. “I figured as much.”

  I started in my chair. “It’s true?”

  “Yes, I knew your father. I met him several times.”

  “Why?”

  Cranston sat down. “Riley, your background is complicated.”

  “Not to me, it isn’t. To me, it’s very simple, so please explain what you mean.”

  “I’ve been cleared by Management to tell you a little. That’s why your dad was in the test yesterday. They were looking for an organic way to introduce the information to you.”

  “I’m sorry?” My voice came out small.

  “What I’m saying is, Management wanted your father to tell be the one to tell you he knew about the agency. They figured it would communicate the information with an immediate level of authority.”

  I tried to follow the words, but they were drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears. This can’t be true. What I think he’s saying…it can’t be true. “You’re going to need to say that again. Use words that make sense.”

  He sighed. “We wanted you to know more about how you got here. You have questions. We’re trying to make it easier for you to take it all in.”

  “So you sent my dead father to me in a hallucination? That was supposed to make it easier?”

  “Not necessarily easier. But you need context. Your father’s appearance in the test yesterday provided that.”

  I gripped the seat of my chair. “You could’ve just told me you knew him!”

  “Would you have believed me?”

  “No.” My father had always been very open with me, or so I’d believed. I waited for a moment, gathering my thoughts. “What about my mother?”

  “I know her, too. We’ve met several times.

  “Why? And why didn’t you tell me?” Why didn’t she tell me?

  Oh, my God, is this what she was trying to tell me?

  “You weren’t ready to hear it, yet,” Cranston said. “And I didn’t have the authorization to disclose the information to you.”

  “Why do you have the authorization now?”

  “You’ve proven your power. You’re officially part of the team.”

  “I still don’t understand why you put my dad into the test.”

  Cranston straightened the papers on his already-immaculate desk. “It wasn’t my decision. The psych department thought it was for the best.”

  “I don’t understand how anyone could think doing that was for the best.”

  He sighed. “They reviewed your file and our current circumstances. This was their recommendation. We’ve used a similar approach before with some of the others.”

  I snorted. “Emma told me she had to fight her family.”

  “That’s right. We’ve done things like that to prepare our soldiers for combat. Trust me, our enemies are capable of much worse.”

  “Who is our enemy, sir? Who are you talking about who would do such terrible things?”

  Why are you doing terrible things to me to prepare me for them?

  “America has lots of enemies, Riley. Any number of other countries and other factions would love to tear us down for various reasons—ideology, religion, greed, power. Take your pick. We’ve got enemies in ISIS, Russia, North Korea, other groups you’ve never even heard of. The list is endless.”

  “And they’re planning attacks against us?”

  “No, Riley. They’re already attacking us. Attacks are happening on American soil as we speak.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “We’ll get to the history and tactical section of training once we finish this physical training. Apparently, you could really use it.”

  “I don’t think the sarcasm’s necessary, sir.”

  Cranston raised an eyebrow but said nothing, a shining example of self-control in sharp contrast to me, who was losing mine quickly.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “I’d like to know how you knew my parents. And then I want to call my mother. Please.”

  “You can’t call her right now. You need to let that quiet down.”

  I sat back, feeling angry and trapped.

  “Your father knew about The Division, Riley. So did your mom. That’s how I knew them. They both understood you’d eventually be drafted into the program, but they didn’t know when. That was part of the deal.”

  My heartbeat quickened. “What deal?”

  “They needed to keep you safe and healthy until the time came. Your mother almost failed at that over the last few years, but you did a surprisingly good job of taking care of yourself.”

 
“You were…watching me? Before?” I almost fell out of my chair.

  “We’ve been monitoring you, yes, to make sure your powers didn’t independently materialize and scare or hurt you.”

  I tried to accept that. But I couldn’t accept my parents keeping a secret as big as this. “Why didn’t my parents tell me?”

  “Because they couldn’t. They weren’t authorized.”

  I didn’t want to believe any of it.

  “It’s the truth, soldier. They knew all along.”

  Tears threatened. “What did they know, exactly?”

  “That you were going to be an integral part of a very special, secret government agency that would protect our country—that your service was an honor.” Cranston smiled at me, setting off a warning bell in my head. “You’ve been through a lot. Let’s get back to training, okay? The psych department recommends releasing information to you in small doses. You’ve heard enough for one day. Baby steps, Riley.”

  The psych department can suck it. “Yes, sir. But when you have the authorization, I’m ready to hear more.” I decided to play it safe and not argue. Cranston didn’t seem to handle emotional outbursts or threats very well. I needed to bide my time.

  “That’s what I like to hear. I have some new tests I want you to try.”

  “Great.” I stood up obediently. “I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do, sir.” That, at least, was the truth.

  My stomach dropped. Kyan stalked the hallway near my dorm.

  “Were you waiting for me?” I asked, half-wishing I could duck past.

  He ran a hand through his hair. Perspiration dotted his forehead. “Do you see what I mean, now? They’ll use anything—a dead parent, a secret fear of spiders—anything they can find to use against us. You want to fight a war for them? You don’t even know who they are!”

  “I need time to figure it out. This is all so new, and so’s my power…”

  He crossed his arms against his chest. “Your power is our ticket to escape. We need to do it soon.”

  I winced. “I can’t make a commitment like that right now—”

  “But you can make a commitment to join them for life?”

  “My parents knew about The Division. They thought it would be best for me—maybe. I don’t know.” I groaned in frustration. “But I need more time to figure it out! I’m not ready to run away. You might have your reasons, but I don’t. I need to understand more.”

  He leaned closer, and some sweat trickled down his cheek. “I’m leaving. Soon. You can either come with me, or stay here to get used up. And die.”

  He turned and stormed off.

  I checked the dorm. It was empty, so I went and sat on my bed, nerves thrumming.

  Part of what bothered me about Kyan’s words was that they struck a chord. I didn’t fully trust The Division, either. I didn’t trust the way they’d “recruited” me, the stories about my parents, all the secrecy surrounding the agency.

  But. They’d chosen me, and I was meant to be a part of this team—or at least part of something. I needed to understand more about The Division—and my father, my mother, my power…all of our roles in it.

  But. For the first time in forever, I wasn’t alone. The people in our group were my friends, and I couldn’t walk away. I needed to think.

  Actually, I needed to talk to my mother. I needed to ask her what she and Dad knew, when, and why they’d never told me about my future with The Division.

  It was a bit of an ominous omission.

  But how could I get in touch with her? My cell phone wasn’t safe. Cranston made it clear I wasn’t allowed to call her, so trying to use the landline seemed ill-advised. Still, I needed to figure it out. Maybe I could sneak a call when everyone was asleep.

  I needed to do something. Fast.

  I didn’t like what Finn had told me, either. “I knew your father. He’d want you to know those things. The Division would not.”

  How had so many people lied to me, about so much?

  What did my father want me to know that The Division would want to keep from me? Not everything is what it seems. Be meticulous about who you trust.

  And then there was Kyan. Poor Kyan, angry and sweating. Your power is our ticket to escape.

  Gee, thanks, buddy. No pressure.

  “Hey, Ri.” Emma and the others traipsed into the dorm. “We got leave to go to the beach for an hour tomorrow. You want to go?”

  Bingo. “Yes,” I said immediately. “I can’t wait.”

  “Phones in the basket,” Cranston instructed. He watched as we turned off our phones and turned them in.

  “We can’t even keep them for GPS?” Emma asked, annoyed.

  Cranston’s lip curled. “You have GPS in your head.”

  I put my phone into the basket, eager to go, but Cranston stepped in my way. “You remember our conversation from the other day? No contact with your mother.”

  “Of course I remember.”

  He let me pass. “Have fun at the beach.”

  I shivered. Fun didn’t seem like Cranston’s thing. “Sure.”

  Josh climbed behind the wheel of the van. The rest of us filed past him and took our seats. Kyan went to the back and took a seat by himself.

  Maya slid in next to her sister, in the seat in front of Rachel and Emma. “I can’t wait to go to the beach. I am the champion stone skimmer.”

  “I’m better,” Morgan said. “I’m the queen.”

  “We’ll see.” Maya tossed her hair and turned my way. “How about you, Riley? Do you like the beach?”

  “I do, but I’m pretty excited just to get off the base. It’s been a while.” In fact, it had been weeks. I’d lost count of how many. The others often ventured off to run errands or get ice cream, but I’d never tagged along.

  “You haven’t left Freel since we’ve been down here?” Emma asked.

  “No.” A weight lifted off me as we escaped the isolation of our private base, checked in with security, and drove through the gates. In an instant, we were among the offices and restaurants, the streets buzzing with cars and activity. Civilization. Relieved, I turned to find Finn staring at me from across the aisle. I shivered, remembering my dream. Was that real? Were you really in my dream?

  A flicker of recognition lit up his face, and he smiled faintly but didn’t answer. He turned away to stare out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

  “Is everybody okay with Newcastle beach?” Josh expertly maneuvered the van around a traffic circle.

  “Sure,” Rachel said, “as long as there aren’t too many screaming kids.”

  “They’ll be at the playground,” Emma said. “Newcastle is fine.”

  Josh headed down a winding road, driving past stately homes and people out running and riding their bikes. It was a beautiful New Hampshire summer day. The sun shone brightly through the trees, which burst with green leaves. Long, brutal winters always led back here, to summers where everything grew lush, each branch and leaf straining to finally feel the warmth of the sun.

  I peeked at Kyan. He stared out the window, but he didn’t look pleased.

  We drove past an ice cream stand and a country club. I smelled the water before I saw it. We crested a bridge, and there was the ocean, dark, bluish green, the smell sharp and familiar. Josh drove past a yacht club and the Wentworth Hotel, a historic hotel that had been restored and reopened. Its gleaming white façade overlooked the boats and the water. When we’d driven by the hotel with my parents when I was younger, I’d asked if it was the White House. Katie claimed I was an idiot, but my father defended me, declaring it a legitimate question. After all, I’d never seen something so grand before.

  We followed signs for Newcastle State Park and pulled into a mostly empty parking lot. Most of the families had gone home for the day. I followed the others down a rocky path to a small beach. The tide was going out. Rocks and shells dotted the dark, gray sand.

  I looked back to see Kyan staring at the water from the grass.

/>   Emma glanced at him and nudged me. “Remember what I said: bull in a China shop. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

  She skipped off, down toward the water, leaving me to ponder what the heck she meant.

  “Let’s see what you got!” Maya called to her sister. They laughed, taunting each other and searching for the perfect skimming rocks. Josh and Rachel waded down past the seaweed to some large rocks, climbing them and inspecting the tidal pools.

  I watched the water, mesmerized.

  “It’s pretty, huh?” Finn appeared beside me.

  “I want to live near the water, someday. I could stare at it all day.”

  “Why do they call it the seacoast in New Hampshire? Every other state, it’s the coast. But it’s always the seacoast here. I don’t get it.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know. I guess that is sort of weird.” I hadn’t given my state’s quirks any real consideration.

  “Have you traveled much?”

  “Not at all. We came down here when we were kids, and we went to Florida once. But we didn’t have a lot of money.”

  “So…wow. You’ve been in upstate New Hampshire all your life?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. What about you?”

  “My mom and I traveled a little. We do a fair amount of traveling for work, too. You’ll probably get to see more of the world.”

  “I don’t know if I want to.” The words came out before I could stop them. “I don’t know if this is for me. Maybe upstate New Hampshire is more my speed.”

  “What did Cranston say?” Finn knew exactly what was bothering me.

  I continued to watch the water. “He said my parents knew about the agency. My mom said she did when I talked to her the last time, but I didn’t believe her.”

  “What else did he say?”

  I stole a glance at him. “That there was some sort of…deal. I don’t understand what he meant.”

  Finn stared straight ahead, his handsome face troubled. “I can’t tell you about that. I want to, but I can’t.”

  “I need to call her. Can you cover for me? I don’t want to get you in trouble, but I need to know the truth. I’m going crazy.”