Premonition (The Division Series Book 1)

by Leigh Walker

  He came closer, inspecting my skin. “I don’t even want to tell you what’s going on with you right now. It’s gnarly. Drugs are so disgusting.”

  The rest of Finn’s skin dripped off, and I looked away. “Ugh, I know. It’s like being awake in your own nightmare.”

  Shrieks and ghostly laughter emanated from the ceiling. I raised my head to look at the ceiling. What looked like white, ghost-like spirits circled above us.

  “Do you see that?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “This is so messed up. Those ghosts—it’s just like the nightmare I had about this place when I was a little kid. How did they know that?”

  Finn scowled up at the ghosts. “They have a knack for that sort of thing. They get in your head.”

  “How did they get in my head? Oh that’s right—they made my head! That’s how they knew!” I laughed. It sounded maniacal, like I was close to losing it.

  I was close to losing it.

  “Riley—”

  “I don’t want to be here anymore!” I wailed. “I hate ghosts, and I hate old, abandoned buildings. I hate your face when it’s dripping off. I hate that they keep sending my dead family members to give me messages!”

  “Riley.” Finn sighed. “We have to fight.”

  “I don’t want to fight you.” I scrunched my eyes shut. I could still hear the ghosts above us.

  I cringed and opened my eyes. Finn stood before me, fully intact, his handsome face restored. In his hands, he held a large knife…up against another Finn’s throat.

  I staggered backward. “Why are there two of you?”

  The one holding the knife answered, “This is a hallucination designed to get results. I’m now going to cut lover boy’s throat, so you get moving and actually do something.” He moved the knife against the other Finn’s throat. Bright red blood flash against white skin.

  “No! Stop it!”

  “I don’t know what you see in him,” the knife-wielding Finn said, as blood ran in rivulets down his victim’s neck. “He really is a piece of shit.”

  “Shut up!” I shrieked. Glass shattered all around us, raining down on our heads.

  Victim-Finn didn’t look up or blink, but the mean one smiled at me. “There she is—the Chosen One. At least you got rid of the ghosts.”

  I shook the glass off myself and looked back to the ceiling. He was right. The ghosts were gone. “Let him go.”

  “No problem.” He dropped Finn to the ground and threw away the knife. He flashed me a nasty smile. “Let’s get this over with, shall we? I’m going to enjoy this more than you know.”

  He kicked the other Finn in the gut. The boy on the floor screamed and pulled his knees up, trying to protect himself.

  “Coward.” Finn kicked him in the back, in the bottom, and was about to stomp on his head when I rushed him.

  “Stop hurting him!” I punched Finn up under the jaw, the way we learned in class, and shoved him away. “Are you okay?” I bent down to tend to the other Finn.

  He blinked up at me. His neck bled heavily. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ri.”

  “Don’t you ever get tired of your own bullshit?” The other Finn came back and grabbed the body out from beneath me. He lifted his bleeding twin up and looked him in the eye. “All you ever do is apologize. It’s hollow. Those are words, and your actions speak louder than your words.” He threw him back to the ground and punched him in the face, hard, and Finn’s head lolled back. That didn’t stop the other Finn. He lifted his twin by the shoulders slammed him against the floor.

  “You’re going to kill him—stop it!” I shrieked, but he didn’t stop slamming Finn’s limp body against the stone floor.

  My power surged through me. I concentrated and reached out, not knowing what I was doing. Mean Finn’s body flew into the air. He hung, suspended in the middle of the room, a surprised expression on his face. My powers held him up. I quickly moved my arm forward to keep him away from the bleeding boy on the ground, but I must’ve moved too fast. Mean Finn flew across the room. He crashed against the wall and crumpled to the floor.

  “Finn…Finn!” I crawled over to the boy near me, sobbing. I rolled him onto his back, and his eyes rolled back into his head. I checked his pulse, but there was nothing. “Cranston!” I shrieked. “He’s dead! Finn’s dead!”

  The body beneath me wavered, and then it disappeared.

  “Oh, my God!” I shrieked, my whole body shaking with adrenaline and fear. I had no idea what was going on. “Where is he?”

  “He’s over here,” Cranston called. He’d pried open Mean Finn’s eye and was peering into it with the help of the flashlight app. “And you got him pretty good.”

  “I’m sorry?” The words barely made it out of my lips.

  “This is the real Finn.” Cranston pointed to the boy he held, who seemed half-dead.

  The world spun around me. “I’m sorry?” I said again.

  “You heard me, soldier.” He slapped the real Finn across the face, and Finn moved a little.

  I ran to them and knelt down, chest heaving. Finn’s eyes kept fluttering, as if he were struggling to open them. “What did I do?”

  I’d been trying to protect him. Instead, I’d almost killed him.

  Cranston slapped each of his cheeks. “Wake up, soldier. You’ve got a lot to answer for.”

  “What?” Finn jerked upright, his eyes opening. “Riley?”

  I reached for him. “I’m right here. I’m so sorry—”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Cranston interrupted, “but Finn here is in big trouble.”

  “For what?”

  “For not fighting.” Cranston stared hard at Finn. “I gave you a direct order. I expect you to follow my orders, son.”

  Finn leaned back against the ground and shook his head. “I’ll never raise a hand against her.”

  Cranston got in his face. “You will if I tell you to.”

  Finn didn’t flinch. Face pale, he steadily met Cranston’s gaze. “I’ve already ruined her life, sir. I think I’ve done enough.”

  24

  Checkmate

  “You look like you’ve been to hell and back—again.” Emma patted the top of my hair as I lay in my bunk. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  I sat up a little. “Finn’s at the naval base medical center.”

  “I know. Cranston said he was being released later tonight.”

  “Is Kyan back?”

  “He’s back, but Cranston’s got him locked up.” Emma shrugged. “It’s his own fault. What happened with Finn?”

  “I hurt him.” My eyes filled with tears. “I hurt him bad.”

  Emma squeezed my hand. “He’s okay. Nothing’s broken, just a few bruises. He’ll need to rest for a few days, but he’ll be fine. I had a vision. He’ll be up and at it by the time we’re ready to leave.”

  “Do you know what Cranston made us do?” My voice came out hoarse.

  She nodded. “I saw some of it in my head. Did your sister show up?”

  I fingered her necklace, the beads cool against my fingertips. “Yes. I couldn’t touch her, though.”

  “That’s too bad.” She brushed the hair back from my face. “Were there ghosts? I thought I saw ghosts.”

  “There were, the same ones that were in a nightmare I had when I was a little girl.” I pulled the covers up to my chin, weary and chilled.

  “I hate it when they do stuff like that. Nothing is creepier than old nightmares.”

  “Part of Finn’s face was dripping off. That was pretty creepy.”

  Emma wrinkled her nose. “Gross. I’m sure the whole thing was very intense. Are you two…okay?”

  “You can see the future. You tell me. He’s probably not talking to me right now.”

  “Was it that bad?”

  “It was too much. It was just…” My voice drifted off, and I sighed. “Cranston made us fight each other, and we didn’t want to. But Finn knew he wouldn’t let us leave un
til we followed orders, so he…” I searched for the words to describe what had happened. “He basically twinned himself, so there were two of him. He almost killed his twin with a knife, and then he beat the crap out him. He said horrible things. I thought that the Finn being beaten was the real Finn, so I hurt the other one. I lifted him up with my mind and threw him against the wall, hard.”

  “Riley, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

  I blinked back tears, remembering how he’d crumpled in a heap on the floor. “I could’ve killed him. I didn’t mean to throw him that hard. I was just trying to keep him away from the hurt Finn.”

  “Shh, it’s okay.” Emma sat quietly with me for a moment, letting me calm down. “You have nothing to feel bad about. You were put into a terrible situation and asked to do something you never wanted to do. And you were hallucinating. You can’t exactly hold yourself responsible.”

  “I don’t want to hurt people. And I don’t want to kill people. Emma, I need to get out of here, out of the agency. I have no business being part of something like this. I’ll get us all killed.”

  “But you won’t,” Emma said simply. “You proved it tonight. You’ll fight to protect the people you care about. That’s all we’re doing. Cranston asks us to do terrible things sometimes, but he’s not asking in a vacuum. You have to remember that.”

  “That sounds like what Katie said. She asked me to remember that everyone who’d gotten me here did it out of love.”

  “It’s true. I know it seems like the opposite of the truth right now, but it isn’t.” Emma patted my blanket. “I should let you get some rest.”

  “Wait—Finn said something I didn’t understand.”

  She raised her eyebrow.

  “He said he wouldn’t fight me, that he’d never raise a hand against me.”

  “You really need me to explain that?”

  I shook my head. “He said he’d already done enough because he’d ruined my life. What the heck does that mean?”

  She pursed her lips. “I don’t know. But Finn has a flair for the dramatic.”

  I waited for her to say more on the subject, but she didn’t.

  “Get some rest. We’re wrapping things up here, over the next few days. Then we’re going back up to Hanover and then to the next part of the training.”

  “What’ll happen to Kyan?”

  “I haven’t seen his future. Maybe that means he doesn’t have one.” She didn’t appear to be joking. She got up and patted my bed. “I’ll check on you later.”

  I pulled the covers up again, trying not to think about the prison. Then I gave up and went out for a long, punishing run, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to me over the past weeks. If only such things could make sense.

  I stayed outside for a long time, only wanting to fill the hours before I could see Finn again and make sure he was okay. By the time I headed back to the base, I was a sweating, frizzy mess.

  I passed Cranston on the way to the showers. “Have you heard anything about Finn?”

  “He’s back, resting in his bed. He’s fine.” He held up three fingers. “Three days, soldier. That’s how much longer we’re staying here. Hit the showers, and meet us in the gym. We need to start packing up and preparing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “By the way,” he called over his shoulder, “he was asking for you.”

  “Thank you, sir. By the way… what’s going to happen to Kyan?”

  “That’s for Management to decide—not your concern, soldier.”

  I nodded and hustled down the hall, eager to get away from him. I took a shower in record time, dragged a comb through my wet hair, threw on my hoodie, and padded down the hall toward the boys’ room. I headed into the room with a heavy feeling in my chest, unsure of what to say or where to start. Finn sat propped up on his bed, staring at a wall.

  “Hey.”

  He didn’t turn around. “You don’t take no for an answer easily, do you?”

  “Did you say no to me? I must’ve missed that part. Can I sit?”

  He shrugged, still not looking at me.

  I sat down carefully, not sure of his pain level. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  He picked at his comforter. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Cranston made us fight. I tricked you so you’d go after me. I didn’t think there was another way to get the whole thing over with, and I wasn’t about to hit you.”

  “Why not?”

  He snorted and rolled over. There was a nasty bruise above his right eye. “Because I would never hit you.”

  “Even if it was a direct order?”

  “Even if it was a direct order.”

  “Is it because I’m a girl? You had Morgan in a chokehold during combat training, if I remember correctly. You fought her.”

  “Morgan’s not you.”

  We looked at each other for a second. My heart hammered in my chest.

  Finn reached out and grabbed my hand. Don’t say anything, he thought-spoke at me.

  I felt panicked. Why? Is someone listening to us?

  No. I just don’t want you to ask me a million questions. My girlfriend just beat me up, and I’m tired.

  You’re GIRLFRIEND?

  That’s Question 1,082, I think. I’ve lost count. He patted the bed next to him, and I climbed in, giggling.

  I snuggled next to him, careful of his wounds. For once, I didn’t ask him a thing.

  25

  The Same Old Town

  We packed up the barracks over the next few days. Finn was still recuperating, so we didn’t see a lot of him. Kyan was sequestered from the rest of us. We boxed up his things. I didn’t know if he was coming with us.

  We headed to Hanover so I could visit my mother. Cranston hadn’t given me any details. Worried he would revoke the unexpected privilege, I didn’t dare ask him anything. Finally, the bus was packed and it was time to go. I climbed to a seat in the back. Finn got on and winked at me but sat with Josh toward the front. I didn’t have time to be disappointed as Kyan climbed aboard. This was the first I’d seen of him. He stalked past without looking my way. The back of his neck was bandaged.

  Ignoring the snub, I asked, “Are you okay?”

  He pushed his bleached bangs out of his eyes. “Like you care.”

  I leaned closer to his seat. “I didn’t rat you out. Cranston read your monitor. He already knew everything.”

  “You could’ve helped me. You didn’t help me.”

  “I told you I wasn’t ready for a decision like that. You made your choice, and then you tried to blame me for it. You’re lucky I’m still speaking to you.”

  He arched an eyebrow and held up his wrists, which were handcuffed. “I don’t feel lucky.”

  “Ew, don’t talk to traitor-boy.” Emma plopped down beside me. “You need to get your roots done and shut up, Kyan. Not necessarily in that order.”

  He glanced up at his bangs, and Emma nudged me to turn away. “Don’t bother with him. He’s damaged goods.”

  I wondered what would happen to him, but I got distracted as the barracks disappeared behind the fully packed Mercedes mini-bus. I watched the base recede into the distance, the water tower disappearing from sight. “I sort of feel like I’m going to miss it here.”

  “It’s because you made a lot of new discoveries. You were initiated.”

  “I’ll say.” I waited until we’d made it to the highway before I spoke again. “Where are we going after Hanover?”

  “Another base, probably in Maine because it’s close. We’re going to catch you up to speed on planning and tactics, and them we’re going into the field.”

  My chest tightened. “Will we be together in the field? All of us?”

  “I don’t know,” Emma said. “I hope so, but I don’t know.”

  “Do you feel ready?”

  “I don’t know that it’s the sort of thing you’re ever ready for. I think you just go out there, and you do it. What about you?”
>
  “I still have no idea what I’m getting into,” I admitted. “There’s a lot of stuff I need to think about.”

  “It’ll be good to see your mom and to get some closure. Did Cranston give you a list of things you can and can’t say?”

  “No—but he will, won’t he?”

  Emma fidgeted. “I don’t know. It’s pretty unusual for us to do a reconnect visit, but nothing about your indoctrination’s been typical. What will you do with her?”

  “I have no idea. But I’m sure it won’t be boring.”

  My mother’s eyes shone. “I didn’t think they were going to actually let you come home.”

  I dropped my bag on the living room floor. “I didn’t either. How are you doing?” I scanned the room, surprised to find it tidy.

  My mother noticed. “I cleaned for you. And I don’t have any booze in the house, in case you were wondering.”

  “Did you quit drinking?”

  “I did for this weekend.”

  I tried to mask my disappointment. “Well, that’s good. That’s something.”

  “So…” Mom looked a little lost. “Are you hungry?”

  I was starving, but there was never any food in the house, and I didn’t want to make her feel bad. “Not really.”

  “I’ll just set out some snacks.” She grabbed a platter from the fridge with different cheeses, hummus, fruit, and crackers. She placed it on the kitchen table then wrung her hands.

  “This is really nice, Mom,” I said, touched. “It looks so pretty.”

  “Well, eat.” She looked relieved. “We have a lot to talk about. I’m so surprised that this is authorized… Did something—"

  Someone knocked on the door, and I said, through a mouthful of rosemary cracker, “Are you expecting someone?”

  “No.” My mother looked suspicious as she peered through the peephole. “He looks familiar… Maybe he’s a friend of yours?”

  She opened the door, and there stood Finn, his hands shoved into his pockets, smiling sheepishly. “Hi, Mrs. Payne. I’m Finn Ryan.” He held out his hand.