Unseen

by Stephanie Erickson

Did I say any of that out loud?

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Stop. Just let me think for a second.”

  I knew exactly how she felt, after having the Unseen inside my head for so long.

  Thirty-nine.

  “Thirty-nine.”

  Holy shit.

  “Holy shit.”

  She sat back on the couch, her eyes wide.

  “The iLs helped me to block out other people’s thoughts so I could concentrate.”

  “The first day of school…” she said, trailing off.

  “Yeah, that was a hard day for me. There were so many voices, and nowhere for me to hide from them.” I sipped my tea, letting that sink in before I went on. “The Unseen, the people I was working for, are readers like me. Until they approached me, I had no idea there were others. I thought I was all alone… a freak. Discovering them was like a dream come true, a dream I’d never dared to entertain. They taught me how to control my gift, how to choose whose voice I wanted to hear and whose I didn’t, even how to protect my mind from other readers.”

  “That all sounds totally bizarre, but great. What went wrong?” She shook her head. I couldn’t believe how well she was taking all of this, and I was so relieved to finally level with her.

  “I was flying through my training. Things that took everyone else months or even years took me two weeks. So, they let me in on their KFC secret recipe.”

  “Uh huh…”

  I struggled with what to say next, but really, there was only one way to say it. “Turns out they’re a bunch of government assassins. They kill terrorists and potential threats to society. And they wanted me to become one of them.”

  “Holy shit.” She said it quietly.

  “Yes. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”

  “This is huge.” She paused, taking a moment to formulate a response. “You mean… you have the opportunity to stop things like 9-11 from happening?”

  Her tone confused me. She was excited by the Unseen’s mission. “Maddie, they’re killers.” There. I had said it.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t understand,” I echoed.

  “You have the chance to save lives—”

  I cut her off. “By taking lives, Maddie. I’m not a killer, and I don’t ever intend to become one.”

  She stared at me, chewing on her bottom lip. “Are you reading my thoughts right now?”

  “No. I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

  “Good call.” She took a breath. “So, what happened with Owen?”

  “He told me this horrible story about how his whole family was killed by terrorists, and he was rescued by the boss guy, David. I’m hoping it was a lie to get me to stay.”

  “Jeez, Mac. What if it wasn’t?”

  I just looked at her, unable to hide the pain I felt from leaving Owen and the Unseen behind.

  “Seriously. Why would he lie to you about that? Really?”

  “Maybe so I would stay and be their quote ‘deadly asset’ end quote.”

  Her face remained neutral while she mentally chewed on that. “That’s kind of intense.”

  “Intense wasn’t the word I’d use. Ridiculous? Idiotic? Those are more fitting, I think.”

  “What makes you think you couldn’t be a deadly asset?”

  “It’s not that I couldn’t… I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t kill someone, Maddie. Maybe if I was in a life-or-death situation, a fight instinct would kick in, but why insert myself into something like that?”

  “Mac, there’s no question whether or not your fight instinct would kick in. It already has.”

  “What?”

  “With your charming attempted rapist date?”

  I groaned. “I totally forgot about him. So much has happened in the last month.”

  Leaning back on the couch, she sighed and looked up at the clock. “It’s late.”

  I couldn’t quite comprehend how it was already dark outside, let alone how it was 2:00 am.

  “I have to level with you,” Maddie said after a moment. “I think you’re making a mistake. These people have the potential to make a real positive change in this country, which means you have the potential to make a positive change. And you can save people’s lives. That’s amazing. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? Remember? ‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’ ”

  “I’m not a killer, Maddie.”

  “You said that.” She yawned and stood up. “But are you a savior?”

  21.

  Morning came much too quickly after our late-night chatting marathon. Maddie had a workshop first thing, so she was up and around, neither bright eyed nor bushy tailed.

  “I can drop you off if you want,” I offered from my spot on the couch, rubbing my eyes.

  “Nah. I have some prep reading I want to get done, and the train is a good place for that.”

  I felt bad making her ride the train when I could easily give her a ride. “I have no problem dropping you off.”

  “I know. Why don’t you just hang out here? I’ll be done by three. We can get some dinner downtown if you’d like.”

  “That’s all right. I should get back anyway. Start looking for other work. Maybe get in touch with Shelly Goldstein.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman with the dream job.”

  She frowned. “You’d rather work with troubled kids than save lives?”

  “Who says that wouldn’t be saving lives?”

  She shrugged. “Point taken, I suppose.” She came over and hugged me. “Just think about it, before you do anything too rash.”

  “Rash thing already done. I left.”

  “Maybe. Maybe it’s not as final as you think. If you want to go back, I’m willing to bet they’d take you.”

  “Maddie, I’m not going back. I’m not going to kill people for a living.”

  “Boy, I would.” She gave me a devilish smile.

  I laughed. “I know you would.”

  “Lock up when you leave. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “Okay. Have fun at the workshop. Why a Saturday workshop? That’s dumb, by the way.”

  She was half out the door. “I know, but it’s supposed to be really good, about how to incorporate technology into your classroom with the Promethean Board. I’m actually excited about it.”

  “Ugh, go! You exhaust me!”

  “I wasn’t the one who kept us up until two am talking. Just sayin’.”

  I laughed, and she shut the door behind her. I wasn’t far behind her. I hadn’t brought anything with me, not even a toothbrush. I just got up, folded the blanket she’d given me, left a thank-you note on the fridge saying how amazing she was, and headed home.

  The drive felt much longer than it had on the way down. The last thing I’d expected was for Maddie to disagree with my decision. I thought she’d be just as horrified as I was. Truth was, her reaction had me questioning my decision.

  Could I be a savior? It certainly was a romantic way of looking at it.

  Something tickled at the back of my mind. Is Maddie right? Either way, it felt like a dangerous game to play. I thought about what happened to Mitchell, and wondered what series of events had led to his injury, whether the mission had been successful, and if he believed risking his life had been worth it. Judging from his post-recovery attitude, he’d probably say it had been. The Unseen believed in their cause. The question was, did I?

  It was early afternoon by the time I got home. I grabbed a snack, my laptop, and the remote, settling onto the couch. I flipped on the news, intending to draft an email to Shelly with the newscasters as background noise, but a word caught my ear.

  “—on the new Sun Rail commuter train. So far, the death toll is estimated at ten people, but more bodies are being uncovered as we speak.”

  My mouth went dry. It couldn’t have been her train.

  “So far, no suspects have been named in the bombing, and authorities believe the person responsible
may have been killed on board.”

  A bombing? On the Sun Rail? That makes no sense. The Sun Rail didn’t carry enough people to be an effective target. Why not bomb the subway in New York? Why the Sun Rail? I scanned the ticker tape running along the bottom of the screen, searching for information that would confirm Maddie was safe.

  Reaching for my phone, I dialed Maddie without taking my eyes off the screen. The wreckage was a tangled mess. You couldn’t even tell it had been a train, except for a single semi-intact car at the edge of the frame. My heart began to race as the phone rang and rang. Maddie always picked up on the first or second ring when she was available.

  “Hey, it’s Maddie, leave me a message and if it’s important, I’ll call you back.”

  “Hey, I heard about the train. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Call me.” I hung up, feeling sick. She was at the workshop all day. It wasn’t her train.

  An urgent knock at my door startled me out of my thoughts.

  I opened the door absently, still not taking my eyes off the TV.

  Owen pushed me back into my apartment.

  “Wha—?” I stumbled over my own two feet .

  “We have to go. You’re not safe here.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll explain in the car. Grab what you need; you’re not coming back here.”

  “Whoa. You don’t get to tell me what I’m doing. Slow down, tell me what’s going on, and maybe I’ll think about coming with you.”

  He turned his attention to the TV. The reporter was repeating the details while they played footage of the scene of the bombing in the background.

  “They’re sending a message.” The look he gave me sent chills all the way down to my toes. “You’re next, Mackenzie.”

  “I… what? Are you implying this was directed at me? How?”

  His eyes turned sad. “It was Maddie’s train.”

  “No,” I whispered. “No! You can’t possibly know that. How do you know that?”

  “We know. And we also know that you’re not safe. Not here. Not now. You need to come with me.”

  I collapsed to the ground, unhearing. The TV, Owen, the apartment, all of it melted away, until it was just me, alone. Completely alone. Forever. Maddie was my rock, my partner in crime, my family, my everything. How could she be gone? If she was, I had only myself to blame. I’d led them right to her.

  Owen was rustling around, but I paid no attention.

  It wasn’t her train. It couldn’t have been. There was some mistake. She hadn’t answered her phone because the workshop was running a little long, that was all. She’d call me back or text me any minute. I clutched my phone in my hand so tightly my fingers turned white. I willed this last lifeline to ring, chime, anything that would prove Maddie hadn’t been on that train.

  Owen hoisted me up into his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re leaving. You’re not safe.” He grunted a little as he pulled the door shut behind him.

  “But—”

  “No buts. Boss’ orders. We’re out of here.”

  But why would David care about my safety after the way I’d told him off and stormed out of the building yesterday? I sagged against Owen’s chest. I couldn’t take all of this.

  He plopped me down in the passenger’s seat of his car, circling around to toss something into the trunk. It felt like everything around me was on fast forward, while I was stuck in slow motion.

  Memories of Maddie overwhelmed me. Late-night talks about boys. Maddie’s smiling face in the crowd at my first concert. Her tears over her first broken heart. Her next crush a few weeks later. The memories kept coming, fast and furious. My lie of omission had stood between us for years, but other than that, we’d had the perfect friendship—more open and honest than anyone could hope for. Maddie was the best person I’d ever known. How could someone like that be taken from a world that needed her so badly?

  Tears streamed freely down my face while Owen rummaged around in the trunk of the car. Before I knew it, he was beside me and we were speeding off toward the Unseen.

  22.

  Somewhere between my apartment and the Unseen’s facility, my brain started to click into gear.

  “Tell me what you think happened,” I demanded, still clutching my phone, desperate to hear it ring.

  “We think the Potestas found out about you, although we’re not sure how.” He paused, making a sharp turn. “One thing’s for sure; they’ll eventually come after you.”

  “I’m sorry, the Potestas?”

  “For lack of a better word, they’re the enemy, the main group of terrorists we’re fighting.”

  “The enemy,” I repeated. That word again. I sucked in a breath through my teeth, like the phrase had burned me.

  “Assuming that’s true, and I’m not saying it is, because I can’t believe Maddie was on that train, why not stop what happened if you already knew all this information?”

  “The information is streaming in quickly now, but it’s after the fact.” He chanced a sideways glance at me. “I know that doesn’t help you much now.”

  “Or Maddie,” I mumbled.

  He pulled into the garage behind the Unseen’s building. Just as he was reaching for the key, the DJ cut off the music. “Sorry to interrupt folks, but we just got a disturbing piece of information about the Sun Rail bombing. Police are beginning to release the identities of those killed on the train.”

  “Mac, we should—”

  “Shh!” I cut him off.

  “A mother of two, a construction worker, and a local teacher are among the dead. Our prayers go out to the families of the victims.” The music started up again, but I didn’t hear it. All I heard was a local teacher.

  A local teacher. I looked over at Owen, pleading with him. “It wasn’t her. Right?”

  From the look on his face, I could tell his heart was breaking for me right then and there in the car.

  “Mackenzie…”

  “Oh, God,” I whispered. Shock was the only thing keeping my tears at bay.

  Owen softly placed a hand on my shoulder. “We should go inside. David is waiting. I know he’s anxious to see you.”

  I looked at his hand on my body like it was poisonous. “Let him wait,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

  Owen slowly removed his hand, still staring at me.

  “Who the fuck cares about David?” I railed, my voice getting louder with each word. “The center has fallen out of my world. David is nothing to me.” The words unstopped my tears, and they flowed freely down my cheeks.

  Owen’s gaze wasn’t on me, though, it was looking just over my shoulder. I turned to see David standing at the window.

  23.

  He didn’t knock on the window or do anything courteous. He flung the door open, reached over me to undo my seatbelt, and grabbed my arm roughly, hoisting me out of the car. “Let’s go.”

  I wasn’t sure if his harsh tone because of what I’d just said, or if something else was bothering him. Instinct told me it was something else, but I didn’t know what.

  He kept his hold on my bicep all the way down to his office. Owen followed close behind. Once we were on the bottom floor, David pushed me into his office and turned to lock the door behind Owen.

  “What the hell is going on? I don’t need you to rough me up like some thug, thank you very much,” I said, my grief turning to anger in a flash.

  “Where are we at?” Owen asked.

  “It’s hard to say. The information I’m getting from our agents on the other side is sketchy at best. Obviously, they know about her and her skills.”

  “Hey, I’m sitting right here,” I said, but they continued to ignore me.

  “We believe they’re sending a message, although I’m not exactly sure if they’re trying to scare Mackenzie by killing her friend, or if they’re hoping to attack her while she’s in shock. More information is needed.”

  “Okay, you know what,” I said, “you two n
eed to start talking to me, or I’m out of here. Cooperation over.”

  “Ha, if this is your idea of cooperation, I’d like to see you act belligerent,” Owen said, biting down on his bottom lip.

  “Owen, why don’t you make sure the facility is secure? I’ll get Mackenzie up to speed.”

  Disappointment clouded his eyes as he looked between the two of us. He clearly wanted to stay. Well, if he wanted me to beg him not to leave, he’d be standing there forever.

  When David locked the door behind Owen, I launched into my attack. “Time to give me some answers.”

  “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  “Why Maddie?” My voice shook when I said her name.

  “As I said, I need more information to determine the exact reason why your friend was targeted. Like I said, I believe the Potestas were sending you a message. They know who you are, they know what you can do… and they know how to get to you.”

  “What am I supposed to glean from that? Who cares if they know all that?”

  “I care.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it makes you vulnerable, a target.” He looked deep into my eyes. “You are too valuable to be taken from me.”

  I missed a beat. Did he say from me, or from us? I decided to ignore it. “I don’t understand. I left the Unseen. I’m not valuable to anyone.”

  “I don’t think they knew you left. Otherwise, they might have tried to kill you rather than targeting your friend.”

  The thought gave me pause. Had I been that close to losing my own life? I swallowed hard. “So does that mean I traded my life for Maddie’s?” The thought nearly choked me.

  “Don’t think about it that way. They had a plan in motion before you ever left the Unseen.”

  “If that’s true, why didn’t you stop it?” I was getting louder with each word, but I decided I didn’t care. Someone needed to be held accountable, and David was the one in front of me.

  His expression turned sad. “I didn’t know about it until after. I had Owen follow you when you left to make sure you stayed safe. When you got to Maddie’s without a problem, I summoned him back here. I was worried when I heard the news. For a while, I thought you might have been on that train too.”