“What is this?” she finally asked, when Ryan used his gift to heat the iron to a white-hot blaze.
“Our agents bear the brand of Soma. It is a mark of solidarity and a means of identifying agents in the field.”
“Won’t it just heal?” Santi swallowed nervously.
“Not the way I do it,” Ryan said.
“Um, can’t I skip this part?”
“No,” Livia said.
Santi shivered at the authority in her voice. She wouldn’t dare defy her new boss.
“Where would you like it?” Ryan asked.
“Inside wrist?” She would be able to hide it with a chunky bracelet.
“You got it. Brace yourself.”
She heard the sizzle of her skin before she felt the pain. The blinding agony left her breathless. Santi felt an instant stab of regret. She sensed it in the throb of the unnatural brand, seared into her skin. She was one of them now. There was no going back.
~~~
CHAPTER THREE
Santi drove across town Friday afternoon, her car loaded with her belongings. She had to admit, it felt good to hand her mother a check for thirty-five thousand dollars. Enough to catch them up on the mortgage with a little extra for savings.
Of course, her mother wanted to know where the money had come from, and she was none too pleased when Santi told her where she would be working. But in the end, she convinced her mother this was a good opportunity.
As she pulled into the front drive of Sterling Tower in Midtown, Santi felt completely out of her element.
Ryan met her in the lobby and helped her move all her belongings up to her new apartment on the eighteenth floor. The one-bedroom was more than Santi had anticipated. The expensive-looking white leather furniture and stainless steel appliances weren’t exactly her taste, but she wasn’t about to complain. Besides, the sweeping view of Atlanta just across Peidmont Park was the cherry on top.
“Can I help you with anything else?” Ryan asked.
“Um … what do I do? I mean, what’s next?”
“Enjoy your weekend and get settled. You’ll report to Livia Monday morning at eight in her office on the top floor. Good luck, Santi. You’re going to need it.”
~~~
For much of her first week at Soma, Santi followed Ryan around, getting to know the rest of the building and its inhabitants. Most of the agents were older than Santi and not as friendly as Ryan. As Friday rolled around she grew frustrated. After a week, she still didn’t really know what Soma was all about.
“Livia wants you on the floor today,” Ryan said.
“The floor?”
“The gym.” He gestured for her to follow him upstairs. Santi hurried to match his quick gait and slipped into the elevator beside him. The doors slid open to reveal a state-of-the-art gymnasium below. She stood with Ryan on an observation deck behind a two-way glass wall that ran the length of the room. A dozen young recruits worked with their trainers, oblivious to those who might be watching.
“See the girl in the boxing ring with James?” Ryan asked.
“He’s the one with the mark on his neck?” Santi absently traced her fingers over the same symbol on her wrist. The figure of the snake coiled in a perfect O, eating its own tail, represented Immortality and the pursuit of knowledge. She didn’t care for it.
“Yes, James is one of our best trainers, although he tends to break the rules and likes to cause trouble for no good reason. He could be the best in Soma, but he chooses to stay where he is—at the bottom.”
Ryan turned to look at her. “The girl hasn’t been as responsive with James as we’d like. We think she may do better with a woman. She is nearing her Awakening and we are trying to determine what her gifts might be, but she is uncooperative. Livia would like you to use your gift to see what motivation that might give her.”
“My gift?” Santi’s eyes widened. “You do understand what I do is extremely painful?”
“Of course. Why do you think Livia wanted to bring you on board so badly?”
“But to use it on a child?”
“You can control how painful it is, yes?”
“When I touch a person’s soul, it is either excruciating or blissful. There is no in between.”
“But you can see things about a person when you touch them, correct?”
“Yes. It is possible I might see what she will be capable of, or I may see nothing at all. But it is not something I will ever do to a child.”
“You realize if you don’t do this, you’re out? This is why Livia wants you. If you say no now, you can go back to your apartment, pack up your things and return the money on your way out.”
The money was already spent. Santi didn’t have a choice but to torture the young girl.
“Is this a test?”
“This is your job. She will be waiting for you in the training room just down the hall. Livia will expect your report by the end of the day.” With that, Ryan turned on his heel and left her standing there.
It was do-or-die time and Santi wasn’t sure she was ready. She absently made her way down the hall and stared at the doorknob to the training room for a long time before she finally had enough courage to enter. Santi had no doubt this was a test and she was almost certain Livia was watching.
“Hi,” Santi said as she entered the sparse room. There was a padded floor for sparring and little else. The girl sat, waiting patiently. But when she heard Santi’s voice, she shot up to attention like a soldier.
“What’s your name?” Santi asked.
“Lennox.”
“Lennox what?”
“Just Lennox.” The girl shrugged.
“Let’s sit.” Santi dropped to the mat, gesturing for the girl to join her.
“You are fifteen?”
“Thirteen.” Lenox lowered her gaze.
“Do you have any idea what your gifts might be? Sometimes these things start making an appearance by your age.” Although in Santi’s opinion it was way too early for Lennox to realistically recognize anything that might become a potential gift once her power manifested at sixteen. It really wasn’t fair to push her so soon. Livia must have a hunch the girl would be talented. Santi could sense her power; it was subtle because she was still young, but by the time of her Awakening, Lennox would be rather impressive.
Santi refused to cause the girl pain. She could accomplish the same thing by giving her a pleasant experience. It would just take longer.
“Give me your hands.”
Lennox visibly cringed.
“I will not hurt you.”
Warily, she placed her hands in Santi’s.
“Take a deep breath and trust me. You’ll enjoy this.”
Santi’s defining gift allowed her to touch a person’s soul. It was a painful experience that left most feeling violated and betrayed. It took her a long time to learn how to use her gift with precision. With a little meditation and a soft, soothing voice, Santi could slowly work her way up to touching a soul in a way that brought pleasure, not pain. Most described it as a sensation of flying, and total freedom in complete exhilaration. When the person gave in to the sensation and let Santi in, she could see everything about them. Personal things. She could see the extent of their power. Sometimes she could even tell if they would manifest another gift.
She was prepared to work with Lennox all day if necessary. But she was not prepared for the girl’s reaction. Santi felt her give in almost right away and she opened her eyes to see the most beautiful smile on Lennox’s face, with the most heartbreaking sobs as tears trailed down her cheeks. Lennox had never experienced anything good. She grew up at Soma, so her life had always been cold and clinical.
Just as Santi began to feel the extent of Lennox’s power, the door behind them burst open and she caught the angry glower on Livia’s face.
“Len. Back to your room, now,” Livia ordered.
Lennox grabbed her things and sprinted for the door without a backward glance.
“
Consider yourself suspended. I don’t want to see you until Monday morning.”
Santi stood slowly, meeting Livia’s furious gaze. Obviously, she’d failed the test.
~~~
“Fast-tracking you isn’t working,” Livia announced the moment Santi stepped into her office Monday morning. “I’ve had the weekend to reconsider your training. You need time to learn what Soma is all about before you can be expected––or trusted––to train the young recruits.”
“I apologize for deviating from your instructions,” Santi said. “Next time I will speak with you first.” She held her head high and met Livia’s steely gaze.
“Next time you will do as you are told. You are talented, Santi. You could go far. But willful stubbornness will be your downfall.”
“I couldn’t hurt the girl. There was no sense in it. I—”
“It is not for you to see sense in my orders. It is for you to follow my orders. Are we clear, or should we both just cut our losses and part ways?”
Santi wanted to walk away. She wanted to wash her hands of this now, before she got in deeper. But her family was running out of options.
“Understood,” Santi whispered.
“Report to me at seven sharp on the twentieth floor. We begin training tonight. Ryan will meet you there. Don’t be late.”
~~~
CHAPTER FOUR
Santi arrived early on the twentieth floor, eager to get the night off to a good start, but Ryan wasn’t waiting for her.
“Can’t we just let her go, sir…” Livia’s voice sounded faint to her ears, but Santi had an extremely sharp sense of hearing. Better than almost any other Immortal she’d ever met. She hadn’t disclosed that detail to Livia. One thing her abuelo taught her was to never show all of her cards. While Livia knew a lot about her, she did not know everything Santi was capable of. The door to Livia’s penthouse suite was closed, but Santi could still hear her side of the conversation.
“Yes, her gifts are valuable. I can break her. I just need a little more time…”
“Yes, father. Thank you. No I will not disappoint you again. Goodnight.”
“She will find a way to kill you if she knows you’ve been eavesdropping,” Ryan said as he stepped behind her.
“I didn’t mean… I-I—” Santi stammered. It wasn’t often someone was able to startle her, but she was so focused on Livia, she hadn’t heard Ryan arrive.
“Relax, I won’t tell her. Come on. Let’s get this over with.” He heaved a great sigh as they approached Livia’s door.
She had a terrible feeling she should have taken the out when Livia offered it.
~~~
Santi paced nervously around Livia’s pristine living room. She could hear her in the bedroom. It almost sounded like she was also pacing nervously, psyching herself up for what would come next.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Livia said as she came bursting through the double doors.
“Sure,” Santi mumbled. “What will we be doing?”
“Follow me.”
She followed her down the wide marble hallway of her penthouse suite to the large, fully equipped gym.
Santi envisioned long, grueling workouts here and cringed at the thought of such rigorous training with the indomitable Livia as her instructor.
“I want you to touch me with your gift,” Livia said.
“What?” Santi couldn’t imagine doing such a thing. She didn’t want to know Livia that well.
“Touch my soul––the painful way. I want to see how your gift works.”
“Fine,” she said. “It will be more painful than you can imagine.”
“I doubt it. I have a high tolerance for pain.”
“Very well,” Santi said as she grasped Livia’s arm. She didn’t give her time to brace for it. She wanted her new boss to know how easily she could protect herself with just a touch.
Santi closed her eyes as she felt Livia’s soul scramble away from her. Everything about Livia flooded her mind as she strengthened her grip, the echo of pain rippling through her own body.
Livia’s soul was a dark place. She was a formidable woman, but she wasn’t without merit. She hated the woman she’d become and was locked in an impossible situation, with little choice but to do as she was told. Santi felt sorry for her. Almost.
With a frown she realized something went horribly wrong. She gasped as the pain began to rebound on her, more intense than she had ever felt before. She glanced up at Livia, feeling the struggle between them as she fought for control of her gift. Santi wasn’t prepared for this. Livia’s gift overpowered hers until she could no longer feel the essence of Livia’s soul. But the burn of the familiar agony swelled within her. It was no longer an echo, but the full brunt of her own gift. Livia was touching her soul now and Santi had absolutely no control.
“Relax,” Livia finally said after a struggle that seemed to last for hours. “I will return your gifts to you once you have been fully trained.”
“What? What is this?” Santi couldn’t comprehend what just happened.
“You will not wield your power without my consent. I have full use of your gifts now but I have not taken them from you. My gift allows me to temporarily use another’s power and return it as I please.”
“You can’t do that!” Santi’s voice came out as a harsh whisper.
“It is already done. You will live here until you have proven you can be trusted to do as you are told. You will stay within arm’s reach of me at all times. You will sleep at the foot of my bed and you will do as I say, when I say and how I say.”
“No.” Santi was done. Nothing was worth succumbing to this woman and her every whim.
“As long as I remain in control of your power, you cannot leave. You are mine now. When you have been trained to my satisfaction, you will return to your previous position within the company.”
“No.” Santi shook her head, still in shock. She couldn’t feel her power. She couldn’t grasp it as she had every day for the last nine years. The separation from her power was ... gut-wrenching.
“Yes. You will bend to my will, Santi. On your knees, at my feet, and you will do it now.” Livia pointed at the floor.
Santi fought the urge to obey. She resisted Livia’s will until beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and her back began to bend. Eyes closed and filled with humiliation, Santi fell to her knees, vowing to earn her place back.
~~~
CHAPTER FIVE
Six months later
Santi curled up on the pallet at the foot of Livia’s bed. She was rarely allowed to sleep for more than a few hours. In the months since Livia had taken control of her power, she’d learned that her captor’s influence lasted only a finite length of time before she had to reestablish her dominance again. She still hadn’t determined how long Livia would need to be gone before she could take control of her own power again. The longest she had ever left her was ten hours. Until tonight.
Santi glanced at the clock beside the luxurious bed. Her captor had left twelve hours ago after a text message nearly sent her through the roof. Whatever the young redheaded girl and the handsome guy in that picture had done, it had spurred Livia into a panic. She’d left with little instruction, only telling Santi not to leave the apartment until she returned.
For the last two hours, she’d tried in vain to take her power back. She could feel it tantalizingly within her reach but it continued to evade her.
There was a time when she thought she could make it through Livia’s training. There was a time when she thought she would do anything to get back into her good graces because she wanted to help train those like Lennox. But no more. Now Santi just wanted out.
She heard Livia burst through the front door of the penthouse and she nearly wept in frustration. Livia would force her to submit again. The cycle would never end.
As she stepped into the bedroom, Livia shoved a dark figure in front of her.
“Sit,” she commanded. “I’ll deal wit
h you later.”
“No,” Santi whispered, knowing it was futile to resist.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” Livia said. “I would need to be gone a lot longer than a few hours, so stop fighting me. You know it is pointless.”
Santi hung her head as the familiar agony swept through her. It wouldn’t last long if she freely submitted to Livia’s control, but she always had enough will, somewhere deep inside her, that rose to the surface to fight. Livia still had not managed to break that small resistance she clung to. It was the reason she still slept on Livia’s floor.
But Santi refused to be broken.
"Do you have to fight me every time?" Livia asked wearily after she'd taken control of Santi's power once more. "You know I don't enjoy this."
“Who’s this?” Santi gestured at the young man sitting in the chair beside the bedroom door. He was the one from the picture. His eyes were filled with stubborn fury and his dark brown hands lay fisted in his lap. His bedraggled tuxedo jacket clung to his broad shoulders in tattered shreds of fabric.
“He’s your new roomie,” Livia said. “Show him the ropes. I’m going to shower. Don’t bother me again tonight.”
Santi got up and retrieved blankets from the hall linen closet. She made a bed for the newbie beside hers.
“She has your power?”
He nodded, looking at Santi in disgust.
“She will keep you close until she breaks you. Most people only last a few weeks with her.” She shoved a pillow into a pillowcase and dumped it on the pallet.
“How long have you been with her?” he asked.
“Six months,” Santi replied. Six long months. And in that time she’d watched Livia break one young Immortal after another. So many times she wanted to give in, but she refused.
“What’s your name?”
“Why does it matter? You’ll be gone soon.”
“It will be a cold day in hell before I will ever let that woman break me. We’re stuck with each other now.”
“It’s Santi,” she said. His bravado brought a smile to her face. To have a friend here would be a comfort, but she’d found out the hard way that Livia would make sure she never had comfort of any kind.
Emerge: The Volunteer: An Emerge Short Story Page 2
