Aberrant

by Ruth Silver

  "You rat!" Cate glared at me as Margo came rushing at Cate, pushing her hard as I stepped aside. Cate flew off the mattress, landing on the hard tile with a thud. Joshua did his best not to laugh.

  Mason smirked. "Cate finally got what she deserved." He stared down from the top bunk, proudly watching the two fighting it out. It was the first I’d seen Mason not sucking up to Cate. It was a welcome change.

  Cate was no match for Margo as she had her pinned down. Cate desperately tried to kick and flail but didn't budge. Margo was twice her size and no doubt stronger. "Want to say it to my face?" Margo watched her squirm with delight. "You get a real kick out of stealing someone's underwear? Anyone ever teach you manners? I see the way you pick on everyone. Ever think of harassing me again and I'll kill you," she seethed as her bottom lip snarled at Cate.

  Cate stopped squirming finding it impossible to move. "Let me go!" she whined.

  Margo's face turned a deep shade of red as anger bubbled to the surface. The force of her body on Cate squished the girl against linoleum. I'd have felt sorry for Cate if she hadn't been an instigator and a bully. The girl deserved what she had coming to her.

  Mason finally jumped off the top bunk, resting a hand on Margo's arm. "I think she's had enough." Margo didn't let up.

  Jaxon walked over to Margo, knowing she'd listen to him. He patted her back. "Mason's right. Let the Chancellor be the one to kill her. Cate's so scared she'll probably wet herself on her way to breakfast."

  "Will not!" Cate piped up, grimacing when a fist flung out at her face.

  Jaxon caught Margo's arm before it had time to reach Cate. "Come on, up you go." He pulled Margo away from Cate. "She's not worth dying over," Jaxon reminded her. "You have what you need, let's get breakfast. If she shows her ugly face in the dining hall we can throw food at her or stuff her in the trashcan."

  I wondered if Jaxon really had it in him to be mean or he was just trying to calm Margo down. It seemed to work. Margo let go of Cate, climbed off her and glared as she grabbed her clothes, underwear included, and took them to the bathroom.

  "Wow," I breathed, unsure what else to say.

  Joshua climbed down from his vantage point on the top bunk of his bed. "Yeah, no kidding. Let's get showered and ready for breakfast."

  I couldn't have agreed more. I grabbed my own fresh change of clothes, shoes and a towel before heading for the bathroom. I waved at Joshua, a brief see you later. I called to him and walked into the girls’ bathroom.

  The bathroom had three shower stalls and one was already running. I assumed Margo was in there. I didn't say anything. I shut the first door to the stall, dropped my clothes and a towel in the second part and closed the shower curtain as I turned on the water. The spray was hot, but it felt good. I hadn't realized how tired or sore I was until my body started relaxing under the hot stream. I lathered up, washed my hair and turned off the shower.

  Pushing back the curtain in the stall, I rolled my eyes as my clothes and towel were missing.

  "Cate!" I screamed, knowing she was the only one capable of such a stunt.

  Cate cackled, "Looking for these?" She waved my clothes from above the other side of the stall. "Have fun trying to get dressed and ready on time!" She dashed out of the bathroom with my clothes and towel trailing behind her.

  "That's just great," I muttered. "Is anyone else in here?"

  The bathroom was oddly silent. Margo must have already finished and left for the cafeteria. Apparently, the others had gotten the memo to avoid Cate at all costs.

  I pulled the shower curtain down, grateful for its pale beige color as I wrapped it around myself. I headed out of the bathroom, seeing Mason give me a strange look as he came from the opposite side of the bathroom fully dressed. "Cate did this."

  Mason gave a strange look and laughed, "She wrapped you in a shower curtain?"

  "Shut up!" I retorted already growing annoyed as I dripped a trail of water into the cafeteria. "Give me my clothes, Cate!" I called at her.

  Margo stood as she approached Cate. After helping her today, it was no wonder she tried to be supportive, "Give her the clothes, or so help me God I will beat your brains into this bench!"

  Cate rolled her eyes. "It's not your fight, Margo." She showed me the clothes. "You want them?" She glanced me over. "You know you could just wear that today? Suits you well," Cate smirked proudly. "I bet Adam would love it," Cate snickered.

  Joshua rolled his eyes. "Give her the clothes, Cate." He stood up, approaching Cate as she sat on the bench, staring up at him. Joshua loomed over her, snatching the material from her tight grip.

  "Feisty boy," Cate smirked, as her fingers released their grasp and Joshua fell back a step, walking over toward me.

  "Just ignore her," Joshua told me, handing me the clothes as he tried his best not to stare at my attire. I was thankful he wasn't thinking anything inappropriate, considering I could read his mind.

  "Don't worry. I intend to," I breathed, taking the clothes and turning for the bathroom. "Thanks."

  "I'll come with you," Joshua offered, following behind me.

  "Why's that?" I frowned. "I don't need a body guard." I could take care of myself.

  Joshua nodded in understanding. "Maybe not, but we've got about five minutes before they start calling names. I don't know what would happen if you're not ready in time. But if Cate steps in once more, it's possible we'll find out."

  "Yeah, fine." I knew he was right. He stood outside the bathroom door as I quickly dried off and got dressed into the recruit uniform.

  Together we headed back to the cafeteria when Maya came in. "Our first recruit for training this morning is Elsa."

  Elsa stood and I breathed a sigh of relief. Jaxon approached Joshua and me as we headed further into the cafeteria. "I grabbed breakfast for you. It's on the table."

  "Thanks." I nodded, heading for the long table as a meal sat all alone. Everyone else had already eaten. I grabbed a seat, grateful it was on the opposite end of the table from Cate. I really didn't want to have to deal with her again today.

  I sat between Jaxon and Joshua as I ate everything I could manage.

  "Slow down." Joshua patted my shoulder. "Don't make yourself sick."

  I knew he was right, but I was starving and didn’t know if my name would be next. I was beyond nervous and just hoped my breakfast would stay down.

  Before Elsa was even back from seeing the Chancellor, fifteen minutes later, Maya came into the cafeteria. "Mason you're next. Come with me." He stood up and followed Maya out of the dining hall.

  I glanced at Jaxon. "Thanks for getting me something to eat."

  Jaxon nodded. "Sure. They were closing the cafeteria, and I figured you might be hungry."

  He seemed like a really nice guy. "Thanks." I smiled, having another bite of breakfast.

  "Can I ask you guys something?" Jaxon kept his voice down. "Have you noticed anything weird from the procedure?"

  I glanced at Joshua wondering how much to say. "Like what?" I asked curiously.

  "In the bathroom, I–-" Jaxon paused, shaking his head, unsure he felt comfortable telling us.

  "It's okay," I said, resting a hand on his arm. "We won't tell anyone."

  Jaxon nodded faintly. "I don't know how I did it, but when the water got really warm, I just kept thinking about fire and then my hands," he showed me his palms. "They were engulfed in flames." Nothing seemed to happen now as he showed me.

  I shook my head. "I don't see anything."

  Jaxon lowered his hands beneath the table so no other recruits could see what he was doing. One hand then two glowed together with a ball of fire. He closed his hands and it disappeared.

  "Wow," I breathed, my mouth hanging open. "Do you think everyone is capable of that?" I asked Jaxon curiously.

  Jaxon tilted his head to the side eyeing me. "Try it?"

  I took another bite and glanced at Joshua as he held his hands under the table and tried. "Nothing." Joshua shook his head as he was unsu
ccessful in his attempts. "Maya had said it was fine tuned for each of us. Maybe you're the only one capable of fire."

  Jaxon nodded, "Maybe, but did you see how red Margo got when she was fighting with Cate? I kept thinking that if she got any angrier she would have burned her!" Jaxon laughed softly. "It's stupid. Probably not even possible."

  "Most of what's going on here seems impossible," I reminded Jaxon.

  Joshua spoke up, "Jacqueline and I can share each other's thoughts telepathically."

  I wondered why he divulged that bit of information with Jaxon. It wasn't as though I didn't trust him, but I wasn't sure he wouldn't go run and tell the Chancellor.

  "Really?" Jaxon was intrigued. "That is pretty cool," he laughed. "Better than these." He held up his hands.

  "Maybe you have to learn to enhance the fire? Be able to control it?" I offered. "You could talk to Chancellor Collins about it," I suggested, wanting to gauge his reaction.

  Jaxon glanced at me, cocking one eyebrow. "You trust Collins?" He asked curiously.

  "I don't know," I admitted with a shrug. "This place, everything, it's still pretty new to us." I glanced at Joshua.

  "I think he has his own agenda," Joshua remarked. "No one has been incredibly forthcoming about the recruits, why you chose to volunteer, given the risk of it all."

  Jaxon smiled. "You really aren't from one of the five cities, are you?"

  I opened my mouth unsure what to say. "I don't know," came out, but it sounded lame. I glanced back seeing Maya enter the cafeteria.

  "Jaxon you're up next," Maya called, gesturing for him to come with her.

  "Good luck." I waved, briefly wondering and desperately hoping that all our questions and curiosity wouldn't get us both into trouble. Jaxon was off to see the Chancellor – that worried me.

  Joshua and I would be next.

  CHAPTER 25

  Joshua and I were the last two in the cafeteria as the other recruits had all been called to see the Chancellor. Sitting had only made me more anxious, wondering what was taking so long and why no one had come back to the compound yet.

  "Jacqueline, you're next." Maya gestured for me to come with her. See you in a bit. I smiled faintly towards Joshua, hoping it wouldn't be nearly as bad as I feared. I followed Maya out of the building and walked with her outside. "We're going to Chancellor Collins office," she explained.

  "Maya?" I asked as we slowly approached the building. "Is it possible to acquire all the talents from the procedure that each recruit has?" Maya glanced at me curiously. "Some of the recruits have been talking," I didn't want it to be known that Joshua and I had figured out our ability.

  Maya laughed softly. "Don't rush things, Jacqueline. They'll come in their own time." I wondered if she knew we were supposed to be capable of reading minds. "Come along." She opened the door, leading me up to a room decorated to feel comfortable. "Have a seat. Chancellor Collins will be with you shortly."

  I took a seat on the couch, noticing it looked more like a small living room then an office. There were two chairs and a sofa along with an end table and desk. No signs of technology or anything sterile like the last procedure. I felt a little more reassured.

  I relaxed into the sofa, staring up at the ceiling when the Chancellor swung the door open, stepping into the room. "Jacqueline." He nodded, walking over to sit in the chair across from me. "Congratulations on making it this far."

  "Didn't really know I had a choice," I muttered, crossing my arms defensively. "What am I doing here? Planning to pick my brain?" I asked curiously. I wasn't thrilled with being alone in the Chancellor's presence. At least with Joshua, I felt as though we had some level of protection, even if it was a false sense of security.

  "The second stage of your testing begins now," he told me. "Unlike most recruits, you and Adam are an interesting combination. We don't have files on you, on your town or really on anything you've told us. Except for this," he shifted in his seat and reached out to a small side table, opening the drawer. Chancellor Collins pulled out the familiar journal that was my fathers, smuggled out of Genesis. "I found this in your backpack, Jacqueline."

  "I–" I had nothing to say. Admitting it was mine would bring on more questions. Denying I knew about the journal was an obvious lie and would probably get me killed.

  "Take your time," the Chancellor gave me a smug look. "I've read through the entire thing already. Have you, dear?"

  "Don't call me that," I hissed. I reached out to snatch the book from his fingers and surprisingly he let me have it. I clung to it as curiosity only further grew on his face.

  "Now, why would you, Jacqueline, want anything to do with a journal written by Gavin Parker?"

  I stalled, unsure what to say. How could I explain the value and importance of what I held in my possession without giving away the truth of who I was? "I read parts of it as well," I spoke up. "I know what the journal means – if it's true and they had a daughter then, the government ruling today would fall apart with the knowledge held right here." I held the book up showing my point. "I didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands," I answered proudly.

  "Is that so?" He stared at me curiously. "How is it that book from inside the city made its way to Haven?"

  "Someone in the rebel alliance must have smuggled it out." I reasoned.

  Chancellor Collins stared at me hard. "Is that so? Rumors are aplenty that a girl and boy, both eighteen escaped in the tunnels, the daughter of the Parkers. In fact, I hear the daughter, Olivia," he stared hard at me, "escaped from prison and the government has been looking for her ever since."

  I wondered how he'd gained that information from a town with no obvious sign of communication to the outside world. "Well, there you go!" I proclaimed. "She must have smuggled the book out." I really hoped this wasn't going to end badly for Joshua and myself. Right now, though, I didn't feel entirely confident in the tale I was telling.

  "Right, of course she did." The Chancellor nodded slowly, watching my every move. "Then how and when exactly did you come across the journal?"

  "I met her," I breathed staring at him, refusing to let my gaze falter. "I was to show her our home, Haven. Then the soldiers came and they destroyed our town because they were looking for her." I tried to sound disgusted at what we'd done, that I was ashamed to have known her. "Adam and I managed to escape while our home was being invaded by the government and destroyed. She wasn't but a few feet from me when I witnessed her death." A part of me had, knowing I could never admit my identity, certainly not to people I couldn't trust.

  "And you managed to snag her father’s journal before escaping?" He eyed me skeptically.

  I nodded weakly. "Yes. I found it in the bag I grabbed on the way out of town. We put the map Adam recovered in there and took off. We didn't examine everything inside the bag until we were on the road. Besides who's to say it's even true?" Trying to make nothing of it, I offered a warm smile. "Suppose it's a story?"

  "An awfully big story to tell, Jacqueline." The way he said my name made me shiver. Chancellor Collins stood up, pacing the length of the room. "You do know I hate being lied to?"

  "I'm not lying!" It was easier to believe the lie than to confess the truth. It wasn't as though we had done anything wrong. Was being born a crime? It certainly was according to Governor Craynor. He'd thrown me in jail for it!

  Collins smiled. "Of course you're not lying." He didn't believe me. "Adam's survival and acceptance depends on you. You will not say another word," he instructed me as he opened the door and Joshua was led in. "Adam," he gestured for Joshua to come into the room. "Have a seat."

  Joshua took a seat on the sofa beside me. Chancellor Collins watched every move each of us made closely. "You're girl here has told me everything." The Chancellor glared at me, a silent reminder that if I spoke, I had the potential of destroying Joshua's life.

  Joshua glanced at me. "Told you what?" He asked confused.

  I refused to look at him. I had to make this convincing, that I wasn't
speaking to him. If there was any chance that he could read our minds, we had to be extra careful. I haven't told him anything more than he already knows.

  "What do you want to know? I'm an open book." Joshua offered with a smile. He leaned forward clasping his hands together. "I'm Adam and this is Jacqueline. We've already explained that to you. But if you're confused, we can start at the beginning again."

  Chancellor Collins face turned red aggravated. "Enough!" He shouted. The walls vibrated as if there had been a slight earthquake from the sound. He let out a heavy breath. "We found a journal from the late Parker's." He explained.

  I already told him I found it in the bag when we escaped, after Haven was destroyed. Olivia must have left it in there from when we met her. If The Chancellor read our minds, it seemed innocent enough.

  Joshua sighed. "Yes, Jacqueline found it in the bag. I haven't read it or looked at it so I can't really say much as to the legitimacy of it." It was the truth. He'd given it to me to take to Haven, and I'd read it alone.

  The Chancellor sighed, realizing he was making no headway. "Here's the thing," he stared at us both. "There are two of you. Two of you I really don't need and, seeing as how you're both lying, I find it easiest to send you both to your deaths. Unless that is, one of you will speak up?" Neither of us said a word. I was certain he was bluffing. They wouldn't kill us. They had no proof we were lying. So what that we had a journal from my father, it didn't prove we weren't Jacqueline and Adam. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He pulled two capsules from his pocket. Jet black in color, I reached out, taking one in my hands and Joshua taking the other.

  I don't like this. Joshua stared at me. We're worth more to them alive. At least you are. Tell them the truth or I'll take the pill. He didn't want to watch me die.

  My eyes widened as Joshua brought the pill up to his lips in horror. "Wait!" I exclaimed reaching out but the pill slipped between his lips and he swallowed it faster than I could react. "No!" I screamed my face reddened and I could feel the tears coming.

  The Chancellor grabbed Joshua's arm and pulled him out of the room. A moment later Collins returned with a smug smile. "You have two minutes to save his life, dear. Two minutes and I can still reverse the effects before it's too late."