“Pretty?” Fred laughed without humor, still stunned by my sudden discovery of ripping. “No. Evelyn is pretty, but this is something else entirely! I don’t understand how you can do it though, after all these years of nothing…it never even crossed my mind that we might be able to do some of the things He could do, it’s absurd!”
“It isn’t only objects you’ll be able to move, though, is it?” Lucas added thoughtfully. “Would it not be possible to rip…people?”
We were in the common room, stomachs grumbling as usual, with my three remaining friends perched in awe on the sofa whilst I painstakingly showed them my new talent by levitating Tressa’s old powdering pots and then trying to set them back down without breaking anything. So far I had only pulled this off twice.
“But who would I want to move?” I questioned, a smile twitching at my lips at the thought of forcing self-conscious Lucas to do pirouettes in midair.
“The Master,” all three answered for me, Evelyn seeming rather pleased that she had come to the same conclusion as everybody else for once.
“In case none of you have noticed, He can sort of rip as well, only with added torturous side-effects. I quite honestly cannot see a showdown ending very well in our favor,” I snorted, although with my savage anger over Beatrix I longed to be able to do exactly that. Imagine if He feared me, not the other way around!
“Avery and Tressa would have known what to do,” Evelyn whispered sadly, her soulful brown eyes welling up with tears as she drifted into deep thought.
None of us spoke.
It was true. They had been much more cunning at playing with these advantages and turning them into true powers, and much more talented at coming up with a solution to our most puzzling problems. But look at where that had gotten them.
“No,” I said harshly. “No. We can’t just sit here and cry. I don’t know where they are, but I do know that they’re alive, and they wouldn’t want us to do this mourning charade again. They’d want us to stick together and work this out.”
“Avery wouldn’t,” Fred pointed out, face turning into a bitter frown. “He’s still out there somewhere. You remember why? Because he slashed Tressa and made her fall through the Boundary. That doesn’t sound very ‘go get ‘em’ to me at all.”
“I know!” I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. “But that’s beside the point.”
“What is the point, if you don’t mind my asking?” Lucas asked with a sigh, sitting up and crossing his arms.
I was about to say something clever and snappy in retort, but nothing came to me.
Angrily, I whirled around and used my frustration to create my biggest rip yet, causing all three of the powder pots to fly in the air and shatter in a rainbow of colored china and powder into the fireplace. Evelyn applauded lightly again, easily distracted by the fantastic array of colors that flared out of the fire.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” she begged, pointing her skinny fingers at the calmed fire in delight.
I raised an eyebrow, since admittedly I had assumed this would be a talent that was mine alone. Still, I couldn’t afford to be selfish when having four people with powers could turn out to be so great an advantage.
“Focus on the candle,” I instructed, trying to keep the reluctance from my voice. “Don’t blink; just keep staring at it until…”
I blabbed the exact instructions D had given me, and all three of them glued themselves to a large unlit candle with expressions of pure concentration on their faces.
“Draw upon a strong emotion to help you,” I encouraged, deciding that it would be nice of me to show some enthusiasm. “Remember how much you want to be able to do it! Think about what Avery’s face will look like when he sees what we can do!”
“It’s not working!” Evelyn whined crossly, tearing away her concentration first. “My eyes sting, my head hurts, and I never even saw the swimming lines that you described! Dear, now I’m tired.”
I gave her a pat on the back for her efforts, the selfish side of me secretly reveling in the fact I was still unique. Sure enough, Fred and Lucas soon gave up, rubbing their bleary eyes and flopping angrily down on the sofa.
“It’s not that I don’t want to do it, because trust me I really do, but apparently ticking off Avery just isn’t a good enough prize,” Lucas mumbled, irritated. “Which is odd, considering I can’t think of anything I’d like better at the moment. Lucky thing, Penny! I’m jealous!”
“Are you?” I grinned, gloatingly. There was an awkward silence as they stared at me critically, put off by my attitude, so I quickly changed tactics. “I mean, don’t feel like that. It’ll only get me in trouble in the end, I’m sure.”
They remained unconvinced, with the exception of Evelyn who had removed her short attention span from the conversation and had drifted over to the window to daydream, dragging Fred with her.
“Let’s not fall out over this,” I begged, anxious my actions had once again done more damage than intended. “Tell you what, why don’t we make an…um…what’s the word? Pact! Like a promise we won’t turn against each other again, and won’t keep important secrets hidden?”
I was aware that I was breaking my ‘pact’ as the words formed from my lying mouth, as I did not intend to tell them about D just yet, not whilst he or she was so set on my going against them.
It was almost possible to feel the furiousness coming from D, with me going against everything I he had instructed me to do. There was no pleasing everybody, and the choice I had to make was simply – who was more dangerous as an enemy, and who was more valuable as a friend?
“Seems like a decent idea,” Lucas ventured, looking to Fred for agreement.
“Why not? Can’t do any more harm than what’s already been done, can it?” Fred chortled darkly, looking to his companion for her opinion. “Evelyn?”
“As long as nobody breaks it,” she warned. “Because it’ll mean nothing if even one person goes back on their word.”
“Nobody will do that,” I assured her, turning away all the same.
“So, how shall we go about this?” Fred joked, sitting back on the sofa and waiting. “Kiss your signet ring? Light a ritual fire and sacrifice Lucas as an offering to prove our commitment?”
“No,” I snapped, using irritation to mask my uncertainty, admittedly having not expected them to agree so readily. “Just…promise. Swear on your honor that you’ll never turn away from us, and that anything discovered must be shared. From now on we must be a team, no matter what. Agreed?”
What a terrible hypocrite I was! Guilt made me lower my eyes with shame as my friends bobbed their heads trustingly. But maybe it was all for the best…right?
“Okay, then. I swear on my honor that I shall never deceive any of you, and always tell the truth,” Fred said seriously, his face perfectly straight as he raised a hand and placed the other over his heart. Only his eyes were laughing, betraying the fact he was still relaxed despite it all.
“Me too!” Evelyn cut in, holding her hand over the wrong side of her chest. Her jaw was set, though, determined as I had ever seen her. “I swear on my…on my set of real diamond jewels to be true to you all, if it kills me!”
I nodded, satisfied if not slightly amused by her choice of words.
“And me,” Lucas sighed, stretching out on the sofa like a lanky cat. “I promise.”
I felt a sense of relief wash over me as silence descended; we weren’t going to hurt each other again. Then I realized they were all staring at me expectantly, waiting for something.
“I know I’m gorgeous and everything, but please try to control yourselves,” I muttered uncomfortably, the guilt coming back for no reason with vengeance.
“Since this was your idea, I rather think it would be fitting for you to participate in our little oath,” Lucas retorted dryly, his eyes boring into mine as if he could read my mind. Often, I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Ah, of course!” I laughed hoarsely, aware of how false I so
unded. “I forgot.” I ended my laugh with a delaying cough. “I swear to always tell the truth when it, ah, could help our overall cause. I promise never to go against you.”
Fred beamed at me, winking as if I would start laughing more sincerely and tell him how ridiculous and paranoid the oath sounded out loud, and how silly they were to take it so seriously. When I didn’t, he shrugged airily and started talking to Evelyn about the weather.
“Interesting choice of words, Penny,” Lucas whispered to be as he passed on the way to the bathroom.
“Was it?” I frowned, feigning confusion. “I wasn’t trying to be clever.”
“Clearly not,” Lucas agreed with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Otherwise you’d have been more discreet about altering your promise to fit whatever you’re hiding.”
My face flushed with a mixture of irritation, guilt, and embarrassment, at knowing how much he knew me. But I wouldn’t tell him, put him in danger. No trust was worth a life.
“Watch yourself, Penny,” Lucas warned with a wry smile before leaving, unintentionally making goose bumps stand erect on my arms.
Watch yourself, child, the Master had said to me.
I hadn’t listened then either.
Don’t question what you are told. Don’t open the upstairs door. Don’t attempt to cross the Boundary. And I will give you safety.
Don’t tell anybody about me. Don’t talk to your friends. Don’t share what you know about the ripping and the dreams. And I will give you power.
What was the difference, then? Why was I so much more hesitant about breaking D’s rules?
Pain, lots of pain…my eyes flew open with shock at the sudden burning against my leg. At first I had shrugged it off as part of a dream, but then it had become so intense that I was forced back into reality to try and locate the source as soon as possible.
I threw off my duvet and slapped out at my leg, cursing. It felt as though I had fallen asleep with a knife buried in the folds of my cotton nightgown, and now it was stabbing deep into my skin. This of course wasn’t the case, but as the searing burn escalated I was forced to abandon any sense of decency – and the skirts of my nightgown.
Pale and thin in the dark night, only visible through the courtesy of a clouded full moon filtering through the mildewed curtains, I frantically scoured my legs for the source of the pain. To my surprise, there was no sharp object lying against my patch of red, stinging skin; merely a crumpled piece of paper.
It fell softly to the ground as I shook it away, puzzling through my relief why such a harmless thing had caused so much hurt.
I bent to pick it up, but as my fingers brushed the paper I hastily withdraw them.
“Ow!” I yelped, biting back a louder wail of shock. Sucking on my sore fingers self-pityingly. I regarded the scrap with a new light.
It was a reply from D. Somehow, though, it had been charged with an odd energy that shocked who or whatever touched it.
I was obviously in deep trouble for throwing in my lot with Fred, Lucas, and Evelyn instead of fending only for myself.
Cursing D under my breath, I crept back under the covers and flopped against the pillow to wait for the sun to rise and give me my reading light.
Get ready for a telling-off, Penny, I warned myself with a sigh.
The sting ebbed away against the cool linen sheets, despite the fact they had remained unchanged since Beatrix’s passing several weeks ago. Still, sleep refused to come back. No matter how I tossed and turned, my consciousness stayed fully alert so that every second ticked by with agonizing slowness.
Perhaps morning would never arrive, and I would never get to see the letter. Maybe the trials had somehow suspended time and would force me to stay in bed, waiting forever for a sunrise that would never come…
I brushed some hair from my sweaty forehead and groaned, pushing my face into the downy pillow in frustration.
Tick.
Guilt, that was what it was.
Tick.
Possibly I was just hungry. We hadn’t eaten properly in days.
Tick
I mean, really, how much damage could D cause?
TOCK.
I sat bolt upright, suddenly realizing what thought was keeping me awake. I’d been having another of those dreams, and though nothing different had happened, there was one detail which was ringing like an alarm in my mind; the baby’s hair color. Like the reddish fuzz on a peach, close examination had proved that the child would’ve grown up to be a redhead. I couldn’t remember details about anybody else’s appearance, but somehow this had stuck out.
There was no doubt left in my mind. I was the baby.
But that just left me more questions.
19
To put it mildly, D was furious. I awoke the next morning to the sure sound of thunder rumbling over the overcast grounds, with the occasional streak of lightning flashing through the windows, so strong that you had to blink a few times to regain your sight. Storms were rare, so I found Evelyn, Fred, and Lucas out on the balcony of the breakfast room watching excitedly.
“Look, look at that one over there! It was a proper fork, right down to the ground!” Fred gasped, leaning right over the railing to point out to the woods. “Gosh, I hope nothing catches on fire!”
“Start counting, that’s supposed to tell you how far away it is— Ah, never mind.” Lucas paused as a loud clap rang out, making the other two jump. “Though I suppose it doesn’t matter here anyway, does it? It can’t be more than a mile out.”
“Penny!” Evelyn grinned, seeing me approaching. “You slept in! Come, have a look with us, it’s amazing! The sky is purple, nearly orange in some places, and the lightning has been spectacular!”
I smiled at her fondly, thinking how much happier she looked with the pelting rain turning her dull curls back into a glossy ebony, laughing with the boys as if all the world was perfect again. Even they seemed to have forgotten, if only for a heartbeat, with Fred with his arm around Evelyn’s shoulders, and Lucas’s eye alight with intrigue at the mystery of the storm.
That was why I politely refused her offer, blaming a restless night (partially true) for my lack of enthusiasm, opting instead to sit quietly inside and eat breakfast (boiled eggs and bacon, which although appearing mouth-watering certainly tasted vile) whilst it was still warm.
“Suit yourself.” Evelyn shrugged. Another boom of thunder, and she shuffled a little closer to Fred, still beaming.
I sat at a stool with my back to them, deciding to read the letter now so that I could enjoy the storm later. I unfolded the paper, wincing as it shocked my fingers, though the charge was somewhat dulled from last night.
My mouth turned from a thin smile to frown to downright miserable as I scanned the page-long rant.
You betrayed me, Penny, it began, the writing more scrawled and careless than usual. I gave you power on a very simple condition, and you turned your back on it to share the power with the others! You think they are friends now, but arming people who could turn on you is the most imbecilic, lethal thing you could possibly have done! This isn’t just a game of hide-and-seek, where the loser has to clean up – this is for keeps. I refuse to care anymore; in fact, I look forward to seeing you realize the consequences of your stupid actions. One by one they will fall, and you shall go last so that you can see their pain before your own. I could have propelled you to freedom. I can also ensure your failure. And I shall. You meddle around with party tricks and the petty matters of others, but you don’t even begin to understand exactly what you’re up against. Neither did I, before it was too late, but I have had ages to grow both savvy and bitter. Three weeks. Nobody said anything about having to have a winner.
D.
Charming, I thought dryly. Just the sort of motivation you need to succeed. It was amazing how quickly D had turned from being a friend to a vicious nuisance, and I certainly wasn’t happy about the switch.
Yes, I dearly wanted information that D could provide, such a
s how to rip, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my friends in return.
Sacrifice. What if D hadn’t just been writing to me? I thought suddenly, with panic. What if he had sent letters to the others, like Avery? Was that how he and Tressa had known so much? Had that spurred him to commit such a terrible crime?
I shuddered, not bearing to think about it. Then, determinedly, I took the paper in my hands and began to rip it into shreds. There was a faint pinch of static, but apart from that, it tore like ordinary paper.
Smiling in grim satisfaction, I kept the pieces in my hand as I walked out onto the balcony to join my friends.
“Penny! You recovered quickly!” Evelyn smiled, clapping her hands in delight at another bolt of lightning flashing just above the Boundary woods. “Are you going to watch with us?”
“Perhaps for a bit, if you insist.” I grinned, feigning leaning far over the railing to catch a better glimpse, and discreetly throwing the scraps over the side to be scattered by the winds.
I let myself be caught up in the rare weather show, letting my hair loose as a flood of fear and awe at the power of the storm overcame us all.
I saw a small cyclone of dead leaves the winds from the woods whirled around, and out of curiosity tried to make them stand still.
“Why are you pulling faces?” Fred frowned as I scrunched up my nose comically, trying with all my might to create a rip so far away from me. I thought of how irritated I was with D, how angry I would be if it turned out Avery had been under his or her influence…and through my watering eyes saw the leaves stand perfectly still.
“Look, look!” I shouted, excited, but as soon as my concentration waned they started to move again, twirling and falling with the breeze.
Lucas rolled his eyes and gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like ‘show off,’ but I chose to ignore him. He then quickly gave a real cough so violent that we all jumped.
“Gracious, Lucas, are you all right?” Fred asked wide-eyed, patting him on the back in concern. “Couldn’t tell if that was you or the thunder!”
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