‘Who would volunteer for that?’ I ask.
Aiden shoots a glance at Henry. ‘That’s our next problem,’ he says. ‘It won’t work on people who are on the surface because their bodies have already been exposed to Lysartium. We need volunteers who aren’t already tainted.’
‘How will you get them?’ I ask, but I think I already know what he’s going to say.
‘We need to go back to the ARC.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aiden and Henry swear me to secrecy before I return to the station. They need to tell M about their cure before anyone else knows so he can form a plan of action. I don’t like keeping it a secret from Sebastian and April, so I find myself avoiding them when I get back.
Copper and I sit on one of the red fabric seats in my train carriage, essentially hiding. I listlessly run my hand though the fur on his back as I stare at the thick graffiti on the ceiling. Henry’s cure could mean so many things, but I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact they want to test it on someone first. What if they got something wrong with it? What if someone dies because they made a mistake?
They both seem so certain this is it though. Henry had seemed close to creating a cure for weeks now. Maybe he really has done it.
I sigh and look down at where my hand runs through the dog’s fur. ‘Do you think it will work, Copper?’ I ask. He swivels around to look at me and tilts his head, almost as if he wishes he could understand what I’m saying. I rub the top of his head affectionately. ‘It’s okay boy. I’m not sure if it will work either.’
There’s a loud knock at the door. ‘Elle, I know you’re hiding out in there,’ April yells. Before I can answer she opens the door and walks in. She stands over me with her hand firmly on her hips. ‘You should really find a better hiding place to sulk in.’
‘I’m not sulking,’ I reply.
She eyes me closely and takes a seat opposite me. ‘Are you upset after we saw Hunter today?’ she asks.
‘No, it’s not him,’ I answer.
‘So, why are you avoiding everyone?’
‘It’s nothing important,’ I respond. ‘Did you and M come to a decision about what you’re going to do with Hunter?’
She nods. ‘We’re going to bring him in tomorrow morning.’
My mouth drops in surprise. ‘So, you trust him…’
‘I’m not sure,’ she replies. ‘But I do believe what he’s told us. In all the time I knew him at school, he may have been cocky, but he was never the type to torture people. I honestly don’t believe that’s in him.’
I nod. ‘I feel the same way. Thinking back to when I saw him in Joseph’s office at Headquarters, I feel like the guy looking at me then wasn’t Hunter. It can’t have been. He wasn’t the same person.’
April looks over my shoulder and out the window at the darkened walls of the tunnel. Her eyes are troubled and her thoughts seem to have moved beyond the confines of the train.
‘If M thinks we can trust him, I’m sure we can,’ she says softly. She sighs and rubs her eyes before looking back at me. ‘I just don’t want to give him the chance to hurt you again.’
I reach out and give her hand a squeeze. ‘We won’t let him.’
‘No. Not if I have anything to do with it.’ She folds her arms across her chest and her body stiffens. Looking into her eyes, I can almost see her planning what she would do if he did hurt me again.
‘How’s M feeling?’ I ask, trying to distract her from Hunter.
‘Better, but he’s not resting as much as he should be. He’s been through so much, but he refuses to stop and allow himself to recover. His heart is so invested in The Movement he can’t allow himself to rest for even one moment. I’m just glad we have him back,’ she says, with a smile.
‘People do seem more positive now that he’s back,’ I agree. ‘But I still think you were doing brilliantly as a leader.’
‘Thanks,’ she says, with a smile. ‘Let’s just say I’m not going to miss it.’
A knock sounds at the door and Sebastian peeks his head in.
‘Seb. I should have known that would be you,’ April says, winking at me. ‘I’ve just remembered I need to be anywhere but here right now.’ She quickly jumps up and dashes out the door before we can say anything.
Sebastian smiles and comes to sit on the seat next to me. ‘You’ve been hiding,’ he says.
I nod.
He frowns and looks down at his hands. ‘Is it because of Hunter today?’
I pause as I consider my response. ‘Your sister came to the same conclusion, but no, it’s not because of him. I just have some things on my mind right now.’
He gives me the same look of understanding he always does as he nods. He won’t question me about it, as he knows I’d share what is bothering me if I was ready to. Instead his eyes brighten and a look of resolve settles in them. ‘I thought we should train tonight,’ he says.
‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ I nervously chew on my lower lip as I consider it. We’ve practiced using my talent together a couple of times since we left the camp but, so much has happened recently, I’m worried about what could go wrong.
‘Of course it is. We talked about this; we need to practice more. Now that we have M back I imagine Joseph will be stepping up his attempts to find us. I want you to be prepared if he does.’
Joseph’s name being spoken out loud causes my stomach to drop. Sebastian is right. Joseph will be coming for us sooner rather than later, especially after he lost M, Hunter and me at the same time. It sounds like I’m crucial to his plans and I won’t be safe until I can protect myself and those around me.
‘Where do you think we should practice?’ I ask.
Sebastian’s eyes twinkle at me. ‘I know the perfect place.’
Sebastian takes us to an old stone building. It’s a short walk from the subway and well within sight of the lookouts, who watch for recruiters from the station entrance and different points along the road.
I walk past this place every time I go to the clinic and have always marvelled at the structure but never thought to go inside. Set back from the street, the building has a peaked roof with a large bell hanging in a tower overhead and stone statues carved into the façade.
I try not to let my nerves get the better of me as we approach the building. My skin crawls as Sebastian pushes open the huge front door. The rotting wood is battered and weatherworn, and groans loudly as it slowly creaks open. A small, dark chamber is revealed within. A thick layer of dust has settled over the cold, stone tiles that run across the floor, and silence permeates the air, assaulting the senses.
The chamber is mostly empty, but for a single door on the opposite wall that leads further into the building. Sebastian pushes through the second, inner door and I jump as the outer door slams shut behind me. I rush to get closer to Sebastian, feeling a wave of anxiety run through me.
The second room we walk into is a huge open hall that takes up most of the building. It’s lighter in here, with large, multi-coloured windows that allow the moon’s light to shine into the room. Some of the windows are broken, but the ones that are still intact group together to form vivid and beautiful images.
Rows and rows of benches line the walls and a long tattered carpet extends down the centre of the room. Against the far wall there’s a huge wooden cross. The sight of it causes me to shiver. I never thought I’d enter one of these places and I’m not sure if I feel comfortable here.
‘A church?’ I ask Sebastian, my voice echoing through the hall.
He silently nods and moves forward, his footsteps loud against the stone floor. Before impact religion had been such an important part of life for many people, but that changed after everything happened. While people in the ARC were entitled to their beliefs, there were no places of worship erected and few people seemed to observe religious doctrines. I’ve never been certain whether or not to believe in God, but it does feel wrong to use a place like this for practicing my talent.
‘You really think this is the best place?’ I ask him.
‘Well, we can’t exactly practice in the subway after you nearly caused that cave in last time, and we need somewhere large enough that you can’t cause too much damage. I think this building is about as sturdy as it gets. I’d like to see you try and knock it down.’ He grins at his comment.
‘Don’t laugh too soon,’ I mutter. Knowing my luck, I’ll walk away with this place a crumbling ruin behind me.
Sebastian finds a spot on the floor and sits down. I seat myself opposite him. The ground is hard and cold beneath me and the shadows that creep up the walls are long and dark.
‘Let’s just get this over with,’ I say, wanting to get out of the church as quickly as possible.
Sebastian smiles knowingly. ‘So, when we’re practicing tonight, I want you to relax. I don’t want you to be afraid of your talents. There’s no reason to be. You are in a safe space and I can disappear at a moment’s notice if needed, so you won’t hurt anyone. Tonight, don’t think about trying to control your talents. Just let them flow through your body. It’s as natural as breathing if you allow them to run free.’
‘It’s easier said than done,’ I murmur.
‘I know it’s difficult,’ he says. ‘But you’re safe here and it’s worth a try.’
I let out a breath and nod. I understand what he wants me to do, but I’m not sure I can do it. If I let my talents roam free I’m worried they will burst out and do something I’m not prepared for.
Perhaps he is right though. I’ve been able to use my talented sight and hearing for weeks instinctively without trouble, like they are no different from my normal senses. I think it’s because I’m not afraid of hurting someone with them. If I finally embrace my other talents, maybe I will be able to keep them within my control.
‘What talent do you want to work on?’ he asks.
I hesitate, thinking back to the time I had been sitting with Jane and thought I saw her eyelids flicker. Aiden said there had been no change in her condition, but I felt like I’d done something to her. Maybe I had used a talent I didn’t even know I had. What talents lurk deep within me waiting to come out?
‘Is there a way to know what talents I might have?’ I ask.
Sebastian frowns. ‘There’s not exactly a test. We know about your enhanced eyesight and hearing. You can make windows after Aiden gave you that talent. We’ve seen you teleport and freeze things. I’ve also seen you create balls of fire and pure electricity. I’ve seen you build swirling storms out of thin air. Pretty much the only thing I haven’t seen you do is manipulate someone’s mind.’
‘Could there be other talents I haven’t discovered yet?’
‘I suppose there could,’ he replies.
‘I guess there’s not really a list of potential talents?’
His frown deepens. ‘Not really. Supposedly each talent manifests differently with each individual, so the possibilities are kind of endless. Everyone’s brain works differently, so they can use their talents in unique ways. April and Hunter are both mind manipulators, but the way the talent has developed in each of them is slightly different. There could be endless variations on the talents we have, so nobody knows how many there are.’
‘But there are others that have been identified, along with mind manipulation?’
Sebastian nods. ‘Yeah, when I was at the Academy in North Hope they tried to divide talents into categories. There were the Gifted who had increased brain capacity and the Enhanced who were physically stronger or had heightened senses. They even had a category for Healers, although I never met one. Why are you bringing this up?’
‘I was just wondering.’ I shrug, avoiding looking him in the eyes.
He frowns again. ‘Should we get started?’
‘Sure.’ I lift my gaze and push my shoulders back. ‘What should I do?’
‘Well, we could do with a bit more light in here,’ he says with a smile. Before I can respond, he jumps up and retraces our steps to the front of the church. When he reaches the final row of benches he turns and follows it to a dark corner of the room. He stops by a metal table, which stands under a huge cross on the wall there. In the dim moonlight it’s difficult to see what he’s doing, but his hands appear to be gathering small items that have been left on the table.
When he’s done he makes his way back towards me and sits back down on the floor. He opens his hands to reveal a bunch of tiny wax candles and lets them slide out of his grasp and onto the floor in front of me. Carefully, he organises them in a neat line.
‘Do you think you can create some fire to light these candles?’ he asks.
I nod slowly, but I don’t feel confident. I can’t think of a time when I’ve summoned my fire talent with any kind of control. The damage it could potentially cause frightens me and I feel anxiety building up inside me.
‘Don’t forget, there’s no reason to be afraid,’ Sebastian says, as if reading my thoughts.
‘Easier said than done,’ I murmur. ‘Should I try it?’
Sebastian nods. ‘Yes, but first I want you to calm yourself with deep breaths in and out,’ he says.
I try to clear my mind and listen to the sound of his voice, but I find myself getting distracted by it. Instead of clearing, my mind keenly focuses on how Sebastian’s knee is so close to touching mine. They are merely an inch apart…
‘Focus Elle,’ he says, effectively pulling me from my wandering thoughts.
I look up at him, guilt making my cheeks blush. ‘Sorry,’ I mutter.
This time I close my eyes and firmly focus on my breathing instead of Sebastian’s voice. One deep breath in, one deep breath out. Repeat. We do this for a minute before Sebastian seems happy that I’m sufficiently calmed.
‘I want you to concentrate on your chest. There should be a warm, almost tingling spot inside of you. This is the source where you draw your talent from.’
I know exactly where he is talking about. Deep within my chest I can always feel warmth; a part of me that seems to hum and vibrate with energy. At the moment the orb of energy within me feels small, but as I focus down on the area it seems to grow, pulsing as it expands.
‘Now focus on drawing the energy from that spot and spreading it through your body. Bring it to your hands and then imagine it seeping out of every pore on your fingertips.’
I allow the pulsing ball of power in my chest to continue growing and then urge it to disperse and flow through me. As it moves around my body it seems to pick up speed and suddenly feels like it is rushing towards my fingers like an unstoppable force, eager to escape.
In my head I imagine it bursting out of my hands in a huge inferno and engulfing Sebastian as he sits in front of me. I panic and tense my chest while closing my hands into tight fists. I desperately attempt to quell the powerful energy that pulses inside me and threatens to burst from my palms. But it’s too late. Intense heat fills my hands and they burst open, sending two balls of fire flying up to the ceiling above. I look up and watch the flames crash against the stone roof, the flames licking outwards as they flatten before disappearing into thin air. All that remains are two scorched, black marks on the stone.
My eyes fall to Sebastian who watches me calmly. ‘You panicked, didn’t you,’ he says. ‘I saw you tense up and try and hold it in. You need to do the opposite. Just let your talent flow naturally—trust me, Elle.’
I frown and tilt my head back to look at the burn marks above us. Doing what Sebastian suggests goes against every ounce of reason inside of me. Allowing my talent to leave my body without restriction seems impossible and dangerous. Sebastian is right about one thing though. It did feel natural to have my talent flow through me, just like breathing. I just panic the moment it tries to leave my body. I need to trust him. I need to try this again. Plus, the church didn’t come crashing down during my first attempt, so maybe I’m not as dangerous as I thought.
I lower my gaze to the candles in front of me and focus inwar
ds on the talent I can feel humming inside. The ball of energy still pulses from my last attempt and it doesn’t take much focus to get it moving through me once again. This time as my talent begins to hurtle towards my hands, I focus on staying calm. Instead of seizing up, I close my eyes and let out one long breath to relax. I open my hands to the sky and allow the energy to continue on its collision course to my fingertips.
When the intense heat returns to my hands I apprehensively open my eyes, expecting to see flames rocketing up into the air. But there are no balls of fire hurtling upwards. Instead, a calm sea of flames gently floats over my palms and between my fingers. The flames give off a soft golden light and the sight of the fire so steadily burning surprises me.
It takes me a moment to remember that I’m supposed to be lighting the candles. I reach my hands out over the candles lined up in front of me and face my hands down so the flames hover over the wicks. I slowly lower my hands closer and one by one the candles burst to life until they all burn brightly.
I pull my hands away and slowly clench them into fists, withdrawing the talent from my fingertips and urging it back into my chest. I smile when the last flame disappears from my hands.
‘You did it,’ Sebastian whispers quietly, the reflection of tiny flames dancing in his blue eyes as he stares in awe at the candles.
‘I did it’ I repeat, in just as much shock as he is. ‘And the church still stands,’ I add, feeling a wide smile touch my lips.
‘The church still stands,’ he agrees, looking back up at me before quickly dipping his head and blowing out the candles with one sweeping breath. ‘Should we try again?’
I nod eagerly. We repeat the same process over and over. By the time we’ve finished practicing I’m actually getting good at it. I wish I could show Will how far I’ve come. He would have been so excited if he could see me using my talent with such control.
After a while, Sebastian stretches his arms up over his head and stifles a yawn. ‘I think that’s enough for one night. I don’t want to exhaust you.’
I smile and nod, but I feel far from exhausted. I feel like I’ve barely even started to make a dent in the well of power that I can feel buzzing in my chest.
Destined (The ARC Book 4) Page 12
