There’s the sound of shuffling footsteps and a pause in conversation. ‘Look, we have a plan and I want you to be a part of that, but only if you’re willing to cooperate. I don’t want you going off script because it’s what you think is best.’
‘I want to help…really I do,’ Hunter sighs. ‘I just want him gone. Do you know how many other people he made me torture? Elle wasn’t the only one…’
Silence hangs tensely in the air and when Hunter begins to talk again, I draw my senses back to my body until all I can hear is Sebastian breathing. I don’t want to keep listening in. It feels wrong to be eavesdropping on their conversation, when it’s clearly so personal. I open my eyes and nod at Sebastian. ‘I can hear them.’
He grins at me. ‘Do you think we should listen in?’ he asks.
I glance at the door at the end of the corridor that Hunter and M are behind. ‘No, I don’t think we should listen.’ I’ve already heard enough.
He frowns and glances at April, as though asking for her support. ‘I don’t trust Hunter,’ he says, keeping his voice low. ‘I want to know what he has to say to M.’
‘Well, you guys eavesdrop then,’ I say to them both. ‘I don’t feel comfortable with it. I’d rather just ask Hunter to his face.’
‘You really think he’ll just tell you? I’d rather have a heads-up if he has something planned.’
I shake my head. ‘He hasn’t got anything planned.’
‘You certain about that?’ April asks softly.
My chest collapses as I heave out a long breath. ‘No, I’m not certain. But we should probably give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, don’t you trust M?’
Sebastian’s eyes soften at my words and the fight seems to rush out of him. April looks guilty. ‘Yeah, you’re right. We can trust M,’ she says. ‘If there’s something we need to know about Hunter he’ll tell us.’
I feel the tension in my back release as they both agree with me.
‘There you are,’ Mia exclaims, as we leave the corridor. She’s walking past the turnstiles with Amber and Kelsey in hand, and Copper trailing behind. ‘I’m helping out with breakfast and was hoping you guys would be back. The girls are full of mischief this morning and I can’t keep an eye on the two of them at once.’
Sebastian’s troubled eyes clear and he gives Mia a smile. ‘We’ll look after the girls,’ he replies.
Mia’s face lights up with relief. ‘Thanks, I owe you one.’ She gives us a little wave as she darts back down to the platform. We walk over to the two girls. Kelsey’s eyes are bright and she proceeds to giggle as Copper gives her a massive slobbery lick across the face.
‘Come on you,’ I say, smiling as we move to follow Mia. Sebastian, April and Amber head down the steps to the platform first, but something in Kelsey’s expression causes me to pause when I go to take her hand. Her lower lip is trembling and all traces of laughter have gone from her face.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask, crouching down beside her.
‘I just miss him,’ she says, causing my heart to flutter with a familiar pain. It’s been weeks since Will left our life, but neither of us is over it. I’m not sure if I’ll ever truly be able to move on.
I pull her into a hug. ‘I miss him too,’ I say.
‘Do you believe in heaven?’ she asks me, when I pull back.
I pause at her words. ‘I—I’m not sure. Who told you about heaven?’ I ask. It’s been such a long time since I’ve heard that word uttered aloud. It’s almost like a fairy tale adults tell children, though I’ve heard some people truly believe in it. I don’t think it’s true, but I hope it is, so I won’t rule it out completely.
‘Mia. She told me that’s where Will is now. Is he with Sleeping Beauty?’
I give her a small nod, my words failing to find my lips.
‘Can we go visit?’
My heart lurches in response. How am I supposed to answer her question? I’m not prepared for this. I slowly shake my head. ‘No, we can’t visit them. But we can think about Will and Jane and remember them every day. If they’re still in our memories and in our hearts, they’re never truly gone.’
She smiles sadly and nods. ‘I think about Will all the time,’ she says.
‘Me too,’ I reply.
Kelsey seems to brighten up as we head down to the platform. She climbs up onto Sebastian’s lap. ‘Can I open the can?’ she asks, in her chirpy singsong voice.
Sebastian smiles and passes her the can. She purses her lips as she tries to go about opening it. I feel sad watching her and reflecting on our conversation. We’ve already lost too many people. I don’t want to lose anyone else.
I hear footsteps on the stairs and I glance over my shoulder to look at who’s walked onto the platform. Hunter stands there, appearing completely self-assured despite the glares people are shooting him. I turn my back on him and face Kelsey, decidedly ignoring him. He may have saved me at Headquarters the other night, but it hardly makes up for the other wrongs he’s caused me.
I can feel him watching me, and the back of my neck tingles with his stare.
‘You know what?’ I say to Sebastian. ‘I’m not really that hungry.’
I move to the edge of the platform, with Copper at my heels, and swing my way down onto the tracks. I don’t look back. I don’t want to see Hunter again and I can barely stand to be in the same space as him right now. Just being near him makes me angry and I can’t afford to lose control. I head into the darkened tunnel and feel instant release once the platform is no longer in sight and I’m away from him.
‘Winters, wait up,’ Hunter says, coming after me.
I almost growl as I stop and turn to look at him. ‘What?’ I spit.
‘I just thought you should know, M believes my story,’ he says, seeming lost for words.
‘Is that all it is? A story?’
Hunter crosses his arms over his chest. ‘Look, I know you don’t want to believe me, but it’s the truth.’
‘You once told me I could trust you, but everything that’s ever come from your mouth has been a lie. Why should I believe you now?’
‘Elle, I-’
‘Look, you may have M convinced, but I don’t trust you,’ I say, cutting him off before he can feed me more lies. ‘M may have agreed to let you stay, but I don’t want anything to do with you. I’ve seen what you can do to people and I’ve been tormented by you before. If you’re going to stay here, then make sure you stay out of my way.’
Hunter takes a step away from me, surprised by the vehemence with which I speak. I don’t wait to see if he has another quick response for me, instead I stalk away from him down the tunnel.
I’m bristling as I walk along the train tracks and it takes everything in me to try and calm myself enough so I don’t use my talents. I take a deep breath in and then out. I need to stay clear of Hunter. He brings out the worst in me and if he keeps trying to explain himself to me I’ll probably end up losing control in a bad way.
I look back at the empty tunnel I’ve just walked down. Why did Hunter only break out of Headquarters now if he’s been in control of himself since the day I froze him? Why is he so set on helping us?
Copper and I walk to the point where the train tunnel reaches the surface and daylight shines in through the entrance. I spot a solitary figure sitting by the entrance, looking out at the train tracks that move off into the light of day. As I get closer, I can see Lara’s waist-long brown hair. She has her knees tucked up into her chest and she rests her chin on them as she peers up at the sky. She looks distant and thoughtful, and I hope I’m not interrupting her.
She’s been so different since she was rescued from Headquarters—quieter and more withdrawn. I don’t blame her for the way she’s been, but I do miss my friend.
‘Hey,’ I say, sitting on the ground beside her.
She turns and gives me a small smile. ‘Oh, hey Elle.’ A frown creases her forehead as she looks at me. ‘You’re sad.’
I nod and try to r
esist the ache in my chest as I think of Jane. I’m not sure if Lara would have heard about her death yet, and I don’t know how to tell her. It’s difficult to control how I’m feeling though, so I know I need to let her know what’s happened.
‘Jane died,’ I say, quietly.
She reaches out and rubs my arm, and I feel a wave of soothing warmth rush through me. ‘Yeah, Dad told me,’ she replies. ‘Aiden must be really struggling.’
‘I don’t think he’s doing well,’ I agree. When I’d seen him this morning he’d looked like a part of his soul had been wrenched out of him. I hope he’s able to make it out of this okay. I look past Lara to the world beyond the tunnel. The day is gloomy and there’s a light mist rolling across the ground.
‘There’s something you should know…’ I say, turning back to Lara and pushing away all thoughts of Jane.
She tilts her head and watches me closely. I can almost sense her talent reaching out to feel my emotions, to see if she can guess what I’m about to say. I shiver at the sensation. I’ve never felt it so keenly before.
‘What is it?’ she asks.
‘Hunter escaped from Headquarters and he’s here now,’ I tell her. I go on to repeat his whole story to her. Lara stays silent the entire time, allowing me to finish in full.
‘Do you believe he’s telling the truth?’ she asks.
‘I’m not sure,’ I reply, wishing I had a better answer. If I believed him I could try to move on, and if I was convinced he was lying I could hate him forever and be done with him. Sitting on the fence makes it so much harder.
‘I never once sensed deceit in him,’ she says, thoughtfully. ‘Arrogance, yes, but never deceit. When I was in Headquarters he was the one to torture my mind, but the Hunter that came to see me was nothing like the one we went to school with. Even with an inhibitor band I could sense that.’
‘So, you think we should believe him?’ I ask.
She watches me closely, her eyes giving away nothing about the emotions I know must be rushing through her. ‘I think we should give him a chance.’
As much as I hate to admit it, I agree. I do believe his story, but that doesn’t make it any easier to trust him again, or be anywhere near him. I open my mouth to speak, but before I do she continues. ‘That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also stay wary of him. With a talent like his, who knows what web of lies he could be spinning.’
We both return to the platform together. When we arrive there are more people gathering there than usual. Lara asks a woman we pass what’s happening and she tells us that M’s called a meeting.
Lara goes in search of her parents, while I try to find a place to sit. Hunter is standing by the steps that lead to the surface, so I deliberately sit on the ground by the wall opposite—as far away from him as possible.
The platform is slowly filling with people, so I probably won’t be able to see M very well from the spot I’ve chosen. As long as I’m away from Hunter though, I don’t really mind.
Sebastian comes down the steps with Kelsey in hand and I see him searching the crowd for my face. His eyes almost immediately find mine and he makes his way over. He sits down beside me and Kelsey comes to my other side and curls up under my arm.
Hunter catches my eye and gives me a wink, making me groan out loud.
‘What?’ Sebastian asks.
I nod my head in Hunter’s direction. ‘I just didn’t want to be near him,’ I say, keeping my voice low.
Sebastian lightly places his hand on my knee and gives it a squeeze. I can feel he wants to comfort me; he just doesn’t have the words. I place my hand over his and smile.
‘Do you know what the meeting is about?’ I ask.
‘M hasn’t said, but I’m guessing it has to do with Hunter being here. It’s too much of a coincidence to be anything else.’
‘Do you think he could have given him some new information?’
Sebastian considers my question. ‘Maybe. Your guess is as good as mine.’
Kelsey tugs the sleeve of my jacket. ‘Can we go to the park today?’ she asks.
‘Not today, you know it’s too dangerous for us. Besides, it’s freezing outside and we don’t have any gloves for your hands. Your fingers will get cold.’
She gives me her largest pout, pleading. ‘Sorry. We could play a board game though.’
Her eyes light up. ‘Will you play too?’ she asks Sebastian.
He smiles, but shakes his head. ‘I’m on watch after the meeting, so I’m afraid I can’t.’
‘That’s okay. You’ll just have to play with me tomorrow,’ she replies, causing him to laugh.
‘She’s a keen negotiator,’ he says to me. ‘We better watch out for that.’
I nod, smiling. ‘I think she may already have you wrapped around her little finger. I wish I had that kind of influence over you.’
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close, causing my heart to beat erratically. ‘Don’t be silly. I’d teleport to the stars and pick one out for you if you asked. She clearly learnt her persuasion skills somewhere.’
I smile into his chest before giving him a playful shove back. ‘Teleporting to the stars? That’s such a bad line.’
I shake my head as he laughs. He looks like he’s about to respond but stops when M walks down onto the platform. Everyone falls quiet, with only a few whispers continuing on in the background as he moves to stand at the front.
April stands confidently next to him and I wonder if she knows what’s going on. She certainly looks like she does. Behind her, Aiden and Henry walk into the room. It’s strange to see them both out of the clinic, especially Aiden. His eyes are vacant and he appears completely detached, like he can’t even see the crowd of people he stands before. There’s only one thing that would have made him leave the clinic—the cure.
‘Some information has come to light that cannot be ignored,’ M begins. ‘Aiden and Henry have been working hard on a cure that will stop the mutation that causes talents from developing. They have informed me that they have finally found that cure, but will need to start a series of human trials before it can be administered to those in the ARC.’
People mutter excitedly in response. This news is big. Everyone in the room knows that the cure could mean the chance to return our families and friends still living in the ARC to the surface. Most importantly though, they know it is the key to making Hope the place we all want it to be.
‘I am proposing we send a team to the ARC to find several individuals who are willing to volunteer as test subjects for the cure,’ he continues, raising his voice to be heard over the crowd.
‘We have transport arranged to take a team this afternoon. This cure is our number one priority and we cannot wait to act on it. It is only once we make a cure available for citizens of the ARCs that we will be able to reunite broken families. We will finally have a platform from which we can truly oppose Joseph.’
With that, M turns and heads back up the stairs from the platform. There are mutters of agreement through the crowd as everyone digests what they’ve just heard.
‘They’ve found a cure!’ Sebastian says, excitedly from beside me. ‘This is huge. I wonder who is being sent to the ARC.’
My heart starts racing wildly, and hope rushes through me at the thought of returning to the ARC. I’ve spent so long helping Aiden and Henry with the cure that it wouldn’t feel right if I wasn’t there to see this through to the end.
I see April making her way towards us through the crowd. ‘Pretty big news, isn’t it,’ she says, when she reaches us. ‘M wants to talk through the plans with the team,’ she smiles at Sebastian, ‘of which you’re a member. You’re going to the ARC, Seb.’
He grins. ‘Really?’
She nods, smiling back at him.
‘Who else is going?’ I ask, nervously.
April’s smile drops and her eyes don’t meet mine as she turns to me. I already fear what she’s going to say.
‘Soren, Dalton, Luke, Aiden, Lara
and Hunter are going,’ she answers.
My heart sinks as I hear her words. I can’t believe I won’t get to be a part of this.
‘I’m sorry Elle,’ April says. ‘M thinks it’s too dangerous. You might lose control down there, or worse, you might be captured.’
‘What about Lara?’ I protest. ‘Is she in the right shape to go after last time? How can you trust Hunter down there?’
‘The team may need to use Lara and Hunter to convince the people of the ARC who they are. Soren, Dalton and Luke can fight if needed. Sebastian’s talent can always comes in handy. Aiden needs to administer the cure. M has thought this through. He’s made up his mind. I’m sorry. I know how much you want to go. I do too.’
‘It’s fine,’ I reply, willing for my heart to feel okay about it. ‘The most important thing is that the mission succeeds,’ I add, not very convincingly.
‘No, it’s not,’ Sebastian says. ‘You of all people should be coming. April, we can talk to M.’
‘Don’t,’ I reply. ‘He won’t listen. He’s always thought I was a liability. A few words from you won’t change that.’
He frowns, looking like he wants to argue back, but instead he turns to April. ‘Which ARC do you think they’ll send us to?’ he asks.
‘You’ll find out in the meeting.’
‘Could it be ours?’
She nods. ‘It’s the closest, so potentially.’
I try to be happy for Sebastian, and a part of me truly is. He might see his dad again. If I were going, I might have had the chance to be reunited with Quinn. But I guess that’s not going to happen now.
April glances towards the staircase. ‘You should go Seb…’
‘I know,’ he says. He watches me closely and I know he understands the pain that runs through me. His eyes plead with mine.
‘Please, let me talk to M,’ he says. ‘I can tell him how you’re improving with your talents.’
I shake my head. I may have looked in control in the church, but my talents certainly haven’t responded well under pressure. M knows that, and Sebastian won’t be able to sway him.
Destined (The ARC Book 4) Page 14
