Anna jumped up and hugged me. “It’s cool, now that I know what’s going on. Though,” she stepped back, cocking her head, “do you think we could hang out more? I mean, you don’t have to hide from me now. I know your big secret, right?”
I grinned. “Good point, but not while I’m training.” I sobered. “And, hey, can we keep this between us for now? Don’t tell Kevin I told you.”
The thought of explaining to the ‘rents why I’d told Anna about supernormals made me cringe internally. A chill went through me when I remembered Uncle Dan talking about the memory eradicator – a device invented to convince normals that supernormals didn’t exist. Many supernormals were uncomfortable with the idea of altering memories, even those of normals, unless it was necessary, so they rarely used the device. I wasn’t sure what constituted a good reason to use it, but I didn’t want to find out, not by risking Anna.
“Our secret.” Anna raised her hand for a high five.
“Okay, good.” I pulled my backpack onto my shoulders.
Anna looked thoughtful. “So where do you go for training?”
I started to tell her, but then I frowned at her. “You can’t come. They won’t let you in.”
Anna pouted. “I just want to know where you go all the time.” She held up her hands. “But it’s fine. I’ll get it out of you later.” She grinned.
I sighed. She might be right.
When I got the warehouse, Kevin was there, lacing up his workout shoes.
“Hey!” I greeted him. “How’re you feeling?”
He ran his hand over his arm and I stared. Tiny, crescent shaped scars covered his body. There were even a few on his face. We almost never scarred because we healed so quickly. Seeing scars on his arm made me feel like things were spinning out of control.
“Yeah, it’s kinda freaky. Smitty thinks the scars might fade with time, but for now I’m sporting them like marks of honor.” He gave me a weak grin.
I gripped his arm tightly. “I’m sorry we didn’t stop the thing in time. Before it got to you.”
He shrugged off my apology. “It happens.” But his eyes told a different story – the attack had shaken him.
“Kevin!” Zoe ran up and gave him a hug. “Glad to have you back, slacker.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Uncle Dan came over, tablet in hand. “Welcome back, Kevin.”
“Thanks. I heard about the other attack. Any idea what’s doing it?”
Uncle Dan shook his head. “No, and there hasn’t been another one since the first.”
“That we know of,” I finished.
“That we know of,” Uncle Dan agreed. “Okay, let’s get some training in. Kevin and Zoe in the ring. Kevin, you need to work on your reaction times. You shouldn’t have been caught by the blattarian.”
Indignant on Kevin’s behalf, I wanted to protest, but Kevin kept quiet, just nodding in apparent agreement.
Uncle Dan waved me to the treadmill, telling me to work on my speed. I’d gotten faster in the months since I’d started training, but I was still minutes behind my cousins when it came to running.
I was just finding my stride when the front door slammed open, startling me. I missed a step and almost slid off the treadmill. Grabbing the handrails, I managed to hit the stop button. Panting a little, I stared at the entrance. No one got past the safeguards at the door without us knowing, so the sudden appearance of a woman I’d never seen before was unusual.
She stood framed in the doorway, the light from outside casting her in silhouette. All I could tell was that she was tall and slim.
Aunt Kate had risen to her feet and stood with arms crossed, her posture seeming more annoyed than alarmed. Uncle Dan remained sitting, watching the woman with a wary expression. Kevin and Zoe stopped sparring and observed from the boxing ring. Zoe leaned against the ropes, her hands dangling loosely.
The woman strode forward, coming under the warehouse lights so I could see her better. Everything about her was pale; her skin, her eyes were pale blue, her hair was ash blonde, and even her tunic and pants were pale gray. A contrasting dark gray satchel hung across her shoulder.
For just moment, I thought she was the woman from my waking nightmare before I realized she held herself differently. More confidence than haughtiness.
She stopped when she got to the classroom area.
“Which one are you?” Aunt Kate’s blunt question surprised me with its content and directness.
“Six.” In contrast to her delicate appearance, the woman’s voice was strong and deep. “We require all of your family for our discussion.”
Aunt Kate sighed, looking around the warehouse. “Kids, come on over here.”
Realizing I was holding the treadmill rails so tightly I’d left dents, I let go. I grabbed my towel and walked over to the classroom area, my stomach tight with dread. I didn’t know why this woman scared me. Was it her dramatic entrance or Aunt Kate’s reaction? Aunt Kate hadn’t even asked Six to sit down which was uncharacteristically impolite of my aunt.
Zoe, Kevin, and I settled down on the couch together. Uncle Dan hadn’t moved since Six had arrived. His eyes remained locked on her face.
Once we settled, Aunt Kate gestured for Six to speak.
Six faced us, glancing over us. Did I imagine her gaze lingered on me? Before I could decide, she spoke. “Emma Brighthall and two other prisoners escaped from Ley Prison this morning.”
I felt like someone had punched me in my gut, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. Emma escaped? How?
Chapter 6
Aunt Kate’s face flushed at Six’s news, but she managed to sit down and pull out her iPad. She tapped on the screen with quick fingers. Without looking up, she asked, “When did this happen?” Her voice hitched as if she’d been running. I heard her take two deep breaths.
I gripped the edge of the couch cushion, the images from my waking nightmares jumbling with the news that Emma had escaped.
Six folded her hands together, her expression calm, but I was sure the slight curl of her lip was a sneer. “About mid-morning.” Her eyes continued to scan us in turn, as if she was indexing our reactions to the bombshell she’d just dropped. Her pupils dilated, leaving only a rim of blue visible. “She and two others escaped together.”
Aunt Kate looked up. “How?” Her voice was even now, her face back to its normal color, though her fingers tapped restlessly on the side of her tablet.
Six focused on my aunt’s face, her pupils shrinking to normal size. “We aren’t certain.” She cocked her head. “Perhaps your family can shed some light on how Emma Brighthall, an adolescent supernormal with an average ability, managed to escape the most secure prison on the planet?”
Uncle Dan jerked back as if Six had punched him. His hands twitched in his lap until he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?” Aunt Kate pressed her lips together.
Zoe, her voice cracking with anger, said, “You think we helped Emma escape?”
Kevin and I exchanged a wide-eyed glance. He looked as poleaxed as I felt. How could this woman march into our warehouse and accuse of us of helping our infamous cousin break out of prison? My head felt light as if I were floating above, watching this ridiculous scene.
At the same time, a little bubble of resentment trickled through me at hearing an outsider call Emma’s ability average.
Tightening my hands into fists on my lap, I leaned forward. “What gives you the right to accuse us of this? Who are you anyway?”
Aunt Kate spoke in a quiet voice, a faint echo of her “lecturing the kids” tone. “Olivia, this is Six, she’s part of The Octad.” I could hear the capital letters in the phrase, The Octad.
“What is The Octad? A group of whack jobs who go around accusing people of terrible things for no reason?” Six didn’t react to my statement, continuing to watch me as if recording my movements.
“No.” Uncle Dan finally spoke, his voice thick as if he pushed each word throug
h a swollen tongue. “Six is one of eight female siblings…octuplets. Her name is Gabriele Jones.” He paused, giving Six a cold look. “Their significant ability is that they are a hive mind.” He crossed his arms and glared at Six. “Because their thoughts and minds intermingle, they act as investigators. Enforcers.” He spat out the last word.
“We prefer to be called by our birth order number,” was Six’s only acknowledgement of Uncle Dan’s statement.
Hive mind? Just when I thought I was accustomed to the oddities of my supernormal world, the weirdness leveled up. Sharing my thoughts with other people sounded horrible, like the noisiest, most jumbled life ever lived.
A little voice in my head reminded me I hadn’t minded sharing my thoughts with Benjamin Hallowfield, my almost boyfriend. Last fall he’d broken one of the strictest laws in the supernormal world to save my family and me. His significant ability, mind reading/control, was one of the forbidden abilities – using it meant incarceration. He’d used it twice – once to find out if I was a murderer and once to stop the real murderer, Emma. But not before she’d killed Kevin’s brother Hugh.
The moment when he’d read my mind was also the occasion of our first and only kiss. One of my favorite, most private memories from a generally horrible time.
“Can they read the minds of other people? Not just the Octad?” I had a flash of fear. Could she read my mind and find out about the waking nightmares? I eyed her cautiously for any signs she knew, but her expression remained calm.
“No, but they think they’re smarter than everyone else. Don’t they, Gabby?” Zoe’s tone was like her whip, lashing out with a sharp bite.
In her first sign of emotion other than calm query, Six narrowed her eyes at Zoe. “Do not use that name. We are smarter. What one of us learns, the rest knows. Immediately.”
“Handy. Could be helpful for studying for tests,” Zoe said in a bland, unimpressed tone.
Aunt Kate rubbed her eyes wearily. “Zoe, stop jabbing at Six, please.”
I tried to suppress a nervous laugh, but a snort escaped. I quickly sobered up when I looked over at Kevin, sitting so still next to me. He hadn’t spoken since Six’s announcement of Emma’s escape. After we’d shared our look, he’d slumped back on the couch with a distracted expression. He picked at the cuticles of his right hand. I took his hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Uncle Dan said, “You think we helped Emma escape?” His voice was so flat I knew he was holding in strong emotions. “And The Council sent you to do…what exactly?” He spread his hands wide.
Six said, “We are here to question you and to watch you.”
“We?” I asked.
Zoe muttered, “They always refer to themselves as plural.”
I considered Zoe’s explanation before deciding it made sense. After all, if they shared a mind, they weren’t really individuals. My mind was flooded with questions I wanted to ask but felt awkward mentioning. If Six and her sisters were always connected, how could she focus on what was going on in front of her? Did they all sleep at the same time? Did they experience the same emotions? I had trouble picturing Six displaying any emotion other than calm inquiry.
Six either didn’t hear or chose to ignore Zoe’s comment. “We will question you and compare your information with that of other persons of interest. Our sisters are questioning the others now.”
“Who?” Kevin spoke up, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. “Who are the other persons of interest?”
Everyone stared at him and then at Six. She smoothed down her tunic top and shook her head. “We can’t talk about it – it would sully the process.” Her eyes dilated again. Before anyone could argue, she picked up her satchel. “Is there a private room where we can question each of you separately?” Her polite tone was a disturbing contrast to her request. She sounded like she was inviting each of us out for tea.
Aunt Kate pressed her lips together for a moment, as if she was holding back a flood of words she wasn’t ready to release. Then she pointed in the direction of my training room. “We can use the fireproof training room.”
“No!” The word burst out of me before I could stop it.
“Olivia.” Aunt Kate gave me an admonishing shake of her head.
I gritted my teeth to stop myself from ranting about how violated I felt. The fireproof training room was my room. Mine. It was the only place I could safely push the limits of my ability without hurting anyone. My grandfather had built it so he could practice his fire making skills and I was the first of his descendants to use it for its original purpose.
Six ignored my outburst. She walked to the doorway and opened it. “This will do. We’ll start with Daniel Brighthall.”
Uncle Dan stood up and followed Six without a backward glance at the rest of us.
Zoe leaned back on the couch and stretched her legs out on the coffee table. She put her hands behind her head and stared at the rafters. “What do you think she’s going to ask us?”
Kevin watched the door as Uncle Dan and Six went into the room and Six shut the door after them. Aunt Kate bent over her iPad, taking notes – her defense when she was unhappy. She’d probably written enough notes to fill a small library in the last six months. Neither Kevin nor Aunt Kate answered Zoe.
More for something to distract me than because I had any ideas, I said, “Who knows? I mean, how can they think we had anything to do with Emma…escaping?” I ignored the flash of memory from the dreams, or whatever they were
“I didn’t hear her say who else escaped,” Zoe said. “Did you?”
I shook my head.
Aunt Kate answered, “She never said, but I found chatter about it on the message boards.” She scrolled down on her screen. “It’s bad.” With a swipe of her finger across the iPad screen, she transferred the display to the large monitor in front of the classroom area. Three photos appeared:one man and two women, including Emma.
The man was so ugly it was hard to look at him. His eyes were uneven, his nose was bulbous, and his lips were thick and flabby. The scars across his chin and cheeks didn’t help his appearance.
It was the image on the far right, next to Emma’s photo, that sent a shock through my system. The blonde woman’s face was the same one from my visions. Average, unnoticeable, your basic soccer mom type. Until I noticed her eyes – there was a whirlwind of crazy in them.
“Who are they?” Kevin asked, his voice too calm and controlled.
Aunt Kate’s face was pale as she read from the screen, pointing to each photo in turn. “Joshua Grenon, and…” Aunt Kate paused before continuing, as if she had to brace herself for the next name. She pointed at the photo of the blonde, crazy eyed woman. “Eva Maralah.”
Zoe sat up from her slump. “Holy shit.” It was a tribute to Aunt Kate’s shock that she didn’t chide Zoe for her language.
“Who’s Eva Maralah?” I asked.
“She’s one of the most famous prisoners in Ley Prison.”
I shook my head. “Never heard of her.”
Aunt Kate said, “She’s also known as Black Gaea.”
“Holy shit,” I echoed Zoe. “You mean…?”
“Yes, she was behind the drought in the Midwest and the one in Europe,” Zoe answered.
“How? What is her ability?” I asked while trying to imagine an ability that would cause a drought without normals figuring out there was something abnormal behind it.
“Something about the weather. I don’t really know of all it…” Zoe glanced at Aunt Kate, expecting her to start explaining.
Aunt Kate just stared at the monitor. Emma’s photo was on the screen with the rest of the escapees. The photo was Emma’s mugshot, taken the night of her arrest by the Council security force. She was disheveled, but she still looked like my cousin with her pixie haircut.
I sighed and leaned back, closing my eyes to hide the photos on the screen. I couldn’t get the image of Black Gaea out of my mind. Why had I seen her in the weird flash of images in the past
couple of days?
Everyone was silent – lost in his or her own worries. My thoughts spun. Should I tell Aunt Kate about my waking nightmares? I was pretty sure the vision didn’t mean I was going crazy – wouldn’t there be other signs if I were?
I opened my eyes, deciding to tell Aunt Kate about my visions while Uncle Dan was out of the room. I leaned forward and opened my mouth. Then I heard the door to my fireproof room open and Uncle Dan telling Aunt Kate she was next. I shut my mouth as Aunt Kate put down her iPad and got up with a sigh.
Before leaving, Aunt Kate touched Uncle Dan’s arm and spoke to him quietly. I tried to hear what she said, but her voice was too low for even my supernormal hearing. Uncle Dan shrugged off her hand and walked to the door leading outside, his shoulders slumping and his head down. I felt sorry for him.
I sat back, unsure if I was relieved or disappointed I’d missed the moment. When Aunt Kate came out of questioning, she went outside to talk to Uncle Dan before I could pull her aside to talk to her.
Six questioned Zoe next, and finally Kevin. When Kevin came out of the fireproof training room, his face was red and blotchy. I felt a fresh rush of anger at Six for hurting my already fragile cousin. I started to pull him away from everyone to talk to him, but Six called out, “Olivia Brighthall.”
I told myself not to be nervous. I had nothing to hide, but Six had the same effect as the police. I automatically felt guilty.
Without a word, I walked into my training room, the only place I could safely practice my fire making ability. My stomach soured at the sight of two chairs and a small table set up in the middle of the room. I suppressed the urge to cleanse my room of this invasion by setting everything on fire and burning the offending furniture away.
Six settled into the chair behind the table, leaving the other chair for me.
I sat down and crossed my arms. Six picked up the pen and notepad on the desk. The part of me that wasn’t anxious smirked at her low-tech tools.
Six seemed to sense my amusement. “Not much point in saving data to the cloud when we are our own network.”
Root Page 6
