‘Okay, I’ll do it. But don’t make me think I’m Dalton, I’ll lose half my vocabulary.’
April laughs. ‘I think that should be fine.’
I suddenly feel nervous about the idea, but I try to hide how I feel. What if I already have too much to handle? What if gaining a new talent changes me too much?
‘When will we do it?’ I say, pushing my concerns aside.
‘I think we should get them to dose you with the talent now, so you can practice using it before we go in for Henry tomorrow.’
‘You want to go tomorrow?’ I ask, struggling to keep the alarm from my voice. I don’t even know how long it takes for a talent to take effect once I’ve been dosed with it. What if it takes a week?
She nods. ‘There’s a celebration in the city to commemorate the day it was founded tomorrow. It should make it easier for us to get in and out of Headquarters. I’ve already got the other member of our team organised.’
‘Who else is coming?’
‘Soren.’
‘And me,’ Sebastian adds.
‘No, you’re not coming,’ April responds, without missing a beat.
‘To hell I’m not. You can’t send Elle in there and expect me to wait at home like a good boy. You know I can help.’
April watches him as she thinks it through. ‘You can come with us to Headquarters, but you’re not coming inside.’
‘No, I’m coming inside.’
‘Look, if you come inside there will be too many of us and we’ll be caught. You can come, but you need to wait outside in case something goes wrong. It’s the only way I’ll let you come.’
He glances at me uneasily. ‘Fine,’ he agrees.
‘Come on, let’s get you to the clinic, so we can get you your new talent,’ April says. She sounds way too chirpy about the idea, which I find odd and slightly concerning. Last night I wasn’t allowed to come at all.
When the doctor brings out the syringe he intends to use on me, I nearly turn and walk out of the clinic. The thing is huge, and reminds me so much of the one they’d used during my eye treatment in the hospital. The serum inside even has an equally unnatural shade of purple to it. The sight of it shakes me, but despite my reservations, I lie down on the bed opposite Will’s.
Sebastian pulls up a chair and takes hold of one of my hands. ‘You’ve got this,’ he says, with a grin.
I grumble, but nod anyway, refusing to look away from his bright blue eyes as the doctor proceeds to place the needle in the crook of my other arm. The injection is slow and painful. I clench my teeth together to stop myself from screaming out and squeeze Sebastian’s hand so tightly I’m probably close to breaking it.
He prattles away to me about nothing, but at least he somewhat distracts me while the pain passes.
‘How long will it take to be effective?’ April asks the doctor, once he’s finished with my injection.
‘We’ve never done this before, so there’s no way to be sure.’
‘Should we go to the hangar to see if it’s working?’ she asks me.
I nod and try to push myself up, but the motion makes me lightheaded. I feel sweaty and weaker than I had felt moments before. Not to mention a little bit queasy … I quickly clamber to the side of the bed and throw up in the bin next to it.
‘Are you okay?’ Sebastian asks, rushing to my side.
‘Sure,’ I reply, trying to sound better than I feel. He offers me a tissue box and I quickly grab one and try to subtly wipe my mouth with it. I cringe, unable to believe I was just sick in front of everyone.
‘Maybe we should keep you for observation for a while,’ the doctor says.
I nod gratefully and lie back on the bed. I’d forgotten how sick the treatments in the hospital had made me feel. If this is what it feels like to gain a talent, I’ll be glad if I can manage to stop it.
It’s several hours before I feel even slightly normal again. Will is having a good day, so he offers me a distraction by introducing me to one of the lab rats. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so excited before. He’s even given them all names, including one called Elle. I’m not too sure how I feel about a rat being named after me, but it seems to make him happy and, in a way, I guess it’s kind of sweet.
When April comes back to check on me, I’m feeling much better and the doctor agrees I should be okay to go. We head out to the hangar where we’ve been doing all my training. Much to April’s annoyance, Sebastian follows us there. It’s like he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight and I don’t know whether to be grateful or worried.
Instead of sitting in the centre of the building like we usually would, April leads me over to one of the walls. I remove the inhibitor band from my wrist and place it on the floor.
‘How do you feel?’ April asks.
I think about it for a moment. ‘I feel good,’ I respond, smiling. ‘Really good.’ I look at the wall and I can actually picture making a window in it, just like Dalton would. It doesn’t seem like simply a possibility. It’s something I know I can do.
April must be manipulating me to the max to make me feel so sure of myself. I’m vaguely aware I shouldn’t feel this way, but I find it doesn’t bother me. Who wouldn’t want to be this calm and confident?
She gives me a nod. ‘Do you want to make a window?’
I grin. Hell yeah I do. I place one hand firmly against the cold metal wall, and with my other hand I slowly draw a large circle with one finger around the outside. I focus on the wild, pent-up forces inside of me and will the energy to move down my arm, through my hand and into my forefinger. I can feel the shift inside of me as I do this, and my finger begins to throb and throw off tiny sparks, which build until my finger is glowing a strange shade of blue-tinged white light.
A glowing trail follows my finger. It feels connected to me, and I can sense every element of it as though it were a cord extending from my finger. Once the circle is complete, I channel the energy inside of me into my other hand, which slowly starts to radiant pure, bright light. I imagine the wall inside the circle is like a series of millions and millions of tiny particles and I urge them all to disperse.
They slowly trickle away, like tiny seeds of a dandelion head disappearing as they are scattered in the wind. The hole is slow to form at first, but before I know it, I can clearly see the sun beaming down on the hard concrete ground on the other side of the window.
A wisp of wind catches a strand of my hair, blowing it across my face from through the window and I smile. The process felt natural and as easy as taking a deep breath in and out. I almost feel sad as I remove my hand from the wall and the window disappears. I face April and Sebastian, beaming. ‘How was that?’
April claps her hands together. ‘That was incredible!’ She bends down to collect my inhibitor and passes it to me. For the first time in forever I feel whole, like I’m not out of control or bottling up a part of me that wants to escape. For once I don’t want to put the inhibitor back on.
I slowly place it back around my wrist. I feel a wave of sadness as my talents are clamped back inside me. They had just filled me with such joy and now it’s like they are locked away in a box where I can’t access them.
‘You did really well,’ April says. ‘You’ll be brilliant tomorrow.’
‘Are you sure you’re not rushing into this?’ Sebastian asks her.
‘I’ve run the logistics and tomorrow is our best bet.’ She glances down at her cuff. ‘I have dinner with the Masons so I should run. But, I’ll meet you both here tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock.’
She races off and I am left alone with Sebastian.
‘Do you think this is being rushed into?’ I ask him.
‘I’m not sure,’ he replies. ‘It does feel like it’s happening very quickly. You’re still as white as a sheet after that injection, are you sure you’re feeling up to this?’
‘Yes, I feel okay now. Besides, I don’t have any choice but to be okay. They need my help and I want to give it in any way I
can.’
He frowns, unhappy with my answer. ‘I just hope we don’t run into any trouble tomorrow.’
‘Me too,’ I agree.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The next morning moves by in a blur of nerves and anxiety. Every time I think about using my talents and the people relying on them, my heart flutters and my palms grow sweaty.
I still remember how amazing it felt when April helped me take control of them but, without her influence, doubts easily creep back in. I worry something will go wrong and I’ll lose control.
I’m silent as I walk with Sebastian over to the hangar I’ve been training in. My fingers tap anxiously against my thighs and I chew on my lower lip as I try to avoid thinking of what we’re about to do.
‘It’s going to be fine,’ Sebastian says, when he catches a look at me.
‘And what if it’s not?’ I reply.
‘It will be. We both know what an obsessive control freak April can be. Usually, it’s annoying as hell, but it also means she’s been meticulous in planning this out. This will work.’
‘I suppose,’ I mumble, not completely convinced.
He stops walking and takes both my hands in his. ‘I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you ever again.’
‘Some things can’t be stopped,’ I reply, staring intently at his chest.
With one hand he gently lifts my chin so I look him in the eyes. The colour is such a deep shade of blue in the afternoon light, like the dark depths of the sea, swirling with emotion. He looks troubled, but there’s also a hint of passion that traps me in his stare. When he looks at me this way I struggle to remember to breathe.
‘I promise I will protect you,’ he says.
‘Even from myself?’ I say, with a sad laugh.
‘Even from yourself.’
‘Are you two coming?’ April shouts at us from the hangar, causing us to jump apart like we’ve just been caught doing something wrong.
‘Just a sec!’ Sebastian calls back.
We start moving to the hangar again. I have to stop myself from reaching out to Sebastian. I just want him close to me, even if we were only holding hands. I clench my hands into fists and try to stop myself from having those ideas. They’re exactly why I’ve distanced myself from him. I need to focus. Especially today.
‘I don’t think you’ll need my help though,’ Sebastian says, continuing our conversation. ‘You seem to have that covered already.’
I smile. ‘Well, the band does,’ I say, nodding at the inhibitor.
‘You give that thing too much power over you. If you could just believe in yourself, I doubt you’d need it at all.’ He seems sad about my reliance on the device. I don’t like it either, but I don’t have any other choice.
Soren is already at the hangar when we get there and April seems restless as she waits for our arrival. ‘Let’s go,’ she says, as soon as we reach them. ‘I’ll explain everything on the way.’
We follow her as she leads us across the expanse of concrete towards the city that lies ahead. I feel nervous and excited as we walk. It feels like forever since I’ve been in the city and I find I actually miss it.
‘Where is Headquarters?’ I ask April, as we reach the marsh that divides the camp from the city.
‘It’s in East Hope, near the Reintegration Centre. It’s this ugly old building that looks like it would crumble if a strong enough storm hit it.’
‘And that’s where they chose their HQ to be?’
She shrugs. ‘I wouldn’t have picked it.’
‘How are we getting inside?’
‘Let me worry about that. Just remember, you are the window maker today, that’s all I want you to concern yourself with.’
I nod and try to appear confident, but the mention of using my talent causes my stomach to drop. What if I can’t do it again? Or worse, what if I end up exploding like I did in the hospital and I hurt someone?
‘Oh, here, put this on,’ April says, passing me a hoodie from out of her backpack.
‘What’s this for?’ I ask.
‘To try and cover up your appearance a bit. I can still manipulate any recruiters that recognise you, but it will be better if they don’t. Try to keep the hood up and your head down if we see anyone.’
It doesn’t take long for us to make it to the more populated part of the city. I see signs of people and occupied buildings more quickly than I expected. I remember it taking such a long time the night we escaped. But, I was carrying Kelsey and dead on my feet, so it’s not surprising it took longer.
There’s a bright, happy air to the place as we move onto some of the busier streets. People appear excited and many of them are waving purple pieces of material. There seems to be purple banners everywhere. There are celebrations going on inside the cafes and restaurants we pass. It’s as though the whole city has gone on holiday and I feel completely out of place.
‘Do they do this every year?’ I ask April.
‘Yep, it seems to get bigger with each one. I’ve never seen so much purple in the streets before.’
Soren grimaces, as he looks at all the purple surrounding us. The look on his face is of such disgust it makes me want to laugh, but after seeing what he can do to people, I wouldn’t dare.
Sebastian lightly touches my arm and I hang back from the others to talk with him. ‘Are you alright?’ he asks.
I glance at April and Soren who are walking several feet in front of us. ‘Am I that obvious?’
‘No, not at all. I just happen to know when you twist your hands that way, there’s usually something up.’
‘Oh.’ I instantly drop my hands to my sides and we slowly follow them again. ‘I’m nervous about using my talent again. I’m not sure if I’m ready.’
‘You were brilliant yesterday.’
‘No, April was brilliant. Without her I’m like a ticking time bomb, just waiting to go off. What if something goes wrong while we’re in there?’
‘It won’t,’ he says.
‘But what if it does?’
He folds his arms across his chest. ‘You shouldn’t worry. If something goes wrong, you comm me and I’ll come and get you.’
‘Can you teleport into a place you haven’t been before?’
‘Not easily. But once I’m in I can get you out.’
I sigh and rub my face with my hands. ‘That doesn’t sound like much of a back up plan.’
‘It’s better than nothing.’
‘I suppose,’ I reply.
‘We’re nearly there,’ April calls to us, over her shoulder.
Sebastian grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly. ‘Everything will be fine. Don’t lose sight of why we’re doing this.’
‘You’re right,’ I say, smiling up at him. ‘We’ll be able to help Jane and Will.’
April leads us to the entrance of a towering apartment building. She walks confidently through the front doors and straight towards one of the elevators inside. The place reminds me a lot of the Mason’s. The outside looks like a shard of glass reaching to poke a hole in the sky and inside the floor is covered in marble tiles with white walls and shiny steel fixtures.
We go to an apartment on the eighteenth floor, which is gutted inside, with bland concrete floors and walls and electrical wires hanging from the ceiling. It’s not nearly as impressive as the building that holds it.
April picks up a bag just inside the front door and passes us each a black uniform from inside. ‘You need to change here; we’re just around the corner from Headquarters now.’
I hold out the black recruiter’s uniform she’s passed me and push down a wave of unease. Without the hood I’m wearing now, anyone could spot me.
‘You should probably wear this too,’ April says, passing me a ball of blonde hair.
‘You think a wig will work?’ I ask, holding it up.
She shrugs. ‘It’ll help.’
We each go to a separate room in the apartment to change. It feels wrong putting the black suit on. Someth
ing about it just makes me edgy. Once I have the wig on I walk back to join the others.
Sebastian bursts out laughing when he sees the wig.
‘Well, that just makes me feel great,’ I grumble.
He comes and pats me on the top of the head. ‘No, I think it’s cute,’ he says, grinning broadly. ‘But I definitely prefer brunettes,’ he whispers, in my ear.
April hands us each an ID badge, then motions us in the direction of the door. ‘We should go,’ she announces, causing the smile to drop from my face. My heart leaps into my mouth and as I take one last look at the empty apartment I feel a flood of uncertainty wash through me. I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready for this at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I feel like a thousand eyes are watching me as we approach the headquarters building. My skin tingles with anxiety and I keep my eyes focused down on the ground before me as I try to fit in. But with my black recruiter’s clothes, I doubt there’s any chance of that happening.
The old stone building stands behind a large square, which features a fountain in its centre. There are people everywhere waving their bright purple banners, music fills the air and the place buzzes with excitement. We leave Sebastian at the edge of the crowd, where he has a good view of the building.
‘Be safe,’ he whispers to me, drawing me in for a hug before I leave.
‘You too,’ I respond. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’
‘What, like escaping the ARC to go after my friend? I wouldn’t dream of it.’ He grins.
I groan and take a step away, ignoring his comment, which only makes him laugh. ‘I’ll see you in a bit,’ I tell him.
As we move through the crowd April falls into step next to me. ‘Stay close to me and do everything I do once we’re inside. They’ll have cameras in there, monitoring our every movement. We need to blend in if we don’t want to be discovered,’ she says, keeping her voice low.
I don’t respond and she raises one eyebrow as she looks to me, checking to see I’ve heard her. I give her a cursory nod in response.
The ARC 03: Fractured Page 17