by X, Alice
“No, Dad,” Ava said before he could finish. “Not again.”
“We have to keep moving,” Gregory said forcefully.
“We’ve been here only three days.”
“That’s long enough,” Gregory replied. “The witch hunters are everywhere.”
Ava sighed. “Dad, I think we lost them.”
“We didn’t,” Gregory replied firmly. “They’re just biding their time, waiting for us to re-emerge. That was a close call we had in Colorado.”
“We managed to escape,” Ava pointed out.
“Just barely,” Gregory said. “We didn’t even know we had been spotted. The witch hunter followed us three blocks before we even noticed.”
“It won’t happen again, Dad,” Ava said trying to sound confident.
“No, it won’t,” Gregory said with renewed determination.
Ava saw the set of his jaw, and she knew that he had a plan in mind that none of them would like. She was just about to ask him what it was when Harry and Lillian showed up. Their hands were empty.
“Nothing?” Gregory asked.
“I checked the traps,” Harry replied. “I think we may have caught something, but it escaped in the night.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Gregory said dismissively. “We’ll find something to eat in the next town.”
“Something real to eat?” Harry asked eagerly.
“I didn’t say that.”
Harry gave a dramatic sigh and sank to the earthy forest floor. Ava noticed that his cheeks looked less full; he was quickly losing his boyishness.
“Come on everyone,” Gregory said. “Let’s start packing up.”
Harry groaned and Lillian stayed stationary.
“I know this is hard, guys,” Gregory said softening his tone. “But we have to keep on the move.”
“Gregory,” Lillian started in her soft, quiet voice.
“Not now,” Gregory said surprising both of his children with his abrupt manner. He was rarely ever impatient with Lillian. She sighed and got to work pulling down the tents.
“What was that about?” Harry whispered as he sidled up to Ava.
“No idea,” she replied.
When everything was packed and ready, Gregory turned to the three of them. His eyes were hooded and evasive, and that was how Ava knew that she was not going to like what he said next.
“We have to split up.”
“No,” Ava said immediately.
“We can’t!” Harry insisted.
“Your mother and I discussed it last night,” Gregory went on, speaking over them as though they had made no interruption. “It’s the best way. It’ll be easier to travel with fewer people, and we have a better chance of going undetected. Harry, you’ll come with me, and, Ava, you’ll be with your mother.”
“Dad,” Ava said coming forward. “We can’t split up.”
Gregory reached out and took Ava’s hand in his. “I’ve been thinking about this for days,” he said. “This is our best option. And it’s only temporary. We’ll be reunited soon.”
“When?” Harry demanded coming forward too.
“A few months,” Gregory replied.
“What’s the plan in the meantime?” Ava asked.
“We keep a low profile, stay under the radar,” Gregory said. “And once things cool down a little bit, we cross the border into Mexico.”
“We’re going to Mexico?” Ava asked incredulously.
“Harry and I are,” Gregory told her. “You and your Mum will be heading towards Canada.”
Ava shook her head in disbelief. “They’re on opposites ends.”
“We will be taking separate flights out of each country,” Lillian said. “And we will meet again in Prague.”
“That’s the plan?” Ava asked. “What about passports and identity cards? Surely the Orion Task Force will be watching for any sign of activity.”
“Which is why we have fake passports and ID cards,” Lillian said.
“You’ve been planning this for a while haven’t you?” Ava asked looking between her parents.
“We hoped we’d never have to use them,” Lillian said. “But we needed a safety net.”
“We’re really doing this?” Harry asked, his voice sounded lost.
Ava reached for him and hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. After a moment, she could feel his body shake from the effort it was taking him not to cry.
“Don’t worry, my pet,” Ava whispered to him using the name she used to call him when he was tiny. “We’ll see each other soon, and in Prague. It’ll be an adventure.”
“I’m scared I’ll never see you again,” Harry whispered into her ear.
Ava broke apart from him and looked him directly in the eye. “You will,” she said fiercely. “Don’t doubt that.”
He hiccupped back his tears and nodded at her. It was with a start that Ava realized he didn’t have to look up anymore. He was her height exactly.
“Come here, darling,” Lillian said to Harry. She extended her arms, and he walked into them.
Ava brushed away the stray tear that had fallen and turned to her father. His eyes were dark and secretive, but Ava knew him well enough to know that he was trying to keep himself together. No matter how confident he sounded, he was as scared as the rest of them were that they wouldn’t find one another again.
As Ava came forward to hug him, he leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Ava looked at him in shocked confusion. “What?” she asked in disbelief.
“It’s a last resort,” Gregory said. “If something goes wrong, and you don’t make it to Canada.”
“But, Dad….”
“It’s our last safety net.”
“Are you sure?” Ava asked.
Gregory looked away from her. “I don’t have a choice.”
Chapter 5
Ava strained her ears trying to pick up something, a few stray words, even a muted sound, but all she got was silence in return. Thomas had not visited her cell yesterday. Ava hated how much that bothered her. Her meals were pushed through the little opening at the bottom of her door three times a day, and that was all the human contact she had had.
When she felt as though her thoughts were threatening to destroy her, Ava got up and started pacing. When that wasn’t helping, she started singing old nursery rhymes to herself; the ones that her mother had taught her when she was little. After the nursery rhymes turned morbid, she started repeating the words her father had told her just before they had parted.
She heard a sound and froze in place. She turned towards the door and stared at it as though willing it to open. After a few seconds it swung forward, and Ava thought momentarily that her powers had been restored to her. Then Thomas appeared, and her heart jumped.
“I didn’t expect to see you again,” Ava said.
Thomas said nothing. He took her in his arms and kissed her. Ava’s worries about trusting Thomas melted, and she felt herself responding to his kiss. They clung to each other, their bodies reacting despite their concerns. Thomas was first to pull away. They looked longingly into each other’s eyes but moved apart.
He sat down and motioned for Ava to do the same. Instantly fear clutched at her throat, she was sure he had bad news. “No,” she breathed. “No.”
“Ava, calm down,” Thomas said. “It’s not them.”
“What?” Ava asked wanting to make sure she had heard right.
“The two men who were captured… they’re not your father or your brother.”
“They’re still safe,” Ava said to herself, allowing relief to flood through her system. She felt instantly better, though the feeling was fleeting. She was aware that Thomas was acting differently. He was fidgeting, and his eyes didn’t meet hers.
“Thomas?”
“Yes?”
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
He avoided her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re lying to me.”
Thomas kept his head lowered. “What is your father like?” he asked abruptly as though the question had popped into his head a second ago.
Taken back, Ava took a moment to think about it. “I… he was… my dad,” she said struggling for words. “He was strong and decisive and opinionated. His first priority was keeping us safe.” Thomas’s question was forcing her to think about the kind of man her father really was. “He was kind of serious most of the time,” she continued. “I think he lived in fear all his life. I think he was scared that we would end up… here.”
“He chose to stay out of the Orion war?”
“It’s not exactly an Orion war anymore,” Ava pointed out. “But, yes, he was strongly opposed to it, on both sides.”
“He didn’t sympathize with the Akkadians?”
“No,” Ava replied.
“Most witches do.”
“My father marches to the beat of his own drum,” Ava explained.
Thomas nodded. “That is not an easy thing to do,” he said almost to himself. He seemed preoccupied, as though he were involved in some internal conflict.
“Are you going to hand me over to another witch hunter?” Ava asked cautiously, hoping that he had changed his mind. She regretted being so candid with him the last time they had spoken. She should not have placed so much trust in him. At the end of the day, no matter how close she felt to him, she had to remind herself that he was still a witch hunter.
Thomas lifted his eyes to hers for the first time. His blue eyes were veiled, and she could not read them. “No,” he replied shortly.
Somehow Ava did not feel comforted. There was something he was not telling her. She searched his hands for the serum, but she found them empty.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“What I must,” he said getting up and walking to the door.
He gestured for someone to come in, and a moment later two guards walked into her holding cell with stony expressions. Ava jumped to her feet and moved to the far corner of her cell, willing herself not to tremble.
“No,” she said as one of the guards pulled out the little glass vial with its insidious blue serum and passed it to Thomas. “No. I’m not drinking that.”
“Hold her down,” Thomas commanded in a voice that was not his own.
Ava screamed and attempted to fight, but she was powerless against the guards. They came at her from both sides and grabbed her arms. She tried to claw and bite, but she was too firmly entangled in their grasp. She found herself being shoved onto her hard mattress. One guard held down her hands and legs while the other kept her head stationary. All she could do was scream.
“Keep her still,” Ava heard Thomas say.
Then he walked towards her, dragging his chair along with him. He placed the chair beside her bed, near her face and sat down. She could see him out of the corner of one eye. His expression was untroubled.
“Even if you force me to drink it, I’ll just throw it up later,” Ava spat.
“I know,” Thomas said quietly.
She watched in horror as he took out a little tube with a pointed end and transferred the serum into it. He was going to inject her, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. All at once she stopped fighting. She let her body go still. She closed her eyes, the tears squeezing out. She felt the point of the needle on her arm, and she tightened her muscles against the pain. It was over in five seconds. Her body felt cold and numb.
“Well done, Thomas,” one of the guards said brusquely. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”
“You can go now,” Thomas replied. “Thank you for your help.”
Ava barely registered that she was free. No one was holding her down any longer, and yet, she still felt trapped. She heard the door snap shut. She turned her back to Thomas so that she was facing the wall. She realized suddenly why she felt so much pain. It was not the serum, the injection or the indignity of being tossed around like an object. It was the betrayal. She kicked herself for being so naïve.
“Ava,” Thomas said softly.
“Don’t,” Ava said, fighting to hold back her sobs. “Please just leave me alone.”
“Ava,” he said again. “It was fake.”
It took Ava a moment to process the words. She sat up and turned to him. “What?” she asked.
“The liquid I just injected you with,” he said. “It was fake.”
“That wasn’t the serum?”
“No,” Thomas said shaking his head.
Ava shook her head. “I don’t understand. What does this mean?”
Thomas looked at her with his clear blue eyes. “It means I’m going to get you out of here.”
Ava stared at him for a second. “You promise?”
Thomas didn’t blink. “I promise.”
Ava leaned towards him and touched her lips to his. They pressed into each other urgently, as their hands and mouths touched each other hungrily. Ava and Thomas cast their fears aside and followed their hearts, sealing their promise to each other.
Chapter 6
Five Weeks Ago
“Mum?” Ava called out as she neared their campsite.
She heard a soft groan of pain, and her heart rate sped up as she rushed through the trees into the little clearing where they had set up their tents.
“Mum?” she cried in a panic.
“It’s alright,” Lillian said quickly. “I’m okay; I just caught a splinter.”
Ava let out a sigh of relief and went to sit beside her mother. Lillian’s face was pale and drawn. There were new lines on her face that had appeared in the last week. Her hair had lost its glossy sheen. Now it was a dull and listless brown and was falling out at the roots.
“Eat something, Mum,” Ava said gently pushing a sandwich into her hands. It was wrapped in cellophane and yet somehow, it still managed to smell good.
“Where did you get this?
“A 7-Eleven down the road,” Ava replied.
Lillian nodded as she unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. Ava did the same. The sandwich was cold, there was more bread than there was chicken, but it tasted better than she could have imagined. Once her stomach was reasonably satisfied, Ava’s attention turned back to her mother. She looked smaller somehow, as though she were shrinking.
“Mum?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
Lillian looked up. “I keep thinking about your father, and your brother….”
“I know, Mum,” Ava said quickly, putting her arm around her mother. “I know.”
“I just… I wish I knew if they were safe.”
“Dad is nothing if not resourceful.”
“He’s proud, that’s what he is,” Lillian said, her tone was almost bitter.
“Mum?” Ava asked tentatively. “Did the two of you have a fight before we split up?”
Lillian sighed. “I… that was my fault.”
“What happened?”
“I suggested something I shouldn’t have.”
“Which was?”
Lillian fell silent and Ava didn’t push her. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer than usual. “I questioned whether or not it might be a better option for you and your father to just… turn yourselves in.”
“To the witch hunters?” Ava asked in shocked disbelief.
Lillian’s eyes darted up to meet Ava’s. “I only want you to be safe. I didn’t want you to have to run. I didn’t want you to have to spend the rest of your life in hiding. When they talk about Cleansing, they say there are no side effects. I thought….”
“Mum,” Ava said firmly. “Stop.”
Lillian looked down at her hands. “I know what you think,” she said in her calm manner. “And I understand. But, as your mother, I just thought giving up your ability was a fair trade for your life. You’re so young, my darling, and sometimes the young underestimate the worth of a normal life.”
“Did Dad?” Ava asked.
Lillian flinched. “It is, and has a
lways been, your choice,” she said. “If you would rather spend your life in hiding, if that is a fair trade for you… then I will support it.”
“Mum….”
“I only want you to be happy, Ava — and safe. But, if I can’t have both, then I would rather you be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you and your brother.”
Ava hugged her mother tightly. She could feel how weak and small she had become. It seemed amazing how much a person could transform in so short a period of time. “I’m sorry, Mum,” Ava said. “I know how much you miss Harry.”
“He’s only fifteen,” Lillian said as a sob escaped her. The sound made Ava’s stomach churn uncomfortably. “He’s just a boy.”
“Dad will keep him safe,” Ava said with a confidence that she did not feel. “Just like I’m going to keep you safe.”
Lillian smiled. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”
Ava shook her head. “I’m the superhero remember?” she said using the word that Harry had always used in relation to her. They both laughed, but their laughter was tinged with sadness.
Lillian kissed Ava’s temple. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get our stuff packed up.”
Ava nodded and got to her feet. They were ready to move out when she heard the sound. It was loud, like the crack of a whip, and it was familiar, eerily familiar. It was different from anything else they had heard in the woods, and Ava knew instinctively that it was dangerous. Then she heard voices that were lowered in conversation. She looked up and noticed that her mother had frozen in place too.
“What was that?” Lillian mouthed to her.
Ava shook her head and inched forward. She moved up close to her mother. “People,” she whispered.
“Witch hunters?” Lillian asked automatically.
“Could be nothing,” Ava said without any real hope that she was right. “But let’s get out of here anyway.”
Lillian nodded and they started moving in the opposite direction. They moved as quietly as they were able but the leaves beneath their feet were dry and crunchy, and the sound seemed somehow magnified in the great expanse of trees. She noticed that the voices were getting closer.
“Hey, Terry,” a voice shouted out. Ava and Lillian froze in place. “There are signs of a campsite here.”
