After Flux (The Flux Series Book 2)

by Marissa Farrar

  THE SOUND OF THE WORLD crashing around me burst me from sleep. At first, I thought I’d dragged my nightmares—dreams of explosions and running, things flying toward me through the sky—out into my real world. I’d affected my surroundings by the emotions I’d felt in my dreams before. But this was different.

  A light flicked on, and I realized Dixie was also sitting up in bed, her dark eyes wide. “What’s happening?” she cried.

  I swung my legs out of bed. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t happening in the bedroom. “I don’t know.”

  Were we under attack? Had Kit’s father figured out where our base was, or perhaps the people who’d been doing the bombing had set up a device down here somehow? No, if a bomb had gone off, we’d all be buried alive. Plus, I couldn’t hear anything now.

  “Ari, wait,” Dixie cried, but I ignored her, running for the corridor. I got halfway down before I remembered I was only wearing my underwear and a tank top. Oh well, it was too late to worry about modesty now.

  Other members of the Kin emerged from the bedrooms. I spotted Hunter and raced up to him. “What’s going on?”

  “I have no idea,” he said, “but it sounded like it came from the Cavern.”

  We ran on. Kit had gotten there before us. He stood in the Cavern, just where the corridor opened out into the vast space, his hand to his mouth. I followed his line of sight to the central console, and gasped.

  The three flat screen computer monitors lay in pieces across the floor, as though someone had picked each one up and thrown it with considerable force. The keyboard shattered, black keys scattered across the floor like pebbles. The console itself was cracked down the middle, something no one would have been able to do by hand. No, whoever had done this, they’d done it by thought alone.

  Ice encased my heart. Could it have been me? Had I done this in my dreams? I knew I’d done things before that I hadn’t been aware of. But then my thoughts went to the things that had gone missing when I’d first arrived here—my family’s photographs and my favorite socks. I hadn’t done that to myself, had I?

  I shivered. I didn’t like how that made me feel—as though I wasn’t sure if I could trust myself. Hunter must have noticed. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I just don’t like this. Who would have done it?”

  He shook his head.

  Kit turned to us. We’d all gathered now, everyone woken either by the noise of the screens smashing and the console breaking, or by the commotion of everyone else getting up. He pointed to the mess. “Who did this?” he demanded.

  The Kin looked at each other, nervous and unsure.

  “Someone must have done this,” he shouted.

  “None of us would have done it, Kit,” said Dixie, standing beside Sledge.

  Sledge agreed. “Since when have Kin damaged parts of the Cavern?”

  Natasha spoke up from somewhere near the back. “It’s never happened before!”

  One of the twins was next to speak, and his words struck me through the heart. “Arianna broke the last thing that was damaged here!”

  “Hang on, Lyle,” I said, spinning to him, “that’s not quite true. I had stuff of mine taken remember?” I didn’t like having to defend myself again. It made me feel like I had when I’d first arrived. Also, though I was defending myself, I couldn’t honestly say that I wouldn’t have done it. Perhaps my dreams of the bombings had filtered into real life?

  “What about the new guy?” Russell shouted. “We don’t know him. He might have been planted here by the Myriad Group to destroy this place.”

  I frowned. “I don’t think so. He hasn’t even shown that he’s capable of moving anything yet.”

  “He could be pretending.”

  I noticed Zane’s blond head appear at the back of the crowd. I didn’t want this to be happening. It was hard enough being new here without being demonized. I put up both of my hands. “It might have been me,” I called out.

  Hunter’s head whipped toward me. “Ari, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “I can sometimes do things while I’m asleep. Nothing as drastic as this, but I was having a nightmare about the bombings, and then the sound of all this breaking woke me. There’s a chance I did it.”

  Hunter frowned. “You don’t know that.”

  “No, but there’s a chance that’s what happened.”

  “You’re covering for the new guy,” Lyle’s twin, Lisa, shouted out.

  “No, I’m not. I’m just trying to give an explanation.”

  I could feel Hunter’s gaze on me, full of questions. Kit’s, too. My cheeks colored. I didn’t like this amount of attention on me, but I tried not to have an emotional reaction toward it. The last thing we needed was for something else to happen.

  Kit raised both hands to tell everyone to calm down. I knew this must be hard for him. This place was his baby, and he should be the one going nuts at everyone, not us. “Listen, we can’t accuse people without proof, and making second guesses about who might or might not be responsible is only going to cause us to fight within the group. Maybe it was simply an accident—”

  “That was no accident!” someone shouted out.

  Kit raised his hands again and spoke with more force. “Unless anyone has actual proof this was done deliberately to hurt us, or proof of who was responsible, I don’t want to hear any more names thrown around. If you do know something, I want you to come and speak to me in private. Got it?”

  Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group. Kit turned away, his way of dismissing people, to assess the damage.

  People began to drift away, bored now there was no obvious action happening. I cast my gaze around for Zane, but he was nowhere to be seen. I hoped he was okay. Was there any truth in Russell’s suspicions? Could he have been planted here to take us down from the inside? I hated to think such things, but none of us knew him.

  I suddenly remembered I was only in my underwear.

  I started to walk back to my room, but Hunter’s fingers locking around my wrist stopped me. “Hey, where are you going?”

  “Back to my room to get dressed, and then I’m going to help Kit clean up this mess.”

  “Come and spend the rest of the night in my room,” he said. “I don’t like the thought that someone here might be out to harm us.”

  I sighed. “No one is going to hurt us. It was probably just an accident, like I said.”

  “You really believe you were the one to cause that mess?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I think it’s as likely as Zane being responsible.”

  “Why do you keep sticking up for him?”

  “Because someone has to. I was the new person not so long ago, remember? And I know what it’s like to feel persecuted because things are going wrong.”

  Chapter Seven

  The atmosphere in the Cavern the following day was understandably tense. The broken console in the middle of the training center was a constant reminder that a member of the Kin was up to no good.

  We’d helped Kit clear up the mess as best we could, and then gone back to bed. Feeling spooked, Dixie had gone back with Sledge, so Hunter had climbed in with me. It had felt good to lie in bed with him, though neither of us was in the mood for anything else after the events of the day. Instead, we’d just held each other until we’d both finally drifted into a troubled sleep. I woke before Hunter and slipped out of bed, unable to sleep any longer. I felt like I had far too much to do, though I was unsure exactly what it was I had in my schedule.

  Because of the nocturnal interruptions, everyone slept late the following day. My dad had somehow managed to sleep through the whole thing. I found him sitting in the kitchen, eating pastries and sipping on coffee, while he chatted to a couple of the guys. As soon as I walked in, I could tell Mark and Franklin had told Bryce what had happened last night, my father’s face pinched with concern. He caught sight of me, and the lines on his face deepened.

  “Ari, the guys just told me what happened la
st night.”

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. “It’s nothing to get worried about. We don’t really understand why it happened yet. It’s as likely to be an accident as much as anything else.”

  “That’s not what Franklin says.”

  I shot Franklin a glare, and he shrugged as though to say ‘what can you do?’

  My dad continued. “I thought it was supposed to be safer down here.”

  I didn’t like the way he was shaking his head, as though he was disappointed with me all over again. I still felt terrible about everything he’d been through, from losing Karina, to the kidnapping. He didn’t deserve any of it, and I’d promised him he’d be better off here than back in his own bed.

  I reached out and took his hand. “It is, Dad. We don’t know that what happened last night is some kind of threat. It could just be an accident, and the person responsible is either too embarrassed to admit it, or simply doesn’t even know they did it.” I thought back to myself and the things I’d done when I was asleep. I didn’t think I was to blame, but it could easily have been me.

  “And even if it was an accident, how do we know whoever caused it isn’t capable of causing even bigger destruction? We’re underground here. You know how dangerous that could be.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Some people are saying it’s the new boy you brought back yesterday.”

  I huffed out air in exasperation. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t him. Firstly, he hasn’t even shown any signs of being telekinetic, and there’s no way someone wouldn’t have spotted him moving around the Cavern. Secondly, why would he do it? He just arrived. If he wanted to mess with us, surely he’d wait awhile and not make it so obvious.”

  Like someone had messed with me when I’d first arrived. A spark of curiosity lit within me. Did someone not like new people arriving? I needed to find Kit and put the idea across to him.

  Bryce took another sip of his coffee. “I just worry about you, Ari. You’re all I’ve got left now, and this isn’t exactly what I had in mind for your future.”

  “You’d prefer it if I stayed a waitress living at home with my dad until I became an old maid?”

  “Yes, exactly. It was far safer.”

  “Really, Dad? ’Cause actually, it wasn’t any safer, was it?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “No, I guess not. What kind of world did your mom and I bring you into?”

  I squeezed his hand. “It’ll be all right,” I said, hoping it was the truth. “Finish your breakfast. I have to go talk to Kit. I’ll see you later, okay?”

  I left him to his coffee and croissants and made my way to the Cavern, hoping to find Kit. A few people milled around, but nothing structured was happening. Training looked like it had been put on pause for the moment, though I wondered if that was such a good idea. If someone was working against us, we would need to be as strong and organized as we could be. Now wasn’t the time to start doubting each other and fall apart. We needed to come up with a plan.

  Where the hell was Kit? He should be the one pulling everyone back together, and instead he’d gone AWOL.

  I caught sight of a tall blond figure with a backpack slung across his shoulder walking toward the tunnel which led us out onto the bay. I frowned and hurried over.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  Zane turned to see who had called to him then slowed to a halt. “I think I need to get out of here. I lived in foster homes most of my life. I can tell when I’m not wanted.”

  “Please, don’t go. It could be dangerous for you on the outside. There were people after you yesterday, and they’re most likely still out there somewhere.”

  He gave a half shrug. “I think I’ll take my chances.”

  I felt bad for him. I knew why he was going—he didn’t feel welcome because of what had happened last night, but no one had any proof it was him. My thoughts once more went back to my things being messed with when I’d first arrived. Was it possible whoever had broken the console was the same one who’d messed with my stuff?

  I reached out and touched his arm, and that strange tingling raced through my fingers again. I tried to ignore it and focus on what I needed to say. “Listen to me. When I first got here, it was hard, too. I couldn’t control my abilities.” I pointed to the huge crack in the glass of one of the training rooms that Natasha had sealed with heat. “See that? I did it, completely unintentionally. Everyone treated me like a freak, and considering what we are, to be treated like a freak among freaks was pretty crappy. Then I had someone who kept coming into my room and taking my stuff.”

  He frowned at that. “Do you know who?”

  I shook my head. “I never found out. But what I’m trying to say is that it isn’t always easy being a part of this, but it’s important. You’re part of something bigger now, and you can’t turn your back on that.”

  Zane’s lips twisted, and he glanced down at the ground, his foot scuffing against the floor. “I don’t even know if I can do anything yet. I see the others barely needing to use their hands to lift their food to their mouths, or switching lights on and off without doing anything, and I’m just sitting around, useless.”

  “Okay, first of all, it takes some people longer than others for their abilities to develop. Secondly, there is something going on with you.” I reached out and trailed my fingers up his forearm again, tracing the line of muscle that led up to the crease of his elbow. With my touch came those same sparks of electricity, nerve synapses firing at the contact.

  I looked up and we locked eyes. “How do I know that isn’t coming from you?” he said.

  “It isn’t. It’s never happened before. Only with you.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” he said.

  I shook my head. “Neither do I. Have you experienced it with anyone else?”

  “I don’t think anyone else has touched me since we got here.”

  “Maybe we need to find out,” I managed to say.

  “We don’t need to. I’m going, remember?”

  “Zane, I can’t make you stay. This isn’t a prison. But I want you to be here.” I remembered how he’d had his clothes stuffed into his backpack. “Do you even have anywhere else to go?”

  He scowled and glanced away. “I manage.”

  “You don’t have to just manage. You have somewhere to stay here. I know it’s not perfect, but I can’t imagine the streets are either.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve met your dad. You grew up in a happy, loving home. Don’t try to talk to me about something you know nothing about.”

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I just don’t want to see you out on the streets.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why? What does it matter to you?”

  “Because you’re Kin now, whether you like it or not.”

  “What’s going on?” A voice made us both look around.

  Hunter was standing behind me. How long had he been there? “I’m trying to convince Zane to stay,” I said. “He feels he’s not welcome after last night, which I completely understand.”

  “Sorry, dude, but Ari’s right,” Hunter said. “You can’t leave,”

  Zane’s shoulders squared and he lifted himself taller. “Yeah, I can.”

  Hunter folded his arms across his chest. “What happens if one of the people who are after us gets hold of you and forces you to tell them where we’re based?”

  A flicker of worry crossed his features. “I know how to keep my mouth shut, dude.”

  “What if they hurt you? Tortured you.”

  Some of the blood drained from Zane’s face. “You think they’d do that?”

  “Yeah, without doubt. These people have murdered countless innocents to get to us. You think they wouldn’t hurt you if they thought they might gain something from it?”

  Zane rubbed his hand over his mouth, his shoulders sagging. While I didn’t agree with Hunter frightening him, it seemed Hunter’s harsher words were having more of an impact than my softer appr
oach.

  His eyes slipped down, staring at the floor as he considered his options. Hunter and I shared a glance.

  “Okay, fine,” Zane said. “I’ll stay. This all feels completely messed up, though, by the way.”

  I gave a wry smile. “Yeah, it kind of is. Why don’t you go and put your stuff back where it belongs? I have to catch up with some people, but I’ll find you later, okay?”

  Zane nodded and stalked off in the opposite direction to which he’d been heading. I hoped I’d placated him for the moment. I didn’t know why, but it felt important that he stuck around.

  Hunter turned to me. “Have you seen Kit? I was looking for him.”

  “So was I, but I haven’t seen him yet. You think he’s okay?”

  “Yeah, but he hasn’t chosen the best time to do a vanishing act on us.”

  “He can’t have gone far. I’m sure he won’t have left the Cavern without telling someone first.” I frowned, thinking. “I have an idea where he might be.”

  I took Hunter’s hand and led him back through the Cavern, and through the tunnel which led to the room of stars. Okay, they were all tiny LED bulbs, but they gave the impression of stars which was sometimes needed down here. It was hard not to let the feeling of being underground create claustrophobia, but no one could feel claustrophobic here.

  We entered the star room. Chunks of the ceiling were still in darkness where the bulbs I’d blown hadn’t yet been replaced. I remembered Kit’s confidence when we’d been here before, how strong and encouraging he’d been with me. With the revelation about his father, some of Kit’s confidence had ebbed away, and it hurt me to see it.

  At first, I thought I’d been wrong and he wasn’t here. Then I spotted his large form sitting in a pocket of darkness thrown by the blown bulbs. He sat with his back propped up against the wall, his arms hooked around his bent knees. His face was lifted to the ceiling, so he didn’t notice us enter, but instead remained gazing upward. I thought he was admiring the beauty of the lights, but then I realized he was staring, stony-faced, at the patch of utter dark directly above.