The Complete Lost Children Series

by Krista Street

  The next morning it seemed with each passing minute, the tension in the house grew. There was no further update from Father’s outside contacts. We were waiting for them to reveal how many lost children were still captive, where they currently resided and how they were guarded. Until then, we had no idea what we were up against.

  Flint and I sat on the couch. He practiced his lock picking skills on locks Father bought at the local home improvement store while I practiced my newly remembered energy skills. It was hard to concentrate, though. Each time I almost combined two clouds, as sweat beaded on my forehead, the ball broke apart. A certain someone kept making “hmm’s” and “ah’s” as she researched things online.

  Di sat on the living room floor, an online map of Chicago in front of her. O’Brien Pharmaceuticals was based outside the city. Father had said the building where we’d been kept fronted as a warehouse in an industrial part of town. Unless they’d moved Project Renatus, Father guessed the other lost children still lived there.

  I swallowed uneasily. Vivid images of that research day at Little Raven’s public library, all of those months ago, kept cropping to the forefront of my mind. That was the day Di had her first vision of Chicago. The vision where she saw all eight of us in Chicago.

  I had no doubt we were going to the city. Di’s visions always came true. Only now, I knew why we were going back to where it all began.

  To free other lost children.

  “There are only two entry points.” Di studied an aerial photo of the warehouse. “The front doors and the loading dock. Seems kind of limited for such a big building, don’t you think?”

  Jasper leaned forward. He sat behind Di on a chair. Mica sat on the chair beside him. Jasper and Mica’s hands were entwined. It was the first time I’d seen them touch all week.

  “Probably doesn’t meet fire code,” Jasper replied.

  I tried to tune them out, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t concentrate. Between Di’s random comments and questions, and the noise coming from down the hall where Jacinda, Jet and Amber were watching a movie, a lot was going on.

  A click sounded. Flint successfully picked his last lock. He leaned over when I let out another groan of frustration. Damned energy balls!

  “Want to get out of here?”

  With a sigh of relief, I let my sight snap back to normal. “Please.”

  FLINT AND I strolled hand in hand around the huge backyard. The mid-afternoon November sun shone high in the sky. A cool breeze caressed our cheeks. It felt nice, as if I could finally breathe.

  It was good to be outside for a change, since we hadn’t been able to do anything as relaxing, or as normal, as taking a walk for no reason. However, I had a feeling this reprieve wouldn’t last long.

  Father had been on the phone when we stepped out. He’d shut his study door when we walked by, his voice lowering, the words muffled. I considered going back to ask Jacinda what was being said, but Flint tugged me down the stairs. I was glad he had. For once, I just wanted to forget everything.

  “How’s Amber doing?” Flint’s thumb rubbed my hand as we strolled.

  I shrugged. That was one of the many million dollar questions. Other than the brief conversation Amber and I had last night, I hadn’t spoken with her again about Jasper.

  “I don’t know. She was pretty upset last night, and I feel as badly for her as I do for Mica. Before, at Hideaway Hills, she drove me crazy with her spoiled pouting and immature acts. But now, since I can remember her from before that, I feel differently. She never acted like that before Father’s drug. I kind of wonder if something inside her unleashed when we all met up. It was as if her subconscious knew it was her one and only chance to really change her place in our group, so she wouldn’t always be the outcast.”

  “Do you know she found me this morning and apologized for trying to flirt with me when we first met? She also apologized again for lying about that ride she said we took together, on that day you . . .” His hand tightened around mine.

  I knew it was still hard for him to remember that day. It had been over eight weeks since that incident. That was the day I’d gone riding in the mountains, by myself, after Amber told me she and Flint were meeting for a secret horseback ride.

  During my mad dash to get away from the ranch, I’d encountered Aaron in a ravine. The psychotic cowboy had tried to attack me, but I’d escaped. Unfortunately, as I galloped away in sheer panic, I was thrown from my horse and collided with a tree. A few cracked ribs and a concussion were the results of that accident. I was lucky I hadn’t broken my neck. Even though everything had turned out okay, I knew it still haunted Flint. In his eyes, he’d come close to losing me. It wasn’t something he’d likely forget anytime soon.

  We never did find out what became of Aaron. He’d vanished without a trace, having never returned for his belongings or his last paycheck at the ranch. Of course, he probably knew what else would be waiting for him: an arrest warrant.

  I tugged Flint’s hand. “Amber apologized to me too last night. It appears she’s trying to make amends.”

  Flint didn’t respond. His eyes carried that haunted faraway look.

  I did my best to coax him out of the mood he was falling into. “Have you or Di talked about how we’re getting to Minnesota?”

  Father and Di believed flying into Minneapolis’ airport and driving to Chicago was safer than flying directly to Chicago. I supposed they had a point. If O’Brien had people looking for us, reason deemed that more of those employees were stationed in the Chicago area versus other states.

  “We figured we’d either fly in Conroy’s jet or fly commercially,” Flint replied.

  “Wouldn’t his jet be recognized?”

  Flint shrugged. “Only Conroy can answer that, but I’m guessing everything he owned before he left O’Brien, he got rid of.”

  “Commercial flights are so public. I can’t imagine Father agreeing to that.”

  Flint frowned. “No, I can’t either.”

  THE MOVIE THAT Jet, Jacinda and Amber had been watching was finished when we returned to the house. Scents of popcorn hung in the air, but no one lingered in the theater. Father’s study was also empty when we passed. Voices carried from the living room. It sounded like a heated discussion.

  “We need to leave tonight!” Di said.

  We rounded the corner just in time to see Jet throw his hands in the air. “We can’t tonight, Di! We’re not ready!”

  “You may not be ready, but I am.” Her dark eyes flashed. “We’ve already been here a week, and Lena’s doing just fine now. What do you think I’ve been doing while she recovers? I’ve already spent hours studying the warehouse, watching live video feed, and devising the best way to get inside. I haven’t been sitting around twiddling my thumbs.”

  Jet gave Di an incredulous look. “How did you watch live video feed?”

  Di shrugged defiantly. “I hacked into their system.”

  “I wish I had been included in the elite hacking team when you three learned,” Jet muttered.

  Jasper clapped him on the back. “If you were as smart as me, you would have been.”

  Jet scowled at his brother.

  “Do you remember your hacking skills?” I asked Flint.

  “Before our memories came back, no, but now, yeah, I remember.”

  He said it so casually. As if it was no big deal to hack into a corporation’s hidden files. I turned to Father. “Did you hear from your contacts?”

  Father nodded. “Yes. According to him, Project Renatus is still running. Although nowhere near as actively as it was fifteen years ago. Only three subjects are . . .” his voice caught. He cleared his throat. “Only three subjects are still alive. The rest have died.”

  I gasped. “But I thought . . .” I took a shaky breath. “I thought there were twenty other kids, besides us?”

  “There were, initially at least.” Father shook his head, looking down. “When I took you all away, there will still sixteen other children le
ft behind. Four had died in the other groups. They were also too old when the drug was administered. Just like the oldest twins that died in your group.”

  My mouth fell open. “So that means that thirteen other kids died over the years since we left?”

  “Yes.” An anguished expression crossed Father’s face. “If only I could have taken all of you with me, but I . . .” His voice cracked.

  Jacinda clasped his hand. “You did everything you could. You couldn’t have known what would happen to them.”

  “I should have done something. Anything.” Guilt hung so heavily in Father’s cloud, it felt as if it would swallow me.

  Jacinda squeezed his hand again.

  A few moments of silence passed before Mica said quietly, “So now what do we do?”

  Di crossed her arms. “We go back there and get the last three.”

  I nodded. “There’s no other option. We can’t leave them there. If they’re still being drugged, it’s only a matter of time before they die too.”

  “God,” Jacinda whispered. “Can you imagine what they’re like now? From what I remember . . .” she paused, her eyes clouding. “Those rooms they kept us in. They were like prison cells. And the experiments that man did on us. Who was that?” She turned to Father.

  “That was Marcus. Albert only experimented on his group.”

  Jacinda shuddered. “He scared me so much. I know he terrified the other kids too, in the other groups. I heard a lot of them talking at night, crying a lot too.”

  I bit my lip. “The man with the ugly, black cloud. I remember him, barely, but I do.”

  Father’s head snapped up. “His cloud was black? I always wondered about that.” A haunted looked crossed his features. “Marcus could charm anyone, but there was a side of him few saw. I always questioned how pure his intentions were. A few times he . . .” Father cleared his throat, his eyes wide. I could only imagine the memories he was remembering. “Let’s just say I witnessed him doing things that hastened my desire to remove you.”

  “So are these three still kept in the warehouse?” Jasper asked.

  Father shook himself. “Yes, it’s the same place you all were kept. Diamond was right to study it.”

  Amber glanced at Di. “How did you know about it?”

  Di began pacing. “Father told me the night we arrived here. After you all went to bed, we talked late into the night so I could gain more information.”

  I sat back. Flint put his arm around me. As usual, Di had taken charge, not letting the mere inconvenience of not having our memories stop her. She had a goal, and despite my medical issues, she’d spent the last four days working to achieve it. It was ironic in a way. Before Father erased our memories, she and Flint had been the only ones content to stay living in hiding in the Forbidden Hills. But now, she was the driving force behind us confronting O’Brien Pharmaceuticals, freeing the other lost children, and gaining our freedom. Definitely ironic.

  I bit my lip. If I could learn how to reliably use my newly remembered abilities, I could help free the ones still held captive. I could be a big help.

  “Where’s this warehouse located?” Flint asked.

  “Just outside Chicago, in an industrial area,” Father replied.

  Flint’s brow furrowed. “And who is this contact of yours?”

  “An old friend I’ve relied on over the years. I can trust him.”

  Nobody said anything to that. It only highlighted how little we knew about Father’s outside life. Father had never talked about his past, and the few times I’d asked him questions, he’d averted the subject, deterring my attention to something else.

  In a way, Father had a life completely outside of us that we knew nothing about. I guessed that was for one of two reasons. Either he wanted to hide something from us, or he wanted to protect us from something. I’d bet my life it was the second.

  “So that’s where we start then,” Di said. “We return to that underground facility and get them out.”

  Father frowned. “It won’t be easy. It’s guarded twenty-four hours a day and entry requires a retinal scan.”

  Mica perked up. “I may be able to help with that.”

  Father smiled. “That’s right. You could. Have you been working on altering your sight again?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t know I could do it until I got my memories back.”

  I leaned forward. “We should probably spend some time working on our gifts. The more defensive and offensive powers we have, the better off we’ll be.”

  “Not to mention, it would be wise to have firearms too. A bullet would come in handy if someone tried to kill us,” Flint added.

  Jet crossed his arm. “Or capture us. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to go back to that place.”

  Jacinda’s brow puckered. “It sounds like we still have work to do before we go.”

  Di’s mouth set in a grim line. “If that’s the case, we start first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Everyone agreed, all except Father. He sat back, a fearful gleam in his eyes.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Di woke everyone at six the next morning. We barely had time to dress with the five-minute warning. From there, she herded us outside. Several times, she actually nudged and prodded people to get them moving.

  It was still dark and cold out. We all huddled in a big group, shivering. Only Flint seemed immune to the temperature.

  “Come on.” Jet rubbed his hands together. “At least let us go back in and eat something first. I’m starving.”

  Di shook her head. “The more tired, hungry and irritable you are the better. We have to prepare for the worst.”

  Amber muffled a big yawn. “What do we need to prepare for that requires us being tired and hungry?”

  “I want to see how you all do under stress,” Di replied.

  I brushed hair out of my eyes and stuffed several strands under my hat. “Why isn’t Father here?”

  Di put her gloves on. “He’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him. Besides, we can’t always count on him. We need to find a way to work together without him always looking over our shoulders.”

  I crossed my arms, shivering again. “Won’t he come with us when we return to O’Brien?”

  “To Chicago, yes, but not when we rescue the other three.”

  Amber gasped. “He’s not coming into the warehouse with us?”

  Di gave her a sharp look. “Father isn’t young anymore. He’s not as strong or fast as the rest of us, despite the effects of our drugs. Who knows what we’ll be up against, and if we need to ensure that one of us always stays safe, it’s Father. Without him, we have no inside contacts and no resources other than what we have in our bank accounts from before.”

  I swallowed uneasily. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but Di was right. The only money we had to our names was from what Father gave us in April, to live off of when he took our memories away. That money still sat untouched in our bank accounts. Other than that, we didn’t have any resources. Not to mention, we had no way of contacting his inside O’Brien contacts, no way of alerting his pilot for an emergency flight, and no way of knowing where Marcus was or what he was up to. Nothing.

  What she said made sense. We needed Father to stay safe and alive. No matter what. And we also needed to learn more information from him. At the very least, a few of us should know how to contact his pilot.

  “I guess you make a good point,” Jasper mumbled.

  I nodded. “I’ll ask Father for some of that information when we finish out here.”

  “So now what?” Jacinda asked. Her long hair hung down her back, the top of her head stuffed under a wool hat.

  “Now, we see what each of us can do, now that we have our entire memories.” Di turned to Mica. “When we were younger, you were working on changing your eyes, not just enhancing your vision. Do you really think you’d be able to fake a retinal scan?”

  “There’s seriously no reason we can’t do that
inside, by the fire,” Jet muttered.

  Di ignored him as Mica stepped forward.

  A down jacket puffed around Mica like a marshmallow. “I can try, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. It would require a complete transformation of my genetic makeup.”

  “Try.” Di crossed her arms. “From what I’ve seen in their security system, we need to pass a retinal scan to access several areas.”

  Mica rolled her eyes. “No pressure or anything.”

  Jet snorted. “Di, how is this going to work? It’s not as if we have a retinal scan to practice on.”

  Mica’s eyes narrowed. “Jet, come here.”

  The twin sauntered over, his dark curly hair ruffling in the early morning breeze. Mica stepped closer and glanced up at him. Her dark brown eyes stared into his blue ones. Sweat erupted on her brow. Closing her eyes tightly, she made a noise, as if in pain. At least a minute passed before she opened them.

  I gasped.

  Mica’s brown eyes were now blue. Well, kind of. One of them was half blue and half brown, but the other was completely blue. She stared up at Jet, sweat pouring down her face. After a minute, she sank to the ground, breathing heavily.

  Jasper rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s so hard to do.”

  I didn’t tell her she hadn’t completely pulled it off. Nobody else did either.

  Jet crossed his arms. “What were you doing when you did that?”

  “Mimicking your eye’s genetic makeup. I think.” From her uncertain tone, perhaps she was aware she hadn’t completely pulled it off. “Father helped me discover this ability about a year before the fire. It hurts so damned much every time I do it, though.”

  “We’ll need that skill to get past security,” Di said. “You need to practice and hone it. We may need you to conjure someone’s eye makeup in a split second. Our lives may depend on it. Do you think you can do that?”

  Mica stood shakily. “I’ll try.”

  Di put her hands on her hips. “Who’s next? Jet? Jasper?”

  The twins stepped forward.

  Di raised her eyebrows. “What do you remember about your manipulative powers?”