Colorblind (The Soul Light Chronicles)

by Aaron Slade

  The sun rose slowly, but a soft glow from the horizon fought the darkness of the bleak basement. I’d been restlessly awake for the better part of an hour doing my best not to stir on the small cot. Evee’s head rested on my chest, though she too had had trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned in the night. Her dreams jerked her awake a number of times. Everyone tried to get adequate rest, but it was too difficult a task considering what would happen in the next few hours.

  Several times during the night, I’d heard stirring from upstairs. Sara and Matthew had stayed up most of the night, stationing themselves at the kitchen table going over the plan again and again. Occasionally, I’d heard them whispering. Matthew raised his voice a number of times in frustration. He still had trouble seeing sections of the future. A part of me was relieved that someone else struggled with their ability as much as me, but it made me nervous as well. Matthew’s ability was too vital to our mission for him not to have proper control of it.

  Evee’s head moved, and I saw her eyelids open, revealing the beautiful cyan pools. “Are you awake?” she asked. She sounded groggy, as if she had managed to enter a deeper sleep than I thought.

  “Yes,” I whispered. I kept my voice low to avoid waking Adam, who was on the other cot just a few feet away.

  “You don’t have to whisper on my account,” Adam said. “I didn’t sleep at all.” He looked tired. He’d spent a long night teleporting soldiers out of the prison. His pearl aura dimly showed itself as he raised off the cot. His aura shined against mine and Evee’s combined aura. It appeared the exact same shade of white, but whatever it meant remained a mystery. In the short time that I’d had control of my ability, same colored auras were rare.

  The three of us climbed the stairs up to the kitchen. Everyone else was already awake, sitting in silence in the living room with the exception of Mrs. Grindle, who was making a small breakfast.

  I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to eat. My stomach felt full, and the food I forced down only made me sick. It was clear by the way everyone ate that none of us had an appetite, but Randy and Seth managed to act casual; they had second servings of toast and eggs. Randy finished what was left of Sara’s plate. Both of them were focused on the mission at hand. When we finished eating, Sara requested everyone’s attention.

  “I need to speak with everyone so that we are all sure of what we’re doing,” Sara said. “Casper, Matthew and Evee will be the first rescue team.” She held out three syringes full of the crimson-colored liquid, which I pocketed in my pack. She went over and over the smallest details of the plan, making sure that I wouldn’t forget. “Evee said your parents and uncle are on the seventh floor. Your mom is in cell seven-sixteen, your dad is in seven-seventeen, and your uncle is in seven-twenty-two.”

  “Get ready,” Matthew announced. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.” He spoke with Donnie privately in the corner of the living room. Cricket spent the night at the prison, and would be waiting for us. Donnie looked as if the mission was going to be a piece of cake. I reminded myself that this wasn’t their first venture against the Military. Donnie’s confidence made me feel that we had a real chance of success.

  My aura remained a constant glow despite the feeling I had in the pits of my stomach. I wouldn’t allow myself to lose focus. I kept Evee in my thoughts, but I noticed that she’d disappeared from my side. I looked around, but I couldn’t find her. I’d become dependent on spotting her cyan aura first, but I couldn’t find it either. I walked down to the basement and found her and Adam whispering. I crept slowly down the stairs to listen. I detected a slight tone of agitation in Adam’s voice.

  “I know what I promised,” he barked. “But I…”

  The step I stood on had made a tiny creaking noise. The two of them quit talking when they saw me. Adam looked worried or guilty– I couldn’t determine which it was. He turned his head away to hide the look from me. Evee didn’t look away– she kept her eyes locked with mine. When Adam faced me again, he managed to look natural and calm.

  “Am I interrupting?” I asked. I stood halfway down the staircase, clearly having surprised the two of them judging by their facial expressions.

  “We’re just making arrangements for my body,” Evee said. “In case anything should go wrong, I don’t want my physical body to be in the middle of nowhere. Adam and I are trying to find a good place to put it.”

  If anything should happen to us at the facility, Evee would be on her own. I worried for her physical body. I reminded myself that I trusted them, but I felt a little jealous being left out of the loop.

  Evee tried her best to smile, but I couldn’t help but think I was missing something, or that they weren’t telling me something. Her aura dimmed as if she was nervous or frightened.

  “Okay,” I said. I had to trust that they knew what they were doing. I still wasn’t allowed to know where her real body would be. I walked back to the kitchen, letting them finish their business.

  There was a deep throbbing feeling in the pit of my stomach as I let Evee out of my sight. I had to make sure that I made it back to Fallon so that Evee wouldn’t be alone. I didn’t have to worry about her since she would only be present in her phantom body. None of the prison guards would be able to touch her.

  Adam and Evee returned. Evee’s phantom body walked through the crowd of people in the living room to come and stand by my side. Being close to her helped my mind stay positive.

  “Alright,” Matthew said. “It’s time.”

  The people in the living room paired off into their specified groups. Sara, who had been confident up until this point, looked nervous. Randy didn’t look scared or nervous. He had enough confidence and power in his ability to keep Seth and Sara both safe while they freed Seth’s father. I remembered our fight in the cafeteria and knew he would strike fear into the guards at the prison.

  Matthew and Evee stood by me. “Cricket will be joining us when we get to the prison,” Matthew said. “None of the guards will be able to touch us with her around.” He had a lot of faith in Cricket. Even though I hadn’t seen her in action, I did too. I imagined she knew how to take care of herself to survive in the prison unnoticed for a night.

  Sara decided that Adam would take Matthew and me to the facility first since we had more people to rescue. “As soon as Adam gets back, he’ll take Randy, and then he’ll come back for me and Seth,” Sara said.

  The plan’s success depended on Adam’s ability more than any other. He walked over to where Matthew and I were in the living room and placed his hands on each of our shoulders.

  Evee stood in front of me, staring into my eyes. I thought she looked sad, but her aura shined strong. Her face became determined when she began to speak. “Come to your mom’s cell first,” she said. “I’ll be waiting in there.” She was just as determined to succeed as Donnie. The image of her phantom body disappeared. The gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach returned, but I told myself it would leave as soon as she was back at my side.

  Matthew looked at me and gave me an encouraging nod. I felt the hand resting on my shoulder give a tight squeeze, and the crowd of people in the cramped room vanished.

  Adam was gone as soon as Matthew and I appeared in the facility. The cement floor circled around the empty center of the building. Each floor could be seen from any location in the prison. I looked up at the glass ceiling, seeing the soft glow of the morning sun in an unseen section of sky. No amount of anticipation had prepared me for this kind of exposure. I looked at Matthew, who made a gesture for me to stay low and quiet. The building was strangely silent– the only sounds heard were small echoes from voices from lower floors and the soft, humming noise of electricity.

  Both of us faced the cell directly behind us: 716.

  We still hadn’t seen any guards patrolling the floor. Adam and Donnie had done their job well. Matthew had said the guards getting off duty would eventually begin to notice the absence of the missing guards. We needed to work fast.

  Matthew and
I looked off the balcony down to the first floor– it was a long way down. Three guards stood on duty in the open area on the ground level. We searched other floors, and watched as Randy appeared on the opposite side of the facility on the third floor. Adam disappeared but returned quickly with Sara and Seth, who both materialized behind Randy.

  “So far, so good,” Matthew said. “Let’s move.”

  As we moved closer to Mom’s cell, I noticed that all the doors had locks with electronic pads. I had no idea how we would open them. Sara and Matthew hadn’t mentioned anything to us about the door locks. “What do we do about the locks?” I asked.

  Matthew had an apprehensive look before he answered, and I realized that he was having a vision. The vacant look disappeared as his mind came back to the present. “Don’t worry about the locks,” he said. “Cricket took care of them.”

  I found the moment somewhat surreal. Mom was on the other side of the heavy, steel door. I was anxious about being in the prison, but a feeling of relief and happiness spread over me as I realized how close I was to her. The memory of my parents being arrested and dragged out of our house held less sway over me now that the situation was about to be rectified.

  Matthew gestured towards the handle on the door, nodding to see if I was ready. I returned the gesture and helped pull the heavy door open. High-pitched squeaks and rattles of metal screeching against metal blared from the door’s hinges. The noise seemed louder in the dense silence of the prison, like thunder in the desert. The same noise sounded simultaneously, but it came from a location in the prison out of sight. I knew it was Randy, Sara, and Seth opening Mr. Grindle’s cell door.

  “It won’t be long until the guards investigate that noise,” Matthew said. “Give me the other syringes and I’ll go get your dad and uncle.”

  I nodded and handed him the syringes from my pack. I couldn’t be sure but I thought I saw his hand shake as he gripped them. I entered the dark room as he sped stealthily to Dad’s cell.

  There was a moment of déjà vu when I entered the unfamiliar room. The image of my mother’s unconscious body on the metal table was eerily reminiscent of my nightmare. A brief feeling of disgust hit me. I wasn’t prepared for the abundance of cords and tubes attached to her lifeless body. Her face was thinner and paler than the last time I’d seen her. I fought the feelings of anger that grew in me for the people responsible.

  I caught a faint cyan hue out of the corner of my eye. “We have to hurry,” Evee said. She urgently gestured to the IV in Mom’s bluish bruised arm.

  I disconnected her from all the equipment around her body. I pulled the syringe out of my pocket. I injected the contents, and almost immediately, Mom opened her cloudy, dilated eyes. She drew in a deep breath that was almost as loud as her cell door opening. She panicked and struggled to make sense of her surroundings.

  She tried to catch her breath, shuddering and shivering as she cowered away from the light. She still hadn’t looked at me. The bruises and puncture wounds on her arms healed, so I knew the healer’s blood was working. Her heavy panting slowed and I could see that she had better control of her arms. She tried to string a sentence together, but was struck with silence when her eyes found mine.

  “Ca-Ca-per,” she managed to voice. She flung her arms around me more quickly than I would have thought her capable. I nearly lost my balance. Her arms were heavy as if she still didn’t have full control of them. I supported most of her weight as I held her tightly in my arms. I found no grey hair or wrinkled skin. She looked just the same as I had last seen her, except for the orange prison uniform. Happiness flooded my emotions, causing my aura to intensify.

  “It’s me, Mom,” I whispered. “I’m taking you home.” Her skin was cold at first, but warmth returned quickly with our deep embrace.

  Her arms around me were gaining back their normal strength and control. I could feel dampness from her cheek brush onto my skin.

  “I never thought I would see you again,” she said. Her tongue regained function and she supported more of her own weight. “It was so dark.” She continued to whimper as we held each other.

  I pulled myself away from her. “Can you walk? We have to leave quickly.” I looked at her, trying to convey the dire need of a speedy exit.

  Her metabolism was faster than predicted. Without answering, she swung her feet off the table and onto the floor. She paused and her eyes rolled back as if she might faint, but then steadied herself as I took her hand. Evee approached us, the warmth of her aura helped me keep my head clear. A second wave of emotion hit my mother as she processed Evee’s presence. They beamed at each other, lost for words.

  “We have to go,” Evee said. She ran to the door, ready to retrieve my dad and uncle.

  I threw Mom’s arm over my shoulder, helping her stay balanced. At the pace she healed, it would only be a few minutes before her ability was back in her complete control. She would be able to take care of herself at that point.

  “We have to get Dad and Uncle Jesse,” I told Mom. I took a step towards the door but noticed a shadow from outside appear behind Evee.

  Evee had her back turned to the outside of the room, waiting on me and Mom. A guard came into focus with a gun pointed right at her. She froze and her aura extinguished in an instant.

  “Evee, lookout!” I yelled.

  Two rifle shots followed my unnecessary warning.

  Mom screamed a dreadful high-pitched wail, causing my aura to weaken, and I almost lost my grip on her.

  Evee made a small yelp and clutched her stomach where the bullets would have made contact. She was unharmed but jolted in shock. She moved backwards inside the room, revealing two silvery bullet holes in the wall behind her.

  The guard looked shocked, but he charged in the room with his gun held level with my head. The door behind him slammed shut without anyone touching it. “DON’T MOVE!” he shouted. “Future Intelligence just informed there might be a break-in.”

  The guard was acting on his orders, and he was shooting first– not bothering to ask questions. He approached where Mom and I stood with his finger on the trigger.

  “Stand behind me, Mom,” I ordered. I positioned myself so that I completely shielded Mom, still holding her hand. I heard a small click from the gun.

  I focused on Mom’s presence behind me, and caught a faint trace of her ruby aura in the periphery of my vision. She pressed herself against my back, making a small whimper.

  “It’s going to be fine,” I said. “Don’t be afraid.” I tried to convince myself as much as her. As the guard’s fingers squeezed the trigger of the gun, I closed my eyes.

  Bang! Bang! The awareness I had of the ringing noise in my ears assured me that the bullets hadn’t pierced my shield. The sound of two tiny metal objects dropping on the cement floor followed the explosion of the gun. The guard and I looked down, recognizing both bullets mashed into mushroom shapes.

  The guard looked even more confused than he had before. I felt a smile of relief grow on my face. It didn’t take him long to realize that it was my EHT. He threw away his gun, and pulled a syringe out of the black pouch on his belt.

  I’d avoided being scared until now. The guard towered over me, with arms as big as my head. I hoped my aura would be enough to stop him. He moved closer, taking at stab at Evee with the syringe first. Seeing her in danger was hard to ignore. I couldn’t move well. I had to protect Mom until she had complete function of her body.

  “What the fire?” he grunted. The guard realized that he couldn’t physically touch Evee.

  Evee used her phantom body to distract the guard, but eventually he gave up and turned toward me.

  Facing the hulk-like guard, my aura flickered. Out of the side of my eye, I saw the metal table lift off the ground, lurching towards me with great force. I hit the floor when the table tackled me. The blow nearly knocked me out cold. My vision blackened momentarily, but I fought to make myself think clearly. I struggled to raise my head off the concrete floor. The pain a
nd fear weighed me down. The guard’s feet moved in front of my face, and Mom leaped at him, fighting him away from me as Evee stood still, unable to influence the outcome of the fight. The guard slammed Mom on the floor beside me.

  Something flashed in the room followed by a loud popping sound. The guard collapsed on the ground between Mom and me. His eyes closed like someone bigger than him had knocked him out. A pair of hands grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet. I’d been expecting a mammoth sized man, but it was a petit redheaded girl that saved me. Cricket stood in the guard’s place.

  “He’s out,” she said. She grabbed the needle out of the guard’s hand and injected it into his neck. Evee and Mom both cringed at the sight, but I knew it was less than what he deserved. Cricket removed the needle and bolted towards the door. “Let’s go!”

  The four of us ran out of the room towards Dad’s cell, which was already open. Mom’s motor functions returned with every awkward step. Her bare feet clapped against the hard floor as we moved down the corridor. Mom and I were the last to arrive at the prison cell. Dad was already sitting up, but Matthew wasn’t anywhere in sight.

  “James,” Mom cried. She was by his side so quickly that no one in the room noticed until a second later. She would need her ability for us to get out of here alive.

  Dad gave her the same awkward hug that Mom had given me. He kept muttering noises and grunts trying to form sentences. Frustration grew on his face, but then he relaxed and held his arm open for me. I worked my way in between the two of them, both of them squeezing me as tightly as they could. Their ruby auras flooded the tiny cell. Mom kissed me on the cheek. The healer’s blood worked slower with Dad, but I could already feel warmth returning to his chilled arms.

  Matthew walked in the room, supporting Uncle Jesse’s weight with his shoulder. Uncle Jesse looked worse than either of my parents. His dark hair contrasted with the paleness of his face. Drool spilled out the corner of his mouth making a small wet spot on the floor. He tried to look at us but couldn’t control the direction of his eyes or support the weight of his head.