Angel Fire

by Shelley Russell Nolan

  Fire flared in her blue eyes. ‘It means everything. Everything.’

  She leaned over me, mouth screwed up in a snarl. ‘I was set to revolutionise the way we understand the human brain and what it is capable of. Then a little punk took it all away from me, tricked me into believing he had genuine psychic abilities. After my announcement, when he was exposed as a fake, my reputation was ruined. I had to flee Sydney, start over with a new name, a different career, but I am not going to spend the rest of my life wiping the noses of snotty little brats who can’t handle the pressures of the real world.’

  She took several deep breaths, fists clenched at her sides as she glared at me. ‘I will prove to those people who ridiculed my research that I was right all along. And you and your sister are going to help me do it.’ She turned away to pick up some cards twice the size of her hands, expression smooth when she faced me once more.

  ‘Now, I’m going to hold up a card and you will tell me what is on the other side. Let’s begin.’

  She held up the first card and looked at me expectantly. I stared blankly at it, with no idea what image was on the other side.

  Dr Wood frowned. ‘I need you to take this seriously. Concentrate. What do you see?’

  ‘Where is my sister? I want to see Angel.’

  ‘The card, Andrea.’

  ‘I have no idea, I told you I’m not psychic.’

  ‘Impossible. You’re just not trying hard enough. Perhaps this will persuade you.’ She reached into a pocket and pulled out a slim black device with two prongs sticking out of one end. She placed the prongs against my leg, never taking her eyes off me. Then she smiled and I heard a low whirring noise coming from the device a split second before pain zapped into my leg.

  I screamed, body jolting as the current ripped through me, barely registering when she lifted the device. Muscles spasms kept me twitching long after the pain subsided. It took a few minutes before I was able to focus my eyes on Dr Wood.

  I glared at her. ‘Is this what you do to Angel? Torture her, make her read cards for you?’

  ‘If I were you, I would be more concerned with my own situation. Unless you want a repeat,’ she waved the device in my face before putting it back in her pocket, ‘I suggest you start cooperating. What do you see?’ She held up a card.

  I met her eyes, not even looking at the card. ‘Angel.’

  ‘Do not test me, Andrea. You will not like the result.’ She thrust the card forward.

  ‘Angel. Angel. Angel.’ I kept going, getting louder and louder.

  Dr Wood pulled her device out of her pocket and zapped me again, but this time I was prepared. I clenched my jaw and tensed my body, riding out the pain. Then, as soon as I could speak I started again. ‘Angel. Angel.’

  After she zapped me for the third time I was only able to whisper Angel’s name. Eyes closed, I waited for her to punish me, sure that I would black out this time.

  ‘Andie.’ Angel’s voice, even fainter than mine, sounded in my head. ‘Can you hear me?’

  I struggled to open my eyes. ‘Angel,’ I sighed as I focused on my room, looking for her. But I was still alone with Dr Wood, who stood with her back to me.

  She was leaning over the machine I was hooked up to, peering at the readout as the needle whirred across the paper.

  ‘Angel,’ I said again, a little louder.

  ‘I need you, Andie. Find me.’

  ‘I’m trying,’ I said.

  Angel’s presence faded, and I closed my eyes, worn out by the effort to communicate with her.

  ‘What did you just do?’

  I forced my eyes open and peered up at Dr Wood. She held a sheet of paper in her hands and shoved it in front of my face. ‘These spikes, here, indicate considerable brain activity.’ She pointed at the printout. ‘What did you do?’

  I smiled and closed my eyes as I said, ‘Angel.’

  ‘Damn it, Andrea. I need you to work with me. I don’t like hurting you, but I will, if that’s what it takes.’

  I lay silent, holding myself still when I felt her press the black device against my leg. It took every ounce of courage I had not to flinch, to stifle the cry threatening to burst out of me in anticipation of being zapped again.

  8

  ‘If I take you to see your sister, will you tell me what you did to make the readout spike?’

  I expelled the air from my lungs in a rush. ‘Yes.’

  The pressure on my leg eased and I felt her undoing the straps that held me down.

  ‘Get up,’ she said.

  I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. Impossible. My limbs wouldn’t obey me. Muscles twitched uselessly as I willed them to work.

  ‘If you want to see her, get up now or our deal is off.’ She stood at the end of the bed, the device she’d zapped me with in one hand.

  I glared at her, using my hatred as fuel. I lurched into a sitting position and swung my legs off the bed. Then I stood, gripping the rail to keep myself upright when my legs threatened to collapse under me. I locked my knees and focused on the pain, on overcoming it, and then took a step, followed by another.

  I reached the end of the bed as Dr Wood moved to open the door. She held it open for me. ‘Hurry up, before I change my mind.’

  With a deep breath, I let go of the bed and shuffled over to the door, my footing more sure the further I went. I passed the doctor and then stood in the hallway, looking to the left. Angel was that way, but I waited for Dr Wood to take the lead, not wanting her to know that I could sense my sister’s presence now I was no longer distracted by fear and pain.

  I hobbled along behind the doctor, careful not to show that I was finding it easier to walk, movement working out the kinks in my muscles. She slowed her pace to match mine and led me to an elevator. Inside, she tugged on a chain around her neck and pulled it out from beneath her shirt. A key dangled on the end.

  The keypad showed six floors, three aboveground and three below. The display panel said we were on L1, the first underground level. Dr Wood placed the key in a slot beside the keypad and turned it before pressing L3.

  The elevator descended slowly. When we reached L3 the doors slid open and Dr Wood indicated for me to step out ahead of her.

  I entered a short corridor with two doors on either side. Dr Wood prodded me in the back and I moved forward, my bare feet making no noise on the concrete floor. The first two doors were open, allowing me a glimpse of white walls and empty beds. Then I reached the last two. The door on my right was open, also showing an empty room. The door on my left was closed, and I stepped up to the glass window set in the top half and peered inside, my breath catching.

  Angel was curled on her side, back to the door, a manacle around one ankle with a length of chain attached that was anchored to the wall at the end of her bed. She rolled over and stared at me, a smile on her face. She got off the bed and walked towards the door, coming as close as the chain would allow her. She stretched out her hand, trying to bridge the gap between us.

  ‘You’ve seen her. Now tell me how you made the machine spike.’

  ‘Please, let me in, let me go to her.’ I faced Dr Wood, tears in my eyes.

  ‘After you tell me what I want to know.’

  ‘We haven’t seen each other for fifteen years. Just give me five minutes with her and I promise I will tell you everything.’ I wrung my hands, desperate for her to agree.

  ‘Tell me now, or I will make sure that this is the last time you and Angel ever see each other. I’ll lock you in the room next door, so close but forever apart. The rooms are soundproof. You won’t even be able to talk to her.’

  ‘Please. I’m begging you. All I’m asking for is five minutes. That’s all.’

  I could tell my pleas were having no effect. If I had anything interesting to tell her about the spike on the readout, I would tell her in a heartbeat. But I knew it hadn’t been from me. It had been from Angel reaching out to me. I was not psychic and once Dr Wood realised that I knew her interest in me
would vanish, along with any chance I had to see Angel.

  A low buzz sounded close by and Dr Wood reached into her pocket and pulled out a mobile phone. ‘Yes, what is it?’ She stiffened.

  ‘All right. I’ll be there in a minute.’ She put the phone away and then glared at me. ‘You had better be worth this.’ She punched a code into the keypad on Angel’s door and it beeped as the light switched from red to green. She pushed it open.

  ‘Get in.’

  I walked inside and stood in front of Angel, resisting the urge to hug her until I knew we were alone. The door clanged shut behind me and I peeked over my shoulder to make sure Dr Wood wasn’t watching.

  ‘She’s gone,’ Angel’s voice said in my head.

  I turned around and stepped closer to Angel, and for the first time in fifteen years we touched.

  Our arms wrapped around each other and a brilliant light flared, bursting out of Angel’s body and into mine, I gasped, body shaking as wave after wave of energy swept through me. Tears streamed down my face in its wake and when the light faded I looked into Angel’s eyes.

  ‘I remember,’ I said. ‘I remember everything.’

  Images filled my head; playing with Angel in our room, laughing as Dad chased Daniel, Angel and I around the backyard with Mum watching on, Daniel pushing Angel on the swing while I waited for my turn, the fire that ripped our world apart and separated me from my twin sister.

  My heart ached, even as it rejoiced that we were finally together again.

  ‘You found me,’ said Angel, her voice in my head stronger and clearer than it had ever been.

  ‘I’m so sorry that I forgot you,’ I sobbed into her hair, clutching her tight.

  ‘It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.’ She drew back and gazed into my eyes, cheeks wet with tears. ‘You’re here now, that’s all that matters.’

  Her laughter was light and carefree in my head. ‘I can’t believe it worked. I’ve been trying to contact you for years. But I couldn’t get through. It was like you were surrounded by a thick fog that muffled my voice, until yesterday.’

  ‘The sedatives,’ I said. ‘I’ve been weaning myself off them.’ I shuddered, horrified to think that, if I had given in to temptation the night before last, Angel would never have been able to contact me. I’d come so close to giving in. I hugged her even tighter, relishing the bond that linked us.

  ‘Dr Wood uses sedatives on me too, to make sure I can’t run away. It dulls my abilities though so she can’t use them when she wants to run tests on me. After my last escape attempt she moved me down here, to make it even harder.’

  I frowned. ‘She told me she wants to use us to get back at the people who ruined her career, years ago, in Sydney.’

  ‘I know. She talks about it all the time, standing up to them, showing them that she was right and that they were wrong. She hates them, and the boy who tricked her.’

  ‘She thinks I could be psychic too, but I’m not. I can’t do the things you can.’

  Angel tilted her head on the side, eyes closed. ‘I can sense power in you but you’re right, it’s different to mine.’ She opened her eyes, frowning. ‘It’s like you’re a reservoir, filled with energy but with no way of accessing it. But when I’m touching you I can access it, make myself stronger.’

  ‘If she discovers that, she’ll never let us go. We have to get out of here.’ I released Angel and moved over to the bed, grabbed hold of the chain and tugged on it, panic lending me strength. But the screw bolting the chain to the wall didn’t budge. I tugged even harder, the chain digging into my fingers, cutting off my circulation. But I wouldn’t, couldn’t give up. Dr Wood could return at any minute. We had to get away.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Angel put her hands over mine. ‘Now that you’re here, I can break the lock. Sit.’

  I dropped the chain and sat on the bed, fighting to steady my breathing as she took a seat beside me. Then she pulled up her leg and rested her foot between us. She took my free hand and placed it on the manacle before putting her hand on top.

  ‘Concentrate on the lock. Block out everything else, and I’ll do the rest.’

  My breathing settled as I stared at the lock, willing it to open.

  Energy sizzled in the air around me, emanating from Angel. The hair on my arms rose and I felt a pull inside my head, behind my eyes, as she drew on … something. I couldn’t see what she was doing with all the energy she harnessed but I could sense its presence when she focused it on the lock.

  With a sharp click, the lock fell open. When the connection Angel had forged in my head dissipated I sagged onto the bed, sweat beading on my forehead.

  I leaned back against the wall as Angel slipped the manacle off her ankle. Then she stood and held out her hand to me. ‘We need to go now. Dr Wood has sent one of the orderlies to take you back to the testing room.’

  I took her hand and pushed myself off the bed. My legs were shaky, but they quickly stabilised. We stood, hand in hand, in front of the door and focused on the lock.

  I sagged in Angel’s arms once she had channelled our combined energy to open the door. ‘How come you’re not exhausted, like me?’

  ‘I’ve had more practice. Dr Wood makes me train every day, but I couldn’t do this without you.’

  I pushed myself upright. ‘Let’s do it.’

  Angel kept an arm around my waist, supporting me as we walked towards the elevator.

  The doors started to open when we were still three metres away and through the widening gap I could see the huge orderly. His eyes widened when he realised we were loose. Angel waved her hand at the elevator doors and I felt a drain on my energy levels as they closed, trapping the orderly inside.

  ‘I can’t keep the doors closed for long. We’ll have to take the stairs.’

  She led me over to a fire exit beside the elevator. It was locked with a keypad and I braced myself for the drain as Angel worked to open it. But she didn’t take anything from me. The door clicked open and she stumbled. It was my turn to support her as we moved into the stairwell, waiting for the click to signal the door had locked behind us before we started to climb.

  Loud banging on the exit door on L3 came as we passed the door to L2. We pushed on, breathing heavily. My thigh and calf muscles burned and I contemplated leaving the stairwell and taking the elevator when we reached L1.

  ‘No,’ Angel said before I could even suggest it. ‘He is back in the elevator, on his way up. We need to go faster to beat him to the ground floor.’

  With a groan, I pumped my legs harder, gritting my teeth as we tackled the last set of stairs. I sucked air in through my mouth when we reached the next landing and stumbled to the exit. There was no keypad on this side, luckily for us, as I didn’t think either of us had enough energy left to open it. From here on we would have to rely on willpower alone.

  I pushed the door open and Angel and I stepped into a small alcove. The elevator was to our right and the display read L1 and climbing.

  Arms around each other’s waists, we stumbled around the corner and into a large room filled with adolescents dressed in white nightgowns or pyjamas, some with robes over the top. They were scattered around the room, some of them reading as they reclined on comfortable couches, others playing computer games or watching television. They all stopped what they were doing and looked at us, some registering shock at seeing me with Angel.

  ‘Angel.’ Several of the older kids came over, worried frowns on their faces, just as the elevator in the alcove behind us gave a ding to signal it had reached the ground floor.

  ‘Please,’ I said. ‘We need your help. Don’t let him catch us.’ They nodded and brushed passed us, moving to block the corridor. Angel and I continued through the room as more and more kids got up and joined the ones behind us.

  I heard an angry bellow and peered over my shoulder. I could just make out the orderly’s head as a sea of white-clad patients swarmed around him. He tried to shove his way through and I could hear cries of pain from t
hose attempting to stop him.

  I increased my speed, dragging Angel with me. On the other side of the large room was another corridor and we hurried into it. I could hear shouting up ahead and my heart leapt when I recognised Nick’s and Daniel’s voices. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but just knowing they were close sent an adrenalin boost into my system.

  The corridor ended in a right turn and as we took the corner I was sure we were only inches away from freedom. Then I saw the keypad-operated door that blocked our path, and my heart plummeted.

  Angel and I halted in front of the door and she put her hand on the keypad. I could feel her drawing up energy and placed my hand over hers, desperate to give her everything I had. But it wasn’t enough. We sagged to our knees, side by side, the door still locked.

  I could hear Nick and Daniel, so close, only one stupid door between us. Tears pricked my eyes and I let them fall.

  Then the door opened outwards and I fell to all fours, looking up into the startled eyes of a young woman in a nurse’s uniform. She hastily backed up as Angel and I got to our feet, looking nervously behind her.

  ‘Dr Wood,’ she called out, her voice trembling.

  ‘Cynthia, can’t you see that I’m busy,’ said the doctor from where she stood behind a large front counter.

  ‘Andie.’

  At Nick’s shout the doctor’s head swung around and her eyes narrowed when they locked on mine. ‘Who let you out?’

  ‘We let ourselves out,’ I said as Angel and I stumbled into the reception area. Nick was at my side within seconds, his arm snaking around my waist. I leaned into him as I watched Daniel grab some papers off the counter and stuff them down the front of his shirt before he ran over to us and put his arm around Angel.

  ‘Where do you think you’re going? These girls belong here. You have no right to take them.’ Dr Wood glanced at the receptionist who sat open-mouthed behind the front counter. ‘Call security. Now.’

  With Nick supporting me, I ran to the front door and burst outside, with Angel and Daniel right behind us. Nick’s car was parked in front of the entrance and I threw myself into the front passenger seat while Daniel and Angel dived into the back.