I bury my face into my hands. A dizzy spell washes over me, and the burn in my chest grows in intensity. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” I cry into my hands. “I’m so sorry, Jude. I’m so sorry.”
He lowers his finger, pulling me into a strong embrace. “We will do everything we can to find them all, but don’t make me let you go too, eh?”
“Promise me,” I say.
He looks straight into my eyes. “I promise, my little Telekin.”
A sudden, screaming pain rages through my skull. “What’s happening? It hurts,” I shriek. The pain sears, blurring my vision. “It really hurts,” I cry, grasping at my skull.
The room starts to shake, everyone staggers, and the chairs upturn. I stumble, and both Jude and Cooper catch me, lowering me to the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with her?” Cooper asks, fighting to stay upright. “Why does this keep happening?”
What does he mean ‘keep happening’? My vision blurs to nothing more than dull light and shadows, and a warm hand rests on my forehead.
“Leoni, what are you doing?” Grayson asks.
“It was me,” Leoni replies. Her voice is strong and confident. She clips a cuff back onto my wrist, and the familiar sting of sedation is followed by a warm, heavy feeling seeping into my skull. The room falls still, and Cooper releases his grip on my shoulders.
“I’ve been un-manipulating the memory manipulation I did to her as a child,” she adds. My head feels fuzzy, and my eyelids close. “And my name isn’t Leoni Vickers, it’s Leoni Lovick. I’m Adam’s mother.”
CHAPTER TEN
Dad tucks me into bed with my Raggy; a scruffy, old blanket I have had since I was a baby. He talks about painting my room for my next birthday. I look at the blocks of pink, lemon, and mocha that line my walls like a tub of Neapolitan ice cream and get giddy at the thought of my pink Princess palace that Dad has promised me. I’m aware that this isn’t real, it’s a memory, but it feels like an out of body experience.
Voices carry up over the stairs, and Dad looks toward the door in confusion.
He kisses my forehead. “It’s time to sleep. I love you, Teddie Bear.” He leaves, closing the door behind him.
As soon as I hear the bottom stair creak, I climb out of bed, and take my door off the catch. I open it just enough to hear the conversation below.
“Why is she here? I said no, Shana. This is a bad idea,” Dad whispers. I can hear the anger in his voice.
“I think I better leave, so you can discuss this,” says a female voice that I don’t recognise. “I don’t want to cause—”
“You’re not going anywhere,” says Shana. “Rob knows this is what’s best for Teddie. Leoni can help her, Rob. Do you not want her to lead a normal life?”
The woman speaks again. “This may not work, and even if it does, it cannot be a permanent fix. I can manipulate the memories, and hopefully that will suppress her telepathy a little longer, but she will need to be un-manipulated at some point in the future.”
“And this won’t hurt her?” Dad asks.
“Not at all, but I will only do this if you assure me that you understand that she will need to be un-manipulated. If Teddie continues showing signs of telepathy you must contact us. If this works, she will still need to be un-manipulated at around eleven years old. Most EVO get their abilities between fifteen and seventeen, some sooner. I must un-manipulate Teddie at around eleven years old to make sure that there are no untoward effects during puberty. I’m only offering to do this because of her age. I’ve never heard of a five-year-old with a developing ability. You cannot stop this even if you want to. Teddie is EVO and her DNA will always win.”
“If this will stop the nightmares and help her get by until she’s at an age that she can deal with it, then okay,” Dad says, sighing.
“Let’s start now,” Shana says.
“Not tonight, I have my son in the car,” says Leoni. “I’ll come by first thing tomorrow. And can I offer you a word of advice? Give up on this idea of a normal life. People like Teddie and I are far from normal. The best way for you to help your daughter is to accept her for what she is.”
The front door bangs as it shuts, and I tiptoe to the window. I see a black woman with curled, long hair walking away from the house. She wears a long, black skirt, boots, and a blue, sleeveless blouse. I want to shout out to her, to speak to the woman who knows what it is like to be me, but as she opens the car door, the interior light flicks on and illuminates a boy in the back seat. He has dark skin just like his mother, but his eyes are green and piercing. He looks about ten years old, and he sits with a football on his lap. He stares up at me. I shy away from the window slightly, but I can’t take my eyes off of him. Is he like me too? I push my hands against the glass, willing him to show me that he is different.
Shana follows Leoni out of the house and says something inaudible. Leoni turns away, but I catch a glimpse of her rolling her eyes. The boy still watches me.
Are you like me? I think to myself.
“Yes, I am, but don’t tell anyone,” he replies. I start away from the window, gasping from the clarity of his voice in my head. I’ve never had a conversation in my head before. “You’re a Telepath, right? What’s your name?”
Leoni starts the engine and reverses to get passed Dad’s car.
I stare at the boy in a haze of euphoria and fascination. “I’m Teddie. What can you do?”
He waves to me with blue electricity sparking briefly between his fingers. “I’m Adam,” he says.
Leoni drives away.
***
I grasp at thin air until I grab something solid, firm, real. Leoni sits behind me with her hands on my temples. Her arms are warm, and I reluctantly let go.
“We’re not done,” she says, closing her eyes.
“I met Adam when I was a kid?” I ask. My voice comes out hoarse and dry.
She sighs. “Yes. Now, can we continue? We have a lot of memories to unlock before morning.”
“He developed his ability early. Why does he not remember that?”
“The same reason you didn’t remember your telepathy,” she replies, digging deeper into my mind.
She manipulated her own son.
***
Dad walks toward the cove with a tall, skinny, brown haired man. They talk animatedly, and I can tell Dad hangs on his every word. Adam kicks a football around, stirring up the gravel outside the house. Occasionally, he kicks the ball at the garage wall with a thud, throws his arms in the air, and runs around cheering himself. I hide behind the garage wall, giggling at him acting the fool.
“Teddie, can you come here a minute?” Mum shouts from inside the house.
I feel silly as I have to sidle out from behind the garage and Adam will know I have been spying on him. He stops kicking the ball to let me pass safely.
“Have you been hiding?” he asks. I can’t think of a better excuse, so I nod. “Are you scared?”
I nod again.
“Why don’t you speak? Can you only talk in your mind or something? That’s a bit weird.”
“I’m not weird,” I snap.
“How old are you?” he asks, not fazed by my outburst. He starts keepie-uppies as he speaks. “I’m nine. When did you start developing your ability? I started about three months ago. Mum said I shouldn’t talk about it though, because bad things can happen to EVO who get caught, but I guess it is okay to talk to you. Can you read my thoughts right now or do you just talk to people in their heads? I’m an Electrokin. Do you know what that is? I can manipulate electricity. I can turn on a TV just by touching it. You’re quiet, say something.”
“You talk a lot.”
He drops the ball momentarily, and his brow lowers before his face splits into a grin. “Yeah, I guess so. How old are you?”
“Five.”
“Do you have any EVO friends?”
“I’m home-schooled, so I don’t have any friends at all. There is a boy who lives do
wn the lane, Charlie Roves, but he only plays with me because his Mummy and Daddy tell him to.”
Adam looks a little sad. “My parents took me out of school too. It’s too dangerous at the moment. I might frazzle the teachers or something.” I giggle, and he kicks the ball to me. “I don’t have friends either. You’re just a kid, but if you wan’t I can teach you keepie-uppies?”
I nod eagerly, but Mum’s voice calls from the house again.
“Don’t be scared of my Mum. I think your Mum is scarier. My Dad said your Mum drinks like a fish. My Mum won’t hurt you. She wants to help you.”
“Teddie, what are you playing at? Come on.” Mum appears at the door. “I told you not to go out of ear shot. Stop annoying the boy.”
Adam picks up the ball from my feet. “It was my fault, Mrs Leason. I was teaching Teddie how to play football.”
Adam smiles at me before returning to his game.
Mum grunts under her breath and ushers me inside the house.
***
I pick up a Barbie and make her pirouette around the doll’s house. Dad has dragged the television from their room into my bedroom, and I’ve watched nothing but Disney films all morning. I scratch at my tummy, lifting my top to see the small, blistered spots dotted all over my skin. I must have caught chicken pox when Charlie’s Dad forced him to come to tea at our house a few weeks ago. Charlie was scratching at his leg the whole time, and Mr Roves rang Dad that night to say that Charlie had the chicken pox.
I look to the door, and sure that Dad and Mum are not close by, I have a good, long scratch like a dog clawing at fleas. So what if they scar on my belly?
The front door slams and I jump out of my spotty skin. My heart kicks against my chest. For a minute, I thought I had been caught out, but then I realise that Mum has been out for hours. She’s probably drunk again.
Another slam, this time the fridge. “If you can’t drink on a Friday when can you?” Mum snaps.
“Look at yourself. Leoni’s going to be here any minute to manipulate our daughter, and you can’t even stay sober for one bloody night. Teddie needs her Mum, Shana.”
“That child needs a lot more than her mother. Do you not resent it... her?”
“Never. You make me sick,” shouts Dad. The doorbell rings, and I hear him whisper angrily to her before opening the door.
Footsteps pound the stairs. I run to the bed, jump under the duvet, and pretend to be sleeping. The door creaks open a little more, and I feel the weight as Adam sits on the side of my bed.
“I know you’re not really asleep, Spotty.”
I open my eyes slowly and stare up at Adam’s beaming face. His hair and face are wet from the storm outside.
“So, you haven’t turned into a chicken, yet?” I shake my head, trying to disguise my smile. “Don’t worry, I can’t catch it. I’ve had chicken pox already. Your Dad said we could park the caravan in the field tonight. I just thought I’d come and say bye. We’re going home early in the morning. I also wanted to show you something new I have learnt. I don’t get to show anyone other than Mum and Dad, and they get kind of mad when I use my ability.”
“Mine do too,” I say, sitting up. He really does know what it is like to be me. “Show me.”
“Okay, hold up your hand like this.” He holds up his palm like he wants a high five. I copy. He holds his hand to mine, nearly touching, but not quite. “I won’t hurt you.”
A spark of blue spreads along his palm, reaching out in mini lightning bolts to mine. A tingly feeling spreads up my arm, pulsing through my whole body, and my hair starts to rise around my face.
Adam laughs, shifting to the side, so I can see my reflection in the mirror. I burst into hysterics at the sight of myself. My hair stands on end, and Adam’s eyes water from laughter. The electricity licks at my skin, but it’s the beauty of it that mesmerises me most.
“My Mum and Dad are scared to touch it. They think I’m going to fry their brains. Are you not scared?”
“No, it feels gentle. You’re cool. Will you be my friend?”
The blue retreats back into Adam’s hand and he lets it fall onto his lap. “You’re pretty cool for a little kid too,” he says. “I thought we already were friends?”
Shana enters, red faced and puffy eyed. “Say goodbye to Adam, Teddie.” She props herself up on the doorframe.
Adam grabs his rucksack, slinging it over his shoulder. “Bye Teddie. It was nice to meet you,” he says, tapping at his forehead. I tune in easily. “Don’t touch any light switches for a few hours in case you blow a bulb. And… don’t forget me, okay? You’re the only friend I’ve got.”
Leoni appears, offering me a kind smile. She tells Adam that his Dad is waiting for him, and then enters the room, closing the door behind her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“That was surprisingly uneventful,” Leoni says. I open my eyes and blink away the dryness. “You might have a bit of a headache, and a bunch of memories that don’t fit properly, but everything will sort itself out.”
Sitting up, I pull against the restraints on my wrists. The skin underneath has been rubbed raw and bleeds into the sheets. “I thought you said it was uneventful.”
She just smiles and unlocks the cuffs. “I don’t like the brown hair on you. What did Adam think of it?”
“Seriously? Don’t ask me questions about Adam because I won’t answer them. If you were around for him you’d know for yourself.”
“That shy, little girl from fourteen years ago has found a voice,” she says, half laughing. “You don’t half talk a load of shit, though. I have been sat on this saddle of a stool for the last thirteen hours, so I’m going to have a pee, have a coffee, and then I’ll explain it all to you. Do you think you can hold off on the judgement until then?”
I’m speechless, gawping at her like a fish out of water. Leoni shakes out her legs before heading out the door. I like her. My intuition feels more in tune than it ever has. It’s like I’m reading her subconsciously. She has a chip on her shoulder to match mine. Yeah, I definitely like her.
“I can see why he is in love with her,” Leoni thinks.
I know she thinks it because her lips don’t move. I didn’t even have to try, her thoughts just popped into my head without as much as a flinch on my part.
“I must remember it’s my weekend to have the kids.”
“I’m gasping for a cuppa.”
“Who ate my cereal bar?”
Different thoughts and different voices fill my head; talking over each other, screaming for my attention. I grasp at my skull in a bid to stop the noise. Leoni stops at the door and watches me over her shoulder.
“What’s up with her now?” she thinks.
Even more voices fill my head; random thoughts obscuring my own. I can’t control this, I have no off and on switch, and a familiar ball sits in my throat, stopping my lungs from expanding. I cry out, but it’s more of a raspy gasp.
Leoni rushes back into the room, taking my face in her hands.
“They’re so loud,” I say, wheezing for breath. “I can’t breathe.”
“Pull it back, Teddie. The telepathy belongs to you, not the other way around.”
“This is different. I have no control. I can hear everything.”
“If a five-year-old girl can control it, a nineteen-year-old, grown ass woman sure as hell can. You don’t get to be weak, not when Adam is relying on you.”
The mere mention of Adam shocks me back to myself, and I inhale deeply before the panic can get me firmly in its grip. I focus on the telepathy, balling it up in the centre of my mind until it steadies and I can feel it waning. I want to lock it away, never to open it again. It’s scarily powerful, and I can’t cope.
“I wanted to let you recover, but perhaps now is a good of a time as any. What Grayson said to you about Adam being safer if you don’t link, well, he’s wrong. You need to link with him, Teddie. You need to give them reason to need him. Tell him you’re alive. If not, he has no value t
o them.” Her hands are hot on my cheeks, painful almost. “Link or they’ll kill him.”
“You’re right.” She seems taken off guard by my response. Was she expecting an argument? This is Adam we’re talking about. “What do I do? The link only happened if we were close. It’s sporadic.”
“It was sporadic,” Leoni says, smiling. “Try it now.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Teddie, we’re alone in this building. Those voices you heard are from a packing factory about a mile down the road. Link with Adam, now.”
“What do I say about you?”
“You say nothing. He can’t find out like this.”
I know my telepathy is strong. It has always been strong. I just lacked the memories to remember what I was actually capable of. I tell myself to link with Adam and it’s as if I’m jolted from reality. My mind and body feel separate, and a warm crackle surrounds my mind. That’s not all I feel. A deep, dark sense of despair sticks to me like tar, chilling me to my soul. A hollow, emptiness threatens to engulf me.
“Adam?” I ask.
The crackle intensifies, giving me respite from the desolation.
“I’m dreaming again,” Adam thinks. “Just leave me alone.” His voice is dead- TORO dead.
My heartbeat thuds around in my brain. Please, don’t be TORO. “It’s me, Baby. It’s Teddie,” I say, again.
“No. Teddie is dead.”
I show him my memory of walking into the Syndicate meeting with Jude. I show him Grayson’s face, my hospital gown, and my telekinetic episode as my brain seared with pain. The crackle of electricity feels hot in my mind.
EVO Nation Series Trilogy Box Set Page 37
