Of course. I clutch onto Eli but we don’t move. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’m worried about my verve.’
‘You don’t have enough?’
‘I have enough to get us in; I just don’t know if I have enough to get all three of us away from here.’
‘What happens if you run out of verve?’
‘The Vault stops and we end up somewhere between here and where I was aiming. It could be on the street or in the middle of someone’s home.’
‘We’ll deal with it if that happens. Come on.’ I shake his arms and he grips onto me.
In the Chamber I run over to Jay and lift his head. He is pale with dark circles around his closed eyes.
‘Jay! Jay, wake up!’
Eli tries to open the manacles around Jay’s wrists.
‘Jay!’ I let his head go, frustrated. ‘John!’ I slap his face and he lifts his head, groggily. He looks at me with deranged eyes.
‘Jay?’
‘It was him.’ Jay’s normally strong voice is soft and shaky.
Eli ignores him as he continues trying to unclasp the manacles.
Jay leans closer to me, pulling on the chains. ‘It was him. He’s here.’ His hot, sour breath hits my face. His eyes squint in fear and pain.
‘Who’s here, Jay?’
‘He’s been here this whole time.’
‘Who has?’ Jay stares into my eyes and the fear intensifies in his. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’
Eli finally unhooks the chains. We catch Jay before he falls and he staggers before pushing us both away.
Jay hunches over, panting. ‘It’s him, Eli. He’s here.’
I look at Eli to see if he understands. His expression changes from confusion to realisation. He turns to me and says, ‘We have to go.’
‘Who are you talking about?’
Jay grips my shoulders and spins me around. ‘It’s him, Thea!’
‘Thea, it’s time to go.’ Eli takes my hand but my gaze is locked on Jay.
‘Thea, now!’ Eli yanks my hand and pulls me out of my daze.
An alarm blares, its shrieks seeming to come from everywhere. The two sentinels from the foyer rush down the stairwell and into the basement. Seeing us, they lift their maserlocks and shoot. I flinch. The pulsars bounce off the glass walls of the Chamber, leaving only scratches.
‘Jay, what are you doing?’ Eli yells over the alarm. ‘We need to go!’
I turn to see Jay at the other end of the Chamber, pacing, two steps back-and-forth. Eli pulls me toward Jay. ‘Jay, come on!’
As Eli reaches for him, Jay jumps back. ‘Don’t!’
Outside the Chamber door, the sentinels speak urgently to each other, glancing in at us and back at their fallen comrade. I cannot hear them over the alarm. Fortunately, it seems they don’t have a key.
‘Jay, what is the matter with you?’ Eli shouts. ‘I’ll get us out of here, don’t worry.’
Jay walks around the edge of the Chamber, away from us.
‘No! Don’t use it.’
‘Use what?’
‘Your Ability. That’s what he wants! He’ll take it. You can’t use it.’
‘I understand Jay, but he’s not here right now. He can’t take it.’
Jay’s wary eyes soften slightly.
Five more sentinels have emerged from the stairwell. Amongst them is Duncan. I drop Eli’s hand and step towards the Chamber door.
I glare at Duncan and he glares right back. All pretence gone, I know the truth. The whole world he built around me is shattered and I see hatred in his face.
As he moves closer to the Chamber, scratching at his scar on his left palm, I walk toward him. For five long years this man has ruled my life after stealing my true one from me. There are so many things I want to say to him. I don’t know where to start.
The alarm finally stops screeching. Mingled with my anger I feel fierce joy. I have unwittingly played Duncan’s game but he hasn’t won. He can’t take the truth away from me again.
‘Thea, what are you doing?’ Eli cries, clutching my arm. ‘We have to get to the Rampart.’
At the door, Duncan pushes aside the two sentinels.
‘You know.’ Two simple words said through gritted teeth.
I smile. ‘Yes, Father.’
My smile widens at the rage in Duncan’s face.
‘Althea!’
His furious face kaleidoscopes as the spinning starts. My mind is so focused, the whirling sensation doesn’t bother me.
I hit the pavement hard and roll across the rough surface. Jay is a few metres away, lying on his side. I struggle to my feet, trying to get my bearings. The street lights are dim and the dark storm clouds above prevent the moon shining.
In the distance, behind rows of small houses, I see the tall brass lamp posts that signal an entrance to the Imperial Gardens. The lamp posts on the affluent East Road entrance shine more brightly, so we must be north of the gardens, only a few blocks from the Institute.
‘Eli?’ I call. ‘Eli where are you?’
Jay’s voice is deep and calm, seemingly back to normal. ‘He’s not here.’
I whirl to face him. ‘Where is he?’
‘He could be anywhere,’ Jay says, brushing off his jacket. ‘He must have run out of verve and we dropped out of his Vault. I don’t know how much further he could have gone.’
‘We need to find him.’
‘No, Thea, we need to hide.’
‘But we can’t leave him.’ Unable to think straight, I take a few steps toward the Imperial Gardens, and then take two steps toward the Jasper Institute, about five minutes walk away. Jay catches my hand, forcing me to stop.
‘We have to hide, Thea. Eli could be anywhere. He might be safely outside the Rampart.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘No, but we can’t just wander the streets hoping to find him. Sentinels will be looking for us.’ I hear yelling in the distance.
I peer down the dark street, willing Eli to emerge. I hope Jay is right, that Eli is safe – preferably outside the Kingdom of Cardiff.
Jay tugs my hand and we rapidly walk away from the yelling. For a few minutes I let him guide me, my mind blank and numb.
We’re in the North Quarter. Behind us, the lights of the medical ward shine alone in the darkness, the Jasper Institute beside it emitting no light. Storm clouds crackle and the first drops of rain fall. I pull back on Jay’s hand and stop walking.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Do you have any idea where you are going?’
‘No, but I figured the opposite direction from the yelling sentinels was a good start.’
Even in a crisis he still manages to be sarcastic. ‘I know the kingdom. How about you let me take over?’
‘Yes, Your Highness.’
Heading for the Rampart would be stupid, I decide. It is too tall to climb and the nearest passage through is kilometres away, guarded by armament sentinels. And Duncan will most likely have sentinels searching along it. I can’t return to Casteel. We need help to escape the kingdom. The rain starts pelting down.
‘Sometime tonight would be marvellous, Thea.’
Wherever we go, trouble will follow.
I begin running through the heavy rain. Jay yells and when I glance over my shoulder, he is following. He will just have to trust me.
The few people about cluster in doorways and carters hunch over their reins, driving their horses forward through the muddy streets. Jay and I run for about a kilometre before I slow to a walking pace, dragging in deep breaths. My clothes are soaked but I am warm from exercise and adrenalin.
‘Where are we going?’
I turn into the next street. ‘You’re about to find out.’ I stop outside the small cottage, the antique car filling the yard, rain pattering on its metal roof.
‘Whose place is this?’
Jay’s quiff is plastered to his forehead. The fear in his eyes has been replaced with worry. I give him a small, hope
fully reassuring smile as I open the pink picket gate. I stand in the exact spot I was in only a few hours ago, much more nervous this time. I knock firmly three times.
Bennet opens the door and before he can even get a word out, I rush past him into the living room. Darcy jumps up from the settee but I ignore him.
‘I’m sorry, Ms Grayson, but you can no longer hide from your past. You will help us. Deep down you want to. You are not safe here, regardless of my presence. The king will find out about your sons’ Abilities eventually.’
Jay and Bennet stand in the doorway, confused, while Ms Grayson stares at me. She is not a bumbling old lady. She has done what she must to protect her sons. She is not afraid to stand her ground. I cannot be afraid to, either.
‘Well? What’s it going to be?’
She looks past me. ‘I see you found Jay.’
Jay raises his eyebrows enquiringly at me. ‘Yes, and in the process we lost Eli. We hope he’s safe.’ I take a deep breath. I won’t cry for my brother. Not yet. Never, hopefully. ‘Which is why we are here, we need a place to hide.’
‘And you expect to hide here.’
I incline my head.
‘Mum . . .’ Darcy begins.
‘You ask a great deal of me, Thea Reid. You are not really a princess so do not think you can command me.’
‘And you are not really a citizen of the kingdom, no matter how much you try to be. You will never fit in here because you don’t belong. As long as we Variants are hunted, you will never belong here.’
Darcy walks over to stand beside his mother. ‘What the devil is going on? What are “Variants”?’
‘What’s all this business about fake princesses and being hunted?’ Bennet moves further into the room, followed by Jay.
‘You expect me to put my boys at risk to help you?’
‘Yes, I do. Eli told me that our father helped you leave Concord. He supported you. Now we need your support.’ Ms Grayson’s eyes narrow. ‘I don’t want your sons to be captured. They work at the facility that is trying to find and capture Variants. They aren’t able to stop using their Abilities and you won’t even tell them about themselves!’ She looks from her boys to me. ‘You were once friends with my parents, Dawn. If they were in your situation, they would help your boys.’
She twitches her lips, looking at Jay before returning to me.
‘I’ve had enough!’ Darcy snaps. ‘I’m sorry, Your Highness, but you’re going to have to explain what’s going on.’
‘Don’t call me “Your Highness”, Darcy. And your mother is the one who needs to explain. We’ll wait outside.’ I stare into Dawn’s eyes, hoping we have an understanding.
‘What is going on, Thea?’ Jay asks as we walk down the hall. ‘Who is that lady?’
‘Dawn Grayson.’
‘Why do I know that name?’
‘She used to be part of Concord.’ I step out onto the back porch and lean over the rail, watching the rain splashing on the green-and-brown grass. The swing chair beside us creaks in the breeze.
‘That was Darcy and Bennet? They used to annoy me so much.’
‘More than I used to?’ I look at Jay with a crooked smile.
He counters with his own smirk. ‘Sometimes.’
‘I hope Dawn is being honest with the twins,’ I say, rubbing my tingling wrist. ‘I wasn’t trying to trick her into helping us by telling her they’re in trouble,’ I say, looking out over the well-kept vegetable patch. ‘Long before I found them they were in trouble. Duncan knows that Variants evoke some kind of mark on our wrists. And those two scratch their wrists all the time.’ I shiver, and not just from the cool wind hitting my sodden clothes.
‘She should have told them,’ Jay says fiercely.
‘I’m just glad that they have a chance to run before it’s too late.’
‘The twins have Electric Ignition like their parents?’
‘Yes, that’s what Eli thinks. What does Electric Ignition do, exactly?’
Jay looks over the back fence to all the other little houses beyond. ‘It’s odd to be around. The Graysons could conjure electricity from anything that ever housed it, even from centuries ago. Dawn liked making sparks in the air to make the boys, and you, laugh.’
I close my eyes and in the darkness I recall sparks flashing and childish laughter filling the air. I smile, letting the brief moment settle into my memory.
Jay turns and leans back on the rail. ‘Are you remembering more about your childhood?’
‘Eli told me about the Graysons . . .’ I pause. ‘I remember the boys never used to play with the other kids. They watched us sometimes, but mostly tried to make things out of what we found.’
‘Yeah,’ Jay agreed. ‘Pieces of scrap metal, parts of old furniture, bits of material from old houses and buildings – they loved inventing.’
‘They still do.’ Looking into his black eyes, I realise memories of Jay are resurfacing. We fought a lot, as I’ve been told. But silly, petty fights that only kids can have. ‘I remember you, too.’ Jay’s eyes don’t leave mine. ‘Bits and pieces of you.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as you hiding my favourite doll in places I could never reach.’
He laughs. ‘What was the name of that ridiculous doll?’
Without even thinking, I say, ‘Harriet.’
‘That’s right. Out of all the things to remember.’
‘I don’t pick and choose the memories that come back.’ I put my fingers to my temples. ‘Hmm, I’m remembering . . . you with a bowl haircut.’
He looks horrified. ‘Hey! It’s not my fault my mum decided to hack at my hair!’
‘Sure, sure, blame your mother.’
Strangely, Jay’s mother, Elena, is quite clear in my memories. I have a vague impression of her telling me about her brother.
‘Why are you smiling?’ Jay asks.
‘I’m happy to be remembering without being prompted.’
‘What were you remembering?’
I smile at him. ‘Your mother. I remember she had such beautiful chestnut ringlets and sparkling hazel eyes – and you have her smile. When you’re not smirking, that is.’
His carefree expression disappears. While I may be regaining memories, I don’t know why he’s upset at the mention of his mum. He walks to the other side of the porch, his fists clenched.
‘What happened to her?’
He doesn’t reply, hunching his shoulders away from me, gripping the rail.
I walk over to him. ‘Jay, I’m sorry I don’t remember. I want to. What happened to her?’
‘She died.’ The two words are full of despair.
Darcy opens the back door. ‘Ah, you two can come back in.’
Although I am curious to know more, I am also grateful for the interruption. My soaked clothes cling to me, my adrenalin long since worn off. Darcy eyes us curiously as we walk past him to get inside. I hope whatever Dawn has told them helps our mission.
Dawn is in her chair and Bennet sits on the settee, his head between his hands. Darcy joins him and Jay and I stand in the middle of the room. My earlier courage that inspired me to speak so forcefully to Dawn has deserted me, and now all I can do is shiver.
Thankfully, Dawn breaks the silence. ‘After your speech earlier, you left me no choice but to tell the boys everything. You may hide here for the night, but you must leave tomorrow. We too must leave. Thanks to you, that will be sooner than I anticipated.’
‘Thanks to me, your boys know the truth.’
‘Thanks to you, they are in danger.’
‘Have you thought about what would have happened to them if you never told them? Perhaps one day’ – I look over at the glum twins – ‘perhaps Darcy would experience an electrical rage like you do – at work. What then? They would be unmasked as Variants, as Manipulators.’
Her lips twist sourly. ‘After examining their wrists, I will concede they have been using their Abilities and it’s no longer safe for us to remain in the kingdo
m. I had hoped that if they didn’t know about their Abilities, they wouldn’t be able to use them. It seems I was wrong.’
Bennet starts rubbing his wrist.
‘Don’t worry, Bennet,’ I say, ‘mine hasn’t come through yet, either.’
Darcy blinks a few times, almost as if he is trying to wake up. ‘What do Tokens look like?’
‘Everyone’s is different, Benny,’ Jay says.
‘I . . . I know you?’
‘We used to know each other back when your family was with Concord – our group.’
‘I think I remember you!’ Darcy says. ‘You had that weird haircut!’
Jay raises his eyebrows at me, his mouth a tight line. I try to suppress my laughter.
Bennet looks crestfallen. ‘It really is true? We’re Manipulators?’ He redoubles his efforts to manifest his Token, rubbing it furiously against his faded pants. ‘Cack.’
Jay takes a step towards the settee, pulling up the sleeve of his soaked jacket, leaning in. They both gasp. Bennet takes hold of Jay’s arm and starts touching his wrist.
Just as I move to see Jay’s Token, Dawn says, ‘The boys will lay out some blankets and pillows for you in here.’
‘Thank you,’ I say, edging closer to Jay and the enthralled twins.
‘Boys!’ she barks.
‘But, Mum, we have so many questions!’ Bennet protests.
Jay slides his sleeve down.
‘Bennet, we will have plenty of time to discuss Abilities and why we had to leave Concord – once we are on the road.’
‘Thank you, Dawn, for letting us stay here,’ Jay says. ‘Maybe we can come up with a plan for us all to leave together? Concord would love to have you back.’
‘I don’t think so, dearie. I gather that everyone from here to the Rampart is searching for you two. It would not be wise to be seen with you.’ She looks at her sons. ‘Boys, get the bedding.’
‘Yes, Mum.’ They sulkily leave the room.
Dawn stands and walks to us. ‘As much as it pains me to say it, you are right, Thea. I wish it weren’t true, but the boys aren’t safe here. All I ever wanted was for them to have normal lives. I knew they could never have that, living within Concord, surrounded by people with Abilities. It was a foolish dream, however. I should have stopped lying to myself years ago.’
Time Catcher Page 16
