Saintsville

by Brittani Louise Taylor

  She has never been more confused in her life, and a lot of very confusing events have led up to this. Her emotions are a pinball machine. Angry, frustrated, afraid, heartbroken, hopeful, and overall, overwhelmed. Not that she particularly liked their new home, but at least it was a home. She would happily go back to the way things were less than forty-eight hours prior. Before all her preconceived notions of their family were totally, and utterly, destroyed.

  Eve realizes that she had been partially listening to Maggie and Martin’s continued discussion, having been awoken by their chatter at some point during the night. In her sleepy haze, she had learned some things.

  Their parents were apparently traitors. They were caught by the EMTF experimenting on mutants, creating new variations, but managed to allude capture. Hence, the lab, the blood, and their disappearance. Not daring to contact their daughters for fear of being caught, they chose instead to become Zappers. Snappers are mutants, Zappers hunt Snappers, and Changers—they are the worst of all. To turn a person, basically hitting the off switch on their soul, and then modify them into horrifying abominations? Changers change people into the unchangeable.

  Their parents are farmers, and what they harvest are mutants.

  Eve’s heart aches, and not just because it’s been stabbed by a thick needle.

  Closing her eyes once more, she pretends to fall back asleep, but feels the wheels turn and the change from pavement to gravel as they exit the freeway. She can’t help but open her eyes and look out. The shift in roadway seems to be a cue for Martin to stir and Maggie to yawn.

  No longer obligated to interact solely with Luca, Eve’s tears have dried, and she’s relieved by her sister’s gravelly, “Are we there yet?” as she stretches.

  “We are roughly six-point-forty-three kilometers from our destination,” Martin informs everyone, that tablet he’s holding seeming to be a frequent extension of his arm.

  “Whatever. As long as it gets me out of this car,” states Maggie grumpily.

  Eve couldn’t agree more.

  With the sun rising, she notices the dirt road they’re on is heading straight toward a heavy iron gate. Tall, solid stone walls intersect the singular metal point of entry, extending for what looks like miles to the left and right.

  Whatever this place is, it’s heavily fortified, and—no surprise—in the middle of nowhere.

  As they get closer, she thinks she can make out a cursive letter “E” on the thick, iron bars.

  “Welcome to Evergreen.” says Luca proudly. And for once, he’s smiling.

  Chapter 18

  The gate is tall and imposing. At first appearance it’s weathered, belonging to some grand estate. Eve figures that anyone out for a drive who happened to stumble upon this place would be curious, wondering what was contained within the walls. But they wouldn’t give it a second thought, chalking it up to old money and a strong desire for privacy.

  Looks can be deceiving, as the strategically placed cameras in the trees scan their cars before the intimidating gate swiftly opens. They pass through, and just as quickly, the gate slams shut—a thick, metal motorized bar sliding into place, reinforcing the entrance behind them.

  Eve and Maggie can’t help but stare out the small car windows in wonder.

  “Well, I guess sneaking out isn’t going to be an option,” Maggie states matter-of-factly.

  Tall pine trees line the long driveway, and before Eve knows it, they’re pulling up in front of a massive mansion.

  It is unlike anything she has ever seen before.

  At first, she thinks it is a log cabin, but it looks more like they’ve stumbled upon a ski resort…minus the snow. Though if the cold is any indication, that weather condition is imminent.

  The main house is stunning, with its large pitched roof and tall, arched windows. There are at least three levels, and the same stone from the walls surrounding the property has been worked into the structure. The contrast between the wood logs and stone columns is warm and inviting.

  Even more spectacular—to the left of the main house, steam rises from hot springs that flow off a natural hill, pouring water into a pool below, essentially creating a small-scale waterfall.

  The house is quiet, probably due to the early hour, as the Humvee and hot rod park in the circular driveway. Farther to the left is a large, square log building and a few smaller structures beyond that. Luca, still smiling, exits from the car the moment it is parked, and Eve takes that as her cue to do the same.

  Car doors open and close as the five Quinns and two Abbotts gather in front of wooden steps, leading to a covered balcony and a large, solid timber threshold.

  “Is skinny dipping allowed?” Maggie whispers to West suggestively, indicating the tempting pool mere feet away.

  His shaggy blonde hair is tied black in a low ponytail, a few pieces having escaped. With the mist coming off the water and his bare glistening arms, he could be on the cover of a romance novel. Eve watches as West looks at Maggie, raises an eyebrow, and smirks.

  Maggie’s mischievous grin as a response would have normally set off warning bells in Eve’s head—but West, of all the Quinns, is growing on her. He has been nothing but polite and thoughtful—unlike the usual riffraff Maggie brings home.

  So wrapped up in the budding teen romance, Eve hardly notices Rowan, now standing beside her.

  “Not a bad suggestion,” he says. “If you haven’t noticed, you’re quite rank….”

  Without thinking, Eve smacks his arm, stifling a smile herself. She is about to ramble something about how Rowan should invest in a comb when the front door is thrown open, and a chestnut blonde in a flowery bathrobe, flannel pajamas, and slippers bolts out.

  She scans the group, takes one look at Luca, and squeals.

  Running down the stairs, she throws her arms around him, burying her head in his neck.

  Eve grinds her teeth.

  This gorgeous woman, who could be anywhere from her late teens to early twenties, with her shiny long, wavy hair and a perfect figure, is now standing in front of Luca talking animatedly. Eve is instantly annoyed.

  Jealous, though she would never admit it.

  Glancing down at her soiled clothes, she has never felt more inadequate.

  Rowan cups his hands around his mouth and yells, “Beth! Stop playing favorites!” and laughs. Catching the attention of the beautiful woman, she breaks away from Luca, squeezing his shoulders, and jogs over to Rowan, engulfing him in a giant hug as well. She does the same with Tate, and Martin, saving West for last. As he picks her up and plants a solid kiss on her cheek, Eve notices that Maggie seems both fascinated and irritated.

  The pretty stranger is smiling from ear to ear when she finally seems to notice the Abbotts. Looking between each of them, she nudges West with her elbow—an indication that he should introduce her.

  “This is Beth. Beth, Maggie, and the rough-looking one over there is Eve.”

  Beth playfully rolls her eyes at West’s description of the eldest Abbott and strolls directly over. Before Eve can protest, she’s receiving a hug as well.

  “I am so sorry that you have had to spend so much time with my brothers!”

  Brothers. Wait. Beth is their sister?

  As if reading her mind, the newest Quinn responds.

  “Yup, I’m the normal one. And now, let me take both of you inside. I’m sure you would like to see your room?”

  “‘Room’? Not ‘rooms’? Nope. Not sharing,” Maggie whispers. Eve gives her a “knock it off” look, which seems to work.

  Confidently, Beth heads up the stairs, motioning for the Abbotts to follow. The rest of the Quinn clan hangs back, giving the girls some space to get acquainted.

  Stepping through the front door is exactly like entering the lobby of a hotel, minus the check-in desk or restaurant with a bar. Leather couches and rustic chairs surround a large stone fireplace on the right, with the entire room opening up to a glass ceiling. Eve counts three levels, with staircases on either
side.

  Moving to stand in the middle, she can see that they’re in the center of a half circle. Each level has an evenly spaced number of closed doors, partially hidden behind the intricately carved wood railing. All the doors need are numbers, and then they would’ve definitely been in a resort. Maybe Evergreen had been at one point? She would have to remember to ask Beth.

  Here, at Evergreen, a calm has come over her.

  Here, for some reason, Eve actually feels safe.

  With her guard dropped, she realizes just how depleted she really is.

  Linking Eve’s arm in hers like they are old friends, Beth pulls her to the staircase on the right and keeps pulling her, all the way to the third floor. Coming to a door with a bear carved on the front, she turns the handle and opens. Stepping aside, Beth motions for Eve and Maggie to enter first.

  The room is simple. Two identical canopy beds on opposite ends, with red checkered comforters and matching pillows. Adding to the splendor is a large oak dresser placed just below a small window. With the tan curtains pulled back, Eve can see the driveway and the clouded mountains beyond. The best part of the room is the middle doorway, because it connects to an even more charming bathroom.

  Fluffy white towels are stacked on the stone-built sink, with a white porcelain basin. Eve wants to cry after spotting the large tub and walk-in tiled shower beside it.

  “Can I be rude, and just tell both of you to get out?” Eve begs, turning to Beth and Maggie.

  “But then I’m going to have to clean the shower, after you take a shower, before I take a shower. Who knows what you’re harboring right now.” Maggie mock cringes as Eve sits on the edge of the tub, kicking off her sneakers and slowly removing one sock at a time.

  Beth grabs Maggie’s hand, escorting her away. Eve hears Beth’s melodious voice say, “Come on, there is an extra bathroom a few doors down…” and the rest is muffled as sweet Beth closes the bathroom door.

  Eve is finally alone.

  Chapter 19

  She doesn’t know how long her shower lasts, shampooing her hair over and over before the water finally runs clear. Getting out, Eve finds lotion in the cabinet, and it stings as it makes contact with the many partially healed cuts she has acquired. Taking a towel and wiping the steam from the mirror, she puts on her glasses, finally getting a good look at her face.

  Eve had completely forgotten about the burn from the smoker, prominent on her cheekbone. Smoker. The Quinns’ slang for the mutation level one that had lashed her with its poisonous vapor. Leaning in for a closer look, it appears like it should hurt, but it strangely doesn’t. Thin and long, as if her face had been snapped by a guitar string, that particular wound is almost healed. Other cuts and bruises mar her usually perfect skin. Noticing her cracked lips, she hunts around the unopened toiletries basket that has been left, finding a tube of ChapStick.

  A knock at the door causes her to startle, dropping the lip balm into the sink.

  “Eve?” says Beth, just outside.

  “Yes?”

  “I brought you some clothes. I’ll just leave them here.”

  Beth is growing on her too.

  “Thank you so much,” Eve says genuinely.

  “Breakfast is ready as well, but if you just want to sleep, no one will bother you.”

  Footsteps fading away indicate that Beth has graciously exited once more.

  Towel firmly wrapped, Eve turns the door handle and looks down to find a set of soft-looking navy pajamas, a lighter-blue fluffy bathrobe, and matching slippers that looked to be around her size.

  She had never been more appreciative in her life.

  Barely getting the shirt over her head and the pajamas pants pulled on, Eve doesn’t even bother with the bathrobe and slippers as she exits to the main bedroom. Maggie, in a similar set but purple, is already lounging on one of the beds, drying her hair with a towel.

  “You going to breakfast?” Maggie inquires.

  “Nope.”

  And that is all that Eve mumbles before she climbs onto the mattress, pulls the covers up, and falls quickly and deeply asleep.

  Maggie, having had a solid six hours of somewhat uncomfortable backseat car rest, is wide awake. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knows that she should be doing the same as her extremely practical older sister, but she feels like a kid at a theme park. Too much to see, too many guys to experience.

  Maybe girls, too—Beth is a cutie.

  Exiting their shared room, Maggie looks over the railing and all the way down to the first floor, spotting random bodies milling about. Some she knows, a few she doesn’t. Tate is talking to a middle-aged, muscular black man. They seem to be arguing, which is not surprising when Tate is involved. Her attention is drawn to two new faces. Both female, Hispanic, with similar features. Long, straight dark hair, tan skin, and big brown eyes. Both of them are extremely attractive, which seems to be a prerequisite for associating with the Quinns.

  Maggie leans on the railing, observing the Latinas as they hold their coffee mugs and chat with Luca. One of the two girls keeps touching his arm, which Maggie feels inclined to do something about. Yeah, sure, when the carload of brothers first poured out in Saintsville—what now felt like decades ago, not days—Maggie would have gladly hooked up with any or all of them. But she had seen the way Eve behaved whenever Luca was near. Nervous, aggressive, fidgety. Eve only gets that way when she’s attracted to someone, and Maggie is secretly rooting for a possible romantic connection. She is team Eve, and about to block some unnecessary interference.

  Making her way downstairs, she’s the only person draped in fabric with any sort of color, the rest of the bodies in predictable black. To her eyes, their matching tattoos are getting old. It’s like they’re all in some fraternity, and if you don’t have the lines, you don’t belong.

  “Good morning!” Maggie says loudly, sidling up to the trio. “I’m Maggie! Hi. I’ve been watching both of you throwing yourselves at my friend here from all the way up there, thought I’d come rescue him….”

  Maggie is just warming up.

  “Ladies, sorry to disappoint, but the only thing Luca is attracted to is his car.”

  Both bronzed beauties pull back, flustered.

  “You are…?” Maggie asks, then adds, “Hello, manners!” Extending her hand, she shakes each one of the girl’s limp fingers.

  “I am Sophia, this is my sister Lucia….” utters the seemingly older of the two.

  Not easily deterred, Sophia places a manicured hand on Luca’s chest, and smiles.

  “I will see you later, yes? Lucia, let’s go.”

  Maggie tries to study Luca, gauge his response, but he is always so nonreactive. Removing her claw, Sophia ignores Maggie entirely as they turn and saunter away.

  Unsure of what to do next, after successfully solidifying two new enemies, Maggie’s stomach grumbles loudly. A tap on her shoulder causes her to look, only to be pleasantly surprised.

  West leans in, his words only for her ears.

  “You should be careful with those two. They don’t play fair.”

  Reaching up, he gently pulls on one of her spiral locks, and releases.

  “How long have you wanted to do that for?” she teases.

  “A while,” West admits, and they both laugh. Playfully throwing his arm around her

  shoulder, he guides her toward the front entrance and then to the right. They head down a short hallway, into the kitchen, greeted by the delicious aroma of sizzling bacon.

  Of course, a house like this has a grand gourmet kitchen sporting multiple ovens. A

  plump, gray-haired woman in charge of grub is skillfully grating cheese, lifting lids on pots, and flipping pancakes at the exact right second. Distracted by the large breakfast buffet, Maggie grabs a clean plate from a stack and dives in.

  West chuckles at the sight of the tiny girl with the huge plate of food. “Twenty bucks you can’t eat all of that.”

  “I’m currently broke and homeless. Dar
n. So. New rules? I win, you give me twenty, you win, I make out with you.”

  At this, West actually blushes. It takes a moment before he responds, grabbing two more biscuits and stacking them onto her plate.

  “Well, I’m just going to have to make sure I win.”

  Grabbing a strip of bacon and taking a bite, Maggie tries to hide the butterflies in her stomach. She can easily finish the contents of her large plate—the pile of food isn’t just for show.

  But this is one bet she wouldn’t mind losing.

  Chapter 20

  I didn’t drown.

  I remember my screams as the cold liquid finally pulled over my head.

  I remember my lungs filling.

  And I remember the sudden anger. Rage.

  The water started to boil and seethe around me, swirling faster and faster.

  I should have been frightened.

  Trapped, unable to breathe, but in that moment I once again changed.

  Crack. The translucent barrier surrounding me started to fracture.

  I stopped struggling. I stopped fighting. I let the darkness in.

  And when I did, the entire tank exploded outward.

  The water rushed away from me, breathing a sigh of relief as it hugged the cement.

  I coughed and heaved, but my rage did not lessen.

  My hands throbbed as I looked down at my wrists, still chained to the floor.

  Turning my left palm to face upwards, a piece of the glass protruded from it, slick with blood.

  Footsteps.

  Grinding, as the heavy paneled metal door to the room was pulled open.

  Someone entered.

  The blue lights in the floor faintly illuminated the older woman before me.

  White lab coat. Dark brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. Crystal blue eyes, piercing me with their hatred. I know her.

  Mom?

  And then everything went black.

  I didn’t drown, but a part of me died in that tank.

  Rocking back and forth, I now cradle my bandaged hands against my chest.