The Venator (The Mindbender series Book 2)

by C. S Luis

  I was on her heels. My predatory strength filled me, and I hurried. The pupils of my eyes danced, burning like hot marbles. The rush in my body was overwhelming. I felt it throughout every inch, like a force connecting and forcing me to act. It was blissfully exciting and celestial! I’d never felt that way! I was beginning to understand why the watch had malfunctioned.

  She raced out of the cafeteria and into the nearest stairwell, on her feet like the prey my body recognized her to be. She leaped up the steps, but she wasn’t fast as I was. The surge between us gave me a power that I had never had before, an energy that was both unknown and indescribable!

  I reached out just as we came to the top floor and grabbed her arm, spinning her around quickly to face me. Her back hit the lockers on the wall, not hard but enough to startle her. There was a beat inside my head sounding in time to her heart that was slowly climbing in a way that calmed me. The golden light flowing from her figure was still radiating from her form and it was majestic.

  I panted, overwhelmed both by the feeling in my veins and what I was now absorbing from her. My eyes were dancing along with the energy illuminating from out of her body. Could she see what was happening to her? It was as clear as day; the energies flowing from her glowing like a brightest star. I exhaled trying to fight it, but I was beyond that now. Even if I could, I didn’t want to any longer. It was powerful.

  She trembled. I was keen on that. Her emotions, fear and confusion enveloped me as I inched ever closer. Every moment close to her gave me an understanding of what we possessed together. Edging toward her lips, it was intoxicating to be so close.

  “I need…to…speak…with you.” I gasped, forcing the words from my lips, but was this the truth? The sensation of something far stronger was drawing us near, something far powerful than I.

  Resisting, I pushed hard, doing everything in my power to hold back the force that was driving me and making me dance to her will.

  “Stop,” she pleaded, “let me go.”

  It took every ounce of strength to stop myself. My eyes broke the dance, feeling a bit more like myself. At her command had I come to a halt? Impossible. Or had she given me the strength to stop when she ordered it?

  I couldn’t tell what drove me to do what I did next. A current rushed into my veins, once more filling me with a warmth, an ease I’d never felt before, and brought me more peace than I’d ever dreamed to feel. Gazing into her eyes, I was rewarded by her beauty and drawn to her ever more. I wanted her. I couldn’t fight it. I wouldn’t fight it.

  “I’m sorry…” I whispered against her lips before I kissed her.

  She stiffened, became paralyzed. The kiss only made me want more. I couldn’t get enough. There was a hunger inside of me that I couldn’t satisfy when I was close to her. It was no better now that she was in my arms.

  I was a slave to the sensations coursing through my body. Every synapse was firing at high speed. Something connected with my energy. At first, I didn’t understand. But then, I was hit with a force so powerful, it flung me back from her and I hit the locker wall hard. I dropped to the ground, feeling the surge of energy giving me strength even after such an attack. Her power had both lured me and attacked me. It had also given me amazing physical strength and resilience. The blow had not knocked me out although it had the power to do so. I was stronger with her near.

  Her steps echoed in the empty hall as she approached. I didn’t want to scare her, so I didn’t move, refused to make a sound. I released a groan only when I felt I had dislocated a finger in my right hand.

  She bravely came closer. I sensed the force again trying to reach out for me. The current between us had never disconnected, it was a circuit that was unbreakable.

  “That was just self-defense,” she said in a very shaky voice. There was a hint of regret in the sound of her voice, perhaps even a touch of guilt.

  I raised my head. Our eyes met. My pupils began to dance. The golden glow was illuminating her, I could see it once again. It was taking hold of me once more. I forced myself to contain it, to keep it from possessing me again and making me act upon my natural instincts as a hunter. It was powerful! I wanted to be close to her. No matter what!

  I reached out, finding her drawing near. She must feel the current forcing us to connect. Strangely, she reached out to me as well. Could she see the energy between us? Was it as demanding in her as it was within me?

  Our fingers touched, and a rush spawned me into a different place. A shadowy force was standing in our paths. It wanted her; it reached out its large tentacle arms to take her from behind me.

  I grabbed at its arms, detaching them from its body. I could feel her energy flowing into me; she was giving me the strength to defeat it. The center of my eyes danced again. I knew with her by my side, I could destroy anything. This creature would not take her from me! Nothing would take her from me.

  The vision vanished when our fingers disconnected, and I found her pulling away from me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered and rushed away, disappearing down the hall.

  Slowly rising from the floor, a rush of students now invaded the halls from every direction, emerging from their classes. I rose, grabbed at my index finger, and popped it into place.

  I would have to find another way to approach her. One that didn’t include losing myself in this force that was connecting us to one another. Why did it affect me more than her?

  I made my way to the first floor and back to the main office. Mrs. Wallace was at her desk, busy typing up letters, and answering phones when she saw me.

  “Your uncle has been looking for you,” she informed me, casting a look my way that could mean either sympathy or trouble. I wasn’t sure which yet. Would she side with my uncle, her boss; or would she have sympathy for the new teen in town just learning his way around?

  “Has he?” I said with a slight grin that would make all the girls drop their books and melt.

  I glanced at my cell. There was a text from Joseph. That’s when I noticed the phone’s screen had cracked.

  “Thanks,” I said and winked. I opened the door to the office. The secretary was speechless as I disappeared inside.

  Joseph narrowed his eyes at me when I stood at the entrance staring at him.

  “Where have you been?” he demanded.

  I neared the window, watching the traffic. Cars were dropping off students at the front of the building. There was a lot of activity outside. Behind me, the large office still sat in utter chaos; pictures and framed certificates were among the many things in a box next to the desk.

  I turned back to Joseph as he sat behind the desk. Placed in front of him were a laptop and a name plate bearing his name in large letters with the title “Principal” on it. I looked around the office taking it all in. This would be our new reality for a few months, maybe even a year depending on what Dr. Nicholson would approve- meaning if he had enough proof he would keep us here longer. Now, with Claudia part of the equation, I didn’t know if I could leave with the idea of never seeing her again.

  “Working? What else?” I said. “I planted the devices; the sensors are set.” I lifted the remote, which was the size of a flash drive, obviously not human made.

  “Not all,” I threw in, “but enough that the rest can wait. It’s not a good time to set these things out if we want to avoid detection from some curious eyes.”

  I activated the remote. It blinked with a green letting me know that it was ready and connected. Joseph was quiet as he emptied the box on his desk.

  “Are you really doing that?” I asked, gazing over at him.

  “We have to play the part,” he explained, getting into his role by taking a few items out of the box he had sitting on his desk.

  He unpacked one of the boxes delivered by The Company that made us look the part. There were pictures and awards from previous schools, functions and friends he didn’t have. He also had family pictures. There were an image of him and me outside a large home in the mount
ains. Another taken at the same location showed an older woman standing between us. I suspected she was dear, old grandmother. Not one had dear, old dad. I guess that meant Joseph and I were very close.

  “Where’s dad in all these?” I joked.

  He barely laughed unloading the box of the last of the items.

  While he did that, I thought of Claudia Belle. Thought about how to approach her without scaring her. I could think of nothing, but this beauty who had completely enraptured me. There had to be something wrong with me. I’d never been worried about frightening anyone before. But those visions along with her abilities to have a full conversation with me were gnawing at me. Not to mention, the incident out in the hall. Could she be a Mindbender? What kind of Minder or Mindbender had the abilities to connect with a hunter in such a way it felt we fit together. That was a dumb idea. Joseph would think I had lost it. And I didn’t even want to consider what Dr. Nicholson would think.

  I examined my phone. I needed a new phone and watch. How was I gonna tell Joseph to get these replacements? He would have questions. I didn’t like feeling so connected to her that it was keeping me from telling my guardian. I was so drawn to her, it was hard to concentrate on anything else.

  “What happened to you earlier today?” Joseph’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.

  I had been expecting this. In fact, I was surprised he hadn’t said anything up until now.

  “What the hell was that about?” he repeated his question when I didn’t answer fast enough to suit him.

  “What the hell was what? What do you mean?” I answered, playing dumb. Of course, I knew what he was talking about.

  I turned away from the busy streets and caught sight of his figure behind the desk. He was playing the role, but he was certainly not the boss. No matter what titled he took, I couldn’t picture him as the man in charge. He was just too easygoing. He sure knew how to handle me, though.

  “You really don’t know? You want to act dumb? You know what I mean,” he scolded me like a strict father would.

  “The loss in character? What was that all about? ‘I’m John?’ John? Really? Christian Müller, is that so hard?”

  I picked up one of the pictures from a box on the office’s sofa. He stood and walked over, took it from me, and faced me.

  “This is not your first mission, kid. You know better than to drop out of character. Are you okay? Do I have to worry your gonna forget anything else?” I wanted to set him straight. But he was right; I had messed up.

  “Seriously? I didn’t forget anything,” I tried to assure him.

  “Then what happened? You’ve never fallen out of character before? Are you sick? You’re not coming down with something, are you?”

  He pulled at my head, looking into my eyes. I figured he would think that after the visions caught me off guard in the middle of the hall. But he didn’t know the truth of what had really occurred, or it would be much worse.

  “Hey, I’m fine! We handled it. They bought it. Besides it’s dad’s name isn’t it?” I pushed his hand way. “What are you my father?”

  “No, I’m your uncle. Got that?” he said it like a joke, but both he and I knew there was an undercurrent to his dry humor.

  “Does it matter, Joseph?” That was a bad answer and I knew it was a mistake to say it.

  “Does it matter? What is that supposed to mean? Now, I’m worried.”

  I should have known better than to say something like that to him. He might even report it to Dr. Nicholson. I didn’t want to have to explain myself to him. He would most certainly pull me from the mission if he so much as suspected there was a problem.

  “Well, you don’t have to. We took care of it. We managed.”

  He looked uncertain, moving over to a box he had unloaded. He put it on the floor beside the desk. With a twisted lip, he opened the laptop sitting on his desk.

  “Yeah, we handled it. Just make sure you get back on your game; we have a lot of work to get done.” He settled on his seat and tapped a few keys.

  “Oh,” I said as I walked back over to the side of the desk. I took out my phone. “I’ll need another phone.”

  I handed the broken one to him. He narrowed his eyes over at me. The screen was obviously cracked. Severely cracked.

  “How did this happen?” he asked. The look on his face said I’d better have a better explanation than the one I gave him about losing character.

  “I dropped it down a flight of stairs. That was my bad.”

  He wrinkled his brow.

  “Seriously?”

  My response was to brush a hand over the back of my neck and drop onto one of the seats facing his desk.

  “You know I have to report this? They’ll want to know how this happened. And that’s the best you can give me? No chases, not a product damaged it, no unexplained surge of energy? Nothing good. You just dropped it? That’s it?”

  “There was a flight of stairs, don’t forget that part.”

  He furrowed his brow. I took the watch off and dropped it on the desk, too.

  “What’s wrong with this?”

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “It’s not working properly; it just crapped out on me.”

  “Crapped out? You’ve had this watch for a long time, it’s—”

  “Exactly, Joseph, I’ve had it for a long time, maybe it’s time for a new one.”

  “Kid, you’re testing me. First, the drop of character; now, the phone and the watch….”

  “Hey, that phone wasn’t my fault, I already told you.”

  “Yeah…. you dropped it.” He grabbed the phone and took the watch. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk. In it was his briefcase. He lifted it and placed it next to the laptop and opened it. He put both the phone and the watch inside and took out a new phone and a new watch.

  “Here. Try not to break these.” He took a deep breath.

  “Thanks for the added paper work…”

  “I know how you like to write reports.” I grinned.

  He grunted, putting the briefcase back into the desk, and locking it with a funny little device we called the spider key. It looked just how it sounded. It was a tiny metal spider that fit right into the key hole and locked the drawer. It crawled out of Joseph’s hand, and right into the hole. It worked on any key hole. It was a Company tool. Those were the best keys.

  I switched on the phone. With a thumb print, it came on and was fully operational, I put on the watch. This time the lovely Miss Belle wouldn’t be able to pry. Joseph was staring over at me when I had secured the items in their right place.

  “You ready?”

  Concentrate. My mind was saying, but I found it far harder than it should be. Nothing had prepared me for her.

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” I replied. Concentrate, the voice in my head kept repeating.

  Joseph flashed me a look as he turned the laptop around. The screen on the laptop came alive as a window opened in front of me. A blond-haired figure appeared, wearing a clean, white coat. I was accustomed to his dab white colors, and the combination of his pale blue eyes and the peaches and cream complexion gave him the fear image that had earned him the title of The Man in White.

  “Operation search and retrieve is set in motion, sir. Joseph has taken into his position, and so have I.”

  Joseph had moved around to face the laptop and sat beside me on the seat next to me.

  “Have you implanted the devices?”

  “Yes, sir, most of them. I will plant the rest once operations in the school have settled.”

  “Understood,” Dr. Nicholson said. “Maintaining secrecy is of the highest priority.”

  I nodded.

  “Joseph, do you have more to add?” Dr. Nicholson asked.

  I cringed. Guardians and security detail were always willing to report anything that seemed out of the mission tasks or rules. No matter how tight we were, he had an obligation to report.

  “Ah…well,” If he planned not to say anything this w
as not the best way to start to deny it. Especially with Dr. Nicholson. He was always keen on someone lying to him.

  “I may have dropped character, sir. It was my fault,” I interrupted before Joseph could continue.

  “I see.” I couldn’t read Dr. Nicholson’s expression to note if he was upset or just irritated with our performance. Either way, it was not good to make mistakes when working for him.

  “Should I be concerned?” he asked dryly, tilting his head slightly.

  “No, sir.”

  I gave her my real name, I wanted to say. I should have told him. He should know about her, but that started an internal debate on why he would need to know, and if he did, what would he want to do with the odd Miss Belle? She was nothing like we’d ever seen before. No, I couldn’t risk it. She needed to be protected. I would protect her.

  There was a brief silence before he spoke.

  “Very good, maintain radio silence until the subject is detected. Reestablish communication only after…”

  I rose as Joseph reached to switch off the laptop. Before he could, Dr. Nicholson said, “Before I go—one last question. To what extent was this careless drop in character?”

  I froze, slowly taking a seat again. Joseph moved back, upon his seat. Of course, he would ask.

  “He used his father’s name instead,” Joseph said, saving me, instead of reporting my misdeed.

  “John?” Dr. Nicholson asked.

  “It was the name we agreed on.” Joseph said.

  I blinked with surprise. Dr. Nicholson briefly flashed me a look. It was a very blank look. There was a short pause.

  “Anything else?” he finally said.

  “No, sir… not at this time.”

  “Very well.” His image disappeared.

  Joseph rose and closed the laptop; his hands were shaking. Dr. Nicholson’s presence spooked him and made him anxious, but he would deny it if I ever asked him.

  Why did I feel compelled to lie to my superiors? Not revealing her existence was the same as lying. The harder I tried to concentrate, the harder I felt it was to do so.

  “You didn’t tell him? You lied to him,” I said, staring up at Joseph. He blinked over at me.