Indigo Incite
The Indigo Trilogy: Book One
by Jacinda Buchmann
Copyright 2013 Jacinda Buchmann
Nook Edition
Cover design by ProVision Book Covers
Edited by Mickey Reed
License Notes:
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and places are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Many thanks to
my mother, Claudia, for without your help, this book may never have reached completion.
and to
my grandma, Carrol, for your inspiration,
and to
my husband, Travis, for believing in me.
CHAPTER 1: TYLER AND TOBY
Their foster mother’s shrill voice hollered up to them.“Dinner!”
Tyler replaced the toilet bowl brush in its holster and turned to his identical twin brother. “I think that’s good enough. Thanks for helping. I guess we should go down.”
“Yeah, I guess so. We’re having Brussels sprouts.”
“Ugh, are you sure?”
Toby closed his eyes. “Yep, positive. I see a blue bowl on the counter, and that’s definitely not broccoli in it. Please don’t get in trouble tonight, okay?” The last time Tyler had refused to eat the dreaded green vegetables, he had been forced to scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush and then sent to bed without dinner.
“Don’t worry. I learned my lesson last time. I won’t refuse to eat them.” He winked at his brother before he bolted down the hall.
Tyler, Toby mentally called, from behind, don’t do anything stupid.
Tyler ignored his brother and darted down the stairs.
Cybil stood with her hands on her hips when he entered the kitchen. “Chores all done?”
“Yep.”
“Homework?”
“Uh, no. Not yet. I’ve been doing chores since I got home. I’ll have to do it after dinner.”
“How hard could eighth grade homework possibly be? It shouldn’t take that long.”
He wanted to say that he was faced with at least four hours of homework, including studying for an algebra test and writing a history report, but didn’t want to get into an argument. The last time he had dared speak against her, he had been grounded for two weeks; so instead, he changed the subject. “What’s for dinner?”
“Tuna casserole, French bread, and Brussels sprouts.” She stared him down as though she dared him to complain.
Tyler glanced at the blue bowl of vegetables. The smell made him want to gag, but instead he said, “Mmm, I like French bread.” Apparently unaffected by the dinner selection, he grabbed a pitcher out of the fridge and poured a glass of juice.
Toby entered the kitchen a moment later and glanced from the blue bowl to Tyler. You seem too happy. What are you up to?
Tyler smiled at his brother. “Would you like a glass of juice while it’s out of the fridge?”
“Sure,” Toby said as he sat at the table. “Thanks.”
Tyler poured juice for his brother and then grabbed both glasses and sat beside him. He glanced from Toby to the blue bowl and smiled.
No, Toby thought to him. I knew you were up to something. Don’t do it. Cybil will be pissed. Having a telepathic connection with his brother definitely made conversations around their overbearing, foster parents, Kirby and Cybil Smith, more convenient.
Who cares? She can’t be mad at me. I’m nowhere near the counter. He glanced at Cybil; her back was to them as she took plates out of the cupboard. Then he looked at the bowl. It sat about four inches from the edge of the counter. Easy, he thought. He focused his energy on the blue shape. It took only a few moments, and then it slowly shifted.
Tyler. Don’t.
Shh…I’m concentrating.
He focused harder, and before he had time to blink, the bowl lurched forward and crashed to the floor. A few Brussels sprouts rolled under the table; the remainder lay in a pile amidst blue shards of glass.
Cybil swirled and stared open-mouthed at her ill-fated vegetables then she glared at him. “What happened?”
“It looks like the bowl fell.” Tyler tried to hide all signs of amusement from his face. “That’s too bad.”
“You think this is funny?”
“No, ma’am. I’m not laughing.”
She continued to glare. If looks could kill, he thought. He could hear her thoughts. She wanted to say something. She wanted to blame him but knew it couldn’t have been his fault.
“Clean it up!” she snapped.
“Yes, ma’am.” He cleaned without complaint, and after he had dumped the last of the round, green balls into the garbage, he returned to the table and ate in silent glee.
*****
Wickenburg, Arizona, was a small town, and so, without a lot to do, the dollar store had become a popular hangout. One day after school, Tyler decided to tag along with three boys who were in search of hot girls and book report supplies. One of the boys, Carlos, split off from the group to talk to a group of girls, and the other two boys, Jake and Max, went in search of poster paper and markers.
Tyler decided to buy a bag of chips to munch on for the walk home and headed for the snack aisle. After he rounded the corner, he spied his two missing buddies. Obviously not in search of book report supplies, Max appeared to be on the lookout while Jake stashed a load of candy into his open backpack. Unwilling to be caught and associated with them, he decided that it would be best to leave the store before any trouble brewed, lest the boys get caught in the act.
He turned, in hope that his friends hadn’t noticed his presence. Then he paused and returned to the head of the candy aisle. He took inventory of the scene and noticed a tall display of Cracker Jacks, positioned directly behind the boys. Hmm…should I? he wondered. He smiled. The opportunity was too good to resist.
Tyler focused on a box at the bottom of the stack. It slowly began to wiggle. He imagined it sliding out and forward, and then it happened. Before he had time to reconsider, the box slid out and fell to the floor; it was promptly followed by the entire display, which cascaded down onto the unsuspecting boys.
Tyler had hoped to escape unnoticed but a group of onlookers, Carlos included, rushed up from behind to check out the scene. He tried to retreat but was pushed forward with the crowd. When they reached the mess, Max and Jake stood to brush off flakes of the caramel popcorn that had sprung from some of the boxes.
They turned when the voice of the gruff, store manager shouted, “What is going on here?”
Jake looked at Max and hollered, “Dude, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Then, he rushed to Tyler and said, “Here, take this. Come meet us later!” He tossed Tyler the backpack, and the two hooligans ran out the front door before they could be incriminated in any wrongdoings.
“Who’s responsible for this mess?” the manager demanded.
“They were.” Tyler pointed to the two boys who ran out the door.
“All right, I want all you kids out of here!”
More than happy to follow this command, Tyler was shocked and scared that he still held the backpack filled with Jake’s loot, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. First he would have to escape from the crowd; then he would find a place to stash it.
He turned to leave the scene but stopped when a girl shouted, “Wait, Mr. Gregory! Stop that boy with the backpack. I saw it all on the cameras from the back office. He’s stealing candy!”
“Wait a minute, boy,” said Mr. Gregory, the manager. He placed a hand on Tyler’s arm and then turned to the employee who had viewed the security camera. “What’s this all about, Lindsay? You say this boy is stealing?”
“Yes, Sir. Well, that is, those other boys were. I saw them stuff a bunch of candy in there.” She pointed to the backpack.
Mr. Gregory glared at him. “What do you have to say, young man? Would you care to open your backpack and show me what’s inside? Or do I need to call the police and have them take a look? There’s no point in running. Everyone knows you and your twin brother, whichever one you are. You live up at the Smith’s place. If you take off, we’ll just send the police after you.”
Tyler’s hands trembled, and his heart thudded like a drum. How am I ever going to get out of this mess? he wondered.
“It’s not my backpack, Sir. Max and Jake tossed it to me when they ran away.”
“And why would they do something like that?”
Tyler gulped. “I don’t know, Sir. Honest.”
“Well then, I guess if it’s not your backpack, you won’t have a problem opening it up, so we can have a look.”
He was in a no-win situation. If he refused, Mr. Gregory would call the police, who would arrive to find him with the stolen merchandise. They would assume that he was equally guilty. However, if he complied and opened the backpack, they would assume that he was an accomplice.
When Mr. Gregory realized that a crowd of onlookers had formed, he said, “Why don’t we take this up in the back office. Lindsay, would you lead the way, please?”
There seemed to be no other choice. Followed closely behind by the manager, Tyler reluctantly followed Lindsay to the back of the store. He could feel the eyes of the customers examine his every step and could hear their incriminating thoughts. I knew that boy was no good from the moment he arrived. Wait til his mother hears about this. He didn’t have to look to know that that particular thought had come from Cybil’s friend, Georgia. She’s not my mother! he wanted to shout back but kept his eyes forward and continued to walk.
In the end, charges were filed against Tyler, Jake, and Max. The judge let all of the boys go with a few hours of community service, but that wasn’t enough for Cybil. After his community service hours were complete, she made arrangements with a military school in southeastern Arizona, where he would be sent to “shape up and learn how to behave."
The news of military school didn’t upset Tyler; after all, nothing could be worse than the treatment he’d received from the Smith’s. It was the news that he would be separated from Toby, for the first time in his life that he found to be unbearable.
CHAPTER 2: CONTACT
Tyler ran a hand through his tousled, floppy brown hair, disarrayed from the wind, and took a deep breath. He had decided to spend the day communing with the horses. Outside, the wind pounded against the side of the barn and fought a nearby gate as the latch reverberated in squeaky rhythm, but inside, he found peaceful sanctuary. Most of the other boys avoided the close confines of the barn, claiming that it stank. Tyler couldn’t have disagreed more. He found the slight odor of manure mixed with horses and hay to be peaceful and comforting.
He couldn’t believe that he had been at BRATS for almost two and a half years. No one was certain if the founders had tried to be intentional in their creativity when they had ironically named their facility The Boys Rehabilitation and Treatment School. The title had been shortened to BRATS.; and so, it followed that each student of the school came to be referred to as a ‘Brat’.
His favorite aspect of BRATS was the fact that it offered equine therapy. The boys were encouraged to befriend the resident horses. His counselor had explained that time with the horses was supposed to be healing—or something like that; he really hadn’t paid attention. He did like horses though and was happy to escape to the barn whenever he had the opportunity.
When he picked up a handful of hay, MacGuyver stamped, impatiently, for his friend to feed him. The horse eagerly accepted the proffered hay and after the snack had been disposed of, he once again stamped his foot.
“You still hungry, my friend?”
In response, the black gelding sent an image of an apple to Tyler’s mind. “I love ya, old buddy, but it’s freezing outside. There’s no way I’m going back up to the kitchen to fetch you an apple.”
Another image popped into his head; this time, he envisioned a small bucket of apples in the corner of the barn. “Oh, yeah? Someone must have brought that in since yesterday. Let me see if I can find it.”
It took only a minute to locate the metal bucket of red apples. He found it in the back corner, beside a shovel. He selected the largest McIntosh off the top and took it back to his friend, who promptly gobbled it up.
When the gelding’s appetite had been satisfied, Tyler selected a brush and opened the stall door. He gently caressed the horse with the brush, and then took extra care to lightly massage each leg. Spoken words were unnecessary as the two settled in to their comfortable, weekly routine.
After some time had passed, Tyler’s thoughts drifted to the horse. I’m worried about my brother. He usually chats with me every night, and I haven’t heard from him in three days. I’ve tried to contact him, but he hasn’t responded.
The horse seemed to sense Tyler’s concern and gently nudged his arm with his head.
I know I shouldn’t worry. It’s just frustrating not knowing what’s going on. Toby’s always been the one to have a sense of what’s going to happen. I wish I could see the future like he can.
His thought was answered, not by the horse, but by Toby. Who’s your friend? his brother mentally asked. Even with the distance that separated them, they still possessed the ability to telepathically communicate.
Tyler smiled. Hey, brother! I was just talking about you. This is MacGuyver. Since you haven’t been in touch lately, I had to have someone to talk to. Where have you been? I’ve been worried.
It’s a long, weird story. These people came to the house a few days ago to talk to Cybil. They told her that I had a full ride scholarship to attend a residential gifted school, in Scottsdale. Of course, she immediately took them up on their offer, and I was told to pack a bag. Then they whisked me away.
You’re going to a gifted school?...Really?
Toby laughed. Hardly! I wish that were the truth!
So where did they take you? Where are you?
I don’t know. We drove a couple of hours south, but after that, I don’t know what happened. They gave me something to drink, and it must have been drugged. When I woke up, I was inside a building with no windows.
What? That makes no sense! Why would anyone want to kidnap you? Who are these people?
They want to track down kids with special gifts. That’s what I’ve gathered from one of my captors. At first, I tried to read his thoughts so I could find out what he was up to, but he caught on and started to block me out of his mind. It turns out, he’s just like us, and he could hear my thoughts, too.
He gave me a list of names, Toby continued. He explained that they were the names of other kids, under surveillance, who potentially had unique gifts. He asked me to look at the list and use my ability to “sense” if any of them should be brought in, like I was.
You didn’t help him, did you?
I did. Toby sounded ashamed. I didn’t want to. I held the list in my hands and looked at it. There must have been about fifty names on the list. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t going to tell him. I wasn’t going to help him, but as I looked at the list, there were certain names that popped out. I found myself saying the names out loud before I could stop myself.
So what happens now?
You’ve got to figure out how to get me out of here—before they come after you.
They’re coming after me, too?
Yeah and soon. They know that you’re just like me, and they want you.
Tyler was speechless. Toby’s story made no sense. How am I supposed to rescue you if you don’t have a clue where you are? I want to help, but I don’t know where to begin.
I know. That’s the tricky part, and the problem is, you can’t go to the police. Whoever these people are, they�
�re powerful and they have connections. They’ve covered all of the bases. They have a gifted school, in Scottsdale, with real students. It’s totally legit. And right now, someone is on their way to the Smiths' house to inform them that I have run away.
Oh…so, where does that leave us?
Let me think on it. I’ve seen the future. As soon as Cybil and Kirby get the news that I ran away, they’re going to pick you up and bring you home.
Ugh! No!
No, it’s okay. It’s a good thing. If you’re at their house, it will be easier for you to get away.
Where am I supposed to go?
I’m not sure yet, but I’m working on it. You have to get away before these guys come for you. You have to find the other people I identified on that list. I think they’re the only ones who will be able to help.
How many others are we talking about? Do you know where they are? Do you remember their names?
I remember. There were four—four others. I don’t want you to write the names down, though. If they find you, they’ll find the list, and they’ll know that I was able to contact you. I’ll give you the first name so that you can meet him. Hang in there. If I’m able to contact him, I’ll arrange a meeting for you.
Tyler couldn’t believe that this was real. It seemed like some bizarre dream that he expected to wake up from, any minute. But somehow, it was real, and he was prepared to do whatever it took, to get his brother back. All right, Tyler thought, what’s his name?
Eddie, Toby replied. Eddie Espinoza.
CHAPTER 3: EDDIE
The snow covered the tops of Eddie’s boots when he stepped out of his Jeep. It was light and fluffy and floated in swirls as he walked toward the Northern Arizona University science building. He was only eighteen but already a sophomore in college. He had graduated from high school a year early and received a four-year scholarship to the university, where he was preparing to go to graduate school, to study quantum physics. There wasn’t a whole lot that Eddie could learn from his classes that he didn’t already know, so he had convinced his physics professor to sponsor him in an independent research project of quantum physics. He had written a proposal for his study, and other than an occasional check-in with his professor, he was basically left on his own to continue his research.
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