Lydia could hardly contain her excitement. Just when she’d started to feel hopeless, a shining light had burst through the darkness. She had a way out. The trucks provided the perfect means of escape. She’d continued to study their routine from the cliff as the drivers loaded and unloaded crates. Jando continued to try to spark a conversation, but she didn’t pay much attention. She would’ve felt guilty about her silence if he hadn’t persisted in trying to wrap an arm around every part of her he could find.
When the trucks were packed and had left, she and Jando climbed back down. I could hide in the crates. No, what if they notice the crate busted open? But maybe I could hide behind them.
As she thought about it the next day, she considered asking Jando to accompany her. After all, his invisibility would be useful. Maybe he’d travel to Colorado to be cured as well. I’ll have to glue his hands to his sides, she joked to herself. She wanted to ask Wren, too, but something told her Wren would want to stay. Lydia decided to offer the chance anyway.
However, her escape planning would have to wait. The next day, she was assigned training and physical therapy on alternating days. Lydia was told the physical therapy sessions would double in controlling her strength, thereby helping her restraint become second nature. When Wren found out, she gushed excitedly. “You have training today? Cool! Now we can hang out more!” She pulled Lydia into a wobbly, tight hug.
“Ah, ah! The arm!” Lydia said.
“Oops,” Wren said, backing away.
Her arm didn’t hurt as much as when she’d arrived, but Lydia’s pain was enough for her to take care. Sometimes she thought she could feel Barrett’s mixture coursing through her veins, working its healing power.
After class let out, Wren led Lydia to the training room they’d be using. Like many of the others, it sported a tall ceiling above squishy, but firm, blue mats. Already, there was a group of children up to young adults in the room, all outfitted in matching white shirts and green shorts. When Lydia entered, Arthur swooped down on her from the front of the room, dressed in shorts and shirt as well. She wasn’t really surprised to see him there. Every time she turned around these days, Arthur was right behind her.
“You’re only going to watch for now,” he said. “Last thing you need is to break another bone.”
“And the last thing you need is Barrett chewing you out again for pushing me too hard,” Lydia said with a smirk.
“That, too,” he said, laughing. “But seriously, only watch and learn for now. When Barrett gives the okay, you can join in. Your locker is number twenty-seven.”
Wren and Lydia headed to a small locker room nearby. There were only a couple of rows of square gray lockers, some bathrooms to the rear, and a sticky tiled floor that Lydia would rather not dwell on. She found her locker and opened it, finding an outfit which matched everyone else’s training outfits. “So Arthur trains people, too?” she asked Wren, whose locker was in an opposite row.
“Yeah,” Wren said over the barricade of lockers. “When he can. He’s actually really good. Knows a lot of martial arts. People say he used to be an actor in martial arts movies.”
“Anything I’ve heard of?” Lydia asked, sliding her arm slowly into the white shirt.
“Nothing major, but you can check out a couple of them in the video store. I’ve seen the movies and it kind of looks like him,” Wren said. She circled around the corner as Lydia finished dressing. An extra pair of water bottles dangled from her hips. Long straws from each bottle joined together into two main straws and wound upward, circling Wren’s ears in firm plastic earpieces. She slurped on the ends that jutted out of the earpieces and dangled near her mouth. Lydia wondered if the jostling weight slowed Wren down. “But the film is pretty grainy and the person is only an extra, so it’s hard to tell if it’s true.”
“Back up. There’s a video store?” Lydia asked.
“Yeah. I’ll show you where it is after class.”
The girls walked back out to the training room. Dummies had been set up near one wall and the various instructors were sectioning people off into different groups. Lydia joined Wren’s small group, which was lining up to take aim at the dummies. The instructor checked their distance and then gave them the go-ahead. Wren formed and shot several icy darts, all striking the legs, arms, and stomach of her target. She clapped her hands and took a swig of water.
The instructor scolded one of the teenagers for hitting the head of his dummy with his spikes. “The legs and arms. Legs and arms. Or the torso, then the legs, and then the arms. If someone is coming at you with a knife or a gun, you want to get their weapon away from them first, or aim for a large target.” He whacked the dummy’s chest with the back of his hand. “Shoot quickly in a row, if you can’t get a good shot. But no matter how good you think you are, focus on what’s important.” He helped another person to adjust their aim. “I see I also need to remind you people of another point: only kill if the situation necessitates it. Your first priority should be to get away as soon as possible. This is self-defense after all, not agent combat training. So incapacitate or disable only, got that?”
Lydia surveyed the other groups as hers fired once again. Arthur was teaching one group, displaying a variety of hand-to-hand combat techniques. He managed to kick high in the air and proved to be quite flexible—more so than Lydia had expected for his age.
Those with agile and speed abilities formed a group nearby. At the edge of this group, she saw Ryan, hopping around, flinging his tongue up the wall in a desperate attempt to climb higher. She left her group for a moment and walked over to him.
“Trying to reach the ceiling?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, sucking his tongue back in.
“Need help?” He grinned and nodded eagerly. Lydia glanced at the ceiling. It suddenly looked very high up. “Actually, this doesn’t seem safe,” she said.
“I’ve done it before,” Ryan said, arguing. “I only need to get a little higher and I can reach it. If I fall, you can catch me.”
Ryan had more faith in Lydia than she did in herself. She picked him up all the same. He gawked at the ease with which she lifted him by one hand. Being careful not to use too much strength, she tossed him up. His tongue flew out, flapping through the air as it stretched for the ceiling. At first, Lydia feared he wouldn’t make it. Gravity started to take effect before he could attach it to the ceiling. She panicked and held out her arm to catch him if he started to fall. She leapt from side to side, trying to determine where he might fall.
Yet his tongue latched onto the ceiling. Lydia didn’t exactly breathe any easier as Ryan swung along in the air high above. But he didn’t fall, and some of the younger children below cheered him on. He circled around his group, and then flung himself to the wall. Little by little, he descended, using his tongue to catch himself before he fell too far.
When he landed, he ran up to Lydia, his large eyes very grateful. “Thanks!” he said. “Were you watching? Did you see? Did you see me?”
“Please, don’t help him with that again,” one of the instructors told Lydia. The instructor took him aside, fretting over his well-being. “Are you alright?” she asked. “I’ve warned you not to ask others to help. You shouldn’t be going that high anyway.”
“But I can do it!” Ryan said, protesting. He wiggled away from her grasp. “I’m fine!”
The rest of the training period was much the same. At one point, some people migrated to Arthur’s group. Lydia sat back and watched him demonstrate various holds and counters for different attacks. Wren happily volunteered to take the brunt of the defensive moves. Lydia tried to memorize as much as she could, tucking away one maneuver that ended with Wren’s face pressed to the mat as Arthur perched over her. Wren’s arm was held up at a dangerous angle as he explained, “A little more force, and you can break your attacker’s arm. Make sure you do it correctly. One wrong move and you could end up in this position instead.”
He showed a couple of throws and one particular disabli
ng move that could also dislocate a shoulder, and then the training ended. Wren bowed to him, as he did to her, and rejoined Lydia. “You would think my arm would be sore, but it’s like I wasn’t even in any of those holds!” she said, rotating her entire arm for show.
They dressed and walked out of the training room. “So, about the video store—” Wren began.
“Wren!” Donny ran up to the girls, interrupting her. “Finally! I’ve done looked all over for you. You were supposed to stay after for that makeup quiz. Teacher sent me to find you.”
“That’s right!” Wren said, nearly launching toward the roof like Ryan. She turned to Lydia. “Sorry. I’ll have to show you later.”
“It’s okay,” Lydia said. “See you at dinner.”
They ran off, leaving Lydia alone. She wandered the now-familiar halls, winding up at the pool that housed the twins. From outside the glass, she could see Cooper swimming merrily around. He darted through the water effortlessly. He soon caught on that he had an audience and waved her in. Lydia shook her head, mouthing “No,” but Cooper was insistent. He swam up to the glass, calling her in with his wide, wet flipper arm.
Lydia conceded and climbed the stairs to the pool’s entrance. The first thing that hit her was the smell. The water appeared putrid, yet it smelled of the sea. Salt filled her mouth and lungs. The tiled floor inside was dangerously slick. Cooper added fresh water to the floor as he splashed out of the pool. He flopped to the edge, propping himself up where a normal person’s elbows would be.
“Hey!” he greeted her. His corn-yellow hair was free-flowing, draping his shoulders. His freckled cheeks were as white as bone. He smiled at Lydia. “Name’s Cooper. Who are you?”
“Lydia.”
He smacked his flipper down, which Lydia assumed was his substitute for snapping his fingers. “Oh! You’re the new girl! The one that’s been hanging around Wren.”
“That’s me,” she said. She looked over his shoulder at his legs. They floated to the rhythm of the water’s slight motion.
“Are you here to gawk or did you actually need something?” a voice said, rapping against her thoughts like a sharp knock on a door. Lydia bent farther over the pool’s edge and saw Nina. Her face rested on the water’s surface, as if someone had ripped it off like an old mask. Lydia couldn’t tell if Nina’s sour expression was a result of the salty water or of her, Lydia’s, intrusive presence. Like Cooper, her skin was chillingly pale, but her navy eyes were dull compared to her brother’s glassy blue ones.
“I was just walking the halls,” Lydia said.
“Move along,” Nina said. She submerged into the water, continuing to stare up at Lydia. It was an eerier sight than Cooper’s fins. Nina looked just like a sea monster, waiting for a prey’s fatal mistake before snatching it in her mouth. The only further movement Lydia saw was from the flaps in her neck, those paper thin folds ruffling, as bubbles jetted out of each hole.
“Please, don’t take offense,” Cooper said. “She’s a little shy around strangers. She’s really nice when you get to know her.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Lydia said, moving out of her view.
“So, just visiting us?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah,” Lydia said.
“How you like it down here so far?” He watched her expectantly.
“It’s a little better now than when I first got here,” she said. “Although I’ve only been here for a little while. Wren said you two have been here the longest.”
“She’s right,” Cooper said, falling back into the pool. He lazily paddled along from side to side. “Man, it’s been a long time since we came here.” He lifted one of his arms. “Feels like I’ve had these things forever.”
“How do you manage?” Lydia asked. “No offense.”
“None taken. Well, Nina helps. It’s not too bad, actually. Kind of like always wearing a scuba suit. It helps that I used to swim a lot.” He laughed. “If only I had her gills, I could live in the water!” He stopped and held his fin out to Lydia. “Good thing I don’t prune. That simply wouldn’t work for my complexion at all,” he said, using a goofy tone. “What about you? Heard you were a powerhouse hitter.” He curled his fins slightly and jabbed the air.
“I’m managing okay,” she said.
“Good, good. Took us a while to get the hang of this stuff. After we came out of, er—” he looked down at Nina. Lydia could almost see her throwing him dirty looks.
“It’s okay. I know it’s private,” Lydia said.
“Yeah,” Cooper said. “Maybe one day when my sis feels comfortable around you, I’ll tell you. Anyway, it took us a while to learn how to use our abilities. I mean I can’t walk very well, and she needs a water source at all times.”
“All the time?” Lydia asked. That would explain the helmet she saw Nina wear at lunch. She pitied Nina a little.
“Yep. It’s like how a fish is. Can only breathe water,” he said.
“And you can’t?”
“No, but I can hold my breath for at least four minutes. Watch.” He hopped into the air, bent forward, and dived into the water. Lydia tried to find him in the murky depths. She couldn’t see him until he reappeared near the surface, skimming underneath it. He waved and zoomed back down below. He swam over to his sister and teased her, playing with her stringy hair. She swatted at him, the water slowing her action. Cooper backed off and circled the pool.
After performing corkscrews to stir up the surface like an actual ocean and generally behaving like a dolphin performing tricks, he emerged, blinking away the salt water. He gulped down air and beamed at Lydia. “I think I broke my record. Were you keeping time? No? Too bad.”
“So you’ve been here for years?” Lydia asked. “Know anything about—”
“Escaping? ’Fraid not.” He swam back to her. “Some of the new arrivals ask that, but we don’t leave the pool often. I don’t think there is anyway. No quick way out either, unless you buy that story about the guy who got out in three months.”
“Do you believe that?”
He rubbed his head. “I like to think it’s true, but I’ve never personally seen anyone stay here for less than six. Even that’s been rare.”
“So no one is allowed in or out in the meantime?” Lydia asked.
“Nope. Nobody except those who work here, and the agents.”
“And the supply trucks,” Lydia added.
“Those, too.”
She wanted confirmation of Jando’s information concerning the trucks. After a short internal debate, she decided to ask. After all, Cooper didn’t seem like he’d suspect anything. “I saw them yesterday. Do they come every two weeks?”
“Yup,” Cooper said, sitting up on the lip of the pool. “Every two weeks. They came already this week? Lost track of time,” he said, murmuring to himself. “Yeah, they bring a lot of essentials. Such as her food.” He nodded at the pool. Nina was nowhere to be seen. “She has to have specially prepared food.”
“She can’t eat normal food?” Lydia asked. Is it because of her gills? she wondered. Do they apply to her eating habits?
“Some normal food,” he said. “But would you really want a soggy PB and J? No, she usually sips a paste. I hear it’s easy to make for many foods.”
“Okay,” Lydia said. She lingered a moment longer and then bid farewell to him. “I better get going.”
“Alright.” He dived back into the water, surfacing to wave back. “Come around anytime you like!” He disappeared into the pool.
Lydia headed out of the area, glad to breathe the clean, fresh air of the halls. She took the long way to the cafeteria, passing by several training rooms. Some held only a couple of children.
One room in particular halted her. Aidan was inside. He was on the ground. An instructor nearby was talking to him. He slowly rose into the air. One foot, two feet, and then he stopped. He hovered in the air, lingering there as he breathed deeply, his eyes wide and nervous. The instructor appeared to push him further. He s
hook his head, but the instructor insisted. So he rose higher, closing his eyes as he scaled five, six feet. He was flying; truly flying instead of falling. Lydia watched, envious of his power. Why could she not have that instead of her bone-crushing strength?
Aidan opened his eyes. That was when things took a turn for the worse. His arms flailed and he kicked out wildly. His descent—if one could call it that—was uncontrolled and ended when he landed facedown on the matted floor. He lay unmoving, and Lydia thought he might be unconscious. The instructor must have had the same idea, for he rushed over to Aidan.
He rolled Aidan over. The boy sat up, showing that he was fine. Aidan waved away the instructor’s aid, stomped over to door near Lydia, and threw it open. Lydia heard the instructor yell, “Wait!”
Aidan turned around and screamed at him. “No! I’m sick of doing this! This lab rat is tired for today!” He slammed the door and fell back against its metal surface.
When he saw Lydia he screwed up his face. He was shuddering fiercely and he turned away from her. “So, I see you’ve conformed and fit in here. Come to get a good laugh like the others? ‘Oh, look at him. He can’t fly and fell down! Ha, ha, ha!’ ”
“To be honest, I’m kind of jealous,” Lydia said. He whipped his head around, eyes filled with disbelief. “You can fly. I’d give anything to have that.” She came closer to him. “Soaring through the air, not a care in the world. I would love that.”
“It’s not as splendorous as you make it out to be,” he said, hanging his head. He knocked the back of his head against the door. “Not when you’re rigorously forced day in, day out, to do it. Not when you can’t stand it. I’d rather have your ability. Having the muscle to do anything, crack anyone’s skull who tries to confront you.”
“While cracking your own bones in the process,” Lydia said, indicating her cast. “It’s not as grand as you make it out to be. If I went around doing that, I’d end up in traction. Or end up cracking my skull.”
“In case you missed it, I’m used to damaging my head,” he said wryly. “Good thing I still have my looks.” He grimaced, throwing his head back and forth. Lydia chuckled at the display and soon ended up laughing. Aidan joined in.
When their guffawing subsided, Lydia asked, “Would you like to get something to eat? I’m starving.”
Aidan cocked an eyebrow. He dwelled on the question for a moment before he said, “I guess so.”
They headed for the cafeteria. Along the way, Lydia tried to keep up the conversation. “So you’re from Canada?”
His expression soured. His lip jutted out and his eyebrows furrowed. However, the overall effect was laughable rather than intimidating, like an adorable child attempting to be upset. “If you’re going to make a crack about hockey or Mounties or saying ‘eh’—”
“No, no. I wasn’t,” Lydia said. “Honest.”
He calmed down. “Yeah, I am. Wish I was back there.”
“Wren says you’ve been here for about a year.”
“Something like that.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Been down here so long that I barely remember what the outside world looks like. The sky is craggy and rocky for me, with no trace of blue to be seen and the ground is dead, cold, and lifeless.”
“How cynically poetic,” Lydia said. The rambunctious noise down the hall signaled that the cafeteria was nearby.
“That’s what happens when you’re stuck down here,” he said. “The only comfort I can think of is seeing our families every now and then.”
“So you do see your parents?” Lydia asked.
“When they arrange for us to.”
“Hey, hey!” Surprising Lydia, Wren threw an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I was wondering when you’d show up! Come on! Grab some dinner. We’re sitting over there.” She pointed out a table already occupied by Jando and Donny and she ran off to join them.
Lydia turned to Aidan. He seemed irritated at being interrupted, but he regained his composure. She supposed that since it was Wren, even he expected this behavior from her. Lydia smiled sheepishly for her friend. “Want to sit with us?”
He glanced over at the table, pondering the offer. He frowned, evidently not wanting to, but he accepted as all the other tables were occupied. They grabbed their dinner and went to the table. Wren scooted over for both of them.
“Hey, guys,” Lydia said. Donny returned the greeting through a mouthful of food.
“Hey,” Jando said. “Who’s your—oh, it’s Flyboy.” He smacked Aidan on the shoulder. “How’s it going? Haven’t seen you around lately. Still taking to the air and all?”
“No, I’m down here for the charming atmosphere,” Aidan said, digging into his food.
“Well, it isn’t all me after all,” Jando said. He winked at Lydia and Wren. “You need to pick up the pace, man, or they’ll never let you out of here. Look at us. I’ve already got my ability down to a tee, Donny’s doing well, and so is Wren.”
“Not all of us have it easy,” Aidan said in between bites.
“True. But what can be so hard about flying? Don’t you just take off?” Jando asked, leaning over. “Sounds pretty easy to me.” Over his broad grin, he couldn’t see Aidan’s fist visibly trembling, the fork gripped tightly in the clenched hand.
“Lay off him,” Lydia said.
Jando raised his hands and leaned back. “What? I’m just talking. We’re all friends here.”
“I don’t need you to get involved,” Aidan hissed at Lydia. She was taken aback by his attitude. Wren and Donny had stopped talking. The static in the air between the boys was palpable.
“See? There’s nothing going on. He’s a big boy. He can handle himself.” Jando ended the discussion. Everyone else went back to their meals. Jando finished his food quickly and sat back. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat—”
“I wouldn’t,” Lydia heard Aidan mutter.
“But I’ve got things to do. Catch you later.” He waved at everyone as he left.
“Don’t know what got into him,” Lydia said.
“I do,” Aidan said, stabbing his food. “He’s like all the others here. Even among freaks, there’s no end to the mocking.” He pushed away his food and glared at Lydia. “I don’t need you sticking up for me either. Just because you’re strong enough to take on anyone here doesn’t mean you need to get involved. I’ve gotten pretty good at taking care of myself, thank you very much.”
Lydia refused to take his castigation lying down. “Fine! I won’t,” she shot back.
“Good!” Aidan grabbed his tray and marched off, dumping the remains in a waste barrel on the way out.
“Good! Take care of yourself elsewhere!” She returned to her dinner. “Good,” Lydia said to no one in particular. She’d only been trying to help. He was in the wrong. Completely in the wrong.
Donny had a sneezing fit. Unable to clear it up, he retired to his room. Wren was suspiciously quiet, chewing on her food. It was unnatural. Creepy, really, like Lydia had slipped into another reality, where Wren was passive and pensive.
The solemn calm ended when Wren finished her meal. “Sooo,” she began, dragging out the word like she was preparing to sing. “I see why Jando’s charms were incapable of wooing you. You’ve been taken by someone else, eh?” Was the ending to that sentence deliberate on her part? Lydia couldn’t tell.
“No. Jando was too busy tending to his hand after I stepped on it,” Lydia said.
“Ouch,” Wren said, wincing. “I know he can come on strong, but—”
“It was an accident. And no, I ran into Aidan, we got to talking, and I invited him to join me for dinner. That’s all,” Lydia said.
“Uh-huh.” Wren rested her head on her fist.
“Last time I do that,” Lydia said, stabbing her carrots mercilessly.
“You know how guys are. When their egos clash and they beat their chests, it’s all a pride thing. Get in the way of that, you risk having them bite your head off. It’s like those monkeys you see on TV. The bi
g ones, you know?” She spread her arms apart, holding her shoulders high to emphasize her visualization. “They’re strong enough to throw a car around. You don’t want to get in their way, now, do you? You’d be a human javelin, which might sound fun, but it would hurt!”
“I get it.”
“You could probably take on one of those monkeys. Maybe you could throw a javelin farther than they could. I’d bet money on that. There might be an audience for it, too!”
“Wren, I get it!” Lydia said, stopping Wren before the comparison derailed further. “Thanks for the metaphor, but I wasn’t going to let Jando pick on him. I know what that can be like.” Mark’s fat sneering face swam before her. “Pride or not, he had no right to yell at me.”
“I’m not arguing with you,” Wren said, waving her hand. “Only telling you why he blew up.” She picked up her tray. “Want to hit the game room before heading back to the dorm?”
“Sure.”