I jerked my gaze toward Nora. “Where’s Lewis?”
I didn’t miss the nervous glance Father Myron shot my mom. I knew what they were thinking. Maybe I hadn’t heard them. Maybe I was so stupid I didn’t understand. Or maybe I was too surprised to piece the facts together. But I knew the facts…
I had a father. John.
I had a mother. Katherine.
I had a sister. Nora.
I knew. I just didn’t care.
“He…” Nora paused and glanced toward our mother, who remained oddly still. It was obvious she was seeking permission from Mommie Dearest. I swore, if they didn’t tell me soon where Lewis was, I’d start hurting people.
“Katherine,” Father Myron said, almost pleading with my mother. “Tell her.”
My mom gave a curt nod and Nora focused on me once more. “I had to leave him.”
Okay, so apparently I could still feel some surprise. But the shock quickly gave way to boiling anger. “What?”
Nora sighed, pacing across the large room, her feet echoing annoyingly against the stone floor. “I had to leave him Cameron. I could only take you. They were coming, and hell, I was dragging you across the field—”
“Where is he?” I didn’t give a crap about her excuses. I didn’t give a crap that my mother still lived despite the fact that I’d been told she’d died years ago. I didn’t care that Nora was my sister, a sister I didn’t even remember. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.
“They have him.”
“They who?” I demanded.
“John and his people,” Mom broke in.
The woman who had abandoned me.The woman who supposedly had a drug problem. Supposedly overdosed. Supposedly dead. I felt angry and sick and devastated all at once. The one thing, the only thing I wanted to do was get the hell away from them. “Where are my clothes?”
“There’s a chest full of clothes in your room.”
She was so calm about it all that I wanted to hurl something, anything, at them. Instead, I turned and swept out the door. I concentrated on my footsteps, concentrated on remembering the way down that dimly lit corridor and back to my room. If I allowed myself to think about anything else, I knew I might just have a break down. And I couldn’t let that happen, at least not yet. I turned the corner. Easy enough, but which door was mine?
“Cameron,” Nora called out. I could hear the thump of her feet as she followed me. “Please understand that I had to choose. I knew you wouldn’t come with me, I knew you wouldn’t believe the truth. I mean, who would? So I didn’t tell you. You’d abandoned me and ran off with Lewis.”
She said it as if I should feel ashamed. As if all of this was my fault. And I suppose it was… for trusting the wrong people, for trusting anyone. I kept walking, ignoring her, studying the doors I passed. She was nothing to me, an annoying gnat.
“I could only take you. I couldn’t take you both, and I knew Lewis wouldn’t trust me. I knew you would pick him over me.”
I swirled around to face her, overcome with the emotion boiling within. “And so you left him there to bleed to death?” I seethed between clenched teeth, cursing myself for speaking at all. “He could be dead!”
She shook her head. “No. We have people inside S.P.I. who secretly work for us. He’s okay. S.P.I. won’t hurt him, they’ll eventually want to use his powers.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” I snapped.
She sighed, obviously frustrated with my lack of acceptance. “Don’t you remember me, at all?”
“No.” I spun around and pushed open the closest door. An empty room. I pulled the door shut and I tried the next. It was full of boxes.
“I remember you,” she said. “I remember letting you play with my dolls, I remember swimming at the beach…”
An shimmer of awareness whispered through my brain. A memory? I pushed the thought aside. “How sweet. Now where the hell’s my room?”
She shouldered her way past me and pushed open the next door, all softness gone from her face. “I had to choose you. You’re my sister.”
I pushed by her and swept into my room. Was she joking? Was she seriously going to try to play the family card now? She’d known about me for God only knew how long and she’d never cared before.
I turned around to face her, the threshold dividing us. “Remember this, you are nothing to me. Nothing.” With those words I slammed the door shut in her face.
I didn’t need to ask, I knew Lewis would be at the compound, and within a couple days, I would be too. I moved around the bed and there, hidden behind the footboard was indeed a trunk. I lifted the lid, the hinges squeaking in protest. A variety of clothing was stacked neatly inside. More clothing than I’d worn. Clothing that didn’t belong to me. I had nothing left, not even my own jeans. Had they taken those from me too?
But it didn’t matter. No, the only thing that mattered was finding Lewis. And I would. No matter who I had to go through. There was a soft knock on my door right before it opened. My mom stepped inside. Seeing her jolted me and for a moment I was five years old again.
“Momma, where are we going?”
She glanced at me briefly as we drove out of town, but it was long enough for me to notice the tears in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it baby, okay?”
Startled, I froze for a moment. It was a memory I’d never had before. Was it real, or something she’d implanted? It didn’t matter, I had to remind myself. Ignoring her, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the cot.
“We need to talk,” she said softly, closing the door behind her.
I grabbed a blue long-sleeved T-shirt and pulled it on all the while formulating a plan. I’d talk to my dad. Yeah, he was most likely pissed at me for leaving him without a goodbye, but surely he’d at least listen to reason. If not, I’d go to Tara, his wife. I’d threaten to expose the fact that she too, was a mind reader. Something my father didn’t know.
I pulled off my sweatpants and grabbed a pair of jeans.
“I need to explain,” Mom continued. As if there was any explanation she could give me that would make right the wrongs she’d done. She’d abandoned me. She’d kept Nora and abandoned me with a grandmother who obviously hadn’t wanted me.
“I don’t think you understand,” I said, finally looking at her. “Whatever your reasoning is, I don’t care. I. Don’t. Care.”
I tore my gaze away and sat on my cot. Looking her in the eyes had been much more emotionally draining than I’d expected. I put on the gray and blue Adidas that had been left by the trunk.
“I don’t know what they’ve told you,” she said, crossing her arms over the leather jacket she wore. She was just as thin as I remembered her, but more muscular, maybe. Her hair was still long and I remembered wrapping my small hands around the silky strands when I was tired.
But it was the age on her face that got to me the most. Don’t get me wrong, she still looked wonderful. There was no gray in her hair, and she obviously kept in shape. But there were the slightest creases at the corners of her eyes. She’d aged. I’d grown up. I’d missed out on having a mother when I’d needed her the most. No going back. I dropped my gaze to the ground.
“They said you were a drug addict,” I said, tying my shoes.
“I was.”
I looked up, surprised. Okay, so I hadn’t been expecting that. She was totally serious.
Slowly, I stood, waiting for her to explain.
She shrugged, showing no shame. “I was young. I had two little girls. I’d just found out my husband was working for the enemy. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t take the pain. I couldn’t control my powers. I couldn’t take the thoughts. The horrible, terrible thoughts coming from everywhere…I couldn’t silence them.”
There was a part of me that related in some way. I pushed that part down, squashed it under my feet. “And so you gave me to Grandma.”
“There were reasons.”
I released a wry laugh. “There are always reasons with
you people.” I grabbed a sweatshirt from the trunk and punched my arms through the sleeves. “What about Nora?”
“She stayed with me.”
Just as I’d assumed, but hearing the words tore at my heart. So Nora had grown up with one parent, at least. Swell and dandy for her.
I zipped my sweatshirt. “I don’t remember her.”
I knew how Lewis had felt when I’d arrived with stories about him he didn’t remember or believe. Lewis. I ignored the sudden sting of tears.
“You were so young,” her voice softened, as if trying to draw me in with kindness and understanding. “I’m not surprised.”
I ignored her and started toward the door. My entire body was trembling, my bones shivering underneath my muscles. I had to get away from her, from them, from the entire situation.
“Cameron, I was coming for you when you and your Grandma disappeared to the islands.”
“Save it.” I’d heard it before with my dad. Didn’t these people have anything new? “I don’t care about the past. I don’t care about any of this. I’m leaving.”
She followed me into the hall. I could sense her determination to keep me there, although why, I wasn’t sure. She hadn’t wanted me before, why now? “And where will you go?”
“North Carolina.”
“Cameron, be serious. You can’t return to the compound.”
I didn’t bother to respond, but started down the hall, back toward that large room. Okay, so I had no clue where I was going, and I had no money. I knew one thing, there had to be a way out of these freaking tunnels.
“Cameron, your father won’t forgive you. He won’t trust you now that you’ve left. If you go there, it will be as the enemy.”
I fought the sensation of anxiety that washed over me. I wouldn’t let her think she had any control over my emotions. Frustrated and lost, I paused in the hall. “How do I get out?”
“You’re not leaving!” It was the first time she’d raised her voice and the sound echoed down the hall, bouncing off the stone walls before the area settled into silence once more.
Slowly, I turned and faced her. Anger overtook any anxiety. “You lost the power to tell me what to do when you abandoned me.”
I ignored the hurt in her eyes and turned toward that large meeting room where I’d first seen my mother. So what if I’d crushed her feelings? She deserved it. Besides, she was the least of my worries. Maybe Nora would tell me how to escape. If not, I’d walk until I found a door, even if it took all day and all night.
I could hear the soft murmur of voices and knew my mom had stayed behind and was talking to Father Myron, most likely discussing the best way to subdue me.
The large conference room was empty. I continued down the hall, turning left and silence settled heavy in the corridors. I pressed my fingers to the damp stone. The walls were thick and soundproof. I felt trapped. Buried. Watched.
“You won’t be able to find your way out.” I glanced at Nora who stood, arms crossed, in the doorway of another large room. “And besides, there are guards posted at every entrance.”
“Get the hell away from me.”
She sighed and stepped into the hall, blocking my exit. “Just follow me.”
I hesitated for only a moment, but realizing I was getting nowhere fast, and I was losing valuable time, I hurried after her. We turned right and there, at the end of the hall, a short stone stairway curved up to a wooden door. Nora had already typed a code into the keypad before I made it to her side. She pushed the door open and brilliant sunlight pierced the darkness. Blinking rapidly, I hesitated, confused.
“Come on.”
I followed her into a small living room; into someone’s home. Curious, I turned just as she was shutting the door, which was actually a bookshelf. Clever. A nice hiding place. It made me wonder where the other entrances and exits were located. They could be all over the city.
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling lost and disoriented. “Where are we?”
“This is our home.”
Their home? They had a home. Mom and Nora. Irritation flared. How great for them. My jaw clenched as I took in the room. An oversized sofa with a knitted blanket. A fireplace with the pictures on the mantel. Nora’s school photos, Nora and mom at the beach. My gaze slid around the room. Nora and my mom’s jackets hung on the coat rack. It was completely and totally lived in. They were settled, and obviously had been for years. Anger and hurt combined.
Without a word I started toward the front door. I wouldn’t let her see me upset. I wouldn’t let her think she had affected me or that I cared. Unfortunately, I could hear Nora following. I pushed the door wide and stepped into the crisp morning. Although I could smell the fumes of the city, the open air brought with it a calm that I desperately needed. I started down the steps and onto the sidewalk.
My mother’s home was a beautiful Victorian rowhouse, painted a clean white with a small front porch. It must have been built in the 1800s, or maybe even later. A cute dollhouse sort of home with roses climbing up trellises next to windows with blue shutters. The sort of home I would have loved as a child. But I was no longer a child. It was time to give up foolish dreams that would never happen.
I jogged across the street and started through a square; one of the many garden squares that made up Savannah. There was a fountain on one side and a large monument in the middle. A few trees gave the square shade, and people already took advantage of the benches, reading their newspapers, or chatting with other travelers; at ease with life and the world. It made me sick to think that they were all so clueless.
“So, you’re just going to head to North Carolina?” Nora called out, following me.
I didn’t respond, but headed across the square toward the fountain.
“And how will you get there?” She caught up to me. “You have no car, no money. Nothing.”
I slid her a glance and hoped the hatred I felt for her was apparent in my eyes. “Gee, thanks for the reminder. I’ll hitchhike. I’ll use my powers. That’s what you all do, isn’t it? Use your powers for your own gain?”
“You can’t.” She grabbed my arm. “You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t know—”
“Shut up!” I jerked away from her and sank onto a marble bench honoring some dead white guy. “Just shut up.”
Why? Why couldn’t they all just leave me alone? I rested my elbows on my knees, my head in my hands. She was right, but I would die before I’d admit it. What was I doing? Where would I go? Even if I could make it to the compound, how would I get inside? Would my dad really accept my apology? Or would he know I lied? I didn’t know if I had it in me to pretend to be someone I wasn’t, pretend to agree with my dad’s beliefs. Smile and pretend to be part of a happy family, as Tara seemed to be capable of doing.
But I had to rescue Lewis. I had to save him. I had to.
Nora was quiet as she sank onto the bench beside me. Instead of a smirk in my direction or some condescending remark, she just watched the tourists stroll the grounds, laughing and taking pictures of each other. Normal families on normal vacations.
“I can’t leave him there,” I whispered.
Lewis was out in the world somewhere. Probably only five hours away.
Lewis.
I closed my eyes. Lewis, who had been injured. Lewis, who must still be alive. He had to be. And I would find him, and we would be free of all of this insanity…maybe move to an island somewhere south. Maybe escape to Canada. I didn’t really care, as long as we were free.
“Stay,” Nora said softly. “Stay here and train. Just for a week. You need to be able to use your powers to their fullest potential. Become as strong as you can while Lewis heals. You wouldn’t be able to escape now anyway, not with him injured. You’ll have a better chance when he’s healed.”
“And how do you know he will heal?” I shifted, facing her fully. “How do you know they haven’t already killed him?”
“I told you, we have people who work for us on t
he inside.” She shrugged, looking unconcerned. “But I also know because they want to use his powers. He’s more valuable alive, than dead.”
“I can’t sit here and do nothing.” I surged to my feet. “I can’t let Lewis rot in prison for a week. It would be wrong, don’t you get that?”
She stood as well. “Yeah, I get it, but you’re using your heart, not your head. If you go there now, you won’t be prepared, and I promise you’ll end up as one of their prisoners. Besides, Lewis is in no condition to travel.”
I briefly closed my eyes, my stomach aching. Lewis was in no shape because he was hurt and alone and it was my fault.
“If you want to save Lewis, stay here. Train, learn about your powers and about the compound from me.”
I opened my eyes, anger and frustration surging through me. How did I know I could trust them? More importantly, why should I? “What the hell could I possibly learn from you?”
“A lot.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I know that place. I know the cells. I know the land.”
“How?” I released a harsh laugh. “What, were you raised on S.P.I. knowledge 101? Was it a prerequisite at your school?”
She narrowed her eyes, obviously annoyed. “No, smartass. I know the S.P.I. compound because I was a prisoner there for two years.”
Chapter 3
The early morning sun pierced the white curtains that hung over the guest room windows. A guest room, and it was mine for now because I had no bedroom here in this house where my sister and mother lived. I was the guest.
In those tunnels I’d wanted to do nothing more than escape the smothering earth. Now here, I wished I could burrow back into the dark and welcome the crush of rock. The sun seemed to mock me, to delight in the fact that it was brilliant and hopeful while I was depressed and pathetic.
I hadn’t slept at all. I hadn’t even drifted off. I hadn’t cried, which I knew was strange, but I felt numb. I lay upon the bed and stared at the windows and thought about Lewis; worried he wasn’t well. Worried he was dying. Worried that I’d never get him back.
And I thought about Nora, and how she’d been taken captive eight years ago by our very own father. I thought about what she’d told me in such a casual way, as if it hadn’t affected her in the least. How he had tortured her, attempting to uncover the extent of her abilities.