“Oh my God.” I stumbled back, collapsing onto the edge of my bed. I felt sick. Afraid. Confused. “And that’s what he’s done to these children, isn’t it? To their parents?”
Lewis stood his ground, didn’t dare step any closer. It was as if a wall had been suddenly built between us. He knew I wouldn’t understand. “He had to. They weren’t safe with their parents.”
Tears burned my eyes. I was sad because I knew Lewis didn’t understand, perhaps he never would. “He stole these children and erased any memory from their parent’s minds that they’d ever existed?”
Lewis didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. How could he not see what he did was wrong?
I swiped angrily at the tears seeping from my eyes. Lewis might not ever understand my position, but he sure as hell could explain the facts. “How did he do it?”
Lewis shrugged, strolling across the room. To anyone else his walk would seem at ease, but I knew his steps were too controlled. “Everyone has their own special ability, unique to them. His is the ability to erase memories.”
Just as I’d thought, he’d erased any memory of these children. “And yours? What is your ability?”
He paused for a moment, his square jaw clenched as he weighed his next words carefully. “As you know, I…I can move objects, small objects.” But there was more, I could tell he was holding something back.
“What else Lewis?” I demanded.
His jaw clenched, those sharp eyes coming to rest on me. “I can influence people’s emotions.”
For one moment I was confused as my mind turned his words over and over, attempting to make sense. Emotions. All the feelings I’d had for Lewis came rushing back in a wave of nausea. “Did you…to me…”
He was silent, but I read the truth in his beautiful blue eyes.
Panic clawed its way up into my throat. My heart slammed wildly against my chest. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to grab him by the shirt and demand he take the words back. “Lewis, did you make me think I was in love with you?”
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Cameron…”
“Tell me!” I demanded, standing.
He opened his eyes and looked directly at me, pleading in his gaze. “Only at first.”
“Oh my God.” I moved across the room, the furthest away from him I could get. I felt trapped, an animal in a cage. No where to go. So much for our love being true and pure.
“I’m not now, Cameron.” Lewis came toward me. “Only those first couple days. You thought I was the murderer, I needed you to like me, to trust me.”
He paused in front of me, his gaze pleading. He started to reach for me, but apparently realized it was too soon and dropped his arms to his side. “Please, believe me. I haven’t influenced you in weeks. What you feel…what I feel…it’s real.”
At that moment the only feeling I had was hate. Pure hatred because he’d made me doubt my love for him. It all made sense now. Why I’d had barely any misgivings about leaving town with a boy I’d just met. Grandma had been right, something had been off. I leaned back against the wall, my hands fisted. “What is my ability? Why does Aaron want me here?”
“He’s always wanted you here, partly because he feels responsible for you. You’re like a daughter to him.”
I snorted in disgust.
“It’s true.”
“Why am I here?” I demanded again.
He sighed and raked back his hair. “You have more power than any of us, Cameron.” He paced in front of me, as if he couldn’t stand still, as if he wasn’t sure what to do. “Your ability to break into people’s thoughts is amazing.”
“Olivia can read thoughts.”
“Only from normal people, like us. But that chip in that man’s head stopped her cold. You busted through it like it was nothing. We’re not even sure what you’re capable of. It’s why it’s so important for you to practice, to learn. I think you’d be amazed at what you could accomplish.”
“You mean what I could accomplish for you and your little secret club.”
He glared at me, obviously frustrated. “We’re only trying to protect—”
“Bull!” I tilted my chin high, staring directly into his angry eyes. Lewis wouldn’t frighten me. I was sick of being afraid. “I’m going home.”
He didn’t respond, remaining stubbornly silent. I wanted to scream, to stomp my foot like a child. I needed to have my wits about me, but I couldn’t think when he was so close, his scent so warm and wonderful. And in the back of my mind I realized that this could very well be the last time we spoke. But my emotions and anger wouldn’t let me care.
“I’m going home, even if I have to walk or swim.”
He raked his hair back, his hand trembling. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
I pushed him aside and grabbed the pink sweater Grandma had gotten me last year for Christmas. My hands shook as I tossed the clothing back into my suitcase. “Where’s my cell phone? Aaron took it, didn’t he?”
“Think long and hard about what you’re doing Cameron.”
I froze, looking up at Lewis. “Are you threatening me?”
He looked oddly sad. “No, only warning you.”
I ignored the tingling fear working its way up my spine. “Save your warning. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone. I’m leaving.”
He strolled to the door, his steps slow, unconcerned. At the hall he paused and looked back, a sympathetic gleam in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Cameron, but there’s only one way you’re leaving, and that’s if you let Aaron erase your memories.”
Chapter 18
Only an hour until sunrise. Only an hour and I would be at the docks and on that first ferry across the harbor and to the mainland. Only an hour and my life would be on its way back to normalcy. I hoped.
I had no idea how I’d get home from the harbor, but I didn’t care. One step at a time. I had to keep my mind centered. Still, I was shaking as I made my way to my bedroom door. I didn’t dare take my suitcase, but had stuffed anything of importance into my backpack, leaving behind the rest.
I kept my mental wall up, not daring to let my thoughts seep from my mind and alert others to my presence. But concentrating was hard under the circumstances. Unwillingly my gaze went to Lewis’ bedroom door. The urge to try one more time to talk him into reason overwhelmed me. I forced my feet to keep walking, tore my gaze from that door and rushed, as quietly as possible, down the dark hall, following the path Olivia had taken the other night. I’d seen that exit near the children’s ward and hoped it was the best way out. If I’d gotten my directions right, it would lead to the back of the house and the beach. I’d follow the shore to town.
Heading down the first set of steps, I pressed my hands to the narrow walls to keep my balance in the darkness. Lewis had disappointed me in so many ways. I thought we understood each other. I thought we believed in the same things. We should have, after all we’d had similar childhoods, similar pasts.
In reality we were completely different people. But it didn’t matter. I still loved him and each step further away from Lewis, broke my heart a little more.
I turned left, walked ten feet down a dark tunnel only to realize I should have turned right. A cold sweat broke out between my shoulder blades. I didn’t have time for mistakes. One mistake could mean the difference between me leaving with my memory intact and me leaving with no recollection of what my life had been.
I had a plan; sneak into town right at the moment when the first boat was leaving. Jump on the ferry and be gone. I couldn’t think further than that, and I couldn’t think about the plan going wrong. Any mistakes would be my downfall. I turned right and made my way toward the door where the children lay sleeping.
The closer I got, the more my stomach churned, threatening to bring up the chicken and rice that had been brought to my room by a nameless servant. At the door, I froze. I could see them sleeping through the small window, those tiny bundles of power. How could I leave them here? But what could I
do? It would be pretty hard to go incognito with twenty small children at my side. As much as it pained me to leave them behind, I knew, for my own sake, I had to.
Turning away from the children’s dorm, I focused on the door that would lead outside. Metal, bullet proof, impenetrable, no doubt. A bolt locked the door in place. To the normal person the door would seem secure, but I couldn’t help but wonder where the rest of it was. Shouldn’t there be an alarm? A camera? But the hall was surprisingly empty.
I slid back the deadbolt and stepped outside into the crisp morning air. Easy enough. Everything was going exactly as planned. And that worried me. It was all too simple. And then I saw the fence and realized life was one big joke. That tall fence continued from the front of the house and apparently wrapped around the back. A fence much too tall to climb.
A cold wind swept from the ocean, stinging my face. Across the harbor, lights from the mainland twinkled and glowed, calling me home. Already the seagulls could be heard, crying their good mornings. It was the right time to leave, but how could I when that huge iron fence rose up from the earth surrounding the yard? I hadn’t had much of a plan when I’d decided to leave. I was hoping God or Fate would smile down on me.
“Hello?” I whispered, looking toward the gray sky. “Could use some help about now.”
Shockingly, God didn’t respond.
“Fate it is.”
I moved along the fortress Aaron had built, my hands scratching against the rough brick. To think I’d believed this place a stunning, magical home when I’d first arrived. I knew better now. It was nothing more than an elegant prison. At the corner of the estate, where the bricks met in a sharp angle, I paused. Still too dark to see much of anything, but I could just make out that ocean shimmering under a crescent moon.
“Where are you going?”
The soft, sudden voice sent my heart leaping into my throat. I spun around. A small child stood before me. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt, but no coat. “Who are you?” I demanded, then glanced sharply around, looking for someone who might claim her. There was no movement in the darkness beyond.
“Caroline.”
Was she a test? Some sort of set up? “Are you…did you come from the children’s dorm?”
She nodded. Her blonde hair was long and straight, her bangs cut at a perfect angle that framed her large eyes. The girl I’d seen on my arrival, the girl who’d appeared in my steel room the day I’d been meditating.
“You should go back. It’s cold. If they find you missing they’ll worry.” And come looking, which wouldn’t be good for me.
“Are you leaving?” she asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets on her sweatshirt. She was six, maybe seven, although I certainly wasn’t a great judge of age where kids were concerned.
“No, of course not,” I lied. “Now go back to bed, okay?” I shooed her with my hands, but she just stood there, staring at me like a dog after a treat. “Listen kid, you have to go, please.”
“You look like my sister.”
I hadn’t been expecting that response and her sweet little statement tore at my heart. “Yeah?” Damn, if my voice didn’t catch. “Well, she probably misses you, so go back to your room so you can see her, okay?”
“She’s not there.”
Crap. This just kept getting better and better. “Did they take you from your family, Caroline? Did they make you leave your sister?”
She nodded, her large eyes shimmering now. She was going to cry and then I’d cry and we’d be caught.
“I miss her, but I can’t talk about her because they won’t let me.”
The anger I felt toward Aaron rushed through my body in a heated wave. For one insane moment I wanted to tear through the door and demand they return the children. Instead, I knelt before Caroline, my knees hitting the hard dirt with a thud that jarred my body. “Did your parents know? Did they understand that you were being taken away? Or did…Aaron do something to make them forget?”
She shrugged, looking confused. “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay.” I grasped her narrow shoulders. “Do you know when they took you? A year go? Two? ”
Her brows drew together, her lips puckering. “It was winter and cold. I didn’t get to open my Christmas presents.”
No Christmas presents? Now that was just plain wrong. “Do you remember where you lived Caroline? What town?”
She frowned. “Ohio, I think.”
Ohio? Ohio might as well have been another country at the moment. I hadn’t realized these abductions took place across states. I stood. I knew what I had to do and even as I thought the words, Caroline said, “Take me home?”
How could I refuse? What was one kid anyway? Surely we could sneak onto the boat together. They’d think we were siblings. In fact, it might work better this way. And if her parents didn’t remember her, Grandma would let her live with us.
“Okay, come on.” I took her hand, her tiny fingers chilled. We needed to make it to town fast; she wouldn’t last long in this cold weather. It was a ridiculous plan. I knew that, but I had no choice.
“Where will we go?”
Already with the questions? It wouldn’t take long before she’d realize I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. “I’m not sure.” I slipped one of the straps of my backpack from my shoulder, intent on finding a sweater that would fit Caroline. She needed something to block the chill wind.
She latched onto my sleeve and tugged. “This way.”
I didn’t miss the fact that she was pulling me back toward the house and the way we’d just come.
“No,” I said. “We need to leave now.” What had the kid forgotten? A stuffed bear or some other ridiculous object that didn’t matter at the moment? Didn’t she understand how important it was that we escaped ASAP?
“Caroline, we can’t go back.”
“Please,” she whispered. “I know where we can leave.”
My knees almost buckled in relief. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. What choice did I have? Follow a six year old or stumble around the yard on my own until I was caught? We followed the outside wall of the southern end of the house, heading toward the back. The entire way, that damn fence followed, mocking us. The sky was turning to gray, dawn breaking. My anxiety flared.
“Caroline, are you sure—”
“There.” She pointed to a dark impression in the earth that ran underneath the fence. “A secret tunnel.”
I darted the small distance and hunched down. It was a drainage pipe that led underneath to the shore. Definitely small enough for Caroline to fit through, maybe small enough for me. When I lowered myself to my belly, I could see the gray light at the end of the dark tunnel, beckoning freedom. There was also a thin layer of water along the bottom of the metal pipe. I didn’t have time to think about what could be living and growing in that water.
My top priority was the diameter of that tunnel. If I got stuck, or if there were rats or spiders…no, it didn’t matter. I had to try. Stepping back a few feet, I slipped my backpack from my shoulders and tossed it over the fence. Fortunately it sailed over the top and landed with a thud in the sand on the other side.
“I’ll go first,” I muttered.
Caroline nodded her agreement, her little round face full of trust. For a moment panic took hold. My God, this little kid trusted me to get her out of here. I should have forced her to return but it was too late now. My conscience wouldn’t let me leave her behind.
I lowered myself into that small gulley, then lay flat on the cold ground, frost biting into my sensitive palms. The ground was hard as I inched my way into the metal tunnel. Small rocks bit through my jeans and jacket, scraping my legs and stomach.
I reached the tunnel, didn’t pause, but flattened myself to the ground. The thin layer of ice that had formed over the water cracked. Bitterly cold, it soaked my clothing, chilling my flesh. I bit my lower lip, dug my elbows into the ground and surged forward on my forearms into the pipe. I just fit, my shoulders
scraping against the metal sides. This was my only chance. Caroline was counting on me. I couldn’t let Aaron erase my memory.
The moment my torso was inside that tunnel, a tinkling of panic threatened to overwhelm me. What if my hips got stuck? I ignored the shouts of warning coursing through my mind. I told myself the tunnel would remain the same size all the way through, that if I fit now, I’d fit ten feet in; I wouldn’t get stuck halfway in and drown when the tide came.
Thankfully, it was too cold and damp for spiders and rats. One small blessing. My harsh breath echoed against my metal coffin. No rats, no spiders, but the ground could collapse, my panicked brain taunted. I could get stuck.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. No, I was almost there. If I could straighten my arms, untuck them from my body, I’d be able to touch the cold air ahead.
“Almost there, Caroline,” I said, forcing my voice to sound jovial. I pushed my elbows under my body and inched forward, slower than a snail. The ridges along the pipe hurt, digging into my muscles. “Almost…”
A firm grip grasped each of my ankles. I froze. Suddenly, I was jerked backwards. My elbows hit each ridge of the metal pipe, thump, thump, thump.
“No!” I screamed, digging my fingers into the ridges and trying to cling as if my life depended on it. My nails bent painfully upward and with a yelp, I let go. “Caroline!” I called out, as if the child could help.
My shoulders scraped against the sides of the pipe and suddenly I was pulled outside, the cold, clean air swooshing into my lungs.
A tall man loomed above me, an ugly scowl on his round face. One of the guards. I wasted no time and lifted my hips, shoving my feet into his gut. He grunted, stumbling back. I flipped over and scrambled to my feet. Without looking back I surged forward, into the gray dawn.
I could hear someone running after me, the thump of footsteps, heavy breathing. I didn’t dare look back. It didn’t matter how fast I ran, I had nowhere to go. I sensed him right before a body tackled me to the ground. With a cry, I stumbled forward. My knees hit the dirt. I twisted as I fell to my back. Lewis fell on top of me, his hard body pinning me to the frosted grass.