Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) (14 page)

Lena

T
ryouts. The one silver lining in
the week. The place I remembered who I was, what I wanted. It wasn't
dimensions, another life…It was this.

I blew
everyone away in the 100 and 400. I even took a shot at hurdles, coming in
third in the 110 and fourth in the 60. I'd never been great at jumping, and my
form sucked. Stump always yelled about it every time I attempted.

My
teammates for the past four years, Jenn, Stacie, and Connie–we were all
encouraging each other. The friends I had neglected since Zander came into my
life welcomed me back into the fold without questions or accusations. The wolf
pack we'd always called ourselves. Stupid. Awesome. Perfect.

Coach
told us to keep an eye out for posted results on Monday, three whole days of
waiting, but he winked on the way to the locker rooms, and said, "Nice
running, Tulman."

Same thing
he'd repeated four years running.

I collected
my stuff from the field and promised my pack I'd be in touch.

Belva
caught my attention. She sat in the bleachers with her hood up and earbuds in.
I waved, thinking she'd brush me off, but when she held her hand up, I smiled.

School
turned out pretty good, too, considering everything going on. Zander even
decided not to act like an asshole, especially after I'd told him Wilma went on
vacation after he asked about her. Weird, for sure. He barely ever talked to
her.

Grinning
like an idiot, I cut across the field to the student parking lot. Tarek waited,
standing in front of the passenger door. My excitement drained when I noticed
the frown straining his face.

"What
did Wilma say?" All that went through my mind was no one controlled Mom
but my crazy father.

He
opened the door but didn't speak until both of us were in the car and on the
way home. "I couldn't open a portal."

"What
does that mean?" My voice came out thin and airy.

"Someone's
blocking me."

"Who?
Wilma? She wouldn't do that."

He
smacked the steering wheel. "Who else would do it?" He took a deep
breath and glanced my way. "Only two people know I'm here, and she's done
it before."

"Are
you sure only two people know?" The fear I had controlled so well began to
curl its fingers inside my chest.

"Shit,
I guess not."

Regardless
of who knew he was here, his revelation meant one thing: I had to deal with
whatever Dad had in store alone. I slowed my breathing. "It's okay. I can
handle it."

"You're
not going to handle anything. Not alone, anyway. Give me a couple hours. I'll
try a few more times. If I still can't get through, screw it. I have all the
proof I need. You're leaving. Tonight."

∞ ∞ ∞

Dad sat in
his usual spot, flicking ashes in the mud puddle mote surrounding all the
trailers. It hadn't rained since Friday night, but the area held water better
than the public pool in Stroudsburg. Whatever caught his attention on the
ground must've been more interesting than me because he didn't look up when I
stood right in front of him. He moved to block me when I tried to go around,
not letting me in, either.

He took
another drag of his cigarette. On the exhale, I smelled more than nicotine. His
wrinkled and faded black flannel had dark splotches spattered on the front.
Whatever the spots were, they were wet. "Where've you been, girl?"

The
blood drained from my face, making my lips numb. "I had detention."

His eyes
didn't meet mine as he flicked the half-smoked cigarette in the puddle and went
inside, leaving the door open. On shaky legs, I followed, closing the door
behind me.

Before I
took my hand off the knob, pain landed on my cheek, hot and fierce. "You
lying whore!" His spit smacked the back of my neck, spraying the tips of
my ears.

Words
refused to form as pain triggered hot tears. When the punch to my side dropped
me to the floor and the kick to the stomach stole my air, fear managed to find
a solid grip.

"You
were with that boy, weren't you? That rich kid stick his thing in you, did he?"
Another sneaker to the stomach and I groped for oxygen.

"Or
were you screwing that pervert staying at Wilma's?" This time, he took his
foot and pushed me away from the door. "Yeah, I know about him. Everybody
knows about him, sneaking in your window at night."

Pain
twisted through my entire body, making it hard to breathe, much less talk. The
longer I went without answering, the harder his kicks were to my ribcage.

"She
told me about your little plan." He knelt, gripped what he could of my
short hair, and yanked my head up so that I faced Mom.

She sat
in her chair, face unrecognizable. Her swollen eyes tried to focus and her
split lips bled like crazy–the source of the wetness dousing Dad's shirt. Her
mouth moved, and all I heard was, "Sorry."

Dad's
grip tightened on my hair as he directed his attention to Mom. "Shut up,
bitch. Traitor! Whore!"

He went
after her, and her arms blocked her face as she whimpered. More willpower than
strength, I hugged my body around his legs, causing him to fall. It didn't take
long for him to scramble to his feet to kick me again.

He
hunkered down, his rotten breath burning the hairs in my nose. "You ain't
going nowhere." His wet lips touched my earlobe. "And neither is your
mom."

The last
thing I remembered before fainting was the terror on Mom's face when Dad
managed to give her that smack after all.

∞ ∞ ∞

"Lena.
Lena, wake up. Please wake up, sweetie."

The
black reprieve lifted. Pain scorched my ribs, my stomach. Metallic blood
lingered in my mouth. My eyes opened.

Mom's
mangled face looked like it belonged in a Picasso.

Shit.

All that
came out of my dry throat were groans as I tried to get myself on all fours.

"You
need to get up, honey, he'll be back soon." She lifted me by my armpits,
her strength surprising. I clung to her, wanting nothing more than to curl up
in her arms until the pain went away. When I moved to do just that, her voice
became hard. "No, we have to go. Now. Get up."

The force
she used gave me the drive to push off the floor. I couldn't stand straight. The
bruises refused to let me. I settled for doubling over, holding my gut in case
it planned to spill on the floor. "Where'd he go?"

She
guided us the few feet to the door. "I don't know, but we're not staying
for round two."

"How
long," I swallowed some of the blood pooling at the back of my throat as
we climbed down the cement stairs, "have I been out?"

"A
few minutes, maybe? He left as soon as you passed out. I think it scared him."

"Doubt
it."

We
headed up the hill, sweat dripping into my eyes with the effort. "Are you
there, Mom? I mean, are you all there?"

A small
sob escaped her bloated lips. "I have no idea what happened. One minute, I'm
thinking everything's normal." Bitterness dripped on the edges of her
words. "I actually felt...something for that bastard. And then, our plan
spewed out."

Whoever
wanted me scared must've amped up their efforts. Had to admit, it worked.

"It's
okay, Mom."

She
squeezed my side, the pain excruciating, but I didn't let her know. "I'm
so sorry, sweetie. He–"

"Where
you think you're goin'?" He followed a couple feet behind us, laughing at
our pathetic attempt at running. Doors shut and windows closed. Parents shooed
kids indoors. We were the lone gunslingers left at the O.K. Corral.

I signaled
for Mom to keep walking and tried to pick up the pace.

"How
far you think you're gonna get?" He walked up right behind us and stood so
close I could smell him: stale sweat, decaying breath…our blood.

White-hot
pain seared my scalp.

"Leave
her alone!" Mom clawed at his hand, but he easily shoved her to the
ground, dragging me back into the house. She scrambled to her feet and followed,
yelling for help. Of course no one answered.

He
turned me around by my hair after shutting the door behind Mom. His bony
fingers squeezed my cheeks so hard my jaw cracked. He then pushed me against
the wall holding his prized pictures. That disgusting, fetid mouth opened, but
closed just as fast, his watery eyes widening when the door crashed open. His
grip slackened before letting go completely.

I
slumped next to Mom, and she curled her arms around me, staring in the same
direction as Dad.

"Who
the f–" That's all he managed before Tarek had him by the throat, holding
him at least two inches off the ground.

Tarek's
face sent chills coursing up my spine. His eyes burned, and the muscles in his
jaw tensed, bursting from his cheeks. Veins in his arms stood at attention as
Dad's eyes bulged, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. I wanted Tarek to
end it.

Then I
remembered:
I can't hurt him…

"Tarek,
stop, please." My plea came out as weak as an infant's first cry, but he
heard, dropping Dad with a thud.

Tarek
started for me, despair coloring his face.

I
reached out to him. "It's okay. I'm fine."

As he
knelt, the floor bucked. The movement threw him backward, and he landed on Dad,
knocking the weasel unconscious.

The
whole trailer began to shake, the sound of the floor creaking filling the room.
"We need to move, Mom, now."

She
began to crawl, and I followed behind her. Tarek managed to get on his feet, navigating
the rolling floor to reach us. I wobbled to my knees. Roots from trees began to
come up from the ground and into the living room, wrapping around my legs,
pulling me under.

Forgetting
the pain in my ribs, I clawed at the thin carpet, trying to fight my way out.
All that ran through my mind were the images of giant squid and rushing water.

"Tarek!"

The tree
pulled me deeper as my mother sat on the vibrating floor screaming, reaching for
me. Roots began to gobble up my legs, pulling me down to my armpits. I closed
my eyes with the struggle and dug my nails deeper into the carpet.

Loud
squealing, akin to an animal being flayed alive, stung my ears, and my eyelids
flew up. Tarek leaned into the hole, pulling at the roots, managing to break
most of the weaker ones.

With
every broken limb, the ground shook less. The cries became louder, as if the
branches were in pain, alive as the four of us in the trailer.

Once my
legs were free, Tarek yanked me from the hole and cradled me in his arms. He signaled
for Mom to follow as the floor closed up and the vibrating stopped. One last
cry bellowed, and the ground swallowed my father.

The
trailer became deceptively tranquil, the floor showing no sign of damage by
roots.

We
stumbled up the hill, Tarek refusing to loosen his hold. He kept me crushed
against him, his lips nuzzling my temple.

Mom's
eyes, glowing with shock, traveled from Tarek's feet up to his face. "Who
are you?"

Tarek ignored
her and adjusted my body until we faced each other. "I'm sorry I didn't
get there sooner."

After a
weak smile, I said, "Looks to me like you came just in time."

"Somebody
better tell me what's going on." Mom's hysterical voice interrupted our
moment, which should not have irritated me under the circumstances.

The urge
to ignore her left a bitter taste in the back of my throat. I started with the
easiest explanation. "He's...a friend."

"A
friend? Really?"

Signaling
for Tarek to let me down, he obliged without too much hesitation. "I'll
explain everything later, but right now we need to get out of here."