The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children (19 page)

“Oh, cut the crap, Verity.” My head rolled around. “I know you helped smuggle alcohol and drugs into the school for Cunning and her crew.” He jumped in his seat and reddened.

“N-No, I didn’t! You have no proof!”

“Shh,” said Donna, and he bit his lips.

“Come on,” I said and leaned in. “You and I both know you can’t send an electronic message to an outside supplier without it being intercepted. But if you hide it cleverly, you might manage. And you’re a guy who knows all about spotting deception.” I pointed at him with my finger and his frightened eyes focused on it as if it would pierce through them.

Donna placed a hand on his shoulder and he jerked, but relaxed when he looked at her.

“Please, Miles. We really need your help. It might be the only way to get out of here alive,” she said in a soothing tone.

“Yeah, that, and we won’t rat you out. A thousand points is pretty tempting, you know,” I said with a pressed mouth and Verity began to sweat. Donna glared at me and I gave her a winning smile. Whether she knew it or not, our Good Cop, Bad Cop technique would work.

Sure enough, he finally said, “All right. I’ll tell you. Just…promise you won’t turn me in.”

“Of course,” I said with a wolfish grin.

“Of course,” said Donna, more sincerely. I smirked. It felt good to be back in the game. 

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE—Mailbox

“Y
ou can’t actually hide the message in any of the parcels that leave the Institute and go through inspection,” said Miles Verity. “They go through scanners and stuff, like at airport security. The only way is to use the mailbox by the railroad station. Lauraline and Aaron…” He cast his eyes down, as if in their memory. “…they’d take trips at night over there to send out letters. As for the parcels that came in, I told them how to hide the alcohol and drugs. But I’m not about to tell you how since I’d get in trouble.” 

Donna quirked the corner of her mouth. “Let me guess, it depends on the material of the parcel, right? Something you can’t get here at LeJeune.”

Verity’s eyes widened. He pointed at her, a gaping fish, and said, “How did she…?”

I waved away his question. “Long story. We don’t have the time. So where exactly is this mailbox located?”

“It’s in the center of the station. You can’t miss it. Big black thing with a slot.”

“No kidding,” I muttered. That oughtta make it easier to spot, considering the entire station was black.

“Anyway, can I go now? I told you what you wanted to know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. Just as he began to get up, I slammed my hand down on his arm and said in a steady and stern voice, “Tell no one about this.” He nodded involuntarily, a bit pale, while Donna looked ill at ease, obviously less so than when I used my abilities before. He scurried off and nearly tripped as he got out of the picnic table. I chuckled.

Donna rounded on me and scooted into his spot. “Don’t laugh at him! He’s just a little…”

“Nerd ball?”

She pursed her lips. Cute.

Her eyes darted away for a few seconds and she then said, “I’m coming.”

“Huh?”

She stared at me fervently, straight on again. “I’m coming with you to the station.”

I laughed. “Hell no, you’re not.” My voice lowered even more. “I’m the Executioner, Donna. I can kinda get away with it. You can’t. What you
can
do is write the letter.” Which suddenly reminded me how glad I was to have told Donna about my secret. She had a family to write to; I didn’t. 

She gnawed on her lip. Her eyes looked away again. Definitely not happy. She murmured something.

“What?” I said.

“I still don’t completely trust you,” she said louder. Her eyes glistened with apprehension.

I tilted my head and stretched out my arms. “Oh, you don’t, do you? Well, tough. You’ll have to if you want us to—”

Donna suddenly signaled me with her perturbed glare and I shut up as Von approached our table with a casual stroll.

“Hope I’m not interrupting,” he said.

“Actually—” I began, but he sat down next to Donna anyway and I scowled.

She winced, clearly uncomfortable, when he leaned his cheek into his palm and stared at her, completely ignoring me. “Now what might two bright students be doing out here, talking in whispers?”

Donna looked flustered and I kept my calm as his eyes slowly trailed towards me.

My thumb momentarily rested on my teeth and I flicked it away to say, “We were discussing how to catch students not following the rules so we could up our points. Got a problem with that?” My eyes were cast in a firm, dead stare.

He smirked and raised his eyebrows as though impressed. “You don’t say. Carry on, then. I look forward to your…catch. But if you’re stirring up trouble, just remember, I could always check with Mr. Verity. And I think we all know he’s quite the poor liar.”

He got up and left. His hand traced the edge of the table as he walked away.

“Good luck with that!” I called after him, still frowning.

Donna shivered. “That guy seriously gives me the creeps. Sometimes he’s all right, but other times…”

“Freaky, right?”

She laughed. “Seriously freaky.”

We exchanged a brief warm look until I cleared my throat. “Better get started on that letter. Any idea what you’re gonna write?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Donna. Her smirk resurfaced. “Everything.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO—Bonfire

D
onna handed me a sealed envelope.

“What the hell’s this?” I said.

“That’s the letter.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, and I don’t get to read what I’m risking my skin for? You may as well be signing me off to the cops.”

She shrugged with one shoulder. “If I have to trust, you have to trust.”

I glowered and she walked around me, hands behind her back. “Besides, it’s not like you have anyone to write to. Why else would you need my help?”

My jaw shifted, my tongue in my cheek. I really started to hate that ability of hers, as handy as it proved to be at times.

Her face fell slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay.” I brushed it off with my hand.

“Are your…parents still alive? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

I gnawed on my lip and looked down for a moment. “Mom is. Dad’s gone.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” She looked uncomfortable now, like she wanted to ask why I couldn’t write to my mother.

I groaned and changed the subject. “You really have nothing better to do than guess my life away, do you?”

“I know,” she said with sarcasm. Good, she took the bait. “You love that about me.” She patted my cheek twice and I rolled my eyes. Someone needed a confidence check.

A horde of students headed down the stairs for the next trial and we nodded to each other. “Show time.”

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” she said with a skeptic look.

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” I walked backwards. “But if I don’t return, I’ll blame the mysterious contents of this letter.”

She laughed and waved me off as I concealed myself in my room until everyone passed. Once all had gone to the gym for the trial, I would take off for the station. I waited about ten more minutes for the late students to descend the stairs and then made my exit.

It had been a while since I’d walked through the woods on my own, and I’d never really had a reason to go far. Sometimes Todd and I would sneak out and do a bonfire. Hailie and Lauraline would join in, but I preferred it when it was just us guys. Todd told his stupid ghost stories and I my bad jokes. Honestly, I missed him. Hailie was…entertaining, but she was always a girlfriend, never a friend. She hadn’t tried to understand me; it was always about what
she
wanted. A boyfriend who’d shower her with the attention she so desperately craved. I always got that about her. It just wasn’t enough. I didn’t feel that way with Donna. In fact, I could picture her there with Todd and me around the campfire. Or maybe just her and me…

The image floated through my mind and I didn’t even notice the ridiculous grin that had formed on my face. I lifted a fist to my mouth to cover it. I had to straighten myself out. Donna was cool and all, as a partner, and as a friend, but the moment we left that territory, it’d be just like it had been with Hailie. Why did I dread the thought of it so much? Having a girl was great, and I probably wouldn’t have broken up with her if it hadn’t been for this whole Executioner deal. But why did it feel like there had to be something more than just talking and kissing and kissing and talking? Eesh. There was always sex to look forward to, of course, yet after Hailie and Todd hooked up so easily, I wondered if it even mattered who you did it with or when. Maybe it was just one of those high expectation things. What more could there be, right?

I stopped in my tracks when I heard voices and hid behind the thick trunk of a tree, enough to cover my body. I peeked around it slightly. I was near the small road that led up to the Institute through which they brought new students. And there was the guard check point. If I followed the road, it’d definitely get me to the station, but I couldn’t let the guards see or hear me. I flipped my phone on and turned on the GPS. Gah. Green all around. It’d be super easy to get lost if I went too far from the road. Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea to have brought Donna along, but no. I couldn’t risk her safety.

I kept my phone on at all times and somehow made my way around them. After that, I stayed close to the road, and the station came into view like the first sign of civilization I had seen for months. I almost wanted to run to it and scream, “Freedom!” A false freedom, that is. I couldn’t leave everyone in the Institute behind. And even if I did, they’d find me. I’d have no place to go, would spend my life running, and I’d rather die than face the wrath of my sister. No one knew torture better than she did. Her favorite trick was to numb a person, inflict a wound on them, and watch them squirm as the pain came back to them like a flash of fire. The anticipation was worse torture than the actual pain.

What did I hope for with Donna, though? That she’d save me? Stupid. No one could help me. Not really. But if I could help her, maybe it would even things out. And justify the horrible things I had done. 

I scoffed and descended the hill to the station. Or maybe I was just one big joke and my pathetic excuse for a life would be over before the day was done.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE—Bully

T
he envelope that sealed my fate slipped through the onyx slate. I would have snuck around to get to the mailbox, but there was no one in sight. Literally a ghost station. Must be lucky they weren’t bringing in any new students.

As I walked back, though, a chill crawled up my spine. What if it had been a little too easy and a bit too quiet? Sure, Lauraline had gotten away with it plenty of times before, but her last name wasn’t Cunning for nothing.

My feet stomped through the forest brush and I had just cracked some twigs when I froze. Noise came from all around me, the sound of people moving through the brush, many of them. In panic, I looked for a place to hide, but instinct overcame thought and I ran for it, only to get nowhere. A body pushed me back and into the arms of two other men who restrained me. I fought back and was about to order them to let go when a rope tied around my mouth and I huffed through my mouth.

My brow fell as Von walked forward from behind a tree, and my eyes widened when one of his men led Miles Verity by the shoulder. I pieced it all together in that one picture. But…how had he gotten anything out of Miles? I thought I told him not to tell?

The man on my left rammed a hard blow into my stomach and I winced. My knees buckled and they held me up.

“I trust you’re unfamiliar with my abilities, Mr. Tyrell,” said Von as I glared at him, breathing hot air out of my nose and partially through my gagged mouth. Gotta be more careful, or this might become routine.

My eyes grew even more perturbed as he signaled for one of the men to remove the rope from my mouth. He untied it harshly and I stared at Von as though he were mad.

“You see, Daniel, I have the gift to limit, reduce, and even undo the effect of another’s ability.”

I swallowed, my eyes not a size smaller. So that’s how he’d done it.

Still, I tried to act like it didn’t faze me. “Heh. There’s a pathetic ability, if you ask me.”

Von’s cheek twitched. “Yes, well, we’ll see how ‘pathetic’ you find it in a moment, considering you’ve ‘talked’ your way out of fights since the third grade, hmm?”

Odd, how’d he know that? I didn’t take Lenora for a blabber mouth. And that was kinda private. I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept a criminal file on me, though. Whatever the case, I was screwed.

He lowered his sculpted head to mine. “I may be too late to stop that letter, but I’m never too late to punish you for acting out of line. I’m not exactly a big fan of the positive reinforcement policy either.”

I bit my lips as he pulled away and nodded to his men. “Do your worst.”

“No, stop!” I shouted before they landed the first blow. Miles winced and looked away, but in Von’s presence, my words had no effect. The blows kept on coming, the pain blinding, and soon I lost my orientation. I lost my thoughts. And only by God’s mercy, I lost consciousness.

I don’t know how long I was out, but I heard a voice call my name in a distance. 

“Dan…! Danny…!”

I laughed on the inside. No one had called me “Danny” since, well, my mom. A long time ago. And Lenora had only called me that when she taunted me.

Oh. I hallucinated. The voices rang in my head until they suddenly matched with a very real voice that echoed them. A hand pushed on my shoulder, nudging me awake.

“Dan, come on…please. I can’t carry you…” Her voice was full of ache and brimmed with tears.

I groaned awake and tried to prop myself on my elbow. It stung like all burning hell.

I cursed and Donna brought her arm around my back and under my arm to help me up. Those few minutes during which I got to my feet were the worst torture I’d ever felt. Every inch of flesh felt as if a train ran over it. I could barely lift my head. It just sort of flopped there, and when one swollen eye opened, the first thing I saw was her attempt at a smile, which looked completely misplaced on her torn face. Did I really look as bad as I felt, or worse?