The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children (21 page)

I backed away into the dark of the room, unable to move, unable to run. He had every right to be here, and I scurried into the corner like some creature of the night. Like a vampire afraid of the light. They walked in and he closed the door behind them like nothing had happened.

“Get out…,” I hissed. “GET OUT!”

Donna had her hands over her ears. She’d learned. Damn. Todd turned to leave like a cyborg, but Donna yelled, “Tell him to come back, Dan! Don’t push us away! He’s here to talk to you, all right? I know you didn’t push Hailie.”

“You don’t know that!” I screamed.

“There’s only one of two scenarios: either you pushed her or she fell herself. The guess is mine, and I know you didn’t touch her.”

I inhaled through my nose and then nodded. “Fine… Come back, Todd.” He veered around like a doll wound on a key just as he was about to exit, completely perturbed but aware of what I’d done.  

“Good,” she said and slowly lowered her hands. “Now I’m gonna stand outside the room and you guys can talk. Just…don’t say anything you’ll regret later, Dan.” She looked between me and Todd and left the room.

Todd clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Man, it’s cold in here. Like a freezer, dude. You trying to freeze your ass off or what?”

He turned the light on and I flinched, backed up to my bed. He didn’t smile, but his face was patient, calm.

Don’t come any closer. Stay back. I swear, Todd, you have no idea what I…

Yet all that came out were tears.

“Hey, man,” he said, empathetic, “I’m sorry about what happened. I know you didn’t do it, okay? You’d never hurt Hailie.”

I shook my head, sniveling and jerking like some pathetic animal.

“Come on, dude, she’ll be fine. She’s alive, right? Just some broken bones. Maybe a concussion. But the nurses said she’ll recover, four weeks tops.”

I rubbed my hand over my mouth and continued to shake my head. I wanted to pound my fist into the wall, but I couldn’t scare Todd. He deserved the truth. “Y-You don’t know what I did. Sh…She was pregnant. She was pregnant with your kid!”

Todd looked pale, if possible. He held up his hands slowly, completely numb. “Say what, now? First of all…there is no universe in which that could have happened. Second…she told you she was pregnant?”

My eyes shook. “You and her… She told me you hooked up the night we split…”

Todd shook his head as if to wake up from a dream. “Woa, man, you know I wouldn’t do that to a brother. Come on, now. Yeah, we
slept
in the same room and she was hysterical the next morning. She kept saying we did stuff that I know we didn’t do cuz I wasn’t nearly as high as she was. I mean, she was really upset so she really went at it, if you know what I mean. But…no, man. We didn’t do nothin’ like that.” 

That still didn’t answer the question of whether Hailie had been pregnant or not. Yet the thought that the baby hadn’t been my best friend’s lightened my heart by a small increment. Too small to count.

My insides contorted and I had to sit down. Todd came up to me and sat on the bed across from me, his bed.

“Listen, dude, I should have talked to you about it. I shouldn’t have been scared. Donna…she’s one brave chick, I’ll tell you. She told me to come talk to you, that there was nothing to be scared of. I felt like a wuss. I’d lived with you all this time and this girl’s only known you for a few weeks, yet she trusts you more than I do. I’m sorry. I suck pretty hard, huh?”

I shook my head, still overwhelmed.

A light knock came at the door again. “Mind if I come in now?”

I looked to Todd and he smiled. “Go ahead.”

Donna walked in, biting her lip, and quietly closed the door behind her. It was still the middle of the night, after all.

“Hey,” she said with a meek smile.

Todd looked between us as she approached and cleared his throat. “Well, uh…I guess I should take off…”

“Actually, I was wondering if you might want to move back in,” I said, my eyes cast away. Did I even deserve to ask that? But I just couldn’t picture being alone right now. Whether I deserved it or not.

He grinned. “Yeah, I was just gonna go get my stuff. I’ll be back. If that’s cool, of course. I wouldn’t want to walk in on any action—”

“There’s no action!” Donna and I both snapped simultaneously and the three of us laughed. It was the first time that night the rock over my chest had nudged a little.

“Right, then,” said Todd. He turned around and pointed at us. “Don’t get too cozy!”

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN—All Part of the Plan

“H
ow much of that did you hear?” I asked Donna, who took Todd’s place on his bed.

“The doors are thick. I left the room for a reason, Dan. Not to eavesdrop.”

Tension left my shoulders at least. My face remained clouded. What if I wanted her to hear? What if I wanted her to know the awful things I’d done? Even worse, what if I wanted her to stand by my side regardless?

I got up and turned away, towards the window, no longer able to sit still. I paced until I felt her hands on my back and I instinctively jerked away.

“Dan, you’re not a bad person. Think about it. Anyone else with an ability like yours would have abused it. But you didn’t. You’ve held back your entire life.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! You don’t know
me
!” The rage in me had broken through the iron cage. I didn’t want to round on her, but there was no one else in the room. I couldn’t keep it inside any longer. Tears of fury seeped through my eyes.

She held up the same hands that had tried to pacify me in defense. Her face looked so innocent, yet so strong. How could she stay strong when she had lost everything? Her family, her friend. And now she’d lose me too. “Okay, fine. I don’t know you. But…I care what happens to you. And I’m not going to leave you alone.”

“Why?” I croaked.

“Because that’s justice! And…you’re the only friend I have left. So you can rely on me.”

In that instant, I had an insatiable urge to kiss her. I kept it to myself. A murderer had no right to feel that way about anybody.

“Uh…Dan?” Todd opened the door and peeked his head through. “We got a problem.”

My eyes snapped to Donna. “Hide!” I whispered. She nodded immediately and shot to the bathroom.

When I heard the door close, I nodded to Todd and he exposed the scene. The student court council was gathered in front of my door, their faces flat.

“Daniel Tyrell,” one of the guys said, “you have been accused of an attempted murder of your ex-girlfriend, Hailie Flex. You will report for trial tomorrow morning at 10 am. Do you choose to plead now or wait until the trial?”

“Wait, what?” said Todd. “I wasn’t told of any of this!”

“Not all the judges have to be informed, Parks,” said one of the girls.

He scoffed. “Clearly!” His gaze moved to me cautiously as I stood there clenching my fist. Todd gave me a warning look with his eyes.
Don’t say it.

I finally released a sigh and shook my head. “I choose to plead at the trial.”

“Very well. You will have that chance. See you in the morning, Parks. Tyrell.” The group walked away. Some cast repulsed glances in my direction. I knew it. Most of them believed I had been the one to hurt Hailie. Why wouldn’t they? It was the truth.

Todd closed the door and Donna walked out of the bathroom. But, for some reason, she actually smiled.

“This is perfect!” she beamed and brought her hands together, scheme-like.

I furrowed my brow and Todd said, “Um…which part? The part where the whole institute thinks Dan’s a killer or the part where he might die?”

She shook her head. “No one’s gonna die. Listen, I can’t tell you anything in these walls. It’s too dangerous. Who knows who’s listening in? But I do want you to know this: I’ve got a plan. And you can bet it’s going to work.”

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT—Awake

“G
et up… Hey, get up, man. Come on,” Todd’s voice came in a distance. I groaned. My head felt like it had been split with an axe. The glow of the digital clock on the bed stand swam in my vision. Six in the morning… Hell no.

I shrugged him off and slapped a pillow on my head.

“Urgh, gimme a break. Listen, man, Hailie’s awake!”

I shot out of bed at his muffled voice, and now everything rang. Hailie…was conscious?

“Donna’s waiting outside, she’s the one who came to tell me,” said Todd. I couldn’t understand what was happening or why, but I dressed fast as I could and rushed out of the room.

Donna stood waiting in the hall, heavy circles under her eyes. Had she slept at all?

She gave me an assuring smile and the three of us rushed to the infirmary. I stopped short of breath just as I came through the door. One of the nurses who tended to Hailie in the far right looked up at us and frowned. She walked over and said, “Visiting hours are from nine to five—”

“There’s a trial today, and Hailie is a witness,” Donna suddenly shot out. Quick thinking. “Please. We have to talk to her. Todd Parks is a student court judge.”

The nurse’s mouth pressed into a thin line as she glanced at Todd, who said, “That’s right,” but she then consented and let us through.

I approached Hailie’s bed with caution, my chest constricted, with Todd and Donna some ways behind me. Hailie’s arms and legs were bandaged. It seemed she had broken more than a couple of bones. Even her head was wrapped.

“Dan…?” Her voice was hoarse, one eye open, kind of like mine had been after Von’s men pulverized me.

I laughed out of nerves and sniffed as I fell at her side on the floor and clasped her hand.

“God, Hailie, I’m so sorry! I’m so very sorry! Please forgive me. Forgive everything I said, I didn’t mean it! I swear I didn’t…”

“Shhh,” she interrupted, and my teary eyes looked at her in surprise. She shook her head, though her neck was in a brace. “It was my fault. I…I wasn’t pregnant. I lied, Dan.”

A stone hit my stomach. On my right, Donna nodded slightly for Hailie to keep going. Todd looked stricken.

“I got so jealous…when I saw you with Donna. I couldn’t understand. Why…you pushed me away. Why her…and not me.”

My mouth turned dry. No…

“And I just…I really loved you, you know. I just wanted to be with you. And I wanted to under…to understand
why
. B…But you wouldn’t tell me. And so I…I faked the whole thing. I actually believed Todd and I had been together that night. I guess I wanted to, because I wanted to hurt you. He kept denying it, and eventually my head cleared, yet I kept up the charade. None of it was true…none of it…”

Tears spilled from her eyes and I swallowed thickly. “Oh, Hailie…I…”

I didn’t even know what to say. That I was sorry? I couldn’t take back what I’d done. Whether Hailie was pregnant or not didn’t matter. What I’d done I did while I
thought
she was pregnant. That said enough. Neither could I say I still cared about her. I always would, but I didn’t want her to think we were still together. I didn’t know what we were, but I had pushed her that far back for a reason. I couldn’t hurt her again.

Hailie’s eyes closed as the last of her tears wet her face. “Hailie?” I squeezed her hand a bit. She didn’t respond. I got to my feet. “Hailie?” I said louder this time.

The nurse came up and pushed me out of the way. “Now what have you done?” She clicked her tongue after feeling for her pulse. She turned to us and shooed us away with her hands. “Get out, all of you. Go on!”

“No, please, can’t we stay with her? Maybe she’ll wake up again,” I pleaded. “I can’t just leave her like this. Please. I beg you!”

I must have sounded pathetic, because the nurse’s stern gaze softened.

“Let him stay,” a voice came from the entrance of the infirmary. I turned and my eyes widened. Lenora stood there with a hand on her hip. Donna and Todd gaped at her in surprise too as she walked into the room. “Daniel and she were in a relationship, after all. Isn’t that right?” She spoke the words softly yet with a hint of venom in them. Her eyes bore into mine, almost patronizing. She wanted me to suffer, as she had.

I looked from her to the nurse. “Yes, that’s correct.”

The nurse sighed. “Fine. You can stay. The rest of you, please leave.”

“They can stay as well,” Lenora added with mischief. I stared at her in peculiarity as she left the room. I didn’t like the feeling of it. She must know we’re up to something. Was she…helping us, or hindering us?

“Will she be okay?” Todd asked the nurse when Lenora had gone.

“Yes, she’ll be perfectly fine so long as you keep quiet and sit still. No talking!”

I sat to look down at Hailie, a slight smile on her lips, now at peace. That must have gnawed at her. She probably thought she even deserved what happened to her. Poor girl.

We sat there for hours, waiting and hoping Hailie would wake again. Just to know she was all right. Todd fell back asleep in his chair, and Donna nodded off a few times. Only I kept awake. There’s a reason they say “only the innocent sleep.” Donna finally stretched and rubbed her eyes.

“I think I’m gonna go get some breakfast for us all. I’m starved, aren’t you?” I said nothing. Todd agreed with a yawn.

“I’ll come with,” he said. “You gonna be all right here, man?” He clapped a hand on my shoulder and I nodded without looking up at him. I must have looked like a hunched-over statue. He exchanged a glance with Donna and they left.

I sat alone with Hailie for some time until they came back. I soaked in her every feature, and reminded myself that every wound of hers had been my fault. It was nine in the morning now. How could three hours fly by that fast? Just an hour before the trial, and the insects began to gnaw at my gut…

Todd and Donna came back within half an hour and we ate as quietly as we could. I didn’t even notice that I bit into a breakfast burrito. Just food. It was the most silent breakfast I’d ever had. No, not quite true. I could recall a few, where my father had been in the picture… But that was a long time ago. I shivered a bit as I remembered reading about his death. A surge of conflicting emotions had rushed through me, kind of like now. I was happy and disappointed at the same time. Not even sure if that’s possible. Yet that’s how I felt now, about Hailie and me.