The Forbidden Trilogy (83 page)

She smiled and leaned against him, then sat up straight as
she prepared to tell him one more thing. "Luke, there's something else you
should know."

He listened as she explained how she found the sphere and
what she'd used it for. "I don't know why I never told you. It wasn't
deliberate—at least, I don't think it was—but it kind of grew and grew, and
then I was scared you would want me to get rid of it. But—" She held up
her hand before he could speak. "I already did. It's gone. I told Hunter
too. I'm done with it."

"Thanks for telling me. I won't chew you out since it
seems like you've had enough of that today."

She laughed. "Thanks."

They threw rocks at the pond and watched them skip away.

"Luke, there's one more thing I need to tell you. We
need to leave the valley, and I think I know how we can do it."

They called it a room, but Serena had seen movies and knew
this was where they sent bad people. A room would have a pretty bed with a
window and curtains and a dresser with clean-smelling clothes. Instead, she had
a stinky, lumpy cot with a scratchy brown blanket that she hated. She didn't
get a window, let alone curtains, and they made her go potty in an ugly pit in
the corner. It smelled so bad she almost threw up a few times, but tried very
hard not to, because then her mouth would taste like vomit... and they wouldn't
let her have water.

The pressure in her belly increased and she knew she
couldn't hold it any longer, so she crawled over to the pit to "do her
business," as they said on television. She couldn't even do it in private
since she didn't have any doors, just bars. Angel meowed and rubbed against her
when she was done, trying to comfort Serena, but she couldn't be comforted. Her
life had turned into the most horrible experience ever, and she couldn't
believe it was real.

A man in black came down the hall to let everyone out, so
they could spend time in the common room or play outside. The other kids walked
in a straight line but none of them spoke, because if they did, the guards
would hit them with sticks. One boy had a broken arm because he didn't stop
talking.

In the common room, a few kids gathered around to watch
television, but most of them sat at tables and waited for the list to be read.
The man with the beard came in at the same time every day, and called out the
kids who would be taken away. The D's always got called. They were so lucky;
they got to leave.

This time, a new man came to call out the names. He was the
biggest man Serena had ever seen, with one of those small beards that didn't
cover the whole face, and black tattoos all over him that looked like a tribal
one her daddy had. He'd said it represented the old ways, but she didn't know
what those ways were. Serena slunk back behind the other kids and held Angel
close to her. She wished the other man would come back.

He called out the names, but of course Serena didn't get
called. She was an A, and A's never got called. All of the kids had been put
into a group, designated A, B, C or D, but no one knew what the groups meant.
Serena wished she were in group D, since they got to leave more than anyone
else.

Unlike the other guard, who looked satisfied when he
finished calling the names, this man looked sad, like Mommy sometimes did when
she had grown-up stuff to worry about. Maybe he was sad the kids were getting
to leave.

Fifteen D's were lead away by the men in black. Finally the
second list was read. This list was never as long, only one to three kids,
depending on the day, and usually C's, though sometimes B's—almost never A's.

A boy next to her leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I
think they get a special vacation. It's like winning the lottery. They're so
lucky."

Serena looked at his shirt. He was an A, too. They were both
unlucky, it seemed. They never got picked for the vacations or to leave. This
time, seven names were called by the man with the tattoos and the funny beard,
more than ever before, but still Serena's name wasn't included.

Once the kids were escorted away, everyone else ran out to
the playground for their "Outdoor Activity." Serena sat on the
sidewalk, away from the other kids. She would have liked to play tether
ball—she'd been good at it at her old school—but the big kids took over the
courts and beat up anyone who tried to play.

One boy, a new kid, went to sit on the benches. Big mistake.
A few older kids pushed him to the ground and kicked him, then took his seat.
His knee started bleeding, and he seemed to be trying hard not to cry. He got
up and walked away.

Serena felt sorry for him and patted the sidewalk next to
her. "You can sit with me."

He hesitated as if scared she would bite, then sat down.

She couldn't say anything about her powers—that wasn't
allowed—but she put her hand on his knee and let a small spark travel through
her hand.

His eyes widened as the scrape disappeared and his knee
healed.

She put her finger to her mouth. "Shhh... don't
tell."

He nodded and smiled. "Thank you. What's your
name?"

"Serena. Yours?"

"Tommy. I just got here, but I don't like this place. I
miss my mom. She got hurt, and they took me away. I don't know what
happened."

His mom was probably dead, but Serena didn't want to say
that. "I'm sorry. They hurt my mom too. She's... well, I don't want to
talk about it. Nobody likes this place, but at least you're a D. Means you'll
get to leave, eventually. That's good." Angel walked up to them and
purred. "Hey, here's my cat, Angel. She likes you."

Tommy smiled and petted the white ball of fluff. Then his
face dropped into a frown. "I don't think D's get to leave, though. I
heard the man with the tattoos talking to another man. They said the kids they
took away would be sold as slaves."

Serena felt sick again. "Are you sure? Maybe you
misunderstood or something? It has to be a mistake."

Besides, Serena planned on leaving tomorrow, and she had a
plan of how to do it, though she didn't tell Tommy. He'd get to leave anyway,
but she'd been watching and she figured out the only A's that got to leave were
the ones who had gotten in trouble. First they were sent to their cells, then a
few days later, they would be called. Maybe they didn't want kids here who were
troublemakers and it was easier to let them go. Whatever the reason, Serena
could make trouble, and she would.

The perfect moment arrived when the tattooed man called them
back in. She ran out of line and kicked him as hard as she could. Well, she
tried to kick him, but he twisted so fast and pulled her behind a corner where
no one could see them. She wanted to scream for help, but who would help her?

He stared at her with his dark, horrible eyes. "What
are you doing?"

"Let me go!" She kicked and punched her small
fists. "I'm not afraid of you." She opened her mouth to scream, not
caring who heard, and he put a large hand over her face to quiet her.

His grip tightened. "Listen carefully, girl. You do now
wish the others to see you behaving like this. Understand?"

She didn't respond.

"Understand?" he asked again, with more of a growl
behind his voice, like a wild animal about to be let out of a cage for a hunt.

She'd seen that on television too. She nodded.

The moment he let go of her, she bit into his hand so hard
it hurt her jaw. He pulled her away from him and she kicked at his legs.
"I
do
want them to see me, so they'll let me leave. I'm not afraid
of you. I hate you!"

That last part she added because she'd heard other kids say
it. She'd heard worse things too, but her mom would have been upset if she'd
said more than that. Even saying "I hate you" was probably not okay,
but she thought her mom would understand, under the circumstances.

The man grabbed her so fast she didn't see him move, covered
her mouth again, and pulled her down the hall. "You're going in a
cell."

Yes!
Her plan had worked. Soon they'd let her go.

The other guards followed the tattooed man as he threw her
back into her stinky cell. When the guards left, the tattooed man leaned in and
frowned, not in a mad way, but in a sad way, like before. "I'm sorry for
all that has happened. I shall order the guards to forget this matter. Do not
act out again! I might not be there to save you next time."

He left and Serena slammed her small hands against the bars
and cried. She wanted them to remember so they would release her. Now it would
never work.

Angel snuck into her cell through the bars and cuddled up
with Serena that night, as she tossed and turned and tried to sleep.

The next day, Serena couldn't hide her sadness when they let
her out to hear the next set of names called. First the D's were called by a
different man in black—lots of names, but not Tommy, so he had to stay too. A
new guy, a scientist in a white coat, called out the second set of names—eleven
names, more than ever before. Something had changed, and it scared Serena.

She looked around at how few of them were left: mostly A's.

The man spoke. "Tomorrow, no names will be called. We
have what we need."

Serena dropped her head, knowing she'd never get out now.

He adjusted his glasses and looked back down at his list.
"Oh, we have one more name. Serena Stevens."

Lucy stood before the giant beetle, careful to stay calm.
Sunlight flickered off its jewel-toned shell and made it look like a beetle
pendant made of emeralds and sapphires. A really huge pendant. For a giant.

Stay focused
, she admonished herself.

This idea had come to her during one of her meditations with
Mr. K, when she'd been able to connect to other living things in the jungle.
She now silenced her mind to the clatter that usually consumed her, and focused
inward first, allowing the calm to flow through her, and ultimately out of her
and into the world around her. The energy of the beetle buzzed in her mind like
another presence, non-threatening and at one in its world.

A gentle breeze lifted a strand of hair off of her sweaty
neck. She took a step toward the beetle, and then another. It looked at her and
shifted its great body slightly, to back away a fraction. She didn't pause, but
didn't speed up either, keeping her concentration calm and focused. She lifted
her arm.

And the beetle kicked its legs.

Lucy backed off and stilled herself, letting her breath slow
down her body.
I won't hurt you.
The beetle responded, planting its legs
and lowering its head. Lucy pressed forward, smiling. When she reached arm's
length, the beetle clanked its jaws and reared.

"No, it's okay." She met the beetle's eyes.

Fear resided in them, but it seemed to melt away. The beetle
stepped forward.

She reached a hand up and laid it on the creature's back.
Its hard shell felt smooth and almost metallic, warmed by the sun. With that
touch, their energies blended and Lucy could feel the emotions of the beetle—fear
and curiosity, then after several long moments of sharing that intimate space
of connection, trust.

Now came the tricky part. She reached for a crevice in its
shell to grab onto, and swung her leg over its body and around its head, until
she straddled its neck. It fidgeted, but a soothing breath of calm from Lucy
settled it. The horns made excellent handles and felt sturdy enough.

She could tell from their connection that she wasn't hurting
him, and that it too had tapped into her emotions. The beetle had a similar
energy to Mr. K and the other beings in this magical place that were not
natural. She theorized that Mr. K had fed the earth and water with his roots,
and animals ate from his tree, so whatever genetic alterations he'd endured had
affected this whole area. More proof that we really were all connected, and
that you couldn't mess with one thing without altering so much more.

Using images and emotions, Lucy projected to the beetle
where she wanted to go. At first, nothing happened, but then it started to move
forward, first slowly, then a bit faster. She imagined stopping, and the beetle
stopped. Next she projected an image of them moving backward, but the beetle
sounded its horn and refused to budge.

Okay, it doesn't like going backwards.

When she felt sure she understood what to do, she urged it
forward, moving faster until she could barely hang on. Adrenaline rushed
through her as she realized that this might not have been the best idea. What
if it didn't stop? What if it dropped her on her ass? Still, the rush of the
wind and the speed and excitement pushed aside any doubt, and she smiled and
hung on for the ride of her life.

She pictured it flying, and they left the ground. The wings
extended, humming in the wind, sun glistening off its back as they pushed their
way through the sky with more grace than Lucy would have thought possible for a
beetle.

When they turned into the grove where Lucy and the boys
camped, she exhaled a sigh of relief. The beetle slowed to a stop in front of a
gaping Luke and Hunter.

Lucy laughed. "You guys look like guppy fish trying to
catch dinner.

Once Luke got past the shock, Lucy could tell he was torn
between Christmas morning bug boy excitement and concern for his twin who sat
atop a giant beetle. "Lucy, what...?"

Hunter had no hesitation. He was 100% worried. "What
the hell are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?"

She slid off and mentally thanked the beetle and asked him
to stay. She felt its tension and nerves, being so close to the guys, so she
showed it her plan and led it to a pile of rotten fruit she'd hidden away. It
ate lunch while she went to explain the plan.