Resistance (The Institute Series Book 2) (4 page)

“I’ll see what I can do when I get back,” Paxton says. “But he’s the one who chose to leave his position to stay there. He knew there was a chance Chad could’ve died trying to escape. He’s probably dealt with it by now.”

It’s surreal how casual Paxton is about death. Like it’s just an everyday fact of life. I get a sudden pain in the pit of my stomach and I begin to get nervous about what I’m getting myself into; myself and Shilah. This is the world he’s taking us to – where death is nothing but an occupational hazard.

“I can tell you for a fact that he hasn’t got over it,” Shilah says.

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“He blames himself for Chad’s death. I’ve been visiting him, like you asked me to.”

The car goes silent again. I feel for Tate. He thinks Chad’s been dead for months. I know what that’s like, I thought my mother was dead for eight years.

I turn to Chad but he’s staring out the window, refusing to look at me. He’s angry, I can sense it. Is he angry because he knows Tate is suffering and it’s his fault?

“Do you think they’ll tell everyone that Shilah, Drew and I are dead, too?” I ask Paxton.

“I’d say so. I don’t know how they’re going to handle the three of you disappearing. Maybe they’ll tell everyone you and Drew have run off together as an act of love, not insurgency.” I try not to vomit in my mouth. “Maybe they’ll tell them you all died on assignment, like Chad. I really don’t know. If it was just one of you, they could tell everyone you were killed in action. Two of you is suspicious, but three? It’s going to be hard to cover this one up.”

“Then send me back,” Drew says.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Paxton replies. “We can’t trust
you
– Mr. Brookfield’s lackey – to not tell him everything you know.”

“That’s funny coming from you. Up until an hour ago, I would’ve said
you
were Brookfield’s lackey, not me. So you’re just going to hold me hostage for the rest of my life?”

“Well that’s no different than what you’ve done to every person you arrested while working for the Institute,” I retort. “Although it is a little different, because I can guarantee that they won’t torture you where we’re taking you.”

I can’t actually guarantee that, after all, I’ve never been there before. But I can assume that a group of people wanting better things for us would not be interested in harming other Defectives.

“She has a point there,” Paxton says. “I think you should be thanking us, not looking at us like we are doing wrong by you.”

Drew has nothing to say to that.

By the time Paxton says “We’re here”, my eyes feel heavy, my butt is numb from sitting, and I’m so ready for bed.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Drew complains as we all file out of the car.

I take the opportunity to stretch and try and wake up.

“This is half way. Cyrus should be here any minute to take you farther,” Paxton says.

“Who’s Cyrus?” I ask.

“He’s on the council,” Chad says.

“He’s very dedicated to the cause,” Paxton adds. “I would be too if I had his abilities.”

I almost choke, my mouth suddenly dry. “Abilities?” I cough. “Plural?”

Paxton gives me a look, one I am unable to read. “He’s the only one I’ve ever known to have a double ability. Apparently there have been a couple at the Institute, but they didn’t last long. I’ve never met one in my time there.” He finally breaks his gaze with me. “Cyrus is a little weird around the edges, but you get used to him.”

Another double ability, just like mine? Chad never told me there was someone else like me at the Resistance. When I look at him, he shakes his head slightly, and I can sense he’s nervous. Tate has been adamant from the moment we found out about me that no one should ever know I have a double ability. He told me if the Institute were to find out, I would spend the rest of my life being experimented on. They would then kill me when they got all they needed from me. I feel myself start to panic a bit before I force myself to squash it down so Drew can’t sense it.

But they don’t seem to be like that at the Resistance, after all, this Cyrus guy is a council member. They have promoted him to a leader, I assume
because
of his double ability, not in spite of it. They have embraced it. Then why has Chad become so uptight since Cyrus was mentioned?

“I thought double abilities were a myth?” Drew asks.

“No, not a myth. Just rare,” Chad says, kicking the dirt and avoiding eye contact with me.

Headlights appear on the road, lighting up our surroundings. Thick forested hills surround us and I realise where we are. We’re at the base of the mountain range Chad told me about. The compound is on the other side of it. It was hard to see in the dark but we’ve driven through the outer city suburbs, the sub rural areas, and the deserted farmlands that stand between where we are now and the city.

“Should we hide?” I say regarding the car that is about to pass us.

“No need. This will be Cyrus now,” Paxton says. “We’re the only ones who use this road. The radiation barrier fence is just up ahead, so generally no one ventures past it. Well, except us.”

“Radiation barrier? You expect us to live in there?” Drew asks, worried.

“We have the necessary safety precautions in place, don’t you worry about that. Radiation gauges, escape routes, we have all of it, and since my time with the Resistance, we’ve never come close to needing to evacuate. We think the government just wanted to close off this part of the country-side so they didn’t have to man it.”

The car, a giant four-wheel drive, pulls up across the road. Cyrus gets out of the car and starts walking over to us. Actually, it’s more like swaggering. He looks around Paxton’s age. I’d say he’s around thirty, maybe thirty-five. He’s wearing a brimmed hat, even though it’s night time. His black jeans are tighter than any pair I’ve ever worn, and his white collared shirt is unbuttoned down to his chest, revealing a hint of dark chest hair. He has topped off his look with a thin scarf that’s clearly there for decoration and not warmth. I think Paxton may have underestimated the weird factor.

“Ah, Paxton,” Cyrus says, reaching a hand out for Paxton to shake. “Good to see you, brother.”

Brother?

“He’s your brother?” Drew asks.

“Everyone is my brother,” Cyrus responds. “Sorry I’m a bit late, one of the kids was refusing their bed time,” he says, rolling his eyes.

“Which one?” Chad laughs as he steps forward to also shake Cyrus’s hand.

“I dunno. The young one,” Cyrus laughs back. Hmm, it must be an inside joke I guess. “So unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, there are more than expected? I was told there would only be three.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit of a story. I’ll let Chad fill the council in on that one. I have to get back. Good luck and I’ll see you all soon,” Paxton says, swiftly getting back into his car and driving off. We all stand there, watching him leave.

Cyrus looks at us when Paxton’s car is no longer in view. “So, who do we have here?” he asks, walking over to Drew.

“That’s Drew,” Chad responds. “He’s no one.”

“Nice,” Drew says sarcastically.

Cyrus doesn’t even question it and moves on to Shilah, “So you must be Shilah,” he says, shaking Shilah’s hand. “It’s good to meet you. Your mum and I are great friends. I bet you’re excited to see her!” He walks over to me before Shilah has a chance to answer him or greet him properly. “So that means you are Allira,” he says, taking my hand in his. “Whoa. I was not expecting that,” he says, gripping my hand tighter.

“Expecting what?” I ask.

“Oh, sorry. You just … you look so much like your mother,” he replies. “Okay, let’s go.” Cyrus walks across the street and back over to the car.

The four of us start heading to the car when Drew comes beside me. “Your mother’s alive?” he asks.

“Yeah. I was surprised too.”

“You want to ride upfront?” Cyrus asks me.

“I guess so,” I say, even though I’d really love to sit with Shilah in the back. I climb into the front seat, and it really is a climb, this vehicle is huge.

Cyrus starts the car, does a U-turn, and we’re on our way. I get an all-round sense of awkwardness flowing in from the back. Shilah was at least smart enough to sit on the passenger side, but that also means that Chad and Drew are sitting next to each other.

I also get a sense of … what is it? I can’t pinpoint the emotion one hundred percent. Intrigue? Suspicion? All I know is it’s coming from Cyrus.

“So, Allira,” he says. “You’re able to borrow abilities?”

My face goes dead straight. I tell myself not to turn to Chad, not to freak out. My heart starts trying to thump its way out of my chest.

“Actually, I can amplify others abilities,” I respond as calmly as possible, but I just know it has come out shaky.

“Oh, sorry. I just assumed you …” he takes his eyes off the road and studies my face. “Sorry, my mistake,” he says, returning his gaze to the windy, climbing path we’re following. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I turn as casually as I can and look at Chad. He again shakes his head ever so slightly, just like he did earlier when the whole double ability thing came up with Paxton. It’s taking all of my strength not to yell at him. I don’t have Tate here, I have no idea what he’s trying to tell me. I just look back to the front of the car and remain silent.

The road over the mountain seems to go on forever. We start climbing the hill, only to start going back down, then back up again. Who designed these roads? Granted, they’ve been neglected and abandoned for years – evidence by lack of upkeep – but it’s still the same road that was used by many, a long time ago.

“So Chad,” Cyrus looks in his rear view mirror, “You’re back to stay this time? Where have you been holding up lately, still in Brendale?”

“Yeah, we were there for a few months while I’ve been going back and forth. Most nights I just crashed in one of the abandoned apartment blocks.”

“So squatting is still happening out there? I bet you’re happy to be going home then. Brendale isn’t the safest of neighbourhood’s is it?”

“It’s not so bad,” Chad replies. “It was quite handy though – that area is perfect for squatting.”

Squatting – while completely unnecessary due to the low population and plentiful accommodation – is still common with those who don’t want the government to keep track of their whereabouts. If you don’t have the money to buy or rent your own place, the government lease available housing to you for little money. But there are still some out there who can’t afford it or don’t want to be tied down to one place. Not to mention the government housing isn’t in the most desirable neighbourhoods anyway. So they squat. From what I have been told, the rules of squatting are simple: If it’s vacant and completely empty, it’s available. Any form of furniture or permanent fixture means it’s occupied.

The car fills with silence again and the air feels stale and tense.

“So what’s your deal, Drew?” Cyrus asks.

“I don’t have a deal,” Drew responds.

“Right. Okay.” Cyrus replies, confused.

“He is … a hiccup,” I explain. “He caught us trying to make a break for it.”

“Ah. So he’s an Institute man,” Cyrus says. Drew doesn’t respond. “We can fix that.”

Fix? I think Cyrus should just try and give up on the whole small talk thing. There are clearly more issues in this car than in a melodrama.

“Well we’ll be there soon. I bet you two are anxious to get to your mother,” Cyrus says to Shilah and me. I guess he’s not picking up on the fact that none of us really want to chat right now.

“I guess,” Shilah replies.

I just nod my head and try to smile politely. The truth is I
am
anxious about seeing my mother. So anxious I feel sick to my stomach. I don’t know what to say to her. Scenarios run through my head on how tonight will go as I stare out my window. Will she greet us warmly? Will she still be mad at me for choosing to stay with the Institute for the last three months?

“Would you like a peppermint?” Cyrus asks. As I turn my head to look at him, I’m faced with a floating packet of breath mints.

I’m taken aback. This is not exactly something you see every day.

“Uh, no thanks,” I respond. I actually wouldn’t mind one but I feel weird taking it from something that’s hovering mid-air.

“Okay,” Cyrus shrugs and the peppermints float their way back to the centre console.

“Telekinesis,” Chad says from the back seat. “One of Cryus’s abilities.”

I nod, wondering what his other ability is.

It’s about another twenty minutes of awkward silence and small talk after we reach the other side of the mountain.

But everyone goes silent when we pull into a gravel driveway in between two fields of long grass. We keep going until there’s nothing but trees in front of us. For a moment, I think we’re going to drive straight through them, but Cyrus turns at the last minute and starts heading left, following the tree line to the end and then around the group of trees. A large, elevated double story farm house appears as we get around the back. The porch light is on but I can’t see anybody. The dashboard clock says it’s 2:31am. No wonder no one is out here.