Seclusion (26 page)

I fell asleep so quickly
and found myself on our beach, as I thought of it. I was sitting there on the
sand, waiting and watching the waves brush the sand back and forth. Tears began
flooding my eyes. He wasn’t coming. I could feel him, but I couldn’t find him.

“DAMEN!” I screamed. I
started running down the beach searching for him. “DAMEN!”
Where is he
?
I thought. I woke up in a sweat, bawling. Every night it was the same dream.

Elsie opened my bedroom
door. “I heard you scream, friend!”

“Oh, sorry,” I said,
grabbing a tissue from the nightstand.

E. grabbed my hand and
yanked me through the front room. “Why don’t you sleep with me tonight?”

I just nodded, wiping the
tears from my eyes. Elsie gave me a soothing hug, and I could feel her power
washing over me in waves of peace and hope.

*
* *

DAMEN

I pushed the doors to my
master bedroom open. It was 10:00 p.m., and I had been debating whether I
should call the flirty bartender or not. I just couldn’t do it though. I kept
seeing Raegan’s sweet eyes. They haunted everything I did while awake or
asleep, if I was even able to sleep. I would have given anything to know how
she was doing, but I didn’t want to give her hope, and I knew Jay would call
sooner or later.

I fell back onto the bed
and focused on the candle on my nightstand. I focused on pulling oxygen and
exciting the molecules until a spark exploded and fire shot up from the wick.
Not
bad
, I thought. I focused a little harder, and all the candles around my
room erupted into flames. I lay there in bed contemplating whether sleep was
worth another nightmare. The island that used to be a resting space had turned
to despair and loneliness. I’d found what I needed, and I was prepared to make
the final arrangements before I could leave.

It was nice to be home, but
it reminded me of my grandfather’s final days. The first time I had killed
someone. I could picture it like it was yesterday. I was only twelve when he
got sick.

“Son…”

“Grandpa?”

“I need to speak with you.
I’m sick, and we must start preparing you to be on your own. Soon the day will
come that I will no longer be here. You must take over the corporation and
promise me you will never stop searching for your parents!”

“Grandpa, just because
you’re sick doesn’t mean you’re going to die now.”

“I have Alzheimer’s. I had
to watch my father suffer through it, and I’m sorry that you, too, will go
through this. We must begin your emancipation so that when I’m gone, you can
take over. Everything will be yours. But you must promise me one thing. When
the time comes that I am stuck in bed or hooked up to some machine, you must
use your ability and put me out of my misery. Send me to heaven, son. I won’t
remember you or anyone else, and that will be a true hell.”

I remember I pleaded with
him several times to change his mind, but he made me promise. He had been my
only parent for six years. I would have done anything for him.

I was sitting up in my bed,
gazing at the flickering candles in my room and remembering the past. I hated
that my grandfather had made me promise to do it. No one should have to kill
their parent. Remembering the sorrow of that day consumed me, and anger fueled
inside of me until fire erupted from my hands.
What the hell?
I used my
power to open the sliding door and ran to the pool to douse my hands. I pulled
them back out, and I was fine – no sign of burns. I concentrated on my hand
again, and flames erupted like I was a Mario Brother. I used my powers and shot
the flames out across the pool, and then down into the water.
Well, that
might come in handy
, I thought.

I finally lay down to
attempt to sleep, but my phone started vibrating. Jay always had horrible
timing.

“Sanelle?”

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“You first. How’s Raegan?”

“Well, for someone who
doesn’t care, you get straight to the point. She’s fine. She actually seems
happy, for the most part.”

“She does?” The hole in my
heart throbbed. Was that possible?

“Well, she was out and
about early this morning and we went running. Then we did lunch at the Palace
and did some dancing…”

“You took her dancing?”

“Oh, did I say that? I mean
I
danced. Then we went ice blocking. Check your email, I sent you some
pics. Let me tell you, her powers are increasing! She turned water into ice and
then formed the ice into a sled. Then she sailed us over the pond on the sled!
It was pretty awesome!”

I’d never felt this kind of
jealousy before, not even with that kiss ass, Caleb.

“I don’t need all the
details of all the fun you guys are having. I only want to know if she’s safe
and if you guys have discovered anything else!”

“Connor found out that
Janell Miller was hired by the academy to teach a science class, but she never
showed up for the job.”

“How’d Raegan take that?”

“How do you think? She was
upset, and you weren’t there for her, but I was.”

“Good,” I said, although I
really just wanted to throttle him. He was the best guy I knew, so I should
have been happy they were getting along so well, but I wasn’t. It sparked
something inside me. I was determined to get back to Raegan after I ensured
that no one was after me and that she’d be safe with me.

“Oh, and Elsie is gonna
apply for a student assistant job for Dr. Z. Raegan volunteered first.”

“No, Raegan can’t!”

“Didn’t you hear me? Elsie
is applying. I suggested Raegan would not get hired with her powers.”

“Good. What’s Connor think
of that?”

“He mentioned being able to
view her through the campus video system. He can hook them up to his iPad or
smart phone. That guy’s abilities are crazy, too,” Jay said. “What about you?”
he asked.

“Once I started the search
on Dr. Drake, all sorts of things came up. There was a Dr. Drake that accepted
a research grant and rented out part of a marine park in British Columbia. It’s
the only lead to an island. After I finish up my research and get Janell’s
research, I’ll be heading to Jedediah Island. I’ll have to rent or buy a yacht.
I could use you there if you can pull yourself away from my ex-girlfriend.”

I heard Jay chuckle over
the phone.

“Sounds like a blast, man.
I wouldn’t miss it. I think Chase can handle Raegan for a few days. How did you
make it to your grandfather’s at six years old, rowing a boat to who knows
where?”

“I’m not really sure. My
grandfather said I called to him using my powers. I’ve never done that before
except with Raegan.”

“Damn, you’re scary. That’s
just bad azz!”

I laughed. “It would do you
well to remember that. Just wait till you see my new trick,” I said, flicking
sparks out of the tips of my fingers. “I’ll call you when I need you to head
out here. I’ll send the company jet.”

“Sounds good. I’ll just be
playing with my new best friend until then,” Jay said.

“Don’t push it, Sanelle,” I
said before hitting end.

I pulled out my iPad and
thumbed through my emails. I saw pictures of the whole group in our meadow,
laughing and bleeding.
Ha!
The girls wore jeans.
Apparently they have
brains
, I thought. Then I saw the last picture. My Raegan was between Jay’s
legs, sliding on a slab of ice down a huge hill, his arms wrapped around her
and their faces shining with pure laughter. I realized that if I ever made it
back there, I was gonna have to fight to earn her affection again. I slammed my
fist against the desk, and pain radiated up my fist. I headed toward my gym.
Sleep was not gonna come easy.

My alarm clock went off at 6:30. I was exhausted.
It’s Saturday
, I thought.
I should not be getting up,
especially after last night
. I was so sore and tired. I looked over at E.,
and she was still snoring. I used my power to switch my alarm off from Elsie’s
room, even though it was blaring in my bedroom.

I forced myself to get up,
threw on my running clothes, and packed a bag since I’d have to hurry to Taylor’s office after my run.

Jay was already warming up
when I reached the track.

“Good morning, sunshine!”

I just laughed at his
overly flirty tone. “How come you can flirt with me so easily and with Sara you
get all flustered?”

“Well, I’ve seen in all my
premonitions that we will be close, and I know you like me. Sara, she’s
different. I don’t get her, and I have never had a premonition with her. I
can’t even see her in my current future, even if she is in it. My powers just
don’t work with her, and it freaks me out.”

“Huh, well maybe tomorrow I
can figure something out,” I said.

The breeze across my face
felt so good as Jay and I pushed ourselves to our limits around the track. I
relished the feeling of freedom and almost felt happy.

“I appreciate your humor,
Jay. You make me feel better.”

“Thanks, sunshine… So
there’s something I have to talk to you about, but I hate to see the light in
your eyes fade.”

“What is it? D…Damen?”

“I called him last night,
after I got back. It looks like he’s found the island, and it does look like either
Dr. Z or his family might be involved with Damen’s past. And there are way too
many coincidences beginning to surface. They all lead to our powers, and maybe
this school. Anyway, Damen’s gonna be going to the island, and he wants me to
come.”

My heart plummeted. I’d
hoped he was going to say he needed me, but of course not.

“You’re gonna leave me,
too?”

I knew I sounded pathetic.
I hadn’t even realized how much Jay’s being here had helped me.

We stopped at a bench, and
Jay wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“I know you’ve been using
me as a crutch and connection to Damen. I don’t mind. It’s pretty much my fault
you’re in this situation to begin with. I promise I’m coming back, especially
if you work your magic on Sara,” he said with a wink.

I laughed. “Will you bring
Damen back, too?”

“I don’t know. I’ll try,
but I don’t know where all this will lead us. I promise you can call as often
as you want, daily in fact. It’ll drive Damen wild!”

“You are evil, and I love
it!” I said.

We both laughed. Jay pulled
me up off the bench and kissed my forehead as a brother would his sister. I
squeezed his hand back, wishing life could be simpler.

“So what are your plans
today?” he asked. “You and your friends have time to hang out again? Yesterday
was pretty wicked.”

“They are your friends,
too. You know that you’re a regular member in the club now.”

“Awesome! You think I can
fight Chase to be leader?”

“I think you could fight
him, but I’m pretty sure you’d lose. Elsie and I have a meeting after this with
Taylor. But I’ll call you later.”

“Sounds good,” Jay said.
“Later, sunny!”

*
* *

Elsie and I walked into Taylor’s office. Chase and Connor were already seated. “I guess we are going on another
mission,” Chase muttered under his breath.

I sighed. “Guess so.”

Taylor
walked in. She was dressed
immaculately. “Hi guys, great news! This new simulation is going to be fun!”

The four of us looked at
each other and smiled, hoping she was right.

“Dr. Z contracted with a
security agency, and you’ll be testing out their security protocols. You guys
are gonna be regular old bank robbers! But don’t worry, it will all be a
simulation, and all of the managers and security agents will be in on it. But
they’ll deny it if you speak of this to any of them, of course.”

Of course
, I thought.

“So the layout of the bank
is in these files. The school will provide your team with any necessities you
need to complete your task, but you must make a plan on your own. Your mission
is to retrieve a certain lockbox in the vault without being detected.”

“Wait, you want us to steal
a lockbox from the vault of a high-security bank? I don’t think we can do
that,” I said.

“Of course you can. You
have to.” We all stiffened at the sound of Taylor’s voice. “I mean, of course
you’ll want to do this. It will be extremely helpful for you guys. If you can’t
do it on your own, you can try to get Damen back to help.”

“That’s not gonna happen.
What about Jay Sanelle? His abilities could be very helpful with this,” I said.

“Very good. I’ll have another
envelope sent to him. I want you working on this for the rest of the day. I
expect you to be ready by Tuesday. That is when the bank will be ready for
you.”

*
* *

The four of us were sitting
around the coffee table in our quad, scarfing down pizza, when we heard a knock
at the door.

“Come in,” I yelled,
opening the door with my power. No one even noticed things happening on their
own around me anymore; it was so weird.

“Hey, so I’m doing a
mission with y’all.”

“Whoa, your Texan’s coming
out, Jay! Raegan suggested to Taylor we add you to the team,” Chase said.

“I read this thing over,
and I’m not so sure about this. We are going to have to do this super spy-like.
I mean, I think Dr. Z might be having us do this for real!” Jay said, grabbing
a slice of pizza and pushing me over to the center of the couch next to Chase
so he could squeeze in.

We all nodded in agreement.
It had been running through our minds the whole time.

“I suggest we do recon
first and decide what we are up against. Then we can split up the tasks
according to ability and make our plans,” Connor said quietly.

We all turned to stare at
him, open-mouthed, and then began laughing.

“What? You didn’t think I
could do anything except geek it up?” We laughed even harder. “I do watch movies,”
he said.

“Okay, so when we do recon,
what are we gonna be looking for?” I asked.

“Video cameras, shift
changes, alarms, and lockbox and withdrawal protocol,” Connor replied.

“Do we need to do that in
person? Or will your techy ability let us watch from here?” Elsie asked.

“I suggest that we get an
updated layout of the bank and do some drive-bys, but we can observe the inner
workings of the bank by Internet feed, assuming their videos are linked to a
computer that has access to the web,” Connor said.

“Babe, I’m so proud of you.
You’re a real super hero!” Elsie said in a pseudo-whisper.

“Too bad we are robbing a
bank,” Chase muttered.

“Okay, so Chase and Raegan,
why don’t you guys do some drive-bys, and Jay, can you handle getting a new
bank layout?”

“How do I accomplish that?”
Jay asked.

“Oh…go with them instead.
I’ll get it online,” Connor said.

A little while later, we
were sitting across the street from the bank in our car, eating junk food and
listening to music.

“So this is what a stakeout
is like. I guess the movies are right. Good call on the munchies, Jay,” Chase
said. Jay tapped his head and nodded.

All of a sudden there was a
knock at the driver’s side window, which was where I was sitting so that I
could have a clear view of the bank and alley.

“Oh, crap. You’re gonna
have to sweet talk him, Raegan!” Jay said as I rolled down the window.

“Oh, good evening, officer.
I didn’t realize we were doing anything wrong.”

“You’re parked in a twenty
minute parking zone, miss.”

“Oh, really?” I started
freaking out.
What am I supposed to say? We need to stay here because we are
doing a stakeout so we can rob that bank across the street tomorrow?
“We
aren’t hurting anything. We can stay here, right?” I said with as much force as
I had the guts for.

“You aren’t harming anyone.
You can stay here all night.”

I heard Chase and Jay
choking on their laughter.

“Thank you, officer. Have a
good night then,” I said, smiling as sweetly as possible.

“What the hell was that,
Raegan?” Jay asked as I rolled the window back up and turned around.

“I have no clue!” I said.

“I do… You used compulsion
on him,” Chase said.

“What? No way.”

“You did. I’ve seen Carson do it before.”

“Whoa!” Jay responded.

“Do you think I could do it
again?”

“Sure, but don’t try it on
me,” Jay said.

“Oh, you chicken!” Chase
smirked.

“Yella bellied, that’s me.”
Jay said.

“Go ahead, Raegan. I trust
you,” Chase said.

Jay had an evil look in his
eyes. “I’ll help you decide what to say!”

“No thanks.” I said. I
tried to focus on Chase and what I was going to ask him to do. “Chase, I want
you to show us an ability that you don’t know you possess.”

“NICE!” Jay said.

“I’ll show you an ability
that I don’t know I have,” Chase said.

There was silence in the
car, and a lighted donut sign on the street flickered. Jay and I were focused
on Chase; he looked like he was about to start convulsing.

“Jay…” I murmured.

Chase began flickering, and
then we couldn’t see him anymore.

“Holy crap! That is so damn
cool!” Jay yelled in excitement. “Oh my gosh! Where is he?”

All of a sudden we heard a
whop, and Jay’s head fell forward. Then we heard Chase’s laughter.

“What the hell, man!” Jay
said.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help
myself, Sa-melly,” Chase said, flickering back into sight.

“Wow, so you were invisible!”
I said.

“Yep, couldn’t even see
myself!” Chase said.

“My turn!” Jay yelled,
staring at me with enthusiasm.

“Kiss Chase,” I said.

“NO WAY!”

I started laughing. “Just
kidding! I didn’t force you!”

“So not cool, Raegan!”
Chase said.

“Okay, okay. Jay, show us
if you have an ability that you are unaware of.”

Again there was silence.
Then Jay looked at Chase. “Give me your wallet.”

“Oh, this is freaky,” Chase
said, handing over his wallet to a hypnotized Jay.

We saw Jay focus on the
wallet and then open it and look through it.

“What kind of power is
that?” Chase muttered.

“SHUSH!” I whispered. Then
Jay shook his head. “Are you back?” I asked.

“I am. What happened?”

Chase started laughing.
“Wow, Jay, you really have some special abilities.”

“Huh?” Jay responded,
looking down at the wallet.

“Did anything happen, Jay?”
I asked.

“I got some weird flashes
from this wallet. I saw Chase’s ex-girlfriend giving him the wallet for
Christmas. I saw him put this condom in his wallet. When he was fifteen, he
took it from the school nurse’s office. Still unused, so I’m guessing he’s a
virgin. You better get a new one. You know these expire, right?” Jay smiled.

“WTF, Sanelle!”

I began giggling. “Your
power is like mine, but with objects. That’s pretty awesome.”

“Really? ‘Cause I’d rather
be invisible,” Jay said.

“Pervs don’t get abilities
like invisibility, Sa-melly,” Chase said.

“Oh, like you haven’t
thought of all the things you can do now with that power!” Jay said. Chase just
winked.

After the stakeout, Connor
had us meet back in our apartment quad.

“Okay,” he said, “assuming
you guys didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, I’ll tell you the plan Elsie
and I worked out, and then we can discuss the details and switch anything up if
we need to.”

We all nodded in agreement.

“Well, it’s a fairly simple
plan, and it should work pretty easily thanks to Chase’s new ability. Okay,
step one. We get a van from school, and I bring the computer gear I need. We’ll
need to park across the street at the coffee house so I can get Wi-Fi. So we
get there at 7:00 when the bank opens. That’s when it has the fewest employees
and customers. For twenty minutes, I need to record what’s going on, and then
I’ll play a feedback loop and record it into the bank’s video system. At 7:20, Chase, invisibly, and with a backpack, and a rich-looking Raegan will enter the bank
and convince the manager to show her the lockboxes in the vault using her
compulsion. Once in the vault, you will need a password for the specific box.
I’ll give you a bug, and you’ll plant it onto the computer in the vault room.
After I hack it, you’ll use the manager’s key to get the box and put the
contents into Chase’s bag. Raegan will use compulsion again on the manager to
make him forget everything, and I’ll doctor the recordings. Then you all walk
out as normal as can be,” Connor said.