The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children (16 page)

The watches went dead. He wouldn’t say what the punishment would be. Yet I already knew. They’d be “expelled” from the school, while the rest of the students would be left to believe they had been murdered. But expelled where? Surely they wouldn’t be sent home. They’d talk. Unless they’d wipe their memories, and Lenora hadn’t said anything about brainwashing. Then again, there was a whole lot I didn’t know. Still, I had a feeling home was the last place they were headed. Why else set up this whole charade? No, something far more sinister lay behind all this. And I’d be too busy catering to them to find out what it is. But maybe…

I turned slightly to Donna, who was sheet white. The girl was naturally pale, yet it seemed like a ghost of her sat in her seat, even her lips turned blue.

I shook my head. Bad idea. If I got Donna involved in any way, she’d guess the truth faster than I could relay the details. I couldn’t risk it.

That night, I volunteered to patrol, as planned.

My nose twitched. I couldn’t understand how anyone could do this for a living. Ruin lives. Instill fear. No amount of money or prize was worth it. My reward was one and only. I would keep anyone else from having to do it in my stead.

My knock shook Lauraline’s door. Her white hair stunned me as usual when she opened, no matter how many times I’d seen it.

“Dan?” She leaned against the door, completely calm and slightly dazed.

“Don’t say anything.” I walked into the room and she backed away. The door closed behind me. I had to speak in monotone, commandeering, otherwise it wouldn’t work. Somehow, my ability relied on sound perception. That’s why it didn’t work on animals or people who didn’t speak English. No wonder they had me train in all those languages. Lot of good it did me. Then again, my incapacity to pick up language might one day do someone else far more good.

Fear flashed in her eyes, just like it had in Donna’s that day at the beach. I really hated this part. But at least it wouldn’t be as bad as last time. Nothing could be as bad as last time.

I scavenged the room with my eyes. “Tell me where Tasia is.”

“In the bathroom.”

My eyes shot in its direction and I could almost see her jump, her hand frozen on the door knob.

“Tasia, don’t come out until I say so.” I turned to Lauraline. “Go lie down.” I nodded to the bed and she moved without question and lay on her back, hands on her heart. I breathed out in exasperation as I pulled out the syringe Lenora had given me. “No, not like that. How you normally sleep.” She repositioned her arms on command to a more natural position, tossed on both sides of her. I walked over and sighed. Her eyes grew wide at the syringe filled with light jade liquid in my hand. Water shimmered in the corners of her eyes.

My eyes were cast down. She wasn’t my friend, but we had done a handful of events together. “God, I’m so sorry about this.” I sounded pathetic. What else was I? I had no way to fight back against something this monstrous, and had no choice but to take part in it. What kind of weak person did that? I knew I should retaliate. I just didn’t know how.

I swallowed. “Close your eyes.” Phlegm lined my throat. Oh, come on. Don’t tell me I was going to cry too. But the salt I drank down bore too much evidence. Her eyes closed and her heart rate grew loud enough for me to hear. I bit my lip strongly and plunged the needle into her arm. The syringe emptied. Her body stilled. And saltwater fell from my eyes. I wasn’t crying. I was just drying up on the inside, and the last of the liquid left in me had been wrung out.

I stashed the syringe, wiped the salinity from my eyes with a swipe of the wrist, and extracted the vial of blood. I unscrewed it and put the rim in contact with her forehead, flipped it over for a few seconds, and then filled the marked circle with a few drops of blood so it looked like a bullet wound. Some of it ran down her nose and cheek. Now that was a tear.

I waited for it to dry and then applied more so it made a nice, dark dry circle. Good thing this didn’t have to look real, just freak out a couple of already disturbed teens.

One down, two to go. This would be a long night.

“You can come out now,” I said. The bathroom door opened and Tasia walked out like a zombie. Tears streamed from her eyes.

I flinched, but my heart hardened a little. “Stop crying.” The flow of tears stopped, yet I didn’t feel any better. I breathed out and my features softened. “I won’t hurt you. I promise. This is just a…a set up. I have to do this. I don’t have a choice.”

She nodded silently and walked to the bed of her own free will. Maybe there was still a way for me to retain a shred of humanity in this. At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself while I repeated what I had done to Lauraline. When I was done, two shot corpses seemed to lie on the bed. And it felt like a part of my soul had been ripped out with each execution.

As I left Lauraline’s dorm, already on edge and with a face taut with salt, I nearly stumbled into Eva again.

“What are you doing here?” I said in a whisper. My throat felt like sandpaper. My teeth itched to bite off my tongue.

“I’m on the watch. I should ask you the same thing,” she said, though she didn’t sound as if she cared.

“Me too.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She walked past me. I paused for an instant before I held her back by the shoulder. The gears turned in my head and an epiphany struck me. Even if I controlled a student, unless I instructed them otherwise, they would still remember everything that happened. This was my chance to fight back. Although it could end in my death.   

“Hold on. I can use you. Follow me.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE—Letter

A
scream shook the entire Institute. Guess I should get used to that. Eva, who I told to discover the bodies of Lauraline and Tasia, ran to find Von, in the wake of which other students woke up and everyone now crowded in the hall outside their bedroom. In the mean time, I took care of Aaron. By morning, all three were considered dead.

There was just one kink in the plan, and it would work in my favor. Eva would remember what I told her, and she’d think I was the one who killed them. She’d spread the word, and ignite the entire school. I’d go on trial…and then I could testify to everything, reveal the truth to the entire school. But in my rush of guilt last night I completely forgot about the explosives. They could blow up the institute as soon as I opened my mouth.

Too late now. I cursed. I always thought things through. How could I have been so stupid?

I looked through the shrill crowd for any sign of Eva, but she wasn’t there. Neither was Donna.

Time to return to my dorm. The insanity would die down soon after Von took the bodies away. If only I knew where.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. Waiting. For what? Did I expect a knock any minute that would result in a call to trial? Or would the message just spread through our watches again like a virus?

A rattle came at the door and my eyes shot open. Guess I got my answer.

I opened the door with a ready scowl only to see Donna stand there, a piece of paper clutched in one hand, her body rigid and staring at the floor.

Her right hand ran up the side of her left arm. “I…I didn’t know who else to go to.”

I looked at her strangely. Something was wrong. She burst right into my room.

“Come right in,” I said with sarcasm. This had to be big if she was breaking the rules at a time like this. Would the Executioner take it this far? After all, Hailie had yet to get in trouble. But maybe that’s because I was the only one who knew she was in my dorm. Ah. Then Donna would be fine as well, even if she didn’t know it.

She paced the room, flustered. Finally, she stopped and said, “Eva’s gone.”

“What?” I stared at her in disbelief.

Donna shook her head fervently. “She left this note, but this…this isn’t her. I know she wouldn’t do this. No…I can feel it. She was forced to leave. I don’t know what’s going on but…everything is wrong. This place…is wrong…the Executioner…”

“Donna, stop.” I held her by the shoulder and she paused for breath. “What are you talking about?”

She shoved the note in my face. “This, Dan! Read this!”

My eyes skimmed over it and widened.
No…No, this couldn’t be… Eva wouldn’t have…

“She couldn’t have done this,” I said, my face red with rage.

“No duh, Brainiac, that’s what I just said.” Donna folded her hands together and bit down on them. “Someone set her up. She must have known something.”

The note fell from my hand. My fault. Eva was gone, and it was my fault.

Donna covered her face with her hand, trembling, trying to cage the tears. I could relate.

I don’t know if it was me trying to comfort her, or me needing someone’s comfort, but I wrapped her in my arms and held her against me like she was the only thing that could keep me standing. We fell against each other like two cards of a flimsy card house. I was all she had left, and I wouldn’t lose another friend. My hold on her tightened, because if I let go, there was no way to tell what I’d do to the ones responsible.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR—Waterfall

“L
isten,” I said by Donna’s ear, “keep your voice down. We need to talk somewhere, where there aren’t any cameras or bugs. Can you meet me by the waterfall? Just don’t call or text anyone. Don’t use your phone at all. Deal?”

Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me, but she said, “Okay. See you there. In how long?”

“Give me fifteen minutes. You go ahead.”

When Donna pulled away, she looked resigned at the tears that stained her cheeks, as if hating herself for them. She nodded and I inwardly formed a victory fist. Donna’s abilities might just be the ultimate weapon. I smirked and sped out of the room, towards the fifteenth floor.

This could work in my favor, yet I couldn’t believe they took out Eva because of what I’d done. They couldn’t do this! Obviously she hadn’t killed herself. Who’d buy something like that?

I burst into Lenora’s office and she hung up the phone immediately.

“The hell did you do to Eva?!” I roared.

She gave me a sardonic look. “You know, I’m still waiting for the part where you tell me how big a joke this must be to you. As much as I wish they were, these decisions aren’t in my hands, Daniel.”

I gave her a spiteful look. “Why did you take her out?”

“Eva had to go. Your tactic was clever, I’ll admit, but it didn’t have anything to do with the note, or her departure.”

“You don’t just leave a suicide note and think it’ll fill in the blanks!”

“Watch me care. It’s not like there’s anything I can do either way. So long as you follow the rules, none of your little friends will get hurt.”

“How can I be sure of that when I don’t even know where they’re taken!?”

“You can’t. But it sure as hell is better than them being dead, hmm?” She rose slowly from her chair and glared down at me. “And unless you want that to change, I’ll give you once piece of good advice: remember your place…baby brother.”

My eyes must have flashed with fire, because for an instant, a flicker of fear appeared in Lenora’s eyes, and just as quickly vanished. I cursed and left the office, not even bothering to close the door. I looked through the window across the lake and into the forest. It was time to tell Donna everything. This was war, and if I was going to win it, I needed an ally. And now that she’d have a reason to fight, I could risk her knowing. If I knew Donna even a little, I might actually win her over.

I gulped as I raced down the stairs. This could either be the move to decide the outcome of this game, or it could destroy me. But this was my moment. I had to take it, now or…I could lose her loyalty forever.

I ran out towards the waterfall. Donna was nowhere to be found. “Damn, don’t tell me she got lost.” No, that wasn’t like Donna. She had the uncanny ability to find her way around, even when blindfolded. Maybe she confused it with that mini waterfall out by the beach?

I followed the stream and saw her sitting on a large rock. I paused for breath and she turned around.

“Fifteen minutes, huh? More like half an hour,” she said.

I glowered. “That’s because you came to the wrong place!”

Her eyebrows lifted. “I’m sorry, do you not see the waterfall behind you?”

“This puny thing?” I laughed. Her need to win made it insanely fun to play against her. I enjoyed the look of confusion on her face. It wouldn’t last long. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Come on. You have see the big mama.”

Donna snorted and pushed off from the rock. “This better be good.”

I walked ahead of her, my face set and my thoughts anywhere but on the waterfall. “You have no idea.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE—Trick or Truth

D
onna stared at the waterfall ten times the size of the pipsqueak she had stood by earlier with her jaw loose. Steam formed at the base of the fall and roiled the water that passed down the stream into the lake. “That’s amazing!” She pointed at it dully, as if surprised at how she had yet to hear about this.

I shrugged. Not a first time for me.

We traipsed around it, while dense clouds approached from a distance. Donna fingered a bracelet on her left hand, her head down. I identified it with the one Eva had described in the letter.

“…There’s something I meant to give you for Christmas, but I guess I’ll have to give it to you now. It’s a marble bracelet. You know, probability? It’s white, red, and green. I also got you a Guess shirt. Too obvious? Sorry. I wish I could see you wear it. But I know it’ll look great…”

I winced. This was dumb, I shouldn’t feel guilty. Lenora said she would have been sent away regardless of my move. Still, Donna looked so down. As someone that had just been hurt by a friend, I didn’t want to hurt someone else in turn. Yet maybe there was no preventing it. Maybe I could just find a way to pay her back. But what I planned to tell her didn’t exactly qualify.

“Eva kept blaming herself for the death of the first victim, the cashier,” said Donna. I stiffened. “She had used her ability to get him to break the rules on the job. She completely blamed herself for it. But I calmed her down. Told her it wasn’t her fault. That things like that shouldn’t happen no matter who was responsible.” Donna paused and inhaled. “Eva wouldn’t have killed herself. It’s not even something she joked about. She valued life. Especially after all the loss she had been through.”