The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) (8 page)

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you look even more stupid than
you usually do,” Madison said, tears pooling in her eyes because of the
laughter.

“Madison, please.” Charlie saw Madison laugh even harder.
With renewed courage, she said firmly: “Put me down.”

Madison raised her eyebrow. “What if I don’t want to? What
are you going to do about it?”

Charlie didn’t know. She closed her eyes to focus, and
within seconds she heard a loud crashing sound. Charlie fell on her bed and saw
Madison with her mouth hanging open. Charlie turned to look and was mortified.

There were three glass panels that made up her room’s
window. Now only two remained; the third lay shattered in tiny little pieces on
Charlie’s bedroom floor.

Lost in the new life the institute offered her, it did not
help Charlie to see the looks some students gave her. It was bad enough to be
the late comer, but the incident with Madison and the glass window compounded
her situation from worse to worst. It was a task just to walk down the school
hallway and sense the doubts her fellow students cast on her. But the stares
and whispers were the least of her worries. Not only did the Queen Bitch, as
the students had nicknamed Madison, place a target on her back for the colony
to attack, she damaged school property and worried whether it would affect her
school standing. Repairs had already commenced, but she had yet to hear what
the headmaster thought of her mishap. With a lump in her throat, Charlie resolved
to move past the incident and carry on with her schedule.

Releasing her breath, Charlie reached the training room
where the guidance counsellor,

Natalia Worthington, awaited her. She had no prior
expectations, but as her eyes met the woman who sat in the center of the room,
Charlie felt half vindicated.

“Hello, Charlie,” greeted Natalia with a warm and soothing
voice. She stood to extend her hand to the younger one, who accepted shyly.
Natalia could not be more than a few years older than Charlie. She had hazel
eyes and dark brown hair twisted in a bun. She wore little make up, her
flawless skin and natural beauty negating the need for cosmetics.

“Hello,” Charlie said. Natalia seemed different from the
counsellor she met in high school. She wasn’t condescending or intimidating.

“Please follow me,” offered Natalia. The spacious training
room seemed larger with its high ceiling. Two heavily armed guards flanked the
door. Charlie likened them to the Queen’s Guards in London, standing rigid like
statues until ordered to move. Her conjured images of students running amok and
being contained by these burly men brought chills down her spine. She tried to
push the negative thoughts away. Natalia lead her to a set of stairs near the
door and they entered the mezzanine overlooking the training floor. A
protective glass partition separated it from the room. The area had three rows
of chairs and a table in the corner.

Heart thumping loudly in her chest, Charlie lowered herself
into the chair beside Natalia. Charlie inhaled deeply, willing herself to
relax, and waited for instructions. But Natalia only smiled with her chin
resting on her palm and a glint of interest in her eyes.
If she’s waiting
for me to be comfortable, her extended silence isn’t bringing her desired
outcome,
Charlie thought.

“Don’t be scared, Charlie. For now, we’re just going to
talk.” Natalia finally broke the ice. Charlie looked up to her with curious
eyes.

“Talk?” she repeated, and the older woman nodded.

“Yes, Charlie. It’s my policy to get to know my students
first before proceeding to the program. My job is to prepare your mind for the
next training phase; therefore, I need to know how it works so I can design
your personal exercises.”

This made sense to Charlie, although the task seemed daunting.
She wondered if Natalia simply enjoyed her profession of patiently listening to
the woes of a bunch of teenagers. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat,
feeling uneasy under the curious scrutiny of her instructor. “Well, what do you
want to talk about?” Charlie asked.

Natalia leaned back on her seat, taking a moment to answer
Charlie. “Tell me, how do you like the institute so far?”

Charlie didn’t expect the question to be asked so soon.
Charlie fiddled with her fingers under the table, thinking how best to answer
the woman. “I’m still getting used to it.”

Her answer prodded Natalia to sit straighter, then bend
towards her. “And you’re finding it difficult?”

Charlie shrugged. “Why is that?” Natalia’s brows furrowed,
but before Charlie could answer, she changed the subject. “I heard what
happened between you and Madison. What do you think encouraged her to attack
you?”

Charlie had no answer to the question. She knew how Madison
disliked Jeanne and how she obviously reminded Madison of her, but she didn’t
want to disclose this to someone she just met. Sensing Charlie’s discomfort
with the girl, Natalia decided to divert to another subject again. “Tell me how
your family is, Charlie.”

It was one topic Charlie knew would come up when talking to a
therapist and it was the one topic she prayed to avoid. She already missed her
parents terribly. The thought made her eyes sting, so she shook her head.

Natalia was quick to assure her. “Charlie, it’s okay.
Doctor-patient confidentiality applies here.” She smiled at Charlie, but the
student turned around to see the guards standing by the doors below them. “They
won’t be able to hear you from here, Charlie.” Natalia told her.

“My mom is a teacher while my dad is a manager at a retail
grocery store. They’re great,” Charlie answered.

“Okay,” Natalia nodded. “Let’s move on then. Follow me.”

They went back down the stairs and headed for the table and
chairs at the center of the training floor. Charlie sat across from Natalia;
between them was a polished aluminum table that reflected her nervous
expression. A small nondescript box and an odd looking laptop sat on top.
Natalia pulled out three items from the box: a Bluetooth earphone, a
weird-looking headband, and wooden cube with multi-colored sides. Charlie stared
at the items, curiosity eating her up.

Natalia handed her the earphones. “Put them on, Charlie.”
The girl complied as Natalia stood to position the headband on Charlie. She
adjusted the band around the student’s skull, its branches sticking out. Natalia
opened the laptop and explained the exercise. “My task is teaching you to
control your capabilities in spite of strong emotions. The headgear you’re
wearing right now is a portable electroencephalogram, or EEG. Do you know what
it does?” Charlie shook her head. “This device will scan your brainwaves and I
will be able to see the results from my computer here. Right now, I want to do
a controlled test.” She pointed to the cube and instructed her to turn it over
using her mind.

Charlie directed and focused her eyes on the wooden cube in
front of her. Thumb rubbing her index finger, Charlie visualized the cube
between her fingers, making the motion to turn it over. The dice moved a bit.
Charlie tried again, concentrating more intensely this time, and the cube
turned over, from its green to yellow side. Charlie grinned and looked at
Natalia.

“Very good,” commended Natalia. “Now, to continue, do you
know how sound affects our mind, Charlie? I’m going to introduce you to
Binaural Music Therapy.”

Charlie cocked her head to the side, “What’s that?”

The keyboard clicked a few times before Natalia said, “I’ll
explain the concept behind it later.”

Low odd sounds entered Charlie’s ears. At first, it sounded
like vibrations growing louder and louder. The hum reverberated around
Charlie's skull and down her neck while Natalia watched her. “Is this some kind
of hypnosis?” Charlie asked.

The woman laughed at her comment, “No, Charlie. It’s not.
Now, I want you to close your eyes and listen.”

Charlie was skeptical but did as she was told. In the
stillness in her mind, she began to imagine the hum coming from a large machine
in front of her with its dim light beating over her head. The constant sound
made her head feel heavy, her muscles tingly.

"Charlie." She heard Natalia and opened her eyes.
Between them, the wooden cube floated. Delight was in Natalia's eyes as they
watched the multi-colored cube turn over and over slowly in mid-air and
ascended until it reached eye level.

"Can you bring it back down, Charlie?" Natalia requested.
Gently, Charlie lowered her eyes and the cube followed suit. It gradually
descended until it hit the table with a clunk. Charlie exhaled loudly, unaware
she had been holding her breath.

"Very good, Charlie," Natalia said. She faced the
laptop and typed in some notes. Charlie was surprised when the vibrating sound
ceased, more so because she had become unaware of it while manipulating the
cube. Now that her earphones were silent, Charlie felt strange.

"How was it?" Natalia asked her.

"Strange." Charlie answered, earning another smile
from the woman.

"Indeed it is. Have you heard of Binaural Beats?"
Charlie shook her head.

Natalia explained, "Binaural beats are sound waves that
can stimulate the brain. It has many uses and forms, including the theta waves
which I exposed you to. Theta waves help you relax and meditate. And in your
relaxed state, I see that the control of your power is more fluid. Other forms
of sound waves have other effects, such as Beta waves, which are a higher
frequency and stimulate excitement or anxiety."

"Anxiety?" Charlie repeated the word, concerned it
would trigger the emotion in her.

"Yes, but don't worry, Charlie. It isn't hypnosis. It’s
merely meant to stimulate your brain but not force you how or what to
think." Natalia assurance didn’t completely convince Charlie. "Would
you like to try it again?" Natalia offered, but Charlie interjected.

"What will it be this time?"

The older woman shook her head, "Where's the surprise
in that, Charlie? Besides, it's better not to be aware so your mind won't
anticipate and be biased." She clicked on the buttons of her keyboard.
Then, Natalia rested her palms on the table and leaned towards Charlie.

No sound came from the earphones this time. Charlie waited,
thinking the sound too low to distinctly hear. Moments passed before Natalia
finally asked her, "Now, can you tell me how you like your
schoolmates?"

Charlie fumbled with the device on her ear. "I thought
I was supposed to listen to something? I don't hear anything from this right
now," she pointed out.

"It's okay; I decided we'll just talk more before we
proceed." Natalia laced her fingers and rested her chin on them once more.
"So, you were going to tell me about your schoolmates?"

Locking her own hands together under the table, Charlie
answered. "Some are nice, but some aren’t," she admitted.

"Why is that?" Natalia asked.

Charlie hesitated, her eyes scanning every corner of the
training room before returning her focus on Natalia. "I don’t think they
like the idea of me being here," confided Charlie, prodding Natalia to
further probe. "Why do you think that?"

“Why?” Charlie asked herself. She hadn't done anything in
particular to deserve such treatment, at least in her own perspective. Perhaps
it was because she was new and considered an outsider. "I don't
know," Charlie mumbled.

"Charlie, whatever you tell me won't reach anyone
else's ears. You were thinking about something, please tell me."

"I said I don't know," Charlie said once more.
There was a hollow pit in her chest and a sting in her eyes. Her gaze dropped
down to her hands and she noticed them shaking. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut
and tried to force them to stop, but they wouldn’t.

Thoughts swirled around Charlie's mind. The newness of being
at the institute was unsettling. Her powers, the sister she had yet to meet,
and the longing for both her adoptive and biological family gnawed at her,
adding to her unhappiness. The chain of events was too overwhelming for the new
student. Charlie opened her eyes and her vision blurred, triggering the new
fear of blindness.

She heard Natalia's voice from afar saying, "Charlie.
Charlie, focus." Charlie bit her lip and shut her eyes once more.

“I can’t focus,” Charlie confessed. Natalia said something,
but the therapist’s words were meaningless in Charlie’s state of mind. Images
of previous events fleeted in and out of her head: the students' distasteful
looks at her; Madison laughing at her expense; the bullet that could have
killed Hilary; the recurring dream. "What should I do? Can we stop this,
please?” Charlie pleaded.

She heard shuffling sounds behind her. Charlie snapped her
eyes open to see the guards moving towards her.

"No, don't!" Natalia's voice was clearer now, but
no one seemed to hear her.

"Don't come closer!" Charlie shouted and the guard
to her right was hurled against a wall. He remained glued to the metal wall,
unable to remove himself. The other guard pulled something from his belt.

He's gonna kill me,
Charlie thought upon seeing his
weapon. The image of the bullet meant for Hilary was still fresh in her mind.
She tried to run to the opposite end of the room but Natalia caught her,
locking her arms around the panicking girl. "Let me go! Let me go!"
Charlie screamed and pushed.

"Charlie, calm down. You have to calm down!"
Natalia ordered her. She felt Natalia’s hand graze her hair for a second. The
instructor then held Charlie by the shoulders and positioned her in front of
the table, facing the guards.

Charlie’s eyes first lay on the cube now rotating rapidly in
midair. The box and laptop also defied gravity and floated alongside each
other.

"Put your weapon down!" Natalia yelled to the
guard whose gun was aimed at Charlie, ready to fire at her. Charlie backed
away, pushing Natalia and causing her to nearly lose her balance. Loud thuds
broke out from the mezzanine. They both looked up to see empty chairs banging
against the protective glass.

"Calm down, Charlie. It's okay. No one will hurt
you." Natalia tried to soothe the poor girl. Charlie's body shook; warm
tears flowed down her cheeks. The loud banging distracted her. Panic ruled her.

"Charlie. Listen to my voice," Natalia firmly
commanded her. "Close your eyes, and breathe deeply as I count."
Charlie did as she was told.

With eyes tightly shut, Charlie listened to Natalia count.
"1, 2, 3..." Charlie complied. 1... 2... 3... 4... The banging slowly
weakened. 5... 6... The banging stopped 7... 8... 9... Charlie's breath began
to steady. 10... 11... 12... 13... 14... The shaking of her body began to
lessen. She opened her eyes again and saw that the chairs from the upper deck
had stopped moving. The guard pushed to the wall regained control of himself
and walked toward her slowly.