A Shadow's Light BK 2 (18 page)

“Was there anything that you heard in the story, relating to her powers, that was unfamiliar to you; anything that you haven’t done?”

Test thought for a moment. “Yeah, the whole shadow thing. I’ve never been invisible.” The fog within him was beginning to clear. He could feel the hint of a pulse building within.

“Yes, yes; anything else?”

“At the end of the story, you said that she touched the boy and he was instantly standing somewhere else. I don’t understand that,” replied Test.

The Professor looked down upon him shaking his head emphatically. “No, neither do I. You’ve never experienced anything like that?”

“No.” Test closed his eyes for a moment. The fire now had a spark and he could feel the adrenaline funneling through his body. “So, do you think that I’m capable of doing these things?”

The Professor turned away. “I’m not sure. My first theory is that the woman was older and more mature than you, and therefore her powers had developed beyond what you’ve experienced.”

“And your second?” asked Test.

“The fact that your mother kept you medicated for the majority of your life could have possibly stunted the growth of your powers. They may catch up, they may not. I will need to do further research to know these things.”

The mention of Test’s mother sent a searing heat through him. “How did you know about that?”

“Your mother told me,” replied the Professor inconsequentially.

The effect of the sedative was dissolving from his system and Test’s body had begun to tingle with agitation. Through his teeth he spoke. “My mother? You spoke to my mother?”

The Professor, sensing he’d struck a nerve, attempted to ease his patient. “Yes, I spoke to your mother. A very kind woman she was. To be sure, she had her troubles, but she cared a great deal for you. Such a shame it was, her passing as she did.”

With his words, the tray holding the syringe and a variety of other instruments had begun to vibrate. The Professor looked down to it and then back to Dawson.

“Put—him—down!” Dawson yelled.

“Where is my mother?” seethed Test.

The Professor quickly drew a syringe full of clear liquid and jammed it into Test’s shoulder. The instant the syringe penetrated his skin; a faint flash of red light ran down Test’s arm.

Dawson, pushing the Professor out of the way, leaned over Test. Staring down upon him, their faces only inches apart, the Agent spoke. “She’s dead, boy. You killed her.”

Test swallowed heavily and wetted his lips. “No. I know you took her. I know…” The room began to slide.

“I’m not talking about the parking lot, boy. It’s true; she did survive that day in Lincoln. It’s also true that we kept her hidden from you.” Dawson chuckled. “We ran every test you’ve had performed on you, and then some. When she failed to provide us with anything of benefit, her usefulness to us had come to an end.” Dawson stood tall and stared past Test, into a wall of glass on the other side of the room. “The Professor’s too kind. The truth is your Mom was a junkie, you know that. She left this world in a manner befitting of a junkie.”

Test’s eyes began to roll. “Wh…what…”

“She was found in her room one morning. She’d somehow gotten a hold of an entire bottle of Morphine and injected herself. She overdosed.”

Test stared up into Dawson’s smiling, hate filled face.

“I wonder how she could have gotten that bottle, let alone the needle to inject it with,” he said slyly. “Do you have any ideas, Mr. Davis?”

The gleam of pride in his eye was the single most frightening thing that Test had ever witnessed. He could feel a tear fall down his cheek, and then the sedative took his consciousness.

Chapter 20

Alyssa paced the room, anxiously waiting for her aunt to finish getting ready. The last two weeks had been filled with nightmares and fury, her anger focused mainly at her uncle. For the first week after the incident, the tension in the house was enhanced by a presence that she found difficult to escape. Though he constantly stayed out of her sight, she could feel Rob watching her nearly every moment of the day. She could sense the pride that he had in Test’s capture, and it infuriated her to know that he played a major role. Finally, after that first week, for no apparent reason, he moved on.

She had thought she would have heard from Cliff by now, and in her heart she knew that things were not okay with Test. Having lived her life in hiding, she had shown her soul to another with a gift that made hers seem invisible. It was unbearable to think about the small amount of time the two of them were able to share. Regardless, it all felt right and somehow she knew that she had been exactly where she was supposed to be.

“Come on!” hollered Alyssa.

From the back bedroom, her aunt replied. “I’m coming!”

As she waited for Julie to come around the corner, she was instead met by Enrique. He stopped several feet from her with a defeated look upon his face.

“I’m gonna miss you, Mija.”

Alyssa quickly turned from him. “I’m not your
Mija
.”

Enrique let out a deflated puff of air. “You are—to me.”

Alyssa was hesitant to react. No matter what he said, there would be no closure for her; no healing. “A father would trust his daughter.”

“A father would
protect
his daughter, and that is all that I have done.”

Feeling conflicted, she stared at her uncle. She knew that he did what he felt was right, but the cost of his decision may have been Test’s life.

“He’s a murderer, Alyssa. He killed his own mother for God’s sake.” Enrique stepped towards her with care. “I know you think that you know him, but you’ve only known him for a few days. You can’t poss…”

As he moved forward, she backed away. “Don’t!” she yelled. “Don’t tell me what I do or don’t know!”

From behind him, Julie entered timidly and laid a hand on her husbands shoulder. “Leave it be, honey.”

“But she…”

“No,” she cut him off. Turning to Alyssa she spoke softly. “Why don’t you head to the car? I’ll be right there.”

Alyssa turned and grabbed at the door knob. Before she could open the door, Enrique spoke one last time.

*****

“Alyssa, you know that your uncle means well, don’t you?” asked Julie.

Alyssa stared silently out the window, trying to figure out how she was going to maintain her silence on the one-hundred mile trip to the airport in Laramie.

Alyssa snapped back with a fractured voice. “The fact that he means well doesn’t matter. This was my one….” She stopped herself mid-sentence.

Julie waited for a few seconds and then asked, “What? This was your one what?”

Alyssa had begun to cry, and as she wiped the tears from beneath her eyes, she took a deep breath. “He was the one person that I didn’t have to pretend with. I could be me without fear of being judged.”

“Judged for what, honey? I don’t understand.”

Without thinking, Alyssa replied. “Nobody else is ever going to want a freak like me!”

Instantly Julie turned on the hazard lights and pulled off to the side of the road. As the car came to a quick stop, she threw the shifter into park and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Alyssa sobbed uncontrollably and she repeatedly ran her hands through her hair, pulling it back into a pony-tail. Though she had come close to slipping before, she had kept her secret for so long that this moment seemed surreal. She fought to fix her mistake and blurted out a ridiculous answer. “A tomboy,” she spoke as she turned away from Julie. She stared out the passenger window, waiting for her aunt to answer. After a brief silence, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Alyssa’s heart stopped. She wondered if she was misinterpreting what her aunt had said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.

“Look at me,” Julie demanded. With no response, she repeated herself once more, grabbing softly at her niece’s shoulder. “Look at me.”

The pain of being hidden for a lifetime was finally coming to the surface. Having a hard time catching her breath, she pulled on the door handle and jumped out of the car.

“Alyssa!” Julie screamed.

Alyssa slammed the car door and began to walk up the road. Julie checked her mirrors and exited the car to go after her.

Alyssa looked over her shoulder, and seeing that her aunt was right behind her, yelled back to her. “Leave me alone! I just want to be alone!”

“No you don’t!” yelled Julie as she grabbed at her niece’s arm.

Quickly spinning towards her, Alyssa’s face was saturated with tears. “How do you know what I want? How would anyone know what
I
want?”

“Alyssa, stop it!” replied Julie holding her by the shoulders and giving her a firm shake. “You don’t have to run from me. I am here for you.”

Time froze as Alyssa looked into her aunt’s eyes. She suddenly knew her words were sincere and that she could trust her. As if closing a door, every ounce of adrenaline that had been surging through her body disappeared as she collapsed into her aunt’s arms.

Julie stroked the back of her niece’s head, relieved that she had broken the hardened exterior and now, once again, had a chance to reason. “Honey, your gifts don’t make you a freak. I know you think that no one could ever understand it, and to a point, you’re right. I don’t understand it, but that doesn’t mean that I think you’re a freak.” Julie pulled away and lifted Alyssa’s chin with her index finger. “I know you think you’re in love with this Test kid, but you’ve only known him for a grand total of five minutes.”

“Yeah, but…,” Alyssa interrupted.

Holding her hand up, Julie stopped her. “Let me finish. You’ve only known him for five minutes, and of those five minutes, four and a half of them were a lie.”

“This is my point. You told Test about you and he accepted you. He was the first, and you think that there could never be another. Am I right?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what, Alyssa? Look at all that has happened. For God’s sake, the military was hunting him. He’s wanted for murder.
Murder!
He killed his own mother, Alyssa!”

“It’s not true. He couldn’t do something like that! I know it!”

“How can you
know
it? How can you be so sure?”

Alyssa paused and kicked at the pebbles lying on the shoulder of the road. “Because she told me.”

Julie stopped with a crooked look on her face. The hair on the back of her neck stood, and her mouth had suddenly become dry. “Who told you?”

Alyssa stared into her aunt’s eyes. “His Mom.”

“What? Are you being serious?” asked Julie.

Alyssa suddenly giggled nervously. “Yes, I’m serious. What, you don’t believe me now? If you believe in my gift, then why is it hard to believe that I’d speak to his Mom?”

Julie’s response came in a fearful stutter. “If—if he didn’t kill her, then how are you talking to her? She’s dead, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she’s dead,” replied Alyssa with a smile. “Actually, she’s standing right beside you.”