Aberrant (23 page)

"Very good," Maya smiled clapping unexpectedly. "You
both have done well."

Joshua was the first to speak, sweat trickled down his
forehead. "I don't understand." He glanced at Maya and then to me,
looking for an explanation.

"Your procedure allows you to see the world in a
different way, a more unique way. In seeing such things, your perception is
more attune to the world around you." Maya reached for the arrow, watching
it fall into her hands. "If you trust in yourself, you'll find you have
the ability to fight and protect yourself better."

I spoke up, "I don't understand how Adam can manipulate
an object with his mind."

Maya laughed softly. "It takes some getting used to but
you can do far more than what I've shown you," she admitted, glancing at
the others. "You are not to try this without an instructor around. Had I
not been here and Adam had been unable to stop the arrow, Jacqueline could have
killed him."

Cate spoke up, "You had the procedure done?"

Maya nodded. "Yes, many years ago. I was one of the
first subjects who underwent the tests and passed. I also am incredibly
familiar with the procedure and with the requirements of the tests. Let me
further elaborate." She stared at me, "That the procedure works
differently for each of you." Her eyes continued to move among the
recruits. "It will take time to understand all that you are capable of,
but you now can understand and appreciate the secrecy of our community."

I glanced at Joshua, wondering what he was thinking. He
merely shook his head. I couldn't blame him. I didn't trust that Maya couldn't
read my thoughts or Joshua's. Neither of us really knew how this worked, and we
certainly didn't want anyone eavesdropping into our conversation.

Maya gestured for Joshua to follow her back to our booth. "Jaxon
and Margo, you're up next."

I put away my bow and reached for Joshua's hand as he came
up beside me. My voice was a soft whisper, careful not to disturb the other
recruits as a high level of concentration was required for their training. "I'm
glad you're okay," I admitted, giving his hand a squeeze.

He glanced at me, his lips never moving.
I knew you had
it in you.
I tried not to laugh, glancing at Maya. She seemed unfazed and
unaware of our private conversation. I was glad to be able to steal a minute of
privacy, especially if she couldn’t listen in.

CHAPTER 23

Back at the dining hall, I sat beside Joshua as we ate
dinner. The noise and commotion from the other six recruits was astounding. I
kept my voice down, my lips near Joshua's ear as he sat beside me. "What
do you think they'll have us do tomorrow?"

Joshua shook his head. "Every day is something entirely
new." He smiled in my direction, momentarily wrapping an arm around my
back. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to, but he just smiled again
before removing his arm so he could cut up his dinner.

I knew he was right. We had no way of seeing the procedure
coming or what it would have made us capable of. I wondered what Maya had meant
when she told us the procedure had been fine tuned for each of us. It was
evident to me that Joshua and I shared a telepathic bond – did the others share
something else? It was nothing I had been able to see, but I knew we had always
been close and shared thoughts in other ways. Had the Mindonsiphan strengthened
our bond?

"What's on your mind?" I heard his voice and
realized I'd been staring at my food. I took a bite, trying not to worry him
and did my best to smile. I felt Joshua nudge me and I nodded, knowing he
wanted an answer.

"I was terrified today, having to shoot you with an
arrow." I turned to face him. "I could have killed you." My
stomach tied in knots just thinking about it.

"You want to know a secret?" Joshua smiled faintly
and I waited for him to continue, "I was scared, too."

I laughed softly, realizing that any fears I had, we both shared.
It was inevitable of course, after all we'd been through together. "I'm
sorry."

Joshua gave me a look, shaking his head. "Don't be. You
spoke up to Maya – and might I add had deadly aim – but you would have hit the
apple. You'd have never touched me with that arrow and lucky for me," he
boasted, "I was able to stop it."

I gave him a serious look. "Our training
tomorrow," I leaned closer, "I have a feeling that was just the first
step in them trying to turn us on each other."

Joshua took a bite of his dinner. "I'm not so sure
about
that
," he emphasized. "But I do think we're not done
with the combat training. If they really want us to be capable of being greater
than the average soldier," he stared at me, "Then it's going to take
a lot more than stopping an arrow coming at us."

I let out a heavy sigh, my focus on the barely eaten meal in
front of me. "You're right."

"I know." Joshua nudged me. "You should eat
up. I'd hate to think I can beat you tomorrow because you didn't get enough to
eat for dinner."

"Very funny." I rolled my eyes and took a bite of
my meal. I couldn’t place the meal’s ingredients. I didn't ask. It tasted like
mush, mixed with some staple of protein. I wondered if they were drugging us
too, in order to fight better. I didn't feel tired or sluggish, but after the
procedure, who knew what these people were capable of doing to us? I suppose it
was a good thing for them we had all turned eighteen and were no longer
children. They could live with themselves for killing us.

Lying in bed, I stared up at the bunk above me, hearing
Joshua tossing and turning restlessly.

Can't sleep?
I silently asked him. I loved the
privacy we shared, even in a room full of recruits.

Not with you breathing like a dragon
, Joshua
remarked. I could imagine the smug smile on his face as I rolled my eyes. He
thought he was being funny.

I'm not breathing fire.
I smiled.
Trust me, you'll
know when you've been burned.

Joshua laughed softly trying to keep himself quiet as to not
wake the others. I could feel the bunks shift as he rolled around above me.
Loud,
nasally, you're a heavy breather.
He tried to explain.
I keep seeing a
dragon on the bottom bunk
.

 
You're
the one moving around like a ship lost at
sea
, I chided, knowing he was enjoying the banter as much as I was.

Seriously?
He asked stifling a laugh.

You said dragon,
I shrugged.
There were dragons on
ships
. I remembered seeing a picture of a Viking vessel in the museum.

He paused, thinking it over.
In what lifetime?
He
shifted on the mattress again.
Okay, maybe they were on the bow and stern
,
he acknowledged.

It was quiet for several minutes, and already I missed his
voice, I missed him. Even more I missed that he hadn't called me Olive or
Olivia. Every day here grew harder. I wondered if he had fallen asleep. I hadn't
heard the bed shift in a few minutes, and I could see a few other bunks and
made out sleeping forms across from me.
You asleep?

Not with you in my head,
he remarked.

Sorry
. Immediately I felt bad for keeping him up.

He shifted on the mattress.
No, don't be.
What's
wrong?

I can't sleep. I guess, maybe, I'm homesick.
I knew
I'd never return home again. Seeing my mother would never be an option, and
always living on the run was the only other choice if we left this place.
I'm
scared. Scared what they expect of us after we pass.

Silence hung between us for several long moments,
I've
been thinking about that a lot lately too.
He admitted,
The procedure,
the tests, I'm pretty sure they're preparing us for the coming war.

I kind of expected as much
, I admitted with a sigh.
Doesn't
it scare you?

A lot of things scare me
, Joshua admitted.
Losing
you is my biggest fear
. I felt my heart quicken at his admission.

I wanted to tell him I loved him and that he would never
lose me but being here, in this town, undergoing the training and tests, I
couldn’t make that promise. I wasn't ready to lie down and die, but I couldn't
know what the future would hold.

Goodnight?
I heard his soft whisper in my mind. Although
I wasn't tired, I knew tomorrow would be another long day.

Night,
I answered missing so much of the life we
shared together. Although Genesis had been anything but perfect, we didn't
always wonder when we might die. Here, in this town, I could feel death coming
for me. It terrified me to no end. I stared up, wide-eyed at the bunk above me.
I was grateful Joshua could sleep through the fear, but it only made my
adrenaline peak. I could easily go on a run around the town and back and still
be wired. Though I knew Chancellor Collins wouldn't approve.

I waited a few minutes, until I heard Joshua snoring above
me and quietly snuck out of the dormitory, careful not to be seen. I walked barefoot
down the hall toward the gymnasium. I remembered when we'd met the recruits and
Maya the first time, there had been other equipment to practice and train with.
Although we hadn't used it, I felt it was as good a time as any to perfect my
skill.

Stepping into the gymnasium the lights flickered on overhead.
There were no windows to the outside world. No one outside the compound would see
me. I quickly toured the room, finding a storage closet unlocked. I pulled open
the closet doors, finding a target board along with a set of daggers to throw.

"Seriously?" I wondered if this would be part of
our training tomorrow or the day after. I grabbed the target board and rolled
it into the center of the gymnasium. I removed the weapons and walked over,
lining myself up properly.

If what Maya had said was right and the Mindonsiphan did
something to strengthen our current abilities, then perhaps maybe I could hit
the target without any prior experience.

Carefully, I focused on the center of the target and studied
the blade of silver in my hand. From the glimmer of its reflection catching the
overhead light, I had a slight flash of the river. I could hear the sound of
water rushing, though I knew I wasn't there. It hadn't mattered. My mind had
taken me back to the place where we'd been attacked. Staring at the blade I
could feel the knife against my throat, and I dropped the blade to the floor
hearing it clang.

The sound startled me out of my reverie.

I bent down, took a deep breath and let it out. The knife
was different. It didn't even look the same as the one the outlaw had used to
attack me. I needed to be stronger – my life depended on it.

 My eyes narrowed staring at the target, imagining the
release of the blade in my hand as it glided through the air to the board. I
threw it hard, grimacing as the knife faltered and fell to the ground. Walking
over, I picked it up, stepped back to where I started and tried again. The
second time I held the knife differently, angling it back in my hand with the
blade facing away from the target.

I focused my attention, one foot stepping in front of the
other as my arm released the knife and whipped it through the air, slamming
into the bottom ring.

I grumbled. I hadn't stabbed the floor and left a mark
behind, but I didn't hit the bulls-eye either. I grabbed another knife and
repeated the motion again, this time getting the inner ring but not my intended
target.

The other recruits were better, more experienced. The outlaw
who had attacked was stronger and a more skilled fighter. With each throw as I
missed the bulls-eye, I felt anger began to bubble to the surface. I hated what
had been done to me. I was an experiment to this town, a plaything to the vile
outlaw and a surrogate to the rebel alliance. I didn't want to be any of those
things. I wanted to determine my own life. Nauseated with the sense of loss, of
my home and the world I believed existed, I threw the knife and watched it slam
into the bulls-eye.

"You're up late." I heard a soft voice and jumped,
glancing back at the door. Hazel stood there in her pajamas watching me.

Her voice was enough to calm the anger burning within me. "Couldn't
sleep." I sighed. "What about you?" I had thought all the other
recruits were in bed when I'd left the room.

"Had to use the bathroom," Hazel told me. "Then
I saw the glow from beneath the door. Knew someone was up." She watched me
with the knife as I threw another, this one hitting the inner ring of the
target. "Not bad. How long have you been practicing?"

"An hour?" I'd lost count.

"That's it? I figured you'd been doing it for
years." Hazel walked further into the gymnasium. "You have good form
for someone who has never thrown a knife before."

"And you have?" It shouldn't have surprised me.

Hazel nodded faintly. "Part of our training back home. How
is it you're not from the five cities, and they let you participate in the
tests?" Her voice wasn't sharp or demanding. Hazel seemed curious by
nature and didn't understand why she had to fight against someone who didn't
belong in the competition. I couldn't blame her for asking.

"I really don't know." I gave her a weak smile,
offering her a knife to try. She shook her head, letting me practice instead. With
a faint nod, I threw another knife, hitting the bulls-eye again.

"I'm going to head back to bed," Hazel gestured to
the door. "I want to be well rested for the morning." I couldn't
blame her.

"Have a good night," I offered, watching as she
turned and headed out of the gymnasium. I heard the doors clasp behind her and
threw the last knife I had, landing again in the bulls-eye. I was getting
better with practice.