Aberrant (25 page)

I took a seat on the couch, noticing it looked more like a
small living room then an office. There were two chairs and a sofa along with
an end table and desk. No signs of technology or anything sterile like the last
procedure. I felt a little more reassured.

I relaxed into the sofa, staring up at the ceiling when the
Chancellor swung the door open, stepping into the room. "Jacqueline."
He nodded, walking over to sit in the chair across from me. "Congratulations
on making it this far."

"Didn't really know I had a choice," I muttered,
crossing my arms defensively. "What am I doing here? Planning to pick my
brain?" I asked curiously. I wasn't thrilled with being alone in the
Chancellor's presence. At least with Joshua, I felt as though we had some level
of protection, even if it was a false sense of security.

"The second stage of your testing begins now," he
told me. "Unlike most recruits, you and Adam are an interesting
combination. We don't have files on you, on your town or really on anything
you've told us. Except for this," he shifted in his seat and reached out
to a small side table, opening the drawer. Chancellor Collins pulled out the
familiar journal that was my fathers, smuggled out of Genesis. "I found
this in your backpack, Jacqueline."

"I–" I had nothing to say. Admitting it was mine
would bring on more questions. Denying I knew about the journal was an obvious
lie and would probably get me killed.

"Take your time," the Chancellor gave me a smug
look. "I've read through the entire thing already. Have you, dear?"

"Don't call me that," I hissed. I reached out to
snatch the book from his fingers and surprisingly he let me have it. I clung to
it as curiosity only further grew on his face.

"Now, why would you, Jacqueline, want anything to do
with a journal written by Gavin Parker?"

I stalled, unsure what to say. How could I explain the value
and importance of what I held in my possession without giving away the truth of
who I was? "I read parts of it as well," I spoke up. "I know
what the journal means – if it's true and they had a daughter then, the
government ruling today would fall apart with the knowledge held right
here." I held the book up showing my point. "I didn't want it to fall
into the wrong hands," I answered proudly.

"Is that so?" He stared at me curiously. "How
is it that book from inside the city made its way to Haven?"

"Someone in the rebel alliance must have smuggled it
out." I reasoned.

Chancellor Collins stared at me hard. "Is that so? Rumors
are aplenty that a girl and boy, both eighteen escaped in the tunnels, the
daughter of the Parkers. In fact, I hear the daughter, Olivia," he stared
hard at me, "escaped from prison and the government has been looking for
her ever since."

I wondered how he'd gained that information from a town with
no obvious sign of communication to the outside world. "Well, there you go!"
I proclaimed. "She must have smuggled the book out." I really hoped
this wasn't going to end badly for Joshua and myself. Right now, though, I
didn't feel entirely confident in the tale I was telling.

"Right, of course she did." The Chancellor nodded slowly,
watching my every move. "Then how and when exactly did you come across the
journal?"

"I met her," I breathed staring at him, refusing
to let my gaze falter. "I was to show her our home, Haven. Then the
soldiers came and they destroyed our town because they were looking for
her." I tried to sound disgusted at what we'd done, that I was ashamed to
have known her. "Adam and I managed to escape while our home was being
invaded by the government and destroyed. She wasn't but a few feet from me when
I witnessed her death." A part of me had, knowing I could never admit my
identity, certainly not to people I couldn't trust.

"And you managed to snag her father’s journal before
escaping?" He eyed me skeptically.

I nodded weakly. "Yes. I found it in the bag I grabbed
on the way out of town. We put the map Adam recovered in there and took off. We
didn't examine everything inside the bag until we were on the road. Besides
who's to say it's even true?" Trying to make nothing of it, I offered a
warm smile. "Suppose it's a story?"

"An awfully big story to tell, Jacqueline." The
way he said my name made me shiver. Chancellor Collins stood up, pacing the
length of the room. "You do know I hate being lied to?"

"I'm not lying!" It was easier to believe the lie than
to confess the truth. It wasn't as though we had done anything wrong. Was being
born a crime? It certainly was according to Governor Craynor. He'd thrown me in
jail for it!

Collins smiled. "Of course you're not lying." He
didn't believe me. "Adam's survival and acceptance depends on you. You
will not say another word," he instructed me as he opened the door and
Joshua was led in. "Adam," he gestured for Joshua to come into the
room. "Have a seat."

Joshua took a seat on the sofa beside me. Chancellor Collins
watched every move each of us made closely. "You're girl here has told me
everything." The Chancellor glared at me, a silent reminder that if I
spoke, I had the potential of destroying Joshua's life.

Joshua glanced at me. "Told you what?" He asked
confused.

I refused to look at him. I had to make this convincing,
that I wasn't speaking to him. If there was any chance that he could read our
minds, we had to be extra careful.
I haven't told him anything more than he
already knows.

"What do you want to know? I'm an open book."
Joshua offered with a smile. He leaned forward clasping his hands together. "I'm
Adam and this is Jacqueline. We've already explained that to you. But if you're
confused, we can start at the beginning again."

Chancellor Collins face turned red aggravated.
"Enough!" He shouted. The walls vibrated as if there had been a
slight earthquake from the sound. He let out a heavy breath. "We found a
journal from the late Parker's." He explained.

I already told him I found it in the bag when we escaped,
after Haven was destroyed. Olivia must have left it in there from when we met
her.
If The Chancellor read our minds, it seemed innocent enough.

Joshua sighed. "Yes, Jacqueline found it in the bag. I
haven't read it or looked at it so I can't really say much as to the legitimacy
of it." It was the truth. He'd given it to me to take to Haven, and I'd
read it alone.

The Chancellor sighed, realizing he was making no headway. "Here's
the thing," he stared at us both. "There are two of you. Two of you I
really don't need and, seeing as how you're both lying, I find it easiest to
send you both to your deaths. Unless that is, one of you will speak up?" Neither
of us said a word. I was certain he was bluffing. They wouldn't kill us. They had
no proof we were lying. So what that we had a journal from my father, it didn't
prove we weren't Jacqueline and Adam. "We can do this the easy way or the
hard way." He pulled two capsules from his pocket. Jet black in color, I
reached out, taking one in my hands and Joshua taking the other.

I don't like this.
Joshua stared at me.
We're
worth more to them alive. At least you are. Tell them the truth or I'll take
the pill.
He didn't want to watch me die.

My eyes widened as Joshua brought the pill up to his lips in
horror. "Wait!" I exclaimed reaching out but the pill slipped between
his lips and he swallowed it faster than I could react. "No!" I
screamed my face reddened and I could feel the tears coming.

The Chancellor grabbed Joshua's arm and pulled him out of
the room. A moment later Collins returned with a smug smile. "You have two
minutes to save his life, dear. Two minutes and I can still reverse the effects
before it's too late."

"I'll tell you whatever you want. Just save his life."
I nodded through wide tear-filled eyes. "Please, you have to save Josh's
life." I knew the truth had slipped out, but I hadn't cared. Chancellor
Collins smile only seemed to grow with the satisfaction of his answer. "Do
something!" I screamed at him. Time was ticking away and he hadn't budged.

"Talk," he demanded. "Then I'll save him. You
have 90 seconds."

"I'm Olivia Parker," I admitted, telling him what
he already suspected. "The journal was my father's, Gavin Parker. He's
dead." I wiped the tears as fast they fell. "Joshua helped me escape
from prison and we left Genesis for Haven. The rebel alliance wanted me to have
a baby, be their savior. I was actually relieved when the government destroyed
their town," I answered bitterly. "We had no home. Nowhere else to
go. Joshua had the map and we took a chance, we came here." It was
everything that had happened, everything important. "Now save him, damn
it!" I stood up and stomped my foot, growing angrier by the second.

Collins nodded stepping out of the room and a moment later
brought Joshua back in. He looked a little flushed but otherwise fine.

"Josh?" My hands went to his cheeks, staring into
his eyes. "Are you okay?" My heart pounded as I looked him over. I
wasn't a doctor, but he looked all right.

"Other than a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm okay,"
Joshua answered.

Chancellor Collins smiled proudly. "That was easier
than I thought. He'll be fine. Just a simple truth pill he swallowed, now stay
here," he told us. "Do not move," he insisted, heading out the
door we came in, shutting it behind him forcefully.

"I don't like this," I breathed looking around the
room. I stood up, heading quietly for the door, finding it locked. Why was I
not surprised?

Joshua sighed. "At least there's an upside to it."

"And what's that?" I couldn't possibly think of
anything good coming of this.

"We can go back to calling each other Olivia and Joshua."
He smirked. I wondered briefly if the truth pill had worked on him. Was there
anything I wanted to know that Joshua hadn't told me? No. I wouldn't ask him
when he was drugged. That was wrong.

"Cute," I muttered, trying the handle again.
Nothing. I walked to the opposite wall, peering out the blinds through the
window. We were too high up to jump. It wouldn't be a smart idea. My hands
roamed the walls, desperately hoping to find a way out or at least a weapon to
protect us.

Jaxon opened the door, stepping into the room with Margo
behind him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked staring at
them, confused. Were they here to help us escape?

"Come with us," they both answered, not giving any
explanation. I glanced back at Joshua. He merely gave a slight nod to go ahead.
We followed them down the stairs to the third floor and into a large room with
an old wooden table and chairs.

Inside the room, Chancellor Collins sat at the head of the
table. To his right was Maya and next to her was Elsa. Across from Elsa, Jaxon
took a seat and Margo sat beside him. My mouth dropped further, if at all
possible, seeing Cate and Mason beside Margo and on the other side of the table
Hazel, and to my surprise, Aidan. He was still alive!

"Have a seat," the Chancellor instructed, gesturing
at the two empty seats at the table.

I didn't know what else to say or do, but sit down. "Was
this all some kind of trick?" I was more than slightly confused.

I was grateful Joshua wasn't trying to communicate with me
telepathically. I didn't trust these people and the last thing I wanted was for
them to listen in on a private conversation.

"Everything isn't as it seems. I'm sorry for the smoke
and mirrors, but you must understand we had to test your capacity to fit in. We
don't just let people come into our town. Most, in fact, never see it. We're on
no maps, and those who drive through keep going. I'm not sure how you found us.
No one's ever stopped. At least not accidentally." Collins smiled awkwardly.

Joshua spoke up, the pill having some effect on him. "That's
not true. Olivia and I snuck out one night and saw you speak with someone who drove
in and out of town the same night."

I nudged Joshua to shut up, but it didn’t matter. The truth
was out.

Collins nodded slowly. "You saw that?" He didn't
seem upset by the news only mildly surprised. "That was someone who could
authenticate Gavin Parker's journal."

"Who?" I asked incredulously.

The Chancellor sighed. "He comes from one of the five
cities. The second born Parker and younger brother to Gavin. His name is
Hunter. Apparently, though they'd never met they have nearly identical
handwriting. Genetics," he laughed. "They play an amusing role in our
world."

"He's my uncle?" I tried to make sense of the
Chancellor’s words.

The Chancellor nodded slightly. "I suppose he is. We
don't really use such terms anymore, Olivia." It was odd, hearing my name
again after so long while I pretended to be Jacqueline.

Joshua nodded slowly in understanding. "Why are we
here?" Neither of us understood what was going on.

Maya spoke up, "We are at the verge of war with the
government. What we have told you is in part the truth. There are five great
cities of the rebellion that have clung together west of the sun mountain. The
recruits you met are all from those towns, and they had the honor of joining
our elite city over the past few years. Some are older than eighteen, have
lived here for five or more years, but we have ways of making them appear
younger. They had all passed – at one time or another – the tests.”

I didn’t know what that meant. I could only assume whatever
the Mindonsiphan did allowed the aging process to slow or perhaps showed us
what we wanted to see, to believe. I didn’t interrupt as Maya continued to
speak.

“The government doesn’t know of our existence – it's better
this way. On a map we are old towns, obliterated during the Fourth World War. We
made sure to rebuild in dead cities so we would be unseen by those watching. I
know much of this is new and confusing. Please understand we did this to test
your ability and commitment to your team and to the rebel city. You showed a
great level of respect, Olivia. When Margo was picked on by Cate you stood up
for her. We admire bravery. We also admire that you didn't join in, that you
weren't mean to Margo or to any of the other recruits. Being competitive is
acceptable, but being cruel or unjust is not. That’s why we asked Aidan to do
what he did to Joshua," Maya explained. "Had Joshua not ducked, I
would have averted the arrow at the last possible moment."