Oppression (8 page)

“The oracle can see all things that will be, but only the things that will cause profound change stay in the forefront of her mind, things that will change the course of the future. It’s a hard job, knowing what will happen. When things don’t play out the way they should, do you watch the sequence of unfavorable events unfold or do you step in and try and change the tide? Not long after you were conceived, she saw you, Elyse. She saw what would happen if she didn’t come that night.”

“What night?”

“The night your parents left to go into hiding. Think about it. Why would they leave their people?”

My eyes moved back and forth between the two of them as I picked at my cuticles. “What are you saying?” I asked. There was nothing special about me. These people clearly thought I was somebody I wasn’t.

“He’s saying that Iosif is right,” William answered.

I didn’t know what to say. What do you tell people who think you are their answer? I wasn’t who they thought I was. I wasn’t going to save them from anything.

“But how do you know you’ve got the right girl?”

“I was there the night the prophecy was foretold,” Dr. Nickel continued. “Richard and Sarah were hesitant.” The names of my parents rolled off of his tongue like he had said them a thousand times. “But they had no choice. The oracle told them that your survival was essential, that when it was time, you would lead us into a new era of existence, and that the corrupt Council would meet its end. Their only option was to go into hiding before you were born, before you could be registered within a community. The Council has many abilities at their fingertips, and they would eventually come to know the significance of your existence. That’s why your parents left, and that’s why you knew nothing of where you came from.”

My lips tightened in anger. I needed to blame someone for my ignorance. “Why didn’t you tell me this when we met?” I asked William accusingly.

“Yeah, because you seem to be taking it really well,” he answered.

“The future is never certain, Elyse,” Dr. Nickel added. “To be honest, there is no guarantee that you will live out this future. There are certain events that must occur in order to set things in motion. Without them, there is no prophecy.”

“What events?” William demanded.

“I can’t say,” his father answered with genuine regret in his eyes. “To tell you would be to alter the course.”

William stared at his father with suspicion.

“So, what you’re telling me is that this whole thing is a maybe?” I asked.

He nodded. “In a sense, but your protection was a push in the right direction.”

“Iosif seems to think it is inevitable.”

Dr. Nickel smiled. “He’s a bit of an optimist, being married to the oracle and all.”

I couldn’t believe it. My whole life, I had been shut out, “protected,” so I could be a pawn in someone else’s game. I never got to choose. I felt the sting of betrayal as I thought about my parents. How could they have kept this from me my whole life? Did everyone know about this prophecy but me? The Nickels, my parents, the world of Descendants, The Council? A sudden rush of fear kick-started my heart. If The Council was truly as corrupt as everyone said, and if I really was their enemy, then wouldn’t my death be the perfect solution for them?

“What about The Council? What do they know? Why haven’t they tried to . . .”

“Tried to what?” William asked.

The two of them looked at me to answer the question.

“To kill me.”

“I wondered that myself,” Dr. Nickel answered. “I’m sure they are aware of the prophecy, but quite honestly I’m not sure they realize who you are, Elyse. When they figure it out, the oracle will let us know.”

“So what should I do until then?” I asked.

“Go on with business as usual, I suppose.”

“Business as usual?” Somehow that seemed easier said than done. “Well, maybe I shouldn’t be here, so exposed,” I said with uncertainty. I didn’t want to leave, but if all of this was true, maybe I was destined for a life of running. “Obviously staying hidden . . .”

“You’ve been hidden long enough,” Dr. Nickel interrupted. “You have to face your future eventually, and it’s time to let the prophecy unfold. We need you.”

8.

FOR THE NEXT few days, it was easy to pretend like nothing had changed. Denial was a close friend of mine, and William was the perfect distraction. He stuck around while I locked myself up in my apartment, avoiding The Institute with the excuse of having furniture delivered. On the third day without stepping foot outside, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“That’s it,” he announced from my new dark purple couch.

“What?” I responded from the floor. I’d been laying on my back staring through the spinning blades of the fan.

“We have to get out of here. Look at you.”

I lifted my head briefly, glanced at him, and then let it drop back against the carpet.

“Can’t a girl just lie on her own floor if she feels like it?”

“You’re so melodramatic,” he said, hopping off of the couch. “Get up.”

I sighed as I pushed myself to sitting. “It’s too late to go anywhere.”

“Yeah, for an old lady.”

I refused to stand. “Eighty-nine
is
old,” I argued.

He narrowed his powerful green eyes. “Don’t make me persuade you. I’ll do it,” he teased.

I smiled. It was hard to say no to him. “Fine. Where do you want to go?”

“I want to introduce you to my friends.”

Friends. The idea had only just crossed my mind, and it made me nervous and excited all at once. I could have friends who were just like me. “Okay,” I agreed, getting onto my feet.

***

When the ocean came into view, so close I could see the shallow waves crashing onto the shore, I realized why William had told me to dress warm.

“The beach?” I asked, surprise somewhat suppressing the anxiety I was feeling. I didn’t have a lot of experience meeting new people.

“Yeah. It’s open and abandoned at night, so everyone can use their abilities here.”

“You’re not afraid it’s too exposed?”

“Nics takes care of that,” he said naturally. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I said, beginning to chew on the skin around my nails.

William helped me into my coat, and we set out for the sand. Silver light sparkled atop the deep navy blue surface of the calm water, but the radiance was pale against William’s bright eyes.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said sensing my anxiety. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“I know. I just haven’t had to be social in a while.”

He stopped and stepped in front of me, taking my hands and weaving his fingers in and out of mine, something I still wasn’t used to. The warmth that grew between our palms felt good in the cold. With so much else on my mind, I’d almost forgotten about it.

“Why do our hands get warm like this?” I asked. “Does it happen to all Descendants?”

“No. Just us.” His face glowed under the soft light of the night sky like some unearthly being sculpted by the hand of perfection. His features stood out intense and magnificent against his gleaming skin. His lips, a brilliant blood red, caught my eye as they settled into the mesmerizing smile that always made my stomach flip.

“So, what does it mean?”

“Obviously it means you’ve got the hots for me.”

“Come on. Really,” I probed.

“What? You don’t?”

“Seriously?”

“I told you. It protects us. As long as we are touching, our abilities are magnified. We’re stronger when we’re together.”

We walked the long stretch of beach, taking our time to get to wherever the mysterious hang out spot was. I walked cautiously, taunting the tide by staying just out of reach of the creeping waves. William walked slightly ahead, kicking and splashing through the water.

“Come on, Elyse, live a little,” he teased.

I smiled at his boyish behavior. I was happy he could be himself around me, and that he felt comfortable enough to be as wild as he pleased.

“I don’t want to get wet,” I explained.

He shook his head. “Bad excuse.”

“How is that a bad excuse?”

“Who cares if you get wet,” he answered wryly.

“Um, I do. I don’t want to be cold.”

“So what if you’re cold.”

“Well, it’s not very pleasant,” I said, thinking I’d closed the argument.

He laughed out loud, low and hearty.

“So, are you just going to live in your little shell because it’s comfortable?” He turned to face the open water gesturing to the breathtaking scene. “Think of all the fun you’ll miss. You’ve got to step out of the box and learn to
love
the cold. I mean if you . . .” but before he could finish his sentence, I reached down and batted a handful of ice-cold ocean water at his back.

He froze. Immediately I worried he was mad, that I had crossed a line and ruined the night. When he finally spun around, his expression was unreadable, and I didn’t know what to think.

“All right, that’s it,” he said, a sinister smirk appearing on his face. Out of nowhere he sprang toward me, and I let out an instinctive scream as he chased me down the abandoned shore. I ran carelessly through the water, disregarding my wet feet and jeans. William’s laugh was close behind me as he tossed splashes my way.

I felt free, like a little kid again, breaking the unspoken rules of adulthood, and the laughter poured out of me uncontrollably. The carelessness gave me courage, and I turned to challenge my pursuer. I assumed a low crouching position and he mimicked—a standoff.

“You’re going to get it,” he threatened with a magnificent smile.

“We’ll see,” I returned, and the splashing frenzy began.

When our rolling laughter became too much, we fell onto the sand and sprawled out on our backs. Our bodies were drenched and tired as we let our heavy breath flow freely.

“You cold?” he asked through his breathing.

“Yeah,” I admitted.

“Worth it?”

I smiled. “Definitely.” The cold was chilling to the bone and made my body shake, but I didn’t care. William was right. Life was better when lived outside of my comfort zone.

“You still want to meet up with everyone?” he asked, turning to face me on the ground. His wet hair was dark and stuck to his face.

“Sure, let’s go,” I said with a new sense of encouragement.

“All right, it’s just up the beach. You won’t be able to see them until we pass through Nics’s shield, though,” he said getting up.

“Her shield?” I asked as he pulled me off the ground with impressive strength. “What exactly is her ability?”

“She’s descendant of Nyx, goddess of darkness or night. Really her power has more to do with manipulating light, though, which sometimes creates the illusion of darkness. That’s where the misconception comes from. It’s really useful when we want to hang out here.”

“Interesting,” I said, pondering the mechanics behind it. “Well, come on.”

“Also, just so you know,” he warned, “it’s a little strange passing through it. The shield, I mean. She creates a wall by extracting the light, and the blackness can be a little disorienting if you aren’t expecting it.”

“Isn’t a black wall kind of obvious to people we want to hide from?”

“Well, it’s invisible until you step through it.”

“So, how is it a shield if we can see through it?” I asked confused.

He laughed at my persistent interest, but answered my question.

“You can see what Nics wants you to see through it. She tells the light what to reflect through the shield, and what she doesn’t want others to see, like us, she tells the light not to reflect.”

“Sounds like a complicated ability.”

He smiled. “Yeah, but not to her.”

As we got closer to the invisible place we were seeking, I could hear voices in the distance, a mix of laughter and low garbled speech.

“So, it’s not sound proof then,” I realized.

“No,” he answered, “but we are pretty far out, nobody ever comes here.”

“They’re here,” I heard an unseen girl’s voice say as I stumbled into the pitch black. I inhaled sharply at the abruptness of it.

“You okay?” William asked from next to me. I could see nothing but solid black emptiness, not even myself.

“I think so,” I managed.

“Just keep walking straight. Here.” I felt his hand searching, and I let it find mine.

“Okay, how far is it?” I wondered aloud.

“Not far, about twenty feet.”

I walked slowly and carefully, trying not to trip over the sand. My eyes were closed as I let my focus drift to William’s warm sandy hand instead of the black abyss ahead of me. When we reached the edge of the wall, my eyes were still pinched tight, and William’s voice was the only indication that it was over.

“Okay, Elyse,” he chuckled, “open your eyes.”

As I did, I saw a girl coming to greet us. Her white smile was bright against her coffee black skin. She was beautiful, with a sporty physique and shoulder length dreadlocks that suited her well.

“Hi,” she said waving. “I’m Nicole, but everyone calls me Nics.” Her expression turned suddenly curious. “What happened?”

William and I looked at each other searching for the answer to her random question.

“Did you fall in?” she guessed, laughing at us.

“Oh,” William said as he realized we were soaking wet and covered in sand. “No we were just . . . she started it.”

“Hey,” said a tall, handsome guy approaching. His short blond hair was tousled, and his expressive face wore a wide smile.

“Sam?” I asked, remembering him as the one taking inventory back at the coffee shop.

“Yeah,” he said reaching his large hand to shake mine, his face full of energy and excitement. “Nice to finally meet you, Elyse.”

I blushed a little as he spoke my name, wondering if William had told him about me.

“You too,” I added.

I could see two other figures standing close to each other in the orange glow of a distant bonfire that had been burning wildly in the background. I wondered why they hadn’t come to meet us, but before I could ask, the two of them lifted off the ground floating in mid air. With the blink of an eye, the girl vanished, shrinking into a multicolored stream of shimmering light that zipped like a hummingbird in circular patterns around the guy—a moving rainbow. Despite his best efforts to catch the gleaming light in his hand, she continued to dart back and forth just out of reach. As she moved farther away from him, he took off soaring through the air to chase her, the two of them flying in spiral formation toward us.

“You can see why we need the shield,” William noted. I was glad to know that I wasn’t the only one blatantly staring at the couple.

As the rainbow stream drew nearer, she snapped back into her bodily form to land. The wavy locks of her blonde wind-whipped hair fell over her shoulders. She had a short voluptuous body that was thicker than most, but the curves were sexy and added to her classical beauty. The boy, who descended softly beside her, had a cap of black hair shaved close to his head and a short sturdy body that surpassed her in height just slightly.