Project ELE (23 page)

"Yes, I help him here on occasion. I've had access to this lab since before this shelter opened its doors."

"But you think he might be hiding something here?" I ask.

"You never know. We needed a place to start." He heads over to one of the lab tables and grabs a needle and a few vials. "Plus, I want to take some blood samples." He brings the needle over to me and grabs my arm.

I yank it back from him. "I don't think so!" I stare back and forth at his eyes and then at the needle.

"What's your problem; scared of a little ol' needle?" He prods.

I roll my eyes. "No but I don't really see the point in you taking my blood. After all, who exactly will be able to process the blood work? Don't tell me you know how to do that too."

"I actually do. I know someone who is better at it than I am though and I was going to ask for their help." He gently grabs my arm again. I look up into his eyes as he adds, "It will be fine. I will have them look at mine too and won't tell the person who the samples belong to."

I don't jerk my arm back this time for some strange reason so he takes that as a sign of my compliance. He swabs my arm with alcohol and applies a tourniquet to my upper arm. Slowly, he sticks the needle in and I watch as my blood fills the vial. He takes three different tubes worth of blood then labels them with a letter A. He grabs a new needle and three new vials, then repeats the process on himself. He labels those with the letter B.

"So, who are you going to ask to help?"

"I think the less you know about that, the better." Zack disposes the needles and then carefully puts the vials in his satchel.

I have a strong suspicion that he's keeping something from me but I don't push it. I can tell that he's not going to give me a name and the way I see it, it doesn't really matter. We could use any information we can get our hands on and frankly I'm mighty curious to find out if anything unique shows up in our blood samples.

"Can you think of anything at all that could have triggered the beginning of your abilities?" Zack asks.

I know that it all started when we were in the cave. I don't know if it was the water or possibly something in the cave that ignited it. I can't tell Zack about it though because then I'd have to disclose our secret place and tell him whom I was with. "I really can't think of anything out of the ordinary that would have brought it on. How about you? When did you start displaying the um, symptoms?"

He seems annoyed that I directed the question back at him. "It's been a little while now." He answers vaguely.

"And did you do anything unusual that could have sparked the change?" I ask.

He answers a little too quickly, "No, not that I know of."

I guess that's how it's going to be. We will both keep our secrets. This will make it harder to draw a connection to whatever ignites the abilities, but I don't yet feel like I can trust Zack with this information.

We hear a beeping sound on the other side of the keypad as numbers are being typed in.

"Crap, hide Willow." Zack runs to the door.

I look around frantically trying to find a hiding spot. Zack gets under a desk and looks at me with worried eyes as the door lock clicks. I'm still standing there out in the open. Zack seems to be looking right through me as the door opens and Dr. Hastings walks in.

I find myself frozen in place, like in one of those horrible dreams where you are paralyzed by fear and can't move. My heart starts pounding so loudly that I am sure Dr. Hastings will hear it before his eyes lock onto me.

Dr. Hastings closes the door and stares right through me before heading to his computer.

What? He looked right past me as if I weren't here. I look down at myself and realize that I've gone invisible. I don't know how I did it, but even my clothing all the way down to my shoes has disappeared with me. I would assume that anyone who went invisible would be able to at least see their own bodies even if others can't. That's not the case though. I hold my arm out in front of my eyes, which work just fine despite the invisibility. I can feel my arms and even feel the muscles that I use to lift them but I can't physically see them. Cool!

I tiptoe over to check on Zack. He's pretty well hidden under the desk and he's running his hand through his blonde hair out of worry. I head over to check out what Dr. Hastings is up to. I walk by one of the lab tables and accidentally nock over a small test tube. I cringe as it rolls off of the table and crashes onto the floor.

I stand frozen in place as Dr. Hastings turns and looks directly at me. He starts walking towards me and I open my mouth to explain but I close it quickly when he reaches the table, bends down, picks up the test tube and sets it back in its place. He looks around a little then heads back to his computer.

I follow him, careful this time not to knock anything over. I steal a peak over his shoulder. The screen is full of a whole bunch of nonsense that looks like a mathematical equation. He types in some sort of formula before he logs off. He turns around so suddenly that I have to jump out of the way to keep from having him run smack dab into me. I hold my breath while he slowly makes his way out of the lab. I breathe a sigh of relief once we are in the clear.

Zack calls out, "Willow?"

There's a decision to be made here. I could show him yet another newfound power of mine or I could hide it. I decide on the latter. I crouch down behind the lab table and focus my mind on making myself visible again. I stare at my arm, which slowly comes into focus. Once I check that all my limbs are present and accounted for, I jump up from behind the lab table. "Wow, that was close!" I say wiping my forehead dramatically.

"Yeah, I think we should leave now." He says. If he suspects something, he gives nothing away.

I nod my head and follow him out of the lab.

“So,” I say while leaning back on my heels. “I guess I better take off. My friends are probably wondering where I’m at.”

I watch to gage Zack’s reaction but he seems calm, a little too calm if you ask me. “Sounds good,” he replies. “I guess I’ll see you next week…same time, same place?”

I nod my head in response and turn to leave. I pull out my tablet and text Alec to find out where he is. I'm surprised when he immediately texts back and says he’s in the library. I didn't expect him to have his tablet on him since he made plans to go to the cave today with Connor and Claire.

I prod him a bit by text as I walk towards the library and find out that he felt too much like a third wheel and begged out on the practice day. Once again I feel that guilt make its way back up into my heart knowing that I very well could have joined them.

A few moments later, I find Alec sitting in the corner of the library on one of the couches reading a book. He has several stacks of reference material surrounding him. Curiosity gets the best of me as I saunter over. He doesn’t see me approach so I place my hands over his eyes. “Guess who?” I ask playfully.

A smile creeps from his lips. Suddenly he grabs my arms and pulls me down in a cradled position in his lap. He envelops me in a way-to-passionate-kiss-for-public, but I don’t care. His lips are warm and inviting and I melt into his arms. All too quickly he releases the embrace and sets me in the seat beside him. I blush as I see an audience of people staring at Alec and me. I turn my attention back to Alec and peak at the book he has propped open in his lap.

"Whoa, your eyes are back to normal." Alec stares at me amazed.

I am startled at first before I remember the contacts. "Oh, I found some contacts." I say.

"You found contacts?" He asks.

"Um, well, more so I stole contacts." I hate lying because when you tell one lie you end up having to tell a hundred lies. "I saw them in another girls satchel. She was at the community service. I took them."

"What? Did she notice?" He asks looking worried.

"No, I don't think so." I let my hair fall back in front of my eyes feeling extremely uncomfortable. I switch subjects as fast as possible. "So, today I went invisible."

He gives me a stunned expression. "Like Claire invisible?"

I nod my head. "Yep, it's crazy right?"

"It's cool. I mean, I have absolutely no idea how you are picking up multiple gifts, but I think it's pretty awesome." He says sincerely.

"I'm not sure how awesome it really is. It's going to take a little getting used to. I'm turning into something straight out of an X-Men comic book and I have no idea how or why."

"Those X-Men girls are pretty hot so you would fit in quite nicely." He studies me from head to toe and whistles.

I can't help but blush. Averting the attention I ask quickly, “Whatcha reading?”

It looks like a bunch of tables and diagrams, definitely not a ‘for pleasure’ kind of read. He pinches the bridge of his nose. He must have been at this for a while. His eyes show strain with small bags forming beneath them.

I reach over and grab his hand in mine and give it a squeeze. He kisses the top of my head before talking. “I’m just trying to figure out what is causing all of us to exhibit these ‘abilities’ if that’s what you call them. I’ve been in here most of the morning studying the vaccinations over the past few years. I’m going over the research but it’s written so scientifically that I have to use a dictionary to even be able to read the manuscripts. It seems like I’ve been here forever and am getting nowhere, like I’m walking in circles.”

I give his hand another squeeze. “I might have something that may help and it may not, I’m not sure. I found this while doing my community service today.” I feel so guilty for lying to Alec, but I feel if I tell him the truth I may endanger him. Lord only knows what Zack is capable of doing. That single thought sets me on edge. I move to my satchel and pull out the stapled papers I swiped back at the lab and hand them to Alec.

Alec takes them from me and looks them over flipping the pages back and forth. “Do you know what this is?” Alec asks me. His tone is one of wonderment and awe.

I shake my head. “I didn’t know what it was, but I picked it up because my dad’s name was listed on the front page. I guess my curiosity got the best of me.” I shrug my shoulders trying to make it seem like no big deal. Alec continues to flip the pages back and forth.

Finally, after several minutes of flipping, he turns to me. “These are the vaccinations records…I think,” he whispers. "You found these?" He studies me.

I nod my head and he seems to believe me. What reason does he have to think I'm lying after all? Great, another knock out delivered to me by my good old friend: guilt.

I furrow my brow and change the subject. “Okay, so what is the significance?” I haven’t been able to connect the pieces yet, but it looks as if Alec has already done just that.

He gives me a polite, excited smile. “If you flip through these pages you can see that not everyone received the same vaccine. Do you have a pen?” He asks flippantly.

I dig into my satchel and find a pen. “Here,” I say and hand it to him.

He removes the staples from the paper and begins scanning the list again. He circles his name, Connor, Claire and my name on the list. The numbers next to each of our names apparently indicates the type of vaccination we received upon arrival. We all have different numbers next to our names. He looks up at me. “I’m not sure if that makes sense. If the vaccinations are to blame for our abilities, then why do you have multiple abilities?”

I shrug my shoulders. “It’s over my head. I can’t seem to make the connection.”

Alec runs his hands over his face thinking intently. “You only got the one vaccine right?”

I scan my mind looking for the answer. I only remember them giving me the one vaccine…and then my brain makes a connection I hadn’t made before. My face goes pale as the blood drains from it.

Alec gives my shoulder a slight shake. “Willow, what’s wrong?”

I take a few deep breaths preparing myself for the explanation to follow. “When I was first in the exam room, after I had got the vaccination I went into my brother’s room. He was rejected,” I say barely above a whisper. Alec pulls me into a hug and urges me to continue. “I couldn’t bear the thought of them possibly giving the red shot to my baby brother so I took the red serum syringe and hid it in my hospital gown. The thought of that shot getting into the wrong hands….it just scared me.” I take a deep breath and continue finding comfort in Alec’s touch. “After we went to the dressing room I had to change into the new clothes; the lady startled me and I ended up poking myself with the needle. I wasn’t sure if any of the serum got into me but it very well could have. Even just a trace amount.” I breathe a sigh of relief. "It feels really good to be able to share that burden with someone else. I guess at the time it scared me so much I didn’t want to tell anyone. I thought that if I didn’t speak or think about it, it would just go away. Really though, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, but that’s my best guess."

I watch Alec’s face as he contemplates what I just said. His eyes crinkle as he tries to piece the situation together. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad the red serum didn’t harm you like they said it would. The thought of not having you in my life is unbearable. You make this…” he looks to the air to find the words. “…this shelter that we live in, this situation we have been placed in, much more enjoyable. I find it exceptionally exciting when you’re around. It’s like you breathe life into me, allowing me to relax and let go. Let go of any worries or anxieties that I have and just…just be.”