The Mind Readers (24 page)

“Because he has something
different blocking his thoughts, something man-made.” She continued down a
narrow hall, pausing outside a thick, steel door. Not completely like Maddox’s
cell. This door had a window. I stood on tiptoe and peeked through the glass,
but whatever was on the other side was concealed with darkness.

“Move.” Olivia nudged me aside
with a pointy elbow and then punched in a code at yet another keypad. Vaguely I
was aware that whatever was in there must have been important. There was a
click as the door unlocked. Such a soft sound, yet my pulse hammered madly.
Quietly, she pushed the door wide.

“Where are we?” I whispered.
Narrow windows lined the tops of the walls, too high to see out of, but
allowing moonlight to filter into a long, large room.

But Olivia didn’t answer and for
one moment, we just stood there. Maybe she was waiting for my eyes to adjust,
maybe she wasn’t sure how to explain, or maybe she regretted her actions.
Whatever her deal, it was too late. Shadows morphed into objects. Objects
became small beds lined along the perimeter of the room. And little forms
huddled on the beds were obviously children. Small children under blankets,
children fast asleep. The soft sound of deep, even breathing was the only noise
in the dorm…or orphanage…whatever it was.

Olivia started forward and so I
followed, my shoes thumping eerily against the linoleum. “Who are they?” I
demanded in a harsh whisper.

“Children with powers,” Olivia
whispered back. “Children like us.”

Caroline. I froze. I could have
sworn for one brief moment my heart stopped beating. Shock held me immobile.
Children like us. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been
this. There were at least twenty kids in this room, Olivia and I not included.

My little tour guide continued
down the aisle. I hurried after her, frantic to understand. “Olivia, explain!”

“That girl there.” She pointed
to the first bed on the right like a flight attendant pointing out exits. “She
can cause people to feel pain. Real, horrible, physical pain.”

My stomach clenched.

“And that boy,” She pointed
toward the left, indicating a small bundle of a child who couldn’t be more than
six. “He can make you think you see things that aren’t really there.”

She pointed toward Caroline, who
slept soundly curled into a tight ball, her long blonde hair glimmering under
the light of the moon. “She—”

“Okay,” I whispered furiously
and latched onto her arm, forcing her to pause in the middle of the room.
“Enough. I get it.” But I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand anything and
frankly I was tired of being the stupid one in class. How could these children
be here without me knowing? Shouldn’t I have heard yelling? Laughter?
Something! But all I’d heard was crying. I pressed my hands to my stomach, the
room fading, the world fading.

Crying. All those times I’d
heard that eerie sound at night, those times Aaron had brushed off my questions
by saying it was merely the wind. Crying. Frightened, little children kept
under lock and key.
  

“He kept them quiet. He didn’t
want you to know right away. He was afraid you’d think it was weird.” Olivia
took that strand of hair between her lips and watched me as she chewed, waiting
for my response.

He thought it would be weird? It
was beyond weird. It was creepy. Deep breath in, deep breath out. I tried to
calm my racing heart. “How did they get here? Did their parents die? Were their
parents murdered?”

“No,” she said, shaking her
head.

“Then how?” I swiped my damp
hands on my sweats. “Did their parents send them here to learn how to use their
powers? Is this like a school of some sort?”

She shook her head again.

Frustrated, I resisted the urge
to yell at her. “Olivia,” I snapped, my voice harsh. I glanced around, to make
sure they still slept. None of them stirred; they were like little statues.
“How did they get here?”

She lowered the lock of hair
from her mouth, her large dark eyes looking directly at me. “He took them.”

Chapter 18

I was trembling when I made my
way back to my room. An icy chill had settled deep within my bones and I
couldn’t seem to get warm. Olivia was nuts, right? Surely Aaron hadn’t taken
innocent children from their beds. Stolen them from their families. Olivia had
made it up, just as she’d made up other things. I jerked open my top dresser
drawer and pushed aside my socks and underwear.

Where had I left my cell phone?

Maybe I should ask Lewis about
the children. No, I should demand the truth, not ask. But would he tell me?
Frustrated, I grabbed my purse off the nightstand and emptied the contents onto
my bed. Chapstick, wallet, gum. No phone. .
 

I paused, in the middle of the
room, and took a deep breath in, out, like Aaron had taught me. Thoughts of the
man made me sick. I wrapped my arms around my belly and sank onto the edge of
the bed. I didn’t want to be in a place where I didn’t know who was good and
who was bad. I wanted to be home. So maybe I wasn’t going to buy her a mug with
World’s Best Grandma anytime soon, but at least at home I’d never felt so
confused, so scared.

Grandma might have been wrong in
keeping the truth from me, but I knew without a doubt she had my best interest
at heart. With Aaron, even with Lewis, I had a feeling they’d give me up in an
instant if it would help the mission. They were determined and no one would
stop them or get in their way, certainly not me.

I sniffed as a tear slipped down
my cheek.

I had to call Grandma and
hopefully she would answer. She could pick me up at the ferry dock on the
mainland. Somehow I’d leave here, whether I snuck out, which I’d prefer as the
coward in me couldn’t face Lewis and Aaron, or if I had to, demand that they
take me to the harbor.

I was going home.

I pulled open my bedroom door
and made my way into the hall. It was almost dawn. Grandma would still be
sleeping but hopefully she’d answer. When I moved by Lewis’s room, I made sure
my mental wall was up. I forced myself not to pause, not even to think about
him. I’d die if he heard my thoughts and woke up. I couldn’t face him, not now.
If I saw him, I might not have the courage to leave.

The house was still and dark and
silent. No crying this morning. I couldn’t help but think of those children
downstairs, locked away like animals. Did their parents miss them? Were they
afraid? Some were so young. And I thought about myself, when I was five and I’d
been dropped off at Grandma’s, a person I hadn’t even met until that day. How
afraid I’d been. How terrified. It wasn’t right; these children were here
without their families. Yet, what could I do?

The kitchen was empty. No Olivia
having her late night snack. I reached for the phone, slid down the wall,
sitting on the floor, my back against the cold wall. With trembling fingers I
dialed Grandma’s number.

Nothing happened. No dialing
tone, no beep, nothing.

I hung up and tried again.

Nothing.

A floor board creaked. My heart
slammed against my ribcage. Fear fought with panic. Gripping the phone to my
chest, I fell to my knees and crawled behind the island counter in the middle
of the kitchen. Crouching low, I leaned against the counter and held my breath.

Soft footsteps thudded through
the room…closer….closer.

“Cameron?”

Aaron’s voice jolted through me.
I surged to my feet and bit back my scream. He stood against the island, his
arms folded over his chest. How long had he been there? I couldn’t read his
face in the darkness and didn’t know if he was angry.

“I…I missed my Grandma and
wanted to call her.” True enough.

“Why?” He moved around the
island counter, coming closer to me. I had to resist the urge to dart behind
the barrier. “She’s done nothing for you.”

The moonlight coming in through
the windows hit his face. He’d changed from sweats and t-shirt and was wearing
gray slacks and a button up black shirt, his hair combed neatly into place as
if nothing had happened last night. As if he was up this early every morning,
dressed, ready to take on the world, ready to steal more children.

“I wouldn’t say nothing.” I
certainly saw the irony in the fact that I was suddenly defending Grandma.
“She’s kept me safe all this time. Besides, she’s family. My only family.”

He rested perfectly manicured
hands on the countertop. “We’re your family, Cameron.”

More irony. How I’d pathetically
dreamt of Aaron being my dad and now…now I didn’t even want him as a friend.

I felt the slightest push inside
my head. So slight that before I wouldn’t have noticed it. My insides froze. He
was trying to read my mind. Testing the barrier to see if I’d put up that wall.
I forced my lips to lift, my face to remain passive.

“I know you’re my family,” I lied.
“But…” I shrugged with a nonchalance I sure as heck didn’t feel. “I’ve lived
with her most of my life. It’s normal to miss her, isn’t it?”

I waited for his answer, waited
to see if he’d buy my logic, prayed he would.
 

He smiled and still I wasn’t sure
if I should be nervous or relieved. “I understand.”

Relieved. Definitely relieved.
“But, umm, anyway, the phone doesn’t seem to be working.” I replaced the phone,
hoping he didn’t notice the way my hand trembled. “And I can’t find my cell.”

“Hmm,” he glanced briefly at the
phone, then back to me. “Well, the winds must have done damage somewhere on the
island. Besides, it’s late and you’ve been busy tonight.” He smiled. It seemed
genuine. I didn’t buy his friendliness in the least. “I know about your visit to
the dorm. Olivia told me.”

That didn’t make sense. Why
would Olivia tell him when it would make her guilty? Unless she’d twisted the
facts. “Sorry,” I muttered, watching him closely. “I thought I’d seen a little
girl when I’d first arrived.”

He placed his arm around my
shoulders, his golden hair silver in the moonlight. My entire body went cold.
As he led me out of the kitchen, I had to resist the urge to shrug him off. “I
try to help as many children as I can. It’s impossible to turn them away when
they have nowhere to go.”

I nodded, all the while
wondering if he was lying. Or was Olivia the liar? Someone wasn’t telling the
truth. I didn’t question him further; it would only make me look suspicious. My
goal at the moment was to get as far away from him as possible.
 

We strolled into the main foyer.
He’d turned on the lights and it added a soft glow to the area. “I’m sure,” he
continued, giving my shoulders a little squeeze, “your grandmother would
appreciate you waiting until the sun rises to call her.”

I forced myself to smile. “Yeah,
sure.”

“And of course if you don’t find
your cell, we’ll get you another one.”

Of course he would. Why didn’t I
buy that in the least? We paused at the bottom of the steps. “Okay, thanks.”

He was smiling, but it didn’t
reach his eyes. “Good night, Cameron.”

I could feel his gaze burning
into my back as I made my way up the stairs. I didn’t dare look over my
shoulder, but kept my gaze straight ahead, even as my heart hammered madly in
my chest.

In the hall, I didn’t bother to
look at Lewis’ door. I was too hurt. Only ten more steps… ten more steps to
relative safety. I pushed open my door and closed it tightly behind me.

“Cameron?” a soft voice
whispered through the darkness.

I jerked my head toward the bed.
A small shape was huddled on the mattress, her knees tucked to her chest, that
white nightgown glowing. “Caroline?”

She sniffed, like she’d been
crying.

My nerves lurched. “What is it?
What’s wrong?”

“Can I… can I sleep with you?”

My heart melted. Thank God it
was dark, I didn’t want her to see the tears. “Yeah, sure.” I tried to keep my
voice light, calm, but truth was I needed the comfort of another person as much
as she did.

“Move over.” I shoved her
playfully and pulled back the cover. How many times had I wished for a sibling
to share secrets with? But at the moment I wished she was anywhere but here.
She didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve this.

I lay down and she cuddled next
to me. I threw my mental wall up. She wouldn’t know what I was really feeling.
I wouldn’t frighten her even more. Biting my lower lip, I refused to let my
tears fall.

“I miss my mom,” she whispered.

I squeezed my eyes shut, the
tears I’d been trying to keep at bay raced down my cheeks. “I know.” I didn’t
say anymore. I didn’t need to. She understood how I felt. I understood her.

There were three things I knew
for sure. One, I could no longer trust Aaron. Two, I wasn’t any safer here than
I’d been at home. Three, I knew, without a doubt, I had to escape as soon as I
could.

********

“What are you doing?”

I didn’t bother to look up from
my suitcase; I knew Lewis’s voice well by now. I’d woken this morning to find
Caroline gone and perhaps it would be easier this way. I didn’t want her to see
me leave. After all, I couldn’t exactly take her with me, could I?

Lewis was angry, and a little
surprised. The sun was up, had been for a few hours and my outlook had changed.
With the brilliant rays of the sun, I felt stronger, more sure of what I had to
do. But I still feared that if I actually looked Lewis in the eyes, I’d
completely fold. “I’m packing.”

“For what?”

“Aren’t you the one who said I
should leave?” Finally, I looked up at him.

The light coming in from the
windows highlighted his brown hair, making it shimmer. He was paler than
normal, dark circles under his blue eyes. He’d slept about as well as I had. My
gaze dropped to his lips. For a moment my heart lurched, remembering the few
kisses we’d shared. But there would be no more. I forced myself to look away.