The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) (17 page)

“What are you talking about, honey?” Sarah stood with the
smile still plastered to her face. “It’s okay, honey. You’re in control of your
powers now that you’re in ANDREI. And soon, we’ll be together again. You, me,
your father, and Jeanne.”

“I haven’t even seen Jeanne personally,” Charlie snapped at
her. “How do you know she will come with us?”

“Because we made the right choice,” Sarah said. “Because
fate brought you to this school so you can be reunited with her.”

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, the notebook falling from
her hands as she buried her face in them.
What’s happening?
She asked
herself.
Remember!
Charlie rubbed her eyes with her palms and when she
opened them, her bedroom turned to the white room she kept seeing in her
dreams. Something moved behind her and Charlie turned around to see her own
face staring back at her.

“Jeanne?” Charlie stepped towards her. “Jeanne, is that
you?” Tears filled her eyes as she moved closer, arms outstretched to the girl
in front of her. But instead of skin, her hand was met with cold smooth glass.
The confusion in her face was mirrored by Jeanne’s. Charlie stepped back. It
wasn’t a mirror; the reflection wasn’t following her every move. Instead, it
just stared at her quizzically.

“Jeanne?” Charlie said again. “Can you hear me, Jeanne?”
Charlie reached for the glass and banged her fists against it. “Jeanne!” She
hit the glass again, harder this time. The first crack appeared, and Charlie
aimed her fist at it once more. The crack branched out further and further.

“Don’t fight it,” a voice inside her head said. She looked
at Jeanne from the other side of the glass and watched her lips say again,
“Don’t fight.” But Charlie reeled back and charged at the glass with her
shoulder. She heard the glass shatter and drop, breaking into a million pieces.

And then, there was nothing. Charlie looked around, but the
space was empty and dark. “Jeanne?” She called out. “Mom!” Charlie lifted her
feet and ran, but the darkness stretched out and outran her. “Mom!” Charlie
screamed. Her feet gave in. She stumbled on the invisible ground and rolled.
There was nothing, there was no one.

Charlie breathed in and choked. She gave in to the tears.
Trapped in the eternal darkness, she curled on the floor in a fetal position.
Fear and despair buried her, and there was nothing she could do. I should have
done nothing at all from the start. If she had gone about her days in ANDREI
normally, maybe she could have still been reunited with Jeanne. Instead, she
tried to fight it all, and she was met with consequences she could not break
away from.

Fear is not a threat, a voice once told her. “Then, what is
the threat?” Charlie asked into the empty space. Was the threat the darkness
trying to swallow her whole and the hopeless journey she blindly chased?
Charlie looked up. Hopeless journey? She questioned that thought. But she had hope
moments before. She could move forward. With the information she discovered the
night before, there was hope!

Charlie pushed herself up from the darkness. There is hope.
Charlie knew more of the truth than she had a day ago. She knew about the
serum, the Andreians, about Jeanne and that she was nearby, and the growing
strength of her powers. “Wake up, Charlie. You may be more powerful than you
know.” Joshua had said that to her.

I have a shield. Charlie reminded herself. She focused all
her power into the darkness. If bending light was possible, she could bend the
darkness. Charlie’s eyes burned through the darkness, and a light peeked from
within. It disappeared after one second, but it was enough for Charlie to go
on. She closed her eyes and relaxed every fiber of her body while her mind
opened. She breathed, in and out, slowly. Footsteps reached her ears from
behind, growing nearer. Charlie imagined the person behind the footsteps. A
silhouette came closer to her with calm measured steps. Charlie opened her
eyes.

The light shone again. Charlie focused on its location. She
imagined it shining again, and it did. She closed her eyes once more and
pictured the light growing brighter. When she opened her eyes, she caught a
glimpse of a familiar figure standing in front of her. Jian. Charlie’s head
snapped up. Fighting the illusion, she imagined a force field around her, and
the invisible shield enveloping her body and mind. Pain shot through her head,
but she did not let it bring her down.

With one last push, Charlie let the force seal her mind. She
blinked and it was all over. The training room appeared before her eyes and the
overwhelming feeling of her triumph washed away her pain. She broke away from
Jian’s illusion; she’d managed to block it out.

Charlie searched for her opponent and found Jian alternately
shifting his weight. Charlie rushed to his aid as his body gave in. Charlie
sank to the floor, holding the young man on her lap. She looked around, wanting
to ask for help. But neither the students nor Instructor Ross were there. Her
eyes searched the wall on the far left. There was no board with the student’s
names posted. Charlie shook Jian, “Hey, are you okay? What happened?” He was
unresponsive. Charlie reached for the spot on his neck and felt the low pulse.

Lifting Jian up, Charlie forced her knees to carry both
their weights. She trudged on towards the door to find the only audience she
had. The smooth face of Amanda Pitt watched her with a knowing smile. Behind
her were the two guards, but they were different from the ones Charlie saw
earlier. Amanda turned to the men, “Will you please take the young man to the
infirmary?” The two guards hesitated for a moment but did as they were told.
They marched towards Charlie and she stepped back. “It’s all right, Charlie.
They will take Jian.” Amanda assured her, but Charlie wasn’t convinced. Though
retaliating wasn’t her best option, she let them lift the poor young man off
her shoulder.

Charlie fought the urge to keep Jian away from them. She
knew better than to trust the school faculty now. She believed all the students
were victims. But to take Jian would mean losing hope of saving Jeanne. After
moments of internal conflict, the door shut behind Jian and the guards, leaving
Charlie with Headmaster Amanda Pitt.

“That was impressive, Charlie,” Amanda commended her. Her
steps echoed across the training room as she walked towards Charlie. “I read
Jian’s records. His illusions are of great caliber. I’m surprised you managed
to defeat it.”

“I got lucky.” Charlie explained.

“Don’t be modest. I know hard work when I see it,” Amanda
said. Her smile was akin to that of a mother whose child came home with
straight A’s. But Charlie wouldn’t let herself fall prey to the woman’s
manipulation.

“I think my hard work is how long I survived his illusions.
The way I see it, Jian had exhausted himself before he managed to break me.
That’s why I defeated his illusions.” Charlie mirrored the smile Amanda gave
her, which displeased the woman.

“I see.” Amanda whispered to herself. She checked her
wristwatch. “You should rest, my dear. Your fellow students retreated to their
rooms on account of that prolonged match. You should do the same before dinner
is served.” Amanda squeezed Charlie’s shoulder gently before making her way to
the door. The door creaked open, but Amanda paused momentarily to tell Charlie,
“I appreciate you pushing your powers to their limits, Charlie. Keep it up.”
And with that, she disappeared.

Charlie wasn’t ready to face the army of teenagers over
dinner. She entered the cafeteria to pick up a sandwich and disappeared as
quickly as she possible. Walking along the lonely halls felt safer than being
in a room of puppets. She hurried to the dormitory, hoping to eat her dinner
while drawing out her plan. But her journey was cut short when a familiar
brunette appeared around the corner and touched her elbow.

“Hi, Charlie.” Natalia smiled at her. “Do you mind walking
with me to the garden?” Charlie was doubtful, but something in the way the
woman breathed suggested the urgency of her request. Charlie nodded and
followed Natalia out into the garden.

The moonlight shone beautifully on the pond water. Natalia
sat down on one of the larger stones and beckoned Charlie to do the same.
Before Charlie said anything, Natalia broke the silence. “Charlie, there’s
something I forgot to tell you during our training sessions.” Charlie opened
her mouth to speak but Natalia cut her words. “Emotions are very tricky things,
Charlie. They will not only relinquish your control over your powers, but over
your better judgment as well.”

Natalia met her eyes and Charlie saw determination and worry
in them. “I know what you’re trying to do, Charlie. And I know why. The problem
is, you’re being too reckless. Anyone can tell you’re up to something. It’s
only a matter of time before they find out what it is. Charlie, be careful.”
Without giving her a chance to ask for an explanation, Natalia stood and walked
back towards the main building, leaving the confused Charlie to digest her
words.

Charlie reached her empty room and felt a hint of fear,
remembering what Jian had showed her during training. Shaking off the paranoia,
Charlie pulled out her notebook and laptop while eating her sandwich as she
studied the information she currently held. Her session with Jian and Amanda’s
claim of his illusions to be impregnable only strengthened the possibility of
Charlie’s psychic shield. She had little control over it, but she knew it
existed. But to practice it was not going to be easy.

“...it’s only a matter of time before they find out…”
Charlie knew what Natalia was speaking of, but her question was how she knew.
Was she the one who gave me the DVD? What was her intention when she decided to
share it, then warn me not to do anything afterwards? She shook her head.
Natalia’s motives weren’t Charlie’s problem, she had a bigger matter at hand.

If people were growing suspicious, it meant Charlie had
little time to make her first move. Charlie spent another sleepless night
formulating her plan with only one clear goal in mind: I have to find my
sister.

The sun shone through the flimsy curtains in Madison's
bedroom. It was seven in the morning, but she tossed and turned, like she did
every morning before finally getting up. Sleep came as a mechanical routine to
pass time but had no added value. The past few days she’d felt fine, but it
seemed like the restlessness of the previous day finally caught up with her.
She corrected herself: she didn’t feel fine; she didn’t feel anything. It almost
came as a relief to feel something.

Opening her eyes, she saw a figure standing by her bedside.
Madison quickly sat up and narrowly missed hitting her head on the headboard.

The figure stepped into the light and Madison recognized who
it was. "Charlie?"

Charlie held both hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to scare you."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"I... a while."

Madison scratched her head. "What the hell are you
doing in my room?"

Given her history with Madison, Charlie did not expect this
to go well. In fact, she was prepared to have it the hard way if the girl
refused to agree peacefully to her request. "I need your help,
Madison."

"What for?" Madison clutched her chest. Charlie
was reminded that Madison was human, too. Looking at her, Charlie saw how
vulnerable she was. "Goodness, Charlie. You scared the bejesus out of
me."

"I said I'm sorry. It's not my fault you're
jumpy."

Madison's brows creased. "You're not so different from
her. In fact, you're just the same. They think you're all nice, but you are
exactly like Jeanne."

A bad taste rose up from Charlie's stomach. She wanted to
retaliate, but she needed assistance only Madison could give her. "I
really am sorry, Madison. I should've waited for you in the cafeteria. But I want
to ask something others shouldn’t hear."

Madison's eyes grew wide. "Look, I know it's not
allowed here at ANDREI, but I've used up my stash. I've been clean since last
month!"

"Stash? What stash?" Charlie asked. Madison
laughed nervously.

"Sorry. For a second there I thought you were talking
about my weed. I'm all out, just so we're clear."

Charlie stood there, dumbfounded, then laughed. For a second
she forgot about her purpose. She shrugged. "I'm not here for weed,
Madison. I'm here to ask your help."

Madison straightened up. "Help with what?"

"Help me look for Jeanne. Please."

"Jeanne is at the Advanced Training Center. She is now
under the National Security Agency's purview."

"I know, but I don't believe that."

At that point, Madison stiffened, the skin on her neck
stretched taut and her hands balled into fists.

"The American National Development, Research and
Education Institute is a school devoted to training superhuman individuals and
turning them into government operatives upon successful completion of the
program," Madison said mechanically. Charlie had heard the robot-like
response before, but she was determined to pierce through whatever it was that
held the girl in thrall.

"Madison, snap out of it!" Charlie raised her
voice three times higher and summoned the usual Madison who responded violently
to such. "You're not as mighty as you think. In fact, you're useless
without any superhuman around!"

Madison had yet to snap out of the trance so common among
the Andreians, save for Charlie. Then a force pushed her backwards, her head
meeting the wall behind her. Madison was herself after all. The only thing that
gave her away was the blank stare pasted on her face with eyes that bore
through Charlie's soul. With all the guts she could muster, Charlie lifted
Madison up in the air.

There was something poetic about seeing Madison only an inch
away from the ceiling, like a karmic force she created herself. But looking at
her, Charlie realized she didn't want revenge. She just wanted to find Jeanne.
Madison started kicking, recognition spreading across her face. "Put me
down," Madison commanded.

"Madison, please." Charlie approached her.
"Listen to me." Charlie fixed her eyes on Madison, willing her to
stop struggling and hear her out. After a few minutes of silence, the robotic
Madison suddenly reverted to her usual self and started shrieking.

"What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" She
struggled but when she saw how far she was from the floor she screamed,
"Oh my god! Put me down, you psycho!"

"Are you Madison again?"

"No, I'm Otto. Of course I'm Madison! Put me
down!"

Charlie slowly lowered Madison but kept her restrained.
"Help me find Jeanne, please."

"Okay, okay!" Charlie's psychic shield seem to be
working.

"But first, tell me about everything you know."

"Can you at least let me sit?!" Madison whined.

"Be my guest," Charlie pointed to the bed.

"I'm not going to run, okay? You're blocking the damn
door anyway!"

"You could easily copy my powers and throw me out of
the way."

"That'd be stupid, since you obviously know how to
protect yourself," she grumbled irritably.

"Okay, point made. Now tell me everything."

“Can you give me at least a minute to take everything in?”
Madison shouted.

“Please don’t shout. I’m sorry, it’s just we’re pressed for
time,” Charlie replied.

Madison sighed. "I came from Hands of Change, an
orphanage in Missouri. Nearing the age of majority, I was about to get thrown
out of the home. Then one day, these uniformed men came and in and got me out
of there. My initial reaction was fear, then relief, and then fear again when I
got to the lab."

Charlie nodded, prompting her to go on.

"When I got here, there were other kids. All orphans.
Jeanne was one of them. Feisty girl. I hated her guts, and she hated mine.
Suffice to say we didn't become friends. We spent two months getting fed,
clothed and sheltered, normal stuff. Just as I was getting comfortable, we were
told we had to go through this process called 'The Transition.’ Knew what the
word meant, didn't know what it meant to me and all the other kids."

"Turns out you were going to be injected," Charlie
butted in, remembering Joshua's claim.

Madison's forehead creased. “Don’t act like a know-it-all,
we’ve all gone through this.”

"Actually, no. I wasn’t injected. I was born with this,
whatever it is," Charlie said.

“What?” Madison said, perplexed.

“It’s a long story, one we do not have the time for right
now. Can you just tell me?” Charlie asked.

Madison eyed Charlie with suspicion but went on. "We
were injected with something that gave us whatever superhuman powers we have
now. I don’t know how or why we all have different powers, I just know that I
woke up the next day feeling like an idiot because my roommate, Vanessa, could
basically tell my entire life story by holding the stupid Pink Panther shirt I
was wearing.”

Charlie stared.

“What? I’ve had it with me since I was a kid. I obviously
didn’t gain a lot of weight,” Madison retorted.

“I wasn’t judging you,” Charlie commented. “What else
happened?”

“That was it. We went through the same process as you did
once we got to the school. Oh! I forgot something.”

“What?”

“When it was Jeanne’s turn to be injected, a commotion
occurred. We heard a loud explosion but the dudes in white coats reassured us
it was nothing to worry about. When we got to ANDREI, they told us that Jeanne
Weaver was sent off to some advanced facility. Jeanne wasn’t much of a
surprise. As much as I hated to admit it, she was pretty good even when we
were, how do you say this…normal. Lean and always on top of her game. But
Aaron? I didn't believe it. He couldn’t even lift a finger! But we all figured
it had to be his brains that took him the ATC. Kid was quiet but he sure
harbored some genius inside.”

"Is that all you know?"

"Yeah, is there anything more that you would like to
share?" Madison asked with a raised brow.

Charlie swallowed before answering. She couldn't wrap her
head around the explanation that she found but it made an awful lot of sense.
"I know this is going to sound nuts, but you've been controlled by Amanda
all along."

Madison erupted into boisterous laughter. Charlie was
reminded of the day when Madison laughed the same way the day Charlie broke the
window in her room. It took intense restraint not to flare up at the thought.
"Whatever do you mean, silly girl?" Madison teased.

"Alright then, let's put you to the test. Do you
remember what you did yesterday?" Charlie questioned.

"Of course!" Madison replied proudly.

"Okay, what did you do?"

The smile on Madison's face faded. "I ate..."

"That's too easy," Charlie dared.

"I... can't remember." Madison huffed out a breath
and mumbled to herself. “Why can’t I remember?”

"Now do you see what I mean?"

“This hasn’t happened before! What’s changed?” Madison
asked.

“Amanda must’ve known that I wasn’t affected, so she
reinforced it,” Charlie replied.

“What do you mean by ‘it’?”

"I'm not certain yet, but I know it involves superhuman
powers like the ones we have," Charlie opined.

"I knew something was off with that bitch! How in the
world was she able to do that?"

“I don’t know.”

"That's some serious stuff right there, Charlie. We
need to get out of here ASAP," said Madison.

"We can't leave yet. We have to get Jeanne first."

"But she's at the ATC. We have to leave ANDREI before
we start looking for her."

"Remember what you said about Aaron? That he was sent
to the ATC with my sister?"

"Yeah?"

"Aaron is dead."

"What? That's a foul, Charlie. Don't joke like
that," Madison warned. Sometimes Charlie forgot Madison had feelings for
other people aside from herself. In the midst of everything, it was comforting
to know that there was at least a bit of humanity left in her adversary.

"I do not joke about serious matters like death,
Madison," Charlie replied firmly. "I saw Aaron's files in the lab. He
died shortly after you entered ANDREI."

"Holy..."

"I saw Jeanne's files, too. It didn't indicate she's at
the ATC. It makes me think that maybe the ATC doesn't really exist. That my
sister is just in the building."

"Hey, slow down! Just because her file doesn't say
anything, doesn't mean she's here."

"It doesn't mean she's not, either. Please, Madison,
help me find her."

"Your sister and I don't exactly get along."

"You don't have to get along, I'll do most of the work.
I just need you to mimic my powers so we're twice as strong. That would
increase our chances of escaping."

"And what if I said no?"

Charlie had known this question would come up, and she had
an answer prepared. "You don't have much of a choice, Madison. Without
another superhuman, your powers are inutile."

“If my powers are ‘inutile’,” Madison mimicked Charlie for
using a big word. “Why would you need me?”

"So you're going to come with me?"

“No, I’m going without you!” Madison retorted.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Madison was being difficult, and
Charlie had no choice but to resort to other means. “Okay, if you’re not gonna
help me, then by all means. Once I leave, you can go back to being a puppet for
this institute.”

Madison was silenced, her eyes wide at Charlie’s threat.
After some though, she said in defeat. "Yeah, sure. I'm all for suicide
missions anyway,"

Charlie walked towards Madison and hugged her. Madison
wriggled out of Charlie's embrace. “Enough, enough. Just keep one thing in mind:
escape."

"Deal," Charlie said. They shook hands. "I'll
meet you here tonight. You'll have to subject yourself to Amanda's mind control
thing again."

"What?" Madison looked scared. "Do I really
have to go out there? I’ll pretend I’m sick."

"We can't arouse suspicion, Madison. I promise to help
you snap out of it later."

"Okay," Madison said hesitantly. Charlie was
almost at the door when Madison called her.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave me, okay?"

Charlie faced her full-on, looking her in the eye. "I
won't."

She went to the training room and Madison arrived shortly
after. Fortunately, the girls were paired off for sparring practice. Madison
had that blank look again but when Charlie faced her and focused her energies
on her partner, Madison was released once again.

As they started the session, Charlie reminded: "Act
normal.”

"Okay, okay," Madison said and they heard
Instructor’s signal to go. The two girls assumed their stance. It was Charlie
who first made her move and had an arm around Madison’s neck.

"I have a copy of the building’s blueprint. We’ll use
that to find our way," she told Madison in a hushed voice.

"Where did you get the blueprints?" Madison made a
play of prying off Charlie’s arm from her shoulder.

"Someone slipped it under my door," Charlie said.

Madison crouched forward, pulling Charlie’s weight with her,
flipping her over and onto her back. When Madison leaned forward to face
Charlie, she looked uneasy. "Are you sure we can trust the source? It may
be a trap." In a softer voice, she added, "I should know. That's what
I would do."

Charlie rolled to her side and swung a leg around Madison’s
knee. The tables were turned and Charlie had Madison pinned to the floor. She
said, "I think I know who sent this, but I don't want to jump to conclusions.
Do not fret; we're stronger together. We can handle this, because if this is a
trap, it's expecting only one telekinetic to go to these locations. You are
your own weapon, Madison. Keep that in mind."

"Okay," Madison said. "Look, I'm not an
honest person but if you expect me to be of use, you need to know how I
feel."