Melancholia

  Jasmine sat up straighter. “Are you serious? What was all that shit about losing his chick numbers?”

  “Smoke screen, I guess. Isn’t that what you would’ve done?”

  “Yeah, but I have training. Kootch is just … Kootch.”

  “Kootch is a guy who’s got your back, that’s who Kootch is.” I stood, feeling just a little bit better about our situation. “He’ll find a way to get your dad and get some people out here to find us.”

  “There’s no tracker on the car. I made sure of it. I didn’t want any mole following us to your final destination.” She dropped her head again. “Why oh why did this have to happen like this? You’re apart from Rae … I’m apart from Kootch. None of this was supposed to happen.”

  “Yeah. We’re apart,” I said, something niggling the back of my mind.

  Jasmine lifted her head. “You don’t sound all that upset about it.”

  “I’m not. I mean, I am, but right now, I’m kind of not.” I grinned at her.

  “What’s so funny? Are you losing your last bit of sanity right now? Am I watching you actually go insane in front of me?” She stood up slowly.

  “No. Think about it, Jasmine. Jazzy Butts. Rae and I are apart.” I walked around the table and stood next to her, waiting for her to figure out what I was telling her. The idea was blooming like a great big firework flower in my head.

  She turned to face me. “You’re apart.”

  “Yeah. We’re apart. I’m in here, and she’s way over somewhere else.” I reached out and took one of her hands in mine, covering it with my other hand until it was totally enclosed. “Do you feel me, dog?”

  She frowned, looking down at my hand. “If you put my hand on your dick right now, I’m going to punch you in the head.”

  I laughed. “No, dummy. That’s not what I meant. Can you feel me?”

  She stared at our hands for a few seconds and then looked up at me. I could tell the moment she got my drift when the smile moved across her lips.

  “Ooohhhhh, can I feeeeel you. I get it. No, as a matter of fact, I can’t feel you.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “And why’s that, I wonder…?”

  “Because I’m a Neutral, that’s why.” Her grin went from ear to ear. “But I’ll bet none of those other fuckers are.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “Time to get all touchy feely with the natives,” I said.

  She pulled away and started doing a bad imitation of an eighties dance all over the room, singing her new and improved lyrics to the tune of Olivia Newton John’s Let’s Get Physical.

  “Let’s get miserable, miserable … I wanna get miserable … let’s get into miserable … lemme see your body shock, your body shock … lemme see your body shock …”

  Chapter Forty-One: Rae

  “WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?” I asked, following behind Helen and keeping pace with her bodyguard or whatever he was. Sexy suit guy. I was scared and worried for my friends, but that didn’t make me blind. I don’t know why I’d thought he was bland earlier. Or fat? Boring? Able to disappear? Hell-to-the no way. Crap. This man could have been on the cover of a magazine. Helen must like the idea of having pool boys as assistants. I found it hard not to steal glances at him or even stare openly, he was that attractive. Wowza.

  “We were just in the middle of a meeting with our benefactors. It’s a perfect opportunity for them to meet you and see what their money is accomplishing for the cause.” She lowered her voice to a condescending tone. “They do so love to talk about their ROI.”

  We went down several hallways and through two doors before arriving at our destination. Helen turned to face me and her expression went mean, all the fake niceness melting away. “Do what you’re told when you’re told to do it, and your friends will live. Deny me or give me any problems and they won’t, it’s that simple. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, my blood frozen in my veins. She was serious.

  “Don’t mistake my calm demeanor for lack of dedication. I care nothing for those outside my sphere, and that’s where your friends live. They’re not even on the same planet as far as I’m concerned.” She smiled so sweetly, I almost believed she was happy. “And just in case you were curious about how they’d die … let’s just say … it won’t be pleasant or quick. Do you get what I mean, dear?”

  I nodded again, this time having to work very hard at not throwing up on her pink silk blouse and perfectly tailored lady-suit. I completely believed what she was saying. She had the glint of insanity staring out at me from her eyes, and it was only getting worse the longer she was near me. She was definitely not a Neutral.

  She pushed open the double wood doors and beamed at me over her shoulder before facing the men around the table. “Good evening, gentleman. Please allow me to interrupt for just a brief moment while I introduce our honored guest.” She turned and held out her hand towards me. “This is Rae Livingston, the Influencer you’ve heard so much about. She’s just recently been released by her handler to join us here at the compound.”

  An old man with a big stomach looked me up and down, his second and third chins resting on his chest, his neck nowhere in sight. “This is the Livingston project? Why is she here? She’s not ready yet, is she?” He sounded worried.

  “We decided it was time to put some of our plans in motion, and yes, she’s ready.” She looked back at me, her expression warning me not to correct her version of events.

  “Are you sure? She looks too young,” said another man, this one about a decade younger and not as big in the middle.

  “We’ll do some fine tuning after we’ve done some testing with her, but I’m confident everything will go very smoothly. She’s highly motivated to help us, aren’t you, Rae?”

  She lifted an eyebrow at me, waiting for my answer. Her threat was clear.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice catching in my throat, cutting the word off halfway. Nobody seemed to care. They all shifted their attention to Helen.

  “Everything is ready for the green light,” Helen continued, her gaze sweeping the room. “You just need to make your final investments and we’ll be ready to execute.” She walked around the table, gesturing for me to follow her. “As you can see, her influence is quite powerful. I can already feel the effects. Can’t you?” She looked around the table, staring at all twelve men one at a time, nodding her head slightly.

  I looked at them too. The tell-tale Rainbow magic was doing its thing. Wrinkled foreheads were going smooth, lips were turning up at the corners, and folded arms were dropping down onto chair arms.

  “I can feel it,” said another younger man. He looked like a banker. His suit seemed painted on, it fit so perfectly. “Is it a good idea for her to be in here with us?”

  Helen waved his concerns away with a flick of her hand. “Of course it is. She’s perfectly harmless …” She paused for effect, “…unless we don’t want her to be.” She grinned triumphantly. “Get out your checkbooks, gentleman. We have a mission to fund.”

  Several of the men looked at one another, whispering amongst themselves. Helen turned to face me, her expression going serious as she moved closer and closer. When she was so near that I started to feel like I should back up, she spoke. Only I could hear her, her voice was so low.

  “Do you see the man with the blue handkerchief in his suit pocket?”

  I looked around the table until my gaze landed on the fat man. I nodded at her. “Yes.”

  “Send him a jolt of your energy.”

  I frowned at her. “What?”

  “If you want your friends to walk out of here alive, you’ll send a bolt of energy into that man over there, and you’ll do it now.”

  “That’s not how it works,” I said, desperate that she believe me. “I can’t shoot it out like a laser beam!”

  “Then get close to him. Do what you do, but get him happy.” She pushed me a little, pinching my skin in the process. It was definitely on purpose.

  I walked slowly around the ta
ble, staring at the old man as I went. I needed to get him smiling or Malcolm and Jasmine would be gone forever. I was pretty sure I could trust Helen to kill when she said she’d kill; she was that kind of person. Please, God, please let this work. Stopping when I was behind him, I slowly snaked my hand around his chair and rested it on his shoulder.

  Chapter Forty-Two: Malcolm

  JASMINE BANGED ON THE DOOR and started yelling. I was lying on the floor, pretending to be passed out. Both of the chairs were on their sides, one on the table and one on the floor, props in our fake attempted-escape scene.

  “Hey! Somebody out there! We have a problem! My friend is passed out in here. He hit his head! Hey! Can someone come in here and make sure he’s okay?! I think he needs a doctor!”

  The door jiggled as someone unlocked it and she backed up. I quickly shut my eyes and schooled my features to appear slack and unconscious.

  “What?” The guy sounded annoyed.

  “My friend was trying to escape into that hole in the ceiling up there and he fell and hit his head. Can you see if he’s okay?”

  The door squeaked as it swung inward. “Get back in the corner of the room,” he growled. His footsteps stopped right by my head. “I’m not going to look at him until you’re all the way over there, so hurry up.”

  Lighter footsteps retreated. I heard the material of his pants swish as he bent towards me. The air quality changed as soon as his breath was close enough to invade my space.

  Just a little closer, man. A liiiittle closer.

  “What the hell was he doing trying to get out of that vent? It’s way too small for that.”

  My eyes flew open as soon as I was reasonably sure he was close enough to grab. He was looking over his shoulder at Jasmine, waiting for her explanation, completely oblivious to his mistake.

  I snagged his wrist and clamped down on it as hard as I could, while simultaneously sending every Miserable vibe I could muster into his body. I thought about Rae and her being trapped and abused at the hands of these monsters … of her crying out for help and no one hearing … of being without her for the rest of my life and the heartache that instantly weighed me down and made me feel like jumping off a cliff in despair.

  I sent it all to him and watched him crumble at my side, writhing in agony on the floor.

  Chapter Forty-Three: Rae

  I THOUGHT OF EVERY BIT of happiness I could bring up in my mind and sent it into the fat man’s arm through my hand. Visions of Malcolm kissing me and holding me in his arms danced before my mind’s eye, both of us bending down to pick up something dropped and bumping heads, collapsing in giggles. I brought back memories of the party and the bedroom and every other intimate moment spent with him, reveling in the warm feelings and the happiness that bloomed inside me. We were meant to be together. None of this could stop that from happening; I wasn’t going to let it.

  The fat man stopped talking as soon as I touched him. I glanced down and saw a smile come over his face. His hand that was in the middle of a gesture flopped down and landed on the arm of the man next to him. That second man’s face lit up at the contact and he smiled hugely, looking around the room in a daze.

  Helen was nodding, smiling and looking disturbingly like a serpent with her angular face and slanted eyes. I almost expected a forked tongue to come out and test the air for my Rainbow vibe, she was so convincingly slithery.

  The vibe was making its way around the table. The man I was sending the power into was like a signal hub, blasting rays out all around him. They hit people sitting at the table with him along with Helen and her pool boy, too. The talking ceased and the smiles increased.

  “Leave the room,” Helen ordered, not looking at me, but at the fat man.

  I pulled my hand off his arm, confused, stepping away from the table until my back hit the wall.

  “Leave!” she said louder, still not looking at me. She only had eyes for the fat man for some reason.

  I pointed to myself and she nodded once, somehow seeing me without looking at me. She gestured absently at the bodyguard assistant guy, signaling him to go with me.

  “I’ll be out shortly,” she said to her assistant, finally breaking her gaze to look over her shoulder at him. “Bring her to my office.”

  Her assistant hesitated, like he was in a fog, not computing what she’d said. She reached around and put her hand on the back of his neck, speaking to him in a voice I couldn’t hear. He snapped out of his trance and went to the door, motioning for me to go ahead of him.

  We stepped out of the room and into the empty hallway.

  He stood there, staring at me. He was like a mannequin the way his face had no expression on it at all, his skin so perfectly smooth and unblemished. I knew girls who’d kill for skin that luminous. He wasn’t real. He couldn’t be.

  He was feeling the Rainbow vibe way too much. “Please stop staring at me like that,” I said, backing away a little. Helen was stupid sending him out here with me; she obviously lacked a full appreciation of the side effects of my display in that meeting room.

  “What did you do to me?” he finally said.

  I caught glimpses of really white teeth under his dark red lips. The way he said it made me feel sorry for him. Maybe he wasn’t a mad murderer-user like the rest of them. Maybe he was just a stupid pretty-boy who’d gotten mixed up with the wrong kind of people.

  “I didn’t do anything,” I said, trying to dissuade him from wanting to get to know me better. “Aren’t you supposed to bring me somewhere?”

  “Yeah, but…” He took a step towards me, lifting a hand up towards my face.

  I stepped back. “Please don’t touch me. It’s a mistake to do that. You’re already in trouble enough as it is.”

  He tipped his head to the side, like a confused dog would as it tried to understand its master. “Trouble?”

  “Yes, trouble. Getting close to me is a problem. You don’t realize it, but right now you’re under my influence. I need you to stay back from me so you don’t get hurt.” Or so you don’t hurt me. He looked pretty lean under his suit. I had a feeling there were muscles involved.

  “You’re an Influencer,” he said in a flat tone. “Like the others.”

  It suddenly struck me that I had an insider standing right in front of me, and he was under my spell. I repressed the evil smile that wanted to come to the surface. Grabbing onto the bold thought, I took a step closer to him. “Why don’t we talk about it on the way to Helen’s office?”

  I thought about asking him to take me to the exit, but I was afraid that would be pushing it too much. Maybe after I found out some intel, I’d give it a shot. At least then I’d be leaving with ammunition we could use to rescue Jasmine and Malcolm. The Butts group couldn’t be that far away. I just needed to get my hands on a cell phone and I’d be able to find a way to track them down.

  “Do you have a phone?” I asked as we walked down the hall.

  “Not here. No one is permitted to have a phone or any electronic devices inside the compound.”

  “Oh, that’s smart. They don’t want outsiders to know what goes on in here.”

  “No, they don’t. What happens in here, stays in here. Just like Vegas.”

  “So you said there are other Influencers in here, right?” I tamped down the surge of fear that threatened to overtake me, and slipped my hand in his, giving him a shot of my happy vibe. Please don’t let this backfire!

  He squeezed my hand gently and looked down at me, gracing me with the most beautiful smile I think a human is capable of giving. He really was a stunning-looking man. Too bad for him I was already in love with someone else.

  “Yes, there are other Influencers. A few.”

  “Are they here?” I asked, reaching up and touching his arm with my other hand, pretending like I wanted to be close to him.

  He patted my hand with his free one. “Some are. Some are out with their handlers.”

  “Like I used to be,” I said.

  “Yes, lik
e you used to be. I’m glad you’re here now, with us.”

  “Me too.” I forced a smile. It probably came out more like a grimace, but he wouldn’t care so I didn’t worry about it. All he’d see looking at me right now is beauty and perfection, my flaws hidden beneath the hues of the Rainbow fantasy.

  “That man that was my handler … do you know him?”

  “Yes. Everyone knows Mr. Livingston. He’s one of the founders of Greater Good.”

  “Greater Good? Is that the name of this company?”

  He nodded, smiling again. He stopped and dipped his head towards me.

  I stepped away and did a twirl, pretending not to notice he was trying to kiss me. “I love to dance, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Sometimes.” He followed behind me.

  I made sure to stay a few steps ahead, dancing like a crazed ballerina. “Do you know anything about my real parents?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, reaching out for me, but missing.

  “I mean, Mr. Livingston’s not my real father. What happened to my real dad?”

  “I don’t know. Don’t you know?” He looked confused for a second.

  “No. They never told me. I was just curious. Mr. Livingston is awesome.” I almost gagged on that last lie. Dirty rotten jerk … lying to me all those years, handling me for these lunatics.

  “Yes, he is a visionary. I’m proud to work for him.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. What an idiot this guy was. I changed my mind about giving him the benefit of the doubt. With that face he could probably get away with anything and work anywhere, but instead he was here with these users bent on controlling the world. How lame can a person get?

  “Turn right. We’re almost at Helen’s office.” He paused and waited for me to realize he wasn’t right there with me before continuing. “…Unless you want to go somewhere else.”

  I stood dead still in the hallway watching him approach. He came towards me with slow measured steps, giving me the impression of a jungle cat stalking its prey. Jerry with the big basketball player hands flashed across my mind, his strong arms pushing me down to the floor, his heavy body getting on top of mine, pressing himself against me…