What he said bothered her. She knew that Tara had told him about their conversation the night before.
“You know it,” Bryan said. “We’re eagles! Chickens peck, eagles fly!”
“So let’s fly,” Hatch said. He stood and raised his hands. “The limos await. Pick up your box breakfast on the way out.”
Everyone jumped up except Zeus, who was slumped back in his chair, his legs spread, and his hands clasped between them. Zeus looked up at Hatch penitently, but Hatch walked past him without a word.
On the way to the cars, Taylor asked Tara, “What are the X
Games?”
“Are you kidding?” Tara said. “Don’t they have television in Idaho?
The X Games are only the coolest things in the world. They’ve been sold out for months.”
Quentin walked up behind her. “So Taylor, you want to sit by me at the games?”
Both Tara and Kylee frowned.
“Sorry, Quentin,” Dr. Hatch said. “I will have the honor of sitting next to this birthday girl.”
“Sorry, sir.”
The kitchen staff was waiting outside in the parking lot and handed each of them a boxed breakfast as they climbed into the limos. Inside the box was a carton of orange juice, a bagel, an egg and sausage croissant, a cup of yogurt, and, of course, a banana. Taylor spread cream cheese over the bagel, then sat back and watched the scenery. She was in such a different world—half dream, half nightmare. She was feeling more confused each day.
Her mother always told her that she was special—that she was going to leave her mark on the world. And here she was—a new life had been unfolded before her filled with opportunity, growth, wealth, power, and privilege. Just like her mother promised. So why did it all feel so wrong? She looked at Tara and Quentin. They weren’t bad. Maybe Tara was right. She needed to trust more and give Dr. Hatch a chance. After all, he had gone out of his way to welcome her. Didn’t all his efforts warrant a little consideration? Was he really so bad? She thought back to the time at Harry Winston’s, when she saw a glimpse inside Hatch’s mind. Could she have been mistaken? What if she was brainwashed?
She closed her eyes. It seemed just too much for her to figure out.
Sure, she was living a dream, but if it were up to her, she’d wake from it. Deep in her heart she wanted her little home, her friends from school, and her family. And all the front-row seats, gourmet meals, and diamond necklaces in the world weren’t going to change that.
The limos drove in through a special VIP entrance and the youths walked to the stadium through a background of X Game contenders gearing up and revving their motorcycles.
Dr. Hatch showed his pass to a security guard and they were led out to the competition. Hatch was wearing his glasses again and he stood at the gate and watched as they filed past. “Nichelle, sit on the far end of the row, please.”
She frowned. “Yes, sir.”
“Taylor, Tara, you sit next to me.”
Taylor faked a smile. “Thank you.” She had been hoping he’d leave her alone. She was afraid he might ask her do something again.
They slid down the metal bench to their seats as the sound of the motorcycles filled the air like a swarm of angry bees. “What’s the X
stand for?” Taylor asked.
“It’s short for extreme,” Tara said.
Taylor nodded. It certainly was. The motocross jumping competition was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen. Each of the riders took a turn following a course of jumps, hills, and ramps, performing stunts off each one. They not only jumped from ramp to ramp, but the riders would do acrobatics in the air. The first rider took her breath away. He was more than eighty feet in the air when he did a handstand on his motorcycle’s handlebars.
“That’s incredible,” she said.
“That’s for sure,” Hatch said. “One mistake and you’re finished.”
“Watch,” Tara said. “This next guy is my favorite. He’s the first rider to do a double backflip on his motorcycle.”
Standing right in front of them was a squad of cheerleaders, or at least an X Games version of them. They were more like beautiful dancing girls in bikinis. Still, seeing them filled Taylor with longing.
She wished she were cheering.
Hatch watched Taylor watch them. “Do you miss that?”
She looked over. “Excuse me?”
“Do you miss your cheerleading?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He smiled sympathetically. “It’s too bad the academy doesn’t have enough students to field a team. I guess it’s just one of the sacrifices of being special. We do, however, have some very interesting connec-tions. If, in a few years, you’d like to be a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys football team, I could pull some strings and make it happen.”
Taylor looked at him in amazement. “Really?”
“I know that’s little consolation in the meantime, but still, you must admit that there are some overriding benefits to being a part of the academy.”
“Yes,” Taylor said.
“Indeed,” Hatch said. He looked down at his watch. “It’s almost lunchtime. Taylor, what will you have to eat? They have ice cream, pizza, sodas, hot dogs.”
“I’d like a hot dog,” Taylor said.
“Great. And you, Tara?”
“I just want an ice cream.”
He handed Tara a hundred-dollar bill. “Please get us two dogs, a beer, and whatever you want.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Tara was gone Hatch leaned toward Taylor. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“I’m really sorry about how all this started. I can understand why you might think we’re terrible. I just hope you understand by now that our objectives are all in your best interest, as well as the world’s.”
“I understand. Tara’s explained it,” Taylor said, even though she wasn’t sure how much she believed.
“Good. The truth is, if you’re going to change the world you don’t always have the luxury of time or convention. You can’t make om-elets without breaking a few eggs, can you?”
“I guess not.”
“No, you can’t. Now tell me about your friend, Michael.”
Hearing him say Michael’s name filled Taylor with dread. “What do you want to know?”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s nice.”
“I noticed from his report that he’s spent a fair amount of time in school detention. Is he a troublemaker? Rebellious?”
She didn’t want to talk about Michael but she wasn’t sure how to avoid it. “No. He’s a good kid. I think he’s just unlucky.”
“Unlucky,” Hatch repeated. “Well, his luck is about to change.”
Taylor didn’t know what to say. Just then Hatch reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Hello?”
Taylor looked back out over the grounds, happy for the interrup-tion. After a few more minutes Tara returned with the food. “There you go,” she said, handing Taylor two hot dogs and a beer. “Give this to Dr. Hatch.”
Taylor handed him the beer and dog. She unwrapped her own hot dog and lost herself in the competition. After a few more competi-tors, Taylor turned to Tara. “This is really cool!” she shouted.
Tara smiled. “The coolest. Didn’t I tell you?”
Taylor was applauding an amazing jump when Hatch leaned over to her. “See that next rider? The one in the yellow jacket?”
She nodded. “He’s really cool.”
Hatch said, “He’s currently tied for first and this is his last chance to score. I don’t want him to win.”
Taylor looked at him, wondering why he was telling her that.
“I don’t want him to win,” he repeated.
“Then hopefully he won’t do his best.”
“Hope isn’t a plan,” Hatch said. “It’s blind faith in luck. It’s chance. Winners don’t ever leave things to chance. So
when he’s in the middle of his jump, I want you to reboot him.”
Taylor just looked at him. “But he’ll crash.”
“That’s a distinct possibility.”
“It could kill him.”
“That’s also a possibility, but that’s the risk you take in these types of sports. Why do you think all these people are here?”
Taylor’s forehead furrowed with concern.
Hatch leaned back, his expression changing some. “I’m not asking much, Taylor. I just want to see if you have what it takes to fit in with us.”
Taylor swallowed. Below her the rider rode up to the platform at the top of the ramp. He had removed his helmet and was waving to the excited crowd while cameras flashed around him. He blew a kiss to a woman holding a baby, who Taylor guessed was his wife, then he pulled his helmet back on and began revving his engine. Dr. Hatch leaned back and sipped his beer.
Tara looked at her, then leaned close. “You gotta do it, Taylor. He’s not kidding.”
“He’s asking me to kill someone.”
“He’s asking you to prove your loyalty. Chicken or eagle, sis?”
“I can’t do it.”
Tara looked at her nervously. “You have to.”
“No, I don’t,” Taylor said.
“You don’t understand. You have to do what Dr. Hatch says.”
“What if I don’t?”
Tara’s eyes widened with fear. “You don’t want to find out.”
The motorcycle took off. It dipped low, then shot off the end of the ramp, sailing sixty feet in the air. Camera flashes popped as the bike sailed through the sky. The rider twisted back and was in the middle of his second flip when suddenly the bike went awry. The crowd screamed as the bike landed sideways on the opposite ramp, flipping tail over front while the rider flopped across the ground behind it until he slammed into a retaining wall below a long row of bleachers. The rider lay motionless. The woman he had blown a kiss to was running toward him as emergency crews sprang into action, accompanied by the sound of a siren.
Hatch stood and looked at Taylor, then Tara, his face bent in anger. “We’re going,” he said fiercely, brushing past Taylor. “Nichelle, with me.”
The entire family stood. As they slid down the bench Taylor said to Tara. “What happened? I didn’t do that.”
Tara was furious. “All he asked for was a show of faith. Was that too much?”
“He asked me to kill someone.”
“So what.”
“So what?” Taylor said. “How can you say that?”
Tara turned on her. “They’re just people!”
The limousines were waiting where they’d been dropped off and the drivers jumped out at their approach, opening the car doors. Even though no one spoke to her, Taylor could feel everyone’s anger directed at her. She wondered how they all knew. Hatch didn’t say a word the whole way back.
At the academy, the driver opened his door and Hatch climbed out, followed by the other three girls. “Tara, go to your room and wait for me.”
Tara furtively glanced at her. There was fear in her eyes and they began welling up with tears. “Yes, sir,” Tara said and quickly ran off.
Taylor was afraid for both of them.
Hatch pointed at Taylor. “You come with me.”
Nichelle looked at her, a half smile crossing her face. Taylor shivered. “Yes, sir,” she said. Taylor followed Hatch to the elevator. He pushed a button marked D and they descended. When the door opened, they stepped out into a dark corridor. Taylor followed Hatch while Nichelle quietly followed a few yards behind her. They stopped in front of a heavy metal door. Hatch turned to Taylor.
“Would you like to explain to me what happened?”
“Nothing, sir. I didn’t do anything.”
“Precisely.” He shook his head. “After all I’ve done for you . . . all I asked for was a simple demonstration of loyalty and gratitude and this is how you thank me.”
Taylor was terrified. “But he fell . . .”
Hatch tapped his glasses. “I can see when you use your powers.
Tara decided to step in for you. I will deal with her later.”
“She was only trying to protect me.”
“Yes. And deceive me.”
“It’s my fault”
“Yes, it is. If you had acted with integrity none of this would have been necessary.” He opened the door to expose a large, dark room.
“I’m so very disappointed in you, Taylor. I extended a hand of friend-ship and you bit it. I had sincerely hoped we could do this the easy way. I guess I was wrong.” He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the room.
“You’re hurting me,” Taylor said.
“You have no idea what hurt is. But you will. Nichelle, Miss Ridley needs a little lesson in gratitude—about an hour’s worth to begin with. Oblige me.”
A sadistic smile lit Nichelle’s face. “I’d be happy to.”
Nichelle stepped inside the dark room and Hatch shut the door behind the girls. He could hear Taylor’s screams even before he reached the other end of the corridor.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Lesson
Taylor was curled up on her side, shaking with pain. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and her face was streaked with tears. “Please stop,” she sobbed. “Please.”
“I’ll stop when Dr. Hatch tells me to stop.”
“You’re one of us. How could you do this to us?”
“It’s what I do.”
“You hurt others?”
“We all do what we were born to do. Out there, I’m no one. If it weren’t for the academy I’d be flipping hamburgers somewhere. But in here, I’m a VIP.”
“You’re a sellout.”
Nichelle sneered. “Aren’t you the saint? In the end, everyone sells out. Even the saints.”
“You’re wrong,” Taylor said, her voice strained. “Some people would rather die than hurt others.”
“Well, you might just get your wish.” She walked over and slapped Taylor on the head. “Did I hear you’re a cheerleader?” She cleared her throat. “Were a cheerleader.”
Taylor didn’t answer.
“I hate cheerleaders. Stuck-up, shallow imbeciles.” She crouched down next to Taylor. “Don’t you know how stupid you look out there shaking your pom-poms?”
“At least I’m not hurting anyone.”
“No? How about all those girls who wanted to be cheerleaders and weren’t pretty enough or popular enough? You think you’re so good. It’s easy to be good when everyone’s kissing your feet—when you have perfect skin and teeth.” She grabbed Taylor by the hair and lifted her head. “In here you’re no one, cheerleader. You remember that. You can’t even walk unless I say so. If they let me, I could drain you like a bathtub and watch you die. So how about a cheer for me?
Because in here, I’m the star quarterback.”
“Until they don’t need you anymore,” Taylor said. “Then you’ll be thrown out with the rest of the trash.”
Nichelle yanked Taylor’s hair. “Don’t push your luck, cheerleader,”
Nichelle growled. “I don’t always stop when they tell me to.” She let go of Taylor’s hair and Taylor fell to the ground. “Oh, they’ll always need me. As long as there’re mutants like you out there, they’ll need me.” Nichelle stood up. “And our session isn’t over yet. So just sit back and enjoy yourself.” She smiled darkly. “I know I will.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Purgatory
Taylor was still unconscious when she was taken by gurney from the holding room where Nichelle had punished her into a reinforced cell. She had no idea what time it was when she woke, or how long she’d been out. She was lying on her stomach on a vinyl mat that was too short for her.
Her head was throbbing and she groaned with pain. She couldn’t see much—the only light in the room was a series of small red diodes blinking from the security cameras—and she was even more afraid than before. She thought
of her home, her mother and father, and began crying. “I want to go home,” she said to herself.
“I know,” someone close to her said softly.
She was startled by the voice. She tried to crawl away but couldn’t. She couldn’t move.
“Be still. I’m not going to hurt you.” Just then a hand gently touched her. She could feel the skin against hers and she entered his mind. It was peaceful and soft and safe.
Taylor looked up. Her eyes had adjusted some to the darkness and she could see kneeling next to her was an African-American boy. He appeared to be about her age, though he was much larger than her.
He was kneeling next to her and gently stroking her back. She could see the pale glow of his skin. He was one of them.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Taylor said.
“I won’t hurt you, Taylor. I’m a friend.”
“You know my name.”
“Yes.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Ian.”
“You’re one of them,” she said.
“I am one of you, not them.”
“Where are we?”
“We’re on Level D. This is where they put the disobedient ones.
We call it Purgatory.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“There are three of us who won’t obey Hatch. Four, counting you.
So what did you do? Or I should ask, what didn’t you do?”
“Hatch wanted me to cause an accident at the motorcycle show. I could have killed the rider.”
“That’s one of Hatch’s tricks.”
“Tricks?”
“First, he tries to buy you. He makes you feel obligated so he can manipulate you by guilt. If you’re stronger than that he tries to get you to do something wrong. Something small at first, then he increases it. Once you cross the line, he has you. He will hold it over you forever and he keeps upping the ante. You’re lucky you’re down here. Because if you were still up there, you’re a murderer.”
“My sister Tara’s not a murderer.”
“Yes she is. Tara, Bryan, Zeus, Quentin, Grace, Kylee, Nichelle, Tanner. They’ve all sold out. That’s why they’re up there and we’re down here.”