My reflection in the large semitransparent mirror across from where I was sitting showed how much I had aged over the course of the year. It looked as though I had added five years overnight, forced into becoming an adult too quickly. My childlike features were gone entirely, leaving someone who looked more like my father than me. My face had thinned out, more chiseled and defined, exposing a rigid jawline and every contour in my neck. This older version of me was barely recognizable. The cold, black metal chair that I had been sitting on for the past forty-five minutes was pulling all of the warmth from my body, taking it straight into the ground. It left an unsettling feeling in me, as if my life was slowly draining out of me, just as I felt when I was standing over a dead Coach Miller. Even the fire that was constantly smoldering in my stomach was eerily absent.
“We just need to ask Nicholas a couple more questions about the fire,” the police officer had told Cora right after Coach Miller’s funeral. I had already answered several questions, excluding the parts about Bryce setting the school on fire and killing Coach Miller, and how this was all part of Xavier’s plan to kill me. But still a week later, Cora got a call saying that they were ready for me to come down to the station to fill in some of the gaps if I could. She hesitantly agreed after checking with both Riley and Ester to see if we should go or be worried about anything. Neither of them thought it was a big deal.
So now, here I sat in what seemed to be an interrogation room—nothing but four metal chairs, a long table, and a big one-way mirror, with only one way in or out. I was waiting for two officers to come and play good cop / bad cop to get me to confess, like in the movies. I was confused about why I had been put in here and not out at a desk in front of someone sipping a hot cup of coffee, typing up my statement similar to last time.
The door opened and to my shock and disgust, it was James Caldwell—that slime. He was wearing a tight black corduroy suit, matching his worn leather briefcase. His comb-over had fallen down in front of his eyes. His face was red and he was breathing hard. He looked out of sorts. He shut the door and sat down next to me.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, still not thrilled with how he’d treated Elle last year. He ignored my question, getting out some pieces of paper and a couple of folders.
“I’m your attorney,” he answered a few minutes later. I could feel the hatred he had for me. But what he said didn’t make any sense. First of all, he was the district attorney of Winsor, so he couldn’t be my attorney. Second, why did I need a lawyer? I thought this was just going to be a lot of simple questions.
“Wait a minute, how can you—” But before I could finish my question, the door opened. Two men both dressed in matching dark-blue suits with ties came in, shutting the door behind them. Even though they wore identical suits, they looked starkly different. One had light-brown skin and was completely bald; his face was as round as a salad plate. The other one had pale white skin that made him look like a black-and-white picture. He had narrow features and a full head of white hair that was parted neatly off to the side. His large eyes made him look similar to a Muppet. He was scary looking, like someone out of a horror movie. Both of the men sat down across from us. Neither of them had any papers or briefcases. They just stared at us.
“What’s all of this about?” I asked. They didn’t speak; instead James answered.
“These detectives are part of the arson division out of St. Louis. They have been brought in because of the peculiar nature of the fire. This is Agent Reynolds and Agent Otto.” Agent Reynolds was the bald one and Agent Otto was the creepy, pale one.
“Before we begin,” Agent Reynolds said, “we are here to investigate the fire, but more importantly, we’re here because we know that you are a Thusian, Alexander Nicholas Taylor Keller.”
“You shouldn’t talk about that stuff; people could be listening,” James whispered in a warning tone, looking up at the big mirror behind them. “When Ester Theasing finds out what you’re doing—”
Agent Reynolds interrupted him. “Ester Theasing has no control over us, and we are superior to any of you plain-old Thusians. Don’t you think we would have taken proper precautions before we spoke to you, since we’re Seekers and have more to lose?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see all of the blood drain out of James’ face.
Agent Reynolds continued to talk, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying; my eyes began to blur and the sounds around me were muffled. My chest felt as if it had a thousand-pound weight on it, squeezing all of the air out of my lungs. I scooted my chair back and bent down, placing my head between my knees. The world began to spin. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, a weird sensation overtook my senses. My skin broke into a light sweat that covered me from head to toe, cooling me, because now my body had become blazing hot. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me. Not like when I used my Thusian talents—this was something else, something I had never experienced. I regained my faculties enough to realize that no one in the room had been paying any attention to what I was doing. James Caldwell was still arguing with Agent Reynolds. I grabbed some Tic Tacs, slowly put a couple in my mouth, and sat back up.
“And if you think Nicholas and I have to sit here, you’re out of your mind. You can tell Xavier it’s not going to be this easy,” James said. Even with some doubt in his voice, he was full of rage.
“James, your weak attempt at threatening us and trying to avoid the real issue is transparent,” Agent Reynolds said. “We both know Nicholas has proclaimed to the Council that he and the other three Thusians have formed The 4, thus completing The 7. With this proclamation, it’s our duty as Seekers to do everything we can to aid Xavier, to help The 3 continue to eradicate you Thusians, and to break The 7 to create The Unholy Six.”
My head began to pound, and the fire inside my stomach instantly consumed me. “Enough already,” I shouted. “I don’t care who the two of you are. Let’s get this over with. If you want a fight, I’m more than ready.”
Agent Otto spoke for the first time. “You should care who we are,” his deep, deathly voice filled the empty room, “because perhaps we’re part of The 3 or on our way to becoming part of it. If you remember, there’s now a vacancy after you killed our brother, Bryce Adams.”
Agent Reynolds had taken a pocket watch out to look at the time. Without warning to anyone around, I lunged across the table, slowing time, and grabbed the watch from his hand. I placed it in James Caldwell’s empty hand on the table to show them who they were dealing with. James Caldwell and Agent Reynolds moved just slightly during this, but Agent Otto didn’t move at all. He kept his arms crossed, watching what I was doing like one of those creepy paintings, where the eyes follow you no matter where you go. I had a feeling that if he’d wanted to, he could have kept up with my movement without any problem.
When time resumed, no one moved. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see beads of sweat starting to drip down James’ brow. He took a red plaid handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his face, while his hand shook violently. He threw the watch back at Agent Reynolds as if he was holding a bomb.
“Let’s just talk about why you two are here,” James said, trying to defuse the situation.
“Nicholas, it seems that a lot of so-called ‘accidents’ happen when you’re around. Do you care to explain why this may be the case?” Agent Reynolds asked. They were actually going to interrogate me about what had happened at the school.
“He’s not answering that question. We all know the accidents are because of Xa—” but before James finished Xavier’s name, he said, “your friend. Ester Theasing didn’t have me resign as district attorney for this. I don’t care who you are—don’t act like you’re here because of some investigation.”
For the first time, James and I were actually thinking the same thing. And I was glad to have someone else in here with me, even if it was James Caldwell. His voice quivered, but his point was still clear.
Both of them looked at e
ach other, and Agent Reynolds continued, “Okay, if you want us to be investigators for the fire, then we will start by charging your client with obstruction of justice, involuntary manslaughter of Bryce Adams, and arson.”
Great, now I was going to be arrested by two Seekers. This would make me an easier target for Xavier for sure. Luckily the door opened before this could go any further. In walked Ester Theasing, Walter Reed, and a much shorter version of Walter. Agent Reynolds flinched when he saw them and stood abruptly. Agent Otto’s steely green eyes continued to stare at me.
“Reynolds, Otto, you are both out of line by coming here,” Ester said sharply. “There’s no evidence to hold Nicholas, who is a minor. I think I just might let the officers in the next room know what you’re up to and have you both arrested. But since that would cause us more trouble than it’s worth, consider yourselves lucky.”
“That doesn’t mean Dane and I can’t take care of you Seeker scum outside,” Walter said, making a fist that reminded me of a large sledgehammer.
Reynolds laughed at his threat, but Otto never even acknowledged that any of them were talking.
“What are you staring at? What’s your problem?” I yelled at Otto.
He smiled, revealing teeth that were as white as freshly fallen snow but wildly crooked. “I just want you to remember my face, because I will be the one to end the 10-10 Hero’s life. Hopefully, Xavier will give me this task once I’m part of The 3.”
Dane went straight across the table in a flash, but he overshot Agent Otto and slid off the table into the wall.
“How pathetic. If that’s the best you can do, then it’s a far-gone conclusion that The 3 will prevail. Let’s go, Grey,” Agent Reynolds said, standing and pushing by Walter.
Grey continued to stare at me as he got up. “I look forward to seeing you soon,” he said to me, following Reynolds out the door. I tried my best to show no fear, but he scared me, and for the first time my Thusian talents didn’t give me any courage or conviction.
“Let me go after them,” Walter said to Ester. “Dane and I can easily eliminate the two of them right now. The threat is clear, and we need to act now. You heard what Grey said to Nicholas.” His large arms flexed with anger, making his tight green shirt ripple. He slammed his fist on the table when Ester didn’t respond, upset that she was letting valuable time slip away.
But all of this didn’t affect Ester at all. She shook her head repeatedly and sat down across from James and me. “No, we can’t go after them because that’s exactly what they’re counting on. We have to be more logical and not let our emotions get the best of us.” She looked up at Dane and Walter.
“There are certain rules of being a Thusian. Have you forgotten? We can’t kill others because they’re on the wrong side. Remember, we’re all Thusians, even though they don’t think we are. I’m hoping one of them will slip up and lead us to Xavier. He’s the root of this evil plaguing us. Taking him out will be the only exception to the rule I will allow.”
“Why did they come here, Ester? Why expose themselves to us?” I had to ask something to try to suppress the fear that was beginning to well up inside me.
“They wanted to show you, and all of us, that there are other ways to get to you and the ones you care about. Luckily, these two aren’t part of Xavier’s little group yet. If they were, you would’ve been killed, plain and simple.”
“Xavier and his two Seekers try to set up ways for us to sacrifice ourselves. They can’t just come out and kill us. Aren’t they bound by the rule of not killing Thusians?” I asked.
James Caldwell’s heavy, short breaths became increasingly louder.
“I would’ve agreed with you a couple of weeks ago, but after your declaration to the Council, new rules apply. The 3 Seekers can attack The 4 Thusians directly,” she said, shaking her head. “You know, Nicholas, you should really think before you speak. We can’t be sure you’ve formed The 7, and now you’ve put a target on your back while putting countless others in danger.”
“I-I can’t hand-d-dle thi-s; this is getting out of h-hand.” James stuttered horribly. He had his handkerchief out again, mopping up the sweat that was streaming down his face.
James was right—this was getting out of hand. What had I done?
“So what does this mean now for my friends and family?” I spoke generally, but my concern was mostly with protecting Elle from this curse I had now burdened her with.
“Thusians are the only ones who need to worry because Xavier is only interested in us. He doesn’t care about any non-Thusians like Elle,” Ester said, knowing what I meant.
How could she be so sure? It seemed as if every time she said not to worry about something, I needed to worry. She was just as lost as the rest of us. All I knew was that we needed to keep our guard up against Xavier and the other two. And if Grey Otto had his way, he would come after me personally.
“You, Cora, Riley, and Genevieve need protection around the clock until we can sort out this mess,” Ester continued. “Walter, you take care of that.” He nodded his head. She turned to James. “You can clean up any mess with the police that Otto and Reynolds created here.”
“Yes, of course,” he said while putting his papers away in his briefcase.
Ester looked at me sympathetically. “Nicholas, now that you’ve proclaimed to the world that you’re one of The 4 and The 7 has been formed, Xavier will be trying to kill you more often. I know what you’re thinking: isn’t that what he’s been trying to do for the past couple years? No, there’s a difference. Now you have his full attention,” she said, stopping and looking around at all of us. “Let me be clear—there is no proof that The 7 has been formed. This is a very important fact, and we have to make sure everyone knows it. If others begin to ask questions, then I’m afraid of what might happen. A Keeper, not some old senile security guard, has to verify The 7. That’s the only proper way it can be done. The other—” She stopped midsentence and smiled at me in a motherly way, got up, and walked out.