Only two groups of Pledges were housed at Elite Headquarters, the Hunter’s and Crypto’s. The two couldn’t be more different. Every Talent was classified as either Extremely-Low, Low, Mid-range, High, Extremely-High or Elite Level. The only thing Hunters and Cryptos had in common was they both required a Talent ranking of Extremely-High or better. The Hunters are mostly physical abilities, trained in combat and weapons, and frequently Morphers. Cryptos, or Brains as they are often called, are all mental. Most Cryptos have a gift that Toxic calls Higher Reasoning. Higher Reasoning Talents are like human computers. They are able to perform calculations in their heads, analyzing large quantities of information in seconds to determine the likely outcome of any situation and hacking just about any techie device.
There were fifteen Hunter Pledges, including myself. I had no idea how many Brain Pledges were housed at Elite Headquarters, but there were about twenty sitting around the fire. I followed Penny to an empty blanket set up near the fire, and took a seat.
“No Donavon tonight, Talia?” quipped a short, stocky Hunter Pledge named Laris, as he handed me a bottle filled with pink, fruity-smelling alcohol, similar to the one he was drinking from.
“Not tonight, he’s in the city,” I replied thinly. I accepted the drink and took a nervous sip. I had never been a fan of Laris, and I knew for a fact that the feeling was mutual. He was antagonistic and combative, which made our personalities incompatible.
“Donavon McDonough?” Penny asked excitedly.
“Um, yup,” I took another sip of my too sweet drink.
“Are you friends with him?” Penny’s eyes grew even larger; I wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“More than friends,” Laris interjected, suggestively. I shot him a nasty glare.
“Oh. My. God. Are you dating the Director’s son?” Penny was so delighted that she was bouncing, splashing her own drink down her shirt, and not noticing.
“Yeah, sorta,” I mumbled.
Most of the Pledges sitting around us were now listening to our conversation. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and I wanted to direct the attention elsewhere. I didn’t really know many of the people at the fire, so I honed in on the one person I did know – Laris. I concentrated my thoughts in his direction and willed him to stand up and start dancing. Given more time, I might have thought of something more clever, but I panicked. Thankfully, my plan worked and everybody turned their attention to Laris. He looked a little confused, but continued gyrating to music that was only playing in his head, eating up the attention. I nervously sipped my drink.
“So how do you like it here? Isn’t it so much better than being at school?” Penny asked, returning her attention to me.
“Yeah, it’s loads better than being at school,” I smiled at her. I took another sip of my drink. “The food here is so much better,” I elaborated trying to keep up my end of the conversation.
“Totally! And the dorms are even more techie than the old ones,” she exclaimed.
“You’re so lucky. We’re stuck in those old fashion cabins,” I lamented. I took another sip, already starting to feel a little buzzed.
“Oh, right! Oh my god you totally have to come see my room. You will love it! I have all these cool gadgets and stuff. Some I haven’t even figured out yet, but I’m sure I will. Maybe you could help! I mean, you’ll be using some of it once you, like, start going on Hunts and stuff!”
I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or if Penny was always like this. I took another sip of my drink, enjoying the buzz.
“Thanks, that would be really cool,” that was definitely the alcohol in me talking. I’d never gone out of my way before to make friends. In fact, Donavon was the only real friend that I had. So my sitting here with Penny, agreeing to hang out again, was next to a miracle. The even bigger miracle was I was actually enjoying myself. Something about Penny put me at ease. She was genuinely nice, and her friendly, outgoing personality seemed to rub off on me in a way nobody else’s ever had. I found myself laughing, and even gossiping, with the other Pledges.
“I heard your Team Cap got you permission to go into the city today,” another Hunter Pledge, named Jon, said to me at some point after my second (maybe third?) drink.
Oh great, I thought. I was actually enjoying hanging out with these people, and now they were going to think the worst of me.
“Um yeah, but you know, it was just for the day. Mac said I couldn’t stay at the night,” I mumbled. I realized my mistake immediately. I always referred to the Director as Mac, but I was one of the few, and I was definitely the only Pledge that did.
“What’s it like?” Jon asked.
“It was cool. I didn’t get to see any of the bars or anything. We just went shopping,” I tried to downplay it.
“You’re so lucky. I’m from Johnson City, Tennessee and I’ve never been anywhere bigger than that. I asked my Cap if I could go with them, and he said no way,” Jon drawled in a thick southern accent.
“Henri’s pretty cool about stuff,” I muttered, wanting to change the topic.
“I know! My older brother knew him in school, and I had hoped I would get assigned to his team when I got here. Guess you’re the lucky one.”
I smiled and nodded.
“No, she’s lucky ‘cause she shares a cabin with Erikson,” a blonde girl, whose name I couldn’t remember, slurred. I laughed a little too loudly.
“Does he sleep naked?” another girl inquired.
“Nope,” I giggled. “But he does sleep without a shirt,” I added, happy that the topic had changed to something else besides my relationship with Mac.
“Oh. My. God.” Penny shrieked. “I’m totally jealous.”
Discussions of Erik dominated the conversation for several more minutes, until the boys in the group couldn’t handle it any longer; they thankfully moved on to somebody I didn’t know.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. I spent most of the time talking to Penny, but I also chatted with Laris, and a couple of the other Hunter Pledges that I knew from school. I don’t remember exactly how many of the fruity pink drinks I had. Since I had never had alcohol before in my life, I knew it was too many, but I didn’t care, I was really having a good time.
Before I knew it, somebody announced that we needed to get back before curfew. Penny, my new best friend, and I giggled as we made our way back up the dirt path, holding on to each other to keep from falling down. Once we reached the clearing with my cabin I began tip-toeing, which was not easy since my balance was already off kilter. Penny and I said our goodbyes, and I watched her skip off with a group of Crypto Pledges. I reached the door to my cabin and used my mind to shove it open, since I wasn’t feeling coordinated enough to turn the knob. I pushed it a little too hard, and the door flung open with a bang; I nearly collapsed in a fit of giggles.
I tried to be quiet as I walked in, but every step that I took caused the floorboards to creak. Remembering the door, I used my mind to close it behind me. It banged shut, again much more forcefully than I’d intended. I cringed. Then I tripped over nothing, probably my own feet, and fell over giggling, crawling the rest of the way to my bed. I heaved myself up into my bed, and fell back on to my pillows with a sigh of relief. The excursion across the room had left me exhausted. I closed my eyes, and had almost succumbed to the alcohol induced slumber, when I felt somebody playing with my shoes.
“Henri? I’m sorry, did I miss curfew?” I mumbled.
“No, you didn’t,” the voice didn’t belong to Henri.
The person was trying to take my shoes off, but every time he touched me it tickled, and I started giggling again.
“Relax, Tal. Let me take your shoes off.”
A hand firmly gripped my ankle, and I finally felt my shoes part ways with my feet. I heard footsteps, and then water running in the bathroom. A quilt was pulled up around my shoulders. I felt a hand pushing down on the bed, as my savior knelt beside me. I pried my eyes open, and saw beautiful turquoise eyes star
ing back at me.
“There’s water right here on your night stand,” Erik said. “Just yell if you need anything.”
“Your eyes are the same color as the Tyrrhenian Sea,” I mumbled. Erik laughed softly.
“Maybe one day I’ll see if that’s true,” he whispered.
I smiled, “Mmmm. It’s pretty there.”
“Close your eyes and go to sleep, Tal.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“Night, Tal.”
“Night, Erik.”
Chapter Twelve
A pounding in my head woke me up the next morning. My tongue felt thick and hairy and my olfactory senses were assaulted by the smell of stale campfire. I lay awake for several minutes but refused to open my eyes, instinctively knowing that would make my head hurt worse. The sunlight streaming through the window made the back of my eyelids a reddish-orange. I moaned, and covered my face with a pillow.
“Drink the water, Natalia,” Erik demanded from across the room. He sounded irritated.
“Water?” I croaked.
“The water I left next to your bed last night. Remember?” No, I didn’t remember that, but I reached blindly towards my nightstand anyway. My hand closed around a glass, slippery with condensation. I grabbed it, and without opening my eyes, sat up just enough to drink the entire glass, spilling a minimal amount down my shirt. I replaced the glass on the nightstand and fell back on to my bed. The springs on Erik’s bed squeaked loudly as he got up. I groaned. Erik’s bare footsteps sounded louder than normal as he padded across the room. He took the glass and trudged in the direction of the bathroom. The water run for several seconds, and then Erik turned it off and made his way back to me. He set the glass down heavily. I cringed.
“Drink it,” he ordered.
I opened my eyes for the first time and immediately regretted it. I squinted up at Erik, and took in his disheveled bed-head and naked torso. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him shirtless, he normally slept in just his boxers, but for some reason this was the first time I appreciated exactly how great he looked without his shirt on. Snippets from last night’s conversation about Erik danced through my head, and I blushed. He gave me an odd look.
When I didn’t reach for the water, Erik picked it up and handed it to me. “Drink it,” he repeated. I took it and gulped down my second glass of the day. The liquid sloshed in my stomach, making me queasy, so I lay back down.
“Oh no you don’t. You’re getting up and getting dressed so I can take you to Medical.”
“Why?” I whined. “I’m not sick.”
“Because you’re dehydrated, that’s what’s giving you the splitting headache. The Medics can give you fluids to rehydrate you. You’ll feel better in no time.”
“Why do you care how I feel? You don’t think I should suffer for my sins?” I asked, suspiciously.
“I do think you should suffer, but I don’t think I should have to.”
I stared at him blankly.
“Have you ever been drunk before, Talia?”
“No,” I answered grudgingly. I don’t know why, but I was embarrassed to admit to him that I was a hangover virgin.
“Well, for the sake of those around you, don’t make a habit of it. You’re projecting your hangover onto me.”
Obviously I knew that I could force my will on to others, but I’d never accidently transferred my thoughts or feelings to another person. I briefly wondered if I could do it any body, or if Erik was special because I spent so much time communicating with him mentally. Or maybe it was because he could mimic my Talents, making a connection easier.
“You’re killing me Tals,” he said tiredly.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I’m not doing it on purpose.”
“I know,” his voice softened. “But I can’t seem to block you. I didn’t have the pleasure of getting drunk last night, so I’m not really up to paying the consequences this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. I clamored out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. I peeled off my sweater from the night before, and suppressed the urge to vomit as the smell of campfire overwhelmed me again. I quickly changed in to clean clothes and wound my tangled curls in to a bun away from face.
“Tal, we’re just going to the Medical building, you don’t need to impress anybody,” Erik called, from the main room, sounding quite annoyed.
I opened the door and smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry.”
“So you’ve said. Come on,” he ordered, gesturing for me to follow him.
“Where’s Henri?” I asked, noticing for the first time he wasn’t there.
“He spent the night in the city,” Erik replied shortly, ushering me out of the cabin.
“Henri met a girl?” I did nothing to hide my shock. Henri was so responsible, controlled, I couldn’t imagine he was the type to pick up a girl at a bar and go home with her.
“Not exactly,” Erik didn’t elaborate.
“Did he meet a boy?” I joked.
Erik abruptly stopped walking, and turned to face me.
“How did you know that?” he demanded.
“I didn’t,” I stammered. “I just figured if he didn’t meet a girl, then maybe he met a boy.”
Erik gave me a hard look.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” I continued.
“It’s not a big deal,” Erik sighed. “He’s just a really private person and doesn’t want everyone discussing his personal life.”
“I won’t say anything,” I promised quickly.
“I know, he’ll probably tell you anyway. And he didn’t meet a boy at a bar. His boyfriend, Frederick, lives in D.C. They’ve been together for a few years now. He usually spends a couple of nights a week down there with him, but with you being here he wanted to seem available, and stuff, and be around at curfew, so he hasn’t been staying the night.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I didn’t.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. When we entered the Medical building Erik, went directly to the receptionist and said something to her in a low voice. I saw her nod, and then he turned and waved me over. I followed Erik down a back hallway, into a room where a chubby, young Medic was sitting with his feet propped up on a desk, playing with his communicator.
“Hey, Zach,” Erik greeted the guy. “I need a hangover shot.”
Zach smirked, “you got it.”
“Zach and I were friends at school,” Erik explained, turning his attention to me.
“Hey,” I said to Zach.
He gave me a small nod of acknowledgement, then got up and grabbed a couple vials from the cabinet. He mixed several serums together, and then filled a syringe with his concoction.
“Hop up on the table, big boy,” he said to Erik.
“Not me. Her,” Erik replied pointing to me. I climbed onto the table and turned my head away from the needle, as Zach silently injected me with his mixture.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Happy to help,” he grinned.
“Yeah, Zach I owe you one. I’ll catch up with you later in the week,” Erik thanked him.
“Sounds good. Feel better,” he directed his last statement towards me. I smiled at him and let Erik lead me out of the room.
No sooner had we walked out of the Medical building then –
“Talia!” a high-pitched voice squealed.
Erik groaned, rubbing his temples.
“Hey, Penny,” I said, smiling as she ran towards us with her fire engine red hair flying behind her.
“Oh my gosh, I feel so crappy this morning!” she exclaimed. “Note to self, sugary drinks hit you hard.”
“Ha ha, yeah,” I agreed.
Erik groaned again.
“Oh Penny, this is Erik. Erik, this is Penny,” I said, introducing them to each other. Erik just nodded at her.
“Oh my gosh, hi!” Penny extended her hand to Erik. Erik shook it hesitantly. “I’ve heard so much about you; all of the girls in
the Crypto unit talk about you all the time!”
Erik wasn’t even fazed. “I seem to have that effect on girls,” he said dryly.
“I was thinking maybe we could do something later?” Penny said, turning to me.
“Um, sure. Why don’t you send me a comm,” I replied, referring to the messages we went each other using our communicators.
“Great! Well then I’ll talk to you later!” Her excitement was draining what little energy I had. “It was so cool to meet you!” she said to Erik.
“Likewise,” Erik looked amused. I wondered if girls normally acted like this around him.
“I see you made a friend,” Erik said sounding slightly more amused after Penny walked away.
“Yeah, I guess I did,” I smiled.
“Don’t look so surprised, if you gave people a chance you would have a fan club too.”
“I give people a chance,” I retorted defensively.
“No, you don’t,” he laughed. “You’re stuck in your own closed-off world with Donavon,” he said Donavon’s name like it was a dirty word.
“I gave you a chance, didn’t I?” I joked.
“You didn’t have a choice,” he pointed out.
I was thinking about what he said as we walked a couple of yards without speaking.
“Tal! I’ve been looking all over for you,” Donavon called, jogging over to us.
“Oh shit,” Erik muttered. “I’m going back to the cabin.” He started walking away.
“Erik?” I called after him. He stopped walking. “Thanks for everything. And really I am sorry.”
He smiled, turned back around, and kept walking.
“What happened last night?” Donavon’s mental voice demanded.
“What are you talking about?” I sent back cautiously.
“You were drunk,” it wasn’t a question.
”I had some drinks with friends,” I tried to keep my mental voice even.
“What friends? You haven’t been interested in making friends in the seven years I’ve known you.”