Inescapable (Talented Saga #7)

  “They can manage tonight on their own,” Leslie replied. She stared pointedly at each of the girls in turn. “Isn’t that right, girls? You will all be on your best behavior in Cadet Beaumont’s absence?”

  It was just like in the auditorium, when Gracia had ordered Cressa and the others to behave and not embarrass her. Leslie’s command was so forceful, it dwarfed all other thoughts in Cressa’s head. And just like earlier, Cressa, Daphne, Nydia, Lyla, and Shyla all answered in unison.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they sang.

  “Good. Then we will be off. No bed check tonight. Normal lessons will commence tomorrow morning after breakfast.” Leslie focused her attention on Gracia. “Let’s go, cadet.”

  Cressa and her classmates watched the older girls board the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, the strange sensation brought on by Leslie’s directive vanished.

  The twins joined hands and did a funny little skipping dance around the atrium.

  “The witch is gone! The witch is gone!” they chanted. Lyla spun her sister under her arm and then dipped her low, both girls giggling uncontrollably.

  “So we’re definitely going to do it, then?” Daphne asked, an unmistakable note of glee in her voice.

  “Yep,” Lyla confirmed, nodding enthusiastically. “Hartley and both Jacobs are in. And,” a huge grin overtook her expression, “they promised they’d bring him.”

  Confused, Cressa looked at Nydia to see if she was in on whatever secret plans the twins and Daphne shared. The disapproving glint in her roommate’s eyes would’ve made Gracia proud, but Nydia didn’t say a word.

  “What do you say, Cressa? Want to go exploring with us?” Lyla asked mischievously.

  “Exploring?”

  “Oh, don’t do it, Cressa,” Nydia pleaded. “If you’re caught, you might be dismissed. It’s not worth the risk.”

  Ignoring Nydia, Daphne added, “Kev Leon is coming.”

  So they have seen him, Cressa thought.

  “He just advanced to Phase Two yesterday, same as you,” Daphne continued. “I can’t believe he’s been here for so long and none of us noticed.”

  Remembering the way Kev had looked on the ride from med bay to his floor, as well as Dr. Masterson’s comment about the star’s adjustment issues, Cressa wondered if maybe he’d been hidden away until recently.

  “You guys don’t even know for certain that he’s a cadet,” Nydia said. “All you have is Hartley’s word, which means little. Hartley also told us that Natalia Lyons was coming to the Institute, and that hasn’t happened yet.”

  “Gracia becoming a clone tonight likely means that she will be taking Natalia’s place soon,” Lyla argued. “So, Natalia Lyons probably will be coming to the Institute any time now—just like Hartley said. Daphne, didn’t Gracia tell you that the Dame knows Natalia personally?”

  “Yep. That’s how she has so much source material from her,” Daphne said knowingly. “The Dame just needs to get Natalia away from UNITED’s brainwashing, then she can bring her and Erikson Kelley over to our side.”

  “So not important right now,” Shyla interjected. “We were talking about Kev Leon, who is definitely here. Right now. Hartley is Kev’s roommate. He’s seen him.”

  “So have I,” Cressa said quietly.

  Eight eyes instantly turned to stare at her.

  “Seriously?” Lyla demanded.

  “Um, yeah. He received his second injection right around the time I did. We rode on the elevator from med bay together.”

  Shyla swatted her on the arm, a little harder than Cressa thought necessary. “And you didn’t tell us? Some friend you are.”

  In Cressa’s opinion, “friend” was overstating her relationship with the twins. She didn’t contradict Shyla, though.

  Lyla grabbed Cressa’s hand and squeezed. “Tell us everything. What did he say? What did you say? Is he as perfect as I think he is?”

  “Not now,” Daphne interjected. “We need to get in bed, just in case someone else comes around for a bed-check.” The younger girl met Cressa’s eyes. “If you’re up for a little fun, meet us in the commons in one hour. Got it?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Cressa replied, uncertain if she actually would.

  The girls split up, heading to their respective rooms.

  While they changed into pajamas, Nydia kept shooting worried glances at Cressa, though she remained quiet. The pair brushed their teeth and washed their faces without speaking a word. Neither of the Towers sisters joined them in the bathroom, so Cressa didn’t even have their constant babble to distract her from Nydia’s anxiety.

  Anxiety that was steadily seeping in to Cressa, too.

  “Are you going to go?” Nydia finally voiced what Cressa knew she’d been wanting to ask since Lyla had first mentioned exploring the Institute.

  Instead of answering her roommate, Cressa posed a question of her own.

  “Do you think it’s a trick? Are they setting me up? Or are they really planning on wandering around the Institute?”

  “Oh, they’re doing it. They twins have been wanting to explore since they first arrived, and Gracia’s absence has finally presented them with the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.” Nydia hesitated for a long moment, and then plunged forward. “If you go, I won’t tell on you. But it’s a bad idea, Cressa. You will get caught. The Dame doesn’t miss anything. The others have trained already with invisibility, but you haven’t.”

  Cressa hadn’t considered that last point. She wasn’t sure how long the other girls had been able to manipulate light, but even one lesson with the ability was better than Cressa’s zero.

  Still, Cressa was too curious to turn down the opportunity. She wasn’t sure when she’d get another chance to snoop around, if ever. In truth, the more Cressa learned about the Institute, the less she wanted to be a part of it. But that didn’t change the fact that she was a part of it. And if the day’s demonstrations had taught her anything, it was that she always would be, one way or another.

  Something her father used to say popped into Cressa’s mind: Business dealings are a lot like making sausage; you’re better off not knowing the details and processes, just enjoy the end result.

  In retrospect, that was sort of how Cressa had viewed the mystery surrounding the Institute prior to arriving. She hadn’t known the details of becoming Privileged, only that the endgame was going to be amazing.

  Cressa’s vision of the wonderful life she would lead once she was Privileged had changed a great deal in the last twenty-four hours. And so had her desire to let things unfold organically. She wanted to learn every sordid detail of the Privileged-making process. Sooner, rather than later.

  “I’m going with them,” Cressa told Nydia. “It may be a risk, but I don’t care. I’m tired of being in the dark.”

  Talia

  Pelia Island

  Three Days Before the Vote

  “I can explain,” I began, and then had no idea how to finish that sentence.

  I mean, sure, I could explain that yes, I was indeed Natalia Lyons the escaped convict. But that seemed like a supremely bad idea given the circumstances.

  I could lie. That also seemed like the wrong way to go, though. Particularly since I’d already opened my big mouth, so it wasn’t as though I could take back those three ominous words. Unfortunately, that left me with one option: manipulation.

  “Dad, I think we should hear Talia out.” Emma moved to stand between her father and me.

  “She’s a criminal,” Jeb snapped. “What more do we need to know?”

  Emma’s voice was calm, her posture relaxed. “For starters, we might want to know where exactly she’s from. You know that our kind is frequently persecuted for made up crimes. That is probably what happened to Talia.”

  The suggestion carried physical weight, and I realized immediately that Emma was wielding her own brand of subtle manipulation. It was so refined that had I not been a skilled manipulator myself, I might not have noticed the trace amounts of
power she was using.

  Emma turned slowly to face me, making sure to keep her body firmly positioned between Jeb and me. “Isn’t that what happened Talia?” she asked.

  Interestingly, the younger girl did not attempt to compel me. She was simply offering me a way out, and I was only too happy to accept.

  “Yes. I’d rather not get into specifics, but I was imprisoned for a very minor infraction. In many places, my crime wouldn’t have come with jail time.” Not a lie. Only UNITED agents received a one-way ticket to Vault for insubordination.

  “What was this so called ‘infraction’?” Jeb demanded.

  Emma was strong; I could feel the power she was using. She was also smart. Holding her father captive in her thrall would have only worked for so long. Allowing him to retain some degree of control over his mind meant that even once Emma was gone, Jeb would still believe whatever tale we wove. He would also remain suspicious, but that was okay. Hopefully I’d be on my way to London soon.

  “Breach of protocol,” I replied in answer to Jeb’s question. “I broke my employer’s rules.”

  Jeb studied me for several long moments. He didn’t like me—that much was obvious. The fact didn’t hurt my feelings. Most people I encountered weren’t fond of me.

  “I see,” Jeb said finally. “Well, I don’t appreciate liars. You should have told us the truth earlier.”

  The tension in my muscles lessened.

  “Come on, Dad. Did you really expect her to introduce herself as an escaped convict?” Ross interjected. “You would have thrown her back to the sea on her ear. Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

  “Right, of course.” Jeb turned to head into the dining room. “I will want to hear the full story later, though,” he called over his shoulder.

  Dinner consisted of some fatty meat cooked in a myriad of spices, with a vegetable concoction in gravy on the side. For dessert, we had bickerberry pie—whatever that was. Everything was amazingly delicious. But the best part of the meal was the conversation, which Emma and Ross skillfully directed towards themselves. The siblings kept up a constant stream of chatter about the sights they had shown me during our tour, the impending storm, and just about any other topic under the sun that couldn’t segue to me and my prior incarceration.

  Family mealtime also provided me with the perfect opportunity to read Jeb’s mind. I needed to know how he’d found out about me. Had UNITED sent out a public service announcement? Warned people to be on the lookout for me? That didn’t bode well.

  From Jeb’s mind, I learned that was exactly what had happened. Sort of. The public at large had not been made aware of my escape. Intelligence agencies around the world had. And Jeb had contacts in more alphabet agencies than I knew existed.

  The tip had come from Vanuatu. This was surprising only because I’d never heard of the place. Jeb’s informant had sent a fax—like an honest-to-goodness piece of paper—to alert him of my disappearance, since Vault and Pelia were relatively close. Thus far, Jeb had not reported me to UNITED. Unlike so many people I’d dealt with, Jeb was interested in my side of the story. Sending a wrongfully accused and convicted teenage girl back to her captors did not sit well with him, and he wanted to know more about my crime before condemning me.

  With a little help from Emma, I hoped to delay giving Jeb too many details of the events surrounding my incarceration. I was guilty. And I wasn’t sure whether Jeb would believe my crimes harmless once he knew the intricacies.

  “I thought Ross said you don’t have an ability?” I teased Emma when we were changing into pajamas.

  She had offered to let me share her bed, but I’d insisted a sleeping bag and the floor would do just fine.

  Emma’s tanned cheeks flushed. “I don’t.”

  “You can compel people,” I said. “Where I come from, that’s a pretty incredible gift.”

  Emma turned away to hide her face. “Yeah, well, not here. Not in our tribe. Mental abilities scare people.”

  I folded the clothes Emma had lent me earlier into a neat stack and placed them on the floor next to the sleeping bag. “That’s true where I come from, too.” Peeling back the top layer of cushy down-filled fabric, I crawled between the folds. “Is that why you didn’t want your father to know the extent of my talents?”

  Emma sat on the edge of her bed, wringing her hands in her lap. She nodded. “I knew who you were the moment I saw you on the beach,” she admitted guiltily. “You are sort of famous, you know. I figured Dad would recognize you, too. But he didn’t. At least not right away.”

  In most any other place, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Emma recognized me. But Pelia was so far off the grid. I hadn’t seen a single tech gadget all day. How did they get world news on such a remote island? Did it all come in via fax?

  “School,” Emma answered my unasked question. “We studied TOXIC and the Battle of D.C. in school. Sort of as a cautionary tale. Our tribe doesn’t believe in mixing races. They believe it only leads to problems—like what happened with TOXIC.”

  “So everyone here is Talented?” I asked.

  “To some degree, yes. We are all physically stronger, have better senses, and a keener intellect than most mainlanders. For some of us, that is the extent of it. Others can shape-shift, harness electricity, control the elements, heal, teleport—you know, the same abilities you and your friends have.”

  “Teleport?” I asked, unsure I’d heard her correctly. Teleportation was a long defunct ability. No documented cases had been seen in over seventy years.

  Emma’s dopey expression from earlier returned, the one she’d donned while talking to her boyfriend.

  “Yeah. This guy I know, Kip, that’s his thing.” She blushed crimson. “You probably didn’t notice him, but he was the guy working at the toy store.”

  “Is he the only one?” I inquired.

  “Yeah. Well, the only one in our tribe. I think some of the others might have a teleporter or two. His father had the gift, as well.”

  “Had?”

  Emma’s expression turned somber, and she crossed her legs atop her mattress.

  “He went missing two years ago,” she said quietly. “On a supply run. We’re pretty self-sufficient here. We grow our own food and the herbs the healers need to make poultices and stuff, but every once in a while we do need medical supplies from the mainland. Mr. Ozolos went to fetch some medicine and never returned.”

  There was more to Emma’s story—the guilt pouring off of her was so intense I felt as though I was being smothered by it. I put up a wall to block her emotions.

  “How strong is Kip? How far can he teleport?” I asked, partially to change the subject away from the boy’s missing father and partially because a new plan was forming in my mind. For that plan to work, I needed this Kip character.

  Emma toyed with a strand of her long, blonde hair. “As far as he needs to, I think. He’s only gone off island a couple of times, always with a teacher. But he’s passed all of his ability’s tests with flying colors.” Pride for her boyfriend swelled inside of her, the feeling so overpowering that even with my mental shields in place I still felt the effects.

  “Emma,” I began, deciding how best to phrase my request. Subtlety wasn’t really my forte, so I went with the direct approach. “Can Kip take people with him on his, um, trips?”

  “Of course. Our abilities teacher can’t teleport on his own. As long as Kip is touching a person, he can take them along for the ride.”

  Just what I’d wanted to hear.

  “Where do you need to go?” Emma asked, correctly guessing my intentions.

  It occurred to me that Emma might be reading my mind, but I wasn’t positive.

  “London.”

  “For the vote?” Emma asked, surprised.

  Guess she wasn’t reading my mind after all.

  “Not entirely. You said you knew who I was when you first saw me. So you also know who I work for, right?” I asked.

  She nodded.

>   “Okay, well, they have likely sent teams of agents after me, so I need to hide. I have some friends in London who can help with that. I just need to get there.”

  I’d actually forgotten that the vote would take place in London. Emma’s reminder made me rethink my plan to meet up with Kenly. London was probably teeming with UNITED agents. If not, the city would be infested with them shortly.

  “You could stay here with us,” Emma replied in a small voice.

  The desperate look in her eyes made my heart hurt. Reluctantly, I dropped my mental barriers and let Emma’s emotions wash over me. Loneliness. She was incredibly, overwhelmingly lonely. Her gifts made her feel like an outcast. Constant worry over being found out kept her up at night. But she also hated hiding who she was. A part of Emma wanted to go to the mainland, where she thought she would find more people like her. That was the reason she hadn’t told her father about my talents. And why she’d intervened once Jeb learned my true identity. In me, Emma had found a kindred spirit, someone with mental abilities similar to her own.

  I crawled from beneath the covers and joined Emma on the bed. Mushy, gushy feelings weren’t my thing, but I did understand how she felt. Even among my peers, I’d always stood out. My talent was rare, and I was exceptionally powerful. That power made me dangerous, and few of my classmates wanted to be around me because of it.

  “I wish I could stay here,” I told her kindly, more than a little surprised to find that was true.

  Life on Pelia was simple. Sure, there was probably the same political nonsense as anywhere else, but being labeled an outcast for my abilities was nothing new. And if Emma had been able to hide her talents, then I could do the same. Then there was the fact that no one on the island wanted to kill me. That was a definite check in the pro column.

  “But you can’t,” Emma guessed.

  “No, I can’t,” I agreed. “I have a life, sort of. I do have people who depend on me. People who need me. People I love.” Erik’s face swam in my mind. I closed my eyes and pushed his image to the corner. “I need to get back to them,” I finished, nearly choking on the words.