I toss and turn, dreaming things I don't want to dream. Everything's mixing together. To top it all off it's storming outside. I keep waking up to thunder, confused and afraid, not knowing where I am or what's going on.
"Simon," I murmur, falling deeper into sleep again.
I'm back in chemistry class, only its ages ago, before everything became so wrong, when we were all just a bunch of kids in class. Volger's standing next to me, with Nevva on my other side, we're watching a dissection.
"Good looking guy, he is," Lee gives us a small smile from across the table.
"No," I shake my head frowning.
"What's wrong little mouse, can't stomach the real work?" Volger elbows me, smirking down at me when I look up at him. It makes my heart flutter.
"No, I didn't mean. What I meant was it's not chemistry. The fundamental base of this is too far from the subject matter."
"Ai ya little one, so many words," Volger shakes his head.
"It's okay River, he's not really dead," Nevva smiles, look. I look up the table to the man's head and Simon grins at me.
"Simon! What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you," he explains. "You never get my letters so I figured this was the best way to visit. It's only temporary." He waves towards his stomach; the teacher is pulling out his heart. "This I mean, I am with you always mei mei."
"But the hearts an essential organ Simon."
"Nah, I feel fine," but he slurs the last part. "Fine," his eyes roll back in his head, as his head drops to the table.
"Simon!" I shake him.
"Watch the table, girl!" The teacher yells at me.
"Sorry," I back up; still watching worriedly as Simon's head tosses from side to side.
"This is no good," the teacher shakes his head. "Too much movement, Volger!"
"Yes?"
"Get the knife." Volger picks up something that looks more like a sword.
"Got it," Volger holds it over his head. "Now what?"
"Cut off his head."
"No!" I scream.
"River, we need him to lie still," Volger explains looking back at me. His face seems to be rotting now. I glance around the room; everyone's faces seem to be rotting off their skulls. Simons missing an eye and half his jaw is exposed.
"Volger," I murmur, he turned to me, the skin around his eye sagging, the eyelid drooped down so I only see half the eye on that side, his nose has disappeared.
"It's for the pax," he answers, and slams the sword through Simon's throat.
I wake up the scream fading on my lips, and Nevva's hand over my mouth. She puts a finger to her lips and I nod. Outside there's a loud roll of thunder, a flash of lighting momentarily brightens the room and I almost scream seeing the figure at the end of my bed. I realize its Lee and catch myself in time. Lee motions for us to follow her.
I slip out of bed and into my shoes, they are both still in pajamas so I don't change. Not that I would have had time before we slipped out of the room. We followed Lee as she led us through a maze of corridors. The halls were drab, and cold in the daylight, but with thunder rumbling, and lighting occasionally illuminating the way they were creepy, I expected security guards to jump out at us at any moment.
We slipped out a back door, and hurried down a covered walkway to a gazebo, then dashed from there, through the rain to a boathouse at the head of the docks by the lake. Lee pushed in a loose board and we slipped inside. Candles were lit around the small room, and two guys sat waiting, they stood quickly when we entered.
"Lee!" The bigger of them hissed. "Who the hell are these two?"
"I know her," the other guy was backing away. "She killed a kid in my training class today." I felt like I was suffocating, as the other guy took a step back too.
"It wasn't her fault," Lee answered. "They both are ready to do something about all the gos se that goes on around here." We are? I felt the panic rising again. What had Nevva told Lee? I glanced at Nevva, but she was nodding at the guys.
"So how isn't beating a kid to death her fault?" The littler guy asked.
"Well Tarrin, if you read this, you may get the idea," she tossed a folder at the little guy.
"What's up, Lee?" The bigger guy asked, glancing at the file. "And who exactly are these too?"
"Nevva, and River's the little one. This is Tarrin and Gunner," she nodded at each of us as she spoke our names. "The documents there contain files on triggers."
"Exciting," Gunner rolled his eyes.
"Trigger's they have been installing in all of us since the day we got here," Lee added, glaring at Gunner. "Triggers to unleash us in whatever way they want. Like River today."
"Oh god," I covered my mouth. "It really wasn't my fault."
"Not at all," Lee shook her head.
"So what's this little resistance group?" Nevva asked.
"Khia started it, she told me things weren't right, and that we could do something if we all banded together. It was the four of us, up until today."
"She was the one who got the files on each of us, figured out what talents they thought we could specialize in," Tarrin added. "Each of us is being groomed to serve a specific purpose."
"And the file on triggers explains that we are expected to carry out these tasks unaware and completely under their control," Lee scowled, sitting on a crate. "I have a feeling they aren't too pleased with their top subject killing the kid in second place."
"Got themselves a real shiong-tsan sha sho," Gunner nodded with a smile. "Glad to have her on our side, we know what her trigger is?"
"No," I backed up, knocking over a pile of crates with a deafening crash in the small room.
"Easy, River," Lee stood, Taking my arm as we all stood still listening for guards. "We aren't going to be like them," Lee said with a tone of finality.
"River's with us, if we need her to fight she will," Nevva added. I looked from Lee to Nevva.
"No, I wont, I wont hurt anyone again."
"Then we'll all die," Tarrin glared at me. "Is that what you want? To die from their little experiments? Or be used as an assassin? Cause that's their plan for you little one, you might as well fight for the good guys."
I was holding back tears looking at all of them, Nevva stared apologetically back. They were right; it was becoming more obvious daily that we had few ways to escape from this place. I sighed, nodding and looking away.
"I'll do it. If it will get us out, I'll do whatever you want."
"Great," Lee's face brightened. "I've been trying to get word out to my family about this, but Khia told me this morning that they are doctoring our letters if they don't seem happy."
"Oh," Simon hadn't forgotten me. It was the first bright stop in this terror driven day. "I've been trying to tell my brother," I explained.
"Did Khia say anything else?" Gunner asked hopefully.
"No," Lee shook her head. "We only had a few minutes before classes."
"She's dead, isn't she?" Tarrin asked, poking glumly at the dirt floor.
"We have to assume so," Lee nodded.
"Wuh de ma," Nevva looked as shocked as I felt. "I thought they were putting her in confinement, running extra tests."
"I hate to say, but it's better for us if she's dead. Less chance of them figuring out who was working with her." The room was silent as we all thought this over.
"I'm going to write my brother."
"Good luck," Tarrin snorted.
"River, he won't get the letter," Lee spoke slowly.
"We used codes all the time when we were little, it will be easy to come up with one he'll see but they won't," I shrugged, actually starting to feel better about everything.
"Well I hope you're right," Gunner shook his head. "But I won't hold my breath."
"We should get back," Lee stood. "Keep working on ways out of here. Nevva and I will try to get more files to explain what exactly they are planning."
"And I'll write Simon," I nodded.
"Yeah," Lee gave a half nod. She was humoring me.
We all slide through the loose board, splitting up and heading for our separate dorms. Nevva and Lee whispered ahead of me. I focused on them, listening with all my senses. I was surprised to be able to hear them, a little scared because it meant I was indeed, making progress. Dr. Mathias would be so proud.
"You're sure she hasn't been compromised?" Lee asked.
"Yes. Well no," Nevva admitted. "But River's like a sister to me, we've been through everything here, and I am not leaving without her."
"She will be useful if she will fight."
"She will, she'll do what has to be done."
"And her brother? Is he as smart as she thinks?"
"I don't' know," Nevva whispered.
Simon is smarter than I think. He will rescue us, get father to understand what's going on. We slip into our bedroom, and slide into cold beds. I lay staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep, thinking over the day. Simon will be able to help. I slip back out of bed; the other two are fast asleep already. I pull out a notebook and pencil, mentally figuring the code as I write to Simon. In a few minutes the letter is done, I look back over it and smile. He'll know what's going on, I'll hear from him too. Still smiling I slip back under the covers, falling into the first peaceful sleep I've had here.
