“Where the hell were you?” I demanded.
“Nice to see you too,” Gabe shot back, “I told you I had never teleported four people before. It drained me. I woke up the same day you got here. Why didn’t you wait at the bunker for me? I said I would come back.”
“It’s a long story,” I explained.
“Layla, how are you feeling?” Silas gulped.
“Why should you care?” I snapped.
I didn’t want to fight with Silas or Gabe but I was angry and my shoulder hurt. I was a teenager and I had been shot for christ sakes. How many teenagers got shot? I was mad at myself for leaving the doctor at the facility alive. I wanted to blame someone else for all my mistakes.
Silas flinched like I had struck him. My words were a weapon and I wanted to feel sorry but I couldn’t. Silas stood and walked out of the room.
I yelled after him, “Sure just walk away. You’ll do anything to get away from me won’t you! Better get back to Dr. Nickels and Mabel, don’t want to keep them waiting.”
I must have hit a nerve because Silas turned and marched back into the room.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” He countered, “I’m actually doing something important. While you and your boyfriend take off to get some alone time at the bunker. The world isn’t what it used to be. If you could stop feeling sorry for yourself for more than five minutes, maybe you could put your ability to use. All you’ve done since I meant you is whine about how unfair everything is. To be honest with you, I’m sick and tired of all your whining. You are a spoiled little brat that has no idea what the world has become. So wake the hell up and while your at it, grow up. It’s not all about you Layla.”
With that Silas stormed out of the room leaving me speechless. I hadn’t realized tears had betrayed me and were running down my face until Gabe wiped at one.
“Go away,” I snapped.
Gabe jerked his hand back and stood. I knew I had hurt him too but he made his way to the exit. He paused at the door as if he was going to say something but then thought better of it and kept walking. I was so mad I wanted to scream. I wasn’t self consumed in pity. Was I? Time ticked by and I laid in bed replaying Silas’ words. Maybe he was right and I was acting like a spoiled brat. I did want things to be normal again. I knew I consumed myself in my own thoughts most of the time. Maybe that was why no one liked me. I was once again stuck in my own head when I heard a light knock on the door. Quinn peaked his head in, he was smiling. At least he wasn’t mad at me for kidnapping his girlfriend.
“I heard you had quite the adventure while you’ve been gone,” he smiled warmly.
I couldn’t help but smile back. He had a nice smile and I could see how Lucy found him appealing.
“I take it you are up to date on all the drama?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t call it drama, sounded more like one hell of an adventure to me,” Quinn replied.
I shuffled around in bed until I was in a sitting position. I pulled at a loose thread on the quilt that covered my legs and waist. I wound the yellow thread around my finger until the tip started to turn red and purple.
“I am glad you made it back to us. I wanted to ask you a question but first I wanted to thank you for getting everyone home safely,” Quinn stated.
“You know this isn’t home. This is just a place we are all stuck at,” I snapped.
“Yeah, you are right, this warehouse definitely isn’t home but I’ve worked here for the past eight years. I used to joke with my friends, I’m heading to my home away from home.” I never thought I would actually be living here,” he explained, “I know things have been hard for you since you arrived. You’ve been through alot of shit and you feel like an outcast. Even before all this shit happened every single person here was different. We all are outcast just pretending to fit in. I think the reason you are struggling so much is because you haven’t gotten a handle on your ability. With that said, I would like to help you learn what exactly your ability entitles.”
“You want to help me?” I asked surprised.
“Yes, I believe you have a powerful ability. You haven’t even reached past the surface of what you can do. You are allowing your emotions to control you and then your energy shoots off like malfunctioning fireworks, causing negative reactions from the twelve others. You all are connected but I think you are like an electrical transformer of sorts. The others can function without you but they are not at full power and I think they fuel your ability too. I don’t think water is the key for you, although it is still needed for your survival. Does this make sense to you?”
“I guess but how can you help me? I asked.
“I have a plan and with help from the others I believe together, we can help you,” he answered, with great enthusiasm in his voice.
I agreed and we talked about everything that had happened over the past couple weeks. He explained while I was gone seven people had fallen ill and they had to set up a room for the sick. Doctor Nickels wasn’t sure what the illness was but thought it was some form of the flu and needed to run its course. They didn’t want to take any chances though; that was why they set up the room across the hall from me. I leaned forward and glanced into the room across the hall. I saw people laying in beds, the beds were lined in two rows. Quinn always needed, was called away and I was left alone in the room. I decided to try and get up. I was sick of laying around. My body felt weak and I was drained. I made it to my feet and slowly made my way to the lab. The lab was quiet for the most part. Dr. Nickels and Mabel were out and the two screamers laid quietly. There was another bed added to the room. The girl Gabe and I found at the farm occupied that bed. With everything that had happened I had completely forgotten about her. I stepped closer to her bed and realized she was breathing but still in a deep sleep. She was wearing the same dress as the screamer in the bed near her. They looked almost identical. I looked back and forth between them. The only difference was one had grey skin and a horrible odor. I glanced at my reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall. I too was a match to these two girls in the beds. I swallowed hard and wondered what the hell was going on.
Zola laid motionless in a hospital bed. The bed was in a corner of the lab. I walked over to find she was in a deep sleep too, only her sleep was a coma. Her red hair flowed down to her shoulders and rested peacefully there. Her white skin with freckles appeared to be a yellowish color. Tubes and cords exited her body from all directions.
I rested my hand on top of hers and the room began to spin wildly. The room shrunk in around me and I felt my body leave her bedside. I entered into a different kind of laboratory. I fell to the floor with a hard grunt. I got to my feet and surveyed my new surroundings. The laboratory was familiar but different at the same time. Two men in white lab coats walked in through a sliding door. Speaking to each other in hushed whispers they walked towards me. I put my hands up and called out but they didn’t stop, they walked through me like I was a ghost. I couldn’t help but cry out as they continued on with their business. I gathered myself and followed behind them as they walked through another set of sliding doors on the other side of the room.
This room was filled with lots of children. These children were very young, maybe four years old. They all had red hair and emerald green eyes, they were covered in light freckles and they had matching pale white skin. Sitting on the floor, they were huddled together. They were all wearing plain white pants and shirts. This made them appear ghostly. I regarded each child, one girl in particular stood out. It was a much younger Zola and she was sitting by herself on the floor. A man in a lab coat roughly grabbed one of the children and dragged him to a chair. He restrained the little boys hands and ankles to the chair. I watched in horror as the man injected a needle into the boys arm. The boy cried out for help but his cries were on deaf ears. The other man slapped the little boy in the face. I reacted immediately moving forward and swinging a solid fist at the mans head. Only instead of making contact my punch went right through the man's head causing me to lose my balance. I very ungracefully fell forward and landed on the floor.