The Forbidden Trilogy(105)

The web of emotion weighing her down vanished. She shook her head to clear it. "No, of course. I'm sorry, I'm still recovering from my injuries and I get a bit grumpy. You did the right thing. Let's get Luke and head over."

Lucy leaned over while the boys turned to leave, and grabbed the sphere. She shoved it back into her pocket and followed them out.

***

The walk through campus at night was a risk, but Greg kept the surveillance off of them. It was too late to call a meeting, but they could at least set the place up.

Linda and a few other Freedom Fighters met them at The Hub and took them to an abandoned building that, before the soldiers had moved in, was going to be refurbished as a new gym.

A guard with a flashlight approached, and they all ran into the main doorway. Larry, a guy who could generate light, used his shadow power to shut down the guard's flashlight.

The guard slapped the useless metal against his palm, then swore and headed back in the direction he'd come.

Linda led them through the gym area and into a corridor none of them had ever noticed before. "There's a secret passage here, a door that leads to a basement. It's perfect for us. No one ever goes down there."

The basement gave them plenty of room to practice, and even had smaller rooms off to the side for the more dangerous para-powers.

Lucy brushed some dust off a chair, but didn't sit. "This is perfect, Linda. You did an awesome job."

They spent the next hour moving boxes and throwing away random bits of wood and trash. Then they set up some basic practice areas before they headed back to their dorms.

Luke grabbed her shoulder as they crossed the quad. "What's up, Sis? You've been distracted all night."

"I'm just thinking. What did Mr. Black mean when he said we wouldn't be here long? There are obviously bigger plans at work, and I want to know what they are. I wish the meeting you recorded in Russia had given us more information. It's all so confusing."

"Yeah, I've listened to it a thousand times, and I still don't know what it means—only that Rent-A-Kid isn't the only organization at play here. They talked about the IPI as if it was the enemy, which means it might be an ally for us, but who knows? We don't even know what IPI stands for, much less whether they really can stand up to whoever's in charge here."

A guard approached them and shone his flashlight in their faces, destroying their night vision. "Curfew is in ten minutes. What are you two still doing out?"

Lucy pursed her lips. "If it's in ten minutes, then we're not breaking any rules, and therefore it's none of your business."

Luke elbowed her in the ribs. "What my sister means to say is we're just out for some fresh air and a jog. We're heading back to our dorm now and will be there before lockdown."

The guard grunted like some wild pig. "Hurry up, then."

They jogged back to their dorm, and Luke pulled on Lucy's ponytail. "You trying to get us busted."

"No, I'm sorry. It's just so irritating, these stupid wannabe soldiers thinking they can boss us around. I hate them."

"I know. We'll figure a way out of here. Somehow."

***

Ms. Fenkle's computer class used to keep Lucy's attention—she was, after all, the most advanced student. But, like everything and everyone, Ms. Fenkle was affected by the school's change of leadership. Her normal lessons were replaced by rote assignments a chimp with a typewriter could do.

Lucy had the distinct impression this new regime didn't actually want them to learn anything useful. Even more troubling was that she had no idea what they wanted the students for, or why they kept up the charade of an education.

She missed the days when school was fun, when she and Sam would pass notes in class and talk about boys and compare powers, when life made sense and they didn't have to worry about death and pregnancy and being beat up.

When the bell rang, Lucy hustled back to her dorm. The loudspeaker voice had strictly forbidden fraternizing in the hallways—or anywhere else for that matter.

That didn't stop Mary from flirting with Darren.

When Lucy walked past them, Mary pushed her aside. "Watch it, freak!"

In the past, Lucy would have had a witty retort to throw her way, but it didn't matter anymore. Mary, with her stupid games and her stupid flirtations... Lucy didn't have time for it. She had bigger worries.

To Lucy's surprise, Gary came out of his physics class and approached Mary. "Have you given any thought to our new club?"

Mary flipped her hair back and turned on enough charm—AKA para-power—to make most boys sweat. But Gary had a boyfriend, so Mary didn't get far with him, much to her obvious chagrin.

"Do you really think I want anything to do with you and your stupid little group? I am way too cool for all that and wouldn't be caught dead with you!"