Who was I without proof of life? No birth records or identifications. No passports or parents. I didn't even exist outside of Rent-A-Kid, and neither would my baby. To get a job, make money, pay taxes—all these things required paperwork I didn't have. I'd seen enough of the world out on assignments to know there was only one place for people so far off the grid. They became the nameless, faceless masses on the streets.
'Sam, you won't be alone. I won't leave you on the streets to starve. You have me and I have friends. We'll find a way to survive.'
His comforting words played like a lullaby in my mind.
I tossed and turned with restless dreams that night. Nightmares, really—images blurred together, evoking a sense of fear and failure. I woke up in a sweat, tangled in my sheet, with my hair matted to my face and neck.
'Sam, can you hear me?'
"Yes. Is something wrong?" My clock said 2:30 AM. No wonder I felt like crap.
'I have my powers back. The drugs are out of my system!'
All sleepiness vanished. I sat up in bed, and we talked about our next step. We'd been planning and talking about this forever, it seemed. But still, this step was crucial. We had no idea of the repercussions if we failed.
We decided to get some rest and plan our escape for the next night. We needed all the advantages we could get. We'd have the night guard disable the cameras and open our doors. Then we'd meet up, "borrow" the guard's car, and escape.
Simple enough, right? Sure.
***
I woke up vomiting, with fire burning through my gut. My stomach had doubled in size, and the pain threatened to tear me apart.
Nurse Susie rushed me to another part of the hospital on a gurney. Dr. Pana met her halfway down the hall, as I moved in and out of consciousness. Drake worried somewhere deep in the back of my mind, but I couldn't respond.
Several scans later, and God knows what tests, they gave me something to ease the pain and relax the baby. She moved inside me, growing, trying to break free of the confines of my body. I tried to link to her, to tell her it wasn't time.
Maybe it was. How did I know? This was no normal pregnancy.
Oh, my God, what if they genetically altered her somehow? What have they done to us? These thoughts consumed me for the rest of the day, but I didn't have the strength to read minds, and Dr. Pana never left me alone long enough to try.
Still, I didn't need my powers to know that my baby was dying, and so was I.
Chapter 22 – Sam
We had little time left. I'd only been able to set Drake up with enough saline to last no more than a week. He'd already used four days' worth, leaving us three days to escape before the real drugs returned and he lost his powers again. We couldn't—
I noticed the smell first—a mix of alcohol and baby powder. Then the crying.
I lay in yet another sterile hospital room. Across the hall, where the crying originated, was a closed door marked Nursery. Not many babies, maybe two by the sound of it. A woman in a lab coat entered my room and pulled the curtain, blocking my view.
'Sam, keep your eyes closed and pretend to be asleep.'
It was Ana, the woman I'd met with Rebeka. I got a closer look at her before feigning sleep. Her large kind eyes, the color of chocolate, were genuine and warm—nothing like the doctor's. Her lilting accent—Spanish, I think—gave her voice a musical quality. Going against all logic and reason, I liked her instantly.
I hesitated a moment, then opened my mind to explore hers, hoping she was someone I could trust.
'I know you can hear me, Sam. And I can hear you. We share gifts, you and I, so listen to me. Do not try anything reckless right now. You and your baby are in danger. Do you understand?'
I almost had to pinch myself to return to the moment. "Who are you? Why are you working at this horrible place?"
I could feel that she didn't belong here. This life made her sick with anger and fear.
'There is more to the story than you can see right now, but I am a friend. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'll try to help you and Drake. He's in danger. They can't control him for long, and once he's harvested, they'll kill him.'
My heart sank to my feet, waiting to be stampeded by the cruel world that enslaved me.
'Stay asleep. They're watching us. I know the medication they put you on to control your powers isn't working. They don't know this, which is the only reason they allow me around you. I'm the only doctor they have that can fix the mess they made with these pregnancies, so they have to let me treat you. Don't despair, child. I was once in your position, a student at what you call Rent-A-Kid.'
"If you were one of us, why are you helping them?"
Despite how much I liked this woman, my anger bubbled out. And why shouldn't it? We'd all had our lives ripped from us, torn apart by these greedy bastards who only wanted to use us for our powers.