'We need to act fast.' I knew Drake feared losing his powers again, but he sounded calm. 'I only have two more days of the saline replacements.'
Out loud, I kept up a forced argumentative conversation with Dr. Pana—aware of his mental fingers latching onto my mind—while plotting mentally with Ana and Drake. I confused myself a few times, but we managed to create the beginnings of a plan.
"What will I do when we escape? What doctor will know what to do with me and my baby on the outside?"
'I don't know. You will need medical care.'
"Come with us," I begged her. "We need you. My baby needs you."
'The babies here need me too. They barely survived when the mothers died. And my children need me. If I leave, they'll hurt them. What if we can't rescue them in time?'
"But if we escape, won't they suspect that you helped us?"
'Probably, but I'll have to risk it.'
"Okay, I understand you can't come with us. I don't want anything happening to my friends. They're the only family I have too, you know. So we need to make you look innocent."
Drake jumped in. 'We'll have to hurt her, make it look like we, or I, attacked her to free you. It's the only way.'
"No!" I felt Ana and Drake flinch at my mental scream. "We can't hurt her. She's risking everything to help us!"
'No, he's right, Sam. It's the only way to make me look innocent and let you escape. If we don't convince them I wasn't involved, they'll kill my kids and me.'
As far as plans went, this sucked. I hated always being at the mercy of these jerk-offs. When did my life so completely fall apart?
"How do I keep my baby safe?"
'I'll give you enough supplies and drugs to care for you and the baby, and to slow down the growth rate. The medicine will work. Just remember to take it regularly.'
Our conversation ended, and Dr. Pana took me to my room and locked me in. Despair rifled through me, shooting darkness and fear into my heart. I let the pain gnaw at me, tear apart my hope, and when I'd cried every last tear in me, I made a simple vow: no more of that—time to move forward.
I never got to see the babies, but in my mind, I heard their cries and the whispered lullabies Ana sang to them to lure them back to their dreams—the same lullabies she'd sung to Luke and Lucy when they were babies. Each lilting song broke a piece of my heart when I thought of how Rent-A-Kid had torn apart their family.
I lived in isolation again, without even the outdoors to look forward to, this time. Babies filled my dreams and consumed my waking moments. A part of me resented this newfound responsibility. I didn't want it. I was only eighteen, nowhere near ready to be a parent. I hadn't even met the father in person yet.
Ah, get over it. Stop the damn whining and just get on with it!
***
The next day we prepared for the great escape. It would happen late at night. Ana had arranged to be on the night shift. She seemed on the verge of tears, but she held it together. Drake was ready, sneaking in opportunities to strengthen his body. I was ready... mostly. My body felt stronger, but my heart raced uncontrollably from fear.
We had one more thing to do before setting out. We linked Luke and Lucy with Ana.
"Hey guys, sorry I haven't been back to talk to you. It's been a crazy couple of days, but... um... there's something I want to tell you about."
'Are you okay? What's happened?' Lucy didn't sound like herself. The stress of all this dampened her normally bright spirit, which made me even more determined to get out of here.
"You guys, your mom didn't abandon you. She was one of us. They bred her and took you away when you were babies. She's here, linked to you now, and is helping us escape. Her name is Ana."
Silence. And shock. Their thoughts spun in a tornado that made it hard to keep up.
Ana spoke first. 'My children, I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I've done everything I can to keep you alive, to make sure you're treated well. I have loved you all this time.'
'Mom? Are you really our mom?' Luke could not hold his tears.
'Yes, mijo, I am. And I never abandoned you. They stole you from me, just like they stole me from my parents.'
Luke's voice was strained. 'Who's our father?'
'I don't know,' Ana said. 'I wish I could tell you, but I could never find the records. I'm sorry.'
We kept the link open as long as we could. Ana and her children talked about everything, from favorite movies to their para-powers. Luke loved that Ana and I shared mind reading. It also accounted for Lucy's lie-detecting ability. Para-powers were shaped to some degree by genetics, though that didn't explain how the line of paranormals started in the first place.
The conversation went on for a long time. Hearing them all cry and talk at once hurt my head. I wanted to hug everyone.
The craving for physical contact surprised me. Most people didn't really think about it, normally. I would sit next to Luke and Lucy on the bed with our legs touching, or we would hug. Other friends would hug me or put an arm around me. Some level of physical contact was natural, something we didn't even think about.