Across The Divide (14 page)

“What the hell?” Croygen’s whisper floated over to my bed, waking me up. Sprig stirred next to me. “I thought you’d be waiting in the vent, screaming at me for being late.” His feet softly landed on the counter.

“We’re not going, Pirate.” Sprig climbed my arm.

“What? Why?” Croygen snuck over to the bed. I laid on my side staring into the darkness. “What happened?”

“Because, ass-bandit,
Bhean
isn’t feeling well.”

“Excuse me? This coming from someone who licks his own ass.”

“You’re just jealous.”

“Yeah. Kind of.”

“I can’t go.” I finally spoke. “I’m done with all of it.”

“What? Why?” Croygen hissed. When I didn’t respond, he crouched closer. “What changed, Zoey? Does Rapava know? Did he threaten you?”

“No.” I sighed, sitting up, placing Sprig on the bed. “Not exactly about that. His threat was more about keeping me in line.”

“A vague threat is keeping you from discovering more? What happened to the Zoey who said she’d do whatever it takes? Are you really giving up that easy?” Croygen sat next to me. “I didn’t swipe the nurse’s cell phone camera for nothing. Come on, we can’t stop now.”

“The threat isn’t vague,” I barked, more anger rolling from my words than I expected.

“Then what was it about?”

I jumped to my feet, emotion shooting up through my legs. “He has my sister.”

“What?” both Sprig and Croygen exclaimed.

“My sister is alive. She’s been here the whole time.”

“Holy honey-stuffed cannoli! You didn’t say anything earlier.” Sprig put his hands on his hips.

“Sorry. I was still processing.”

I told Croygen and Sprig a rushed version of everything about my sister and what transpired in the room, catching them up.

“Shit! He has her here, experimenting and mind-controlling her, and now using her as leverage to keep you in place?” Croygen massaged his forehead.

“Pretty much.”

“He’s making you look like a shiny turd, Pirate.” Sprig hopped on the table, crawling up my arm to my shoulder. “Though a turd just the same.”

“Again coming from someone who flings his own.”

“I might look like a monkey, but you know I’m a sprite, right?” Sprig sat back on his legs. “We only fling our poo on the summer solstice.”

Croygen ignored Sprig, leaning against the wall and rubbed a hand over his mouth in thought.

“I can’t go down there.”

His lids narrowed. “You’re giving up?”

“I have to.”

“Why?” He threw up his arms. “I thought you wanted to end DMG. To stop the torture and experimenting.”

“I do, but…”

“But what, Zoey? Is one life worth all the others here?”

“Yes!” My reaction was instant. “You don’t understand. She is my sister.”

“You think she’ll be better off if you stop?” Croygen pushed off the wall, leaning over me, getting in my face. “She’s simply going to end up another freak, like your monkey here.”

“Hey!” Sprig retorted.

“Or
dead
.” Croygen snapped, then turned way, proceeding to the table. “But it does save me from having to protect your ass tonight.” Croygen jumped up. “I guess I can leave since I’m not needed here anymore… Oh right, I can’t really get out of here. Another trapped rat to be dissected and tested on.” The way his boots hit the counter, I could sense his anger.

I wanted to stop him, to explain, but I couldn’t. He was right. Still, I could not put Lexie’s life in peril. He slipped the panel back on and withdrew into the darkness.

I circled the room like a captive lion. 
Lexie
. I still couldn’t believe she was alive. The longer I went without seeing her, the more I doubted what I’d seen. My heart wanted to explode with happiness, but at the same time fear swelled through me that she wasn’t real. Not the girl I raised anyway.

I spent time rehashing our encounter and her withdrawn, vague attitude, which was far from the girl I knew. The little sister I raised was vibrant, funny, and blunt. The change was thanks to Rapava’s mind-control injections. Like acid, rage burned holes in my esophagus at the thought. I wanted to kill him, to douse him with a mind-controlling substance and shove needles into him as I dissected him. I wanted to do everything to him he did to us.

Sleep stayed away and during the dark hours of the night, I realized a very unsettling truth: 
Croygen was right.

Playing by Rapava’s rules would not help her. Or anyone here. Her existence would not be better if I stopped uncovering the truth. If anything, her life would be harsher. None of us deserved this. This was no life. And like Kate and Daniel both said, it was up to me. I would need to be even more careful, but I would not stop. Not till he was dead and this place was gone. We would get out of here—escape the walls imbedded deep underground.

My thoughts also went to Lexie. I recalled all the times she may have hinted at knowing more about my involvement with the secret government division. I could see it now, in the tiny things she’d say, the random comments. Why didn’t she ever tell me she knew? Why did she keep it from me?

All those things could only be answered by her. And I had no idea when or if I would ever get the chance to ask.

The next day, Dr. Rapava told me that after I trained, I could have a short visit with Lexie. Peter pounded my ass, yelling I was not concentrating.

Yeah. No shit.

Finally he let me go, walking me to the room where I waited, impatiently, for Lexie.

The door opened, Rapava stepped through first. Lexie shuffled in behind him, crutches under her arms, a blank look in her eyes.

Rapava’s mindless drone.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to catch up.” Rapava scanned both of us, like he was doing me the biggest favor. He stepped out and closed the door.

My arms wrapped around Lexie’s slender body and squeezed her tight. I never wanted to let her go. “I’ve missed you so much.” I stroked the back of her head. “I am so sorry. If I’d known you were alive…here…I would never have left you. Ever.” I pulled back. “You understand this, right?”

She nodded, but it seemed to be more of a reflex.

“Lexie, do you know who I am?”

“My sister,” she responded formally. “We were in foster care together. You raised me.” Her words were remote, monotone, as if she were merely stating facts back to me but did not actually remember them.

My hand went to her face, searching her eyes for a hint of life. “Do you remember what I got you for your last birthday?” I needed a connection to see how deep this mind-control drug went. Did she still have her memories?

Her eyebrows crinkled, then smoothed out. “You got me an automated dog.” She pressed her mouth together, looking at the floor. He voice became softer. “Because I really wanted one. And Joanna wouldn’t let us have a real dog.”

“What did you get me for mine?” Hope caught in my lungs and I sucked in. I dropped my hand from her cheek, clutching her arms.

Her gaze went distant. “Red nail polish.”

“Why?” I whispered.

“Because I told you Daniel would see your red nails and think about sex,” she replied. Her voice never fluctuated. Robotic.

Disappointment weighted my shoulders and my arms dropped away. She had all her memories but relayed them back like she was looking through a plate of glass. No emotion. No connection.

“When did you find out I was lying to you? When did you first come here to meet the doctor?” I asked.

Lexie looked up, but her eyes never really focused on me.

“Lexie?”

“I don’t remember.”

Lexie had a memory of a steel trap. She could recall things I wished she’d forget. This felt odd.

“What happened the night of the fire? When did they get you out?” I heard Rapava’s side, I wanted to know hers.

“I don’t remember.”

“What about your legs? When did you get them operated on?”

Her lips turned white. “I don’t remember.”

He was messing with her brain. Big time.

“Do you remember anything about the night of the fire?”

“Marv and Hugo got me out. Just in time.”

My heart squeezed with physical pain as she regurgitated exactly what Rapava told me. Tears slid under my lids. I pulled Lexie to me, wrapping my arms around her. I didn’t care if she wanted to hug me back or if she felt anything. I needed to hug her, to have her safe in my arms for a moment. She was alive. That’s what was important.

Similar to the day before, she was stiff as a board against my snug embrace. I continued to hold her when I sensed something happening. It was slight, but I felt the muscles along her back and shoulders give way under my touch. She lifted her arms, hugging me back.

I gulped, swallowing my emotion, not daring to react, too afraid to move and break whatever moment we were having.

One by one I felt her fingers grip the back of my top, her shoulders relaxing. I reacted, not able to stop myself. My head darted back to look at her. She blinked, really taking me in.

“Lexie?” I whispered.

She held her breath, then slowly nodded. “Zoey…” Her arms came back around me, pulling me to her. “Oh my god, Zoey.”

A dam burst in my chest, a sob echoing up. “Lexie.” I repeated her name, feeling for the first time like I had my sister back—at least a glimpse of the feisty twelve-year-old I knew.

“Zo-ey.” She struggled to get out my name. “It’s not what you think.”

“What’s not?”

The handle of the door clinked and began to open.

Lexie glanced over her shoulder, her face showing signs of fear. Then she gripped me tighter, her lips close to my ear. “They started the fire. Lightning never struck the neighborhood,” she rushed. “They killed Joanna.”

“What?” Her words sent a pool of sewage into my gut. 
Started the fire? Killed Joanna?

“Time is up, Lexie.” Rapava entered and grabbed Lexie’s shoulder, pulling her away from me. His face was etched with angry lines. “If your sister keeps progressing and doing what I ask, you will be able to see her tomorrow.”