Resistance (The Institute Series Book 2) (15 page)

“Oh!” I say, letting go of the breath I was holding in.

Chad kisses the side of my head before climbing back down the course and walking off.

“Help me set up for the next challenge?” Cyrus asks when Chad disappears over the hill.

“Sure. What is it?”

“I want to set targets up around the place so those with the really active abilities have some target practice.”

“You know, I was working with Hayden this morning. He’s doing really well. And with my amplifying his ability, I think he’s improving.”

“Really?” Cyrus asks excitedly. “And just how much were you amplifying his ability by?”

“How much? I don’t know. It’s not a measurable thing.”

“Of course it is! Everything can be measured. Have you not been shown how to use different strengths of amplification?”

“No. I just … amplify.”

“Just like that, huh?” He leads me over to the war games arena. “You have to think of your ability like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. So if you think about it, there are many different strengths and fitness levels your ability could have. Come, I’ll show you. I wouldn’t want you practicing with someone with an active ability like Brayden and accidently electrocute someone. You need to be able to control your ability.”

“Okay.” I guess I never thought of it like that before.

Cyrus takes my hand. “Okay, I’m going to lift one of these cement barricades with my telekinesis, you try and amplify it until it’s only a few feet off of the ground. Don’t make it go any higher.”

I breathe in and concentrate on getting the barricade to float a little off the ground. It gets to that point quickly but keeps going. “How do I pull it back?” I ask.

“Don’t concentrate so hard. Look at me, not at the barricade.” I turn to look at Cyrus, and the cement falls to the ground with a thud; I swear I feel the ground shudder.

“It seems to be all in or nothing,” I say.

“Alright. Maybe we’ll start from the other end. This time, go as hard as you can and then we’ll try to pull it back.”

I nod. “Okay.” I concentrate again and the barricade flies high into the air.

“As hard as you can, Allira.”

“I am,” I say. The barricade is really high and I get the sudden fear that if I lose my concentration, this will turn into a real safety hazard. 

“Now try to pull it back,” Cyrus says.

I’m concentrating so hard, I don’t even notice when Cyrus lets go of my hand. By the time I do realise, it’s too late. The giant slab of cement falls to the ground in a swift, quick descent but not before it remained hovering in the air for longer than it should have. It crumbles as it hits the ground, cracking in numerous places with debris shooting out. I look at Cyrus, my eyes so wide they feel like they’re going to pop out of my head.

He gives me a stern look. “You have some explaining to do. Do you want to tell me exactly how you were using telekinesis?”

“I wasn’t,” I lie.

“Your amplification ability allows you to amplify only when touching someone, correct?”

“Maybe it’s getting stronger? Perhaps that’s even part of my amplification ability?”

“Cut the crap,” Cyrus says with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. “I know you have a double ability. I’ve known since the first time I met you. What I didn’t know is if you knew. I really hoped you were just naïve and innocent and had no idea about it, but the look on your face right now tells me that you’ve known about it for a long time.”

What do I do? Do I continue to deny it anyway? Or do I just give in? I’ve wanted to tell them ever since I got here. It’s been Chad who has been preventing it from getting out. I could continue to deny it, knowing full well that Cyrus will never believe it, or I can admit it and that way it came out through no fault of my own. Cyrus worked it out, he confronted me. Chad won’t be able to dispute that.

“How did you know?” I ask him, my chest already feeling lighter from the weight of my secret holding me down.

“It’s my second ability. I don’t know how you thought you could keep it from me,” he says in a much calmer tone than he’d been using. “You should’ve been honest with the council.”

“Two council members know. Well three, including you now.” I hang my head.

“Two? Your mother and who?” he demands.

“Mum doesn’t know.”

His eyebrows fly up in surprise before furrowing in thought. “It has to be Paxton and Tate then,” he concludes. We both stare at each other, unsure of what to say next. “Why did you feel the need to hide it from us?”

“I don’t know. Tate told me from the beginning to keep it to myself. He said it wouldn’t work out too well for me if people found out, especially people at the Institute.”

“We’re not them,” Cyrus says.

“I know that.”

“But?” he asks.

“But what?”

“You still haven’t answered me. We need to be able to trust everyone here, and right now, I can’t think of one reason why we should trust you. Let’s look at the facts: you and your family – with the exception of your mother – refused to join the Resistance, landing yourselves at the Institute. You trained with them, became an agent, again refused to join the Resistance when the opportunity presented itself. You said you would join us after we got your brother out, we do that for you but somehow, your Institute boyfriend tags along as well. When you finally get here, you’re skilful, you’re smart, and yet you request to be placed working in the Fields in a menial position that is clearly beneath you. And the biggest issue of all, your inability to put any trust in us.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,” I answer. “Except that, I didn’t know about the Resistance until I was already an agent for the Institute. Hell, I didn’t even know I was Defective until I was arrested.”

Cyrus sighs. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

“Do with me?” I retort, narrowing my eyes.

“I need to take this to the council—”

“No. Don’t, please don’t,” I plead. “I should be the one to tell the others.”

“I agree, but you haven’t yet. Why should I believe that you will?”

“I will. I promise.”

Cyrus thinks for a moment. “I’ll give you a few days, but no longer. If you don’t tell them, I will. You need to start being honest about who you are. There’s nothing wrong with having two abilities, if anything, it makes you more important and more valuable to us. For lack of a better word, it’s what makes you
special
to us. To me. We’re the same you and I.”

“I don’t think I’m any more important than anyone else here, and I don’t want to be. We’re all playing a vital part in our fight against the Institute.”

“Do you really think the Institute is our only obstacle? Our only enemy?”

We’re interrupted by the recruiting trainees appearing over the hill, making their way back for the afternoon classes. I wipe the tears from my face that I’ve only just realised were there. Cyrus doesn’t say anything else as we start setting up for the afternoon.

Focusing is next to impossible as I watch and help those with active abilities shoot at targets. I’m easily distracted and have to tell myself to concentrate harder. I catch glimpses of Cyrus staring at me, his expression unreadable. Sometimes he looks quizzical, other times just flat, no expression at all. If there was ever a time I wished Drew was near, now was it. You would think after months of sensing emotions, I would have some natural instincts about the meaning of facial expressions. Apparently I’m a slow learner.

Before I know it, I find myself sitting alone, back up on the platform of the obstacle course. Everyone has gone home for the evening, even Cyrus. He didn’t say a word to me all afternoon. I should start heading home, but facing Ebbodine right now – and most likely Hall as well – doesn’t seem all that appealing. I’m not really looking forward to telling Chad about my day either. The sun has just touched the horizon, it will be dark soon and yet I can’t make myself get up.

I see someone coming down from the hill. At first I think it’s Chad, that he has worked out where I am. But it’s not. The person walking towards me doesn’t walk as confidently or as tall as Chad. Once upon a time, he did, but not here. I don’t say anything as Drew walks past me, letting out a sigh of relief as he keeps going. I guess he must not have seen me.

“You sure you want to be alone right now?” he asks, his voice echoing through the silence like we were standing on hilltop. I flinch from the fright – I thought he kept on walking. He starts climbing the rope ladder to get to me.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I say, pushing him, almost causing him to lose his balance. “Don’t you know it’s insanely rude to scare the crap out of me?”

He just laughs. “I’ll try to mind my manners next time.”  He gets onto the platform and sits down next to me. “Want to talk about it?”

“With you?” I don’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it does.

Drew shrugs. “You don’t have to, but you can, if you want.”

“What are you even doing here? Walking through here, I mean.”

“It’s how I get home from the Fields.”

“You don’t get a lift with Dad?” I ask.

“I wouldn’t even if he offered,” he replies.

“Things still aren’t going well between you guys?”

“It’s alright. Shilah isn’t so bad now and your mum is really nice, but I guess that’s because she wasn’t there for the whole … thing.”

“I think Dad will forgive you. Eventually. Even I’m coming around,” I say, nudging him with my elbow. “And I think if Shilah and I can forgive you, surely he will be able to. I was actually thinking the other night that I owed you a thank you.”

Drew pulls his head back in shock, a look of complete mock horror across his face. “A thank you? Really? Then by all means, please, go ahead,” he says, smiling.

“In a round-about way, I have you to thank for all of this,” I say gesturing to the view before us. “If you didn’t do what you did, I wouldn’t be here.” Drew smiles and puts his arm around my shoulders. It’s the first time I haven’t pulled away from him since we were together, or pretending to be married, but it also doesn’t feel like anything other than a friendly embrace. “Then again,” I add, “if I’d worked out that I was Defective on my own, maybe Dad would’ve gotten in contact with Mum sooner and we could’ve come here first and skipped the whole torture thing they’re so fond of at the Institute.”

Drew pulls his arm away. “I hated that they were doing that to you,” he says quietly. “I couldn’t be there, for any of it. I couldn’t watch that. I was meant to, but I just … couldn’t.”

“Well it wasn’t much fun for me either,” I reply, my tone surprisingly soft.

Drew changes the subject. “So you’ve successfully distracted me with this conversation for a few minutes, but how about you tell me why you’re sitting up here, alone, in the dark.”

“Just stuff,” I answer.

“Stuff can be a bitch,” he replies.

I hesitate, debating internally whether or not to tell Drew about what’s going on. I know I shouldn’t, that was the deal we made at breakfast last week. Don’t tell Drew any important information.  However, Drew is an outsider and as such, he might have a different perspective than someone who’s been here for years, like Chad.

“What do you think of the council?” I ask. “Honestly.”

He shrugs. “To be honest, I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention.”

“You’re lying.”

“I am? How do you know?”

“You think living with you for the past three months hasn’t given me any insight into how you work? I watched you investigate Licia every day. You’re lying, I can see it in your face.”

“I don’t think they’re much better than Brookfield,” he says.

Borrowing his ability, I know he’s telling me how he really feels. And the scary part is, I think I agree with him.

“Granted, they aren’t as harsh or as strict as Brookfield, but what kind of life do we have? We work seven days a week just trying to feed ourselves. I don’t know what it’s like down here in training, but on the farms, it’s literally hard labour for eight, nine, ten hours a day. We eat, sleep, farm. Eat, sleep, farm. Don’t get me wrong, I do like it here and I’m technically free, but I guess I didn’t realise that freedom would come at such a cost,” he says.

“A cost?”

“I just wonder how everyone out here hasn’t died of boredom,” he says.

“Says the ex-agent who’s used to action and drama on a daily basis. I think you’ll find anything boring after doing that.” I certainly haven’t been bored, but I also have a boyfriend, a best friend, my family. Drew has no one. “The games were fun,” I say, trying to find something to fill him with some kind of hope for making things better for him.

“Yeah, the one time we’ve had the chance to play.”

I don’t respond to that. All this time I was thinking Drew must be so happy and so grateful to be here, I didn’t stop to actually think of what it must me like for him. But I do know what it’s like for him – I went through it at the Institute. He’s right, we aren’t much better than them.

“So, are you ready to go home yet? I’m starting to freeze over,” he says. The icy chill of night time in early spring has hit and he isn’t wearing a jacket.