The Weapon Within: A Paranormal Dystopian Adventure (The Unexplainables Book 1) (7 page)

My stomach churned and suddenly I wasn
’t hungry. Forcing the food down out of politeness more than anything else, I waited until Oscar had finished then followed him out to his car.

We pulled up outside the cottage and the wave of nausea worsened as I looked through the gaping hole in the front of the house.

‘
Wow!’ Oscar murmured.

Tommy was waiting in the lounge for us.

‘Hey,’ he greeted me. He looked exhausted.

‘
I’m so sorry . . .’ I started but he held his hand up to stop me.

‘
Ava, we heard – the telepaths did, I mean. We’ve never experienced anything like it before – usually the other person has to be nearby and conscious to be able to read them but your nightmare came through loud and clear.’

‘
Oh!’

‘
It’s not surprising that you’re having difficulty sleeping. You’ve been through so much more than any of us can ever imagine, that’s obvious. But what I don’t understand is why on earth you keep shutting us out. Why did you insist on staying here by yourself?’

‘
I wanted to prove to Brock and Esther that they can trust me. Obviously I failed.’ My lip quivered. He stepped over to me and pulled me into his arms.

‘
Maybe the point is that you have to learn to trust
us.
Whatever has happened in the past, you’re one of us now. Ok?’

I nodded, fighting
back tears.

‘
Now all we need to do is sort out someone to fix the door.’

‘
Let me do that,’ I broke away from him, heading out of the room.

‘
It’s ok, don’t worry about it,’ Tommy trailed behind me. ‘I’ll call someone when the offices open.’

Ignoring him, I stepped through the door frame and crouched next to it.
The door lifted itself up, hovered in mid-air then slotted back into place whilst tiny screws floated up towards the hinges and screwed themselves tightly into their holes. If not for a couple of scratches in the paint work, no one would ever know that anything had happened to it.

*

When Brock and Esther returned home they were very concerned and understanding. Instead of being angry, they looked at me with sympathetic eyes, which made me feel even worse. I spent most of the day hiding out in my bedroom, staying out of way. As the sky outside darkened, Brock appeared in the doorway, resting his head against the frame.

‘
You would tell me if you weren’t happy, wouldn’t you?’ he asked.

‘
What do you mean?’

‘
I’m just wondering if maybe you’d be more comfortable staying somewhere else. I don’t want you to feel as though you can’t say so if that’s the case.’

I stared at him, astounded.
‘But you can hear my thoughts. Surely you know that’s not the case?’

He shifted uncomfortably.
‘Not always. It seems that you have a natural ability at tuning out some of the more personal stuff. I thought you were doing it on purpose.’

‘
I had no idea. But you don’t need to worry. It’s just all so overwhelming. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.’

He smiled warmly.
‘Well, as long as you know that you can talk to me if you need to.’

‘
Thank you.’

‘
No problem. Have a good night.’

‘
I hope so,’ I replied quietly, watching as he left the room.

*

I was standing at the bottom of the hill, looking up at the group of figures. My feet were moving towards them but the ground stood still. Then I was standing next to a bed. Taking hold of the cover, I yanked it away. She was beautiful. Her hair was fanned out over the pillow and her eyes shone with laughter. My hands reached towards her but then she changed and I recoiled. In her place lay a skeletal being, with pure white eyes and translucent skin. I was back in the clearing. It appeared to be empty but then I realised that there were bodies lying in the grass. My mother was there, as were every single one of my new friends, except . . . I looked up to see the figures standing in a circle just a few feet away from me. The leader bent towards a figure kneeling in front of him, his hands outstretched.

‘
Leave my father alone!’

The leader hesitated and turned towards me and at the same moment I caught a glimpse of the face of the man. It wasn
’t my father. The leader turned back and as his fingers came into contact with the man’s skin . . .

*

‘Noooooooooo!’

Crouched on the floor, I rocked backwards and forwards, shivering with cold yet
flushed with heat at the same time. My heart raced and my breathing came in short gasps.

The
powers were building up inside me and I knew I didn’t have the strength to hold them in this time. But then strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me up. He carried me over to the bed and lifted me on to his lap.

‘
Shhh, it’s ok,’ he murmured, stroking my hair and rocking me gently.

‘
Oscar . . .’ before I could say any more, the tears came. He kissed the top of my head and held me tight until eventually they stopped.

*

He was still with me the next morning.

‘
Are you ok?’ He brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

‘
I think so,’ I replied. ‘I’m sorry . . .’

‘
Shhh.’ He pressed a finger to my lips. ‘It’s fine. Esther is making breakfast. Do you want me to bring you some up here?’

‘
No, I’ll come down.’

Oscar
raced around the bed and wrapped his arm around my waist then helped me downstairs and into the kitchen. Brock folded his newspaper and Esther placed mugs of tea in front of everyone.

‘
So, it seems we’ve found a solution to our problems,’ Brock stated. ‘Am I right in thinking that you feel safest when Oscar is around?’

I flicked Oscar a glance. He
was busy spreading honey on a piece of toast and didn’t show any sign that he’d heard Brock’s statement. I swallowed hard and nodded my head.

‘
It’s ok,’ Brock reassured me. ‘Oscar was one of the first people you came across when you arrived here and it seems that you’ve formed a connection with him.’

I watched him carefully, wondering where this was going.

‘How you would feel about Oscar moving in for a while?’

My mouth dropped open.
I wasn’t expecting that! ‘I don’t want to put Oscar out . . .’

‘
You’re not putting me out, I’d be happy to help,’ he interrupted.

‘
But what about Gran and Gramps? What about Skye?’

He shrugged.
‘Gran and Gramps will be fine. I spoke to them this morning on the phone and they understand. As for Skye, well, she’ll be ok. She just needs some time to get used to the idea.’

‘
You’d really do this for me?’

He smiled and brushed the tips of his fingers down my cheek.
‘Of course.’

Brock cleared his throat.
‘Well, if that’s all agreed then I’d like to ask you about the rest of the nightmare, if you don’t mind?’

‘
Which bit?’ I asked, taking a drink of my tea.

‘
The bit on the hill. I take it that the child is you?’

‘
Yes, that’s right.’

‘
How old were you?’

‘
About four I think.’

‘
Gran told me that you can’t be killed, is that right?’

‘
That’s correct.’

He ran his finger over his chin, and nodded gently.

‘So, who were the figures?’

‘
I’ve no idea. Up until that point, the only people I’d met were my parents.’

‘
But they knew your father?’

‘
Yes, I believe so. Mother told me they’d been searching for Father for a long time. When he died we ran away to a cottage in a forest. We grew our own crops and kept chickens. But eventually we had to leave.’

‘
They found you?’

‘
Yes. I’m not really sure how she knew but one minute she was resting in our hammock, reading a book and the next she was racing into the house, stuffing things into a bag. That’s when we moved to the city and she found the job at the hotel.’

‘
What about when she died? Where were you then?’

Emotion surged inside me and I shook my head.
‘I can’t, I’m sorry.’

‘
Well, I guess I’d better go and get some clothes.’ Oscar gave my hand a squeeze and stood up, taking his plate over to the sink. ‘You’d better make some space in the bathroom too.’ He winked. ‘I need somewhere to put my toothbrush.’

*

Things improved greatly from that point onwards. I slept peacefully every night in the knowledge that Oscar was close by. The only person who wasn’t happy about the arrangement was Skye but that didn’t seem to bother anyone all that much. Esther took me on a trip to the nearby shopping centre and we came back armed with several bulging carrier bags. I had never owned so many clothes and sat staring in awe at my newly filled wardrobe for a good half hour until Oscar dragged me away. The only cloud on the horizon was the impending start of the college term, and by the time the first day arrived I felt sick to my stomach.

‘
You’ll be fine,’ Brock told me in a tone of voice which was more of an instruction than a reassurance. There was a knock at the front door and Noah let himself in, sitting down at the kitchen table and helping himself to a rasher of bacon.

‘
You ready?’ He glanced at me. ‘Jeez, you look pale. It’s not that bad, you know.’

‘
Promise?’

‘
I’ve got your back, don’t worry about it. Come on, we’ll head out to the bus stop. A bit of fresh air might do you good.’

Reluctantly
, I bade everyone goodbye and followed Noah outside. There was movement across the road and a pair of yellow eyes peered out from around a tree. Seeing my panther gave me a boost of confidence. All I had to do was keep calm and stay out of everybody’s way. How hard could it be?

We were the first people on the bus and took seats near the back. One by one my new friends climbed on board until there was quite a little group of us. Part way through the town I saw Beth standing at a bus stop. She sat down in the seat across the aisle from me.

‘
I didn’t realise you came to this college too.’ I grinned.

‘
It’s the only place to go around here,’ she replied. ‘Which subjects are you going to take?’

‘
I’m not sure. Which subjects do you take?’

‘
Music and Art. They’re not too bad but I guess it depends on what you’re into.’

I shrugged.
‘So what’s it like at college?’

‘
Well, it’s kind of boring really. We’re only allowed to study two subjects. We get an hour for lunch but we’re not allowed to go off campus. And we have to swipe an ID card whenever we enter or leave the building.’

‘
Really? Why?’

‘
So they can keep tabs on everyone. Once you turn eighteen, you can leave college but you have to sign a register saying who you are, whether you’re a Nex or a Dud and where you’re going to be working.’

‘
Wow! I had no idea things were so tightly controlled.’

‘
Oh yeah, they are. It’s really annoying though because the security guards are everywhere and you can’t get away with anything.’

We were getting de
eper into the town now and my gaze wandered out of the window. As we pulled up to yet another bus stop I noticed two people dressed identically in beige outfits. Despite not being the brightest of days they both wore sunglasses. One of them turned his head and seemed to look right at me as he walked past. The bus set off again and the man continued to look in my direction until we moved out of sight.

‘
Who were they?’ I asked Beth.

‘
Oh, they’re from the commune.’

‘
The what?’

‘
Its official name is Paradise Community and it’s about fifteen minutes out of the far side of town. It was set up years ago when everything went crazy. It’s supposed to be an alternative lifestyle commune for Duds or something. They’re dead weird – they all dress the same and they hardly ever come into the town.’

‘
And they never speak to Nexes,’ Noah chimed in. ‘We call them Parasites. The thing is, no one actually knows what goes on in that place. They have their own security guards who protect their compound and they don’t let strangers in. The guy who owns it must have done some sort of deal with the government because he owns the land from here right down to the coast. It’s a shame really because I used to like going down to the beach but no one’s allowed to go there any more.’

Kenzie twisted around in her seat.
‘Do you remember that kid who broke in there a few years back? Went in on a dare and came back out on a stretcher with two broken legs.’

‘
What happened to him?’ I asked.

She shrugged and jiggled the stud in her chin.
‘No one knows. He says he can’t remember, the Parasites say they found him like that.’

I was about to ask more questions but the bus stopped and everyone around me began to collect their possessions and head outside.

*

Once we
’d made it through the security gates and had our bags checked, Beth walked me to the main office where a woman with dark-rimmed glasses told me to take a seat on a bright orange plastic chair. As soon as I sat down a door opened and a short man with a large bald patch and thick glasses looked out at me.

‘
Miss Ava? Would you come in please?’

His office
was sparsely furnished and rather cold. He gestured to a chair and sat down behind a small desk.

‘
My name is Mr Johnston and I’m the dean of this college. I’d like to welcome you to Betnor College of Further Education and I hope that your time here is fulfilling. We’re keen to promote an atmosphere of serenity, safety and fairness. With that in mind I’d like to make it clear to you that any use of powers whilst you are attending this college will be dealt with most severely. Hopefully that won’t be an issue with you so I’ll say no more than that. Now, which subjects would you like to take?’

‘
Um . . . music and art,’ I stuttered. They were the first things that came into my mind. Mr Johnston shuffled some papers, then looked at his computer screen.

‘
Yes, that’s fine, there are places in both. If you go out to the desk, Mrs Ali will give you a timetable and directions to your first class. Good luck.’

*

The lady at the reception desk handed me my timetable. Beth peered at it over my shoulder. ‘Cool! You’re doing the same as me.’

‘
I take it that means you don’t need directions.’ The lady looked at me over her glasses.

‘
I’ll take her, don’t worry.’ Beth smiled sweetly then set off down a corridor at speed.

I lost my bearings straight away. All the corridors were identical with dark blue doors on bo
th sides. We walked for several minutes before Beth led me into a large room that had clusters of tables in the middle and easels around the edges. Apart from Beth and myself there were only six others in the class. We sat down at an empty table and put our bags away. A lady wearing a rather grubby apron handed out pieces of paper then placed several bowls of fruit in the middle of the tables.

‘
Still-life drawing today, folks,’ she called out as she tipped packs of coloured pencils and chalks out for us to take.

‘
Doesn’t she teach us anything?’ I asked Beth quietly.

‘
Nah, we just do different projects each week. She said we might do jewellery making at some point this term.’

‘
So, we just draw the fruit?’

‘
Yup.’

*

It was incredibly boring. As the end of the class approached I sneaked a look at Beth’s work. Her paper was filled with bright, lurid shapes. Tilting my head I squinted to see if I could make it look a bit more like fruit. Beth snorted with laughter.

‘
It’s modern art,’ she told me with mock defensiveness. ‘It’ll be worth a fortune one day, just you wait and see.’

‘
Hmmmm,’ I replied, ‘it’s certainly unique.’

‘
Let’s have a look at yours then . . .’ She grabbed my piece of paper and pulled it around so she could see it. Her eyes widened and she whistled softly. ‘Wow!’

The tutor heard and appeared behind her. She studied my picture for a very long time.
‘That is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like a photograph . . .’ her voice tailed off as she gently touched the paper with the tip of her finger. ‘However, I must advise you that using powers in class like this is enough to get you in some very serious trouble, young lady. As you’re new I’ll let it go this time but in future, please do not enhance your natural abilities with your powers. It’s not fair on the other students.’ With a swish of her skirt she stalked off, leaving me staring after her in absolute astonishment. Beth grinned at me. ‘Welcome to our world.’

*

Lunchtime arrived and we made our way through to the canteen along with all the other students. Beth helped me buy myself a sandwich and a drink then we went over to join our friends at their table. When I’d finished eating, I stood to put my litter in a nearby bin but just as I reached it, someone pushed in front of me.

‘
Watch out, freak.’

‘
Now, Chantelle, that’s no way to speak to our new student.’ Connor appeared at my shoulder and winked at me. ‘Hey, if you need a tour of this dump you just let me know. I’d be happy to oblige.’

Chantelle gave him a look that would have soured milk and stormed off, her bag bouncing off her back as she went.

‘You ready, Ava?’ Noah’s voice was light but his eyes didn’t leave Connor’s and his fists were clenched. Connor winked at me again and walked away, whistling a high pitched, un-recognisable tune.

*

We spent the rest of the day in the library. I’d been quite excited at the thought of a room full of books, but the days of it being used as a place of study were long gone. The few remaining books were damaged and unreadable and the only member of staff spent the entire time playing a card game on his computer. All around me the students sat playing on mobile phones, listening to music through little wires that went into their ears or gossiping to each other in hushed voices. The room was hot and stuffy and, as I sat with my head resting on the table, I thought about how much time was being wasted here. The whole system seemed bizarre to me and the thought of having to come here on an almost daily basis did not fill me with joy. Someone sniggered from further down the table and I looked up at a girl with flame red hair.

‘
I know the feeling.’ She grinned at me then went back to her phone. Reminding myself to try and be more selective about the thoughts I wanted to share, I closed my eyes and waited for the day to end.

*

For a while I was sucked into a world where spots, boys and pop songs were the main topics of conversation. Fridays were my favourite because my friends and I would meet at the diner for tea after college and work. It made things bearable and for the most part I felt happy. There were only two things that caused me concern: Skye and Connor.

The former was avoiding speaking to me at all costs and shot dirty looks at me whenever we were in close proximity
, and the latter would not leave me alone. Every time I turned a corner at college he was there, sometimes with his little gang of friends, other times alone. Whenever he did manage to speak to me his eyes would rake me up and down, sending shivers of discomfort down my spine. I couldn’t understand why he was trying so hard to be nice to me after he’d been so aggressive towards me when we first met.

‘
I think he likes you,’ Beth told me matter-of-factly from the other side of our easel one afternoon, having listened patiently to my concerns.

‘
Likes me?’

She rolled her eyes.
‘You know . . .
fancies
you.’

I laughed.
‘Don’t be crazy. Anyway, he’s got a girlfriend, hasn’t he?’

‘
That depends on who you ask.’ She giggled. ‘Everyone knows that he’s cheated on Chantelle at least twice in the last year. He’s not exactly what you’d call loyal.’

‘
Not marriage material then.’

‘
Um, no. I’m sure you have better taste that that.’

‘
I certainly do.’

She peered around the side of the easel, her paintbrush waving in mid-air.

‘Oh, really? Like who?’

I dipped my head and concentrated
hard on choosing a new colour. She wasn’t going to be distracted. ‘Come on, I promise not to tell.’

I sighed
. ‘Well, it won’t make any difference because he’s not available.’

‘
Who are we talking about?’

‘
Oscar,’ I whispered.

‘
Ohhhh.’ She grimaced. ‘Awkward.’

‘
Please don’t say anything to him. It’s bad enough as it is with Skye trying to make me spontaneously combust every time I see her. Seriously, it’s a good job she doesn’t have powers.’

‘
She’d die if she did. She hates Oscar being around the Nexes so much.’

‘
She gets on well with Kenzie though,’ I pointed out.

‘
That’s because they were close growing up so she couldn’t just walk away completely.’

The tutor strolled over to our easel and looked carefully at my picture. I
’d deliberately made it look as though a child had painted it. She nodded and walked away. ‘This place is crazy,’ I muttered to Beth who sniggered and stretched round to add a blob of paint to my page.

*

Just over two months later, the weather changed significantly. Almost overnight it went from being mild and a bit rainy to freezing cold. Esther bought me a couple of thick woolly jumpers to keep me warm. The promise of a week off college was imminent and I’d made plans with Beth to go on a day trip to the shopping centre. I didn’t really need anything but figured it would be fun anyway and was really looking forward to it. Oscar drove us to the centre and dropped us off. I was super-excited and insisted that we go into every shop we could find just to see what was inside.

By the
time Oscar came to meet us, we were exhausted. As we set off out of the car park, we chatted about our day and moaned about our aching feet. Oscar put the radio on and after a while we sank into quietness, listening to the music. We reached a junction and came to a stop at the red light. A line of vehicles coming from the left began to move. My attention was caught by a large, dark coloured 4x4 vehicle with blacked-out windows. There was nothing remarkable about it other than the fact that the drivers’ window was fully open, which seemed strange considering that it was getting dark and extremely cold. Unable to tear my eyes away I stared through the window and my insides turned to ice.