The Mentally Brave

Chapter 29

My palms are up against the glass, eyes round with shock of seeing my sister on the other side of the clear window. I gaze into her blue eyes, watching as they turn from shock to amazement to filling up with angry tears.
"Natalie" I call out to her, though obviously she can't hear me. Her hands go up to the glass pressing on mine. I feel Harry's eyes watching us.
Natalie breaks our stare with a glance at Harry, than she looks back at me taking a step back.
"No- Nat- Wait" I call. As new tears run down her face she backs away some more shaking her head at me. People at the restaurant are watching us, but I don't care. I watch as Natalie starts walking, her stride turns into a run, turning her back to me.
"NO! Natalie! Wait" I shoot up from my chair forgetting my bad foot and almost falling over.
"No! no!" Tears start forming in the corners of my eyes.
Harry catches the waitress passing our table "Cancel the order please" He tells her handing over a 20 bill, than he rushes through, telling me over his shoulder to stay where I am.
I am not listening. Natalie is here. She saw me, and she is angry.
I limp out of the restaurant as fast as I can.
I see Harry taking the turn at the end of the street before he disappears from my view.
My salty tears our blinding me making my vision blurry.
"Are you all right?" Some guy stops me "Do you need help?"
"NO!" I shout and continue moving trying my best to catch up.
When I finally get to the bend I see them. Across the street, right where the park starts on the green grass. Harry and Natalie are on the ground, his arms around her, holding her down as she sobs and scream.
"Natalie" I shout, my tears falling faster now, as I cross over to them. I almost get run over, not looking as I do.
"Nat" I cry when I reach her, hand stretched out to her. She is holding her face in her arms shaking as she cries.
I fall to my knees by their side, clasping her arms.
"You're dead! This isn't real, this can't be" She hiccups
"It's me... Nat.. please look at me" I sob. Harry let's her go, moving back a bit giving us some space.
Slowly she removes her hands and looks up at me. I let go of her glancing at my sister's beautiful face. Her eyes are red, and so are her cheeks from the run. Her hair came undone falling out of her braid in different places but she is still most pretty.
Natalie reaches one hand, touching my cheek. I close my eyes to her touch, overwhelmed.
"It is you" She whispers. I open my eyes and nod."How can this be?"
I am crying hard now, not able to keep it in. Natalie throws herself at me, locking her arms around my neck.
My arms come around her, squeezing, holding her close, not wanting to let her go, for the fear she might disappear.
I look at Harry. His eyes are moist, not able to stay nonchalant when watching this heart breaking reunion.
"I thought I lost you forever" I whisper to her.
"How could you? Why didn't you come back home? How are you here?" She asks
"It's a long story" I am still hugging her, not wanting to let her go. I hear Harry's phone ring, glancing over to see him answer.
"Ok, we'll be right there" He says and hangs up.
"We need to go back, Stan knows what's wrong with you" He says
"What's wrong?" Natalie pulls back "You're sick?"
"Come with us! I'll explain" I hold her hands.
"Come where?"
"To the compound" I say slowly, afraid of her reaction.
"Compound? You mean company X??" Her eyes go wide
"Natalie it's a really long story, come I'll tell you everything- please come with us" I plead
She gets up to her full height watching me. I stare up at her, waiting to see what her decision is when she hands out her palm for me to take.
I give her one more hug when I get to my feet, still having a hard time believing she is standing in front of me.
"Come on" Harry tugs on my arm. I keep one arm around Natalie as I turn us in the direction we need to head to.
"So.. you two... couple?" She looks at Harry. I follow her gaze to see a smile paint on his lips, his eyes a light happy green.
He brushes his fingers through mine, closing over them and leaving them linked together. I give his hand a little squeeze as we walk towards Company X.
"Nat.. What are you doing in London?" I ask her.
"I left home" She says quietly, looking down at the ground
"Why would you do that?" I am confused.
"After you died- I mean when we thought you died mum threw herself into work barely coming home. And dad- Dad left to Ireland"
I glance fast over to Harry. If my dad left to Ireland that means he is part of Foster's crew.
"Lizzie, you must come home- mum has to know you're alive"
"I will, when the time is right" I say.
"What do you mean? When the time is right? What are you keeping from me?"
"It's a long story.. I promise I will tell you everything- I won't leave anything out"
We reach the compound. Both Harry and I watch Natalie as she takes it all in, the big beautiful building, with the guards at the entrance.
We walk in and through them without a word, heading to the room that was given to us.
"This is crazy" Natalie looks around the room, walking around her fingers sliding on the furniture.
"So" She sits down on the bed "Who did that to your face?"
"Umm.. all right, so-"
"I know now what's wrong!" Stan enters the room. When he sees Natalie staring up at him he stops in place. "Oh my, Natalie! You look so much like your sister!"
"Now that her hair is blond.. by the way- what's up with that?" She turns to me. That makes me laugh out loud.
"Why don't you fill her up about what's going on, and I'll go with Stan, we'll be back in a half an hour" Harry says walking Stan out of the room.
"How is it you're alive?"
"I never died.. Ed changed your memory" I tell her.
"Ed.. the ginger right? All right... so why did he do that?"
I watch her face. She is playing it calm but I know her better than that.
"The company wanted me" I move closer to her our knees on the bed touching.
"They wanted anyone that was like you"
"Yes, but they wanted me more than the others, apparently I am a little different"
"How so?"
"When someone like me dies and I am next to them, their power shifts over to me, that is why I started moving things with my mind" I am watching her carefully, I see the pieces falling to place.
"Amy- you got Amy's powers"
"Yes, so Harry was scared that you might get hurt in the process of them looking for me, so he sent Ed"
"And you just let him??" Natalie exclaimed
"No- I was so cross with Him, I wanted to come straight back for you- I wanted him to bring you to the safe house- I was screaming and crying, my heart broke the way he just took you away from me" I rest my palms on her thighs as I look into her eyes trying to make her understand.
"And now you're together" she is hurt by me picking Harry over her.
"I didn't talk to him for weeks, I was consumed with anger and hurt, but they explained to me that it's for the best- I did what was best for you- if I came back and the company learned I'm alive you and mum could have gotten hurt"
"We did get hurt Liz!" She raises her voice at me.
"Our home was not the same! Mum- it was bad" A new tear spills out of her right eye.
"No- I watched you- I sat in front of the computer for hours breaking into street cameras keeping tabs on you and mum.
"On the street Liz! Not on what was going on in the house! Mum stopped eating, stopped buying food, she was a mess! And I was trying- I was but I just couldn't anymore" She is crying hard now. My heart cracked watching my sister unravel in front of me like this.
"Nat- I'm sorry- I didn't mean it to be like this" I reach out to hug her. At first it seems she won't let me, but then she leans forward and I pull her closer.
"I'm sorry" I whisper.
"So what happened? How did you and up staying at the company?" She asks once she calms down.
"Long story short- I have a new power and it did something to me, to my brain that only Dr. Cowell's team can fix.
"You can't trust them" She claims shocked that I actually asked them for help.
"There is something more" I say evenly
"Gosh.. what is it?"
"The company had a split with in.. A guy named Foster- he is like Mr. Evil he had a fight with Dr. Cowell, since he thought we should all be killed off, anyway he left, and took with him a bunch of agents and company people.... To Ireland" I look up at her.
"Ireland... wait- Lizzie!" Her eyes pop out "Dad's there with him"
"I know" I say quietly.
"Dad thinks you're dead" She points out
"Dad was ready to sell me out to the company" I hiss
"When was that?"
"You don't have that memory thanks to Ed, but one night I came home and he was there waiting to take me with him"
"That can't be true" She shakes her head.
"Oh but it is" We both look to the door.
"Hello Natalie" Dr. Cowell strides in.
"Who are you?" She gives him a wary glance.
"Dad- what are you doing here?" Harry appears behind his father pushing through him to get into the room.
"What did you just call him??" Natalie got up from the bed.
"Um.. did I forget to mention Dr. Cowell is Harry's dad?" I say
"Liz! What the hell are you doing with these people???" She shrikes at me.
"Nat, calm down, there is loads you just don't know" Harry tells her.
"I know enough to know that you can't be trusted" She spits at him
"Ok, ok- let's take this down a notch all right? Nat I can't go anywhere I need Stan's help"
"Why don't you go for a tour with Ashton?" Dr. Cawell says.
"Ashton?" Nat looks at me.
"Yeah, why don't you go out some with Ashton, and he'll bring you back after I get help and then we can all go back together to the safe house?" I smile at her.
"Hi Natalie- I'm Ashton," Ashton appears at the door, walking in with his hand stretched out for her to shake.
I watch as she takes him in. A tall blondish boy. She glances back at me. I offer her a reassuring smile.
"Where will we be going?" Nat questions him still not trusting.
"Where ever you want"
With that they leave the room.
"All right so what is wrong with me?" I ask them when Natalie and Ashton are no longer with us.
"The tests Ed did were pretty good, I mean they were great.. he just didn't know what to look for" Stan starts "When you use your power it makes this one part of your brain work, and it's fine and doesn't cause any problems. But since you have a few of them, it puts too much stress on that little part which is what gives you so much pain"
"So how do you fix it?" I ask him
"I can't" Stan says quietly
"What does that mean?" I look from him to Harry fear taking over me. I depended on my powers, they kept me safe. I need them to work.
"I'm sorry"