The Insiders

Chapter 33

Chapter 33- Amy

As soon as I hear my name, I squeeze Bryce's leg tighter. I don't want to go up there alone. I don't want to be away from this group. Facing that there's no way out of this, I stand up and slowly begin to walk toward Liane, who is still hollering out names. I wonder what the difference is between the groups. It must be a big difference because the group I'm in is much, much smaller than the group still sitting.

"Those of you standing, follow me to the warehouse. The rest of you stay here and listen for further instructions." Liane instructs us as she begins toward the dinning hall doors. The group I'm in follows, but I don't move. I don't want to leave. Coren and Sharlene have been acting weird all day; they must know something. I think Shar knows a lot, she just doesn't want to tell us. A shove brings me back to reality. I robotically move my feet along with the group. I constantly glance back at them though. I guess I'm looking for a clue. A clue that'll tell me what the hell is going on. Before I know it, we're at the warehouse and are being lined up against the wall according to age. Being sixteen, I'm placed toward the older kids. I look down the line toward the younger kids. As soon as I do I regret it because right away I see Joy's training group. Only a few of them of course. Some of them are still back in the dinning hall, but the others died the night of the attack. The sound of doors slamming shut wakes me from my thoughts. The instructors have gathered in a huddle in front of the line of kids. I look among the instructors to try to find Steve for some comfort, but he is not there.

"Alright," Liane begins stepping away from the group of instructors. "We all know what happened only weeks ago." She stops and looks at me directly in the eyes. I look down trying to push away the grief that could swallow me whole.

"We were attacked. Many people lost their lives to a serum. A serum that makes your power perform backwards or against you."

"Or both." A woman with frizzy black hair and dark skin adds in, stepping away from the crowd.

"Unfortunately, no one who was shot by the serum was like you," Liane jumps back in. "'What are we' you may be asking yourself. Well, the difference between this group and the one back in the dinning hall is-" Liane stops talking, she just stands there staring blankly at the floor.

"If any of you get shot by the serum, you will not die." The other woman smiles. Many people copy her smile with happiness. The room begins to fill with joyful chatter. I don't chat or even smile, because there's only one thought going through my head.

"As for the group back in the dinning hall?" I ask. The room goes quiet as quickly as the chatter began. All eyes are on Liane now. The woman beside her shifts uncomfortably side to side.

"Fatal." Liane finally says. The smiles everyone had only moments ago disappear. I will survive the serum but Bryce, Shar, Thomas and Coren will not. This is the worst I've ever felt in my life.

"Off of that topic," The woman brushes it off. "Today we will be showing you how you would react to the serum. We will be giving you a small dose of the serum." The crowd begins to protest with a loud roar. I don't say anything, I can't. I'm numb inside and out. They're going to give us a dose of what killed my sister and so many others that night. We're supposed to survive it, but what if we don't? A man with a tray full of small cups begins to walk down the line of kids.

"Now if everyone could please take one cup each. Do not drink it yet." Liane explains, regaining her power over the woman. I take the small paper cup. In it there's a black liquid.

"Everyone smell it." Liane instructs. I bring it to my nose and take a whiff. Nothing. It smells like nothing.

"If it has an odour please follow Ryan," She gestures to a young man by the doors. "He will take you back to the dinning hall. We're very sorry." It takes a moment for people to begin to file out of the warehouse, but when they do our numbers are cut in half. Once the movement of people seemed to be over the instructors begin to makes a line in front of us. It seemed for every 2 children there is an instructor.

"Now. Drink what's in your cup on the count of three." Liane orders us. A sudden jolt of fear courses through my veins. I look at the cup of black liquid. It seems to ripple back and forth in the cup unlike before. I stare intently to try to discover the reasoning behind its movements, until I realize it's movement is because of my hand shaking. I quickly hold the cup with both hands and look around to see if anyone saw that.

"One," This is happening.

"Two," I'm about to drink something that could kill me.

"Three." I bring the cup to my lips and pour the dreaded liquid into my mouth. It burns my throat on the way down. Everything in me tries to stop the vomit that's threatening to come up. I screw my eyes tightly shut with hopes that it will stop the constant burning. I place my hands on my knees and lean over in pain. My lips part. The air that comes out threatens to turn to a scream, but I hold it in. I draw a long breath in. It's over, the pain is gone. I stand up straight. I open my eyes to a sight so odd I gasp.

The world is dark. The colours in it are the same, but the light of happiness is no longer there.

"Amy?" I hear someone say. I sharply turn my head to see a male instructor with light red hair and facial hair. I hear several gasps. I turn to see many people back away from me. I look around confused until I feel a weight in my hand. I look down to see the knife I've kept in my boot since Joy died is in my hand.

'Kill him.' My subconscious tells me. I raise the knife and begin to make swift moves towards him. I hear some shouts, but I continue after him. As I raise my hand even higher, I shout out in anger, but I'm stopped as the man raises a hand held mirror. I look at it. In it I see a girl with the darkest black hair I've ever seen. Most definitely came out of a bottle. I look deep into her dark brown eyes that almost match her pupils. Those are some petty contacts. As I look over the girls left shoulder I see a knife. I let out a loud gasp. That's my knife. That girl is me. I drop the knife to the ground. My breath is heavy, because without knowing I've been holding it in.

"Amy it's okay. You're power is light, right?" The man that I almost killed asks me. I nod as I try to ignore my subconscious which is telling me to pick the knife back up.

"The serum would make your power darkness then. That's why your hair is black and also why your eyes are that colour." He explains. My jaw drops. I try to find the light in me, but it's hard. So many dark thoughts...

"It's also why you wanted to kill me." The man adds with a slight laugh. The dark thoughts begin to rise further and further to the surface no matter how hard I try to push them down.

'Pick the knife back up Amy.'

'There's so much you can do with a knife.'

"You have to fight off the dark thoughts." The instructor tells me.

'Cut. kill. Then cut some more.'

"Think of something that makes you happy. The light in your life." He encourages me. I close my eyes and try harder.

'Hurt them like they did you.Get revenge.'

I begin to scream. I cover my ears thinking that might help. It doesn't.

'Kill them like they did to me.' I hear Joys voice in my head.

"C'mon Amy! Fight it!" The instructor encourages me. I open my eyes and uncover my ears. My eyes go wide as I see Joy in front of me.

"Kill them. Kill them for me." She tells me. She's wearing bloodied pyjamas like she did the night she........died. She's dead, Amy. She slowly begins to disappear. My breathing begins to slow as the thoughts go away.

"That's it," My instructor smiles. "Now keep doing that. Think happy thoughts so your hair will go back to its normal colour."

I try to think of the happiest thought I have. A place. A thing. Anything. But I realize the thing that makes me happiest in the world is not a thing. It's a he. Bryce.

"Can I leave?" I ask my instructor. He gives me an unsure look.

"Please." I beg. He gives it a small thought then shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. I begin to bolt out of the room trying to ignore the screams and cries of the other children in the room. I run out of the room heading towards one person. Focusing on one person. The one person that makes me the happiest person in the world.