Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 11

After enduring Adam and Everett's endless arguing during lunch, another exhausting shooting lesson with Adrius, and an hour of awkward silence due to Valerie's absence during dinner, I collapse onto my bed, not even bothering to take a shower or change my clothes.

I feel overwhelmed after not having any sort of positive human interaction for eight years, then suddenly having to be around people all the time. TCD doesn't really allow for any sort of privacy. According to Adrius, there are cameras and monitors in practice rooms, simulation rooms, and the dorms. 

It's for the best, he said to me during our second training session. It's safer this way.

I sigh, burying my head against the pillow. I finally have a bit time to myself, since Valerie and Aveline are still hanging out with the guys in the common room. I think they are watching a movie. 

I'm about to decide to go to bed when I hear a tap on the window, and see a hooded figure standing outside. A chill goes through me, and all my nightmares I've had in the past 16 years of my life come to mind. I half expect the person to pull out a gun to shoot me, and I open my mouth to scream when he...or she suddenly disappears from my sight. Literally. 

I gasp, and rush over to the window, sliding it open. On the ledge is a small slip of paper. I snatch it up, and slam the window shut. Large red words written in all caps glare up at me.

S-room. 12am. Don't be late. Or there will be...consequences.

I swallow down the bile rising up in my throat, a thousand possibilities going through my head. Is it Heather, seeking for revenge? Is it Adrius, wanting to tell me some kind of secret? Or is it just a stranger that wants lure me into a trap?

I tap on my wristband, and a map of TCD pops up. I type S-room into the search box, and only one result comes up. The simulation chamber. 

No no no no no no...this can't be happening. I squeeze my eyes shut. I don't want to go back there, ever again. 

Well, I can just choose not to go. But...the person wrote that there would be consequences if I didn't show up. It's not like I have a choice. I glance at my watch again. 11:30pm. The girls should be coming to bed now. 

Just then, they appear in the doorway, chatting excitedly about something. "Oh, hey Lyanna!" Valerie says brightly. Aveline gives me a friendly smile, and I manage to wave my hand at them feebly. They head to their respective beds, and I pretend to go to sleep, but my mind whirs restlessly. 

At 11:50pm, I can hear both of them snoring loudly, and I slide off the bed quietly, creeping over to the door. Then I pull it open inch by inch, glancing back to make sure they are still asleep. The common room's door is also unlocked, and I slip easily outside, shutting it gently behind me. Then I'm out. 

I tap on my wristband to show me the way to the simulation chamber, and at exactly 11:59pm, I arrive at my destination. The chamber door is locked, and I have no choice but to stand outside and wait. I lean casually against the wall, but my heart is racing, and I can feel cold sweat trickling down the side of my neck. 

Suddenly, I can hear footsteps coming from my right, and I turn towards the sound automatically. I can't see anyone approaching because the hallway is completely dark except for the faint light from my wristband. I activate the flashlight, and shine it in the general direction of the footsteps when someone grabs me from behind and shoves a gag into my mouth.

I scream through the gag, but no sound comes out. Someone kicks me in the back of my legs, and I collapse onto the floor. Another person puts a bag over my head, and I whimper, feeling numb with betrayal. Maybe the TCD doesn't want to help me after all. Maybe they work for the government, and they just want to capture the Abnormals and...

My thoughts are distracting me again, and I try to focus my energy on escaping. Since it is impossible to overpower my two kidnappers, I decide to use my abilities. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and try to connect my mind to theirs. I expect to feel some sort of contact so I can control their thoughts, but I feel nothing. Absolutely nothing from them. No thoughts, no emotions. It's as if their minds don't exist. 

I start to panic as someone picks me up and carries me away. My hands are bound, but my feet are free. I kick frantically, my foot making contact with someone's head. I hear a grunt, then someone drops me onto the floor. My head slams into the concrete floor, and I gasp as a hand forces a pill into my gagged mouth. I feel it dissolve into the back of my throat, and I swallow. 

The last thing I see is a flashlight shining directly into my face before my world turns black, and I pass out.