The Powered People

Chapter 15

"So when a plant gets crushed, it hurts you?" Nolan asked, staring at tiny, faded marks on Imani's upper arm. Imani's hand flew over them.

"About accurate," she answered. "When nature's harmed, I'm harmed. At least the ones in the closest proximity..."

"So it hurts when someone takes a walk and steps on a leaf?"

"Just a little. Not too much."

"So whenever someone walks through that forest your in pain?"

Imani shrugged, biting her lip. "I've adjusted. It's not too painful anyway."

Nolan glanced across the room. Evian was sitting in the opposite corner, occupying herself by talking with the littlest kids. They all seemed tense around her but far preferred their old friend over the new kid who got another kid taken away.

"My own sister hates me," Nolan sighed. "And for the second time in a few days."

"Hey, she does not hate you," Imani assured. "She just seems frustrated."

"So frustrated that-"

"She lost a friend, too. Several, in fact, over the years. Perhaps she just needs some time."

Nolan knit his eyebrows, avoiding eye contact. "This all because of me, isn't it?"

"It's not your fault Macabre got kidnapped? If anyone, it's the person who kidnapped her."

"But...she was getting him off of me, and-"

"Do not think too deeply into it. What we need to worry about seems to be getting her out."

Nolan rested his face in his hands and elbows on his knees. I should've run faster, Nolan thought.

I shouldn't have taken them on a whole recon mission, Evian thought as a few kids swarmed around her. None of it would've happened.

Evie smiled at Evian, the little girl's red hair starting to steam, and Evian forced a small smile.

"Is Macabre gonna be okay?" Robbie called out from across the room. Evian immediately scrambled to find an answer.

"No...well, we'll see," Evian answered, her fingers fidgeting.

"Are they going to control her brain like Nolan said?" Evie asked.

"Nolan didn't...let's hope not."

"So we could just do nothing about it?" Toby asked. The room went silent. He directed what he said towards Evian, but stared directly at Nolan. Nolan sank backward, biting his lip as Toby's eyes pierced through him.

"We could hope," Imani called out. Evian bit her tongue, remembering how much she hated that philosophy. "Hope" doesn't get things done. Hope just buys time. Hope just keeps people alive while other people do (or don't do) the dirty work.

"B.S," Toby muttered, walking to the ladder and leaving the word. Desmond, sitting back on his top bunk, turned to Evian and asked, "What does B.S. mean?"

Taiga gave Nolan the stink eye whenever he was in a twelve feet radius of her (and considering the size of the house, he almost always was). She seemed to give off the impression that she knew where to both point and give the finger: right at Nolan. It was of no help that it piled more guilt onto Nolan's shoulders. If honestly thought he'd explode if it went on any longer.

Nolan plopped down on a chair at the table, where everyone who was sitting there took one glare and stared away. He sighed and ran his hands through his greasy hair.

"This thing's really eating you up, isn't it?" Meg said, appearing right next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her, then looked away. "You're mentally screaming almost as much as Mack did."

Nolan glared directly at her.

"Don't worry babe, I've got regrets, too," Meg sighed, sitting down next to him. "I was in my sophomore year at my dream college when I ended up here."

"You did you end up here?"

Meg took a deep breath, a little bummed out at having to recall her past again. "Welp, I had a habit of showing off a little. I'd be constantly saying what everyone's thinking just as a joke. Most people found it interesting. I knew what people wanted. Hell, it almost got me..."

From the look Nolan was giving her, she knew she'd better skip that part. "But...someone people got suspicious and tried to turn me in. I was about to get taken to the lab when I said screw it and disappeared. Before I knew it, here I was!"

"So...you left college for this?"
"Hell no. I left college so I wouldn't end up like Mack."

"So you didn't want to be here, either?"

"Oh, not at all! I'm guessing you didn't, either."

"Not at first."

"But hey, we'd probably be dead if we didn't leave."

Nolan let out a single chuckle before going silent, staring at his fingers.

"Okay, maybe they wouldn't kill you," Meg corrected. "But if those scientists found out you'd be dead meat."

"Just like Mack..." Nolan muttered. Meg's eyebrows knit.

"Hey, we could hope at least," Meg sighed. "You knows? Maybe she'll be fine."

Macabre threw herself against the wall for the fourth time, and still, nothing happened. The room so dark that she couldn't see her hand right in front of her face. All she could make out was that wall and a table behind her. The air was cold and tense, with tiny particles floating through the air. She felt them bump against her rough skin as she rubbed the place on her arm that was sore from the impact.

She breathed so loud that her pants echoed through the room. She always had her arms extended so she could feel her way through the darkness. She felt a cold, smooth countertop that curved. She ran her hands over it, nothing on wide the surface was. She leaned over it, reaching over the other side of the surface. Immediately, something pricked her finger.

Growling in frustration, she ripped back her hand. She felt a few drops of blood running down her hand. Shakingly clinging to that smooth surface, she turned herself around. Taking a running start, she rammed herself at the wall again.

This time the door opened on her. She fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. A lab coat swished over her fingers. Her nails started to dig into the metal floors. She felt the anger in her stomach reach her throat as she growled. With tiger's eyes, she stared the scientists straight in the eyes.

It was the last thing she saw before a needle was stuck straight in her arm, and she lost all sense.