Jennifer Pierce and Khalil Payne: When Fate Pulls Us Apart

Chapter 3 | The Free in Freeland

      I try to break the panel underneath me by punching it down, but all that does is stop the doctor from drilling that poor girl's hip. 

      "What was that?" headmaster Chandler asks. Miss Cole searches the room with an alarmed expression before whispering,

      "We have company." The headmaster nods and presses a red button near the door of the room. All of a sudden, there are red flashes everywhere. The entrances to the vents on both of my sides are sealed with metal panels that slide down. I'm trapped in a small crawl chute. 

      "This section of the ward is sealed off. Find whoever was spying on us and bring them in for removal," the headmaster barks, sending a patrol of guards to search the sector. They march in units, each holding an automatic. Guards with guns? Suspicious and non-consensual surgical procedures with no anesthesia? What kind of boarding school is this, and why have they taken all of Freeland's metahumans? 

      The vice-principal leaves the room shortly after headmaster Chandler does, and the girl strapped onto the table starts crying. 

      There's no way out except down. I try once again to punch the metal panel that's keeping me in the vents. When it doesn't work, I frustratedly kick it. The girl on the table stops crying and bears a fearful expression. I notice a bolt on the panel under me get loose, so I kick it one last time with all my strength. The panel falls down to the floor with a clank as I drop into the room. Her blue eyes show terror, but I hold my hands up in peace.

      "I'm here to help you," I state warmly. Her facial expression becomes calm.

       "Untie me please," she begs. I nod.

      "What the hell is this made out of?" I ask, trying to take off her shackles.

      "Silent stone," she responds.

       "And what is that?" I question.

      "Just touching it disables our abilities." I look around the room and spot something shiny on the lab desk. Keys. I run to snatch them and then come back to unlock her restraints. The girl sits up on the table and starts sobbing. 

      "Listen we're going to get out of here but you need to calm down," I state. She can't stop crying so I hug her awkwardly. The girl's breaths slow down as she wheezes, burying her head into my chest. I start to hear murmurs and realize people are coming into the sector. With this girl, I won't be able to take them all on and protect her at the same time. I pick her up and lift her into the vent with the panel I kicked down. Then, I pull my body up and get in the vent. She's lying on her back with her eyes closed. She must be exhausted. 

      After straightening the metal panel and placing it back where it belonged on the vent, I grab the girl with one arm and crawl back to the dormitories.

      "Who is that?" TC asks, rubbing his eyes.

       "Talk now, questions later," I state, placing her gently down onto my bed.

       "Okay, then talk."

       "There's something weird going on. Look at her hip. Vice-principal Cole was doing that while headmaster Chandler supervised. They extracted her bone or something?" I ask unsure.

       "Close. Bone marrow," TC says while inspecting her wound. I grab one of my shirts from the drawer and rip it so that I can create some sort of wrap.

       "Help me patch her up." I try to tighten the fabric around her waist. That's when I notice her clothes are completely torn, so I pull out a shirt from the drawers and put it on her. TC examines her body and starts talking with the machines surrounding him. That's when he stops. She starts to shiver, so I pull the blanket covers up and stare at her face. She has scruffy, dark-red hair.