The Darkest Truths: Chapter Nine

Chapter 9

       We entered the cave to find everyone sound asleep. As much as I knew they needed their sleep, I knew they would want to know what we had discovered more.

       “Wake up,” I screamed, jolting them all from their dreams.

       My yelling startled Jace so much, that when he sat up he hit his head on a low part in the ceiling, “Ouch,” he said, rubbing the top of his head, “For Pete’s sake Rayven! Tone it down a notch, you scared the crap out of me!”

       J.J.,of course didn’t have anything nice to say either, “Hey! What the heck? I need my beauty sleep!”

       I bit my tongue, holding back a slicing comment.

Breathe Rayven, just breathe. We’re all on the same side here.

        Not responding to either of their comments, I pulled the papers from behind my back with a playful smirk, “Does anyone want to know what kind of powers they have?” I asked teasingly.

       This got everyone’s attention. I was bombarded with a chorus of “me”’s and “I do”’s.

       “Alright then,” I chuckled, and started at the top of the list.

       “Katie, you’re psychic.”

       My little sister smiled and nodded, as if that pleased her, and I continued on.

       “Nick. You’re a werewolf and alpha of the pack.”

       Nick nodded, this wasn’t news to him.

       “Jace, you’re telekinetic, congratulations.”

       “Yes,” he said, pumping his fist in the air.

       “Janice,” I said, taking this as an excuse to use her real name because I know she hates it, “You can create force fields.”

       She glared at me, probably already thinking of ways to get back at me for using her real name. I ignored her and continued on.

       “Reid, you’re a werewolf.”

       He looked up, meeting my eyes, and gave me a shy smile to let me know he had heard.

       “Maya. You can turn invisible.”

       Maya smiled and peeked up at me through her veil of hair, I could tell that she liked her power.

       “Tara, you are an illusionist.”

       “Cool,” she said, and gave Jace a high-five.

       “Derek, you are also a werewolf,”

       He smirked and fist bumped Nick and Reid.

       “Sam,” I said, brining the little boy’s head up, “You’re telepathic.”

       “Awesome little brother,” Jace congratulated him, sweeping his grinning little brother into a huge bear hug.

       Nick walked up beside me with his signature smirk on his face, “Aren’t you going to tell them what you can do,” he asked loud enough to catch everyone’s attention.

       “Yeah, Rayven. Tell us,” my little sister said, clearly speaking for all of them.

       “I’m a natural. I can control nature, the weather, and even the elements to an extent.”

       “I have a question,” Sam said raising his hand like he was in class.

       “What is it,” I responded.

       “What is James’s power?” he asked.

       Before I could reply a familiar voice answered for me.

       “It’s called energy manipulation.”

The Darkest Truths: Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

          

"Rayven, are you okay?”

I jumped, which is very hard to do in a tree mind you, but whether it was because of the voice, or the hand on my shoulder, I'm not sure. Nick reached out his other hand to steady me as I turned to face him.

           

           "No. Not really," I answered honestly.

           

            A look of worry and concern flashed across Nick's face, he knew it had to be bad if I admitted that I wasn't alright, "What's wrong," he asked.

           

             I took a breath and responded, "First, we might want to get out of the tree, I have a feeling that if we stay here one of us will end up falling out of it,"

           

             Another uncharacteristic worried glance was thrown my way, but Nick didn't question me and climbed down.

           

             Once we were seated firmly on the ground, I pulled out the papers and placed them gently on my lap.

           

            "I never knew that you had a brother, or that your parents were dead," I said quietly, without looking up.

The sigh he made seemed so full of sad memories that it brought my head up.

           

           "Those are two stories that I've done my best to make people forget so I'd never have to tell them again," he started, I watched intently as Nick's green eyes clouded over and he seemed to be in a different place, a different time.

"My twin brother, Andrew, used to be my best friend, but there was always something a little bit off about him. He would disappear sometimes, only for an hour or two, and he begged me not to tell our parents, so I didn't. But, one time, when we were around Katie's age, he didn't come back. My parents were heartbroken, they looked everywhere and called everyone, but they never did find him," he said to no one in particular.

           

            He doesn't even know his brother is dead.

           

            My heart ached, I hated to make him remember it all again, but I had to know, "What about your parents,” I questioned.

"A few months after Andrew disappeared, an old friend called up my folks and said he had a lead, my parents were ecstatic, they were sure they were finally going to get him back. My mom and dad left that very night, they said that they would only be gone a couple of weeks, and my Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Ted would stay with me until they got back. I never saw them again. A few months passed and we didn't hear a word, the police tried to track down their old friend but couldn't find a thing. It wasn't until six months after they had disappeared that we got the call; they had found my parents bodies. The police had ruled it an accidental death, apparently their car had just gone off the cliff and crashed into the lake. But to this day I don't believe it was accidental," Nick said.

           

           "Why not," I whispered. My question seemed to pull him out of the past because when he answered, he looked me dead in the eye.

           

           "Because my parents didn't drive. Neither of them even had a license," came his whispered retort.

I sat there for a minute, stunned. Nick's parents had been murdered?

           

             It was time to tell him, and I knew it, "Your brother is dead," I said sorrowfully without preamble.

           

             What? How do you know," Nick asked, the tone of his voice begging for me to be wrong.

           

             I didn't reply and handed him the pilfered papers. He snatched them from my hands and began to read.

           

             When he finished he looked up at me, and his gorgeous eyes were filled with such a raw, heart-wrenching, pain, that it nearly killed me for being the bearer of this awful news.

           

            "He really is dead," was his hurt whisper.

I nodded and wrapped him in a hug I knew that both of us needed. He clung to me like a drowning man and buried his face in my hair.

           

            It was a long time before we both pulled away, "I guess we had better tell the others what we found out," I said, attempting a smile but only managing a grimace. We both got up and I began walking towards the cave entrance.

           

            "Hey Rayven?"

           

            I turned around, "Yes Nick?"

           

            "Thanks," he said, not really knowing what else to say.

           

            This time I managed a small smile, "No problem."

The Darkest Truths: Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

          

         

       Shooting Tara a warning glance, I rolled up the papers and stuffed them in the waistband of my jeans. I motioned her to get behind me and flung the door open, leaving me face to face with about five guards, but, unlike the day I was taken, this time I was ready.

           

           I put the first guard in a headlock and applied pressure to the pressure point in his neck. Nighty-night, meat head.

I took a few steps into the hall and was immediately rushed by two guards, one on each side. I waited until they were close enough, then I jumped up and did a scissors kick knocking them both to the ground, out of breath.

           

            Three down, two to go.

The next one ran at me, and I did a judo throw and flipped him right over my hip and sent him directly into the last guard.

           

            Not wasting a minute, I yanked Tara out from behind the door and shoved her in front of me as we hurtled down the halls and out the door as if the hounds of hell themselves were on our heels.

We raced to the gate where the others waited, with about ten guards only a few meters behind us. Once we reached them, James stood in front of all of us and squared himself up to the guards. He put his hands out in front of him and sent a burst of pure, raw, energy shooting towards them, and hitting the guards strait on.

           

            The victory was short lived, fifty more guards poured out of the doors and we were helpless; James was the only one that knew how to use his powers.

         

        "Go! Run! Get out of here! Find somewhere to hide, I'll hold them off as long as I can," James yelled.

           

            "But what about you," I screamed back.

"I'll find you, just go!" he commanded.

           

             I hesitated, but disappeared into the trees with the others.

                        

                   ****

         

         We had walked for a few hours until we found the cave and decided to take a rest while we waited for James.

           

            "You all go in and rest, I'll take first watch," I told the others, I needed time to think.

           

            Nick shot me a questioning look, but went inside with the others.

I climbed a tree and perched up in the branches, from there I could see any danger coming and was virtually unnoticeable. I leaned my back against the trunk and pulled the papers out from the waist band of my jeans.

I smoothed out the papers, took a deep breath, and began to read.

The Darkest Truths: Chapter Six

Chapter 6

My eyes snapped open, and at once I was alert, trying to pinpoint the sound that had awoken me. As feeling returned to the rest of my body I looked down to find Nick's warm arm encircling my waist, I cast a quick glance over my shoulder to find him awake and alert as well. He quietly put his finger to his lips making the universal "shhh" motion, and I replied with the slight nod of my head. We had to wait a few minutes before we heard it; the sound of someone sneaking down the hall, the sound someone makes when they know they shouldn't be there.

      

        Nick and I exchanged a look and eased ourselves out off the makeshift bed. We pressed ourselves against the wall on either side of the door and breathed quietly as the persons steps grew closer, and closer, until they stopped right outside the cell door.

Nick held up a hand in a "wait" gesture, I rolled my eyes and I shot him a look that basically screamed 'No duh'.  The door swung silently open and the figure stepped in, he wasn't much taller than Nick. The moon gave off just enough light so I could see him clearly even though he was dressed completely in black, he didn't look much older than us; he had longish hair that was pure white, and deep, sapphire blue eyes behind a set of wire rimmed glasses that would have seemed dorky on anyone else, but they almost made him seem tougher somehow.

My instincts told me that he wasn't a threat; he was a friend.

           

            "Who are you," I whispered and ignored Nick as he shot me daggers for revealing myself.

           

            The boy looked directly at me and replied, "My name is James Trace, and I have powers like you,"

"What are you doing here," I questioned.

"I'm here to help you. Now, if you would please tell your friend standing behind me to come along, we can spring the rest of your friends and get out of here before they notice you've gone," He said, calm as could be, while Nick and I exchanged a look of surprise.

           

            Nick moved to stand next to me and together we followed James out the door. All three of us made our way down the hall getting everyone else out as we went until everyone was present.

           

            We were all on our way out when we passed a room marked 'Archives' and I stopped dead in my tracks.

           

            "Come on Rayven," Nick hissed, "We have to keep moving,"

             

        I shook my head and said, "I'll just be a minute, I want to duck in here quick and see if they have any information on all of us. Don't you want to know what kind of powers you have, if at all?"

His voice got lower and more commanding, "Of course I do, but it can wait. Getting all of us out of here is number one on my list of priorities right now,"

I directed my attention to James, it was obvious that, whether Nick liked it or not, he was in charge right now, "I'll be really fast,"

"And I'll go with her," Tara piped up.

           

           He nodded once, "Alright, but be quick about it, we'll be waiting by the gates," James said.

If looks could kill, Nick would have killed James ten times over in that moment.

           

             Everyone else continued on while Tara and I slipped inside. In the center of the room there was a big computer and Tara made a path strait for it, she sat down in the desk chair and started clicking the mouse and typing codes on the keyboard. A few minutes later she spoke, "I've got something,"

"Can you print it," I asked.

"Yes," she replied.    

           

             I nodded, "Do it."

           

            She hit print and collected the papers as they spurted from the machine.

           

             And right then, because this is my life, a warning alarm began to shriek and the sounds of running boots filled the halls.

The Darkest Truths: Chapter Five

Chapter 5

          

                 I hadn't seen Nick in a week. After Keshens left, he had come up with a brilliant plan; I'm not saying that Nick's stupid or anything, because he's not, he's actually in the top ten of our class, but he was so fueled by anger and rage that he didn't stop to think his plan through. His big idea was that he was going to knock the guards down when they came in, run down the hallway, and find an exit so we all could escape.

And believe me, if it had been that easy I would have done it the first day and we all would have been long gone.

           

            Needless to say, things didn't go according to plan. He got into the hallway just fine, but the twenty guards that rushed him were too much. They dragged him away and all I could do is stand there and watch, struggling in a guards iron grip. I felt so helpless.

           

             Since then, they've barely let us out of our cells. And I got more and more worried as the days went by, it's not like Nick and I were buddy buddy or anything, but we were all in this together and I cared about what happened to him.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of guard’s boots clumping down the hall, which was odd because they rarely ventured, pass my cell unless it was time to give me my one meal of the day, and even stranger, it sounded like they were dragging something along with them.

           

            "We can just throw 'im in here, that way they get an example of what happens when they try to escape," one of the guards outside my cell said.

           

            His partner must have agreed with him because in the next moment my door was opened and Nick, banged up, bruised, and covered in blood, was shoved through the door, barely making it a step before he collapsed in a heap.

I rushed to him, and kneeled down to assess his injuries. He didn't have any broken bones, which was a relief because if he did I don't think I would have been able to set them, but he did have a bucket load of slashes, cuts, most likely from a serrated knife, and bruises covering his body. Boy had he gotten a beating.

After cleaning his cuts best I could with the hem of my shirt and a small bowl of water that was left in my room, I sat cross-legged on the floor next to him and cradled his head in my lap.

           

             I have no idea what possessed my to do it, but I slowly began to soothe down his wild hair when his eyes flickered open.

           

            "Rayven?" he questioned, his eyes not focusing yet.

           

             "Yes," I said, "you sure took a heck of a beating, from the looks of it. I'm surprised you can talk at all,"

He gave me a weak smile, "It's not as bad as it looks,"

I gave him a skeptical look, "Somehow I just don't believe you,"

           

            He chuckled then winced in pain, "Nothing gets by you, does it?"

          

            I shook my head, "Why don't we try to get you more comfortable," I said.

  

He nodded, and I helped maneuver him to the small mattress in the corner that served as my bed.

Once I had him lying down and was sure that he was comfortable, I started to get up from my kneeling position at the bed-side when he caught my hand.

Startled, I looked up and met his eyes only to be caught in his intense green gaze; I was trapped.

Something changed between us right then, I don't know what, but something had changed.

           

              I took a few more minutes but I was finally able to tear my gaze away from his, I started to pull away but his voice stopped me.

           

              "Please stay," Nick whispered in a voice that sounded so vulnerable, so unlike him, that it made me freeze once more.

           

             Should I stay? Or should I tell him to get some rest and curl up on the floor?

         I made the mistake of looking at him. Even though his face was bruised and cut-up his gorgeous green eyes were still bright and intense, and completely fixed on me, begging.

I sighed. My choice had been made. I stayed.

The Darkest Truths: Chapter Four

Chapter 4

I awoke to a searing pain covering every inch of my body, it hurt to move, it hurt to speak, it hurt to breathe.

I was trying to get up the strength to sit up, when the cell door opened and two guards stepped in. Normally, I would've given the two of them a beat down and gotten the hell out of dodge, but right now I was in no state to do so.

       

        "Get up," a guard with arms the size of trees trunks said menacingly. I didn't move, I couldn't.

"I said, get up," the meat head repeated angrily. Again, I didn't move.

He walked over and pulled me up roughly by my hair, I let out a small, pitiful whimper.

        

        "What part of "get up" don't you understand," he growled in my face, and gave my hair a painful yank causing me to cry out.

I was filled with a rush of anger; I knew he could see that I couldn't sit up let alone stand. I gathered what little saliva I had left in my mouth and spat in his face.

             

        He grunted and shoved me to his partner while he whipped the spit from his face. Meat head looked up and glared at me while I gave him a satisfactory smirk.

          

          "Take her to the common room with the others, Ron. I have to go wash my face," Meat head said, still glaring at me.

         

          The other guard, Ron, dragged me out of the cell and down the hall without as much as a word. When we reached the door that was, presumably, our destination he opened the door and pushed me inside, I stumbled and collapsed gracelessly in Nick's arms, my legs still not strong enough to support me.

 

"My God! Rayven! Are you all right," Maya yelled as she rushed to me.

"Of course she's not alright," Nick snapped, as he tried to make me more comfortable.

"Dude, calm down no need to snap," a boy with black hair and blue eyes said. I remember him from school as being one of Nick's friends, but I couldn't remember his name.

         

         "I know, Reid, I am calm," Nick growled. Reid. That's his name!

       

         "No you're not, you're wound tighter than a rubber ball," another one of Nick's friends said. This one had black hair and grey eyes, I remember him as being pretty quiet.

       

        "Whatever, Derek," Nick muttered.

       

       "Guys quit arguing it’s not solving anything," a girl around our age with blonde hair and violet eyes said. I've seen her around school but I've never talked to her and I didn't know her name.

       

        "What's your name," I croaked.

       

        "Tara," she replied, "Tara Gibson,"

       

        "How are you feeling, Rayven," Katie asked as she ran up and hugged me, making me wince.

 "Does that answer your question?" I asked with a weak smile.

       

         Before she could answer we were distracted as there was a commotion as a young boy with red hair and blue eyes was shoved through the door.

       

         "Sam?" Maya yelled.

       

         I turned to Jace in shock, "Why didn't you tell me your brother was here?"

       

        He looked at me in equal shock, "I didn't know," suddenly; he took off running to his brother and wrapped him in a hug.

       

         A microphone screeched, grabbing our attention as we turned to see the one and only, Geoffrey Keshens standing at the podium at the front of the room.

       

        "Children, will you please be seated?" he asked in a polite and friendly tone, if I didn't know better I never would have thought he was an evil scientist.

       

         As much as I'm sure we all hated being called children, we sat, we all wanted a better explanation as to why we were here.

"While you're here you'll be undergoing multiple tests to observe your strengths, weaknesses, and endurance levels. Any rebellion or attempts at escape will result in severe consequences. Just so you know there is a special energy field surrounding the camp that will restrict you from using any of your abilities should you plan on figuring out how to use them so you may escape. Finally, everyone that is in here, and a few that are not, are part of your test subject group, so you might want to get to know one another as you will be spending a lot of time together," finishing his speech Mr.Keshens promptly left the podium and exited the room leaving us together.

        

         I glanced around the room to take stock of who was there; it was me, Nick, Maya, Jace, Katie, Sam, Reid, Derek, Tara, and J.J. Whether we liked it or not we were in this together. And by God, I was going to get all of us out if it was the last thing I did, and it very well might be.