The Mind Readers (21 page)

“Oh my God.”

“What?” Aaron was at my side,
his arm around my shoulders.

“He’s…he’s dead!”

“No. Of course not.” Still, if
Aaron wasn’t concerned why did he leave me and feel the man’s neck for a pulse?
“He’s fine.”

Fine? He wasn’t fine! Horrified,
I stared up at Aaron. He was way too blasé about the fact that Maddox was
totally not fine. I threw my hands in the air, unable to stand still. “He’s
bleeding! From the mouth!”

“It happens, when you break
through the chip.”

“The scream was his!” I clasped
my hands over my mouth, trembling with shock, fear, worry…a jumble of emotions.
I’d heard him screaming with pain…a pain I’d caused. Why was no one else upset
about this? “No.”

My stomach churned, acid rising
to my throat. I was going to be sick, vomit all over the floor, but I didn’t
care. I shook my head and backed up a step. I had to get out of there; I swear
I could smell his blood. My lungs shrunk, I couldn’t breathe. “I hurt him.”

Aaron stepped closer to me, his
face full of concern. Concern for me when he should have been worried about
Maddox. “Cameron, you have to understand, it’s either us or them. I know you
feel bad, but do you want to give your life for his?”

I looked at Maddox, so large,
yet at the moment so vulnerable. Would he recover? Even though he was my enemy,
I prayed he would.

“He’s with S.P.I.,” Lewis said.
“The same branch that’s responsible for killing your father.” He slammed his
hand against his chest. He was angry with me and even though I shouldn’t have
cared, I did. “My parents.”

But he knew as well as I did
that Maddox had nothing to do with the death of our parents. “So I have to do
this in order to stay here? I have to hurt people?”

Will they throw me out if I don’t?

“Of course you don’t have to do
anything you don’t want to.” Aaron started toward me. “We’d never throw you
out, Cameron.”

Damn it! I’d forgotten to close
my mind. I didn’t want them reading my thoughts, I already felt too vulnerable.
I didn’t want to hurt people. I didn’t want to disappoint Aaron and Lewis. So I
did the only thing I could. I pulled open the door and raced up the stairs,
leaving them to deal with the mess.

Chapter 15

I pushed open the front door and
ran down the steps to the driveway. Darkness called to me, providing a safety
and privacy I so needed. My skin crawled with the realization of what I’d done,
my heart hammered with the desperate need to escape. The grass, slick with dew,
quickly soaked my tennies, chilling my feet. The elements would kill me if I
was out all night. I didn’t know where I was going and vaguely realized how
irrational my escape was, but I didn’t care.

Maddox’s face kept flashing to
mind…that brilliant red blood trailing down the corner of his mouth. I’d taken
their word that he still lived, but what if he didn’t? What if I’d killed him?

My God, with her ability we can break in anywhere. Aaron’s words came
rushing back.

Had they used me? Did they not
even care how I felt, but only about my abilities? With a cry, I gripped the cold,
metal posts of the fence. The need to escape was so overwhelming, I wanted to
scream. I jerked on the gates. They didn’t budge. No security guards came down
from the tower, even though I could see a light and knew they were there.

“Jerks!” I cried.

Just past the road, lay the
ocean. Dark and foreboding. Impossible to cross.
 

Trapped. I was trapped here— on
an island I couldn’t leave.

“Cameron!” Lewis called.

Furious he’d followed me, I spun
around. “Go away, Lewis.”

“No,” he insisted, pausing a few
feet in front of me. His breath came out in cold puffs of air that suspended
between us.
 

I pushed past him and followed
the fence line. Maybe it ended somewhere and if it didn’t, I’d just keep
walking. Like an animal in the zoo, I’d walk in circles, pacing my cage day
after day until I went insane.

Lewis rushed after me, I could
hear his harsh breathing. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care. I
want to leave.”

“You can’t leave, Cam.”

Anger and fear hammered through
my chest. I spun around to face him. “Why?”

He raked his hands through his
hair, obviously frustrated. Well, get in line. “Because…because you’d be in
danger.”

I released a harsh laugh, and
started walking again. “I’m in danger here, in this house, on this island.
Didn’t you say they were coming, S.P.I.? My God, he found us in town, what
makes you think he can’t get in here? Maddox did.”

“You’re safe. Protected. I
promise. But out there anything could happen to you.” He latched onto my arm,
his grip tight. “Cameron, please, you can’t leave, I would worry about you.”

My heart warmed, even as my mind
demanded it not soften. My heart won. Slowly, I turned. “Lewis, I can’t do this
again. I can’t hurt someone like that. Did you see his face? Did you see the
blood?”

He gripped both my arms,
bringing me closer to his warmth. “I know, but Cam, the man’s a criminal.”

“You’re saying he deserved it?”

“I’m saying he’s all right. You
don’t have to feel guilty.” He led me toward a stone bench that rested under
one of the few trees in the garden. A tree that had lost all of its leaves and
was now a skeletal remain of its former glory. “We had to do it. Don’t you get
that? There was no alternative.”

I sank onto the cold, stone
bench. Lewis settled beside me, his body warm and comforting. “Did you try
talking to him?”

He smiled, the kind of smile you
give a child who believes in the Easter Bunny. “You know we did.”

Of course I knew. But I still
couldn’t help but hope there would be another way out of this mess. What we
were doing…what we had done…was wrong. Maddox was a man, a man not much older
than me. A man whose memories, his life, had flashed through my mind as if his
memories were my own. A man I’d made scream out in pain. A man I might have
killed.
 

Lewis took my hand, his grip
strong. “He’s a monster, Cam. The moment you underestimate him is the moment
you’re dead. He’ll do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means killing
us. Killing you.”

His words should have frightened
me. Instead I felt an odd numbing sensation overtake any feelings. “And we’ll
obviously do the same. So how does that make us any different?”

His face tensed, his grip on my
hand tightening, although I didn’t think he noticed. “We are only protecting
ourselves,” he snapped. “They are attacking us.”

I was quiet, biting my tongue to
keep from snapping back. He was angry at me and I didn’t want him angry. He was
one of the few allies I had. Besides, I didn’t know enough about this situation
to win the argument. Why even try? Instead, I stared up at the dark sky, those
twinkling stars a familiar sight. The same stars I’d seen my entire life. The
same stars I saw when I traveled in my mind. Was I out there, in the universe,
when I was mind reading? For some reason it made me feel less alone.
 

“You won’t be safe outside these
walls.” Lewis rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. “We’ve known for months they
were hunting us and were desperate to protect you.”

I pulled my hand away from his.
I couldn’t think when he touched me. Instead I focused on the moon, bright and
full, laughing down at us. “Is that why you found me? You needed my ability?”

He was silent for a moment. “Not
the only reason. Aaron thought it was time to teach you to use your powers to
your fullest.”

My sharp gaze dropped to him.
“But only because he suddenly needed me?”

“No.” He sighed, raking his
hands through his hair. “Your father wanted you involved. He wanted you to have
this life. Aaron tried to keep you out as long as possible, but they were going
to come for you.”

Did I believe him? I didn’t dare
look into his eyes, for fear he’d read my distrust. I needed time to think,
time alone and I didn’t want to be influenced by him or his gorgeous
smile.
 

“Give me your hands,” he
demanded.

I slid him a sidelong glance,
but did as he told. “Trust me.” He gripped both my hands in his and turned me
so I was facing him. Those eyes were so intense that it was impossible to look
away.

“Stare into my eyes. Take in my
thoughts, my memories.”

“No!” I tried to pull back,
afraid I’d hurt him as I had Maddox, but his hands only tightened around me.

“I want you to.” His gaze was
unwavering, his touch reassuring. “I’m going to open my mind. I want you to
understand me, Cameron.”

I hesitated, feeling like I was
invading his privacy, yet at the same time I did want to understand.
 

“Relax,” he whispered.

And I did. With the bitterly
cold autumn wind tugging at my hair, whipping it across my face and stinging my
skin, I closed my eyes and relaxed as they’d taught me.

“Focus on me,” his voice was a
soft murmur. “You won’t have to dig because I’ll be open.”

And it was so easy how his
thoughts slipped into mine like the warm rays of the sun. I’d gone so long
without hearing any thoughts, besides Maddox’s, that for a moment I wasn’t sure
which were mine and which were from Lewis.

I hope she believes me.

I hope she understands why this is so important.

Please, don’t leave. I need you here.

The words rushed through my
mind, tangling with my own. Thoughts so emotional, so true, that my heart
clenched.

“Why,” I whispered. “Why do you
want me here? So you can use me?”

At first, but now because I think I might be in love with you.

My entire being froze. You
couldn’t stop your thoughts; you couldn’t hesitate and think of the right
words, they merely came unbidden. I wanted to open my eyes, I wanted to look at
him, to know if his love was true, or if he was playing some mind game Aaron
had taught him. But even I knew that a person could speak a lie, but their
thoughts would remain true to what they believed.

Lewis might love me. My heart
slammed erratically against my ribcage. Did I love him? I’d never been in love.
How did I know if I was? But I didn’t have time to dwell over my feelings,
because seconds later pictures flashed through my mind…memories…his memories.

A tall man appeared before me, smiling. He had dark hair that glimmered
in the sun as he leaned over and handed me…no Lewis…a baseball. We were
outside, the day was beautiful, the grass cool and soft beneath my bare feet. A
woman appeared wearing a pink dress. She had blonde hair and a brilliant smile.
She wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist and kissed his cheek, then knelt
and pulled Lewis into a tight hug. She smelled like vanilla, as if she’d been
baking. It was a wonderful scent full of motherly love and happiness.

An odd sensation of warmth and
sadness swirled low in my gut.
Then the
memory changed and I was playing soccer, dribbling the ball down the field. I
even felt his euphoria when he scored. Soccer was gone and I was standing
behind a tree, a little girl was in front of me. She couldn’t have been more
than ten. She smiled shyly, her long, dark hair shimmering in the sunlight. She
leaned forward, puckered her lips and closed her eyes. His first kiss.

I saw so many things…playing
sports, going to the beach, going to school…all these memories flashed quickly
through my mind in what seemed like a breathless moment. Then, his thoughts and
memories slowed. The colors seemed more intense, the memories more detailed.

I was in a bedroom, the area dark…it was night. I was staring at the
ceiling listening to voices argue. The fear tasted bitter in my mouth, but I
was too afraid to move. My door creaked opened, and light splashed into the
room.

Lewis, Lewis wake up, a woman called out.
 

I sat up in bed, my heart slamming wildly. I was afraid…or Lewis was
afraid.

“What is it?” he asked.

“They’re coming, Lewis. They’re coming.” She pulled me out of bed and
started digging through the dresser, tossing clothes across the room. I was
trembling, I was so afraid, and it made it hard to dress.

Suddenly, she was back. Lewis’s mother grasped my shoulders and shook
me gently. Her face was pale, her eyes shimmering. “You need to go.”

“What? Where?”

“Aaron will take care of you.”

Lewis grasped onto her arm as she tried to let go. “I don’t understand.
Where are you going?”

“We have to separate, Lewis, it’s the best thing for you…for all of
us.” She tried to pry Lewis’s hands away, but he wouldn’t let go. “Aaron will
take you to your father’s brother.”

“No, I’m not leaving you.”

“You must.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door, her other
hand carried a suitcase. In the living room, Aaron was there, a little younger,
sadder looking Aaron.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he said, taking Lewis’s hand.

And then he was pulling me…pulling Lewis toward the door. Tears stung
my eyes, trailing down my cheeks. My tears, or Lewis’s, I wasn’t sure. Just as
I reached the door, Lewis’s mom grabbed me. She pulled me into one last hug,
her soft cries gut-wrenching. Then we stepped out into the darkness and the
memory faded.

“It was the last time I saw
them,” Lewis whispered, breaking into my thoughts.

I blinked from my trance,
feeling the bite of the night wind once more. My cheeks were wet, my head hurt
slightly, a soft pounding. Too many memories in too short of a time. I felt
heavy, sad with Lewis’s depressing memories. My hands tightened in his grip. I
wished I could see his face better in the dark. I wanted to pull him close, hug
him and offer comfort in some way.