The Prisoner of Cell 25 (23 page)

“Hey, Quentin.”

He turned, his usual smile on his face. “Hey, Tara.”

“I’m Taylor.”

He stopped and looked at her. “Of course you are. Sorry. I’ll figure it out eventually.” He put his hand on her back. “Do you have any birthmarks or anything I should look for?”

“Afraid not.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard. You’re prettier than she is.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. We’re identical.”

They stepped into the elevator and Quentin pushed the button for the first floor.

“No, there’s something different about you. I swear it.”

Taylor ignored the comment. “Are we going to the library?”

“Yes. Just follow me.”

A few seconds later the elevator door opened.

“After you,” Quentin said.

“Thank you.” Taylor stepped out into the hall, followed by Quentin.

“Do we have family meetings a lot?”

“No. Just on special occasions.”

“So, do you know what it’s about?”

“Yes. But I can’t tell you. Doctor’s orders.” He grinned. “But you’ll be glad you went.”

They arrived at an open door and walked in together. “If you want, let’s hang out today,” Quentin said. “And by the way, you can call me Q. It’s easier.”

“Thanks, Q.”

He laughed. “Sounds funny when you say it like that. Talk to you later.”

Tara was already inside the library. She was standing next to Dr. Hatch and they both looked at Taylor as she entered. Taylor was sure they had been talking about her.

Bryan was the last to arrive, his hair sticking up on the side of his head as if he’d just rolled out of bed. Tara left Hatch’s side and sat down next to Taylor. “Morning, sis.”

“Morning.”

“Good morning, everyone,” Dr. Hatch said.

“Good morning, Dr. Hatch,” they said in unison.

“I have an announcement.” He turned to Taylor. “Taylor, since all of you were born around the same time, having individual birthday parties got to be a little ridiculous. So we started having one large family celebration instead. Sometimes we have great activities here at the academy and sometimes we travel to other places.”

“Yeah, deep sea fishing off Costa Rica, man,” Bryan said.

“My favorite was riding bikes through Tuscany,” Quentin said.

“That was cool,” Tara said to Taylor. “That was last year.”

Hatch smiled. “We’ve had some good times. I was thinking that since Taylor missed the family party, well, since she’s missed the last fourteen, it’s only fair that we have one especially for her.”

Everyone cheered, except Nichelle, who never looked happy.

Hatch reached into his coat pocket and brought out an envelope. “So this morning we are going to the Long Beach Arena for the X Games Motocross finals.”

Bryan jumped up and high-fived Quentin.

“Oh yeah, oh yeah.”

Zeus sat quietly in his seat, looking angry. Taylor guessed he had been grounded from the activity.

Hatch added, “And of course, we have VIP seating. We’re so close to the action you can smell the fear.”

“All right,” Bryan yelled. “Smell the fear, this is going to rock!”

There was a chorus of thank-yous, which Taylor joined. “Thank you, Dr. Hatch.”

Hatch smiled at Taylor. “Nothing’s too good for family,” he said.

Then he added, “For my eagles.”

What he said bothered her. She knew that Tara had told him about their conversation the night before.

“You know it,” Bryan said. “We’re eagles! Chickens peck, eagles fly!”

“So let’s fly,” Hatch said. He stood and raised his hands. “The limos await. Pick up your box breakfast on the way out.”

Everyone jumped up except Zeus, who was slumped back in his chair, his legs spread, and his hands clasped between them. Zeus looked up at Hatch penitently, but Hatch walked past him without a word.

On the way to the cars, Taylor asked Tara, “What are the X Games?”

“Are you kidding?” Tara said. “Don’t they have television in Idaho?  The X Games are only the coolest things in the world. They’ve been sold out for months.”

Quentin walked up behind her. “So Taylor, you want to sit by me at the games?”

Both Tara and Kylee frowned.

“Sorry, Quentin,” Dr. Hatch said. “I will have the honor of sitting next to this birthday girl.”

“Sorry, sir.”

The kitchen staff was waiting outside in the parking lot and handed each of them a boxed breakfast as they climbed into the limos. Inside the box was a carton of orange juice, a bagel, an egg and sausage croissant, a cup of yogurt, and, of course, a banana. Taylor spread cream cheese over the bagel, then sat back and watched the scenery. She was in such a different world—half dream, half night-mare. She was feeling more confused each day.

Her mother always told her that she was special—that she was going to leave her mark on the world. And here she was—a new life had been unfolded before her filled with opportunity, growth, wealth, power, and privilege. Just like her mother promised. So why did it all feel so wrong? She looked at Tara and Quentin. They weren’t bad. Maybe Tara was right. She needed to trust more and give Dr. Hatch a chance. After all, he had gone out of his way to welcome her. Didn’t all his efforts warrant a little consideration? Was he really so bad? She thought back to the time at Harry Winston’s, when she saw a glimpse inside Hatch’s mind. Could she have been mistaken? What if she was brainwashed?

She closed her eyes. It seemed just too much for her to figure out.

Sure, she was living a dream, but if it were up to her, she’d wake from it. Deep in her heart she wanted her little home, her friends from school, and her family. And all the front-row seats, gourmet meals, and diamond necklaces in the world weren’t going to change that. 

The limos drove in through a special VIP entrance and the youths walked to the stadium through a background of X Game contenders gearing up and revving their motorcycles.

Dr. Hatch showed his pass to a security guard and they were led out to the competition. Hatch was wearing his glasses again and he stood at the gate and watched as they filed past. “Nichelle, sit on the far end of the row, please.”

She frowned. “Yes, sir.”

“Taylor, Tara, you sit next to me.”

Taylor faked a smile. “Thank you.” She had been hoping he’d leave her alone. She was afraid he might ask her do something again.

They slid down the metal bench to their seats as the sound of the motorcycles filled the air like a swarm of angry bees. “What’s the
X 
stand for?” Taylor asked.

“It’s short for
extreme
,” Tara said.

Taylor nodded. It certainly was. The motocross jumping competition was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen. Each of the riders took a turn following a course of jumps, hills, and ramps, performing stunts off each one. They not only jumped from ramp to ramp, but the riders would do acrobatics in the air. The first rider took her breath away. He was more than eighty feet in the air when he did a handstand on his motorcycle’s handlebars.

“That’s incredible,” she said.

“That’s for sure,” Hatch said. “One mistake and you’re finished.”

“Watch,” Tara said. “This next guy is my favorite. He’s the first rider to do a double backflip on his motorcycle.”

Standing right in front of them was a squad of cheerleaders, or at least an X Games version of them. They were more like beautiful dancing girls in bikinis. Still, seeing them filled Taylor with longing. She wished she were cheering. Hatch watched Taylor watch them.

 “Do you miss that?”

She looked over. “Excuse me?”

“Do you miss your cheerleading?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He smiled sympathetically. “It’s too bad the academy doesn’t have enough students to field a team. I guess it’s just one of the sacrifices of being special. We do, however, have some very interesting connec-tions. If, in a few years, you’d like to be a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys football team, I could pull some strings and make it happen.”

Taylor looked at him in amazement. “Really?”

“I know that’s little consolation in the meantime, but still, you must admit that there are some overriding benefits to being a part of the academy.”

“Yes,” Taylor said.

“Indeed,” Hatch said. He looked down at his watch. “It’s almost lunchtime. Taylor, what will you have to eat? They have ice cream, pizza, sodas, hot dogs.”

“I’d like a hot dog,” Taylor said.

“Great. And you, Tara?”

“I just want an ice cream.”

He handed Tara a hundred-dollar bill. “Please get us two dogs, a beer, and whatever you want.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Tara was gone Hatch leaned toward Taylor. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I’m really sorry about how all this started. I can understand why you might think we’re terrible. I just hope you understand by now that our objectives are all in your best interest, as well as the world’s.”

“I understand. Tara’s explained it,” Taylor said, even though she wasn’t sure how much she believed.

“Good. The truth is, if you’re going to change the world you don’t always have the luxury of time or convention. You can’t make omelets without breaking a few eggs, can you?”

“I guess not.”

“No, you can’t. Now tell me about your friend, Michael.”

Hearing him say Michael’s name filled Taylor with dread. “What do you want to know?”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s nice.”

“I noticed from his report that he’s spent a fair amount of time in school detention. Is he a troublemaker? Rebellious?”

She didn’t want to talk about Michael but she wasn’t sure how to avoid it. “No. He’s a good kid. I think he’s just unlucky.”

“Unlucky,” Hatch repeated. “Well, his luck is about to change.”

Taylor didn’t know what to say. Just then Hatch reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Hello?”

Taylor looked back out over the grounds, happy for the interruption. After a few more minutes Tara returned with the food. “There you go,” she said, handing Taylor two hot dogs and a beer. “Give this to Dr. Hatch.”

Taylor handed him the beer and dog. She unwrapped her own hot dog and lost herself in the competition. After a few more competitors, Taylor turned to Tara. “This is really cool!” she shouted.

Tara smiled. “The coolest. Didn’t I tell you?”

Taylor was applauding an amazing jump when Hatch leaned over to her. “See that next rider? The one in the yellow jacket?”

She nodded. “He’s really cool.”

Hatch said, “He’s currently tied for first and this is his last chance to score. I don’t want him to win.”

Taylor looked at him, wondering why he was telling her that.

“I don’t want him to win,” he repeated.

“Then hopefully he won’t do his best.”

“Hope isn’t a plan,” Hatch said. “It’s blind faith in luck. It’s chance. Winners don’t ever leave things to chance. So when he’s in

the middle of his jump, I want you to reboot him.”

Taylor just looked at him. “But he’ll crash.”

“That’s a distinct possibility.”

“It could kill him.”

“That’s also a possibility, but that’s the risk you take in these types of sports. Why do you think all these people are here?”

Taylor’s forehead furrowed with concern.

Hatch leaned back, his expression changing some. “I’m not asking much, Taylor. I just want to see if you have what it takes to fit in with us.”

Taylor swallowed. Below her the rider rode up to the platform at the top of the ramp. He had removed his helmet and was waving to the excited crowd while cameras flashed around him. He blew a kiss to a woman holding a baby, who Taylor guessed was his wife, then he pulled his helmet back on and began revving his engine. Dr. Hatch leaned back and sipped his beer.

Tara looked at her, then leaned close. “You gotta do it, Taylor. He’s not kidding.”

“He’s asking me to kill someone.”

“He’s asking you to prove your loyalty. Chicken or eagle, sis?”

“I can’t do it.”

Tara looked at her nervously. “You have to.”

“No, I don’t,” Taylor said.

“You don’t understand. You have to do what Dr. Hatch says.”

“What if I don’t?”

Tara’s eyes widened with fear. “You don’t want to find out.”

The motorcycle took off. It dipped low, then shot off the end of the ramp, sailing sixty feet in the air. Camera flashes popped as the bike sailed through the sky. The rider twisted back and was in the middle of his second flip when suddenly the bike went awry. The crowd screamed as the bike landed sideways on the opposite ramp, flipping tail over front while the rider flopped across the ground behind it until he slammed into a retaining wall below a long row of bleachers. The rider lay motionless. The woman he had blown a kiss to was running toward him as emergency crews sprang into action, accompanied by the sound of a siren.

Hatch stood and looked at Taylor, then Tara, his face bent in anger. “We’re going,” he said fiercely, brushing past Taylor. “Nichelle, with me.”

The entire family stood. As they slid down the bench Taylor said to Tara. “What happened? I didn’t do that.”

Tara was furious. “All he asked for was a show of faith. Was that too much?”

“He asked me to kill someone.”

“So what.”

“So what?” Taylor said. “How can you say that?”

Tara turned on her. “They’re just people!”

The limousines were waiting where they’d been dropped off and the drivers jumped out at their approach, opening the car doors. Even though no one spoke to her, Taylor could feel everyone’s anger directed at her. She wondered how they all knew. Hatch didn’t say a word the whole way back.

At the academy, the driver opened his door and Hatch climbed out, followed by the other three girls. “Tara, go to your room and wait for me.”

Tara furtively glanced at her. There was fear in her eyes and they began welling up with tears. “Yes, sir,” Tara said and quickly ran off.

Taylor was afraid for both of them.

Hatch pointed at Taylor. “You come with me.”

Nichelle looked at her, a half smile crossing her face. Taylor shivered. “Yes, sir,” she said. Taylor followed Hatch to the elevator. He pushed a button marked D and they descended. When the door opened, they stepped out into a dark corridor. Taylor followed Hatch while Nichelle quietly followed a few yards behind her. They stopped in front of a heavy metal door. Hatch turned to Taylor. “Would you like to explain to me what happened?”