Cage
My eyes fluttered open, the world fading in and out of my view. My whole body felt tingly, as if each limb had fallen asleep and was now waking up. My arms were still above my head, my entire body held up by the chains. I wasn't in the van anymore, which was comforting. Instead I was in a box of Iron, a cage of thick metal bars, with the chains connecting my hands to the top of the cage.
My jacket was gone, but that seemed to be the only thing missing.
Wires poured out of the neck of my shirt and one of those heart rate clips was around my finger. Apparently, whoever wanted me here, wanted to make sure that I was alright before they killed me.
My arms jerked as I regained control.
"You're awake!" A smooth male voice called "I'm so glad."
I turned to the voice, seeing a young man in a form fitting black suit. He couldn't have been much older than Nathan, with messy hair as white as my own, and matching pail blue eyes. With out similarities, we looked like we could be related.
"The doctors through we'd lost you, but I was sure you would be alright. I do apologize for how my associates treated you. Since the shadow incident, the humans aren't very trusting of us" he smiled.
"I am a human" I spat.
"Yes, well, not many see us that way" he stated, unfazed by my attitude.
I took a breath, calming myself down, and said "Biologically speaking, we're all human. The only difference between us and normal people is a slight genetic anomaly. Thus we call ourselves Genoms."
"I see" he smirked "You're quite intelligent. That should make things going smoothly."
"Things being?: I asked easing myself into a standing position.
"Simple. My employers have a proposition for you."
I waited as he paused dramatically.
"Since the shadow incident" he started "The government has been working to gather survivors in guarded communities. Communities where they would be safe, should anything else happen. However, these people do not have the abilities to protect themselves like the, uh, Genoms. So my employer has been given the task of locating others like us, in hope of finding leaders and protectors of these communities."
"Sorry, but I quit playing leader when I left the others" I stated flatly.
"You know where there are others?" he asked.
I closed my mouth, realizing that one wrong word could take my friends from their now safe, new lives.
"Please, tell me where they are. They may be the difference between life and death for thousands of innocent people" he pleaded, showing the first real emotion I'd seen on him.
"I left my group in New York" I lied.
"New York? We've only found one in New York so far."
"Well there was a group of us, and, once we killed the bitch that ruined our lives, we split up." I faked apathy.
"You were among the group that killed Khalia? Incredible, the young man from New York knew nothing of her, until we told him what we'd known."
"Which is?" I asked, curious.
"Khalia was sealed in the earth thousands of years ago. Honestly, we knew she would break out eventually. But we were expecting an army with her. She was a vary powerful woman."
"And they guy you found?"
"Yes, he was a lightning genom. He and his family both accepted the offer. They're now in a community in Texas. He was quite a difficult young man at first, but he's adjusted quite nicely. Did your group truly stand up to Khalia? That's very impressive."
"Yeah, well, it was either fight back or be a puppet. And I'm not a very good puppet."
I felt like I had sounded like I was bragging, though inside I was just trying to rationalize what this man was saying.
"Khalia, or 'Mother' as you call her, was the first recorded genom. And, I'm sure you're aware of how those who were different were treated in the past. Not that I'm trying to justify her actions." He added when I glared. "Still, difference you may not be aware of; those who possess great power, are able to alter more than their appearances and environment. Only 2 have ever been recorded, but that power can even extend to ones life and grant life to their elemental creations."
"Like Mother's pet?" I asked.
"Exactly. And, there's a transfer of energy when one of us kills another."
I tensed, the puzzle coming together in my mind.
"I'm not like her" I stated.
"Of course not. I would never imply that. I'm just saying that you or someone else from your group could have gained great power. Possibly strong enough to stand with the people as their ultimate protection. We can help you to utilize your abilities, if you'll let us." His hands went up submissively.
"I don't want that" I pouted, knowing that I probably looked like a child.
"Tell me what you do want" He requested softly.
Emotions swelled inside of me. Fear, anger, desire, regret, and a lethal sadness.
"I...I want to go back. To live the normal life I used to have. Back before I had to watch my best friend and parents die. Before I had to run away to stop Leo from killing Nathan, or dying himself. Back to before people looked at me like a monster" I stopped, realizing how loud my voice had gotten.
He lowered his and a pressed a finger into the right side of his belt. Gears started grinding and I fell to my knees, the cuffs releasing my hands. He opened the cage, looking at me calmly, holding his hand out to me.
"I can't return your life to how it used to be" he whispered "but I can offer you a chance to live like a normal person again."
I looked down, ice burning my eyes."I tried that and I hurt people. All I want to do is go somewhere that I can't hurt anyone."
"Aren't you hurting yourself?" He pointed out.
I wiped at my eyes "I'd rather that than the other way."
"work with us, please. Help us protect those who can't protect themselves."
His eyes reminded me of a sad husky, begging for something it knew would save it's life.
I sighed, took a breath, then met his eyes. "I'll help..." I took his hand "I'll play guard, but I refused to play leader. That's up to someone else."
His smile brightened and he pulled me up, hugging me. I remained still while he kept repeating 'thank yous'. This wasn't what I had wanted, but he was right that these people couldn't protect themselves if any more chaos arose. And, maybe this way, I could give these people the kind of life that I missed having.
"This is only temporary" I stated defiantly.
He just kept hugging me. His own cold as strong as my own.
After another minute, I finally pushed him off, and asked "Where do you plan on me going anyway?"
"Well" he thought "Considering your elemental traits, which, like myself, is ice, I'm thinking North Dakota. There's a small community there, but I believe that under your protection, it can flourish."
"I'm only doing this until you find someone who actually wants the job" I argued, feeling strangely defensive.
"That's fine. I just know you'll be great. Now, we just need to figure out who you'll work with, since you only want the guardian role. Do you think you could lead until we find someone else?" he asked.
My face scrunched up. Something about his smile made me want to say 'yes', but I just couldn't agree to that. If I gave into this, I was certain he'd push for more.
"Hmm" he thought. His smile widened and a light bulb most have gone off in his head. "I got it. I'll go with you. If we're working together, nothing can go wrong."
I stared in disbelief. I doubted 2 ice freaks, in the same town, would go over well.
"Aren't you a recruiter?" I asked.
"I'm sort of a jack-of-all-trades. That's my name, by the way. Jack. Jack Nichols."
"I'm...Kim. Kim Daniels."
"Like Dr. Karen Daniels and Dr. Henry Daniels?" his eyebrows raised.
"You know my parents?"
Only by name. My employers would sometimes send them samples from the other genoms we had in the office. Though there weren't many of us at the time" he explained.
I paused, remember how we would get large packages in the mail and, shortly after, there would be a new medicine for my parents to test on me. I couldn't help but wonder if, maybe, I may not have originally had the anomaly in me. What if my parents injecting me with genom DNA had created it? What would have happened if I had been normal.
"Kim" Jack smiled softly "let's go."
I nodded ignoring the eagerness in his eyes. Erin had said that ice elements were only 1 in every 1000, but Jack was the only one I'd met. Since Jack was the first one I'd met, it was possible that he hadn't seen an ice either. But the last thing I needed was to give him the wrong idea. Genom or not, he was still human and, whether it was emotional or physical, I didn't need any drama.
"Where's my jacket?" I asked, pulling on the wires connected to me, dropping them onto the floor.
"It's on the table" he pointed. "The doctors said it interfered with the cuffs. I tried telling them that the cuffs weren't necessary, but they wouldn't listen. Human as they are, they don't quite trust us yet."
I stepped around him, biting back the need to repeat the fact that we were also human. Considering his attitude, he'd probably been raised by government goons who made him believe that we were all monsters that had to be tamed. He clearly didn't believe me when I said that we were human, and he probably never would. Centuries from now, all humans would probably have become genoms, depending on if we hadn't destroyed ourselves before that happened.
I pulled my jacket on, feeling the holes in the back that my wings had burst free from earlier.
"There better be perks to this job" I stated, part of me wanting to run while I had the chance.
"Of course there are" he smiled brightly.
I smiled back, a tight smile, and adjusted my clothes.
As it turned out, I'd been brought to a warehouse in an abandoned town. At least this one had been cleaned a bit, with a large graveyard filled with wooden crosses on the edge of town. I didn't really have anything to pack, having left my night gown and not bothering to pack any other clothes. Once I had chosen a place, I had planned to stock up on clothes. Honestly, this did rather work out. Anything I could need was going to provided, and I could use my skills to make sure no one else got hurt.
I sat in the passenger seat of a large, expensive jeep. It had a fancy touch screen that gave him directions using a satellite. I was actually kind of glad that I didn't have to fly all the way there. As it turned out, Jack couldn't grow any wings, as had none of the recorded ice genoms. I was even more of a freak then the rest.
Jack had linked his iPod to the sound system in the car, listening to music of all genre's. He really was jack-of-all-trades. Normally I would have complained, since most of his music was not very good, but since he was the driver, he had the control. The few songs I did recognize had me wondering. How many of the celebrities had survived. Were they still alive or had they been eaten, like the majority of the human race. Maybe they were still out there, and, who knows, they could pick of the pieces and stand back up for their arts. I wondered if good art might have an impact on the moods of the survivors.
We didn't talk much, though it wasn't for lack of trying. I tried asking about his past. Where he grew up. How did he get involved with his employer. Questions about what had made him into who he was now. He went silent when I asked, telling me that his past wasn't very happy. His questions didn't quite sit well with me either. Who was Leo? And what could he do? Who was Nathan and what were his abilities? How many were in the group against Khalia? Things he hoped would lead him to the others. I gave vague answers, revealing only enough to satisfy his curiosity.
I had Jack small at a small town and I grabbed some extra clothes from random stores. If I was planning to hang around, and even though I was sure clothes would be provided for me, I still wanted to pick some myself. A thrift store supplied me with some clothes and some older CD's that I planned to listen to as soon as I got to the community.
The community I was going to be guarding was located on the southern edge of Lake Sakakawea. Walls had built built on the left and right sides, leaving the back open for lake access and the front for if the people needed to get away from creatures in the water. People stopped working, staring at us as we drove into the largest house in the town. Some kids ran indoors, while others watched us. Everyone clearly knew who we were.
"What do you think?" Jack asked.
"It's nice, but are you sure we're welcome here? I mean, they don't exactly look happy to see us." I pointed out.
"They don't know us yet. Once they realize that we're not the enemy, I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms." he smiled.
I'd believe it when I saw it. Until then, I would be ready to run.
Jake kept talking random things about the community while I ignored him, looking around for myself. Parts of the lake were still frozen, with ice thin enough that it would probably break under a normal person's weight. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, and the small gardens seemed to be fighting just to stay alive. The house by the lake was about twice the size of all the other 2 or 3 dozen houses, not that they were small. Each house was pale blue color, with a brown tiled roof. Remnants of snow forts and snowmen could be seen in several yards. A tall wooden fence seemed to go around the back of the large house, though I doubted it was for privacy. 2 men in suits even stood on the front porch.
"Kim" Jacks hand landed on my shoulder.
"Yeah?" I glanced at him.
"Let's go inside. You can pick any room you want."
I gave a little smile, then got out of the car, looking up at the door. Inside the brown wooden door, it was beautiful. Hand crafted furniture, couches with simple white fabric, or the floral embroidered chair. It actually sort of felt like the kind of place an elderly couple would live. Where their grand-kids could run around and play.
Considering I'd never met my grandparents, I couldn't help but wonder what they had been like. Or if they were even alive.
I guessed that my little, soul-revealing explosion at the warehouse had made a sort of impact on Jack, since he was all about trying to spoil me. It was kind of disturbing, but I wouldn't complain. If it meant I could relax even a little, I would be happy.
The living room had a deep red carpet and the wall paper was white at the top, with the lower part having red downward stripes. The kitchen had worn tiles, but plenty of new cooking equipment. They had even included the extra durable cooking mitts, which was nice for when I felt like making breakfast. Each room was the same. White walls like the living room, but wooden floors with fancy looking rugs. It almost felt like I was really being accepted with wonderful gifts. But I still kept thinking back to the Appalachian community. Where my friends were...where Leo was...Where Nathan was. I wondered if they would ever forgive me for running away.
A door in the kitchen lead to a mudroom, that lead to the back yard, there was a good sized pantry, and a room that appeared to have been arranged as an office, with a wall of bookshelves, and a desk. It seemed like a house I would have dreamed of in the past. Maybe if I had had a normal life, I could have properly fallen in love without anybody going psycho. Though it was pretty clear that if I had dated Leo in the past, he would probably so possessive that he would turn abusive. I just knew it wasn't just the parasite that had started these changes. Kyle was proof that our personalities were part of who we had become.
I claimed a room one of the 2 rooms, up the stairs and on the left wall. The bed was top of the line memory-foam, cool to the touch, or maybe that was just my hands. Simple white bedding, a white wardrobe across the room, as well as a closet with a mirror attached to the inside of the door. I laid back twin-sized bed, looking at the ceiling. It felt weird. I could see the points of rough fake wood. The walls bothered me with the white and red, but I would have to deal with that for a little while. Maybe if I spent enough time here, it could start feeling like home.
"Want this one?" he asked, looking almost impatient.
"Yeah. This one is perfect." I smiled, trying to ease his expression.
I was glad that the rooms didn't have carpets, as long as I was careful in the living room. Wet carpets always started smelling weird after a couple of hours. And It was pretty common for me to cry at night, which would make any carpets get wet. Back home, I had managed my control so well. But, now, being on my own, knowing I couldn't go back, my walls were heavily damaged. I would need a long time to rebuild. Nathan had been the only reason I had started letting them down in the first place. He was the only one who truly understood me.
"I'll go with this one then" He pointed at the room across from mine.
I was about to head downstairs, closing my door, when Jack grabbed my wrist. I turned to face him, tensing. His expression was conflicted.
"What's up?" I asked, mentally preparing to run.
His hold on my wrist tightened slightly. He was nervous about whatever he was about to say.
"W-who is Nathan? And Leo?"
I let out a sigh, my free hand clenched at my side "I told you already, they were my friends in New York."
I tried to pull my hand free, but he held firm.
"They were more than that. Why did Leo want to kill Nathan?"
"I really don't think it's necessary for you to be concerned over that" I stated, every fiber of me being screaming to get away from him.
"We're partners now. I need you to trust me. How am I supposed to help if you never let me in?"
The last person who had said that to me, I'd had to leave. And it stung.
My hands and the floor around our feet had started frosting over. His expensive black shoes were definitely ruined now.
I took a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes, holding back my ice as much as I could.
"Back when we were in school" I started "Before everything happened, I had a crush on Leo. He was the hot, bad boy that girls loved, and parents hated. Nathan, he was a young genius, and taught history class. When mo- Khalia forced our changes, I was only saved because my parents had made a medicine to counter the parasite. Essentially, they turned me into the cure for Khalia's control. Through the journey, I realized that Leo was different from how he had been in school. He wasn't really a bad boy. And I realized that my crush had only been on his act. It wasn't that I completely lost all interest in him, it was just clear that there wouldn't be any real love that I could give him."
I paused, taking another breath to settle myself.
"When I felt Leo's eyes watching me through both the journey and after, it rather scared me. And when I killed Khalia" I admitted "Leo, Amber, Justin and Mariah moved into my house. None of us had anyone else. After playing leader for the chaos, it had sort of been decided that I was their new mother figure. I didn't want that" I continued "I'm only 16 and I had to support everyone else."
I could feel him watching me intently, listening carefully to what I'd had to say.
"Nathan, he saw through me. So were ice lingered on my pillows from the tears that got out while I slept. He took it upon himself to be my support, pushing me to release what I'd bottled up." I smiled to myself. "He told me how he felt and he showed me what it really felt like to want someone special. I had agreed to go out with him, though neither of us said so in so many words. Magma and Ice. We were definitely an odd pairing. But that same night, Leo showed up at my room, wanting to talk. Nathan had already snuck into my room. He was just trying to get me to let the emotions out, nothing more than that was expected."
I shivered slightly, remember the look on Leo's face.
"I found out through one of my parents contacts" I lied "that shadow elementals are rare because they usually have to be put down. That their feelings run deeper and darker than normal people. Leo attacked Nathan and I was being forced to choose between them. Kill Leo to stay with Nathan, or leave Nathan and hope to, one day, find happiness with Leo. Picking one meant losing the other. So I made a third option and ran. I just hope that, with me gone, they can live a normal happy life."
"What will you do if they come after you?" Jack asked.
"I... don't really know. I'm hoping that since I flew to get away, then drove to get here, they won't be able to find me."
"And if they do find you?"
I thought "Then I guess I'll run again."
"Is that what you plan to do for the rest of you life? Just keep running?" Jacks gentle eyes turned serious.
"What other choice do I have?" I demanded, feeling my defenses rising. "I don't want to kill Leo, but I can't make myself feel the way I had when we were normal. I know who he really is now, no more acting, and I don't think that we'd ever really work. And I can't risk starting over with someone new, not with the risk of them being hurt if Leo does find me."
"You're right" His eyes softened again. "You don't have many options."
"Exactly" I shook off his hand and went back into my room, closing and locking the door, letting the tears finally reach the surface again.