Replicator (The Gifted Book 2) Read online

  Each person took their turn getting their hygiene up to par in preparation for the work we had ahead of us. My mind wandered to the things that I had missed the past couple months. Christmas, New Years, and the start of the second semester were taken from me. Draxe shared with me how my disappearance was covered up. My mother and Steph had been informed that I landed the internship at Hagan Think Tank. I was unable to come home for the holidays due to a convenient snow storm that clogged up the Albany airport. Vlaine texted the two on occasion to make sure they would buy the internship story.

  Apparently there was a point when Steph had caught on to the difference in text messages and he had to emulate me just so he could answer the phone when she began calling like crazy. My eyes watered with the thought of how well Steph knew me. She may not have been born with innate gifts worthy of the academies, but she was undeniably intelligent and perceptive.

  Liz had to sigh and roll her head for me to finally get up from the bed and shower. I could practically hear her tapping her foot on the other side of the door urging me to hurry up. Apparently the golden ticket of kindness from Liz resulting from a kidnapping and torturing ordeal was only good for one day. At least with a friend like her, there was no time to wallow in self pity.

  After hopping my way into my pants and shimmying into a sweatshirt I walked out of the bathroom, rubbing the ends of my long strands vigorously with a towel.

  Curtis took the floor without hesitation. “Luther will come and get you as soon as I know the safe house is secure. Once you teleport there you can always go back, but he and I will be the only two that know the actual location.” He paused for a moment to let everyone soak in the words he had just said. “I’ll see you all soon.”

  As soon as he disappeared Vlaine spoke. “We’re heading to Ernvlik Academy.”

  Liz’s furrowed brows spoke the question before her words did. “Why that one?”

  “Because,” Vlaine looked out the window then back to us, his deep voice sounding more like a warning than an answer, “that’s where Aiden is.”

  Draxe clapped his hands together. “Alaska, here we come!”

  “Do you think you can get us there after we check out where your dad is going to be hiding, Abbs?” It was less of a question and more of a statement.

  Nodding with apprehension, “if you can show me a place that has absolutely nothing around except for snow or grass, then yes I can. There can’t be anything around though, not even a stick.”

  That half-smile I love made a debut. “I’ve got just the place.”

  The entire mood of the room changed when Luther returned. I grabbed his arm without hesitation. Draxe followed suit, then Vlaine, and Liz. Warmth enveloped my body and sweat beads formed immediately from the drastic transition. My mouth hung agape as I took in the vast tropical forest that surrounded us. I knew we were in South America, but the exact location was menial in that moment.

  Luther led us towards a rustic cabin propped above the ground on stilts. The large wooden structure was a split level with a gently sloping roof shrouded in vegetation. Our safe house was something out of an ecotourism magazine.

  “Do you think we’ll see a jaguar?” Draxe asked Liz excitedly.

  Her cheeks turned the shade of a pink carnation as she giggled. “I hope so.”

  Draxe had to be someone incredibly special to win a blushing smile from Liz. Their proximity did not indicate that anything romantic had happened while I was gone, but her actions declared that they had spent a great deal of time together.

  The steps up were surprisingly stable considering how unnerving the idea of an abode atop stilts was. We gathered in a room with a large stack of sleeping pads in the corner. Smooth boards formed into benches were the only seating and the place was devoid of any food. It was, however, safe from Jeremiah and in the middle of a tropical rainforest. As a short term solution to our problem, the place was incredible.

  Curtis rolled up the sleeves of a cotton button-up white shirt. It appeared that he had time to gather a few clothing items because he was in a pair of khaki shorts suitable for the humid weather. Even with the breathable clothing, he had a film of sweat resting on his forehead. Wiping the sweat off with the top of his arm he gave a shrug. “This should do until Replyx is no longer a threat. Come back here anytime and stay in touch with me mentally.”

  “Okay,” I nodded.

  “And Abrielle,” his voice was urgent, “if something should happen here then I want you to meet me at Cherie’s house.”

  With a forced smile I nodded and descended the stairs to the forest floor. Luther and my father stood perched against the railing looking down on us as we huddled together about to teleport to wherever the location was that Vlaine had in mind.

  Vlaine’s fingertips reached for mine. “I’m going to show you where we’re going. Do you think we can get there if I do that?”

  “Yeah,” I said, particularly unconvinced of my own abilities.

  An image of a snow laden hill came into my mind. Trees with their branches weighed down by the winter weather were speckled about the edge of a large clearing. Focusing on the picture that Vlaine cast in my mind, I studied it and imagined being there. Clenching my eyes shut, I imagined zooming there at lightning speed with Vlaine, Draxe, and Liz in tow.

  Immediately upon our arrival my eyes began to water, my nostrils stung, and I could feel the tips of my ears become numb. Leaving a tropical forest floor and arriving in the middle of Alaska was an unwelcome shock to all my senses, even the ones that scientists don’t count.

  Aside from the snow bank we were knee deep in, the star filled sky was the first thing I saw. In an area completely devoid of light pollution, the vast amount of speckles in the sky was breathtaking. Once I was able to look away, my eyes wandered to Vlaine who was looking at me in adoration.

  “Ernvlik Academy is right over there,” he pointed his head towards the other side of the snow mound.

  The crunching of snow beneath our feet was deafening in the eerily silent Alaskan frontier. Exhaustion set in before we made it to the top of the snow mound, but once we did an incredible sense of relief took over as Ernvlik Academy came into view. The building was surprisingly modern and seemed to have a pearlescent sheen, despite the minimal light emanating from the night sky.

  Keeping with accordance to our clandestine practice, Vlaine conversed via telepathy. Aiden is going to meet us at the Western corner of the building.

  I looked around trying to figure out how exactly we would know which direction was West, but I would simply follow his lead. The descent from the small hill somehow seemed even more challenging, as my legs burned from the combination of being cold and traipsing in half-frozen precipitates.

  Noticing my discomfort, Vlaine pulled one of my hands into his sleeve and rubbed some warmth into my fingertips. You could probably warm us all up with a little replication. Just don’t set us completely on fire.

  Guilt washed through me knowing that if I were a decent replicator, I would be able to do something so simple. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to do it successfully. I don’t have a good grip on this whole replication control thing.

  Anger flashed through his eyes momentarily before his expression turned to irritation. Confidence is what you don’t have a good grip on. You know you can do this because you’ve done it before. You’re one of the very few replicators in the world. It’s waste to have fear be a limiting factor on such a powerful gift.

  I sucked in a breath and considered what he had said. Fear would always be a girdle, squeezing stomachs tight and restricting freedom. Getting students to safety and taking down Replyx was going to need courage, free of any apprehension. What was I so afraid of?

  Failure, pain, causing someone else pain, loss, and betrayal were a few.

  Whenever I was able to replicate a gift, I had to think about the beauty of it. Was I so afraid to allow myself an innate ability with such drastic results in fear of letting devastation be a result over beni
gnly advantageous? Yes. The answer was a boisterous and incomprehensibly loud yes.

  Reading along with my thoughts, Vlaine added his input. You know yourself well enough, Abbs. Your intentions will never be less than dignified.

  You weren’t there. I shuddered at the image of Slade’s broken arm from when I lost control of myself at the tree house.

  Vlaine took three large steps and placed his body in front of mine. The moonlight shimmered in his eyes making them look both menacing and alluring. His voice came out in a harsh whisper. “What they did to you…” He looked over to his brother who was looking on with soft eyes. Vlaine turned back to me and continued, “Abbs, a normal person with your gifts would have killed them and everyone else in there. It wasn’t the empathic pain stopping you, it was your humanity.”

  “Okay,” I nodded, trying to agree with him.

  My eyes quickly went from his to something moving in the background. Near the school was a person but they vanished suddenly. Draxe and Liz stepped closer as they noticed my uneasiness. In a quick flash I saw the same shadowed figure only a few meters away, but could not make it out before it disappeared. Whoever or whatever it was, it was moving around like a ghost.

  I rounded my arm out so that I had contact with everyone in the group and focused on teleporting us just a few feet from the academy. I had transported our group to the exact spot I focused on, all intact and safe, but the shadow figure was still popping about my vision. The specter appeared for split seconds, enough to recognize there was something there only to be gone as soon as my brain had processed the image.

  Liz shared the same horrified expression as me, but Vlaine and Draxe looked rather amused. My senses heightened as the air around me seemed to slow down. The shadow thing was close, I just could not decipher where it was. The same silence and loss of feeling as I had felt in the deprivation tank engulfed me and was disturbed only when I felt a hand touch my arm.

  “Abrielle, I presume.” A warm, unfamiliar voice came from a silhouette on my right.

  In a moment of sheer panic I threw myself backwards. The frozen layer of snow caught my fall, startling myself enough to throw all my senses into overdrive.

  “You weren’t kiddin’,” the guy laughed, looking over to Vlaine. His hand was outstretched, offering me assistance with the exhausting task of standing up in the mound of ice blanketed snow. “Josnic said you might be a little jumpy.”

  The stranger’s mischievous green eyes were lit with humor. Light brown hair with frosted tips was gelled into a side swept style. Despite how terrified I was only a few moments beforehand, his smile had put me instantly at ease. I looked to Draxe and Vlaine, both of whom were suppressing chuckles.

  “Aiden, I presume.” I arched a brow before putting my hand in his to accept his help.

  “The one and only.” He plucked me from the snow with ease. “Let’s get inside before I’m thrown to the North Pole for touching Josnic’s girlfriend.” He pulled open the door to the school and ushered us inside.

  “Girlfriend?” I mouthed to Vlaine, restraining giddy giggles as best I could.

  He shrugged with a smile and motioned for me to enter the building.

  Tingles began in my nose and traveled across my face as the warm air engulfed my nearly frozen body. The hallway was dim, warm, and silent. To our left was a stairwell and in front seemed to be a long row of dormitories.

  “Where are the classrooms?” The whispered question had unintentionally left my lips.

  “Underground. The dormitories and cafeteria are the only rooms aboveground.” Aiden answered in a sing-song manner, as if he were a tour guide.

  The idea seemed a bit backwards to me. I would have thought that the students would go stir crazy not being able to see the outdoors while in class. I shrugged it off and followed him as he led us to down a level to an elevator. Our steps looked like a wonky march as we pulled our feet up dramatically to avoid the inevitable squeaking of our wet shoes on the linoleum floor. Once inside the elevator, my eyes were drawn to one certain button. Instead of a number labeling it, there was a symbol etched into the metal. Liz’s eyes were in slits, deciphering the same thing I was looking at.

  Aiden’s finger pressed into the button that was holding our attention. An incomplete circle housed eight points, one attached to the circle.

  His eyes found mine and he winked. “It’s for the ‘revered;’ the really, really special people.”

  I wondered why Aiden had such a bad reputation. Luther’s reaction to Aiden was impressive seeing how he dealt with the filth that ran the tree house. His personality seemed kind enough in the few moments I had known him. Then again, I could only imagine what kind of trouble a teenage boy would get into with the ability to alter time.

  Aiden reminded me of a less intimidating version of Vlaine. He had a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, a menacing demeanor, and a strong loyal vibe seemed to surround him.

  While the elevator moved slowly down to the level for the “revered,” I turned to the men. “How do you three know each other?”

  They gave each other an impish knowing glance before Aiden spoke up. “We bumped into each other while I was traveling the world.”

  I cocked a brow at him. “Are you going to elaborate more or is that where the story ends?”

  “Oh look, just in time.” Aiden spoke just as the elevator came to a halt.

  The elevator doors slid open revealing a large sitting room, dimly lit by a fireplace in the middle of it. A couch and two loveseats made a semi-circle around a mahogany coffee table. Opposite the side of the fireplace were bookshelves built into the wall.

  Liz and I quickly huddled by the fire while Aiden left to bring us dry clothes to change into. After changing quickly in an empty room near the sitting room, I returned to the comfort of the flames. Black track pants hung off my hips, my torso swam in a rock band tee shirt, and wool socks thawed my damp frozen feet. I wasn’t much to look at in the form of fashion, but I was warm.

  Liz was sitting on her knees, her rear resting on her feet directly in front of the hearth. She had yet to utter a complaint, never mind a single word since we had entered the school. Her disposition was difficult to read. It made me wonder if the cruelties of the world had simply managed to twist a girl once full of wonder into a being so taciturn or if she had always been that way. No matter the answer, she was incredibly strong and noble. Stronger than I ever believed I could be.

  Thoughts of Replyx brought goose bumps to my skin. Bringing her face to face with Luther was something I could never have been prepared to deal with. Until the day of my escape, I had simply thought of him as one of the lesser evils at that place. Had someone I trusted brought Slade to me claiming him to be benevolent, I would not have taken their word for it. The analogy made me realize how deeply she must have trusted me. Without hesitation she agreed to assist in getting these students to safety before tackling a take-down of Replyx and all its workers.

  I sat down next to Liz, mimicking her position so that the fire could thaw my toes and warm my back.

  “Thank you,” I whispered to her. “Thank you for helping out.”

  She was silent for so long that I thought for sure she would not respond. Her eyes remained on the floor but she whispered back, “I don’t agree with you.”

  “What?” My voice was a few octaves higher than intentional.

  “Vlaine said you think you can ‘fix’ everyone. You can mend illnesses, Abrielle, not iniquity.” Inhaling quietly, “but you’re a good person for wanting that to be the way.”

  Aiden, Draxe, and Vlaine were huddled on the couch discussing something so quietly that it only sounded like rapid breathing beside the crackling fire. Seeing how friends catching up with one another always seemed to be a boisterous affair, their quiet conversation could only mean that they were discussing some sort of a plan.

  Synchronizing with my train of thought, Vlaine looked up to me and offered a calm smile, alerting me that everything was okay.
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br />   I scoffed aloud and Liz looked at me quizzically. “Having a boyfriend that always knows what I’m thinking is going to be a special type of challenging.”

  Offering a lazy smile, she chuckled. “Normal girls just don’t know that half of it, do they?”

  I looked over at the three men whose abilities were unparalleled and unbelievable then back to the girl who could literally disappear at any moment she desired. “They certainly do not.”

  14

  Once the private conversation with the boys ended, they stood up and walked in unison towards the far corner of the room to a small stairwell. A few moments of confusion delayed Liz and me from following them. A small tile landing separated the five stairs and a solid door. Just as we huddled in the area a girl opened the door and closed it quickly behind her. Burgundy tresses cascaded out of a tight ponytail that sat atop her head of curls. Her green eyes were a bright contract to her olive skin and a stern pout enhanced her cleft chin. She was the girl from my vision that morning.

  “He’s busy right now.” Her stance indicated that she would not budge for any force in the world. I wondered why she was so wide awake at what I assumed to be around three in the morning in Alaska.

  “Ovolina,” Aiden began gently, “it will only take a minute.”

  She shook her head and straightened her back even more. “Absolutely not. I am not dealing with the aftermath of what happens when he gets interrupted.”

  The girl, Ovolina as it were, looked at me. I shrunk under her gaze briefly before finally asking what was on my mind. “What’s going on? Who are we not interrupting?”

  Draxe began to answer, but the girl cut him off quickly. “My brother. He’s working on something and when people come between him and his projects he has these fits.” She then turned to glare at Aiden angrily who shrugged and looked away while unsuccessfully hiding a smirk.