A Hidden Element (9 page)

Charlie beat on his dad's back. His mom's wild eyes stared at him as she gasped for air.

"No!" Charlie summoned his strength and pulled his dad off, shoving him into the wall. It cracked with the force. His mom fell back into the tub. His dad turned around, anger blazing in his red face. He looked like a monster. Then he rushed at Charlie.

Charlie grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He choked him, enraged. He wanted his dad to die. They stared at each other in battle. His dad's arms swung at him.

"Charlie, stop!" His mom pulled herself up from the tub. He squeezed his dad's neck.

Tighter. Tighter.

His dad slumped against him. Charlie threw him down on the floor. He turned to his mom and handed her the flowered robe on the hook, averting his eyes from her nakedness.

"Charlie, what have you done?" Her voice was raspy, as she tied her belt.

"Me? Dad tried to kill you. What's wrong with him?"

His mom bent down to his dad, pushing broken glass from the mirror away.

"Mom, let's get out of here. Come on. We've got to call the police." Charlie tried to pull her up but she clung to his dad.

"No police. Help me, Charlie. Help me heal him. Not his fault."

"What do you mean, heal him?" Charlie shook his head. He could move things, break things…but heal? Could she?

She placed her hands on his dad's chest. He looked so pathetic sprawled on the floor. He didn't look capable of what he'd done. He had acted strange for days and now this. It was like he was hiding something. Or ashamed of something. He never knew his dad to be ashamed of anything.

Charlie bent down. His mom took his hands and moved them with hers.

"See? Touch him. Now wish with all your heart for him to be healed and wake up. Send your strength and life force to him."

Charlie pulled his hands away. What had his mom not told him about their shared abilities? Some genetic freakish thing? Jesus healed. God healed. People didn't heal. Did they?

I can't do this.

His mom pulled his hands back and looked at him with a determined expression. "Yes, you can. We can."

Oh, my God. My mom can read my thoughts, too!

She nodded. "And now we need to save your dad."

Stunned, he moved his hands with hers over his dad whose chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. His dad lived and yet he'd almost killed his mom.

Rage infused Charlie again. "Mom, if he wakes up and tries to hurt you again, I'll kill him. I will."

"He didn't mean it, Charlie."

"Like some kind of tumor pressing on his brain making him do crazy things?" Charlie had read about such things. "And he almost killed you…and the baby."

"No, he wasn't. And it's not a tumor."

Charlie said no more. Water still poured from the shower head. Steam spewed around them in a tropical hell, his hair and clothes plastered to him. He let his anger fade away and willed his dad to be strong again. He had no idea what he was doing, but he did it for his mom's sake.

"Laura? Charlie?" His dad opened his eyes. He looked up at them and then his hands. "What have I done?"

"It's okay, Ben." His mom kissed his dad's hands over and over.

"No, it's
not
okay," Charlie said. His chest hurt.
Breathe. Breathe.
"You tried to kill Mom!"

Charlie helped his mom up and pulled her back to the door. His dad slowly stood. They all dripped from their shower struggle. His mom turned off the shower. Could this be some kind of mental disease his dad had? A disease he would have someday? Fear, distrust, and anger mixed together. At his dad. At his mom.

"It's not me," his dad covered his face. "It's not me. Someone is making me do it. I'm so sorry."

His mom moved further away, clutching her robe and her stomach, her face pinched. His dad reached for her, but she stepped back.

"Laura, help me. I'll leave until the baby comes."

"Yes, you need to leave, Ben."

Charlie looked back and forth between his parents. "What is it, Mom? What's going on?"

"I've heard that before."

"What?"

"It's not me." His mom stared at him, but her eyes were somewhere else.

"It's
not
me," his dad repeated.

"I don't know for sure it's not you." His mom moved back another step.

"Who else could it be, Mom?" What were they talking about?

"Someone who may want me dead," his mom said. "Again."

His dad stared at her, his hands reaching for her, pleading, but she shook her head. "You need to go, Ben. I have Charlie to think of now and our baby. Just go!"

Rage flared in Charlie. His mom's words cut through him like fire. He grabbed his dad. "You heard her. Get out, Dad!" He shoved him into the bedroom and out the hall door then locked it.

"Laura? Charlie?" His dad banged on the door.

His mom moved toward his voice. Charlie pulled her back, but she shook her head at him and he let go. She placed her hands on the door and leaned into it. "Go to the motel in town. For now." A sob broke from her. "We need to be safe from you."

Silence hung heavy. Then a fist slammed into the door from the other side.

"You're wrong. I know you are. And I'll stop this, Laura. I will. Charlie, you have to believe me!"

A final bang reinforced his words. Footsteps moved away. Silence. Then a door shut. His mom leaned against the wall and cried.

Charlie hugged her. What had just happened? Would it happen again? And his mom was like him. Why hadn't she ever told him? And his brother would be dead now too if he hadn't stopped his dad. He felt life and death decisions hanging over him. He wasn't ready to deal with this and be a man yet. He was just a kid suddenly terrified of his own dad—and his own destiny.

Adrian faced the community leaders. Some looked unhappy. Some looked worried. But Tollen's face held scorn. Caleb walked slowly into the room and stood by the fireplace. The flames shot up the chimney as if announcing his arrival. Adrian knew why he didn't sit. The pain from his whipping prevented it. He had never cried out, which had enraged Adrian even more. His son must learn not to interfere with his leadership, like letting that stuttering idiot, Thomas, off. Showing mercy only made the weak weaker, and he would be seen as weak if he could not control his son.

"Brother Adrian, we must address the deserters." Tollen frowned at him. "Their number is growing. And they are all female."

"Perhaps we need to actually catch the deserters—if you can Brother Tollen—and either lobotomize or stone them."

"It doesn't fix the problem, Brother Adrian. You can't kill or lobotomize the entire flock. You'll be erasing our purpose for breeding here. Erasing our powers, our strength, and our ability to build our world on Earth. I have looked into our future and it is changing. And not for the good."

The other community leaders nodded and began talking at once.

"You knew the rules set forth before signing on to this mission. Would you rather be back on Elyon in hiding on a dying world, persecuted for your beliefs?"

"No," Tollen said calmly. "But we can't lobotomize our entire flock and risk losing our community we've strived so long to build."

"If you follow the rules you'll have no fear of lobotomy here," Adrian said with a smile. "Besides, it's a small number who desert. You are overreacting to the situation, Brother. Even if the females reach the outside world, they are too terrified to speak about our community. And we self-destructed our ship when we arrived. There is no trace we ever came here. The humans wait for our return. They will never find us. All will be well."

He wanted to draw the subject away from the female deserters. If they knew the truth his leadership could be over. Even he had to follow rules. And Tollen could not become leader. He held him under his authority. But for how long? At times his visions of the future became hazy, lost to him. He could not lose all that was to be. He had to forge ahead to rule the world.

Caleb moved closer to the table. "And what if more than a few want to leave, Father?"

All eyes turned to Caleb.

A chill rolled through Adrian. The fire didn't kill the cold that had blown in with fall. Adrian stood up and looked down at his leaders. "Then we will deal with them. For now, we must expand the perimeter security. All who leave from now on and are caught will die by stoning. One example is not enough. This should reduce these traitorous deeds. Agreed?"

He asked for their permission, as if he needed it. He did not, but he let them think they were part of the decision-making process. Soon he would have another by his side to help him lead. One he had spent years grooming. One with powers as strong as his own. Charlie. A true Destroyer at heart, unlike Caleb. And when Adrian's new heir was born another son would ensure leadership for generations.

The leaders looked at one another and nodded.

"But Father, how can you encourage the flock to stay without death hanging over them? Your laws are too heavy for them. You don't let males and females choose one another. They don't want to be assigned anymore. They want to live like humans, free. And the women want to raise their own children."

Tollen nodded. "Yes,
Madroc,
they want it so badly some have been caught mind bending elders to get them to do what they wanted."

"And they were whipped severely for it," Adrian said. He rose taller, angered that he was not addressed with respect. They faced one another, eyes locked. "Serves them right for disobeying the rules. Perhaps you would choose to break the rules, too. Perhaps you would let the flock do what they want without being mind bended. If so, we can arrange for the same punishment for you,
Brother.
Perhaps we should do it now, as a deterrent so you won't be tempted to break the rules. Caleb can escort you to the whipping shack and we can all have a good show. Yes?"

Tollen's jaw twitched and his nostrils flared. Then he let out a big breath and looked down. "No, Brother. I would never disobey the rules."

"Neither would I."

Adrian looked at Caleb as he said it. He had whipped him extra hard for losing his new robe. He wondered for a moment, if indeed his son had lost his robe or given it to one of the flock members.
Weak.
He was tired of battling a weak son, and at near sixty he felt himself getting old, but he needed his mind and body to stay young in order to succeed.

Adrian looked out the window. The trees stood half bare now. Winter lurked. And in winter, problems within the community grew as the flock became restless indoors. Crime against each other rose. Fights, thievery, and the occasional rape. This would serve them well against humans but not themselves.

The leaders watched and waited in silence.

"We've created a church-like community to blend into this world. And our community is based on laws. We have these laws for a reason, to establish ourselves on this planet. Our leaders before us created them so we could survive." Adrian turned back to the table. "We cannot deviate from them. If we do, we will not survive. Chaos will reign. More will leave. We will be strewn to the world. We will be diminished. And our leaving Elyon will have been for nothing. Would you rather be back on a dying planet hiding from our society? Many of our fellow Destroyers died or were lobotomized in the Destroyer Uprising for our cause. Do you want to suffer through it again?"

"But our first church in the human world has failed. It's been seven years. How are we to expand into the world as a community if we can't control our people?"

"We must try again. Brother Tollen, I want you to create a committee to start another church amongst humans. Those who apply must have a flawless record here of work ethic and law abidance. They must also have leadership ability."

Tollen smiled at Adrian. "Very well." Something in his smile made Adrian uneasy.

"We must offer the flock something of their own, Father."

"What do you suggest, Caleb?"

"A festival of dance and music and food."

"I agree with Caleb," Tollen said. "Create a community outlet of release before winter comes. Allow them some fun. Let them forget any worries. It will solidify us as a family. We'll have it in the courtyard."

Adrian sighed and nodded. All the community leaders agreed. Let the flock have their distractions to take their mind off desertion and death.

The leaders left but Caleb remained.

"A festival is not enough, Father. You must let the flock make some of their own life choices…if you want them to stay. They don't want to be oppressed."

The fire crackled and wind howled down the chimney blowing up giant flames that licked at the brick.

"I am creating this world here, Son. This is not a human democracy. Once you understand this you will have an easier time here."

"Tell me, Father, why is it only females desert? They must be awfully crafty to slip past the perimeter guards."

Adrian stared at Caleb. His son's face betrayed nothing. Did he suspect him of something? Had he misjudged Caleb all along?

"Like I said, they are weak."

Caleb said nothing but finally nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that's it, Father."

Caleb walked stiffly to the door. Adrian hoped his pain burned deep. He could not heal himself or he would receive a double whipping as part of the punishment. Those whipped were checked on a daily basis. One man who had defied this recently, almost died from his second whipping.

"I'm sending another female to you tonight. Although in your condition, I doubt you'll be pleasing her much."

Caleb turned back. Hatred shot out of his son's eyes. He wanted it to be so. In pushing his son to hate, he could succumb to his Destroyer genes. But he refused.

"I will never have an easy time here. I'm branded your son but not by choice. Other choices I make will be all mine. Not yours."

"Watch it, Son. The choices you are making will lead to your end."

Caleb stared at him for a long moment. "So be it."

His son slammed out of the room, leaving Adrian alone. Perhaps Caleb would change his attitude after a long, cold night in the new well. Something told him Caleb would never come to be the son he had hoped for. They battled wills. They always had. His son was too much of his mother.

Adrian warmed his hands by the fire, his thoughts full of all he had to oversee. The final crops to be harvested before winter. The firewood to be cut and stacked to heat the compound's many quarters and rooms. The breeding to be assigned. One in particular. He had a girl in mind for Charlie. One practiced in the art of love. He had enjoyed her many times.

He couldn't wait to share her with the boy.

Very soon.