Elevated (Book 1): Elevated (19 page)

***

Giant spotlights lead us a gigantic two-story mansion on a lake rented out for the party. The brick-walled manor is something out of a Victorian novel. It’s unfortunate Shelly decided to blast neon lighting on it, making it a Frankenstein of eras.

We stop on the front lawn, and I open the door to the ear-blasting sound of techno music. Between the flashing lights and the harsh drumming, the assault on the senses gives me an instant headache. Searching for a calm, or at least somewhat quiet spot, I dash inside the house, forgetting Zach is even behind me.

Once I get indoors, there’s a tug at my arm.

“There you are,” Zach says. He has to shout over the music, still loud even inside. “Thought I’d lost you.”

“I was trying to get away from the blaring music.”

“Good job,” he shouts.

Laughing, I suggest a drink, and we head towards a table that looks like it has some sort of punch. I glance around the room, and I’m surprised at how few people I recognize. It’s a bunch of strangers, most of whom seem too old to be friends with Shelly.

We reach the buffet line and I dive into the food, lacking any restraint I normally would have with an attractive man behind me. The punch tastes of fruit and fresh mint. And, of course, it’s pink. Zach nibbles on some cotton candy. We stand there as silent as we were on the drive over. I’d think we were the most awkward couple in the room, except everyone around wanders past in a daze, as if they have no idea how to act at a party.

Maddock enters the room and the music quiets, sparing my ears for a blissful moment. He wears a black suit made even darker by his pale skin. Around his lapels, a decorative stripe glows in a stunning bright red.

“Lumosilk,” I whisper. “Taken from Elevated silkworms. Very rare, considering the small chance a silkworm will get that specific ability.”

Zach nods. Then leans down to whisper, “Weird to see him face to face, isn’t it?”

Weird doesn’t begin to describe how I feel. Being feet away from the man who had something to do with my dad’s wrongful disappearance makes my insides burn. Maddock grins widely as he passes me. I wonder if he knows who I am. He certainly doesn’t have any idea what his daughter’s been up to lately.

I grin back and take a sip of punch.

He raises his hands and, like magic, the guests start dancing and carousing as if they were old friends. Maddock leaves the room.

Zach scrunches up his face. “This is the most bizarre party I’ve ever seen.”

I nod, putting my lips to my cup and finding it empty. Zach grabs it from my hand. “You sure are thirsty. Let me get you some more.”

Great. I bet he thinks I’m a glutton. Maybe he likes Shelly because she’s skinnier than I am. It doesn’t take him long to return with my drink, which I chug down before I catch myself. Wish I knew why I am so thirsty.

“Found out what’s going on,” Zach whispers. “They’re only here for the concert. Maddock hired that band with the three-armed guitar player. Guess it was the only way they could insure a large crowd for Shelly’s party.”

I force myself to take a small sip this time. “I wonder if anyone’s here because they want to be.”

Zach shakes his head. “Must be a sad life to have to bribe guests to come to your birthday party.”

“Seems like a fair punishment to me.”

“That’s a bit harsh. What did she ever do to you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say and gulp down far too much punch. I can’t think of a clever way to tell him how much of a terror Shelly had been without it sounding like jealousy.

“Fair enough,” he says, and goes back to his punch.

I always knew that Zach was a smart guy.

The earsplitting drumming stops and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s short lived though, as Shelly soon enters. She’s wearing a bright pink dress with more frills than I thought could fit through as sewing machine. All the attention is on her plunging neckline, which wills her body to form a chest that isn’t there. To look upwards risks blindness by her pale face and fuchsia lipstick. She waves like a celebrity to the room, oblivious to the snickering and rude faces the guests make at her behind her back. Zach has a big grin on his face.

I move my glass to my lips. Empty again. I wait a minute, but Zach doesn’t offer to refill it. He just stares at Shelly. Excusing myself, I head over back to the buffet line.

The dancing starts up again, and brings with it that horrific drumming. The guests seem to be getting along a lot better now, or at least I hope so, based on how close they dance. I don’t enjoy dance parties. I don’t have any rhythm. Not that it matters these days since dancing consists mostly of writhing around. But I’m not much good at grinding against random strangers either.

Shelly snakes through the dance floor, but strikes out partnering with anyone. I glance back over to where Zach stood a moment ago, but he’s gone. Restroom break, maybe.

With him gone, I feel less self-conscious about grabbing some food. It’s sickly sweet and indulgent. Fitting, if you ask me.

I stand by the buffet, watching the sweaty mass thrashing in front of me. Shelly slouches down in the corner, burying her face in her elbow. Against my better judgment, I begin to feel sorry for her. Maybe she didn’t deserve this. It is her birthday after all.

Zach reenters the room and passes right by me. He nods to someone in the corner of the room, and the music stops. He reaches out his hand towards Shelly and takes a bow. A waltz begins to play and he sweeps her up and onto the dance floor. His elegant grace doesn’t surprise me. He leads Shelly around the room, twisting and turning her like a champion. I have an instant desire to take up ballroom dancing.

“It’s so romantic,” a girl says next to me. “They are perfect for each other.”

The crowd oohs and ahhs as they blitz around the room. I shouldn’t be angry. This is Shelly’s birthday, she deserves to be happy. I squint my eyes shut to prevent any tears escaping. A tap on my shoulder startles me.

“May I have this dance?”

Elliott stands behind me, dressed in a chocolate brown suit that matches his fedora. He holds out a shimmering flower, one of the glowlilies from Fowler’s Grove. Stunned, I find it difficult to move. He gently grabs my hand, assumes a waltzing position, then starts to dance.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Now that’s a fine introduction.”

“Sorry, I’m just—surprised.”

He smiles. “Aaron told me about the party.”

“Oh.”

I knew I was best friends with Aaron for a reason.

Elliott and I stumble across the dance floor. Though we try our best, our waltz leaves much to be desired. Compared to Zach and Shelly’s dazzling routine, we dance like drunk penguins.

“Besides,” Elliott says, “based on what you said about Shelly, I had a feeling you’d need a partner after she ensnared your date.”

“I think Zach was perfectly happy abandoning me.”

Elliott dips me and gazes down with his striking blue eyes. “His loss then.”

He pulls me up, but with too much force, and I go toppling over. My hands grasp at the air for balance, but I lose control and crash onto the marble floor.

“Rose, are you hurt?”

I lie there, laughing. “Let’s stay away from the dance moves until we have some practice.        

We laugh together.

 Zach and Shelly twirl around the room before stopping in the center of the atrium. The whole audience stands transfixed by the couple. Zach releases Shelly’s hands, and in a swift move, removes his jacket and wingvest. His feathers illuminate in dazzling colors under the neon lights. Scooping Shelly into his arms, the couple floats up in an aerial ballet as the orchestral music reaches a crescendo.

“A little corny, don’t you think?” Elliott asks.

The crowd cheers. A girl next to me wipes tears from her eyes. The music fades and they come back down for a gentle landing. Shelly has a smile too big for her face. This has to be one of the happiest nights of her life. They hug, and Zach glances over at me and gives me a wink. Maddock runs over, applauding ecstatically.

My heart races from the excitement. They start walking over to me, hand in hand. Then they pass me. And head outside.

“Where are they going?” I ask.

“Does it matter?” Elliott asks, gazing into my eyes.

I can almost feel the door slamming me in the face as I watch it close behind them. What is he doing? I head towards the door, but a hand grabs me.

“Hey there,” a girl in a tight blouse says. “Give the birthday girl a little privacy.”

Another girl downs a glass of punch. “She’s probably going to give him a night he won’t forget.”

Shuddering, I turn away.

“Are you ok?” Elliott asks.

“Yeah—I’m—well—I’m fine.”

Elliott smiles and places arm around my shoulders. “Nice dance, by the way.”

“Thanks.”

My attention keeps drifting to outside. I shouldn’t scan. It’s none of my business. I have no right to know. But there they are. They sit, Shelly wrapped around Zach like a weed. His back is turned and I can’t get a good scan of his face.

“You look beautiful, by the way,” Elliott says.

I nod.

Zach and Shelly are talking. That’s good. I’m good with talking.

“Something on your mind?” Elliott asks.

Shelly tries to pull Zach closer, but there’s no space left between them. He shifts. She’s talking again, and the bouncing of his head indicates laughter.

A hand waves in front of my face “Rose?”

“Huh—what?”

Elliott wrinkles his forehead. “You aren’t watching them, are you?”

“No—I’m—well.”

Elliott shuts my open mouth. “I suppose you might be interested in me if I could fly.”

“Elliott that isn’t—”

“I see the way you look at Zach. I guess I fooled myself that you were just admiring him.”

Shelly leans over to kiss Zach. I snap to attention.

Elliott frowns. “You are watching them. That’s disgusting.”

“I can’t help it.”

“You can’t help spying on people? What happened to that girl who never wanted powers in the first place?”

“I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“Well, when you find out, let me know.”

Elliott storms out of the room. I scan outside again, where Zach runs towards the house. Bursting into the room, I watch him search for me and then wave me over.

“I’m getting tired, may I drive you home?” he asks, his face a polar opposite expression from a moment ago.

“I—well, won’t Shelly mind?” I ask.

He rubs his hands together. “She’s fine with it.”

“Ok.”

It takes a sprint to keep up with Zach as he dashes to his car. I hop into the front seat and he pulls out of the driveway. The drumming for the party becomes quieter until it disappears behind us. Then it’s silent. After a few minutes, it becomes unbearable. I’m not sure what happened outside, but it looks like Zach had as bad of a night as I did.

***

I collapse in bed, exhausted from the party and from Mom’s barrage of questions. Searching for something to quiet my mind, my eyes travel to the star field above my head. I can almost hear my dad’s booming voice reciting the constellations.

Cassiopeia, Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. The repeating voice in my head lulls me to sleep. Then my eyes snap open.

Orion.

Orion’s Belt.

My dad always told me that Orion was his favorite. That our family was like Orion’s belt. Three individuals linked together. ‘Belt’ must have been his clue for something.

I keep staring at the ceiling above me. I wonder.

Launching out of my bed I grab the middle star from Orion’s belt. On the back, I discover a computer chip, and a crumpled up note.

“Don’t let them find it, this is for you,” it says.

I have no idea who “them” is, and I feel stupid for not figuring out his clues before. My hands reach for my phone and I’m about to dial when I remember that my mom will hear me. I debate texting Aaron, but something tells me I have to keep this to myself.

“This is for you,” it says.

No, I need a real expert to explain this to me. My dad. I text Jex to call me back in the morning. We have to break into the GEMO Control and Regulation Center. It’s only a matter of time before Elliott or I get discovered. I’d rather settle this on my own terms.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jex and I spend the morning exchanging texts, though it starts to get difficult to hide it from Miss Laura. Jex tells me to assemble a team because he can get me in the building today. Everything will happen after school. The question is, who will I bring?

Everyone gathers during lunch to watch the Fliers do their flying test. I think it’s a little unfair that they have to perform in front of a large audience, but if they hadn’t offered it to the students, they’d probably sneak a glimpse anyway.

With the large crowd and excitement, I almost expect a seller to offer me peanuts or for a marching band to parade across the field.

Tessla takes the field first. Jumping from the platform, she swoops down in a graceful glide. She turns through the first two hoops with ease. Then the fans turn on. She bounces around and careens out of control, crashing into the ground.

The audience gasps. Then there’s a mixture of laughter and taunting.

Beside me, Aaron films the carnage with his cell phone.

“You have to stop,” I say, yanking his phone out of his hands.

“No, I don’t.” He takes his phone back.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’ve got a blog. I call it ‘Elevateds Acting Stupid.’”

"That's awful," I say.

“Oh come on, Rose, they’re Elevateds, they can take it.”

“They’re people, Aaron.”

“Thank you for the life lesson.” He nods his head briskly and runs away.

I can’t believe Aaron would do something like that. He has to know he’s not any better than someone who makes fun of Basics or Lessers. Tessla stumbles off the field, and I feel sorry for her. Sure, she can retest and maybe improve, but there’s always the chance she has an amazing ability most would kill for and will never be able to use it properly. Sometimes I think being a Basic is the easiest path.