Exceptional (21 page)

By the time he stepped back into his bedroom, he found Ally curled up on her side, fast asleep.  She looked vulnerable lying there, her facial features softer than usual.  The corner of her mouth curved down slightly, reminding Luke of the emotional pain she had been holding inside since he brought her here.  She might seem happy on the outside, but deep down she missed her family and the life she once had.  He thought about settling down on the couch but decided the only place he wanted to be right now was close to Ally.  He carefully repositioned her so that she was under the covers, and slid in quietly beside her.  He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.  He knew one thing for sure; he never wanted to let her go again.

   
Ally was back in the settlement, returning home after a long day of gathering.  She had met her food quota by almost twice the amount, and felt at the top of her game.  Tomorrow she would have a free day, and perhaps she and Stosh could go for a run like old times.  
    When she stepped through the front door of her house, she could already smell her mother’s cooking.  She was making a rabbit stew tonight, probably accompanied by fresh made bread from their monthly wheat ration.  Stosh was out back cleaning up after a long day of wood chopping, and the family they lived with was already gathered in the dining room, setting the table for dinner.
    Ally stepped into the kitchen and helped her mother prepare the last of the meal, carrying a pot of stew to the table.  But when they sat down to eat, it wasn’t stew that she had been carrying, but a large platter of cooked ham.  Stosh hopped into the house and took a seat, dishing himself up a big portion of glazed carrots.  There were even mash potatoes on the table, with a big slab of butter on top.  It wasn’t a meal that Ally had never eaten in the settlement before, but somehow she knew she had tried these foods before tonight.
    No one spoke.  Rather, everyone at the table smiled at each other stupidly and stuffed their faces.  Even Ally found that she couldn’t speak, even though she really wanted to.  After they had eaten all the food, she and Stosh did the dishes and cleaned up the dining room.  Stosh wandered off to his own room, and the family they lived with had disappeared.  Ally carried a small bucket of water in from the well out back, wanting to clean up before she headed to bed as well.  She pulled her hair back from her face and splashed cool water over her skin, letting it wash away the dirt and grime.  She dried her face on a towel and slowly looked up into a mirror.  
    She jumped at what she saw.  A female Exceptional was staring back her, her violet eyes shimmering in the dim light.  Ally raised her hand toward the mirror, and the Exceptional did the same.  Ally touched her face and watched as the Exceptional copied her movements.  Ally was annoyed at first, but as she looked at the female Exceptional closer, she came to a frightening realization.
    The Exceptional in the mirror was her.

Ally’s eyes popped open and she found that she was breathing heavily.  That was the first time she had dreamt so vividly of home, and she hoped it would be the last.

THE BLINDS had been left open last night and as a result, sunlight bathed across the bed and warmed Ally’s skin.  She turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of Luke lying next to her.  He was on his stomach, with one arm thrown over her stomach and the other up under his pillow.  His head was facing the opposite direction but his deep breathing told her that he was still asleep.  She settled her head back on the soft pillow and looked up at the white ceiling.

    The events of yesterday rushed back into her mind.  She was still having trouble sorting through her feelings and deciding exactly how to process this.  How much
bad
news could a person handle in such a short period of time?  She had handled coming into the City with some dignity since she had grown up knowing that she might one day volunteer to go.  The ORC had thrown her for a loop, but despite her emotional time there, she was able to come back to Luke and find a way to move on.  But becoming an Exceptional?  This was something she never could have prepared for, because it had never been heard of.  Also, being in Luke’s bed
with
Luke was doing funny things to her insides.
    She tried to shake the image of kissing Luke from her mind.  Today she needed to focus on her new abilities, and what they meant for her future.  She planned on asking Luke to take her to the Institute with him this morning.  He had said that Aden would force her to go in for testing and training anyway, so she might as well start now.
    Luke stirred beside her, turning his head and opening his eyes.  He smiled at her and the sight sent warmth running through her body.
    “Good morning,” he said in a scratchy voice.
    Ally couldn’t help but grin.  “Morning.”
    Luke leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers, gently kissing her.  Rather than pulling away, like he normally did, he intensified the kiss, pressing into her.  She wound her arms up around his back and dug her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer.  He was propped up on his elbows now, hovering over her, but she could tell he didn’t plan to get any closer.  This felt dangerous enough, and it wasn’t helping her keep focus like she had planned to just moments ago.
    A knock on the door forced them to jump apart.  Ally smoothed her hair down while Luke stood and walked over to the door, unlocking it.  She watched him stiffen as he opened the door, and when he stepped backward his expression held none of the joy it did just a minute earlier.  
    “Father,” he said as he stepped backward, allowing Aden to enter the room.
    Aden peered around the room and gave a small chuckle when he found Ally in Luke’s bed.  “I hear you’ve been busy, Allona.”
    Sure, now that she was an Exceptional she was worthy of a real name.
    “I’m not sure what you are talking about,” she said with a shrug, acting as though nothing worth talking about had happened to her lately.
    “It’s very curious, that you were able to delay your Exceptional powers all these years.  Also curious is how you were able to look and act like an Ordinary as well.”
    “You think I did this on purpose?” Her tone was sour.
    Aden’s expression didn’t change.  “I didn’t say any such thing, but the mere fact that you are mentioning it doesn’t look very good, Allona.”
    “Stop calling me that,” she yelled at him.  She rarely lost control, but he managed to bring out the worst in her with a mere minute of conversation.
    “I am not here to accuse you of anything,
Ally
, but I am going to need you to come with me.  You’ll be taken to the Institute immediately, where we’ll be running some tests.”  
    “I can take her there today when I go for lessons.” Luke stepped forward.
    “Not necessary.” Aden waved his hand.  “I’m headed there right now and would be pleased to escort her.”
    Ally hopped out of bed, thinking that the faster she showed she was willing to work with him, the faster he would go away.  “I’ll shower, get dressed, and meet you in the foyer in twenty minutes.”
    “I like this new air of cooperation from you, Ally.” Aden smirked and left the room.  
    “He’s up to something.” Luke’s brows were furrowed together as he spoke.
    “Like you’ve said before, there isn’t much we can do.  I’m going to get ready and go with him.  At least maybe we’ll get some answers.”  She stretched her arms above her head and made a move for Luke’s bathroom.
    “Oh, I guess I can go back to my own room now.” She laughed, stepping toward the door.  Each morning she would rise and leave the room before Luke woke, changing in her own room.  Using his bathroom and changing in his space felt more intimate than they were already being, which wasn’t very intimate at all compared to what the ORC contract said they
should
be doing.
    Luke caught her around the waist and pulled her in for another kiss.  “Nonsense.  Go start your shower and I’ll have Sabine bring fresh clothes to you.  You’ve spent the past week sleeping in my room, even if I slept across the room, and I consider this space as much yours as it is mine.  Although, I’d like it if we shared the space more like we did last night.”
    Ally felt her cheeks reddened at his words.  Luke held back a laugh.  “It doesn’t have to mean anything more that two people sleeping next to each other in the same bed, Ally.”
    She sighed and took his hand in hers.  “I know.”

But something told Ally that it was about to mean a lot more than it had, and she wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about that.  She could see the possibilities shining in Luke’s violet eyes as he took her in.  She was an Exceptional, and no matter how scary it seemed, she was a true part of the City now.  She could be his with out a contract, and with out scrutiny.  It also meant that she was that much further from her family in the settlement.  She no longer belonged there and now, she could definitely never return.

EXACTLY NINETEEN MINUTES later Ally was dressed and standing in the foyer.  Exactly one minute after that Aden appeared from the kitchen, dressed in a freshly pressed, white suit.  As he walked toward her she found it hard not to notice the similarities between Luke and his father.  Aden’s hair was much longer, since adult Exceptionals weren’t required to shave their heads, but she could see the dark shade of it hidden underneath a soft blanket of gray.  She could even picture Luke wearing a suit just like the one Aden was wearing.  But she stopped her thoughts before they traveled further, for trying to compare Luke to his father felt wrong.

    “There is a transport waiting at the end of the street,” Aden said as he motioned for her to follow him out of the house.  
    Ally had heard of transports before.  They were not used often, except for Guards traveling a far distance or in case Aden needed to be taken out of the City quickly.  She had even been able to catch a glimpse of one or two in the air in her lifetime.  Both times she had been up in a tree back in the settlement, and had been perplexed as the giant object passed overhead.  Transports were odd shaped machines with long spindles on top that spun very fast.  Somehow those spindles were able to carry the machine through the air, with the help of another set of spindles on the tail.  Ally thought it made an odd sound in the sky, but as they approached the end of the street, she was shocked by how loud it sounded on the ground.  Even more shocking was the wind that smacked her in the face.
   
       
The transport sat in the middle of a circular part of the street, and several Exceptionals stood outside their homes, watching.  From their expressions, Ally could tell this was nothing special to them, but it must be more interesting than whatever else they had planned for their day.  Aden took a hold of her arm and led her through the strong wind, helping her up into the main area of the transport.  Once inside Aden handed her an odd shaped piece of equipment.  She watched as he placed it on his head and over his ears, and she did the same.  She almost sighed the relief was so great.  She could barely hear the sound of the transport with these things covering her ears.
   
       
“They are called headphones.”  He pointed at the object on his head.  “We’ll be taking off now, it will be a little bumpy to start.”  

Aden’s voice filled her ears and her hands flew up to the object he had called headphones.  She watched as he spoke into a small object near his mouth, and realized it was sending the words through the headphones.  A similar object sat near her mouth so she decided to test it out.

    “I’ve never seen transports at the Institute before.  Couldn’t we have walked?”  As interesting as this was becoming, she didn’t like the idea of trusting a machine to carry her through the air.
   
        
“We won’t be going to the Institute.” He sat back in his seat and peered out the window as the transport lifted off the ground.
   
        
Ally grabbed a hold of a handle near her head and looked out the opposite window.  Luke had been right; Aden was definitely up to something.
   

THE RIDE didn’t take long, and Ally spent most of it staring at the people and buildings below.  The tallest building in the City Center, which stood at twelve stories tall, loomed up in front of them and the transport lifted above it.  She took hold of the handle again as it lowered onto the roof with a bump.  Aden popped the door open and motioned for her to leave the headphones behind.  The Exceptional who had been flying the transport did something to power the machine down, and the loud chopping sound slowly disappeared.

    Aden didn’t wait for Ally to exit the transport before he started for a door positioned at one end of the roof.  Two Exceptional Guards took a place on either side of her and escorted her behind him, their guns held firmly at their chests.  She was led into a dimly lit staircase and down two flights of stairs.  They entered through a black door with no markings, stepped across a dark hallway, and walked into a large open room.
   
       
Ally found herself surprised by the stark difference between this room and the ones back at Aden’s home.  Almost everything in this room was a dark color, except for the walls, which were painted white.  A black rug filled the floor, along with black tables, sofas, and a desk.  She realized that she must be in Aden’s office, and it took up at least half of the entire floor. To her right was a wall of windows, which Aden’s desk sat right in front of.  To her left was a wall with several doors, which must lead to meeting rooms.
   
       
Aden motioned to the guards.  “Go get Dr. Leon and Dr. Axel for me.  I want them to meet their newest test subject.”
   
       
“So why come here rather than the Institute?” Ally stepped over to one of the black couches and sat on the back of it, facing Aden.
   
       
He walked over to his desk and pressed a button on the side.  A cup appeared from a chute in the wall, steam coming off the contents in it.  It was most likely hot tea, a drink favored by many adults.  Since it was expensive, their mom only drank it once or twice a year.   Aden could probably afford to drink it several times a day.
   
       
“I think it will be more favorable for us to run the tests here.  The Institute is busy and filled with teenage Exceptionals all day long, and it lacks the type of security I believe we will require today.  I’m also not naïve enough to think that Luke wouldn’t have tried to find us as soon as he arrived.  Here, I have much more control.”  
   
       
Ally raised one eyebrow.  “You don’t think that Luke will figure out what you’ve done?  He probably heard, if not saw, the transport.”
   
       
Aden shrugged.  “Yes, but it will be much harder for him to gain access to my office.  I have no doubts that he will show up here sooner rather than later, and at the right time I will allow him to come up.”   
   
       
She decided to change the subject.  “These tests you’ll be running.  Are they anything like the tests I had at ORC?”
   
       
Aden’s lips paused on his mug and his violet eyes slowly rose to meet hers. “You know, they mentioned that they thought you might be avoiding your medication while at the ORC.  And I’m guessing they didn’t do a memory swipe before you left?”
   
        
Ally hadn’t realized there would be a memory swipe, but she was sure Luke had something to do with putting a stop to it.  “It might have been overlooked.  What I want to know is
why
you are breeding Ordinarys with Exceptionals.”
   
       
Aden laughed loudly, setting his cup down on his desk.  He strode toward Ally and stopped just a foot in front of her.  “This is much bigger than you or any of your little Ordinary friends, so I suggest that you drop it.”
   
       
His expression grew so fierce that Ally found herself leaning away from him, any possible response she had caught in her throat.  Just when she thought she had recomposed herself enough to speak, the two Exceptional Guards from earlier reentered the room.  Behind them came two male Exceptionals, both dressed in long white coats similar to the medical professionals in the ORC.
   
       
“Dr. Leon.  Dr. Axel.” Aden greeted them.
   
       
One of them approached Ally immediately.  “Hello Allona.  I’m Dr. Leon.  I am the head of the EGD at the Institute.”