The Forbidden Trilogy (78 page)

Robyn bit her lip and had a hard time looking me in the eye.
Of course, she'd just revealed something huge.

"Wow." I hesitated. "Sorry, it's just a lot
to take in. How long have you known?"

Norm took Robyn's hand. "About a week. We didn't plan
it. We were careful and everything. It just—"

Happened. Oh, the irony.
I'd never even had sex and
gotten pregnant. Rent-A-Kid students had gotten knocked up before, but then
they'd disappeared. We were told they'd withdrawn from the program for their
own safety and the safety of their babies. I now suspected Rent-A-Kid just
considered them breeding bonuses.

"What are you going to do?"

"We don't know yet," Norm said. "You're the
first person we've told."

Which explained the serious case of nerves they'd sported
all day. They knew I'd find out when I probed their minds. "You might want
to tell Father Patrick. He could help you figure things out."

Norm nodded, but Robyn continued biting her lip, even as she
spoke. "I'm just so scared. What are people going to think?"

Didn't that very question worry me, but for different reasons?
"Honestly, people are going to think whatever they think. You can't
control it. Just do what's best for you guys, and the baby."

"I'm sorry," Robyn said. "I should have told
you earlier. I hated acting all secret-ish around you."

I patted her hand. "Don't be. I understand. It's a
difficult thing."

Norm nodded. "Yeah, I'm not even sure if I can be a
father."

Becoming a parent had also scared
me
. Still did, but
the bond I felt with my daughter trumped any of those insecurities. "If
you decide to have this baby and raise it, your love for him or her will take
over. It's not easy and I'm certainly no expert, obviously."
Since I
lost my baby shortly after giving birth.
"But the parenting instinct
does kick in. The rest you learn as you go, from trial and error, from those
who know more than you, from books."

They settled back into the couch, their tension dissipating.
Norm smiled. "I think we're ready for the scan now."

The scan revealed the same gaps as everyone else, and
nothing relevant to finding Ana.

I stood to leave. "You can always talk to me, guys. I'm
here for you."

***

The last name on my list was the person I wanted to scan
least: Darren. He obviously hadn't taken the baby because he was with me when
she disappeared, but he might know something, and no one else remained.

After asking around, I found him sitting on the porch,
watching the rain and using his telekinetic powers to float a handful of leaves
around in the air.

He scooted over to give me room to sit with him. "I
didn't think you'd scan me, since we were together when it happened."

"I know, but I can't leave any stone unturned. Are you
mad?"

He shrugged but didn't look at me. "Maybe I should be
offended. After all, how could I have had anything to do with this? But, nah,
I'm not. I get it."

Unbidden, his thoughts started flowing into me. Snippets of
memories, bits of conversation, an idea he'd been contemplating.

"You should do it," I said.

"Do what?"

"Sorry, I heard what you were thinking about. You
should start the club. People need to share their feelings and talk about
what's going on, and you can make it a bully-free zone for anyone who wants to
be there. It's a great idea. How come you haven't told anyone about it?"

"I just wasn't sure if it mattered, really. I'm not
going to run the club, though. I don't want to be in charge of people."

His fear of leadership would be his downfall. Darren had a
lot to offer, but he needed to speak up more. "I can relate to that. I'm
the same way, but sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones to really
make a difference. You could be a great leader if you let yourself."

"Hmm... maybe." He didn't look convinced.

"It's true. You have good ideas, Darren. Don't be
afraid to speak your mind. If you don't, who else will? I bet Greg and Gary
would really love your club, and others would as well. Everyone feels
disconnected and lonely, but something like this club could bring people
together in a powerful way."

He smiled and nodded, but his thoughts saddened me.
'Says
I should speak up, but tried that. Told her my feelings, and she rejected me.
No point.'

He'd always been so sweet to me; I wished it could've gone
differently between us. Maybe if he'd spoken up sooner—before Drake and the
baby—but now it was too late. Even if I never trusted Drake again, I doubted I
could ever love someone else.

I dug deeper into his mind and saw the place where his grief
lived, where he mourned the loss of his best friend. He'd never expressed the
depth of his pain—not to me, not to anyone. "I'm sorry about Kyle. I
didn't know him well, but he seemed like a great friend."

"He was. He always made me laugh." His voice
thickened. "I get it, you know? What it's like for you with Drake gone.
It's almost the same for me, in a way."

True. We'd both lost someone close to us. But Drake was
still alive, and we had a baby together. I thought about Susie's words. Maybe I
could find a way to forgive him, to let him redeem himself. He hadn't died like
Kyle. We could still make things right.

"I miss him so much," I admitted. "I never
thought he'd leave. I thought we'd raise our baby together. And Ana, I have no
idea who took her. No one remembers. What do I do now?"

Darren put his arm around me, and I didn't pull away.
"It'll be okay. You have people here who care for you."

Maybe.
No one cared about Ana the way I did, except
maybe Drake. He should have been the one holding me, the one I shared my heart
with.

But he still hadn't shown up. So where did that leave me?

***

Out of leads and out of time, I searched my phone for Agent
Morrison's number. Luke and Lucy would be with him, and maybe they had
information that could help. The call went straight to voicemail, and I left an
urgent message begging him to get back to me immediately. I then called Agent
Simmons.

She answered on the third ring. "Agent Simmons
here."

"Hi, this is Sam. Sam Smith. We met the night of the
Rent-A-Kid escape."

"Sam. The mind reader, right?"

"Yes. I'm calling to see if you've heard from Luke or
Lucy. My baby's been kidnapped, and I need to know where Steele is keeping all
the young kids and what the status is on the mission."

Her silence stretched out, punctuated only by her irregular
breathing. She spoke, her voice hesitant. "Sam, I'm sorry to tell you, but
there was an accident. Their plane went down on an island in the Pacific. They
survived the crash, but in the course of rescue operations, we lost them again.
We're not sure if they're still alive."

I nearly dropped the phone. This couldn't be happening.
First my baby, now my best friends? "I want in on the mission. Tell me
where to meet you."

"It's not that simple, Sam. We'd have to train you,
teach you the protocols. Luke and Lucy prepared for this. We can't bring a
civilian in at the last minute. It's a danger to both you and my team."

"Just tell me where the base is, then. Where are they
keeping the kids? He had to have taken Ana there."

"No doubt you're right, but I can't release that
information to you. I'm sorry. I'll call you if we hear more."

"But—"

She hung up on me.

I seethed and ground my teeth in anger, resolving to connect
to Ana and Tommy and all of those other kids. I would make my powers work. I
would find them, and I would rescue them, with or without IPI.

The day dawned bright and cheerful for Lucy, who felt
well-rested and optimistic for the first time in a long time. She pulled the
braid out of her hair, brushed it out as best she could, and re-braided it down
her back. Short hair wouldn't have been so difficult, but she wasn't about to
hack off her hair out here. She'd wait until they got home, and she could go to
a real stylist.

After grooming, she walked to their campfire and found
Hunter lost in thought. "Good morning."

He grinned and winked. "Good morning, Lucy."

Luke popped from behind a bush, wrapped his arms around her
and swung her around. "Happy birthday, Sis!"

She laughed at his antics, then frowned. "What? It
can't be."

He gave one last rib-cracking squeeze, then let go and
counted on his hands like a grade-schooler. "Yep. It's the first, second, third,
fourth day of June. We are now, officially, adults."

Lucy stood, stunned. How had she lost track of that much
time? "No way."

"Way. At least, if my phone's correct. I keep checking
it from time to time to see if there's a signal." He pulled it out and
showed her the date: June 4.

The days had blurred by, even before they left for this
assignment. Between setting up the new school, nursing the injured back to
health and coordinating with IPI to initiate this mission—which had taken
forever—she'd long ago forgotten about her birthday. And of course, some time
had gone missing here in the valley, like when the lizard nearly killed her,
and she'd passed out for days.

"Guess you're right, Bro. Happy birthday."

Lucy squeezed her twin tight, and he whispered in her ear.
"I'm sorry for last night. I was a jackass. Forgive me?"

She would have forgiven him for anything, just to have happy
Luke back. "Of course. Love you, Bro."

"Love you too, Sis."

She pulled back and sized him up. Did he
look
older?
Did
she
? "So, what should we do?"

Luke bowed deeply and flourished his hands. "Well,
because you're my sister, and I love you, and because I've been a bit of a
screw-up lately, I made breakfast for everyone."

"Oh, cool!"

Luke walked toward Mr. K's alcove, and Lucy followed.
Hunter's hand slipped to the small of her back, and he turned her body toward
his. "Happy birthday, Lucy." He gave her a simple, sweet kiss that
held the kernel of passion she'd felt last night. Then he held her hand as Mr.
K's branches parted for them to reveal a beautiful breakfast.

On a flat rock, Luke had arranged a smorgasbord of
tantalizing treats. Using giant leaves as platters, he had piled up mounds of
colorful berries and fruits, freshly cooked meat and coconuts for drinks. They
sat around the rock.

Mr. K swayed, as if to music only he could hear. "I
heard someone's getting old. Happy Birthday, Luke and Lucy."

"Thank you," they said in unison.

Hunter stared at the food, and his stomach growled loudly.
"Thanks, Luke, and Happy Birthday, you two. You know, I'd like to make a
toast." He lifted a coconut. "To Luke and Lucy. I'm so glad I met you
guys, even if it was in a dirty smelly jungle full of blood-sucking bugs.
You've been great friends, and though I haven't known you long, I've seen the bond
you two possess. It's honest, painful at times, but so worth it. And I
appreciate that you've let me into your tight circle. Thank you. Truly, thank
you. As vicious mosquitoes suck the blood out of you, may you have a wonderful
future."

Mr. K hit some of his branches against the ground, clapping.
Luke joined in too.

Hunter sat back down. "Okay, okay, everyone, just drink
up and forget how I embarrassed myself just now."

Everyone laughed and dug into their food. Lucy bit into the
meat and sighed. "Bro, this food is to die for. Seriously. So good!"

"Thanks, Luce. Do you want to know where I got the
meat?"

Both Lucy and Hunter shook their heads. "No!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "You guys are wusses. Don't
worry, it's not moth."

"Okay, I'll bite," said Hunter. "What is
it?"

Luke grinned. "I found a pigeon, or it kind of looked
like a pigeon—a bird, anyway. I used a handmade slingshot to bring it down,
then cooked it over the fire."

Hunter shoved another piece into his mouth, and Lucy picked
up a bite and sniffed it. "I just hope it's not mutated and causing some
crazy reaction in our system right now."

Mr. K's branches shook. "I think you're safe. Enjoy
your birthday meal."

Lucy looked at Hunter, then Luke, as they started talking
about bugs and reptiles. She smiled and popped a berry into her mouth. It was
so good to see them getting along. She just hoped it was sincere and not an act
to make her feel better on her birthday.

The three of them finished up the food and leaned back, full
and happy. Luke clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention. "Lucy,
we have to do our song."

Oh, crap.
She glanced at Hunter then shook her head.
"No. Not now."

Luke pouted. "Yes now. We have to. It's
tradition."

Hunter nudged her shoulder. "I want to hear it."

Mr. K swatted her head with a branch. "So do I."

"See? It's three against one." Luke made his puppy
dog eyes. "Please, Luce? For me?"

She shrugged in defeat. "Fine."

"Yes!" Luke pumped the air like he'd won something
big. "Okay, ready? One, two, three."

Lucy cleared her throat and sang "La, la, la, la,
la," in counterpoint as Luke started in on the melody. "Happy
Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Lucy. Happy
Birthday to you." His rich tenor voice spilled into the valley, carried on
the wind like a sigh. When Luke finished his part, he sang counterpoint while
Lucy did the "Happy Birthday, dear Luke" part. She sang contralto,
and their voices wove together like a musical tapestry. She sang pretty well,
but Luke had the real gift.

They sang the last "Happy Birthday" in two-part
harmony. When they finished, everyone sat still, mesmerized.

Hunter broke the silence by clapping, a look of awe on his
face. "Wow. If Bon Jovi ever did a
Happy Birthday
cover, that'd be
it. Scratch that, they'd do a cover of
your
song, and it wouldn't be
half as good."