The Institute (4 page)

People started
hunting the Defective and killed them. When this happened, the
government knew they had to come up with a more effective solution.
They came up with a way to control the Defective and ensure that
the population can start rebuilding yet again: the Institute. The
Institute was a way to allow those with defects to live in a safe
environment away from vigilantes and away from the general public
where they have the power to hurt themselves and those around them.
For the Defective, the Institute gave hope.

Our population
is currently on the rise and the occurrence of incidents is unheard
of. At last census, our population was approximately 2 million and
only rising.”

This ridiculous
report was the thing that made Ebb and I become friends and now we
are basically inseparable. She has taught me a lot about the things
I never used to care about, for example, how to dress to accentuate
what little curves I have, how to apply makeup and the
all-important how to walk in heels.

I didn’t
believe a word of our assignment of course. I was raised to
distrust any information given to me by any government department
regarding the Institute and its history.

Dad even doubts
the government is enforcing the international travel ban law given
how desperate we are for an increase in population, saying that we
don’t have the military capacity to monitor such a thing. He always
used to joke about government officials meeting people at the docks
with fake IDs, which would be ironic, considering before the
epidemic, they were turning boats of asylum seekers away because of
the ‘political issues’ attached to letting them in.

Dad always used
to tell me stories of when he was a young boy, before the vigilante
executions started. Sure, he was only a child at the time but he
remembers never having to live in fear of being caught like we do
now. I think of one day being able to live that way but I just
can’t imagine it. We’ve been looking over our shoulders for so
long, it has become second nature.

Some people
didn’t believe that these so called Defective incidents were
‘incidents’ at all. They believed that anyone with such defects
were villainous, evil to the core with the sole purpose to destroy
– like they were a robot or some kind of demon.

My dad’s theory
is the government felt threatened by these adolescents because as
they grew, their abilities would too and they would end up being
more powerful than any normal human. They were scared that this
country would eventually be overrun by these monsters and they
could not allow that. Granted, this is just Dad’s opinion and his
words are those of bias. He has a Defective son, of course he is
going to hate the Institute.

I often wonder
if my angst towards the Institute is that of bias, that I have been
told the same thing over and over from when I was a young child
that I can only see it the one way and am not open to the
possibility that it is what they claim to be; a refuge, a
rehabilitation centre and a safe haven for the Defective.

“Allira!” I’m
brought out of my daze by Ebb’s voice. “I’ve been trying to get
your attention for the last five minutes, where was your head at?
Thinking about Drew I’m guessing.”

She does that
annoying “Oooooh” sound which makes me both cringe and smile. If
only she knew what I was thinking about. Not a day goes by that I
don’t think or worry about the Institute coming for Shilah.

“Oh now you’re
blushing,” she says.

“Shut up!” I
exclaim and splash her with water from the pool. I like finally
having a friend I can be silly with. I think this is the closest I
will ever get to being my true self around someone other than my
family. I have to hide so much of me that it makes it hard to make
friends.

It has been
good to get out and get my mind off things, although I can’t really
think about Drew without thinking about Jax and it’s really hard
not to think about Drew after that train ride. But I should be
getting home before Dad has a heart attack. I’ve lost track of time
and it has been dark outside for about an hour now, so my brilliant
plan to sneak in and out was definitely not so brilliant.

I jump on the
train, hoping against all logic that Drew will still be riding back
and forth but no, I’m left to ponder just how much trouble I’ll be
in when I get home.

I arrive home
to find Dad sitting on the front porch reading a newspaper. I
assume he has waited out here so that he can yell at me for being
gone for so long. I slowly approach the steps and pause at the
bottom.

“Get into any
more trouble?” he asks without even lifting his head.

“No. I just
went to Ebb’s and we lost track of time.” I try to sound as
innocent as possible. I hope my cheeks aren’t blushing as I think
about what I was doing before I got to Ebbodine’s.

“So did you get
it out of your system?” he asks, finally looking up at me. I tell
my face to cool down. I think I’m the colour of a tomato. I’ve
never been good at hiding my guilt.

“What do you
mean?” Damn my shaky voice.

“Going out. Do
you think you can handle being at home without moping around like
you have been?” he asks, a small smile on his lips.

“I can do
that,” I say, walking past him and into the house. Dad never has
been able to stay mad at Shilah or me for long, not since Mum died
anyway.

It’s so hard to
wipe the smile off my face, so I decide to go to bed before Dad or
Shilah suspect what I have been up to on my little outing. Not that
anything serious happened anyway, we didn’t even kiss. Dad has
never outright said that I’m not allowed to date, I just know he
wouldn’t approve.

***

I haven’t seen
or spoken to Drew since I saw him a week ago on the train and I’m
beginning to forget his face. I know it’s only been a few days but
I’ve been thinking about him so much lately that in my head, his
features have started to distort and I get the feeling that no
person could be as good looking as the image I have in my head. His
green eyes and the way they shine in almost darkness, his muscled
arms and the leather band that he wears around one of his wrists
are about the only things I know for certain, the rest is kind of
warped in my head.

I’m worried
about going back to school. I’m nervous about seeing Drew again and
I’m anxious about having to talk about the accident, about Jax.

As the day
arrives, and I get to the train station to go to school, I can
already feel everyone’s eyes burning into me. I scan the seats on
the train and try to find Drew but I can’t see him anywhere. I
can’t see Ebbodine either, but it’s the first day back at school,
she has probably slept in and missed the train. That sounds like
something she would do. I take the seat next to Carwyn, Ebbodine’s
current boyfriend. He seems a lot nicer than most of the boys she
has dated but they still fight a lot, Ebbodine loves her drama.

“I’m guessing
Ebb missed the train then?” I ask. It wasn’t until I said something
that I actually notice Carwyn’s face. He is as white as a sheet and
the colour seems to be getting fainter by the second.

“What’s wrong?
Are you sick?” He looks like he could throw up or pass out any
second.

“You don’t
know, do you?” his voice is quiet and unsteady.

So it starts –
he must not know I was actually there, that I witnessed Drew and
Jax’s accident. This might work in my favour. If he doesn’t know I
was there, then maybe no one else does either? I think I will just
let Carwyn fill me in on the details of what happened, that would
be better than having to explain myself. I give him a confused look
and shake my head in response.

“Ebbodine is
missing.”

Chapter
Three

My heart sinks
to my stomach. Did he really just say what I think he said?
Ebbodine is missing?

“What do you
mean, missing?” I ask quietly.

“She hasn’t
been home in two days,” Carwyn says in hushed tones. I don’t think
he wants the news to get out.

I try to think
of the last time I saw Ebb. It was the same day I saw Drew. This
last week has kind of blended together. All I did was work on the
farm, think about Jax and work on the farm. Why didn’t Ebb’s mother
call me?

“No one has any
idea where she could be?” I ask. Seriously, how far could she have
gone?

“The police
aren’t doing much, they say it’s still early yet. It’s pretty
pathetic if you ask me, especially now considering
you
have
no idea where she is. I have a feeling her mum was kind of hoping
she was with you,” he says.

“When did you
see her last?” My question comes out more accusatory than I was
meaning.

“It was last
Thursday, everything seemed normal. She was angry at me for talking
to Rory but that was nothing new. I just don’t understand what
could have happened to her.”

Neither do I,
it’s not like Ebb to just disappear, be late sure but to not turn
up all together? Something is definitely going on and I don’t like
it.

“You don’t
think … what happened to Hall last year has happened again?” he
asks me.

“I really hope
not,” I reply. I really, really hope not.

Hall was a
senior last year. He vanished without a trace about six months ago
and was the main topic of gossip at school for at least a month
before the next scandal popped up to keep people entertained.
Everyone figured Hall must have had a defect and got sent to the
Institute. But his parents did not send him and I don’t know why
anyone would offer themselves voluntarily even if it is the law,
although I am sure it does happen.

The law states
anyone with a defect must turn themselves over to the Institute for
treatment but I’m sure there are those out there just like us that
believe those with defects shouldn’t be caged like animals. My dad
is obviously a strong believer in this otherwise my brother Shilah
would have been shipped off to the Institute at the age of four. I
know there must be others with defects out there, but just like us,
they are good at keeping it hidden.

I arrive at
school and I can see that everybody is staring at me, only I don’t
know why they are staring anymore – because of Jax or because of
Ebbodine? I don’t want to be here, I want to be out there, doing
something to try and find my friend.

“I heard she
went explosive in public and is in a padded cell at the Institute,”
I hear one girl say as I walk past. There’s a group of them huddled
by the lockers, laughing about the whole thing. I turn to them and
stare, letting them know I can hear them and they had better
quieten down before I go over there and punch one of them in the
throat. One of them spots me and they all shut up. It’s a shame, I
kind of feel like punching someone, not that I ever would though.
It’s important not to draw attention to yourself,
I remind
myself, trying to calm down.

It’s all
feeling so surreal. Is Jax really dead or was it just a bad dream?
Is Ebbodine really missing or is everyone freaking out for no
reason? Maybe she is at the Institute. As far as I am aware she had
no defect but she could have developed one in the past week, or
maybe she is as good at hiding things as my family is. But if
that’s the case, then why now? Why go to the Institute now?

I’ve been okay
at holding it together so far but I’m using all of my strength to
try and stay calm. She can’t really be missing can she?

I am pulling
books out of my locker when I feel a presence behind me.

“I heard about
Ebbodine. I’m really sorry Allira,” says Drew. I feel my heart skip
a beat. I turn to face him and he leans in. For a moment I think he
is going to kiss me right here in the hallway but just like on the
train a few days ago, he doesn’t kiss me. He leans down and picks
up my back pack, leading me down the hallway and my heart starts
slowing to a steady pace.

“So what do
they think happened to her anyway?” Drew asks.

“I don’t know,”
I shrug. “Carwyn only told me this morning. It’s not like her to
just wander off or disappear for a few days. I’m really worried,”
and scared but I don’t admit that.

“I’m sure she
is fine,” he says reassuringly. “You’re her best friend. Has she
been acting weird lately?”

“No weirder
than normal for her,” I start. “But it’s still not really sinking
in, I’m expecting her to walk in those doors any minute.”

“It’s the same
for me. I still think Jax will be here any minute and I
saw
what happened to him,” Drew says.

“Hey, speaking
of Jax, has anyone asked you about that yet?” We were expecting to
be harassed about what happened but no one has even mentioned him
to me.

“Nope. He must
be last week’s news. All I’m hearing about is how Ebbodine has run
off to live with some guy she met on the weekend … among other
theories.” He raises his eyebrows at the stupidity of others.

It is really
annoying how these events are keeping everyone entertained around
here. I seriously want to ditch school for the day but I’m worried
that Dad will find out and I just can’t deal with that again.

“Want to get
out of here?” Drew is looking at me with hopeful eyes, he doesn’t
want to be here just as much and I can’t resist the offer to
escape.

***

Drew and I walk
down Ebbodine’s extremely long drive way. I thought for sure Drew
wouldn’t have wanted to accompany me to Ebb’s house when I
mentioned I wanted to come here, but he claims anything to distract
him from thinking about Jax, he’s up for. I don’t know if this will
distract him too much, my best friend is missing and his is
dead.

I want to see
her mother and offer to help in any way I can. I should have been
there for her.