Authors: Sam Hawksmoor
Denis was suddenly beside her, white as a sheet.
‘Genie? My parents think I’m dead, don’t they?’
Genie nodded. A lot of parents were going to get one hell of a shock when these kids came home.
‘You were buried. I wonder what’s in your coffin?’
‘Am I dead?’ Julia asked, wiping her mouth. ‘I bet they think I’m dead.’
Genie turned to look at her.
‘I don’t know. But right now you’re alive, girl, and I suggest you start enjoying it.’ She smiled. ‘I can’t wait to see Reverend Schneider’s face when we all march into his damn church and bear witness against him. He is going to be so sick. He’s going to prison. They all are.’
Everyone assented. That’s
exactly
what they wanted to happen.
Cary was frowning and stopped dead suddenly, causing others to bunch up.
Denis heard the commotion behind him and he turned to see Cary staring at a bird in a tree.
‘It’s a bird, Cary. You never seen a bird?’
Cary shook his head.
‘In a tree? No. Never. I’m supposed to be nearsighted.
I wear glasses.’
‘Well you ain’t wearing them now.’
‘I know. I can see perfectly.’
Genie and Denis exchanged glances. Well that wasn’t so bad, was it?
Renée was walking at the rear and thinking about that. ‘Did they ask you about your eyes back at the Fortress?’
‘They tested me for days. I had to answer hundreds of questions and they gave me special glasses.’
‘Me too, I mean questions,’ Miho piped up.
‘And me,’ Randall told them.
They all looked at Randall again with wonder. He was less than half the size he had been. Each one of them had been altered in some way.
Genie understood. It was exactly what Marshall had explained to her and why Reverend Schneider was interested.
‘That’s what they want. In the future you’ll be able to get anything fixed, anything at all. No one will have any
imperfections,’ she informed them. ‘They can change your DNA, stop ageing, make arms work again, give people back their eyes, fix obesity. It’s about regeneration.
Eternal life.’
Denis’ eyes widened. ‘Stop people growing?’
Genie shook her head. ‘You got older, but your body didn’t, Denis. You’ll start growing again now, I promise.’
Denis wasn’t convinced.
‘I hope so. I frickin’ well hope so.’
Renée was examining her hair.
‘I swear my hair has changed. This just isn’t my hair.’
Genie agreed.
‘It was red. I remember it was red. We’ve all changed a bit.’
‘What about inside?’ Cary asked, clearly nervous about this now. ‘I mean they made lots of mistakes before. How do we know it’s all been done right?’
Genie continued walking, she didn’t want to think about that. There was a way to go yet. What else had they changed? Would any of them ever be truly normal again?
She looked at her arm. Why the moles? What could they do with a few moles?
Rian was clearing up in front of the farmhouse, satisfied that things were beginning to get back to normal. He wanted to keep as busy as he could to avoid thinking.
Thinking about Genie only made him ill. He stood on a rock by the burned-out shell of the barn and surveyed the orchards. The apples would need harvesting soon or they’d ripen on the tree and just rot. But there were so many apples he knew he couldn’t pick them in time.
Miller had been right. The Fortress had come back for the burned-out SUV and taken it away. He hoped they were finished with the farm now and wouldn’t return.
He missed Moucher, he missed everything. It just wasn’t the same without Genie there, catching one of her brilliant smiles. He only had to look at her and he was instantly happy and then he remembered that he’d never see her smile again. He didn’t even have a photo.
Nothing left of her but her sketchbook he’d found and the memory of those brilliant blue eyes.
The pig suddenly started. With the corner of his eyes he caught sight of it running into the forest and was amazed to see something so big set off so fast, without warning. He wondered what had spooked it and listened for approaching vehicles, but heard nothing.
It was curiously hazy now that the sun was high in the sky. He heard the familiar sound of thunder in the distance. The air carried the expectation of change.
Clouds were scudding overhead. He was getting to know this place well enough now to know there would be a downpour in about two hours.
‘Wow, you’ve been busy, Rian Tulane.’
Rian spun around and slipped on the rock, falling flat on his ass.
He heard familiar laughter and to his astonishment Genie stepped out from the forest, the pig beside her as she stroked its ears. Her head was shaved and she was wearing the weirdest white one-piece underwear. The sun was reflected off her silver skin and dazzled him. For a moment there Rian had the strongest impression he was looking at an angel.
‘Cat got your tongue?’
Rian realized he was too scared to ask anything. She’d been in the Fortress. She was glowing. They had turned her into something else. She was going to be like Denis
or Renée and he couldn’t bear it.
‘Genie?’
Genie came closer. ‘You look disappointed.’
Rian struggled to speak and get up off the ground. He was elated, nauseous, scared – hell,
terrified
, all at once.
Genie stood right above him and put out a hand.
‘You going to get up or lie around in the dirt all day?’
He made to grab her hand, knowing it was a wasted effort. When she grabbed his hand there was an immediate electric shock that coursed through his entire body, but she held firm and she pulled him towards her. She laughed at his astonishment. He stared. Her teeth looked beautiful, she
was
beautiful, and somehow her hair being shaved made no difference at all.
Genie felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks as she watched the wild range of emotions on Rian’s face.
‘You’re real. You’re real. You are REAL!’ he shouted.
He grabbed her, crushed her to him, nearly squeezing all the breath out of her. She inhaled. He smelled beautifully of sweat, he was hot and was perfectly, absolutely Rian.
‘I never—’ Rian tried to say.
‘Shh,’ Genie whispered. ‘Hush.’ She felt his hands pressing against her, felt his fingers experimenting with her stubbly head. She realized that Rian was crying,
his tears flowed down her neck. She understood that this was the most perfect moment in her life. She never wanted it to end.
Rian pulled away a second, didn’t care that his eyes were wet.
‘I never want us to be apart again. Not even a second.
I love you, Genie. I truly love you.’
Genie closed her eyes and rested her nose on his forehead.
‘Even looking like this?’
Rian pulled away again to look at her. He sensed her nervousness.
‘It looks cool.’
She nodded and began to smile. Cool was good.
Rian kissed her and their lips tasted of salt. Genie sighed. Then she frowned as she felt the heat on his neck and saw the colour of his skin.
‘How did you get so blue? Rian? And your neck is burned.’
‘Accident. It doesn’t matter.’
‘It matters. I leave you alone for just a few hours and you turn blue!’
‘I’ve got a million questions,’ Rian began, but Genie put a finger on his lips.
‘I’ve got another surprise for you.’
Rian suddenly looked worried.
‘Your leg’s not going to fall off, is it?’
Genie laughed. ‘No.’
She took a deep breath. A simple thing like breathing was suddenly a miracle. She’d never underestimate that
again.
‘I remembered we’d agreed to pick the apples. So I brought some friends.’
Rian frowned. He had no idea what she was talking about. Genie turned and signalled back to the unseen eyes in the forest. Denis was first out. He wore the rotting underwear and tatty green socks with pride. Rian stared with complete astonishment as eight perfectly formed and very pale kids walked out of the forest.
‘Denis? Renée?’ He didn’t recognize the others immediately and noticed some were wearing underwear and some were almost naked. But they were alive and real, just like Genie. He turned to look at Genie.
‘You do this?’
He recognized Miho, the girl who’d disappeared right after graduation. She’d supposedly been kidnapped by her father and taken back to Japan. It had made the national newspapers. How many other lies had he swallowed about why kids were missing in Spurlake? He looked back at Genie for some kind of explanation.
‘We ended up in the same place as the howling dog.
Can you believe that? Marshall was right, there’s something special about that area.’
Renée stood looking at Rian, pursing her lips. ‘You think you could stop pawing each other for a moment and get us something to wear?’
Rian laughed and stood up, wiping his eyes. He approached Renée and attempted to give her a hug.
She resisted.
‘Not without clothes on, even if you are my half-brother.’
‘Come on,’ Genie told them. ‘There’s a goodwill bag under the stairs and I’m sure we can find stuff in there for all of us.’
Rian regarded them all with awe and wonder.
‘I am just plain astonished. Come on. Anyone hungry?
We have cereal, almost defrosted milk and er . . . noodles.’
‘Are they wheat-free?’ Julia asked. ‘I’m on a wheat free diet.’
Genie looked at her and frowned. ‘Julia, get real. You just spent over a year inside a computer. No diets here.
This is the country.’
Denis was looking at Rian curiously.
‘How come you’re blue?’
‘Went swimming,’ Rian said, suddenly embarrassed.
Genie shepherded them all into the house. She wanted to know why he was blue too, but she’d get it out of Ri, later.
‘I want to call my folks,’ Julia declared as she adjusted the shorts and T-shirt she had found. She looked funny wearing khaki tied with string, but kinda cute, even if she was impossibly skinny.
Denis, dressed in cut-off jeans and a shirt five times too big for him, looked at Genie and shook his head.
Renée was thinking the same. Most of them were too scared to call home. Some remembered why they had left in the first place.
‘No calls,’ Genie told her. ‘Julia, they probably think you’re dead by now. Denis was already buried, for God’s sake. Who knows what they put in his coffin. We can’t just call your folks. They’ll think it’s a hoax. We have to plan this. Got to take Reverend Schneider and the Fortress by surprise. Right, Denis?’
Denis agreed. ‘We’re out. But they’ll be looking for us once they realize we’re gone. We got to stay hidden till we can plan something.’
‘Genie’s right,’ Rian told them. ‘You can’t just call home. Besides, the Fortress might be listening. I’m beginning to think they control everything around here.
Ever wonder how come the
Spurlake News
never says anything about the Fortress? Like it doesn’t exist. Did any of you know about it before they grabbed you?’
Most kids shook their heads.
‘You’re not kidding. I’ve got bad news for you, Ri,’
Genie said. ‘You aren’t going to like it.’
‘What?’ Rian was thinking the worst now. ‘You’re OK, right? I mean, no missing bits? I was looking at Renée and I swear she used to have red hair.’
‘She did. But we’re all fine, some small changes, but no big deal. But listen, Ri, you, of all people, can’t phone home.’
Rian was confused. ‘Why?’
‘Mr Yates. That’s why. There’s a picture of him at the Fortress. Employee of the Month, no less.’
‘No way,’ he scoffed. ‘Can’t be him. He works in town.
He’s an accountant. You’re mistaken. I mean, I hate him, but it can’t be him.’
‘Red face, chubby, got a big neck, black-framed glasses, stupid moustache,’ Genie described. She could see instantly from his face that it was his Mr Yates.
Rian looked at her, astonishment giving way to anger.
‘Mr Yates works for
them
? That bastard’s known about this all this time? My mother’s boyfriend?’
‘I’m sorry. But he’s not the only one. You ever think
about that? The people who work at the Fortress live in Spurlake. They know us. They know exactly what’s happening. They know all the troublemakers, the awkward squad, the loners – and I bet a lot of them go to Reverend Schneider’s Church. The woman who prepped me at Fortress was wearing a Celtic cross. He handed me over to her like they were old friends. Hell, I bet our school principal sends them a regular list of people she wants to get rid of. She has evil eyes.’
Renée pushed her empty bowl of cereal away.
‘They know
all
our secrets. My mother is devoted to that church. Denis’ folks too. I swear we got to do something, Rian. We got to make sure people know.’
Cary was thinking. ‘But if they all work at the Fortress, who can we trust?’
That was exactly what Rian was thinking. All those rows he’d had with Mr Yates, about how he’d sworn teleportation and science fiction was bunk, and all this time he was working for the Fortress. Cary was right.
Who could they trust in Spurlake? They would have to let people know outside. But then again, it was so fantastic, who the hell would believe them?
Julia put her spoon down; she’d hardly eaten anything. She was sulking.
‘I still don’t see why I can’t call home. I mean, I’ve been
gone over a year. They have to have forgiven me by now.’
Genie looked at this petite girl and wondered what she did that was so bad she fell into the hands of Reverend Schneider. She didn’t look to be the sort who’d do anything wrong.
Denis looked at her and shook his head.
‘Remember why you left, Julia. It’s been two years and I can still remember exactly why I ran.’
‘They were beating you. They never did anything bad to me. Nothing.’
Cary stood up. ‘Julia, you weighed sixty-five pounds or something when you came to the Fortress. You hadn’t eaten any food in like a month. I was there, remember?
Reverend Schneider told you what? He could cure you?