Tompkin's School (For The Extraordinarily Talented Book 1) (16 page)

“Cheers,” Edwin said, taking a huge swig of it from the bottle.

They sat near the stream of water, watching it twist and turn in silence. Lawrence didn’t know whether or not he should feel relieved that he no longer had to keep it a secret from his younger brother, or to be filled with remorse that his brother was condemned to the same fate.

“Is that all you can do?" His brother asked.

“While not bound by the full moon,” Lawrence said, “I haven’t been able to reproduce any of my other powers outside of the transition.”

“What happens, you know,” Edwin began, “during the transition?”

Lawrence pondered this question for a moment, remembering the events that had occurred just the night before.

“It starts as a surge of anger flowing through your veins,” he began, “slowly crawling from your heart through your entire body. Soon the anger is so heavy that it begins to hurt and that’s when your shoulders burn like they’re on fire.”

“Your shoulders?” Edwin asked.

“Yeah,” he added, “your shoulders burn as the wings grow. These giant black wings tear through your shoulder blades. It’s the worst pain in the world.”

Edwin grimaced.

“But after that,” he continued, “I’m able to see everything...I can see for miles. I can even see the future sometimes! I can fly anywhere. But usually I’m pulled towards a particular direction. I feel heartbeats of others like us, it’s as if we are all working together for a purpose.”

“And what’s that?" His little brother asked.

“I guess something to do with blood,” Lawrence replied, “I smell it all the time. It’s only a few people that I smell it from, but when in transition I’m always clear on who I have to go after. I can’t control it, Edwin, I swear if I knew this would happen I-I…”

Edwin just shook his head, handing the bottle to Lawrence.

“We’re going to run out,” Edwin commented, nodding to the bottle.

“No worries,” Lawrence grinned, “I’ve got a contact.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure your neat little trick of invisibility helps as well!” Edwin laughed.

“Yeah,” he smiled, “that, too.”

“Why’d you keep it from me?” Edwin asked.

“I didn’t know what to say,” he replied, “and quite honestly I was afraid of how you would take it. That you would be too afraid of me.”

Edwin nodded, understanding the dilemma. Lawrence took a long swig of whiskey, not wanting to think about everything that was running through his brother’s head. What were we? This had been the foremost thought on his mind since he had first transformed. All he could seem to produce were questions with absolutely no answers. But maybe with there being two of them it would be easier to find the answers. Lawrence was counting on this. He didn’t know how long he could live like this, but what he did know is that they would be an unstoppable force. Together they would achieve a power that he couldn’t even fathom. He had no idea what this would mean for them or for the school, but they would control whatever darkness grew inside of them if it was the last thing he did.

I was awoken by the treacherous sound of thunder as rain spattered the only window I could see. Kain and I were no longer chained up, hanging by our limbs in the kitchen. Chuck had decided to be kind to us and handcuff us to the floor. I couldn’t remember how long we had been trapped there. Days, weeks, maybe. It was all the same to me. I knew it had been a long time since I smelt like roadkill and Kain looked freakishly disheveled. So, far Chuck had only learned that they were from New York, our father was a fashion designer, and we really did have a strange interest in history. I wondered if the reason Chuck had kept us alive so long was because he was finally considering this to be an honest mistake.

“Kain,” I breathed.

“What?" He replied, his voice hoarse from dehydration.

“I had another dream,” I answered, “of the brothers.”

“Yeah?" He coughed, “let’s hear it. Not like there’s anything better to do.”

“They both were like us,” I replied, “one...the eldest...he could make himself invisible, see things...miles ahead...even the future! The youngest could manipulate feelings, see the future, and hear things from far distances.”

“Sounds badass,” Kain laughed, then wheezed in pain.

Chuck had beaten Kain the worst last night. Kain hadn’t helped with the situation at all! He couldn’t just be quiet, he had to be snarky.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Kain replied, “go on with your story.”

“Fine,” I agreed, “I’ve been dreaming about them on and off since we’ve been here. It’s a little annoying.”

“Better than being present,” Kain said, “better to be in a dream then to be fully here because here is torture.”

Kain was right. I needed to stop complaining about zoning in and out. It strangely helped me cope with all the madness that was going on.

“They both had black wings,” I whispered, as if it was a secret, “their eyes black, black as coal. Claws like ours. He called it transitioning…”

“Transitioning?” Kain asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, “Lawrence, the oldest, said that it only happened at the full moon. But he was able to control some of his abilities outside of the full moon.”

“Maybe we could conjure up a bit of our power and make ourselves scarce of this place,” Kain chuckled.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “I wish.”

“I wonder how long he’s going to keep us around,” Kain murmured.

“No idea,” I replied, “let’s not think about it, okay?”

“Whatever,” he sighed, “so these brothers...were they twins too?”

“No,” I said, “they were close in age, though. The eldest told his brother that he could feel the heartbeats of others like them...do you remember that night we transitioned?”

“Yeah,” he answered.

“I could feel your heartbeat,” I said, “but I couldn’t feel anything else. Did you?”

“No,” he replied.

“I wonder,” I began, “if we had a chance that we could focus and see if we could also hear the others.”

“If there are others still around,” Kain added.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “somewhat of a long shot, but perhaps next time we transition we’ll have a moment to try.”

I readjusted my aching back. Sitting for hours was definitely not my idea of a good time and it most certainly was not easy on the back.

“So, what do you think our powers are?” Kain asked.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you have super strength,” I commented.

“Oh, what gave it away?” Kain asked, sarcastically as he rattled the handcuffs that bound him.

I laughed at the irony, but couldn’t help remembering how the doorknob just bent into the shape of Kain’s hand when he was just trying to open the door.

“You seem stronger in your form, too,” Kain added, “even before the transition you were able to throw that Amadeus across the room.”

“Maybe,” I gave.

“Well, I have one mean growl,” Kain laughed, sounding proud.

“Whatever,” I joked, doing my best to act as if I was throwing fire from my hands despite my restraints, “you’re just jealous of my lovely firepower.”

“We both can do magic with our hands,” he shrugged, as if it didn’t bother him, “remember the knife I conjured?”

Our laughter was followed by silence. We were both somewhat questioning whether it was all real or not. Given our current circumstances you’d think our power would come back sooner rather than later.

“Hey,” I replied, “it seems like we’ve been here for awhile. That means the next full moon has to be right around the corner, right?”

“Sure,” Kain shrugged, “and then I’ll use my super strength to rip that stupid smirk off of Chuck’s face.”

“I’m being serious,” I said.

“So, am I,” he said, his eyes exposing his anger, “I’ve never been more serious.”

“Well, we can’t just leave a trail,” I warned.

“Whatever we do,” he continued, “I’m sure when we are in our forms we will know how to take care of this whole...
situation
.”

“I wonder,” I whispered, changing the subject, “if anyone has been looking for us.”

“I’m sure at least one person has noticed our absence,” Kain assured.

“What will we tell people?” I asked, “you know, if we get out of here.”

“
When
we get out of here,” he corrected, “we’ll say we got lost.”

“And what about Lee?” I added, “I abruptly just left with his truck and somehow he just happens to get it back and without a word from me? He
just
asked me to be his girlfriend!”

“Oh, well, great start,” Kain laughed.

“Shut up,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“You might have to tell him the truth,” Kain said, “not everything, you can leave out the part about us turning into scary demons, but other than that I’d say spill it.”

“But what if he tells his dad?” I asked, “or anyone else for that matter.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t,” Kain shrugged.

Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from outside the cabin and we immediately got quiet. Was it Chuck or someone else? If it wasn’t Chuck then we should probably shout and call for their attention to help us. But if it
was
Chuck then we would pay for that outburst. We then heard a couple of children laughing and realized that this could be our only real chance at escaping.

“Help!” we cried, both shouting at the top of our lungs.

We paused for a second, we could hear someone ask if they heard someone shouting. We cried out again, hoping someone would hear us and come and get us. We heard someone come to the door, rattling the doorknob as they tried to enter the cabin.

“Is someone in here?" Asked the voice behind the door, it was a woman’s voice, “are you alright?”

“Help us, please!” I shouted.

“Okay,” the lady said, “we’re going to find a way in.”

“Should we call 911?" Another lady’s voice asked.

“Yeah,” the first replied, “here’s my cell.”

I glanced at Kain, who had the same thought. We couldn’t let the police get to Chuck first before we did. We needed to know exactly who all was involved and how he fit into the puzzle and this was definitely not a battle for the police to fight. This was
our
fight.

“Just hang in there,” we heard one of them assure us, “help is on the way.”

“Oh my!” A lady’s voice exclaimed.

I glanced up and saw that one of them had found a window with a perfect view of us.

“Jill, come over here,” the lady ordered, “they’ve been here for quite some time.”

I saw the other lady’s head peep around the window frame and the look that overtook her.

“We must look terrible,” Kain chuckled.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

Suddenly, we heard a siren and the ladies quickly headed over to explain the situation from their perspective. We heard the door being pried opened and soon we saw Shane Walker and his partner walk in.

“Kain?” Shane exclaimed in shock, “Izara?”

“You know these two?" The other officer asked.

“Yeah,” Shane replied.

“It’s okay,” the officer said, addressing us, “we’re going to get these chains off, you’re okay now.”

They took the handcuffs off of our wrists and helped us to stand. As I tried to I realized I still couldn’t feel my feet. I glanced down and realized the worst. My feet were gray and I fell back down.

“Get the medic in here,” Shane ordered.

Another guy came in and worked to get circulation back in my feet. They checked on Kain and began bandaging his wounds. I heard the partner talking with the two ladies who had saved us while Shane stayed with us..

“Are you okay?" He asked.

“I’ll live,” Kain replied.

“Are you fine to answer a couple of questions?” Shane asked.

“Sure,” my brother replied.

“Could you tell me in a sentence or two what happened?" He asked.

Kain paused, taking a deep breath as he thought about the events.

“I-I don’t remember exactly how it happened,” Kain said, honestly, “I just remember getting thrown into this trunk and the next thing I knew I was here. My phone was taken. They must’ve seen my last call was to Izzy…”

“Did you get a view of what this person looked like?” Shane asked, gently.

“No,” Kain shook his head, “he wore a mask. I was strapped up in chains and he beat me. I barely even remember Izzy getting here.”

“Okay,” Shane replied, “it’s okay, we’ll take it from here.”

“We’re going to have to take her to the clinic,” the medic informed Shane.

Suddenly, I was being moved and soon was in the ambulance on our way to the hospital in Sulphur. I was rushed in and soon my feet were soaking in lukewarm water. I felt pins and needles in my feet, but that was about it. It hurt, but compared to what I just had to endure this was nothing. I was sure they would eventually amputate and so I prepared myself mentally for losing my toes. This was all Chuck’s fault and I swore to myself that he was going to pay. I was comforted by my plans to torture him for what he did to my brother and to me. I was going to make him wish we had told the police. But prison would be a luxury, a luxury he didn’t deserve. I suddenly heard a familiar voice and the door into my room soon opened.

“Lee?” I asked.

“Hey, there,” he said.

He came to where I was, taking my hand. His eyes looked horrified when he saw my feet.

“I’m okay,” I whispered.

“Okay?” Lee replied, “Iz, your feet are gray! Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know,” I croaked, my throat still immensely hoarse.

“My dad will find this guy,” he assured, “don’t worry about that.”

I smiled, seeing the concern in his eyes.

“I’m sorry about leaving abruptly,” I said.

“Shh,” he replied, “it’s okay. I just wish you were found sooner.”

“What day is it?” I asked.

“Friday,” Lee answered, “October 22.”

Nearly three weeks. Three weeks Kain and I could never get back. Three weeks of school, drama team meetings practicing for the school play, three weeks of life. A nurse came in, announcing she needed to dry and wrap my feet.

“I’ll be right outside,” he told me.

“Okay,” I replied.

I grimaced as my attention once more focused on my feet. My feet were wrapped and I tried to make myself comfortable, wrapping up in as many blankets as they gave me. Lee came back in once the nurse had completed the task and he took a seat next to me. We mostly sat in silence as I was pretty out of it. Everything seemed to be like a dream. I couldn’t focus on much externally as my insides were screaming and my mind kept returning to planning our revenge. Chuck would be back at the Cabin and he would not find us. This would be the perfect location to torture him. We wouldn’t bother keeping him around for weeks just to try to obtain information as he had done. What a desperate move? We didn’t spill our secrets under the pressure of what he had done and we couldn’t underestimate his determination to retain information. But what he was capable of inflicting onto us was nothing compared to what Kain and I were able to do.

“Are you going to be okay here?” Lee finally asked.

“Yeah,” I whispered, “you should go back, rest.”

“You too,” Lee smiled, “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I replied.

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before heading out. He was definitely a sweetie and I felt guilty for not telling him the whole truth, but it would definitely be dangerous for him to know the truth. I turned to my side, returning to the plan. I wished I knew where Kain was at so that we could go over this together. Wait, what day did Lee say it was? October 22nd? I needed to get to a phone or laptop. Something that I could search for when the next full moon was.

“Nurse!” I called in my hoarse voice, but no one could hear me.