Unleashed (18 page)

TWENTY-FIVE

Claire shoved books into her locker. She hadn't heard a thing in math class; there were bigger things to think about than binomials.

A sudden slap on her back made her jump. She whirled around fists ready.

"Easy there," Kate said, stepping back. "Why so jumpy? A teenage Mr. Hyde after you?"

Claire turned her back and slammed the locker shut. "That's not funny."

"Not really, but at least you don't look so scared anymore. You look like the normal pissed-off girl I love. You going to the lunch room?"

Claire turned the opposite way and began to walk toward the parking lot.

Kate caught up to her. "Ah, come on. Don't get all pissy. I'm just trying to relieve some tension. It's really more for me than you."

Claire stopped. "So you believe me now?"

Kate pulled her to the side of the hall away from passing students. "How can I not? What we read yesterday made me sleep with the light on!"

"Me too." Claire pulled her forward. "Let's get out of here."

They were almost to the door when Corey, seeming to appear from nowhere, stepped in front of them, blocking their path. "Want to go to lunch, Kate?"

"Can't. I've got more important things to do," Kate said, surprising Claire. Usually there was some wavering before she rejected him, and that’s
if
she rejected him.

He nodded his head in Claire’s direction. "Like hang out with Miss Anger Management?"

"Move it," Claire said, attempting to get around him.

Corey took hold of her shoulder. "Did you just talk to me? Cuz you're going to want to stay out of this."

She jerked her shoulder away. "Stay out of what? Last time I checked, you and Kate were over months ago."

"You don't know how to stay out of other people’s business, do you?" he said, stepping close to her.

Two more steps and her back would be against the wall. Claire was really getting sick of being cornered. "What are you talking about?"

"Ethan. He used to be normal but now all he wants to do is hang out with you, and I can't figure out why. Unless you're following in your mother’s footsteps."

Claire stared at him. To the average spectator she probably appeared calm, but only she was aware of the storm brewing inside her. The turmoil left her fist when she swiped it at Corey’s jaw. His head jerked back, but she wasn't strong enough to knock him out, which she regretted.

Kate gasped, and then laughed. Corey looked at her and then Claire. The veins on his neck appeared larger than she remembered. She traced them down his muscular arm until they ended at his balled fist. When it began to move, she tried to duck, but it smashed against the side of her head.

Claire stumbled into the wall and slumped to the floor. Through blurry vision and a sudden massive headache, she saw Ethan tackle Corey to the floor. Over a high-pitched ringing in her ears, she heard shouting and screaming. Ethan was sitting on top of Corey raining punches down on his face while Kate tried to pull him off.

Someone came to Claire's side. Her head lopped to her shoulder to see whom. Steph was kneeling and saying something but Claire couldn't hear what. Her gaze lowered to the tiled floor, to Steph's drumsticks lying near her knees.

Claire missed singing. She let her eyes close, and let the stage in her mind come alive. A single light turned on and shined on the stage. She took hold of the microphone and began to sing. All of her emotions poured into the music, leaving her empty.

"Claire?"

The ringing in her ears was gone. Claire opened her eyes. Logan was by Steph. Both of them looked worried. She didn't like it. "Is there something on my face?" she said, and forced a smile.

"She's awake, Mrs. Summers," Steph said over her shoulder.

Mrs. Summers hurried over. "Let me look at that head," she said and nudged Logan and Steph away.

Claire quickly struggled to stand. "I'm fine. It's no big deal." She touched her head. Extremely tender, but no blood. And if it was bruising, her hair would cover it.

"Don't do this," Logan said. "Not now. You are not okay."

"Whatever." Claire pushed through them all. "Where's Ethan? I hope he beat the crap out of Corey." She tried to see through the crowd of teenage gawkers. "Can you guys move? Freak! Like you've never seen a fight before!"

"They took him to the office with Corey," Kate said quietly behind her.

Claire turned around. "What for? He didn't do anything wrong."

"He was fighting on school grounds," Mrs. Summers said. "You should really put some ice on your head."

"Fighting? That's bull crap! He was defending me! Tell her, Kate."

"I did."

Claire glared. "Apparently not good enough. Ethan should not be in there. Time to storm the castle." She moved to go toward the principal’s office, but Logan took hold of her arm.

"Let's go, Claire."

She tried to shake his hand off, but he wouldn't budge.

"We're leaving,” he said. “Now. This is what I want from you, and then we're even. You’ll never owe me anything ever again."

That got her attention. She glanced toward the office and then back to Logan. "Forever?"

He nodded.

"Fine. Let's go." Claire turned to Steph and Kate. "Tell Ethan to call me when he's out. I'm going home."

Logan opened the front door for her.

"Wait!" Mrs. Summers said. "You need to check out."

Claire walked through the doors, leaving the entire school staring after her, but she didn't care. She felt nothing.

As soon as she closed the passenger door, Logan, who was already in, said, "What was that back there?"

She tipped her head against the window. "Can you just take me home?"

"But there's nobody there, and you can't be alone."

"Call Smith then, or stay with me, but you can't talk. I want to sleep."

"Headache?"

"Something like that."

"You got hit pretty hard." He started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"You saw it?"

"Just the tail end. I was right behind Ethan."

"Corey's such a jerk. Do you think he'll get suspended?"

"Yes. And I’d be surprised if the cops aren’t called."

"Good. It will ruin his perfect record. Totally worth it."

Logan was silent.

"What?" Claire said. "Say it!"

"I'm worried about you."

"Why? This was nothing."

"You're wrong. I know you better than anyone, and I saw what you did back there."

"What I did?"

"You went all I-don’t-care-about-anything, like you used to do. Before."

"Before what?"

Claire heard his swallow. She could practically see him gathering his strength as he prepared to say it, but she didn't stop him. She needed to hear it.

"Before you discovered that dead girl. Ever since then, you've been different. In a good way. It's like a wall came down and you finally allowed yourself to feel again."

"I've been feeling scared! That's a good thing?"

Logan nodded slowly. "It's called emotions. What your father did to you stripped you of this. But any emotions are better than feeling nothing. It’s what makes us human."

Claire turned away from him. "I disagree."

"I know it sucks to feel scared, but if you let yourself feel that then maybe you can start feeling other things, too."

"Like what?" she mumbled.

It was a second before Logan said, "Love."

"How do you know I don't feel that?"

Logan shrugged, his eyes sad. "Maybe you do. I don't know. I just don't want to see you going back to how you used to be. It's okay to cry. Corey hitting you had to hurt more than just physically."

Claire focused on the pain at the side of her head. She wasn't ready to focus on the other kind. "It's fine. I just want to go to sleep."

Logan reached over and rubbed her back. "Okay."

A few hours later, Claire got out of bed. She hadn’t really slept, but she did replay events over and over in her head, from the first time she saw Mindy all the way to what Logan had said. He was right. She had changed, too subtly for her to notice. But now what? Everything hurt, especially her head. She touched it lightly and winced.

Claire heard the television in the living room click off. Logan was still here. Her shoulders slumped. Time for an apology. She ignored the light blinking on her phone. Ethan had called her several times, but she needed some time to sort things out, to make a decision on who she wanted to be. Whatever she decided would affect him, too.

Opening the door, she walked down the hall and into the living room. Before she could speak, Logan stood up and said, “Forget about what happened earlier. We need to stay focused, get this thing with Bodian resolved so you can feel something other than being scared—”

“Logan—”

“Ethan will be here any second. I have a plan.”

She parted the blinds on the window and looked out. Ethan was just outside talking to a police officer parked out front. She breathed in and turned around. “Thank you, Logan, for everything.”

He looked directly in her eyes. “I want this to end just as much as you do.”

His gaze was so intense that she turned away, her pulse suddenly racing. Before she could analyze why, the door opened.

Ethan walked in and looked from Logan to Claire.

“What’s the verdict?” Logan said.

Ethan went to Claire. “Detention, but just for a week. Corey, on the other hand,” he stopped in front of her and looked her over as if to make sure she was all right, “has been suspended for at least two weeks. And the cops charged him, too.”

“Good,” Claire said, staring down at Ethan’s bloodied knuckle. “But I am sorry you got in trouble.”

“It was worth it. Besides, you have detention with me. You’ll be told tomorrow.”

She chuckled, not at all surprised. “It’s been awhile since I hung out with Mr. Frank. I bet he missed me.”

Logan cleared his throat. “So, Bodian. We need to blow this whole H371 thing wide open.”

Claire looked at him. “But how? We don’t even know who’s behind it, other than someone called Blackbird. And besides, who would believe a bunch of teenagers?”

“No one if we don’t have more proof,” Ethan said.

“And one lousy document with no one’s name on it isn’t going to work,” Logan said. “So here’s my plan. We go see Anne Dawson.”

“Who?” Ethan and Claire said at the same time.

“The lady I told you about. The one who tried to blow the whistle on Bodian a few years back.”

Claire shook her head. "I doubt she even lives here anymore. I know I wouldn’t.”

"She does. My boss at the restaurant is sort of friends with her," Logan said.

"Do you know where she lives?"

“Yup. And we’re going there tonight. If you guys want, that is.”

Claire glanced back at Ethan. He was nodding his head in agreement.

“Okay. Let’s do it,” she said, but then moaned when remembering another commitment.

“What is it?” Ethan asked.

“I have practice. Kate will kill me if I miss another one.”

“Text her that you’re going to be late,” Logan said. “She’ll understand.”

Claire looked at him, eyebrows raised.

Logan smiled. “Maybe not, but she’ll just have to deal. We’ll hurry.”

“What time?” Ethan asked. “I’ve got some things to do first.”

“Me, too,” Logan said. “Let’s meet back here at 5:30.”

After they all agreed, Claire watched both Logan and Ethan walk away. A twinge of guilt nagged at her. She shouldn’t be getting them involved. She knew how dangerous Gage was and didn’t doubt he’d kill both of them if given the chance. Just the thought of something happening to either one of them about crippled her.

She closed her eyes and hoped. Hoped that the woman Anne Dawson would help end the nightmare. 

TWENTY-SIX

At exactly 5:30 p.m., Logan and Ethan pulled into Claire’s driveway. She was speaking with a cop parked outside her house when she saw them. She turned back to Officer Johnson, an older man in his sixties. "See? There are two guys in there that will be with me the whole time, and I'll be back before dark. So you can tell Smith I'll be just fine and if he has a problem with that, he can call me.”

"I don't know, Claire—” Officer Johnson began, but she was already opening Logan's passenger door. "You better be back before dark!" he called after her. She saluted him from within the car.

"What was that all about?" Logan asked.

"I relieved him of his babysitting duties," she said. "So where we going?"

"Clear up in the mountains, off Bear Creek Road," Ethan said.

"Is it far?"

"About forty-five minutes."

It only took thirty-five. Logan drove fast, for which Claire was grateful. She really wanted to get back in time for at least part of practice. Though she'd never admit it to anyone else, Claire really wanted to do well at the Fire and Ice Concert for the sole reason of using a contract deal to leave Bandon forever.

"Who would live out here?" Ethan asked when their car about lost a tire going over a deep hole on the dirt road.

"Someone who's trying to hide," Logan said quietly.

Claire stared out the windows with the rest of them, watching as they drove deeper and deeper into mountainous terrain. Trees as old as the earth itself seemed to block their path, but each time Logan managed to get around them on the narrow road. An ominous feeling settled into her gut.

"Anyone else have a bad feeling?" she asked.

Ethan reached from behind the back seat and rubbed her shoulders. "It's going to be okay."

"We're just looking for answers," Logan said. "Nothing bad is going to happen." 

"That's what teenagers always say when they go into the woods just before dark. And then they're murdered." She forced a nervous laugh.

Logan turned to her. "You're really shaken up, aren't you?"

It wasn't like Claire to feel afraid, let alone voice her fear to others, but, as Logan had already pointed out, she hadn't been herself lately.

"There it is," Ethan said, looking out the window to his left.

Claire looked over. She could barely see it through the trees: a cabin half the size of her house. A porch on the front was partially collapsed, making it look empty, but a plume of smoke puffed from a brick chimney, making the cabin seem alive. She shuddered.

Logan turned off the car. "Let's get this over with.”

"Yeah, before Bigfoot returns," Ethan said.

Claire got out of the car and stared at the cabin, thinking back to all the events that led her here. Would this ever end?

A moment later Ethan put his arm around her and smiled. "It's not that bad. It reminds me of my grandpa's cabin."

"Who wants to brave that porch first?" she asked.

Ethan stepped forward. “I’ll go.”

Logan put his hand out, stopping him. “I’ve got this.” He took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

He walked to the porch and hesitantly stepped upon the first stair. The wooden porch groaned under his weight but held. He turned around and shrugged. "I don't know what the big deal is. It’s fine." He moved to take the next step when all of a sudden the front door opened, startling him. He fell backwards, landing hard on his back.

Too stunned to say anything, Claire stared at the dark figure standing in the doorway, the body silhouetted by a soft light glowing from within the cabin.

"Ms. Dawson?" Logan said from the ground.

"How do you know my name?" a voice said, gentler than Claire expected.

"My boss is Don Garret. He sent me out here hoping you could help us. I just have a few questions."

The woman was silent for what seemed like an eternity before she finally stepped into the light. "Then you better ask them quickly. It'll be dark soon and you don't want to be out here when the sun goes down. And you can call me Anne."

Ethan smiled encouragingly at Claire.

"Come inside," Anne said. "I just made bread."

Claire followed the others in, surprised at how nice the inside of the home was. It resembled a studio apartment with only a bedroom and small kitchen. A round table was shoved in the corner; two loaves of freshly baked bread sat on its top. The place was decorated in forest greens and mauves. Everything matched perfectly, including a small lamp sitting on the far end of the counter. Claire wondered if Anne had purchased all the décor from the same store.

Despite the attention to detail, there was no TV, only a tall bookshelf crammed full of books, some of which had fallen to the floor.

"Have a seat," Anne said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. The rest of it was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Claire noticed her left hand was shaking. It matched the twitch in her cheek, just above a deep purple scar. If it wasn't for the three-inch deformity, she might've been beautiful with fair skin and gray eyes.

The boys must've been just as disturbed by her appearance as Claire because nobody moved.

Anne turned her back. "I said sit down." Her voice turned cold, chilling the cramped cabin.

"You have a lovely home," Claire said, trying to warm it back up.

Logan and Ethan immediately dropped into the chairs by the table. "Yeah, I like your dishes," Ethan said. Logan quickly agreed.

Claire looked at them and gave them a "could-you-say-anything-lamer?" look. There was only one set of dishes, a blue color, resting on the counter as if Anne was about to eat dinner. Ethan shrugged.

Anne turned around with a sudden grin, making her scar look like a squashed caterpillar. “I don’t get visitors often. Would you like some bread?”

“That’s okay. We don’t want to take too much of your time.” Claire looked from Ethan to Logan, and then back to Anne. "We just want to ask you some questions. About Bodian Dynamics.”

Anne’s smile disappeared. "I have nothing to say about Bodian."

"Why did you leave?" Ethan blurted.

Her head snapped in his direction, and her lip curled up beneath a flaring nose. "I didn't leave. They fired me! I loved my job."

"Why did they fire you?" Logan asked, his voice gentle.

Anne's shoulders slumped, and she motioned her head toward the door. "You guys shouldn't be here. Please leave."

"But bad things are happening,” Claire said, “and we think it has something to do with Bodian.”

Anne shook her head. "Not my problem anymore. I tried to stop them once, but no one would listen. And then they ruined my life."

Claire leaned forward. "But we're listening now, and we're trying to stop them too, before it's too late."

Anne took two steps into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. "Stop them from what?" She removed an antiqued looking mug and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Start from the beginning," Ethan encouraged Claire.

Claire swallowed. "Several weeks ago I was at Bodian Dynamics for a career class at my high school…” She continued telling Anne everything that had happened, including the girl she'd found at the pool and how the “fingerprints” matched those on her window, but more importantly how they weren't human. She also talked about Gage and how he was stalking her.

Throughout her speech, Claire noticed Anne growing paler, but it wasn’t just that. Her right hand, hidden from view from Ethan and Logan, clenched the edge of the counter as if she was hanging on to it for life, but Claire didn't stop. She needed answers.

When Claire finally finished, she said, "So we need to know if the reason you were fired has anything to do with what's going on now, and we need to know how to stop Gage and Bodian. We need to expose them for what they've done."

At this, Anne shook her head and began to tug at her hair, pulling brown strands out of the ponytail. "That's not possible. They will bury all of you if you say anything."

"But what if we can get proof?" Logan asked. Claire noticed he was sweating. She glanced at Ethan. He looked cold. As for her, she felt numb.

"Proof?" Anne said and turned her head to look out the window.

Claire followed her gaze. The sun was just beginning to set. Its fading light shined into Anne's gray eyes, and Claire thought she saw a spark of hope, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"It doesn't matter," Anne said. "I had proof. Even a video tape of what they were doing."

"What exactly were they doing?" Claire asked, hoping for the spark to return.

"I haven’t spoken about it for three years. They forced me into silence."

"Forced you? How?" Ethan asked. His eyebrows were pulled tightly together.

Anne looked up at him. "They threatened the lives of my parents, my sister, even her children."

Ethan sat up straight. "But they were just threats, right?"  

"That's what I thought, too. But then my parent’s house burned to the ground. They barely made it out alive."

"You think it was Bodian?" Claire asked.

"I know it was." Anne took a sip. The glass shaking in her hands barely made it to her lips. "After that I moved away from everyone. I told Bodian I'd never talk about it again, but it wasn’t enough. They followed me everywhere for weeks until they left me this," she pointed to her scar, "to make sure I'd keep my mouth shut, and I have and will. You’re wasting your time."

Claire stood up. She wasn't about to let things go. "But they won't know we've been here! We promise not to say anything."

For the first time, Anne laughed. It was sweet sounding like the sound you’d hear at a child’s birthday party. "They already know you're here, dear," she said. "Don't you get it? Bodian knows everything."

Ethan stood up next to her. "They're not gods. They can be stopped."

Anne smirked. "By three teenagers?"

Logan joined them. "Yes."

Anne placed her mug on the counter. "You guys think you're being brave, but you're not. You're being naive. You have no idea who you're up against."

"Then tell us," Claire begged. "Please?"

Anne looked at each of them.

Claire softened her voice. "Surely you can't like living out here—away from your family and friends. I know Bodian took everything from you, but you have a chance now to get back at them. Share with us what you know, and I promise we'll bring them down."

Anne grimaced like she’d bitten her tongue, and her eyes changed to the color of a dying storm. She reminded Claire of her mother right after her father was sent to prison, and the only word she could think to describe her was
broken
.

Anne leaned further into the counter until Claire thought she'd collapse. "Anne?" Claire asked.

Anne's eyes met hers. "Bodian was conducting these experiments on mice first. Our lab manager had us inject them with this serum. We were never told what was in it, just that we were to monitor the animals’ behavior. If he didn't get the results he wanted, then he'd take the serum away, sometimes for several days, then return and ask us to try again. We begged him to tell us what it was for, but all he'd say is it was for national security." Anne slumped even further until she was sitting on the kitchen floor, her back against the counter.

"After a few months we began to notice changes in the mice. Seconds after we'd inject them, they'd change. They were more aggressive and calculated in their movements. It's like they got smarter. And when mazes no longer posed challenges, our manager told us to start running cognitive tests, like what they do with monkeys. At first I laughed. Mice don't have the brain size to comprehend those kinds of tests, but,” Anne shook her head, "they passed. The mice were thinking at a primate level. This is when he took the serum from us for several months. So much time passed that we almost forgot about it, but then he returned and asked us to start testing it on rats.”

Anne smiled. “I have to admit, I was excited at first. I was anxious to see what they'd done to it and how much more a larger animal could learn. Whoever he had working on it, must have done some major changes to the formula because in a short amount of time the rats changed, and not just in intelligence and strength. They
physically
changed to the point where they were an entirely different rat altogether, but once the serum wore off, they'd return to normal." Anne lowered her head to her bent knees. "Two different creatures in one body. One normal, the other...something else." She paused, then lifted her head and looked at each of them.

Claire wanted to say something, maybe some encouraging words, but a lump was stuck so far in her throat, she was afraid she'd choke on it. Logan spoke for her. "What happened next?"