Chapter 9 Part 4: Resistance

I sipped my cola, thinking. How could I escape? The building’s layout was confusing. I needed more time. And money. I’d been brought here with nothing. I couldn’t use my credit card. I could get a temporary one from the bank, but not in this body.

I looked at Shine. She was fiddling with a bag of chips.

I couldn’t leave her behind. She was a valuable test subject. Hebrum wouldn’t give me my body back if I returned without her.

I looked around the room. No windows. Childish decorations. Did they really think kids liked this stuff? It creeped me out.

Pop! A small explosion. Shine looked startled, holding a ripped bag of chips. The pressurized air had burst the bag, scattering chips everywhere. The sweet aroma made my mouth water.

Shine started picking up the chips and eating them. She was messy, but it made me hungry.

I joined her, picking up chips from the floor. They were clean.

It must have looked strange, but we were alone. I showed Shine how to open a bag properly. No more explosions.

She opened a bag of potato chips. Salty and savory. I reached into the bag and grabbed a handful.

There was a large TV on the wall. I turned it on as we ate. A children’s show. Cute, colorful characters. Shine seemed captivated.

How could anyone like such a childish show? I thought. Then I found myself watching it too. It was surprisingly engaging. I’d probably buy the merchandise if I ever got back to my own body.

“You’ve been good girls,” a voice said.

I jumped and turned around. Amy. The door was open. I hadn’t heard her come in. A faint smell of gunpowder and something metallic clung to her.

“Amy.”

“Yes?” She looked down at me, kneeling so our eyes met.

I stood up. “I want to go home.”

“Home… Do you remember the address?”

I started to answer, then stopped. I knew my address, but I couldn’t say it. I felt a cold sweat.

If I told her, she’d go there. She’d find my information. A man named Jeff. She’d investigate. She’d find the lab.

I couldn’t risk it.

I looked down. “No…”

Amy hugged me. “It’s okay. I’ll find your home, no matter what.”

I couldn’t breathe. Her embrace was tight, but it was her kindness that suffocated me. I felt like I was walking on thin ice.

“What if you can’t find it?”

“I will. But if I can’t… ” She paused, thinking. “Will you come live with me?”

Her voice was soft, cautious. I looked up. Her gaze was steady, intense. The emotion in her eyes was frightening. A strange buzzing filled my head.

“Shine too?”

“Of course.” She nodded.

I looked at Shine. She was still watching TV, oblivious, her white hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

“Can’t I just go outside? I could find my own way…”

“Absolutely not!” Amy said sharply.

I flinched. She patted my head apologetically.

“Don’t you know how dangerous it is outside?”

“Dangerous?” I thought about the outside. District 23, where I grew up, was dangerous. But I’d moved to a safer district after I developed my powers.

“What… district is this?” I asked casually, hoping to get a clue about our location.

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.” Her expression was genuinely apologetic, but she wouldn’t budge.

I felt deflated. I sat down. Amy sat beside me, picking up a bag of chips.

“Why did you come here?” I asked.

“To check on you.”

“Are we staying here?”

“Until we find your home, yes.” She ripped open the bag of chips, scattering them everywhere.

Shine automatically reached for a fallen chip.

“Shine. Don’t eat things off the floor,” Amy said, grabbing her hand. The chip fell to the floor.

Shine finally looked away from the TV, her gaze cold and intense.

“Why?”

“It’s… dirty.”

“Jeff did it too.” Amy looked at me. I looked away, embarrassed. They were just so tasty.

“Jeff, Shine. Don’t eat things off the floor. Okay?”

Shine nodded, looking confused. She didn’t understand the concept of dirty food.

“But Jeff did it before, too.”

I felt a cold sweat. When?

“When did I…?”

“In the lab.”

I wanted to shut her up. Every word she said was dangerous.

“The lab?” Amy asked.

Shine, why? You never spoke before.

“I didn’t!” I glared at Shine, my voice rising. My reflection glared back.

“Yes, you did!”

I could feel my power surging, sparks crackling at my fingertips.

Crackle!

I jumped up, startled. The bag of snacks fell to the floor.

“Sorry…” I apologized to Shine. I shouldn’t have yelled at a child. My head throbbed. I buried my face in a teddy bear.

“Shine, can you tell me more about the lab?” Amy asked.

Shine hesitated. “Jeff won’t like it.” But she didn’t say anything else. She kept looking at me. She stood up and sat beside me on the pile of teddy bears.

“You’re so close.”

“Close?” Shine tilted her head. She probably didn’t understand. She’d spent her entire life in a lab.

“Yes. Very close.”

I looked up at Shine. She looked pleased.

Amy didn’t ask about the lab again, probably sensing it was a sensitive topic.

I was grateful she thought I was a test subject. If she knew I worked at the lab, I’d be disintegrated by now.

“Jeff, is it difficult to control your power?” Amy asked cautiously.

I looked at my hands and nodded. It felt different. Unstable. The involuntary sparks were proof.

“That could be dangerous, couldn’t it?” Her voice was gentle, concerned. I felt a surge of unease. She seemed to sense it.

“I’m just trying to help.”

“It’s okay…”

“Shine could get hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“You just released some electricity, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

“What if it happens again? Shine could get hurt.” She took my hand. It was warm. But something cold clasped my wrist. Cold?

I looked down. A silver bracelet. A power suppressor.

“This…!” I knew what it was. They used them on test subjects who lost control. And now I was wearing one.

I tried to summon my power. A tingling sensation. A faint blue glow.

Crackle!

A small spark, then nothing. The power dissipated. I felt nauseous.

“I know it’s uncomfortable, but please bear with it.”

I hadn’t expected to wear a power suppressor. Especially here. I touched the cold metal, a sense of dread washing over me.

“Where’s mine?” Shine asked, looking at the bracelet on my wrist. “I want one too, like Jeff.” She held out her hand.

I didn’t know what her power was. I’d never seen it. Neither had Amy, probably.

Amy hesitated, then gave Shine a bracelet. Shine put it on.

And then, my mind cleared. The buzzing in my head stopped.

“Oh…” I finally understood Shine’s power.