Lightning Proof Page 8

  Interviewer: Julie, welcome and thank you so much for being brave enough to tell this story. Let’s start with something easy. What can you tell us about life on Ada?

  I stopped the automated voice as sudden tears filled my eyes. Who cared why she’d done it? She’d experimented on people like my mom and members of Lindsey’s family. And now we were going to be sent back there. It wasn’t fair. I’d locked my memories of that place in the farthest part of my brain, but between sharing my story yesterday and talking to my mom this morning, they were slowly flooding back.

  I was seven when my mom told me I’d have to live with Bill Thompson for a while. She’d been crying, and I hadn’t understood why. We’d been standing on the dock, and even now, I could still hear the noise of the ships and people shouting. For months after that, I’d been terrified of hovers and refused to get in one. The air had an unusual smell, one I hadn’t noticed since, but sitting here now, I could smell it as if I was back on that dock. The only way I know to describe it is a mix of sweat and fire and gasoline.

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach as tears poured down my face. Talking to my mother this morning and saying goodbye to her again had been like standing on that dock all over again. She’d hugged me for the longest time, and I could still feel the wetness from her tears on my shirt. Then she’d stood and walked away as I’d screamed her name.

  “Mommy! Mommy! Come back!”

  A hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped. As the memory faded and I opened my eyes, I could make out two faces in front of me. I took a breath, trying to slow my heart.

  “Vi?” Lindsey asked quietly. “You okay? Tori came to get me. She said you started crying and mumbling things.”

  Heat crawled up my face, and I turned away. How embarrassing. I’d never had a flashback in front of a student before. And on the last day of school, too. “I’m so sorry, Tori.” My voice came out rough with exhaustion. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”

  “You didn’t. I was just worried, that’s all.” She paused. “Are you gonna be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine, Tori. Go enjoy your afternoon.” Tori, or any of our students, wouldn’t be enjoying anything until they got to the underground, but I couldn’t say that. I waited until Tori’s footsteps faded and the door closed before I put my hands over my face. “I can’t believe I did that!”

  “It’s okay! You’ve had a stressful morning. Why don’t you go home? Take Sarah and Lily too.” Lindsey’s knees popped as she stood from where she’d been kneeling by my chair.

  I nodded as I wiped at my eyes. “It was so weird. I haven’t thought about the day my mother left in years, but today it was like I was back there again.” I pointed to the net-viewer where the article was still up on the screen. “And I found this.”

  Lindsey leaned over my shoulder, scrolling down the screen with her finger. “Whoa! Where did you find this? Is it legit?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was trying to research electrokinesis but ended up finding that.”

  Lindsey was quiet for a moment before she said, “Dang! It says she experimented on us because of our second powers.”

  I looked up at her. “My mom said something about that too. Dad never told me. Do Invies have a second power too?”

  Lindsey didn’t say anything for a couple seconds. “It says once they reach adulthood, some Lighters have healing abilities and some Invies have the ability to stay in their teleported cocoons. Carmella wanted to know why she could control the kids but not those over eighteen.”

  I shivered at the thought and unplugged my net-screen from the net-viewer. “Can we talk about this later?” I put the net-screen in my bag and got out my cane. As I walked out of the classroom and turned off the light, a heaviness settled in my legs as a wave of sadness attacked my insides. “Well, I just gave my last exam.” My shoulders slumped, and I walked with heavy footfalls down the hall.

  “And I just had my last class.” The sadness stretched out between us. An invisible rope tying us to the feeling. “Parents are starting to arrive. Guess we’re having the staff meeting early. I’ll help you pack up your classroom after. Though, I really don’t think we should.”

  I lifted a brow. “Why? We can’t just leave everything here. What if something gets stolen or—”

  “If we pack up, we’ll be saying, ‘Hey, look, we went into hiding,’ but if we leave everything as is and it looks like we just disappeared, then it’ll throw them offtrack.”

  “You’re one of them,” I said, announcing the word “them” like it was a sour grape. “How is that going to make things easier?”

  “Because it’s going to throw everyone off our trail.” Lindsey’s hands rested on my shoulders, and I tried not to flinch. After this morning and the flashback a few minutes ago, I was still on edge. “Listen, don’t worry, okay? We’ll be in the House of Hope soon.”

  I exhaled. “I hope you’re right.” Silence stretched out before us for only a second before voices floated up from downstairs. “We should get down there.”

  I headed for the stairs, and as my hand gripped the cold metal railing, I stopped, staring down at the people filing in through the front door. This would be the last time I’d see some of them unless they all came down to the hiding place. I stayed rooted to the spot at the top of the stairs as quiet voices drifted upward, filling me with a sadness that ran all the way to my core.

  “Vi?” Lindsey’s hand rested on my shoulder, and I jerked back. “You ready to go down?”

  I sighed. “Not really, but I don’t have a choice.”

  “You always have a choice,” Lindsey said. “One of the few we have left is whether or not we want to go down there.”

  “Then, no, I don’t. This sucks, Lindsey! I know I sound childish right now, but that’s the only word I can think of to describe it.” I let the anger tear into my words and didn’t realize I’d shouted until the voices downstairs quieted a little.

  “Okay. Come on.” Lindsey’s fingers came around my forearm, pulling me down the hall into an empty classroom. She shut the door before I could get past her and go back out there. “It sucks. I get it. I don’t want to leave either, but we’re going to fight this. We’re going to get our rights back.”

  “How do you know?” I asked, louder than I’d intended. I leaned against the wall by the door. “The laws have been going on for fifteen years. You never told me you were in the resistance, which, I gotta say, really hurts. Why did you keep it a secret for so long? You waited a year before you told me, and my father didn’t tell me at all! I’m not breakable!”

  Lindsey sighed, sitting down in one of the desks, her face illuminated by the natural light spilling into the room. “I was trying to protect you. Being in a resistance isn’t some grand exciting thing like it is in books. It’s dangerous.”

  “I can handle dangerous, you know! I’m not helpless!” I slid into the desk next to Lindsey, palm pressed against my cheek, elbow on the cold surface. From downstairs, someone laughed. The sound punctured my eardrum as though it was a needle. I winced. How could anyone laugh at a time like this? When everything was changing? “My mother started a rebellion! I was sent here and didn’t get to see her for twenty years! What if you get arrested and I don’t see you for twenty years?” I couldn’t keep the fear out of my voice.

  “That won’t happen. I’m going to make sure it doesn’t.” Lindsey stood from the desk. “I’ll be downstairs. Come down when you’re ready.”

  I got to my feet. “I think I’m gonna take your advice and go home. I can’t handle saying goodbye to anyone else today.” I followed Lindsey out into the hallway, and we rounded the corner as someone came toward us, though from this distance, I couldn’t tell who.

  “There you two are!” Shannon said as she came up to us. “I wanted you to know that Lily and Sarah are in your classroom watching something on the net-screen.”

  Lindsey said, “Thanks, Shannon.”

  “You’re welcome. You two coming to the meet
ing?”

  “No. I’m actually going to go home. I can take Sarah and Lily with me. You can pick Sarah up after,” I offered. After everything, I didn’t want to be alone, and Sarah and Lily would help distract me.

  “That’d be great! Thanks, Victoria! I better get downstairs. I don’t understand why teachers have to come to this thing. We already know what’s going on.”

  “Well, you’re a parent too,” Lindsey said. “Vi, you want me to teleport you home?”

  “Nah. We’ll take the train.”

  I waved and headed to Lindsey’s classroom to find Lily and Sarah sitting in the middle of the mat watching something on the net-screen.

  “Ow! What did she do? That sounded like it hurt!” Sarah said. “Did she punch someone?”

  “Yep! She did!”

  “Awesome!”

  I chuckled as I stepped onto the mat. “Hi, girls! What are you watching?”

  “I don’t remember what it’s called,” Lily said as she got to her feet. “Can Sarah and I teleport to my house?”

  “How about all three of us teleport to my house. I’m not going to the meeting.” I held out my hand. “Lily, do the honors, please!”

  Lily squealed, and when I had a hold of both Lily’s and Sarah’s hands, the spinning started, swirling around us. In less than ten seconds, the spinning stopped, and I opened my eyes to find we stood in the living room. I went to the kitchen counter, expecting to find the package my father had left for me. Yet there wasn’t anything on the counter. Guess he hadn’t had a chance to get here.

  “Oh my gosh!” Lily burst out. “I did it! I teleported all by myself!” Her arms came around me in a tight hug. “Don’t tell Lindsey or my parents.”

  I laughed as I hugged her back. “I won’t. Now how about you two help me make dinner. We’ll make a special meal for Lindsey and your parents.”

  “Awesome! What should we make?” Sarah went over to one of the barstools, bumping into it before she climbed up on it.

  “How about pasta and meatballs,” Lily suggested. “Or chicken, or—”

  “Whoa, Lil! I think we need to stick to something simple!” I said as I put my purse on the counter. “How about chicken and mashed potatoes and salad?”

  “I love mashed potatoes,” Sarah spoke up. “Can I help mash them?”

  “Of course you can!” I walked over to the pantry to grab a few potatoes when my net-screen rang. I hurried over to my purse to grab it. “I’m sorry, girls, I have to take this.” I walked into the laundry room and pressed the accept button. Dad’s hologram appeared before me. “Hi, Dad!”

  “Hi, honey! I just wanted to let you know that I’m on the ship, and we’re headed back to Ada. It’ll be late when we get back, and I won’t have time to call you once we’re in the air. I wanted to wish you luck on going down to the hideout tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Lindsey’s at the final parents’ and teachers’ meeting. I came home with Sarah and Lily. We’re making dinner.”

  “Good! I also wanted you to know that I’ve talked to Dave, Shannon’s father, and he’s prepared for as many LIs as Rick can get down there. We’ll be in contact as much as we can.”

  “Can you contact us down there from Ada? Is that safe?” I leaned against the dryer. What I really wanted to know was if I could talk to Elizabeth again while I was down there.

  “I know what you want to ask, honey, and it’s okay. We have a secure connection so you can talk to her again. She called me earlier. She really enjoyed talking with you and wants to do it again soon.”

  I sucked in a breath as I fought the emotion bubbling within me. “Me too. She really helped me figure out how to start this donation program.” I wasn’t lying. I had liked talking with her, even if it’d been a little on the awkward side. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you too, sweetie, and we’ll talk in a couple days, okay?”

  I nodded. “Okay. I love you.” I disconnected the call and walked back out into the kitchen. “Sorry, girls! That was my dad.”

  “It’s okay,” Lily answered as I came around the counter to stand on the other side of where the girls sat on the barstools.

  My net-screen vibrated again, and I took it out of my pocket to find a message from Lindsey. I let the automated voice read it and then tapped on the microphone button to dictate a message. “I’m at my house with Lily and Sarah. We’re making dinner for everyone. Come by after the meeting.” I hit send and put the net-screen on the counter. “Okay, girls, let’s get started...”

  “WOW, SOMETHING SMELLS good in here,” Lindsey said a couple of hours later as she appeared in the kitchen. She went over to the bar, kissing Lily’s head. “You had me worried sick. How did you three get here so fast?”

  “We teleported,” Sarah answered, and I had to smile at the pride in her voice.

  “Sarah!” Lily shrieked. “I told you not to tell!”

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Lindsey said. “I’m not mad. Victoria was with you. I just didn’t know where you were. Mom and Dad and Shannon are on their way. We are set for tomorrow morning. Gotta be at the school at seven a.m., and we’ll teleport to the underground location.” She walked over to the fridge, opening it. “What are we having?”

  “Chicken and mashed potatoes,” I answered with a smile. “And I’ve chilled some wine.” I took the bowl of potatoes over to the table and set it in the middle.

  “I’m good,” Lindsey said, her boots tapping on the hardwood floor. A chair scraped across it, and Lindsey sat down. “Did the girls help?”

  “Yep!” Lily said as she joined Lindsey at the table. “We helped mash the potatoes!”

  “Awesome!”

  I sat down next to Lindsey at the end of the table. “My father called a couple hours ago. He’s on his way back to Ada, and he said he’ll be keeping in contact while we’re down in the underground, or the House of Hope, as you call it.”

  “Good! Did you get to talk to Madalina again?” Lindsey teleported to the fridge, opened it, and teleported back to the table.

  “No, but hopefully we can both talk to her soon.” I rose from my chair, intending to grab some napkins but stopped halfway to the drawer as my net-screen chimed with an incoming call. As the automated voice read out the number, I froze. “It’s my mother.”

  “Answer it!” Lindsey called from the kitchen table.

  I pressed the receive button before I lost my nerve. As Elizabeth’s hologram appeared in front of me, I took a breath. “Hi, Elizabeth.”

  “Hi, honey,” Elizabeth said, a smile in her voice. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I had some free time and thought I’d call and check on things. Your father said you’re heading into hiding tomorrow.”

  “Yes,” I answered and glanced up as Lindsey’s footsteps came closer. “We’re headed to the resistance headquarters. Is ... is this okay to talk about?”

  “Yes, honey. I wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t. There’s no longer a resistance here, that I know of. Ada is totally safe for LIs now. Queen Carmella is actually very kind.”

  Next to me, Lindsey snorted. I threw her a look. “That’s good. Elizabeth, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Lindsey, her sister, Lily, and her best friend, Sarah.”

  “Hi!” Lily chimed in from my other side. “Do you get to talk to Princess Madalina?”

  “I do. She’s very sweet. She’s not here right now, but I promise next time I call I’ll make sure that she says hi.”

  “Awesome! That’d be so cool!” Lily said. “I think she’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to meet her! Only her, not evil Queen Carmella.”

  Elizabeth laughed, and I could hear the tension in it. “Well, when she gets back to Ada, you can! Are you excited about going underground tomorrow?”

  I smiled at the easy way Elizabeth talked to Lily. Not sugarcoating or glossing over things because she was young. I started to say something, but a knock at the door cut me off. Lindsey got there first.

  “It’s happening,” Mar
k said as he stepped into the apartment. “Notices were just sent out via text.”

  “Notices for roundups?” The words tasted like vomit.

  “Victoria?” Elizabeth asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Roundups are starting. I’ll talk to you later.” I ended the call before Elizabeth could reply. “What now?”

  “Now we get ready to leave,” Mark said. I wanted to turn away at the seriousness in his tone. “I’ve already put in a call to your dad, Lindsey. He’s still at the school, and he’s asking everyone there to stay put. We can’t wait until tomorrow. We have to go to the underground now and take as many people as we can.”

  I shook my head to clear it. On shaking legs, I went over to the table, picking up the bowl of mashed potatoes, though I wasn’t sure why. “Would you like some dinner, Mark?”

  “No, thanks, Victoria. You need to go pack a bag. We need to be out of here in an hour.”

  “We’re leaving now?” Lily asked from the couch. “I need to go home and pack a bag and—”

  “It’s okay, Lil,” Lindsey assured her. “I have a bag packed and in my classroom at the school. We just have to go. Mark, can you take Lily and Sarah?”

  “No!” Lily had her arms around Lindsey’s waist. “I don’t wanna go! Not without you!”

  “Lil, listen,” Lindsey said as she pulled Lily away from her. “I’ll be right behind you with Victoria. I promise.”

  I left them in the living room, running upstairs and opening the closet door. I reached under the shelf until my hands connected with the leather strap of the bag I always used for trips. I picked it up and walked out of the closet, slamming the door. I blinked tears from my eyes as I emptied the dresser. I took out all my t-shirts and went back to the closet for a couple nice shirts. I tried not to think as I walked into the bathroom, snatching up the plastic bags of shampoo and other things I’d need and putting them in the side pockets. My chest tightened as I grabbed my makeup bag, placing it on top of the clothes.