Arcane Awakenings Books Three and Four

Book 2: Arcane Awakenings Novella Series

by Shelley Russell Nolan

Genres: Contemporary Fantasy; Paranormal; Young Adult

Synopsis

Freedom comes at a cost.

In Hidden Aftershock, after escaping from the Wood Estate and being reunited with her family, Angel is finally free to enjoy her life. But she knows it won't last. Dr Wood is still out there, determined to complete her research. When unexplained earthquakes rock Easton, and Angel's dreams point her in the direction of the Estate, she makes a decision that could end her freedom for good.

Then in Blind Sight, after being blinded in a car accident, Belinda begins having visions of future events. When her ability becomes public knowledge, she is targeted by a ruthless scientist. Only by joining forces with Angel and the others will Belinda have any hope of escaping the trap he sets for her.

Angel and Belinda must overcome their limitations to gain the freedom they deserve. But will the cost of that freedom prove to be too high?

Arcane Awakenings – a fast-paced paranormal fantasy novella series.

Release date: August 15, 2018

Print pages: 232

Sample

Hidden Aftershock 

Chapter One

The dream wrapped around me, an intoxicating blend of fear and wonder, drawing me deeper and deeper. 

I was back at the Wood Estate, standing in the hallway leading to the room I’d been confined to after my last escape failed. The floor undulated beneath me, making it hard to maintain my footing. Cracks appeared in the walls as the earthquake built in intensity, parts of the ceiling collapsing to the floor. 

I ignored the chaos, my focus fixed on my old room. 

The door was ajar enough to let a narrow beam of light spill into the hallway. Unbridled power swirled within the room, accompanied by a scent reminding me of lush green grass and rich soil, inviting and sweet. The sheer magnitude of the power washed over me in a wave that set my pulse racing. I’d never got this close before, most of the dreams cutting off once I’d exited the stairwell and spotted my room at the end of the hall. This time it felt different; the very air around me charged with possibility. 

Three steps. 

That was all it would take for me to see who waited inside. 

I took the first step.

Then another.

My sleeping body jolted, the movement tipping me out of the dream. 

‘No!’ My shout sounded only in my head as I bolted upright, fists clenching the sheets. I sagged against the bedhead, groaning as the remnants of the dream danced around me, tantalising me with what might have been. 

I’d come so close.

My eyes struggled to adjust to the dark of night, thick curtains blocking the light from the lamppost outside my bedroom window. The thrill of power unleashed somewhere nearby thrummed through my body, making me gasp. It hadn’t been a dream. The earthquake was real, a deep rumble sounding a split second before the house shook around me.

I let instinct take over, sending my mind soaring, already sure of what I would find. 

Sure enough, just like the other times I’d done this, my mental probe travelled west, out of Easton, in the direction of the estate. The power surging in the air around me was raw, uncontained, giving off that rich earthy scent. 

The power felt undeniably male. 

I focused on the feel of it, wrapping my consciousness round it and sending out my own power in a calm wave. Tears pricked my eyes at the emotional turmoil flooding through the tenuous connection I’d made. The turmoil came because of burgeoning powers in someone with no idea what they were or how to control them.

I tried to connect on a deeper level with the person who had created the earthquake, to let them know they weren’t alone and that I was there to help them. But the distance was too great, diluting the strength of my sending. My head spun as I did my best to reach them. A flare of surprise travelled back along the line of power feeding the earthquake. It wavered for a moment before pushing me away, casting my mental probe adrift somewhere between home and the estate.

A car alarm shrieked nearby, pulling me back to myself.

I drew my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as the bed continued to shake, books falling from the shelves above the desk on the far wall. I stretched out an arm to secure the lamp on my bedside table before it could topple to the floor.

Faint cries filled the night as our neighbours woke to find themselves amidst yet another earthquake. The shaking continued for what seemed like hours, but would have been less than a minute.

A shadowed figure appeared in the open doorway to my room moments after the last of the shaking subsided.

‘Angel, are you okay?’ Daniel reached out and switched on the light. 

Blinking against the sudden brightness, I unwound my limbs and brushed hair out of my eyes as I gave him a nod.

‘That one lasted twice as long as any of the other quakes. Felt stronger too,’ said Andie, appearing in the doorway behind him. She nudged Daniel aside and came to sit on my bed, dark blonde hair identical to mine falling in loose tangles over her shoulders.

‘They’re only going to get worse,’ I told her through the telepathic bond we shared. ‘He’s getting stronger, with little to no control of his abilities.’ 

Tonight had been the closest I’d come to connecting with him, before I’d been pushed away. 

Andie grimaced. ‘More earthquakes. Something to look forward to. Not.’

Celeste poked her head into the room, flame-coloured hair tamed by a braid. ‘Are you sure someone like us is behind the earthquakes, Angel? I still don’t sense anything.’ 

‘Hey,’ said Daniel, before I could answer her. ‘You guys aren’t supposed to have conversations where I can’t join in. I’ve been working hard on my signing. It’s not fair if you girls won’t let me use it.’

My smile was rueful as I made the sign for “sorry”. He was right. He had been working hard, him and Nick, at the sign language classes the three of us went to on a Tuesday and Thursday evening at the Easton Community Centre. I loved knowing both he and Andie’s boyfriend were determined to be able to communicate with me, without my having to write everything down on a whiteboard as Dr Wood had forced me to do. 

So far, Celeste and Andie were the only people who could hear my mental voice. Celeste was like me, possessing psychic abilities, while Andie was a reservoir of power I could tap into as her identical twin. I frowned, thinking about the earthquake. Perhaps the guy who had created it would be able to hear me as well. 

But first I had to find him.

I faced my family, and focused on making the correct signs so Daniel could follow along with what I was broadcasting to Andie and Celeste. 

‘I’m sure. His pain and confusion fill the air each time a quake hits.’

Andie narrowed her eyes. ‘You still think it’s the missing patient, the one Celeste knocked out?’

Celeste’s cheeks paled, making the fine dusting of freckles across her nose stand out even more. 

‘It’s the only explanation that makes sense,’ I signed for Daniel’s benefit, though Andie and Celeste would hear my words in their head. ‘Celeste said energy flared between them when he touched her. I think that first moment of contact must have sparked his latent ability.’

‘We don’t know for sure it was their first contact,’ said Andie. ‘She could have been touched by the guy a thousand times while she was catatonic. Or even before that. With Celeste having no memory of her life prior to when she woke up at the estate, we have no way of knowing for sure.’

Celeste flushed. ‘I may not have my memory back, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the type of girl to go around touching strange guys. Besides, Dr Wood kept me locked away to make sure I didn’t contaminate her research data. I think I was only stuck in general population once she’d fried my brain.’

Daniel reached out and wrapped Celeste in his arms. ‘Andie didn’t mean it like that.’

‘I know. It’s fine. I’m just saying, Angel could be right. The same kind of energy was present the first time I touched Angel, only it was gentler. What if that was because both of us already had our abilities awakened? Call me crazy, but it makes me wonder if the same thing would happen any time either of us encountered someone who also had powers, latent or otherwise.’

Andie snorted. ‘I can just imagine how well that would go down. The two of you could go to shake someone’s hand and wind up knocking them unconscious. Maybe both of you should invest in a thick pair of gloves.’

‘I’m sure we’ll be fine,’ I said, and signed. ‘We’ll just have to be careful to keep contact with strangers to a minimum. We have more important stuff to worry about right now. If it is Ethan Rhodes causing the earthquakes, you can bet Dr Wood is behind it.’

Andie gave a shudder. ‘And isn’t that an unpleasant thought.’

‘There’s been no sign of her, or the hulk of an orderly who worked for her, since their slimy lawyer got them released on a technicality,’ said Daniel. 

Dr Wood and Karl Sypher had disappeared before the police could get their case in order and return to the estate to arrest them for a second time. 

‘Do you really think she’d be stupid enough to come back to Easton, knowing they’re on the look-out for her?’ Daniel asked.

‘Yes,’ Andie and Celeste said at the same time as I signed it.

‘She’s obsessed with her research, and proving the scientists who ridiculed her all those years ago were wrong,’ I added.

No one said anything for a long moment, and I was sure they were all thinking the same thing. They’d thought we were free, safe. It was a sobering thought to realise the life we’d built for our little family over the last couple of months could be taken away from us at any moment.

We’d moved into the sprawling four-bedroom house one month ago, after Celeste received the remaining money left in the trust fund her father had set up for her. The fund lawyers had also arranged the sale of the estate. Around the same time, after numerous sessions with doctors, psychologists and counsellors, I’d finally been approved for a government allowance, which enabled me to cover my share of the rent for a bigger place. 

Nick had helped with the move, and I’d covered my bedroom walls with photos of the five of us. After six months of having to stare at the blank and impersonal walls of the room that had been my cell, only allowed out at night for exercise, I’d been determined to fill this one with colour and treasured memories. The knowledge Dr Wood was out there, biding her time, planning how to take this away from me, made it all the more precious. I would not let her ruin the new life I’d created, or the family I loved. But I also couldn’t forget the rest of her victims.

‘We have to find Ethan. Help him.’ A strange feeling of peace settled over me after I said it. This was the right thing to do.

‘Hang on a minute. How are we supposed to help the guy when we don’t know where he is, or even if he’s in trouble?’

I lifted my chin and looked at Daniel. ‘I know exactly where he is.’

‘The Wood Estate,’ said Celeste. ‘That’s where you said the power surges are coming from. That’s where you think he is, right?’ Her voice rose. ‘You want us to go back there.’

I sent a wave of reassurance toward her. ‘You don’t need to come. I can go on my own.’

‘Like hell you will,’ said Daniel. 

‘You’re not going anywhere near that place without me,’ said Andie. ‘And anyway, it was sold. Surely the new owners would’ve noticed if a guy who can create earthquakes with his mind was running through the halls?’

Celeste shook her head. ‘The lawyer for the trust fund said the new owners can’t move in until the police have completed their investigation. At our last meeting he said that was a month away, at least.’

‘Fine,’ said Andie, arms crossed in front of her chest. ‘The place should still be empty, but what if it’s not? What if the earthquakes, Angel’s dreams, all of it, is a way for Dr Wood to lure us back there?’

Andie was right. This could be a trap, but it didn’t matter either way. ‘If Ethan doesn’t get help soon his powers will continue to spiral out of control. He could easily reduce Easton to rubble. We can’t let that happen.’ 

Celeste lifted her chin, a determined set to her features. ‘If you say Ethan needs our help, then I’m coming too. Besides, the three of us proved more than a match for Dr Wood last time.’

‘The police have checked every inch of the estate,’ said Daniel, staring over at me. ‘There was no sign of Dr Wood, this Ethan guy, or the orderly. What makes you think we’ll have more luck when all you’re basing your theory on is a feeling? Celeste has the same kind of powers as you, but she’s not getting the same impression.’

Celeste twisted in Daniel’s arms and gazed up at him. ‘I’ve had my powers for a few months. Angel’s had hers since she was born. If she says whoever is causing the earthquakes is at the estate, then that’s good enough for me.’

‘I’m not saying I don’t believe her. I’m just saying we need to be smart about this. We can’t race off to the estate in the middle of the night.’ He looked over at me. ‘If we’re doing this, we do it properly. Nick and I have a rostered day off tomorrow. Andie can call Nick, and then the five of us will go out there together. When it comes to the estate, and Celeste’s crazy mother, there’s no way the three of you are going there without us.’

Celeste grimaced at the mention of her mother, but made no protest as Daniel ushered her and Andie back to bed. There were still a few hours before daylight, but even though I lay back down I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Come morning, I would finally get to follow the power behind the earthquakes back to the source. 

Ethan Rhodes.

I’d seen his picture in a police report, when I’d been at the station to make a statement. The officer in charge of the investigation into Dr Wood’s illegal activities had shown me his photo, asking if I recognised him.

I’d stared at the image of a smiling and confident young man with messy black hair and laughing green eyes, unable to understand how someone like him had found himself at an institution that treated mentally ill youth. Then again, I was aware outward appearances could hide a lifetime of pain and suffering.

I’d never met him before, but as I’d gazed at his picture I’d felt a connection, a ripple of awareness that made me think I did know him in some way. It wasn’t until the next earthquake, a week later, that I realised what the connection was. 

He was the source of the power surge the day Andie, Celeste and I had confronted Dr Wood at the estate. More importantly, it was Ethan I’d sensed the night before that, when we’d fled with the proof we needed to have Dr Wood arrested. Something had called to me from the lowest level, making me hesitate as we’d made our escape.

I’d felt his confusion and pain, no doubt caused by having his latent powers awakened after he’d encountered Celeste; powers that had resulted in him being locked away by Dr Wood, to be experimented on, tortured, as I’d been.

He’d needed my help, called out for it, and I’d let myself be pulled away, leaving him trapped and alone.

I’d failed him. 

I would not fail him again.

Tomorrow we would return to the estate and I would free Ethan Rhodes.

 

Chapter Two

A curious mix of dread and excitement weighed heavily in the pit of my stomach as I looked at the wrought iron gates barring access to the Wood Estate. A large padlock secured the chain holding the gates closed.

I’d wanted this, was sure the dreams, the earthquakes, everything, had been leading me to this point, yet I hesitated to take the next step. Ethan might need my help, but that didn’t mean he would welcome my arrival in his life.

Still, staring at the gate wasn’t going to help anyone. 

I walked up to it, conscious of my family and friends at my back, and tested the give in the chain. There was just enough slack to push the two halves of the gate apart to allow a small person to squeeze between them. Andie, Celeste and I would be able to fit through without any problem, but it would be a tight squeeze for Daniel and Nick.

‘Want me to grab the bolt cutters out of the boot?’ Nick asked.

Daniel moved to stand beside his friend, brow creased. ‘Don’t think the police would appreciate us damaging their property.’ He pointed to the crime scene tape looped through the fence itself.

‘Okay then, on to Plan B.’ Nick returned to his car and parked it as close as possible to the wide brick column from which the right side of the gate hung. He and Daniel climbed on top of the car and shimmied over the wall. Once on the other side, they held the gate as far open as the chain would allow so Andie, Celeste and I could slip through the gap without scraping half our skin off in the process.

None of us spoke as we began the trek down the long winding driveway to the main building. The only sounds came from the crunch of our feet on the bitumen, and the soft chirps of birds nesting in the many trees lining the driveway.

Despite the seemingly idyllic setting, shadows cast by those trees set a shiver racing over my body. I looked at the spot where Andie, Celeste and I made our stand three months earlier. The grass had grown wild, leaving no trace of the tumultuous events that had taken place. It felt almost surreal, like walking through an enchanted forest, one hiding a multitude of dangers to trap the unwary.

The closer we got, the harder it became to breathe. Celeste and Andie took my hands, and I didn’t need to look at them to know they were as anxious as me. But none of our steps faltered. 

Hand in hand, with Daniel and Nick at our backs, we marched on to confront our memories.

I wasn’t sure who this was harder for, them or me. Celeste had to be thinking about her mother, not that she ever referred to Dr Wood as such. Andie’s thoughts were sure to be filled with regret. It still pained her to think she’d forgotten my existence. No matter how many times I told her it wasn’t her fault, that she’d had nothing to do with it, she still felt guilty because I’d been locked away for so long.

Daniel also carried a burden of guilt. He’d believed his adoptive parents when they told him I’d died in the fire that killed our mother and father. He’d accepted their reasoning for not telling Andie she’d had an identical twin. To find out fifteen years later he’d been lied to, and to then witness what I’d endured at the estate, made him even more protective now. And not just of me. His innate sense of responsibility had increased tenfold when it came to Andie and Celeste. For him to agree to come here at all was a huge sign of his faith in the three of us and our ability to handle any situation. 

As we rounded the last curve in the driveway I caught my first glimpse of the squat grey building with bars on the windows of the top two floors, and a lump appeared in my throat. I hoped Daniel’s faith in me was justified. I had to find Ethan, and help him control his power before one of his earthquakes tore Easton apart.

With a tight grip on Andie’s and Celeste’s hands, I approached the double doors in the centre of the ground floor.

Police tape stretched across the glass, flapping in a slight breeze.

The tape had loosened from months of exposure to the weather, but was still intact. The front doors hadn’t been opened since the police finished their last search for evidence. They’d kept us informed during the initial stages of the investigation, but contact had been limited since then. The young police officer who watched the recording of Celeste being tortured by her mother was the only one who kept in touch with us. Dr Wood’s orderlies had drugged him when he and his partner tried to stop them taking Celeste, Andie and me back to the estate, and I guess he felt responsible for us.

It was Constable Scott Carlton who let us know Dr Wood had taken the rest of the tapes with her when she disappeared. The last time he contacted us was with unwelcome information. Her lawyer had successfully petitioned the Justice Department to have the tapes Daniel and Nick handed to the police destroyed due to the same technicality that saw Dr Wood released.

While on one level I was glad to know the tapes, which showed years of testing of my abilities were less likely to be made public, the thought of Dr Wood’s motive for taking them was a cause for concern. The sole reason for her filming the sessions was to prove her theories were correct. It was only a matter of time before she decided to go public with what she’d discovered, and when she did all chance of a normal life would be lost to us.

But that was a problem for another time. 

Eyes closed, I tuned out my inner turmoil and focused on the sensations coming to me from within the building itself. With the extra boost from the reservoir of power Andie contained, I was able to probe further, deeper, searching for any sign of Ethan. I found no hint of him; the rich earthiness I associated with his power absent from the space around me.

I had no trouble picking out the flashes of silver that signified Celeste’s ability to create lightning and manipulate electrical currents, or the shimmering well of energy contained in Andie’s core. Daniel and Nick, though they held no psychic ability, were also easy to detect, their physical presence registering as a flickering flame, so it couldn’t be a failure of my abilities to detect another presence. 

Either Ethan had found a way to hide his presence or we were the only people at the estate.

Even more frustrating was the lack of what Dr Wood had termed my precognitive sense, where I would see what was going to happen before an event occurred. I could predict what card would be turned up next with relative ease, and choose a route to take to avoid trouble for others with a fair amount of certainty if I concentrated and was well rested. Yet I’d been unable to see anything about Ethan, or the whereabouts and plans of Dr Wood. 

I opened my eyes and faced the others. ‘I’m not picking up anybody nearby. We should split up. Andie and Nick, can you check down the right side of the building? The rest of us will take the left.’ 

Andie and I would be able to communicate despite the separation, to let the other team know if we found anything. Celeste would be able to translate my words for Daniel if I had no time to concentrate on using sign language. 

It was slow going as we headed toward the back of the building. The police had cut open a section of the electric fence that blocked off the back of the estate, but we had to navigate our way through a jungle of overgrown bushes and long grass. I was pleased I’d had the foresight to wear jeans as we fought our way to the side of the building to peer through the barred windows on ground level. 

After the tenth time we stopped to untangle ourselves, I let Andie know we were heading straight for the back entrance. Each glimpse through the windows had shown the same thing, furniture upturned in otherwise empty rooms. I didn’t think any of the other windows would provide us with anything different to look at.

Andie and Nick were waiting at the back door when we rounded the corner of the building. I already knew they hadn’t found anything of significance, so didn’t hesitate to place my hand on the door handle and give it a twist.

It failed to turn, which was to be expected. But this door was missing the crime scene tape. Was this because the police had forgotten it, or had it been removed after their last official visit? I scanned the flower beds on either side of the doorway. There was no sign of it, but it could have easily been carried away and discarded elsewhere if someone had used this door to enter the building recently.

I cast out my senses to search for anyone who might be nearby. 

I didn’t find anyone, but a weird shiver swept over my body. It felt as though eyes were on me, boring into the back of my head. I twisted and cast my senses out into the unkempt garden that had once been the haven for patients when they were allowed outside for exercise. I was only allowed in the garden at night, with two orderlies watching my every move, after a succession of failed escape attempts. 

I found nothing, and reached out to take Andie’s hand to push my senses further. 

The impression of someone watching me remained, the slight shiver spreading to envelop my entire body, but all with no sign or sense of who they were.

‘Is everything okay? Is someone out there?’ Celeste moved to take my other hand, and I got the sense of her casting out her own net. I could tell by the shape of her energy flow she had come up as empty as me. If someone was out there, they were able to shield themselves from us. 

I turned my back on whoever was watching me and threaded a loop of power into the lock mechanism, twisting the handle and opening the door.

Beside me, Celeste took a deep breath before being the first to step back into the estate. The rest of us crowded in after her, and I made sure to close and lock the door once we were all inside. The thought of leaving it open, at our backs, with an unknown observer out there, did not sit well with me even though I was usually the first to want a door left open. 

This was a consequence of being locked up for most of my life. 

None of us spoke as we moved through the ground level, travelling as a group. It appeared the others were just as wary of separating as I was while we systemically checked each room we came across. 

The estate appeared to have weathered the recent run of earthquakes with minimal damage, small cracks appearing in some of the walls, but nothing suggesting the foundations or overall structure had been affected. The items left behind had not been so lucky.

The doors to the storerooms either side of the hall were open, allowing us to see the chaos within. Boxes were strewn all over the floor, their contents left to spill out. It was the same level of chaos when I reached the common room, chairs and tables upturned, the televisions fixed to the walls with screens smashed, games and books once enjoyed by the patients scattered everywhere.

‘This was not caused by an earthquake,’ said Nick as he surveyed the wanton destruction, ‘and there is no way the police would have done it.’

‘Do you think squatters have been staying here?’ Daniel asked.

Squatters. My pulse quickened. What if they were still inside? I cast out my senses once again, but still found no sign of any occupants, squatter or otherwise. 

‘Could have been vandals I guess,’ said Andie, skirting a broken table.

‘Long way out of town to come just to break stuff,’ said Celeste.

‘It was all over the news after this place was shut down. Any number of people could have come out here once the police had done their bit,’ said Daniel.

‘Or the new owners might have decided not to wait to lay claim to the place, and had a little fun throwing things around,’ said Nick with a shrug.

I didn’t care about who else might have been here, vandals or otherwise. I was here for Ethan. I left the common room behind, the others following in my wake, making for the alcove that housed the elevator and the stairwell.

The display above the elevator was blank. Nick flicked a light switch to confirm the electricity had been cut to the entire building.

‘Good thing we brought torches,’ he said with a grin as he pulled one from his back pocket and switched it on.

Daniel did the same as the five of us neared the exit door for the stairwell. Unlike every other door in the place, this one was locked. With no electricity to work the keypad, the door handle didn’t budge when I checked it. 

‘Here, let me,’ said Celeste, her voice barely above a whisper as she placed her hand on the keypad. 

A soft crackle sounded, and a spark flashed as she sent a tiny bolt of electricity into the unit. The display lit up and the handle moved easily when I tried again. We filed through the doorway, Daniel using the remains of a chair from the common room to prop it open before we started the slow trek down the stairs to the third basement level, torches filling the stairwell with shadows. 

This was where my dreams had taken me every night. 

Here, I would find out once and for all if there really was something or someone waiting for me.

 

Chapter Three

I held my breath as I stepped out of the stairwell on the last level and slowly approached my old room. Memories of the time I’d spent here threatened to overwhelm me and I pushed them aside, wiping sweaty palms on the legs of my jeans. This was not about me. This was about finding Ethan, helping him come to terms with his newfound abilities and teaching him how to control and harness them.

My pulse pounded in my ears when I got close enough to see the door was slightly ajar, just like in my dreams, although there was no light shining out from within. I wasn’t alone, and we weren’t in the midst of an earthquake, but the similarities still had me breathing fast as I reached out to push the door open.

Tears pricked my eyes at what I found.

An empty room, bed unmade, the chain that had once encircled my ankle still dangling from a hook embedded deep into the wall above it. 

It wasn’t seeing my old room, or the chain used to bind me, that caused my tears. I’d been so sure, despite everything that told me the place was deserted, that I would find Ethan here. It felt as if I’d been robbed of something precious. 

I forced a smile and turned to face the others. ‘There’s nothing here,’ I said, hoping my mental voice gave no hint of the dismay bubbling away inside me. 

When Andie and Celeste moved to comfort me, I knew I’d failed.

Even Nick and Daniel were sending me sympathetic looks as we shuffled back toward the stairwell.

‘Do you think it’s worth checking the other floors? Seeing if there is anything we might have missed?’ said Daniel.

I shook my head. ‘If anyone was here, they’re long gone.’

‘Someone is creating the earthquakes,’ said Celeste. ‘Angel can sense their power, and their lack of control over it. We need to find them.’

‘Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m sensing. Maybe the experts are right, and the earthquakes are caused by a fault line so deep their instruments can’t detect it.’ I worked hard to not show what I truly thought about the so-called experts and their opinions. 

Andie gave a snort. ‘Those idiots have no clue what’s causing the earthquakes. They come up with a different theory after each one, all to cover their own butts for not being able to provide concrete answers. Your theory makes much more sense.’

‘Andie’s right,’ said Nick. ‘It has to be someone like Angel and Celeste behind the earthquakes, not an undiscovered fault line. Not to mention they have only been happening since you all escaped from this place. We just came here at the wrong time. Either that or this Rhodes guy is a champion at hide and seek.’ 

I let their support and confidence in my abilities buoy me up as we returned to the ground floor and made our way to the back door. As soon as I was out in the open, the sensation of eyes on me returned. 

With the niggle of being under observation occupying my thoughts, it wasn’t until we reached the gate that the problem of how to get Nick and Daniel over the fence hit me. There were no conveniently placed trees to help them scale the three-metre fence, and Nick had left his set of bolt cutters in the boot of his car. 

In the end it was a matter of having Nick provide the boost for Daniel to scramble over the fence. I then used my powers to create a stable, and invisible, platform for Nick to use to gain the extra height needed to enable him to climb over. The dubious look on his face as he put his trust in something he couldn’t see made us all laugh. 

I was in a much better frame of mind as Andie, Celeste and I slipped through the gap between the gates and made our way to the car. All I had to worry about next was convincing them I didn’t need a babysitter for my counselling session at the Community Centre that afternoon.

It took a while, but I finally managed to get them to let me have this moment of independence, though I was sure they only said yes to stop me dwelling on not being able to find Ethan. Maybe Nick was right, and he had somehow managed to hide himself from me. 

If Ethan was in hiding, all I could do was continue to reach out to him when his powers surged and hope next time he would accept my offer of help. For now, I would enjoy the simple pleasure of being without a chaperone for an afternoon. 

My sense of pleasure quickly fled when a rumble announced the arrival of yet another earthquake minutes into my session with Dr O’Hanlon. This was followed moments later by the shifting of the floor beneath the couch I sat on.

I tensed, counting each second the earthquake lasted, ignoring the bangs as books fell off the shelves lining one wall of the counsellor’s office.

One minute and forty-seven seconds. 

This had been the longest quake so far, and the feeling of unbridled power flowing along with it was also stronger, setting a wave of shivers over my body. It was so raw, elemental, my heart pounded as I sifted through the sensations singing in the air around me. There was no mistaking the earthy overtones I’d come to associate with the person responsible for the quakes. But this was the first time there had been two less than a day apart. It couldn’t be a coincidence, this one occurring so soon after I’d been out to the estate. 

Someone had been watching me. 

Was it Ethan? 

If so, how had he masked himself from me?

As I had the night before, I tried to follow the power surge back to the source, but it ebbed away before I could pin it down. There was just enough time for me to get a vague sense of the direction it came from, west, toward the estate. 

I nibbled my bottom lip. It had to be Ethan. 

‘Angel. It’s okay. You’re safe here.’

I released my lip and managed a smile for Dr O’Hanlon as she scooped up the fallen books and replaced them on the shelves, stifling a sigh at her well-intentioned comments. She had no way of knowing my concern was not for the quake itself, but from where it originated. 

How could she know? 

It wasn’t as though I could tell her. 

Coming clean would inevitably wind up with me being sent to another institution; one I might never escape from if the truth about me were to be known.

I rubbed my right ankle, smoothing my fingers over the raised scar from almost six months of being chained to a wall as punishment for attempting to escape. 

I would never be chained again.

‘Are you still dreaming about earthquakes?’ Dr O’Hanlon asked, bringing my thoughts back to the here and now as she resumed her seat on the chair opposite the couch.

I shrugged, and made the sign for sometimes.

That was a lie, of course. But there was no need for her to know how often I’d had the dream. As the quakes in the real world strengthened, along with my awareness of the person behind them, so too did the frequency of the dream and its hold on me. 

Each time I exited the stairwell, and made my way to the start of the hall, something would always jar me from my sleep. I’d come back to myself, fists clenched as I was once again cheated out of discovering who was drawing me back there, increasingly convinced it was Ethan Rhodes. 

I’d experienced the feeling for real that afternoon.

‘It’s understandable for you to associate the earthquakes with your time at the Wood Estate. The quakes started shortly after your siblings rescued you. Your subconscious sees them as a symbol of the upheaval in your life. The dreams should stop once you have fully come to terms with your new life and your place in it.’ Dr O’Hanlon gave me a kindly smile. 

‘You were locked away from the world, and your loved ones, for fifteen years. I know all you wanted was to be reunited with them, but reality rarely matches our dreams. It will take time to process all the changes that come with being released. You have the language barrier to overcome, as well as the added pressure to fill the gaps in your formal education. With so much going on in your life, the stimuli can be overwhelming at times.’

I worked to make my grimace look more like a smile. I’d received basic schooling while at the estate, sitting in on lessons with the other patients, but had no accreditation to show what I’d learned. The online course I was currently enrolled in to allow me to obtain a Certificate of Education, the equivalent of completing high school, was actually enjoyable. The only pressure I felt was to keep up with Celeste, who was also taking the course to make up for her memory loss. The two of us had made a game of it, challenging each other to finish each module with top marks. 

No, it wasn’t the language barrier or my continuing education that caused my sleepless nights. The earthquakes were solely to blame for that. Fear for what would happen when the situation escalated, as was inevitable, kept me distracted for the rest of the hour-long session. I signed when appropriate, only half listening to Dr O’Hanlon. Finally, she wrapped up the session and stood to see me out.

It was hard to contain my relief as I signed a farewell and headed for the door, nodding fervently at her reminder to confirm my next counselling session in a week’s time. I dutifully made my way to the reception area and waited with concealed impatience as the permanently cheerful receptionist completed the paperwork for today’s session and made sure everything was ready for the next one.

‘Is Daniel picking you up today?’ Her smile was hopeful. 

I’d caught her casting admiring looks Daniel’s way on many occasions, and she wasn’t the only one I’d noticed checking out my handsome brother or Nick when they joined me for sign language classes. I shook my head and made the signs to indicate he was taking Celeste for a driving lesson. Her smile dimmed at the reminder Daniel had a girlfriend, but she soon rallied.

‘Would you like me to call you a taxi?’ 

I shook my head and held up the mobile phone Daniel had purchased for me several weeks ago, showing her the app on the home screen that enabled me to order a taxi without needing to speak. She handed me an appointment card with the time and date for my next session neatly handwritten on the back. 

I tucked the card into my back pocket, waved goodbye, and moved to the front doors. The centre had seats out the front, in a spacious shaded area, and I sat down and opened the app to request a taxi. 

After I filled out the section for my pick-up location, the screen flicked to the section for where I wanted to go. My home address was the only one programmed in so far, but I paused before hitting the submit button.

Daniel had packed a picnic lunch for him and Celeste to enjoy after the driving lesson he’d promised her the week before, and Andie and Nick were at the movies, meaning I’d be returning to an empty house. Not that I minded being alone, but this was the first time since I’d escaped the estate I didn’t have either of my siblings hovering over me. 

I lifted my head, seeing but not really taking any notice of the people coming and going from the centre. In every single one of my dreams about the estate I’d been alone. What if I hadn’t found anything, or anyone, there today because the others had been with me? 

Would the mysterious observer have made themselves visible if I’d been alone?

I typed the address for the estate into the taxi app, submitting the request before I could change my mind. Then I put the phone away, hands clasped tightly in front of me as I waited for the taxi to arrive. 

My phone buzzed seconds later, startling a silent gasp from me. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the screen.

It was a text from Daniel.

Hope appt with doc good. Celeste did great with lesson. Heading 2 park 4 lunch. Want us 2 pick you up?

I quickly typed back a reply, urging them to go and enjoy their picnic, for once glad to be mute. If he had been able to call me, and hear my voice, there was no way I would have been able to talk normally enough to not make him suspicious. 

Once I hit send, I worked to calm my nerves, worried Andie would be able to sense the rising mix of excitement and dread I felt at the thought of returning to the estate on my own. I hoped she was too caught up in spending time with Nick and the movie to spare a thought for me. The bond that allowed us to communicate telepathically was always stronger when we were together, but extreme emotions often travelled long distances. I would have to be careful there was no leakage, at least until I’d been to the estate and uncovered the truth once and for all.

The taxi finally pulled up at the kerb out front of the centre. I hurried over to it and climbed inside, smiling at the driver as he greeted me. He had clearly picked up patrons of the centre before as I didn’t have to work hard to get him to understand my silent explanation to show I couldn’t talk. Then I held up my phone to show him the taxi app and he gave me a nod and thumbs up.

He showed no hesitation in filling the silence as he pulled out into traffic, and I let his words wash over me as a distraction from what I was about to do, and the eventual fallout once the others found out. There would be no way I could keep it hidden from Andie or Celeste when we were face to face. I’d be forced to come clean, and I winced anticipating their reaction. I just hoped they’d understand why I had to do this, for my sanity if for no other reason.

I’d been able to hide the worst of the toll the dreams were taking on me, but I couldn’t keep it up indefinitely, and neither could Ethan. 

Despite my conviction I was doing the right thing, it was hard to sit still, to not fidget as the taxi drew closer to the estate. I had few pleasant memories of my time here. This morning I’d gone in with Andie and Celeste at my side, confident of our combined ability to take on any threat. Now it was just me. The memory of how helpless I’d been for so long had me fearing I would not have what it took to protect myself if I was confronted with danger.

The taxi driver must have sensed my unease as his endless chatter petered off into silence. My eyes were fixed on the road ahead of us, muscles tensing when the large double gates came into view. The taxi rolled to a stop in front of them, and the driver twisted around to look at me, concern in his eyes.

‘Are you sure about this, miss? Doesn’t look like they’re expecting visitors.’

My cheeks ached with the effort to show him an untroubled smile. I nodded enthusiastically, eyes wide, unbuckled my seatbelt, and handed him the card to pay for the fare. 

I hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake.

 

Chapter Four

I marched up to the gates and slipped through the gap between the two sides, all without taking a breath.

On the other side, I spared a moment to wave goodbye to the taxi driver, who still hadn’t left. Then, with shoulders back and head held high, I walked down the driveway for the second time that day. I didn’t slow my pace until I heard the taxi pull away.

I let out the breath I’d been holding, and some of the tension gripping my body was expelled along with it. I’d been sure this visit would end just as frustratingly empty as the last one if the taxi driver hadn’t left. I was sure I had to be alone to uncover the secret hidden at the heart of the estate. Heartbeat thudding throughout my body, I worked to banish the fears that had overwhelmed me during the journey. 

A whisper on the wind, sighed through the trees lining the driveway, brought me to a halt, sure someone had called my name. I felt eyes on me but saw no one, and sensed nothing, just like this morning. I spun in a slow circle, hearing my name once again but unable to find the source of the whisper. 

I ran my teeth over my bottom lip, looking back toward the front gates. I put a hand in my back pocket and touched my phone. Perhaps I’d been too hasty in sending the taxi driver away. Dr O’Hanlon’s comment about reality rarely matching the dream swam through my mind. What if Andie was right and my dreams about the earthquakes and coming to the estate were a trap devised by Dr Wood?

No. That was crazy. 

Dr Wood had been testing for psychic abilities, but she had never displayed any herself. To send me the dreams, to cause the earthquakes, that would take someone with power. And she’d been right in front of me when the first earthquake occurred. I knew the shape and scent of her mind intimately, and there had never been a hint of earthiness. Hers had been a caustic mix of ambition and hate, a volatile combination that coloured every action she made. I didn’t need psychic ability to know she was the type of person to poison those around her. 

It couldn’t be her. 

Could it?

Standing in the middle of the driveway worrying over it was getting me no closer to finding answers. I released my grip on the phone and squared my shoulders yet again, determined not to let fear stop me from uncovering the truth. I started walking toward the main building, the sensation of eyes on me growing stronger with every step. But I did not, would not, falter. 

The only thing I was sure of was that someone was reaching out to me, desperate to get my attention, and it was time for me to find out who it was.

I edged around the side of the building, slipping through the gap in the electric fence and making for the back entrance we had used that morning. The sensation of being watched had faded, but I reached for the well of power that existed deep within my body. Heat tingled in my fingertips as I prepared to defend myself with fire. 

If this did turn out to be a trap, I would not let Dr Wood take me.

Power thrumming through every inch of me, I navigated around the overgrown flower beds and made my way toward the back door. Once I reached it I sucked in a deep breath before testing the handle.

It gave easily.

I froze. 

Had we left it unlocked that morning, or had someone else been there since? 

I thought back, straining to remember if any of us had locked the door. I’d made a point to do so after we’d first entered the building, but knew I hadn’t done the same as we exited, and could not remember one of the others doing it either.

I cast out my senses, again searching for any sign I was not alone. And once again I came up empty. Flashes of life flared far in the distance, in both directions of the estate, possibly occupants of vehicles travelling along the highway, but as far as I could tell I was the only human being on the grounds itself.

I swallowed heavily and pushed the door open, careful not to let it bang into the wall. If there was someone inside the building who had escaped detection, I didn’t want to alert them to my presence by making a loud entrance. 

I scanned the hallway that led to the common room. 

This was it.

I was finally going to discover what it was about this place that haunted me.

Only, this was nothing like my dream.

Instead of a violent earthquake, the reality was grimly silent and still. It felt as if I was the last person on Earth, as if all noise would be deadened before it could even begin. I wiped my hands on my jeans one more time and stepped inside.

Once again, I cast out my senses, searching for the spark of another person. My frown deepened when my probing met a blank wall and rebounded, causing an ache behind my eyes. That had never happened to me before. 

I rubbed my temples, cautiously feeling for the wall.

There. 

A dense pocket of resistance existed within the large dining and kitchen area that had been utilised by both patients and staff.

I walked slowly toward the corridor that led to the dining room, stepping lightly between the debris in my path. When I reached the open doorway, I took a deep breath before peeking inside.

The lights weren’t on, but the large windows running the length of the room gave me enough light to see by. This room, like the common room, had been ransacked; tables and chairs broken and scattered. All except for one table pressed against the far wall, and the chair neatly placed beside it, the windows bathing them in soft light.

The contrast between the unbroken table and chair and the rest of the furniture was jarring. I frowned, still unable to sense anyone or anything nearby. I stepped into the room, treading carefully as I worked my way through the debris. I got close enough to the table to see two items on it.

A thermos flask and a coffee mug. 

My eyes fixed on the steam wafting in the air above the mug. 

I sucked in a gasp.

I wasn’t alone.

I spun around, and slammed into a hard body, the air forced from my lungs.

Strong arms wrapped around me. 

I stiffened, sure it was the orderly who had gone on the run with Dr Wood who had hold of me.

I looked up, expecting to see his menacing face.

Instead I met a crisp green gaze, the bright hue reminding me of freshly cut grass after a spring shower of rain. 

Ethan Rhodes.

I’d found him.

Exultation rushed through me as I smiled up at him, gazing into his eyes. Flecks of gold filled the green, with a hint of brown around the edge of the iris. As I watched, the brown edges thickened before streaking through the green, accompanied by a rumble beneath my feet.

Energy thrummed in the air around us, and my eyes widened as the rich earthiness I associated with the earthquakes filled my senses. 

I was right. He was the source. 

I reached out to him with my mind, to see if he could hear me like Andie and Celeste, my greeting slamming into the wall I’d encountered before. 

He grimaced, arms tightening around me, and I let out a silent gasp when his mental wall pushed my overture away. The floor shifted, and I clung to him, glancing sideways when the flask rolled off the table beside me, coffee slopping over the sides of the mug.

Heavy items fell to the floor in the kitchen area as the quake continued. 

Ethan was holding me so tightly it was almost painful, his face twisted into a grimace as he fought to control his power. I could feel his heart pounding and I focused on the feel of his muscular chest beneath my palms. He hadn’t allowed me to speak to him mind to mind, but I would do what I could to help him.

I sent a soothing stream of energy directly into his body, letting it wind its way through his system, stroking tense muscles. I sensed the moment he regained a semblance of control and released his hold on the earth. 

He exhaled, the beat of his heart easing as his arms loosened around me. His eyes were green once more, clear, though a frown creased his brow as he stared down at me. 

I chanced a gentle touch, mind to mind, and his eyes widened. 

‘It’s okay,’ I said, ‘I’m here to help you.’

A strange expression filled his eyes before they narrowed. He moved his hands to my elbows, clamping my arms to my sides.

It was my turn to frown, though I tried to soften it with a smile. ‘Please, let me go. I won’t hurt you. I just want to help.’

He didn’t reply to my mental voice, and made no move to release me, though I knew he had heard. But before I could call him on it I felt a sharp sting on my shoulder. I looked to the left and a cold shiver swamped my body at the sight of Dr Wood with an empty syringe in her hand.

She was looking at Ethan, who still had hold of my arms.

My head spun, as whatever she had injected me with made her words to him sound muffled.

‘Well done, Ethan. That’s one down, and two to go.’