Strange Tides [Bree Davenport]

Chapter Twenty Four

I am still chained up as the sun starts to rise above the trees on the outside of the island, close to where River and I first landed when we got here last night. They must have moved me after whatever they did to me because I wasn't here when I went under. Though I have no idea how long I've been awake, I know that whatever those people did to me changed me. I can feel it in my muscles, in my veins. I don't know what they did, but I know they did it based on the pain in my neck, near the area of my chip. 

Pain radiates down my back as I move my neck back and forth, trying to dispel the ache. Nothing seems to work, which confirms the fact that River and his people did something to my chip. Panic grips my heart at that thought, and I try to raise my hands to brush the painful area, but I'm too tired to do anything like that. I lean against the metal bars and take a deep breath, praying for any type of help. 

If only I stayed at the Academy with my family. Even if we weren't on the best of terms, they would have kept me safe from River. They were already angry at River, so they would have done anything to help me while fighting against him. Hopefully, they are trying to find where I am right now -- if they can find me, that is. I know for a fact that River and I didn't go that far from the Academy, so if they could just search around, they'd be able to find me. 

I wonder if there is a way for my brothers or Douglas or Davenport could track me. I wasn't sure if my chip was traceable, but there was a chance that River and his people messed with my chip. My skin tingles uncomfortably, and I wish I could take a hot shower to get the feeling of River's hands off of my body. Tears prick my eyes as panic grips my heart. I'm trapped in this cell without anyone to help me. 

Then, I hear someone to my right shuffle in this cell. I basically stop breathing in case it's someone from River's group, just so they can't hear me. I'm terrified that I'm not going to survive this island, especially since I can't move. Glancing over to the corner, I see a person shrouded in darkness from the clouds covering the early morning moon. I'm not sure how long it's been since I was knocked out, but if the moon is still out, it must've only been a few hours. 

"Bree?" the voice says, and I recognize it. Peering into the darkness, I gasp when I see the faint outline of Bianca, the girl who disappeared earlier today. "Bree, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I say. My voice sounds strange, though, like it doesn't belong to me. Bianca rushes over to me and wraps me up in a quick hug. Pain shoots through my neck and down my back, but I don't react because it seems like she needs this hug. When she lets go of me, I try to sit up some more. "What's going on?" I ask, brushing a hand over my face. "I don't feel good, and I don't know what happened."

Bianca sighs, her gaze moving to the dirt. She crosses her arms over her chest so that she's hugging herself, and in the hazy moonlight, she looks younger than she is. It hits me that these bionic soldiers didn't sign up for this -- just like me. If I can't be there to help them learn their powers or keep them safe, then what kind of mentor am I? If Biana and I are able to get back to the Academy, then I'll work ten times harder to keep the students safe. 

"River is not who he says he is," Bianca says, her voice quiet. She glances around, probably making sure that no one is around to hear what she has to say. "He's bionic, but all of his powers are not from the chips you and I have. Instead, they're from this weird machine that his father created before he died." She sucks in a deep breath, her brown eyes dark. She pushes her black hair behind her ear like she doesn't want to say this next part. "Bree . . . River gave you one of his weird powers, just like he gave one to me and some of the other girls in your group."

I sit there for a second, trying to figure out what she said. It's hard to believe her because what she's saying is crazy, right? It has to be. "What do you mean, a new power?" I say, sitting up all the way this time. I can't focus on the pain right now because something strange is going on. I dig my fingers into the dirt below me, trying to get some feeling back into my chest. "That can't be true."