Lost Soul Down

TWELVE

Two agents enter the room, immediately locking my hands behind my back with handcuffs.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Their faces are as stoic as usual as they drag me out in silence.

Maybe Lombardi is going to start his stupid testing and experimenting. My heart races at the thought.

It was not fun.

When we leave the room, I notice that there are four other rooms just like mine. And our names are above the doors: Amelia Hope, Leila Murphy (to my left), and Kylan Singh (to my right). There are other names next to Leila's room but I don't have time to see.

Are there more of us? How many more?

The guards push me forward, and I see Lombardi's throne ahead— the one I saw when I first got to this massive mansion.

When we approach, my heart stops.

Kylan.

He's on his knees in front of Lombardi, two guards on each shoulder. When he sees me, I can tell he has the same reaction. Shock and confusion.

The guards shove me down to my knees next to Kylan— a careful distance away— who's wearing the same outfit, except in a really really dark red. It looks amazing on him; it hugs his muscles perfectly.

Why is that my thought right now? Is this what it feels like to like someone?

That's the least of my problems right now.

"Ms. Hope, Mr. Singh. It is very good to have you in my company finally," Lombardi announces with a happy sigh.

I wish Kylan could've kept running. I wish he didn't get caught.

"The two of you met each other before your capture, which was not supposed to happen," he continues. "The chances of that happening were very rare. So that is why you are here."

Did we mess up his experiments or something? Just by meeting each other? If the chances of me meeting Kylan was one in a million, maybe it was fate. Maybe we're meant to be. I'd like to think so, anyway.

The question is: why does Lombardi care?

"I need you to tell me everything you know about each other, if you've used your powers together, and if you've ever touched." He asks. "All these play a major part in my studies here."

His studies? He's studying us...?

Kylan and I both stay silent. Neither of us wants to give Lombardi what he wants. One agent immediately presses a gun to my head.

Kylan speaks, but he doesn't answer the questions. "I know you're not going to kill her, so don't bother with the threats."

"Do you?" Lombardi's eyes flicker with amusement.

"You didn't spend months chasing her down and risking your agent's lives just to kill her." Kylan says.

Lombardi smiles at Kylan like he's proud or something, and then turns to the agent holding the gun, and nods.

The agent suddenly slams the butt of the gun into my head so hard that I see stars. I yell out in shock, feeling a throbbing pain on the side of my face where I was hit.

I would've fallen over, but the agents are keeping me upright.

"Now, shall I ask again?"

The agent next to Kylan reaches for his gun, but Lombardi puts up a hand to stop him. "Don't hurt the boy. His powers require his brain to be intact." He turns to me. "Hers don't."

I blink rapidly, trying to get rid of my massive headache. If we answer his questions, we're only helping Lombardi. No one wants to help him. He's the mastermind behind all this. He stole us from our families and made our lives miserable.

But Kylan would do anything to protect me.

I'd do anything for you, Amelia.

"Don't hurt her," Kylan says, his voice low. "Do you really need answers this badly?"

"It's not your job to question me. You will do as I say, and answer as I wish." Lombardi says, angry. "Now, I repeat: what do you know about each other? Have you used your powers together? Have you made skin to skin contact? If so, what happened?"

"Nothing happened— what should happen?" Kylan asks, now curious. "If we were to touch?"

"Well I've been running a series of experiments with other subjects, and a strange phenomenon occurs when two 'specials' touch." Lombardi smiles. "Their powers seem to... cancel each other out."

"Well that hasn't happened—" Kylan cuts himself off.

I glance over at him. We wouldn't really know if our powers shut off or not, since we didn't try to use them while we were... kissing. So maybe it's true... but why would it matter? Is he going to find new ways to turn our powers off somehow?

"Now tell me how you have escaped my agents all these times," Lombardi demands.

I look to the floor as the agent beside me shifts, ready to strike.

Kylan hesitates. "We— we worked together."

"Please be specific."

Before Kylan even has a chance to answer, I take on another blow to the head. Now my vision is blurry, and all that's keeping my upright is the agent at my shoulder.

"We used our powers, okay?" Kylan answers hastily, his tone rising. "What did you think we did? I used my powers to slow down the agents while Amelia used hers to get us out of there."

Lombardi smiles. "Beautiful."

I close my eyes, my headache getting worse.

"Are you fucking happy now? Can you stop trying to crush Amelia's skull?" Kylan's angry now, and he's not hiding it.

"Just for that outburst, why don't we hit her again?" Lombardi gestured to the agent.

A knee slams hard into my spine, sending me forward onto the ground, groaning in pain. Everything hurts at this point.

"You shouldn't have to be reminded who's in charge here." Lombardi's voice sounds far away in my ears. "You do not talk back to me. You do not talk to me unless asked."

I blink up at Kylan, who's giving Lombardi a hard glare that looks like it could kill. Then I realize, he actually is trying to kill the man.

One guard pulls me back up to my knees, and I try to ignore the pain in my head and spine.

Lombardi isn't breathing.