Caught

Chapter Four

I got a bunch of pointless things from my family and their friends. A new phone, a soccer ball, $100 that I can't even use because I'm stuck here at the Institute. The only thing that I was happy about getting was the necklace Spencer gave me earlier and the books both he and Aidan managed to get me.

The cake was decent, but I hate chocolate. And there wasn't enough icing. If you're going to make a girl a birthday cake, you should at least make it right.

The rest of the day was quite uneventful. Spencer and I did have an argument over what we should watch on the TV and what we should have for lunch and dinner. I simply ignored Jessica, who spent most of her time on her phone or talking to one of the boys.

It was pretty clear that they trusted her. I still had my doubts.

She wasn't in the Institute, like us. She wasn't put in that horrible two-year isolation, like us. She remembers everything. About her family. About herself.

That's what bothered me most.

Jessica was here for a reason, just not the same as us.

It was dark now. Moonlight shone through the window as I crawled into bed, finishing off the day. My first day with my family, after a long time. Before the Institute.

That one time after the forest did not count. Mom almost tried to kill me.

I pulled the sheets over my head and grabbed the first book on the pile I got today. With my night vision, I read the title; The Book Thief.

I flipped it open and smelled the pages. It smelled like... books. And literature. The typical new-book smell.

And then my wrists started to burn.

It felt like a fire, licking my wrists. Burning my wrists. The 'flames' wrapped around them in a circle. Two, actually.

I emerged from the covers and yelped, rubbing them. There was no heat source, they just burned.

And then all of a sudden, it stopped. And it left two black stripes around each of my wrists.

They were about the width of a dime and were very noticeable in the light. When I touched it, it still burned, resulting for me to yelp in pain once again.

I've been shot in several different places and this hurts just as much. I thought. Feelings are strange.

A soft knock came from the door. Shoot. Someone heard me. Isn't 1 AM a time where everyone's asleep?

"Come in," I say hoarsely, still rubbing my wrists for some reason. Dad walked in, a small smile on his face.

"Hey..." He started. "Your mom and I heard you in the other room. She wanted to check on you but I came instead." He walked over to my bedside. "You alright?"

In that moment, I realized I haven't really talked to him much. I barely saw him around the Institute when I was here and the only other time I talked to him face-to-face was that one day in the forest when he and his crew tried to take us back.

I was partially mad at him for kidnapping Aidan, until Spencer told me earlier today that he was under mind control.

He barely said a word to my face in the past few weeks. Sometimes I forget that he's around.

"I - I'm fine." I say, although it's still burning. "Just got... spooked, I guess."

He took a seat on my bed, next to me. "Now, I doubt a girl like you can get spooked easily."

I sighed. "It's nothing, really Dad."

His hand started stroking my hair. "You know, hun, you can trust me. I know some people here are... hard to believe but-" He stopped, trying to find the right words. "I never wanted to be here myself, and I didn't want anyone to hurt my baby girl."

"Then why didn't you stop them?" I asked in barely a whisper.

"I tried, sweetie." I placed my head against his chest. "But they can be a little... controlling at times."

"Dad, why does mom want to make my life miserable?"

"I'm sure she doesn't mean it."

"I'm sure she does." I say bitterly.

A moment of silence filled the air. If you listened closely, or had enhanced hearing like me, you could hear Spencer snore in the room next door.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Just know that you can come to me, okay hun? Now get some rest, it's late."

"Teenagers don't sleep at night," I say as he stands up.

"Well then, nighthawk, at least try." He opened the door. " 'Night sweetheart."

After he left, I whispered, " 'Night Daddy."

-- : --

I threw a punch there, a kick on the other side.

She was already pretty banged up. He didn't call it yet.

Finish her. My mother's voice rang through my head. I knew she didn't mean to kill her, just knock her unconscious. Pin her down so that she can't get back up.

This is what you'll have to do on a day to day basis. She said. You have to learn to fight. Your future of survival depends on it.

I grabbed the girl's arm and twisted it behind her. She screamed in pain.

I didn't stop.

You have to show your opponent who's stronger; you or them. Her voice rang out again.

She put one in between us. A telepathy link.

Every time I get away from her, she comes back into my life and makes it harder to get away from her.

Everything hurt in that moment for some reason. The pressure and expectations and mom in general. Tears stung in the corner of my eyes as I continued to fight the girl, making it harder for her to get up again.

Stop weeping. You're a weapon and weapons don't weep.

And that's when it all came crumbling down.

I let go of the girl and fell to the ground myself. Pain ran through my veins, not from physical pain but from what she said. It hit me hard, what she was saying.

Seven days of training. Seven days of hearing those words. Seven people hurt because of those words.

Eight including me.

"Lauren!" Dr. Henderson rushed to my side, a hand was placed on my back as tears started to flow. "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'd be okay if you weren't my mother," I sobbed. Standing up, I headed out of the gym. Out of the room full of scientists and adults watching my every move.

As the door slammed shut, I felt two hands on me. I jumped, then pulled myself closer to them.

"Aidan, why is the world so cruel to us?" I asked between sobs.

He didn't reply, just stood there, his hand stroking my hair.

That was enough for me.

-- --

Let the ship sail!!!