Chosen (27 page)

I shivered.  Everything I was learning about the crystals made them seem so much more dangerous, so much more ominous, than anything I was comfortable around.  “All that risk…” I said.  “Why would you guys want any of this?”

Ashley sighed.  “Liz is really the one who should explain this to you.  The crystals, when they interact with our minds, allow us to
link
ourselves to the surrounding world.  You can think of them as a tool we use to unlock the real potential of our minds.  Everything in this world is connected, in some way, shape, or form.  Using the crystals allows you to
sense
those connections, but, more importantly, to
manipulate
them as you wish.”

“What do you mean, connected?”

“To be honest, this part’s really beyond me.  Madison is the one who likes all the theoretical stuff.  You should talk to her about it.  As far as I understand, there exists a certain… flow… to all the objects of this world.  It exists between every single molecule, every single atom.  It came into being at the origins of the universe.  Everything that exists around us today came from one source, from one common beginning.  So everything resonates in that common frequency.

“As time passes, over the eons, the resonance between everything grows weaker.  We’re constantly moving farther and farther in time from the point of origin.  But it’s never something that will go away completely.  So the interesting thing is that when the atoms come together to form common structures—elements, molecules, rocks, trees, living bodies – their resonance strengthens again.  It’s almost as if they were
made
to come together.  Or perhaps it’s because of the closeness, the connection of those larger structures, is more similar to what things were like at the start.

“That’s where we—and the crystals—come in.  Our minds are made up of billions upon billions of tiny little neurons, all resonating with that common frequency.  Somewhere along the line, some sort of configuration of those neurons gave rise to conscious thought.  It turns out that there’s an innate capacity, built right into our brains, that allows us to
exploit
the connections among all the objects of the world.  The crystals just allow us to unlock that capacity, which is usually hidden away.”

“And then what?”

“Well, if you’re strong enough, you can sense the connections and mold them as you like.  The result?  Unlimited power.  Control over anything in this world.  It gives us the energy to make fire, to move mountains, to control the weather – to do absolutely anything we want.”

“That doesn’t sound like something to take lightly.”

Ashley laughed.  “Of course, it’s not as simple as that.  Most of the connections are beyond any one person to manipulate.  Even moving a small rock across the ground is more than any of us can do.  But!  There is a way to unlock more power.  It has to do with triangulation.”

“Triangulation?”

“A sort of link created between a group of people.  A group that consists of three – no more, no less.  The strength of each person is not just summed up, but exponentially
multiplied
to give the group enough power to manipulate connections of any kind.  Of course, two people in the group have to cede control to the third, and that’s sometimes problematic.”

“How come?”

“Oh, that’s way beyond me.  Anyway, this isn’t something I really want to talk about much longer.  It just makes me realize how much more I’m going to miss it.”  She glanced over her shoulder.  “Come on! Food’s finally ready.  It’s been a long night for all of us.  I can only imagine what it was like for you.”

Chapter Nineteen – An Unexpected Visitor

I walked with Ashley to the cooking fire.  My legs were still a little unsteady, so I had to be careful to avoid falling flat on my face.  The three other girls were all seated around the fire.  None of them looked like they’d slept a wink.

Liz smiled when she saw me.  “How are you feeling?”

“Better than last night.”

“A little more at ease with what you learned?”

“Maybe.” 

I picked up a lone blanket that was draped over a seat and wrapped it around myself.  It wasn’t cold, but somehow being wrapped up made me feel safer.

“Don’t you want to know what happened last night?” Eve asked, biting off a piece of meat.  It was completely indistinguishable.  More chunks of it were hanging over the fire.

“What do you mean?  And what are you eating?”

“Rabbit,” Madison replied, and made a face.  “Not for me, though.  I’m vegetarian.”

The surprises just kept coming with these girls.  “Where’d you find rabbit?”

“Oh, they’re all over these woods,” Liz answered.  “
Catching
them is the tricky part, but using the crystals makes it a breeze.”

“And then you just…
kill
them?  Yourselves?”  I didn’t have a problem with eating meat, but that was when it was packaged and prepared a long way away from me.  Killing an animal with my bare hands felt dirty.

“It’s not as bad as you think.  If you use a crystal and direct enough energy toward it, the little critters pass out.  They don’t feel any pain.”

“Oh.”  For some reason, it didn’t make me feel any better.

“You want some?”

“Not really.”  I looked at Eve.  “What do you mean about last night?”

“After you ran away,” Eve said plainly.  “Before we found you.”

“I tripped and hit my head against a rock,” I said.  “I remember that.”

“Not
that
.  What was it that made you trip?  You didn’t experience anything peculiar, did you?”

“Actually, I did.”  I remembered how the air around me seemed to
shift
out of nowhere.  “It felt like reality were continuously rearranging itself.”

“That’s what I mean,” Eve said, biting again into the rabbit.  “Let me guess: you saw distortions?”

“I – yeah, how’d you know?”

“That’s why we didn’t want to let you go,” Liz said.  “You weren’t over the after-sickness yet, and there was a threat of a relapse.  That’s what happened.”

“Oh.” 

Using the crystals seemed to cause no end of problems.  I stared out into space, thinking.  So much had happened to me in the past week.  I needed time to work through it all—especially after the revelation with the crystals.  The other girls, maybe sensing my mood, ate their meal in silence.  After a few minutes, Liz spoke up.

“So, I’ll bet you have a hundred questions for us, don’t you?”

“Actually, Ashley explained a lot.”

“Oh.”  Liz shot Ashley a look.  “Well, if there’s anything you want to know…”

“Why me?” I asked.  “Why did you have to show
me
everything?  Couldn’t you just have left me alone?”

“Your latent ability would have come out sooner or later.  Better that it happened under our guidance.”

“Your
guidance
?” I asked incredulously.  “I was nearly killed, passed out twice, and somehow, apparently, nearly killed Ashley!”

“And, yet, you’re still here,” Liz said.  “As are the rest of us.”

“And the way you kept me in the dark about what was happening when you brought me here?  You call
that
guidance?”

“A disagreement within the group,” Liz said simply.  “Things have been patched over since.”

“I’d hope so!”  It was scary thinking what these crystals could do.  And what the
girls
wanted to do with them.  I didn’t know exactly what that was.  However, Ashley had given me enough of a hint for me to know I wanted no part of it.  Especially if it meant more of the after-sickness.  And potentially finding myself again in the horrible void!  It was too dangerous.  “Are there others on the island, then, who are part of the group?  Your other friends?  Zoe, and those girls?”

“No,” Liz shook her head.  “We are the only ones who are a part of the crystal seekers.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“Of course not!  This is something that stays between us, forever.”

“Well,” I said, slowly getting up, “I appreciate you showing me everything.  But, I think it’s time for me to go…”  I took a few steps back, and was surprised when nobody stopped me.  “What’s the way back to the lake?”

“Madison can show you,” Liz said, and Madison popped up. 

“I need to get some food, anyway,” she confided as she walked up to me.

“Err… thanks,” I said.  After all the trouble from last night, they were just going to let me walk away now?  Not that I was complaining.  But it was an odd contrast in their behavior.

Madison started leading the way, and I followed.  Before we’d gotten ten steps from the fire, though, Liz called out to us.

“Tracy?”

I turned back.  “Yes?”

“You’re free to go now, of course, since you’re safe from the after-sickness.  But I need to ensure that you keep what you learned from us a secret.”

“Of course,” I said hastily.

“I need you to swear on it.”

“I swear.”

“An oath, Tracy, sworn on the crystal itself.”

I frowned.  I’d never given an oath before.  But if it was enough for her to let me go… “Sure.  What do I say?”

Liz walked over to me, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a tiny wadded up piece of silver cloth.  The fabric seemed to reflect the light.  She drew it open carefully, and inside I saw three perfectly shaped crystals.  Even though they were each identical, I could tell immediately which the one I had used was. 

“Pick your crystal up, place it in the palm of your hand, and swear onto it that you will not speak a word of what you’ve learned to anyone, save for us.”

“But how do I know which one’s mine?” I asked, pretending ignorance.  Liz gave me such a look that I felt sorry I even tried.  I picked the one that called out to me.

“Put it in the palm of your hand,” she repeated, “and say the words after me:  I, Tracy Bachman, swear by the power of the crystal to never speak of the crystals, their power, or their existence to anyone save Liz, Madison, Eve, and Ashley, and any other future member admitted to the Council of the Crystal Seekers.”

The
Council
of the Crystal Seekers?  She had quite a high opinion of the little group.  But then again, I could appreciate that it gave a higher sense of importance to what they were doing.  I placed the crystal in my hand, and repeated the words as Liz spoke them.

When the last word left my lips, the most extraordinary thing happened.  I felt a sudden tightness of breath, as if an invisible constraint was being woven around my chest.  The tightness expanded, radiating from my center, until it enveloped my entire body.  My skin felt like it was being drawn tightly over my body.  A heaviness crept into my bones.  I tried to move.  Again I was stuck, just like the time in the blue light.  This time, though, there was no light, and there was no other active crystal.

I gave a little gasp, and the feeling was gone.  I could feel the crystal in my hand.  It felt
heavier
.  Before I could look at it any closer, Liz snatched it from my palm and had it back in that little piece of cloth.

“Very good,” she said with a smile.  “A crystal oath can never be broken.”

“What was
that
?” I could still imagine the tightness around me, like it had never gone away.

“The oath settling onto you,” Liz answered breezily.  “Don’t worry.  It won’t do you any harm!  All of us had to take it.  It just makes sure that you stay true to your word.”

“And what happens if I don’t?  Accidentally, I mean…”

“The power of the crystal prevents that.  Even if you wanted to – if your life depended on it – you wouldn’t be able break the promise you just made.  You can give it a try, if you want, when you’re with somebody else.  But know in advance that the after-effects of doing so are… unpleasant, at best.”  She spun around.  “Anyway, as soon as you want to talk, you know where to find me – and the rest of us.”

“What gives you the idea I’ll want to talk – ?”

“Trust me,” she said. “Sooner or later, curiosity will get the better of you.”

Not if I can help it
, I thought to myself.  “We’ll see.”

“I’ll see you later, Tracy.”

“Bye, Liz.”

“Ready to go?” Madison asked cheerfully as I walked up beside her.

“Definitely.  Can I ask you something, Madison?”

“Sure.”

“How did you take it when you found out
you
could do… all this?”

“I was thrilled,” she said genuinely.  “Of course, I wasn’t like you by any means.  I had to train myself to read the crystals and sense their auras.  I had it in me, of course.  Otherwise, no amount of training could have worked.  But, it was still hard.  I’m jealous, to be honest.  You’re like, one in a million.  Without any effort, you can already do more than any of us – and we’ve been working on it for years.  Only Liz had the natural ability within her.  That was how she discovered everything.”