Corinne (Book One of The Red Diamond Saga) (13 page)

Aaron had pretended to be asleep as Daniel stormed past him on the couch and out of the apartment. He sat up slowly and glanced toward Corinne's room. He did not understand her relationship with Daniel, or really any relationship. All he knew was that Daniel was very important to Corinne. When he knocked softly on the door, he could hear Corinne moving around in her room. She opened the door, fully dressed, her expression stoic.

“We have work to do.” She declared and avoided Aaron's intrusive gaze. Lisa woke up on her couch and offered breakfast, but Corinne shook her head firmly.

“Just grab something. A little boy needs our help, and I am sure he is not getting to eat breakfast today.”

“What little boy?” Aaron asked as he began to pull on a loose t-shirt that Daniel had supplied him. Corinne knew it well. For a moment her resolve faltered as she wished she could simply run to Daniel, confess everything and make everything perfect again. She forced her mind to focus on Kyle instead. She shared the details of her dream with Aaron and Lisa as they finished getting ready for their day.

“How do you think we can find him?” Lisa asked. “There are many different woods around here.”

Corinne shrugged. “I say we start from the one closest to his house and work our way out from there. It is likely that they did not travel far.”

As they left the apartment Lisa grabbed Corinne's arm and looked up at her with genuine concern. “Corinne, what do you think will happen to Kyle if we cannot find him?”

Corinne studied Lisa for a moment, but she could not bring herself to answer her. She had felt in the dream exactly what was going to happen to him, and what had happened to many other children before him.

Corinne parked a few blocks away from the house. She did not want to risk running into Daniel or another police officer. She held the image of the little boy in her mind and hoped that something else would surface that might lead her to where he was being held. All she could see was the woods. It was an underground bunker of some kind, that she was certain of.

“Kyle.” She murmured into the air around her. “Kyle, please tell me where you are.” Lisa and Aaron were pouring over a map of the area and circling wooded spots that might be locations of the bunker. None of them noticed the woman approaching them, until her hands were on Corinne's shoulders, forcing her attention.

“Why are you saying my son's name?” She demanded, her hands tightening their grasp on Corinne's shoulders. “Tell me now, why?! Do you have him?”

When Corinne's eyes sprung open, not only was she being glared at by Kyle's mother, but behind her was Daniel in full uniform, his face pale with a mixture of fury and confusion.

“Corinne what are you doing here?” He asked with authority.

“I was just trying to help.” She said nervously as she tried to wriggle out of the woman's grasp. When Kyle's mother met her eyes directly, she was suddenly thrown into a different world. Here she was a little boy being pushed on the swing by a doting mother. She could feel how much she as Kyle, adored her.

“I don't understand, how could you help?” Daniel questioned, but his voice drifted to her from a distance.

“Where are you?” She muttered beneath her breath as her mind flipped through Kyle's memories. She suddenly saw an image of him in a Boy Scout uniform. He and several other boys were huddled around a small fire. There were tents around them. They were camping in the woods.

She drew a sharp breath as her senses belonged to her once more. She reached up and grasped the woman's hands. Gently she drew them off of her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.

“Where did he go camping?” She asked desperately. “With the Boy Scouts, where did they go camping?”

Daniel was silenced by the tone of Corinne's voice. He could tell that she was passionate about whatever it was she was doing. He did not understand it and he did not like that it involved the mother of his kidnapping victim, but he was willing to let it play out.

“The state park.” She said with widened eyes, as she was surprised that Corinne would ask such a question. “It's about an hour from here.”

Corinne swung her gaze toward Daniel as Aaron and Lisa found the park on their map. “He's there!” She said with certainty. “Kyle's in the state park.”

His mother gasped as she heard Corinne's words. She was running back to her house when Daniel stepped in front of Corinne and scrutinized her.

“What are you talking about Corinne? Do you realize you are interfering in a police investigation?”

Corinne nodded shakily. She licked her lips and tentatively reached out to touch his folded arms.

“Daniel, I can't explain everything now. If you ever trusted me at all, trust me about this.”

Daniel was swayed by her touch. He was swayed by her presence, by her scent. He was intoxicated by Corinne without her having to manipulate his energy or control him in any way.

“You are going to explain all of it to me.” He said without leaving room for any doubt. He ran after the woman, and left Corinne, Aaron and Lisa behind.

“We have to get there first.” Aaron said firmly. “If the police block off the park, we won't be able to find Kyle.”

Corinne nodded, though she was still shuddering from her encounter with Kyle's mother. She knew if she did not get to Kyle in time, all of the love she had felt between the two of them, love that she had never been given the chance to experience herself would transform into torturous grief. She could not let that happen.

She drove as fast as she could, led by Lisa's calm navigation that found them back roads to avoid the traffic. It took Daniel some convincing to get the lead investigator to agree to search the state park. If it were not for the pressure of Kyle's mother it probably would not have happened. When she told the lead investigator about Corinne's prediction, the older man rolled his eyes with impatience. He knew that the crazies would come out some time.

“So you want us to waste our time on some psychic's vision?” He asked both of them with a shake of his head. Daniel had not thought of it that way before. Was that what Corinne was hiding from him? She had dreamed about Kyle and then come up with a location where he might be being held. When that notion clicked, he recalled her description of the powers that Conner and Aaron had displayed when she was being held captive by them.

He recalled how he had ended up sitting in his car when his intention had been to stay by Corinne's side. To this day he could not figure out how that had happened. When the investigator finally agreed to shift some of their resources to the park, Daniel was too lost in his own thoughts to even be relieved. Was it possible that Corinne and her family really did posses some kind of supernatural powers?

Corinne pulled her car into a parking space at the state park and immediately closed her eyes. She held an image of Kyle in her mind. Lisa quietly pointed out that the state park was huge, and it would be impossible to walk the entire length of the woods. Aaron shushed her, and let Corinne concentrate on trying to pick up Kyle's location.

Instead, she was overwhelmed by a horrible sensation. She felt sickened by a sense of cold detachment. Images of children fluttered through her mind, but they were not like children to her. They were like cattle, there to make her a profit. Her stomach lurched as she felt a rush of greed run through her. She no longer cared what happened to Kyle as long as he brought a good price.

It made her skin crawl to feel such a way, and yet it seemed natural at the same time. She was certain that those who were holding Kyle were hardened criminals. They would not think twice about harming him if they needed to.

“We have to find him fast.” She said as she began to move toward the emanation of dark emotion. Lisa and Aaron followed close behind her. They did not find Corinne's abilities strange. They had grown up with their own, and it had been normal for them. Aaron could not understand why Corinne would not just tell Daniel the truth, to him; it seemed the same as telling someone he had a talent for art or music.

It was a part of their natural makeup to have intuition, to be able to compel their bodies to serve as a tool for them, rather than a limitation. However, he was beginning to learn that in Corinne's world, people did not consider their instincts an asset. They did not trust themselves and often relied on the acceptance and approval of others to validate their choices. It was very strange to him, but no matter the confusion it caused him, it was worth it, to be free.

Corinne moved through the woods without hesitation. She did not hear the sirens as police cars approached. They brought dogs with them to search the woods, but Corinne was already following her own version of a scent.

The deeper she moved into the woods the more intense the sensation of possession she felt. The men that were holding Kyle owned him. She searched for Kyle, but she could not feel him through the cloud of darkness that grew thicker the further she went.

Lisa was analyzing their location in her mind as she considered the potential best locations for a bunker. Aaron was distracted by the beauty of the woods. He had spent a lot of time in nature since being set free, and he still savored every aspect of it.

Corinne stopped in the middle of a small clearing. There was nothing special about the place. In the distance they could hear officers shouting and dogs barking on and off.

“This is it.” Corinne said firmly as she finally felt Kyle's emotions wash over her. He was so frightened and desperate that she wished she could shut off the sensations. Her own heart raced as fast as Kyle's was beating. Her body shivered with fear, and also with the cold temperature of where he was being held.

She could smell the scent of dirt again, and taste blood in her mouth. They had already hurt him. It crossed Corinne's mind that perhaps she was feeling Kyle's emotions, but that did not mean that he was still alive. She forced the thought of her mind and glanced around the clearing. She could not see any disturbed ground. There was no sign of a hatch anywhere. Aaron and Lisa started from separate sides of the clearing and moved in slowly, searching the ground as they went.

Corinne tried to let herself be led. Unfortunately her skills were based on emotion, not on pure knowledge. She knew that she was standing right over the bunker, but had no idea how to narrow down the location of the hatch. Until a scent wafted through her memory. The scent launched her into the emotions of one of the criminals. It was his release. It helped him to relax.

“A cigarette.” She whispered. She recalled the man from her dream. She watched him crush a cigarette butt beneath his dirty boot. Corinne dropped down to her knees and began searching the ground inch by inch.

“Look for cigarettes!” She called to Aaron and Lisa who immediately dropped to the ground also. In the distance the officers were drawing closer. If they arrived before they found the hatch, they would force Corinne, Aaron, and Lisa to leave.

“Please, please.” Corinne murmured as she crawled along the ground, searching between blades of grass, leaves, and scattered rocks.

“Here!” Lisa cried out with an actual hint of joy in her voice. She held up a crushed cigarette butt, and stuck her toe exactly where it had been lying. Corinne rushed over. She ran her fingers over the ground where the butt had been found. At first all she felt was grass and leaves, then she felt the cool surface of metal beneath her fingertips. What appeared to be a root was actually a handle. Unfortunately when she tugged on it, the hatch did not budge. It must have been locked somehow, and she had no idea how to release it.

Corinne sat back on her heels as she wondered if they had been led all the way here only to be prevented from saving Kyle.

“Move back.” Aaron said sternly as he stepped up beside Corinne. Lisa and Corinne moved a safe distance from the hatch while Aaron seized the handle with both hands. He pulled hard on it, and his face grew red with the strain of it. A strange sound filled the air around them. It was the sound of metal bending and twisting.

Corinne was stunned by the strength Aaron displayed. She knew that he was very strong, but she had never seen him do something like this. At the school he had simply broken the door off of its hinges. Here, he was wrenching thick metal free of what had to be a state of the art lock. When the hatch broke off completely, Corinne knew that the criminals inside would be alerted to their presence.

She sat down in the grass beside the hatch and focused on their energy, as sick as it made her feel. She had never tried to manipulate so many at once. There were at least ten different men in the bunker. She attempted to restrain them from reacting to the hatch being pried open. Aaron started down the hatch. When Lisa moved to follow, he shook his head firmly.

“It's too dangerous.” He said sternly, exhibiting his protective nature of her.

Lisa was not impressed. She did not experience strong sensations of fear or discomfort. What she did know logically, was that if Kyle was in the bunker, he would likely be hurt, or worse. She would not wait until Aaron brought him out to help him.

“I'm going.” She said firmly. “Now hurry, the police are getting closer.” She glanced briefly at Corinne, whose eyes were shut. She was perfectly still, but Lisa knew that she was exerting just as much force and effort as Aaron had to open the hatch. Aaron frowned but did not argue further. They did not have time, and neither did Kyle.

He climbed down half of the ladder and then jumped to the ground. He was amazed by the intricacy of the bunker. It had electricity, and though the walls were packed dirt, the ceiling had been shored up with support beams.

As he stepped out of the entrance, a man stood on the other side. He glowered at Aaron as if he was ready to rip him limb from limb. Yet he did not lift a hand to him, nor did he draw the large gun he had slung over his shoulder.

Aaron knew it was because Corinne was restraining him. He moved quickly and took the man's weapon from him, expecting the whole time that he would attack. When he did not, Aaron used his own belt to lash his hands behind his back, rendering him harmless for the moment. Lisa stepped through the entrance behind him, and followed him closely as he continued down the corridor. They disarmed each guard they encountered and restrained them. Although Corinne was restraining them well, Aaron knew she could only hold such a force for so long. They needed to get to Kyle fast.

When they reached a corridor lined with steel doors, Aaron sighed. He was not sure he had the strength to open all of them, but he would try. When he pried the first off of its hinges, he hoped that Kyle would be inside.

Indeed there was a small body huddled in the back corner of the room which resembled a cave. A dirty blank was wrapped around the small frame, disguising it from view.

“Kyle?” Aaron asked shakily as Lisa rushed forward to check on the boy. When she pulled back the blanket she discovered that it was not Kyle, but instead a small girl whose breath was so shallow she could no longer even cry. Lisa laid her hands to the little girl's chest and visualized her being healthy and well. She could sense where the energy was needed and was familiar enough with anatomy to understand where she should start.

Her gift was phenomenal, but it did take time to work. Aaron left her to it and began prying the next door off of the hinges. When he rushed inside he discovered yet another child, who was at least awake and aware, but definitely not Kyle. When he carried the child out into the corridor, anxiety swept over him as he realized that each of the rooms probably contained a child. He did not think there was any way he would be able to get to them all before the police arrived, or the criminals they had restrained managed to get free.

Above the bunker, Corinne was growing exhausted. She could tell that the criminals had been restrained, but not very well. One had already gotten loose, but she was keeping him from heading for the store of weapons they had stockpiled. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that the sounds of the police approaching did not reach her. It was not until Daniel crouched down beside her that she sensed his presence.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the distraction of his hardened gaze staring at her, caused her to release her control over the criminals below.

“Daniel, Aaron and Lisa are down there.” She said quickly. She looked wildly at the other officers. What would they do if they discovered what Aaron and Lisa were doing, what Corinne was doing? Modern thought did not look kindly on anything outside the norm. She did not think that this would go well at all.

Daniel was still irritated that he did not know everything there was to know about what was happening. He wanted to know why Aaron and Lisa were in the bunker, why Corinne had been simply sitting there as if in meditation. He knew there was no time to spare for such questions, when all he really needed to understand was the terror in Corinne's eyes.

“I'll go down first.” He said sternly to the other officers. The lead investigator had stayed behind, not expecting any of this to pan out, and so Daniel was the officer in charge. The other officers knew that Daniel should not go down without back up, but they did not question him. Stanley waited until Daniel was down the ladder and out of the entrance of the hatch, then he dropped down behind him. Corinne started to go after him, but the officers blocked her from doing so.

“They can handle it Ma'am.” One of the officers said confidently. However his confidence did not reach his fear filled eyes. He had been a police officer for a long time, and he had never seen a bunker hidden in the woods before. He knew that whatever lay beneath the ground would not be good. Corinne settled back down in the grass. She was so exhausted that she did not think she could exert any more control, but she could at least follow the emotions of what was happening.

She felt Aaron's panic as he rushed from door to door, prying each one off. He was growing very weary from all of the effort, and though each room contained a child, none of them were Kyle. He had just reached the last door in the corridor, while Lisa was moving from child to child, summoning their health to return to them, when Daniel rounded the corner.

He had his weapon drawn, and he aimed it instinctively at Aaron as he spun around quickly to face Daniel. Aaron's hands flew up into the air as he saw the barrel of the gun pointed in his direction. For just a split second Daniel hesitated to lower it, then swiftly he holstered it. He glanced at Lisa who was cradling a child in her arms with her hand pressed against his chest. He observed the doors scattered on the dirt floor, seemingly torn from their hinges, and then lifted his gaze back to Aaron who was reaching for the last door.

In awe Daniel watched as Aaron peeled the door out of its frame. When Stanley showed up behind him, he turned quickly to block his view as Aaron tossed the door to the ground.

“Alert the medics, and get some back up down here.” Daniel commanded without meeting Stanley's eyes. The young officer was startled by the sight of several children, clinging close to Lisa, and the bent and twisted steel doors that were scattered on the floor of the corridor. He began to speak into his radio, his voice cracking with shock, but he did not question Daniel. Instead he moved toward the children and began lining them up to be removed from the bunker.

“Where's Kyle?” He asked as he noticed the boy was not with the other children.

“Here.” Aaron said in a voice that was thick with emotion. He carried the limp body of the eight year old boy out of the room. He could feel no pulse, no breath. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and his eyes were closed. His head lolled over the edge of Aaron's sweat covered arm. Lisa rushed over to the child, but glanced over at Stanley hesitantly. She knew that she was not supposed to use her abilities in front of others. She was okay with Daniel being close by, but she had never even met Stanley before.

“Go see what is taking the medics so long!” Daniel barked at Stanley. The rookie hesitated to leave, but with one authoritative glare from Daniel he jumped. He rushed back down the corridor. Aaron studied Daniel as Lisa laid her hands on the boy. He watched the man for any sign of reaction as Lisa attempted to heal Kyle. Daniel only stared, his features void of any expression. He was still processing what he had just seen, when Aaron pulled the steel door off of its hinges.