Exiled: Kenly's Story (A Talented Novel) (11 page)

I still wasn’t convinced that going with
them was a good idea. And I wasn’t overly pleased with Willa. But I
was tired of being alone. I missed my friends from school. I missed
being around other Talents. I missed belonging.

With all eight eyes on me, I finally agreed,
albeit reluctantly. “Okay,” I said. “I guess you know where my
hostel is?”

“
That I do.” Willa’s wide
grin at my acquiescence turned sheepish. But she was still
obviously delighted I’d agreed.

OUTSIDE THE GIRAFFE, our group parted ways.
Despite the arrangement being Riley’s idea, he was apprehensive
about Willa and James going off alone. Reminding them of the
dangers we’d already encountered that night, he made them promise
to hurry.

It seemed a tad dramatic, considering both
the run-in with Jaylen Monroe and the thugs on the street had
turned out just fine. Then again, who was I to lecture people about
being paranoid? If Talents really were being hunted here in London,
by both Poachers and street gangs, then being paranoid might be all
that had kept my new friends alive so far.

The Barracks turned out to be the name of
the apartment building where Riley, James, and Honora lived. On the
walk over, Honora explained that the apartment building had housed
the troops brought to keep order in the city after The Great
Contamination. When the soldiers left, a slumlord bought the place.
After a minimal facelift, he’d rented out the flats to people that
other landlords wouldn’t rent to. It wasn’t cheap, but between the
three of them they were able to make ends meet by working odd jobs.
I wondered where their families were in all of this, but asking
when we’d only just met felt intrusive.

The Barracks weren’t far from the Giraffe,
but we took a long, roundabout way just in case we were being
watched. By the time we finally arrived, Willa and James were
already back. James had my duffle bag slung over one shoulder, my
meager wardrobe, bootleg communicator, and rain boots stuffed
inside. Seeing the large, angry guy carrying the paisley bag almost
made me laugh.

My humor was tempered by the visible relief
that filled Riley’s face when he saw them both. He’d clearly been
even more worried than he let on. If he was that scared for the two
of them to be out, even together and covering such a short
distance…I’d been in grave danger every single night I ventured out
alone. The thought was sobering.

The flat was, as promised, not much. The
sole bathroom was immediately to the right of the front door. A
quick peek as we passed by revealed a toilet and sink in an outer
room, and a shower stall tucked behind a second, partially open,
door.

Beyond the bathroom was a galley-style
kitchen with a two-burner hot plate instead of a real stove. The
refrigerator was the same size we’d had in our dorm room at
school—tiny. It sat atop a cracked marble countertop that had
probably once been beautiful.

Next to the kitchen was a small space that
served as the trio’s main living area, dominated by a lumpy futon.
Against the opposite wall sat two chairs, which looked suspiciously
like car seats from the front of a road vehicle. Two thin windows
broke up the far left wall. Both were covered with dark blue
curtains that seemed too heavy next to the flimsy furniture.

“
Welcome to our humble
home,” Riley said, sweeping into a ridiculous bow in front of
me.

“
It’s, um…homey,” I
muttered.

“
Homey? Is that American
for blindingly brilliant?” asked Riley.

“
It means homely,” supplied
James.

“
Well yes, it’s right
homely. Plus, the other tenants in the block of flats don’t ask
questions, making it right perfect for laying low,” Riley
continued, undeterred by my underwhelmed response. “You’ll be
sharing Honora’s room.” He pointed to one of two doors off the
living room. “James and I are in the other.” His next question was
directed towards Willa. “Staying the night, love?”

“
I was planning on it.”
Willa gave Riley a dazzling smile and it occurred to me that ‘love’
wasn’t just a term of endearment that he threw around lightly. I
nearly kicked myself for being so blind. How did I missed it
before? I tried to think back on the events of the evening. The two
hadn’t been affectionate, no touching, no PDA. Now, though, Riley
brushed the backs of his fingers down Willa’s cheeks and she kissed
his knuckles. Did they purposely hide their relationship in public?
Regardless, my powers of observation were clearly not as keen as
I’d thought. I should’ve noticed
something
….

Honora’s hand on my arm startled me. She’d
just been five feet away, then suddenly she was right next to me.
Either I was distracted, or Honora was stealthier than I gave her
credit for. Of the four, I’d assessed her as the weakest link.
Though I still believed that, it spoke more to the strength of the
other four than her being weak at all.

“
You’re soaked, Kenly. Why
don’t I show you our room and you can change clothes?” she
offered.

“
That would be great.
Thanks, Honora,” I said, genuinely meaning my words.

I turned to James and held out my hand.
“Thank you for getting my things, I appreciate it.”

He grunted a reply and handed over the bag.
I was about to say goodnight to Willa, and thank her as well, but
she was already heading to the door Riley had indicated as my new
room.

The bedroom was barely large enough for the
three of us. Bunk beds were pushed against the left wall. Four
shelves jutted from the right one, all holding sloppily folded
pants and shirts. The space between the edges of the shelves and
the beds couldn’t have been more than three feet. There was no
closet and no window.

Thank goodness I’m not
claustrophobic
, I thought.

“
The bottom bunk is mine,”
Honora said. “Top is all yours, unless you’d prefer the other. The
sheets are freshly washed. We haven’t had a guest in a
while.”

Willa ducked her head and took a seat on
Honora’s bed.

At school, I’d shared a room with Alana, so
changing in front of others was nothing new for me. Hoping they
were as comfortable with my lack of modesty, I shed my wet jeans,
dripping sweatshirt, and smelly tank. Taking care to spread out the
items the best I could, I laid them on the small patch of worn
carpet. While rifling in my bag for dry clothes, I discreetly
checked the pockets of the jeans tucked in the bottom of the bag. I
had to make sure the dwindling wad of Globes—the paltry sum was all
I had left to my name—was still there. Thankfully, it was. Not that
I didn’t trust Willa and James, but…I sort of didn’t. It wasn’t
personal; it had nothing to do with them, even after learning that
Willa had been less than forthcoming these last few weeks. Simply
put: I didn’t trust anyone.

My Globes secure, I faced the wall and
stripped the rest of the way down. I pulled on green and white
polka-dot pajama bottoms and a matching tee, both purchased from a
goodwill here in London. Though, initially, the thought of wearing
someone else’s castoffs had grossed me out, I’d quickly come to
realize that used clothing was much better than no clothing.

“
Willa, why didn’t you tell
me about the Monroes earlier today, when they came into the
Giraffe?” I asked, trying to keep accusation out of my question.
Slowly, I turned to face her.

Willa’s hazel eyes didn’t meet mine. They
darted to find Honora, who was midway through exchanging her wet
jeans for dry sleep shorts. Honora froze, dark eyes flashing from
me to Willa. The two girls exchanged a look that I’d seen several
times tonight. A look I was starting to despise.

“
I didn’t want to give you
a fright, is all.” Willa sighed. “I reckon they came by just to
rile us up a bit. They do that sometimes, you know. Come into the
Giraffe to remind Granddad and me that they’re out there. It’s not
just them, either. Members of the other Poacher groups do it, too.
Was right bad luck they came in when Riley, James, and Honora were
there, too. James hates the twins more than any of the other
Poachers.”

“
Don’t you think warning me
about who and what they were would have been better than, you
know…not? Either when we met, or, I don’t know, maybe any time I’d
been in the Giraffe between then and today? Hell, even earlier when
they were there. I don’t scare easily,” I snapped.

The news about the Poachers had mostly
numbed me, only disgust had crept its way into my thoughts. Since
my new roommates had dropped the bombshell about the Poachers, the
new threat had completely occupied my mind, leaving little room for
emotion. Until now. Now, I was pissed. Extremely pissed. At
Willa.

“
No, I imagine you don’t,”
Willa said softly. “I’m sorry, Kenly. I truly am.”

Some of my anger faded. It was hard to be
upset with her when she looked so contrite.

“
It’s all so very
complicated right now. More so than usual, and…” Willa trailed off
and looked to Honora for help.

“
And it doesn’t matter now.
You’re safe. The Monroe’s won’t come after you now that Jaylen’s
seen you with us,” Honora assured me with a smile that didn’t reach
her dark eyes.

There was something that she, and the rest
of them, weren’t telling me. I could have pressed the issue. But I
had secrets of my own that I wasn’t ready to share. The Poachers
weren’t my biggest worry right now. Yeah, if they captured me, I’d
be in a world of trouble. It also wasn’t going to happen. I was
strong, fast, Talented, Created. A group comprised mostly of
ordinary humans was no match for me. UNITED was still my principle
threat, with their advance weaponry and super agents, like Talia
and her boyfriend. Untrained Talents like Willa and the others were
no match for such a powerful organization. They couldn’t protect me
from UNITED.

No matter what Honora and the others said, I
wasn’t safe here. And now, neither were they.

AS EXHAUSTED AS I was, I still had trouble
finding sleep. The apartment was dark, and everyone had grown
quiet. Still, the sandman evaded me. So much had happened today, so
many things that changed my world. From Alana’s foolish mission
this morning, to her capture and the Councilwoman’s victory speech.
From Talia’s smug expression as she looked on, to Alana and her
group on stage, broken. From being chased by a mystery boy, to his
appearance in the alleyway. From the arrival of Riley and his
group, come to save me, to learning that people here in London
bought and sold Talents like cattle. From learning of Willa’s
lying, and her deceit, and the street gangs…. It was all too
much.

As my anger grew, so did my anxiety. Without
warning, a tingling feeling began in my fingers and toes. The
familiar sensation grew, crawling up to encompass my arms and legs,
and moving steadily towards my torso. It swept over my skin,
encircling my entire body like a cloak. I knew I was no longer
visible to the naked eye. Thinking of everything that’d happened
today was causing my pulse to spike and my control to slip. I lost
myself in the swelling tide, allowing it to carry me away.

Light Manipulation wasn’t the only gift
Director McDonough had given me. In addition to invisibility—and
immensely boosting the analytical and telekinetic Talents I was
born with—I was one of an exceptionally lucky few who’d received a
rare and extraordinary Talent: A Visionary’s. I was honored that
he’d chosen me for such a remarkable power. I now possessed the
ability to see the future.

Well, theoretically, anyway. Unlike
invisibility, which I could summon on command, future-gazing was
unpredictable. In fact, I had yet to have a true Vision.