Jaden Baker (20 page)

He hit so hard it hurt his knuckles and Alan showed no sign of discomfort.

“I knew you needed to blow off some steam,” Alan said, grinning.

Jaden’s shoulders dropped but he felt his fists tighten. “Blow off steam. Yeah. Being locked in a cement building underground for, how long have I been down here? Three months? Four? Well, it does bring on the cabin fever. Keeping a child captive. Are you proud of yourself?”

The boyish grin slid from Alan’s face and he looked at his toes.

Jaden might have just sabotaged his only chance of getting out of here. But Alan’s attitude that everything was grand, and all Jaden needed was a little exercise, pissed him off. Did it occur to no one here that they were sick criminals?

“I don’t think it’s fair, either,” Alan said finally. “But it’s for the best.”

“How long have I been down here?” Jaden asked.

Alan looked away and shrugged, then glanced at the door like he wanted to leave. “We’re not allowed to say,” he said, twisting his fingers in his hands, now staring at the door, as if he regretted coming through it.

“Why not? Is it day or night? Where am I? Who’s behind all this? What does Dalton actually do? Where is he now?” Jaden asked, his voice rising in pitch with each question asked.

Alan took two timid steps toward the door, when Jaden trod in front of him, holding up his hands, blocking the way. “Tell me,” Jaden pleaded. “You have to tell me something, damn it!”

“No, I’m not allowed.” Alan tried sidestepping, but Jaden blocked him. “I have to leave now, and you have to have dinner.”

Jaden spread his arms and legs to cover as much of the door as possible. “I have to know what’s going on here.”

“Please move aside.”

Jaden shook his head, but Alan was done asking. Even though Jaden kicked and punched, all boxing basics forgotten, Alan easily removed him from the door, lightly tossed him into the room, where Jaden fell onto the padded floor rear first. Alan was gone before Jaden could right himself.

Though he knew it was no use, Jaden slammed his body into the door and pounded it with his fists. All his pent up rage exploded out of him as he hit the door. He howled and attacked his own reflection, berating the people behind the glass with insults.

They were out there, he was in here. Yelling and pounding was a futile attempt.

He sunk to the floor and hit his head on the wall. Would Alan come back after that, or had Jaden just ruined his only chance at escape?

He took the tray and sat in his corner, the bed between him and the mirror, so he could eat in private. He didn’t care that his food was cold. New thoughts weighed on his mind. Alan had paused. He had doubts about his career choice. Maybe that was why he came, to help Jaden one day break free. Teach him to fight. Or, like Jaden, Alan was bored. There was no point getting his hopes up, but he couldn’t help it. Alan was troubled by this whole ordeal. Then Jaden had berated him with questions. Two steps backward.

The initial fact didn’t change: Alan had taken pity on him. Maybe desperation would help in the long run, show Alan how frustrating it was to be a prisoner. Only time would tell.

He held his plastic fork at eye level, then removed his hand—the fork hovered. It was effortless now. Dalton thought he needed more time, Jaden knew he was ahead of schedule. Smart man, Dalton. PK was a miraculous gift. A dangerous one.

All humans were flawed, Dalton was no different. Intelligent though he may be, Dalton was also simple, and trusting in a foolish way. One day he would make a mistake. He’d forget something, he would slip up. And Jaden would be ready.

When Dalton returned, he offered no explanation for his period of absence. Jaden didn’t ask, either, sure that if he did, Dalton would derive some kind of pleasure from being missed. Jaden hadn’t missed Dalton, but boredom was never fun.

Levitations began, and Jaden did his best to demonstrate how much of an effort it was to keep things suspended in air. Dalton believed him too, and apparently the brain scans did not betray the lie. After a few days, he levitated a ball perfectly and Dalton was ready to move on. Jaden hoped multiple objects would come soon, it’s what he wanted to try the most, so he was pleased when Dalton brought a box of tennis balls into test room two the next day, dumping them on the floor.

The exercise proved difficult, and Jaden had no reason to pretend he struggled. Keeping his focus on more than one object was indeed challenging. By day’s end he managed to keep two balls suspended at once, but could make them do nothing else. He made little progress over the next few days, despite his real desire to learn. Controlling multiple objects simultaneously would greatly empower him. After what seemed like weeks, his progress was still only inching along.

There was no need to fake his emotion: Jaden was frustrated.

“You’re doing fine,” Dalton said, offering reassurance. “You’ve just plateaued. We have to keep practicing. I’ll leave a few balls in your room to practice with while I’m gone.”

Jaden, who had only been half-listening, jerked his head around so quickly he strained it.

“Where’re you going?” he asked.

Dalton laughed. “Somewhere.”

“Oh, somewhere. That explains everything,” Jaden said. “Thanks.”

Dalton turned his grin into a fast frown. “Something bothering you?”

“God no.” Jaden lift a tennis ball and caught it in his hand. “I can’t think of anything that could possibly bother me. I mean, this is like a vacation. I never want it to end.”

Dalton inclined his head. “You know I’m not a fan of your sarcasm.”

“Well, you know I’m not a fan of you keeping me prisoner. So it’s a crap deal all around, isn’t it?” Jaden bounced the ball against the wall and summoned it back to him using PK, since the soft wall didn’t allow the ball to bounce back on its own.

“You’re not a prisoner.”

“What would you call it?” Jaden growled, the ball zooming around his fist now. “A science experiment? Test subject? I’d love to hear it.”

“You’re a research project, that’s the most I can say.”

“Oh yeah, that’s much different than a prisoner. I guess the difference is I didn’t do anything wrong, and a prisoner did. Right?”

Dalton didn’t answer. He picked up the empty cardboard box. Jaden thought of several crude jokes he could have made, but thought better of it. He wanted a favor from Dalton.

“How long will you be gone?” Jaden asked.

“Pick them up and put them in the box,” Dalton said, jiggling it.

“Certainly,” Jaden said and balls popped up from the floor one at a time, like fish jumping out of a lake, and landed with a hollow bounce into the box until it was full. Jaden grasped one in his hand and dropped it in. “How long?” he asked.

“Not long.”

“Not like last time?”

Dalton chuckled. “I thought you’d appreciate the break.”

“Yes, I did enjoy the relaxing time. Spent a few hours gardening in my backyard.” Jaden did not mention his training session with Alan. That was his secret.

“I’m glad,” Dalton said.

“The thing is,” Jaden pressed on, “I’ve got nothing to do. I should be enrolled in the fourth grade, but instead I’m you’re ‘research project.’ What should I do when I’m here and you’re not?”

Dalton walked to the door and Jaden followed.

“I’m not sure,” he answered.

Dalton escorted Jaden back to his cell and tossed him three balls. Jaden was glad it wasn’t two, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his jokes to himself.

“Look,” Jaden started, making his voice serious. “I’ve done everything you’ve wanted. I’ve let you scan my head, I haven’t cussed at you, I’m not kicking and screaming every time you come to take me away, and I’m not fighting any of the handlers. I’ve made this easy for you, haven’t I? I’ve kept my promise.”

Dalton sighed and nodded. “You have been better.”

“This is a nightmare for me,” Jaden said. “I hate it here. The only thing I have to do are stupid exercises. Give me something else to do. Let me outside!”

Dalton shook his head emphatically. “I can’t let you, it’s too dangerous.”

“That’s crazy! I’ve spent days and nights outside I can handle—”

“Not dangerous for you. Dangerous for everyone else,” Dalton said.

Jaden thought that was a load of dog crap, just like the first time he’d heard it, but he didn’t press the issue. “Fine,” he said, crossing his arms. Jaden knew exactly what he wanted, but Dalton had to come up with the idea himself, otherwise Jaden would never get it.

“I’m bored in here,” Jaden said. “You want my mind to rot?”

Dalton nodded at him. “I can bring you some books.”

Win.

“I’d prefer going outside.”

“If I give you books, Jaden, you have to keep up this good behavior and less mouthing off. If you misbehave I take the books away.”

Misbehave? Jaden had been the model prisoner since he pretty much got here, aside for the first week or two. Dalton hadn’t used the collar on Jaden in ages, and he hadn’t been restrained in what had to be months. He’d wanted to punch Dalton’s lights out, but kept himself under control, remembering his own rules. He should be given a medal, not an admonishment.

“Okay,” Jaden said. “I’ll take them.”

And, keeping with his promise, a large box of books was delivered in place of Dalton. Jaden concealed his excitement as Martin dropped off the box and left, glowering the whole time. Apparently Martin still held a grudge. Jaden grabbed a book at random, sat on his bed, and read until he finished it. He missed the thrill of a book, the world it opened, the characters that danced off the page. These books were his level of reading, too. Some were brand new, others gently used. Dalton had probably sent someone to a book store.

It was in his seventh book, a used one, that he found something. He was closing it, flipping through the pages, a tribute to the story and a thank you for what it gave him, when he glanced a name scribbled on the inside cover.

Jaden opened the book and stared.

Molly.

This had been Molly’s book. A girl, probably his age, read the same story. It was a peculiar feeling looking at that name. This girl, whoever or wherever she was, shared something with him and she didn’t know it.

Molly took great joy writing her name. She had big looping Ls and curled the tail of her Y twice. Jaden traced his finger over the name written with whimsy, feeling the slight indentation on the M. Molly. Molly who, he wondered. Where did she live? What did she look like?

He wasn’t sure why he was so interested in the name. After staring at it for a lifetime, Jaden shut the book and returned it to the stack, sure Molly gave the book to a used bookstore. She was a random event.

He chose a new book and began reading, then checked the inside cover, just in case. There was no name written there, and he was a little dispirited. He read on anyway, thinking occasionally of the girl with the curly Y.

To his surprise, Alan practiced boxing with Jaden while Dalton was away. He came into Jaden’s cell to bring dinner one night, and made the offer to practice. Not wanting to spoil his chances, Jaden agreed and didn’t ask any questions. Like everything else, Jaden would have to be patient. Alan would come around in time, he was already on his way. Jaden couldn’t afford to scare him off. Anyway, he was glad for a chance to get his blood moving and happily participated.

Alan taught him the different punches he should practice, and Jaden was delighted to see Alan brought hand bags with him, so Jaden could jab, strike and kick at something other than the unrelenting wall. By the end of the hour session, Jaden was exhausted, bent over and breathing hard. Alan had made him walk the room doing a combination of kicks and punches.

“It’s normal to be winded when you first start. You haven’t exercised properly in months,” Alan said, confirming Jaden’s time suspicion.

Jaden didn’t react to Alan’s slip, hoping he would make more.

“Does Dalton,” he breathed, “know you’re,” breathe “here” big breath, “doing this with me?”

Alan’s eyes shifted around the room. “Not exactly.”

Uh huh. Jaden wasn’t sure if he should milk this situation now, or hold off. If Alan did this without Dalton’s knowledge, what else would he do?

“I just think you should get to work out a bit, you know? Get those endorphins going,” Alan said, looking uncomfortable.

“What’re endorphins?” Jaden asked, steering the subject away from Dalton. Patience, patience, patience. He downed the glass of juice and went to refill it with water from his bathroom sink.

“Brain chemicals. They make you happy,” Alan said. He smiled nervously.

Jaden gulped water and leaned against the entryway of the bathroom, watching Alan, who was twitching and moving funny. It was going to take a lot more endorphins to make Jaden happy, but Alan had given a clue about himself, and probably regretted it.

“Oh,” Jaden said, then kept quiet. He wanted Alan to return, so he didn’t press him for more information. Alan knew a lot about fighting, and Jaden suspected Alan was here because of it.

“I should go now,” Alan said. “You have your dinner.”

“Okay,” Jaden said, then picked up his plastic fork and started on his massive bowl of pasta. It was cold again, but he didn’t mind. Once Alan left, Jaden summoned a book to him, and, not wanting to get sauce on it, held it out in front of him, suspended in the air. PK had its benefits.