The Broken Destiny (15 page)

“My only intention was to protect those children; they were the third generation of The Broken. I was young and naïve to believe any of the experiments were of any good to anyone. If Nomsa’s brother succeeds with his plans…”

He stepped back from the fire and walked toward us with a painful gait. He stood towering over us, his hands resting on the table. He suddenly looked much older.

“There was talk on the ship of a unique experiment that involved the rare genetic bloodline carried by one of the original founders. This bloodline was the first one to be experimented on, but this first experiment was kept secret – for good reason.”

Kronan walked around the table, coming to a standstill beside Maya and I.

“You, Ava, carry this bloodline. You are not going through the Change your race experienced by being a broken recipe.” He smiled. “What do you think Hitler discovered? Why would he want to find Atlantis? I’ll tell you. He found ancient cave drawings in the Zulu Kingdom, drawings suggesting that a genetic recipe for super humans was locked in a vault inside the caves of Maropeng. It was an experiment that Shaka Zulu had instigated, but he had lost the battle when he was murdered. Hitler wanted to get his hands on the technology that could create the perfect race, to reproduce the weapon that had been lost.” His smile broadened. “The weapon is carried through your bloodline, Ava.” Kronan chuckled to himself quietly, tilting his head toward the sky. He was clearly enjoying a personal joke. Unbelievable anger began to well up inside me. Everything I thought I knew – was a lie. Thunder shook the walls once again. I felt my stomach rise in excitement. It had been a long time since I had heard the crash of rolling thunder and felt the ground shudder from its force.

“Atlantis had departed a long time before Hitler, Plato or Da Vinci could pinpoint its true origins. You see, Ava…” He glared at me, proud and true. “Atlantis was never just an advanced city. Where the people of Atlantis went, so did its secrets. We now know that the power required to stimulate the creation of a super human is not only within genetic material, but within the
soul
. There is hope, however. All of that wasn’t for nothing. We have been waiting for someone who has a life force that is strong, passionate and powerful enough to fulfill the prophecy. What gives it away is the bloodline.”

Everyone kept their eyes on me, except for Willard, who was looking down at the slight glimmer reflecting off the blade of his sword. Kronan took Maya’s hand and knelt down beside her.

“Maya,” he said, his eyes showing deep concern. “After my ship had crash-landed in the ocean, I thought I was the only survivor, but I found you wandering near these caves two days later. I recognized you from my ship. I guessed that someone must have carried you up here, leaving you while they went to look for help. I was the one who found you. I didn’t want to give you up as I had just lost my family. I had no idea that Troy had survived.” He hadn’t finished his explanation, but Maya jumped to her feet, freeing herself from Kronan’s grip. Enoch immediately pulled her into his arms. “That’s enough for today,” Enoch said, as he guided Maya over to the fire place and sat her down on the dense white rug.

As he held her tight, he glanced over to where I was sitting, our eyes locking for the shortest second before I looked away. For the first time, I saw something in those swirling crystal eyes that confirmed everything about why I was so attracted to him. Willard walked over to me and attempted to hug me. I shot him a scowling look.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I snapped out harshly, not wanting to give false hope to a boy who liked me a little too much.

“Quite a story to take in, isn’t it, dear?” Nomsa said, sitting down across from me, her eyes settling on Kronan, and then Maya.

“Quite,” I replied, broodingly looking down at my hands.

I felt nervous around Nomsa. I looked to where Maya was sitting next to Enoch. They sat with their legs crossed and their hands resting in Maya’s lap, their fingers laced together.
It must be nice to have a big brother
, I thought, feeling a spike of jealousy. I instantly rejected the feeling; it was uncalled for. A few moments later everyone had settled down and they were all resting in various corners of the room, their faces drawn and tired. I made my way over to where Maya was sitting. Her arms were folded across her lap and she was deep in thought.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her, sitting down beside her.

She turned to me and threw herself into my arms.

“Oh, Ava! I’m so happy!”

“Happy?” I retorted, puzzled.

“Yes, happy!”

She pulled away from me. Her eyes red, but their sparkle had returned.

“I belong,” she said. “I now know why I felt different, I now know my mother didn’t leave me, and I now know where I belong.”

Enoch cleared his throat from beside the fireplace. “You fit in just fine,” he said as he stared into the fire, its orange haze softening the hard lines of his jaw, reducing the harsh outline of his high cheekbones and big nose. His dark skin glinted in the orange hues of a steady fire; his black hair fell over his shoulder as he leaned forward and looked intently at the beads wrapped around his wrist. I pondered what he was thinking about, what troubled him so?

Nomsa walked over to us. I would never have noticed her approach if it wasn’t for Willard, whose eyes were shooting daggers in her direction.
Had everyone here had bad experiences with her kind?
I wondered. Slowly, she crouched down beside us, brown eyes searching our faces while she handed us small silver bottles. We accepted them, hesitantly.

“This will assist you with the transformation and ease the pain of the process.”

“Transformation?” My eyes bored into Nomsa as I spoke, an attempt to force more information out of her. It didn’t work.

“Pain?” Maya questioned her simultaneously.

“You’ll see, my dears,” was all she said, before she turned and walked away, leaving us staring at her back. Her last comment was almost cruel. Enoch turned quickly; a gush of wind flattening the flames against the inner wall of the fireplace.

“Just drink it,” he practically hissed at us impatiently.

I looked down into the mouth of the silver bottle, the potent smell of the tonic taking my breath away.

“The more time I spend with you, the stranger my world becomes,” I said to Maya, meditatively gazing at the embers of the fire that crackled at our feet.

“Ava, what could be worse than everything you’ve already been through today?” Maya replied.

Willard laughed and Tatos quickly threw his hand over Willard’s mouth.

“I’m sorry about your face,” Maya said, looking over my shoulder.

My eyes widened over the edge of the bottle, and with one swift tilt, the thick liquid was making its way down my throat. It felt like I had swallowed the very fire before me. I turned to follow her gaze, but I didn’t have time to respond. Kronan stood over me, an amethyst artifact resting in the palm of his hand. As he came at me, the bottle slipped from my grip. I gasped at the blue flame that radiated from the device encircling his fingers with such intensity, that I couldn’t make out where his hand began or ended. Quickly, my hand shot up to my face where the pain tore into my skin. I had forgotten all about the pain. I must have rubbed harder than I had anticipated as I ended up tearing through the crusted blood. My fingers came away red, but not a dark red like I had expected. The red that stained my fingers was almost luminous in color. I moved backwards, gasping louder. Enoch rushed over. Tatos grabbed my shoulders, his enormous hands clamping down hard, and I froze – terrified. I shot a look of panic toward Maya. She looked down, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“What is it?” I asked urgently, my eyes flittering from face to face.

A dazzling light burst into sight, blinding me. I desperately, loudly and urgently gulped in air. Kronan said something in a language I didn’t understand as he pressed his hands against my back, his arms folding around me. Then, there was nothing. The bright starburst was swallowed by a black cloud.

CHAPTER SIX

Breaking Out

I
broke out of my dream. My eyes had been fixed on a single black mark that was spoiling an otherwise perfectly white cloud. I shut my eyes once more in an attempt to refocus my senses. Silence droned through my head. There wasn’t any background noise or movement of any kind. Even the air was completely motionless, either I was no longer in Kronan’s lair or I was dead. A sweet smell made my nose tingle. My eyes popped open
. Can’t be?

“Pancakes!” I tried to yell, but the words ripped through my parched throat. I halfway sat up choking, fixing my eyes on the far window and there it was; the view that was the gateway to my silent night-time reveries. I could see far beyond the low-rise rooftops, and over the top of tall bleak trees. The rolling hills of teal and moss green were settled among a sea of splendorous blues. From here, you would never say it was winter. I twirled my fingers around my sheet and took in the smell of my room. It felt good to be home. It must have been around twilight, as the purples over the horizon had intensified into the same royal color as that of the Minoan Council’s robes. The softest pink clouds floated by. Straightening up further, my head felt like it had connected with the ceiling.

“Damn it.”

I pressed my hands against both sides of my head. My elbows shook under the high amount of pressure I was exerting, hoping that the pain would subside.

“Friend!” I heard Sam call out.

My brain shook as she came into focus. Suddenly, her arms were around me, warm and comforting.

“Good to have you back,” she said, gently pushing herself away from me.

Resting my hands on the bed to steady myself, I watched her as she made her way toward the door.

“Now that you’re up, I have…” Her voice became muffled as if she was speaking underwater. “…end-of-year exams.” She spun around. She was pointing a wooden spoon at me. She was cooking again, a sign she was in a troubled mood.

The lack of fuss was exactly like Sam. She knew that the only way to get over things was to hit the ground running. As she left the room, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I held my head again as my vision blurred, pain assaulted my senses. I continued to hold my head, feeling like I was almost holding onto my brain as if it was going to tumble out, all the while thinking,
what an awful headache
. My feet dropped onto the slightly warmed floor. Slowly I walked toward the medicine cabinet, my blanket trailing behind me. Every step I took and every breath I drew, cut at my brain.

“Must have a headache tablet,” my words slurred.

Sam hurried back into the room and walked up to me with a glass of water in her hand. As I took the glass, one of her hands swung toward me, a silver object glinting between her fingers, an injection similar to the one they use in the infirmary for regulation – good hormones. She jabbed me in the neck. A slight sting shot up my neck and into my brain, slamming against the pain. The glass in my hand shattered on the floor.

“Hey! What the hell did you do that for?” I shouted, dropping my blanket as well.

She blinked at me all innocently. “Your headache is gone then?” she asked.

A feeling of déjà vu washed over me.

“But, how did you…” I asked, somewhat confused.

“We’ve been through this every day for the past week,” she said, and walked out again.

Images flooded over me. We had done it all before, in this very room. I remembered fighting with Sam, trying to pry the needle away from her as we rolled on the floor. I remembered it not working.
Well, it sure is working now
, I thought. It felt like the headache had simply spilled out of me. I slipped into my favorite pair of jeans, noticing that I had lost some weight as they slid so easily over my thighs. My stomach rumbled as the smell of pancakes continued to float toward me. Silently, I made my way down the stairs. The door to the other dormitory was closed. I wondered where everyone was, and then wondered what day it was. I couldn’t remember anything. As I lifted myself up onto the kitchen counter, Sam came into view from behind the frosted glass of the refrigerator door, her flaming curls wildly tied at the nape of her neck. I smiled to myself. I had missed her so much. I wanted to burst into tears, but surprisingly, I didn’t.

“Honey or nuts?” she asked plainly.

“Honey, I guess,” I said absently, trying to conjure up my last memories.

“You better hurry up, friend,” she said, as she placed a plate of pancakes down in front of me.

I stared at the two discolored, flat pancakes. Why she always insisted on not using our replicator to produce our meals was beyond me. But Sam was insistent like that. Humans over technology.

“Come on. Class will start within the next…”

She looked over at the digital numbers flashing on the kitchen wall. The luminous purple numbers flashed like a timer on a bomb, counting down the seconds to the start of our final exams. My eyes swept over the window behind her.

“It’s dark outside.” I protested. Suddenly, the dark was no longer my favorite time of day.

“Night class,” she said, pulling her bag over her shoulder, shooting a
duh
look my way. Half a pancake dangling from her mouth, she raised her hands in query. “Do you want to fail and stay a junior forever?”

I shook off the fear and disorientation. “Yes, of course I do,” I said sarcastically as I jumped from the counter and grabbed my bag which was already hanging over the back of a chair waiting for me. Sam was a control freak. Everything had to be planned and had to run like clockwork. In addition, she didn’t believe in self-pity – it only slowed down progress. It was all a mind thing according to her. We made quite a pair as I was the total opposite. I left everything to the last minute, partly because of my lack of interest and partly because I was distracted by my constant daydreaming, but mostly, because things seemed to fall away from my memory seconds after they entered my mind – just the way I liked it. I rushed after her, looking back at the door as it slid shut. Everything so surreal, memories washed before me, I remembered Sam locking it at one time.
Yes, of course. Troy broke in the night before… before…

“Ava, if you would like to stay…”

Sam stood staring at me. Her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance, tapping her foot impatiently.

“No,” I replied adamantly.

The truth was that I didn’t want to be alone.

“We’re late again. Miss Lou won’t let us enter the lecture room if she’s started already.”

Walking beside Sam, who was tugging at and straightening my hair, I tried to wash away the memories of the attacks. I thought of Maya and pain blasted through my stomach. I felt nervous for some reason unknown to myself. Usually, I loved night classes. I was more of a night owl than a morning person, but the dark shadows were playing tricks on me, seeming to reach out to me. I grabbed Sam’s arm and she held my hand, sighing to herself. At first, I did not notice the ample amount of guards that had been posted at each unlit corner of the school yard, but after a while their calls for Sam made them impossible to ignore.

“Popular, are we?” I asked her, a spike of jealousy running through me.

“Yes, because of you,” she said bluntly.

I frowned. She had always been popular, but maybe not so much with the military boys.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Ava. Everyone now knows that you’re special.” The tone in her voice suggested she was a tad bitter.

“Look, Sam…” I started, but she interrupted me as she came to a halt beneath a dim lamp that hung low from the corridor ceiling, darkening the circles under her eyes.

“I’ll get over it,” she said, trying to sound sincere.

“I never asked for this.”

“I know.”

“So, why the hostility?”

“There’s no hostility,” she said, blinking arrogantly.

I wanted to believe her.

“I know my best friend, and I know when she is lying to me,” I shot back.

I looked down at our shadows, feeling empty as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

“I’m working on it,” she spat, but then hugged me tight.

I didn’t believe that gesture either. As we made our way to the lecture hall, I wasn’t thinking about math or dreading every boring hour. I was thinking about Troy, Maya and Enoch.
Had it all been a dream?
I wondered, caressing my right cheek. There was a smooth, thin line where the crusted blood had been. I looked at my fingers, expecting to see the odd-colored blood again, but there was none. I had a nagging feeling that I was more unusual than anyone could imagine. I needed some closure. I needed the truth.
Am I even human at all?
My mind was whirling out of control. I felt my chest tighten. I closed my eyes; I needed to get a grip on myself. When the lecture hall doors swung open, almost everyone in the room turned to look at us. Miss Lou was nowhere to be seen. The hall fell silent. I instantaneously looked down at the floor.
What the hell is going on?
Miss Lou came in behind us. Sam greeted her.

“Girls,” she said gently, motioning for us to take our seats.

Sam moved swiftly in between the rows of chairs toward Linda and Angelique, who were waving for us to come and sit in the open seats beside them. I would have smiled if it wasn’t for the staring faces. All eyes followed me as I went and sat between Sam and Angelique, frowning. Clearly the calls were for Sam and not for me. I ducked down and hid behind the tall girl in front of me as a low murmur made its way around the hall. Sam squeezed my hand letting me know she was there for me, handed me a metal pen and my tablet from my bag. Needless to say, the whole lecture was a complete waste of time. I spent the entire hour and a half scribbling Enoch and Troy’s names on the paper of my textbook. I was one of the few who still had an actual paper book. I held on to the old things to remind me we were real, where life had come from. I edged the page with flowers, thorns and clouds and in the center, I drew trees. In every little flower someone’s name took its place, making up a tree of memorabilia. Maya, Anaya, Arriana, Kronan, Troy and Enoch’s names were all there. I especially couldn’t stop thinking about Enoch. I had remembered everything and was certain that it couldn’t have been a dream. I contemplated the scar on my cheek, the itchiness on my thigh, the slight sting on my ankle and the dirt covering my favorite pair of boots. They were all reminders that it hadn’t been a dream.

While heading back to the dormitory, I let the numbness settle in. I felt no pain, no excitement at having returned home, and no sadness for the truth that had been revealed about me – about our kind. The numbness stemmed from how people reacted as I walked down the long corridors. Eyes followed me through the park as we walked toward our wing of apartments. Nearing the front door of our apartment, I looked up to see dozens of stars staring down at us. The clouds gradually fogged over their shiny faces. I turned to look at the night sky behind us. Through the branches, I saw more clouds moving into position, covering the velvet sky with tufts of the darkest gray. Sam waved goodnight to the guards and swung her arm over my shoulder. I remembered the thunder that shook the cave, a chill making its way down my spine.

“I’m sorry,” Sam said, as we stepped into our room.

She pulled me close.

“I hate this,” I whined.

“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

I sighed and dumped my bag on my bed.

“Oh, man. How I’ve missed this bed,” I said, not really feeling the truth to my so called confession, but I had nothing to say to Sam, and that was odd.

“One hour till curfew!” A loud voice boomed through the apartment. Sam shot me a solid stare. I thought of what Anaya had said.
“Measures need to be taken before your return.”

“I know,” I said to her.

“Oh.” Was all she said, before making her way to the bathroom.

I made my way to where she stood. She was leaning over the shiny metal basin and staring at herself on the monitor. Suddenly, I saw how pale Sam actually was, purple circles under her eyes stood out against her porcelain skin. She was so beautiful though. She reminded me of a phoenix because of the way her striking, flaming hair contrasted with her ivory skin. She was a tall, graceful, young woman.

“Sam?” I said softly.

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” she said, anticipating my question.

She came over to the doorway and hugged me tightly against her shaking body.

“Of course I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, pushing her away from me.

She looked down at her feet.

“They’re saying that you…”

A knock at the door caught our attention.

“Girls.”

It was Kim, and she wasn’t alone. Anaya, accompanied by a tall, fair-haired man, also entered the room. It was Vice President Vermaak. I froze; men do not come to this side of the school at all. We stood nervously at attention. He was military after all.

“Sir,” we acknowledged firmly.