Winter's Storm: Retribution (Winter's Saga #2) (8 page)

“
Evan and I were just discussing the same thing this morning. We need to figure out a way to keep mom safe so she can finish recuperating. She’s been too fragile to go into hiding so far.” I found myself looking into Alik’s sky-blue eyes and comparing them to Creed’s. My brother’s eyes were always swimming with emotions right under the surface. The crystal blue was strikingly handsome against his darker skin. Creed’s eyes had a completely different feel. His were a darker blue and seemed cunning and mysterious. Both of them had wide-set, expressive eyes. And they both had annoyingly long eyelashes.

“…
right, Meg?” my brothers were looking at me expectantly.

“
Hum? What? I’m sorry, my mind was wandering,” I stammered.

“
Keep up with us, Meggie. This is no time for day dreaming,” Alik gently scolded.

“
I know. Must be a little sleep deprived.” Alik looked into my face and squinted slightly.

“
No, there’s something else going on. What aren’t you telling us, Meg?” he asked with a scary amount of confidence.

“
Nothing. I only know what you know,” I lied. Am I that obvious? Can’t I even think about a cute guy without my brothers giving me a hard time? It’s none of their business anyway.

Alik wasn’t going to let up that easily. “Meg, I can see it all over your face. Something has happened since I last saw you. Are you going to tell us, or do I have to beat it out of you?”

“
For crying out loud, Alik! We have more important things to worry about, don’t you think? Enough with the inquisition!” Even to my ears, I sounded a little too squeaky.

“
Well, it has been a while since we spared,” Evan said casually.

“
Gotta keep up our skills,” Alik nodded in agreement, letting a wide grin spread across his face.

“
We haven’t been able to spar because the only time the three of us are together these days is when we’re right here in mom’s hospital room,” I tried to sound logical, like Evan.

“
She’s got a point, Al,” Evan agreed.

I didn’t care if they wanted to fight, as long as that got Alik off my back about the secret he was sure I was keeping. Heck, I wouldn’t mind discussing quantum physics if that got my brothers to leave me alone.

“
I’m pretty sure we could step out for fifteen minutes. We can make sure Cole and Dr. Andrews know where we are if there’s an emergency. Now that mom has awakened, her condition isn’t nearly as delicate. And her call-button is right next to her. Matter of fact…I bet the children on the third floor would love to see a good match.” Alik smiled at his idea.

“
Oh, that’s a great idea. I don’t think they were as much fascinated by Cole’s magic tricks as they were about laughing at him in general. Pretty sure they wouldn’t mind scooting to their windows and watching us on the hospital’s lawn from there,” Evan concluded.

“
You’re serious about this?” I asked.

“
Absolutely,” the boys said in unison.

“
Maybe little Megglet has lost her edge, Evan,” Alik teased.

“
She’s probably too worried about messing up her hair…” Evan added with a knowing nod.

“
Or braking a nail,” Alik pretended to buff his nails on his jeans then held his hand up to his face in mock adoration.

My blood was boiling. I hated it when they teased me, and they knew it! Stupid brothers!

“
Okay, baby brothers. You asked for it. Alik, you go arrange it with the head nurse on the third floor. Evan you tell hospital security that we’re just performing a martial arts ‘demonstration’ for the patients to watch from their windows and not actually trying to kill anyone. I’ll go let Dr. Andrews know where to find us. Meet me on the north lawn in ten minutes,” I said through clenched teeth.

“
Excellent!” Alik smiled widely. “And after I kick your butt, you have to tell me whatever it is you’re keeping secret.”

“
And if
I
win, you have to walk around for one full day with a sign on your back that reads ‘I wet the bed!’” I growled.

“
I don’t wet the bed, Meg,” Alik laughed. “This secret must be juicy if you’re that mad at the idea of having to spill it.”

“
Shut up!” I countered stupidly.

“
What happens if
I
win?” Evan piped up from the corner of the room. He was tightening the laces on his sneakers.

Alik and I looked over at our little brother and laughed. “Thanks Evan, we needed a little comic relief just then,” Alik teased.

“
I wasn’t trying to be funny, and I
could
win.” Evan sounded like a little kid who wanted to keep up with his big siblings, but instead was left pouting and kicking at the dirt in frustration.

“
You could win, Ev,” I said. “But today, I need to teach Alik a lesson.”

“
Pft. Enough talk; let’s go!” Alik was already walking toward the door. Evan and I followed.

“
Maze, you stay here and watch after mom, okay? We’ll be back in a few minutes, but don’t be surprised if some of us are limping when we return,” I narrowed my eyes at Alik.

Maze sat dutifully at mom’s bedside and sniffed loudly. He didn’t approve of us leaving, at all, and for a split second, I sensed this could be a bad idea. Everyone would see us outside putting on a superhuman display and anyone who knew anything about us could easily conclude that our sick mom was left alone.

“
Hey guys,” I said. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. What if…”

“
Are you backing out?” Alik taunted, raising one eyebrow.

“
Come on, Meg-a-Chicken! We won’t hurt you too badly,” Evan chimed in.

I tightened my jaw knowing full well if I let the words I was thinking gush from my mouth, I’d sound worse than a drunken sailor! I closed mom’s door behind us and listened for the lock to click.

It was only then that I noticed the time. It was eleven thirty. I was supposed to meet Creed at noon. Darn it! Even if I finished kicking Alik’s butt by noon, I’d end up all sweaty and roughed-up looking when I met Creed on the hospital’s west lawn.
Shoot!

10 Yelling at the Drive-Through

Creed happened to be sitting in his truck in the hospital parking lot trying to decide what to do next. He had a half hour to kill before meeting the girl. Maybe he should pick up some lunch for them. On second thought, that may look too desperate. Besides, it’s hard to talk with someone when we’re both chewing. He started the car, drove down the street and pulled into a fast-food drive-through.

“
I’ll take your order whenever you’re ready,” the plastic menu said in a bored tone. Creed was still amazed at some things most Americans take for granted. There were no drive-through fast-food restaurants in or around the Facility back in Germany.

Still not sure how to do this, Creed yelled back to the voice. “Yeah, hi. I need to get two drinks.”

“
Small, medium, large or extreme?” the voice droned.

“
How big is ‘extreme’?” Creed couldn’t help asking.

“
That’s sixty-four ounces.” Now the voice sounded less bored and a little more annoyed, as though the size of the drinks were common knowledge.

“
Wow, that’s probably way too much,” Creed said to himself. “Just give me two medium drinks, please,” deciding that medium, by definition, seemed like a good amount.

“
What kind of drink?” the voice asked.

“
What kind? Um,…” he said trying frantically to find the list of drinks on the menu in front of him.

“
We have every kind of soda, including the diet and caffeine free versions. Cherry, lime, grape, strawberry, lemon, orange, coconut and mint flavoring. Smoothed, creamed, iced, blended or layered,” the voice rambled through the possibilities so fast it was dizzying.

“
Can I just have water?” Creed asked holding his head.

The voice sighed deeply, “What flavor?”

“
Flavor? I just want water flavored water!” Creed was starting to get a headache.

“
Tap, mountain river, running stream, oxygenated, carbonated or vitamins added?” The voice sounded like it wanted to reach through the plastic menu and slap him. The feeling was mutual.

By now there was a line of cars forming behind him, waiting to place their order. One car even honked at him.

“
What…uh…what’s the most popular drink you serve?” he asked desperately of the plastic menu.

“
We have a lot of popular drinks here,” it said, stupidly.

“
Clearly. Just give me two medium drinks of whatever the last guy ordered,” Creed yelled.

When he pulled up to the next window, as instructed, he nearly threw the pimple-faced cashier a twenty dollar bill and stared menacingly at him.

“
Here are your drinks, sir,” the fast food worker said, a little more politely now that he saw how hugely muscular Creed was. “They are mint flavored creamed smoothies…that’s what the last guy ordered.” His skinny shoulders shrugged innocently.

“
Fine,” Creed said and drove away without waiting for his change. He was wondering how anyone would want to live with all these choices when he pulled into the hospital parking lot and saw a crowd forming on the hospital grounds.

11 Battle at Hospital Hill

I couldn’t believe the crowd that had already gathered both at the third floor window of the hospital and right here around my brothers and me as we took a few minutes to stretch. We hadn’t even begun the exhibition yet and we had an eager audience.

“
What did you two do?” I asked motioning to the twenty or so people standing around us and the dozens of little faces pressed into the glass of the third-floor windows.

“
Just what you asked us to do,” Evan said. “We let the third-floor and hospital security know about our ‘demonstration’ so I guess word spread.”

“
Worried too many people will be around to see your butt-whoopin?” Alik grinned over at me.

“
Pft. You babies ready to play?” I asked, and stood arms tight at my sides in the ready-to-begin stance.

“
Sure thing,” Alik stopped stretching and took his position between Evan and me. All three of us stood side by side facing the hospital.

“
Hep,” I barked sharply as was our way of synchronizing our starting bow. Demonstrating respect for our imagined opponent, we bowed deeply while maintaining eye contact. Slowly, we righted ourselves and began.

This kata was one of mom’s most basic. It was a training exercise promoting proper footing, form and technique. Each movement was to be executed with precision and synchronicity among the three of us. And after years of training, my brothers and I were so familiar with the movements we could do this kata blindfolded. Matter of fact, we
had
done it blindfolded.

Each maneuver was performed twice. The first time fast enough to have missed if you blinked, then again slowly so the audience could study how we did what we did.

We flew through a blurry-fast series of defensive hand-to-hand combat movements demonstrating exact form and footing then repeated ourselves in slow motion. We presented a series of kicks—front, side, rear, roundhouse—first fast, then repeated slowly.

As I moved to the well-known kata, my body seemed to awaken with joy. I was completely unconcerned with the eyes watching me. Instead, all I thought about was how happy it made me to let myself move freely and not hold back. Whipping through these familiar motions, punching, kicking, blocking; it almost brought a giggle to my throat.

My senses came alive during these moments, as though this is exactly what I was designed to do. I loved the tug of each muscle as I moved, the wind rushing past my skin as I struck empty air. Movement is joy to me.

When the kata ended, my brothers and I bowed to a cheering audience clapping happily for us. I glanced over at my brothers, whose faces looked just as content as I felt. We all loved this.

Mom taught us well. Knowing we would need to defend ourselves from Dr. Williams, she trained us to be warriors. Living back on the ranch with no other kids around, we didn’t know it was unusual to have the education we did from our mom. We thought lots of kids grew up with combat training. Like some kids went to soccer practice or took piano, I assumed some kids practiced and excelled in the art of guerilla warfare, like me. I was also unaware of our superior strength compared to an average human being. Only able to practice with my brothers and my mom, I thought everyone could do what I did.

Though mom was a regular human being, she had skills and training achieved through years of service as a special-forces soldier. She had trained her mind just as much as her body. She taught us how to push ourselves beyond what we thought we could do; and being metas, we could do a lot. She conditioned us to become extremely controlled, precise and if need be, lethal.

I was thinking about mom in the seconds that flashed just as we completed our kata. I felt a wave of gratefulness for everything she did for us; all the sacrifices she made to protect us. But my reverie was broken when I heard Alik call, “Ready, hep!” It was our transition signal to begin a different demonstration. I couldn’t help but smile in anticipation. All three siblings faced each other in a loose triangle.