We had little time left. I'd only been able to set Drake up with enough saline to last no more than a week. He'd already used four days' worth, leaving us three days to escape before the real drugs returned and he lost his powers again. We couldn't—
I noticed the smell first—a mix of alcohol and baby powder. Then the crying.
I lay in yet another sterile hospital room. Across the hall, where the crying originated, was a closed door marked Nursery. Not many babies, maybe two by the sound of it. A woman in a lab coat entered my room and pulled the curtain, blocking my view.
'Sam, keep your eyes closed and pretend to be asleep.'
It was Ana, the woman I'd met with Rebeka. I got a closer look at her before feigning sleep. Her large kind eyes, the color of chocolate, were genuine and warm—nothing like the doctor's. Her lilting accent—Spanish, I think—gave her voice a musical quality. Going against all logic and reason, I liked her instantly.
I hesitated a moment, then opened my mind to explore hers, hoping she was someone I could trust.
'I know you can hear me, Sam. And I can hear you. We share gifts, you and I, so listen to me. Do not try anything reckless right now. You and your baby are in danger. Do you understand?'
I almost had to pinch myself to return to the moment. "Who are you? Why are you working at this horrible place?"
I could feel that she didn't belong here. This life made her sick with anger and fear.
'There is more to the story than you can see right now, but I am a friend. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'll try to help you and Drake. He's in danger. They can't control him for long, and once he's harvested, they'll kill him.'
My heart sank to my feet, waiting to be stampeded by the cruel world that enslaved me.
'Stay asleep. They're watching us. I know the medication they put you on to control your powers isn't working. They don't know this, which is the only reason they allow me around you. I'm the only doctor they have that can fix the mess they made with these pregnancies, so they have to let me treat you. Don't despair, child. I was once in your position, a student at what you call Rent-A-Kid.'
"If you were one of us, why are you helping them?"
Despite how much I liked this woman, my anger bubbled out. And why shouldn't it? We'd all had our lives ripped from us, torn apart by these greedy bastards who only wanted to use us for our powers.
'I know it doesn't make sense, but... please know that I have my reasons. Unlike you, I didn't have help. If I hadn't stayed on, they would have killed my children.'
Of course! That niggling sensation of familiarity—her eyes, her smile. Just like Lucy. The shape of her face—exactly like Luke's. Twins never happened at Rent-A-Kid. Except them. I probed her mind deeper than normal, delving into thoughts hidden well beneath the surface. Images flashed at me: babies born, her fear and love, her holding them and kissing them. Her losing them.
My own heart ached with her pain, as I watched her story unfold in my mind. "Luke and Lucy are your children."
Love filled her mental voice. 'Yes. I had them in this clinic almost eighteen years ago. I was your age at the time. They were allowed to stay with me while they nursed, but once they showed signs of powers, they were taken away and put in a special childcare center run by the organization.'
Her children were my best friends. I loved them almost as much as she did. "They were told they were abandoned at a hospital, left in the care of social services."
'No. No! I would never have left them if I had a choice. I love them with all my heart. They keep me going.'
"I know. I saw. I can connect with them, and help you talk to them."
I'd seen into more than just her mind, I'd seen into her heart. I had to help this woman. She wouldn't hurt my friends or betray us. Besides, we were all dead if we didn't find someone to take our side.
'You can do that? You have that much power?'
"With Drake's help, yes. We've done it before. Would you like to meet your children?"
'Yes, more than anything. But not until you've rested and recovered. You nearly lost your baby, and would have died yourself. Your body has been through a significant strain. I can't let you push your powers while you're in this condition.'
"Is Rebeka okay?"
She worked on me, checking different parts of my body while we linked. When I asked about Rebeka, her hands fumbled. I felt a small tremor.
'I'm so sorry, but she and her baby died. I tried to save them, but the bastards wouldn't let me give her the treatment I'm giving you. They tried to manipulate the genetics of the child, controlling which para-power it would get. They don't just want to make more paranormal kids, they want to make kids with very specific gifts.'
Repulsed? Yes, but not surprised. I couldn't be surprised by anything they did anymore. They were monsters.
"But why? What do they need to do this?"
'I don't know, but these are long-term plans. Perhaps they've tracked which kids get the most money when rented out, and want more of those.'
Greed. Always at the heart of this organization.
"Will you help us escape?" Might as well lay it all on the table.
'If they catch any of us, we'll all be dead. And so will my children.'
"Ana, Lucy will be eighteen soon. They'll breed her, and what do you think they'll do with her once they've used her up? Is that the life you want for her? For your grandchildren? Help us collect enough evidence to take this place down, and help us escape. Drake knows someone on the outside—a reporter."
'Do you promise you'll help my children?'
I wanted to help them, but how? I couldn't even help myself, and I had a baby to take care of. Would I be able to handle it all?
Ana saw my hesitation. 'I know you're scared. I'll help you and Drake. I know you'll do the right thing when you're free.'
Her cool hand touched mine, a brief moment of human contact after so much isolation. I tried to stay still, asleep, but I wanted to jump up and hug her.
She said she'd be back as soon as possible, and left.
***
Then Dr. Pana came in. His evil stank up the room. I allowed myself to "wake up."
"What am I doing here? What happened?"
He trailed his finger over my exposed stomach, making my skin crawl. "Come now, Sam, you aren't stupid. You know more than you're letting on. You're pregnant, but you nearly lost the baby. Once you're stable, we'll move you to a new room. You're the only expectant mother here at the moment, so you'll have it to yourself. What you're doing is for the good of humanity. It's important. We wouldn't keep you here if it wasn't."
Propaganda bullshit!
"I want out of here. You have no right to do this to me!"
I kept my mental link with Ana, and added one to Drake. We explained our plan and how she could help.
'This is risky,' Ana said. 'I don't know if it will work, but I'll help. You're right: doing nothing will only ruin the lives of more children. It's time, after all these years, to act against them. I have files—names, dates, information I've been collecting for a long time. Like you, Sam, I was trained in spying and collecting sensitive information. A mind reader is rare in the paranormal world. It's why they let me live, and trained me to become a doctor. I was their greatest asset. But also, like you, their greatest threat.'
'We need to act fast.' I knew Drake feared losing his powers again, but he sounded calm. 'I only have two more days of the saline replacements.'
Out loud, I kept up a forced argumentative conversation with Dr. Pana—aware of his mental fingers latching onto my mind—while plotting mentally with Ana and Drake. I confused myself a few times, but we managed to create the beginnings of a plan.
"What will I do when we escape? What doctor will know what to do with me and my baby on the outside?"
'I don't know. You will need medical care.'
"Come with us," I begged her. "We need you. My baby needs you."
'The babies here need me too. They barely survived when the mothers died. And my children need me. If I leave, they'll hurt them. What if we can't rescue them in time?'
"But if we escape, won't they suspect that you helped us?"
'Probably, but I'll have to risk it.'
"Okay, I understand you can't come with us. I don't want anything happening to my friends. They're the only family I have too, you know. So we need to make you look innocent."
Drake jumped in. 'We'll have to hurt her, make it look like we, or I, attacked her to free you. It's the only way.'
"No!" I felt Ana and Drake flinch at my mental scream. "We can't hurt her. She's risking everything to help us!"
'No, he's right, Sam. It's the only way to make me look innocent and let you escape. If we don't convince them I wasn't involved, they'll kill my kids and me.'
As far as plans went, this sucked. I hated always being at the mercy of these jerk-offs. When did my life so completely fall apart?
"How do I keep my baby safe?"
'I'll give you enough supplies and drugs to care for you and the baby, and to slow down the growth rate. The medicine will work. Just remember to take it regularly.'
Our conversation ended, and Dr. Pana took me to my room and locked me in. Despair rifled through me, shooting darkness and fear into my heart. I let the pain gnaw at me, tear apart my hope, and when I'd cried every last tear in me, I made a simple vow: no more of that—time to move forward.
I never got to see the babies, but in my mind, I heard their cries and the whispered lullabies Ana sang to them to lure them back to their dreams—the same lullabies she'd sung to Luke and Lucy when they were babies. Each lilting song broke a piece of my heart when I thought of how Rent-A-Kid had torn apart their family.
I lived in isolation again, without even the outdoors to look forward to, this time. Babies filled my dreams and consumed my waking moments. A part of me resented this newfound responsibility. I didn't want it. I was only eighteen, nowhere near ready to be a parent. I hadn't even met the father in person yet.
Ah, get over it. Stop the damn whining and just get on with it!
***
The next day we prepared for the great escape. It would happen late at night. Ana had arranged to be on the night shift. She seemed on the verge of tears, but she held it together. Drake was ready, sneaking in opportunities to strengthen his body. I was ready... mostly. My body felt stronger, but my heart raced uncontrollably from fear.
We had one more thing to do before setting out. We linked Luke and Lucy with Ana.
"Hey guys, sorry I haven't been back to talk to you. It's been a crazy couple of days, but... um... there's something I want to tell you about."
'Are you okay? What's happened?' Lucy didn't sound like herself. The stress of all this dampened her normally bright spirit, which made me even more determined to get out of here.
"You guys, your mom didn't abandon you. She was one of us. They bred her and took you away when you were babies. She's here, linked to you now, and is helping us escape. Her name is Ana."
Silence. And shock. Their thoughts spun in a tornado that made it hard to keep up.
Ana spoke first. 'My children, I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I've done everything I can to keep you alive, to make sure you're treated well. I have loved you all this time.'
'Mom? Are you really our mom?' Luke could not hold his tears.
'Yes, mijo, I am. And I never abandoned you. They stole you from me, just like they stole me from my parents.'
Luke's voice was strained. 'Who's our father?'
'I don't know,' Ana said. 'I wish I could tell you, but I could never find the records. I'm sorry.'
We kept the link open as long as we could. Ana and her children talked about everything, from favorite movies to their para-powers. Luke loved that Ana and I shared mind reading. It also accounted for Lucy's lie-detecting ability. Para-powers were shaped to some degree by genetics, though that didn't explain how the line of paranormals started in the first place.
The conversation went on for a long time. Hearing them all cry and talk at once hurt my head. I wanted to hug everyone.
The craving for physical contact surprised me. Most people didn't really think about it, normally. I would sit next to Luke and Lucy on the bed with our legs touching, or we would hug. Other friends would hug me or put an arm around me. Some level of physical contact was natural, something we didn't even think about.
But since being here, I'd gotten almost none. Ana would brush against me when she could, offering a hand of support. Susie tried not to touch me at all, and Dr. Pana never touched me except in creepy ways that made my skin crawl.
I'd never realized how much I needed to be touched, and to touch—to feel that contact with another person.
No one wanted to end the conversation, but we all forced our goodbyes. Still connected to Ana, I felt the tears flow down her cheek and drip over the edges of her smile.
'Thank you, both of you. Thank you so much. That meant the world to me.'
The group link had drained me. Would it affect our ability to escape? Maybe, but I didn't regret it. That one conversation healed a hole in my friends' hearts that had been raw far too long. I could see the light in Ana as well, brightness in an otherwise dark world.
This was real power. Not controlling other people, but helping to heal their hearts. For the first time in my life, my para-powers meant something more.
They made me proud.
