The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) (21 page)

The secret door was left open after they were dragged out of
it. Little light entered the room, giving Charlie very little view of its
interior. She concentrated on the silhouette standing in the middle of the room
and her heart skipped a beat.

“Jeanne?” Charlie said. “It’s okay, Jeanne. We’re not here
to harm you.” She racked her brain for a plan. Surely, Amanda and her team
would anticipate Charlie’s actions and would arrive at this very spot in only a
few minutes. Attempting to shield Jeanne’s mind from Amanda’s influences might
prove difficult and time consuming. Instead, she opted to lie. “Jeanne, Ms.
Pitt requested to meet with you. Please come with us.”

Behind her, Madison reacted in her hush voice. “What are you
doing?” Charlie looked back and tried to send her a silent message:
Trust me
.

Charlie slowly took a step forward, like a trainer calming a
lion. “Jeanne?” She called out again, having received no response to her
previous call. “If you could come with us right now—“

Her words were cut short by a kick in the air that was
accompanied by flames. Charlie stepped out of the way, her hair almost scorched
by the fire. She turned back to Madison, who stood in shock. The flames were
dying when they caught sight of the person’s face.

It wasn’t Jeanne’s. It was Hilary’s.

“Hilary.” The name left Charlie’s
lips in horror. The dark-skinned girl lifted her eyes to Charlie, glaring
daggers straight into her friend’s heart. But she did not speak a word. Hilary
crouched at the center of the ominous room, waiting for Charlie and Madison to
make a move.

“Charlie, we should leave.”
Madison pulled her arm, but Charlie did not budge. On the contrary, she took a
step forward. “Hilary! Listen Hilary, you have to wake up. Please,” she
pleaded, voice cracking. To see all the people she cared for in school eye her
as the enemy broke all the bravado she’d mustered facing ANDREI’s beehive
queen.

“Hilary, it’s me. Charlie, your
friend,” she said, but no trace of recognition appeared on Hilary’s face. “Wake
up. Don’t let Ms. Pitt control you. We have to escape. We have to find Jeanne!
She’s your friend, too, isn’t she?”

“It’s no use, Charlie!” Madison
yelled from behind her, yet Charlie didn’t turn away from Hilary’s gaze. “She
doesn’t recognize you! I know, I was like that before! So, let’s just get out of
here before Ms. Puppet Master activates her again!”

As if a switch was flipped,
Hilary’s eyes snapped to Madison and sparks started to crackle inside her fist.

Heat brushed against Charlie’s
ear. She turned in time to see Madison jump out of the way, evading the
fireball Hilary directed at her. Madison rolled back to her feet and waved her
hand. The bed in the far corner suddenly pushed toward the wall, pinning
Hilary.

“Charlie, let’s go!!” Madison
screamed. She grabbed Charlie as they ran for the door. But Charlie turned at
the loud screeching sound. Pushing Madison aside, Charlie jumped out of the way
as the burning bed rolled and slammed against the door. Hilary screamed her
frustration. Charlie watched the girl hurling flames in every corner of the room.
Fire spread quickly, devouring everything, from the wardrobe closets to the
window curtains. Smoke quickly engulfed the room. Charlie’s eyes searched for
Madison through the thickening smoke. Coughing, Charlie croaked out Madison’s
name. When no reply came, she yelled forcefully, “Madison!” Light burst from
nowhere and Charlie dodged it. Pain and heat reached her right shoulder as the
flame grazed her skin.

A silhouette rushed towards
Charlie, who tried to evade, but her assailant grabbed her hair and pulled her
down. Charlie hit the floor hard. Hilary’s hand curled around her throat, but
it didn’t tighten. She attempted to force Hilary’s arm off, but it remained
frozen in position, pinning her to the ground. All at once, Hilary flew off
her, her petite form propelled upwards. Madison emerged from the flames,
holding Hilary in place. Charlie got to her feet and watched Hilary kick and
scream, body stuck to the ceiling. The sight twisted Charlie’s stomach.

“Let’s go,” Madison appealed to
Charlie when the other girl stopped screaming. But her eyes were glued to
Hilary, whose fingers scraped the ceiling. Hell broke loose when Hilary ignited
the ceiling and fire crawled across and down the walls and crept to the floor.
Madison screamed at the sight while Charlie stood in front of her. Flames
lunged at them and then reached back up to the ceiling. Charlie and Madison
watched in fascination as flames danced around them, barred by an invisible
wall that stood between them and the fire.

“Are you doing this?” Madison
whispered to Charlie.

“I think so,” she replied.

A deep roaring sound reverberated
against their shield. Charlie turned in time to see a giant ball of flame
spinning towards them. It was too late to reinforce her shield and brace for
the attack. The impact caused a shockwave and threw the pair off their feet.
Charlie hit the burning wardrobe closet with such force it shook and collapsed
on her. Trapped between the scorched floor and burning furniture, Charlie
screamed and blasted the burning wood away, shattering the nearby window. She
pushed herself up, head throbbing and skin stinging. She faced a burning
inferno inside the room.

She strained her eyes to find the
other two when she caught a glimpse of blonde hair amidst the crimson and
black. A fist to fist combat ensued between the two, and Hilary proved why she
was ANDREI’s number one. Her agility made up for the short limbs that Madison
struggled to evade. Madison attempted to create the same shield as Charlie had,
but hers was weak and broke upon contact with Hilary’s fists and kicks. Charlie
rushed to Madison’s aid, but knew she couldn’t hurt her friend. Stopping
abruptly, an idea sparked in her mind. She extended her hand and focused her
power on the smaller girl. She imagined the small muscles and smooth dark skin
of Hilary and then curled her hand. Like a bull caught in a rope, Hilary
suddenly stopped her attacks because her limbs were pressed against her body.

Hilary resisted the invisible
ropes. She fell to her knees with head down, trapped by her own body. Charlie
felt a stab in her heart watching Hilary flail about like a tied up rag doll.
Madison walked away from her as Charlie approached her friend. The instinct to
comfort her overruled her impulse to leave, and Charlie knelt in front of the
now subdued Hilary. She couldn’t see her face, and Charlie wasn’t sure she
wanted to. “Hilary?” Charlie called.

Hilary’s head snapped up,
startling Charlie. In one swift move, Hilary bent one leg down and swung the
other counterclockwise, causing flames to erupt from the floor. Charlie lifted
her arms to cover her face as the flames leapt towards her, but they did not
burn her. Hilary spun around to stand and aimed a foot at Charlie. Before she
landed the kick, her leg reeled back and pressed against the other. Madison
created the same binding force Charlie had used on Hilary’s arms. Charlie
turned her attention back to Hilary and focused her force on both her arms and
legs. The flames all around began to die down and Hilary weakened. 

“I got her, get the door open!”
Charlie ordered Madison. She released Hilary to Charlie’s control and scurried
towards the flaming bed that blocked the door. Madison pushed the bed out of
the way and flung the door wide open. As the confined smoke escaped to the
hallway, Madison fell on her knees, choking and coughing. Charlie backed away
from Hilary, careful not to trip as she retained Hilary’s binding force. She
made it to the door, prepared to run, but she stopped mid-step at the
thundering sound of boots approaching.

Around the corner, five men clad
in uniforms and holding guns hastened to their location. Madison reeled back,
intending to shut the door. Charlie disagreed, “Madison! Don’t close the door!
They want us trapped in here!”

The blonde girl turned to her in
horror, understanding the implication. With no time to think, Madison moved
forward and flung the first man she saw. He flew back, knocking into two more
men who hit the wall with groans. Another man fired his gun. Intense training
allowed Madison to dodge the bullet. Then another man yelled, “Don’t shoot!
Don’t shoot!”

Madison took advantage of the
distraction and peeled the weapons from their hands. Adrenaline fueled Madison
as she stepped forward, hurling fireballs at the men. Madison switched between
Hilary’s power and Charlie’s, sending flames and invisible forces to drive away
their pursuers. Though they outnumbered her, the guards were no match for the
superhuman. They pulled out Tasers to subdue her, but Madison was familiar with
the device and forced them out of the guards’ hands. Pleas for mercy followed
when Madison lifted the guards to the ceiling before letting gravity flatten
them back to the floor.

Charlie watched Madison’s
movements with awe. This was the first full display of Madison’s mimicry powers,
and it was unbelievable. When none of the guards moved a muscle after Madison’s
favorite trick with her power, Charlie was concerned. “Are they--?”

“They’re unconscious.” Madison
whipped her hair out of her face. A smile was plastered on her face. “Come on,
Charlie. You think I’m really that evil?” she asked, and Charlie shook her
head.

She sensed movement and her eyes
widened at the sight of the Bradley’s burly physique. “Madison,” she warned,
nodding her head in his direction.

Charlie’s attention returned to
her captive. Hilary kneeled on the floor with her hands and feet bound. The
fire in her eyes haunted Charlie. Her head throbbed like a hammer pounding
against her skull. And then, time slowed. Hilary broke Charlie’s force,
throwing her off her feet. Hilary jumped free and hurled a ball of flames at
Madison, who had her back to the two of them, watching over the guards.

“No!!” Charlie screamed. Her hand
stretched out and a current of powerful energy flowed from her arm to her
fingers. It was an entirely new sensation that jolted Charlie. Madison turned
to see the fireball approaching her, but it was too late to protect herself.
Charlie watched in horror as the ball exploded inches from Madison’s face. It
was smothered without touching the girl by Charlie’s protective wall.

The two stared at each other in
confusion but quickly realized what happened. Charlie turned to face Hilary,
blocking all attacks directed at Madison, who in turn anticipated Bradley.
Hilary finally turned to Charlie with gritted teeth, fury burning in her eyes.
Fists on fire, she pummeled Charlie with punches, who struggled to evade the
fiery fists.

I can direct my shield onto
Madison?
Charlie thought as she stared at Hilary, somehow reading her
movements better than before. She used her shield again and again, blocking
every attack, frustrating Hilary.

“Hilary!” Charlie tried calling
to her friend once more. “Hilary!” Her movements didn’t change. The attacks
kept coming, and exhaustion began to wear Charlie down. Hilary didn’t seem even
the slightest bit tired. Then an idea popped up and fueled her. Charlie tried
it.

Sidestepping one punch, Hilary
stumbled to the ground as she missed her opponent. Charlie gripped her hand
once more and Hilary’s arms bound to her body. Angered like a bear trapped,
Hilary charged at her opponent, who easily dodged her attack. With one more
push, Charlie sent Hilary against the wall, pinning her arms and legs.

“Please work…” Charlie prayed.
She closed her eyes and imagined Hilary, the sweet girl she’d met in Boston who
had tried to lead her to Jeanne. Hilary had unwittingly led her to danger, but
Charlie knew better than to put the blame on her.

She felt and allowed Hilary to
struggle free from her power. Charlie needed intense focus to envelope Hilary
with her own shield. “Please, Hilary,” she begged. Soon a prickling sensation
began at the top of her head, traveled through her spine, and spread across her
body. Charlie lifted her arm towards Hilary and opened her eyes.

A groan came out as a whimper.
Hilary’s struggle began to weaken, her brow relaxing from anger to confusion.
Charlie kept her concentration. If she faltered, all her efforts may be for
naught. “Break away, Hilary. Please,” she pleaded repeatedly in her mind,
imagining the message traveling to her friend’s mind.

A stabbing pain pierced through
Charlie’s brain. She bit her lip and fought it.

Fire crackled at the tip of
Hilary’s fingers, but it died down. She breathed heavily, her head hung low.

Is it working?
Charlie thought,
her head throbbing only a little now.

A figure speeding back into the
room snapped Charlie’s attention away from her friend. Madison hit the wall
hard, knocking the air out of her. Charlie went to the fallen girl, assisting
Madison to an upright position. By the threshold, Bradley stood with arms
akimbo, sporting his devious grin as he often did.

“Wanna beat up your boyfriend?”
Charlie asked Madison, who gave her an incredulous look.

“Sure. And from now on, it’s ex.”
she replied with sarcasm.

Entering the training room as an
Unlocked with her Awakened sparring partner once again, Charlie bent her knees
and planted her feet on the floor. She and Madison braced for an attack.
Bradley’s nostrils flared as he stormed inside the room.  Charlie pulled his
leg. Bradley lost his balance momentarily, but it was enough for Madison to
charge at him. Her arm curled around his neck and brought him down to the
ground with strength that was surprising to see in a girl with Madison’s
physique. He bounced up, so Charlie hurled him up against the ceiling and back
to the floor with a thud that reverberated the entire room.

Bradley lifted himself and
grabbed Madison’s arm. He swung her wildly before releasing her, slamming her
forcefully into the wall. Charlie created a force to cushion Madison’s speed,
allowing the girl to get back on her feet before she hit the wall. When Charlie
faced Bradley again, he was only an arm’s length from her. His hands curled
around her throat and he lifted her off the ground. Charlie scratched his arm
with her nails, hoping for release. She saw Madison rushing to her aid, but
Bradley saw her and flung Charlie in her direction. Charlie and Madison crashed
against each other.

Rolling back to her feet, Charlie
spotted the overturned bed and hurled it at Bradley. Hands fixed on the bed’s
edge, he battled her telekinesis with all his strength. He smiled at her and
angled the bed enough for her force to push it above his head. He threw the bed
towards the girls, but Madison stopped it in the nick of time. Charlie took
control and chucked the bed back at Bradley. This time, he couldn’t catch the
furniture and it plummeted towards him. 

“We need to go before the rest
find us,” Charlie told Madison, who agreed with a nod. They reached the door
and Charlie found Hilary slowly waking.

“Wait!” Charlie exclaimed,
rushing towards her friend. “Hilary! Hilary, are you okay?” Charlie grabbed the
small girl by the shoulders.

“What are you doing? She’ll
attack you again!” Madison warned her, but Charlie banked on her little faith.