There's a picture of Dr. Leary on the side!

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Delaney

"Hey, you can't be in here!"

The rough, irritated shout shot into my ears and startled me awake. I sat up quickly, managing to both hit my head against the wall sit on my hand. Disoriented, I swung my legs onto the ground, blinking in the glare of the harsh lights.

"Stop that!" the male voice yelled.

I flashed a frown at Trai, who was now awake as well. He returned the glance, shrugging.

Just then, the floor shifted, the cells sliding away from each other with a screeching whine. I grabbed my cot to keep from pitching forward. The cells stopped about two feet apart, just enough for me to see Abby in her compartment to the right of Trai's. She was staring across the hallway with an expression of mixed shock and confusion.

"You can't go down there!" The same voice spoke again, and the sound of footsteps reached my ears, traveling closer and closer.

"Try and stop me," another voice spat, this one female. I recognized it immediately.

Nessa appeared in front of my cell a second later, confirming my suspicions. She slammed her palm onto a button on the outside wall, and the glass front of my cell slid away.

"Come on," she said briskly, her voice slightly strained. "We're going." She spun around and released Trai and Abby, turning back to me just as the guard jogged over.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Nessa didn't look at him. "Taking the prisoners to get their breakfast."

The guard scratched at his dark hair. "You're not supposed to do that."

"Says who?" Nessa snarled, her eyes ablaze.

The guard’s hands clenched into fists and he seemed to find a sudden interest in the ground. "Miracle, of course. Who else?" He said this with some contempt, his expression becoming stormy.

"Well, that just sucks for her. Come on kids, we're going."

"Miracle will be angry," the guard warned.

"Oh, please," Nessa retorted. "Do you think she scares me? "

"I'm just following orders," the man mumbled, shifting from foot to foot.

"Just following orders? Don't you have an opinion, Jack?"

"Of course I do," Jack replied disdainfully. "I'm just not idiotic enough to go around and telling it to everyone."

Nessa narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying that I'm an idiot?"

The man shrugged. "All I'm saying is, if you keep going against Miracle like this, your days will be numbered."

"Miracle isn't always right, you know." The smooth response didn't come from Nessa, but Perfecta, who had slid in silently and was now standing beside Jack. Her glasses were off, revealing her breathtaking beauty. The guard gaped at her shamelessly.

"We'll be going now," Perfecta said, her fingers brushing over his shoulder. She beckoned us with her other hand, smirking casually.

"S-sure," Jack murmured. He stepped back and let us pass.

Once we were on the stairs, Nessa glared at Perfecta. "I didn't need your help."

"Oh, don't deny it," Perfecta said airily. "I saved you back there." They continued bickering as we mounted the stairs.

"Hey," Abby said suddenly. The two women didn't hear her at first, so she raised her voice. "Hey! Where's Caleb?"

I glanced around and gasped when I realized that Caleb was mysteriously absent. He been there the night before, I was sure of it—so where had he gone?

A step above us, Nessa frowned. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said. "But...not here."

Five minutes later we were back in her office, sitting at the desk and eating turkey sandwiches. There was an empty seat next to me, a reminder than one of our group was missing.

"Alright," I murmured, swallowing a bite of my sandwich. "What happened to Caleb?"

Before she answered, Nessa shifted uncomfortably in her seat, as if there were something crawling under her skin. She glanced back at Perfecta and took a deep breath.

"Miracle has...other plans for him."

A cold finger of fear stabbed into my heart. "Other plans?" I asked, my voice a hoarse croak.

"Yes. It has to do with his brother, Christopher."

"Brother," I murmured, remembering Caleb's revelation to me an eternity ago. His brother, who was Chosen two years ago. Who he hadn't seen since.

"How could you let anything happen to him?" Abby shrieked desperately.

"Look, as far as we know he's not in any danger, so—"

"You promised you'd keep us all safe!" Abby was more emotional than I'd ever seen her. Her red-streaked hair was greasy and her thick make-up smeared, but her eyes were wide and clear.

Nessa stood up abruptly and stared down at Abby. "Listen, Abigail," she hissed. "We've been trying as hard as we can. But it's not that easy to deal with Miracle. She makes her actions seem clean and simple, but she is so ambiguous that we"—she ran a hand through her short blonde hair—"we can't predict her every move. We're doing our best."

Abby crossed her arms over her chest, but said nothing.

"What exactly has Miracle done with him?" Trai asked testily, gripping the arms of his chair.

Nessa stared at her hands. "Try to keep your heads, alright? You're not going to like this."

○●○●○●○

Betrayed. We had been betrayed. Caleb, the one who got us into this mess in the first place, had basically left us to die. A heavy feeling of hurt settled into my stomach at the thought of it.

"He wouldn't do that," Trai insisted, once Nessa finished. "He would never do that. We're his friends."

"I'm sorry," she said helplessly.

"No!" Trai shouted. "No, you're wrong! You must be wrong."

I felt like echoing his words, but a sick taste in my mouth made it impossible to speak. Abigail simply stared at her hands, which were clenched around the arms of her chair, her knuckles bone-white with the effort. She was the quietest I had seen her all day.

"I'm sorry," Nessa repeated. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news."

"I can't believe he would do this to us," I growled, my voice filling the air before I realized that I'd even made the conscious decision to speak. "How could he?"

"He really missed his brother," Abby said softly, her eyes downcast.

"So?" I snapped. "He was the one who didn't trust the Superiors in the first place! I don't see why we should give him any sympathy!"

"Delaney is right," Trai agreed.

Abby's head snapped up, regarding the two of us with a contemptuous glare. "How would you know?" she shrieked. "He had his reasons! Leave him alone!" She stood up quickly, sending her chair toppling onto the ground. Not waiting for a reaction from the rest of us, she turned and stormed out the door. It slammed behind her and echoed.

"Perfecta, go make sure she's okay, would you?" Nessa asked, concern etched across her features.

"Oh sure, make Perfecta do everything," the Superior grumbled. But she stood up and stalked across the room.

Nessa turned to Trai and I. "Right now, you two should—"

Just then, the same door that Abby had just exited through flew open. Perfecta, who had been about to open it, jumped back several feet. Miracle stepped in, glasses tucked into her shirt, hauling a furious Abby by the collar of her rumpled band tee. Miracle looked vicious, the expression on her perfect face hateful, maybe even murderous. She let go of Abby, whom she had been holding just above the floor as if she were a rag doll, and the girl tumbled onto the tile.

"What are they doing here?" Miracle demanded, her eyes full of rage. Nessa scrutinized her with an impressive air of equanimity.

"What do you mean?" she wondered calmly.

"I had specific instructions for the prisoners to be kept in their cells. Who dared defied me?"

With what seemed like amusement, Nessa rose from her chair, sinking into a careless yet threatening stance. "That would be me."

Perfecta raised a hand. "And, I suppose, me as well."

Miracle appeared confused for a moment as she glanced between the two women, her colleagues. Then her expression cleared, and her eyes hardened.

"Listen to me, Nessa. You may be my adviser, but that does not give you permission to directly defy my orders. The fate of these children is my decision, and I'll not have anyone getting in my way."

As she was speaking, Miracle had taken slow steps across the room, until she was right in front of Nessa, staring at the woman with furious eyes.

"No, Miracle, you listen to me," Nessa shot back. "You should treat these kids with some respect; they're people, for God's sake! Real human beings that have lives and friends and families. And I'd think that you, of all people, would be able to identify with their tenacity."

"Do you think I care?" Miracle demanded. "They've committed a serious crime, and they're going to pay for it."

"Are they?"

"They are, Nessa. Their sick sentiments will not go unpunished."

They glared at each other.

"Before the Superiors," Nessa returned coldly, "opinions were allowed. Truth was allowed. People could speak their minds without being wiped off the map. Before, even the ones who held all the power did not play around with human life."

"That was before!" Miracle shouted. "Nessa, those days are long gone! It's high time you stop living in the past and realize the beauty of the future the Superiors have created."

A strange look passed between the two women as they stood there, toe to toe, one frighteningly beautiful, the other gravely fearless. My heart pounded a wild drum beat in my chest as I waited for Nessa to respond.

"There is nothing beautiful about all of this corruption," she hissed eventually, stepping back but not backing down. "The world does not belong to you, Miracle."

"But in due time, it could."

The voice was not Miracle's, nor was it female. Everyone turned to the doorway, where a man stood silently. He was young, in his early thirties or so, though the frown lines etched into his face made him appear years older.

"Good morning, everyone," he said genially, crossing the threshold with a few small steps. He smiled, but there was no light in the piercing blue eyes that darted around the room from behind thick, circular glasses.

"Dr. Leary," Nessa greeted, "good morning to you, too."

Leary. I snapped to attention at the two familiar syllables. Dr. David Leary, co-creator of the Superiors, the mastermind behind their illicit rise to power. Fluttering memories of Jeremy Fairleigh's speech flickered through my mind, the enormity of them making me recoil in my seat. This man before me, who seemed so harmless, had engineered the deaths of many people, including Nessa's husband. And, no doubt, he could end our lives just as easily.

From the ground, Abby glanced at me, wide-eyed. She too, had recognized the name, and her expression was now one of hatred. Silently, I willed her not to speak.

Meanwhile, Dr. Leary had come further into the office. He licked his lips anxiously, his eyes still scanning the room. "I heard—ah—noise and came to see if anything was the matter."

"Oh, there's nothing the matter at all," Nessa reassured, before Miracle could so much as open her mouth. "Mira and I were simply discussing what should be done with the prisoners."

Leary appeared to notice us for the first time, his eyes blinking over each of our faces before flicking away. "Ah, the renegades," he murmured, running his fingers through his scraggly dark brown hair. "Abigail and Trai Kaiser, Delaney Escott, and...oh yes, well."

The sound of his voice sent chills up my spine. It was wispy and quiet, unassuming, yet held a careful severity that was reflected in his icy, darting eyes. Though he was a rather small man, Leary's upright posture made him all the more formidable. He struck me as even more unnerving than Miracle.

"What I think," Nessa was saying, "is that we should treat the prisoners with some sympathy, at least until their sentence is determined. Maybe, if they are well taken care of, they'll become repentant. Miracle, however, insists upon their forced imprisonment." The woman heaved a weary sigh.

Leary frowned and looked up, placing a finger to his lips as if deep in thought. Miracle and Nessa stared at him expectantly, while Perfecta, leaning against a wall, just looked bored.
Finally, the doctor spoke. "While I do believe that these dissenters should be punished for their wrongdoings, Nessa has a point," he conceded. "Perhaps if we show them a bit more respect, they will trust us in return."

Never, I thought scathingly, but said nothing.

"What are you saying?" Miracle cried. "Leary, Nessa is—"

"Your adviser," the man finished. "Have some faith in her; she's smarter than she looks."

At that, Nessa bristled, but was silent. I wondered at the strange mutual respect between her and Leary. Judging by the contemptuous glares I saw them giving each other out of the corner of their eyes, they didn't get along. Yet here was Leary, agreeing wholeheartedly with Nessa's proposal.

"How about this," Leary said. "We'll put the prisoners in one of the upstairs bedrooms, keeping them under heavy surveillance, with guards monitoring the doors at all times. They'll have meals brought to them, but will not be able to leave the room. When Miracle decides what their fate shall be, she will be given full control over the situation. Is that fair?"

After a moment of silence, both women nodded.

"Excellent," the doctor murmured. "In that case, Nessa, why don't you and Perfecta take the prisoners to room 324? I'll be sending some guards up shortly, but Miracle and I have some...unfinished business to attend to, and unfortunately cannot accompany you. I trust you'll be able to handle it."

"Of course," Nessa replied demurely. Leary nodded absently, then turned to leave the room.

"Come now, Mira," he called over his shoulder. The Superior straightened.

"I'll be out in a moment," she replied. Shrugging, the doctor stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

When he was gone, a violent look overcame Miracle's delicate features. I waited for her to shout at Nessa, but instead, the Superior turned to me. I felt my eyes widen as she crouched down in front of me and closed her hand around my forearm.

"Don't think you've won," she sneered. "You may be safe for now, but there will be retribution for your actions. And"—Miracle tightened her grip and smirked—"I have your friend."

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Caleb, the feelings of fear, betrayal, and confusion coming back in a heady rush. The Superior squeezed my arm even tighter, and spots of pain flooded my vision.

"He belongs to me now," Miracle hissed, looking me straight in the eye. I clenched my teeth. "He can't protect you." Now she looked up to glance at Trai and Abby, who were watching her with open mouths. "Enjoy the time you have left, little heretics. Your days are numbered."

With that, she stood up, released her hold on my arm, and stalked out of the room. Immediately, everyone rushed over to me, asking if I was all right, but I found myself unable to answer. All I could do was stare at my forearm, where Miracle's iron grip had left purplish bruises on my skin.

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A/N: What do you suppose happened to Caleb? :O Because I didn't tell you xD.