Chapter 19: Chapter 19
New Lifestyle
As it turned out, I wasn't the only one with a massive appetite. By the time Dad was through with the others, there was a rumbling gastro competition going on among them. When my stomach joined in, Abigail rounded us up and herded us off to the cafeteria to fill our empty middles.
I wondered later how we must have looked: a crowd of starving kids, growing and/or filling out by the second, devouring the entire contents of the mess hall in under ten minutes. I looked up at one point to the amazed stare of an apron-clad enlisted man with a bus tray as he tried to free the empties from under us.
After our impromptu lunch, during which I heard the general in his office insisting to someone over the phone in an agitated voice the ration intake for the base be multiplied by ten, we were ushered to the familiar landscape of the attack zone.
I was grateful they did a quick test with beanbags and rubber bullets to make sure the others were as invincible as I was. At least my father learned his lesson somewhat, no point-blank bullets and unconscious soldiers for them. After it was made obvious my new friends were impervious to weapon fire, we were left to fend for ourselves. I filled them in on what to expect just before the real bullets and explosions started.
At first I was cautious of them. Okay, of Elle and Simone. Call me old-fashioned, but I worried about the girls getting hurt. They proved my concerns groundless. Elle grinned at me after the smoke from an exploding grenade dispelled around her enough so she could catch my eye.
"Fun!" She laughed.
I wondered at her life before she became sick if she considered being shot at fun.
When no one else manifested any gifts during the course of the testing, my father called it a day. I could tell he did so not for our benefit, but because his whole team was dead on their feet. It wasn't like Dad to take others into consideration, and I wondered how much Abigail had to do with the end to the day's festivities.
Each of the six was assigned their own room, all the same like the one I already settled into, and all along the same corridor as mine. Abigail was given a billet at the end. I figured by now she knew what I was just learning, how the whole fantasy of living in my old house and going to a public school was not going to happen any time soon. At least, not until the lot of us were well adjusted to our new lives, and probably not even then. We were all in the same position until the military decided what to do with us.
The general was kind enough, with some rigorous insisting from Abigail, to supply us with a common area, complete with big screen TV, the latest game systems and surround sound. Anything resembling a computer was conspicuously absent. Even the game systems were just that and had no Internet access. No surprise there. Like they would give us the chance to contact the outside world.
An attempt had been made to cover the dull gray walls with posters and a cheesy calendar with puppies on it. Someone scrounged a hideous rug and had thrown it across the dingy floor, topping it with two new leather sofas and two oversized chairs.
My hands itched to try a controller as I sifted through the stack of plastic sleeves, holding all the latest in gaming destruction while I smirked to myself they hadn't seemed to care when it was just me. Now they had seven super kids, I guessed the general and my father realized the upside of keeping us busy during our downtime.
I didn't get a chance to fire up a first-person shooter. Dad interrupted us, the general joining him, glaring at us one at a time, teeth grinding the end of his cigar.
"Each of you is responsible for your own space," my father said, "and for this one. We expect you to treat the things supplied to you with respect."
Billy made a face and drove the end of one finger into the arm of the new leather sofa, tearing it. I knew my father didn't see it and it irked me.
"As you can tell, you have been restricted access to the outside world as agreed," he went on. "For obvious reasons, you won't be able to share certain information with anyone not involved in the project. We do expect you to keep up with your studies here, and we know computer use is important. That being said, you will be allowed some limited interaction during school hours and under complete supervision." He gestured at Abigail who sat with the girls. "Ms. Franks will be running a school program for you, to make sure you get caught up and keep up with your age-grade's curriculum."
"Why bother?" Billy leaned back so far on his chair he almost tipped over. "What do we need school for?"
The general answered this time. "Discipline! Legs down, soldier!"
Billy grumbled, but obeyed, shooting Mill a sullen look and slumping down in his now stable seat.
"The plan is to re-integrate you into society, at least on a less secure base." Dad ignored their exchange. "Eventually, we'd like to enroll you all in the base high school and have you live as normal lives as possible."
"But we're not normal," Simone said, stroking her long, dark hair where it hung over her shoulder, long enough to pool in her lap. "Not by a long shot."
"No," Dad said. "But you will have to learn to function in society, to live your lives among normals, so you need to get used to it. The sooner the better."
The general didn't look very happy about it, but he didn't interrupt, so I assumed my father won the argument, at least for the time being.
"What happens next, sir?" Elle asked.
"We keep pushing you," my father said. "Until the rest of your abilities manifest. Then, once they have all appeared, we push you some more. When you have mastered your power, your strength, then you will be allowed to re-enter society. But not before."
"How come Wyatt was allowed?" There was an edge of petulance in Philip's voice. Billy shot him a look of speculation while I sighed deeply. Yeah, my single foray into the real world went well. Like I'd wish what happened on anyone.
"He was a special case," Dad said. "We had no idea what to expect. Now we do, at least to a degree. For all we know, you may surpass him or, more likely, equal his power."
The thought they might end up stronger than me hadn't even crossed my mind. Then again, why would it? I was invincible, wasn't I? What was better than that?
"At any rate," my father said, "we will be monitoring all of you over the next few weeks and testing you to your breaking point. You will get tired of it, I assure you." He smiled. "And bored, if Wyatt is any indicator." I rolled my eyes and shrugged at them.
"I can't imagine." Elle dimpled at me to take away the sting of denial. "This is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. How could I possibly get bored?"
"Just wait," I said. "Talk to me in a week."
They all laughed. Billy just smirked.
"Now, get some rest if you need to. Eat more if you must." We all groaned together as his comment made our stomachs rumble. "Tomorrow is a big day."
Abigail said good night after Dad and the general left, but I noticed a tech and a soldier remained. I knew it made sense to have us watched. The cameras in the ceiling were understandable, but I felt weird having babysitters. It made me wonder where else they secreted surveillance equipment and doubted if we'd have any privacy at all.
I wasn't the only one. For the rest of the evening, when we weren't trucking off to the mess for food, we made a mass huddle as far from our pair of watchers as we could. Once in a while I'd glance over my shoulder just to see if they left. They looked about as uncomfortable about the whole thing as we felt. Billy even lobbed the odd spitball their way, but the girls put an end to it before I had the chance.
Instead, entertainment was the what's-your-power guessing game. Andre was just learning to block out the thoughts of others, so he was quiet most of the time. Tosh, despite being the smallest of us still, was very vocal.
"Hope mine's, like, stretchiness or something," he said, all eager.
"You read too many comic books," Billy said.
"Never read any," the boy said.
"It could be anything," I assured the disappointed Tosh, glaring at Billy.
"Or nothing," the other countered back, dark eyes cold. He filled out in his own way, but not as much as me, nor did he achieve my height. I caught him shoving his chest out and straightening his back whenever he talked to me. It made me laugh inside.
I also nursed a little fear about myself. I hadn't shown anything so far beyond flying and my distance hearing. Jealousy reared its nasty head as I considered if those were my only extra powers, I'd be sorely disappointed.
Like I didn't have enough already. Idiot.
"We'll all find out when it's time," Elle said. She dimpled, blonde hair spinning in fine curls over her shoulders. Her skin was softened with a gentle blush most of the time, the rosy glow a far cry from the pale translucence from before the experiment. It was like she was a ghost reborn. I found myself staring at her a lot and hated the heat rushing to my face when she caught me.
She was by far the prettiest girl I had ever seen.
Melody? Melody who?
"Whatever I get, I'm grateful for it," Simone said. "This beats the life I had, tres bien."
We all murmured an agreement. When she smiled at me, I found myself smiling back, just catching Elle's frown at our exchange and wondering about it.
I left my new friends to their speculation and made my way to my room. It had been a full and exciting day and I hadn't had any rest in almost forty-eight hours. As I reached my door, I felt a hand on my arm and turned, surprised to find Elle smiling up at me.
"I wanted to thank you." Her dimples were in full evidence, slim body seeming frail to me though I knew she was as invulnerable as I was. "For everything. For being there for us." She flushed herself, lowering her eyes, long eyelashes brushing her cheeks. My stomach flipped over in a way that had nothing to do with hunger.
"You're welcome," I said.
She flashed me her amazing smile. "I'm doing this all wrong," she said. "What I'm trying to say is I'm glad you're here. And I'm here. And it worked."
"Me too," I said, still not getting it, but very glad to keep the conversation going. I never had a girl like me before, outside of Melody's fascination with the agents and my father's job, and I was hoping this was it.
"Okay," she said with a lovely laugh. "I guess I'd better you know. You're tired, so "
I was about to answer when a tech appeared at the end of the hall and made her way to my door. The woman in the lab coat cleared her throat.
"No fraternizing in each other's rooms." It was pretty clear she was embarrassed and I blushed while Elle laughed. I realized then she hadn't taken her hand from my arm the whole time. Her fingers slipped away as she turned to follow the babysitter.
I watched her go to her own door and pause there. I waved and was astonished when she blew me a kiss before disappearing with a giggle into her room.
It was a long time before I could put the kiss out of my mind and fall asleep.
***
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone