The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 15: Metal

Diamond sat shaking on the sofa next to me, and a worried Evie paced back and forth in front of the TV.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused. It had been 20 minutes since Evie's phone call to Skylar and when Diamond had heard the name Gavin, she made a squeaky noise and started shaking. "Who the hell is Gavin?"

"We're waiting for everyone else!" Evie snapped. "Or at least Skylar," she bit her lower lip, and paced faster.

"Well could you at least pace somewhere else? You're blocking my view of the TV."

"Tony!" Diamond scolded. "We have more pressing issues!"

"Well maybe if I knew what they were!" I cried. "Who's Gavin?"

"Some insane psychopath who tortured innocent teenagers and attempted to murder your girlfriend, Evalynn and myself," Skylar said calmly from the doorway. "I killed him." She frowned then. "Or at least I thought I did."

"Skylar!" Evie went over to her. "Skylar...I'm scared." She admitted. "Why did I see him?"

Skylar sighed. "I don't know. I mean, are you positive-"

"Yes! The eyes, the pale skin, same height, same thick hair, same cheekbones-"

"I'm sorry, cheekbones?" I interrupted.

Diamond nodded. "Gavin has very distinctive cheekbones,"

Skylar smiled. "Attractive, even."

My hand went up to my face. "Cheekbones can be attractive?"

Everyone ignored me. "Where WERE you?" Evie insisted. "I called you like half an hour ago!"

Skylar rolled her eyes. "I went to swim and think, and then Harry met up with me. It was all very weird." She frowned again. "I think he listens to One Direction. He quoted lyrics at me."

"I hear they play it in the locker rooms before the football games," I teased her.

"One more word out of you and I'm changing your relationship status to 'in a relationship with Derek Fox'." Skylar scowled.

"Skylar. What do we do about Gavin?" Evie said.

"Evie, I don't know...I mean, until I see it for myself-"

"You won't believe it." Evie said bitterly.

"Only because I saw him die ten feet away from me!"

David flung open the door. "Evie, what the hell? You just took off! I thought we were gonna spend a nice day together?"

"Not now, David!" Both Evie and Skylar snapped.

"Rawr," I muttered under my breath, earning a slap from Diamond.

"You just left me to make a half hour long, awkward conversation with British Calvin from America!"

"Calvin?" Skylar snapped to attention.

"Yeah. You know him? Because Evie certainly did!" David said angrily.

"Evie, why didn't you tell me his name was Calvin?"

"Gee, maybe because she didn't stick around long enough to find out what it was!" David snapped.

"Skylar?" Diamond spoke up. "What's so important about the name Calvin?"

"We need to get everyone here, ASAP. Di, go find Evalynn, most likely the anti-grav room. Tony, go find Der, I'm guessing the virtual art room or arcade. David and Evie...go change out of your swimsuits."

"What about Harry?" David asked.

Skylar's face turned stony. "We're not worrying about him."

"And why are we taking orders from you?" I asked.

Skylar turned her steely gaze on me. "Cause I'm the motherfucking leader."

**************

Everyone minus Harry was gathered in the girls dorm room, waiting for Skylar to start talking.

"Anytime now," I murmured.

Diamond pressed her lips together, and shot me a look. Thankfully, I was saved when Skylar started speaking.

"Last year...during the battle at The Forces, when Bryner ran out into the hallway, and I followed her...she wasn't alone when she was fighting me. There was somebody helping her. At first I thought Gavin had followed us out, because of the looks, they were identical. But then she called him Calvin, so I thought twins maybe. But they were almost too identical. Exactly the same. The way they talked, the way they fought. The build, the height-"

"The cheekbones?" I interrupted.

Skylar cracked a smile. "The cheekbones. And Bryner could tell I was confused. She started laughing and told me the clone program was a success. That Calvin was Gavin's clone. She said they operated the same exact way and that she loved them. So, before I could do anything, she threw the knife at me, and Calvin ran off. I guess he came here."

"Makes you wonder how many other employees at The Forces got cloned and came here," Diamond muttered.

David frowned. "Wait, when was this battle?"

"November." Evie put a hand on his shoulder. "Why?"

David fidgeted with his fingers. "Well because Dr. Lake said that at the beginning of October, they got a bunch of new recruits for a physical combat wing here, and supposedly..."

"David?" Evalynn prompted.

"Supposedly, they're all clones. From California."

"Did you say...physical combat wing?" Skylar asked quietly.

"Yeah, I was confused about that too, why would a science lab-"

"Skylar? Assassin training?" Diamond interrupted.

"I'm sorry, what? Did you say 'assassin training'?!" I shouted.

"The Forces had a section for training assassins...for us." Evalynn explained.

"And clones for the physical combat wing here...could be the clones of the guys from the assassin wing at The Forces." Evie continued. "Which means..." She looked at Skylar.

"Jamie," Skylar whispered under her breath.

"What?!" My voice went strangely high. "Jamie was an assassin for you guys?!"

"He got over it," Evalynn shrugged.

"Who's Jamie?" Derek asked.

"Jamie was my boyfriend..." Skylar said. "He worked in the assassin wing at The Forces up until the last few months of his life. And if the clones here are the clones of the people that worked in the assassin wing at The Forces..."

"Then Jamie's clone might be here," Diamond finished for her.