Ruby

Chapter 31

We run through the hall, David leading the way. He makes a sharp turn, the stops at a door. He sets his hand on a scanner, and I hear a lock click open. Carefully, he opens the door and walks inside.

"Cinda?" he calls.

"Oh, you're back. Did you bring Ron?" I hear her voice from inside the room.

"Yeah. She's right here. I'll send her in," David gestures for me to go inside. I do. The room looks like it would normally be quite organized, but right now it is trashed. Papers clutter the floor and cover the desk sitting in the middle of the room. Books are pulled off of their shelves, and the trash can is tipped over, its contents spilling out onto the floor. Cinda stands in the middle of the room, flipping through a book. She glances up at me, then shuts the book.

"Ron. Something happened. It was kind of like when you and David rescued me, and you threw the guards without touching them. But it was different. Remember when we were questioning those two Rubies, and I I told them to answer? Well, they didn't just listen to me. I made them tell me. With my mind. It was like I forced the truth out of them," She finishes, looking at me.

"Are you sure? Maybe it was something else, something like--"

"No, Ron," She cuts me off. "I felt it. It wasn't like anything that I've ever felt. I felt like I could look straight into their very soul. And their eyes. They went totally blank for a second. It was like they were dead. And then they told us what we wanted to know."

I can sense that she's being completely honest with me. "Okay. I believe you. But what are you doing in here?"

"This room is where we store what we know about Ruby and the government, which we think is corrupted. I thought that maybe there would be something in here that would help me figure out what is going on. Unless you can tell me."

I sigh. "I can. But you're not going to like it."

"I know that. But I still want to know."

"When you were in the prison, they performed experiments on you. They changed you. They gave you powers, so to speak. I can't explain them to you yet. But I have them too. So does David. I can move things with my mind, and he has visions of the future. We don't know why, and we don't know how. But we do know that these can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you use them."

She stands quietly for a moment, then nods. "Okay. Thank you for telling me. I was trying to find an answer in these books,"  She says, gesturing to the books and papers all over the room. "Obviously, it wasn't working."

"Cinda, can I ask you something?"  I say.

She shrugs. "yeah, sure."

"Could you show me what you can do? I'm just curious," I add quickly.

"Of course. Alec!" She calls. "I know you're out there! Come here!"

Alec walks into the room and stands in the center with his arms folded. He has the usual smirk on his face. "Yes, Cinda?" he says, in a light, teasing tone.

"Okay, Alec.  I'm going to tell you to do something, and I want you to resist as best as you can. Ready?" Cinda asks.

He nods. "Ready."

Cinda looks Alec right in the eyes."Rub pat your head and rub your stomach."

Alec's eyes stare blankly for a moment, then, slowly, he brings his hand up to his head. It looks as if an invisible being is pulling his arms into place while he fights against it. All of his muscles are taut, and he seems to be concentrating deeply. His movements are clipped and forced.

Finally, Cinda looks away. Alec gasps and lets his arms drop to his sides. He looks at Cinda, eyes wide. "That was so weird. I've never felt anything like that. I couldn't control my own body."

"I know. I was in control of you," Cinda tells him.

"That's amazing. I just wish we knew why they made us this way," I say, my words distant.

"Me too," Cinda says quietly. "Yeah, me too."

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The rest of the day passes quickly. I go back to the training room,and Alec gives me a few more pointers and helps me shoot.  He says that I'm learning very quickly.

"You keep this up, you'll be hitting the bullseye in no time," he tells me.

After shooting for a while with him, I head back to my room. Having nothing else to do, I pull The Secret Garden out from under the cushion of a chair. I secretly took it from the library a few nights ago. I immerse myself in the book. I'm not a very good reader, since I've only just gotten my memories of reading back, but I'm getting better.

My quiet reading is interrupted by a knock at my door. I quickly stow the book under the cushion.

"Come in!" I call.

David pushes the door open. "Hey, Ron. You're not busy right now, are you?" 

"No, not at the moment," I say.

"Good. I've got something to show you."