The Essence of Water

OLD VERSION Chapter 33

**********Ladies and gentlemen....I present to you the last chapter. It has been such a pleasure writing for you guys, you've been supportive and wonderful and I give all of you hugs. *hands out virtual hugs* You've all been a big motivation for me to finish this book, so thank you thank you thank you. I will be posting another story here soon, so feel free to keep checking back and asking me about it. Hint, it coincides with Water. Enjoy!************

The cold air, the concrete, and steal doors loom before Aiden and I. We're bleeding, exhausted, confused, and hopeful. "Adie, what you did back there-"

"-not now, let's just get out of here first."           

"How? There's an army of soldiers and Handlers in this place."

I stop and let Aiden lean on the wall. He's bruised and beaten but considering everything he looks alive. I look at the steel doors and numbers again, "We overwhelm them," I say. I I walk to the first door and push the metal latch back and open the door. The light from the hall illuminates the small cold cell that I remember so vividly. A figure is huddled in the corner. He looks as old as Henry but thinner, paler, weaker. "It's OK." I tell him quietly, "I'm not going to hurt you, my name is Adie. I'm here to rescue you." Rescue. What a strange, hopeful word. Am I rescuing? Freeing, freeing is a better word, "I'm here to set you free." He stays huddled in the corner, shielding his eyes from the light.

Aiden comes up next to me, "Adie, some of these people haven't seen daylight in years. They only bothered with the Misfits the might have potential, everyone else...they just locked away. These people are scared, we don't have the time or means to free all of them and get them out of here."

I look back into the cell and the frightened man, I want to help him. I want to help all of them but how? I take a deep breath, I search for the strength I know resides somewhere inside of me. "Yes we do." I close my eyes. I take the water from the air and I pull it together make it dense, I reach out to the water in ever body in each cell. There are dozens of them, but not as many as I thought there would be. I feel their skins, feel their minds, I allow the water to touch them, fill them.

I know I'm touching Aiden also, because I hear him sigh next to me. I push thoughts into their heads, emotions; all at once I tell them a quick version of my story. I give them hope. Give them something to hold onto. I open the doors with the water, and tell them that it's their choice to fight, it's their choice to stand and that I will stand with them. When I drop the connection I lean against the wall and Aiden takes my head and he smiles at me gently.

"You're an amazing woman," he says.

I give him a half smile and I watch in amazement as prisoners, other Misfits, people like me, walk slowly from their cells and blink against the light. They gather around me, touch my skin, feel my scars, they speak in low voices and thank me. I try to look in all of their faces but there are so many of them, and I don't have the time. "Please, follow me, if any of you can control water with any sort of precision, then be ready to use it, don't be afraid."

There are a few nods around the small crowd of people, and I walk through them. They back away, making a path for Aiden and I. We hide our aches and pains, and we press on. The double doors swing open with ease but as luck would have it a soldier is coming down the hall, headed straight for us. He stops, confused and raises his gun. I reach out and stop him. His arms stop, his eyes crinkle in confusion and walk up to him and grab the gun from him. "Where can I find an alarm that will evacuate this building?" He looks around, his body frozen, "Take me there, and I won't kill you." It's an empty threat; my rage is slipping through my fingers, overpowered by exhaustion. When did I sleep last? I allow him the use of his legs, but nothing else, I even shut his mouth. The group follows behind me, walking quietly, flinching whenever they hear a sound. But there are a few, who stand directly behind Aiden and me. They have cuts and bruises on their bodies, their eyes are hard but still full of life. As I look at them one of them looks me in the eyes.