Superior

Chapter 47

"Hey, Caleb," Jeanette snapped, jolting me from my reverie once again. She was standing at the threshold of the room, her arms crossed. "The girl needs help, don't just stand there gaping."

With a start, I quickly realized that the girl's body was crossed with scratches that marred her skin and seeped drops of blood. They were everywhere: on her arms, her legs, her neck—even the cloth of her jeans and shirt was torn and bloody.

I swallowed hard. "Then help her," I replied coolly. "I'll take care of the other two."

Jeanette rolled her eyes, but picked her way through the glass to the girl on the floor without commenting. Meanwhile, I whirled around to the other two. I winced as I did so, suddenly becoming aware of several glass shards that protruded from various places on my body. I pulled them out as I limped toward the chairs.

As the siblings (as I assumed they were) watched me, I stepped forward and wrapped both hands around the cuff that secured the girl's left wrist. With one deft movement, I twisted the metal until it became so thin in the center that it simply broke apart. I repeated the same ritual with the other three restraints, then moved on to the boy. It wasn't until I had freed them both completely that I noticed the incredulity painted across their features.

"What?" I snapped irritably.

The girl gaped, lifting her hands and marveling. "H-how did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I just did. Superhuman strength, I don't know."

Both of them sat there for a long moment after I was done, staring in near-disbelief at the metal bands I had torn like paper.

The pair gawked to the point of my discomfort, provoking me to turn away. I glanced at Jeanette, who had managed to get the second girl to her feet. There was no question that she was worse for wear than the other two, who, despite having scratches where the cuffs had bit into their wrists, were at least decidedly conscious. She, on the other hand, looked like she would pass out at any second.

But that didn't stop her from looking at me and saying, "I'm so glad you're here. I've gotta say, though, I didn't expect them to send you."

Confused—and concerned about her condition—I tilted my head. "You didn't expect who to send me?"

"Nessa. Perfecta. The Pro-Inferiors." She waved a weak hand. "They said they'd said someone to get us out of here. Isn't that you?" Now it was she who looked puzzled.

"No," I said slowly. "no one sent me anywhere. Jeanette and I"—I gestured to Jeanette, who was supporting all of the girl's weight—"found our way in here by accident. I don't know what you're talking about."

Her face suddenly fell. "D-Don't you know who I am, though?" she asked.

I shook my head, feeling uncomfortable. "No, I—I have no idea. Sorry." But even as I said those words, I knew they were a lie. Maybe I couldn't remember her name or her relation to me, but I did know her. I had known her.

"How would you?" the boy said scathingly, speaking from behind me. "It's probably near-impossible after they wiped your memories. I wonder if you'd even want to remember us, though. The choice you made suggests otherwise."

The boy's words confused me, but one thing registered in my mind. He knew about the memory wiping. If he did, then most likely, so did the others. Which meant that all three most likely knew me before I'd become a Superior.

If only I remembered them.

The other girl, who had red-streaked black hair, looked at me imploringly. "You don't remember us? Not at all?" She had stood up, and was now standing beside her chair with her hands clenched into fists.