Chapter Thirty-Five: Aspen

Chapter Thirty-Five
~ Aspen ~

I woke with a start, bolting upright as my heartbeat painfully in my chest. I assessed my surroundings quickly and tried to slow my breathing. I was safe. I was laying on the disgusting forest floor, covered in freezing mud, but I was safe. I’d been walking for I don’t even know how many days at this point. I needed to find a permanent place to rest, and fast. I’d eaten nearly all of the food I packed, so I wouldn’t last much longer in the elements.
Winter was closing in and fast. The temperature was dropping significantly each day. My head twisted to the side painfully fast at the sound of leaves crunching behind me. I was currently sitting with my back up against a tree, and whatever had made the sound was on the other side of it. My heartrate picked up again as I pulled myself up onto my feet and held my breath. I squeezed my eyes shut in an effort to gain some courage before peering around the tree. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that it had only been a little squirrel.
When I turned back, however, I couldn’t hold in the scream that came out without my permission. My eyes widened in shock, and I turned to run, only to be tugged backward harshly by a hand around my wrist.
“Aspen, dear.” Dad said evenly, his eyes eerily empty. “It’s been too long.”
Before I could respond I felt a sharp pain in my head, just before the world went dark.

…….

“Get up.”
I lifted my eyes from my crouched position and wiped the corner of my lips with the back of my free hand. Breathing heavily, I managed to stagger to my feet. I glanced down to my hand and noted the streak of blood covering the once clean skin. The man I’d once known as Andrew took a step toward me and gripped my jaw tightly. I tried to hide my wince of pain, but he knew it was hurting me. That was the point.
“Come on, out with it.” He was so close I could feel his disgusting breath on my face. “Show me those powers.”
I closed my eyes and tried to remember some of the self-defense moves Grey taught me. It was nearly impossible to execute any of them with one of my wrists handcuffed to dad's desk, though. I looked back to the man who had been tasked with forcing me to use my sickness. Or powers, I guess. He knew what I could do. They all did. Ever since I’d used it against those guys in the forest, word had traveled. The perfect Aspen Oakley was sick.
“In your dreams.” I smiled just to taunt him, but it quickly fell as he began chuckling to himself.
“Oh no, honey. I think you’re the one who’s in a dream. Or a nightmare, maybe?”
“That’s enough.” It was dad’s voice from the doorway. Andrew backed away from me at the order, before turning and stalking out of the room.
The sight of dad did nothing to soothe me. If anything, I was even more on edge than before. He walked toward me slowly, as if thinking about his next move. His eyes ran up and down my body and he tsked to himself.
“You look like shit.” In normal circumstances, I would’ve been shocked at his language.
“Yeah,” I pulled at my restrained arm. “Being kidnapped will tend to do that to you. And this? Is this really necessary?”
“You’re still sticking to that story?” He rubbed a hand across his jaw.
I’d told them all I’d been taken again by E, but he wasn’t buying it. It was my last effort to protect them in all of this. Even if they didn’t want me living with them, they didn’t deserve to be dragged further into this mess. But this time, I’d been gone for nearly a month. It was harder to rely on that excuse.
“You know, I really thought we’d work together on this.” Dad started, walking around me for good measure. “But it turns out you’ve been sick this whole time. You should’ve told me.”
“So, you could throw me in a cage too?” I hissed, following his movements.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have done that, darling. I could never put you through that.” He softened his voice and lifted a hand to caress my cheek lightly. I stiffened at his touch and decided against mentioning that he did, in fact, put me through that. “I would’ve had to kill you.”
A gasp tore through me at his words and I jerked away from him. At this point, I didn’t doubt that was true. Knowing the hatred he held for the sick, he would rather see me die than know I was alive with powers. I guess it was slightly better than experimenting on your own daughter. The longer I was in a room with him, the more angry I was getting. I hadn’t planned on ever seeing him again, but here I was, stuck in a small room, handcuffed to a desk with him looming over me.
“What are you going to do with me now, then?” He smirked at my question but didn’t get a chance to answer as someone came barreling through the door.
“Sir, there’s a problem with the plan.” Dad sighed heavily and motioned for the man to leave. I knew he’d be right behind. He couldn’t resist strategizing.
“I better go see to it that everything's in place.” He announced before turning back to face me. He had a maniacal glint in his eyes as he smiled. “Not to worry, I’ll be back soon to explain every detail of what we plan to do to your friends.”
I jerked against my bound hand at his words. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to do. I knew I couldn’t get free, but his threat had the desired effect. My anger was at an all-time high. He turned and walked out, leaving me alone. My heart was thrashing painfully in my chest as my adrenaline rose. He couldn’t hurt them. They’d all been through too much already. If they died now, it would be my fault. I just wished I could get out of these stupid handcuffs.
Suddenly, the metal clicked beside me. I stared down at my wrist in shock. I moved it out of the now open handcuffs and rubbed at the raw skin there. What the hell? How did that happen? I only allowed myself another moment of confusion before I sprang into action. I knew I would have to fight my way out, so I didn’t want to give myself any time for nerves to get the better of me. I threw dad's office door open and was met with two large men. I willed their legs to be stuck in place and made a run for it.
I heard them calling out for backup as I made my way through the narrow hallway. I forced my eyes to remain forward, not wanting to see all the people coming after me. I willed everyone to stay away and kept going. I had no idea if it was going to work or not, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care. It was only once I made it outside that I realized I left my bag behind.
I heard the unmistakable sound of angry yelling from behind me, but it seemed that my powers were keeping me safe for now. I had no other option but to go back to the others. I had to warn them about the attack that would be coming any day. If dad was planning something, it wouldn’t be long before they acted on it. I just hoped that I would make it back in time, and that I would survive the journey.