Weaving Destinies

Slowly, I regained consciousness. I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t breathe. My body wouldn’t obey my commands. I was just floating helplessly in that giant tube of liquid. I was aware of everything, but I couldn’t see anything. I wanted to twist around and scream, but I still couldn’t move. I could feel my hair floating around my head, and tiny shocks of electricity were sent into my body via the wires attached to me.

I was entirely alone with not a single friendly voice to comfort me. This machine wouldn’t even allow me to release Alec’s powers. Not that he was awake in the first place.

Or was he? I was suddenly aware of movement not far in front of me. Someone was standing up.

“Faith!” I heard Alec shout. Happiness and relief flooded my mind.

“Finally! Now he can get me out of here!” I thought, but I had forgotten one key part of this situation.

“Good, you’re awake,” Callagroth’s voice echoed. My heart sank. My chances of being rescued had just dropped severely.

I felt the liquid in the tube shake a little as someone, probably Alec, threw himself again and again at the glass tube, trying to break it.

“What did you do to her?” Alec yelled, his voice filled with rage.

“What do you think I should mix her DNA with?” Callagroth ignored Alec’s question. “Or should I just focus on molding her brain to fit my will?”

I wondered if this was what he had done to Madison. Had he needed to? Maybe she had gladly joined him.

There were suddenly sounds of a fight. Someone was knocked to the ground, and the two of them struggled to destroy the other. It was over as quickly as it began. I hoped that the winner of the fight was Alec, but I felt another jolt enter my body.

“I will kill you for doing this to her!” Alec tried to stand up, but I could sense his body falling to the ground again. “I will not let you twist her body like it is nothing but a toy!”

“I suppose I’ll combine her DNA with a hawk’s. It’s really the only thing that suits her,” Callagroth said, more to himself than to Alec. I heard a beep, and things began to stream into my bloodline. I could feel my body twitching and convulsing.

I heard a loud crash.

“I’m afraid that even though you may have destroyed the main puttley, the rest of it works on its own,” Callagroth laughed.

“Faith!” Alec shouted again. I could feel him throw himself against the tube over and over, but I knew it was in vain.

“That moron! If he stays here, Callagroth will kill him!” I thought in anger. I suddenly remembered that he didn’t really have a choice. Then an idea played in my head. Maybe he wasn’t able to break through the glass, but I knew what could. But how could I tell him? I thought of all the times I had been able to push someone out of my mind. If I reversed that pushing into pulling, could I somehow get inside his head?

It was worth a try. I imagined myself pulling his mind towards me and reaching inside to hear his thoughts. A voice suddenly entered my mind.

“I must help her! I cannot bear to see my beautiful Faith undergo such a terrible thing!” I heard Alec’s voice inside my head.

“Alec! Listen to me!” I thought.

“My love? Is… is that you?”

“Yes, and don’t call me that. I have an idea to get me out of here before his little experiment goes too far.”

“Yes, of course. What is it?”

“I need you to get as far away from me as possible. When you run into the barrier, press against it as hard as you can,” I told him.

“What? But my darling-”

“Just do it! Trust me, this will work!”

Soon I could feel the press of the barrier against me. It moved my body through the liquid, pressing it against the glass. It felt like the barrier was squashing me, and I was in even greater pain than from the electric shocks.

After what seemed like eternity, the glass on the test tube shattered from the pressure. I was flung out from the thing, wires snapping and coming out of my body. I landed with glass and blue liquid on the floor. I finally was able to open my eyes. I saw Alec running towards me, shouting, “Faith!”

I push myself to my feet and started to go to him, but I felt an arm wrap around my waist. Callagroth was pulling me away. I struggled to free myself.

“Alec!” I screamed, helpless and afraid of what Callagroth would do to me. Alec lunged towards me, but a figure zoomed into him. He was pinned to the floor by none other than Madison herself. She sent a small but evil grin in my direction.

“Madison! Let him go!” I continued to scream.

“As much as I gain pleasure from seeing you suffer, that annoying sound you’re making is positively dreadful,” Callagroth said. He clamped a hand over my mouth and turned me around so that I couldn’t see Madison or Alec any longer. He slammed me against a wall and looked at me with burning eyes.

The world around me started to swirl and blur together. I tried to yell at him to cut it out, but his hand was still pressed over my lips.

The cavern suddenly grew very bright, blinding me. When my eyes finally focused again, I was standing on the brilliantly-lit volleyball court in Hawkthorne High’s gym. I saw all of my teammates, including Madison and Sophie, standing in formation wearing our school’s dark red shirt and tiny black shorts with long black socks and tennis shoes.

Then I realized that Sophie played varsity. Madison and I had only been junior varsity. This wasn’t even a memory.

“This isn’t real, Callagroth!” I shouted. “You can’t trick me!”

Everyone stared at me, including the other team. Sophie shot me a warning glare.

“Don’t mess this up, Livvy!” Madison hissed at me. “This is our big chance for a tandem play! We have to show them we truly belong on varsity!”

“But I-” I started to protest, but Sophie already served the ball. The other team sent it back over, and Madison ran for it. I stayed where I was, so I wasn’t there when she set the ball for me.

The other team cheered as the ball touched the floor.

“Livvy, what are you doing?” Madison asked, jogging back to her spot. I punched her in the face.

I heard whistles blowing and people shouting, but I kept my focus on Madison as she gingerly touched her face in surprise.

“Are you the real Madison?” I asked threateningly. “Leave Alec alone!”

“What are you doing? Who’s Alec?” Madison asked, her dark eyes looking hurt.

“All right, ladies. That’s enough,” a referee came over to break us up.

“What have I ever done to you to deserve this?” Madison asked, her eyes filling with tears. Her words were like an icy breath on the back of my neck.

“Why, Livvy?” she asked, falling to her knees. “Why?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” I exclaimed as she started sobbing. “It was just an accident!”

“There is no such thing as an accident!” Sophie snarled, kneeling beside Madison. “You knew what you were doing!”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I begged for forgiveness as the referee dragged me away. I turned to pull away from the referee and saw Callagroth grinning back at me.

With a cry of fury, I freed one arm and tried to punch him. He let go of me, and our surroundings changed back to the cavern. I glanced over to see that Madison still had Alec preoccupied.

I looked back at Callagroth and knew there was no way I would be able to fight him on my own.