Conspiracy Theorist

Scarlett stood and was silently wishing she believed in God, so she could pray to him and curse him at the same time. To curse him for making her so damn proud and stubborn, ignorantly refusing Adam’s offer to go before her on their first training session.

As the four of them had stood in front of a gaping chasm that went on forever, there was no bottom to it. Jason had asked who wanted to come first and Jocelyn had readily offered Scarlett, claiming she had ‘Balls of Steel.’ Adam- being as gallant as he was- offered to go before Scarlett, but she wasn’t about to show any sign of weakness. She wanted a God to curse for making her such a stubborn, proud, ‘Balls of Steel’ type of girl.

Her stomach clenched viciously and she couldn’t stop her eyed from widening in fear as she stepped closer to the ledge, her stomach dropped just like the ground. Gem had explained to the teens that they had been injected and the government wasn’t sure what powers each of them had inherited. This was all a horrible, cruel test to see the extent of their powers. She had been assured there was water at the bottom of the abyss to cushion any fall they might take, but Scarlett knew that hitting water from high up was like hitting a brick wall.

This was one of many tests- it checked her flight ability. The objective was simple enough, jump and if her instincts kicked in and caught her she would fly to the other side. Or she would plummet who knows how many feet into freezing water.

Scarlett had been afraid of heights since she was a child, she knew it was an irrational fear, it’s not like she had some traumatic childhood experience.

“Hurry up! We don’t have all day!” Gem drawled and snickered at Scarlett’s stricken expression.

With a horrible sinking feeling Scarlett approached the edge reluctantly and jumped…

***

Adam watched as Scarlett’s slim figure disappeared over the edge and he waited…

And waited…

And waited…

But he didn’t see a bob of blonde come back up.

Adam couldn’t get the look in her eyes out of his mind. She had looked completely petrified; he had to struggle with himself mentally. He desperately wanted to jump after and hold her; stroke her hair and tell her everything would be okay. He didn’t know why but he couldn’t stop the unwanted surge of emotions for Scarlett- a girl he just met and knew nothing more than the name of.

Adam let out a sigh of relief and Jocelyn’s body un-tensed from beside him. Scarlett’s head appeared from a ladder clinging to the side of the rocky face of the wall. She was visibly trembling and he wasn’t sure if it was from fear or from cold- probably both. The chill of the air conditioning probably didn’t help much either.

She walked over to the terror-stricken kids and interlaced her fingers with Jocelyn. It was obvious to Adam that Scarlett was trying to find comfort from the only thing she knew anymore- Jocelyn.

His fingers twitched to pull Scarlett towards him and wrap his arms around her. He resisted but it took everything within him.

“Who wants to go next?” Jason’s overly excited voice penetrated Adam’s thoughts.

“I’ll go,” Adam stated plainly, he had always done stupid things with his friends to get a thrill and this didn’t terrify him- like it did Scarlett. He knew it was hard for her to show so much weakness and let other people know how frightened she was.

Gem’s annoying nasally voice stopped him as he clomped towards the edge of the canyon. “I think we should let Kasper go next.” She said revealing the ice in her heart. She wanted Kasper to be scared. She was like a sick monster feeding on other people’s fears.

Kasper gulped and clutched his hands together to stop the shaking in them. Adam was proud of him as he stepped forward without begging to skip it and go cry in a corner or something.

Kasper timidly looked over the edge, shrugged, and leaped.

Adam was watching and when Kasper’s freckled face didn’t reappear and he started to feel guilty. About everything, how he treated him in school, how he’d been disappointed when he found out his partner in this whole mixed up government thing was Kasper.

Kasper’s red hair was so bright against the drab cave as he flopped onto solid ground after climbing back up the ladder. He promptly broke into a wild fit of coughing that ravaged his body. Kasper desperately tried to remove the water from his lungs. Adam was about to run and help but Jocelyn beat him to it. Her dazzling blue eyes had turned gray with worry and she pounded on his back.

Eventually Kasper quieted down and Jocelyn continued to kneel next to him. Her lips curled slightly up as Kasper’s cheeks flushed. He smiled sheepishly at her and mumbled something along the lines of, “Thanks.”
“My turn!” Jocelyn squealed with delight. She did a flying leap and did some twirl things as she flew rapidly to the darkness below. Adam saw the look of worry etched over Scar’s face for her friend’s safety.

“She’s going to be fine.” Adam leaned over and whispered to her. She didn’t say anything, but Adam saw in her eyes that she was grateful for the reassurance. Adam smelled a cinnamon scent coming from her and he once again longed to hold her.

Adam chastised himself for his outlandish thoughts. He had sworn to himself a long time ago to not get feelings towards anybody. It would just have him hurt in the end. His parents proved that to him. He glanced at the scars zigzagging up and down him arms and shivered. He remembered that day way too clearly. He shook his crazed mother’s face out of his mind and waited for Jocelyn to either fly out of the chasm or climb the ladder.

She ascended the ladder and immediately cried, “My hair!” Sure enough her perfectly straightened hair had started to gain volume. She furiously tried- and failed- to smooth it down.

Adam sighed, it was his turn. All giddiness he had for a rush earlier had left him. He had better things to do than cater to the governments every wish. He wanted desperately to be back in Michigan playing football and spray painting buildings with his friends.

He stepped forward right off the edge of oblivion and waited for the rush of air flying around him and the bone crushing impact of water.

But he didn’t feel those things.

Instead he felt as if he was as light as a feather.

He looked beneath himself and saw his converse clad feet floating about aimlessly. He felt himself begin to panic. It had been wishful thinking to believe the people who had kidnapped them were just potheads. No. This was real. He thought the people who had kidnapped him were just lunatics and the cops would show and break down the door at any minute.

Him flying just proved the impossible- they really did have superpowers. Adam, Kasper, Scar, and Jocelyn were going to be exploited and used for this sick conspiracy. His stomach clenched thinking of his life back home; he would never get it back. But now that he thought about it- he really didn’t have anything to go back to. Horrible parents, mediocre grades, and a somewhat okay football team.

It suddenly hit him that maybe this was what was best for him. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

***

Scarlett held her breath as Adam flew back up over onto solid ground. Tears pricked her eyes.
This proved Jason and Gem weren’t lunatics. This proved the police weren’t going to come and bust down the door to take them back home. She built a dam to keep the tears from sliding feely down her face. She adamantly refused to cry, she wasn’t about to show any form of weakness to these people. Scarlett knew it wouldn’t do any good for her, these people were ruthless.

The look on Adam’s face was priceless; it was a cross between shock, absolute terror, thrill, and a strange happiness. Scarlett could have laughed at the way it distorted his features if she wasn’t sure the same look was splayed across her face.
Taking a quick survey of the others Scarlett realized they were all sporting the same expression. Except Jason was smirking and Gem was scowling.

“Well, that’s it for the day, rats.” Gem sneered and Scarlett flinched at the term of endearment.
Jason shot her a look and beamed at Adam, “Congrats, kid.”
Gem continued to give them all a demented scowl. “Let’s take you to your cells, I mean rooms.” She got an evil gleam in her eyes. Scarlett winced as Gem came up and dug her claws into her arm to drag her along.

The four of them had to follow Gem to a stark white room with four stark white beds shoved into corners. Shoving them inside Gem shut the door behind them. Scarlett heard the unmistakable click of a lock sliding into place, it really was a cell.

She dropped onto the closest bed absolutely exhausted and didn’t even have time to think about how she was sharing a room with two boys. Everyone else got the same idea and plopped onto beds. Someone clicked the lights off.

Even though Scarlett was completely drained she couldn’t fall asleep. Gradually she heard everyone’s breathing slow down into a sleep state. The realization that this was how she was going to live the rest of her days struck her like a bus. She was going to be living with these people, in this room like a cell forever. There was going to be no more waking to her drunken mother tearing up the kitchen at two in the morning looking for Aspirin.

But it also struck her that there would be no more endless abuse. No more sleazy guys her mother brought home groping at her. No more going to school and being laughed at for coming to school with a black eye.

Scarlett didn’t even realize she was crying until she heard herself sniffle. She realized she was never going back to her old life.

But what hurt even more was that there was nothing for her to go back to.