Ken Rainwood looked at the computer screen his heart beating wildly as he looked at the message on the screen on the Lost and found website for finding missing people.
I have seen Elise Rainwood
There was a link to a live chat website and he clicked it, he knew his parents wouldn’t like that he was on it but he had to know if this person had really seen his younger sister.
The screen filled with the picture of a teenager a few years older than him
“hello?” he asked the girl looked up.
“oh! What’s your name?” he thought about this question, he had always been told not to give his name out online to strangers.
“I saw a message on the lost and found website that said something about someone I know a girl named Elise Rainwood?”
The girl’s eyes widened and she leaned in closer to the computer.
“are you part of her family?” she said quietly Ken nodded
“I’m her brother, why? is she with you?” he said half hoping that his little sister would walk into view.
“No” she said looking down sadness in her eyes “I’m Caroline by the way, what’s your name?”
“Brent” he said using his middle name.
“How do you know my sister?” he asked
“I met her while I was doing community service picking up trash on the side of the road”
She paused Ken was intently focused on her.
“she was from the other jail and I went up to her because she seemed sort of young and started talking to her, then I found out that she had been kidnapped and I told the police and they got some of the other kids away but”
she took a deep breath
“we got in a police car and tried to get away but the people from the other jail or compound as Elise called it shocked her with a taser and took her away”
Ken’s heart sank he had hoped that Caroline might tell him where Elise was.
“They’re putting me and the other kids in witness protection but I wanted to send this message before I went into hiding.”
“Hey!” Caroline said speaking quickly “did you get an email from Elise? She said she tried to get one to you but not if you got it ”
Ken’s spirits lifted and he quickly opened a tab and looked at his email looking for anything that might be from his missing sister. He scrolled through them looking at the subjects and found one that caught his eye.
Subject:Kidnaped!!
With shaking hands he opened it. At first glance he saw it had a lot of spelling errors but he didn’t care he started to read aloud.
Dear Family,
I really hope you get this. I am taking a very big risk sending this if I get found out I will certainly get punished but I will take any punishment they give me I have to try, I have to let you know I’m still alive. I have been kidnapped. This is a terrible terrible place I haven’t seen the sun since I was taken but that’s the least worst thing here. But I’m one of the lucky ones there are other kids here some taken as young as three. I hope you get this It may be the only hope I have in coming hours.Don’t try and send me an E-mail I will delete this account right after I send this message to stop them from finding any evidence.I will never forget you. Keep looking for me! I will love you all forever.I promise I will come back that’s as much of a promise to myself as it is to you.I love you!don’t stop looking for me!!
-Elise Rainwood
“She paid for sending that message” Caroline said “they found out about it and hurt her, she has a scar on her left shoulder”
Ken felt terrified for his poor sister he read through the email three times committing it to memory. He scrolled down and saw a picture that looked like a mug shot of Elise staring straight backed and terrified at the camera.
Don’t worry Elise he thought looking at his sister’s terrified eyes in the picture. I will never stop looking for you. Until you are found.
***
“Safety”
I opened my eyes at the long awaited word and sat up. Kayla was there with bandages and ointment for my shoulder which was still bleeding from what they had done.
“What was it this time?” she asked as she cleaned the wound with a wet towel.
“They used my instincts against me…again” I said wincing remembering the metal spike I had tried so frantically to melt with my power.
Kayla winced.
“they even did it in the same spot” she said, “but looks like they didn’t do too much damage you’ll still be able to use your arm”
she expertly bandaged the wound and gave me pain medicine; it wasn’t that strong but it was something. What I didn’t tell her was that they had done more damage to me than she could see because the damage wasn’t anything medicine could heal.
You will never leave this compound! you will never see the sunlight ever again! I remembered the words vividly. I looked over and saw Kate asleep in bed at the other side of the small room that was our cell.
“What they do to Kate?” I asked nodding toward her.
Kayla winced
“They made her try and stop a wall from almost crushing her” she said “so she’ll be out for a while,you should get some rest too your arm needs to heal”
I nodded suddenly exhausted, I laid down and quickly fell asleep.
***
“They are staying in some of the empty cells until we can find homes for them” the police officer said to Ken walking down the short corridor.
She was right. There were a lot of kids in some of the cells their doors wide open some young ones and others that were possibly as old as him.
“Will has given us the most information so far so you should speak to him” she said stopping in front of a cell with the door open.
“Will?” she said softly
Ken looked in and saw a boy in a t-shirt and jeans sitting on a bed in the open cell he had light brown hair and sparkling green eyes.
“Yes?” he said looking warily over at Ken.
“This is Ken Rainwood” she said to Will “Elise is his sister he wants to know if you can tell him anything about who took her”
The boy’s eyes widened “come on in” he said nodding to the bed.
Ken went in and sat down Will looked over at the officer.
“could you ..um give us some privacy?”
The woman nodded sympathetically and walked down the hall the way she had come.
Will looked at Ken “so you’re Elise’s brother?”
Ken nodded.
“yes,I heard she was in the group that went to pick up trash”
Will smiled “we all really owe her” he said “she told the police we were being held captive and got us free”
Will shook his head his eyes darkening “they are going to be mad at her” he muttered shuddering.
“Why did they take kids?” Ken asked stating the question that had been in his mind since Elise was taken. A voice answered from the cell next door.
“Because they’re all freaks!”
Ken spun looking toured the voice it came from the one to the left an older man in a locked cell. Will’s fists clenched and he stood up outraged.
“I AM NOT A FREAK!” he shouted at him the man moved back to the other side of the cell to get away from Will’s fist as he tried to punch him. After a few tries Will gave up and went back to the bed.
Will sat down on the bed again.
“in a way he’s kind of right” he whispered “the reason they took us is because they are building an army”
“Do you know where you were being held captive?” Ken asked.
Will shrugged “One of my cellmates thinks that we were in a dessert”
Ken was about to ask something else but then a small terrified voice shouted.
“Ahhh!”
Will stood in an instant and shot to the door and rushed down the hallway. Ken got up and followed as fast as he could trying to keep up. Will stepped into one of the cells with an open door.
Ken looked in. A little girl about the age of ten or eleven sat cowering in the corner, a worried looking police officer facing the terrified girl. The girl had a glowing blue forcefield around her. Will stood in the way of the police officer.
“Emma” he said gently “it’s OK you’re safe”
He was standing on the balls of his feet Emma looked past him shaking her head and pointed at the officer. Will glanced at her the poor officer was shaking terrified.
“This is Society headquarters remember? Everyone here is a Member”
The girl seemed to relax at this and the forcefield faltered and then disappeared completely.
One of the Officers came and led Ken out of the hall of cells while they calmed down Emma and dispelled the tension. Ken went out and got in the car he had driven to the police station, not even sure what to think of everything he had just seen and heard.
My Secret Universe 