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THE GUARDIANS PUT TOGETHER her “Practice Room” in less than twenty-four hours. Guardian X had never looked more pleased with herself than when she opened the door to Alexa’s new playpen. At first glance, the room reminded Alexa of a cross-fit gym or, at least, that’s what the Blinders showed her.
Unlike the stone or steel floors she usually tread, the floor bounced beneath her feet. Mirrored spheres of various sizes sat in a heavy row along one wall. Boulders cut from the surrounding mountains sat on the opposite wall. Steel frames of multiple shapes hung along another wall.
“You will be monitored at all times.” Guardian X pointed to several black glass squares at each corner of the room. “We expect there may be some accidents while you explore your abilities, so the Guardians have deemed it best to remain outside the room.”
“Cool.” Alexa approached a black plastic bin filled with ropes and palm-sized steel rings. She picked up one of the rings and weighed it in her hand.
Guardian X frowned. “Are you cold?”
“No, it’s just Earth slang.” For a moment, Alexa fell into her memory of Una asking the same thing. Una would never have believed where she had ended up, locked in the same place the Bright One had refused to go. She shoved her unsettling thoughts beneath the steel ring, focusing on the shape and heft of the object. The object easily lifted into the air, spinning end over end.
“Excellent.” Guardian X’s gaze followed the ring’s path as Alexa spun it round and round above her outstretched palm. “Well, continue your exercises. I will return to take you to lunch with the other Residents. You must not tell them where you go during the day. They may wonder why you didn’t join them on the roof.”
Alexa let the ring rest in her hand. “What should I tell them?” Rusty would have a thousand questions. Would he freak out like Osu if she told him the truth? They had kept her in her cell yesterday while everyone went to their evening meal and recreation time. She avoided Rusty by pretending to sleep, but she couldn’t do that forever.
“If they ask, tell them we decided to give you a different assignment.” Guardian X shrugged. “That should be enough. Serenity can affect the short-term memory in some Residents. It’s quite possible they won’t remember anything from yesterday. They may feel a sense of worry surrounding you but won’t know why.”
Alexa walked over to the first of the six mirror balls and took in her distorted reflection. She hadn’t seen herself in so long she had nearly forgotten her once-shaved head. She ran a hand over the short, soft hair that covered smooth skin. Would they let her grow it back?
“There’s another thing I wanted to mention,” Guardian X said as Alexa lifted an orb the size of a grapefruit. “The kill switch has been approved. We’re moving forward with its placement soon.”
“Okay.” Alexa half-listened to the Guardian, focusing on the orb in her palms, cold and smooth against her skin. If she could focus on the object’s shape, size, and weight while picturing the sphere rising, maybe she could—
“Mostly, we use it to knock out the subject when necessary, but it could kill you.”
“What?” The orb darted from Alexa’s palms and shot toward the ceiling. It banged against a supporting truss, sending a loud bong through the room—reminiscent of Alexa’s first day in the common room—before ricocheting into a group of steel rods hanging in a far corner. Three rods fell, clanging against each other before thudding onto the mat-covered floor.
Guardian X sighed. “And this is why I will watch your exercises outside the room. It seems extreme emotion creates an extreme burst of telekinesis.”
“Is that necessary?” Alexa shouted over the chaos as more bars fell and the orb rolled across the floor. She gestured to the mess. “I mean ...”
“Trust has to be earned before given.” Guardian X frowned when the ball settled at Alexa’s feet. “Your abilities are treated with great caution by the MGA. This facility accepted my proposal, but many of the details must be worked through in the remainder of the bureaucratic process. So, in the meantime, think of it like a safety device next to your brainstem.”
Alexa ran a hand over her fuzzy scalp. “Will it hurt?”
“Oh, no. Nothing more than a poke.” Guardian X waved her hand. “Just a simple implant. A light pulse of electricity will knock you out. A larger pulse will kill you on the spot.”
“Superb.” After all the insane things that had happened to Alexa, this was hardly a surprise. She picked up the mirrored ball and winced at the dent in its once-perfect shape. She focused on the orb’s fresh mark and telekinetically lifted the object. All she had to do was decide where to move the ball next. “I suppose I can’t refuse?”
“Unfortunately, that is correct.” Guardian X’s eyes never left the ball as Alexa orbited it around her and the Guardian.
The orb returned to Alexa’s fingers with a satisfying smack. “Just another day, then.”
“Well, enjoy your practice time. I see you’re already making strides.” Guardian X headed toward the door, never turning her back to Alexa.
“I will.” Alexa easily tossed the orb between her hands as if the object were as light as a baseball.
The Guardian left, and Alexa tossed the ball even higher before it gently returned to her hand. She smiled, staring back at her pale-faced reflection. She didn't feel like a weak, helpless girl for the first time since the Brume had possessed her for a moment beside Crater Lake. And she no longer had to hide her unique, frightening new ability.
She turned to the row of mirrored balls.
Time for something much, much bigger.
***
Telekinetic object manipulation, just like the muscles in Alexa’s body, could reach the point of exhaustion. She had outdone herself, raising the second largest of the mirrored orbs a whole foot off the ground before it thunked back to the floor and lazily rolled across the room.
A wave of fatigue buckled Alexa’s knees, forcing her to sit down when blood rushed into her ears. Her head seemed heavy, drooping forward as she heaved in deep gulps of air. She wasn’t much of a physical fitness type back on Earth and couldn’t remember the last time she had drained herself physically and mentally. Not since Una died.
She dropped back, facing the open ceiling full of exposed steel trusses. The room was warm enough, and she was tired enough that napping wasn’t such a bad idea. She closed her eyes and pictured herself lying on her bed in her bedroom back in Riverview. She could remember every inch of her former sanctuary, every poster on her wall, every book stacked on her bedside table, every figurine on her chest of drawers. She was reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn because they hadn’t read it in AP Lit, and she wanted to be a well-read woman before heading off to Boston.
A city she would likely never see.
Alexa opened her eyes to her impossible present and let out a long sigh.
The room’s door opened, revealing Guardian X. She paused at the threshold, taking in the three-foot-diameter ball sitting in the middle. “I hear you’ve done some great work today. Did you primarily focus on the spheres?”
“Yeah. It was the first time I'd ever really pushed myself.” Alexa rolled onto her side then slowly curled into a sitting position. Stars danced before her eyes. “I need to be more careful next time.”
“Guardian F sent me a recording of some of your exercises,” Guardian X said. “The sphere right there weighs twice as much as the Resident you suspended yesterday. I’m very impressed. You must be famished.”
Alexa’s stomach gurgled in response. “Yeah, I might need a moment to recover first.”
“I’m so pleased.” Guardian X beamed. “It’ll take at least four of us to move that sphere back into place. And more good news: the Regional Safekeeping Governance has approved my proposal. Now on to Multiverse Cluster Level C.”
“Great.” Alexa shifted to hands and knees to see what would happen. Her vision swam for a moment but recovered quicker than before. “How many more have to approve it?”
“Oh, you’ll learn all about it after your midday meal. Several other Guardians have assembled a vid for you to watch after your nap. It will help you understand the governance system all Guardians follow.”
Alexa forced a smile. “Sounds like going right back to high school.”
“High school?”
“I was finishing my secondary education before you decided to incarcerate me.” Alexa took a chance and stood, keeping her hands braced on her knees before straightening her back. This time, everything stayed in focus. She turned to find Guardian X’s mouth twisted into a skeptical frown.
“X485, you were sent here for the good of the multiverse. For nearly a decade, we’ve had peace, and anything that might topple that peace must be dealt with decisively. Imagine the chaos you could have caused in your home world. Your people are much too primitive to understand your gifts. When others found out the truth— because they would—how did you expect they would react?”
“I don’t know,” Alexa said, surprised by Guardian X’s candor.
“From my knowledge of primitive worlds, they would have likely destroyed you. You should be glad to be here. You are safe here with us. You are a creature with no place, no home, and nowhere to belong. I hope you see I am doing everything possible to create a place for you.”
“I have a home.” Alexa crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. “My mother hasn’t forgotten me. She’s probably completely freaked out. And my friends. I have lots of people who love me.”
“And what would they do if they knew you could crack their skull with a single thought?”
“But I wouldn’t—”
“From my reports, you broke glass back on earth, which means you could easily break Earthling bone. Your skull is astonishingly delicate.”
“There’s no—”
“I’m not saying you would do it on purpose. Your abilities aren’t under control. Would you take that chance?”
Alexa didn’t know what to say. Until that point, she viewed the Safekeeping Residence as an elaborate cage and not a place for her to belong. But there was truth in her Guardian’s words. Her time with Una and the Brume had changed her irrevocably.
“Can you walk? You’ll feel better after a proper meal.” Guardian X headed to the door and waited for Alexa to catch up.
Alexa took some experimental steps and followed her Guardian out of the practice room.