The Gender Secret Page 20

  “What would you do if I could prove Violet was innocent?”

  The twins exchanged mirrored looks. “What do you mean,” asked the one on the table.

  “Well, I’m fairly confident that Violet did not kill Queen Rina.”

  The one in front of me seized my shirt and picked me and the chair off the floor, hauling me up to eye level. I squirmed, my hands gripping the sides of the chair and looked over at the floor that I was dangling over.

  She held me up, her face red and eyes bulging with rage. “Don’t you dare utter her name, you filthy arrogant Patrian,” she shouted, spittle flying.

  She shook me for good measure, before flinging me away. I impacted with the wall hard, sliding down it into a heap on the floor. It took me a few seconds to clear the shock and stars from my eyes.

  When I did, I realized I was lying face down, blood trickling from a fresh cut on my forehead and with my ribs on fire.

  I tried to get on my feet, but the chair I was still secured to was limiting my movements. I gave a low groan, and rotated my head back over to the twins.

  The one who had thrown me was shouting at me. I couldn’t make it out—it felt like cotton had been stuffed in my ears—but the second twin was blocking her from me, holding her back.

  I watched as the second twin pushed the first back, making soothing motions with her hands. The second twin slammed her fist into the table, and I gaped as the metal bent and buckled under her fist. I couldn’t even do that.

  Nor could I throw a grown man tied to a chair into a wall. Whatever I was dealing with—it was like it wasn’t human, not anymore.

  I groaned again, and the second twin walked over. I tried to look up at her, but I could only angle myself to see the tops of her knees. She knelt down, and I experienced a moment of weightlessness as she righted my chair.

  It took me a moment to calm my nausea and focus. I was hurt and my vision was graying out. I could now hear snippets of their conversation as they talked over me.

  “—your temper is going to—”

  “He had no right—”

  “—our sister’s orders—”

  “—a liar, we should just—”

  “—where she is—”

  “—cares? I want to—”

  “No!”

  My mind drifted in and out of consciousness, but I clung to what I had seen and heard, piecing together the information. When it finally dawned at me, I started laughing.

  The two stopped their bickering and turned toward me.

  “You two…” I heaved, my breathing labored. “You’re the twins.”

  The two stared at me, mirrored looks of confusion reflecting off their faces.

  “The twins. The twins!” I emphasized. They exchanged looks and I sighed. “You’re the daughters of the queen. Her twin daughters. What… Third and fourth in line of succession?”

  “How could you know that?” one of them hissed, and I recognized her as the one who had been hitting me.

  I chuckled, my ribs aching. “You told me in everything you did,” I heaved, a smile playing on my lips. “In how mad you got when I mentioned the queen’s name. In your argument. In how you comport yourself.”

  The first twin’s face watched me passively. “That’s a lot to assume, with just pieces of information,” she stated calmly.

  I nodded my head toward her sister. “She just confirmed it,” I replied dryly.

  The second sister’s head swiveled around and she shot her sister a look of warning. She then turned her gaze back to me. “It doesn’t matter that you know who we are. You’re going to be dead soon.”

  I shrugged. “What are your names again? I had them memorized, but I’ve forgotten them. It’s like… Elena, Tabitha, Sarah and Mara?”

  “Selina and Marina,” hissed the second twin, her eyes flaring.

  I gave her a smile. “Sorry. You have a lot of sisters. Are all of them as freakishly strong as you are? Also, which is which?” The twins remained silent, and I shrugged. “I guess I’ll just pick one. You, calm one—you’re Marina, and the angry one is Selina.”

  The angry one rolled her eyes. “I’m Marina, you do it.”

  I shrugged again. The edges of my vision were going dark—I was going to be unconscious again soon. “I don’t think it really matters at this point,” I slurred. “All that matters is you hear me out about Violet before you kill me.”

  Selina squatted down in front of me, her eyes flicking all over my face. “Your left pupil is blown,” she observed. “You’re losing consciousness.”

  “You think,” I snapped back sarcastically. “I was thrown into a wall, and Marina did a pretty good number with her super strength.”

  I yawned then, suddenly feeling very tired.

  “Should we repair the damage, Marina?”

  “Why? He’s not going to tell us where the girl is. He’s also too smart—look how he figured out who we were.”

  “I warned you he was observant,” came a voice from the door.

  I angled my head toward the door to see Ms. Dale leaning against it, her arms across her chest.

  “Melissa,” chided Selina, stepping over to the older woman. “You need your rest. I told you we would handle this.”

  “Don’t speak to me as if I were a child, Selina,” said Ms. Dale, her eyes widening. “I trained you both for years. Just because you aren’t in my class anymore, doesn’t mean you get to act like you are superior.”

  Marina huffed. “We are superior,” she declared, flopping down heavily on the table.

  Ms. Dale smile. “Oh really?”

  Without any warning, she pulled a gun out and shot Selina square in the chest. Marina roared, and rose to her feet, but Ms. Dale calmly angled the gun toward her, and pulled the trigger twice.

  I flinched, expecting a loud bang, but the gun only emitted a hissing pop.

  “What was that?!” I wheezed, my voice thick and heavy.

  Ms. Dale crossed over, and pressed something against my neck. Instantly my heart beat increased, and I felt a surge of energy. I sat up, instantly aware.

  “What was that?”

  She held up a patch with a red cross through it. “Adrenaline,” she replied, taking a step back.

  I frowned deeply at her. “What are you doing?”

  “Look, I don’t know how long those tranquilizers will last, and I need to talk to you, Patrian.”

  “My name is Viggo, Melissa,” I grated out. “And fine, you want to talk? Release me from my cuffs, and let’s go.”

  “No. I’m going to talk first, and then you’re going to dart me.”

  “Won’t they remember?”

  She shrugged. “Unlikely. The tranquilizer has an effect on short term memory. I’m not sure how long it will keep them out though.”

  “What are they?”

  She shook her head. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about. Are you willing to listen?”

  I looked at the two women lying unconscious on the floor. “Okay. Talk.”

  32

  Violet

  It was hopeless. I had checked dozens of cells, but had found no sign of Tim. Of course, it didn’t help that the room was massive. I kept searching for an end to the rows—a wall where I could finally see an end to all of the madness, but I still hadn’t encountered one.

  Each row had twenty-six cells—thirteen on each side, with a corresponding letter of the alphabet. The rows were differentiated by numbers. I had entered in the twenties. I had assumed that meant there were forty rows from start to finish. I quickly realized there were far more than that once I reached forty, with no end in sight.

  Every cell I had seen had a boy in it. Every one. Some were older, some were younger, and all of them seemed to be suffering.

  Much like the first boy I encountered, many of them attacked the window when I peered in. Others sat in corners, crying and hyperventilating. Some just stared at me, their faces slack, their eyes out of focus. They had been standing in that same spot
for a very long time as evidenced by the defecation on the floor.

  It broke my heart seeing all of Matrus’ young boys there. A part of me wanted to release them. However, I had taken a closer look at the mechanism holding the cells over the void, and it seemed that it was designed to detach from the ceiling above, dropping however many feet below. Fiddling around with the control panels on the cells could kill them.

  So, I just kept on checking, thinking that somehow, if I found Tim, I could find a way.

  But time was running out on me. I felt its press on the back of my neck. Viggo was in very real danger, and I had just wasted time down here. I was torn, yet again, between the two people I cared about most.

  My foot swung out, kicking one of the metal posts with a resounding clang. I gripped the handrail in frustration and I longed to scream out my rage. In the stories, it was never this hard, but choosing between Viggo and Tim was an impossible task.

  I needed to think logically. I had wasted a lot of time already checking cubes, and there were countless others. If I kept looking, chances were that by the time I found Tim, Viggo would be dead.

  Tim could wait—Viggo was in more immediate danger. I swiped the tear rolling down my cheek angrily, a flash of rage coursing through me. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right, but I had to be the one to make the decision. No matter how much it tore at my heart.

  I swallowed, staring at the cubes in front of me. “I’ll be back,” I promised them in a whisper. I knew they couldn’t hear me, but I needed to say it.

  I shouldered the bag with the egg, and began running back the way I came. It didn’t take me long to reach the twenties, but I passed them, ticking the numbers down as I ran.

  As I had guessed, there were steps leading up to a hatch door next to Row One. I raced over to it, spinning the wheel and stepping through to the stairwell.

  Blowing a lock of hair out of my face, I headed upstairs, taking the steps two or three at a time. At the top, I opened the door to the play area.

  I could see much more from here than through the vent, but it still felt eerie seeing all of the toys and playsets. It was intensified now that I knew who it was designed for—not that those poor boys actually could have fun here.

  I felt sick to my stomach at the injustice of it—these boys were human beings, capable of anything, but because of some stupid test, they were cast out and made to do who knows what.

  I felt defiant in that moment, a burning desire racing through me to tear away the establishment that put them there.

  Latching on to that fire, I let it propel me through this level and up to the next one.

  I paused as I entered. Everything gleamed under the lights here. It seemed so pure and clean compared to the levels below. I wanted to break everything in the room, but I refrained.

  My footsteps echoed through the laboratory as I walked. There were various stations set up throughout the level, each one with a name plate assigned to it. I didn’t recognize any names, but I made a vow to write them all down.

  As I made my way to the next hatch, I paused when I saw a room by it. It was the only closed room on the level. The walls were glass, and I could see a desk and computer within. I was prepared to walk by it when the name plate on the door caught my attention.

  Prof. Alastair Jenks.

  I sucked in a sharp breath, my fist clenching as I remembered the scientist who had sent me for the egg. This was his laboratory.

  No wonder the place was abandoned. All of the scientists had likely returned to Matrus in order to attend his and Queen Rina’s funeral.

  A surge of anger coursed through me, a bitter taste growing in my mouth. These were supposed to be my people—the good guys, when compared to Patrians. But they weren’t good guys. They had used me and Tim both to accomplish their plans, without a second thought to the fact that we were both human beings.

  I became aware of my emotion. It was hate. I hated Matrus for what they had done to me and my family. It burned deep and low in my belly, like a fire that could never be quenched. I wanted to make them pay for what they had done.

  At the same time, I was repulsed by my hatred. Sure, I had given in to rage a few times, but I had never really hated anything in my life. It scared me so much, that I had to push it all aside, to deal with it later.

  I frowned, my mind churning. The Matrians had left everything here, including the boys. Who knew how long it would be before they came back?

  How were the boys being fed? How were they being cared for?

  I felt the fire in my belly burn hotter as I contemplated the questions, and again, I had to swallow them down and bury them. Before I could stop myself, however, I had already crossed over and checked the door to Mr. Jenks’ office. To my surprise, it swung open. I hesitated for a second, and then crossed over to the computer. Clicking it on, I waited for it to boot up while I began searching through the drawers. There were several file folders in the bottom left drawer, but they were requisition forms, not information about the boys.

  The computer beeped, and I turned, half expecting it to be unlocked. It wasn’t. I began looking around, and then paused when I saw something glittering from a cabinet tucked back in the corner of the room.

  Standing up, I crossed over to it.

  It was another egg—sitting on the top shelf of the cabinet.

  Testing the doors, I found them locked, but I remembered a set of keys in the desk. I grabbed them, and started testing each one in the lock. Eventually, one turned, and the cabinet door swung open.

  Grabbing the egg, I looked it over. It looked identical to the one in my backpack, except for two things. The first was a tiny label taped to the bottom. It read: Trial One, Failure. The second difference came in the form of a slight crack through the keyhole at the base.

  I held the egg in my hands, thinking. I knew that I needed to come back here—Mr. Jenks would likely have files on each boy, which meant I could find my brother. Viggo could help me. He'd gotten into Lee’s computer to find the tracker map Lee had used to watch me, so he had to have a way of getting into computers.

  More importantly, I needed to clear my head and focus on the task at hand. Finding Tim and learning about what had been done to him was important to me, but I was too focused on it, and I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do to rescue Viggo.

  I knew there were three people for certain—the two nameless women and Ms. Dale. That was a lot for me to try and take on by myself. I needed leverage, something they wanted and would bargain for. I looked down to the gleaming silver case I held, a slow smile playing on my lips.

  I could both give them what they wanted, and not at the same time.

  Without hesitating, I carefully placed the broken egg on the desk. Pulling my backpack off my shoulders, I pulled the real egg out.

  The label designating the failed test came away freely under my fingers. I applied it to my egg and then replaced it on the shelf. I closed the cabinet doors and locked them. I took the ‘fake’ egg and placed it in my bag. Then I grabbed the key that hung around my neck. I untied the fabric it hung on, and took the key off.

  There was a small key on the key ring. It wasn’t exactly the same, but maybe they wouldn’t notice. I took it off the keychain and slipped it onto the fabric, retying it around my neck.

  I slipped the real key in my pocket. It made me nervous to do so, but I didn’t want to leave both the real egg and real key in the same room together.

  Satisfied and with the beginning ideas of a plan forming in my mind, I put on my backpack.

  I gave one last look at the office as I swung the door shut behind me. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. With a little luck, I could bargain with the women upstairs, save Viggo, and then rescue my brother.

  I looked up at the ceiling. Viggo was up there, waiting for me. I wasn’t going to let him down. Besides, I needed to catch up with him on the whole saving each other’s life thing.

  I headed to the hatch. It swung open
easily under my hands, and I entered the stairwell cautiously. When I didn’t immediately encounter anyone, I let out the breath I had been holding, and stepped further out into the landing, keeping my footsteps as silent as possible.

  I anticipated a guard in the stairwell, yet there were no sounds coming from the landing above. Still, I moved slowly and cautiously.

  Each second weighed on me heavily. My heart was beating loudly in my ears. It took me twice as long as I wanted to go up the first flight of stairs. When I reached the top, I ducked down, and peered up to the next landing.

  It was completely devoid of anything. Straightening, I moved up the stairs and to the hatch that separated me from Viggo.

  Slowly, I placed my hands on the wheel and began to turn. Everything in the facility was well maintained, and the wheel turned silently under my hands. As long as I didn’t turn it too far, no one would hear me open the door. However, if they were looking at it, they would see it spinning. I hoped that luck would find me again, but just in case, I pulled the gun out of my pocket and clicked the safety off.

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door. I kept my body pressed against the side of the door, just in case anyone inside opened fire. As the door swung open, I peeked through the widening gap down the hallway.

  Nobody.

  I was beginning to doubt the proficiency of this team. It seemed like they didn’t care if I took them unaware.

  Still, I had doubts. It could be a trap—maybe they were hiding inside the rooms themselves, waiting for me.

  Viggo had been in the third room to my left. Taking a deep breath, I crouched low and entered the hallway.

  I peeked through the observation windows in each room as I passed, but they were empty. Except for Viggo’s.

  I glanced in quickly, and saw Ms. Dale standing over Viggo.

  He looked terrible, his face bloody and raw. Viggo and Ms. Dale were talking, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  I started to go for the door, when I saw Ms. Dale reach to the small of her back. I noticed the pistol there. My heart leapt in my throat. She was going to kill him! I felt the icy hand of determination clawing at my spine, whispering to me that I had to stop her. My hand tightened on my gun and I moved over to the door and swung it open, leveling my gun at Ms. Dale.