Split Second

“You what?” Duke asked.

“I shut every path.”

I stared in horror at the guy nearest to me. His lips were turning blue. “Laila! Restore them! They don’t remember how to breathe.”

“I’m trying, I’m trying. I didn’t expect that to happen. I can’t concentrate with everyone freaking out at me.”

I turned to Duke. “Help her relax.”

He nodded.

The Mass Manipulator near my foot came to first with a sharp gasp of air. I backed away. It took a few more long seconds for the Memory Eraser to take a breath, and I wondered if Laila did that on purpose. But he finally inhaled air, the color rushing back to his face.

I took a breath too, realizing I’d been holding mine.

“See, they’re fine,” Laila said, crossing her arms. “We should’ve cuffed them while they were under.”

The demobilizer in my hand was the last thing I had thought of when two people were dying in front of me.

“I could . . .” She held up her hands.

I pointed at her. “Don’t.”

Chair Trevor started to speak, but Couch Trevor interrupted him. “Search it, Addie,” he said.

He was right. I should Search it. It would take half a minute. Was that too long? Would they be able to incapacitate me and my ability in half a minute? If not, would it use up too much energy?

Chair Trevor met my eyes. “Addison,” he said. “You don’t need to Search it. You know.”

I smiled. That one word—Addison—was all I needed. I gathered all the emotional energy around me and slowed time. I touched everyone, including Chair Trevor . . . real Trevor. He kissed me.

“Why didn’t he wipe our memories?” Laila asked, staring at Memory Eraser, who was still recovering on the ground. Only now recovering in slow motion.

Trevor looked at him as well. “He had to touch my head to do it.”

“He can only do it by touch?” A proud expression came over her face, as she must’ve realized how talented she truly was.

“Okay, the second you touch them, they’re going to come into the moment with us,” I said.

“The second we touch them or the second you touch them?” Laila asked.

I furrowed my brow. “I’m not sure.”

Laila held cuffs at the ready and nodded Eli over to help her. “On the count of three,” she said. “One, two, three.” They each grabbed a hand of an agent, and nothing happened. He stayed in slow motion.

“Nice.” Duke slapped the cuffs onto Memory Eraser’s hands and threw him over his shoulder. Laila bound the Mass Manipulator.

Eli moved on to Fake Grandpa turned into Fake Trevor and dragged him to the couch with Trevor’s help. “So we’re resetting the night, right? Should we just arrange him like he fell asleep on the couch?”

“Yes. Put one of his tech devices on his chest.”

Eli did. My head started to pound with trying to hold the time so long.

“Hurry and Erase him.”

“Three hours?” Laila asked.

“Yes.”

As Laila Erased him, Trevor’s face faded from his, revealing the dark-haired man.

Trevor followed Duke’s example and threw Mass Manipulator over his shoulder, probably not quite knowing what we were doing.

“Hurry,” I said, my head screaming at me.

We left quickly. Halfway down the stairs I knew I couldn’t hold it anymore, and time started returning. They might not be able to use their abilities, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to escape. Trevor must’ve felt the man picking up speed, because he said, “What should I do?”

“I’ll buy us some time,” Laila said. “Confuse the crap out of them.”

She must’ve started Erasing the time little by little from both the prisoners, because they began making the oddest sounds. I never thought we’d make it to the van, but we did.

Connor threw open the back doors for us, and the guys plopped down their loads onto the seats like sacks of potatoes.

“Hello, boys,” Connor said with a smile. “Let’s get you settled in front of your equipment.” The computers were up, and prisoner number one looked like he was just now coming to from Duke’s earlier knockout. He pushed against his bindings, then kicked Laila in the chin. She kneed him in the gut. “Connor, why don’t you just Heal all of them? That would solve everything.”

“Laila.” His voice was a low warning.

“No, seriously, these guys are scum. They’ve totally abused their power. They made Addie think her grandpa was still alive. You Heal them, then I’ll Erase their memories of it. They won’t know what hit them.”

“What do you mean, Heal them?” I asked.

One man thrashed and yelled something vulgar.

“You don’t like that idea?” Laila asked. “It sounds just as good as the ideas you guys come up with in the name of justice.” She turned to Connor. “What do you say?”

Connor shot her a look of death, then without looking away from her, waved to Duke and me. “Duke, get ready to do the night over. You and Addie go drive around. Pretend like you’re seeing her for the first time tonight. And end up here with Fake Grandpa.”

I nodded.

“Laila.” Connor’s voice was measured, like it took a lot of effort to keep it level. “Three hours for these guys, and then we need to do some Thought Placement while they come to. Direct their memories.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“We’ll hide in the alley around the side of the building.”

“Is that going to work?”

Connor nodded to Eli. “It will because we’ll know what they’re thinking and what thoughts will make them believe what we need them to believe.”

“Where should I go?” Trevor held Mass Manipulator by one arm and Duke was on his other side. Duke must’ve been working on his emotions, but he still looked like he wanted to rip out someone’s heart with his bare hands. It probably wouldn’t be too hard for him either, if he could use his ability.

“Home,” Laila said. “Connor, Eli, and I will follow you there in a little while and hang out just in case this doesn’t work.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “I know you’re a horrible liar, Addie. But you can do this.”

I laughed. “Thanks for making me feel nervous.”

“Let’s go,” Connor said. “Oh, and everyone. We can never speak of this again after this moment, or this is all pointless.”

There was a moment of silence, almost like we all knew that silence was the correct response to the statement. Laila took care of Mass Manipulator first. Then I nodded to Duke, and we took off running toward the Hummer.

“Addison!”

I stopped and turned. Trevor stood on the other side of the street. My heart jumped and I ran toward him. We met in the middle and he scooped me up in his arms. “Be careful.”

“I will. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out my phone, and handed it to me. “I’ll see you later.”

I nodded. Then Duke grabbed my hand and dragged me away.

After driving around for a while, he opened his glove box and took out a small metal device. Showtime, he mouthed, then stuck it to his skin. It immediately started blinking. He pulled over, rolled down his window, and yelled, “Addie,” as if I were outside. Then he opened his door. “Get in.”

I opened, then shut, my door and took a deep breath. I could do this. “What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you. I can’t believe you told him.”

My heart hammered in my chest. “What are you talking about?”

“Trevor. You told him about the Compound.”

Shock, anger. I tried to embody those emotions. Anger came very easily. “I did not. Why would I ever do that?”

A sadness seeped through my body, and I wondered if it was Duke projecting or if the night was catching up with me. My anger melted away.

“I don’t know. You tell me,” he said.

I grabbed his hand, trying to diminish the ache in my heart or his. “I didn’t. I signed the contract in the Tower. There’s no way I’m telling anyone about the Compound. Did you read the stuff they can do to you?”

He gave a halfhearted smile and squeezed my hand. “You’re staying here, aren’t you?”

I wasn’t sure if this was still part of the act or if we were now to real questions, but I met his eyes. “Yes. I love him.” There were so many more reasons I was staying here, though, reasons I couldn’t say out loud. I had found out so much about the Compound tonight, and I knew I couldn’t go back to a place like that. I knew now why my dad chose to leave.

“And you can live out here with no abilities and be with a man who has no abilities?”

“Love makes you do strange things.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He sighed. “So Trevor really doesn’t know anything?”

“Really.”

“Okay. I’ll take you home.”

“No. Will you take me to my grandpa’s? My dad and I are in a fight, and I don’t want to go home tonight.” My dad and I were in a fight, and I felt terrible. I’d accused him of some awful things when he had been telling the truth the whole time.

“It’s kind of late.”

“He’ll want to see me. He always wants to see me.”

I was scared to go see Fake Grandpa alone, but I kept reminding myself the Containment Committee had no idea what we had done. Or at least I hoped. And Fake Grandpa said he was rooting for me, so he wouldn’t hurt me.

“Addie,” Duke said as I grabbed onto the handle of the car door.

I paused and looked back. He pulled me into a hug, pressing his cheek against mine. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Good-bye.”

When he drove away, I took a deep breath. Inside, I opted for the elevator. I was tired. I didn’t even want to look at the stairs. My nerves were making my legs shaky as well. This was the moment of truth. The opportunity to see if everything we had just done had worked.

Fake Grandpa opened the door after I knocked. He looked a little out of it. “Addie, it’s late.”

“I know. Sorry. My dad and I got in a big fight. You think I could hang out for a little while?” I looked past him, trying to see if any of the guys from the van were in there. His apartment seemed empty.

“Of course.” He opened the door wide and I went in and sat on the couch.

“You had that dance thing with Trevor tonight, right? How did it go?”

“It was nice.” It was nice. I wished I were back there where my only problem was Stephanie and her reaction to Trevor and me.

He smiled like he knew something he wasn’t supposed to. “You like that Norm boy, don’t you?”

“I do.” Loved him.

“That has to be hard to have such a big secret you can’t tell him.”

“It is.”

“You really should think about using the box.”