The Impossible (Book 1 of the Impossible trilogy)

Chapter 18: Astrids Reasoning

"Ok, We're going to ask you a few questions." I say standing over Dr. Barlown.

After tying up Dr. Barlown, we dragged him next to the Harvests. Mom and dad did their job by coping and deleting the information from the super computer. They told me it was so if any humans stumble upon this place, there would be nothing left for them to find. To keep the mutants from discovery.

"I'm not going to tell you a word." Dr. Barlown fights back.

I start to get agitated. How am I going to get him to talk without having to actually torture him? Something pokes me, and I remember the knife I was still holding. A mischievous, almost evil, smile comes to my face. Feeling all powerful, I say and act out deviously, "Is that your final answer?" While I say this, I inspect the knife in my hand, and then start waving it in front of his face real close.

Behind me, I hear my brother say, "Remind me never to make my sister mad in the kitchen."

I hear Tony reply, "Uh huh." As if he's almost traumatized just by watching. I smile inwardly. Their both silly.

Taking me for real and not seeing it as an act, Dr. Barlown stammers, "F-f-fine! Ask your questions."

I smile inwardly for victory. Leaving the knife out, but taking it away from his face, I ask, "First, earlier, did you tell me the truth about my biological parents?"

"Yes, I did."

I raise an eyebrow and inspect the knife again, "You sure about that?"

Dr. Barlowns face turns red from anger. "Young lady, I can assure you I am confident that I did."

Frowning inwardly, I move on to the next question, leaving my thoughts to sort out later. "Well, then, next question. We already know the Doei's aim is to find the mutant chemical make up and become all powerful with it, but, my question is, who's aim was it in the first place?"

Come on! Everyone would agree that a doctor/scientist is never the leader. He's always the mad underling.

Some emotion crosses too fast to figure out. I start waving the knife in front of him again, and he starts to cower. He opens his mouth, but is interrupted by Mrs. Harvest.

"You idiot! Don't say a word!" She yells.

"I don't think I would listen to her. She isn't the one being threatened with a knife." I respond.

Dr. Barlown looks back and forth between us. Finally, being the coward that he is, he says, "I give! I give! I'll tell you! I'm-"

Making my ears ring, we jump as a gun is fired. Josh turns me around quickly and hugs me to his chest, but he's to late for me to unsee what I just saw. An image of Dr. Barlown dead with a whole in his heart keeps flashing trough my head. I push away from Josh and look to see who had shot Dr. Barlown.

I hear someone say, "Stupid doctor talks to much." I turn to see Astrid holding a gun with her face empty of emotion. N-no way! Judging by the movement of a couple of boys jumping back with surprise, Astrid had managed to get passed them without being noticed. She now stood in front of them with a clear view of Dr. Barlown.

Seeing an opportunity, Astrid's dad says, "Why are you just standing there? Render them useless and untie us, you ignorant child!"

Fiera's face becomes dark. I'm shocked at the way Astrid's dad is treating her, but not as shocked as by the hatred that seeps from Astrid. As she stands there, her mom starts to get impatient. "Do it!"

In the next couple of seconds, everyone holds stalk still. I could hear my heart tump! Thump! Thump! It would be utterly stupid if she started shooting us. There's to many of us. What is she going to do?

"How about not." Fiera says. She takes out a second gun and shoots both of her parents.

Everyone stares in utter horror at the sight of Mr. and. Mrs. Harvest motionless. How could she-? Why would she-? I look at Astrid. She lowers her guns and looks at me. "Don't look at me that way!" She says with a sneer.

Composing myself, I retort, "How am I supposed to look? You shot your own parents!" I emphasize with a hand gesture in their direction.

Before Astrid can retort, Mrs. Harvest, really close to death, barley able to say, "You- You abominable.... mutant... freak!... You caused... all this!... This is... all... your fault!" She refers to me.

I frown. "What do you-."

"It's not Fiera's fault for your reactions to what she did. It was you and dad who treated me like trash. You only have yourselves to blame for this mess."

Victoria glares at her daughter one last time, and then the breath leaves her body, her head falling forward.

After a couple minutes of staring in silence, I bring up the courage to ask, "Astrid, what did I exactly do?"

Astrid's snarls and says, "You seriously don't remember? What you did was unforgivable!"

I start to feel tired from all of the events that's happened this past week. "I'm really sorry. I really don't remember? What did I do?"

Astrid's fists clench in suppressed anger. "You want to know what you did?" She pauses and then explodes, "You changed me into a mutant!"

My mouth falls open. Surprises, surprises. I really hate them. In the corner of my eye, I notice Golden taking everything in. Just barely managing to ask, I stumble out, "H-how?"

"It was the summer before sixth grade. We were playing at your house when I started to hear music. That's when I noticed your eyes starting to glow green. I tried getting away from you, but the next thing I know, I awake on the ground. I knew immediately that you changed me into a mutant.

I hurried home and told my parents what had happened, and what you had done, hoping they would try and help me. But, do you know what they did instead? They gave me disgusted looks, and started to treat me like dirt."

I become grim, and ask, "Do you realize I didn't even know about mutants until this year, better yet that I was one? So you new all along I was a mutant?"

"Yes to both of your questions. The only reason I associated with you was because you were my assignment since the time we first met."

So it was all a lie, our friendship. I frown again. "If you guys didn't like mutants, why did you join D.O.E.I.? They, in their own way, like mutants."

"Mom and dad do hate mutants, but they craved power more then their hate. That's the only reason we were in D.O.E.I."

I take in all that Astrid's said. Flashbacks of all the times we played together and laughed together, played through my head. I try to remember the summer before our sixth grade year, but it all was fuzzy. Harder and harder I try to search, when I finally have a flash of an image. It's an image of Astrid's face sketched with fright. I faintly remember the feel of a rush of pure energy going though my veins, as I glimpse the image.

I shake my head, knowing Astrid's telling the truth. Looking up, I try to apologize, but Astrid interrupts. "Don't you dare try to apologize! It's too little too late. Be warned, Fiera, the next time I see you, be prepared to never see this world again."

With nothing else to say, she turns and walks out the doors. Everyone still for a couple of minutes. My mom finally, comes up to me and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go sweetie. I'm sure you and Golden are pretty tired. We'll call for people to... finish things here."

I nod my head. My mom takes her hand off of me and ushers all the boys through the wide double doors. People walk past me with apologetic looks, the only one who doesn't is Golden. For once, I'm thankful for his calculating, judgmental look.

Josh is the last person. He walks up beside me and puts an arm around my shoulder, leaving his face blank of emotions. He knows if he shows pity, it will only make me feel worse. Giving me a tight smile, we head out the doors.