TAYLOR COOK
POINTS IN BETWEEN
BEFORE THE SHOOTING STARTED, WHEN THE COSTUMED zealots with their snake-and-scythe tattoos were still making their way to the farm, while her dad was alone on the porch sitting watch with his shotgun in his lap, Taylor Cook decided to call the hotline.
“You have reached Earth Garde North America, how may I assist you?” a lady operator said, her voice kind but detached.
Taylor sat on the floor with her back against her bed, hands cupped around her cell phone, even though there was no chance her father could overhear. They advertised the hotline on TV and on billboards and all over the internet. The commercials featured young people practicing telekinesis, or accidentally setting trees on fire with Legacies. Any Human Garde or extraterrestrial activity was supposed to be reported.
“I can hear you breathing,” said the operator. “Hello?”
Taylor worked some moisture into her mouth, then finally spoke.
“I’m one of them,” she said. “A Garde.”
“Okay, honey,” the operator replied briskly. “What makes you think that?”
“What—what makes me think that?” Taylor blinked. “I can move things with my mind. My dad, he got a cut on his head, and I healed it.”
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“I’m showing your location as South Dakota. Is that correct?”
“Yes, but listen, we need—”
“What you’re going to want to do is get your parents to drive you on down to Denver. That’s the evaluation center nearest to you. They’ll take a look at you there, assuming what you say is true. We used to send out investigators, but we got too many pranks. If you’ve got video evidence of Legacies, you can upload it to our secure site. Let me give you that address . . .”
Taylor’s mouth hung open, stunned by the woman’s casual tone, the mundanity of it all. She raised her voice, hands shaking.
“You don’t understand! There are people . . .” She got control, overcompensated and started to whisper. “There are people coming to hurt us. To hurt me.”
There was a pause. When she spoke again, the operator wasn’t so dismissive. She must have recognized the tautness in Taylor’s voice.
“If you’re in danger, honey, you should call nine-one-one.”
“I know, I know. But . . . but my dad’s worried you’ll come take me away if we tell. It all started with this jerk with a weird tattoo—”
“Stay on the line, please. I’m contacting emergency services in your area.”
“Wait—”
The line went quiet except for a series of clicks. Seconds stretched on. Taylor felt her palms getting sweaty.
“Okay, this is strange,” the operator said, suddenly back in Taylor’s ear. Her flippant tone was replaced with a gravity that rattled Taylor. “We can’t get a response from the sheriff station in your area.”
“Oh God.”
“Help is on the way,” the operator said. “If you can get to a safe place, you should do so.”
An hour later, the Harvesters encircled their house. Taylor’s father stood alone on the porch, rifle in hand, listening to a preacher dressed like an outlaw give an impromptu sermon on Taylor’s “sinful” condition.
Help still hadn’t arrived.
Guns went up. Her father got off one shot. Dozens of Harvesters fired back, the sound like a drumroll. Taylor dropped to the floor, huddled against the wall next to their front door. She expected shattering glass. She expected the chunk-chunk-chunk of bullets eating away at the wooden walls of her house. She expected not to make it through the next few seconds.
Instead, there was a sudden silence.
And a glow. A warm, orange glow, like fire. It was as if the sun had risen.
Taylor peeked out from behind the door frame. In the strange, fiery glow, Taylor noticed what she at first took for a swarm of gnats hanging a few inches from her father’s rifle. His buckshot, she realized, suspended in midair, the heavier silver rounds fired by the Harvesters likewise stuck glittering over their front yard. Taylor glanced down at her hands—for a moment, she wondered if the stress had caused her Legacies to trigger, like the day her father rolled the tractor. But no, she realized, she wasn’t capable of such a spectacular feat of telekinetic control.
The glowing young man floating over her driveway was.
Taylor heard the pitter-patter of rain. It was the bullets, falling harmlessly to the ground.
“Drop your weapons or I’ll drop them for you,” the glowing figure said.
Taylor recognized him immediately. The entire world knew John Smith’s face. His sandy-blond hair had grown out from the picture they always used on the news and a patchy beard covered his cheeks. Seeing him there, floating fifteen feet in the air, his hands glowing with fire that spread up to his forearms, it was like a comic book come to life. Even the Harvesters, who moments ago had seemed so threatening, gawked up at the leader of the Loric. It was said that he possessed every possible Legacy, his powers near godlike, and that he’d single-handedly destroyed at least one Mogadorian warship during the invasion.
What in the hell was he doing in South Dakota?
Well, the operator had said she’d send help.
Brian dropped his gun as commanded, the clatter of his rifle against the porch breaking the stunned silence.
The Harvesters weren’t so ready to comply.
“The devil himself is among us, brothers and sisters!” the preacher shouted through his outlaw bandanna. “The source of the infection that corrupts our young!”
The Harvesters trained their guns on John Smith. He didn’t flinch. A second later, instead of a volley of gunfire, screams of surprise filled the air. With his telekinesis, John Smith had ripped the weapons away from the mob, a number of trigger fingers broken in the process. The disarmed Harvesters watched as each of their guns folded and twisted until they were nothing but useless metal rings.
“You aren’t allowed to hurt us!” someone shouted. This was true. The UN had passed a resolution that any Garde—Loric or Human—couldn’t use their Legacies against other humans, except in cases of self-defense.
With a demonstrative flick of his wrist, John Smith sent the crumpled guns flying towards the Harvesters’ vehicles. Antennas snapped, tires exploded, windshields shattered.
“I’m not hurting you, just your stuff,” John Smith told the shaken Harvesters.
Even with their faces hidden, Taylor sensed fear from the Harvesters. Many began to back away towards their damaged vehicles. They’d completely forgotten about her and her father.
John Smith floated gently to the ground.
“Lie down,” he commanded the Harvesters. “The authorities will be here soon.”
They ran.
A tremor rumbled out from where John Smith stood. It was aimed away from their house, but Taylor could still feel the reverberations. The trucks and RVs flipped over like turtles. All of the Harvesters were knocked to the ground. Some of them stayed down like John Smith commanded, but others scrambled to their feet and sprinted towards the road. She noticed the preacher hobbling off her property, a Harvester under each arm half carrying him.
Taylor stood next to her father, watching the action from the porch. She reached out and grasped his hand.
“Wow,” Brian said.
“I—I called them,” she said. “I turned myself in.”
“You saved our lives,” Brian said.
“He saved our lives,” Taylor replied. “He . . .”
Taylor trailed off when she realized John Smith was looking at her. He wasn’t pursuing the fleeing Harvesters. At first, she thought he didn’t want to leave her and her dad alone with the ones who had surrendered. But there was something about that look—he was stopped cold, staring at Taylor, almost like he’d seen a ghost.
Flashing police lights appeared in the distance, racing towards their house. The Harvesters wouldn’t get far. She hoped.
“Um, hey,” Taylor said, waving a hand to break John Smith’s daze.
He shook his head, blinked away whatever memory had overtaken him and focused up.
“Sorry,” he said after a moment. “You . . . remind me of someone. Are you all right?”
Taylor and her dad nodded in unison, both of them dumbfounded.
John Smith glanced at the overturned cars. “Sorry about the mess,” he said. “I’ll help clean this stuff off your property.”
Brian laughed in disbelief at that.
“You saved our lives,” Taylor said.
John Smith shrugged. “Earth Garde didn’t have a team close enough and I was in the neighborhood.”
“You were in South Dakota?” Taylor exclaimed.
“Canada, actually.”
“Pretty big neighborhood.”
He smiled. “Guess so.”
Taylor kept an eye on the defeated Harvesters as she stepped cautiously off the porch. John Smith seemed kind and, in a way Taylor couldn’t quite explain, deeply melancholy. She had read an article about his time spent hiding out in a small town in Ohio before the invasion and how he tried to live a normal life. Maybe he would understand . . .
“Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low so the Harvesters wouldn’t overhear. “Is it possible to say . . . ? I don’t know . . . that this was all a big misunderstanding? Could we tell the authorities that I don’t actually have Legacies?”
John Smith raised an eyebrow. “But you do.”
“Yeah, but . . . I don’t want to go to the Academy.” Taylor glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t want to leave my dad alone.”
John Smith studied Taylor for a moment, his mouth tightening, and then he looked down at his feet. He shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. “That’s beyond my power.”
Taylor never got to see if John Smith made good on his word to clean the Harvester vehicles off their property. An armada of cops and FBI showed up—apparently, their local sheriff’s station had been taken over by a second crew of Harvesters, so help had to come down from Sioux Falls—and they were soon joined by an unmarked government helicopter. A pair of Earth Garde representatives rode in on the chopper, local law enforcement immediately deferring to them. They instructed Taylor to pack a bag, which she did slowly and reluctantly and with a lot of help from her father. Then they were hustled onto the helicopter.
Taylor left the farm behind. As the chopper rose up, she looked over the remnants of the battle. She caught sight of John Smith signing autographs for a group of local cops. She thought he glanced up in her direction, but she couldn’t be sure.
Taylor and her dad were taken to the processing center in Denver. The building was located at the base of Pikes Peak, that location chosen because an outcropping of Loralite had grown at the mountain’s top. They were greeted by a bunch of fast-talking lawyers, military brass and hypercurious scientists. They drew Taylor’s blood and asked her to use her telekinesis to push on a piston as hard as she could in order to gauge her strength. She felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment when she caught a glimpse of a researcher checking the box for “average” next to “telekinetic strength.” After that, there were the forms, an endless pile of them—pledges and agreements and waivers.
“Should we have a lawyer present for this stuff?” her dad asked, staring blearily at the latest document thrust before him. The two of them hadn’t been given a chance to sleep and Taylor wasn’t sure whether this was an oversight or on purpose.
“Mr. Cook, I am your lawyer,” replied the middle-aged man sitting across from them in the bunker-like conference room.
“Oh,” her dad said. Taylor could tell he was overwhelmed by everything that had happened. He was a trusting man, smart, but slow and considerate with his words. He was completely out of his element here. And Taylor—well, to her, the entire experience was like a waking nightmare. She thought about all the things left undone: her work around the farm, her essay on Othello. She hadn’t even gotten to say good-bye to her friends.
“What if I refuse to sign this crap?” she asked their supposed lawyer. “Do I get to go home?”
The lawyer took off his glasses and cleaned them, an excuse not to look Taylor in the eyes. “By law, if you don’t sign the agreements in full, your condition will necessitate a period of quarantine.”
“Quarantine?” exclaimed her father. “But didn’t you hear? She heals people!”
“Yes, but that may not be all she can do,” the lawyer replied archly. “There’s still so much we don’t know about Taylor’s condition. The health of the general public has to be taken into consideration.”
“How long would I have to be in quarantine?” Taylor pressed on stubbornly.
“Indefinitely,” the lawyer replied. “You would be the first, so the process would require some . . . figuring out. At the Academy, on the other hand, you will have a world-class education and receive the proper training for your Legacies. You won’t be allowed off campus until you’ve turned eighteen, but your father will be allowed to visit once a month.”
Taylor thought about using her telekinesis to slowly tighten the lawyer’s tie. She could probably fight her way out of there. But what would be waiting for her? Years as a fugitive? Her father’s life ruined? More Harvesters?
“Your family’s farm will also be protected,” the lawyer continued, as if reading her mind. “So another incident like last night’s can be avoided.”
With tears in her eyes, Taylor signed the paperwork. She was now property of the United Nations. An enrollee at the Human Garde Academy.
She was still massaging the pen indentation out of her signing hand when they whisked her off to a secluded military airfield on the outskirts of Denver. There was a private jet waiting for her. Taylor pressed her face into her father’s shirt. She’d been fighting back tears during the entire process and now could feel them spilling over. He hugged her, whispering into her ear.
“Come on, now. Don’t let these people see you cry. You gotta be strong, Tay.”
“I don’t want to go,” she said, her words muffled into his chest. “I don’t want to leave you all by yourself.”
“Aw, I’ll be just fine,” he replied, although she detected a tremor in his voice. “Imagine all the good you can do, running around with that John Smith fella and his crew. You’re gonna make me so proud.”
And then it was time. They led her across the tarmac, up a set of roll-away steps. Taylor gazed back at her father, waved and then she was sealed inside. Minutes later, buckled into a plush leather chair, Taylor was off the ground, on her way to California in a private jet. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since Teddy had come by their farm to warn them about the Harvesters. To Taylor, it felt like days. She was exhausted, but too anxious to sleep.
There was one other person in the passenger section with her. He was black, built like a linebacker, handsome, with wide eyes that made him seem perpetually curious. She didn’t feel so bad staring at him because he was staring at her, a big, doofy grin on his face.
“Hello,” the boy said at last. His English was slightly accented, almost British.
“Hi,” Taylor replied uncertainly, nearly too tired for socializing.
“I’m Kopano,” the boy continued. “What’s your name?”
“Taylor.”
He switched to the seat right next to her and enthusiastically shook her hand.
“They told me we were making a detour to South Dakota to pick up another passenger—what a relief! I’ve been alone on here for half a day. Very boring.” He held up his hands like he was taking her picture. “My first American friend. Just like the pretty girl they put on cereal boxes. Very classic.”
Taylor felt herself blush, not really sure why. She couldn’t think of any cereal boxes with girls her age. “And you’re from . . . ?” she asked, changing the subject. “England?”
“Nigeria,” the boy said proudly. “So, you are Garde, too, eh? I have never met anyone like myself.”
“Me neither.” Taylor paused. “Actually, I take that back. I met John Smith last night, but I guess that’s a little different.”
“John Smith!” Kopano shouted. “My hero! How tall was he? Taller than me? You must tell me everything, Taylor. Right away.”
So she told him, starting from the day she first discovered her Legacies. With Kopano’s huge smile and enthusiastic nods, it was easy for Taylor to tell her story. It came pouring out of her. Taylor was amazed she managed to get through it without crying.
“I saw John Smith the one time, during the telepathic vision. His speech was amaz—”
“I’m sorry,” Taylor interrupted. “The what?”
“During the invasion, when we were all called to action,” Kopano said. Seeing Taylor’s blank look, he slapped his knee. “Oh! You became Garde after the war. So, more of us are still being made, eh? Very interesting. Very cool. Let me tell you what happened!”
Kopano told her about what he’d seen during the invasion, how eager he’d been to help fight, but how his Legacies were slow to develop. He told her how he’d been roped into working a shady job with his father until finally escaping for the Academy. Taylor thought she’d gotten her emotions in check, but when Kopano told her about the way his mother looked at him like he was something from another dimension, Taylor got choked up. She tried to hold it in, but a big guffawing sob escaped her and then she started crying again.
“What did I say? What did I say?” Kopano asked in a panic.
“Not you . . . ,” Taylor said, wiping her face. “It’s just all so much. We shouldn’t have to go through this. I hate what’s happened to us. I liked the life I had! I don’t want to leave it all behind to go to this stupid Academy where I don’t know anyone . . .”
“You will know me,” Kopano declared. “We will be partners in carving out our great destiny as the stars have foretold it!”
“What stars?” She stared at him. “I don’t want a great destiny.”
Kopano smiled crookedly and Taylor realized he was kidding about the stars and destiny. Well, if not kidding, then not completely serious. Kopano locked eyes with her and made his face grave.
“A great destiny for me, then, and an ordinary and boring destiny for you. Together, I believe we can achieve this.”
Taylor laughed in spite of herself. “You’re nuts.”
Kopano extended his hand. “Let us make this alliance official. Once we reach California, we will watch out for each other. You will make sure that I stay on the path to historic greatness, and I will make sure that your life is as unexciting as possible.”
Taylor smirked. “So, what? If I find like a cat stuck in a tree or something, you want me to come find you right away?”
“Yes! Exactly! Damsels in distress, in particular.” Kopano stroked his chin. “I would like them to become my specialty.”
Taylor rolled her eyes.
“And in return,” Kopano continued, “I will make sure you are assigned extra homework by our new teachers. I will remain constantly vigilant of the spectacular happening and make sure you are far, far away when it does.”
“Okay, Kopano,” Taylor said with another laugh. She shook his hand. “You’ve got a deal.”
“Excellent!” he replied. “This, I believe, is the beginning of a great friendship!”
By the time they reached California, Taylor had fallen asleep with her head on the large boy’s shoulder.