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Invidia SIXTEEN
Cameron opened his eyes. He was finally cognizant. He wasn't sure how long he'd been hospitalized, but he was ready to be out of there. He glanced down at his arm. It was covered in a thick layer of gauze, but he could see his fingers sticking out the end. He flexed them, and they moved. Thank God, he thought. He wasn't ready to live with just one arm yet."How are you feeling?" Someone was sitting in the chair opposite the bed that he hadn't noticed yet. It was his stepfather."I'm okay," he said groggily and stretched what little he could in the bed. "What are you doing here?""I'm just checking on you," his stepfather said. He was sat down in the leather chair with a leg propped up on his lap."Why?" Cameron sat up a little straighter in bed. "You've never cared before."His stepfather sat on the edge of his seat and looked straight into Cameron's eyes with a piercing stare, "I have always cared. Whether or not you were of it, I care.""Funny way of showing it," Cameron muttered to
Invidia SEVENTEEN
"I'm scared to see him," Madison admitted when they were all walking into the hospital. "You're scared to see him now after chopping off his arm?" Justin side-eyed her."Yeah. I'm scared to see him because I chopped off his arm."Justin nodded. It was understandable she was nervous. He would be too if he'd theoretically cut off the arm of his best friend. He punched in the number for the ER and down they went. Justin was just here, and his lunch was doing gymnastics in his stomach. He was worried about Carly. His mom had been doing a much better job at staying home more, especially on days when Carly wasn't feeling like herself, but Justin still worried about leaving them home alone together. They didn't exactly get along, to say the least, and neither of them were in the right state to be holding things in. "You guys go on in," he told them. "I have to check something real quick.""Everything okay?" Madison asked."Yeah. I just need to check on my sister. I'll just be a sec," he pu
Invidia EIGHTEEN
Cameron got out of bed, something he immediately regretted when his vision swirled. He started to fall forwards, but everyone else reached out to grab him muttering "are you okays?" to him, much to his chagrin. "Yeah, I'm fine," he shoved them off and regained his balance. "Get off me. I've got to go talk to these nurses." They let him out of the way, which was in their favor as much as his. He was on a mission. He wheeled the metal rack that held his fluids with him, and right across from his room was the nurse's desk. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said."Whoa, careful there, son," a woman in pink scrubs held a hand out to him. "You should be in bed.""Well, I was, but then I was told I'm not allowed to leave," he leaned against the desk for support. "What's that about?"The nurse behind the desk, who looked at least ten years older than the other nurse, said, "Your stepfather left us strict instructions.""And since when do I not get the final say in what I do?"The woman looked up from
Invidia NINETEEN
I have to get out of here, Cameron thought to himself. He was going crazy in waiting for Justin and Madison to get back with the bank account information. He'd already counted all the ceiling tiles and played every game the hospital's HoloTV gave access to, which were basically kids' games."Oh thank God," he said when Justin came in with a folder pulled up on his HoloComm. "I wouldn't thank him just yet," he said with a frustrated look. Cameron didn't know if he believed in God or not, but Justin did, and that comment had him concerned."Why?" Cameron said. Now he was getting concerned. "What's wrong?""They apparently know I'm not you. They keep denying my access, probably from my IP address.""Weren't you using public access?""Yeah, obviously," Justin said like Cameron was stupid for even asking. "But this place has more security than Hendrickson. Everything is protected under lock and key. I've been at it for hours, trying to find a way in, but still no luck: no back doors, no s
Invidia TWENTY
"He's definitely making this too easy," Justin finally agreed when Hendrickson just let them enter his office yet again. "The man is way too sketchy to just let us do this.""I know," Madison said. "I have a feeling this isn't the answer. I know Shane said he keeps everything close to him, but I don't think it's this. Project Invidia has to be somewhere else.""The question is where," Justin voiced both of their thoughts. They fiddled around in the office, looking for clues. "Damn, we need Cameron here. He's the one that nerds out about literature." Madison nodded but didn't say anything. Edgar Allen Poe, Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, Zora Neale Hurston, all classics of all different genres, and Justin had no idea how to tell where to go.Madison was checking walls, light switches that were no longer used, buttons, everything else, leaving Justin to check the books. Great. The letters were spinning, and it was making his head hurt. They supposedly used to have a name for
Invidia TWENTY-ONE
After a while had passed of Justin sitting on the edge of Cameron's bed, he finally talked to himself, "I have got to pry my ass off this bed," and he did just that. There was an imprint on the bed from where he'd been there for so long. He asked Frank for a ride and almost felt bad, but Frank was always willing to take the opportunity to go see Cameron."Thanks for this," Justin said when they got in the limo. The sedan still reeked of the bleach they were using to clean the blood out, and that wasn't good for their breathing. "Of course, kiddo," Frank said. Justin had really started to also grasp onto the feeling of Frank as a father figure as well. His heart lifted a little whenever Frank called him "kiddo."He smiled at Frank and clutched the journal tighter to his chest, wrapping his jacket around it. He was almost afraid that something would happen to it before he could get it to Cameron, before they found out the information; he needed to protect this at all costs.
Invidia TWENTY-TWO
Cameron continued throughout the day to read from his father's journal. He'd found one of his favorite entries so far, the day before Cameron was born:November 26, 2146Christy just went into labor. We're just waiting in a room for her to be ready. I can't believe the little boy is already here. I can't wait to spoil him and see her face when she holds him. I know seeing the two of them together is going to be a memory I will always cherish. She's the most precious thing in the world to me, and I swear if anything happens to either Cameron or Christy, I will go to the ends of the earth to find out what.Cameron paused. His father, Garrick, had gone with his mother's choice in naming him Cameron. His lips pulled into a heartfelt smile. Tears were openly falling now. They had been every time he read a passage relating to his mother. Even though Cameron had no memories of the man, just by reading his father's words, he'd learned that there was no reason to run from your emotions. "Stop
Invidia TWENTY-THREE
"Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is just say no," Cameron's mom had said the same words to him that Madison just had. "What if I can't?" Cameron asked. He was fourteen at the time, and he'd had an old friend confide in him. "What if I don't have a choice?"Christy put her hand on Cameron's hair, gently stroking it. "You always have a choice."Now, Cameron had realized that wasn't always true. He'd been into life or death situations, and sometimes, he had to live when he would've gladly chosen death. That's such a sad thought for a seventeen year old, Cameron thought with a bitter taste in his mouth."What exactly am I saying no to?" Cameron dragged himself back to the present. He'd gotten too caught up in the memory that he'd already forgotten."If you're going to try and bust out or not," Madison said.He glanced down at his arm. They'd taken most of the gauze off. The regular nurse that checks on him informed him that it was healing well, but he'd need to continue
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- Invidia
FIFTY-ONE
Her world was blurry, and she was finding it difficult to stay conscious. The harder she fought, the harder it became. She was going to have to let it happen. With as deep of an inhale as she could, she swallowed her breath and let herself fall into it.*****Everything was wavy; the beach, the sand, the clouds. Even the way Madison's hair whipped in the wind. Everything was also distorted, wrong, like she didn't belong there.Someone was out in front of her. They were tall, slender, and dark complected. As far as Madison could tell, the person had a kind face. They reached out a hand towards her, beckoning her to come closer. She took a step, but it was slow. The air was heavy, like she was standing on the moon. Everything was in slow motion, and she couldn't tell how far away the person was. Each step she took, the person always seemed the same distance away, but they weren't moving."Come, child," the person said. It sounded like a woman's voice, but it was nearly impossible to tel
- Invidia
FIFTY
“Whythe hell are you doing this?” Cameron mumbled. The gag dried out his mouth and made his tongue feel sandy, which made moving it to get the gag out all that more difficult. “You know why,” his stepfather answered, bent over the table Cameron was strapped to. The restraints sliced into his skin and bent his wrists at unnatural angles. “You’ve deceived me. You’ve lied. You’ve done everything in your power to overthrow me.” “Whatpower?” He finally spit the gag out. “You’re the freaking president. Ihaveno power. I d
- Invidia
FORTY-NINE
Justin forgot where they even were. He knew they were in the Keegan building, but between the ceiling falling, walking through a holographic wall, and having a mission of death assigned to them, he couldn't remember where in the building they were. The lack of labeling and entirely white walls all over the place didn't help ground him either. It was an endless maze, and the only way he knew to get out of it was to wait for himself to stop being able to breathe.Great,he thought. "Do you have any idea where we are?" He asked Carly, who shook her head no.They had just turned a corner and finally saw something different.Stairs. Justin ran to them and although they were white like the rest of the building, at least he might have foreseen something changing in the near future. He never thought he'd be so happy to see stairs."Up or down?" He asked Carly, beaming."Justin, we're at the bottom. The only way we can go is up."
- Invidia
FORTY-EIGHT
"Kill my father? No way." Cameron said. "Not happening." "Cameron, it's the only way," Dr. Jackson defended. "Besides, that's the only thing now that would truly free him, wouldn't it?" "No!" Cameron argued. "Cam," Madison put a hand on his shoulder, "can you imagine what your father is like now? After being in captivity by the one man who has beaten you foryears? He's been jailed by the man forfifteen years.We have to set him free, in the most humane way possible." "But that doesn't mean we have to fucking murder him!" "Cameron, I know this must be hard to understand, and that's okay, but I need you to listen to me. Even if we do somehow free your father from the government's hands, don't you think he would still be plagued by those 15 years? Think a decade and a half of post-traumatic stress disorder, on top of the amount he already had in response to the oxygen shortage. Wouldn't you want to be truly set
- Invidia
FORTY-SEVEN
Rock, plaster, and dust covered everything in a thick layer of ick. Justin coughed and spit on the floor, and Carly snapped at him for being gross.During the ceiling falling, and their chests becoming engulfed in choking clouds of dust, neither of them noticed the giant man that fell with the ceiling. The man was gargantuan, with a hooked nose and a scruffy beard, no hair on his head, and his breath was the scent of spoiled milk. He landed softly on the ground, noiselessly, and stalked away down the corridor. The only thing he left behind were footprints settled on the sooty ground."God, what was up with that?" Justin finally finished coughing."I don't know, but look," Carly pointed to the footprints of what had to have been at least a size 14 foot."Geez, who is that? Bigfoot?" Justin followed them, walking carefully so his own footprints did not disturb them.It didn't take long for them to catch up with the beast. He was large, but what he made up for in size, he lacked in speed
- Invidia
FORTY-SIX
"Gross, Cameron," Madison jumped back."If you really believe that, does that mean you hate our government?" Cameron asked after wiping his mouth."I don't really feel comfortable answering that, considering who I'm speaking to," Dr. Jackson spoke carefully.Cameron stared, "Do you really think I'm a fan of my stepfather?" He chuckled. "The man beats me. I want to see him in the ground."Dr. Jackson's eyes widened. "Yes, I despise everything about them.""Good," Cameron's face sparkled. A new potential ally amongst all the other enemies in this wretched, fucked up world was exactly what they needed. "We may need your help.""How so?" Dr. Jackson asked hesitantly."I need you to befriend my stepfather," even Madison's head turned when Cameron said that."Why?" Dr. Jackson was infinitely more suspicious than he already was."Because we think he's up to something he shouldn't be, and we have reasonable evidence or whatever it is you say we need in class for a theory, but I can't tell you
- Invidia
FORTY-FIVE
"Wait, wait, wait." Madison said. "Hold on. How does he steal all of their oxygen? And how does he know that what he's doing works?""I don't know, but I have an idea who might." Cameron said."Who would that be?""My professor at San Vanjay's, the one who was writing about biomolecular physics.""And how do we know we can trust him?" Madison asked.Cameron gulped, "We don't, but what other choice do we have?"*****"How exactly did they wipe themselves out?" Carly asked the little girl."They made themselves known too quickly.""In what way?"Adalia gave a smile, "Have you ever heard of the Beginning?"Justin worked hard to keep his face as straight as possible. "I think I might have heard it somewhere. Why?""They were the ones who put me here, gave me a chance at becoming a part of the Project."Carly piped up this time, "And was that your choice, to leave?"She smiled sadly at the ground, "Not at first, no. I did not want to leave my mother and my father, but they understood. The
- Invidia
FORTY-FOUR
"What the hell makes you say that?" Madison asked."God, that's so like him," he muttered to himself. He walked over to a man. The man was strapped to a table with tubes attached to his chest. He also had a mask over his face, one that looked like an older mask, the kind they used to put over asthmatic patients when they needed help breathing."Cameron," Madison yanked his arm. "Look at me." He turned around slowly. "Why do you say that he's stealing their oxygen?"He gestured at the man's feet. "Do you see that giant metal tank? I can tell that the masks on their face are collecting it. Those tanks used to give oxygen, so what makes you think they can't take it as well?""Except for the fact those people aren't breathing out oxygen. They're breathing out carbon dioxide.""They're not though. I think he's stealing it from their lungs.""How?""Do you see these tubes here?" He pointed to the tubes suctioned onto the man's chest. "I think those are filtering out the stuff Hendrickson do
- Invidia
FORTY-THREE
"Madison! Please come back with me. They don't need Carly and Justin, which means we do." Cameron pointed out the obvious. "Clearly, them being here would mess up the project, otherwise they wouldn't have even bothered. Would they? They'd have just killed them and gotten it over with."Madison turned around, eyes wider than he'd ever seen them. "They're needed for something else.""Is there something bigger than Project Invidia?" Cameron pinched his nose. "Damn," he muttered."There has to be, otherwise like you said, they'd have just killed them off already.""Shit, you're right. We need to find them." Cameron started backtracking."Cam, we fell through the floor. How exactly do you expect us to find them?" Madison put her hands on her hips."Good point. Madison van Buren," he put his hands on her shoulders, steadying them both at the same time, "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want you to know that. I want you to know if it weren't for you, I probably woul
