caine-soren

There were dozens of theories about what it was, that dome. Every scientist in the world, it seemed, had made a pilgrimage to the site. Tests had been conducted, measurements taken.They had tried drilling through it. Under it. Had flown over it. Had dug beneath it. Had approached it by submarine.Nothing worked.Every species of doomsayer from Luddite to End Times nut had had his say. It was a judgment. On America__ technological obsession, on America__ moral failure. This. That. Something else.Then the twins had popped out. Just like that. First Emma. Then, a few minutes later, Anna. Alive and well at the exact moment of their fifteenth birthday.They told tales of life inside the bowl. What they called the FAYZ.Connie Temple__ heart had swelled with pride for what she had learned of her son, Sam. And crashed into despair with tales of her other son, her unacknowledged child, Caine.Then, nothing. No other kids arrived for a while.Black despair settled over the families as they realized that it would be only these two. Months passed. Many lost faith. How could kids survive alone?But then, the Prophetess had reached into their dreams.One night Connie Temple had a lurid, incredible dream. She__ never had such a detailed dream. It was terrifying. The power of it took her breath away. There was a girl in that

What__ Albert going to do?_ a boy named Jim demanded. __here__ Albert?__lbert stepped from an inconspicuous position off to one side. He mounted the steps, moving carefully still, not entirely well even now.He carefully chose a position equidistant between Caine and Sam.__hat should we do, Albert?_ a voice asked plaintively.Albert didn__ look out at the crowd except for a quick glance up, like he was just making sure he was pointed in the right direction. He spoke in a quiet, reasonable monotone. Kids edged closer to hear.____ a businessman.___rue._ Toto.__y job is organizing kids to work, taking the things they harvest or catch, and redistributing them through a market.___nd getting the best stuff for yourself,_ someone yelled to general laughter.__es,_ Albert acknowledged. __ reward myself for the work I do.__his blunt admission left the crowd nonplussed.__aine has promised that if I stay here he won__ interfere. But I don__ trust Caine.___o, he doesn__,_ Toto agreed.__ do trust Sam. But . . .__nd now you could hear a pin drop.__ut . . . Sam is a weak leader._ He kept his eyes down. __am is the best fighter ever. He__ defended us many times. And he__ the best at figuring out how to survive. But Sam__ Albert now turned to him___ou are too humble. Too willing to step aside. When Astrid and the council sidelined you, you put up with it. I was part of that myself. But you let us push you aside and the council turned out to be useless.__am stood stock-still, stone-faced.__et__ face it, you__e not really the reason things are better here, I am,_ Albert said. __ou__e way, way braver than me, Sam. And if it__ a battle, you rule. But you can__ organize or plan ahead and you won__ just put your foot down and make things happen.__am nodded slightly. It was hard to hear. But far harder was seeing the way the crowd was nodding, agreeing. It was the truth. The fact was he__ let the council run things, stepped aside, and then sat around feeling sorry for himself. He__ jumped at the chance to go off on an adventure and he hadn__ been here to save the town when they needed it.__o,_ Albert concluded, ____ keeping my things here, in Perdido Beach. But there will be free trading of stuff between Perdido Beach and the lake. And Lana has to be allowed to move freely.__aine bristled at that. He didn__ like Albert laying down conditions.Albert wasn__ intimidated. __ feed these kids,_ he said to Caine. __ do it my way.__aine hesitated, then made a tight little bow of the head.__ want you to say it,_ Albert said with a nod toward Toto.Sam saw panic in Caine__ eyes. If he lied now the jig would be up for him. Toto would call him out, Albert would support Sam, and the kids would follow Albert__ lead.Sam wondered if Caine was just starting to realize what Sam had known for some time: if anyone was king, it was neither Sam nor Caine, it was Albert.

Little Pete. He__ not exactly just Astrid__ autistic brother._ He explained briefly while Toto added a chorus of __am believes that__ true_ remarks.__ow do we get Little Pete to do anything?_ Dekka asked.__he last time Little Pete felt mortal danger he made the FAYZ,_ Sam said. __e needs to be in mortal danger again.__ack and Dekka exchanged a wary look, each wondering what the other had known or guessed about Little Pete.__ittle Pete?_ Jack asked. __hat little kid has that kind of power?___es,_ Sam said simply. __ext to Pete, me, Caine, all of us, we__e like . . . like popguns compared to a cannon. We don__ even know what the limits of his powers are,_ Sam said. __hat we do know is we can__ communicate with him very well. We can__ even guess what he__ thinking.___ittle Pete,_ Dekka muttered and shook her head. __ knew he was important, I got that a long time ago. But he can do that? He has that kind of power?_ She pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, __ see why you kept it secret. It__ like having a nuclear weapon in the hands of, well, a little autistic kid.

About time,_ Brianna said.__ey, sorry, we were kind of busy,_ Quinn snapped. __nd I didn__ exactly realize I was on a schedule.___ don__ like what I have to do here,_ Brianna said. She handed Quinn the note.He read it. Read it again.__s this some kind of joke?_ he demanded.__lbert__ dead,_ Brianna said. __urdered.___hat?___e__ dead. Sam and Dekka are off in the wilderness somewhere. Edilio__ got the flu, he might die, a lot of kids have. A lot. And there are these, these monsters, these kind of bugs . . . no one knows what to call them . . . heading toward town._ Her face contorted in a mix of rage and sorrow and fear. She blurted, __nd I can__ stop them!__uinn stared at her. Then back at the note.He felt his contented little universe tilt and go sliding away.There were just two words on the paper: __et Caine.

Have a seat with me,_ Caine said, hopping down from the wall. __ow have you been, Taylor?___ife__ one big party,_ she said.He laughed appreciatively at her joke. __hings must be pretty bad for Edilio to send for me, huh?___hings are always pretty bad,_ she said. __e__e at a new level of bad. I saw those bugs.__aine mustered all his sincerity. __ have to go and fight these creatures. But I don__ know much about them.__aylor told him what she knew. Caine felt some of his confidence drain away as she laid out the facts in gruesome detail and with complete conviction.__ell, this should be fun,_ Diana said dryly. ____ so glad we came back.

Today, each of you will make a decision,_ Caine said. __o go with Sam, or to stay here. I won__ try to stop anyone, and I won__ hold it against anyone._ He placed his hand over his heart. __or those who choose to stay, let me be very clear: I will be in charge. Not as a mayor, but as a king. My word will be law. My decisions will be final.__hat caused some murmuring, most of it unhappy.__ut I__l also do everything I can to leave each of you alone. Quinn, if he chooses to stay, can still fish. Albert, if he chooses to stay, will still run his business. Freaks and normals will be treated equally.__e seemed about to add something else but caught himself after a sidelong look at Toto.The silence lengthened and Sam knew it was time for him to speak. In the past he__ always had Astrid at his side for things like this. He was not much of a speaker. And in any case, he didn__ have much to say.__nyone who goes with me has a vote in how we do stuff. I guess I__l be more or less in charge, but we__l probably choose some other people, create a council like . . . Well, hopefully better than we had before. And, um . . ._ He was tempted to laugh at his own pitiful performance. __ook, people, if you want someone, some . . . king, good grief, to tell you what to do, stay here. If you want to make more of your own decisions, well, come with me.__e hadn__ said enough to even cause Toto to comment.__ou know which side I__ on, people,_ Brianna yelled. __am__ been carrying the load since day one.___t was Caine that saved us,_ a voice cried out. __here was Sam?__he crowd seemed undecided. Caine was beaming confidence, but Sam noticed that his jaw clenched, his smile was forced, and he was worried.

Dear Mr. Chance and Ms. Brattle. Sorry about the mess. Great bed. Loved it. As a matter of fact, loved the whole house. Actually, I tried to kill your kids when I found them here. Yeah, funny story. Maybe not funny, hah hah.___strid heard nervous laughter from the media people, or maybe just from the hotel staff who were hovering around the edges grabbing a glimpse of the Hollywood royalty.___nyway, I missed and they got away. I don__ know what will happen to Sanjit and that stick-up-his butt Choo and the rest, but whatever happens next, it__ not on me. However . . .___strid took a dramatic pause.___owever, the rest of what happened was on me. Me, Caine Soren. You__l probably be hearing a lot of crazy stories from kids. But what they didn__ know was that it was all me. Me. Me me. See, I had a power I never told anyone about. I had the power to make people do bad things. Crimes and whatnot. Especially Diana, who never did anything wrong on her own, by her own will, I mean. She__nd the rest of them__ere under my control. The responsibility is on me. I confess. Haul me away, officers.___strid suddenly felt her throat tightening, although she__ read the letter many times already, and knew what it said. Rotten son of a . . . And then this.Redemption. Not a bad concept.Well, partial redemption.__t__ signed Caine Soren. And below that, __ing of the FAYZ.___t was a full confession. A lie: a blatant, not-very-convincing lie. But it would be just enough to make prosecutions very difficult. Caine__ role in the FAYZ, and the reality that strange powers had actually existed in that space, were widely known and accepted.Of course Caine had enjoyed writing it. It was his penultimate act of control. He was manipulating from beyond the grave.

You can't let him get away with this!" Penny shrieked. Caine wasn__ having it. __ou stupid witch,_ he yelled back. __o one told you to let it go that far!___e was mine for the day,_ Penny hissed. She pressed a rag to her nose, which had started bleeding again.__e tore his own eyes out. What did you think Quinn would do? What do you think Albert will do now?_ He bit savagely at his thumb, a nervous habit.__ thought you were the king!__aine reacted without thinking. He swung a hard backhand at her face. The blow did not connect, but the thought did. Penny flew backward like she__ been hit by a bus. She smacked hard against the wall of the office.The blow stunned her, and Caine was in her face before she could clear her thoughts.Turk came bursting in, his gun leveled. __hat__ happening?___enny tripped,_ Caine said.Penny__ freckled face was white with fury.__on__,_ Caine warned. He tightened an invisible grip around her head and twisted it back at an impossible angle.Then Caine released her.Penny panted and glared. But no nightmare seized Caine__ mind. __ou__ better hope Lana can fix that boy, Penny.___ou__e getting soft._ Penny choked out the words.__eing king isn__ about being a sick creep,_ Caine said. __eople need someone in charge. People are sheep and they need a big sheepdog telling them what to do and where to go. But it doesn__ work if you start killing the sheep.___ou__e scared of Albert._ Penny followed it with a mocking laugh.____ scared of no one,_ Caine said. __east of all you, Penny. You live because I let you live. Remember that. The kids out there?_ He waved his hand toward the window, vaguely indicating the population of Perdido Beach. __hose kids out there hate you. You don__ have a single friend. Now get out of here. I don__ want to see you back here in my presence until you__e ready to crawl to me and beg my forgiveness.

It__ time,_ Jack said.__reeze? Count the kids,_ Sam said.Brianna was back in twenty seconds. __ighty-two, boss.___bout a third,_ Jack observed. __ third of what__ left.___ait. Make that eighty-eight,_ Brianna said. __nd a dog.__ana, looking deeply irritated__ fairly usual expression for her__nd Sanjit, looking happy__ fairly usual expression for him__nd Sanjit__ siblings were trotting along to catch up.__ don__ know if we__e staying up there or not,_ Lana said without preamble. __ want to check it out. And my room smells like crap.__ust before the time was up, Sam heard a stir. Kids were making a lane for someone, murmuring. His heart leaped.__ey, Sam.__e swallowed the lump in his throat. __iana?___ot expecting me, huh?_ She made a wry face. __here__ blondie? I didn__ see her at the big pep rally.___re you coming with us?_ Brianna demanded, obviously not happy about it.__s Caine okay with this?_ Sam asked Diana. __t__ your choice, but I need to know if he__ going to come after us to take you back.___aine has what he wants,_ Diana said.__aybe I should call Toto over,_ Sam said. The truth teller was having a conversation with Spidey. __ could ask you whether you__e coming along to spy for Caine, and see what Toto has to say.__iana sighed. __am, I have bigger problems than Caine. And so do you, I guess. Because the FAYZ is going to do something it__ never done before: grow by one.___hat__ that mean?___ou are going to be an uncle.__am stared blankly. Brianna said a very rude word. And even Dekka looked up.__ou__e having a baby?_ Dekka asked.__et__ hope so,_ Diana said bleakly. __et__ hope that__ all it is.

Do you love me?_ Diana asked.Caine__ eyes widened. She could actually see him twitch. Like a startled animal. Like a rabbit who had just heard a fox.__t__ a yes or no question,_ Diana said acidly. __ut I__l accept a nod or a shake of the head or an incoherent grunt.___ . . . I don__ know what you mean by that,_ Caine said lamely.__hen I jumped off the cliff, you saved me even though it meant letting Sanjit and the others escape.___ou didn__ give me much choice,_ Caine said peevishly. __ou had a choice. You wanted to destroy them.___kay.___hy did you make that choice?__aine swallowed and seemed to find his palms sweaty since he rubbed them on his sides.Diana walked to the door. She unlocked it and held it open. __o away,_ she said. __ome back when you figure out your answer.

Drake's whip hand spun Diana like a top.She cried out. That sound, her cry, pierced Caine like an arrow.Diana staggered and almost righted herself, but Drake was too quick, too ready.His second strike yanked her through the air. She flew and then fell.__atch her!_ Caine was yelling to himself. Seeing her arc as she fell. Seeing where she would hit. His hands came up, he could use his power, he could catch her, save her. But too slow.Diana fell. Her head smashed against a jutting point of rock. She made a sound like a dropped pumpkin.Caine froze.The fuel rod, forgotten, fell from the air with a shattering crash.It fell within ten feet of the mine shaft opening. It landed atop a boulder shaped like the prow of a ship.It bent, cracked, rolled off the boulder, and crashed heavily in the dirt.Drake ran straight at Caine, his whip snapping. But Jack stumbled in between them, yelling, __he uranium! The uranium!__he radiation meter in his pocket was counting clicks so fast, it became a scream.Drake piled into Jack, and the two of them went tumbling.Caine stood, staring in horror at Diana. Diana did not move. Did not move. No snarky remark. No smart-ass joke.__o!_ Caine cried.__o!__rake was up, disentangling himself with an angry curse from Jack.__iana,_ Caine sobbed.Drake didn__ rely on his whip hand now, too far away to use it before Caine could take him down. He raised his gun. The barrel shot flame and slugs, BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.Inaccurate, but on full automatic, Drake had time. He swung the gun to his right and the bullets swooped toward where Caine stood like he was made of stone.Then the muzzle flash disappeared in an explosion of green-white light that turned night into day. The shaft of light missed its target. But it was close enough that the muzzle of Drake__ gun wilted and drooped and the rocks behind Drake cracked from the blast of heat.Drake dropped the gun. And now it was Drake__ turn to stare in stark amazement. __ou!__am wobbled atop the rise. Quinn caught him as he staggered.Now Caine snapped back to the present, seeing his brother, seeing the killing light.__o,_ Caine said. __o, Sam: He__ mine.__e raised a hand, and Sam went flying backward along with Quinn.__he fuel rod!_ Jack was yelling, over and over. __t__ going to kill us all. Oh, God, we may already be dead!__rake rushed at Caine. His eyes were wide with fear. Knowing he wouldn__ make it. Knowing he was not fast enough.Caine raised his hand, and the fuel rod seemed to jump off the ground.A javelin.A spear. He held it poised. Pointed straight at Drake.Caine reached with his other hand, extending the telekinetic power to hold Drake immobilized.Drake held up his human hand, a placating gesture. __aine_you don__ want to_not over some girl. She was a witch, she was__rake, unable to run, a human target. The fuel rod aimed at him like a Spartan__ spear.Caine threw the fuel rod. Tons of steel and lead and uranium.Straight at Drake.

Let them go, Caine,_ Diana pleaded.__hy, Diana? Why do you betray me?___etray you?_ Diana laughed. __etray you? I__e been with you every day, every hour, from the start of this nightmare!__aine looked at her. __ut you hate me, anyway.___o, you sick, stupid creep, I love you. I shouldn__. I shouldn__. You__e sick inside, Caine, sick! But I love you.

Here__ the thing, people: We have some serious problems. The lights are off. And it seems like that__ affecting the water flow in part of town. So, no baths or showers, okay? But the situation is that we think Caine is short of food, which means he__ not going to be able to hold out very long at the power plant.___ow long?_ someone yelled.Sam shook his head. __ don__ know.___hy can__ you get him to leave?___ecause I can__, that__ why,_ Sam snapped, letting some of his anger show. __ecause I__ not Superman, all right? Look, he__ inside the plant. The walls are thick. He has guns, he has Jack, he has Drake, and he has his own powers. I can__ get him out of there without getting some of our people killed. Anybody want to volunteer for that?"Silence.__eah, I thought so. I can__ get you people to show up and pick melons, let alone throw down with Drake.___hat__ your job,_ Zil said.__h, I see,_ Sam said. The resentment he__ held in now came boiling to the surface. __t__ my job to pick the fruit, and collect the trash, and ration the food, and catch Hunter, and stop Caine, and settle every stupid little fight, and make sure kids get a visit from the Tooth Fairy. What__ your job, Zil? Oh, right: you spray hateful graffiti. Thanks for taking care of that, I don__ know how we__ ever manage without you.___am_,_ Astrid said, just loud enough for him to hear. A warning.Too late. He was going to say what needed saying.__nd the rest of you. How many of you have done a single, lousy thing in the last two weeks aside from sitting around playing Xbox or watching movies?__et me explain something to you people. I__ not your parents. I__ a fifteen-year-old kid. I__ a kid, just like all of you. I don__ happen to have any magic ability to make food suddenly appear. I can__ just snap my fingers and make all your problems go away. I__ just a kid.__s soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sam knew he had crossed the line. He had said the fateful words so many had used as an excuse before him. How many hundreds of times had he heard, ____ just a kid.__ut now he seemed unable to stop the words from tumbling out. __ook, I have an eighth-grade education. Just because I have powers doesn__ mean I__ Dumbledore or George Washington or Martin Luther King. Until all this happened I was just a B student. All I wanted to do was surf. I wanted to grow up to be Dru Adler or Kelly Slater, just, you know, a really good surfer.__he crowd was dead quiet now. Of course they were quiet, some still-functioning part of his mind thought bitterly, it__ entertaining watching someone melt down in public.____ doing the best I can,_ Sam said.__ lost people today_I_I screwed up. I should have figured out Caine might go after the power plant.__ilence.____ doing the best I can.__o one said a word.Sam refused to meet Astrid__ eyes. If he saw pity there, he would fall apart completely.____ sorry,_ he said.____ sorry.