“I’m sorry, what?” I choked.
He folded his hands in front of him, aggravation growing in his eyes. “In our research, we have found that an ability will make itself known swiftly when under stress. Fear and adrenaline kick in, activating the mutated cells in response.”
As his words sunk in, I contemplated running. My gaze went to the double doors we had entered from. My guess: they were locked. “You want to have someone kick the crap out of me to see if my altered DNA will react? This is insane. I’m not suicidal, you know.”
Raze’s lips twitched.
No way would my father go for this. “Does Dr. Winston know about this?” I demanded.
There wasn’t a morsel of warmth in commander jackass’s body. “All trainee’s go through the same drill. Your father designed the intake process.”
I struggled to keep my gaze steady. “And I guess being his daughter isn’t going to earn me any special treatment.”
“I knew you were smart. If anything, you’re going to have to prove yourself twice as much. Like Ember did.”
There was a good chance I would throw up all over the commander’s shoes.
I wanted to argue, tell him I refused. It was even on the tip of my tongue to inform the commander I already knew what my abilities were, but then I heard Dash’s voice inside my head, warning me of what they could do with me. And he was right. I couldn’t let the Institute know the extent of my powers. Or at least what I knew of them. There was no point in denying I had one or even two, but that was where it ended. If by some freak chance I had any others, they would stay hidden within me until I figured out who I could trust, because at the moment, the lines between good and evil were blurred.
I hated that I was doubting Dash, doubting my parents, and doubting myself.
My heart rate tripled at the thought, but I had little choice here. Dash wasn’t going to save me. This was all me. “Let the rodeo begin.”
The commander frowned, and Raze stepped back to the wall, leaving me out in the open. With my heart jumping out of my chest, my eyes darted around the room, wondering who was going to attack me first. This was the stupidest plan ever.
I spun around, my skin beginning to tingle, the rush of power tiny at first. All around me were other trainees, like myself, exercising their abilities in pairs. The air hummed and trembled with a variety of elements, from wind to fire, to water, to solar waves.
It was captivating.
The hit came out of nowhere, knocking me flat on my ass. I jerked my head up, my eyes glaring once I gathered my bearings. Holy godsmack! They don’t mess around here.
Across from me stood a pair of black boots. My gaze inched up, and I let out a hiss. I should have known. Standing over me was my very own sister. Gah. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail much neater than mine, revealing the smug smirk on her pretty face.
“Ember,” I growled, shoving myself to my feet.
She tapped her boot. “Come on, sis. Show us what you’ve got.”
“Ember has volunteered to assist in the first round of tests,” Jaxson announced.
First round?
Just how many were there?
I held my tongue, afraid to ask, but I couldn’t keep the sharpness from my tone. “How kind of her.”
Ember flung out her hand, and I knew what would happen next. Flames crackled over her knuckles, sending an orange glow over her arm. “Welcome home, big sis.” Then she sent that sphere of fire right at me.
I darted to the side in the nick of time, the whizzing flames flashing past my face, close enough that I swore it singed my eyebrows off. I evaded one attack, but not the second. A new ball of fire smacked into my right shoulder. Pain erupted across my skin, rushing down my arm.
“What the hell, Ember!” I glanced at the spot where she had shot me, not surprised to see a hole in my shirt.
She angled her head to the side, sending me a fierce sneer that would have sent chills through anyone who didn’t know her. “Fight back. I know you can.”
Duh. But this was my sister—the person I’d always protected. And the idea of intentionally causing her harm placed me in as much of a quandary as it had the first time she attacked me with Dash. “I don’t want to hurt you. Isn’t there someone else?”
“I’m sure there is a line of people here that would love to take a shot at you, the girl fraternizing with the enemy, but they’ll have to wait their turn. I’m not in the mood to be polite.”
“I’ll say, geez.” The Institute’s opinion of one guy was a little extreme, especially since he had once been a part of them. What had Dash done that deserved such exile?
I was about to make another smartass comment, but a sizzling blast came at me. Dropping to my knees, it whizzed over my head, hitting the wall between where Jaxson and Raze stood.
Scowling, I went to stand up and give Ember a tongue-lashing, but somehow she had moved. Reaching down, the little brat grabbed a handful of my ponytail, tugging me to my feet. The movement thrust my head back, causing bursts of pain at my roots.
Son of a—
That was it. Something inside me snapped, exactly what they’d been hoping for. Maybe they knew what they were doing, but their methods were deplorable.
The surge hit me, a low buzz of energy emanating from my core. The ceiling above crackled with lightning, regardless of the fact that we fought inside.
Ember’s eyes shifted upward. “About damn time.”
I thought producing the lightning would put an end to this stupid test, but I was wrong. Ember took a cheap shot as I watched a bolt of light shoot down toward me. I only had to reach my hand out and something magical would happen. My entire body tingled, and I slowly began to lift my arm when Ember made her move.
Her fist caught me in the jawline, snapping my head to the side as starbursts floated behind my eyes, the impact causing my ears to ring. It also made me lose control of the electric current crackling in the room.
I should have been glad her hand hadn’t been engulfed in flames, but I was pissed off and hurt, physically and emotionally.
Ember was going to kick my ass. She was faster than me and had a heck of a lot more experience.
Screw this.
Screw the Institute.
I didn’t want to be a part of this shit.
Loose hair curtained my face as I touched the tender spot on my lower cheek. It would leave an ugly bruise, the kind that turned a nasty yellow. In that moment, I decided I wouldn’t fight back. If my sister wanted to beat the ever-loving crap out of me, so be it.
I braced myself for the next hit.
“Enough!” boomed a voice I didn’t recognize, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for the intrusion. “She’s done for the day,” the same voice ordered.
I waited for the commander to tell the newcomer to jump off a bridge or to take on some other suicidal mission, because in my mind that was the Institute’s motto.