Chapter 9

Katherine gets all of her answers. The terrible secret about the Hex Driver and it's company is out!

There had to be a bag over my head.

After being knocked unconscious, I remember dreaming about a lot of things. Like finding out what made the Hex Driver and hoping it was something stupid like a magical unicorn or rainbow god. Something--anything--that was nice and happy. Claire and Simon would be next to me in awe over how great the operation was, how beautiful the interior was as the unicorn waved it’s special horn and helped the humans.

When I woke up, opened my eyes, all I saw was pitch black. My breath returned in my face in warm waves. I could hear Claire’s soft crying next to me, and Simon’s grunts as if he was hurt. Heavy footsteps circled the room.

Someone grabbed the bag and yanked it off of me. The three of us looked wildly around the room to see where we were. A guard stood in front of us each, all armed with military grade rifles.

“Well, this was an unexpected visit,” said a woman in the back of the guards. We couldn’t see her. “I didn’t expect students would be so bold as to travel the woods. All we’ve ever gotten were curious, heart broken parents.” The person walked out from behind the guard and I could tell that Claire and Simon followed my lead, our jaws dropped.

It was the Principal.

“No way,” Simon mumbled.

“You have to be kidding me,” Claire cried.

The guards moved to the sides of the small room. The principal stood in the way of the door, the only way out of the room. For some reason, her eyes kept going to Claire more than any of us. I thought it was weird, but took myself away from staring to inspect myself for injuries. I hadn’t felt anything, didn’t see anything. Our Hex Drivers were still connected to us.

“Why didn’t you take our Hex Drivers off?” I asked.

“For what reason? Your magic spells are inferior to mine and extraction could kill you.” The principal leaned down to Claire and untied her. Claire just sat there, stunned, looking at the floor. “Now, get up Claire. Stop slumping on the floor.”

“Mom, what is going on? Why are you here?” We could barely hear Claire, her voice low and almost faded into the sounds of the factory machines.

“Mom?” Simon leaned back to get a better look at Claire, kind of shouting his question. Simon and I didn’t know Claire’s mother was the principal. She had never mentioned her home life to us. We weren’t on that kind of friendly level. “This changes everything.”

I shifted in my spot. My knees were getting sore, and the Hex Driver scrapped the rope binding my hands. I whispered for the ropes to snap and they did. With my hands free, I waved a finger behind Simon and asked for the same thing. We were all untied, but the guards moved forward to warn us. Simon didn’t want to move. I stood.

“I don’t know what you plan on doing, but I want to know what is going on. Can you just answer some of our questions?” I asked. My body was stiff with fear and anger.

“Sure. Ask away,” said Claire’s mother.

“What really is the Hex Driver?”

“Don’t think you want to know that one.”

“I really do,” I snapped. “It hurt when it went on, it lets us use spells, and acts as a mobile phone and computer.”

Claire pulled at my sleeve, helplessly. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her, but kept my eyes on her mother. Claire seemed to be in a whole other world, too stunned by finding her mom at the Hex Factory.

“The Hex Driver is a new device to allow humans to do that through biological science. A parasite is implanted inside of each Driver. When the parasite connects, it goes into the wearer’s skin, sucking out the rare genes that allow us to use the magic. You’re feeding the bug, as well as getting it’s benefits.” She said it so matter-of-factly. Like the truth behind it was nothing to her. Claire sunk more in my arms. Simon fall onto his back, to where I had to look over to make sure he didn’t faint. “The real plan behind it is to control the minds of all the students who wear it through the remote control feature, overriding the modified parasite, and unleash our young magic soldiers for world domination.”

It sounded elementary. World domination… was she serious? Her expression didn’t change in the least. Her eyes were fixed on Claire and I, and she spoke naturally. The guards didn’t even flinched. When I looked harder into their eyes, they were glowing red. These were mindless, Hex controlled zombie soldiers. Everything that she was saying must be true, the proof was standing here with her.

“Why?” I asked. She turned her head, acting as if she couldn’t hear me. “Why?” I repeated.

“It is the will of our leader.” It was that simple?

“You put the device on your own daughter!” Simon raised up. He looked over at Claire, sadness in his expression. It was sympathy for the dark realization. “How cruel.”

“The killer at school. His message is “I know”, but what does it mean?”

“He is a convict from next door. He knows all about the Hex Mind Program. In the prison, we conduct tournaments to weed out the weaker prisoners and keep the stronger ones. They are turned into the zombies you see before you,” she waved to the three guards, “and we keep going from there.”

I raised my hand to her, stretching it all the way out. My mind was focusing on bringing out all the magic I could, and my Hex Driver started to glow. Through the anger building, the magic leaked out and formed a spike in my hand. It shot forward. I thought a guard would stand in the way, and I really wanted it to pierce the principal’s chest, but I missed both of the possibilities with one I hadn’t ever expected.

Claire had escaped from my arms and moved in front of her mother, shielding her. The spike collided with her, knocking her into the wall behind her mother who sidestepped the flying body of her daughter--instead of catching her.

“You’re violent, aren’t you?” The principal opened the door and left quickly. The guards slumped, maybe in a resting mode.

Simon’s eyes were wide. My eyes closed, bile rising in my stomach. The granola bars and the sandwich I had for lunch came up in one single wave. Claire was the only other girl to talk to me, and through this whole thing, we did grow closer. Now I went and shot her. I crawled over her to after wiping my mouth.

“Claire? Claire, say something!” I scooped her in my arms. There was no bleeding from the front of her. But she wasn’t responding, and I couldn’t see her chest rising from inhaling. Simon came over and checked for a pulse. “Claire!”

“Katherine… she is only knocked out.”

I shot her. She could die because of me.