Chapter One: Miss Perfect
April, 1997
Geneva Gail Grant was a typical teenaged girl in Achille, Oklahoma, a small, perfect town for the quintessential girl next door. At seventeen in her junior year of high school, she was considered one of the most popular girls in school. She was head cheerleader, star pitcher for the girl's softball team, leader of the school's gymnastics squad, a heavily medaled member of the school's cross-country track team, and an honor student. To top everything off, she had been dating the BMOC of her school, Chad Lawrence, a fellow star athlete and honor student, for the last three years. The two of them made an attractive pair at their school, he was tall and handsome with wavy light brown hair, dimples and flirty blue eyes. She was medium height and slender, with straight waist-length cherry-red hair that fell down her back in a lush curtain and sparkling hazel eyes. Everyone in their school felt that, even though they were only juniors, Neva and Chad were shoo-ins to win king and queen of the prom, an honor usually bestowed on seniors at their small school. She was well liked by all, and was known for being kind and generous to everyone.
On the outside, Geneva's life seemed perfect. She had the perfect life, a perfect face, a perfect family with her schoolteacher mother and bank president father, and the perfect boyfriend. On the inside though, Geneva began to realize that past winter, that something was terribly wrong with her. It had begun with crippling headaches that had caused her to scream in pain until her worried parents took her to every specialist in the tri-state area, only for every test to come back negative. Once the headaches ended as quickly as they'd begun, Geneva began to realize that she could immediately sense the worst fears and deepest desires of those around her. From the portly girl who sat behind her in Biology who longed to be thin and envied Geneva's slender figure, to her best friend Ashley, who was terrified of dying a virgin, to her father's underlings at the bank, who watched her with longing, wanting to do things to her that she'd only seen on cable late at night. She couldn't read their minds, their thoughts, but knew what they feared and desired all the same. Soon afterwards, Geneva noticed that when she was upset, things around her would break or shatter, and then the nightmares came. She dreamed of destruction, of causing death and mayhem to those dearest to her, dreams that caused her to wake up in the middle of the night, her heart pounding loudly as she muffled screams of terror into her pillow.
The days leading up to the prom had left Geneva on edge, worried about what would happen to her next. She was afraid to tell anyone what was happening, terrified that someone would think she was a freak, or worse, insane. The idea of being locked away scared her to the point that she never uttered a word about what was happening to her. She went about her day with her usual sunny smile on her face as she went to classes, trained for the upcoming softball season, and shopped for prom dresses with her mother, her own worst fears bottled up inside of her.
The night of the prom, she tried to relax as Chad escorted her into the beautifully decorated gymnasium, whispering playfully in her ear about the things they'd do later at the after party at his parent's vacation home on Lake Texoma, things they'd already done many times before in the back seat of his car, but would seem 'extra special' tonight. Giggling and blushing as he whispered, his hands sliding down the back of her dress as they danced, she let her guard down, forgetting the fears that had been plaguing her for the last few months and allowed herself to enjoy the dance.
Later in the bathroom, she touched up her hair and makeup with her best friend since Kindergarten, Ashley Jones. Smiling in the mirror at her reflection as she adjusted the top of her sparkling pink satin dress, she winked at Ashley. "So you and Brent Cummings look pretty close tonight. You're coming to Chad's party, right?"
Ashley glanced nervously at Geneva and nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."
Geneva's smile faded as she stared at Ashley, suddenly sensing a new fear in her best friend. She was scared of HER. "Is something wrong?"
Ashley cut her eyes at Geneva again, then looked away. "No. Nothing's wrong, Neva. Why would you think that?"
Geneva's eyes widened as she finally sensed what was leading to her best friend's fear. She grabbed Ashley's arm, her heart pounding. "Look at me." Geneva's fingers dug into her friend's arm as she shook it. "Look at me!" Ashley glanced up at Geneva, then looked away again as Geneva realized that her sense was true. "No." She whispered. "Not you. Not Chad. Tell me it's not true."
Ashley squirmed to get out of Geneva's grasp, whimpering in pain as the other girls in the bathroom stopped primping to stare at the two of them, whispering excitedly. "He said you two were breaking up after prom. He said he wanted to be single next year for senior year. Don't be mad, Neva. It was just one time. He said you've been so distant lately-"
"-You little bitch." Geneva snarled. "You were so scared of dying a virgin you decided to steal your best friend's boyfriend? I was your best FRIEND, Ashley! YOU BITCH!"
Ashley's eyes widened. "How did you know-?" She tried to pull free of Geneva again, her eyes filling with tears. "Neva stop! You're hurting me!"
"You don't know what HURT is!" Geneva began to feel it, the power that had been building up inside of her for the last four months. She tried desperately to control it, to force it back down. She closed her eyes as she gripped Ashley's arm, concentrating on stopping the power surging throughout her body.
One of the girls behind her began to scream. "Oh my GOD! Her nose!"
Geneva's eyes opened and then widened in horror as she saw the blood pouring out of Ashley's nose. "Oh my God." She whispered.
She heard more screams and looked around, seeing other girls standing around, their noses also bleeding. Her heart pounding with terror now as she looked around the bathroom, she felt the power within her slowly slipping out of her control, like water flowing through her hands.
"You bitch!" One of the girls screamed. "What are you DOING to us?"
"NOTHING!" Geneva shrieked, knowing it was a lie as she felt the power getting away from her more and more. Mirrors began to shatter, sending some of the girls screaming out of the bathroom as the faucets began to turn, then fly off of the sinks, spraying water everywhere. Geneva closed her eyes, trying to control the power within her, then heard a familiar scream. She opened her eyes to see Ashley screaming, still caught in her grip.
"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! GET AWAY FROM ME!" She twisted and pulled, finally breaking free of the vise-grip of Geneva's hand, her eyes, now pouring blood with her nose, widened as she looked over Geneva's shoulder. She stated screaming in terror. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME! DON'T LET IT GET ME!" Geneva watched as Ashley cowered from something unseen over her shoulder. The girl's hands slid up to her face, her fingers hooking into claws. Geneva screamed in terror as she watched her best friend: the girl she'd whispered secrets to, giggled with over boys at sleepovers, the girl she'd promised to live next door to after they grew up and let their own children be best friends; dig into her eyes with her fingers. She ripped her eyeballs out as Geneva screamed louder, her screams being joined by the girls left in the bathroom.
"What is WRONG with you?" One girl screamed. "You've been possessed by the devil!" She held a handkerchief to her nose, trying to stop the gouts of blood pouring from her nostrils.
"KILL HER! FREE HER SOUL!" Another girl screamed.
Geneva watched in horror as everyone began to advance on her. In her terror, she finally let the power go, unleashing what was building up inside of her. Doors from the bathroom stalls flew off of their hinges and flew through the air, smashing some of the girls against the wall with sickening crunches and splatters. Other girls screamed and clutched their heads moments before they exploded between their hands, other girls grabbed their chests as their hearts exploded outward, spraying the room with their blood. Their bodies were falling to the floor as Geneva ran for the door, twitching their arms and legs as their nerve endings sent out final bursts of energy in their deaths.
As she ran out of the bathroom, a hand grasped her arm, spinning her around as a fist connected with her cheek. Geneva fell to the floor as Chad walked around her, his eyes wild. "What did you DO in there? What's happening to you, you fucking bitch?" Geneva raised her head, seeing the people she'd once loved and adored, people she'd passed in the hall at that very school and considered her friends, standing around her, their eyes filled with terror and hatred. She whimpered as Chad kicked her in the ribs. "ANSWER ME!"
Geneva closed her eyes, anger, fear and hatred filling her soul as she realized they all wanted her dead, especially Chad, the cause of all of this. He'd cheated on her with her best friend, released that power within her, and caused her to kill her friends in the bathroom. Destroy them, destroy them all. A voice rang through her head as Chad advanced on her again, his foot pulled back to smash her ribs. She spun her head around to look at her former boyfriend, feeling the power still building, replenishing after its initial release in the bathroom. Chad began to scream, backing away as blood began to spout from his eyes and nose, his head exploding within seconds. The other students backed away from Geneva as she slowly stood up, her cherry red hair now matching the copious stains of blood on her delicate pink gown. They all began to scream as Geneva walked past them, some running before their heads and hearts exploded. As Geneva slowly walked into the gymnasium, others began to scream as well, clutching their heads and chests, others screaming and trying to get away from hallucinations of their worst fears realized. Tables and chairs flew around the room, becoming deadly projectiles, smashing the bodies of her classmates against the floor and walls as Geneva stood in the middle of the gym, her eyes closed and her arms lifted upward, letting the power pulse through her as it unleashed Hell inside the school.
"Holy Jumpin' Jesus! What in the hell happened in here?" Jimmy McCluskey, the sheriff of Achille walked into the gym three hours later, his eyes widening with shock at the horror surrounding him. Bodies of teenagers and chaperones, were scattered around the blood soaked gym, some missing heads, others smashed into oblivion against the walls and floors by tables, other people were moaning and whimpering as they lay on the floor.
His deputy, Hugh Lewis Dewey followed behind him, his expression of horror matching Sheriff McCluskey's as they stared at the carnage. "How many dead?"
"Hell if I know." The sheriff shook his head. "EMS and the First Responders are on the way to help search this place for survivors, and the state police are coming to investigate, so don't touch or move nothing." He scanned the room again, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. "Jesus H. Christ on a cracker."
"You think someone DID this?"
"Hell if I know. I can't imagine one person being responsible for causing carnage like this." McCluskey made a face as he stared at the bodies on the floor. "I can't even imagine a GANG being responsible for this."
Deputy Dewey listened to his radio for a moment, then turned to his boss. "Sheriff, First Responder says there's something on the football field. They saw it coming in."
Sheriff McCluskey turned and sighed. "Let's go check it out."
They walked out of the gymnasium, thankful to be away from the blood and gore as they headed towards the football field. As they reached it, they saw a red and pink blob on the fifty yard line. Clutching at the butt of his gun in the holster on his hip, the sheriff slowly walked towards it, his eyes widening as he realized it was a person, a girl. She was covered from head to toe in blood, her once pink dress now almost completely maroon. Blood and gore covered her arms and back, her hair was caked in it as she rocked back and forth, curled up into a ball on the fifty-yard line. He got closer, gasping as he recognized her. "Geneva, Honey? Is that you?"
Geneva showed no sign of hearing him as she rocked back and forth, her face buried in her knees as she sobbed and chanted in a pitiful, childish voice. "I take it back. I take it back. I take it back. I take it back. I take it back. I take it back . . . "
Denton, Oklahoma: One Week Later
"So who are we going to be seeing here?" Claude glanced into the rearview mirror at his boss, Mr. Thompson. "Must be someone really special for you to be coming along."
Thompson beamed as he stared out of the window. "Oh, she's special. Very special indeed." He smiled at Claude and Noah Bennet as the latter drove them towards the psychiatric hospital. "A very powerful girl." He handed Claude a folder. "Check it out. Talk about a new sensation."
Claude's eyes widened as he began to flip through photos of the disaster at the gymnasium. "I read something about this, didn't I? That high school lost almost their entire junior and senior classes."
"The ones that lived are babbling idiots in straight-jackets. Most of them died either by massive strokes or heart attacks, their heads exploded, they were crushed by flying objects, or they gouged their own eyes out to give themselves lobotomies before their brains finally blew up. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Claude made a face as Noah glanced down at the photos for a moment. "You've got quite the definition of beautiful, Thompson." Claude muttered. "She did this? All of THIS? She pulled a Carrie at her prom?"
"Yes she did." Thompson nodded at the folder. Claude flipped the pictures to find a photograph of a young girl. She was delicate-looking, pretty. "Looks like Mom's cherry pie, doesn't she? Little Miss All-American with a fun surprise inside."
"What does she do?" Bennet asked.
"I'm glad you asked that." Thompson smiled proudly. "It seems that Geneva Gail Grant has discovered that she is very manipulative of the psionic field. She can sense your greatest fears and desires and allow you to project them, as well as moving the objects around her using said field."
"Telekinesis." Claude muttered.
"No, better. She can blow your mind, apparently literally and figuratively, judging by the mental states of the survivors. The ones who can occasionally talk don't describe the same thing. They all talk about how the thing they feared the most came after them until they went mad. One girl saw her abusive stepfather coming at her with his pants down, another saw the room filling with snakes, another student saw rats running down the bleachers at him. This girl can make you die of terror or pleasure, unless she decides to cause you to have a stroke or heart attack using the psionic fields around her. She creates these" Thompson struggled for words "psionic bullets, for lack of a better word. She can use it to throw things around the room, obviously with crushing force. She's a marvel."
"I take it we aren't coming here to kill her." Noah sighed.
"Oh absolutely NOT!" Thompson's eyes widened. "Word from the top, Boys! This girl is not to be harmed unless we have no other choice. She's going to become our newest little pet."
"You MUST be joking!" Claude stammered. "A power like that-"
"-in the right hands, with the right guidance and control would be a beautiful thing." Thompson smiled again. "And you two are going to show her that guidance and control. You're going to become her best friends and her favorite surrogate uncles. She'll stay at Primatech, where the two of you will teach her to control that power, among other things. As you can see, she's a model of physical fitness: track, gymnastics, quite the little athlete. She's also a straight A student, therefore she's smart as hell. Make sure she continues to hone those abilities while she learns a few other physical abilities."
"What are we training her to do, exactly?" Claude's eyes narrowed.
"That's not your concern for now. Just know that she is going to become our greatest asset."
"Or our worst bloody liability." Claude sighed.
"THAT'S up to you. She lost control of her emotions at her prom and lost control of her powers. According to her doctor, who has been very cooperative with me, she's refusing to speak or allow anyone to touch her for now. You two are going to help me convince her to join us and then you're going to teach her to control herself, sort of like that house-training metaphor you like so much, Claude. Get in her head, make her trust you, then teach her to be the very best little girl she can be." Thompson stared out the window, smiling wider. "Very best."
"And if she refuses?" Noah asked.
"Then Plan B will kick in. Actually, it's kicking in whether she's on board or not. Tonight, she'll be transferred to a larger, more intensive facility that can crack her shell. A terrible accident is going to befall that transport. She can either be in the van tonight to meet her fate, or she can come with us. Either way, Geneva Gail Grant will officially be dead after tonight."
They arrived at the psychiatric hospital and made their way inside. The doctor on Thompson's payroll showed them to a locked room and let them in. Noah's heart immediately went out to the girl as he spotted her, curled up in a corner, dressed in scrubs. Her hair, washed clean of the blood, fell around her arms and back as she hugged her legs to her chest, almost like a protective red cloak. She stared off into space, blinking occasionally, her expression blank. She looked shrunken, defeated as she rocked back and forth, her arms circling her legs.
"Good afternoon, Geneva." Thompson smiled a sharky smile at her as they walked into the room. "I hear you've been a naughty little girl."
"Thompson-" Noah hissed.
Thompson lifted a hand, shushing Noah as he approached the girl. "I know what you did. I know what you can do, Geneva. You're not a freak, you're not bad, you're not evil and you're not alone." He glanced at Noah, grinning as the girl stopped rocking, her eyes widening. He turned back to her. "We can help you, Geneva. We can help you control that power that got away from you last week. That power did a bad thing, but you can make it do good things too. You are a good person, Geneva. That gift that you have isn't from the Devil, it's from God. You can use it as a gift from God."
The girl looked up at him, her hazel eyes bloodshot. "How?" She whispered.
"Come with us. This is Mr. Bennet and Mr. Raines. They know how to help you. We all know how to help you. Do you want us to help you?"
Geneva's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head, sobbing in deep hiccupping gasps. "I killed them, I killed them all."
"I know." Thompson crooned as he gently stroked her back. With a final sob, she threw herself into Thompson's arms, hugging him tightly.
"Please help me!" She wailed.
"We will." Thompson hugged her gently as he grinned at Claude and Noah, who stared at the two of them uncomfortably. "We'll make you a better person, Geneva. You will be the greatest person in the world when we're finished with you."
May 7, 2007: Odessa, Texas
Her face is a map of the world is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm
She ran along the dusty country road, reveling in the feeling of her heart leaping in her chest as her feet pounded the pavement, keeping the beat to the K. T. Tunstall song on the iPod thrumming in her ears as she ran, urging her muscles to push harder as she jogged down the road back towards her home as she reminded herself, as she did every morning, as to the identity she'd had for nearly six months.
I am Alexandra Catherine Abbott. I am twenty-nine years old. My birthday is April seventh. My husband's name is Aaron Bradley Abbott. We met in college, the first day at Tulane University. It was love at first sight. We were college sweethearts, we lost our virginity to each other. He's the love of my life and I'm the love of his. We've been married for almost seven years, our anniversary is June eleventh. I work at Primatech Paper as a saleswoman, he is a freelance watch repairman.
She reminded herself of these facts every morning as she ran, clearing her mind as she reminded herself why she was really here and why she had really been placed with this man.
Aaron Abbott rolled over in bed in the small farmhouse he shared with his wife Alexandra, frowning as his hands touched a cool, empty pillow beside him. He sighed as he climbed out of bed, mussing his dark brown hair as he pulled a pair of boxer shorts over his nude body. He glanced out the window, smiling as he saw the trim figure of his wife as she ran down the road by their home, approaching it. He bounded down the stairs, stopping to scratch the ears of their Pomeranian puppy Mac as he went to the kitchen to pour himself and Alexandra a cup of coffee. He closed his eyes, remembering the day he'd awakened in a hospital in New York City nearly six months ago, suffering from amnesia and a severe stab wound to his chest that had gone all the way through. He'd been told that he'd been found near the hospital, nearly dead, with no identification on his person. He couldn't remember his name or anything about his life. He still couldn't. None of that mattered so much now, it had stopped mattering after he realized that he was falling in love with his wife.
He smiled to himself as he thought of Alexandra, the woman rarely far from his thoughts. She'd arrived at the hospital a few days after he'd awakened, sobbing with relief when she recognized him, then sobbing with heartbreak when she realized he didn't remember her. Alexandra had told him that he had been in New York for a convention and had apparently been attacked and mugged. She had documentation of their life together, a wedding license, his birth certification, photographs of the two of them together. He'd agreed to leave the hospital with her after his recovery and return with her to their home in Odessa. The first couple of months with her had been tense as he rattled around their home aimlessly willing his memory to return, finding himself more and more unhappy with his situation. Alexandra had been there for him, helping him work through his frustrations at not remembering his life. She'd been kind and patient with him, sleeping in the guest room of their home while he slept in the master bedroom, wondering when he'd ever be able to feel for his wife the way she obviously felt for him. He noticed the way she hovered and took care of him, gently allowing him to come to terms with the loss of his past life. Finally, one night, he watched her walk into their guest bedroom to go to bed and realized he wanted her, wanted to feel her body wrapped around his. He went to that room that night and made love to her, moving her back into the master bedroom after that night, where they made love frequently since. He wondered if, in his forgotten life, he'd loved her as much then as he did now, if he wanted her as desperately then as he did now, needed to feel her body against him, needed to feel himself inside of her as much as he did. He was intoxicated by her, her smile, her body, her warm hazel eyes and her fiery shoulder-length hair.
He thought about the other aspects of his life that Alexandra filled him in on. She'd told him he was a watch repairman, a fact that he realized must be true. He had an affinity for it, could hear the ticking of a watch and realize immediately whether or not it was fast or slow and by how many seconds it was so. He immersed himself in his work, building and repairing timepieces for the local antique stores, a job Alexandra told him he held before his attack. He glanced at his work table in the living room, staring at the clock he'd been working on and sighing as he remembered he'd promised it to Mabel's, the local antique store in Odessa. He'd promised it would be ready by today.
Aaron turned and smiled as he heard Alexandra's footsteps on the porch, and could SWEAR he could hear the music blaring from her iPod, then shook his head, laughing. She listened to her music so much, he could almost hear it all the time, even though she'd showed him many times that the sound settings weren't high on it. He picked up his coffee cup and hers, walking towards the front door as Mac padded behind him, panting and barking happily. He grinned as the door opened and Alexandra walked through it, covered in sweat as she breathed heavily. "How was your run?"
"Relaxing." Alexandra glanced at him as she stepped past him. "Great."
"Coffee?" Aaron held out the cup, smiling at her.
"Oh, thanks." She took it absent-mindedly as she ran up the stairs to their bedroom, scooping Mac up with her free hand to give him a quick kiss before setting him back down.
Aaron followed her, sipping his coffee as she kicked off her shoes and began to pull off her socks. "No good-morning kiss for me?" He leaned in the doorway, watching hungrily as she pulled off her tee shirt and sports bra before quickly pulling off her jogging shorts and underwear. "God, you're beautiful." He breathed.
Alexandra turned to stare at him as he stared at her, her eyes slowly sliding down his body to gauge his arousal before looking away, blushing. "I have to hit the showers Aaron, I have to work today. Matt's picking me up in an hour."
"So you'll be late." Aaron slowly walked to her and reached out, his hands gliding along her sweat dampened skin, smiling as she closed her eyes and moaned softly. He pulled her close to him, kissing her deeply as his hands cupped her breasts. He moaned with her as his hands slid further down, sliding into her. "I want you so badly."
"It has to be quick." She shuddered as his lips traveled along her neck before kissing her breasts, his fingers and mouth making her feel like she was melting.
She pulled his boxers off before wrapping her legs around his waist, whimpering with pleasure as he entered her while he carried her to their bed. He sat on the bed with her on top of him, grinding against him as quickly and as hard as she could. He cupped her face with one hand as he grasped her hip with the other. "Slow down." He whispered. "Just because it's quick, doesn't mean it has to be rough." He kissed her passionately, his other hand sliding to her other hip to guide her to move slower, waves of pleasure washing over him as she slowed down, relishing the feeling of her body against his. "I love you so much, Lexie." He whispered as she buried her face in his neck. He moved his face, his lips traveling up her neck to coax her face out of his shoulder. "Kiss me." He moaned. "Look at me." She lifted her head, staring into his eyes as they moved together. "You are so wonderful, so perfect." He moaned between kisses. "I love you so much, Baby." He noticed the sadness in her eyes as she moved against him, the sadness that he always saw whenever he made love to her. He loved her so much and knew she had to love him back, but that sadness always confused him. He pushed the confusion to the back of his mind as the pleasure intensified. He moaned louder as he kissed her, stroking her face as she sped up her movements and moved his hips to match hers. He cupped her face in his hands as they both climaxed, staring into each other's eyes. Wrapping his arms around her as their bodies stilled, he kissed her neck and shoulders, sighing happily. "God I love you so much." He breathed. "What would I do without you in my life?"
"I don't know." Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you either." Her arms tightened around him for a moment before she let him go, quickly climbing off of him. "I'm going to be late, Aaron." She kissed him quickly before half-running into the bathroom.
Aaron lay back on the bed, breathing heavily as he smiled. He could still smell her on him, her sweat, her scent. His pounding heart finally slowed before he sat up and grabbed his boxer shorts, pulling them back on. "Hell of a way to spend the morning." He smiled as he grabbed their coffee cups and bounded back down the stairs.
In the shower, the girl formerly known as Geneva Grant grabbed a washcloth as the steamy hot water beat down on her body, using the cloth to muffle the sobs that began shake her. She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't do this anymore." She whispered to herself. "I can't do this."