Home > Work > OuterSphere (Rayne Trilogy, #2)
1 " There are ten abilities, but no one has more than one—except me. I’m different that way. I have…more.”“You mean you have all ten.”I shrug my shoulders and nod. “And you say you’re different, huh?”“I am. I’m the only one—at least the first one,” I add, remembering what Sir Theo suggested about me being a more evolved species. A smile drifts to my mouth but fades when I notice Max staring at me with such disinterest that I become embarrassed.“I see. So is it just you who likes to think you’re special or all the teens in your world?”“What is that supposed to mean?”“Forget it. I guess I’m just trying to figure you out. "
― , OuterSphere (Rayne Trilogy, #2)
2 " I don't need to bang my head on every rock to know they're all hard. "
3 " Let me ask you this, Rayne. What do you think the point of the wall is? Segregation of species? Well, it’s more than that. Your kind built it to protect you all from what you’re doing to us. Your world is clean and alive and beautiful I imagine, while ours rains ash from the clouds. "
4 " My fingers flex as I extend my palms toward the creatures and the light. Energy pulses through me as the core of this dead land calls to me. More metal surrounds me, and I can feel it surging through me: the machine beast, the netting, even the faces of these creatures all consist of metal.The creature snaps its head back at me and lunges, aiming its weapon at me. I jump to the side in terror, raising my hands to protect me from the blow. The creature flies backward, landing on the ground with a thud.“What the hell is she doin’?” “Jab her!” I feel the energy rising within me. Or fear. Or both. Voices yell. Feet trample the ground. They run toward me. A grunt rises in my chest as my arms thrust forward, acting on their own. I watch it like a dream as my hands clench, and my fingers retract into claws. A thunderous shrill of ripping metal pierces the air. The iron fist rips in two. The creatures shout words as the two massive pieces of metal hover in the air. My arms cross then swing outward, sending the pieces hurtling beyond the lights and into the darkness. Several of them dash toward me. I scream. My fingers aim at the creatures and curl. As my arms drop to my sides, I watch in terror as the creatures fall to the ground by their bronze faces. My eyes burn from the stinging air. I feel like I am in a nightmare. I cannot control this power within me, and it terrifies me. "
5 " He extends his hand, cupping it in a loose fist to conceal whatever is in it. He swings it toward my arm, and before the sensation of a prick registers in my brain, he returns his hand to his side. My body feels weak. Light. Arms grab me around my waist and drag me away from the general. My lids flutter, my ears ring, but I can still hear the words from his muffled voice. “Go to sleep kid. Hopefully when you wake up, you’ll get I’m only doing this ’cause we’re so desperate. "
6 " How do you know? How can you prove it’s them and not—”“Us? Because we haven’t had bombs in ages. Records show your kind stole them from us. They say at first we thought you were doing us a favor. Ya know, saving humankind and all, ending the world wars once and for all. That was until the bombs were aimed at us. Our enemies and our allies. That’s what Project Second Earth is all about, ya know. Surviving the bombings. So, when you got here, everyone was convinced your government either finally ran out or were tired of torturing us and just wanted to end it so you all could move in and take over and do what you do with fixing the Earth. "
7 " My chest and throat burn from my wheezing breath booming in my ears. But my hands—they’re ice cold. My shoulders heave as my fingers dig into my palms. They’re desperate for Max’s signal, but it doesn’t come.My breath grows louder and high pitched as I scan the green darkness for Fuges. What I see instead makes me almost choke on the rotten air. It’s not the Fuges. It’s soldiers. Seven of them lower their weapons, obviously as confused as we are. "
8 " Ohhhh! What do we have here? That don’t sound like no man cry, ’less the rats gone and brung some boys to fight.”He takes slow, lewd steps toward me, his eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth curled. His tongue strokes his upper lip as he bends over me and extends a hand. I try to stop another squeal from forcing its way through my closed mouth, but I can’t. “Ahhhh yes!” He crouches over me. A few inches lower and he would be sitting on my chest. I can smell his burnt flesh, but it’s nothing compared to his odor. My nose and throat burn from his stench. I would gag if I could. He extends a battered hand and taps the glass of my goggles with his fingertips then rips them off my face. The strap yanks strands of hair from the back of my head. I try to scream from the pain, and my lungs feel like they’re bursting instead. He plants the goggles on my chest and laces his fingers, tracing his tongue across his lips. He winks at me, and I understand utter disgust. "
9 " Master Red is who I am. You best be gettin’ used to that. Otherwise, when the time come to fly outta this hell, I just might shove you off the side of yo big bird friend and laugh when you hit the ground. "
10 " It is the way of evolution,” Elias says, his words getting lost in the roar of the wind. “Two species of human cannot coexist. To believe so is to be naïve. "
11 " The coldness coats my senses. I envision it turning into a stone wall as thick as the depths of their lies. I picture it towering before me, barring the portion of my brain which controls emotions. I conjure a small box and plant it in front of the stone wall of my mind. I open it and imagine three words fluttering into it like tufts of cotton on a gentle breeze. As my eyes burrow into the depths of her own, I seal the box and send it floating to a place where her subconscious will find it. "
