The Weapon Within: A Paranormal Dystopian Adventure (The Unexplainables Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

were about twenty witnesses. Ernest was arrested and placed in an institution. Then more people began to show their powers and the government panicked. Every single person who showed any sign of being a Nex was locked away.’
    He grimaced and shuddered. ‘They did all sorts of tests on them and some didn’t survive. They were very dark times. Eventually, the institutions were full to the brim and people on the outside were beginning to get angry with the government. In the end they decided to try and take control of the powers by forcing the Nexes to suppress them. They released those who were locked up and allowed them to return to their families. Those with gifts were labelled Unexplainables and strict laws were brought in for the way we could interact and move around the country. Whilst the new rules were restrictive, the Nexes were so relieved not to be treated as criminals that we accepted them gratefully.’
    ‘ So what do you do?’
    ‘ I’m a lawyer. I’m trying to encourage small changes in the way Nexes are treated in the hope that they’ll eventually lead to larger ones.’
    ‘ My mother worked,’ I told him. ‘She once got a job playing the piano in a very expensive hotel in the city centre.’
    ‘ Wow,’ Brock breathed, hearing the music in my thoughts. ‘She was very talented.’
    ‘ She’d never played before. It must have been one of her powers. Anyway, they let me sit at a table right at the back of the room while she played.’
    ‘ So, what made your mother leave?’
    The happy feeling inside me vani shed instantly. ‘A man tried to make me go with him. He got angry when I said no. One of the staff members saw what was happening and the man ran away. When we were walking home afterwards, we saw someone standing in the shadows. Mother panicked and said we had to leave straight away. We didn’t even get to say goodbye to the people at the hotel.’ The memory still hurt. ‘I think I’m going to go to bed now if that’s ok?’
    ‘ Of course.’ He smiled. ‘I’m glad we got this chance to talk and please don’t feel nervous. Just treat this place as your home.’
    The problem was that although I was slowly getting used to being around people by day, my mind was going into overdrive at night. A few weeks after moving into my new home, I woke up on the floor at the far side of the bedroom.
    ‘ Ava? It’s ok, honey, it’s just a dream. Can you wake up?’
    There was an awful noise coming from somewhere near me. Struggling to focus on the voice, the sound grew louder until I broke through the surface and realised it was actually coming from me. Forcing my mouth closed, the sound instantly muted.
    ‘ Are you all right?’ Esther was standing by the bed, looking worried.
    ‘ I think so,’ I panted.
    ‘ You were asleep, weren’t you?’ she asked.
    ‘ Yes, why do you ask?’
    ‘ It’s just that your bed doesn’t look slept in,’ she replied.
    Brock and I stood at the same time, staring over at the bed. The sheets were tucked in and the covers were smooth and flat.
    ‘How strange,’ I murmured, confused. Shaking my head, I got back into bed. They stayed with me until I stopped trembling, then bade me good night. But the worry that it would happen again stayed with me long after they’d gone back to sleep. Determined not to do it again, I forced myself to stay awake for the rest of the night.
    *
    I could manage a couple of nights without sleep before my body gave in to exhaustion and the dreams returned. The dark circles underneath my guardians’ eyes were a constant reminder of the disruption I was causing. It was a great relief when, one afternoon, Brock announced that we’d been invited to a barbecue at the farm the following weekend. When the day arrived, the prospect of going out for a while was very exciting.
    When we approached the farm, it struck me that, due to the fact we’d previously arrived in the middle of the night, I hadn’t fully appreciated just how