Free We Are All Strangers by Nicole Sobon

shadows, but I recognized her voice. I knew that voice as if it were my own. Except there was a certain dominance to her voice now. Even still, I knew who it was, and it scared me, because I knew that she wouldn’t do this to me. She couldn’t.
    “Felicia, let me handle this, please.”
    I shook my head, trying to convince myself that this was all just a terrible dream. That I was still at home, that I was sound asleep in bed. But when the moon illuminated her face and her bright green eyes met mine, I knew that there was no denying the truth. “Mom,” I whispered. “What did they do to you?”
    “She volunteered to take your place,” Bentley scoffed. “We agreed, as we could always use another Morphling. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as willing to adhere to our commands once she’d learned that we hadn’t released you.”
    “What did you do to her?” I screamed.
    “I told you, Parker, we have a way of forcing Rares into submission.” He waved his hand at her. “She kept resisting, so we had to send in our strongest compulsion Rare to have a bit of a chat with her.”
    “I was wrong,” my mother stated. “I was wrong to fight what I was meant to do.”
    Meant to do?  She was spewing crazy talk now.
    Although gifted, Rares were no different from the people Covera Corporations wanted us to fight. We were still human. Blood still pumped through our veins. Our hearts were still capable of being broken. We were still capable of dying. We were just as fragile as the people Covera Corporations set out to harm.
    “Mom,” I cried out. “Do you remember when you told me that no matter what we do, we always have a choice? How every decision that we make impacts not just you, but those around you?” She didn’t answer. “Remember how you told me that, in the end, it all comes down to knowing you did everything you could to make the world a better place? I need you to remember, mom.”
    She seemed to consider what I’d said. But the compulsion was too strong. “Parker, dear, it’s time to right my wrongs. It is time for you to use your gift to help others.”
    Bentley chuckled. “Now that you’re coming of age, Parker, this is where you should be. This is your home.”
    “Let her go,” I whispered. Bentley shook his head. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, just please, let her go.”
    “Will you agree to join us?” he asked, arching a brow.
    “Only if you let her go.” Bentley seemed to consider it for a moment. “If you agree to let her go, Bentley, I’ll join you, I promise.”
    “Very well.” He snapped his fingers. “Marshall, erase the compulsion, please.”
    He pressed his palms against my mother’s cheek and stared into her eyes. A soft hum filled the air, penetrating the silence.  She gasped as Marshall’s hands fell back to his sides. “Parker!” She cried out. “Parker, run!”
    Tears pooled at the corner of my eyes as I took in the panic that covered my mother’s face. “I’m sorry, mom. I had to. It was the only way.”
    Bentley pulled me to my feet. He placed my hands behind my back and cuffed my wrists, again. “You made the right choice,” he whispered. His cool breath sent a chill down my spine. “You did what you needed to do.”
    Underneath the night sky, surrounded by Bentley and his men, I’d succumbed to my greatest fear.

LOSS OF TIME
    W hen the call came, I knew something was wrong. Over the past few months, she’d only gotten worse. “It’s a matter of time,” they told us, as though it was supposed to be of comfort. But watching a loved one dissolve right before your eyes was far from comforting.
    It had only been a year since she’d been diagnosed with cancer, and back then, we thought things couldn’t get worse. Back then, we thought she’d beat it. Back then, we still had hope. It was surprising how much could change within a year.
    Standing in line at the airport, a duffel bag slung over my shoulder, and my boarding bass in tow, I felt myself