Page 40 of Controlled Chaos

Chapter 21

The woods turned darker,but Frankie looked like she knew where she was going, so I stuck close to her. The sound of animals had my nerves on high alert. I wasn’t a nature type of girl, and this was pushing it.

I pulled out a phone. The signal on this side of the island was even worse than in the compound. Still I send a text to my brother hoping the message would eventually go through and asking what he knew about being hypnotized. I followed that up with asking if there was a way to remove hypnotic suggestions and promised that I’d call him in the morning. After I shut down the screen, I found Frankie pulling fruit from a tree. I slung the bag over my head, draping it across my body, not asking where she’d stolen these from. She gestured all around us, and I grabbed a few apples and stuck them in the bag.

I tossed one of the apples toward my bag. It rolled, and I went after it. Picking it up, I shoved it into my pouch and picked some more, moving through the area.

My breath caught in my throat when I returned to find Frankie grabbing a plant that could kill us all.

“Devil’s breath,” I whispered and hurried to Frankie, knocking the round spikey seed pot out of her hands. “Don’t touch that. Don’t even breathe around that. It’s dangerous.”

“It looks like an exotic fruit. Are you sure it’s…what was that you called it?” she asked.

“Devil’s Breath.” I used the hem of my shirt to pick up the seed pod and peel it open, showing her the seeds inside. “When these seeds and those flowers…” I pointed to two purple elegant trumpets laying near her feet. “get processed. They can be turned into an odorless, tasteless white powder that is worse than any date rape drug. This is a borrachero tree, which grows in Colombia.”

“How do you know that?” Frankie’s eyes narrowed as if even knowing about the drug tree made me a user.

“I can’t tell you how I know,” I answered. I just knew, just like I knew that touching the white powder or inhaling it would steal your soul. “It traps you in your subconscious. If anyone were to even touch you with the powder version, you’d do whatever they say, and happily. You wouldn’t have a choice.”

Frankie clenched her mouth tight and turned her gaze back to the offending tree that it fell from almost as if she was intrigued it was in the middle of nowhere. “I thought that was an urban legend.”

“Bad men and women in Colombia use it on tourists and locals alike. They rob them of everything they own, if not worse.”

“Just by touching them with the powder?”

“And the worst part is the victims are at the mercy of the captors, and when they wake up, they have no memory of anything they’ve done.”

The more that was popping into my mind, the farther I stepped away from the lethal package.

“That’s seriously jacked up,” Frankie said just as we heard voices carrying on the wind.

I slammed my hand over her mouth, cutting off her words, and dragged her behind a clump of trees and squatted down, pulling her with me.

I removed my hand and held my finger to my lips and gestured in the directions I’d heard the talking. The voices got louder as they neared.

“Debbie Drake is fighting the suggestions we’re trying to plant.” A familiar female voice carried. Not just any female voice but that of Porter’s ex-girlfriend, Monica.

“There is always one in each group.” Thaddeus’s voice was calm. “What’s her background?”

“She was an orphan, and her sentence here was court ordered,” Monica said.

“Good, no one will miss her.” Thaddeus sneered. “You’ll escort her to the private area where she’ll be held under lock and key until after graduation ceremonies. We don’t want to draw any unwanted attention to the island, especially with Porter on the grounds.”

“I wanted to talk to you about him, sir,” Monica said. “You’d promised that he’d be mine if I helped you get rid of Porter’s father. I’ve waited long enough.”

“In due time, Monica.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but time is running out. He’s engaged to that woman he brought.”

“My dear Monica, haven’t you learned yet? It will only take the sound of my whistle and my commands to make him forget he ever met her and fall into your arms again.”

“Just like last time.”

I could hear the smile in Monica’s voice. I knew she had every intention on stealing my man. I started to rise, ready to fight, when Frankie stilled me.

“Only this time, I’ll make it longer and suggest he stay on the island because he can’t live away from you,” Thaddeus said.

“Just like you did with Wanda?” the woman asked.

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