I rubbed the spot where I knocked my head. “Oh, my.” I stared up at the bed where Gram lay. “I saw her brain.” I couldn’t keep the astonishment out of my voice. “I saw what was wrong with her brain, didn’t I?” I turned my gaze to Seth.
He nodded, smiling, proud of himself. Or something.
I pushed myself up. “What does this mean?”
“It means, I think, if you wanted to, you could heal your grandmother’s brain. Rid her brain of the Alzheimer’s.”
“What?” I pulled my arm away from him, and pushed with my feet in a crab walk until I was as far away from him as I could get. Backed into the corner of the room. “Heal her brain of Alzheimer’s?” But there is no cure for Alzheimer’s.
I braced the arm of the chair and pulled myself up. The room spun, and not from the knock to my head. Bile rose to my throat. Suddenly, my senses were heightened. I saw Gram’s hand lotion and imagined the smell as if it were right under my nose. A car alarm blared outside the window on the other side of the room, like a distress signal inside my head.
“If you wanted to. Yes, you could heal her.”
If I wanted to…
Yes. I wanted to. Why wouldn’t I heal the only family member I had left of a horrible disease? “What makes you think I could heal her? Just because I could see the problem?”
“Because that’s what you were created to do.” Seth backed up and leaned against Gram’s dresser. “And everything else that my sister claimed has turned out to be true.”
“I’m like Jack?” I asked.
“No. Not exactly. Your ability is different from Jack’s. You were created to complement him.”
A different reality began to seep into my thoughts. My eyes sprung open. “I’ll get really sick if I do this, won’t I?” Like Jack.
“Probably. There seem to be consequences to the powers you have.” Seth cupped his chin with his hand. “But we have no idea. And you’re not equipped to heal your grandmother at this point.”
“What do you mean? You just said—”
“Well, it’s one thing for Jack to see a break in a bone. It’s like sewing up a cut. There’s a separation of skin, and that separation needs to come back together. Same with a bone. But with a disease that has affected so many other parts of the body…”
“Where do you begin?” I finished for him. I turned my eyes back to Gram.
Besides, what would Gram be coming back to? A deteriorated body? Her daughter was still long-gone. The loss of her son-in-law? Six years of her life gone. Confusion.
Me. She would come back to me. I could take care of her. She’d have a granddaughter who loved her. “The Program…” I searched Seth’s face. “You could teach me what I need to know, right?”
“More or less. It’s a matter of practice and trial and error.”
Trial and error? How could I even consider this? This was exactly why Dad’s research was so controversial. The errors. At what cost were doctors, researchers, scientists willing to extend the lives of others? There was still no guarantee of forever.
I glanced again at my sleeping grandmother. A tear fell down my face. Oh, what I would give to hear my name on her lips again. To see recognition in her eyes.
“Does Jack know about this—my ability?”
“That you were engineered to diagnose and heal matters of the brain?” Seth crossed his arms and one leg. Relaxed compared to the nervous energy pulsating through my veins. “Yes.”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose. Why didn’t he tell me? He had to know I’d want to do what I could for Gram. “You said Jack spied on me for a year. Why did he do that? Why not just come find me?”
“Jack has told you how John DeWeese discovered a picture of you in the newspaper, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, Jack knew very little at that time about what the two of you could do. But when his dad moved him across the country to be closer to Wellington, he knew it had everything to do with you.”
“So he spied on me.” That didn’t explain anything.
“Before moving, all Jack knew is that he had the strange ability to heal some injuries, but not others. When he found out the daughter of his father’s ex-lab partner was at a boarding school known for producing the best pre-med students, he wanted to know if you knew more than he did. So he watched you every chance he got.”
“And The Program was formed.”
“That’s right. He’s been slowly learning everything he could about your fathers’ research. And what you might be able to do.”
“But that doesn’t explain why he didn’t just confront me. Ask me if I was like him.”
“And what would that have sounded like?” Seth smiled.
Like Jack was crazy. I got it.
“You said he had a lot riding on my ability. What did you mean by that?”
“You’ll need to ask him that.”
“I’m asking you. You brought me here, broke me out of Wellington tonight. I’m assuming to convince me that The Program is something I need—to learn more about my powers. Because if you brought me here to convince me to heal my seventy-six-year-old grandmother of one disease—to play God—only to break her heart that she missed the past six years of her life—”
“No, Lexi. I didn’t bring you here to heal your grandmother, necessarily. Unless that was something you wanted to do. You need additional training first.” This man was a walking contradiction. “You are very important to the research my sister, your father, Jack’s father, and others started twenty years ago.”
“Why am I so important to Jack?”
“I told you what I promised. Now, tell me who this resembles and I’ll tell you why you’re so important to Jack now.” He held up the picture that looked too much like Briana Howard.
I stared at the picture again. A cocktail of feelings erupted inside me. Anger at the girl who tormented me at every turn but protective at the same time of my classmate who might well have as many family issues and secrets as I do. And devastated that someone else I knew just might be the result of mad scientists.
Bree was lucky Seth didn’t spot her earlier that night.
In the end, girl power and lack of trust for Seth won out. “No deal. I want you to take me back to school.”
I’d figure out why Jack “needed” me another way.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I heard the screaming from down the hall. “Dani,” I whispered.
I ran. Out of breath, I tried to get the key in the lock. Dropped the keys.
Finally on the other side of the door, I darted to Danielle’s bedside and gently shook her shoulders. “Dani. Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
Her eyes sprung open. Sweat poured down her forehead into her hair. “Lexi?”
“Yeah. It’s me. You were having a nightmare.” I reached behind me and grabbed a T-shirt off the floor. I blotted at the moisture across her forehead.
She laid her forearm across her eyes. “Oh, Lexi,” she panted. “I was so scared.”
I crossed to the bathroom that separated our room from our neighbors’ and wet a washcloth.
Pressing the cool cloth to her forehead, I asked, “Wanna tell me about it?”
“I couldn’t find you. I was searching and searching through the halls. It was so dark. And I was terrified.” Dani took the cloth from me and placed it behind her neck.
I brushed strands of wet hair off her face and tucked it behind her ears.
She closed her eyes. “What a weird dream. The other person running with me was the strangest part.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know, but he kept telling me that I needed to find you. That you were in trouble.” Dani breathed hard.
My back tightened. “I’m not in trouble. I’m right here, and I’m just fine.” Was it possible for Dani to have the same faceless man in her dreams?
“It was dark. You know how I feel about the dark.” Her body shuddered.
“I do.” I continued b
rushing my fingers along her hairline.
“But as afraid as I was of the dark and that I couldn’t find you, I don’t think the guy in my dream meant me harm.”
What a strange night. The image of Gram’s brain popped into my head, and then I wondered what a phobia would look like inside a brain. I pressed my fingers to Dani’s forehead and imagined her brain.
It looked nothing like Gram’s; it was more… normal, I guessed. I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers.
What did I think I was going to do? Heal her phobia forever?
With Gram’s brain, I knew what to look for. I had seen pictures of a brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Was I really capable of healing her? Was I meant to? It just seemed wrong. But wasn’t that what doctors did every single day with medicine and surgery?
Was this different?
Most definitely.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Danielle whispered. She grabbed my arm, then turned over, hugging my arm like a teddy bear.
“Go to sleep,” I whispered.
I stayed like that until she drifted off—kneeling by her bed with my arm tucked inside hers. I was alone with my frantic thoughts. Was Smoking Man in her dreams? Looking for me? Did he want to finish the job he’d started inside the DeWeese’s swimming pool?
A chill moved through me. Later, I slipped my arm out of her hold and pushed away from her bed. I crawled into mine fully clothed. The events of the night haunted me, and with Smoking Man now looking for me in my roommate’s nightmares, I was terrified to fall asleep.
You up? Could Jack even hear me this far away? He’d heard me the night of the fire alarm. Had that been Smoking Man? I had smelled smoke that night.
What’s wrong? You alright?
What if I told him I wasn’t? Would he come rescue me? Probably. Yeah. Just having trouble sleeping.
Can I help?
I don’t know. Can you?
That depends. What are you wearing?
Just like that, a smile spread across my face. Stop it.
You started it.
Will you sing to me until I fall asleep? I asked.
Yes. Will you tell me what’s wrong, first?
Tomorrow.
His perfect, soothing baritone lulled me into sweet dreams.
~~~~
“You did what?” Jack barked into his cell phone. I winced. He had to be talking to Seth.
Shrugging at Dani, I spooned a bite of Cap’n Crunch into my mouth.
“How do you stay so fit and healthy?” Danielle asked. Her nose twitched in disgust. “That’s gotta be the worst thing you could eat first thing in the morning.”
“It’s got berries,” I mumbled through a mouthful of cereal.
Kyle arrived and sat his tray down by Dani. Two donuts and a pile of bacon covered his plate.
Dani and I traded glances. A smile reached all the way to her eyes. No permanent damage done from last night’s adventure through dark dreams.
“No. She didn’t tell me.” Jack turned his head toward me. His face glowed with seven shades of crimson.
I shrunk where I sat. Must be Seth.
Yes, Seth. His brow drooped over his eyes. “Hold on.” Leaving a plate of eggs and toast, Jack scooted from the table and slid out of his chair, accidentally knocking my arm.
He exited a door behind me. Shifting in my seat, I watched him through the cafeteria window. He ran a hand through his hair.
Don’t freak out.
His eyes found mine through the glass.
Oh, how I wished I could read lips because he had definitely closed off his thoughts.
I directed my attention back to my high-sugar nourishment. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Jack should have told me everything. I deserved to know how those nutball scientists altered my mind.
“Hey, Lexi,” Kyle said. “Wanna go see your grandmother today?”
“You guys can’t leave campus,” Danielle said, waving a spoonful of oatmeal in the air. “Lockdown, remember?”
I wrinkled up my face at the reminder. “Yeah. I just need to clear it with my new guardian.” Or bend someone’s mind in my favor.
“You need to clear what with your new guardian?” I jumped at the sound of Jack’s voice behind me. He placed his hand on my shoulders and rubbed. We need to talk.
Briana rounded the corner with a tray of food. She sat beside Kyle. “What happened to you last night, Lexi? You missed a fun pool tournament.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. Jack and I make an awesome team.” She winked at Jack behind me.
I tilted my head backwards, peering at him. He shrugged.
Was Briana cloned like Jack and me? Could she read my mind and I didn’t know about it? Hey, Bree. Keep your stupid paws off my man. Can you hear me? Do you know you’re a cloned freak?
Nothing. Except Jack’s fingers digging into my shoulders.
“Ouch.” I wiggled under his grasp.
“Sorry.” We really need to talk.
~~~~
“What were you thinking?” Jack ran both fingers through his hair.
I followed him on the sidewalk away from the student center. “What was I thinking?” I asked in a calm-before-the-storm-sort-of-way. I took two steps for every one of his. “Are you kidding me, Mr. There-Will-Be-No-More-Secrets-Between-Us?”
He stopped. He rubbed his hands up and down his face making a primal sound that made me back away. We stared at each other for over a minute. Neither of us spoke. Our minds shut off from the other.
“So, Briana?” I finally asked.
He nodded. “She doesn’t know.”
“Is that why you’ve been spending so much time with her?” A wad of nerves in my belly tightened into an uncomfortable ball.
He nodded again.
Can you hear her thoughts?
“No.” His eyes warmed to mine. You don’t still think I’m interested in her, do you? Surely by now—
I took a step toward him. Grabbed one of his hands and brought it to my chest, just above my heart. You’ve got to start trusting me.
Ditto. He flattened his hand, his fingers grazing my neck.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Jack.” Not exactly.
“Then why did you sneak away last night without telling anyone? Without telling me?”
“I wanted to know the truth, why someone is trying to kill me, and the truth of who I am.”
“And? Did Seth answer all your burning questions?” he asked, contempt behind each word.
“I thought you trusted Seth. Thought you wanted me to trust Seth.”
“Not over me.” He pulled my hand. We were walking again. “I knew you had left campus. I couldn’t even find a hint of your mind anywhere. It scared me. I was so tempted to report it to the dean, and let the consequences fall.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I don’t know who our friends are here. Your father died trying to protect you from something. I think he knew that the threat had already infiltrated Wellington.”
Which was why he was coming to Wellington to move me, I supposed. “You don’t trust Dean Fisher?”
“I don’t know.” I think we should run.
I shook my head. Can’t. Too much I still need to know. If the information becomes unbearable, I’ll think about it then.
He stopped again. “Your life is in danger,” he said, his voice low. “And I don’t know who the threat is.”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose. Jack’s mind bumped up against the shield I erected.
“What is it?” He reached up and touched my cheek. “Is this about what Seth showed you? Tell me.”
Partly.
“Seth should never have taken you to the nursing home. We don’t know if you could even heal your grandmother. She’s been very sick for so long.” Damn it! He had no right to tell you like that. Especially without me there.
I stared into his eyes. “That’s not all. It’s Dani.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell me last night? I would have come over.”
I cocked my head. “I know you would have.”
“You didn’t want me to.”
I leaned my forehead into his chest. “You can’t save me from my friend’s dreams, Jack.”
“These are not dreams.” Jack’s voice escalated. His eyes darted around before he continued in a softer voice. “Someone’s getting inside your head. Someone like us is using some ability to harm you. And I’m so afraid I won’t be able to stop them.”
“Someone like us? Briana?”
“No. She knows something’s different about her, and that scares her. She’s not getting inside your head though. Not with any special power, anyway,” he joked. “I almost told her the truth several times. I just couldn’t. Not without more information. She’s not strong like you. I can’t explain it.”
I thought about that for a second. Briana and I were friends once upon a time. Something had changed the summer before our sophomore year. She came back to school bitter. She lashed out at me every chance she got. I’d never considered her weak in any way.
“Come on.” Jack tugged at me again and led me up the walk toward the athletic center.
I followed him down the hall toward Coach Williams’ office. The smell of chlorine reached all the way out into the hallway as we passed the entrance to the pool.
Coach looked up from a laptop when we entered his small office. Familiar images covered the screen. I dropped Jack’s hand.
Images of my artwork. Images I’d sent Dad over the years. He had created a website for the art—his way of keeping me “his baby girl.” Like I was a kindergartener bringing home that day’s craft.
Sometimes I wished I could lose myself in art. My art teacher even encouraged it. But she and I both knew that was not my life’s purpose.
How did Coach know about the site? I wiped my sweating palms on my uniform skirt.
“Lexi. Jack,” Coach said, flustered. He shut his laptop and stood. A whistle dangled with his Wellington credentials around his neck. “What are you two up to?”
Mindspeak Page 21
