Open Minds

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  He scowled. “It’s my chance to get out of here.”

  “But… you’re not leaving Gurnee, are you?” My voice hiked up. Would his work with the Clan take him out of town? Would I not see him again, even outside of school? I didn’t like the panic climbing up my throat.

  He searched my eyes. “Come with me, Kira.”

  I swallowed down the fear. “Come with you where?”

  “Just come to the ceremony. Check it out. There’s a big Clan meeting tomorrow and I’m going to make my vow then.” He lightly brushed my hair back. “I want you to be there.”

  My birthday present to Simon crystallized before me. Simon was jacking his way out of high school, and I could help celebrate his acceptance into his Clan of fellow mindjackers. And if I came to the ceremony, maybe pretended to consider joining, Gerek wouldn’t be so suspicious. The Clan might let me hang out until I graduated like Simon, and they’d leave my friends alone.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll come see what this Clan of yours is all about.”

  He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine. “Thank you,” he whispered between kisses. “Thank you.”

  “Okay, okay.” I laughed lightly, basking in the warmth of his lips.

  I seriously hoped the kisses wouldn’t end tomorrow.

  Mom had some demens idea about a Mom-and-Kira night.

  The smell of popcorn wafted from a bowl on the couch while she flicked through the sim-cast choices on the screen. My breakdown over Raf on Tuesday had convinced her I needed a girl’s night intervention, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Clan ceremony loomed barely an hour away, and my options for escape were disappearing.

  “One of these is a romantic comedy,” she said. The scrolling sim-cast list halted for a moment, then continued on. “It has that actor you like, the cute one.”

  “They’re all cute, Mom.”

  She grinned, as if I was playing along. “Here it is.” She directed the mindware display to start the download. “Seventeen Days. Have you heard of it?”

  “No, but I’m sure someone falls in love and lives happily ever after.” I crossed my arms and hovered at the edge of the living room, refusing to come in. “I don’t think a romantic comedy is good for my state of mind right now.” I hoped she would buy my pathetic gambit. It wasn’t too far from the truth, with my worries about Simon leaving school.

  “Oh.” She stopped the sim-cast mid-download. “Well, we can watch whatever you like. Come take a look.” She gestured me over to the couch. I stood my ground and contemplated jacking her to watch while I went out. My insides squirmed at the idea, but I couldn’t sneak out, and I had no plausible excuses to leave. Her shoulders dropped and she flicked a glance at the time display on the screen.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “Well, um, Rafael called earlier.”

  My mouth fell open. Mom wasn’t usually this underhanded.

  “I only told him we were watching a sim-cast tonight.” She stared at the popcorn bowl, like she might find forgiveness there. “He said he might stop by,” she said quietly.

  The blood rushed to my face. Through the haze, I realized that Mom had inadvertently given me a way out. “I can’t believe you invited Raf!” I shouted more forcefully than necessary. “I’m so out of here.” My shoes were lying near the stairs. I tugged them on with exaggerated passion and surreptitiously checked my pocket for my phone. I would scrit Simon once I was free of the house.

  “Kira, wait!” She spilled popcorn in her haste to rise up from the couch, but I didn’t want to give her a chance to apologize.

  “I’ll be back when you’re done having Raf over!” I pounded down the stairs and slammed the front door on my way out, hoping my display was sufficiently violent to keep her from coming after me. I knew she would worry and resolved to scrit her later. But she should have known better than to invite Raf.

  I pulled out my phone to scrit Simon. My running shoes whispered down the street, and the late afternoon air seeped heat through my shorts and t-shirt. I didn’t have a chance to dress up for Simon’s big ceremony, but I was lucky to get out of the house at all. It would have to do.

  Simon’s black hydro car was waiting when I arrived at the school parking lot. My fortuitous exit plan gave us a little extra time, which we spent making out in the car. His starched white shirt crinkled under my hands, leaving him rumpled for his big event. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely my fault. Simon’s kisses were more enthusiastic than normal.

  “Where does your Mom think you’ll go?” he asked between nibbles on my ear.

  “I don’t know. Probably figures I’ll walk it off and come home.” I remembered my earlier plan. “Maybe I’ll scrit her and say I’m going to a friend’s.”

  “Good idea. Then she won’t call the police when you don’t show up an hour from now.”

  I sent her a vague scrit about an unidentified friend, giving me room to conjure a good lie before I came home, and went back to kissing Simon until we had to leave.

  Once Simon had programmed an autopath and we glided out of the parking lot, I belatedly asked, “Where’s the Clan meeting?”

  He glanced sideways at me. “Molloy owns a warehouse in Glenview, and the Clan holds their big meetings there.”

  I shifted in my seat, remembering a Glenview stop along the T-94 line on a rare trip south into the city. My dad had taken us to visit Navy Pier, one of the few museums left when the city depopulated under the range ordinances. The towering downtown skyscrapers filled with commuting workers during the day, but Dad insisted we take the train out before dark.

  “Are we taking the Metra?” I checked the sun sinking in the sky, hoping Glenview wasn’t too close to the city.

  “It’s only about forty minutes by car.”

  It was easier and faster to take the train and an autocab rather than weave through endless suburban streets. Maybe Simon wanted to show off his sporty car to the Clan. Or maybe he didn’t want to leave a record of our trip.

  “Does everyone drive?” I asked.

  “I don’t really know. The Clan doesn’t usually all gather in the same spot, but this is a special occasion. I think most of the Clan will be there. Only Molloy has met all the members. It’s safer if we don’t all know each other.”

  “Safer from what?” What could a band of mindjackers be afraid of? Sure, they didn’t want their cover blown. But was there more than that? “Are there other Clans?”

  He paused for a moment. “Not in Chicago New Metro. Clan Molloy is the only one here.” I arched an eyebrow at him, but he ignored me.

  We broke out of the forest of housing tracts and wove through a run-down industrial park that reminded me of the area where Simon found the only convenience store in North America without security cameras. Gray metal warehouses lined up like ammo cases and caught the red glow of the setting sun. Jagged shadows made the ramshackle buildings seem ready to collapse. Simon pulled up to a side door and parked between a scattering of cars.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I eyed him. He was the one who should worry about being ready. I was only checking out the Clan and supporting him on his big day. But I nodded anyway.

  “All right, once we’re inside, just stick by me and follow my lead.”

  “Sounds simple enough.”

  His soft gaze turned into a softer kiss, then he stepped out of the car and opened my door. I hadn’t expected him to be a gentleman, so I was already halfway out. He held my hand and shut the car door. The sound echoed off the metal canyon of warehouses.

  He paused at the door of the warehouse and took one last look at me before pulling down the handle. About two dozen people milled around the cavernous warehouse. Pallets of goods lined the walls, and giant chains hung by a garage door on the far side. Clutching my hand a little harder, Simon steered us toward the loose crowd gathered in the middle. They orbited a tall, beefy man standing next to a gray metal table and chair. His long red ha
ir flared out from his head, tamed only by a band in back, and he greeted each Clan member as they drifted his way.

  Simon whispered, “That’s Molloy,” which I had already figured out. He appeared about thirty-five and stood like a man used to giving orders. Scanning the other jackers, I recognized a couple of faces. A dark-haired Hispanic woman lingered at the periphery of the crowd and looked very much like the reference desk librarian at the Gurnee Public Library. A gangly man with a hook nose stood next to her and appeared to be the ticket guy from the old Marcus Theatre that Raf and I liked to visit. There seemed to be more young jackers than old, with Molloy the oldest, but the Clan members were like anyone you would see at the grocery store or a soccer game.

  All jackers hiding in plain sight.

  Was this it for the New Metro area—a couple dozen jackers that occasionally met in a rickety warehouse? But Simon said the Clan was careful and didn’t let in just anyone. There had to be more, like me, who would rather simply pass for readers and have a normal life.

  A thin, pasty man shadowed Molloy, his face impassive. He was plain in every way except for the steel gray eyes that were trained on me. I glared back at him and wondered what his problem was. His stare was like a force on my head, like he was trying to push on my mind, which didn’t make any sense. Simon had told me he couldn’t get into my head, and I was pretty sure it was simple bad manners to try to jack me as if I were a reader he could control. Pasty Man’s eyes widened slightly and the corner of his mouth turned up as the pressure got worse.

  I pushed him hard, away from my head and all the way back to his.

  I gasped when I sank deep into the gel of his mind. He was a visitor, not part of Molloy’s regular Clan, and he had special plans for me, if my head was as hard as they thought. Before I could think about what that meant, he pushed me back out. It had all taken less than a moment, but I realized a crucial thing in that tiny slice of time.

  I could jack into another jacker’s head, but he couldn’t get into mine.

  There’s something different about me.

  Simon had missed the entire exchange, intent on working our way toward Molloy. Simon had let me think I couldn’t jack into his mind or even link in.

  And I had never questioned it.

  My stomach clenched hard. That Simon would lie was no shock, but this was different. Danger seemed to radiate from the crowd circulating around Molloy.

  I tried to link into Simon’s mind and slipped in no problem. He better hold up his end of the bargain…. Simon shot me a look. What is she…? He pushed me out his mind and yanked me close to his side with our clasped hands.

  “Don’t do that!” Then his head snapped to Molloy, who had locked his emerald-green eyes on us. He resembled an oversized, maniacal leprechaun, and the Clan members parted before his determined stride to meet us. Simon dropped my hand like it was on fire and stepped away as Molloy neared.

  Molloy bared his teeth in a simulated smile and loomed over me. Seamus, with his wild red hair and imposing linebacker build, would have disappeared in the shadow of Molloy. He grasped my hand and held it with surprising gentleness, like a giant cradling a kitten. I didn’t dare link into his mind. My voice had fled, and my legs wished they could follow.

  “Welcome, Kira. We are so glad you could come.” His teeth glinted in the blue plasma lights of the warehouse, and he stared at me too long. Pressure built on my mind, an echo of the mental force from his pasty minion. I slowly extricated my hand from his grasp.

  Molloy arched an eyebrow as I took a small step back so that he wasn’t crushing me with his presence. The pressure on my mind ceased, and Molloy checked with his spook over his shoulder. His nod caused Molloy to break into wide smile.

  He showered his approval on Simon and grasped his hand. Molloy must have linked into Simon’s mind and exchanged words mentally, because Simon’s look of horror was replaced by a tentative grin.

  Molloy took a step back, dropping Simon’s hand and raising both of his.

  “Friends!” he said to the crowd. “We have a new member to welcome to our Clan!” He swept a hand out, encompassing Simon and me. “You all know Simon, Alec Gerek’s young recruit. He wishes to make his vow tonight.” There was a patter of applause and Simon flushed.

  I clasped my hands together, trying to stop the quivering and summon my inner ninja.

  Molloy was still talking to the crowd. “Simon brings us a new friend, today. Someone to welcome into our Clan as well.” He smiled a row of shark teeth. The eyes of the entire Clan turned to me. I was a minnow in a pool of sharks. Simon sent me reassuring looks, as though he hadn’t just betrayed and abandoned me.

  It didn’t seem wise to tell them I planned to run as soon as I could. I took a deep breath so my voice wouldn’t quaver. “Um, yeah. I’m still thinking about that.”

  Molloy’s predatory smile grew, but Simon’s grin evaporated with my words. A twitter went around the room. Pasty Man started toward us with silent footfalls.

  “I see you and Andre have already met,” Molloy said, ignoring my words.

  Andre arrived at his elbow, steely eyes still trained on me. A faint smile turned his plain face menacing. “Hello, Kira.” His voice was bland, his words gone almost before they were spoken. “I think we have much to talk about.”

  Talking to Pasty Man was the last thing I planned to do. Top priority was finding a way out of the shark pit that the warehouse had become. I couldn’t possibly outrun them. And besides, I was somewhere in Glenview with only Simon for transportation home. Simon’s face had gone blank.

  In one enormous stride, Molloy cut the distance between us and hovered over me again. I tried not to shrink away, although the gesture was no doubt useless. My eyes went wide as he ran his large, rough thumb over my forehead, the way Simon had ages ago when we first met. A chill ran from that touch to my clenched stomach.

  “Your mind is indeed a wonder,” he said. “Even my friend Andre says so.”

  I didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but one thing had become clear: Simon had not brought me here to watch his ceremony or learn about the Clan, but to sell me out to the Red Giant and Andre the Spook. They wanted something from me that had to do with my hard head. My impenetrable mind.

  Which was apparently different from everyone else.

  My breath hitched as I realized the depth of my trouble. Simon stood several feet behind Molloy. I was tempted to link into his head and tell him what I thought of his betrayal, but I had to focus on a way out.

  Molloy seemed amused. “Kira, my dear, don’t be angry with Simon.” His massive hands clasped around mine. My pounding pulse beat a tempo in my wrists. “He only wants what we all want. For you to join us, your family. Your true family. Whether you realize it or not, Kira, you belong in Clan Molloy.”

  I yanked my hands out of his grip. “You’re not my family.”

  He shook his head. “I very much hope you change your mind about that. You don’t want your mother or father, or that delightful brother of yours, to be involved in this, do you?”

  My lower lip started to tremble. How did he know so much about me? “Leave my family out of it!” The words jerked out of me in gasps.

  He stepped back. “Well, now, that’s up to you.” Another Clan member slipped behind him, and they seemed to exchange thoughts. Molloy arched his eyebrows and announced to the crowd, “It appears we have an opportunity for young Simon to prove his loyalty today.” Simon’s impassive face cracked into a frown. “I’m sure he won’t mind,” Molloy continued, staring down Simon.

  Molloy swept his hand to the back door as two figures walked in, one blond haired and head held high, the other with dark curls and head hanging as if examining the floor where every foot fell. His hands hung slack at his sides.

  My body tensed. Maybe this was the distraction that I needed. I made ready to run and stole another glance at Simon. His face had drained of color. The blond Clan member seemed to be mentally steering the black-haired ma
n to the chair in the center of the room. As he sat down, his arms fell limp down the sides of the chair. He raised his head and gazed unseeing at the table.

  No! My heart seized up. Raf. His eyes were glazed, a puppet under the control of the Clan minion, but clearly Raf.

  “It seems we have a spy amongst us.” Molloy laughed as though that was some kind of private joke. The Clan’s chuckles echoed around the warehouse, bouncing off the concrete floor and the metallic walls.

  The urge to run drained out of my body. What was Raf doing here?And what were they going to do to him? As the laughter died away, Molloy turned to me. “It seems we aren’t the only ones who admire you, lovely Kira,” he said. “Yet we can’t have readers stumbling into our meetings. You understand, I’m sure.” He glanced at Simon and consulted silently with his spooky sidekick. Simon’s face had turned ashen and his jaw worked.

  I linked into his head. This is not how I had… He threw me a sharp look.

  Simon, what is happening? What’re they going to do to Raf?

  Kira, I have to… I don’t have any choice…

  Have to what? What?? He ignored me and jacked fast into Raf’s mind. Raf’s head slowly bent down until it rested on his chest. I jacked into Raf’s head, too, and found Simon’s presence had tunneled deep, going past the thoughts that were jacked by Molloy’s guard and into the part that controlled breathing. And heart rate.

  No! I reached for the solid marble of Simon’s mind and pushed hard. Simon flew back out of Raf’s head. I kept pushing until Simon was back in his own mind.

  And then I jacked hardinto Simon’s mind, until he dropped like a stone to the warehouse floor. Back in Raf’s mind, I found the guard and flung him out as well, pounding him back into his own head until he collapsed like Simon into a heap.

  A gasp went around the room, and I knew I couldn’t stop.

  I slammed into Molloy and Pasty Man with all the force that I could. Stop! I commanded and they fell, collapsing onto a Clan member that had been hovering nearby. I closed my eyes, and one by one, I sought them out and cut them down, a chorus of cries and gasps rising and then falling as they hit the floor with sickening thuds. The last one was trapped under Molloy’s body, but he reached out to me with his mind. I slammed him back into his own head and commanded, Stop.