by Jamie Grey
Grant shook his head. “Nothing. The last I heard she was in Seattle. Perfectly healthy. But I’m not here to talk about your parents, Lexie. I’m here to talk about you. I want to offer you a spot at the most prestigious scientific academy in the world. We’ve been waiting for you since you were born.”
I clutched my iced coffee, the condensation from the glass mingling with my suddenly sweaty palms.
Grant pulled a brochure from his back pocket and slid it across the table toward me.
I automatically picked it up. There was a large, ivy-covered manor house on the cover, with white-trimmed windows and a wide, oak door. Inside the brochure, there were pictures of smiling high school students and tidy dorm rooms. I caught the words “world-class education,” “limitless opportunities,” and “camaraderie.” My nostrils flared as I ran a finger over the embossed Branston Academy logo. A microscope and a rifle.
Grant continued. “If you attend Branston, doors you never even knew about will open for you. You’ll have the chance to work with mathematicians and scientists at the top of their fields. People who could be the next Albert Einstein. You can write your own ticket to any university in the world. We have students at Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, MIT…”
I felt a twinge of interest. Mom and I had always talked about me going there, but it had been more of a dream. But now, this all sounded perfect. Too perfect. “What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch, I assure you.”
“Then why not just ask me? Why chase my family across the country?” I glared at him, my fingers tightening around the brochure. My whole life had been a lie because of these people.
Grant’s smile was sad as he gazed into his mug. “We didn’t chase your family. You’ve always been perfectly safe. Your parents have some misguided notion you’re in danger from us. I can assure you it’s absolutely not true.”
Part of me wanted to believe him — the alternative was just too freaky — but my parents wouldn’t have made the choices they had for a threat that didn’t exist. As mad as I was at them, I knew they’d never have drugged me if they didn’t feel I’d been threatened. I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t trust his shiny brochure or his smooth lies. “Care to explain why they’d think that then?”
“Branston offered your father a full scholarship to both the academy and to university afterward. He was a model student. Top of his class. Contributed to some amazing scientific discoveries. After he graduated from college, he came back as a researcher and professor.”
I frowned. Why hadn’t Dad told me he’d gone to Branston? That he’d worked for them? His knowledge of them made a little more sense now. And I totally got why he’d gone. My grandparents had been poor and probably would have jumped at the chance to have Dad in a top-notch school.
Grant took a sip of his tea, shifted in his chair. “Back then, Branston had different goals. The trustees put him in charge of medical studies, and for a while, it seemed to be going well. He was a great recruiter, and we had some amazing students join us because of him. And then the accidents started. Lab projects exploding, experiments going wrong, students disappearing. We traced it back to your father and discovered he was purposefully sabotaging things so students could be released from their contracts with the school.”
Something uncomfortable squirmed inside me. “Why would they want to be released?”
Grant looked me in the eye. “I’m going to tell you the truth, Lexie. It was a bad time for Branston. They did some…unfortunate experiments. Things your father disagreed with. He started a sort of underground escape plan for students, and in the meantime, he was working at cross-purposes to the trustees. He was asked to leave.”
I chewed my lip as Grant’s explanation started weaving through my brain. It all matched up with what Dad had hinted at. So far. “Branston was doing horrible experiments. To me, that’s a perfect reason he’d take me and run. Why hold a spot for me?”
“That’s classified information. What I can say is that just because your dad wasn’t a good fit for Branston, doesn’t mean you aren’t.”
“Uh-uh. I need more answers than it’s classified.”
“Come with me, Lexie. Let me show you Branston firsthand. If you don’t like it, we’ll send you back to QT, no hard feelings.” He smiled reassuringly.
I frowned. How stupid did he think I was?
“I’m sorry you think that, Lexie,” he said, like he was reading my mind. Grant pulled a syringe of clear liquid from his pocket. The Branston logo was etched into the glass vial. “This serum is something I created just for you. It will disable the tracking nanobots QT injected you with, so they won’t be able to find you or wipe you. You’ll be safe.”
I shook my head. “They weren’t tracking bots, and I don’t want anything to do with Branston. Or you.”
Grant frowned and sighed. “Poor Lexie. Lied to again. I’d hoped we could do this the easy way.” His hand shot out and grabbed my arm, and with his free hand, he flicked the cover off the syringe and jammed it into my bicep.
Fire exploded through my arm, and I let out a yelp, bucking and jerking against his grip. But his fingers felt like steel against my skin, and a moment later, everything went fuzzy.
He got to his feet, bringing me with him. “We’re going to take a little trip, Alexa. I think it’s time you experience Branston for yourself.” He slipped an arm around me, holding me firmly to his side.
My head swam from whatever drugs he’d injected, and my muscles felt rubbery. I could barely hold myself upright as he pulled me toward the front door.
“Lexie? Everything alright?” Coco asked, her eyes widening with concern.
Grant nodded as we passed. “She’s not feeling well. I’m taking her outside for some air.”
I tried to struggle against him, but it felt like too much work. “Let me go,” I yelled, but my voice was barely a whisper.
“Muscle weakness is a side effect of the drugs as they destroy the nanobots. You’ll feel fine in a few minutes.” Grant smiled down at me. “I wish you wouldn’t struggle. You’re going to love Branston.”
Inside my body, my cells felt like they were exploding. Pain shot through me with each movement until the world was tinged with red. My lungs tightened until I could only gasp for air. I wanted to scream for help, but it felt like my body belonged to Grant now. I moved when he did, lurching forward like a puppet. He steered me out the door and toward a nondescript black sedan. The fall heat smacked me across the face, and I started to pant. I was on fire.
And then I heard shouting.
Dad and Asher sprinted toward us. A surge of relief made my whole body tremble. I’d never been so happy to see someone in my life.
Grant dropped my arm as Dad threw a punch, connecting with the guy’s jaw.
Asher grabbed me from the other side and pulled me out of the way. He slipped an arm around my waist. “Are you alright?”
I tried to nod, but my neck muscles still wouldn’t obey. I met Asher’s worried gaze, hoping he could read my thoughts in my eyes. His eyes searched mine, and he nodded once. Then the sound of Dad pummeling Major Grant made us turn.
Dad’s face glowed red, and his hair stood on end. He punched Grant over and over, the man’s body jerking with each hit. Blood seeped from his split lip and dripped onto his neat button-down shirt, leaving a smear of crimson. But Grant just stood there, hands at his sides, not defending himself.
“Stop him,” I whispered.
Asher leaned me against the car before sprinting across the sidewalk to grab Dad’s arm. “That’s enough, Dr. Kepler.”
Dad glared at Asher for a moment before dropping his arm. He turned back to Grant. “What the hell are you doing here? What did you do to my daughter?”
The major wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, smearing it with red. “I didn’t do anything to your daughter. We were simply talking.”
Dad spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving Grant’s face. “And tha
t’s why she can’t move? You son of a bitch.”
Asher grabbed Dad’s arm before he could hit Grant again. “Dr. Kepler, we need to get Lexie to a doctor.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed. “Before you do something rash, you should consider what’s best for Lexie, not some knee-jerk reaction based on your misguided opinions. We can give her opportunities Quantum Technologies can never match. We’re on the cusp of something great, William. We want you to be a part of it.”
“And I want you to go to hell.” They glared at each other, and Dad clenched his fists again. If we didn’t get away from here, he was going to seriously injure Major Grant. And I knew the military would prosecute him to within an inch of his life if Grant was hurt
But Dad gritted his teeth, reigning himself in with more self-control than I’d expected. “Get out of here, Grant. Before I do something I’m not going to regret.”
Grant shook his head, adjusted his now-ruined shirt. Blood splattered the blue cotton like a child’s finger painting. “This isn’t over, Kepler. Lexie belongs to Branston.”
My skin crawled at his words. What did he mean?
Dad stepped forward. “Leave her the hell alone. That’s an order.”
Grant smirked. “You know you can’t touch me, William. I’m much higher up the food chain. You should be the one watching your back.”
Dad grabbed Grant by the shoulders and shoved him against the car so hard he grunted on impact. “Lexie will never go to Branston.” Dad’s eyes bulged, and a muscle throbbed at his temple. Slowly, he dropped his hands and stepped back from Grant with a growl. “I’m not going to tell you again. If I see you in Oak Ridge, I’ll kill you myself.”
He grabbed Grant’s arm and shoved him into his car. The three of us watched the man drive away, his taillights flashing red before he turned the corner and was gone.
Dad turned back to me, his face twisted with worry as he studied me. “Lexie? Are you all right?”
I felt my muscles slowly start to respond as I nodded. “I think so.”
Asher still had his arm around me, and I couldn’t help leaning into him as he started toward Dad’s car. “Let’s get her back to your house.” His muscles were solid against my side, and his scent wrapped around me, familiar and comforting.
I smiled weakly. “Thank you.”
“Any time, Lexicon.”
Asher and Dad almost lifted me into the leather seat, and Asher leaned down to look me in the eye. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” I took a shaky breath as Dad climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry.”
Asher looked puzzled. “For what?”
“For freaking out at you the other day.”
“It’s forgotten. Get some rest, and I’ll stop by later to check on you.” He peered further into the car to talk to Dad. “I’ll get my dad from QT. He’ll want to make sure Lexie’s okay.”
We pulled away from the curb and started toward home. On the corners, the security bots were frozen, sparks spitting and jumping from inside the chest cavities. Someone had sabotaged them to get into town. I didn’t even need to guess who.
As we drove, the tension grew like a tangle of weeds between Dad and me, choking down the questions until the hum of the car engine was the only sound. In the driveway, he eased the car into park and got out, coming around to my side. My muscles felt almost back to normal, but I was glad to have his shoulder to lean on up the path to the house. I slanted a look at him from the corner of my eye. His lips were thinned into a line but I couldn’t tell if he was still mad at Grant…or at me.
Once inside, he set me down gently on the couch, then turned away, his shoulders hunched around his ears. Dad paced the room, and with his wild hair and tortured face, he looked like the picture of a crazed scientist. He hadn’t even bothered to take off his lab coat.
I watched and counted. Four steps from the couch to the window. Six steps from the window to the kitchen. Three steps from the kitchen to the couch. The image of his tracks popped into my head like someone had drawn them with a marker. It was a perfect scalene triangle.
He paced the path twice before he finally shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to me. I curled my shoulders forward and stared at the scuffed tips of his loafers.
“Lexie, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, still not sure how to respond. So many confused thoughts and emotions swirled through me that I didn’t even know where to start.
“We’ve tried for so long to keep Branston from finding you that we never considered what would happen when they did.”
“How did they? You said I was safe here.” My voice trembled. I didn’t want to have to look over my shoulder every time I left the house.
He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, and I don’t like it.”
Yeah, understatement of the year.
I shook my head. My voice felt rusty and my throat still burned from the drugs, but at least I could talk again. “Dad, Grant said you actually went to Branston and worked there. Why didn’t you tell me?” Why had he lied to me? Again.
He paused, stared out the window, and when he spoke, his voice was hollow. “Yes, I went to school at Branston. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The first time I ever felt like I fit in. I worked on special projects, made a name for myself, joined their ranks as a teacher, but once they admitted me to their inner circle, I discovered the truth. The trustees had another agenda, one I couldn’t go along with.” His eyes were haunted as he stared at me. “They were using students as their experiments, performing genetic testing to turn those kids into killers, to make them smart and deadly. I didn’t want that to happen to you.”
“So you decided to experiment on me yourself instead?” My voice cracked on the last word.
“Never! At the time, I didn’t know there were other options. I didn’t know places like Quantum Technologies existed until I started searching for a way out.”
“Why didn’t you drop the pretense, stop giving me the drugs, when you found out? You’ve worked for QT for almost my whole life. Why didn’t you hide me from Branston here?”
Dad started pacing again. “I didn’t trust QT yet. I was scared they’d be just like Branston. I convinced the QT directors we needed to continue the drug research, but I hid your participation in as much paperwork as I could. I told you — I wanted you to have a normal childhood.”
“Normal?” My voice rose to a screech, and I pressed a hand to my head as it began to throb. Whether from Grant’s drugs or this conversation, I couldn’t tell. “Those drugs made me feel like I was a freak. I thought I was smart, but then I’d forget things or have to study extra hard for something I’d learned just the day before. Nothing worked right for me. My brain felt like it was either full of holes or it was running on overdrive. And you weren’t around, so it’s not like you could see it. I just thought it was the ADHD.”
His eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t know. You never said anything, and your mom assured me you were fine.”
“How could I say anything when I never saw you and we barely spoke?”
His knuckles went white as he clutched the edge of the couch. “I’m sorry, Lexie. Sorry for so many things.”
I shook my head. “Sorry isn’t enough, Dad. People at QT know you drugged me. When they find out…they’ll hate me for being a freak.”
“They won’t find out. Only Dr. Rosen, Dr. Danvers, and Asher know about it. I promise you none of them will tell. They want to keep you safe here at QT as badly as I do.”
My head snapped up. “You know about Asher?”
“Of course. Asher told me himself. He wanted to understand why I’d do that to you. Why I’d turn off something that made you…you.” Dad grimaced. “He had some choice words for me, but he was right. It wasn’t my decision. And it’s not fair I took those opportunities away from you, no matter how scared I was. I’m so sorry, Lexie.”
I chewed my lip, mind churning with my dad’s words.
Asher had defended me. To my own father.
Dad crossed the room and put his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “I know we’ve started off badly. But please, can we try again? Can you give me another chance? Branston knows where you are now, and they’ll be waiting for us to slip up again. Let me protect you.”
I stared up into his pleading in his eyes. I wanted to trust him, wanted to believe that things would be different, but he’d disappointed me so many times before. Was he still lying to me? I pleated the hem of my shirt between my fingers.
“Dad, the shot Grant gave me. He said something about it disabling the nanobots. I thought they only worked at QT.”
Dad’s eyebrows reached his hairline. “What? How did they know about that?”
“Know about what?”
“The nanobots are for more than just security at QT. They’re also a tracking device and alarm system. QT can activate the bots and find you anywhere in the world.” He paused, gave me that look again. His voice was hollow when he finally said. “They can also use them to wipe your brain.”
My skin crawled. “So if Branston were to kidnap me, QT could wipe everything out of my mind?”
He nodded. “It’s supposed to be a fail-safe mechanism. But now, if Branston can disable them…” Dad started pacing again, the tendons in his neck standing out corded and hard. I just wanted him to tell me it was going to be okay. But it wasn’t. Maybe never again.
He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to have to talk to Dr. Rosen and Dr. Danvers about this. We need to run some tests to see if there are any side effects.”
My head jerked up at the fear in his voice. The wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, and I noticed for the first time the flecks of gray at his temples. He and Mom had sacrificed their lives to protect me. They both could have been famous scientists, working anywhere in the world, but instead, they’d hidden from Branston, moving whenever they got too close.
They’d given up their relationship to keep me safe, and even though their lies still pissed me off, I could almost understand the deception. Almost.
