Lucid Design

by Kate Tailor

  —

  THINGS WEREN’T THE same between Raleigh and the Receps, but she knew they wouldn’t be. She was now revered by some, feared by others, and disliked by a few. Never again would she just be the quiet girl who hung around Adam.

  As they played basketball the next day, Raleigh was acutely aware of each player. She felt their eyes following her every move. Gabe noticed as well. He’d admitted to her that it was good that she’d kept her secret for so long. In two days she’d be attending the benefactors’ dinner in Virginia, and they decided that she should spend more time in the lab until she left.

  Dale hadn’t been in any of his usual places, and with the Receps loafing around, Raleigh didn’t feel like being out and about. It was midday, and the September air was much more forgiving than the August heat. With the window open, the smell of flowers drifted into her bedroom. She found a deck of cards and dealt a game of solitaire.

  “You’ve got to come with me,” a voice begged.

  It took Raleigh a moment to identify the voice’s owner. It was Brandon, one of the Receps. He was a tall young man with broad shoulders and the militant qualities all Receps shared. It was odd to hear him pleading with anyone.

  “I’m not going with you,” said Dale. Raleigh knew his voice right away.

  “Everyone important will be gone in two days. That’s when we’ll make our escape.”

  The back of her cottage faced onto a small communal area and beyond into the arid landscape. No one hung out back there, at most, they passed through. Midday most of the cottages sat empty. The urgency in Brandon’s voice—and the worry in Dale’s—troubled her.

  She slunk off her bed and crept to the window, ducking to keep out of sight. From the feel of them, Dale and Brandon moved closer. Both were cagey, their heartbeats faster than they’d be during a normal conversation.

  “You said you loved me,” Brandon said.

  Dale was in love with Brandon? That put a new spin on things. It wasn’t as though there were a lot of dating options at G and A—at least not options that Raleigh had thought of. But she and Dale had never talked about it. Relationships with the Receps were forbidden. Her mind swept back almost two months to the meeting with Marcel. Kissing was a source of Lucid. Rho had told her not to date guys with receptors. The story of Mu’s girlfriend came to the front of her mind. She regretted not telling Dale about it. Dustin had insisted that Brandon was getting extra Lucidin. And he was—but his doses clearly didn’t come in vials. Everything clicked into place.

  Dale’s heart skipped in his chest, Raleigh knew his answer before he said it. “I do love you. It’s just... we can’t leave. Agatha says it’s not safe.”

  “And she’s never going to let us be together.”

  “You don’t even have a plan. Where are we supposed to go?”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Brandon’s voice became more aggressive and less pleading. His muscles tensed, and his head ached slightly.

  “I’m sorry, Brandon. The answer is no.”

  “You’re mine. You told me you were mine!”

  Raleigh briefly peeked out the window. They argued near a tree about fifteen feet away. She didn’t want to intrude or intervene. Hopefully, Brandon would back away. That seemed less likely with each passing moment. Rho had been concerned about this very thing happening to her.

  Fingers dug into Dale’s arm, the pain making Raleigh rub her own. “Let go of my arm,” said Dale.

  “I’m not even gay!” Brandon’s revelation caused the air to leave Dale’s lungs. “You’re never going to get a guy like me again. If I’m able to stomach all this, you should be willing to leave.”

  “Then... why be with me?” Dale’s words spat out in a sob.

  “Because you’re mine! Quit crying. Someone’s going to see or hear. We need to be quiet. No one can suspect that we’re leaving. Do you understand? You owe me.”

  “No.”

  Raleigh heard a slap, and pain exploded across Dale’s face. Moments later his arms hurt, then his back. She didn’t have to peer over the sill to know exactly what happened. Brandon had Dale pressed up against the tree. Enough. Things weren’t going to scale down, and there was only so much she could listen to. Brandon didn’t barricade, leaving him defenseless against her. Unlike during the dodgeball game, she simply made Brandon go slack. He crumpled to the ground in a heap.

  “Brandon!” Dale didn’t make an effort to help him.

  “Dale?” Raleigh grabbed her phone, pushed the screen out of the window, and crawled over the ledge. “What’s going on?”

  “Why aren’t you in the lab?” A red handprint lit up the side of his face, dangerously close to his puffy eyes.

  “I was playing solitaire.”

  “What did you do to him? Is he dead?”

  “No, he’s breathing. I just made his muscles relax.”

  “Are you hurting him?”

  “No, he’s fine. But he was going to hurt you.” She looked at the marks on Dale’s arms. “He did hurt you.”

  “How much did you hear?”

  Raleigh flipped open her phone. “Enough.”

  “Who are you texting?”

  “Gabe.”

  “We can’t tell Gabe!”

  “Brandon is going to come after you again.”

  “It’s my fault. I seduced him.” Dale’s eyes fell on the boy at his feet unable to speak or move.

  Raleigh didn’t think seduce was the right word. Brandon wasn’t in it for the reason Dale assumed.

  “There’s Lucidin in our saliva,” Raleigh said.

  “What?”

  “He gets a small dose of Lucidin when he kisses you. That’s what Dustin was sensing. He suspected that Brandon was getting extra vials, but it turns out it was you.”

  “What?”

  “Brandon’s addicted to Lucidin.”

  “It isn’t addictive.”

  “You can’t sense, so you don’t know. They’re all addicted. Trust me. Brandon isn’t thinking clearly. Rationing has made them all jittery. That’s the reason I’m not allowed to fraternize with them.”

  “All this time, he’s only been with me for the Lucidin?”

  “I don’t think we can say that for sure. But there’s a good chance that it played a part.”

  “I feel so disgusting.” Dale crossed his arms and stepped away from them both.

  Gabe dashed around the back of the cottage, his phone in hand. “Raleigh, what happened?”

  “Brandon’s been seeing Dale. I overheard him trying to convince Dale to run away with him. Dale refused. Brandon became violent. Then I did this.” If nothing else, she was succinct. She didn’t want to detain Brandon any longer than necessary, so it seemed like sticking to the facts was somehow kinder than delving into the details.

  “What? What do you mean they’ve been seeing each other?” Gabe clearly hadn’t suspected anything.

  “I’m gay,” Dale said unabashedly. “We fell in love... or at least I thought we did.”

  “Brandon’s been getting extra Lucidin from Dale.” She assumed that Gabe knew how it worked. She hoped she wouldn’t have to spell it out.

  Understanding flickered in Gabe’s eyes. He must have known about assault on Gamma on the island—and what could happen to the Designed, her, and the Modified.

  Gabe furrowed his brow. “Unacceptable. Raleigh, let him up.”

  Brandon sprung to life and immediately scrambled to his feet. “Gabe, I can explain.”

  “You’re out, Brandon.”

  “You can’t do that!” Brandon gestured wildly. “You can’t do that!”

  “I’m escorting you to your room now, where you will pack your bag.”

  Raleigh snorted. “From the way he was talking, he’s probably already packed.”

  “I can’t go.” Brandon was at a loss. “What will I do?”

  “That’s your problem.” Gabe put his arm firmly around Brandon’s shoulders and began leading him away. “Raleigh, you stay with Dale while
I get this straightened out.”

  “Dale!” Brandon yelled. “Don’t let them do this! I’m sorry. Don’t let them make me leave.”

  Dale opened his mouth to say something. Raleigh shot him a look and he shut it. “I have an icepack in my room for my eye. We can use it on your cheek.”

  Dale stood motionless, tears running down his face before falling to the dry Arizona dirt. He’d been slapped in the face, but a strong pain burned in his chest. “I’m such a fool. I should’ve known something was up.”

  Raleigh led him to the front door of her cottage. “Why didn’t you tell me? I mean I know that I’m not the most gossipy girl, but I thought we were friends.”

  “We are friends, and I wanted to tell you. Brandon insisted that we keep it a secret. He said that if you found out you’d tell Agatha, and he’d be gone.”

  “I would’ve told her.” Raleigh held the door open. “Sit down. You’re not feeling well.”

  Dale sat on the edge of the small sofa. “I’m so stupid. A guy like Brandon would never have gone for a guy like me.”

  “You mean a straight one?”

  “I didn’t know he was straight. I was thinking I’d never have a chance with a guy as confident as him. I was shocked to find out he was gay. And I guess that’s because he isn’t.”

  “How long have you been together?”

  Dale rubbed the back of his neck. “A month, ever since we started running with Adam. One day after dropping Adam off he caught up with me. It wasn’t romantic, we talked about running and Arizona. A day or two later we bumped into each other after dinner. It was friendly. Things were going so well with the lab, Adam, and you. To me, he was one more friend to make here. A week later we were playing cards in my room. A few days after that I kissed him.”

  “You kissed him first?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know where I got the confidence. I’ve never been that bold.” Dale blushed. “He said that he normally didn’t find guys attractive, seemed really split about it. That night he left in a hurry. For two days we pretended not to know each other. Then one night he tapped on my window. He said that he didn’t care if I was a guy or what the others might say, he was into me.”

  “And that’s when you started dating?”

  “We snuck moments here and there. Brandon was sure Agatha would be against it, that they all would. He said that he wasn’t supposed to have anyone like me distracting him from training. It made everything more exciting. I’ve never been with anyone before. It felt forbidden and star-crossed.”

  “It was. But not for the reasons you thought.” Raleigh sensed Dale push a lump of regret down in his throat. She fetched him a glass of water.

  “I’m such a fool. Brandon started hinting that if we wanted to be together, we’d have to run away. He knew you and Gabe would be gone on your trip. It would’ve been the ideal time for us to leave.”

  “That I heard.”

  “Now he’s gone. What’s going to happen to him?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I kissed him first. It isn’t his fault.”

  “He was violent with you.”

  “I’m not saying I want to stay with him. He’s been getting more and more possessive. But that doesn’t mean he should leave. This is everything to him.”

  Raleigh remembered that Rho’d told her it would’ve been better for the Receps to have gone home. Collin would probably have been healthier if he left, but Rho couldn’t do that to his friend. Rho was right about the Receps. The idea turned her stomach. “Grant and Able are ruining these men. I can guess that the healers are the same.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Raleigh went to open it.

  Gabe waited on the other side, entering when Raleigh stepped out of the way. “Brandon’s on his way to Phoenix. He’ll be gone from the state by the end of the night. Dale, I’m going to have Adam keep an eye on you while we’re gone. You’re not seeing Adam, are you?”

  “What? No.” Dale began to go pink around the ears, either from indignation or embarrassment.a

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this.” Gabe twisted the fingers of his hand. “Raleigh, are you seeing any of them?”

  “Of course not.” The idea sickened her. “Dale has to come with us to Virginia.”

  The concern on Gabe’s face turned to disapproval. “This is a very important dinner. And we already have a lot to worry about, safety-wise.”

  “Dale isn’t safe here. I’m not leaving without him. Agatha will agree. We should probably bring Quinn, too.”

  “Quinn’s fine,” Gabe said. “He doesn’t associate with the Receps. Bringing Dale will take some arranging.”

  “Then arrange it.”

  25

  TWO DAYS LATER the private jet touched down in Virginia. Raleigh itched with uncertainty. After the dodgeball stunt, she’d cemented her reputation as a powerful Recep. Now she prepared to assume the leadership role Agatha and Gabe saw her in. The part of her that still wanted to be with Rho kept her from betraying the Designed. But, in effect, she’d been turned.

  That wasn’t to say that the past few days hadn’t muddied things. With Quinn unable to go home and Dale mistreated, she worried about the Modified. They were prisoners, and unlike the Designed, couldn’t stand up for themselves. She desperately wanted to be a doctor, but not at the cost of their freedom. Agatha also needed to address the growing addiction of the Receps.

  Gabe sat across from her on the plane. “You’re going to do fine. You’re impressive enough without any grand speeches.”

  Raleigh forced a grin. Gabe mistook her apprehension for concern over the benefactors’ dinner. It was true that she hated fancy parties, but her mind was far too occupied with dual alliances and unstable Receps to care.

  Agatha, Gabe, Dale, and Raleigh deplaned into the humid climate of the South. Raleigh wondered how much Grant and Able asked their benefactors to shell out. This wasn’t some fledgling company trying to get off the ground. She could only imagine the kind of money the benefactors had to play with.

  A limo took them from the small airport into an older, upscale neighborhood. The houses grew larger, and the walls scaled higher the farther in they went. Trees that looked like they might’ve witnessed the country’s Founding Fathers draped their long branches over the main road. Raleigh marveled at the spectacular wealth on display.

  “Where’s the dinner?” Raleigh asked. They weren’t near any hotels or venues.

  Gabe inclined his head forward. “At a house, just up ahead. Don’t worry. There’s plenty of room for all of us.”

  From the size of the houses they passed, Raleigh didn’t doubt it.

  The limo eventually stopped in front of an old house with a wrap-around porch. With so much history staining its bricks, she could picture generations of people who’d called this place home. Who knew what sort of ghosts lurked in a place owned by the chief benefactor of Grant and Able?

  Agatha’s delicate hand patted her shoulder. “Be yourself.”

  That would be easier if Raleigh had a better sense of who she was. As she walked up the front steps with Gabe, she noticed two Receps. They nodded to him with respect and familiarity. She and Gabe could well protect Agatha and Dale. The additional Receps seemed excessive.

  She pulled Gabe to the side before they entered. “Are we expecting an attack?”

  “Never hurts to be prepared.” Gabe smoothed his shirt down and allowed her to enter first.

  “You made it!” A man with a Southern accent swept up Agatha’s hand and kissed it. With white hair, a light-blue shirt, and neatly pressed black slacks, he looked casual but had the air of money about him.

  “Frank, this is Raleigh.” Agatha stood between the two, her arms reaching out to both.

  Frank took Raleigh’s shoulders in his hands and straightened her up. Then he took a step back, inspecting her from her feet up to her head. She half-expected him to tell her to turn around.

  “Our white knight.” He bowed to her.


  “And this is Dale,” said Agatha.

  “A Modified? I didn’t know we were going to make his acquaintance.”

  Dale uncomfortably held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s mutual.” Frank clasped Dale’s hand between his. “Gabe, good to see you, too. Your men are ecstatic, although you’ve trained them so well that you’d never know.”

  “Nice to see you, Frank.” Raleigh half expect Gabe to salute, but instead they too shook hands.

  Frank’s smile disappeared. “Raleigh, it’s dinner time, and we have a buffet set up in the dining room. Oliver’s already settled in. Would you like to meet your special guests now or later?”

  The East Coast humidity made her sweaty, and her casual summer clothes weren’t exactly appropriate attire for meeting the financers. In fact, she wasn’t up for meeting anyone—let alone someone described as “special.”

  She pressed her hands to her hair, taming the fly-aways. “I thought we weren’t meeting the benefactors until tomorrow?”

  “It’s not the benefactors,” Gabe said. “Are they in the cellar?”

  Frank nodded. “Along with two of your men, so I’ve been told.”

  “Agatha, why don’t you and Dale join Oliver and Frank for dinner. We’ll be back soon.” Gabe lightly pressed his hand against Raleigh’s back and led her down a hallway.

  “I’m really not ready to meet anyone.” She watched the others go to the casual dinner.

  “They won’t expect you to be elegant.”

  “I hope no one does.”

  Elegance belonged to Agatha, not her. She’d never float a room that way. If anything, her movements had become more aggressive. It was Gabe’s fault, but she didn’t mention that as they continued through the back hallway. Opening a side door, they entered the kitchen. From there they descended a narrow stairwell.

  The musky smell of damp dirt filled her nose. Unlike the rest of the house, the basement wasn’t gaudy or clean. Gravel made up the floor, and it didn’t really seem like the same house. The stairwell they descended appeared to be the only way in or out.