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Authors: Kimberly Kinrade
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any of this, however. "Our powers stopped working today for a few minutes. We don't know why. What if this happens while we're on assignment? Has this happened to anyone else?"
She had to risk some exposure to get answers. Besides, losing powers on a job could be deadly, and Lucy wasn't ready to die just yet.
"You'll get a full exam in the clinic before you leave. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Truth, and lie. Nothing was fine.
"When do we leave?"
"You have a week. All the documents and IDs are being prepared. In the meantime, go about your normal schedule."
Lucy scoffed. "Normal? In this war zone? Yeah right."
Higgins's shoulders sagged. "I'm sure things will get back to normal eventually."
Lucy felt a pressure build in her body, and her head buzzed. Higgins had lied.
Chapter 10 – Sam
"Couldn't you tell this Higgins guy was lying to you the whole time?" Brad asked.
Outside our car, the hills and mountains changed only in their angle, moving in and out of shades of green. My brain hurt from answering his questions. How could I explain to someone something I didn't even understand myself?
"First," I said, "that's not how mind reading works. People's thoughts are really complicated, and they don't always come in words or follow linear patterns. Second, even though my best friend is a human lie detector, no, we never caught him in a lie. Towards the end of my stay, after Drake was captured, Higgins's thoughts disturbed me, but until then I had no reason to suspect anything."
Drake took a deep breath in the back seat and shifted his body to get more comfortable in his nap. I wished I could fall asleep, but Brad had too many questions.
Brad glanced at me briefly, then fixed his eyes back on the winding road. "So seventeen years, and you never thought they were lying about what happens when you leave?"
Shame filled me. I should've known. What good was a freaking mind-reading spy if she couldn't catch on to the biggest secret of all? "No. I told you, it wasn't like that. We were treated well. We had everything we ever needed, and the organization was careful. I really believe that most of the staff and faculty didn't even know the full truth. I assume that those who did know were never allowed around us."
"Then how did you figure it out so fast? I mean, Drake shows up and boom, all your trust is gone?"
"Not just boom. First, the fact that he'd been kidnapped was enough to give me pause. We'd never seen anyone brought to Rent-A-Kid against his will. Second, and this is just a theory, I think Drake messed things up for them."
Brad slurped his soda and put it back in the cup holder. "How so?"
I gripped the armrest of my car door tightly, relieved when both of his hands were back on the wheel. This road did not look forgiving with its twisty, sharp turns and steep, midnight dips into nothing. "Just the way the whole situation was handled. Getting me pregnant so fast, Drake's being held at Rent-A-Kid at all, the random thoughts I caught running through people—it was sloppy, and they don't strike me as sloppy. Something happened to derail their plan. What exactly? I don't know."
Brad's mouth tightened into a grimace. I resisted the urge to slip into his mind. My brain needed a break.
"Okay, but wh—"
"Stop!" I raised my hand as though it could defend me from his questions. "I know you have a story to write, but can we save the third degree for later? I'm exhausted."
The muscles in his face softened, and his grip on the steering wheel loosened a fraction. "Sure, of course. I'm sorry, Sam, I don't mean to push you. I'm just trying to understand. My readers, assuming I get any, will be wondering the same things. But we can pick up some other time. We should be getting to the cabin soon, anyway."
I rested my forehead against the cool glass window. "What's he like, your professor?"
"Professor Shaw is... well, you'll see soon enough. He's a character."
His soft smile told me more than any words could have.
She had to risk some exposure to get answers. Besides, losing powers on a job could be deadly, and Lucy wasn't ready to die just yet.
"You'll get a full exam in the clinic before you leave. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Truth, and lie. Nothing was fine.
"When do we leave?"
"You have a week. All the documents and IDs are being prepared. In the meantime, go about your normal schedule."
Lucy scoffed. "Normal? In this war zone? Yeah right."
Higgins's shoulders sagged. "I'm sure things will get back to normal eventually."
Lucy felt a pressure build in her body, and her head buzzed. Higgins had lied.
Chapter 10 – Sam
"Couldn't you tell this Higgins guy was lying to you the whole time?" Brad asked.
Outside our car, the hills and mountains changed only in their angle, moving in and out of shades of green. My brain hurt from answering his questions. How could I explain to someone something I didn't even understand myself?
"First," I said, "that's not how mind reading works. People's thoughts are really complicated, and they don't always come in words or follow linear patterns. Second, even though my best friend is a human lie detector, no, we never caught him in a lie. Towards the end of my stay, after Drake was captured, Higgins's thoughts disturbed me, but until then I had no reason to suspect anything."
Drake took a deep breath in the back seat and shifted his body to get more comfortable in his nap. I wished I could fall asleep, but Brad had too many questions.
Brad glanced at me briefly, then fixed his eyes back on the winding road. "So seventeen years, and you never thought they were lying about what happens when you leave?"
Shame filled me. I should've known. What good was a freaking mind-reading spy if she couldn't catch on to the biggest secret of all? "No. I told you, it wasn't like that. We were treated well. We had everything we ever needed, and the organization was careful. I really believe that most of the staff and faculty didn't even know the full truth. I assume that those who did know were never allowed around us."
"Then how did you figure it out so fast? I mean, Drake shows up and boom, all your trust is gone?"
"Not just boom. First, the fact that he'd been kidnapped was enough to give me pause. We'd never seen anyone brought to Rent-A-Kid against his will. Second, and this is just a theory, I think Drake messed things up for them."
Brad slurped his soda and put it back in the cup holder. "How so?"
I gripped the armrest of my car door tightly, relieved when both of his hands were back on the wheel. This road did not look forgiving with its twisty, sharp turns and steep, midnight dips into nothing. "Just the way the whole situation was handled. Getting me pregnant so fast, Drake's being held at Rent-A-Kid at all, the random thoughts I caught running through people—it was sloppy, and they don't strike me as sloppy. Something happened to derail their plan. What exactly? I don't know."
Brad's mouth tightened into a grimace. I resisted the urge to slip into his mind. My brain needed a break.
"Okay, but wh—"
"Stop!" I raised my hand as though it could defend me from his questions. "I know you have a story to write, but can we save the third degree for later? I'm exhausted."
The muscles in his face softened, and his grip on the steering wheel loosened a fraction. "Sure, of course. I'm sorry, Sam, I don't mean to push you. I'm just trying to understand. My readers, assuming I get any, will be wondering the same things. But we can pick up some other time. We should be getting to the cabin soon, anyway."
I rested my forehead against the cool glass window. "What's he like, your professor?"
"Professor Shaw is... well, you'll see soon enough. He's a character."
His soft smile told me more than any words could have.
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