Read Online Inescapable (Talented Saga #7) by Sophie Davis - Free Book Online

will not
last forever, she chided herself. Being Privileged will.
    The main corridor of med bay was lined with
glass cubicles. Leslie and Gregor led Cressa past the first few,
which were all frosted over to indicate that they were occupied.
Cressa wondered who was inside. Other 1Ps preparing to move on to
Phase Two? 7Ps receiving their final injections?
    The trio stopped outside the entrance to
cubicle five. The sliding glass door was open, providing Cressa a
clear view of the exam room. The sight of the incubation chamber
caused her to suck in a breath, memories of pain flooding her mind.
Panic made her ribs feel as though they were compressing her
lungs.
    Not again. I can’t survive
it again, Cressa thought. Her eyes darted
frantically up and down the corridor, desperately seeking escape
options.
    “ Do you wish to advance to
Phase Two, Cressa Karmine?” Leslie asked in a flat tone. She must
have considered it a rhetorical question, because the 8P didn’t
wait for Cressa to respond. “If you do, I suggest you walk inside
right now. Failure to progress carries very serious consequences. I
assure you, the repercussions for quitting are decidedly more
unpleasant than the transference procedure.”
    Cressa swallowed thickly, finding her mouth
drier than the desert at midday. She’d heard the whispers of senior
cadets about classmates who’d failed their exams too many times and
been dismissed from the program as a result. They were referred to
as the disgraced. Among the myriad of rumored consequences to being
disgraced, some even said they became test subjects for cadets in
the highest Phases of the program. Like most rumors, Cressa
believed the usage of those who failed to advance as practice
dummies was wild speculation. For all she knew, the Dame herself
might have started it, to dissuade cadets from quitting. Still,
Cressa had no desire to find out what would happen if she refused
to continue with the program.
    Cressa wondered again whether she’d made the
right decision in coming to the Institute. There were so many
strictly-enforced rules, a stark contrast to her former boarding
school in Boston. There, the headmaster had been all too happy to
look the other way when one of his students—all young, wealthy
scions—committed an infraction. Even the worst offenses were
forgiven with a sizable donation to the school.
    The Institute was vastly different in that
respect. The Karmine fortune and Cressa’s impressive lineage had
gained her admission, but no amount of money would compel her
continued participation in the program. Only adopting the
Institute’s rubric, receiving new abilities, learning to use her
gifts, and passing her exams could ensure Cressa remained a
cadet.
    Fortunately, Cressa did not have a lot of
time to dwell on the matter. Dr. Masterson suddenly exited the
cubicle across from number five, stopping to greet the trio in the
hallway.
    “ Cadet Karmine, it is
wonderful to see you back so soon,” she said. Despite the warmth of
the words themselves, Masterson’s voice held startlingly little
emotion. Addressing Leslie, she continued, “Cadet Abbot, I
understand you will be shadowing me during the
procedure?”
    Spine ramrod straight, hands clasped behind
her back, Leslie nodded curtly.
    “ Yes, ma’am. My facility
scores indicate an aptitude for both science and mathematics, so I
am currently being considered for a position in the medical
department.”
    After completing the program, cadets had two
basic paths they could follow: administrative or fieldwork. The
admin track was extremely broad and encompassed everything from
teaching to recruitment. Fieldwork also had a wide range of
applications, though the details were classified at nearly all the
cadet levels. Even though Cressa knew nothing about the latter
path, she hoped she’d eventually be on it; she’d prefer to be out
in the world, making a difference.
    “ I would welcome a girl of
your caliber,” Dr. Masterson told Leslie. Then