《A Disease of Magic》 Chapter 1 As far as wearable technology went, getting this one installed hurt like a bitch. Although, grafted might be a better word than installed. I looked down through the tears collecting in my eyes, blinking into focus the opaque, flexible screen now permanently attached to my left inner forearm. The screen was still blank, casting a hazy sheen over my irritated skin. After a few minutes, maybe ten or so, the numbing solution coating the millions of tiny hooked needles finally started kicking in, easing my pain and allowing a breath of relief. The same breath huffed out quickly when the surgeon reentered the room. ¡°How does that feel now?¡± he asked detachedly. I nodded and swallowed once before answering. ¡°Better.¡± ¡°I need to make sure it¡¯s a solid connection. This might hurt a bit,¡± he warned. He placed a gloved hand on the screen and pressed down, hard. I bit back a hiss of pain and clenched my right hand, nails biting into my palm. My eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere for a spot to focus on to ground myself. He pressed down again, harder this time, and my gaze snagged on the security camera installed in one of the corners. I stared at the blinking red light, counting the seconds between blinks¡ªseven¡ªuntil the surgeon let go and stepped away. ¡°It looks good.¡± He nodded once, to himself, and turned to leave. I was going to chew Leo out later. My best friend had assured me that this surgeon, specifically, was the most qualified and most meticulous at installing the bio-screens. And while he may have made sure my screen was perfectly centered and aligned on my arm, the ends equidistant from my wrist and elbow, his bedside manner was lacking. In my book, I preferred to have a less-than-perfect medical experience if it meant that I would be reassured by a friendly face instead of cold detachment. Fast food workers had more visible happiness than him. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said to the man¡¯s retreating back, not meaning it but unable to be impolite. He had done an impeccable job. After a small eternity of waiting, giving the numbing solution had time to work its magic again, the nurse popped back in. Her personality was in complete contrast from the surgeon, bubbly, kind, each emotion clearly visible on her face. ¡°How you feeling, honey?¡± Tori, according to her badge, asked. She gently took my arm and put it through a series of maneuvers. ¡°As soon as you¡¯re cleared for the flexibility, we¡¯ll get your discharge paperwork all together. You remember where you have all the aftercare information?¡± I nodded and offered a smile. Everything was saved in my email. Not to mention that I¡¯d already read through it twice. The list was extensive of what not to do for the first forty-eight hours: no drinking alcohol, keep it dry, no direct sunlight, no tight-fitting clothing, keep it protected from direct contact, do not pick at the edges, do not try to remove it, if painful or irritated take pain medicine, be careful around pets, don¡¯t sleep on it, no heavy lifting more than fifteen pounds. And that was about a quarter of the included rules. I wondered how many of those, like no white-water rafting, were included because someone decided that one of the other guidelines wasn¡¯t specific enough, so obviously as long as it wasn¡¯t submerged in water, it would be fine. ¡°Excellent.¡± She released my arm. ¡°Looks perfect. George always does the best with these. Go ahead and try moving your arm and wrist around for me, Callie. I¡¯ll go grab your paperwork, and tell me if there is any discomfort or tightness when I come back.¡± Tori left again. I took her instruction and wiggled my arm around, flexing my fingers and wrist to test for any issues. The new technology¡ªthe bio-screen¡ªmoved seamlessly, attached like a second skin. I raised a curious hand to it, stoking the smooth material and feeling the touch as though it was my own skin but numbed. After the forty-eight-hour calibration time, it should be fully attuned to me and behave exactly like my own skin, all nerve receptors included. The bio-screen would be impossible to remove without surgery at that point, when it would be fully adhered to my body. It was impressive, really, that I already had some feeling with it. For some, the screen never calibrated and it had to be removed. That process was more painful than getting it on in the first place, and usually those people were put under full anesthesia for it. It had been part of the warnings and side-effects that I¡¯d been required to actually read through before signing up for the clinical trial. I shuddered at the thought. With the added bonus of needing it removed, those individuals almost never qualified for a replacement. The private grant sponsoring the trial only covered so much. Insurance wouldn¡¯t even get involved until it was fully approved by government agencies, after the clinical trial was deemed a success. I was lucky that I had a connection in the first place; otherwise, it was probable that I would have had to wait another few years. And a few years for me, for most of us with LaShoul¡¯s, could literally be the difference between being alive or dead. Tori swooped back in and stood next to me, a waft of vanilla enveloping me as she brushed her braided hair back over her shoulder. Professionally efficient, she reviewed the discharge instructions, asked again how the bio-screen felt, and quickly sent me on my way with another smile and assurance that I could call, at any time, if I started experiencing problems. I paused at the front desk on my way out to scheduled my activation follow-up in two days, and I scanned the digital business card, just in case. I was giddy with anticipation as I left the stark white building, the name Farley stamped vertically on it in a different shade of white. I tapped my ear cuff, which connected to my phone, and sent a voice message to Leo that I was on my way. He¡¯d promised to meet up with me after the short procedure to go over it with me. His had been activated weeks ago, as one of the first¡ªif not the first¡ªrecipient. Being the son of the CEO of the medical technology company¡ªFarley Tech¡ªthat designed and produced the bio-screens certainly had its perks. Maybe we would finally get some answers that could help find what was causing the variety of symptoms that got lumped into a single, catch-all diagnosis. Better yet, perhaps the bio-screens would allow doctors to develop individual treatment plans, catered to each person¡¯s symptoms and stats. I doubted the screens would lead to an actual cure, not in whatever was left of my lifetime. But this could be the first step in stopping this terminal illness. Despite the grim direction my thoughts had turned, my steps were light as I made my way to my favorite cozy coffee shop, ducking under the awning just as the skies opened and rain poured down. Gentle thunder rolled overhead; a perfect summer storm. I was glad I¡¯d taken the entire day off for my appointment so I could later go home and spend the rest of the day snuggled in blankets and pillows, lights dimmed, and windows open to the soft pattering of the rain. It was one of my favorite ways to relax, but it didn¡¯t happen often. Leo was already there when I pulled the door open, sitting in our usual spot. He nursed a cup of what I knew was black coffee. When he saw me approach, he stood up and enveloped me in a hug. I instantly relaxed, breathing deeply. He always smelled a bit like cinnamon, and I loved it. Not that I¡¯d dare tell him that, or that I harbored slightly more-than-friendly feelings towards him. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± he asked as we sat across from each other, sliding a frozen concoction towards me. I set my bag on the table between us, grabbed the drink, and took a sip. I nearly melted into the chair from overwhelmingly happy taste buds. Leo grinned at me. ¡°You like it?¡± ¡°Holy shit, yes. I can die happy now.¡± It was a bit of a morbid joke we had going. Neither of us knew exactly when we¡¯d reach our expiration dates, although from what symptoms we both had they seemed at least a few years away. ¡°What¡¯s in this?¡± ¡°They have a new marshmallow syrup,¡± he answered. ¡°And, obviously, that¡¯s paired with chocolate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± I took another sip, resisting the urge to close my eyes and just chug the whole thing. ¡°How¡¯s your arm?¡± he asked, bringing me back to the entire reason for our meeting. I wouldn¡¯t have been so close to the front of the line if Leo hadn¡¯t pushed my application up. As I said; being friends with the son of the CEO of Farley Tech certainly had its perks. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°It¡¯s¡­fine?¡± It was more of a question than an answer. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure how it should feel. But I think it¡¯s normal?¡± ¡°Can I see?¡± I carefully pulled back the loose sleeve of my long-sleeved t-shirt and held out my arm to him. He took my wrist in gentle fingers, turning my arm side to side as he looked. I willed my pulse to calm down; it was just a friendly gesture and meant absolutely nothing. But my heart didn¡¯t listen. Traitor. ¡°It looks good. Does it still hurt?¡± I shook my head, taking another drag at my straw to give me something to focus on instead of his hand wrapped around my wrist. Seriously, Callie, get your shit together, I chided myself. He dragged a finger across the blank screen, sending a shiver up my spine. He noticed, looking up at me. ¡°That tickled in a weird way,¡± I offered as an explanation, tucking my loose hair behind my ear. ¡°Once it¡¯s fully attuned to you, it¡¯ll feel just like your own skin. Except, you won¡¯t be able to injure it. I know for a fact that someone tried to use their screen as a cutting board.¡± ¡°Tried?¡± A smile played on my lips as I tried imagining it. ¡°Oh, he succeeded. Both in using it as a cutting board and accidentally slicing his wrist. He almost bled out, like, two days ago. I was sent the report, so I could send it to the lawyers in case the guy tries to sue.¡± ¡°What is wrong with people?¡± I laughed. ¡°Have you seen the list of restrictions for the first two days? No skydiving. You know someone must have thought that was a good idea.¡± ¡°I really think an intelligence test should have been part of the qualification criteria.¡± I hummed in agreement. He let go of my wrist and leaned back in his seat. ¡°As it is, we¡¯re probably going to have to move forward with creating a subsidiary because of instances like this, just for added protection. My father told me to come up with a name by the end of the week. But everything I can think of, that¡¯s halfway decent, has already been used. Like Biowear. Spelled w-e-a-r at the end, but didn¡¯t want people to get confused with a company that formed in the late 1900s.¡± An especially strong peal of thunder sounded, and we both turned to face the rain-splattered window. The sky had darkened further, prompting a few streetlights to flicker on. The rain was a steady drum against the window, meaning I had probably forgotten to pack an umbrella in my bag. ¡°I love days like these,¡± I sighed, starting to curl my feet up into my chair before realizing I wasn¡¯t at home and no one wanted the bottoms of my shoes all over the seat. I turned back to Leo to find him giving me an odd look, his head slightly tilted. ¡°What? Don¡¯t give me that look.¡± ¡°What look?¡± His tone was teasing, but his eyes didn¡¯t match; they were serious, trying to decipher something in my expression. ¡°Like you think I¡¯m crazy for preferring gloomy weather,¡± I answered. Leo just shook his head at me and took another swig of his coffee. I leaned forward, setting my drink down to pretend I had some semblance of control when it came to sickly sweet drinks, and asked, ¡°So, are you going to show me how this thing works?¡± ¡°Oh! Right.¡± He grinned and moved farther to one side of his bench. ¡°Come sit over here. It¡¯ll be easier.¡± After just a moment¡¯s hesitation to gather my wits and beg my pulse to behave, I gingerly sat down next to him, being careful not to accidentally brush against him. I focused on taking even breaths as he positioned his arm so we could both easily see his screen. I couldn¡¯t help it. My traitorous body leaned closer, taking a discreetly deep breath. Pathetic, I thought to myself. ¡°Okay, so obviously it¡¯s always powered on, running off the energy your body already generates as heat. But any sort of accidental touches won¡¯t trigger it to light up.¡± He demonstrated with a few random swipes. Nothing happened. ¡°A double two-fingered tap or a diagonal swipe from top left to bottom right will wake the screen. And if you stare at it for three seconds, it will give you a general ¡®all systems go¡¯ sort of reading.¡± Leo demonstrated, staring at the screen on his arm. In the top right corner, near Leo¡¯s wrist, a green light blinked twice. He then swiped the screen from corner to corner, and the display lit up, glowing a soft blue. It automatically adjusted to the amount of light present, nowhere near the beacon I¡¯d feared it would be. It was already difficult having an invisible illness, especially one with random symptom onset, and a billboard display would not have made things easier. ¡°This here is the home screen, for lack of a better term,¡± Leo began. I interrupted. ¡°You need to come up with an actual name. By the end of the week.¡± ¡°Funny.¡± He cut me a look. I pursed my lips together, and he sighed. ¡°Okay, you got your tabs across the top.¡± Leo pointed at his screen, and I noted the different colors, in ascending rainbow order, across the top. Home, Basic, Advanced, Trends, Settings. ¡°Unless you¡¯re especially curious about something specific, the home or basic tabs will be the most useful to you. So, if you look here, you¡¯ll see¡­¡± Leo took about thirty minutes pointing out and explaining all the stats the screen monitored at all times. Pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, blood sugar, vitamin levels, cortisol, temperature¡­ It was a long list, and most of it didn¡¯t affect me. I¡¯d undergone what had to be over a hundred tests both before and after my diagnosis, and nothing was ever out of the ordinary. No doctor or scientist could explain the headaches, nosebleeds, broken vessels in my eyes, racing heart, sweating, or the dizzy and fainting spells. That¡¯s part of what made the disease, condition, whatever it actually was impossible to isolate, let alone cure. Doctors could never find any problem to treat, only managing to ease some symptoms. ¡°On the last tab here are the settings that you can calibrate. If you want to keep track of anything in particular, or everything in general, you can switch on the vibrate notification.¡± He tapped on his arm several times, showing me how to navigate to the settings and turn on and off the vibrations for specific stats. ¡°It¡¯s a learning program, right?¡± I asked as Leo toggled back to the main screen. He nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll look for things that change for no apparent reason and focus on finding what the trigger was. Say, if your temperature increases exactly one point three degrees, followed by one of your attacks, it¡¯ll start looking to what caused the temperature spike.¡± ¡°But, if, for example, I was to spot a spider in my bathroom and start panicking¡­¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°There are some things that it obviously can¡¯t detect. It¡¯s really good, but not perfect. If you see or hear something that startles you into a biological response, apparently like seeing something as harmless as a spider¡ª¡± I whacked his bicep with the back of my hand. He feigned hurt, shying away from me. ¡°You take that back. Spiders are not harmless.¡± ¡°They are, you arachnophobe.¡± I narrowed my eyes in mock accusation, but Leo pretended not to see. ¡°If you know there¡¯s trigger that it doesn¡¯t detect, you can manually type it in, or flag it, at the very least. It¡¯ll help the algorithm from getting bogged down with false positives, looking for a biological cause that doesn¡¯t exist. And if you get an attack seemingly randomly, you¡¯ll have the ability to log what you were doing at its start, to maybe identify a pattern.¡± ¡°Is there an option to have, like, a favorites list of things that stress me out? Like spiders, or stupid people who don¡¯t bother to learn the return policy?¡± Leo leaned back and looked at her. ¡°You know, that¡¯s not a bad idea. I¡¯ll add it to the list.¡± ¡°The list?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of technology in these things.¡± He tapped his bio-screen. ¡°The programming is just limited to monitoring vitals right now and running the program to figure out any causes, correlations, whatever. You add to its programming, and it can do almost anything.¡± ¡°What can¡¯t it do?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no real camera, just sensors, so traditional video chat wouldn¡¯t be possible. But because it has the sensors to know when you¡¯re looking at it, over time it might be able to be programmed to create an avatar that looks like you, that can then be sent to other screens. Like a virtual video call.¡± ¡°Is that on your list, too?¡± I was trying to hold in my laugh. I never understood how Leo got so involved with all the technology, even though his dad owned and ran the company. It was extremely complex and ever-changing, not to mention an expensive hobby to fund. But then again, Leo had a billionaire¡ªor was it trillionaire by now?¡ªfather who covered everything for him. What was it to him to rack up a hefty bill when someone else would pay it? ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things on my list. Like, what if we¡¯re being exposed to some chemical in the environment that¡¯s setting off these attacks? That¡¯d be useful to know, but the bio-screens aren¡¯t searching for external factors like that. At least, not yet. But hopefully some of the, shall I say, improvements I make will be added down the road.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really something, Leo. This could really make a difference and help a lot of people.¡± I sighed, grabbing my melted drink and taking a drag at the straw. My brain began reminiscing on my own lack of meaningful work and the reasons behind it. I glanced back out the window to watch the people rushing by, umbrellas open and heads covered with whatever was available. One would think that with all the technology available to us that someone would have figured out a better solution to umbrellas by now. Leo would leave his mark on the world. Even if people didn¡¯t know him by name, he was working towards something incredible that had the potential to make people¡¯s lives better, and even might save them. And what was I doing? Working retail in a high-end accessories store, catering to the wealthy and the wanna-be¡¯s. I spent my days helping men and women who¡¯d never worked a day in their life find the right hat to wear on their yacht or the best diamond necklace to wear to a charity gala or the flashiest cuff links to show off at the next dinner party. Or I helped cheating spouses find the perfect apology gift while simultaneously picking out something for their other significant other¡¯s birthday. Rarely did I have a truly positive customer interaction, usually when someone was investing in a new set of ear cuffs or health monitor ring for themselves. It was the people wearing the worn jeans and faded shirts that I connected to most; people like me. The actual problem was I had no drive anymore, no burning desire to accomplish anything in my life. Once upon a time, I¡¯d wanted to help people. But now all I wanted was to read books, snuggle my cat, and just be at peace with myself while avoiding the general public. Why bother with goals when you wouldn¡¯t live long enough to see them through? The brush of Leo¡¯s hand against my shoulder as he moved my hair out of my face brought me back. ¡°Where did you go?¡± I shook my head and gave him a sad smile. ¡°Nowhere.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s my problem.¡± Chapter 2 ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Leo¡¯s cheerful voice asked on the other end of the line. I grinned as I looked down at my newly activated screen while meandering along the busy sidewalk. The rest of my day open and free, and I hadn¡¯t yet decided what I was going to do with it. ¡°Good, I think? I mean, the thing works, and I have the whole weekend to play with it,¡± I said. I wedged my phone under my shoulder and tapped at the screen like he¡¯d shown me two days ago. It felt like I was just touching my own skin, and it was¡­weird seeing a sudden glow come from what looked like my body. Yesterday there had been a slight sheen to my arm while it was still calibrating. Now when the screen was ¡°off,¡± it perfectly matched my skin tone, the only indicator it was there a slowly flashing light that I didn¡¯t know the meaning of. ¡°Your weekend off?¡± He could never remember which four days I had off in an eight-day week, even though they never changed. ¡°Yeah. I took today as a sick day for the activation appointment, so I¡¯ll probably raid the used bookstore and be a homebody.¡± ¡°Anyone ever tell you that you¡¯re no fun?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that books are better than people.¡± His eye roll was almost audible. ¡°Does that include me?¡± I hummed, pretending to consider. ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± I decided. I could give him shit, but I was feeling generous today. ¡°Come on, Callie. Why not try something new?¡± ¡°Being a social hermit takes commitment. How else will I avoid accidentally making new friends?¡± I was teasing, but there was a layer of truth to my words. Leo likely had picked up on them at some point, but had never pushed me on it before. His answering sigh told me that today was finally the day. ¡°Callie, there¡¯s nothing wrong with making friends. Why won¡¯t you?¡± It was my turn to roll my eyes. ¡°You seriously have to ask?¡± It was quiet on the other line for a moment until Leo cleared his throat. ¡°I get your hesitation. But why let a few bad instances ruin other possibilities?¡± Leo¡¯s words stewed in my head as I aimlessly walked another half a block, looking at windows and watching my reflection. My shoulders were tight and my expression was blank or maybe guarded. I didn¡¯t look like someone who was happy. Finally, the words assembled themselves in some sort of order in my brain. ¡°I hear you. But, Leo, it hurt. All three times. In a row. I can¡¯t keep putting myself out on the line like that. When they eventually learn about it, whether I want them to or not, they shut me out.¡± I bit my lip, willing the tears back. ¡°You¡¯re the only friend I¡¯ve managed to make here and keep. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± It had to be enough, I added silently. Leo coughed before answering, ¡°There are others like me out there, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re also dying. Remember? You¡¯re just as likely to leave me as I am to leave you. When other people find out, they stop opening up, slowly stop inviting me to things, and think that we just grow apart because they don¡¯t want to deal with someone terminally ill. They don¡¯t want to deal with their feelings or worry that I¡¯m going to start asking them to run an errand here, or help me get there. I¡¯m not loaded like you. You can afford to pay someone to care for you if you ever need it. You¡¯re also better at hiding it, with your big, fancy degree and job. No one expects that much success from people like us, and you blend right in with the rest of them.¡± The rest of them being everyone without a terminal disease. Leo was quiet. Sure, maybe I gave him a lot to think about, but he was always quick with his responses. I pulled the phone away to make sure the call was still connected. It was, and I pressed it back against my ear and listened carefully. ¡°Leo...?¡± No response. Then, a wet, hacking sound. I stopped in my tracks and almost got run over on the busy city sidewalk. I glanced around, finding an alcove for a business to duck into. I covered my other ear with my hand. There. I could just barely make out the sound of Leo¡¯s wet cough, muffled into a pillow or his sleeve or something. My legs were moving before I my brain caught up to what was happening. I put Leo on speaker phone to pull up directions to his apartment. Of all the days for my earbuds to finally kick the can, this was not a good one. Finally, he rasped, ¡°Callie¡­¡± ¡°Are you at your apartment?¡± I demanded, pulling up his address with tingling fingers. If I¡¯d been paying more attention to where I was wandering, I likely wouldn¡¯t need directions. Right now was so not the time to accidentally get lost. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already on my way.¡± I was only about five blocks away. Not far but¡­not close enough, not with how quickly this was escalating already. I memorized the route, which was thankfully simple, as my feet picked up the pace. ¡°Stay on the phone with me. Try to get to your medicine.¡± He only coughed again in response, this one sounding even worse than the last. Any hope of a mild episode evaporated. ¡°Shit,¡± I swore, breaking out into a run. I debated just calling the paramedics, but by the time they¡¯d reach him, I would probably already be there, and I didn¡¯t need to wait to be buzzed up like they would. I just needed to make sure he got his meds. We both kept recovery meds on us that would halt the episode long enough for it to calm down on its own or get to a hospital. It was easier to recover in the comfort of your own home if the attack was mild, or if meds were taken soon enough. I made it to his apartment building in record time. My hands were shaking, fingers vibrating, and I punched in his code wrong twice before getting the green light. The elevator seemed too slow, but I was out of breath and panting with my hands on my knees. I was not an athlete. Leo¡¯s doorpad to his apartment was biometric instead of numeric, and I¡¯d been programmed in two years ago. I wiped my hands on my shorts and clumsily placed my right one on the pad. As soon as the door buzzed, I shoved it aside and dashed in. ¡°Leo?¡± I called out in a panic. I found him laying awkwardly on the couch, a leg lying off the side like he had tried to get up, failed, and had been unable to get himself fully on the couch. His eyes were bloodshot as they lazily found me. His breathing was raspy, which told me he¡¯d probably been getting worse before our phone call and hadn¡¯t told me. I fought the tears that sprung to my eyes. Now was not the time to talk about it or get upset. Leo needed me. I quickly uncapped my own pill bottle I always had with me and shook out two pills, bringing them to his mouth and slipping them past his lips. He had a cup of water nearby, which I held to his mouth. Carefully tipping it to his mouth, I watched Leo take a swig, swallowing the pills. And we waited. It took about five minutes for the medicine to start kicking in. It was some type of fast-acting blocking medicine, one that would knock a person down for at least a few hours, stopping the body¡¯s overreaction to¡­something, almost like allergy meds or an immunosuppressant. Unfortunately, it had its own slew of side-effects. Leo¡¯s tended to be brain fog, which he hated the most, and nausea. Mine gravitated towards fatigue and loss of appetite, though sometimes I was lucky and got full-body chills. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I maneuvered him as best as I could to get him more comfortable while we waited for his body to relax and the episode to pass. I didn¡¯t look away from his face, not once, as I laid a discarded blanket over his legs and propped a pillow under his head. Once his breathing became easier, I could take a breath myself. I sat down on the floor next to him and rested my head against the edge of the couch. ¡°What the fuck, Leo?¡± I breathed. Tears finally spilled down my cheeks. I kept my face hidden. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized quietly, voice slightly raspy. He cleared his throat. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d get so bad so quick. They never have.¡± He placed a hand on top of my head, slowly stroking my hair. He got a bit affectionate with me on the meds, which I didn¡¯t mind. This felt nice. I had very few people¡ªtwo¡ªin my life who ever offered me any sort of physical touch. I took it whenever I could. ¡°You¡¯re getting worse.¡± The words hurt to say, to admit that the man who¡¯d become my best friend was dying. Not today, or tomorrow, but maybe in a year or two. ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s life. Or, really, it¡¯s death on its way.¡± I ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s not enough.¡± ¡°It has to be.¡± I sighed and lifted my head. It was no use arguing when the meds were still coursing through him. ¡°Let¡¯s get a bath going. You¡¯ll feel better.¡± After Leo had bathed and was dressed in his version of pajamas¡ªsweats and an old t-shirt¡ªwe sat on his couch, staring at the television but not actually watching what was on the screen. I¡¯d had time to contemplate my idea while he bathed. He¡¯d offered before, over half a year ago if my memory served, but my pride hadn¡¯t let me accept. But now that it wasn¡¯t going to only be me benefiting from that arrangement¡­I felt little guilt for taking him up on it. ¡°So,¡± I began slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s safe for you to keep living alone.¡± Leo¡¯s eyes snapped to mine, full of fire. ¡°I¡¯m not moving back in with my father.¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t my¡ª¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not hiring a nurse, either.¡± ¡°Leo, that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to voluntarily goes into one of those homes, then¡ª¡± ¡°Leo, stop.¡± I demanded. ¡°Just¡­wait a second. I wasn¡¯t saying any of those.¡± His brows lowered in confusion.¡°Then what are you saying?¡± That brain fog had to be hitting him hard for him to not know what I was getting at. It had been his idea in the first pace. Every so often he would hint at it again, testing the waters, but I always shot him down. ¡°I mean¡­¡± I hesitated. It was a bit awkward to be the one to bring up, but it needed to be said. ¡°I think that maybe I should move in with you.¡± Leo didn¡¯t say a word. He just stared at me, probably working through the words that just came out of my mouth. When Leo had first proposed the idea while I was looking for an apartment, I had told him I didn¡¯t want to rely on his charity. I needed to make my own way in the world and support myself to prove that I still could. I¡¯d been, and remained, stubborn on that point, just like my own father was about the house he currently lived in. It was a mark of accomplishment to him, and I had internalized that same sentiment, too. But, things change. ¡°Look, neither of us are in the best place health-wise, and it makes sense that it would be good for each of us to have someone who looked out for us,¡± I added. ¡°What would have happened today if I hadn¡¯t been on the phone with you? You¡¯d have ended up in the hospital, recovering for days instead of hours. This way, we can hopefully better avoid worse episodes because if I don¡¯t see you moving around in your own home, I¡¯m going to know to check on you. We can look after each other. Mutually beneficial.¡± Leo looked back at the television and didn¡¯t say anything for several minutes, his brow slightly furrowed as he contemplated. I was about ten seconds away from seeing myself out from embarrassment when he finally spoke. ¡°Okay.¡± My head snapped in his direction. ¡°Just¡­okay?¡± ¡°I mean, it was my idea in the first place. And I can¡¯t ignore that this could have been a really bad episode if you hadn¡¯t gotten here.¡± It was true. If I had gotten here only a few minutes later, I had a feeling that Leo would be recovering in the hospital instead of in his own home. ¡°I hope you know that I¡¯m not going to allow you to split rent with me,¡± he added like an afterthought. ¡°You¡¯re not paying for utilities, either, so don¡¯t even try. I don¡¯t mean this to sound offensive, but I don¡¯t need your money. This arrangement benefits both of us, keeping us healthier and out of hospitals.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I agreed. I was unable to afford half of what his place cost, anyways. I¡¯d been planning on making some sort of deal, like handling the grocery shopping or cleaning his bathroom or whatever to make up for my lack of financial contribution. But if he wasn¡¯t interested, I wasn¡¯t going to worry about it. ¡°And you should move in today.¡± I blinked at him. He turned to look at me, acting surprised when he saw the confused look on my face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, moving takes more than a few boxes and an hour or two,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Just get what you need for a few days, and we¡¯ll work on it together when I¡¯m all better,¡± he answered, like it was an obvious solution. ¡°I already have a guest bedroom furnished. No one¡¯s ever even stayed in it. Its yours.¡± ¡°What about Lucie?¡± I wasn¡¯t about to leave my cat. He shrugged one shoulder, completely at ease. ¡°Bring her back with you.¡± When he noticed my hesitation, he added, ¡°It¡¯ll mean you can check on me in the morning without having to come all the way over here or trust that I¡¯m telling you the truth.¡± ¡°Fine. You¡¯re so pushy.¡± Or I was just a push-over when it came to Leo. He held up his hands in surrender, trying and failing to smother his smirk. His screen on his arm blinked softly in the light. ¡°Did your bio-screen catch anything?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°This was your first attack with it, right?¡± He instantly sobered. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d been pretty lucky the last month. How about this; you go to your apartment, and while you get your stuff together, I¡¯ll sort through everything this thing caught. We can talk about it when you get back.¡± ¡°More like a trash bag,¡± I muttered. I owned no luggage; I could never afford to go anywhere. ¡°As long as you promise to call me at the first sign of something wrong. I mean it, Leo.¡± He nodded. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± It took longer than I thought it would to get everything I needed loaded up into Leo¡¯s car I borrowed. Lucie was primarily to blame, running to hide as soon as she saw the cat carrier come out of my bedroom. It didn¡¯t matter that I would often leave treats inside to help foster a positive relationship with it. The carrier was evil. She yowled the entire elevator ride back up to Leo¡¯s apartment, the single backpack and large purse I owned stuffed full of basic necessities. Lucie¡¯s belongings were in a trash bag that dragged behind me down the hall back to Leo¡¯s door. I deposited my stuff and the cat in the guest room, taking a few minutes to throw her things¡ªcat bed, water and food bowls, a few toys¡ªaround the room haphazardly. Once all my things were here, I would organize the enormous space to my liking. Leo waited patiently at the glass dining room table, a mug of tea cradled in his hands. When I sat down next to him, he pulled up his screen with a few efficient flicks, and I leaned closer to get a look at what he had found.
Statistic Reading
Pulse 170
Blood Pressure 65/44
Oxygen 96%
Cortisol 46 mcg/dL
¡°These are the ones that were out of the norm for me,¡± Leo explained. ¡°I compiled them together here, so if you¡¯re not seeing something like my iron levels, that¡¯s because it was perfectly fine.¡± ¡°Sure. Makes sense,¡± I answered distractedly, still perusing the information. I pointed at the first two, touching his arm lightly. ¡°Those do not look good.¡± ¡°No,¡± he agreed happily. ¡°But now one thing that I can try is to lay flat and elevate my feet, or wear compression socks, eat salt, and other stuff. I have to look into it more, but that should help limit or prevent any fainting that could result in a hospital stay. It¡¯s some great information to have.¡± Being such a science nerd, I wasn¡¯t surprised by his excitement. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s the norm for an episode for everyone, or just you specifically?¡± He shrugged, his shoulder brushing against mine from how close I¡¯d gravitated toward him. I pulled back, wondering what my own statistics would look like. ¡°It could be either, honestly. We¡¯ll know more information when you get your first episode and when I get another one. It would suck if it was different every time.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I mused, lightly stroking my own screen idly. I¡¯d barely looked at the thing, but I didn¡¯t really have a reason to. Yet. ¡°Being able to have a treatment plan in place on top of the meds would probably make a huge difference.¡± Leo¡¯s eyes met mine as a possessed yowl sounded from the hallway. He raised his eyebrows at me, and I just shrugged. Lucie was¡­Lucie. Maybe she saw a bird outside. Or her own tail offended her. I wouldn¡¯t apologize for my cat¡¯s personality. ¡°Anyway,¡± Leo continued, deciding to ignore Lucie¡¯s outburst, ¡°Had I known I should lay the hell down and have a sports drink, I¡¯d probably be feeling better right now.¡± I heaved a resigned sigh. ¡°Hopefully this is some positive progress.¡± ¡°Hopefully,¡± he agreed. Lucie sprinted into the room, her tail twice its usual size, and attacked the maroon tassels of the area rug. ¡°I should sequester this one. She needs to adjust to being here in smaller increments so she doesn¡¯t pee in a corner.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll trust your judgement. I don¡¯t mind watching her running around.¡± ¡°Oh, you say that now. But you¡¯ll regret those words at three in the morning when the shadow of a mouse passes in front of the window and she very vocally demands to hunt like her ancestors.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t get mice here.¡± I scooped up my cat and detangled her claws from the strings. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that, though.¡± Chapter 3 ¡°I have a problem,¡± Leo whined to me as soon as I opened the front door. I shucked off my shoes and kicked them off to the side in the general direction of the shoe tray Leo had meticulously lined up against the wall. Lucie immediately came bounding over from wherever she¡¯d been hiding and attacked them for offending her delicate sensibilities. Wisely, I ignored her, shuffling the bouquet of calla lilies in my arms to put down my work bag. Leo stood up from the couch with a strained look on his face, and I paused. First, he was home early, which was out of the ordinary. Second, I still wasn¡¯t convinced he was fully recovered from his last LaShoul¡¯s attack. I looked at him, quickly, scanning his face for any indicator that would tell me he wasn¡¯t well. I didn¡¯t know what specifically I should be looking for, but I¡¯d know it if I saw it. It wasn¡¯t there now, and I relaxed just a little bit. ¡°Who are those from?¡± he demanded before I could ask what the problem was. His eyes were focused on the flowers in my arms. Lucie decided my shoes had been taught their lesson and moved to wind herself around my ankles. She trilled up at me, then yowled once, sounding like a demon possessed. Had I forgotten to clean her litter box? I hadn¡¯t been gone long, maybe a couple of hours, just enough to walk around a bookstore and pick up the delivery of flowers at my job at Silver & Silk. I didn¡¯t see Leo approaching until he snatched the flowers from me, allowing me to carefully extract myself from Lucie¡¯s affection and sling my bag off my shoulder. He set them roughly on the dining table and grabbed the card attached. ¡°¡®Callie, Thank you for helping me find the perfect anniversary gift! I¡¯m absolutely in love with the set. I can¡¯t wait to show it off at my next big event. Jade,¡¯¡± Leo read from the card, his brow furrowed. ¡°Who¡¯s this from?¡± ¡°Jade,¡± I answered helpfully. ¡°No, seriously. Who gave you these?¡± ¡°Why, you want them? Lucie shouldn¡¯t be around them. I think they¡¯re poisonous to her.¡± ¡°Callie.¡± I bend down to pet Lucie, who scrambled away, as if she hadn¡¯t just been begging for attention. ¡°Leo.¡± Leo fisted his hands, like it was a struggle to keep them at his sides. ¡°If you have a significant other and didn¡¯t tell me,¡± he ground out, ¡°I¡¯m going to be pissed.¡± The laugh burst out of me all at once without my permission. ¡°Oh, please. You think I¡¯m hiding an entire person?¡± I laughed again, covering my mouth with a hand like it would help muffle the sound. ¡°Me? The girl who doesn¡¯t make friends? You¡¯re hilarious. It¡¯s just thank-you flowers from a customer I helped last week. She¡¯s a florist.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this on the back?¡± I instantly sobered and stalked over to him. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®the back?¡¯¡± I snatched my card out of his greedy hands, flipping it over to see that there was indeed something written on the back. We have a support group for people with LaShoul¡¯s. Hope to see you there. Below that was an address and time and date. support group? How had I not thought of that before? In all my hopeless research of medical studies and online groups, I¡¯d never considered looking into an actual support group. For years after my diagnosis, it had been my obsession, looking into and everything. Was sweaty palms a possible symptom? Did taking magnesium help recovery? It was only when I had fallen so far down the rabbit hole and mentioned to Leo how raw sushi was said to help the headaches the episodes brought on that he took my phone from me and held hostage until I promised to give it all a rest and focus on the present instead of worrying about the future. Because that was his job, apparently, working with all this new technology. ¡°You¡¯re not going, right?¡± His question brought me back to the present, ¡°Sure, mom, like I¡¯m incapable of making sure this is legit before making a decision. And you need to tell me what the hell is going on with you. You¡¯re acting weird.¡± Leo watched me type the address into the search bar, and a few pages down was a listing for a support group, like the card said. an old repurposed chapel based on the pictures, a bit out of the way, but the subway line ran close enough that it wouldn¡¯t be too much of an inconvenience. As nice as it was to have Leo to joke around with, he always seemed so¡­hopeful. Maybe he would even be the one to create a new program that would figure it out. But he¡¯d fully accepted that everything was going to work out eventually, and we would be absolutely fine. He was working on it, he would remind me. But I wasn¡¯t so optimistic. I¡¯d tried, in the past, to discuss my worries and fears with Leo, but he had gone and explained them away like I shouldn¡¯t be feeling what I was. I didn¡¯t know if he had meant to be reassuring or was just oblivious to the monetary divide between us and all that I would never have, but either way, from that day on I did my best to keep things light between us. There was no reason to drag him down with me, not when it seemed like maybe that hope was the reason why he kept trying. But¡­maybe talking to other people who possibly shared the same feelings I did about it all would be therapeutic. I made sure to hold my phone where he could see it clearly, and pointed at the screen helpfully. ¡°There. See? All checks out. Now what¡¯s your problem?¡± I tucked the card behind my phone case for safekeeping. It was a bit awkward, but until I could do a more thorough dive on this group, I didn¡¯t want to risk losing the information. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized, running a hand through his hair. ¡°It¡¯s this stupid work thing. My father was supposed to go, but he got delayed at one of our overseas branches. So, I have to step in.¡± My hand found his arm automatically and squeezed. ¡°Oof. I¡¯m sorry. When did you find out?¡± ¡°Today. And the dinner is in two hours.¡± I frowned, upset on his behalf. ¡°That¡¯s unfair.¡± ¡°The other part of the problem,¡± he said, looking at me with intent, ¡°is that I need to bring a date. It¡¯s expected, and if I don¡¯t, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m not fully invested.¡± Immediately, I stepped back, already shaking my head before my brain could fully catch up to his unasked question. ¡°You¡¯re not bringing me,¡± I spluttered once the words and implied request registered. It didn¡¯t matter that the reasoning was asinine. I would not go. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Callie, please,¡± he begged, reaching out and grabbing one of my hands in both of his tenderly. ¡°I know it sucks, but will you please help me? You don¡¯t have to do much, if anything. Just sit there, smile, and make polite conversation.¡± ¡°Leo, that¡¯s so far out from my comfort zone, it¡¯s a different planet.¡± His shoulders slumped in defeat, and I felt myself start to cave. Such a push-over. If he kept looking like a sad, lost puppy, I¡¯d agree to go and hate myself the entire time. ¡°I could probably ask around, see if anyone else at work could go with me.¡± He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. An ugly feeling crept up into my stomach. I didn¡¯t like the idea of going. But I also didn¡¯t like the idea of someone else going with him instead. So even though I did not want to go, I picked what I thought was the lesser of two evils. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°No, fine,¡± I sighed dramatically, laying it on thick. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You¡¯d have to coordinate with someone else, and that could be a whole other nightmare. I¡¯ll just do it. You are paying my rent, after all. You can consider this your payback.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he beamed, wrapping me in a tight, quick hug. ¡°Okay, so, you have something nice to wear? Do you need to, I don¡¯t know, change your hair or anything?¡± I glanced down at my long strands, pinching a chunk between my fingers and inspecting it. ¡°Do I need to?¡± ¡°No, you always look pretty,¡± he answered easily. My stomach flipped, a warm feeling replacing what had clearly been jealously at his mention of another, theoretical woman. ¡°I just want you to feel comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can, given the circumstances.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Leo.¡± And I was, up until we stepped off the elevator on the top floor of a high-rise building where the very fancy restaurant was located. I smoothed out invisible wrinkles in the skirt of my dress and made sure the neckline was centered, giving it a little tug. When I glanced up at Leo to ask him if he was sure I looked appropriate, for the tenth time, he answered with a short affirmative and refused to look at me. I followed his gaze, taking in the luxurious splendors of the space in front of me. The smooth jazz, dimmed lighting, and sharp corners of the black furniture and mirror chandeliers wereintimidating. Even though I worked in an expensive jewelry and accessory store, this was incredibly out of my comfort zone. I could almost imagine the drinks being topped with gold leaf just for the aesthetics of it and not a single patron caring that it cost thousands. I hoped enough not to attract any notice. I wasn¡¯t anyone special, just a girl too poor to afford this place and sure that others could see it ¡°How many people are going to be here?¡± I whispered to Leo, up on my toes to get closer to his ear. Before he could answer, one of the men seated at a long banquet-style table stood and waved a hand in our direction. he across the room, garnering looks from other patrons. and walked over with a hand on the small of my back. as we neared the table with¡­eleven other people seated, not including the man standing. in a smooth tone I wasn¡¯t used to hearing. ¡°Apologies for our lateness. Unfortunately my father was delayed last-minute. I hope you don¡¯t mind me and my good friend Calliope here taking his place for tonight.¡± Ew. He full-named me. ¡°Of course not! We enjoy having you join us. You should more often,¡± Jack answered agreeably. Leo pulled out a chair for me, and I sat carefully. I smoothed my skirt again, making sure it wasn¡¯t folded under my thighs. ¡°Unfortunately, my work keeps me quite busy,¡± he offered as an excuse, sitting down next to me. ¡°While the screens are finally out, it¡¯s just on clinical trial, and there is still much left to be done.¡± ¡°What do you have planned? Your father hasn¡¯t shared much with the rest of us,¡± another man asked. It was clear he was a point of contention for him. He had to lean forward to be seen at the far end of the table. ¡°These bio-screens are a work of art,¡± Leo began, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table. ¡°The technology is unmatched, and we have you all to thank for that. No other company is close to the level of sophistication we¡¯ve achieved here. What we¡¯re focusing on, right now, is more on the programming side of things. While the trials are running on a basic level to ensure safety and compatibility, I¡¯m working on developing the programs further so they can do even more than they are now. We¡¯ve just touched the surface of what they¡¯re capable of.¡± ¡°What, specifically, do you have in mind?¡± Jack asked, a hint of excitement in his tone. Leo¡¯s response was interrupted by two servers coming by to take drink and appetizer orders. Leo ordered bruschetta, which he tolerated, but it was my favorite. I gave him a smile, reaching under the table to give his knee a thankful squeeze. Conversation drifted after that, touching on stocks and golf and other inane topics. Shortly after our drinks and appetizers arrived and our orders were taken, the one with the stick up his ass¡ªJustin¡ªbrought up his unanswered question again. ¡°Leo, I¡¯d love to hear what you have planned with those bio-screens,¡± he said, leaning forward in his seat again. ¡°Yes,¡± his partner, a thin woman with a pinched face, agreed. ¡°It¡¯s so¡­intriguing.¡± Leo nodded agreeably. ¡°Right now, the screens are only programmed to record information from the human body. However, there is an entire world around us that affects us physically, mentally, emotionally, and everything else. One of my major projects is gathering data on external stimuli, how air quality, temperature, things of that nature impact the human body. Does each person have their own limits to what the body can withstand? Or is there a general range most people fall in, and those who have outliers are at increased risk or something?¡± ¡°Is that the only thing you¡¯re looking into?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Not at all,¡± Leo answered with a quick head shake. ¡°Eventually, we¡¯d like for these to expand further to add day to day conveniences. Not quite to the point that phones are at, but being able to pay with it, send a message to someone. We¡¯re considering its own system while simultaneously looking into the ability to connect to phones, similar to what watches do now.¡± ¡°Everyone will want one,¡± Justin praised gleefully. ¡°You do this right, boy, and you could surpass your father in greatness with this company. Just imagine the bonuses!¡± I bristled, going stiff in my seat. Did this man pay attention to the world around him? Did he even care about other people, or just lining his pockets? ¡°Can you imagine how this will change the healthcare field? No more taking readings at intake for doctor¡¯s appointments or emergency visits. Everything could be sent over to your primary doctor regularly, and problems potentially be diagnosed without even leaving your home. They could catch a heart attack or stroke early enough to save lives. Not to mention the potential for the other modifications, which I¡¯m sure there are plenty more than Leo¡¯s shared with us tonight.¡± I found every face turned towards me at my little outburst, and I flushed from my neck to my hairline. I opened my mouth to say¡­I don¡¯t know what, but was saved by the servers coming around with our entr¨¦es. Leo nudged his knee against mine as plates were set down. When I looked at him, he leaned in and whispered, ¡°Thanks. I know that you care about the well-being of people, but these people don¡¯t think like that. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not,¡± I hissed back, angry that these people were the ones in charge. ¡°Why do you think I spend so much time doing what I do? Because if I don¡¯t¡­¡± He didn¡¯t need to finish the sentence. ¡°It¡¯s not right,¡± I answered. He gave me a wan smile. We both knew there wasn¡¯t much we could do about it. I nearly scoffed. We. As if I was included in that. My job selling jewelry and accessories wasn¡¯t worth anything to anybody, not really. And that was a shame. Because I¡¯d once hoped to help other people. Not in the same way that Leo was, but my original chosen career had a purpose. This current job? None. ¡°What is it that you do, ?¡± asked the man who appeared oldest, with age spots, sagging skin, and a slightly hoarse voice. Just fantastic. Thinking about my job and its objective uselessness to society must have projected out into the universe, saying ask the dropout about her job! I cleared my throat. , picking up on my surprise and coming to my rescue. ¡°She really has quite the eye¡ª¡± ¡°Have you ever considered going into marketing?¡± I blinked. ¡°Um. No?¡± He nodded, like he expected that answer. ¡°You make a compelling point about the bio-screens.¡± I turned to glance briefly at Leo. Was this real life? What some major stockholder or whatever paying attention to me? ¡°I think your take on things is refreshing,¡± he continued. ¡°I doubt many of us here considered how it could help everyone, instead of only those with chronic conditions.¡± He reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He searched for a moment before sliding a card across the table. A few people had to help it get to me, but when it did, I picked it up. It was his business card with his name¡ªNathaniel Waters¡ªand his phone and email. I looked to him, confused. ¡°You let me know if you¡¯re ever interested in working on the marketing side of things for us. We could use someone with your open perspective.¡± ¡°I, uh, thank you,¡± I decided on. Then, I shoved a bite of potato into my mouth so I wouldn¡¯t be asked anything else. I kept my silence for the remainder of the meal, not wanting to bring any more attention to myself. I was here as a placeholder, and while Nathaniel and Leo didn¡¯t seem bothered by my outburst, there were more than a few at the table who had given me incredulous looks. Leo said our goodbyes for the both of us before dessert to a chorus of weak protests, and again held his hand on the small of my back as we walked back towards the elevator. Once safely inside, doors closed, I sagged against the wall. ¡°Damn, that sucked,¡± I said plainly. Leo chuckled low, shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Nathaniel offered you a job.¡± ¡°Right? I thought he was going to chew me out or something.¡± Leo considered, his gaze growing serious. ¡°I think a few of them wanted to. I¡¯ll have to talk¡ª¡± I swatted him with the back of my hand. ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing. I can¡¯t imagine myself working there. No offense. But I won¡¯t have to see them again, so what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°They need to have more respect than that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± I answered. ¡°But don¡¯t create an issue on my account.¡± He was quiet as the elevator quickly descended, the doors opening before he said anything else. ¡°Do you really never see yourself working at Farley Tech?¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t find your work interesting or worthwhile. But I just can¡¯t stand people like that.¡± ¡°There are people like that everywhere you go,¡± he pointed out. ¡°We usually never know.¡± ¡°I know that, but there¡¯s a difference now that I¡¯ve met some of them. I can¡¯t say to know them well, of course, but I know enough about enough of them that I don¡¯t like it.¡± It was Leo¡¯s turn to sigh. ¡°Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know first. Sure, you could do whatever you wanted, including marketing, but promise to let me give you options first.¡± It was never going to happen, so I agreed easily with a, ¡°Sure. No problem.¡± Chapter 4 I took a moment to brush a loose strand of sweaty hair away from my face as I stared at the renovated building, regretting not putting my hair up. The church¡¯s old roots were still visible in the tall stained glass windows, wide staircase, and smoothed stone facade. I triple-checked my location on my phone, matching it to the card that was left with the flowers nearly two weeks ago, to make sure it matched the address written down. Being fifteen minutes early, I had no clue if I should go in, wait outside, or turn around and go home to pretend like this never happened. Though wasting the fare for the subway wasn¡¯t exactly appealing. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve made is this far,¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°Might as well take a look.¡± I ascended the steps carefully and kept my eyes peeled for any information that might offer reassurance that I was in the right place. Just because some super nice woman gave me this information didn¡¯t mean that I should inherently trust it, though I was inclined to. I reached out with a damp hand to grab the handle when I heard footsteps behind me, coming closer. Turning, I took in the figure approaching me. He was in some kind of work uniform, judging by the name tag still attached to its retractable clip. I would say they were scrubs if the dark khaki material didn¡¯t look thicker and stiffer than what the healthcare professionals I¡¯d encountered usually wore. Five steps away, the stranger paused, finally noticing me. ¡°Oh, hey, didn¡¯t see you there,¡± he said. He looked closer at me and took two more steps towards the doors I blocked. I released the handle and took the same number of steps backward. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before,¡± he added, tilting his head slightly. ¡°Is this your first time to the group?¡± I hesitated, unsure what information I should give this stranger. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± he apologized. He stuck out his hand towards me. We both noticed the sweat on his palm, and he grinned as he dropped his hand and shrugged, wiping the hand on his pant leg. ¡°Hope this is the last heatwave this year. Anyways. I¡¯m Alex. You¡¯re here for the LaShoul¡¯s group, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m Callie.¡± I offered a little wave in lieu of what would be a gross handshake. His eyes widened as they latched onto my bare arm. I followed his gaze and noticed the insistent red flashing light. The bio-screen. Right. It had been blinking an alert at me since I first started getting ready to leave the apartment to come here. It was the first time a notification had been going on for more than a few minutes and I couldn¡¯t find the off switch. There would be no heart-calming now with my anxiety ratcheting up higher and higher. I¡¯d have to ask Leo about it later, even though he¡¯d probably grill me on why it was going off in the first place and then demand to know what had made me so nervous for so long. ¡°Woah, you got one of those?¡± he asked, taking a half step closer before stopping himself. I dropped my arm, clasped my hands behind my back, and nodded mutely. ¡°How¡¯d you manage that?¡± Before I could answer, two more people started up the front steps. Alex must have noticed my gaze, because he turned to look at what grabbed my attention. ¡°Hey, John, Melinda,¡± Alex greeted. ¡°How goes it?¡± ¡°Keeps going,¡± the man, John, answered. He was dressed in shorts, a polo, and a hat, like he just came from golfing. ¡°Man, I hope the AC is working tonight. It¡¯s too hot for this shit.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Alex answered. He turned toward the woman. ¡°Your sister coming tonight?¡± The dark-skinned woman, Melinda, answered, ¡°No, couldn¡¯t make it. Though she made me promise to look out for a new person who suspiciously matches your description.¡± She addressed the last part to me. ¡°Jade said she¡¯d invited someone new. Are you Callie?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Jade is your sister?¡± Melinda nodded. ¡°She is. A workaholic, that one. Took on a last-minute event tonight, said she couldn¡¯t pass up the late-notice fee she could charge. Hopefully it¡¯s enough to get her to hire another assistant so she stops working these late nights.¡± I wasn¡¯t great at meeting new people and had no idea what I should say. Or should I even say anything? Was staying quiet better? This really wasn¡¯t a conversation that included me, right? Shit. This was why I didn¡¯t like going to new places or meeting new people on my own. Melinda noticed my frozen expression, and offered a reassuring smile and a wink. See, this was probably why Leo was really my only friend, even though I kept in touch with some old school friends and visited with them when they were in town. Sometimes. I was too awkward, and by the time I was finally comfortable around people to be more of myself, it was usually too late to salvage that first impression. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside before I sweat to death,¡± Alex suggested, stepping into my space to open the door. He ushered me in with a grand swoop of his arm. Thankfully, the AC was on full blast and I immediately shivered. The other three followed in, muttering their thankfulness for the cool air. Alex sidled up next to me and offered his arm and a charming smile. ¡°Care to be shown around, Callie?¡± I took a slow, deep breath, and put on my brave face. Life was too short not to take chances every now and then. I wanted to make new friends for however long we¡¯d have each other. And Alex seemed like the type of person who could become my friend. ¡°Why not?¡± I took his proffered arm, and he led me further into the building. ¡°So, this used to be the main entrance,¡± he began, gesturing around us. Over half of the lights were out, leaving only a few to light the way. Old red candlesticks waited on either side of each set of double doors. We took the doors to the far right, the ceiling suddenly dropping lower. ¡°The pews would be past each set of doors, all in the same room, with an alter at the far end and a couple rooms past that. For a while this place used to be a reception hall for weddings, but apparently the owners had forged their liquor license and it got shut down. A lot of these spaces had been made into event venues, and the market wasn¡¯t good enough anymore to really make money off it. Another company came in and created all these individual office spaces after creating a second floor¡ªthese ceilings used to be high¡ªand leased them out. Though they saved a couple of the¡­well, let¡¯s say less appealing rooms for groups like ours. Tax write-off that way for a room they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to rent out. But hey, it¡¯s a win-win in my book.¡± Yes, he could definitely become my friend. His easygoing chatter put me at ease. I felt myself relax slightly and tried to subtly check my bio-screen, hoping to turn off the damning blinking light. All I managed to do was flag the ¡°event¡± on the screen, which Leo had showed me how to do. I held in a frustrated groan and glanced to the gray ceiling, searching for patience. Later, I would ask how to label the flag I just created, since I couldn¡¯t get even that far. What even was the point in me having this thing if I couldn¡¯t fucking figure out the most basic controls? While I didn¡¯t think this recording of my anxiety would help me at all with what was actually killing me, I was hoping I could at least rule it out as a trigger. That was the only reason why I wanted to mark it, so that if I had an episode later tonight the bio-screen could put two and two together to help me manage my LaShoul¡¯s. Or, if I didn¡¯t have an episode, I could at least rule it out. Either way would be progress. But the light persisted, flashing softly every five seconds. I wanted to gouge the thing out of my arm. Alex noticed my distraction, glancing down at my slightly-glowing arm. It wasn¡¯t giving off much light, more like the faded vintage glow-in-the-dark stars I used to have on my ceiling when I was a kid, but it was clearly visible when anyone looked directly at it. I gestured helplessly to the thing. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to find the damn off switch for the light.¡± ¡°Mind if I have a go at it?¡± He looked eager to try, like it was an exciting new toy. ¡°Only if you promise to show me how to do it if you can figure it out.¡± He grinned, gently taking my arm. ¡°Deal.¡± Approximately twenty seconds later, Alex had the red alert turned off, the device in ¡°Emergency Only¡± mode until I left this location, and added them both to a list of favorite commands that I could easily access again any time I wanted. We began meandering back down the endlessly long hallway. ¡°What the fuck,¡± I mumbled. My shoulders slumped. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it. I work in a science lab, with some similar tech. Figuring this kind of shit out is literally my job.¡± He gave my shoulder a gentle nudge. ¡°But hey, if you ever need help with that thing again, please let me. That thing is fucking awesome.¡± A little chuckle escaped, and I answered him with an uncharacteristically flirty, ¡°But I have no way to contact you outside of this group.¡± He stopped in his tracks and pulled out his phone. Silently, he offered it to me, and I punched in my own number before handing it back. He pressed the call button, and my butt pocket vibrated twice before he hung up. ¡°There. Now you can.¡± I only nodded and started walking again. We finally reached the door at the end of the hallway, catching up to John and Melinda who waited for us, and climbed the three steps up to reach it. It swung in, light and sound pouring out into the dim hallway. Melinda grabbed my hand in both of hers and gave it a quick squeeze. ¡°You¡¯ll be alright in here. You¡¯re like the rest of us,¡± she reassured me, letting my hand fall. She gave a little wink and wandered back towards John, leaving me alone since Alex had immediately beelined for a different group the second we stepped inside. There were over twenty people in the room, all congregating in small groups, spread out in the surprisingly large space. A circle of chairs was placed in the middle, and a table off to one side was filled with various bottled drinks, a coffee dispenser next to it. Had I known I could get an iced coffee here or even a latte if I wanted extra caffeine, I would have made sure to bring more money. As it was, I had only brought my pre-loaded card with enough for the return fare and an extra twenty for emergencies. An unfortunate circumstance a few years ago when I lost my entire wallet in an unfamiliar area made me much more careful. It was easier to bring one card with a limited amount of money on it, anyways. The card fit perfectly in the side pocket of the band of my bra. I wandered along the walls, taking it all in. Exposed pipes and even some ductwork climbed up the back wall. They were painted black in an attempt to blend in but were still impossible to miss. Some jutted out of the ground at irregular intervals, clearly added on after the original building was constructed. It would be nearly impossible to hide them with a wall and still retain a good-sized space. As I drifted closer, I could hear water sloshing through one or two of them. I didn¡¯t want to consider what it could be. ¡°Callie!¡± Turning to the sound of my name, I spotted Melinda waving me over. Quickly, I nabbed a cold, dripping bottle of water and made my way over. ¡°Hi,¡± I said as I approached, trying to be friendly and more outgoing than I usually was. ¡°Everyone, this is Callie,¡± Melinda introduced me. ¡°Jade found this one.¡± ¡°Lovely to meet you,¡± another woman, who looked to be in her early forties, greeted. ¡°I¡¯m Loren. We¡¯re just about to get started. You ready?¡± I just shrugged and said with more confidence than I felt, ¡°We¡¯ll find out.¡± Chapter 5 Loren¡¯s whistle was sharp and sudden, making me nearly leap ten feet in the air. It was honestly a bit impressive, even though my heart pounded like a drum in my chest. The room was dead silent except for the whooshing sound of the AC blasting and the water trickling down one of the pipes. At least, I was going to convince myself that it was only water. She didn¡¯t even have to say anything, and people were moving, heading towards their usual chairs. I lingered behind, waiting to see where an open spot might be so I didn¡¯t unintentionally steal someone¡¯s seat that they¡¯d sat in for the past however many months. Some people, myself included, really liked routine. I found a vacant seat right in front of me, and sat down. A few seats remained empty. Alex appeared beside me, looking sheepish, hands in his pockets. He grabbed the empty seat to my left and slouched in his chair. ¡°Sorry for ditching you,¡± he apologized in a whisper. Loren moved to stand in the gap between two chairs. ¡°I saw a friend I haven¡¯t seen in a while and got sidetracked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I lied. I would have preferred his presence, even though we had just met a mere fifteen or so minutes ago. ¡°Good evening, everyone,¡± Loren started, her hazel gaze sweeping the room. She took the time to make eye contact with everyone, smiling the entire time. ¡°I¡¯m glad we could all make it here tonight. We have some returning members we haven¡¯t seen in a while, and a new member brought to us by Jade, who couldn¡¯t be here.¡± My face flushed as the twenty-seven other people present turned their heads to stare at me. I hoped they thought it was just from the heat, and not the embarrassment I was actually feeling. ¡°We¡¯ll start off with John here, and go clockwise.¡± John talked for only a couple of minutes. He hadn¡¯t had an episode in the past two weeks, was managing his life pretty well, though his sister was still distant and wouldn¡¯t let him see her kids. I must have looked confused, because Alex leaned in to whisper, ¡°John¡¯s sister thinks that because his death is inevitable, it¡¯s not worth her kids knowing him only to lose him later.¡± A small gasp slipped out between my lips, but only Alex seemed to hear it. He nodded in silent agreement. Melinda, next to John, spoke next. She didn¡¯t have family issues like John, but struggled sometimes with mobility after an episode, like the one she had last week. Most everyone took only a handful of minutes to update the group on what was new in their life specific to LaShoul¡¯s. A woman two seat away on my right had an awful week, and shared through silent tears, her voice quiet. ¡°I got fired yesterday,¡± she started, staring down at her hands that were shaking in her lap. ¡°They said it was because of my performance, but I know better. I keep having to call out. It¡¯s getting worse, and I have less time between attacks, and it takes me longer than ever to recover. And I can feel it. My energy is going. And I¡¯m tired.¡± She sniffled, once, and pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°It takes so much out of me to be strong for my kid. I don¡¯t want him seeing me like this.¡± For the first time since she got the meeting started, Loren spoke again. ¡°You¡¯re doing such a good job for that little boy. Last meeting you said you were going to try to get a therapist. Did you find one, Meg?¡± Meg nodded. ¡°Yeah, I did. But now that I don¡¯t have a job, I don¡¯t know that I can afford to pay her.¡± Loren snuck a glance towards Melinda, who nodded discreetly and wrote something down in a small pocketbook. Everyone else was enraptured by Meg¡¯s devastating news, making me wonder if anyone else noticed that exchange. ¡°But,¡± Meg continued, finally looking up with puffy eyes, ¡°she got me in touch with an attorney, who is helping me get everything in order. For free. I won¡¯t have to worry about my little boy. He suggested recording a video for him, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°You know your son best,¡± said the man to her right, Will, I think his name was. ¡°But I know my dad always wished his father would have left something for him when he passed from cancer decades ago. Even if it was just a letter, or a card.¡± Meg nodded and didn¡¯t speak again. After a few moments, Loren turned to the woman between Meg and me, who brought the mood up with her win of finally securing the promotion she¡¯d been after that would allow her to work remotely and asynchronously. Loren then turned to me, giving me a little not. ¡°Um, hi. I¡¯m Callie.¡± I gave a pathetic little wave and immediately dropped my hand back into my lap. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, not sure what I should say exactly. But I was diagnosed four years ago. I lost most of my friends after that. Dropped out of college. Didn¡¯t see the point in getting a degree I might never get to use. But I got a decent job and moved out of my dad¡¯s and his wife¡¯s place. My step-mom, I mean. My mom died from LaShoul¡¯s when I was little. I don¡¯t remember her. But she left me some things, and that helped.¡± I paused, trying to remember my original train of thought. ¡°My dad really isn¡¯t around much. I think me having LaShoul¡¯s hurts him too much, after my mom. I can¡¯t say I blame him, but it sucks for me anyways. But I have my best friend. We¡¯re roommates, and we look after each other. My cat Lucie hates the new apartment, though. She keeps attacking the rugs.¡± I grinned, remembering Leo swearing colorfully that morning when Lucie darted into the kitchen, getting herself underfoot while he was trying to make coffee, to launch a personal attack against the white rug. Though, to be fair to Lucie, it didn¡¯t make sense to put a white rug in the kitchen. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Thank you for sharing that with us,¡± Loren said. Many of the others nodded encouragingly. Then it was Alex¡¯s turn. He started by sitting up straight and running a hand through his hair as he puffed out a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know, guys. It wasn¡¯t a bad two weeks by any means, but sometimes I just feel so¡­ unfulfilled.¡± He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands dangling loosely. ¡°The job is great, and I enjoy it, but I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m making a difference. I just¡­I don¡¯t know. Want to make a difference in some way. I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m not remembered for it. I just want to do it, for myself. Which doesn¡¯t make sense, because I don¡¯t care if others make a positive difference. And I think something as simple as holding the door open for someone else is enough sometimes.¡± ¡°You hold yourself to a higher standard,¡± Loren supplied. Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah. I know. So even though these weeks were perfectly normal, I¡¯m still not satisfied. And I feel guilty for feeling unsatisfied.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk after, okay?¡± Alex just nodded, leaning back in his seat again as the next person began speaking. I reached over and gave his forearm a squeeze. ¡°I get that guilty feeling, too,¡± I admitted. ¡°Though not quite in the same way.¡± Alex turned and looked at me, eyes searching mine. If he found what he was looking for, I¡¯d never know. I cleared my throat and added, ¡°She¡¯s good. Loren.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a licensed therapist herself,¡± Alex informed me. That made perfect sense, I realized belatedly. A group of people all bound for an early death, it was probably a requirement. After everyone had a chance to speak, Loren opened the floor to questions for the group. Meg raised her hand first. Loren called on her. ¡°What¡­what would you leave your only kid?¡± No one answered right away. No one raised a hand. ¡°My mom left me a necklace of hers,¡± I said. ¡°I used to wear it, but now I¡¯m afraid something will happen to it, and I¡¯ll lose it. Maybe something that he can hold onto. Like¡­I don¡¯t know, your favorite souvenir, or book, or something. I feel connected to my mom when I wear the necklace, though now it¡¯s only for special occasions and not every day. But sharing your favorite place or story, I think, could help him feel like he knows you.¡± I paused, feeling self-conscious. But, I added, ¡°And a letter, if not a video. My mom wrote one for me, and it¡¯s what I treasure most.¡± Meg was crying again, but bobbed her head jerkily and muttered a quiet thanks. A few others asked questions, like if anyone had tried the new supplement that was being touted on social media as the best symptom management pill, though it wasn¡¯t a magic cure. No one had. Loren assigned us homework. ¡°Do something that you never do for yourself anymore that you used to love. I expect some great stories next time.¡± People were slow to trickle out after the meeting, myself included. I realized I had enjoyed myself, even though it was very emotional at times. I felt seen, finally. Even though I had Leo, I didn¡¯t feel alone right now. And that made me wonder if perhaps I¡¯d been doing myself a disservice by not trying to make friends. Alex interrupted my potential epiphany. ¡°What are you going to do for Loren¡¯s homework?¡± he asked. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. There¡¯s a lot that I still do. But I¡¯m realizing most of it is solitary. Like reading. Or binging shows. I even took up crocheting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool, though, the crocheting. You any good?¡± ¡°I can make a scarf. Or a blanket. Or anything, really, but only if it¡¯s rectangular. And that¡¯s it, because I¡¯m garbage at counting stitches,¡± I admitted with a laugh. ¡°But maybe I¡¯ll try to put myself out there more. Find a crochet group or something. Try a hat next. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a few options.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Alex started walking towards the door, and I followed. ¡°Any one in particular looking good?¡± ¡°Yeah. And I could actually use your help with it, if you¡¯re willing.¡± ¡°I guess that depends on what it is.¡± We reached the door, and Alex waved his arm in front of him again, insisting I go before him. ¡°We did just meet, remember?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of what makes it kind of perfect.¡± He paused to close the door behind him, muffling the sounds of the ten or so people still lingering behind. He ran a hand through his hair and refused to look at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to be completely honest with you, Callie.¡± ¡°Okay. I appreciate honesty.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything for a minute, continuing to walk down the half-lit hallway towards the entrance. All of a sudden, he blurted, ¡°I think you¡¯re really pretty, and I like talking to you, and I want to take you out on a date.¡± My feet suddenly found themselves pinned to the ground and I nearly toppled over. ¡°Wait a second.¡± I held up my hands, my confusion stronger than my usual nervousness at being asked out. Normally, I would have clammed up and stuttered out a rejection, but instead I tried to clarify, ¡°I thought you wanted me to help you with the homework thing.¡± It was hard to tell in the lighting, but I thought he might have blushed. ¡°That is the homework thing. After being diagnosed, I stopped dating. People just didn¡¯t get it, and I got tired of only going on first dates.¡± I pursed my lips and looked down at the pink and green marble floor. It was pretty, in an old-fashioned way, though I was sure much of it was covered by the new construction. I wondered how many couples had gotten married standing on this very floor. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you could find someone else to go with you,¡± I finally answered. Alex¡¯s shoulders slumped, and I realized too late how that sounded. ¡°Wait!¡± I reached out and grabbed his arm. ¡°That came out so wrong. I just mean that you don¡¯t have to settle on asking me. I¡¯m sure that there are plenty of other women who would agree to go on a date with you, and more than just one.¡± Alex frowned at me. ¡°You think I¡¯m settling by asking you, just to check off a box?¡± ¡°Not exactly, but yeah. Kind of. I¡¯m convenient.¡± He shook his head and laughed. ¡°And you¡¯re saying I can get a date with plenty of other women? That it doesn¡¯t have to be you.¡± ¡°Well, yeah. I mean.¡± I gestured to him. ¡°You¡¯ve seen yourself in a mirror, right? And you help virtual strangers, like me, with their technological woes. You¡¯re chivalrous. So. Yes. You could.¡± He took two steps towards me, and I stopped myself from backing up. I tilted my chin up to meet his eyes. ¡°Callie, did you even consider that it¡¯s you I want to go on this date with? And not because I want to do this homework assignment. I¡¯d already half-decided to ask you out. The homework is just a convenient excuse to pluck up the courage to actually ask you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°So. Will you?¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± I paused, realizing more quickly this time how my answer wasn¡¯t exactly reassuring. ¡°Yes, I mean.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Alex grabbed my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait. Now?¡± ¡°Do you have something else you need to do? We can plan something, if you¡¯d prefer. But we¡¯re both here, now.¡± On the one hand, going out with a virtual stranger was a bit risky. But on the other, he was pretty cute with his ruffled hair and hopeful expression. And I could also use him as my homework; be spontaneous. And if we went now, I wouldn¡¯t be able to talk myself out of it or make excuses not to go later. ¡°Okay. Yeah. Let¡¯s do it.¡± Chapter 6 We stepped outside and Alex dropped my hand. ¡°No offense, or anything,¡± he assured me, ¡°but it is way too hot for that.¡± I had to agree. Lights flashed in the distance, illuminating an oncoming thunderstorm. Hopefully a cold front followed. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on ice cream?¡± he asked, as though I might be insane and say I didn¡¯t like it, though it was nice of him to not assume I could eat it; my father was lactose intolerant, but thankfully that didn¡¯t affect me. We chatted about LaShoul¡¯s as we walked the few blocks towards a parlor Alex frequented often, comparing our symptoms and hypothesizing at our triggers. By the time we reached the shop, we both agreed that we had no clue what, if anything, caused the episodes, but were hopeful that with the bio-screens some patterns, if not answers, would start to emerge. The line for ice cream was probably three times as long as it typically was, but it was well worth the wait as we snagged a recently deserted table by the window, directly under the pink and lime green neon window sign. I¡¯d opted for regular chocolate syrup this time instead of hot fudge, and even without the added heat my strawberry ice cream was melting rapidly. ¡°So. Topic change onto typical date stuff. Do you want twenty questions? Rapid fire?¡± Alex teased. ¡°Rapid fire. Rip the bandage off.¡± ¡°Favorite color?¡± ¡°Green. Sage.¡± ¡°Age?¡± ¡°Twenty-four.¡± ¡°Best vacation?¡± ¡°Never been.¡± Alex¡¯s spoon halted its journey. ¡°What do you mean, never been?¡± I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve never been on vacation,¡± I repeated slowly. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I believe there is this concept called money that one needs to have to actually make it happen.¡± ¡°What about when you were a kid?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Dad was a single parent for long enough that he couldn¡¯t afford it. The best I got was traveling to my grandparents¡¯ outside of the city for a week each summer. And that stopped when I was twelve.¡± Alex hummed in his throat and stared at his ice cream. ¡°Is it giving you the answers?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The ice cream. You¡¯re silently interrogating it,¡± I observed. ¡°Not this time. I¡¯ll have to try a different tactic. Time for the bad cop.¡± He dove in with his spoon again, attacking the melting black cherry ice cream. My head tossed back on a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re a bit ridiculous, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh, sure,¡± he managed around a mouthful of ice cream. ¡°But, honestly, where¡¯s the fun in being serious all the time?¡± ¡°Life¡¯s too short,¡± I answered in agreement, without thinking. I only joked around with Leo like that, but I¡¯d gotten caught up in how easy our conversation was and how comfortable I felt that I¡¯d forgotten that I barely knew Alex. I cleared my throat. ¡°So, is it my turn for rapid fire since I stumped you?¡± He gestured at me to get started. ¡°Siblings?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Guilty pleasure dessert?¡± He pointed at his cup with his spoon. ¡°You¡¯re looking at it.¡± ¡°Sunrise or sunset?¡± ¡°Sunset. I don¡¯t like being awake for the sunrise.¡± ¡°If you could have a superpower, what would it be?¡± Alex paused to think. ¡°You know, that¡¯s a good one. Huh. Well. Let¡¯s see here. Probably the ability to tell when someone is lying to me.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I guess because I feel like when people lie, they¡¯re just wasting my time. And, well, as we both know, that¡¯s a bit limited for us.¡± I nodded. ¡°I get that.¡± ¡°What about you? What superpower would you want?¡± ¡°Teleportation.¡± Alex raised his eyebrows. ¡°You had that one ready.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot more outside this city. I¡¯d like to see more of the world. Experience things, but still be able to sleep in my own bed at night and not have to worry about packing and weight limits and all that. And, again, the time it takes to travel is not appealing. At least, to the other side of the world.¡± ¡°Would you want to be able to take someone with you with your superpower?¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want to travel alone. I wouldn¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing, or where I should go. I¡¯m not exactly the most confident person around, even on my home turf.¡± ¡°Fair. Well, when you get your superpower, you¡¯ll have to hit me up. I¡¯ve been a few places.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Where?¡± He waved a hand. ¡°All over. My mom travelled for work a lot when I was little, and when my dad couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t, take me that week, I¡¯d go with her.¡± ¡°That sounds fun.¡± ¡°It was actually really boring. I usually had to stay inside whatever hotel we were at. I was lucky if there was a pool. But I spent a lot of time looking out the window and observing people.¡± ¡°Well, then, it¡¯s settled. When I get my superpower, I¡¯ll definitely let you tag along.¡± He smiled at me, revealing dimples, and ate another mouthful of ice cream. ¡°So, what is it exactly that you do for work again? You mentioned tech,¡± I prompted. Alex swallowed, then answered, ¡°So, I work for one of the big-name science labs. Specifically, I deal with their tech; making sure it¡¯s working, troubleshooting problems, completing some repairs if I¡¯m able to, that sort of thing.¡± ¡°The machines that help run the test?¡± ¡°Exactly. And I suppose in a way I am helping to make a difference. Because these test might actually find some answers that will help people, you know? But I¡¯m not the one doing the actual research or improving someone¡¯s life with it.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re giving the scientists the opportunity to do that,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Without you, it wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He looked down at his bowl, poking at it. ¡°But it takes a lot of people to run everything. I can easily be replaced by the next person. A scientist? Their brain is what does a lot of that work, analyzing things, deciding where to go from there, and I just can¡¯t do that. They¡¯re not replaceable. And I¡¯m not the one who designed the machines or tech; I just service them. A number of other people could do my job. Fuck, even some of the scientists fix the machines when I¡¯m not there if it¡¯s quick enough.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You want to be more relied on,¡± I gathered. ¡°Missed when you¡¯re not there.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is not what I meant to talk about with you.¡± I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. The left one landed in a slightly sticky spot. ¡°No, but sometimes things like this need to be talked about anyways. And out of the majority of the world, you and I happen to have a lot in common.¡± ¡°So I haven¡¯t blown this date?¡± I laughed. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t. I think it¡¯s important to be able to have serious conversations with people. It¡¯s exhausting having to do small talk all the time. That¡¯s all I seem to do, honestly. That, and offer compliments to people who don¡¯t need them. This is a breath of fresh air. Even my roommate doesn¡¯t talk about this kind of stuff with me.¡± Alex scooped the last of his ice cream up and turned around to throw out his bowl. Mine was still about a third full. ¡°Enough about my job woes. Tell me yours.¡± ¡°Not much to tell. I work retail.¡± ¡°What kind of retail?¡± ¡°Jewelry and accessories. It¡¯s pretty boring. All these rich people with money coming in, expecting to be treated like royalty.¡± I snorted a laugh. ¡°But if they were royalty or anyone with actual money, they wouldn¡¯t be shopping there anyways. Though there are always a few who are kind and¡­normal. But the job pays the bills well enough.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested¡­¡± he began slowly. ¡°I could probably get you a job with me. I mean, not with me, but at the company. There¡¯s lots of different types of jobs, depending on what you¡¯re interested in. Or, I know they¡¯re starting some studies soon for LaShoul¡¯s. Not clinical trials for anything, but trying to gather more information from people. They¡¯re paid, the studies, when they do them. I know I¡¯m signing up.¡± ¡°I¡¯d definitely consider it. Especially the study.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep you updated when I hear anything, then.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I hate to end this, but¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s getting late,¡± I finished, scooping the last of the melted ice cream up before tossing my trash. A quick glance at my phone told me the shop was soon to close anyways. A rumble of thunder rolled overhead, the storm quickly approaching. ¡°I need to catch the subway back, anyways. I¡¯d rather not get stuck in the rain, as nice as it might feel. Wet feet and shoes are not a good combination.¡± ¡°Let me know when you make it back safe,¡± he instructed, holding the door to the parlor open for me. ¡°If we both survive the night, maybe we¡¯ll plan another date.¡± I stepped outside and turned to him as he let the door fall shut. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± And in the spirit of being spontaneous, I stepped forward, rose on my tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. He flushed, presumably a bit nervous and hopefully not embarrassed or grossed out, and rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Thanks, Alex. I¡¯ll see you.¡± ¡°Bye, Callie.¡±
The doors to the subway station were dripping with condensation, small puddles of water collecting at the bottom. I braced myself for the cold, but a shiver still trailed down my spine and bumps washed over my body as soon as I stepped inside. It hadn¡¯t felt this cold on my way to the meeting, and I regretted not bringing a jacket or hoodie to throw on. I checked the digital time table for my train and held in a groan. I had missed it by a measly two minutes, and the next one didn¡¯t come for another twelve. I settled myself near the back wall, making sure that I could see everything around me. Slowly, my body began to acclimate to the temperature, my fingers tingling uncomfortably. I shoved them under my arms with the hope they¡¯d warm up quicker that way. The platform was mostly deserted, only a few other stragglers waiting around like me. I tried forcing myself to relax, since no one was near enough to me to be a threat, but my body didn¡¯t listen to me. Something was¡­off. Two minutes later I figured it out. The telltale signs of a headache were approaching, a pressure at my temples. I could feel my pulse gently thrum in my ears, hear the blood whooshing through my veins. They were the first signs I got of an impending LaShoul¡¯s episode. And I didn¡¯t have my meds on me. In my nervousness at the meeting, I hadn¡¯t wanted to pack and bring a bag or purse with me, just in case. Though crime was low, I hadn¡¯t wanted to make myself a target in an area I¡¯d never been before. Now, I knew my worries were unwarranted, but it had seemed a reasonable precaution earlier this evening. I glanced at the time and did some quick mental math. In about ten minutes, I¡¯d be on the train home. Should I call Leo and ask him to meet me at the station with my medicine? I¡¯d get them faster that way. Worst-case scenario, he could help me off the subway if I declined quicker than I usually did. Requesting a ride-share was hit or miss on the timing, but I¡¯d probably be able to explain to the driver my condition and request to be taken to the hospital or have an ambulance called if I passed out. I couldn¡¯t do either on the subway. This situation was not ideal. I rubbed the heel of my hand against my temple like it would help the pain slowly building behind my skull. It never did, but I couldn¡¯t help trying anyways. I fired off a message to Leo, asking if he was still awake. Earlier I¡¯d told him I would be out later than usual, and he had work tomorrow and was likely asleep by now. If he didn¡¯t answer in a few minutes, I¡¯d try calling instead. The red bar in the top corner of my phone mocked me, the battery dangerously low. Fuck. I thought I had charged it before I left. Hadn¡¯t I charged it? Or was I remembering yesterday, before that disastrous dinner with Leo and his colleagues? Would I have enough battery to call Leo and, should that fail, get a rideshare before it died on me? Shit. Shit. I locked the screen and tucked it away. Being stranded without my phone charged was a big faux pas in the LaShoul¡¯s world, in case of emergencies. It was also something that Leo and I had promised each other, to make sure we could always get in contact whenever needed. I glanced around, wondering if this platform had a charging station, coming up short. Of course it didn¡¯t. That would make things too easy on me, and the world couldn¡¯t have that. After another three minutes, the building pain in my head had turned into an intense throbbing. My brain felt squeezed, like a belt was wrapped around it. This wasn¡¯t going to be a mild attack. I checked the screen above the platform. I wasn¡¯t sure I would make it. I blinked hard, trying to clear the blurriness in my eyes, as I fired off another text to Leo and shared my location. The low battery notification popped up, just in case I wasn¡¯t aware that my phone was going to die on me. So helpful, I thought bitterly as I dismissed the notification. Thanks. A sudden wave of vertigo crashed over me just as my bio-screen alerted to something, or probably several somethings. I listed sideways, smacking into the corner wall but managing to stay upright. I didn¡¯t care about my screen right now; my technological illiteracy was bad enough when I could see and walk straight, and it wasn¡¯t as though I was unaware that my body was going haywire right now. I needed to get home, fast. If my usual symptoms were to follow, I¡¯d begin overheating soon enough, and not even this frigid air would be enough to keep me from spiking a fever. I pushed off the wall and stumbled back towards the stairs, trying to navigate to the right app on my phone to request a rideshare. Or call an ambulance. The car would have a charger for my phone I could use, right? I could then call Leo, get him to help me. I would be okay. That thought kept me going, and I managed to haul myself up the first half flight of stairs before collapsing to my knees, my head throbbing so bad my vision was doubled. Ambulance it was. I pulled out my phone to call emergency services. I could try texting, but I didn¡¯t trust myself to not come across as a drunk because I couldn¡¯t control my hands enough to not have a slew of typos. The screen stayed dark. Fuck. What to do, what to do? I chanted to myself. I had to move. Staying here in the stairwell out of sight of the platform below and the street above could easily be a death sentence. I began to crawl, my phone still clutched in one hand. It was a fight to climb every step. My limbs were shaking, vision blurry, nausea climbing up my throat. Move, move, move, I chanted, closing my eyes and willing myself to just keeping fucking moving. A brief stinging in my hand. A sudden feeling of suffocation that lasted only a brief moment. My head suddenly expanding, like a rubber band that had been wrapped around it snapped. The sound of hydraulics hissing. Warm air washed over me, and I opened my eyes. Confusion bloomed. Why was I staring at the street? Had I blacked out, like a drunk, and kept climbing? Because there was absolutely zero chance I had consciously crawled up all those stairs to make it in such little time. Though, with my phone still dead, I couldn¡¯t¡ª A glow was washing my hand in a cool light. I twisted my wrist to see my phone screen cracked but lit. Had I hallucinated? Great. That¡¯s exactly what I needed. I rolled my eyes at myself and easily pulled up Leo¡¯s contact to call him as I stood up, walking away from the doors still spewing cold air into the world. That¡¯s when I noticed a few things. The headache was easing. My vision was clear, hands no longer shaking. The alert on my bio-screen had stopped, though the notification still blinked a dull red at me. I angled my arm and flicked through the stats, eyes widening as I saw how bad they had gotten.
Statistic Reading
Blood Pressure 177/99
Pulse 160 - 182
Heart Rhythm Atrial Fibrillation Detected
Oxygen 88%
Temperature 101.4 F / 38.5 C
Cortisol 137 mcg/dL
Plasma Osmolality 177 mOsm/kg
I pulled in a breath and further assessed. Besides my hand that held my phone, which felt burnt, I physically felt¡­fine. How I was mentally was another story, but I would deal with that later. I glanced down at my left hand, searching. No red burn mark, but¡­there. What looked like a pinprick of angry red skin, tight and shining, clearly swollen. ¡°What the hell?¡± I twisted my hand under the streetlight, trying to get a better look. With my other index finger, I poked at the inflamed skin and immediately regretted that decision. Pain lanced through my hand, radiating up to my wrist and down my fingers. Weird, but survivable. I¡¯d worry about it later. Was I okay now? I thought so. But did I want to risk going back down to the subway, where there was maybe an environmental trigger for my LaShoul¡¯s? Absolutely not. Rideshare it was, then. Chapter 7 The door snicked shut quietly behind me, so quiet that the consistent drip, drip of water pooling around my feet was the louder of the two. Lucie, currently a puffed-up gray blob, glared up at me from her hiding spot underneath the coffee table where her scratch pad and enclosed bed were located, as if I were personally responsible for the thunderstorm crashing overhead. A light turned on to my left, revealing Leo standing in the hallway. He looked disheveled in a pair of stained basketball shorts and rumpled old t-shirt. ¡°Go back to sleep,¡± I told him, trying to shoo him back to bed. It was late, nearing eleven, and he had work in the morning. ¡°What time is it?¡± he asked instead, walking through the kitchen with its white quartz countertops that seemed to glow slightly with every flash of lightning, coming to a stop before me at the front door. ¡°Why are you wet?¡± A vicious clap of thunder sounded just then, and I pointed up. It hadn¡¯t started raining until I¡¯d gotten into the rideshare, but it had evolved into a torrential downpour by the time the car had stopped. The driver had stopped half a block down the road from the entrance to the complex. I¡¯d been too nervous to ask her to drive another five hundred feet down the road, so had gotten out and ran for it. He considered that for a moment, fighting the drowsiness that still held him half-under, then nodded and turned back around. He shuffled slowly back towards his room, the light automatically turning back off as he disappeared into his room at the end. I shucked off my shoes and managed to peel off my shirt before Leo emerged again, this time holding a towel in each hand. He glanced at me in my semi-undressed state, shook his head, and closed most of the distance between us before tossing me one of the towels. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t care if you drip water on the floor. As long as you don¡¯t soak any of the rugs, obviously.¡± He wouldn¡¯t look at me, offering what little privacy he felt he owed me, as he dropped the other towel to the floor and started cleaning up my mess, the action going against what he just claimed about water on the floor. ¡°I can do that, you know,¡± I offered as I dried my arms first, legs second. When I was no longer dripping, I wrung my hair out before wrapping the towel around my middle. The shorts dropped next, hitting the ground with a thwack. ¡°This storm is keeping me up anyways.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Headache?¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. You too?¡± ¡°Not anymore. But¡­¡± He looked to me as I bent over to pick up my clothes from the floor and waited for me to elaborate. ¡°It was the weirdest thing. I thought I was going to have an episode.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± he answered matter-of-factly, since I was still standing and clearly not currently in major pain. ¡°Probably just the storm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing though. Maybe the storm triggered it. But it was definitely the start of an episode. I got the same feelings like I usually do. And, here.¡± I held out my arm to him. ¡°You can check my screen and see how bad I was doing. And then, all of a sudden¡­I was fine.¡± Leo frowned, starting to look more awake. He took my arm and quickly navigated through it, pulling up everything from the last hour, running some sort of report, and coming up with a summary. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± I wondered, bringing my arm close to my face as though inspecting it would give me answers. ¡°Callie¡­¡± he trailed off, eyes widening as he assessed the screen. ¡°How quickly did you think to take your meds? Because this was very sudden, and you would¡¯ve had to take them within the first minute or two once your symptoms started to still be standing right now.¡± ¡°I, uh¡­may have forgotten to bring them with me.¡± He gave me a blank look. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I looked towards the coffee table and its gremlin underneath, pointing to the bottle of pills that still sat atop. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Huh,¡± he huffed, clearly perplexed. I stifled a laugh; it wasn¡¯t often that Leo was confused by something. He always seemed to have the answers. It could be a bit annoying, honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. One second I¡¯m having trouble seeing, hands, head splitting open, and the next I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± He straightened and scratched the back of his head. ¡°It must have been something else, then. There¡¯s no way that could¡¯ve happened. And even with your meds, you wouldn¡¯t be this okay.¡± He gestured to me standing, having a normal conversation, two of the things that were usually beyond me after an episode. I flinched back in shock. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°What you described is impossible.¡± ¡°But it happened,¡± I enunciated slowly. He shook his head at me. ¡°There has to be another explanation.¡± I crossed my arms, tucking the towel under my armpits, and snapped, ¡°Fine. Believe what you want. I know what I felt. You can be wrong for all I care.¡± He was likely right, and logically I knew that. But I also knew my body and hated being made to doubt myself. I¡¯d sleep on it and reassess things in the morning. It would probably be a good idea to make myself an appointment to get things checked out, just in case there was something else going on. Leo grabbed my arm as I turned away to retreat to my room. I tried shaking him off, but he held firm, stepping with me when I yanked on my arm. I refused to turn and face him as he started pleading with me. ¡°Callie, that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Just go to bed, Leo.¡± ¡°Can we just¡ª¡± ¡°Let go of me,¡± I ground out, patience gone. ¡°Will you wait a¡ª¡± let go!¡± I spun around, yanking my arm simultaneously and willing him to just give me a little bit of fucking space. Leo went sprawling, landing a good five feet away from me. ¡°How did you¡­?¡± he trailed off, looking up at me from the floor. ¡°You must have missed a spot and slipped,¡± I determined. Still hurt and annoyed, I stalked to my room, leaving him to pick himself up off the floor. The door slammed satisfyingly behind me, the thick manufactured wood-like material supporting my weight as I slunk to the floor. The towel came loose, slipping onto the floor and reminding me that I was still quite damp. Scratching at the door indicated my cat was on the other side, and I let her in quickly. I refused to allow myself to look out to see if Leo was still there or not. Lucie strutted the considerable length of the room and over to my bed that sat across from the curtained wall of windows. She tucked herself underneath the bed frame, where no less than three cat beds waited for her. Soft light flashed around the edges of the lilac curtains, reminding me of the strange sparks I¡¯d seen twice now. I crossed the massive suite that I¡¯d only recently learned was the master, complete with its own walk-in closet, sitting area that I converted to my own personal library, and full bathroom with a separate tub and shower. It was heaven.I set my phone on its charger on my nightstand, definitely out of battery now. I¡¯d have to remember to text Alex later to keep my promise. Perpendicular to the enclosed fireplace that served as the boundary between my library and bedroom was the doorway that led to the bathroom and closet. I pattered towards it, grateful that I¡¯d stopped creating small puddles. The recessed nightlights in the wall that were set at ankle height turned on as I walked past and into the gleaming marble bathroom. My cheap season-themed hand towels looked out of place against the white and grays. Gathering a calming-scented candle, fluffy towel, bath salts, robe, and cup of water, I arranged everything in its usual place and started the tub. The steaming water looked irresistible, and I decided not to wait until it finished filling before stripping the rest of the way and sinking in. The warmth of the water eased the tension still in my joints that I hadn¡¯t been aware I carried. I closed my eyes and leaned back, determined to forget the rest of the world even existed. Well after the water had run cold I finally felt relaxed. A lot of adrenaline had been running through my system and I knew the crash was coming. Every LaShoul¡¯s episode of mine ended that way; a deep, dreamless sleep that not even an alarm could wake me from. Though, with the odd events of the night, would I even react the same way as I always had? I considered the oddness of tonight¡¯s events as I toweled myself off and started drying my hair. It had definitely felt like the start of an attack. But what had triggered it? Leo had mentioned developing some modifications for the screens to search for external stimuli, and maybe that was to blame? Something in the subway that set me off? As soon as I made it back outside, I¡¯d felt almost perfectly fine again. I¡¯d need to bring up those mods again to Leo, see where he was at with them. If I fully explained everything about tonight, maybe he¡¯d agree that I was able to stop the attack because I left whatever was causing it. But what would affect me so strongly, so suddenly, but not anyone else in that subway? Or was my LaShoul¡¯s progressing faster than I was led to believe by doctors? The thought made me shiver. willed myself to let it go for tonight, ingingnightly. Ewas beginning to , and all I wanted was the luxuriously soft sheets of my bed. But, of course, I¡¯d left my bed an utter disaster. I was not a calm sleeper, and half my sheets and the comforter were hanging off the far side. Lucie grumbled at me from underneath the bed as I fought the several blankets into some semblance of order. Remembering my promise, I grabbed my phone off the charger on the nightstand to reply to waiting message. He had jokingly wondered if I had died. I assured him that only my phone had and thanked him again for the date before sleep claimed me. Chapter 8 There was an entire drumline performing inside my skull the next morning. Clearly, I hadn¡¯t escaped the LaShoul¡¯s episode. The headache, the tremors, the cold sweats were the same tell-tale signs I¡¯d started experiencing last night in the subway, but I was already worse off than I had been then. But now, my limbs were feeble and felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each, my throat a scratchy ache, and my stomach roiling uneasily. I managed to roll onto my side and reach my fully-charged phone. Through bleary eyes I shot off a message to Leo, though I wasn¡¯t sure how long it would be before he saw it. His work often left him unavailable for long stretches of time until he remembered to eat lunch. I needed my meds. Through squinting eyes, I searched my room for the orange container. Then my brain connected synapses and I recalled that my bottle was left on the coffee table out in the living room. ¡°Fuck.¡± I rolled over, taking my sheets with me, and landed hard on the ground. My hip smarted, but the pounding in my head drowned it out. I crawled, slowly, towards my bedroom door and glared up at it. The door locked automatically, the silver plate of the biotech that was registered to me gleaming from high above. From my position sprawled on the floor, I couldn¡¯t reach my hand high enough to reach it to unlock it and push it open. I checked my pockets for my phone, hoping to see that Leo had responded, but came up empty. It sat on my bed and I sat halfway between both it and my meds, if only I could open this door. Resigned to my fate, I pushed up into a sitting position and nearly passed out, the room swimming in front to me. There was no more pounding in my skull, but a steady pressure that was going to split my head wide open. My ragged breathing was the only sound as I willed the slowly building nausea away. I reached up behind me, blindly and with my back to the door, and started slapping my hand around. When it met the cool, smooth metal and my support gave out behind me, I let out a relieved sob as I tumbled back, barely managing to keep my skull from bouncing off the floor. I was already too close to unconsciousness. I rolled onto my side and heaved myself up onto my elbows to look around the room. There. A dozen or so yards in front of me on the coffee table sat my meds. With a mix of army-crawling and inchworm scooting that lasted an eternity, I managed to get myself to the table, knock my meds down with a few wild swipes of my hand, and dry-swallow two of the tiny pills. I collapsed back to the ground, my face itching against the rug it lay on. And as tears steadily dripped from my eyes, I finally released my hold and fell into the blessed cold darkness.
A steady, rhythmic beep was my first companion. The itch on either cheek was the second, and the cold feeling in my fingers and toes came third. It wasn¡¯t long after those sensations began that I pried my tired eyes open. Bright white lights blinded me, and I squinted against them, limbs too heavy to shield my face. Slowly, my awareness broadened, taking in the crisp smell of the air, the thin sheet covering my bare legs, the seam of the oversized socks irritatingly off center on my toes. A steady ache still thrummed in my head, but it was only annoying and no longer debilitating. I reached up and scrubbed at my face, aiming to bring some life back in my eyelids, but accidentally dislodged the cannula bringing sweet oxygen to my system. The cheek stickers holding it in place were irritating, and I ripped them off before replacing the cannula and tucking the tubing back behind my ears. A glance around the room revealed my hospital go-bag sitting on a chair with a jacket draped over the back. My phone was on the bedside rolling table, charging, along with a bottle of water and a menu. Shit. I¡¯d been far gone enough that I¡¯d been admitted to the hospital. I followed the line in the back of my hand up to the fluids bag, seeing that it was the only one left hanging. Any of the other usual meds must have already been administered and the courses completed, meaning that I¡¯d been here and unconscious for at least twelve hours, if not longer. I let my eyes drift closed again and leaned my head back against the too-thin pillow. An undistinguishable amount of time later, the curtain surrounding me swept to the side slightly. Perking up at the thought of a nurse who could answer my questions, I was surprised to find Leo standing there instead, staring at me with his hands on his hips. ¡°What?¡± My voice was scratchy from disuse, and I coughed to clear it. It only helped a little. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°You scared me half to death,¡± he said quietly, running a hand through his hair. ¡°I saw your SOS text at lunch, and rushed home to find you passed out on the floor. You were barely breathing, and I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I reassured him. I held out my non-IV hand to him in invitation. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he took it in both of his, warming my cold flesh. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure that you would be,¡± he whispered. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to my forehead. A kiss. Leo moved away slowly, as if he were afraid that I might disappear at any moment. ¡°The doctors, they¡­They¡¯re discussing your timeline.¡± I nodded, my lips pressing together into a line. ¡°I figured they would be.¡± Neither of us said anything for several minutes until I tugged on Leo¡¯s hand and demanded that he sit and stop hovering over me like a mother hen. He let out a breath as he did, looking down at our joined hands. ¡°I should get you something to eat,¡± he said finally. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± I answered honestly, though I was sure that the moment I saw food I¡¯d feel starved. ¡°How¡­how long was I out for?¡± Leo hesitated, like he didn¡¯t want to tell me. ¡°At least thirty-six hours.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Thirty-six?¡± I gasped. ¡°And what do you mean by ¡®at least?¡¯¡± ¡°That¡¯s how long since I found you. I forgot to look at what the time was when you texted me.¡± He shifted his hips, pulling out his phone to flick through his messages. He grimaced. ¡°Probably more like forty hours?¡± he estimated. I huffed and said in a light tone, ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°You think?¡± We chatted more after that, me asking questions about Leo¡¯s work and him asking me questions about the support group I went to. I left out the part about the date with Alex; it wasn¡¯t as though I was intentionally keeping it a secret from Leo. It just didn¡¯t seem like the type of detail he would care about. And, okay, maybe I wanted to keep that to myself for now. At least until I knew where things were going. Or if they went anywhere. There was no point in bringing up that I went on a date, once, with a guy if in the end it didn¡¯t amount to anything. It was like buying a lottery ticket that won nothing; not something even worth mentioning. Leo ordered me dinner, and I finished the under-salted salmon and butter-less vegetables right before the doctor finally came in to check on me. ¡°Good evening, Callie,¡± he greeted, pulling up the rolling stool and taking a seat. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Stead. I met you yesterday, and Dr. Matlier monitored you last night. So. Let¡¯s just get to it, okay?¡± I nodded, glancing at Leo. He gave me an encouraging smile. ¡°Your symptoms as your bio-screen recorded, and according to Mr. Farly here, were pretty atypical of a normal LaShoul¡¯s flare-up. Which, unfortunately, is cause for concern. We reached out to Farly Tech about what we found, to see if they had any other records of a false start like you had a couple nights ago.¡± My ears perked up. This was why I had signed up for the clinical trial in the first place; to, at the very least, help provide more data to help people. ¡°They did, in fact,¡± Dr. Stead continued, ¡°have one other similar incident on record in the relatively short amount of time the trials have been active. Unfortunately, the end result was not what we hoped to hear. There¡¯s no kind way to put this, Callie.¡± Dr. Stead rolled closer to the bed, placing a hand on my shin. ¡°That individual passed away during their next episode. Now, that¡¯s not to say the same will happen to you; we have very few details to go on. But we need to monitor you more closely from here on out. ¡°Your bio-screen monitors so much more than we could. The built-in AI can also run more assessments, search for more triggers, and identify any patterns faster than we would be able to do manually. With your consent, and the permission already granted from Farly Tech, we can easily keep a close watch on you. They also have an invested interest in you, and one of their scientists¡ªor did she say she was an analyst? I don¡¯t remember. But she is waiting to speak to you after I¡¯m finished here, also with your permission.¡± Dr. Stead looked at me with pity in his eyes. I couldn¡¯t say I blamed him. I was a walking time-bomb. Slowly, I nodded, deciding that there really was no good reason to deny either request. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I answered. ¡°Both to you having access to my screen, and to speaking with the woman.¡± He tapped my shin twice before rising. ¡°I think those are wise choices,¡± he replied like I was a child in need of praise. ¡°We¡¯re going to keep you one more night since you haven¡¯t been awake long, but you should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon if all looks good. Dr. Matlier will be here again tonight if you need anything. But before I go, do you have any questions?¡± I shook my head, thanked him, and stared at my pale nail beds as he left. Leo trailed after him, claiming he¡¯d forgotten to ask a couple of questions. Before he returned, a woman with a tight bun and loose pants walked in carrying a tablet and sat on the stool the doctor had vacated. She reached out a hand to me, giving it a firm shake as she introduced herself. ¡°Hi, Callie. I¡¯m Madison. I was told you¡¯ve given the okay for me to ask you some questions? They¡¯ll be recorded through audio.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, and before I could take a breath, Madison dove into a series of questions from her tablet that ranged from what I ate the day before the attack to where I had been to what my mental state had been like. I answered as honestly and thoroughly as I could, even including what ice cream flavor I had ordered, though some parts were a bit fuzzy around the edges. I kept an eye on the clock on the wall, watching as the minutes slowly crept by. Almost an hour later, Madison finally looked up from where she tapped through the questions to give me a smile. ¡°Thank you for your time, Callie. This will provide great information for the company and will help so many others,¡± she promised. She uncrossed her legs and rose, giving me a final handshake before departing. I rolled over, mindful of my IV line that was almost empty. I was exhausted from, well, everything, and ready to be left alone. I grabbed my phone with the intention to mindlessly scroll through some feed or watch a movie, but about a dozen notifications irritated me enough to go through them first. Most were from Leo, and as I read through his messages, I could feel his panic rising as I failed to answer him. I was lucky to have him as a friend. Another was from my boss, who heard from Leo¡ªwho was listed as my emergency contact since my father lived hours away¡ªthat I had an episode and was hospitalized. She reminded me of the forms I would have to fill out and the doctor¡¯s note I would need to obtain before going back in to work. It was a double-edged sword; some of the papers were to ensure that I was healthy enough to come back to work, so that if anything happened to me while at work I couldn¡¯t sue them, and other forms were to excuse my absence so it wouldn¡¯t count as a point against me. Groaning, I ignored her message. She¡¯d been super understanding and flexible with me when I was hired, but pressure from the higher-ups had her being more of a stickler with everything. And it wasn¡¯t just me; one of my coworkers had gotten a formal write-up when he was late for his shift for the third time, even though I hadn¡¯t minded staying an extra few minutes late. It wasn¡¯t his fault that he was at the mercy of his professors whose classes often ran late. The last couple of messages were from Alex, and I peeked over my shoulder to make sure Leo wasn¡¯t coming back before opening the thread. Alex: Hey, Callie! What¡¯s your opinion on seafood? Alex: While I could say it¡¯s to settle a debate, it¡¯s actually to ask you out on another date. My cheeks flamed, and I caught myself grinning down at my phone. I bit my lip, considering how to respond, before deciding to just be honest. Me: While I adore seafood, I¡¯m a bit laid up right now. His reply was almost instantaneous, and I was impressed how quickly he understood what I meant. Alex: You had an episode? Me: Unfortunately, yes. Alex: How bad? Me: They¡¯re going to do extra monitoring of me now. Alex: Definitely bad. You home? Me: No. Admitted. I woke up mid-attack and got to my meds too late to really make a difference. Alex: That sucks. I¡¯m really sorry, Callie. What can I do? My heart swelled at his sweet offer. I checked over my shoulder again for Leo before answering. Me: Do you have any good movie or book recommendations? Alex: Which hospital are you at? I¡¯ll bring you something. Me: That¡¯s very kind, but also unnecessary. I¡¯m pretty tired right now, and probably going to just sleep. But I¡¯ll be stuck in bed for a few days once I¡¯m home. Alex: Then I¡¯ll work on getting a list for you. Alex: And just so you know, this doesn¡¯t get you out of another date with me. Me: I replied, didn¡¯t I? I set my phone face down on the bedside table, wrestled with the crooked socks on my feet, and went to sleep wondering where Leo had wandered off to. Chapter 9 A week after being discharged, I was cleared to resume normal activities. While going back to work wasn¡¯t something I looked forward to, being able to get out of my room was a definite perk. Things had been awkward with Leo ever since the hospital. He hadn¡¯t come back that night after leaving to chase down the doctor, and hadn¡¯t really said a word to me since. Though I¡¯d sent him a message thanking him, he hadn¡¯t really encouraged any conversation with his short reply. I¡¯d kept him updated on the two in-person follow-up appointments I¡¯d had, one of which was this morning, but again his responses felt distant, cold. So I made plans with someone else. This time, Alex and I opted to meet for lunch on one of his off days. We¡¯d been messaging each other back and forth over the past week. He recommended some movies or shows for me that I really couldn¡¯t afford with losing a week¡¯s worth of pay, but the internet had my back with summaries I could read. And honestly, I would probably enjoy some of them if I could actually watch them. In return, I recommended three books I viewed as classics, despite their old age. The only downside, Alex claimed, was that they took so long to read. For me, that was a perk. But he¡¯d let me know his thoughts on the first several chapters after the main character takes her sister¡¯s place to save her life. What kind of person comes up with this world? he¡¯d asked me. My reply was a link to an article about the political climate during the time in which it was written, and the author¡¯s desire to have young people think about politics and its nuances. Regardless, he promised he was enjoying the book so far, even with children having to murder each other. The blast of icy air pebbled my skin as I tugged opened the door, making me glad I¡¯d brought my only cardigan with me. It served a dual purpose in also hiding my bio-screen. It was constantly flashing different things at me now, and I didn¡¯t feel like Leo would be willing to help me with it. Maybe Alex could. The little diner was mostly empty at the moment, allowing an unobstructed view of the bright yellow vinyl booths, green laser lighting dancing along the ceiling, and neon, geometric patterned carpet. Roller skates, photo frames, mini orange cones, and black and white striped shirts decorated the walls, paying homage to an activity I¡¯d never tried. ¡°Welcome in!¡± the woman at the tiny bar greeted. A set of square, highlighter orange cubbies behind her held different liquor bottles on display. ¡°You can seat yourself. Menus are on the table, or you can scan for it.¡± I thanked her and picked a seat at a booth with a picture of a bunch of kids lined up in a row, twirling a hoop around their waists. I sat to face the door to keep an eye out for Alex. My phone buzzed where I¡¯d placed it on the table, my heart sinking. Was he cancelling? Maybe I should have waited outside; now I felt pressured to get a meal anyways, even though I could get a cheaper one at a food cart or truck down the street. It wasn¡¯t Alex; it was Leo, finally sending more than the short Leo: Hey, sorry for the short replies. Been swamped at work. I finally got one of my mods to work the way I want. As long as it doesn¡¯t blow up my arm in the next 24 hours, I¡¯ll add it to yours. I grinned down at my phone, glad to have an explanation to why it felt like he¡¯d been avoiding me. Me: Nice. What¡¯s it do? Leo: Collects data from the environment. Noise levels, air quality, etc. Me: You really think something like that¡¯s causing it? Leo: No, not causing. But a trigger for episodes? Maybe. Worth looking into. Me: What¡¯s your next mod going to be? Leo: Who says I have another planned? Me: You forget I know you. Leo: Fine. I actually haven¡¯t decided which will be next. Me: Knew you had more. Leo: I¡¯ll run my ideas by you when I¡¯m home. How you doing? What are you up to? ¡°Hey, Alex,¡± the bartender greeted. ¡°Your usual?¡± The door swung shut behind Alex, and smiled at her. ¡°Not today, Jen.¡± He walked over to me, grinning. ¡°Hey, Callie.¡± ¡°Hi, Alex.¡± He slid into the booth across from me, pulling one of the menus loose and handing me a second. ¡°How have you been doing?¡± I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes. ¡°I swear, the next person who asks me that is going to find out exactly what I¡ª¡± ¡°Well, Alex knows me already, but hi, I¡¯m Jen. How are you doing today?¡± the bartender greeted from the end of the booth. Alex lifted up his menu in a flash to hide his face. I turned to Jen with a forced smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you. How are you today?¡± ¡°Just peachy,¡± she answered lightly. ¡°You ready for drinks?¡± We both ordered, Alex barely containing his laughter. The moment Jen walked away, it burst out of him in what I could only describe as a guffaw. I fake glared at him, trying not to smile myself. He calmed down by the time Jen brought over our drinks, and we placed our orders; Alex went with ribs, and I opted for one of the house burgers. I¡¯d been feeling more peckish than usual, and figured it was likely due to my body still recovering from my latest attack. ¡°So,¡± I started before Alex could get a chance. ¡°How have you been?¡± He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the tabletop. ¡°I¡¯ve been fine. Nothing new to report. You get that paperwork for your job sorted?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s such a pain,¡± I complained. ¡°They really shouldn¡¯t make it so hard. I¡¯ve got enough going on, I don¡¯t need to be worrying about so much freaking paperwork.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°It is,¡± he agreed. ¡°Like I said, I can get you a position where I work. Nothing glamorous, but it would at least have better accommodations. And if you start with the study first, it¡¯ll boost your chances. No pressure, though. I know how hard transitioning to a new job can be.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right,¡± I sighed, resting my chin in my palm, elbow on the table. ¡°You said the study offers compensation, too, right?¡± ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve signed up. Though how much compensation depends on what you¡¯re selected for, and they¡¯re not picking everyone. I don¡¯t know the specific requirements they have, but it takes, like, five minutes to apply. Here.¡± He gestured to my phone on the table. ¡°May I?¡± I handed it over, and he pulled up the website for the study before handing it back to me. ¡°You mind if I do this right now?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± He waited patiently while I filled out the information, though it did only take a few minutes. Before placing my phone back on the table, I noticed two more messages had been sent to me. A quick check told me they were from Leo. I glanced at them quickly, and when there was no ¡°SOS,¡± put my phone away without reading further. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. We chatted about the movies I had ¡®seen¡¯ and the book Alex had started until our food arrived. After, Alex paid for the entire bill, despite my protesting, and we left to head towards our second destination. Alex had picked the lunch spot, and I the dessert. There was a little confectionery a couple blocks away that served the best gelato and macarons, and even some specials of gelato with mini macarons. It was heaven. I kept a close eye on Alex¡¯s face as we entered. As he beheld the mammoth menu mounted high above the counter, his eyes widened. They stayed that way as he perused the gelato choices, ranging from pistachio to vanilla to rocky road. ¡°It¡¯s going to take me forever to decide,¡± he whispered in awe. ¡°Or, you pick a flavor to start with, and work your way through the menu whenever we come here,¡± I offered instead, a little nervously. He caught my meaning and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer and tucking me into his side. ¡°Perfect.¡± He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I blushed from my toes up through my hairline. He noticed, and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s your favorite here?¡± I ordered for us, and as we sat at a high top table in a corner, my phone rang. I flipped it over and then silenced the call. Leo. He could wait. Or could he? Second-guessing myself, I excused myself to take his call. Alex waved away my concerns and assured me he was in good hands with the cherry gelato and chocolate macarons I¡¯d ordered him. Stepping outside, I answered before it could go to voicemail. ¡°Hey, Leo. Everything okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s great,¡± he answered enthusiastically, clearly in a happy mood. ¡°I¡¯m getting out from work early today to quote unquote run tests on my mods for the company. Meaning, going out and doing random shit to see what this thing picks up on.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± I answered a bit tersely. ¡°Hey listen, I¡¯m actually pretty¡ª¡± ¡°So I thought I¡¯d swing by that dessert place you like so much. Pick up some macarons. I know it¡¯s been a while since we last had some.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not necessary, but thank y¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not a problem. I¡¯m nearly there already. Plus I fell in love with their peanut butter and marshmallow gelato they had, and I wanted to get some for myself.¡± ¡°How about I pick some up for you, and¡ª¡± I started panicking, though I wasn¡¯t sure why, exactly. I glanced around at people milling about on the sidewalk, going to or coming from work for the lunch rush. It would be impossible to see him. ¡°No need. I can already see the place. Just have to cross the street. I¡¯ll see you at home, okay?¡± He didn¡¯t wait for my reply before hanging up. I looked across the street, finally spotting him, and darted back inside. Well. Time for the roommate to meet the¡­not boyfriend. Guy I¡¯m seeing? That wasn¡¯t great either, but it was the most accurate. I plopped down in my seat across from Alex. He took another bite before looking up at me. ¡°Seriously, Callie, this is amazing,¡± he muttered around a full mouth. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve found your one true love,¡± I teased. ¡°Real quick, it turns out my roommate is swinging by.¡± Alex paused for half a moment, before putting his spoon down. ¡°Oh. You invited her?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. And actually, my roommate is a he. He just decided to stop here, I guess. Funny coincidence.¡± Alex nodded slowly. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s all good.¡± Leo walked in at that moment, and I sat back in my seat, crossed my arms, and waited to see if he¡¯d notice us over here. He peered up at the menu, brow furrowed, and then pulled out his phone and held it to his ear. My phone on the table buzzed. I caught Alex¡¯s eye and pointed to Leo and then my phone. I picked it up, and let it vibrate in my hands a few times before answering with, ¡°Today¡¯s s¡¯mores brownie macaron is really good.¡± And I hung up. Leo glanced down, frowning at his phone, before finally looking around. I stuck out my tongue at him when he spotted me. He shook his head, smiling, and walked over. ¡°Alex, this is Leo. Leo, this is Alex. We met at the LaShoul¡¯s group,¡± I added. Leo stuck out his hand to Alex, which he took. ¡°Nice to meet you, Alex. Callie and I live together,¡± Leo said. ¡°It¡¯s nice she has a new friend. I¡¯ve been trying to get her to get out there for a while.¡± I cleared my throat when they didn¡¯t drop hands, Alex¡¯s expression looking¡­strained. ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, Leo. It sounds weirder than it is,¡± I tried clarifying. ¡°Leo and I just share an apartment. With both of us basically on our own, it seemed safer for us too look out for each other by sharing an apartment.¡± Alex nodded, looking more relaxed once their hands dropped. Leo, on the other hand, seemed more tense. Was it because I outed him as also having LaShoul¡¯s? Or was mentioning his lack of family support a touchy subject for him? ¡°I tried telling you on the phone, Leo, that I was already here and could bring something back for you,¡± I said into the quiet. ¡°Nah,¡± he answered. ¡°I need to expose myself to as many different places as possible to see what it picks up.¡± Alex seemed confused, though trying to hide it. ¡°Leo,¡± I started, ¡°has been working on some mods for the bio-screen. He¡¯s testing it out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s super awesome,¡± Alex said. ¡°Callie let me play with hers a bit last week. It¡¯s amazing tech.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bad that so many people were denied the clinical trials,¡± Alex added. ¡°Would have been cool, and obviously useful. Callie promised to let me check out what hers caught during her last attack.¡± Leo glanced to me, and I shrugged. ¡°The damn thing was going off on me last week, and Alex shut it up for me. He works with tech.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Leo prompted. ¡°I work for Hubert Industries,¡± Alex informed him. He didn¡¯t elaborate any further on his job. ¡°Ah,¡± Leo responded. ¡°I¡¯m Farly Tech.¡± ¡°I assumed, since you¡¯re doing work with the screens.¡± Leo cleared his throat, briefly glancing back towards the menu. ¡°Do you mind if I join you both?¡± I opened my mouth to answer, but Alex beat me to it. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re on a date, and while you seem like a cool guy, I¡¯d rather be a little selfish since you get to see her every day.¡± Leo looked to me expectantly. ¡°We are on a date, Leo,¡± I confirmed. ¡°But we¡¯ll catch up later, okay?¡± He took a couple steps back, nodding. ¡°Yeah. Sure, okay. Sorry. I didn¡¯t realize.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± I reassured him. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Leo placed his order and promptly left, leaving Alex and I alone with a few other strangers scattered about. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I apologized. ¡°That was a bit more¡­awkward than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Alex said. ¡°I think Leo and I have an understanding.¡± I frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alex huffed a breath. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. Just that we were sizing each other up a bit.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I wondered. ¡°The way he introduced himself as living with you. He made it seem like you two were a couple.¡± I almost choked on my macaron. ¡°What? There¡¯s no way he meant that.¡± Alex held up his hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it how I saw it. He was acting a bit¡­possessive, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± I laughed then. ¡°He was not being possessive.¡± ¡°If you say so. You know him better.¡± That was true. There was nothing between Leo and I, and never would be. Maybe Alex was misinterpreting things. ¡°Anyways. This screen here. Can you help me with it? It won¡¯t leave me alone.¡± It was the perfect change of topic. Alex jumped at the chance to play with it again. He cycled through the five tabs across the top: home, basic, advanced, trends, and settings. He patiently showed me how the home screen displayed any stats that I marked as favorites, and even suggested which ones would work best and would likely give me the most information. The basic tab was another that would be useful for me, showing other baseline information that would be easy for me to interpret. Advanced we left alone, most of which was just raw numbers that would be useful only for a doctor or scientist. The trends tab was interesting, showing graphs or charts or tables, depending on what I wanted, all the data averaged out for any length of time I wanted, and displayed visually or numerically for me to see. ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Alex said, pointing to my temperature trends from a week ago. ¡°You can see how your temperature started to rise, peaked for a moment, then dropped suddenly before rising slowly overnight. You woke up that morning in the middle of an episode, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± I peer at the stat, pinching to zoom in closer. ¡°Something happened to stop that episode for a little bit,¡± he concluded. ¡°Because looking at these other trends, your blood pressure, oxygen, and all that¡­ it follows that same trend. They all start to shift and then jump back to normal.¡± No fucking shit. I had told Leo what had started happening that night, and he hadn¡¯t believed me. In the moment, I hadn¡¯t considered making him look at what data my screen was collecting to prove I was right. ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Alex said. I was inclined to agree. With what I hoped was a solid handle on this screen, we began wrapping up our date. It was mid-afternoon, and I was beginning to feel tired, my body still recovering. ¡°Thanks for today,¡± I said as we exited the confectionery. ¡°I had a really nice time. And, hey, I learned some things.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± he answered. He stepped into my space, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I felt my heart skip a beat, and then pick up in double time. He smelled nice, I noticed, and I felt safe. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to make of that feeling, but it made me giddy. Alex pulled back slightly, keeping his arms around me. ¡°We¡¯ll do this again soon, okay?¡± ¡°Yes. Definitely.¡± ¡°Let me know when you hear back about the study. Hopefully we¡¯ll end up in the same group, or something.¡± ¡°That would be perfect.¡± He grinned down at me before leaning in. It was quick, over in just a moment, but the kiss he gave me sent my heart into overdrive. My arm tingled with a new alert, and I was again grateful for the cardigan hiding the evidence. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. Walking down the street back towards the subway, I pulled up the sleeve of the cardigan. Armed with knowledge, I tapped on the little plus sign next to my heart rate stat, silencing the notification all by myself. Chapter 10 Leo was waiting for me when I got home. He sat at the dining table off to the left, leaning back in his chair, arms and ankles crossed. He stood as I closed the door behind me. ¡°Callie.¡± His voice was deeper, his tone clipped. ¡°Hi,¡± I answered. I offered him a little wave as I started towards my room. ¡°I¡¯m going to relax for a bit. We¡¯ll catch up later.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t going to tell me?¡± I stopped in my tracks and stood there a moment before turning back around. ¡°Tell you what, exactly?¡± ¡°Any of it.¡± I scoffed and crossed my arms. ¡°Any of what?¡± ¡°We can start with your date.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a wise idea to let someone know where you are and who you¡¯re with?¡± ¡°In case you missed it, I met Alex at the group. Meaning he also has LaShoul¡¯s, and knows what to look out for,¡± I pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he answered. ¡°Then tell me what you do mean, Leo, because I¡¯m starting to get irritated.¡± He sighed, holding out a hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can we sit and talk? This isn¡¯t coming out the way I wanted it to.¡± I considered for half a second before I stalked over and plopped my ass down in a chair across from him. This better be quick. I wanted to get a bath in, or at the minimum a shower, before I passed out on my bed. I was always tired for a week or so after an episode, but this last one had been a doozy and was still kicking my ass. Leo braced his arms on the table, hands clasped. ¡°What I meant to say was that you and I have pretty small social circles. I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re meeting new people. But going on a date with someone you¡¯ve only just met and not telling at least one other person where you are or who you¡¯re with could be dangerous.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dangerous, Leo. He¡¯s been nothing but nice to me, and has helped me figure out how this¡ª¡± I held my left arm up ¡°¡ªthing is supposed to work so I can actually use it.¡± ¡°But I already showed you.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You showed me how to look at the stats, but not how to stop the alerts or run reports or anything like that. You haven¡¯t had time lately. Not that I blame you,¡± I added in a rush. ¡°You¡¯re doing a lot of work, trying to help a lot of people.¡± He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot I mentioned I¡¯d do that with you. But regardless, I don¡¯t exactly like this Alex person.¡± I threw my hands up in exasperation. ¡°Why am I not surprised? He works for your competitor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s trying to manage life as best as he can, just like you and I, but he¡¯s had to work harder to get where he is, and it¡¯s not his fault he was able to get a job where he did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be insinuating that I¡ª¡± ¡°If guys could just stop trying to one-up each other and try working together, then maybe things would actua¡ª¡± ¡°He left you last week!¡± Leo shouted, interrupting my rant. ¡°He should have at least walked you to the subway that late at night to make sure you got there okay!¡± Every muscle in my body was frozen. ¡°What did you just say?¡± I whispered. My vision started blurring around the edges as I focused solely on his face. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he doubled down. ¡°He should have been a gentleman and walked you at least partway home after your date. Especially knowing you also have LaShoul¡¯s.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± I wondered. ¡°Because I sure as shit didn¡¯t fucking tell you anything about that.¡± Leo had the audacity to finally look embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I wanted to make sure you were okay after you woke up, see if I could start working on your triggers with the data I could pull from your screen. The more information I had, the easier it would be.¡± ¡°So you invaded my privacy?¡± I ground out. ¡°Technically, as part of the clinical trial with the screens, I can access whatever information I decide is necessary.¡± I was getting too worked up. Sweat beaded along my forehead, a drop sliding down the side of my face. My hands were vibrating against the glass top of the table, loaded with the desire to just punch something. My breathing came in heavy pants, and I hung my head so I wouldn¡¯t have to look at him. ¡°Did that woman even need to interview me, or did you ask her to?¡± I accused, looking back up at him to gauge his response. Hurt flashed across his face, but I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to feel bad. ¡°But that really doesn¡¯t matter, does it? Because you could just read the answers afterwards, instead of asking me like the friend I thought I was. Is all I am to you another set of data? Is that what our friendship is actually built on?¡± ¡°Callie, no.¡± He stepped around the table, reaching a hand out to touch my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me!¡± I slapped my hands down on the table, hard. Glass shattered. In my shock, I could only barely feel the sharp sting of the glass shards on my legs. My hands smarted, mostly in the heels, where I hit the table with the most force. ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Leo cursed. ¡°Callie, don¡¯t move. Let me just¡­ Are you okay?¡± I turned slowly, stiffly, and met his eyes that were brimming with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine, bestie.¡± I carefully extracted myself from the mess, ditching my shoes once I was in the clear, and retreated to my room. A pair of tweezers and a warm bath would do the trick to get any glass out. I was done with hospitals and any other medical buildings for the foreseeable future.
I was curled up in bed, legs peppered with bandages after I¡¯d fished out all thirteen shards of glass, with Lucie¡¯s butt too close to my face as I stroked her fur. Cats. A gentle knock against my door had me pulling the covers up over my head. I ignored Leo, hoping he¡¯d get the message and leave, but he just knocked again before letting himself in. It was his apartment, technically. He refused to let me pay for this room, or for utilities, or even groceries. Benefits to having a rich daddy; they just throw money at the problem and expect that to fix everything. But that meant I didn¡¯t feel like I could bar him from my room, because he paid for it. This was the first time he¡¯d ever entered without permission, making me curious despite my lingering anger at what could warrant him to intrude on my space. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Callie,¡± he called out, likely seeing the lump of my body under the covers. ¡°I know you¡¯re still up. Lucie¡¯s still on your bed, and the TV is on.¡± I didn¡¯t reply. I had nothing I wanted to say to him. If he wanted to talk to me, he could do it like this. Was it a bit childish? I didn¡¯t really care. He let out a big sigh. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m really sorry. Everything came across so wrong and I¡¯m just¡­I¡¯m worried about you, Callie. Not that it¡¯s an excuse for what I said. You¡¯re definitely my friend, and not just someone else to use to get answers. ¡°But that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡± I perked up a little at his tone, a mix of excitement and something else. Fear, maybe? Or nerves? ¡°My bio-screen picked up on something.¡± I relented, too curious to keep up my immature pouting, and tossed the covers off my head. Scooting back, I sat up and looked at him. After a moment, I gestured to the empty space next to me impatiently. Leo wasted no time in making himself comfortable, grabbing my single spare pillow and propping it up behind his back as he leaned against the headboard. He put his arm out between us, showing me his screen that looked nothing like mine. ¡°How did you get yours purple?¡± I wondered aloud. I thought they were just blue and white. ¡°I¡¯ll show you later. Look at these.¡± He pointed to some specific stats on his advanced tab. There were a series of them listed in red at the bottom. The dots connected themselves. ¡°Are those your mods?¡± ¡°Yes. I have air quality, sound, UV, a whole bunch of things.¡± ¡°And your arm hasn¡¯t exploded yet,¡± I helpfully added. ¡°Not yet, at least,¡± he agreed. ¡°This one here. What do you see?¡± I leaned in close as he tapped on one, showing a line graph of that stat. The top of it read ¡°Gamma¡± and it had a sudden, short-lived spike. ¡°Well, I see that it suddenly spiked. When was this?¡± I looked even harder, trying to answer my own question. ¡°That happened when the table broke.¡± His eyes were already looking at me when mine shot up. I stayed quiet, knowing he would elaborate. ¡°There was a sudden spike in gamma radiation. Over in a matter of a second or two, but definitely there.¡± I contemplated this. Perhaps it was some sort of fluke that had broken the table at the exact moment I had slapped my hands on it. Was this something going on in the environment on a regular basis? Where was it coming from? Could we protect ourselves from it? What were the long-term effects of this exposure? ¡°I¡¯m wondering if it came from you,¡± Leo stated, matter of factly. I gaped at him. ¡°Me? You think I did this?¡± ¡°Not intentionally,¡± he hurriedly said. ¡°But I¡¯m wondering if it¡¯s a side-effect of something. Obviously, without your bio-screen tracking this radiation too, it¡¯s impossible to know. But, Callie, that table is, well, was made of bulletproof glass. It should have maybe spiderwebbed around impact, not shattered into a thousand pieces.¡± ¡°You think I somehow shattered that table.¡± It was a statement, not a question. Leo dipped his head. ¡°I¡¯m wondering what is actually going on with you. Your LaShoul¡¯s, specifically. This could be something that we haven¡¯t been able to detect and treat, because honestly, who would think to check for gamma radiation?¡± Leo was too excited about this. Anything science related was all but a turn-on for him. He barely paused for a breath before continuing, ¡°Obviously, having this information is helpful, but we need to figure out what to do with it. And to be able to have as much data as we can, I need to mod your screen.¡± He held out his hand, expectantly. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only take a few minutes.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t guaranteed that it won¡¯t blow my arm off,¡± I protested in jest. He gave me a dry look, and I raised my hands in defense as if to say, well, can you blame me? He wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand. I turned to face him fully and placed my left arm in it. He tapped through the settings menu on my screen before bringing his arm next to mine. He flicked through his own menu a moment before both our screens went dark. ¡°There,¡± he said smugly. ¡°That¡¯ll give you the same ¡®update¡¯ I gave mine. I had to code it very specifically, so that the rest of the company won¡¯t see it as meddling. They¡¯re pretty protective of their stuff.¡± ¡°But since you helped make this,¡± I assumed, ¡°then you know the work-arounds.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I stared at him a moment, his eyes alight with what I could only describe as glee. ¡°Now what?¡± He shrugged. ¡°We let the update finish. Should take another minute, maybe. And then we get you to break something else.¡± A short laugh burst out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I must have misheard you. Because I thought I just heard you say you want me to break something else, which is still implying that I broke your table. And that is bullshit.¡± ¡°I think you did.¡± ¡°How the hell would I have managed that?¡± I demanded. ¡°Fuck if I know. But we need to try.¡± His eyebrows wagged at me conspiratorially. ¡°For science.¡± I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. ¡°Fine,¡± I relented, letting the air out in a rush. I was such a push-over. He clapped his hands once, startling Lucie who immediately darted underneath my bed, and jumped up. ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ve got it all ready.¡± ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake,¡± I muttered under my breath. I followed him into the kitchen, where he had several glasses lined up along the counter. ¡°You want me to break those?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to try. But.¡± He pointed to a white bundle next to the glasses. ¡°You need to put that on first. So you don¡¯t get hurt again.¡± Without a word, I went over and put on what looked like some type of hazmat suit. It covered me from head to toe, and Leo even forced my feet into some weird boots of his that were a tripping hazard. ¡°This is going to suck,¡± I predicted. Over an hour later proved me right. I was tired, annoyed, and frustrated with the absence of any hint of progress and Leo¡¯s inability to just call it a night. And I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, because this whole thing was preposterous. There was no way that I had the ability to break glass without slamming it against something. This was never going to work, and I was done. Maybe a night of rest would open Leo¡¯s eyes to that. ¡°We can try again tomorrow,¡± I tried. I¡¯d promise almost anything at this point to be able to go to bed right now. Leo stood on the other side of the counter where his table used to be. He¡¯d spent the time waiting for me to perform some magic carefully picking up and disposing of the glass shards of the table. Until it was finished, Lucie would be barricaded in my room, and there was a reasonable chance I might wake up with an angry cat yowling in my face in the middle of the night. Not that she left my room at night normally, but she liked to have the option. ¡°Keep trying,¡± Leo insisted, not looking up. ¡°If this works the way I think it will, then it could be huge.¡± I went to rub at my eyes, which were becoming bleary with fatigue, but the stupid protective goggles were in my way. ¡°Come on, Leo. Please.¡± If I needed to start begging I would. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work.¡± ¡°But what if it does?¡± I held the glass up. ¡°What if I¡¯m able to shatter this glass with the thoughts in my head? You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? I¡¯m not some superhuman who can suddenly do magic, and this wouldn¡¯t even be the type I¡¯d want!¡± ¡°Keep. Trying.¡± ¡°No.¡± I put the glass down next to the other five perfectly intact glasses in front of me and crossed my arms. Leo paused in his work, then carefully stepped over to my side of the counter. He was effectively blocking my path now. I could go around him, but it was clear he might physically stop me. ¡°Callie.¡± With that one word, he demanded so much. ¡°Leo, I am exhausted. I¡¯m still recovering, and I don¡¯t want to play this stupid game of yours anymore! It didn¡¯t work. We¡¯ll try something else tomorrow.¡± I went to step around him, but he moved with me. ¡°Leo, move.¡± When he didn¡¯t budge, I tried again. Still, he didn¡¯t let me. I glared up at him and ripped the damn goggles off my head. ¡°You¡¯re really starting to piss me off,¡± I warned him. ¡°Get the fuck out of my way.¡± He crossed his arms, mirroring my stance. I saw red. ¡°Leo, I¡¯m not going to break those damn glasses, so just¡ª¡± I swept my arm out to the side, gesturing to the line of them. They shattered. Every one of them. Curious. I kept my arm extended, waving it around. Nope. Neither my arm nor my hand were currently close enough to knock into them. I tried again, sure that I had to be wrong. But I wasn¡¯t. The glass hadn¡¯t touched me, but my palm tingled slightly, that pins and needles sensation that drove me nuts when I woke up those rare mornings with a hand asleep. I chanced a look at Leo. I didn¡¯t know a human could smile so widely and with so many teeth. It was kind of creepy, honestly. ¡°Shut up,¡± I tried to snap. It came out weak and defeated. My limbs were suddenly heavy, eyes struggling to stay open. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was that little display with the glasses, the adrenaline or anger leaving my system, or whatever other nonsense was apparently coursing through my body. Finally, Leo let me walk past him. He didn¡¯t say a word as I stripped off the stupid protective wear as I left the kitchen, ripping it when it didn¡¯t remove easily. Back in my room, I locked the door behind me, fell face first onto my bed, and almost immediately fell asleep. Chapter 11 Leo was waiting for me in the kitchen the next morning. ¡°I¡¯m all out of party tricks,¡± I greeted grumpily. ¡°So don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to,¡± he promised. ¡°Coffee?¡± I nodded, and he pressed the buttons to make the machine start. My favorite mug already sat in place. If he was trying for a peace offering, this wouldn¡¯t cut it. I eyed him suspiciously as we waited in silence for my coffee to brew, the machine running quietly. He didn¡¯t meet my gaze, instead focusing on something on the tablet in front of him. After a few more awkward moments my coffee finished brewing, and I busied my hands with adding cinnamon and my creaming when I asked, ¡°So, what did you find out?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± I glanced over my shoulder at him, but his gaze was still focused downward. Holding my warm mug between my chilled fingers, I stepped up to him and looked at his screen. A plethora of stats was displayed there in different colors. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I finally asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. Or, I do know what happened. I just don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a scientific explanation for what happened.¡± There had to be, even if it was something we hadn¡¯t discovered yet. And by we, I mean Leo. ¡°Absolutely. Problem is, I can¡¯t figure it out.¡± I took a sip of my coffee. Perfect. ¡°Did you pull my stats?¡± ¡°Not yet. I wanted to ask first. I know I pushed you too far last night. And for that I owe you an apology. Again. But I had a suspicion that you¡¯d have to get mad again for it to work, like you did the first time with the table. But if I told you what I was doing¡ª¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have worked,¡± I finished for him. I let out a long sigh, trying to let my lingering anger dissipate with it. I was partially successful. ¡°I¡¯m sure anger isn¡¯t the only trigger,¡± he continued, ¡°but it was the only one that I knew worked. But, with your permission, I¡¯d like to take a look at what your bio-screen picked up on, and compare it to mine.¡± I held out my arm in invitation, and he picked up his tablet to hold over my screen. They linked, and Leo downloaded the information that he wanted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it that way to get my data, right?¡± I asked, curious. ¡°No. But it¡¯s the easiest. Plus, this way it¡¯s not being uploaded to the internet. These screens are just a monitoring device, and not used for any formal diagnosis yet. So that means that the data is uploaded to the company server just once a month. And...¡± He paused for a moment, bringing the tablet close to my arm again. ¡°Not that I want to keep this from my father¡¯s own company, but I think it would be best for right now if you and I are the only ones who know about this little secret.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± I agreed warily. I started considering what that could mean, if this information was relayed to people who would consider making me live in a lab. I shuddered with a chill. ¡°I fudged your stats, and put normal ones in place of what happened last night. Since you had an incident right before you ended up in the hospital last week, I¡¯m leaving that one alone. I can guarantee they already have that information from the doctor. Though what they¡¯ll do with it, if anything, I¡¯m not sure. My mods are better for this sort of thing, and they can¡¯t see them.¡± He seemed pretty smug about that. It made me wonder again what the falling out between him and his father had been years ago. Leo had alluded to it plenty, but I hadn¡¯t pried. It wasn¡¯t my business, and seemed like a touchy subject. If Leo wanted to tell me, then he would.. ¡°Well, science man, let me know if you find anything interesting.¡± Leo just nodded, completely absorbed in his work. I made breakfast for both of us, as a sort of acceptance of his earlier apology. He could be a bit abrasive or rude at times in his single-minded pursuit for information, though I vowed for it not to become a habit with me. I¡¯d hold him accountable and call his ass out each and every time. An hour later, and half his breakfast mindlessly picked at, Leo dropped his head to the countertop and groaned. My heart sank. What did he find out? It clearly wasn¡¯t good news. Unless it was right in front of his face the entire time, and he was just mad at himself? ¡°Leo?¡± I asked cautiously from my place on the couch. ¡°You okay over there?¡± ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m just too stupid.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not true. Like, at all. Bring it over here.¡± I patted the cushion next to me. ¡°Explain it.¡± Leo muttered to himself under his breath as he came over, though I couldn¡¯t make out what he said. He handed me the tablet, which I took gingerly in both hands¡ªit was expensive tech, based on the brand name, and I didn¡¯t want to mess up what Leo had been doing by accidentally touching the wrong buttons¡ªand looked down at the numbers. My bio-screen¡¯s stats were pulled up alongside his, thankfully labelled with our names. I compared the two, noting individual differences like heart rate, oxygen, and a number of other stats. The ones in red, Leo¡¯s mods, were the most interesting. His gamma radiation levels were significantly lower than mine. Where mine spiked high very quickly before dropping, his lasted just a couple or a few seconds longer. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Huh.¡± What else could I say? That I totally didn¡¯t see the significance of this information? Because I didn¡¯t. Nothing else was¡­ Carefully, I scrolled back up to the top, comparing my stats to themselves both before and after the gamma spike. Some things, like my heart rate, stayed elevated for a few moments, but others, like my blood pressure, dropped. It didn¡¯t go low in a dangerous way, but it looked¡­healthier? That was the best way I could describe it. I was used to hearing my blood pressure was a bit on the high side from all my appointments leading up to my diagnosis, but that one looked¡­good. I searched through the others, seeing if I noticed a similar, or opposite trend. My blood oxygen level increased from 99% to a whopping 100%, too small a change to be significant, but some others improved slightly. Not a lot, to be sure, but¡­there was the slightest difference. Looking at Leo¡¯s stats, I didn¡¯t notice any changes. I handed the tablet back to him, considering it all. When he finally spoke, it startled me a little bit. ¡°You see it?¡± he asked. ¡°I saw a few things. Our gamma spikes were different, which means something. And some of my stats got better afterwards. Yours didn¡¯t,¡± I summarized. ¡°That¡¯s what I found. But there¡¯s nothing that I¡¯ve found that tells me where the gamma spike came from, or why it helped you but not me.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a reason for it. We just haven¡¯t found it yet.¡± I was aiming for reassuring, but Leo just looked more troubled. ¡°I think this is going to take longer than I hoped to figure out.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± He sighed, leaning back against the couch and letting his head fall back. ¡°Because I think more of those weird instances need to happen first.¡± ¡°You mean breaking the glass?¡± I asked hesitantly. I wanted him to say no, though his response wasn¡¯t exactly what I hoped for. ¡°Not necessarily. I think there¡¯s probably other things that can happen besides glass breaking. We just haven¡¯t seen it yet. And I have no idea how to get it to happen again, either. I¡¯m not going to just try to get you mad all the time. I also wonder if it¡¯s a you thing. Or is it a LaShoul¡¯s thing? Is it something else?¡± He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°I just don¡¯t know Callie. It¡¯s killing me.¡± ¡°Oh, is it, now?¡± I teased. Morbid jokes about our impending deaths were usually more creative than that, but it¡¯s all I had at the moment. I watched his eyes roll. ¡°Yes. This might kill me first.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± He shrugged. ¡°We wait. Either you''ll have another weird phenomenon, or maybe next time it will be me, or it won¡¯t happen again at all and we¡¯ll be back at the beginning.¡± ¡°Because we have all the time in the world to wait,¡± I said dryly.
I thought that I would have a nice, relaxing day at home with my books and my cat to take full advantage of what little PTO I had left to use. I¡¯d hoarded it just for this purpose, and I was immensely glad I did. I felt well-rested and was confident I¡¯d have no problem going back to work next week. Leo was working on our stats again, running some program he came up with to see if there was anything that we had missed. I¡¯d opted to stay in my room, out of his way, in part for his own sanity, and in part to save me from the tirades he occasionally went on. But then I got an email. I didn¡¯t usually notice my email. A few years ago I had finally gotten fed up enough with all the marketing and spam emails that I set up my inbox to automatically sort through things. I¡¯d set up a folder and a filter for each store or company so that when I wanted, or more accurately needed, to go shopping, it was easy for me to find a coupon or five. But that was for my primary account, the one I gave out to stores, free trials of things, social media accounts, and the like. However, I had a separate email that I considered my ¡°professional¡± one, even though I didn¡¯t really consider myself a professional. This one was reserved for job applications, work communications, and anything relating to government or banking accounts. And it was that one that pinged with a message. It took opening the email and reading the first several lines for me to remember that I had signed up for the LaShoul¡¯s study with the company Alex worked for. I scanned through the email, noting their acceptance of my application, some brief explanations and summaries of what I could expect, and a separate link at the bottom to sign up for an orientation slot. Before just going for it, I gave Alex a call. I couldn¡¯t remember if he was working or not, but figured he wouldn¡¯t answer if he was busy. ¡°Hey, Callie,¡± he greeted me after the third ring. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Oh, you know,¡± I answered, waving a nonchalant hand in the air that he could absolutely not see. ¡°The usual. How¡¯re you? Up to anything exciting today?¡± ¡°Just work. So, no.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t remember you worked today,¡± I apologized, preparing to hang up. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I have a bit of down time right now while I wait for this diagnostic program to run. It can take a while, depending where the issue is. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Were you planning on asking me out on our next date?¡± He sounded hopeful, and I laughed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t, but that¡¯s actually not a bad idea. But hold onto that thought. I got the email from your company about the study. I was curious if you got an answer, too.¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± He took less than a minute to get back to me. ¡°Yeah, they accepted me. Nice. That¡¯ll be a good little bonus. You get accepted, too?¡± ¡°Mhmm. They have different orientation times. So, Alex, would you like to sign up for the same time as me?¡± I asked in a flirty tone, amused with myself. ¡°We can make it a date.¡± He laughed, the sound washing over me and sending a chill down my spine. He had a nice laugh. Warm, slightly rumbly. Get your head out of the clouds, I chided myself. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s take a look,¡± he suggested. I put him on speaker and switched back to the email, tapping on the link to pull up the sign-up sheet. The orientations were oddly soon, starting later today and going all week to accommodate everyone¡¯s days off. ¡°Where is this place located?¡± I wondered aloud, noting the address but having no idea where exactly in the city it was. ¡°It¡¯s actually the same building I work in.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than one?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a small campus of buildings,¡± he answered idly. ¡°I can actually make the one tonight at seven, if you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see me, huh?¡± I teased. ¡°Well, if I disagreed, I¡¯d be lying,¡± he answered. I felt a flush creep up my cheeks and I was grateful he didn¡¯t see. I was really starting to like Alex, definitely more than just a friend. Sure, he was easy to talk to and we had things in common like any good friendship, but it was more than that. And I was happy to have someone who I knew returned those same feelings and made a point to make me feel seen. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Seven. And then an actual date afterwards?¡± I suggested. ¡°Yes. Maybe I¡¯ll show you around where I spend my days. Maybe then I can convince you to join me.¡± I grinned, recalling his offer to get me a job there. ¡°Perfect.¡± ¡°Wear layers,¡± he added. ¡°It gets cold there to keep the machines from overheating.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside the building. Call me if you get lost; it can be tricky. Oh, and take the three train to twenty-fourth street. It¡¯s actually closer than the four train on twentieth.¡± That meant I¡¯d have to transfer, since the three train didn¡¯t stop nearby. But I¡¯d figure it out. That¡¯s what the internet was for. ¡°Any other helpful tips?¡± ¡°Wear comfy shoes.¡± I laughed again. ¡°Yes, mom.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll thank me later,¡± he answered. I could hear the grin in his voice. ¡°Ah, shit. I hoped it was literally any other problem.¡± ¡°Have fun at work.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± he answered blandly. ¡°At least I have something tonight to look forward to.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Chapter 12 The buildings didn¡¯t match each other. Some were traditional and old, their gray stone carved with intricate designs that were most likely replicas of the original. Others were masterpieces of metal and glass spearing up into the sky, smooth curves and sharp edges. The one I was bound for was one of the latter, the black metal frame sleek and simple, dark windows reflective. I could almost see myself in it as clearly as a mirror, and I quickly checked my outfit for the fifth time. I¡¯d decided on a thrifted mid-length skirt that brushed my knees and plain lavender shirt, a jacket draped over my arm. I thought it looked nice, not too casual or too fancy for this ¡°date¡± with Alex. I spotted him a quarter of a block away at the doors to the building. Alex¡¯s face lit up as he saw me, and he met me partway and wrapped me in a hug. ¡°Hey, you,¡± he said against my hair. ¡°Hi.¡± It came out muffled against his shoulder. ¡°Ready?¡± He pulled back and quickly checked the time. ¡°We only have a couple minutes to spare. It¡¯s a bit of a trek.¡± ¡°Ready.¡± He led the way and I let my eyes wander. It didn¡¯t really look like a campus from here, but like the first time we met, he filled our walk with idle chatter. ¡°This used to be a small college,¡± he began, gesturing to the building looming over us before opening the door for me. The air that blasted out was freezing cold, and I quickly pulled on my jacket I¡¯d brought. There was a front desk made of what looked like black marble, with several stations that stood empty. A sign propped up next to the long desk welcomed us to the orientation and pointed the way towards the elevators. ¡°There are five buildings here, six if you count the parking garage. In the middle of them, on the other side of this building, is a really nice green space in the early spring and autumn. Though in the summer the grass gets dry and rough, and everyone avoids is. It is pretty, at least. But it¡¯s great to get some fresh air during lunch. I¡¯ll show you if it¡¯s not too late when the orientation is done.¡± Our shoes echoed off the white floors that glittered subtly, the sound reverberating against the stories-high ceiling. The windows behind us had a crystal clear view of the street outside, and I was glad this place was empty so no one had seem me check myself out again. We passed an empty security checkpoint, the gate wide open, though I could guarantee there was a security guard watching us right now. ¡°This is the building I work in, though I¡¯ll sometimes bounce over to others if they¡¯re short-staffed that day. There¡¯s a lot that this company works on, though obviously I picked the LaShoul¡¯s department.¡± ¡°How big is the department?¡± He shrugged. ¡°We have our own department head; others have one head that covers multiple. So, bigger than some others?¡± he estimated. ¡°We¡¯re heading up to the higher floors.¡± We reached the elevators and he pressed the button. I remembered reading that the meeting was on the fifteenth one, and had seen it again on the welcome sign by the desk. ¡°How many floors is for the department?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s five, though some of the higher ups, the department heads and their assistants, might be on a higher floor closer to their bosses. I¡¯ve never come across their offices, so I can¡¯t say for sure, though that¡¯s not where my job leads me anyways.¡± I nodded along as the elevator dinged in front of us, the doors sliding open soundlessly. I stepped inside and immediately crammed myself into a corner, holding onto the railing with both hands. The doors slid shut after Alex hit the button for floor fifteen, and we began ascending. Alex noticed. ¡°You don¡¯t like elevators?¡± ¡°Heights,¡± I answered tersely. He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the doors. He placed his hands on my biceps, rubbing tiny circles with his thumbs. ¡°So, how do you plan to fly in a plane to travel the world if you don¡¯t like heights?¡± ¡°There¡¯s boats,¡± I replied. ¡°And drugs.¡± He tossed his head back and laughed. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The elevator came to a stop, the doors opening once again. Right in front of the elevators was another welcome sign with directions to the room where the orientation will be held. ¡°How many people do you think will be here tonight?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out.¡± We turned a corner in the hallway and spotted a young blond woman in a tailored sage green suit standing outside of a room with a clipboard. ¡°Alex, cutting it a little close, are we?¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if she was serious or not. ¡°Aw, give me a break,¡± he answered easily. ¡°I wanted to make sure Callie here didn¡¯t get lost.¡± The woman stuck out her hand to me, catching me off guard. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I grabbed it. Her fingers were freezing. ¡°Lola,¡± she introduced. ¡°Nice to meet you, Callie.¡± She turned to Alex. ¡°Well, go on. I got you both checked in. Find a seat. There¡¯s folders at each table.¡± I followed Alex in, taking in the room and the fifty or so people already seated. Long tables of dark wood were arranged lecture-style, all facing the same direction, the chairs simple with their black sleekness. The wall of windows opposite of the door was covered in closed black blinds. I was grateful that I didn¡¯t see how far up from the ground we were. The walls were a warm white color, leaning more towards yellow than blue. ¡°There.¡± Alex pointed across the room, where a table was half-empty. ¡°We can sit together over there.¡± He tugged on my hand and I had to hurry after him or risk being dragged. We sat down just as someone walked to the front of the room. He was older, probably mid-forties, with a receding hairline that he failed to hide with what hair he had left. He took off his navy suit jacket, draping it over the podium stationed at the front. I spotted Lola closing the door behind her as she entered, taking a seat off to the side and crossing one long leg over the other. ¡°Good evening,¡± the man greeted from the front in a booming voice. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Aaron Goodwin, and I¡¯m the Principal Investigator, or PI, for this year¡¯s study. You¡¯ve all got your packets in front of you, and we¡¯ll get to that in a bit, but there¡¯s a few things I¡¯d like to share with you all about the company. ¡°First, this is the eighth study we¡¯ve conducted in the past forty years. That averages out to one study every five years, though sometimes it fluctuates. My team has spent the last four years reviewing the last study we conducted, looking for trends, causes, any manner of information that we can use to help find a cure or figure out where this is coming from.¡± He paused, walking across the front of the room as he looked out at his audience. His gaze travelled to our table, and he seemed to give Alex a subtle nod before looking at me. I glanced down quickly at the packet in front of me, uncomfortable with the attention. Thankfully, he continued with his speech, ¡°As most of you already know, the cause of LaShoul¡¯s is unknown. We¡¯ve looked at genotypes, blood types, environmental factors, you name it, we¡¯ve looked at it. This year, however, we¡¯re looking at some new variables that are dependent on the history of an individual. There will be a number of surveys that you will be filling out to help categorize how you have lived your lives. There is no right or wrong answers to these, but you¡¯ll be sorted into different focus groups based on how you answer these questions. From there, you¡¯ll be asked even more detailed questions. ¡°At any point, you are welcome to leave the study. You are by no means legally obligated to finish; I want to make that clear. But if you do choose to bow out, you will forfeit the monetary compensation for your time. There is no sliding scale based on how far you make it. It¡¯s all or nothing. Because if a person doesn¡¯t finish, then we will select another candidate from the wait list and start over. This is information that we need to make progress towards our goal, and incomplete data will not help us.¡± Alex leaned in closer to me. ¡°Most people have no problem finishing the studies,¡± he told me. It put me at ease a little bit, though I hadn¡¯t really been worried about it to begin with. I was grateful, and lucky, that I could afford my bills. Though it was much easier living with someone who refused to let me pay rent. ¡°This is the first year there will be a secondary study,¡± he continued. Alex straightened suddenly, apparently hearing this for the first time. ¡°Some of you, based on participation, demographic, and other criteria, will be invited to that second stage. This focuses on expected lifespan, symptom management, that sort of thing. We think of this first study as the cause, and the second study as the effect. While we want to find out the cause so that we can work on a cure, we cannot ignore the fact that a cure is likely a long ways away still. Looking into how to reduce the flare-up frequency, length, and severity to improve the quality of life is also something we¡¯d like to look into more deeply. We¡¯re hopeful that we will be able to make progress more quickly to help people live a better, happier life until that cure is found.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I took a moment to glance over at Alex. He was transfixed on Dr. Goodwin, seeming to hang onto his every word. It made sense; Alex wanted to make a difference, and maybe this would be how he did it. I couldn¡¯t help my own rising excitement at the same idea; it¡¯s why I had applied for the clinical trial of the bio-screen, after all. Dr. Goodwin continued on, discussing in detail the requirements; some surveys could be taken at home on any device, but some were more sensitive and to be sure information was kept private, would have to be completed on campus. We¡¯d be divided into different groups based on our answers to the first survey, which we would all complete before leaving tonight. Dr. Goodwin didn¡¯t tell us how we would be sorted, and a zing of uneasiness rushed through me. I didn¡¯t want to be separated from Alex, I realized. I wanted the reassurance of his presence in this. But I could be a big girl, I reminded myself. I was twenty-four and fully capable of being an adult who did adult things. Taking a survey on my own would be absolutely fine. So why was I still nervous? Lola walked around then, a stack of papers in hand. She paused at each table, handing out a packet and small card to each person. When she got to Alex and I, she asked for my name again, and handed both Alex and I cards with our name and an identifying number that we were required to use on all surveys. It would ensure the efficacy of the study. The packet was the survey we would complete at the end of the orientation, which I hoped was soon. My stomach was beginning to rumble since I¡¯d only had a quick, small dinner before coming here. The presentation continued for another thirteen minutes and by the end of it I had lost all concentration ability. My stomach was the new number one priority, and I hoped Alex was up for a bite to eat. Then I remembered that he wanted to show me around a bit. Crap. I stared down at the survey in front of me. There were pencils in front of each of us, and I grabbed mine and got to work. Most of them were pretty easy, and they were all multiple choice. My gender, current age, age of diagnosis, those types of questions were mindless. But the ones asking how I would rate a number of things in my life, like my ability to complete daily tasks the week immediately following an episode, were a little more difficult. It really depended on the severity of the attack, and it seemed like each one got worse and worse. Even with my struggles answering some questions, I still finished before Alex. Following the lead of others around me, I tucked my identifying card into the small bag I¡¯d brought and took the survey back up to Lola. She gave me a nod, and I returned to my seat next to Alex just in time for my stomach to protest. Loudly. I sighed and crossed my arms. Maybe if I pressed down hard enough on my abdomen, it would shut it up. Alex¡¯s slight smirk didn¡¯t escape me. He finished his own survey in the next minute and then we were thankfully leaving. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad, huh?¡± ¡°They could have offered us some snacks, at least,¡± I griped, half-serious. Alex tossed an arm across my shoulders. ¡°Good thing we¡¯re free to get some food.¡± ¡°Alex!¡± Dr. Goodwin¡¯s voice called after Alex, and we stopped. ¡°Free, are we?¡± Alex dropped his arm from my shoulders and pinched my side in response to my complaining. ¡°Hey, Doctor,¡± Alex greeted warmly after turning around and walking back towards him. I followed but hung back, unsure if my presence was okay or not. ¡°Good to see you. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve applied,¡± Dr. Goodwin said. ¡°Of course I would. I¡¯m happy to help,¡± Alex answered. ¡°This is Callie. I convinced her to apply, too.¡± I stepped forward, now a part of the conversation. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Callie,¡± Dr. Goodwin said, extending his hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too, Dr. Goodwin,¡± I answered, taking his hand. It was a bit rough and dry, like he did a lot with his hands and washed them too much. I suppose that made sense, if he was conducting research and doing experiments. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be helping in any way I can.¡± ¡°Very generous of you,¡± he answered. ¡°I know your time is invaluable. Though I¡¯m glad I caught you. Alex here came to me asking about a job for a new friend of his, should she be interested. And, well, we¡¯re always looking for people with different talents. Alex says you work well with people?¡± I was caught off guard. Alex had talked to him about a job for me? My feelings were mixed. On the one hand, I was grateful that Alex was putting feelers out for me in an attempt to help. On the other, it seemed a bit odd that he¡¯d do that without me giving him an answer about it. It took me a few seconds for my brain to fumble around before finding a response. ¡°Y-yes, you could say that,¡± I managed. I cleared my throat to buy a moment of time, and it was enough to get my head on somewhat straight again. ¡°While my job is just selling jewelry and accessories, being able to read a customer, and quickly, can make or break a sale. Noticing what draws their eye, any brands they gravitate to, it matters.¡± ¡°Lovely,¡± the doctor answered with a loud clap of his hands. ¡°Well, Callie, we have several different types of jobs available at the moment. As far as at-home one go, which tend to work best for others with LaShoul¡¯s, there¡¯s only one opening. When we conduct interviews, we record them and have AI put it to text. Under normal circumstances there¡¯s never a problem with the AI¡¯s translation, but since we interview many patients after an episode, especially ones participating in our studies, their words can be slightly unclear, mumbled, hoarse, that sort of thing. That¡¯s where the team comes in, reviewing the recording and comparing it to the AI¡¯s assessment. ¡°But if you¡¯re good working with people, we also have another team that conducts the interviews. It¡¯s very straightforward since there¡¯s a script we follow, though different answers will mean you¡¯d ask slightly different questions. And, of course, there¡¯s more than that. There is some required travel to other cities occasionally if we need to fill in or are looking at a different region, but all those expenses are covered. But you come across to me as the type of person people can easily talk to, which makes a big difference. You¡¯re not intimidating, or condescending, at least from what I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s¡ªI mean, I¡ª¡± Dr. Goodwin chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be throwing so much information at you right after orientation. Here.¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card from his wallet. ¡°Call me tomorrow, and we¡¯ll set up a meeting to talk about it more. I really think you¡¯d be a perfect fit here.¡± ¡°I¡ªyes, thank you, I will,¡± I stuttered, taking the card from him. He flashed me and Alex a smile, and went back into the room. ¡°Uh, Alex? What just happened?¡± I slowly turned my head to look at him, feeling befuddled. ¡°You just got offered a job, basically. One you get to pick, no less.¡± ¡°Why? That wasn¡¯t even, like, a legit interview,¡± I pointed out. Alex shrugged one shoulder. ¡°Dr. Goodwin has a way with people. Don¡¯t ask me how, but he can pick out the good ones. You just have to trust him. You¡¯re one of us.¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°One of the good ones. Almost everyone he¡¯s singled out for a job here is still with the company.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Now, I know I said I¡¯d show you around, but I think your stomach has other plans.¡± Just alluding to food had my mouth watering. ¡°Yes, it does.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you to my favorite taco truck. They¡¯re usually open until nine.¡± Alex told me more about the buildings and company as we walked. Dr. Goodwin was very involved, doubling as the head of the department as well as being the PI. He also liked to be involved in everyone¡¯s hiring process, whether that be on the interview team or actively recruiting people, like in my case. ¡°He has to make people feel important,¡± I commented. Alex nodded in agreement. ¡°It makes working for him, with him, so much easier. He knows everyone by name. I can promise you, Callie, he¡¯ll remember your name the next time you see him. And I have to ask. What¡¯re your thoughts about a job here?¡± ¡°I would really love for it to be perfect for me,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I have to say I¡¯m a little scared, too.¡± ¡°I get it. The devil you know, and all that.¡± We reached the taco truck and got in line. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in right now, too. But maybe talking to him tomorrow, getting some more details, will help you make your decision. Sleep on it.¡± I contemplated the wisdom of his words while also perusing the menu, deciding on one fish taco with a mango salsa and another beef taco that was dripping with cheese. After we ordered, paid, and stood off to the side to wait, I finally had a response. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± was all I had. ¡°I can¡¯t make a decision without knowing more.¡± Just then, my phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I fished it out. It was a message from Leo, and I opened it. Leo: Whenever you get back, I have something I want to show you. Me: Might be a while yet. But okay. Leo: Make sure he at least sees you on your train home! Me: How do you even know that¡¯s who I¡¯m with right now? Maybe I¡¯m out clubbing with another stranger. Leo: Please. You¡¯d never. Well, now I had to. Not right now, obviously. Some day. Maybe. Just to prove him wrong. I didn¡¯t respond, and looked back up to see Alex looking at me. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized. ¡°Roommate.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°He can be a bit¡­much, sometimes. Like an overprotective brother,¡± I tried to explain. Alex didn¡¯t look like he believed me, but nodded anyway. Our order was called out, and I rejoiced inwardly. Food. I took a bite and had to stop the moan that tried to work its way up my throat. ¡°Holy shit,¡± I said around a mouthful. ¡°Right?¡± Alex answered, his mouth also full of taco. ¡°Told you.¡± We ate in silence after that, too engrossed in our tacos. Finishing two of these monstrosities was impossible, but I managed more than half of both. The rest would be coming home with me as tomorrow¡¯s lunch. When we were both finished with our food, we began wandering the streets aimlessly, doing a little window-shopping at stores neither of us could ever afford. We discussed the books I¡¯d told him he needed to read, a feeling of contentment slowly washing over me. And with that contentment, I became more sure of what I wanted to ask him. ¡°Alex.¡± I stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at him. ¡°What are we?¡± It was a very blunt question, sure, but I needed to know where this was going. If I needed to guard my heart, then I would. Even though he¡¯d kissed me once before, that didn¡¯t mean he wanted a relationship. He looked a bit nervous. ¡°What do you want it to be?¡± I looked down the street as I contemplated how to answer. Did I have an answer? Yes. But I wasn¡¯t sure how to say it. So, instead, I gave a little shrug and looked back at him. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be anything,¡± I said honestly. ¡°But I¡¯d like us to be on the same page about this.¡± I gestured between us. Alex nodded, taking in my words. It was a relief that he was contemplating and not immediately shooting me down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to rush into anything that you aren¡¯t ready for.¡± I stepped closer to him. ¡°What if I am ready for something?¡± He took a step closer. Our bodies were almost touching. ¡°Are you?¡± Instead of continuing this back and forth dance, I decided to just go for it. ¡°Yes. So tell me, Alex. Are we officially together, then?¡± Instead of answering with words, he reached up to hold the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair, and pressed his lips to mine. It started as a sweet, careful kiss. But when I rose up on my toes and grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him closer, things started getting heated. Reluctantly, I pulled back, watching his expression closely. His pupils were blown wide, his breathing heavier than it had been a minute ago. I grinned, triumphant. ¡°I guess that answers my question.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hope so.¡± His voice was lower, a bit rougher. I liked it. And I liked knowing that I could affect him like he affected me. ¡°It¡¯s getting late.¡± The shadows were fading quickly, the dark of night hovering over us. ¡°I need to find a subway and head home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll walk you.¡± He reached out to grab my hand, and together found the nearest station. He waited with me for my train, giving me another kiss as it pulled up. ¡°Call me tomorrow,¡± he requested, his arms still wrapped around me. ¡°I want to hear about your conversation with Dr. Goodwin, too.¡± ¡°I will. Goodnight, Alex.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Callie.¡± I was so caught up in my own little world that by the time I got home and snuck into my room, I had completely forgotten that Leo wanted to show me something. Chapter 13 Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Callie.¡± I rolled over, my legs tangling in my sheets, and glared at the time on my phone. I¡¯d taken the rest of my sick and PTO time this week to get more rest, not to be waken up by Leo pounding on my door at seven eighteen in the morning. ¡°Go away,¡± I half-heartedly yelled back. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. ¡°WHAT!¡± ¡°Get up!¡± ¡°Give me one good reason to!¡± ¡°I can do it, too.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± I grumbled, already rolling over to try to go back to sleep. A pause. I wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d walked away, hoping that I¡¯d get up to confront him, or was figuring out how to answer. ¡°Your fancy glass smash thing. Well, not that, exactly. It¡¯s different.¡± ¡°What?¡± That got me out of bed. As quickly as I could, I took care of morning necessities before charging out my door into the living room. Leo stood with his back to me. I crossed my arms across my chest, regretting not grabbing my robe or a blanket. It seemed as though autumn was nearly here, the temperatures cooler than normal. Our heating system was just turning on, the smell of burning dust slowly permeating the air, the quiet whoosh the only sound as I stared slightly impatiently at Leo¡¯s back. After about thirty seconds of waiting, I walked closer, ready to shove at Leo for leaving me hanging like that. Then I saw it. Hovering in the air a few yards in front of him was a coffee mug. A full coffee mug, actually, the cinnamon sprinkled on top swirling around chaotically. Leo¡¯s right hand was extended, and as I watched, he slowly urged the mug closer to him, curling his fingers in a beckoning motion repeatedly. Intriguing. I stepped closer to Leo and watched attentively. Even when he curled his fingers, the mug continued to drift toward him. Was the hand motion actually affecting the mug¡¯s movement, or was is a mental help for Leo? Did he even need to raise his arm at all? From what stories I¡¯d read that included telekinesis, many could move objects just with their thoughts. Though that was all purely fiction. At least, up until now. And as far as I knew. More importantly, when in the fucking hell had this happened? The desire to slap Leo upside the head was strong. I crossed my arms tighter. This was so not something to just casually bring up over breakfast. This was a case of cancel everything immediately and check this out right now. Is this what he had wanted to show me about last night? He could have given me any sort of hint that this was what it was! My mind had immediately gone to something with the bio-screens, not some newfound, up-until-recently-purely-fictional power. Seriously. Once the coffee mug was within grabbing distance¡ªwith physical hands¡ªI asked in a light tone, ¡°What in the ever-loving fuck, Leo?¡± It was a loaded question, multiple inquiries layered together in that one sentence. Whether it was the question or my nearness that startled him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Losing the hold on the mug, it plummeted towards the ground. I reached out a hand to try to catch it, somehow not having predicted Leo¡¯s strong reaction. I shouldn¡¯t have been able to catch it. But in the blink of an eye, it was in my hand. Not a single drop of coffee was spilled. We both blinked at the mug I held. It was still warm, steam lightly wafting up from the surface. Tentatively, I took a sip. Leo drank his coffee black, but this was exactly how I liked mine prepared. It was deliciously warm, the cinnamon a sweet spice on my tongue. ¡°Did you just¡­?¡± Leo trailed off, still eyeing the mug. I shrugged. ¡°Ninja reflexes?¡± I suggested in jest. He didn¡¯t move for several more moments. And then, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Since we didn¡¯t have a dining table to sit down at, I instead made my way over to the bar stools on the peninsula island and waited. Leo wasn¡¯t gone long, returning with his computer and settling into the stool next to me. He positioned his computer between us and pulled up a program. ¡°Can I see your screen, Callie?¡± he asked. ¡°I need to cross check things.¡± Since he was to my left, it was easy for me to reach my arm out, granting permission, while still enjoying my coffee with my right. Leo then pulled up a side-by-side comparison of our stats. His appeared in purple here, too, and I was reminded that I wanted mine to be a fun new color, as well. Maybe a sea foam green? Dusky sunset orange? ¡°This is the last five minutes.¡± He pointed to parts of the screen, focusing on the gamma reading again. So far, it seemed that was the key. Or at least what was giving us the most information. Leo¡¯s was a pretty steady plateau well above the normal range. Mine also increased, though wasn¡¯t as strong until a sudden, higher spike appeared at the tail end. His faded off relatively quickly, and mine was over in a flash. ¡°You have theories.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question; I knew he had at least some idea. Especially now that he could somehow make objects fly through the air. ¡°It¡¯s connected to the gamma.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± I interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t be snarky. I need to keep my thoughts straight. This is as much for my benefit as it¡¯s meant to explain it to you.¡± I crossed my arms, leaning them on the counter, a picture of perfect attention. Leo¡¯s side-eye burned the side of my face. I schooled my expression into one of innocence. My lips quivered every so slightly, and I gave up on stopping my smile when he let out a frustrated-sounding huff. ¡°So, gamma,¡± I prompted. ¡°I think this is coming from me. This is when you come up next to me, scaring the ever-living daylights out of me.¡± He pointed to his steady line and then my lower incline. I nodded along to let him know to continue. ¡°This spike is when you caught the mug. Somehow.¡± I agreed; it looked too identical to what we¡¯d seen when I¡¯d smashed the table to smithereens to be anything else. ¡°So is gamma the cause or a side effect?¡± I wondered. ¡°This seems kind of¡­reactionary to me. I would expect an earlier spike before whatever fancy-shmancy shit we¡¯ve somehow figured out how to do.¡± I wiggled my fingers at him like I was casting some sort of witchy spell. ¡°And that¡¯s a whole other can of worms.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re right; the gamma is happening as a result of something else.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°But what is that something else?¡± ¡°That, I can¡¯t say. Yet,¡± he tacked on confidently. ¡°There¡¯s definitely an explanation. We just need to find it.¡± ¡°I have another question. How the fuck do you have such good control? And why is yours different? That was seriously some of the coolest shit I think I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡± My tone was a bit whiny, but who could blame me? There wouldn¡¯t bet be many instances in the rest of my short life where I would need to smash bulletproof glass. Unless I took up a new hobby in robbery, it was useless. But telekinesis? Now that was incredible. It would make things so much easier if I could lay in bed all snuggled up under my covers with my old, battered books and turn the pages with my freaking mind. ¡°I, uhm.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I might have stayed up all night practicing.¡± Was I slacking, then? Not unless I wanted to destroy every single mug, cup, vase, and whatever else in the apartment. And what would the point be anyways? I hadn¡¯t decided to start a criminal escapade through the city in the last five seconds. ¡°How did you even figure this out?¡± ¡°It was a lot like you catching the mug. Something fell, I tried to grab it, and it just¡­hovered. In mid-air. I was so shocked that after a second it bounced off the ground, but then I started trying again. It was sort of like¡­a hidden door? Like this was always there, but buried somewhere and covered in vines and shit to hide it. Then the door was¡­there. Still hard to get to, I mean. But.¡± He shrugged, still staring at the stats on display in front of us. ¡°I combed through everything my screen picked up already. It seemed the same as yours.¡± We sat in silence, considering. My brain was trying to process all of this at a speed faster than I could put words to. ¡°What do we do with this information?¡± I finally asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. If we keep it to ourselves, that¡¯s probably safest for us. I have no idea what would happen if we shared all this with with my father¡¯s company. Undoubtedly lots of tests. Probably admitted somewhere.¡± That was extremely unappealing. ¡°At the same time, I¡¯m only one person and I have no idea what I should be looking for. Answers will be slow to come, if at all.¡± ¡°Do you think this plays into LaShoul¡¯s? Or is it something different and unrelated?¡± ¡°Honestly? It could be either at this point. LaShoul¡¯s is the biggest thing we have in common, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the only thing. Maybe LaShoul¡¯s is the side effect of whatever this is? Though that doesn¡¯t exactly track, does it? We should have seen more instances of this kind of thing happening if it were. I¡¯ll do some digging, see if my father has any record of something similar.¡± He nodded his head once, confidently. ¡°I¡¯ll bring up gamma with him, somehow. See if we can get some more information, or run some tests or something.¡± ¡°So¡­until then, we¡¯ll just keep it quiet?¡± I asked. ¡°Wait and see what you can dig up?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s the wisest course of action, personally. What are your thoughts?¡± I was a little surprised. Normally, Leo made decisions about things and I just tagged along with them. In this instance, though, it affected me just as much as him. It made sense that he¡¯d asked me. But I hadn¡¯t been ready with an answer. After stalling for a few moments by swirling the dregs of my coffee around in the mug, I answered, ¡°I think we should put a time limit on this secret. If we don¡¯t get our answers on our own by a certain date, we bring it up to the company.¡± When Leo didn¡¯t answer right away, I quickly elaborated, ¡°As much as I don¡¯t want to get stuck in a lab somewhere for the rest of my life¡­I also don¡¯t want to take this secret to the grave if it could help others. It really could be connected to LaShoul¡¯s.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll pick a date,¡± he agreed. ¡°But maybe¡­if one of us dies before that date, the other should take it to the company. Immediately.¡± I could get behind that. I told Leo as much, and then asked, ¡°Okay, going back to my earlier question. Why do you get the cool thing and I get breaking glass?¡± Leo laughed, some of the heaviness of the conversation falling away at my change in subject. ¡°I have no idea. Though what do you call you catching that mug earlier? You didn¡¯t shatter it, and there should have been no way you could have caught it before it hit the ground.¡± Huh. I hadn¡¯t thought about that, so tied up in Leo¡¯s fancy party trick. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Leo closed his computer and stood up from his stool. ¡°Someone stayed up all night playing around and needs a nap.¡± He pointed to himself, and then pointed to me. ¡°You should see about that mug-catching trick.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°What worked for me was trying to remember something I¡¯d forgotten. You know that feeling, when you know it¡¯s there but it takes that extra effort? That¡¯s what I felt. I looked inside my head and found it.¡± Because that would be easy. I stared at Leo¡¯s retreating back and tried to figure out how one would search their mind for something they hadn¡¯t known was there. I didn¡¯t even know where to look! Did I imaging my brain like a vault and look for something hidden? Did I try to meditate instead and hope it would come without a struggle? Or did I just try to make things appear in my hand again, and screw Leo¡¯s cryptic suggestions? Yeah. I liked that last one. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the utensil holder. A variety of big wooden spoons and silicon spatulas rested inside the white container, taunting me. I narrowed my eyes, sizing them up and trying to convince myself that this wasn¡¯t an absolute waste of time because this bordered on insanity of another level. That I had even witnessed what Leo had done was making my head spin, and now trying to repeat something that I wasn¡¯t sure even happened? I felt foolish. But the evidence was there in front of me. I¡¯d smashed bulletproof glass. Leo made things float in the air. Both I¡¯d witnessed with my own eyes. And if there was a chance that there was something else I might be able to do? I owed it to myself and to Leo¡¯s research to at least give it an honest try. At first, I just stared at the large wooden spoon I¡¯d selected as my first target. It was old, the handle chipped at the end and slightly burned, and I wouldn¡¯t feel bad if I accidentally ruined it in the process. Then I tried attuning to it, somehow, but that felt all sorts of wrong. Staring at it and willing it to appear in my outstretched hand also wasn¡¯t going to work, and I gave up on that attempt after another ten minutes. My stomach rumbled. Coffee wasn¡¯t a full breakfast, but I didn¡¯t want to let myself eat until I got this stupid spoon into my hand. At the very least, I was getting closer to doing it through the process of elimination. I took in a deep breath and held it. Closing my eyes and slowly releasing the breath, I visualized the spoon. I created an image of where the spoon rested and where I wanted it to go. Reaching out my hand in both my mind and in reality, I made the spoon appear where I wanted it. The weight settled in my tingling palm and I reflexively wrapped my fingers around it. Breathing in quick, short bursts, I opened one eye and looked down. I screamed. The spoon clattered to the floor at my feet, bouncing once, twice, three times before settling. Looking back to the utensils, I checked to make sure it was gone from its place. Yep. There was a distinct lack of spoon. Leaving it on the floor, I closed my eyes again and recreated the image. This time, the spoon was on the floor, matching reality. Again, a weight settled in my hand after several moments of intense concentration. My heart was pounding, racing like it wanted to escape out of my chest. I took several steadying breaths and vowed not to scream or drop it again. I opened my eyes and stared at the spoon resting there. Again. The spoon was tossed back onto the counter a dozen or so more times as I practiced making it appear in my left hand. Why my left and not my right, I had no idea. But by the end, my palm was stinging like I¡¯d gotten a paper cut and then poured lemon juice on it. Why was that happening? Was the pain somehow related? That would be a question for Leo later. He¡¯d never mentioned being in pain, so maybe he didn¡¯t experience any. I didn¡¯t see any visible cuts, splinters, or other explanations why it hurt besides a slightly pink, tiny warm spot. If that was the price I¡¯d have to pay for a useful trick, then so be it. That brought up another question I¡¯d need to run by Leo; what did we call this phenomenon? There was definitely a reason behind it, so calling it magic or sorcery seemed over the top. Classifying it as a trick, like bring able fold my tongue into a clover, seemed too basic. Hit with a sudden thought, I turned and chucked the spoon clear across the length of the kitchen and well into the sitting area. It smacked against the couch, landing well within my line of sight. I memorized what I was seeing before trying again. It took longer than before, but it materialized in my grasp. I repeated the same experiment several more times until my throw landed it behind the couch instead of on it. I couldn¡¯t see it from here. Instead of focusing on where the spoon was starting, I tried focusing just on the spoon itself. My relationship with it was strong enough now to overcome distance, but would it work if I couldn¡¯t imagine exactly where it was? The answer, to my surprise, was yes. As I stared at the spoon in my hand, a rare moment of perfect clarity rolled over me, sending a chill down my spine. I wanted to make a difference for others. There was no answer yet how this would affect me, or Leo, or other people with LaShoul¡¯s short or long-term, but if it was all connected somehow, I wanted¡ªneeded¡ªto be a part of it. And sitting around selling jewelry to people wasn¡¯t going to work for me anymore. Leaving the spoon behind on the counter, I retreated to my room to call Dr. Goodwin. Stretching out my arm, I closed my eyes and willed my phone to my hand from its place on my nightstand. I felt the weight appear after several long seconds. Looking down with a smile that immediately fell, I discovered I had summoned the spoon again and not my phone. Damnit. Chapter 14 ¡°Thank you for sharing,¡± Loren said to the man on my right. She turned to me. ¡°Callie, we¡¯re so glad you¡¯re back again this week. What¡¯s been going on with you?¡± I offered Loren a small smile. It had been two days since I discovered my new talent and Leo found his. I¡¯d also called Dr. Goodwin later in the day and all but accepted a job. He¡¯d insisted over the phone that I don¡¯t give him a final answer just yet, but take the time to really think it through and sleep on it. Tomorrow, there¡¯d be paperwork ready and waiting for me for two different positions, and I could pick which I wanted then. Once I made a decision, I wouldn¡¯t be able to change my mind. Dr. Goodwin said he didn¡¯t want me regretting my choice, and he could easily wait one more day for me to be sure. I¡¯d already decided which of the jobs I would take. While being able to work from home whenever I wanted or needed had great appeal, going out and interviewing other LaShoul¡¯s patients after an episode could provide me with invaluable information that I could share with Leo. It was surely illegal to share confidential information, but if I just asked an extra few questions off the record there was little chance that I would be caught. Finding out if anyone else was experiencing these changes could make a significant difference. Since I wasn¡¯t as science-minded as Leo, leaning to a more creative streak instead, this could be a way for me to contribute to our joint cause. ¡°A lot,¡± I answered, leaning forward in my chair and bracing my hands on my knees, my shoulders up near my ears. The jeans under my fingers were soft and comforting. They were perfect for wiping off the sweat from my palms at being the center of attention, suddenly a bit self-conscious. ¡°I had an episode the day after our last meeting two weeks ago. I ended up in the hospital for days, and wasn¡¯t cleared for another week after that. It was¡­rough.¡± I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the next part. ¡°Since I am a part of the clinical trials for the bio-screens for Farley, they were able to see in more detail what happened. They compared it to the data they have. It, um¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t let myself really dwell on what I¡¯d been told. But having to recount it again, realizing that another two weeks had passed, putting me two weeks closer to my next attack¡­It was very possible it could be the one to take my life. I struggled to find the words I wanted, but eventually they came. ¡°They said things didn¡¯t look great. And, well, long story short, the one other person who had the same pattern of symptoms that I had didn¡¯t make it through their next episode. The doctors are keeping a closer eye on me, and everything had been fine so far, but¡­¡± I trailed off with a shrug. I stared down at my shoes. ¡°And maybe it¡¯s too late, but I¡¯m getting a new job tomorrow. Well, I¡¯m signing the paperwork, really, and then I¡¯ll start sometime after that. Which I¡¯m excited about. And I feel bad that I might not be in this job for long, but I¡¯m hoping to prove all these doctors and scientists wrong. I keep telling myself that one person¡¯s experience isn¡¯t statistically significant, and my chances are exactly the same now as they were before this all happened. ¡°Either way, there¡¯s no way to know exactly what will happen or when. I may walk out of here, trip over my shoelaces, and crack my head against the ground and that¡¯d be it for me. Sorry, I know that¡¯s a bit morbid, but it¡¯s what¡¯s getting me through all this. Nothing¡¯s promised to anyone. But I¡¯m not going to stop living my life and doing what I want, so I¡¯m taking that job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really good way to look at things, Callie,¡± Loren commented. ¡°Definitely some radical acceptance.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said quietly, finally looking up. ¡°The only thing that¡¯s really bothering me now is that ever since that attack, my palms get this weird tingly, stinging feeling now and then. I don¡¯t know what to do about it, or know if it¡¯s even related.¡± There. I put it out there. It had been bugging me, though I still hadn¡¯t brought it up to Leo. Ever since my phone call with Dr. Goodwin, I realized I was trying to avoid him. Maybe it was the idea of working for his competitor that was making me nervous, worried about his reaction. Perhaps someone here also had the same experience and could help me out, or at least let me know that I wasn¡¯t alone in this. ¡°I¡¯m sure your doctors will do their best to help you,¡± Loren concluded with confidence. I schooled my expression into neutrality, knowing first-hand that wasn¡¯t always the case. Alex sat to my left, and he casually nudged his shoe against mine as he began his turn. He¡¯d nearly been late to the meeting because he was swamped at work, and we hadn¡¯t had time to talk today before the meeting started. ¡°Loren, I really liked last meeting¡¯s homework.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad; that was my hope. Do you want to share with the entire group?¡± At the beginning of the meeting, we¡¯d been organized into small groups to share and discuss what we¡¯d done for Loren¡¯s homework. ¡°I do. So, for you long-timers here like me, you might remember that I¡¯ve mentioned how I stopped dating. Too many times I¡¯d go on a first date, and after telling the girl about the LaShoul¡¯s, she¡¯d go on maybe another date or two with me before making excuses as to why we wouldn¡¯t work out together. Eventually, I stopped trying altogether and just gave up.¡± A few people around the circle nodded, including Loren. I wrapped one arm around my middle and propped my other elbow on it, holding a loose fist to my lower face. He was going to talk about me. The blush immediately started racing up my neck and into my cheeks. I tried not to move a muscle, lest it bring attention to me and my flaming face. Alex continued, ¡°After last meeting, I decided to try again. I¡¯d just met this really pretty girl and decided why not? The worst she could do was say no, which I really thought she would.¡± ¡°But she said yes?¡± one of the members across the circle, a young woman named Liana, interrupted excitedly. Alex smiled, and it brightened his entire face. ¡°She did. So we went out for ice cream and got talking, and we meshed really well together. At least, I think we do because now she¡¯s my girlfriend. It¡¯s still really early, of course, but I¡¯m really happy. I like talking to her. She suggests books for me to read, and I hate to admit they¡¯re more interesting than the movie recommendations I give her. I just¡­¡± He trailed off, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. ¡°She makes me feel like anyone else. And I hope I get to keep her for a good long while.¡± Thankfully I¡¯d already had my turn, because my throat was suddenly thick with emotion and a tinge of embarrassment. He couldn¡¯t be serious, could he? His words seemed in earnest, but this was still so new. We¡¯d gone on a handful of dates and messaged back and forth most days, sure, but there hadn¡¯t been more than that. Yet, at least. Could a person really feel so strongly about someone else in less than a month? Though he hadn¡¯t professed his undying love for me or anything equally ridiculous, so maybe it was just me reading more into it than was really there. Maybe. Hopefully. ¡°That¡¯s so romantic,¡± Liana sighed, a dreamy look on her face. ¡°Liana,¡± Loren gently scolded. ¡°Sorry,¡± she mouthed, holding her hands up. Alex wrapped up his turn with a small vent session about work and how busy things were. There¡¯d often be times like that, he explained, so it wasn¡¯t unexpected and he enjoyed keeping busy. At the end of the day, though, he was exhausted and didn¡¯t have much energy for anything else. Jade sat on Alex¡¯s other side, and it was nice to see her again. She was wearing the jewelry I¡¯d helped her pick out when she came to the place I worked at a few weeks ago. She had sent me thank-you flowers with a note that had told me about this group, since she must have noticed my bio-screen and what it meant. The gold necklace still looked great against her flawless mocha skin tone and was a perfect thickness to be a bold statement piece without looking like it was weighing down her delicate neck. She gushed about how well her floral business was doing, and took a moment to point out her new jewelry she¡¯d treated herself to. She gave me a little shout-out and a wave for helping her pick it out, and I blushed at the praise. After Jade, the remaining three people shared with the group. I looked around, realizing that Meg wasn¡¯t here this week. While I really didn¡¯t know her at all, her story about being fired and worrying about her son had really pulled on my heartstrings. I hoped she was okay, maybe working a new job, and just couldn¡¯t make this meeting because of a scheduling conflict. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Once the meeting was concluded, I purposefully ignored Alex¡¯s eyes on me and made a beeline up to Loren. ¡°Hey, Loren,¡± I greeted before anyone else had a chance. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± She gave me her undivided attention, matching my intensity. ¡°I know that I don¡¯t really know the majority of people here,¡± I began, ¡°but I noticed Meg isn¡¯t here today. And, well, I know it¡¯s none of my business. I just worry about her and her son?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to phrase how I was feeling, and it came out sounding like a question. Loren nodded, understanding. ¡°She messaged me earlier. She wasn¡¯t able to get someone to watch her son this week.¡± I let out a relieved breath. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s good. No, I mean, not good that she couldn¡¯t find childcare, I mean good in that¡ª¡± I cut myself off, deciding it was probably best to just shut up. Loren laughed, a clear, bright sound. ¡°No need to get flustered, I know what you mean,¡± she assured me. ¡°It¡¯s good that it was a simple reason, you mean.¡± I nodded emphatically. ¡°It also has me wondering¡­¡± I trailed off, thinking through my words a bit more carefully this time. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯d be any interest or even a need, but is there a well-check system of some sort?¡± She furrowed her brow at my question. ¡°How do you mean?¡± Before I continued, I felt a warm presence come up behind me and rest a hand on my lower back for just a moment before sliding away. Turning my head slightly, I saw Alex looking down at me with a grin. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d be worried you were ignoring me,¡± he teased. ¡°Shush, you,¡± I jokingly scolded before turning back to Loren. ¡°I mean, for me at least, I have a very small social circle. I¡¯m sure others are in the same boat. My last attack could have been so much worse if I hadn¡¯t been able to get a hold of my roommate or if he didn¡¯t find me until he got home from work that evening. But for people who maybe live alone, is there a sort of check-in system to keep tabs on them in case they have a sudden episode? That doesn¡¯t sound quite right, but, like, if they don¡¯t have anyone to help them, no one at home to miss them if they have an episode, it could be¡­really bad.¡± I didn¡¯t want to say it, but I knew we both were thinking it; it could be a death sentence. ¡°That could definitely be something we look into.¡± Loren nodded thoughtfully, mulling it over for a handful of moments before continuing, ¡°Yes, I think setting something up would be a good idea. You make some good points. Would you be heading that, Callie?¡± I paused. I hadn¡¯t considered taking charge of something like this and getting it organized. Being so new to the group, I wasn¡¯t sure how I would even go about asking who would want to be put on the list. Some people preferred to keep to themselves; typically, I was one of them. She saw my hesitation and added, ¡°It seems important to you. And from my experience, the people it¡¯s most important to are often the ones who get the best results. Honestly, I¡¯m a bit disappointed in myself for not thinking of it first. I¡¯d be happy to help you get it up off the ground and coordinate with the group, if that¡¯s why you¡¯re hesitating.¡± Ooh, she was good. Whether it was my body language, my hesitation, or something else, she got right to the heart of it. Be brave, I told myself. To Loren, I said, ¡°Yes. That sounds perfect.¡± She beamed at me. ¡°Wonderful! Let¡¯s exchange numbers, and we¡¯ll plan to meet sometime to get things started?¡± I agreed, and immediately after numbers were exchanged she was called away to a small group of people who seemed to be having a lively debate about something. Finally, I turned to give Alex my undivided attention. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t want her to get sucked into another conversation before and lose my change to talk to her.¡± ¡°No apologies needed. I actually wanted to apologize to you.¡± He looked down for a moment before elaborating, his voice pitched low so only I could hear. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure until it was your turn if you would be okay with me sharing that we were dating, since you didn¡¯t say anything at all. Which is absolutely fine, I figured you just wanted to keep it private. So if I hurt you at all, I am so sorry. I wasn¡¯t sure what I should say, so I tried to play it safe.¡± ¡°Alex, it¡¯s totally okay,¡± I said, grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze. ¡°It didn¡¯t bother me at all. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have minded either way. I¡¯ve just had a lot on my mind lately with the job offer that¡¯s taking up all my mental bandwidth. Getting it off my chest helps. I¡¯m comfortable with what you and I have right now, so it¡¯s just not something that I feel the need to get other opinions on, you know?¡± ¡°I get it. But hey, that idea you have? Brilliant. You can totally count me in on it.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I think a lot of people could benefit from it. Maybe once we get it up and running here, we can work on extending it to the city as a whole.¡± That was¡­a huge undertaking. Probably. I wasn¡¯t sure that I would be able to handle something like that on such a large scale. Before I could even think about going there, I¡¯d start small with the idea I pitched to Loren. After that, we¡¯d have to wait and see how things progressed before making the decision to expand it further. Maybe¡­just maybe this was something I could do to help others. ¡°None of that is why I came over here,¡± Alex confessed. I looked up at him, swimming back to the surface from the depths of my thoughts, expecting him to ask me to go out for dinner or dessert or something date-like. What I was not expecting was for him to say, ¡°About the tingling in your hands. I think I know what¡¯s going on with that. Can we go somewhere else to talk?¡± ¡°Oh. You do?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± he hedged. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to worry anyone here.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s bad.¡± I had thought so, even though I hoped to be wrong. My shoulders slumped and I pressed my lips together and stared up at the ceiling to help fight the tears suddenly gathering in my eyes. ¡°Not if I¡¯m right with what it is.¡± My eyes snapped to his. ¡°Let¡¯s just...¡± He glanced around at the still-crowded room before grabbing my hand. He began tugging me along behind him, weaving in and out between people. Even after reaching the hallway he continued holding my hand in his firm grip as our quick steps echoed slightly. Halfway down the hall he stopped, turning to open a door that apparently wasn¡¯t locked. Pulling me inside after him, he turned to close and lock the door before flicking on the overhead lights. ¡°Why are we here?¡± I asked a bit nervously. Not that I was exactly opposed to being locked in a storage room filled with a random variety of discarded things with a really attractive guy. So romantic. But he was being evasive, and I wasn¡¯t sure where this was going or how it related to the issue with my hands. ¡°Needed privacy,¡± he answered cryptically. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me you¡¯re a serial killer and cut me up into a hundred little bloody pieces while I¡¯m still alive, are you?¡± He barked out a laugh, sudden and loud. ¡°No, Callie. Shit. Is that what you think of me?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not being suspicious right now,¡± I argued, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows at him. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that¡¯s what comes to mind.¡± He sighed, shaking his head while simultaneously rubbing his forehead. ¡°Just be patient for a moment, okay? This should make sense in a second.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± My tone was light, and I waved a hand at him. ¡°Go on, then, Mr. Mysterious.¡± He gave me a look that conveyed his lack of amusement, and I giggled into my hands. It wasn¡¯t my problem if Alex didn¡¯t appreciate my sense of humor. My giggles quickly faded into nothing when he grabbed the bottom of a nearby stack of empty pallets covered in a thick layer of dust. Suddenly, he was holding them in the air with one hand. Alex looked at me, his eyes searching mine. There was no way that any normal person would be able to do that. Just like a normal person shouldn¡¯t be able to use telekinesis or be able to summon objects like Leo and I somehow did. Alex gingerly set them back down, careful not to drop them or make much of a noise. He approached me, not saying a word. Waiting. Watching. Could I trust him? I could feign ignorance, be impressed with what he¡¯d just shown me. That wouldn¡¯t be hard, at least. It was pretty fucking impressive. But he¡¯d clearly taken the leap of faith first. Surely I could reciprocate. I turned and scanned the room for something small. There would be a time that I¡¯d try objects that wouldn¡¯t fit in my hands, but so far I had only practiced on a wooden kitchen spoon, my phone, and my hairbrush. ¡°That one.¡± I pointed to a discarded can of some sort that was smaller than a soda. I checked to make sure Alex was watching. Focusing on the item, I mentally tugged on it until it appeared in my hand. I held it up, identifying it as a small can of wood stain, and offered it to Alex. He took it from me, inspecting it. I broke the silence first. ¡°How long?¡± Alex knew what I meant. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his tan work uniform and shrugged. ¡°Not sure. Almost two years now, I think? Did this all start recently for you? With the tingly hands?¡± ¡°Is that a common thing for you, too?¡± ¡°It used to be, at the beginning. Not so much anymore, just on rare occasions.¡± That was a bit of a relief. Actually, him showing me what he could do was a huge relief. Leo and I weren¡¯t some freaks of nature. Well, at least we weren¡¯t the only freaks, apparently. Realizing I hadn¡¯t answered Alex¡¯s question, I refocused. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯d asked me a question. Yeah, this is recent. Like, last week, I think? It started with me accidentally breaking things that I shouldn¡¯t have been able to, and then I figured out how to do the summoning thing. And the tingling started then, too.¡± ¡°And you already have that much control?¡± He looked impressed. Was that impressive? I wasn¡¯t sure. This wasn¡¯t exactly a normal situation. ¡°Obviously, I practiced,¡± I explained. ¡°But only with small things that fit in my hand. At first, I could only summon a wooden spoon.¡± ¡°A spoon?¡± I chuckled, remembering, and quickly explain what happened. Then I sighed, staring at Alex. He stared back. ¡°I have so many questions,¡± I finally said. ¡°I wish I could give you the answers. But the one thing I can tell you is that ever since I started using this power regularly, I haven¡¯t had a LaShoul¡¯s episode.¡± I stared at him in shock. ¡°No?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why. But I¡¯m not complaining. Though if I don¡¯t use it enough, then I start getting the symptoms again. And if I use it too much, I wear myself down, like if I ran a marathon or something.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s all connected?¡± I mused. ¡°It has to be, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what my gut says. But we need actual answers.¡± Whether he knew it or not, Alex was now part of the we that included Leo and me. Alex crossed his arms, leaning against the stack of pallets he¡¯d lifted. ¡°What do you plan to do about it?¡± I huffed out a breath and put my hands on my hips. ¡°No fucking clue.¡± Chapter 15 ¡°Here we are!¡± Dr. Goodwin gestured grandly at the space in front of him, a small cubicle in a far corner on this floor. The desk was a pristine white, lending itself well to the monochromatic theme. The entire space, save for the elevators, stairwell, bathrooms, kitchen, and a smattering of coffee and tea stations, was filled with black cubicles and gray linoleum floors. Bright pops of color decorated many individual spaces, if not most. Quiet chatter and keyboard clicks was an oddly soothing sound, the drip of a coffee maker somewhere in the background making the place feel homey and welcoming. When Dr. Goodwin had brought me through, there was no sudden flurry of activity or looking busy. Either he was a decent person to work for, or everyone was doing their jobs one hundred percent of the time so they never needed to worry about being caught not working. I seriously doubted the latter. And as I glanced around the space again with the short-walled cubicles, I could see people congregating in spaces around the large office space in plain sight. It was reassuring to know that I wouldn¡¯t have to get permission to take a bathroom break. ¡°Here is your login information.¡± He handed me a small card with my new fancy company email, group chat information, and password. ¡°You¡¯ll log into the system using your email. There¡¯s learning modules already queued up, but if you lose them or accidentally exit out you can go to the company website, login with that same information, and find them there. The laptop can go home with you, and if you need to work from home with this while you finish up your remaining time at your old job, be my guest. Of course you¡¯re welcome to come in, but I know we all value our weekends!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said in earnest. Today was my third of four days off in a row, and I hoped to get as much done today and tomorrow as possible before going back for the first time since my last attack. I would work another four days at my old job selling jewelry and accessories, and then my schedule would shift to working the middle four days instead of the first four days of the week. It matched Alex¡¯s schedule, after comparing the two. Leo and I would now have two days off together instead of working opposite days and only seeing each other in the evenings or when Leo opted to do research or ¡°field experiments¡± out of his office. Even though he¡¯d only recently graduated with his masters three years ago, he was incredibly high up in the company. Perks of being the son of the CEO, I guessed. Or being whatever title he had nowadays. I¡¯d have to ask. ¡°I¡¯ve set you up with an office buddy, someone to show you around, help get you settled. She¡¯s at an interview right now, but should be back¡­¡± He glanced at a clock on the wall, which read 8:17am. ¡°I¡¯d say in about an hour an a half, ten fifteen at the latest.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± I was running out of ways to say thank you without repeating the words ¡°thank you.¡± I swear I¡¯d said it at least seven times so far his morning after seeing Dr. Goodwin personally waiting for me with two stacks of paperwork at the front desk of the building. The desk clerk hadn¡¯t reacted as though it was something new, so I could only assume that Dr. Goodwin spent much of his time making his employees feel seen. Regardless, everything that I¡¯d seen in the twenty minutes since arriving just before eight had only encouraged the notion that he was good people. ¡°I¡¯ll be in meetings today, so won¡¯t be able to help much, but you can ask almost anyone here and they¡¯ll be able to answer.¡± ¡°I appreciate you taking the time to show me around and get me started.¡± He waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°Nonsense. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± After he¡¯d left and I settled in at my small but fully functional desk and placed my oversized bag underneath, I set up the laptop, plopped my ass in a surprisingly decent chair, and got to work.
Just before ten, a sprite of a woman appeared in my cubicle entrance. I didn¡¯t notice her at first, zoned out watching and listening to the orientation videos. The one I was watching was about lab safety, which wasn¡¯t really relevant to what I would be doing. But it was there, so I just did it. She cleared her throat and I jumped, whirling in my chair to face her. Her hair was in a pixie cut, dyed pastel blue. She wore a simple but sophisticated navy pant-suit with a white blouse and bright red heels. She stuck a hand out at me. ¡°I¡¯m Madison. Only Dr. Goodwin gets away with calling me that, but at least you¡¯ll know who he¡¯s talking about. You can call me Mads.¡± I grabbed her hand lightly. ¡°Hi, Mads. I¡¯m Callie.¡± ¡°Is Callie your full name, or nickname?¡± ¡°Nickname. It¡¯s short for Calliope. My mom loved poetry and the Greeks,¡± I explained briefly. ¡°But half the people I meet can¡¯t pronounce it correctly.¡± Mads nodded in understanding. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to show you around. Has your brain had enough time to melt from boredom, or should I come back in thirty?¡± I half-laughed and half-groaned, ¡°Please, right now.¡± Mads led me around, pointing out certain people who I was working under. They all held the same title and did the same job, but some specialized in arranging travel while others kept track of scheduling with hospitals. It was a well-oiled machine, each of the moving parts complementing each other. I gathered business cards on my phone as I went, a simple tap between devices ensuring I could contact anyone I might need to. Mads also showed me how the stainless steel fridges were organized, and sternly informed me that it was cleared out once a week, no exceptions. Everyone¡¯s names were on their lunches, whether a sticker, written in marker, or in a bag. It was actually impressive how clean and organized it was. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to use the stove, oven, microwave, air fryer, or whatever, as long as you clean up after yourself. We keep plates, pots, pans, et cetera in the cabinets, and we load them in the dishwasher when done. Just follow the diagram, or things don¡¯t get clean.¡± She pointed to a drawing of the dishwasher on the white cabinet above, certain areas labelled with various dishes. ¡°We¡¯re a tight knit group here, for the most part. You might hear some of us saying shit to each other, but we say it with love. Usually.¡± After she pointed out the bathrooms, of which there were two on this floor, five stalls in each, she brought me to her cubicle. It was significantly larger than mine and had a second chair. She gestured to it, and I sat across from her. ¡°So, Callie. Tell me a bit about you now that I¡¯ve talked your ear off.¡± ¡°Not much to tell. Been working in sales for the last several years. Live with a roommate. Prefer books over movies.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! We actually have a book club group here,¡± Mads interjected excitedly, interrupting my pathetic spiel. She pulled up her phone, typing furiously, and my own phone buzzed in the pocket of the dress I wore. ¡°It¡¯s actually my turn to host the next meeting; that¡¯s my address, and the day and time. I¡¯ll send you a link to the book we¡¯re reading. It¡¯s an old one, kind of a classic, really. I don¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called, but it¡¯s part of a series. It¡¯s meant for younger kids or teenagers, but it¡¯s really good.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯d be awesome, and I¡¯d love to join,¡± I said sincerely. I¡¯d been part of online forums discussing books and had gotten into my fair share of arguments with strangers online. Being a part of an actual, in-person book club was something I¡¯d never done before. Not wanting the attention back on me and my lack of having anything interesting to say about myself, I asked, ¡°Besides books, what do you spend your time doing?¡± ¡°Baking. I¡¯m a shit cook, I could never make dinner unless you want dessert.¡± ¡°Not even, I don¡¯t know, something like lasagna or chicken pot pie?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think that, but no. I wish. Baking is my thing; I like to mess around with new recipes. If you ever see a batch of cupcakes in the kitchen with no one¡¯s name on them, they¡¯re fair game. But know they might not be very good.¡± We continued chatting and getting to know each other. A few others wandered by and introduced themselves, joining in on the conversation as topics came and went. I felt slightly awkward with how everyone would look at me, but it only made sense. Hopefully it would be out of their system soon, once the novelty of a new coworker wore off. My stomach protested, loudly, stopping Mads in her tracks. ¡°Oh, gosh, I¡¯m so sorry. I meant to have you back at your desk an hour ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s been nice getting to know everyone. My old job didn¡¯t have this many people, so conversation was sometimes really awkward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I think some of us are going out to lunch at this Mexican place down the street. You coming? We¡¯ve got¡­¡± She checked the time. ¡°About two minutes before we need to leave. We usually get about twenty people to go, so we always make a reservation for twelve thirty.¡± I happened to know which one she was referring to; it was the only Mexican place in a five-block radius, and it was too expensive for me to afford. I shook my head. ¡°I promised my boyfriend we¡¯d meet for lunch.¡± A half-lie. I¡¯d texted Alex offering to meet for lunch, but hadn¡¯t gotten a reply yet. I was starting to doubt that I would. ¡°But definitely another time,¡± I promised. Hopefully they picked a cheaper restaurant next time. ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± She began packing up her purse and added, ¡°It was great getting to know you.¡± ¡°It was great meeting you, too. And thank you for showing me everything.¡± We parted ways, her heading towards the elevators while I wandered back towards my cubicle. I got turned around, having gone straight when I needed to turn left. My mind was buzzing with all the new information. I was feeling¡­excited. Having people to talk to who shared interests with me, while also working to help others was a major win in my book. Not to mention the pay increase: fifteen percent wasn¡¯t much, but it certainly wasn¡¯t nothing. Once the paychecks started rolling in, I¡¯d be able to save up to go with them on rare occasions. I was starting down at my phone as I approached my new space and didn¡¯t see the head of brown hair slouched in my desk chair until I was nearly on top of him. ¡°Gah!¡± I exclaimed, dropping my phone to the floor and clutching my heart. ¡°Fucking hell, Alex.¡± He laughed, spinning around in my chair to fully face me. I took deep, calming breaths, willing my heart to chill the fuck out. My bio-screen alerted. Wonder what that could be for. ¡°You nearly gave me heart attack,¡± I chastised, wishing I had something to whack him with. I maneuvered my arm and quickly disabled the alert. Leo still hadn¡¯t shown me how to change the color. ¡°Sorry.¡± He didn¡¯t sound very apologetic. ¡°I wanted to surprise you.¡± ¡°Well, nailed that.¡± ¡°Lunch? To make it up to you?¡± I pushed past him, grabbing my bag from under the desk and carefully placing the laptop inside. The brand made nearly indestructible cases for their devices, but besides the jewelry at my soon-to-be ex-job, it was one of the most expensive things I¡¯d ever handled. And I was taking it home with me. ¡°Lunch where?¡± I asked while double-checking I had everything. Not that I¡¯d brought much, but I didn¡¯t plan on coming back until next week. ¡°There¡¯s a Mexican place a lot of people hit up,¡± he suggested. ¡°I already told Mads I couldn¡¯t make it there.¡± ¡°If someone invited you, you should go!¡± He reached out and gave my hand a squeeze before lacing his fingers with mine. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say yes? We can do something else later.¡± I glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, but the floor was half empty with people gone for lunch, the remaining ones either eating or still working. ¡°I can¡¯t afford it,¡± I admitted. ¡°Not yet, not until I get paid.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah. I always opt for the more expensive insurance options,¡± I explained. ¡°At least the insurance here is good.¡± ¡°It is. It¡¯ll help a lot.¡± ¡°So, lunch?¡± he prompted. ¡°No Mexican, what about some sushi?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We walked the three blocks to the little sushi restaurant Alex knew. Only four tables fit inside, the massive prep counter taking up the majority of the long and narrow space. We waited while our order was prepared, and I stared at the drawings of fish and crabs hung on the red walls while my brain mulled things over. I was still trying to decide what the hell do with the knowledge Alex had dumped on me. I hadn¡¯t yet brought it up to Leo, though I knew I eventually needed to, at least to let him know we weren¡¯t some weird outlier mutations. The issue I was running into was how to bring it up to both Alex and Leo in a way that would convince them both that we could help each other. Leo had taken issue with Alex before when they met, and I knew that had rubbed Alex the wrong way. Not that I blamed Alex, but I couldn¡¯t forget that things would most likely be tense between them. Throw in these newfound abilities, and it was a volatile cocktail of testosterone and chaos. Okay, maybe that was exaggerating things a bit. But probably not by much. I wracked my brain, trying to find a solution and coming up with nothing. This would have to be a rip-the-bandage-off situation, then. A few different ideas came to mind, but the best option might be to not give Leo an option. If he knew what I planned ahead of time, that would give him the power to say no. Springing it on him wasn¡¯t great either, but if I played it right, it just might work. I¡¯d have to get Alex over to the apartment; having this conversation there was probably the best choice. ¡°Want to come over for dinner tonight?¡± I blurted out before I could lose my nerve. ¡°Um. Sure? Why, is this not enough time with me today?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night. But seriously, that cool trick you showed me last night? I think we should talk about it more.¡± ¡°Will your roommate be there?¡± Damn. I wasn¡¯t about to lie to Alex. It would probably blow up in my face if I did. So I told the truth. ¡°Most likely. He¡¯s working today, though, so no promises.¡± I could see the moment Alex shut down. I¡¯d been afraid of that. ¡°I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s a good idea, Callie, if he¡¯s going to be there,¡± he said slowly. He kept his eyes on the itamae chef making our rolls. ¡°He knows what I can do,¡± I told him. I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to convince him, but I had to try. ¡°He¡¯s actually the one who figured it out. But I get why you¡¯re hesitant. I really do. There¡¯s just some things that I think would be best to get out in the open, from both sides. I want to make sure that we¡¯ve all got as much information as we can. You¡¯ve been doing this a lot longer, and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s things you¡¯ve picked up on that we haven¡¯t talked about.¡± Alex stayed quiet, which was all the confirmation I needed. ¡°And with the technology we¡¯ve got running twenty-four seven, there¡¯s things we can contribute, too, that might help you out.¡± Our order was called out, and Alex stepped away to grab containers stacked on the counter. He picked up some chopsticks and soy sauce packets from the bins, placing them on top. When he returned, he had his answer. ¡°I¡¯ll come over for dinner. But I can¡¯t promise to talk about things with him.¡± ¡°Sure, absolutely. And hey, Alex?¡± He looked at me with a worried expression, and I stepped into his space to place a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Thanks for being willing to try.¡± He heaved an overly-dramatic sigh, a smile tugging at his lips. He pulled me to one of the tables that was thankfully empty and clean. He handed me my container, and I grabbed my chopsticks eagerly. ¡°You make a decent point; I can¡¯t argue that. I just hope I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Chapter 16 One thing I hadn¡¯t known about myself until that evening was how basic of a cook I was. After an hour trying to think of all the recipes I knew how to make, I decided they were all too plain for what I wanted. Cooking for just myself, or myself and Leo on rare occasion, was no trouble and I was a near-expert at easy recipes with only a handful of ingredients, especially ones that I could keep on hand in the pantry with as few fresh ingredients as possible. Eventually, I turned to the internet to find something a bit more sophisticated than my usual fare and decided on something that had fresh basil, garlic, and tomatoes. The steps seemed simple enough for my general experience and sounded pretty tasty. And if the whole thing burned to a crisp in the oven while it baked, I¡¯d just splurge and order us a pizza instead. At least the wine I¡¯d selected when I¡¯d stopped at the store wouldn¡¯t go to waste either way. Without a dinner table to sit at, I set the placemats and cutlery on the breakfast bar that faced the rest of the kitchen. Conversation would be a bit awkward sitting in a line while we ate, but I hoped that some small talk would help ease us into what I wanted to discuss. The smell of baking cheesy pasta permeated the air by the time Leo arrived home. He paused in the doorway for a moment, surprised, before cautiously closing the door behind him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Dinner. Obviously.¡± ¡°Yes, I can smell that. But¡­why?¡± I turned back to the sink and continued scrubbing the pot I¡¯d used to boil the noodles in. Some of them had gotten stuck to the bottom when Lucie tore through the kitchen like the devil had lit her tail on fire. I¡¯d chased after her, making sure she was just being her usual dramatic self and not hurt. In the time it took, some had burned and cemented itself to the bottom. Thankfully, I¡¯d made too much pasta for the dish. How did anyone measure it correctly, anyways? I could never get it right. ¡°What, I can¡¯t try a new hobby?¡± That wasn¡¯t the truth, though if it turned out halfway decent I might seriously consider it. In reality, sometimes I just liked to keep Leo on his toes. It was annoying how smart he was; he shouldn¡¯t know everything. And being unpredictable was one small way I could ensure he stayed humble. Ish. ¡°Of course you can. Just¡­surprised, is all.¡± ¡°Good. Then you¡¯ll really be surprised tonight.¡± Leo deposited his work bag on the fake wood plank floor near his hallway and came over to inspect what I had in the oven. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound menacing, at all,¡± he said flippantly, peering in through the oven window. The lid prevented him from seeing anything. ¡°Why would it?¡± I raised my eyebrows and gave him an overly innocent expression. ¡°I am not menacing, or conniving, or sneaky, ever.¡± He chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re so full of shit.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± I hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The doorbell rang, a sound I¡¯d only heard a handful of times, typically on my way out as some of Leo¡¯s friends were on their way in, a slow four note chime. Leo turned to look at me, a questioning look on his face. I shrugged one shoulder and turned back to my scrubbing. It was a bit of a gamble, I admitted, having Leo answer the door to someone he most certainly was not expecting, and having Alex be greeted by someone other than myself. It was almost comical, the look on Alex¡¯s face when Leo greeted him. Leo turned to me, with a solid what the fuck expression. I just grinned at them. ¡°Dinner will be ready soon. Make yourself at home, Alex. Bathroom¡¯s through there.¡± I nodded my head vaguely toward the first door down Leo¡¯s hallway. ¡°Or, you can go snoop through my room.¡± I gestured in the opposite direction. Alex stood there, weighing his options before opting to come sit at the placemat nearest to where I scrubbed the stubborn pot. It also put him closest to the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows that overlooked part of the city and the bay beyond. I¡¯d opened the blinds for the first time since moving in, letting the fading sun wash the gleaming white countertops in soft, muted oranges and yellows. It almost looked homey. Only the lack of personal decoration or memorabilia kept it feeling not-quite-cozy. ¡°So,¡± he started. And stopped. ¡°So,¡± I parroted. ¡°I hope you¡¯re up for a bit of an adventure.¡± I glanced at Leo as I said that, trying to gauge his reaction to this. He didn¡¯t respond, only watched our interaction as he slowly made his way towards the living room. That was a good sign. ¡°What type of an adventure?¡± ¡°A culinary one.¡± ¡°Color me intrigued.¡± Leo snorted where he stood awkwardly hovering near the couch, not willing to join Alex at a bar stool but unwilling to leave us alone. He was interested, or at least curious as to why Alex was here. Good. Admitting defeat and hoping the dishwasher would take care of the rest, I rinsed out the pot and loaded it along with the rest of the utensils and cutting board I used. I poured myself a glass of the wine I¡¯d bought, offering some to both Alex and Leo, who refused. More for me, then. ¡°I¡¯m not the greatest cook,¡± I admitted. I took a sip of my wine, enjoying the delicate fruity notes. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯d call myself good. But the recipe seemed easy enough, so I figured I¡¯d try it out tonight on two unsuspecting men who wouldn¡¯t dare hurt my feelings by telling me it¡¯s garbage.¡± Alex¡¯s laugh burst out of him, a quick, sharp sound. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ever call my girlfriend a bad cook. Creative, maybe. Or experimental if it was really bad.¡± Ah, there it was. The first subtle dig. I¡¯d thought it would be Leo to give the first snide remark, but Alex¡¯s comment hit home. Leo flinched in my periphery, looking between the back of Alex¡¯s head and my face. He knew Alex and I had been seeing each other casually, but he seemed taken aback that we were now in a committed relationship. ¡°Smart man,¡± I answered lightly. I wanted to lean over the counter and give him a kiss for his amusing comment, but I didn¡¯t want to push Leo too far. He didn¡¯t seem to like Alex. I was determined to change his mind, and rubbing his face in it by making out with Alex was probably not the way to go about it. Unless Leo liked that sort of thing, in which case maybe I¡ª The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. No. Stop. Bad, Callie. Checking on dinner gave me a minute to compose myself and wrestle the intrusive thoughts back where they belonged. Thankfully, the dish was finished, the cheese on top gooey and slightly browning. I carefully placed the casserole dish on top of the pot holders I¡¯d put out and gathered plates from the cabinet. I took another swig before plating the pasta quickly. I aimed for a small pile that I could top with a sprig of basil, but the cheesy noodles slipped and slid into a flat circle instead. It didn¡¯t look great, but at least it smelled decent. I put the basil on top anyways. ¡°Bon appetite,¡± I announced, placing full plates down for Alex and Leo before returning for my own. It was a slightly awkward meal. I brought up a handful of different topics to try to start a conversation. Nothing stuck. Eventually I just let them finish their meal in awkward silence while I considered how I wanted to bring up what they were really here for. Alex would go along with it, or at least would entertain the idea. But Leo¡­he was going to be the difficult party here. Leo insisted on cleaning up the dishes. Alex and I retreated to the couch, and I tucked my feet up under me as I rested my forearms on the back of the couch, staring out the window at the street and building lights beginning to become visible as the sun continued to set. ¡°This is going well,¡± Alex whispered. I turned and scrunched my nose at him. ¡°I think he¡¯s suspicious,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s got him on edge.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him anything?¡± I shook my head. ¡°He got home right before you got here anyways. And had I texted him, chances were he¡¯d make up an excuse not to be here.¡± I sighed, staring back out the window without really seeing. ¡°Keeping things so secret is not the way to figure all this out. We need to share the information we have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree.¡± Leo finished with the dishes at that moment and called over to me, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to your own devices, then. Alex, it was nice¡ª¡± ¡°Come here,¡± I interrupted, turning back around to sit on the couch properly. ¡°I actually want to talk to you.¡± Leo hesitated. ¡°Oh-kay.¡± ¡°Sit,¡± I commanded. I pointed to the spot next to me. ¡°Please,¡± I tacked on, a bit more gently. Leo did as I asked, perching at the edge of the couch like he wanted to be ready to vanish at the drop of a hat. ¡°We all have LaShoul¡¯s,¡± I began, the somewhat rehearsed bullet points I¡¯d thought of coming to mind. ¡°And there are plenty of other people in the world with it. It¡¯s a rarer disease, but not so unheard of anymore. And I think that what both companies are doing is great in their own way to try to help people like us.¡± I paused, trying to decide the best way to bring it up. Rip the bandage off quickly? Slowly ease into it? While I contemplated, Leo said, ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a but coming.¡± I nodded. Ripping it was. ¡°But the companies should be working together. And they¡¯re not, unless you¡¯ve been keeping that a secret.¡± I directed that last at both of them. Neither said anything, so I continued, ¡°I¡¯m not so naive to think I can convince you to convince your CEO¡¯s to collaborate together. But I think we¡¯ve got some good things going on here that could help. Even starting with just us, I think we can figure out some things together and bring it to both companies to try to make things better for people.¡± The silence was deafening. I wanted to give them time to process what I¡¯d said and see the wisdom in it, but I was itching to get started with it. ¡°So. Who wants to share first?¡± I prompted.
I stared them down. Unsuccessfully. For ten minutes, neither of them had offered to share and I was getting frustrated with the stubbornness and idiocy of their little game of refusal. ¡°Cards on the table. Now. Either you both share, or I¡¯ll share for both of you. And trust me, it¡¯ll be a lot clearer coming from the both of you.¡± I pointed to each man sitting on the couch accusingly. ¡°Don¡¯t be a whiny baby. None of this my company this or my company that bullshit, either. It¡¯s not helping any of us. We need to collaborate. It¡¯s not a dick-measuring competition.¡± That statement got their attention. I sat down on the coffee table gingerly, being sure my emotions were in check lest I accidentally smash it with my ass powers. I stared at them both with equal disdain. Leo was the first to break the silence. ¡°No.¡± I sighed, disappointed but not really surprised. ¡°Why not.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but a demand. Leo crossed leaned back into the couch and spread his arms along the back, the very picture of male arrogance. Fine, then. I turned to Alex. ¡°So, something that we¡¯ve noticed is a spike in radiation, specifically¡ª¡± I barely saw him move. One moment, Leo was lounging in a pseudo-relaxed position, and the next he had a hand clamped over my mouth to staunch my words. I bit him. He relented, shaking his hand out and having the audacity to look appalled. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that if no one talked, I would?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh, really? What are you, the free speech police?¡± ¡°That¡¯s intellectual property of¡ª¡± ¡°And who all knows about this ¡®intellectual property¡¯ besides the two of us?¡± Leo didn¡¯t answer. ¡°So, if it only belongs to you and I, and the company doesn¡¯t know about it, it¡¯s not their intellectual property, is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that¡ª¡± I waved a hand in dismissal and was surprised when he quieted. I didn¡¯t think that would work. Nice. ¡°Alex, would you like to be the bigger person here?¡± I offered. ¡°Why not? I¡¯m happy to share my so-called secrets with you if it might help.¡± Alex cut Leo a look that I was grateful he missed. Or ignored. Or would get retaliation for later. Alex began by standing up and subsequently turned and lifted the couch with Leo still on it. Leo gripped the armrest in a chokehold as Alex casually transferred the couch to his other hand before settling it back down. ¡°I¡¯ve been able to do things like that for two years, now. In that time, my LaShoul¡¯s episodes have vanished as long as I don¡¯t suppress my ability and use it regularly.¡± ¡°Two years? And your company hasn¡¯t shared this with anyone because¡­?¡± Leo¡¯s question was accusatory, but a fair one that I¡¯d wondered myself. Alex shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s¡­complicated.¡± ¡°Then un-complicate it.¡± There was no room for arguing or a non-answer. Alex¡¯s refusal to answer would end the conversation right now. Alex sighed, settling down into the couch again in a much more casual pose. I took that as his agreement to share what he knew, and I relaxed marginally. ¡°Unfortunately, my control over it is not as common as you probably think. It¡¯s a fine balance; use it too little, and the LaShoul¡¯s comes back stronger than ever. Most of those people end up dead. On the flip side, if it¡¯s used too much, then you burn out. And people end up dead that way, too.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you¡¯re special,¡± Leo deadpanned, definitely focusing on the wrong thing here. ¡°You can say that. I wish I knew exactly what I was doing, but it¡¯s all been my instinct. I just go with it. And maybe others were overthinking it too much, worried about using their ability just the right amount.¡± ¡°So, the reason this isn¡¯t public¡­?¡± I really wanted to know the answer; it had the potential to save so many lives. ¡°I¡¯m not part of the decision-making process,¡± Alex emphasized. ¡°So if you don¡¯t like the answer, don¡¯t shoot the messenger. But the biggest reason is we don¡¯t want a bunch of others with LaShoul¡¯s trying to force the ability. It has to happen naturally, or it backfires. I think the study that was done found that over ninety percent of people who forced it were consumed by it.¡± That¡­was a fair reason. As long as it was true. But something was a bit off with his answer, whether Alex knew it or not. I filed that away for later investigation. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s other reasons, too, but that¡¯s the biggest, the one that we¡¯re told. Helps keep our mouths shut. But, since Callie here has her own ability, and Leo, I assume you do, too, it¡¯s not a concern.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we¡¯?¡± Leo asked. ¡°There¡¯s a group of us. We keep an eye out for others who may have accessed their abilities, and make sure they¡¯re okay. We try not to intervene with their whole origin story, as we like to joke. But once they get to a point, we¡¯ll invite them to meet with us, explain what¡¯s going on with them and what¡¯s at stake, ask if they¡¯d like to join us, those sorts of things.¡± A thought occurred to me, and it was out of my mouth before I considered the wisdom of it. ¡°Is that what you did with me?¡± ¡°No, but yes. It¡¯s not why I first asked you out. But I had a suspicion, which is why I suggested you apply to work for the same company that I do.¡± I nodded in understanding, though I vowed to talk to him about that more later, in private. Leo suddenly blew out a long breath and said, ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll share what I know, too. Just give me a minute. We¡¯ll want a visual aid for this.¡± Chapter 17 Leo¡¯s idea of a visual aid included closing the blinds, turning off the lights, and connecting his tablet to the projector. Once he was satisfied, he pulled up both his and my stats, starting after his mods were added. Alex sat in silence for several moments, looking at everything up on the wall. Then he stood up and walked closer. I let myself relax into the couch and tucked my feet underneath me. When Leo had gone to get the tablet and started swearing, I¡¯d excused myself to change into comfortable leggings and a t-shirt. I cocooned myself in a plush blanket¡ªone Leo had gifted me for my birthday last year that I could never justify the price tag for¡ªwith matching sock-like slippers. I¡¯d still gotten back out here before Leo was done with whatever he¡¯d been doing, even taking the time to pile my hair on top of my head in a more put-together way than I normally would have. ¡°So. What am I looking at? I mean, I can see what this is, but what¡¯s the significance?¡± Alex finally wondered aloud. Leo tapped on his tablet, filtering things even more to show the radiation spikes. ¡°Based on the very limited data, it looks like we¡¯re giving off radiation when we utilize these new talents of ours,¡± Leo explained. He pulled up his timeline next to mine, showing how there were slight discrepancies between them with similar rise and fall patterns. He pointed to one of his. ¡°This was when I was showing Callie what I could do. The tall plateau on top is mine, and the smaller gradual rise and fall on the bottom is Callie. She wasn¡¯t using hers then, but she was near.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Alex took a few steps back and crossed his arms. ¡°How close to you was she?¡± ¡°Maybe a foot,¡± I supplied. ¡°I was standing right next to him.¡± ¡°And is the reverse is true? Callie using hers caused a rise in your level?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Leo answered, pointing to the harsh spike in mine right where his plateau plummeted, though didn¡¯t return back to zero. ¡°This is when Callie caught the mug I dropped.¡± ¡°Teleported,¡± I corrected. ¡°Sure,¡± Leo agreed. ¡°What I¡¯m curious about is if this radiation has something to do with what you¡¯ve said. Is there a buildup in the body that needs regular releasing, or else it causes damage?¡± Alex picked up on Leo¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Or does using it too much have the same negative effect as regular radiation exposure?¡± ¡°We should track that,¡± I suggested. ¡°On the bio-screens. Come up with some parameters, decide what we think is acceptable levels of exposure from others and from ourselves. Because if I¡¯m using mine and barely within my upper limit, will being too close to you push me over the edge?¡± ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s a thought,¡± Leo murmured, tapping on his tablet. ¡°Is there any way to get a screen for Alex? Since he¡¯s been managing his perfectly for years, it could give us what we need.¡± Leo shook his head slowly, still tapping away. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can. It¡¯s a very thorough vetting process. I bet his employment would disqualify him, though they¡¯d claim some other reason.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you change that?¡± Alex accused. ¡°Not without good reason. As much as it¡¯s my father¡¯s company, there are still shareholders and the board to answer to. I can¡¯t override everyone just because of who I am. Even my father can¡¯t.¡± ¡°So, can we give them a good reason? Tell them what we¡¯ve found?¡± ¡°No,¡± Alex and Leo said in unison. Was that the first time they¡¯d ever agreed on something? I should write it down, memorialize it. ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to share this information yet,¡± Leo explained. ¡°There¡¯s reasons we were going to keep it a secret for longer.¡± ¡°I know, but with what Alex has tol¡ª¡± ¡°And,¡± Alex interrupted, ¡°once this is public knowledge, who knows what will happen. The government might decide to interfere or round us up or put us on a list. It¡¯s why there¡¯s a careful process for bringing people in.¡± I frowned. I¡¯d already had this mental argument with myself. I still didn¡¯t feel any better about it. Even though Leo and I picked a date nearly a year out when we¡¯d share all the information we had no matter what, it still gnawed at me uncomfortably. If it were up to me to make this decision, what would I choose? I had more information now than when we initially agreed to wait. Both sides had solid points. I couldn¡¯t predict the future to know what would morally be best; waiting and controlling the situation to keep things from getting out of hand, or sharing it now and damn those theoretical consequences if it could save lives? ¡°We will need to make this publicly known,¡± Leo said. ¡°But not yet.¡± ¡°The narrative needs to be controlled.¡± ¡°Wow. Look at you two getting along,¡± I teased. They glanced at each other. Alex looked away first, gazing back at the stats projected on the wall. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sit well with me. Keeping this information that could help others.¡± I needed to voice those worries. At least now I wouldn¡¯t get caught wondering if anything might have changed had I just said something. ¡°It¡¯s for the best.¡± Leo didn¡¯t even glance at me. Being the bigger person and ignoring his patronizing tone because I knew he didn¡¯t mean it, I got up from the couch and pattered into the kitchen with my blanket cape to pour another glass of wine. I downed it before returning to the couch, switching places to lean against the opposite arm. Addressing Alex, Leo asked, ¡°If you had to put a number to it, how much time do you need to use your power on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to maintain that balance?¡± Alex rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°That¡¯s changed. At least for me.¡± ¡°How so?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m definitely using it more than I was two years ago.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s because your body had gotten used to that lower usage and can tolerate more? Or do you need to use it more?¡± Alex looked at me while he considered my question. ¡°That¡¯s a great question. I tend to go with my gut, using it as needed, so I honestly don¡¯t know. Thankfully for me, it¡¯s easy to hide in everyday activities. I can use it to lift a pen; I don¡¯t need resistance acting against me. I barely think about it anymore.¡± Leo tapped furiously on his tablet, probably taking it all down. ¡°What do you know of others?¡± I continued the train of thought. ¡°Do they also have an increasing usage?¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s pretty nuanced. As a rule, we don¡¯t talk about those details with each other.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve each got our own abilities that differ from each other. So it¡¯s like comparing apples to something like celery. It doesn¡¯t make sense, and they¡¯re similar in only the broadest ways. What works for me might be bad for someone else, and vice versa.¡± Leo had the next question. ¡°Have you always had this power, or have you had others?¡± ¡°Just this one for me.¡± I met Leo¡¯s eyes, knowing we were both thinking it; I¡¯d had two. ¡°As far as you know, is that the norm?¡± I asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anyone else having more than one. Not to say it¡¯s impossible. But I¡¯ve never tried, either, so who knows?¡± Leo and I had a moment of best friend telepathy; we wouldn¡¯t bring up how I¡¯d demonstrated two to Alex. While I had already told him that I discovered my power by accidentally breaking things, he must have forgotten or thought it was my power developing into teleportation. I allowed the men to continue their discussion of the nuances of radiation exposure and what should be considered allowable levels. Leo asked Alex a lot of questions about how many times he used his power today, how long did he use it each time, how much time there was between uses. Not being involved in the technology side of this, I was content to sit back, listen, and wait until I had something to add. After what had to be at least twenty minutes of interrogation, Leo nodded to himself, satisfied. ¡°This will give me enough to get started.¡± ¡°I hope so. That was, like, a thousand questions,¡± Alex bemoaned. ¡°My science is thorough,¡± Leo replied, unmoved. ¡°Question,¡± I finally said. ¡°What¡¯s causing this gamma radiation?¡± Leo¡¯s head snapped in my direction to look at me. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°What? It¡¯s a good question.¡± He shook his head and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Well, we can assume we¡¯re not nuclear,¡± Alex volunteered. ¡°There¡¯d be so many other problems if we were.¡± ¡°Lightning is another unlikely source,¡± Leo added. ¡°We¡¯re not glowing like a star or heating up to a bajillion degrees, so that¡¯s out,¡± I added. ¡°Nuclear decay and antimatter are also sources,¡± Alex said after looking it up on his phone. ¡°Gamma rays have lots of energy, right? So¡­is that the power source for our abilities? Is there something in us that¡¯s radioactively decaying and causing this?¡± I addressed my question mainly to Leo, though it was Alex who answered with his own question. ¡°And is that why people with LaShoul¡¯s die? Because there¡¯s a buildup of the gamma from that decay?¡± We all sat in complete silence. Leo broke the silence. ¡°We need a gamma ray telescope.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Looking at us. Though, just a lens would do; we don¡¯t need the whole thing.¡± ¡°And where do you find one of those?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll look into it.¡± ¡°How does this gamma not kill us or make us sick?¡± I threw it out there because why not. If we were asking all the questions, what¡¯s one more? ¡°No fucking clue,¡± Alex helpfully provided with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s another good question.¡± Leo tapped on his tablet until a word document was projected on the wall, filled with questions. I watched as he added mine to the list and read through the other ones he already had. Is radioactive decay the cause of gamma radiation? Is radiation the source of the power? How much variance is there from person to person? What¡¯s the relationship to LaShoul¡¯s? Can we see it with a gamma lens? Do different powers lead to different levels of radiation? How does the body process it to keep from getting sick? ¡°That second to last question.¡± I paused. ¡°Can we look at our stats again? Because we have different powers.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Leo pulled the stats up again, this time layering them over each other. He adjusted the timelines so that both his plateau and my spike were on top of each other. ¡°Well, then.¡± Mine was significantly higher. By a lot. More than¡­maybe quadruple? Or more? It was hard to tell without the numbers. ¡°How did we miss this?¡± ¡°I think the program automatically adjusted the scales so that you wouldn¡¯t be off the chart. Let me see if I can calculate the total amounts and compare them.¡± Leo had the tablet do the math, and out popped two numbers that were within a hundred electron volts of each other. I only knew they were electron volts because I asked. ¡°It looks like Callie¡¯s uses more in a shorter amount of time,¡± Alex said. ¡°But since Leo can maintain his longer, that could put them in the same ballpark.¡± ¡°So, short answer is yes. Different abilities seem to generate different amounts of radiation,¡± I summarized. ¡°What I want to know is if you teleporting an object from across the room is equivalent to my telekinesis bringing it just as far.¡± Leo wrote down the question after stating it, and I caught Alex¡¯s surprised look. Leo didn¡¯t seem to notice what he had revealed, so deep into it all that it must have slipped out. ¡°Does the mass of the object matter?¡± I added. ¡°What about distance?¡± Leo¡¯s question. ¡°We can test those out, right?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. That¡¯ll be easy.¡± ¡°No offense,¡± Alex began. ¡°But is there a specific point in finding that stuff out? Not that it isn¡¯t super cool, I¡¯m curious too, just¡­It seems to me like there are other, bigger questions we could use the answers to more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Leo allowed. ¡°Some of those will take time to answer. And the more data we have, the easier some of those questions will be to answer. In theory, at least. Alex, I hate to ask, but are you willing to help us with the tests?¡± ¡°Why not? Sounds like fun to me. Just tell me when and, well, I¡¯m assuming we¡¯ll do it here?¡± ¡°Yes, here. I think it¡¯s best if we try to keep this as contained as possible for now.¡± ¡°Right. Well, tell me when, and as long as I¡¯m not working, I¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°Thanks. You know, I think I could get you a bio-screen, like, yesterday if you applied for a position at my company,¡± Leo threw out. ¡°I¡¯d have to pull some strings, but I can guarantee to hire you.¡± ¡°What, my own experience isn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you come work for the company I work for instead? We¡¯d be happy to bring you into the fold. I¡¯m sure Goodwin would love to use your brain. We could all be a team.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great joke.¡± ¡°Or,¡± I said emphatically, trying to break the rising tension. ¡°Leo, could you develop a device that just measures the gamma? I don¡¯t think we need all of Alex¡¯s other stats for this, do we?¡± It worked. Both men turned to look at me. ¡°That could work. I¡¯ll see what I can do. Alex, do you have any biotech already? Preferably something my company made?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Not even eye lenses?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Perfect. You¡¯re getting eye lenses. Congratulations on the spontaneous eye degeneration.¡± Alex snorted. ¡°Thanks.¡± After several moments of silence, I asked, ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± Leo ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Well, first things first, I need to make these tracking mods for us, and then do the same with some lenses for Alex. We¡¯ll do some tests, see what information pops out. Then, we start looking for the answers to the other questions.¡± He gestured towards the wall, where his list of questions was displayed again. ¡°Is there anything else we should hash out tonight?¡± Leo looked at Alex and answered, ¡°It goes without saying that this is all confidential information until we agree to share it with our respective companies.¡± Alex crossed his arms defensively. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot on the line here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hiding my own power for years. You don¡¯t have to remind me what¡¯s at stake. I know how to keep my mouth shut.¡± I jumped up, ditching my blanket on the couch. ¡°Oh-kay, it¡¯s getting pretty late. Alex, thank you for coming tonight and sharing everything with us. I think us working together amicably¡ª¡± I shot Leo an accusatory look ¡°¡ªwill benefit everyone. Why don¡¯t I walk you out?¡± Alex didn¡¯t say anything, only giving Leo a long stare before following me to the door. Once out in the hallway, I heaved a relieved breath. ¡°That was stressful,¡± I admitted as we walked towards the elevators. I took Alex¡¯s hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. ¡°I think overall it went well. Seriously, thanks for all that. I know you didn¡¯t have to. Leo can be a prick, but he does mean well, I swear.¡± ¡°Listen, this could help so many people. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± He let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders instead in a half-hug. It felt nice, being pulled into his side. ¡°And if I get to verbally spar with the guy who¡¯s got a stick shoved so far up his ass, then¡ª¡± My laugh cut him off, and I playfully whacked his chest. ¡°Sometimes, I think he¡¯s trying to prove something. I don¡¯t what it is or who he needs to prove it to, maybe just himself, but it gets him on edge. This is a big deal to him, or he wouldn¡¯t be causing such problems.¡± I reached out and pressed the button on the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m not so innocent either. I won¡¯t lie and say it isn¡¯t difficult for me to share what I know with him. Getting a rise out of him makes me feel just a little bit better about it,¡± he admitted somewhat sheepishly. ¡°While I can¡¯t condone that, I would also be lying if I said I never did anything similar.¡± I sighed as the elevator doors slid open. ¡°I wish he wouldn¡¯t take everything so seriously.¡± ¡°Or get that stick extracted.¡± I ignored Alex¡¯s suggestion. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the pressure he¡¯s under. I know he doesn¡¯t get along with his dad, which doesn¡¯t help things.¡± ¡°No?¡± Alex seemed surprised. ¡°No,¡± I confirmed with a head shake. ¡°I think his dad got married and had a kid because it¡¯s what was expected of him. Or to have a blood relative to pass the company down to. Either way, I doubt it was because he actually wanted a kid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Alex didn¡¯t finish. ¡°I know.¡± We rode in silence for the remainder of the ride, saying our goodbyes and embracing briefly when we reached the lobby. By the time the elevator returned back up to my floor, I was ready to call it a night. Leo had other plans. ¡°I got it!¡± he all but shouted when I opened the door. ¡°Got what?¡± ¡°The mod done.¡± ¡°Already?¡± He grabbed my arm and yanked it next to his so he could share it with my screen. After a few seconds, my screen vibrated once, and Leo let me go. ¡°Before you run away, show me this thing,¡± I demanded. ¡°I was going to.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± He maneuvered to stand next to me. ¡°There¡¯s a new tab, here.¡± He pointed at the top menu of the screen. Indeed, a narrow new tab existed, labelled with the Greek capital letter for gamma. ¡°I made it that small so at a first glance people probably won¡¯t see it; they¡¯d have to be looking for it. Just in case.¡± I tapped on the new tab which was about half the size of the tip of my finger. Two horizontal lines were there, labelled P and S, and a quick check told me it was a live reading of what one could only assume was gamma radiation. ¡°Now.¡± Leo extended his arm, his phone floating over to us from the breakfast bar and landing in his palm. My arm vibrated once with a new pattern. The bottom line showed a soft rise and fall of radiation, and a table appeared to the right. A tally mark, or maybe the number one, appeared in the bottom box.
P 0
S 1
¡°That¡¯s secondary radiation,¡± Leo explained. ¡°Which is what the S stands for. When someone around you gives off gamma, it¡¯ll pick it up. It¡¯s sensitive to amounts, so if I were to use more power, whether that¡¯s for longer period of time or something else, it¡¯ll increase faster. The top one is the primary, or what you do.¡± I held out my hand and summoned the wooden spoon from wherever it was in the kitchen. The number three appeared in the top box alongside a sharp spike in the top line.
P 3
S 1
¡°Nice,¡± I said. I was impressed with how much Leo had done in the short time it had taken to walk Alex out. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I have no idea how long it takes for things to reset, so to speak, so I picked twenty-four hours. It¡¯s a rolling system, not by the clock, so twenty-four hours from now, that three will drop off.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Is there an alert, for a high or a low?¡± He sighed and stepped away, giving me his back. His hands went to grasp the back of his head, elbows out to either side. I watched silently as he started pacing. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what it should be. Like Alex said, it¡¯s nuanced. So we might need to find our own limits instead.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s for the best. Go with our guts, like Alex. Don¡¯t make it harder than it needs to be.¡± I said it mostly to soothe an agitated Leo. ¡°We¡¯ll do these tests, get more information, and then we can reassess. Yeah?¡± He let out a long breath, deflating with it, hands dropping back down to his sides. ¡°Yeah. I just hate not knowing.¡± I stepped forward, giving his arm a quick squeeze. ¡°We can do more another day. Now you go to sleep, you hear me? No staying up late researching.¡± ¡°I make no promises.¡± I rolled my eyes at him and walked to the right towards my room. Another thought occurred to me. I paused in the threshold of my room, turning back. ¡°Hey, Leo?¡± I called to him as he walked in the opposite direction. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°About what Alex said, people using their power too much? Will you promise to take it easy for a few days?¡± A confused look settled on Leo¡¯s face. ¡°Callie, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You spent an entire night practicing your telekinesis,¡± I reminded him. ¡°We don¡¯t know how much is too much. It¡¯ll be a lot easier to fill the cup more than try to empty it once it¡¯s already overflowing.¡± He waved me off, both with his hand and with a curt, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t forget that we¡¯ve got tests to run. We want them to be as accurate as possible, and if you wear yourself out, you¡¯ll skew them.¡± Leo put his hands on his hips and stared at the floor, and I knew I got through to him. ¡°Fine,¡± he reluctantly agreed. ¡°Goodnight, Leo,¡± I said in sing-song. ¡°Night,¡± he answered in a low monotone. Chapter 18 I let the door slam shut behind me heavily before resting all my weight against it and slipping down to the ground with a groan. I was really regretting using four days of PTO two and a half months ago to attend a book convention. Otherwise, I could have used them for this last week at Silk & Silver before starting my new job at Hubert Industries. Which was tomorrow. ¡°Have a good day at work, sweetie?¡± Leo teased from the kitchen. I mumbled incoherently, ready to crawl to my bedroom and sleep for the next twelve hours. Inventory days usually did that to me, but this one was worse than usual with the arrival of the rest of the autumn collection. There had been boxes on boxes of stuff, stacked dangerously high above my head. We had all worked our asses off to get it done by seven in the evening. And after my last day there tomorrow, I¡¯d work two more days at Hubert Industries since all I had finished all the orientation videos. Instead of the usual four ten-hour days in a week, I was doing six. A quick, short knock on the door startled me. I only had the energy to roll away and shout, ¡°Come in,¡± through the sound-dampening hunk of metal and fabricated wood. Alex let himself in, nearly stepping on me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he immediately asked. I let myself sprawl further on the floor like a starfish. They had a nice, calm life, didn¡¯t they? No slippery silk scarves to count? No boxes to break down? ¡°Inventory,¡± I managed. Alex raised his eyebrows, but it was Leo who clarified, ¡°At Silk & Silver, they do inventory every two or three weeks, depending on shipments. It always wears her out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fit enough for this bullshit,¡± I whined. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I could use my new abilities to help out. I wish I had telekinesis. Or strength.¡± Leo chuckled. Alex dropped his bag at the door and reached two hands down towards me. ¡°Come on. Up you go, Callie.¡± Reluctantly, I grabbed his hands and let him haul me to my feet. He took it a step further, scooping me up in his arms to deposit me on the sectional sofa closest to the kitchen and the new, non-glass faux-wood dining table Leo had delivered yesterday. The chairs that came with it were even more comfortable than the previous ones, an upgrade I thoroughly enjoyed. ¡°You up for tonight?¡± Alex asked quietly, giving my forehead a kiss. I shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Probably. I haven¡¯t used my ability at all today or yesterday. It should be fine.¡± ¡°Coffee?¡± ¡°Hell, yes.¡± Alex wandered into the kitchen, pausing awkwardly as he worked around Leo who was finishing up our dinner. Since Alex and I both worked today and Leo hadn¡¯t, he volunteered to make us dinner before we started our experiments. I was already regretting to agreeing to doing this today. But I had promised, and I wanted to stick to my promises. The life-giving smell of coffee and whatever pasta dish Leo was making wafted over to me, drawing me willingly into the kitchen. I took a spot at the new table, running my hands over the smooth surface. This one was better. It wasn¡¯t so cold, both visually and literally, and it suited the space better. Maybe it had been a blessing in disguise. ¡°We should go over things,¡± Leo suggested as he plated our dinner. Alex brought over my coffee, made perfectly. I thanked Alex for remembering. ¡°I wrote it down,¡± he admitted. It was still sweet of him to make a note that I liked my coffee with extra cinnamon and non-dairy creamer. I told him as much, reaching up to plant a kiss on his cheek. Leo cleared his throat and Alex moved out of the way, taking the seat next to me. After putting the plates down at each setting, Leo joined us. ¡°So, game plan,¡± Alex prompted. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve got a scale, measuring tape, and painter¡¯s tape to mark the floor and where the objects will be. Basically, we¡¯ll take turns bringing the object to ourselves. We can just toss them back to Alex, and Alex, you can put them back in the exact same spot marked by the tape. When we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll look at the stats and see what we find.¡± ¡°Simple enough,¡± I said, twirling the linguini and blush sauce on my fork. We finished dinner in comfortable silence, chatting occasionally about the cooling weather and Lucie¡¯s new habit of hiding underneath Leo¡¯s bed to attack his ankles. I suggested Leo wear thicker socks so he wouldn¡¯t get clawed, but he refused, stating it was now a matter of pride that a damn cat wouldn¡¯t control what he did in his own home. I sputtered a laugh and let it go. He¡¯d find out soon enough that she did own his home, like any cat did. Once we finished and the plates were cleared, I asked, ¡°So, Mr. Scientist, what will the parameters be?¡± Leo gave me a dry look, unamused. ¡°What?¡± I wondered. ¡°Are we just picking any distance, or did you have something in mind? What objects are we using?¡± I turned to Alex. ¡°Those are good questions, right?¡± ¡°They are,¡± he assured me. I turned back to Leo, who just sighed. He pointed to a box on the counter that I hadn¡¯t noticed. Alex walked over, pulling out a bowling ball, smallish figurine of some winged creature, a pen, and a coin. He lined them up on the counter before getting the scale, tape, and measuring tape out. ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡± I asked, watching Alex tear off a strip of tape and put it on the counter¡¯s edge. He tossed the roll to Leo, who caught it and pulled off another, longer length to place at our feet. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I can,¡± he offered. ¡°I did think of something else,¡± I said. Leo levitated the measuring tape to him, measuring two feet. He tore off another strip of tape to place down to mark how far back our feet could go. ¡°Mine happens basically instantaneously. Are we placing a time limit on you?¡± Leo paused in his work and looked up at me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He frowned at the ground. ¡°That¡¯s a great question.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, feeling proud of myself. ¡°I thought so, too.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good one,¡± Alex agreed. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°I think that could be another set of experiments for Leo,¡± I answered. I was on a roll tonight, full of good ideas and questions. ¡°I don¡¯t think that really impacts me, or others. But it¡¯ll be interesting to see if moving things faster releases more gamma radiation or not. I bet it does, but only a little bit.¡± Leo gave me an approving little nod. ¡°Yeah, I agree. Absolutely. I can do that tomorrow while you work and let you know.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Perfect. So, for this experiment, what do you want to do? Time limit? No time limit, but record how long it does take you?¡± ¡°I think no time limit, but we¡¯ll see how long it does take. And then after I do my own tests tomorrow, we can repeat it with you if we see a need.¡± We both positioned ourselves within the box marked on the floor, and I watched the coin as it zipped into Leo¡¯s hand. My forearm tingled with a notification that I¡¯d been exposed to gamma. Alex whistled appreciatively, catching the coin as Leo tossed it back. Alex made a note in his phone of the time, which was probably something like one whole second, and looked to me when he was finished. My turn. I held out my hand, taking a moment to envision the coin and where I wanted it to go before summoning it. Just like Leo, it appeared in a second, and I tossed it back as my arm buzzed again. We repeated the coin two more times each, just to be thorough, before moving on to the pen. It whizzed to Leo¡¯s hand almost as fast as the coin had. The rest of the tests with the pen and dragon figurine went well. But the bowling ball¡­ I had never teleported something as big, or as heavy, as the bowling ball. Yes, I¡¯d been practicing, but my phone was usually the largest item I summoned. ¡°So¡­¡± I drawled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how well this is gonna go.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s big,¡± I answered, gesturing to the bowling ball Alex carefully placed on the tape. ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, I don¡¯t know that I can do it. My ability is different than yours. I just can¡¯t give up halfway if I realize it¡¯s too much for me.¡± ¡°Callie, it¡¯s only twelve pounds.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s, like, ten pounds more than I¡¯ve ever done before.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± My fists went to my hips. ¡°I¡¯m taking things slow. I¡¯m being careful. Don¡¯t judge me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡ª¡± I cut him off. ¡°You absolutely were. And I do have other things in my life than just practicing for hours on end like some boring people.¡± Alex coughed, presumably to hide a laugh. Leo switched tactics, opting for reassurance. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°If I end up with a broken toe,¡± I murmured, turning to glare at the bowling ball. It floated effortlessly to Leo, though took him the longest amount of time yet, which Alex recorded. I felt a little smug. ¡°Here, can I?¡± I held my hands out towards the ball. Leo handed it over, and I made a show of almost dropping it. He lunged towards to try to catch it, old habits still overriding his new ability. ¡°Hah.¡± I stuck my tongue out at Leo. I turned to face Alex to hand off the bowling ball to him, extending my arms as I did so. Suddenly, the weight of the ball just¡­vanished. It appeared in Alex¡¯s hands that were stretched towards me. Caught off guard, he fumbled the ball and it dropped to the floor with a loud, reverberating thwunk. We all stood frozen, and I wasn¡¯t sure who was more surprised. Me, who had no idea I could even do such a thing, Alex, whose toes had barely escaped unharmed, or Leo, who stood with wide eyes at my empty hands. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Several beats passed without any one of us saying anything. ¡°Well. That¡¯s¡­new?¡± Alex finally asked, looking to me. ¡°Um¡­yeah. New,¡± I confirmed. I ran a hand through my hair. ¡°That¡¯s, uh, interesting.¡± Leo just nodded. I could see the gears in his head turning, smoke coming out of his ears. ¡°Why do you think¡­?¡± I trailed off, my own thoughts swirling. Alex answered first. ¡°Exposure to the abilities of others helps unlock it,¡± he reminded us. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s what¡¯s happened? Your ability just¡­leveled?¡± ¡°Leveled,¡± I repeated. ¡°I like that. Like a game.¡± Alex picked up the ball from the floor and placed it on the tape. With considerable focus, it came easily to my hands but the sudden weight was still a shock. I almost dropped it. After two more times, I felt more confident summoning the bowling ball. I had a theory that not seeing the object coming at me first made it more difficult for my brain to handle its sudden appearance. Hopefully with more practice I¡¯d get used to it. In the midst of cleaning up our little experiment, Leo froze. Bent over with a strip of tape half pulled off the floor, he cocked his head towards his hallway. I paused, listening and hearing a soft beeping alarm coming from that direction. Leo straightened, smoothing the portion of tape he¡¯d pulled back down. ¡°They¡¯re ready,¡± he announced. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything.¡± ¡°What¡¯s ready?¡± He didn¡¯t answer me, disappearing down his hall. I met Alex¡¯s gaze and shook my head. He shrugged in return and walked to me, wrapping me in his arms loosely. ¡°Do you ever feel like you¡¯re living with a mad scientist?¡± I tossed my head back on a laugh. ¡°Yes. Often.¡± ¡°Care to show me your stats while we wait for the him to return?¡± I led Alex over to the sectional and pulled up my stats, clearing the two dozen plus alerts I¡¯d gotten before navigating to the correct tab. I swiped through the timeline, noticing how the spikes that were my own gamma were sharp and sudden, whereas Leo¡¯s gamma were smaller, gradual hills. They alternated, a hill then a spike, and after three repetitions, the gamma increased. It was clear to me that the larger the object, the more gamma emitted, though not by a whole lot. At least for me. Leo¡¯s little hills were more stable, though there was a slight variation in them. ¡°Looks like the bigger the object, the bigger the spike,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± ¡°I wonder if¡ª¡± ¡°Got them!¡± Leo proclaimed loudly. He came over and handed Alex a small box. ¡°Your lenses are done.¡± ¡°Nice. You haven¡¯t tweaked them to spy on me, right?¡± ¡°Course not. I have better things to do than watch your boring life,¡± Leo answered. I cleared my throat loudly. ¡°Thanks, Leo.¡± ¡°Put them in, make sure they fit right. And then we¡¯ll test you.¡± ¡°Test me? My power is vastly different than both of yours,¡± Alex reminded Leo. ¡°So? I have an idea. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°How will Alex be able to see his stats?¡± Before Leo could answer, Alex said, ¡°I have no interest in keeping track like you two. I really don¡¯t see a need to. I deal with this well enough on my own.¡± Leo said, ¡°Fair enough,¡± and ushered us back into the kitchen, were he finished setting things back up again. Alex put in the lenses with only a little struggle, blinking rapidly until they settled. ¡°All good,¡± he confirmed when Leo asked if they were working properly. Leo made Alex do all the same experiments we did, except by carrying the object with his super strength and walking the distance. ¡°This is the most boring thing I think I¡¯ve ever done in my life,¡± he said after the third time carrying the little dragon figurine in his hand. ¡°And such a waste.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for science; it¡¯s not a waste,¡± Leo argued. Alex rolled his eyes, and I hid my smile behind my hand. Once Alex finished the very riveting and not at all yawn-inducing tests, we all settled onto the couch while Leo collected our stats and threw them together to project on the wall like last time. ¡°Are those all the same scale?¡± Alex wondered, pointing to his on the bottom. The spikes were drastically higher than mine or Leo¡¯s. ¡°Hmm.¡± Leo checked. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re the same.¡± ¡°Why do you think that is?¡± I asked. ¡°Could be several things, I think.¡± Leo paused, looking closely at his tablet that displayed the same stats projected on the wall. ¡°You¡¯ve built up your ability over the past couple of years, which might make it stronger. Or maybe because you¡¯re exerting your ability on yourself and not a smaller, non-organic object, it requires more.¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Originally, we were looking at the two of you because yours are more similar than mine. I don¡¯t really fit in this equation.¡± A funny thought occurred to me, one that both men would likely hate. ¡°Now, a fun thing to figure out would be if the same amount of gamma is exerted if Leo were to use his telekinesis to move Alex and each object across the same distance. Then compare it to Alex walking with it. You get the idea?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you teleport me,¡± Alex answered blandly. ¡°Save some time.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t tried with anything living. I might accidentally kill you. Or get you stuck in the in-between,¡± I answered nonchalantly. ¡°Maybe I should practice with butterflies or something first.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not using our abilities on each other,¡± Leo said sternly. ¡°Spoil sport.¡± Alex nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. I gave him a ¡°who, me?¡± look. ¡°Do we care to find out why Alex¡¯s abilities give off more gamma?¡± I asked. Alex shook his head. ¡°No. Absolutely not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even a little bit curious?¡± Leo prodded. ¡°Nope,¡± Alex insisted. I suspected that was a lie. But I didn¡¯t blame Alex for not wanting to go through more of Leo¡¯s little experiments. I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to if I had mastered mine. ¡°Another question,¡± I said, changing the topic. ¡°For the times that there were major spikes, they were still counted the same on our bio-screens. Should we change that?¡± Leo considered. ¡°Probably. We could pick a standard unit, like one microsievert, which is around the level of gamma radiation the screens picked up on for the coin and the pen, and go by a decimal system from there.¡± Like I knew what a micro-whatever actually was. I¡¯d have to look it up later. ¡°Cool. Also, do we think the bigger spikes affect us more? Like, does a bigger spike have a bigger effect than two smaller spikes that add up to the same amount?¡± I grinned when Leo rubbed his temples at my questions. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Callie.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t blame me for wondering.¡± ¡°Alright, miss smarty pants, what do you think we should do?¡± Leo¡¯s tired gaze met mine. I considered for a few minutes, staring up at the stats projected on the wall. There were several good options that would likely work, but until we had more information, there was only one that stood out to me. ¡°Okay. I think that we should have different levels based on the size of the spikes. We¡¯ll still give them each a decimal rating based on the amount of gamma, and add that up for a total. But if I start teleporting some big objects and that tires me out, but doing a bunch of little ones afterwards doesn¡¯t, then we¡¯ll know if there¡¯s limits based on size. And if I don¡¯t start to get tired until I reach a total in general, then the extra division doesn¡¯t hurt and we can get rid of it.¡± Neither of them said anything. ¡°What? Do you think that¡¯s a terrible idea or something?¡± I worried. ¡°It¡¯s the best idea based on what we know,¡± Leo finally said. I let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Alex, do you mind if I make that change real quick before you go?¡± ¡°Do I have to take the lenses out?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then go ahead.¡± Leo sank back into the couch, tapping away on his tablet again as he adjusted his modifications to match my suggestion. I reached over to Alex and rested my head on his shoulder. ¡°Hi.¡± He reached around me, stroking my arm softly. ¡°Hi,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°We both work tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I swallowed. Alex and I had been together for nearly three weeks¡ªtwenty-two days since our first date, to be exact, but who was counting? While I was comfortable with things, it was starting to feel like it wasn¡¯t enough. I wanted more. So I had done a bit of preparing for an opportunity like this. ¡°Do you just want to stay here tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather make the trek back home than stay on a couch.¡± I swallowed again. Quietly, I clarified, ¡°That¡¯s not what I was suggesting.¡± Alex pulled away to look at me. He looked adorably confused, which relieved a bit of my anxiety. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything with me,¡± he said. It wasn¡¯t an answer. ¡°I¡¯ve got some things. We could swing by your place in the morning if need be. But I just¡­¡± I trailed off. I couldn¡¯t look at him, and instead stared down at my hands. ¡°I wanted to offer. You don¡¯t have to say yes. Obviously.¡± ¡°Callie, I think¡ª¡± ¡°Done,¡± Leo announced. I shot a glare at Leo, not that he noticed. He just came over, holding his tablet close to Alex¡¯s face first, then my forearm, and finally his own. ¡°Give it a minute, and it should rework the stats.¡± It was more like ten seconds. But while Leo worked on displaying the adjusted stats on the wall again, I checked my screen instead.
P1 6 6
P2 3 6
P3 4 12
P4 0 0
S1 9 3
S2 3 1.5
Total 28.5
¡°I thought the decimals would be more¡­complicated,¡± were the first words out of my mouth. Leo shook his head. ¡°Not yet. I set the parameters for each level, but it¡¯ll take me more time to code it so each individual instance is different based on the specific amount of radiation. For the coin and the pen, they were similar enough that they¡¯re both grouped together in P1. It has a multiplication of one, so no change. For P2, the figurine, it¡¯s a multiplication factor of two. P3, it¡¯s three. And so on. For S1, it¡¯s dividing by three, and for S2, it¡¯s dividing by two. If there¡¯s an S3, it¡¯ll stay the same, since it¡¯ll be comparable to the same amount of gamma as P1.¡± I continued staring at my stats, taking in Leo¡¯s words and seeing how they fit with what I was looking at. ¡°Alex, I didn¡¯t worry so much about yours since you¡¯re on a different level than us. Your primary gamma groups have a larger range to accommodate. I¡¯ll work on coding a bit more for you specifically, maybe tomorrow.¡± It was a great start, I thought. For right now, it would work perfectly. Leo¡¯s desire to make it even more specific was very much a Leo thing to do. Finally looking up from my screen, I saw Leo¡¯s and Alex¡¯s stats up on the wall, along with mine. ¡°So, yours and mine are the same?¡± Leo¡¯s matched mine exactly, except for that one time I accidentally sent the bowling ball. Alex had nothing in P1, but plenty in P2 and P3. His, I noticed, went up to P5. ¡°Not exactly. Yours, Callie, are ever so slightly higher than mine, but still within the range for each level. That¡¯s why they look identical.¡± ¡°And when you have the detailed code finished, it¡¯ll reflect that.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A yawn escaped me despite the earlier coffee. Leo shut everything down. ¡°It¡¯s late. Goodnight.¡± He turned and vanished down his hallway. Alex looked at me. ¡°That was abrupt.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s probably going to stay up past two working on things and wanted to get started without us bugging him.¡± My unanswered question hovered between us. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look at Alex. I was waiting for his rejection, staring off into nothing and waiting for him to make the first move to leave. Because if he was going to says, he already would have. He cleared his throat. ¡°Callie, I appreciate the offer, and I wish I could say yes.¡± ¡°But?¡± There was definitely a but. ¡°But I¡¯m not prepared with anything.¡± ¡°I assumed, but I do have a few things for you¡ª¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for that. Not yet, at least.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked, forcing the tears to retreat. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sorry if you felt like I was pressuring you.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± he promised quickly. He stood up and I followed him to the door. He grabbed his bag, slinging it over one shoulder casually. ¡°I really appreciate the offer.¡± I nodded, barely keeping it together enough to avoid him noticing. ¡°Sure.¡± It came out small, weak. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, then.¡± Alex paused in the open doorway to plant a kiss on my cheek. And if that didn¡¯t sting like rejection. I felt like an absolute fool. I closed the door softly behind him. It wouldn¡¯t be me offering next time, that was for damn sure. That ball was fully in his court now. Detailed Stats for Chapter 18 Below are two tables to add additional details and provide a more visual breakdown of how the stats are being determined. The second column "Range" is the actual amount of gamma radiation being detected. "Number of Occurrences" is a tally of the number of times there''s a burst of gamma within that range. The multiplier is to give weight to gamma bursts based on the amount of microsieverts (¦ÌSv). Typically, only the first column (identifying Primary or Secondary Gamma), Number of Occurrences, and Weighted Tally will be shown in chapters. Callie
Range Number of Occurrences Multiplier Weighted Tally
P1 1 - 3 ¦ÌSv 6 x1 6
P2 3 - 5 ¦ÌSv 3 x2 6
P3 5 - 7 ¦ÌSv 4 x3 12
P4 7+ ¦ÌSv 0 x4 0
S1 0.01 - 0.30 ¦ÌSv 9 Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡Â3 3
S2 0.30 - 1.00 ¦ÌSv 3 ¡Â2 1.5
TOTAL 25 28.5
*Callie''s stats here do not include the secondary gamma from Alex''s trials.* **Leo''s stats are identical to Callie''s, except for his is lacking one P3 and instead has one additional S2 from when Callie accidentally sent the bowling ball outside of the original experiment trials.** Alex
Range Number of Occurrences Multiplier Weighted Tally
P1 1 - 5 ¦ÌSv 0 x1 0
P2 5 - 10 ¦ÌSv 9 x2 18
P3 10 - 15 ¦ÌSv 3 x3 9
P4 15 - 20 ¦ÌSv 0 x4 0
P5 20+ ¦ÌSv 0 x5 0
S1 0.01 - 0.30 ¦ÌSv 0 ¡Â3 0
S2 0.30 - 1.00 ¦ÌSv 0 ¡Â2 0
TOTAL 12 27
*Alex''s ranges and levels are different since the amount of gamma he has is significantly more than Leo or Callie.* **Alex only had the lenses to track the gamma after Leo and Callie already finished their experiment, so he has no secondary stats.** Chapter 19 My hip bumped against the edge of the security desk, stinging smartly as I wobbled in new heels. It was officially my first day at Hubert Industries after completing the onboarding-slash-orientation six days ago. My last day at Silk & Silver had been yesterday, and going on my fifth ten-hour day today was going to be interesting. Before even leaving the apartment this morning, I¡¯d downed an extra strong cup of coffee. Then I¡¯d stopped on my way to the office for a latte with an extra shot, and even that wasn¡¯t helping me as much as I hoped. My stomach was gnawing on itself, desperately begging for more than just hot bean water with nut milk. It was going to be a disappointing breakfast of a plain vanilla protein shake. Because instead of making a balanced breakfast, I¡¯d spent the extra time on my appearance. I needed to make sure that I looked put-together and professional. The bags under my eyes had needed some serious help. I prayed to gods that didn¡¯t exist that I would remember my face of makeup before rubbing my eyes. I¡¯d also purchased a few new clothing items as soon as I¡¯d accepted the job. The skirt and blouse I was wearing had been ordered online and I was surprised they fit as well as they did. ¡°Good morning,¡± I greeted the bald guard in his black uniform. ¡°My name is Callie, and I was told my badge would be here?¡± He grunted and asked, ¡°Do you have your ID number?¡± I rattled it off, and he pulled up my information. After asking for a few confirming details to ensure I was who I said I was, he instructed me to stand in front of the little camera off to the side to take my official ID picture. Standing tall and giving a closed-lipped smile¡ªI didn¡¯t trust myself not to look manic if I tried for a real one¡ªI could only hope I didn¡¯t look like a disaster. Or I¡¯d be staring at that picture in disgust for, well, months to years. It still hadn¡¯t fully sunk in that I could actually live a normal life. Maybe. According to Alex, he hadn¡¯t had a LaShoul¡¯s episode for two years and was still going strong. It was incredible. I hoped to be just as lucky. There was plenty of work ahead to figure out what I needed to do with my abilities to stay in that sweet spot Alex had explained to Leo and me the other night. But if it meant I could live? I¡¯d fucking do it. Just as the guard promised, the little machine spat out my new ID with my face taking up the left half of it. ¡°This is your identification and key to the building and your floors. Don¡¯t lose it. There¡¯s a fine if you do.¡± I nodded, expressed my thanks, and fixed the badge to my shirt. As I approached the elevators, my phone buzzed in my bag. I bit back a groan at the reminder that Alex had messaged me three times last night after I¡¯d gotten off work. I had ignored them all. He¡¯d likely assumed I was asleep, or at least I hope he did. But now, when there was no way I could still be sleeping, I really couldn¡¯t continue to ignore his messages, including the additional one he sent this morning. My feelings were still hurt, his rejection two nights ago too fresh. It made me unsure where we stood because clearly we were not on the same page like I¡¯d thought. And I knew I had told him there was no problem either way, but my heart didn¡¯t get the same message my brain had relayed. It was better to bite the bullet and just look at the messages now before starting work. I could easily ignore anything other messages for the rest of the day until I got home. The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside with a small crowd of people. I followed their lead, swiping my badge before selecting my floor. They really were serious about their security here. If only they had a biometric system, it would be nearly impossible to go anywhere you weren¡¯t allowed. Although, a system like that for such a large company would be extremely expensive. My previous boss had looked into it for the display cases of the most expensive pieces. With only a couple handfuls of employees, it was still too expensive to justify the cost. I maneuvered towards a back corner of the elevator and pulled out my phone. Alex: How was your last day? Ready to start tomorrow? Alex: You want to grab dessert tonight? Alex: Hope you sleep well. Those three he¡¯d sent last night, and I sighed in relief that he didn¡¯t bring up my now-embarrassing offer. His two messages from this morning, one from just a minute ago, reassured me further that it was behind us. Alex: Good luck today! You¡¯ll be great. Alex: Want to grab lunch? My treat for your first official day. I slipped my phone back in my bag while I debated how to answer. If I was being honest with myself, I was avoiding him. He was acting like nothing was wrong. My brain knew nothing was wrong. My heart disagreed, traitor that she was. Be brave, I reminded myself. I pulled out my phone again and shot off a quick reply. His response was almost instantaneous, like he was waiting for it. Callie: Maybe. I¡¯m going to lunch with the coworkers if invited. Alex: That¡¯s a good idea. Can I claim you tomorrow, though? Callie: Sure. It was time to stop moping. I¡¯d give myself the rest of today to get my heart back under control, and then I needed to put on my big girl pants and face him and figure out exactly where we stood. Like an adult. Because even though I didn¡¯t feel like one, I was twenty-four, dammit, and enough of an adult to act like one. The elevator glided to a stop on my floor and I carefully extracted myself. My bag was packed with items for my desk. I held it awkwardly so I didn¡¯t hit anyone with it. Mads was waiting for me, leaning up against my cubicle wall. Her blue pixie cut was slicked back today, her suit a purple so deep it looked almost black. Her heels were a blue that matched her hair. ¡°Good morning, Callie,¡± she said. ¡°Hi, Mads.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to steal you away. You¡¯ll be training in the field today.¡± My ears perked up. ¡°Really?¡± Mads nodded. ¡°You won¡¯t be with me, but I¡¯ll take you over to Dee.¡± ¡°Okay, great.¡± Quickly, I emptied the vast majority of items from my bag, little personal touches that I¡¯d noticed many others here had in their own cubicles. I had a picture of Lucie, a new pack of my favorite pens, hand sanitizer, lotion, lip balm, spare phone charger, a couple of illustrated notepads and a matching notebook. Most people used tablets and a stylus for note taking, but there was just something about putting pen to paper that I enjoyed. Not to mention that I never had enough money to spare for a tablet when I wrote things down so rarely. My phone was usually enough, and I was an expert at typing with my thumbs without looking. I dumped all of it in one of the two empty drawers of the desk. Later I would get everything organized, but for now it was a huge weight off my shoulder. ¡°Should I bring the laptop?¡± I asked Mads. ¡°You don¡¯t have a tablet?¡± I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes. ¡°Figures. I keep saying that instead of the laptops we should just use tablets with a detachable keyboard, at least for the new hires until the laptops we have die and then replace them with tablets, but no. They¡¯ve already invested in the programs and they¡¯re not compatible.¡± ¡°That would make so much more sense,¡± I agreed. ¡°As soon as you can, I¡¯d suggest investing in one. I can show you how I use mine when you do. The battery lasts a lot longer, too. How are you at taking notes on your phone?¡± ¡°A pro.¡± ¡°That might be your best bet for now. Pen and paper would be fine for today; you¡¯re just shadowing. But you don¡¯t want to have to type everything you already hand-wrote at the end of the day.¡± I grabbed my journal-sized notebook and cracked open the package of new pens and picked one out, throwing both into my bag and leaving my laptop on my desk. ¡°Will that be okay there?¡± I gestured to the laptop sitting out in the open. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got cameras everywhere if it goes missing.¡± Mads turned and walked away. Scrambling to catch up, I didn¡¯t notice my bio-screen had buzzed for several seconds. That was strange. I¡¯d turned off every notification possible except for gamma. As discreetly as possible, I glanced down at my forearm.
Stolen story; please report. Tally Weighted
S1 2 0.667
S2 0 0
Total 0.667
I hadn¡¯t used my abilities yet today, though if I had it would be under one of the primary ranges. I hadn¡¯t run into Leo this morning, nor had I seen Alex. Between the lack of other options and the timeline of when the screen had picked up the gamma¡­ Someone here had just used an ability. The floor was filled with people even though about a third of the cubicles remained empty. I had no idea how far away secondary gamma travelled. That would need to be a whole other round of experiments. Was it a standard distance? Did it vary by person? Leo would love it, the nerd. Until I knew more, it could be literally anyone here right now. Which shouldn¡¯t be surprising, after taking a second to consider it. Alex had said there was a group of them who kept an eye out for others. Interviewing others with LaShoul¡¯s could be a great way to discover others whose abilities had awoken. Alex had made a comment that he¡¯d encouraged me to apply for this job because he suspected my ability had emerged. Connecting the dots, I had to assume that this company was more involved with LaShoul¡¯s¡ªspecifically the abilities side of it¡ªthan was public knowledge. None of that was really public knowledge, though, was it? I¡¯d never heard of any of it until I started asking questions and Alex had noticed. Unless someone was brought into the fold, they would never know. So had Alex slipped up when he said that about the group of lookouts? Or was he allowed to share it with us? My musings were interrupted as Mads stopped outside another cubicle clear on the other side of the floor from mine. The young woman was taller than both of us, not that it was a hard feat. Her dirty blond hair was pulled back in a stylish, curly tail that reached the middle of her back. She swung a white designer bag¡ªone I recognized that Silk & Silver carried last year¡ªover her shoulder as she turned to face us. ¡°Oh, perfect!¡± From her yellow dress to hot pink shoes to beaming smile, she was a ray of sunshine. Her bright blue eyes swept over me quickly from head to toe. ¡°You¡¯re a cute one.¡± My own eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Um, thanks?¡± The woman leaned forward and enveloped me in a tight hug. I got a whiff of her perfume, something light and citrusy that fit her happy personality. Mads crossed her arms in my periphery. ¡°Dee, you¡¯re scaring the girl. Hands off.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a hugger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I assured them both. ¡°Just took me by surprise.¡± ¡°Regardless, Dee here needs to learn some boundaries.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just upset that I accidentally smudged your lipstick the first day we met. I¡¯m not used to hugging people so short.¡± Mads didn¡¯t say anything, but raised one eyebrow at her. It was impressively intimidating. Dee¡¯s hands shot up in surrender. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll try,¡± she said, ¡°but I can¡¯t make any promises.¡± Mads let out a sigh and shook her head. She turned to me. ¡°You¡¯ll be following Dee today and tomorrow. She has a few interviews in the area. You¡¯ll just sit and listen. Next week we¡¯ll pair you up with someone else, probably, for a couple of traveling interviews. We fly all over the country, so invest in a good carry-on over the weekend if you don¡¯t have one. You won¡¯t ever be gone more than a few days. I probably won¡¯t see you the rest of today, but you have my number in case something comes up.¡± She gave a pointed look at Dee, who just smiled and waved a dismissive hand. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine with me. Don¡¯t worry yourself, Mads.¡± Mads departed with one last look at Dee that I couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°So, Callie, I¡¯m Dee. It¡¯s so nice to meet you! We haven¡¯t had a new interviewer join us in a while. Feel free to ask me all the questions.¡± ¡°Where are we headed today?¡± Dee checked her phone. ¡°We¡¯re going to a hospital first, and then¡­¡± Her face fell, the sunshine evaporating. ¡°We have a hospice call.¡± ¡°A¡­hospice call?¡± Dee nodded. ¡°That happens sometimes. It¡¯s rare, but¡­ Sometimes people want to talk at¡­ at the end. When they know it¡¯s coming. And it helps us, I mean the scientists, get some information that might help others¡­¡± She trailed off, leaving me wondering if she¡¯d finished her thought or not. Deciding it was best not to bring it up, I sought to redirect the conversation. ¡°So, what questions get asked? How many are there?¡± Dee visibly shook herself, physically removing the mantle of sadness that had fallen on her shoulders. She smoothed out the bright yellow skirt of her perfectly tailored knee-length dress. And then she gave me a megawatt smile. ¡°How do you do that?¡± I blurted out as we made our way to the elevators. ¡°Do what?¡± I waved a hand at her. ¡°Whatever that just was. It was like you flipped a switch.¡± Her laugh sounded a bit forced. ¡°One thing I¡¯ve learned in this job is that it can be really heavy at times. It¡¯s my, well, our job to stay professional. I like being happy, and, I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe it¡¯s how I try to help others, just a little bit. No one likes being stuck in the hospital. So if I can bring in some friendliness, well, what¡¯s the harm?¡± ¡°Especially after an episode,¡± I agreed. ¡°That friendliness makes a person not feel so alone.¡± I stepped forward to hit the button. Dee regarded me. ¡°Can I ask a personal question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She hesitated a moment before asking quietly, ¡°Do you have LaShoul¡¯s?¡± I kept my gaze on the elevators as I nodded once. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re doing this?¡± I shrugged before elaborating, ¡°Yes, and no. It¡¯s¡­ more complicated than that.¡± Thankfully, Dee dropped it. We rode the elevator down in silence, foreshadowing how most of my day would be spent.
¡°Thank you for meeting with us today. I¡¯m Dee, and this is Callie. She¡¯s shadowing me today. Is it okay if she joins us?¡± The woman nodded stiffly, staring at the pictures hung on the light blue walls of her home of a little boy no more than seven. A worn, frayed blanket was wrapped around her thin shoulders, and she didn¡¯t get up from the couch as Dee shook her hand. When she brushed her hair away from her face, I had to reign in my shock. Meg. I¡¯d met her once weeks ago at the LaShoul¡¯s support group. She had a son, the one in the pictures. And she was dying. It was no longer a fear on the horizon; it was happening now. My heart shattered into a million pieces. She didn¡¯t seem to recognize me. Maybe she didn¡¯t have the energy to really look at me, or maybe I hadn¡¯t left an impression on her. Either way, I was grateful. I could sit and blend into the background to take it all in without needing to explain how I suddenly appeared in her home. I listened as Dee asked some of the usual questions; how was she feeling, what could she accomplish most days, what did she struggle with the most, what made her happy. Some others were different than the ones I had heard in the hospital during this mornings other interview, asking about her end of life plans, her bodily functions, and others that I had to block out. It wouldn¡¯t do to start sobbing for the woman. Dee had been completely right; no one wanted to deal with the sadness of others. Ten minutes or so into the interview, a crazy, insane idea popped into my head. It was probably too late. Meg¡¯s LaShoul¡¯s had progressed so far that it was extremely unlikely to work. But a long shot was still a shot. From my vantage point, I could see into the kitchen were a basket of fruit was sitting on the small metal table. Was it worth it? The risk? Could it backfire and just make things worse? Not much was worse than death. I quietly pulled my bag into my lap, opening it as though searching for something. With my hand concealed inside my bag, I envisioned the apple in the basket. And with a gentle tug, it appeared in my hand. Two of the apples in the basket rolled slightly and I held my breath. But they didn¡¯t fall, didn¡¯t make a noise as Dee and Meg continued talking in hushed tones. So I sent it back. I couldn¡¯t put it exactly where it had been now that other apples had taken its place. But next to the basket would do. I doubted Meg would be suspicious, even if she did take notice. Back and forth I toyed with the apple, hoping that enough of my gamma radiation would trigger Meg¡¯s ability to emerge. Alex said exposure to the abilities of others helped encourage a person¡¯s own. It was the best I could do in the moment, but I¡¯d ask Alex if anything else could be done for Meg whenever I talked to him next. Because this wasn¡¯t right. Even if the majority of people who tried to force the ability died, there was still a chance, even the slimmest one, of surviving and having a life. A life not plagued with fear or worry about the end, but one focused on the joy of the moment, in making plans to do things, making lasting and meaningful relationships. That¡¯s when it fully sunk in. That I had a life ahead of me, one that I could make long-term plans for. Plans to get my own place, maybe get another cat, save up for a convention in another state, travel the world, and do whatever the fuck I wanted to because I wasn¡¯t living in fear of my next attack. I could be normal. I glanced at my bio-screen to see how many times I¡¯d used my ability.
Tally Weighted
P1 19 19
P2 0 0
S1 5 1.667
S2 0 0
Total 24 20.667
Wait. I had only two S1 tallies earlier. And now there were five. I tried remembering when I had felt another alert on my screen but couldn¡¯t place it. Had it been during lunch with Dee, when I¡¯d been so focused on her words as she explained our first visit that I didn¡¯t notice it? Or had I grown so used to the constant alerts when I first got the screen that my mind automatically shut them out if I was busy with something? Dee stood up, reaching out a hand to shake Meg¡¯s. Quickly, and a little sloppily, I shoved the apple back towards the basket. Instead of landing softly like all the other times, it landed and rolled, heading towards the edge of the table. I couldn¡¯t let it fall on the ground. That would attract notice. Despite no one here knowing I had been messing with the apple, it wasn¡¯t worth creating suspicious circumstances around myself. Instead of summoning the apple to my hand and sending it back, I willed it from the edge of the table to the space next to the basket. My brain fought me. I¡¯d grown used to either taking or sending objects through space, not moving them like I was trying to. My focus sharpened, targeting the apple like a cat with a laser pointer. I could feel it then, the thread in my mind that linked me to the apple. Instead of tugging on that thread hard like I usually did, I cast my end towards the table as I gave it a gentle nudge. The apple appeared next to the basket. I ducked my head as I stood and slung my bag over my shoulder to give myself a moment to compose myself. I definitely didn¡¯t want to look excited right now. I took my time adjusting my blouse and skirt until my emotions were wrangled back to a professional neutral. As we left after Dee said our goodbyes, I couldn¡¯t help but turn around and say, ¡°Thank you for your time today.¡± Meg¡¯s empty eyes met mine. She nodded once, saying no words. But none were needed. As the door snicked shut behind me, I prayed to gods I hoped might actually be there that I¡¯d done enough to save her. Chapter 20 Leo caught me staring angrily into my coffee. It was the morning after my sixth ten-hour shift in a row, and there was no reason for me to be awake at this hour. I was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to hibernate. My body had other plans. I had woken up before the sunrise, riddled with anxiety. The coffee wasn¡¯t helping the thoughts swirling around in my head, trying to find solutions to unexpected issues. He paused on his way to the front door and stared at me. He was dressed for work while I was still wrapped in my fluffy robe, my hair still back in the braids I usually slept in. I didn¡¯t want to think about the frizzy mess they had probably turned into while I slept. If I could afford a silk pillowcase it would probably help significantly. But my finances were not yet at a point where I could spend money to replace things I already had that were in perfect working condition. My pillowcases included. ¡°What?¡± I half-snapped at him when he didn¡¯t say anything. He ignored my less than friendly tone and quietly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I deflated, letting my upper body fall onto the countertop. My problems wouldn¡¯t be problems for most people. But most people had more of a support system than I did, could borrow money more easily. It was funny how being diagnosed with a terminal illness meant that I couldn¡¯t take out a loan or have any sort of decent credit limit without a cosigner. They were all too scared of me dying off before I could pay it back, and where would that leave them? I refused to ask my father, who had enough of his own debt left to pay off. I refused to saddle him with more. And even though I knew the chances of me living to see thirty, or even ninety, were significantly higher now, they didn¡¯t know that. It was one of the downsides of being officially diagnosed. While the accommodations for jobs and housing was incredibly helpful at times, it made other things more difficult. Getting approved for a loan being just one of them. ¡°I need your help,¡± I murmured into the cool countertop. ¡°Sure, Callie. Anything. What is it?¡± Leo placed his hand on my back, rubbing small, soothing circles as I continued to faceplant. The slight physical comfort was nice. I took a deep breath and straightened, mourning when Leo let his hand drop away. ¡°Can you cosign a loan for me?¡± ¡°How much do you need?¡± I lifted one shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know, exactly. I was going to spend today looking to figure out the amount. There¡¯s some things that I need for my new job. But I haven¡¯t gotten paid yet, and my last paycheck from Silk & Silver wasn¡¯t great with all the time I had to take off.¡± ¡°And Hubert Industries won¡¯t pay for it or provide you with what you need?¡± I could hear the disdain in his tone. ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I explained. ¡°They gave me a laptop, which is fine. But it¡¯s heavy, and I have to carry around with me. Another girl there said a tablet is so much easier, especially when traveling. Which is something else. I don¡¯t have any luggage, and I¡¯ll be flying out of town next week for more training. And right now my best option is a freaking garbage bag.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll need other things for traveling besides just the bag.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± My head found the countertop again. He was right. My brain had just forgotten. Leo didn¡¯t say anything right away. But then, ¡°Alright. Come on.¡± He tugged once on one of my braids. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve traveled plenty. I have luggage you can have. I don¡¯t use half of it.¡± I got up and followed Leo down his hallway. I¡¯d only been this way a handful of times. It felt like I was a child misbehaving, going somewhere I wasn¡¯t allowed. It wasn¡¯t at all the truth, but Leo and I respected each other¡¯s privacy as much as we could. And that meant staying out of each other¡¯s personal areas. ¡°Why do you have so much?¡± I wondered. He paused outside his bedroom door and gave me a slightly sheepish grin. ¡°Turns out I¡¯m really particular about what luggage I use.¡± He pushed open the door to his room at the very end of the hall and walked in. I stopped in my tracks, taking in the dark, rich colors of the walls that made the massive space feel cozy. His room was significantly larger than mine, but the space was used effectively. The light furniture and shelving were a surprising contrast, but went well with the cream bedspread and gold accents. Two of the walls of his room were floor to ceiling windows. The white curtains were parted to let in the early morning light, washing the pale floor in a golden glow. A door led outside to a patio visible through the windows, bare of any furniture. ¡°Wow.¡± Leo disappeared into his closet and rummaged around for a few moments before he emerged with three different suitcases, dropping them to the floor in front of me. ¡°Pick whichever one you like best. I¡¯ve never used any of these, and never will. I¡¯ve been meaning to donate them, but haven¡¯t found the time.¡± ¡°Thanks, Leo.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, Callie.¡± He stepped into my space and wrapped his arms around me in a quick, surprising hug. Before I could get my body to respond and return the gesture, he had already let go and was holding my shoulders. ¡°We got each other, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m off to work. Meet me for lunch today, and we¡¯ll handle the other things. Okay? I¡¯ll message you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A distraction this afternoon would be good. I was meeting Alex for a dinner date tonight, the first time I¡¯d see him or really talk to him since his rejection, however reasonable it was. My palms got a bit sweaty just thinking about it as Leo left me alone in his room. I stood there, shaking loose the thoughts of Alex and feeling awkward in Leo¡¯s space without him. My feet stayed rooted to the floor until I heard the front door open and close with Leo¡¯s departure. Only then could I inspect the three suitcases¡ªall gray¡ªlaid out at my feet. I picked them up to feel their weight, tested the wheels, and inspected the divided interiors. Deciding on the lightest, which also was a slightly sparkly silver versus the flat gray of the others, I put the other two off to one side in the closet. I rolled my new suitcase to my room, pleased to at least have one problem solved. Hours later, and after winning an argument with my hair, I waited at the little caf¨¦ Leo sent me the address to. I hadn¡¯t realized at first that it was my favorite until I saw it. After moving in with Leo, and especially after quitting my job, I had mourned the little shop that was now too out of the way of my daily life. It was better for my bank account and the few debts I was trying to pay off, but I still missed coming here to devour a book and a sugary drink on my off days. It was cooler today, yet another sign that autumn was around the corner, and a slight breeze floated in through the open door. I was excited. Everything cinnamon and apple and pumpkin came out, and my bank account suffered. I didn¡¯t care much. It was worth the hot cider and other sweet treats I loved indulging in. It always brightened my spirits, even as the skies darkened more often than not with a drizzly, moody rain. The cozy feel of warm sweaters and scarves, hats and fleece-lined boots. Walking through parks and seeing the leaves change hue, the yellows and oranges deepening into ruby reds and velvety maroons. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Leo entered, spotting me immediately and shaking me out of my daydreams. ¡°Hey, Leo.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± His suit jacket was missing, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. ¡°Busy day?¡± He frowned down at himself, as though realizing he hadn¡¯t bothered putting himself back together. ¡°Yeah, busy.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind that I ordered for you.¡± I gestured to the food on the table between us as he sat to join me. I took a bite of my panini, the cheese perfectly melty and the tomato and basil in perfect harmony with the chicken. Everything was made in-house, and it showed in both the quality and the price. Leo picked up his own food and dove right into things. ¡°You¡¯ve never flown before.¡± It was both a question and assumed statement. He knew about my past with my father, and correctly guessed I¡¯d never been on a plane, or even a maglev train before. ¡°True.¡± ¡°There¡¯s limitations on what you can bring, and I know what works best.¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Well-traveled.¡± I nodded sagely, unable to stop myself from poking fun, just a little bit. He brushed off my foolishness with a wave of his hand that had me curious how often he did that to the underlings who worked for him. With him? I couldn¡¯t remember if I¡¯d ever hashed out exactly what his position was. Was he was a boss, or scientist who answered to a boss, of did he only answered to the board and his father? He told me plenty about what he did, just not who else was involved. ¡°So the game plan is to hit up a place I know to get the rest of what you¡¯ll need. Shouldn¡¯t take too long. And I have a couple of things being delivered later today, too, that were just easier to order online.¡± ¡°What did you order?¡± He smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him as I took the last bite of my panini and chewed. It wasn¡¯t until I¡¯d finished basically inhaling the thing that I realized I had forgotten to eat breakfast. While coffee might count for some people, it didn¡¯t count for me. Leo finished his food almost as quickly as I had, chasing it down with the black coffee I¡¯d ordered him. Gross. I savored my sugary treat, something a bit fruity with vanilla and no caffeine. My anxiety couldn¡¯t take it today, even though so much was already handled and was a huge weight off of my shoulders. The leftover jitters were probably caused by my worry over the date with Alex later, which felt like an ax hovering over my head. Letting go of the mystery package, knowing Leo wouldn¡¯t budge, I followed him out of my favorite little caf¨¦ and promised myself I¡¯d be back soon. We walked down the sidewalk in the direction of the apartment, and I focused on releasing my lingering anxiety with each step I took, which half-worked. ¡°So, where¡¯s¡ª¡± He cut me off with a raised finger, going back to typing out some message on his phone while expertly dodging oncoming people and traffic without looking up. He pocketed his phone when he finished, finally looking up. ¡°Sorry, work thing that couldn¡¯t wait. I swear, some of these people act like every little inconvenience or problem is a dumpster fire.¡± I had no experience with that, so I just nodded along and teased, ¡°Whatever would they do without you?¡± He let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a scoff. ¡°Probably self-combust. But that reminds me.¡± He looped his arm through mine, tugging me out of the way of a scooter I hadn¡¯t seen coming. ¡°If things with this job of yours don¡¯t work out, let me know. I¡¯m happy to get you a job with me. I just thought you wouldn¡¯t be interested, so I never offered. And for that, I¡¯m sorry. I hope I didn¡¯t make you feel like I didn¡¯t believe you could do it, or something.¡± His apology warmed something inside of me, easing a tension I hadn¡¯t noticed I was carrying. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think I would have been interested, not until recently. I don¡¯t know. For a long while, I just wanted to enjoy what life I had left, you know? Read some good books. Relax. I didn¡¯t have any drive towards anything. But then I thought how¡­pathetic that was. Even with the bio-screens, and sharing really insightful information to help others, it¡­suddenly wasn¡¯t enough. Just because it is what it is for me, doesn¡¯t mean it should be the same for others. And I wanted to actively help.¡± ¡°I¡¯d noticed a change,¡± Leo murmured, directing me towards a set of glass doors with long, golden handles. ¡°But it¡¯s not pathetic, wanting to live your life the way you want. Others spend their lives searching for answers they¡¯ll never find, and miss out on the fun stuff, or important things.¡± There was something in the sudden stiffness in his voice that clued me in that he¡¯d love nothing more than to live his life however he wanted. Leo opened the door for me, letting me go first, and I took the opportunity to get a closer look at his expression. Stressed, the line between his brows told me. The downturn of his mouth projected his unhappiness. And the tightness around his eyes was further proof I didn¡¯t need that this man was on a path he hadn¡¯t picked for himself. Not to say he wasn¡¯t great at it, because he absolutely was. But¡­ ¡°Do you ever wonder what you might have chosen to do if things were different?¡± I wondered quietly, looking anywhere but at him. The store had tall ceilings, warm lighting, and white built-in shelving. I had no clue where we were, but just based on the impeccable appearance, I knew it was out of my price range. Significantly. My feet stalled. I turned to tell Leo as much and found him already looking at me with a brow raised. He took my elbow in his gentle grip and leaned down to softly say, ¡°If you think for one second that I would bring you here and not pay for what you need, then I really need to work harder at getting the message through your thick skull. Whenever we¡¯re together, you won¡¯t be paying for anything. I¡¯ll take care of you. Understand?¡± For some reason, my breath starting coming in shorter bursts, my bio-screen surely taking notice of my increasing heart rate. Why did Leo¡¯s words feel like they had a hidden meaning? I leaned back and nodded, needing to put space between us to get these errant feelings back under control. Leo regarded me for another moment before releasing my elbow, the intensity fading further as he took a half step back and put his hands in his pockets. ¡°As to your question,¡± he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I would have chosen anything different. My path to where I am would¡¯ve changed, that I can guarantee. But I love what I do, and I think I would have ended up here anyways. And for that, I¡¯m grateful. Even if people are such a pain in my ass.¡± A sales associate greeted us, our conversation dissolving as Leo explained what he was looking for. I stood quietly, letting Leo take charge and handle it for me. As I watched Leo quickly inspect and approve various items as we toured the open space, from canvas bags to other travel-sized containers, I wondered who in Leo¡¯s life really took care of him like he was taking care of me. It sure as fuck wasn¡¯t his father. That man was cold, distant, more interested in what Leo¡¯s brain could think up instead of the man. His mother, maybe, but he hadn¡¯t mentioned her in a long time. The divorce had been messy, from what little I¡¯d gleaned. That was one topic I would never bring up. If Leo wanted me to know about it, then he would need to share it with me. I doubted he would. Knowing him, he¡¯d probably feel bad complaining about his parents¡¯ split when my mother had died decades ago. Leo never had friends at the apartment, even though we¡¯d both discussed inviting people over before I moved in. Was that because of me? Or was it because he didn¡¯t have many friends, even though he said he did? I couldn¡¯t recall him ever making plans with people. Then again, I didn¡¯t really make plans either. He also didn¡¯t seem to date, but maybe that was something he kept private? I surely wasn¡¯t going to ask about his love life, not when I used to want to be involved in it. Intimately. An alarmingly large number of items were packed away in a golden yellow bag with a navy blue logo I didn¡¯t recognize. Leo turned, handing it off to me with a smile. It was lighter than I anticipated. ¡°This should have you covered.¡± ¡°Thank you. You really didn¡¯t have to.¡± He just shrugged, the gesture casual. ¡°I know. But it¡¯s no trouble. And like I¡¯ve said before,¡± he paused, opening the door for me again, then added, ¡°you¡¯re helping me out and saving me money by living with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how true that is anymore,¡± I pointed out. ¡°If what Alex said is true for us.¡± ¡°Well, you were, and it saves me the trouble of having to fire someone.¡± ¡°When was you last episode?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, right?¡± ¡°It was a few weeks before yours, I think. So yeah, a while.¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I was genuinely curious. It was still soon enough after my last episode that I wouldn¡¯t normally expect another one yet. ¡°Fine. Nothing abnormal.¡± ¡°Do you think Alex was right?¡± Leo let out a breath. ¡°We have no reason to think he was lying. But time will tell, either way.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°I hope he¡¯s right,¡± Leo added. ¡°It would change everything.¡± ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t share this with the world,¡± I mused, thinking back to my attempt to help Meg two days ago. It still didn¡¯t sit right with me, the whole keeping it quiet thing Alex told us. But I was just one person without any platform to stand on to make a difference even if I had the guts to. ¡°Again, if Alex is right, then it¡¯s for the best that we don¡¯t. Some things have to happen naturally. You can¡¯t force nature.¡± ¡°If this even is nature,¡± I amended, something tugging uncomfortably on my subconscious. ¡°I don¡¯t see how it could be anything else.¡± I just shrugged, trusting my gut on this one. There had to be something causing this. It seemed too sudden to be an evolutionary change. Unless we as a human race were facing an immediate threat, which I found to be unlikely. But exposure to something we weren¡¯t tracking, or even something we didn¡¯t know existed? Definitely possible, and I was convinced one of the two was the most likely culprit. We said his goodbyes, Leo heading back to work to deal with more ¡°needy assholes.¡± I meandered back home slowly, enjoying the fresh breeze on my face, tangling in my hair. It was calming, gifting my brain several minutes of quiet peace. Which only lasted for about five minutes when my phone buzzed with a message from Alex, confirming our date for tonight. Chapter 21 My steps down the sidewalk were confident, if a little wobbly in the heels I¡¯d donned. Instead of spending the afternoon trying to distract myself from my upcoming date with Alex, I¡¯d instead fallen down an unexpected rabbit hole. What started out as searching for relationship advice turned into a self-reflection that I was in desperate need of and hadn¡¯t realized until it happened. I was tired of so many things. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was the reason. Same clothes. Same pastimes. Same small, almost non-existent social circle. Same attitude about so many things. What wasn¡¯t the same was who I had become. Or more accurately, who I wanted to be. Slowly, I¡¯d begun changing. Armed with the knowledge that I could live a better life, with a better job, better home, and be able to enjoy it for more than a handful of years¡­Well, I needed an attitude adjustment. So much of my time had been spent letting life happen to me, waiting for the end. That¡¯s not to say I didn¡¯t enjoy my reclusively, or my books, or my cat, because I loved them all. But there was more to a life I now felt like I had. I wanted to grab it, take charge, and do things I might never have considered. One of which was my relationship with Alex. We weren¡¯t dying, we were living, and that meant that I didn¡¯t have to worry about someone getting attached to me and then me leaving them. Only when that concern was gone did I realize I¡¯d ever had it in the first place. And the blogs and forums I¡¯d scoured for hours, initially looking for relationship advice, had ultimately led me to the topic of self-love. It resonated with me, deeply. There was no use in worrying what Alex felt. I couldn¡¯t change him, or his feelings, and ultimately he was the one in charge of how he would react to me. And if he didn¡¯t like who I was, well, then he didn¡¯t need to be in my life. I had the time to find my person, wherever they were. I needed to stop worrying about how other people perceived me and start worrying about what I thought of myself. There was zero shame or embarrassment with who I was. At work, in social settings, I always downplayed the best parts of myself to better blend in, to not stand out as other. If people learned about my LaShoul¡¯s, they always took a step back from me as it was. I didn¡¯t blame them. Why get attached to someone when they would inevitably leave too soon? But why had I dimmed the other parts of myself in the hopes it would make a difference? It was the epiphany I needed to put on this gorgeous, curve-hugging dress and a pair of heels to meet Alex for dinner. It was bold, a deep maroon that complimented my coloring, drawing attention instead of blending in. The long lace sleeves said sophisticated, but the slit up the side and deep neckline said sensual. I felt attractive, worthy of notice, and it was the confidence boost I needed to talk to Alex about where our relationship stood after he rejected my offer to stay over earlier this week. And if we weren¡¯t on the same page, that was okay. I was willing to walk away, and that was power. As I rounded the corner of the block, the restaurant Alex had picked coming into view, I saw him standing outside waiting. He didn¡¯t notice me at first. But when he did, he did a double-take and nearly dropped his phone in the process. His eyes raked up and down my body, lingering at the neckline of the dress for several seconds as I approached him. Half the dress was hidden by a light coat, the temperature demanding it. I was excited to see his reaction when the coat came off. ¡°Woah, Callie, I¡­¡± His cheeks flushed, which I decided to take as a good sign. ¡°Hey yourself, handsome,¡± I greeted casually. And he did look incredible, with the gray slacks and button down shirt and tie. He looked pressed and professional, a look I hadn¡¯t yet seen on him. ¡°I, um, how are you?¡± I took pity on him and wrapped the open ends of the coat around myself to fully cover the neckline of the dress as I answered, ¡°Pretty good, but exhausted.¡± ¡°Yeah, I bet,¡± he answered, sounding more like himself. ¡°Six tens would do that to a person.¡± ¡°You ever have to do overtime?¡± ¡°Sometimes, though it¡¯s rare. Usually it¡¯s just one half-shift. Shall we?¡± I nodded, moving first as he trailed behind. I opened the first set, holding it open for Alex to grab and follow. When we arrived at the host stand, Alex gave his name for the reservation, and we silently followed the maitre¡¯d to our table. I took off my coat and draped it across the back of my chair, keeping an eye on Alex¡¯s reaction. Was I teasing him just the tiniest bit by leaning over a bit more than necessary to take my seat? Maybe. Did I feel bad about the way he coughed and looked away, shifting in his seat? Absolutely not. The new dress had been a good idea. I decided then that I needed to revisit my entire wardrobe, make some changes. Most of my clothes were comfortable and conservative, leaving no room for doubt that they were work-appropriate, meant to blend in rather than stand out. ¡°So, you survived,¡± Alex said, looking down at the menu in front of him. ¡°Barely,¡± I answered truthfully, brushing my curled hair behind my shoulder. ¡°At least it¡¯s over and I won¡¯t have to do that again. Not six ten-hour shifts, at least.¡± It was a law that any overtime was three times the normal rate, and illegal for a company to schedule more than five tens in a row. But because I¡¯d worked two separate jobs, that law didn¡¯t apply. Anyone was welcome to work themselves to an early grave, but companies couldn¡¯t force it. ¡°Thanks for meeting me for dinner anyways, despite being so tired.¡± I smiled softly at him. ¡°Of course. I enjoy spending time with you. I don¡¯t really count when you came over for those experiments earlier this week.¡± My subtle attempt to lead the conversation towards our last in-person interaction failed. Instead, Alex began asking more questions about how I was liking my job, how training was going, and who I was meeting. After that, our conversation varied, never drifting back in the direction I wanted to be able to casually bring up that difficult conversation I needed to have. Once our dinner was brought out, I decided it was time to just spit it out before I lost my nerve. ¡°So, I wanted to ask,¡± I started while cutting my vegetables. ¡°Just to make sure we¡¯re both on the same page. You¡¯re not looking for a¡­physical relationship, right?¡± Alex choked on his drink, spluttering loudly. Okay, maybe my timing hadn¡¯t been the best. I could have waited for him to swallow first. I winced. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized. Once Alex had his coughing fit under control, he looked to me with bewildered, watering eyes. ¡°What brought that on?¡± ¡°Um.¡± I hesitated. Surely he remembered turning me down? Had he already forgotten? Best to get right to the point. I¡¯d already dove in head-first, anyways. ¡°I thought it was obvious the other night that we both had a different idea of where things might be headed,¡± I said as casually as I could, adding in a one-shouldered shrug. My voice sounded a bit strained to my own ears, but hopefully Alex didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Oh.¡± He blinked, looking at some spot above my head as he thought about that night. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense,¡± he said, rubbing a hand over the lower half of his face. ¡°I¡¯m not going to try to force you into something you don¡¯t want,¡± I promised. ¡°And it isn¡¯t a dealbreaker or anything. I¡¯m not bothered by it.¡± A lie, but he didn¡¯t need to know that. Alex sat back in his chair, what looked like a confused expression crossing his face. I just waited for his answer, not wanting to accidentally stick my foot in my mouth or make it suddenly awkward. Well, more awkward than it already was. Finally, he sighed and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table. ¡°I¡¯d¡­really rather not have this conversation here.¡± I nodded, having thought it might go this way. ¡°Sure. Another time, then.¡± I leaned back in my seat, taking a bite of vegetables that I didn¡¯t taste. We continued eating, the silence between us stretching to an uncomfortable tension. I didn¡¯t know how to break it, nor did I want to. If Alex didn¡¯t want to talk about something I deemed important, he could come up with the next conversation topic. And when he did finally speak, it was the opposite of what I was expecting. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Do you want to come over to my place afterwards?¡± A flush graced his cheeks above the slight dark blond stubble starting to grow in. It made him look older, and paired with the suit, distinguished. Really, I must have a thing for well-dressed guys. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± he added quickly. I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­that was the last thing I expected you to say right now.¡± He offered a wry smile. ¡°Yeah, fair. I think we should talk about things, but it¡¯s¡­¡± He stared down at his plate, trying to find the words. ¡°I¡¯d feel more comfortable talking about it in a less public place. It¡¯s¡­not what you think. But has to do with, um, our common talents.¡± Understanding dawned, and I nodded. ¡°I see. Want to grab dessert on the way?¡±
Alex¡¯s apartment was small, but it had a separate bedroom and enough space for a three-seater couch and small kitchen table. His furniture was old, worn, loved, such a sharp contrast to Leo¡¯s apartment that suddenly felt cold and almost sterile. Maybe I¡¯d add some throw pillows or blankets, get new rugs, anything to make that place feel more like a home. It could be my way of thanking him for everything he¡¯d done for me. We dumped our dessert onto the small butcher block island. As I settled on one of the two metal bar stools, the island rolled a few inches. I grabbed it with both hands, carefully tugging it back into position and glancing down in alarm. Wheels were mounted on the bottom, no locking mechanism visible. ¡°Your island is on wheels,¡± I stated. Alex nodded as he grabbed plates, forks, and a couple of wine glasses, setting them in front of me. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice. I can move it out of the way if I have more people over. That table can expand if I want.¡± He pointed to his kitchen table pushed up against the wall. ¡°Clever.¡± He grinned at me. ¡°I thought so.¡± I glanced around as I plated dessert, noting the white cabinets and farmhouse feel of the kitchen which contrasted with the dark stain of the kitchen table and gray walls. His living space looked small, crammed with the couch, faded yellow coffee table, and shelves lining the wall, filled with opaque white storage bins. It was an eclectic mix, each area its own visually separate space. Alex poured two glasses of wine, the bubbles catching the light from overhead and sparkling. I took a hearty swig of mine. Alex dragged his bar stool to the other side of the island to face me fully. ¡°So,¡± Alex started. He rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting my eyes. ¡°This is really¡­uncomfortable for me.¡± That was the last thing I wanted. ¡°We don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°No, we should,¡± he interrupted. ¡°I just¡­¡± He sighed, putting his wine down and running his hands through his hair, mussing it. ¡°Why is this so difficult?¡± I hoped that was a rhetorical, because I didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°Did¡­something happen?¡± I prompted. Maybe asking the right questions would help get him started. He sighed, picking up his fork and stabbing at his chocolate cake. ¡°You could say that, I guess.¡± I leaned forward. ¡°You don¡¯t owe me an explanation if you don¡¯t want to, Alex. Clearly this is something personal. If it¡¯s too sensitive, we¡¯ll leave it.¡± Alex was silent, staring past me. I waited, swirling my wine in my glass idly, watching the bubbles float to the top and pop. Eventually, he started talking. ¡°It was not quite two years ago. I¡¯d just developed my abilities, and had almost no control over them. I¡¯d crush the tiniest things sometimes, no matter how delicate I tried to be. I went through so many pens; I was always covered in ink stains. Fuck, it took me the better part of a year just to be able to sign my name without worrying about making a mess. ¡°Anyway, I met a girl while I was out with friends one night, and we hit it off. Started with just talking almost every day, developed into more. We decided to date. Eventually we, ah¡­¡± He flushed pink, and it wasn¡¯t hard to connect the dots. ¡°A physical relationship,¡± I provided. He nodded once. ¡°Yeah. Except, again, I didn¡¯t have great control early on. Sometimes it would happen randomly. Eventually I learned, but¡­In that moment, with her¡­¡± His tortured eyes met mine. ¡°I hurt her. Left bruises. I didn¡¯t break anything, and she tried telling me she just bruised easily, it was nothing, but I knew better. I¡¯d done that to her. And that was not okay. Because what if next time it wasn¡¯t just bruises? ¡°I ended the relationship a week later. I knew the truth about the LaShoul¡¯s by then, but I told her I had it anyways and I didn¡¯t want to burden her with it. She was mad, tried to fight, but she wasn¡¯t safe. Not with me. I know I hurt her, but it was the best I could do.¡± I reached out across the island and placed my hand on his arm. ¡°You¡¯re worried about something like that happening again?¡± He didn¡¯t answer, but his trembling sigh told me enough. I set my own glass down next to his and wrapped my hands around his, offering what comfort I could. We sat in silence for a while, my thoughts churning, while I gently rubbed the back of his hands with my thumbs. I spoke first. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how difficult that must¡¯ve been for you. I understand your worry now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interested. But, I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°You have a mental block.¡± He pulled his hands out of mine, letting them fall onto his lap. ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing we have all the time in the world then, right? No rush, no pressure. Not from me.¡± He offered a half-smile, the tension around his eyes easing the slightest bit. I didn¡¯t mean to, but I pitied Alex. I couldn¡¯t imagine accidentally harming someone like that and then feeling unable to be that close with anyone else. Maybe with time, someone would be able to help him with that. After the thought crossed my mind, I realized what it said about my own perceptions about where this relationship was headed. I took a bite of cake to shut myself up and keep those thoughts private. Of course, it was way too early to know if Alex and I would work out long-term. Only time would tell. Claiming exhaustion, I left shortly after. All I wanted was to put on my comfy pajamas and crawl into bed and sleep for twelve hours straight. By the time I finally dragged myself home, I¡¯d completely forgotten about the package Leo said was arriving. It sat on the floor outside of my bedroom, evidence that Leo was home or had been earlier. I grabbed it on my way in, kicking off my heels as soon as I crossed the threshold and sighing in relief as my toes splayed out and my ankles relaxed. Okay, so heels were going to be banned from my new wardrobe whenever I got around to changing things up, except for special occasions. After a quick inspection, I realized the package had been previously opened and taped shut. Suspicious, I opened it and tossed the shipping box aside. I flipped over the smaller rectangular box that was nestled inside. ¡°Leo!¡± I shouted, turning right back around with my package and marching towards his hallway. ¡°LEO!¡± He rushed out of his office, button-down untucked, sleeves rolled to just below his elbows, top two buttons open. He looked even more disheveled than he had earlier today. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I demanded, holding up the box to a brand new, high-tech, top-of-the-line, very expensive tablet. My free hand naturally fell to my hip. Leo didn¡¯t answer right away, his gaze darting between the box in my hand and me, probably checking to make sure there wasn¡¯t actually an emergency. I watched him, waiting. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡± His lingering gaze skimmed over me again, like he didn¡¯t believe I was perfectly fine. ¡°Physically, fine. But what the fuck is this?¡± I shook the box gently, drawing his attention back to it. ¡°You can¡¯t go buying me such expensive things, Leo!¡± He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall to his right. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°This is too much. Don¡¯t try telling me you¡¯re not aware of how much these ones cost.¡± I pointed an accusing finger at him, knowing full well that he didn¡¯t buy this specific tablet by mistake. ¡°Are you telling me what I can and cannot do with my money?¡± He smirked. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ugh!¡± I trailed off in a groan. ¡°Are you enjoying this right now?¡± His smirk broadened. ¡°Maybe.¡± I chose to ignore his answer for his own safety. ¡°Return it.¡± ¡°No can do.¡± I pinned him with a glare. Or, I at least tried. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already customized. No return policy on that.¡± I shook my head and took several steps closer to him, stopping in his bubble. He stiffened and pushed off the wall, crossing his arms. ¡°You take it, then.¡± ¡°I have no need for it.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so determined to get me a tablet, give me an old one of yours and you take this one.¡± Leo tapped his lips with one finger, pretending to think about it. I shoved the box at his chest, holding it there for him to take. He refused, saying nothing, and stared down at me. It made me want to stomp my foot in anger, but I was too mature for that. Just as I decided to deposit the tablet in his bedroom and retreat to mine, or better yet magic it there, Leo sighed and said, ¡°Will you just open it first?¡± I held his stare for several more heartbeats before slowly unboxing the new device in front of him. His eyes were burning holes in me as I opened one end and pulled out the tablet. The gasp that escaped me betrayed my original intention to return it no matter what I saw. Leo chuckled at my reaction. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked quietly, holding up the device, complete with a faux-leather case, keyboard, stylus pen, the works. He plucked the device from my hands, powering it up and showing me Lucie¡¯s picture on the screen. ¡°I took the liberty of getting it set up for you. I did some research on your job, at least as much as was available, and made some guesses to what applications would be useful. All the programs you should need are already on it. And I also added another app just for you.¡± Leo pointed to an app with a stylized book as the icon and tapped. It pulled up a library full of different titles, some I recognized, some unfamiliar. ¡°And I decided to add some books for you. Since you¡¯ll be traveling, this will be a lot easier than taking physical copies with you.¡± Blinking hard, I willed the tears to disappear before I started crying like a baby in front of him for the sweet gesture. My mouth opened and closed, words failing me. Once I was sure I wasn¡¯t going to start bawling, I looked up at him. ¡°Why?¡± It was the only question that I could form, even if it wasn¡¯t the most important. ¡°Does it matter? Just promise me that you¡¯ll enjoy it, okay?¡± I nodded mutely, accepting the tablet from him. Then I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around his middle and squeezing. He staggered a half step back and made a surprised grunting sound. ¡°I think this is the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me,¡± I said into his shoulder as his arms returned my over the top hug. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that. Letting you live here rent-free is also pretty thoughtful,¡± he teased. I pulled back and half-heartedly smacked his shoulder with the back of my hand. ¡°Hey, that was for both of us,¡± I reminded him. ¡°So we wouldn¡¯t, you know, die and all.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed. ¡°But there¡¯s no reason for that anymore, huh?¡± I just rolled my eyes, knowing Leo would never kick me out. ¡°Just admit you like having me around your otherwise lonely bachelor pad.¡± He shoved his hands into his pockets. ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s quite the right¡ª¡± Laughing, I shoved him once. What was with me and touching this man tonight? I felt my cheeks heat and started walking backwards towards my room. I was probably overtired and not my usual self. Best I left before I did something embarrassing. ¡°Well, anyways. Thank you.¡± I tapped the back of the tablet. ¡°You just gave me an excuse to stay up all night.¡± ¡°Have fun playing around with it. Let me know what you think of the books I picked out. I got them off your to-be-read list you keep in your room. You sure you have enough time to read all those books?¡± I stuck my tongue out at him. ¡°Snoop. And don¡¯t underestimate me. I don¡¯t need to sleep every night.¡± Turning away and walking to my room, I immediately counted how many books Leo had downloaded to the device. I grinned a little maniacally at the total. He¡¯d gotten all of them. Chapter 22 ¡°Please check that your information is correct.¡± Lola¡ªI remembered her from the first time I was here with Alex for the study¡ªhanded me a tablet. It displayed my name, age, race, address, phone number, ID number, and even more personal details. It was incredibly thorough and a little unnerving. I checked over the information quickly, giving her a nod. ¡°Great, you can take it into the room right there¡ª¡± she gestured to her left ¡°¡ªand complete the survey. Once finished, a volunteer will tell you the next steps. You will either be dismissed and called back at a later time, or taken to another test, which could be a physical test or another survey. It just depends on your answers, and we ask that you answer honestly and as truthfully as you can recall. Once you enter those doors, you will only be known by that ID number in the corner.¡± She tapped the top right corner of the screen, where a seven-digit number was displayed in bright red. She¡¯d done this little speech frequently, judging by how her words flat but sharp. Bored. Her appearance also suggested a professional, no funny business attitude, her blond hair pulled back in a tight bun, suit a navy blue this time. ¡°Thanks, Lola,¡± I said, offering a smile. I didn¡¯t envy her having to repeat herself constantly in this job. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Her eyes didn¡¯t soften, not even for a split second. Ouch. ¡°If you will.¡± She held out her hand again towards the open doorway, and I skedaddled myself out of the way for the next person. The room was quiet, soft carpeting under my feet dampening any sounds. I didn¡¯t want to be back at Hubert Industries today. But they¡¯d emailed me with details for the first real part of the study after putting me in Group A based on my first survey answers. How they came up with yet another set of questions after how thorough the first set was, I had no clue. Earlier, I had asked Alex if they had reached out to him about a group designation, and he confessed that he dropped out of the study. When asked why, he gave a short, inconclusive excuse about time. When I pressed further, he hadn¡¯t answered. That was suspicious enough, but I decided not to push. We all had our secrets, after all, and just because we were dating didn¡¯t mean we had to share all of them. I had a few theories, anyways, and I was curious if I would be able to figure out which was correct. Theory one: he was being fully honest, realizing that he didn¡¯t have the time for whatever reason I didn¡¯t know about. Theory two: he just didn¡¯t want to do it anymore. Theory three: he was lying to me for an unknown reason. The first two theories would be anticlimactic, so I was going to try to deduce if it was the third. Not that I wanted him to be lying to me, of course. I¡¯d rather rule it out. But it reminded me of a lesson my father taught me when I was younger. Whenever I was little and playing hide-and-seek, he would always check the dangerous locations first, like the washer, to make sure I was safe. I¡¯d asked him why he did that one time, and he explained that he would rather waste time checking where he hoped I wasn¡¯t before checking elsewhere, because what if I got myself into trouble and got hurt? Applying the same logic to figure out why Alex dropped out would be the plan. There was plenty about his life that I didn¡¯t know about, a plethora of unanswered questions that wiggled around in my brain. Most of them centered around this mysterious group he worked with who kept an eye out for others with abilities. Or was it a volunteer group? And why hadn¡¯t he invited me or Leo to meet with this group? He knew I had abilities, and it would make the most sense for him to bring me in. Right? Picking a seat near the covered windows, I plopped down in my chosen chair and tried to scrub all the questions from my brain so I could focus on the here and now. The survey popped up on my tablet automatically, and I began reading and tapping on my answers. I lost myself in a strange sort of self-reflection for an undetermined amount of time, hunched over the table, as I answered the questions. They were related to the ones from the first survey I¡¯d done here last week, but expanded on more specifics, some even open-ended questions that required a written answer. Finishing the survey and seeing the confirmation message on my tablet, I slowly straightened myself. I¡¯d spent the better part of an hour leaning my head against my palm, elbow braced against the hard table. I pried my hand off my cheek, my elbow protesting in discomfort as I flexed it. ¡°When you¡¯re ready.¡± The voice came from my left, startling the living bejeezus out of me. Jumping in my seat, I strung together a litany of curses in my head, only barely managing to keep my lips pressed together to stop them from flying out into the world. With a hand on my heart, I turned to see Dr. Goodwin himself hovering over me with a pleased grin. ¡°Just a second,¡± I confessed, taking slow, deep breaths to gather myself. ¡°I apologize for startling you,¡± he chuckled, tugging on one sleeve of his suit jacket. ¡°I had no idea you¡¯d be so focused. A good trait, to be sure.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so I just nodded and then stood, pushing the rolling chair back in place. ¡°You¡¯ve been put in Group C, based on your answers.¡± ¡°How many groups are there?¡± ¡°It goes to Group U, so quite a few, actually,¡± he answered, leading me towards the front of the room and another open door. ¡°Your group is completing further testing today, and we¡¯ll get to the others later. You have time for the tests today, correct?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I wanted to say no, that I¡¯d rather go home and sleep, but it was important. And would also give me more money, which I really couldn¡¯t shy away from, even with Leo¡¯s ridiculous generosity. Hopefully, I¡¯d be able to pay him back in some way. He would never accept direct payment, but being able to do little things, like spruce up the apartment and make it more homey, purchase a couple of house plants maybe, was the plan. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Dr. Goodwin clapped his hands once, loudly. ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll take you there now. It¡¯s very basic,¡± he assured me, glancing over his shoulder at me. ¡°We¡¯ll take some basic readings and run a few simple tests. Are you okay with giving a bit of your blood?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it for?¡± He waved a hand in a casual, dismissive gesture. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re looking at things like blood sugar, iron levels, other vitamins, you get the idea. We don¡¯t expect to see any differences, but one never knows.¡± ¡°Need to start somewhere,¡± I added. ¡°Exactly, you understand. Perfect.¡± The room we entered was stark white, several chairs lined up against one wall, different stations scattered throughout with expensive-looking equipment on top. It was the definition of what I imagined a science lab to look like, several people milling about doing important things dressed carefully in personal protective equipment, from shoe coverings to hairnets and everything in between. Dr. Goodwin led me to one of the chairs, gesturing for me to take a seat. As I did, he waved over one of the blue-clad scientists, who came rushing over with a basket. ¡°This is one of our employees. I¡¯d give you her name, but that¡¯s not allowed.¡± He chuckled to himself again. He turned to me, saying, ¡°This here is Curtis. He¡¯ll hook up a few monitors, take your blood pressure, and draw a few vials for our tests. Shouldn¡¯t take more than thirty minutes, and we¡¯ll get you on your way.¡± I thanked Dr. Goodwin, who gave Curtis a single nod, before leaving us to the fun part of me being hooked up and stabbed with a needle. Curtis was quiet, only speaking to give instructions, and worked efficiently. Once the machines to monitor my vitals were set up and running, he took my left arm to draw blood from the crook of my elbow. I saw his eyebrows raise in surprise as he exposed the inside of my arm. ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded to the bio-screen. It had a small blinking light on it that I hadn¡¯t noticed. While in the elevator on the way up, I¡¯d silenced all notifications to be sure it didn¡¯t distract me. Again, now that I was no longer in danger of having a LaShoul¡¯s episode, there was no need to the notifications to distract me. Or, now that I hopefully wouldn¡¯t have another episode, really. Just because Alex had shared as much, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that what was working for him would also work for me. I operated under that assumption, but knew that could always change at a moment¡¯s notice. Incredibly curious to what the notification was since the only ones I still had set up had to do with gamma radiation, I forced myself to shrug it off and told Curtis, ¡°Dr. Goodwin startled me when I finished the survey. I bet it¡¯s a heart rate alert.¡± ¡°Are you feeling calm now?¡± ¡°Yes. Perfectly normal.¡± Curtis didn¡¯t respond, simply going back to work at prepping my skin and stabbing me with a needle, maneuvering it just a little to get a steady flow of blood. In total, he collected five vials before slipping the needle out and applying pressure. He wrapped it up, promised to be back in fifteen minutes when the other readings were finished, and left. Finally alone, I glanced at my bio-screen¡¯s notification, pulling up my gamma stats.
P1 4 4
P2 0 0
P3 0 0
P4 0 0
S1 0 0
S2 6 3
Total 10 7
Strange. I hadn¡¯t run into Leo or Alex today, the only two people I knew with abilities. While there was at least one other person who worked on the same floor I did, I hadn¡¯t run into any familiar here, which meant it was likely someone else. There¡¯d been other people waiting in line to get checked in with Lola, then there was Lola herself, Dr. Goodwin, Curtis, and others sitting in the room, also completing their surveys. In all, too many people to possibly narrow it down. I shot off a one-handed message to Leo, who was quick to reply. Me: Have you run into random other people with the same ¡°issue¡± we have? Leo: Once maybe. Why? Me: Twice now I¡¯ve noticed it happening, both times in this building. Leo: You¡¯re at Hubert right? Me: Yes I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same person either, though I¡¯m not positive. Leo: Keep your eyes peeled and ears open. Any information we can get is helpful. Me: Aye aye captain. Once I started beeping with alerts, Curtis came back over and unhooked me from everything while giving instructions for how to get back to the hallway in case I had gotten turned around. ¡°Thank you, Curtis.¡± His eyes crinkled a bit at the corners, smiling behind his mask. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Grabbing the equipment, he walked away. Bingo. I glanced back down at my screen, reading the new numbers displayed for me.
P1 4 4
P2 0 0
P3 0 0
P4 0 0
S1 0 0
S2 8 4
Total 12 8
I had no clue what Curtis¡¯ ability could be. Nothing he had done seemed out of the ordinary or raised any red flags, similar in manner to how Alex¡¯s strength ability could be hidden easily. Mine and Leo¡¯s, however, were very obvious if one paid attention. Sending off another quick message to Leo about what I discovered, I hopped off the chair and merrily started making my way back home to eat a pint of ice cream and force cuddles on my cat. Chapter 23 ¡°Okay, you have to figure out how we can see who exactly is giving off gamma, because I got loaded with second-hand radiation and have absolutely no idea who these people were. And before you ask why, I think it would be really helpful in meeting these other people and getting more information spread about this. Maybe not immediately, but eventually, like we talked about.¡± Leo stared at me from his seat on one of the barstools, spoon halfway to his mouth. I let go of my suitcase handle and heard it topple over onto the floor beside me as I held Leo¡¯s gaze. Seems that I needed a lesson in how to pack so my bag wasn¡¯t off-balance. ¡°Welcome home,¡± he greeted, returning to what smelled like soup. ¡°Thanks,¡± I answered distractedly. My mind was still whirring through the issues I¡¯d discovered while away in another city with Mads while she trained me. ¡°I was thinking that maybe we could look into, like, radiation residue, or something. Like if I were to shake someone¡¯s hand, would that give, like, third-hand radiation? Is that a thing? I think it is.¡± ¡°Can you just, I don¡¯t know, sit down and relax for like a half hour?¡± I made a face at him and crossed my arms. ¡°Why?¡± It was his turn to give me a confused look. ¡°Aren¡¯t you exhausted? You¡¯ve ben gone for, what, three days and just got back thirty seconds ago.¡± Pausing, I self-checked how I was feeling. Sure, the plane ride hadn¡¯t been fun with the extremely limited leg room that had my legs sore and loud engines that had given me the start of a headache, but I hadn¡¯t been doing anything physically demanding. Much of the job had felt almost like what I imagined a really boring vacation to be while we waited around for the next scheduled interview. Mads had taken me sight seeing, and the seafood restaurant over-looking the glittering lake at sunset had been incredible. The lobster bisque was now a new favorite. I shrugged, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Do you need a half hour to relax? Aren¡¯t you home a bit early?¡± He was. I¡¯d expected to get back from the airport before he got home, and with the support group meeting tonight, I was surprised to see him at all today. ¡°My meeting was cancelled, so I decided to call it a day since it¡¯d been rescheduled to tomorrow evening, after I¡¯m normally off.¡± ¡°So that means you have more time tonight to work on something?¡± With an exasperated sigh, he dropped his spoon into his bowl and stood up to put it in the sink. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come up with something?¡± he asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m no good at it.¡± ¡°Have you tried?¡± ¡°Leo, I have no experience, training, or anything involving that kind of tech. I wouldn¡¯t know where to start.¡± ¡°You could always learn.¡± ¡°How?¡± He rinsed out his bowl and spoon before putting them in the dishwasher. ¡°There¡¯s classes you could take, or watch videos online. I do that sometimes.¡± He was being too insistent on me doing the work when he knew very well that I absolutely could not. I¡¯d have better luck designing an app for people with LaShoul¡¯s to use to check in on each other. I¡¯d at least be able to learn the code on my own, with a bit of time, or search for the answers online. But to build hardware and software for something like this? Hell no. ¡°If you think it¡¯s stupid, you could just tell me you don¡¯t want to. Or don¡¯t have the time. Or a number of other, reasonable excuses besides do it yourself. Because that¡¯s believable.¡± I rolled my eyes, frustrated and annoyed. Some of that was directed at myself, for my own ignorance and inability to do what he suggested. But a bigger part was directed at him for dismissing the idea immediately, albeit in a roundabout way. Leo sighed, staring down at the floor, but I didn¡¯t have the time to go back and forth with him about this. After the return flight had been delayed mid-acceleration on the runway due to a faulty door sensor, I had less time to get myself ready for the meeting than I originally thought I would have. I bent down, grabbed my suitcase, and wheeled it behind me as I strode to my room. Before I reached it to shower and change, I turned and added, ¡°Thanks for taking care of Lucie for me, by the way.¡± ¡°She hates me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just very selective with her affection.¡± Leo held up his hand, showing three parallel lines across the back. ¡°She did this when I picked up her food bowl to refill it.¡± ¡°Oh, you have to take it away as soon as she¡¯s done or she gets like that. Sorry. Must¡¯ve forgotten to mention it.¡± Whoops. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But you might think of trimming her nails every now and then.¡± ¡°I do trim them. But I¡¯ll make sure to do them right before I leave from now on.¡± Without another word, I closed the door behind me to get ready for tonight¡¯s support group meeting. I was curious if Alex was going to be there; I hadn¡¯t talked to him much during the trip, though he¡¯d reassured me that I should enjoy my time and not worry about him. He¡¯d replied whenever I messaged him, but he didn¡¯t initiate conversation at all. While his words had made sense, I had the feeling there was something more going on. He was holding me at arm¡¯s length, refusing to let me get closer despite what I thought was a heartfelt conversation last week after dinner. Deciding not to ask, I stripped and hopped into the shower, scrubbing furiously to get the grime of travel off my body as quickly as possible to make the meeting on time. My hair was still damp in its long braid when I finally arrived, making it with a mere five minutes to spare. I glanced around the room, recognizing now-familiar faces and a couple new ones before spotting Alex over in the corner talking to Jade. I made a quick stop at the coffee machine, tapping my pre-loaded card and selecting a honey and oat milk latte that sounded halfway good. Drink in hand, I made my way over to Alex where he talked with Jade. She noticed me first, offering a bright white smile and cutting off Alex to give me a hug. ¡°Callie!¡± She squeezed me tight, once, before letting go. ¡°Hi, Jade. I hear the business is keeping you busy.¡± ¡°Oh, it is. I think I¡¯m going to hire someone else soon. You don¡¯t happen to be good at arranging flowers, are you?¡± I laughed, shaking my head. ¡°Probably not. And I¡¯m working at the same company as Alex, now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± she lamented. ¡°Alex, are you good with flowers and wanting a new job?¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± He nudged me a bit with his elbow, winking down at me when I met his eyes. I grinned up at him. ¡°Well, I wish you luck in your search. And I hope you find someone so you can make more of these meetings,¡± I said honestly. I liked Jade. She had a relaxed personality, and when I had met her at Silk & Silver she had been so easy to work with. I noticed she was wearing the gold set I had helped her pick out for the anniversary of her floral shop. Even in this unflattering light it still shone brilliantly against her dark mocha skin. ¡°How was the trip?¡± Alex asked after Jade left to try to find a new employee somewhere else. ¡°It was fine. Not as exciting as traveling for a vacation. Or at least, I hope not.¡± After a year or two, I hoped to have enough money saved up to go somewhere for a week or two, somewhere warm and sunny with beaches and pools and lots of food. ¡°I promise that vacationing is a lot better than what you probably did.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Alex stepped closer into my space and opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Loren asking the group of us to find our seats to get the meeting started. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Together we found seats next to each other. Placing his hand on the back of my chair, he leaned in closer to whisper, ¡°If you¡¯re free afterward, and not too tired, I have a little surprise for you. Emphasis on little; don¡¯t go getting your hopes up or anything.¡± My eyebrows drew together, wondering what the surprise could be. I¡¯m sure he hadn¡¯t meant the words as a euphemism, even though that¡¯s the first direction my mind went, the traitor. ¡°Does it involve food?¡± I¡¯d managed to scarf down a quick yet basic sandwich before leaving, and the latte I was still cradling would do little to fill me up. ¡°We can stop for something,¡± he answered. ¡°Deal.¡± Loren started the meeting off as usual, and as we took turns sharing life updates and struggles, I noticed that Meg wasn¡¯t here. I searched the faces again, hoping that despite all odds I¡¯d find her. I didn¡¯t. Had I failed to help her, then? Was she gone, or still in hospice? Could I maybe figure out a way to go back and try again? If I claimed we had a few follow-up questions, would it work? Though I wasn¡¯t sure I could hold a conversation and use my abilities yet, it was worth a shot. Right? My mind let ideas swirl around in my subconscious as I brought myself back to the present in time for Alex, seated on my right, to begin sharing his update. He didn¡¯t have much to say, but shared that some baggage he was still carrying was affecting his relationship. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to fix it, or even if it can be fixed,¡± he admitted. I stared down at my clasped hands on my lap. This was awkward. He hadn¡¯t shared that it was me he was in a relationship with, not to the group. But we both knew he was talking about me. Why hadn¡¯t he just¡­talked to me about it again? It was something that was still bothering him, or else he wouldn¡¯t say anything. I thought we¡¯d come to an understanding about a physical relationship. There would be no pushing, not from me, and I was fine following his lead. Was this his way of putting more distance between us? Was he hoping that I would be the one to break things off, claiming his inability to further our relationship physically as the reason? This back and forth was beginning to grate on me. And combined with his reduced communication so far this week, I was getting a hint that he was all but done with this relationship. I wished he could have talked to me about this, just the two of us, instead of sharing it with the group. Instead of having to stew with my thoughts, I could have outright asked him for the answers. It seemed like a coward¡¯s way out. If he wanted it to be like this, then fine. Two could play that game. Alex wrapped up his piece, and then it was my turn. I took a breath. ¡°I think my boyfriend wants to break up with me, but for some reason won¡¯t come out and just say it,¡± I began. I felt Alex flinch next to me. Refusing to look at him, I couldn¡¯t know if it was from shock or being called out on it. I hoped it was both. When I continued, I tailored my words carefully to be sure not to reveal anything about what LaShoul¡¯s really was. ¡°And it sucks, because it makes me wonder what I could have possibly done wrong, you know? He knows about my LaShoul¡¯s; does it have to do with that? Or is it something else? The worst part is that he won¡¯t actually talk to me about it directly, just hints at it, like he¡¯s waiting for me to be the one to pull the plug on what I thought was a good relationship. Like he pities me because of this terminal illness and doesn¡¯t want to be the bad guy. And unless something changes, I might. Communication is important to me, and beating around the bush is just such a waste of time. I don¡¯t want to be strung along. If he sees an end in sight, I don¡¯t want to wait for things to fizzle out first. Just give me a clean break, you know? Don¡¯t waste my time in some misguided attempt to spare my feelings.¡± Several people around the circle nodded as I looked around, agreeing with me. I hoped Alex saw them. ¡°Anyways. My new job is going well. I¡¯m enjoying it, and I got to travel on a plane this week for the first time in my life.¡± A grin pulled at my lips, remembering the thrill of suddenly accelerating extremely fast, being pushed back into the sparsely padded seat. ¡°It¡¯s definitely something I¡¯m excited to do more of, even though it¡¯s for work and not a vacation. But going on an actual vacation is now priority number one on my list, as soon as I can manage it. And if any of you have suggestions, or know cheap places to go, please let me know. I¡¯m desperate to see as much of the world as I can as soon as possible.¡± Alex¡¯s eyes were boring into the side of my face. They felt like lasers, willing me to look at him. I resisted, keeping my attention politely on whoever was speaking. As soon as the meeting was over, I¡¯d make my excuses to Alex about being too tired for the little surprise he claimed to have planned, and go home. The ball would be in his court then. Whether he knew it or not, whatever he chose to do next would determine the trajectory of this relationship. As Loren began wrapping up the meeting, she pulled out her phone from her pocket. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, Meg hasn¡¯t made it this week, but sent me a message she¡¯d like me to share with you all.¡± I tensed, begging the universe for it to be the news that she¡¯d been suddenly cured, there was hope for everyone else, and people didn¡¯t have to keep dying. It was a foolish hope, I knew. As Loren began reading, my breath caught in my throat and my heart lurched painfully. ¡°Dear friends. I wish I had good news to share. Though I guess you could say this isn¡¯t bad news. I¡¯ve moved away from the city, to where my son has family who will take care of him after I pass.¡± Tears instantly collected in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I wasn¡¯t the only one. Jade had a tissue out already, dabbing at her eyes, and Melinda¡¯s lip was quivering slightly. I looked away quickly, not wanting anyone¡¯s tears to trigger my own. Loren cleared her throat and continued, ¡°I¡¯m grateful that I¡¯ve had the time to do this, so my son won¡¯t have to adjust to this new place without me. And he loves it; the playground in the yard, the pool, the space to run around and play. I don¡¯t know how much time I have left, but being here with the trees and the sun feels peaceful to me, and I¡¯ve come to terms with everything. I want to thank you all for your support throughout the years, and helping me make the right decisions for my son. I¡¯ll see you on the other side.¡± The battle against my tears lost, I let them fall freely and made no move to swipe them away. I¡¯d failed. Meg probably could have been saved. I should have fought harder for what I believed in to try to help her sooner and more purposefully. Anger was a powerful motivator, and I vowed then and there to do better, be better, as it overwhelmed me. Guilt accompanied it, a quieter partner but still eating away at my soul. I would have to start small. Work on developing the app to help people look out for each other. Provide gamma radiation exposure with my own ability whenever I interviewed people. I¡¯d need to practice so I could learn to hold a conversation while I did it, but that would be simple enough. Maybe I¡¯d find something small that I could teleport from one hand to another, easily hidden. After that, I¡¯d set some higher goals. Maybe convince people in charge to spread the word. Or work on developing some sort of portable gamma radiation therapy to help people uncover their own abilities. I¡¯d need Leo¡¯s help with that, maybe Alex¡¯s too, but I could at least start on some research and get a better understanding of what I would be working with. Wiping away my tears, I stood as soon as Loren concluded the meeting and beelined for the door, tossing out my empty cup along the way. ¡°Callie, wait!¡± Alex called after me. Right. I slowed my steps but didn¡¯t stop, not wanting to be in a room with grieving people while Alex tried to patch things up between us or break up with me. Either way, they didn¡¯t need our little drama unfolding in front of them. I made it six steps down the hallway before I heard the door shut behind Alex. My pace was quick and steady, but Alex¡¯s jog quickly caught up to me. Capturing my arm, he spun me around to face him in the empty, dark hallway. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I blinked at him as my head reared back in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s not wrong?¡± I countered. I tugged my arm out of his grip and took a step back. I didn¡¯t relish the hurt that flashed across his face, but I didn¡¯t exactly feel bad about it either. ¡°The fact that you just discussed our relationship to a bunch of people instead of talking to me about it, or the fact that there¡¯s a little boy out there about to lose his mother because someone decided that the information we have that saved our lives shouldn¡¯t be public knowledge?¡± Alex glanced back down the hallway. It was still empty. He took two steps forward, forcing me to back up against the wall. I was a caged animal, vibrating with a need to do something, and I wasn¡¯t sure how it would manifest. ¡°She¡¯s not dying,¡± he whispered. My whole body locked up with the information. My brain tried and failed to process is. ¡°What do you mean? Of course she is,¡± I countered. Alex shook his head. He kept his voice low, saying, ¡°No. She developed an ability. But she had to move, because she was too well-known here. It would be suspicious if she was suddenly cured.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. ¡°How do you know this?¡± ¡°I went to check on her, and saw the signs. The lenses also helped.¡± He tapped his temple near his eyes, where Leo¡¯s programmed lenses captured the gamma radiation. ¡°The little orange light popped up and signaled it. I reached out to my group, and we invited her in, offered to relocate her with her son. She accepted. She¡¯s fine, Callie.¡± The wall behind me was the only thing that kept me from toppling backwards. Did¡­did I do that? What I the reason she was alive? Did my little stunt with the apple save her? I rubbed my hands over my face, letting it sink in. ¡°As for the other part,¡± Alex continued, his voice no longer right next to me. I dropped my hands, watching as he leaned back against the opposite wall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I did that. You¡¯re right, I should have talked to you about it.¡± Waiting for an elaboration, I folded my arms across my middle and just looked at him. After several silent moments the door opened, revealing more members leaving. Not wanting to interact with them, I spun on my heel and left. Again, Alex caught up to me, this time outside. He didn¡¯t try to grab my arm this time, but jumped in front of me, holding out a cream envelope embossed with gold leaf. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°An invitation.¡± ¡°To what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to read it to find out.¡± He wiggled the card in from of me a bit, encouraging me to take it. I did, putting it in the pocket of my coat. I¡¯d wait until I was home to open it, whatever it was for. ¡°That¡¯s the little surprise for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He looked down at his feet for a minute. It seemed like he was trying to gather his courage for something, and it was the only reason I didn¡¯t leave him right then. Finally, he added, ¡°Do you want to grab a bite and¡­talk about things?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty tired, Alex. It was a long week, and I just got back this afternoon. Maybe another time.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± he repeated, looking a little panicked. I felt just a little bad about that, but it didn¡¯t change my mind. ¡°To be honest, Alex, it feels like you¡¯re pushing me away. What I said in there was all true. I don¡¯t feel like this relationship is something you still want. And I don¡¯t like feeling this way. So I¡¯m going to take some time, I think. Figure out what I want. Maybe you should do the same.¡± I was gone before he could stop me. Chapter 24 It was taunting me from across the room. It appeared innocent enough, but who gave out physical invitations anymore? The only good reason I could think of was to keep something a secret, something that someone didn¡¯t want online. So why would Alex give me one, let alone one that looked so fancy? The whole thing was suspicious, giving me conflicting feelings on what to do. I was going to open it eventually. I knew myself well enough. There would be no way I wouldn¡¯t give in to curiosity. And would I really be able to stop thinking about it long enough to fall asleep? The answer was no. I groaned, throwing my covers off and stalking over to the unassuming envelope that sat on a small end table across the room. Without ceremony, I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the matching card inside. Callie, We would like to formally invite you to meet with us to learn about the support we provide for individuals with the same LaShoul¡¯s symptoms we¡¯ve been informed you have. At your earliest convenience, please use the code below to submit your response. The scannable code was embossed in the same gold leaf as the rest of the design. It felt¡­pretentious. I read over the short letter again, noting the lack of signature or any information explaining who this was from. The backside was blank save for my full, legal name. It was almost for sure an invitation for the same group Alex was a part of, the one with no name and lots of information not shared with the public. I wanted to know more, that was for sure. Maybe this would be one way to do it. Scanning the code led me to a simple form, asking for my full name, as well as offering a number of days and times available for me to meet. I picked two, per the directions, before scrolling down to what looked like a list of terms and conditions. While I normally just accepted them without reading, something in my gut told me not to this time. Maybe because I wasn¡¯t purchasing anything or agreeing to a service, just a meeting, and it didn¡¯t make sense. Three paragraphs in, I realized that it wasn¡¯t a list of terms and conditions. It was a non-disclosure agreement. Starting over, I read through the six paragraphs carefully, noting the important details. Participation in the meeting is optional. By submitting this form, you agree to the following terms outlined below. Anything discussed during the meeting is confidential information not to be discussed with anyone outside of the meeting, including but not limited to¡­ Personal information disclosed during the meeting may be used for the following purposes without limit, including but not limited to¡­ You have the right to discontinue the meeting at any time, with the above statements still applicable. Any violation of the above terms, whether accidental or intentional, may result in legal ramifications, including but not limited to¡­ I didn¡¯t like it. At all. Because it legally meant that I wouldn¡¯t be allowed to talk to Leo about anything I learned. Would it really stop me, though? No, probably not. Though we would be limited to talking about it only at home and not in public, ever. A new thought popped into my head; how much more did Alex know that he wasn¡¯t allowed to tell me? If I agreed to these terms and went to this meeting, I would be able to talk freely with him about it. In theory, at least. I had questions. My fingers itched to send a message to Alex, but I¡¯d just told him I needed some space to figure out what I wanted to do about the relationship. And wasn¡¯t that a mess? Alex and I had been together for four weeks, if I was counting the day we met and went on our first date. And I was. These thirty-some days was my own personal record for longest relationship. Was I a little inexperienced, yes, but I wasn¡¯t clueless. There should be no reason for me to feel like Alex was distancing himself from me unless he was already done with our relationship. Did I already have my answer? I couldn¡¯t answer that without feeling conflicted, just like I couldn¡¯t submit the online form just yet. Deciding to sleep on these decisions and reassess tomorrow, I moved my phone charger to the other side of the room and left my phone there so I wouldn¡¯t be tempted to commit to any decisions tonight.
Leo nearly tripped over my nearly-prone form when he came into the hallway the next morning. Propped up against one wall, I¡¯d just started to doze off after a difficult night of sleep and had missed his door opening. Leo¡¯s surprised shout and subsequent slam against the opposite wall roused me quickly and effectively. Heart pounding with my own adrenaline rush, I pushed myself unsteadily to my feet. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°What the fuck,¡± Leo whispered. He braced one hand on the wall as he bent at the waist to catch his breath. ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± I apologized breathlessly, one hand on my chest, the other reaching out towards him without touching. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait in the kitchen or something like a normal person?¡± I cringed. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to fall asleep waiting for you and miss my chance.¡± Leo straightened and rubbed a hand over his face. He looked at me then, and I could imagine the terrifying picture I painted with my long messy hair and wrinkled pajamas. There were bags under my eyes I¡¯d seen in the bathroom mirror that made me look like I hadn¡¯t slept in a week. And I felt it. I¡¯d been unable to fall asleep until late last night, my mind a mush trying to figure out what to do. When I did finally drift off, my sleep was far from peaceful. Dreams haunted me, strange ones that I could only half-recall in the emerging morning light slowly creeping its way into the apartment. Vague impressions were all that were left, and I didn¡¯t want to remember any more than that. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Leo grasped my arm, and it was then I realized I¡¯d started swaying on my feet. It was my turn to scrub my face. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± I mumbled into my hands. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Decisions.¡± I turned away and padded down the hallway. Looking at the options available to me and assessing my own ability to get back up again, I chose to fall face-first into the couch. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable, but it would work better than a chair if I fell asleep. I turned my head to face out at the rest of the living room. Through the hair draped across my face, I watched Leo¡¯s steady steps approach me before they disappeared from my line of sight. My body had no fight, protest, or complaint when Leo bent my legs at the knee to sit down at the opposite end of my chosen couch. He let my legs fall back into his lap and draped one of the throw blankets I¡¯d ordered online over me. I lifted my legs a bit to tuck the blanket under my toes, which were feeling cold without my warm fuzzy socks I liked to put on in the mornings whenever the temperature dropped. ¡°These must be some decisions you need to make if they¡¯re keeping you up so late,¡± he prompted. I brushed my hair out of my face. ¡°You know how Alex talked about this mysterious group he was a part of?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I was invited to join.¡± ¡°No.¡± I twisted as much as I could to shoot him a disapproving look. ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard anything else about it.¡± He shrugged a shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t care. Don¡¯t do it.¡± I considered him a moment. Instead of arguing, which I would probably still do later, I simply asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t sit right with me about it all.¡± ¡°I know. I feel the same.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°Which is why I feel like I should do it. Get some answers. But there¡¯s an NDA I have to sign first, and I¡¯m not sure what that will entail because I don¡¯t know what I won¡¯t be allowed to share.¡± ¡°All the more reason not to.¡± I ignored his interruption. The more I put my thoughts into words, the clearer those thoughts became. ¡°The main reason I¡¯m considering it is to hopefully be able to talk to some people about actually helping, instead of this waiting around bullshit.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get anywhere.¡± I frowned at him. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because a lot of men in positions of power are set in their ways and think they know best for everyone.¡± ¡°Who says it¡¯s led by a guy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a woman?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. But what if?¡± Leo rolled his eyes. ¡°Then maybe there¡¯s a chance. Though not much better.¡± ¡°See? If there¡¯s a chance, then I should do it. Decision made.¡± Sometimes all it took was someone disagreeing with me for me to figure out what I really wanted. When I went to pull my feet out of Leo¡¯s lap to crawl back into my own bed, he grabbed onto them to stop me. ¡°What about the NDA?¡± ¡°I mean, I plan to follow it. Mostly.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Bossy.¡± I huffed a sigh, settling back into the couch, rolling onto my back. ¡°I plan to tell you. And I¡¯m assuming that Alex already knows the things they¡¯ll tell me, so there¡¯s no need for him to know that I¡¯m telling you. I don¡¯t need to talk to him about it.¡± Something about my tone gave something away. Leo gave me a sharp look, which I wisely ignored. That was a decision I would make on my own, once I¡¯d caught up on quality sleep. ¡°I guess if no one else knows you¡¯re telling only me, that part should be okay. But I want it known that I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s not a good idea.¡± ¡°But Leo,¡± I whined, sitting up to face him fully. ¡°Think of what I could learn. That¡¯s so much information we could put to good use.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not worth it.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Of course it is!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± ¡°Leo!¡± ¡°Callie! Your safety is not worth it!¡± I waved him off. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. As long as we only talk about things here, it¡¯ll be a nonissue.¡± He was shaking his head vehemently. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your permission, you know,¡± I pointed out. I yanked my legs off his lap and stumbled in my efforts to get vertical, the blanket half holding me hostage. Leo stood with me, grabbing the blanket in his fists. I was effectively trapped. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± he agreed. Finally, he was making some sense. ¡°And I see your side of it. I get that you want to help people, and you think this is a way you could do it. I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re wrong.¡± He paused, debating his next words. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that you¡¯re too important to me, and all I want is for you to be safe.¡± I closed my eyes, most of the fight leaving me at his admission. ¡°I get that. But there¡¯s other people out there, families, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, who need their loved ones in their lives. We¡¯re friends, yes, but¡­¡± I trailed off, biting my lip. Opening my eyes, I looked right at Leo and finished, ¡°Friendship is important, and you are probably in the top two most important relationships in my life, including Lucie, but you¡¯d survive without me. You¡¯d make other friends. But to lose a parent, Leo? We both know what that¡¯s like.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± His voice was so soft that it took my muddled brain an extra second or two to catch up. He tilted his head to one side, ever so slightly, and added, ¡°I don¡¯t know that I would survive without you.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be dramatic. Yes, you would.¡± He let go of the blanket and I stumbled back half a step. Shaking his head, he backed away from me slowly. ¡°You¡¯re not getting it, and that¡¯s okay. Another time. When you¡¯re not dead on your feet.¡± ¡°Getting what?¡± I frowned up at him. Why did he have to speak in riddles? Did he not know how to give a straight answer to a poor girl who was probably minutes away from crashing? ¡°Go back to sleep, Callie. And please, promise me that you won¡¯t make a decision until you¡¯re fully conscious. For me.¡± He had a point. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally misspell my name from exhaustion, or something equally stupid, and ruin my chances. ¡°I promise.¡± Leo nodded once, retreating to the kitchen to likely pick out one of the premade breakfasts he paid someone to have prepared every week. I hadn¡¯t met this chef, and while I slowly shuffled with my blanket cape back towards my room I wondered why that was. Did Leo pick up the meals from somewhere else? Did the chef drop them off when I was at work, or leave them at the door perhaps? Lucie scrambled off my bed, where she had been kneading, when I half-fell half-sat on the near side. I rolled to the middle, finding my pillow and tucking it under my head. There wasn¡¯t even time to climb under my covers before a deep, dreamless sleep stole me away. Chapter 25 My anxiety made me early. And not in a normal, five to ten minutes early, take your seat and get settled kind. It was the thirty minutes type, where it¡¯s almost embarrassing to sit around for so long and people start looking at you wondering what you¡¯re doing there, the bordering on loitering kind. To be fair to me, it wasn¡¯t completely my fault. There hadn¡¯t been been a line when I stopped to pick up a quick dinner, and a couple had just vacated a relatively clean table when I was looking for a spot to sit and eat. Not to mention that my scheduled after-hours meeting with the mysterious group Alex belonged to was just across the street from my building at Hubert Industries. It didn¡¯t make sense for me to go home for all of ten minutes to then turn right back around. My original intention had been to walk around the campus and enjoy the slowly changing leaves that hinted at the barest trace of yellow. I¡¯d failed to arm myself with an umbrella, and when the mist turned into a steady drizzle that threatened to turn into downpour with its rolling thunder and quickly darkening skies, I sought shelter in the old, crumbling building above a doughnut and pizza shop. The inside was clean and well-maintained, making me wonder what the purpose was to let the outside fa?ade deteriorate to such a degree. Was it camouflage? A stylistic choice? It didn¡¯t coordinate with the polished slate gray floors or the stiff black leatherette couches contrasting with the cool white walls and minimalist gold artwork and decor. But if there was one question I wanted answered tonight, it wasn¡¯t why the building looked this way. No, it was what to call this group that I had dubbed ¡°the group¡± in my head. Very unoriginal. I hoped they¡¯d been more creative. At least there was work to be had while I waited, and I focused intently on the information in front of me while I tried to ignore the receptionist who was probably wondering why I was so early. Today had been my first day flying mostly solo. I¡¯d met up with Mads this morning and Dee before leaving for the day to check in and out, but the two interviews I conducted were completely on my own. After last week traveling, it was decided by both women that my guided interviews I¡¯d done with them shadowing me, at different times, went perfectly. And that meant I could ask my questions. I¡¯d been careful in deciding what questions I¡¯d ask and how I would ask them. The goal was to raise no suspicions while aiming to get the information I needed. Leo had helped me with them, switching out a word here or there to help match the tone of the other questions provided to me so not to stand out. He¡¯d urged me not to put myself out there like that, but I hadn¡¯t listened. Obviously. The program on my tablet in my lap was running to decipher spoken word into a script that I could review later. Without any headphones with me to listen back on the answers, I¡¯d need to wait until the scripting was finished. There was zero chance I would risk someone overhearing if I played it aloud, even though those chances were next to none. The one part in both interviews that had stood out to me the most was the nearly identical responses I got when I asked about their support systems. In short, their answers had both been none. I¡¯d gone off-script at that point, more so than I had already, and asked if they would ever be open to participating in an online support system through their phones as a way to increase their personal safety and health. They both had said yes. After checking to see how much time remained on the scripting program¡ªten minutes, for both interviews¡ªI decided it was enough time to begin sketching out ideas for an app that would connect others with LaShoul¡¯s and ideally help them receive any assistance needed in the even of an attack. Down the road, I¡¯d want to add in the ability for different forums based on geographic location as a type of virtual support group. It would be text-based, so people could feel free to comment whenever they had the ability. And if people started meeting in person, well, it was another way to expose more people to gamma radiation in the hopes of triggering their own abilities. I¡¯d done that today with my own gamma, taking a smooth, polished stone with me that easily fit in my palm and sending it back and forth between my hands during both interviews. At some point I would find something better that wouldn¡¯t be so suspicious if seen. Who, besides young children, carried random rocks with them? In a different app on my tablet, I typed out a list of major requirements for my app, such as the ability to stay anonymous, encryption of some sort that I knew nothing about, invitations codes for family and friends, and a way to alert emergency services. In my head, the app would work as a check-in system; once a day, or however often the user decided, a notification would pop up on the user¡¯s phone, and a code would have to be inputted. Should that not happen within a designated time frame, an alert would go out to family or friends, whoever was listed in the app. If no one was listed, then it would go to emergency services. That would be the challenging bit, figuring out how it would work with dispatchers to get people the help they needed. I¡¯d probably have to talk to someone who actually worked there, likely a supervisor, and get their input. I might be shot down completely. But that¡¯s where the community came in. If a user wanted, they could have their last location shared with someone else nearby who also used the app, who could check on them. Barring any locked doors, of course. It wasn¡¯t a perfect plan, but it was a start. I was sure to come up with something. Maybe a one-time digital key? Or people could just knock on the door, see if the person answered, and then call for an ambulance? Yeah, definitely needed more work. I was so focused on brainstorming that I didn¡¯t notice anyone approaching until they stood right in front me, shiny black shoes and pressed gray slacks visible beyond my tablet I hunched over protectively. I nearly dropped the thing in shock as I jerked upright, fumbling it for a second and making my heart plummet to my stomach. It was not tech I could afford to replace. My bio-screen alerted, once. I had to fight my surprise, assuming the man now in front of me just used whatever his ability was. Which would make sense, since this group worked with others with abilities. ¡°Apologies.¡± The formal tone was bored and detached as he drew back the hand outstretched to catch my tablet, presumably. ¡°Please, follow me, Miss Navie.¡± He pronounced my last name wrong, using a short a sound instead of a long a. Really, it wasn¡¯t that difficult; it was pronounced like navy. After shoving my tablet into my bag carefully and deciding not to correct him, I stood and followed the tall, bald, slim man out of the reception area and towards the blacked out elevator bank, which I hadn¡¯t noticed when I first entered. It matched the same paint color on that wall almost seamlessly, like they didn¡¯t want people to realize there were elevators there. If that was the case, it was working pretty damn well. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Just as the elevator doors began to shut to take us up to the fifth of ten floors, the other elevator¡¯s occupants walked past. I watched through the narrowing gap between the doors out of curiosity, noting a small brunette woman in casual clothing, an average-height man wearing what looked like scrubs of some sort, and another man talking on the phone with a receding hairline not at all disguised by a comb-over that reminded me of¡­ Reminded me of no one, because it was him. Dr. Goodwin. My new boss. Or, boss¡¯s boss. Boss¡¯s boss¡¯s boss? I couldn¡¯t remember, not that it really mattered at the moment. What was he doing here? There were a hundred different possibilities. My first thought was to send a message to Alex, asking what he knew. But then again, we¡¯d barely talked in the last several days after my declaration that I was going to take some time to figure out what was going on with our relationship. He¡¯d checked in with me a couple of times over the past four days, plus today, but my responses were dry, answering whatever question he had but not asking my own to continue the conversation. ¡°¡­don¡¯t care what she told you, you have your instructions. Fix it, or you know what we stand to¡­¡± The elevator doors shut, cutting off Goodwin¡¯s heated conversation with whoever had been on the other line. He¡¯d always been so pleasant with me that I hadn¡¯t realized he could be so¡­harsh. Someone had to have really upset him for that type of reaction, if my interactions with him were anything to go by. While we ascended, I mulled over the different possibilities for seeing Goodwin. He could be directly involved as a leader, sponsor, or even just a member. I thought leader or sponsor the most likely options. The building was right across from Hubert Industries, so it distance-wise it could very easily work. What I didn¡¯t know was why. Plenty of people chose careers based on events that had happened in their life, people they had met, or any other number of reasons. Did Goodwin have LaShoul¡¯s, or maybe a loved one of his? Is that why he spent so much time working towards a cure, or solution, and had given me so much individual attention when Alex brought me on board? If that was true, what would be the reason to not also be the one to bring me to this meeting in¡ªI checked the time¡ªfour minutes? There were too many questions and too few answers. I worried my lip aggressively, trying to push down all the rising emotions. Now wasn¡¯t the time to get worked up about all this. There would be time later to hunt down the answers. Because something was feeling off. And I didn¡¯t know what my gut was trying to tell me, but it was screaming that something was going on. Or maybe my rushed dinner wasn¡¯t sitting well with me. Or my nerves were rising, knowing that I¡¯d likely have to sign an actual NDA at the beginning of this meeting that I was just going to ignore. My hands were vibrating slightly when the doors to the elevator opened to a long white hallway lined with a series of black doors with long rectangular windows in each. If I wasn¡¯t careful, my emotion would get the better of me and run amok, and here was decidedly not the place to lose my cool and accidentally teleport or shatter something. I needed to go with the upper hand and keep it as long as possible, which meant not revealing my ability. The third door on the left was propped open, and as we approached I glanced into each of the other rooms. Small groups of people were working together, but I couldn¡¯t make out what they were looking at with such a short glimpse. ¡°This way, if you please,¡± my escort said, standing outside the room and holding his arm out slightly to indicate I should enter. I did so after only a moment¡¯s hesitation; Leo knew exactly where I was should anything happen, and he would be able to trace my bio-screen if push came to shove. ¡°They will be with you shortly.¡± Tall man closed the door behind him without ever giving me his name. I took a seat at the orange-tinted wooden conference table. I twisted side to side in my chair slowly, aware that this room was probably under visual and audio observation. I never took my eyes off the black door I faced, so I noticed as soon as someone stepped up and turned the handle. He was short, a bit portly, with a full head of hair. His suit was ill-fitting, as though made for a smaller man, the extra fabric at the shoulders making it look rumpled even though it had clearly been ironed. It was a nice suit, ignoring that detail, and had probably fit at one point, years ago, maybe at his wedding. The simple band on his left hand was dull, tarnished, uncared for, and I hoped that he took pride in other aspects of his life. Like his job. ¡°Good evening, Miss¡­¡± He glanced at the tablet in his hand, squinting a bit and holding it close to his face. ¡°Nah-vee?¡± ¡°Nay-vee,¡± I corrected. ¡°Like the color.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, Miss Navie, thank you for joining us.¡± He settled down across from me, sighing as he sat and pulled out a pair of reading glasses. I masked my surprise; I hadn¡¯t seen a pair of those since I was little, maybe around seven years old or so. When eye lenses had been approved and marketed to the masses, eye glasses had all but disappeared overnight. This man was clearly old-fashioned, since insurance would rather cover permanent eye lenses once than breakable frames and glass year after year. ¡°Will someone else be joining?¡± I wondered, thinking back on the us he just said. I kept an eye on the door, waiting. ¡°Oh, no. I mean us as in¡­¡± He waved a hand to encompass the building at large. ¡°The entire organization. I¡¯m David. Before we get started, I do want to let you know that our conversation will be recorded.¡± He tapped a fat finger on the tablet laying flat on the table, giving me a clear view of what he was doing. After only one false start, he had the recording up and running and navigated back to whatever other page he needed. I couldn¡¯t read upside-down, so I sat back in my chair and mentally prepared myself for this to take longer than I originally planned for. David nodded once to himself and folded his hands on top of the table. ¡°Just to reiterate the form that you electronically signed last week, any information shared with you today is confidential, and vice versa. Your information will not be shared outside the organization, but may be used to further our research. Do you understand? Please give a verbal response.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Good, good.¡± He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at the screen and began speaking slowly. ¡°To begin, let me share a little bit about us.¡± Oh, shit, he was reading straight from the tablet. I fought to keep my back straight against the chair. It wouldn¡¯t be professional to slump onto the table. ¡°We are an organization with a mission to help people who find themselves set apart from the general public. We do not actively interfere or in any way accelerate whatever process individuals go through, but our goal is to be aware of those who do and help guide them and give them a place to connect with others.¡± ¡°That includes me?¡± I interrupted, just to be sure. ¡°Yes, we believe it does. Now, where was I?¡± He took several moments to find his place, using his finger to follow along with what he was reading, mouthing the words to himself silently. That would teach me to interrupt again. ¡°Ah, right here. The organization, on paper, does not exist, which is why you have not heard about us until we reached out to you with the invitation.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t true, but I wasn¡¯t going to say a damn word. Not so much to call Alex out for clearly violating some rules, but more so to keep this moving along. ¡°We¡¯ve been alerted that you have been set apart from others. Is this true?¡± I hesitated, then asked, ¡°In what way? Like, with my LaShoul¡¯s?¡± Slowly, David shook his head. ¡°No. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you if you do not already know. But it would be something that may have happened suddenly, in the last six months most likely, that you have no explanation for, that relates to your LaShoul¡¯s.¡± The ball was in my court. I could say I had no idea what he was talking about and walk away, then work by myself doing what I already was to try to help people. Or I could admit my secret and aim to make changes in how they operated. Somehow. At the very least, it could give me more information, or at least open up more opportunities. And wasn¡¯t that why I had agreed in the first place? I leaned forward, watching my hands as I laced my fingers together. I didn¡¯t trust myself to make eye contact right now. I was a terrible liar, according to Leo. While David might not be able to see it, it wasn¡¯t worth the risk when I could easily play it safe. From here on out, I¡¯d need to watch my step. Every decision would have to be weighed carefully, looking at the risks and rewards for every choice I could make. I¡¯d need to keep track of everything; what I said to which person and when, any information that I wasn¡¯t supposed to know, and the information that I knew that they didn¡¯t. I took a breath and hesitatingly admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve developed a new¡­talent. One I¡¯ve never had before. And ever since then, I¡¯ve felt¡­better. Stronger. Energized, even. My LaShoul¡¯s has improved, and I have no idea why. Not that I¡¯m complaining, of course. But is that what you mean?¡± I raised my gaze to meet David¡¯s, finding a slightly lopsided smile on his face as he nodded. ¡°Yes, that sounds exactly right. Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡± He tapped on the tablet in front of him, and I watched as another set of what looked like questions appeared before him. I bit back the groan that wanted to escape and slumped in my chair, getting comfortable for a long evening in this room. Chapter 26 Unsurprisingly, Leo was waiting for me when I got home. When we had met in passing this morning while I got ready for work, I¡¯d told him I was going to the meeting tonight. Once again, he¡¯d insisted I not go, which I once again ignored. It had been worth going, even though I¡¯d left with yet another decision to make. The information I¡¯d gotten was pretty basic, and what I disclosed in return I¡¯d also censored to be equally basic. The Organization, as I decided to call them since they had no official name on paper, didn¡¯t know I had extensive knowledge already. I planned to keep it that way unless I was given details freely, and after I learned more about their operations and objectives. David had asked me about my ability. I hadn¡¯t lied, but I also didn¡¯t share the entire truth. Simply put, I said I could move objects without touching them. Which was absolutely true. I just didn¡¯t add that I could do it instantaneously. When David asked for a demonstration, I said that I could only do it sporadically, but I would try. His vision problems worked in my favor. In the tiniest increments possible, I moved his pen an inch in total. It took at least a minute, but David seemed impressed, typing with two fingers on his tablet as fast as he could. In return for my demonstration, he shared that there were others who also developed abilities. With practice, I could become proficient. They had a facility where I could do that practice, under observation of course, and even tutors who would help me. I¡¯d thanked him, and told him I would consider it, it was all so new to me, and I was still adjusting and not ready to rush into anything. After that, he had mentioned that I would be granted the lowest clearance possible, Level 5, with opportunities over time to increase that clearance to higher levels. The first opportunity was to, essentially, play lab rat for them. David hadn¡¯t put it that way, of course. But I was alert enough that I caught on quickly to his offer of being evaluated. I had to give it to him, or to whomever had written the script; it sounded like a win-win situation until it was picked apart to the bare bones. To get to Level 4, all I had to do was submit myself to a day of testing, where they would take blood and urine samples, complete a full-body scan, put me under a physical stress test, and hook me up to machines while I practiced my ability. It wasn¡¯t that I was afraid of the testing; I just wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to give that much information to them. Granted, they had no idea about the gamma, unless Alex shared that with them. But surely if he had, he would have also told the Organization about me and my ability in greater detail. And I suspected my little interview tonight would have been very different if they had known that I knew more than I let on. At the end of the almost two-hour meeting, half of which was spend waiting for David to navigate through his tablet and take notes, I said I would consider everything. He¡¯d agreed easily enough, as though it was the norm, and handed me a card that had a list of positions and phone numbers but no names. I could message any of those numbers to organize another meeting, or schedule an appointment to come in for testing if I wanted. The card was tucked away in my phone case, where I wouldn¡¯t accidentally lose it. I shucked off my work shoes at the door, sighing as my feet could finally breathe and relax again. I saw Leo, knew he wanted to talk, but gave him nothing. Was it a little petty to make him ask questions, instead of giving him the information freely? Maybe. Did I care? Not particularly, especially not after he had been so adamant that I not go. ¡°So?¡± was all he said. I picked up my shoes to carry them to my room and looked at him. His arms were crossed, and he looked upset or maybe a bit angry. ¡°Long day,¡± I answered. I made my way to my bedroom. He followed. He was silent as I placed my shoes by my door and set my work bag next to it, leaning against the door frame with his arms still crossed. I let him stew while I gathered my pajamas from the heap of clean laundry on my bed. When I made my way towards the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed, he finally said a full sentence. ¡°How did it go?¡± I turned, standing at the doorway to my bathroom. ¡°It went fine.¡± I waited, knowing he¡¯d get frustrated with my lack of details. It didn¡¯t take long for him to prove me right. ¡°Tell me about it?¡± I cocked my head to the side in mock consideration. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t interested, since you didn¡¯t want me to bother going.¡± ¡°Callie.¡± ¡°Leo.¡± He pushed off the door frame and rubbed his face, grumbling, ¡°You know why I didn¡¯t want you to go.¡± I nodded, answering with, ¡°You didn¡¯t think it was worth the information I could get for us.¡± ¡°Fucking hell,¡± he muttered. Clearly, he said, ¡°You are not worth that.¡± I closed my eyes, shaking my head. ¡°We¡¯re not having this conversation again, Leo. It¡¯s done. These are my decisions to make, and you need to respect them. You know I won¡¯t share information with them, so quit your worrying.¡± ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± he insisted. I heard him take several steps towards me, and I opened my eyes. ¡°Yes, though probably not information you would think useful. It¡¯s not like they would share all their secrets with me immediately. It¡¯s going to take time. And speaking of time, I need to go to bed. I have work in the morning.¡± Leo opened his mouth to argue, disagree, or something, and thought better of it. He nodded, once, and left. As I showered, I thought about the lab rat scenario. Ultimately, without doing it, I was extremely unlikely to glean any worthwhile information. But by slowly moving up in clearance, I could eventually get somewhere, or even gain enough influence to share my thoughts on helping other people. I knew I would never be a decision-maker, but if I could argue my case, maybe it would make a difference. As some nobody, lowest-clearance individual, I wouldn¡¯t even bother listening to me. I¡¯d need to show my importance, my value, first. To expedite that process, I would need to bring something to the table, something to get them to take notice of me. Going through the clearance process could take months or years, and I didn¡¯t want to wait that long. What did I have to offer? Not much, really. But I could think on it, maybe talk to Alex a bit more and get a feel for what they need, and work on a solution that way. By the end of my shower, reaching out to Alex was the most promising option I had thought of. Before I collapsed on the clear half of my bed, I sent him a short message, asking to meet. He answered immediately, agreeing, and offering to take me to lunch or dinner tomorrow, or any other day this week. Agreeing on dinner tomorrow, I fell asleep snuggled up against my pile of laundry that smelled like springtime.
He was holding flowers, a small bouquet of sunflowers and peach carnations, when he opened the door to his apartment. It smelled heavenly, whatever takeout Alex ordered making my mouth water. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. We¡¯d both agreed to meet privately, to have a chance to discuss things openly without worrying about social etiquette or people eavesdropping. And we¡¯d chosen his place because not only was it close to work, but also because he didn¡¯t have a roommate. Alex¡¯s eyes raked up and down. I¡¯d worn another dress to work today, this one a deep green velvet that tied at the waist, and I hadn¡¯t changed before heading over. After a moment, he remembered himself, and offered the flowers. ¡°Thank you. These are gorgeous.¡± ¡°I figured as far as an apology goes, I should make a solid effort.¡± ¡°Apology?¡± I asked, stepping inside. ¡°Eat and talk?¡± he suggested. I agreed, and we plated our meals in silence. Neither one of us wanted to start with small talk when there was bigger talk to get through, hovering over us like a storm cloud. After we¡¯d both gotten settled and taken a couple of bites, Alex broke the silence. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± When he didn¡¯t elaborate, I said with a small grin, ¡°I often am, but you¡¯ll have to be specific.¡± He smiled back, adding, ¡°About me putting distance between us because of my issues. Sharing it with the group instead of talking to you about it more. Just¡­All of it. And I¡¯m actually glad you said you needed space, because it gave me a chance to really think about things. And I realized how badly I fucked up. And I¡¯m really sorry, Callie.¡± He reached a hand across the table where we sat and grabbed mine. He squeezed it once, and I returned the gesture, before we both returned to our meals. ¡°Thank you for the apology,¡± I answered, moving some rice and vegetables around on my plate as I searched for more chicken. ¡°And I get where you¡¯re coming from and why you¡¯re concerned and all that. But if something is an issue between us, then just talk to me about it. I¡¯m usually pretty reasonable. I think.¡± ¡°You are. And I can do that.¡± He searched my face, a confused expression on his. ¡°What?¡± He shook his head. ¡°To be honest, I saw that conversation going a lot differently in my head.¡± ¡°Different how?¡± I speared a piece of chicken. He shrugged, contemplating his answer as he chewed. ¡°I thought it would take more convincing. Not a twenty-second conversation.¡± ¡°Everyone makes mistakes. Doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get another chance. Though, I should warn you, if it happens again¡­¡± I trailed off, letting him fill in the blank. He nodded in understanding. ¡°Expecting perfection is stupid. But it¡¯s also stupid if I let the same thing happen over and over again with no change. And I also spent some time thinking about your side, how difficult it must be to¡­ Anyways.¡± It was time for a topic change. ¡°Anyways,¡± he echoed. ¡°Did you ever look at the invitation I gave you?¡± ¡°Yes. I did.¡± ¡°And? What did you decide?¡± ¡°Not sure yet. I mean, I responded and went. Was such a fun time,¡± I joked, then pointed my fork at him. ¡°What level clearance are you?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Impressive.¡± He shrugged again. ¡°I help with recruitment, which you know, so I have to be a higher level to know what to look for.¡± ¡°And what does a recruiter look for?¡± ¡°Pretty girls who are exactly my type.¡± He winked at me, and a laugh burst free. ¡°No shame.¡± ¡°Can you blame me?¡± I paused, pretending to consider. ¡°No, I suppose not. But fine. Keep your secrets.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really not much. Most of the time, it¡¯s spending time in a support group, like ours, and waiting for questions to be asked or stories to be shared. Like a few weeks ago, when you mentioned having new symptoms. Tingly palms? Exactly that.¡± ¡°Yeah, what is it about the tingles?¡± I hadn¡¯t really felt any more strange sensations in my hands, and had simply attributed it to becoming more proficient with my ability. ¡°No clue, honestly. But if it doesn¡¯t fit the norm of LaShoul¡¯s, I share that with my team leads, and they decide from there what to do.¡± I nodded. ¡°And how does your team decide what to do?¡± ¡°Wish I knew. I¡¯m not involved with it.¡± ¡°But you told them about me? I mean, I did get an invite,¡± I pointed out. Alex took a bite of his food, finishing his plate. I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d stopped eating, but half of my food was still untouched. I started shoveling in mouthfuls, not wanting it to get cold. ¡°I told them I was suspicious of you because of your description of your palms. That was¡­¡± He trailed off, thinking, as he took his plate and rinsed it off in the sink. ¡°Maybe two weeks ago? I don¡¯t remember exactly. And the timelines are never the same. Sometimes it takes close to a month for an invite to be sent, and other times nothing comes of it. Above my clearance.¡± I put my chin in my palm, scraping together the last bit of rice. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious, though?¡± ¡°Not really. Honestly, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not something I need to worry about. I wave the flag, they do the decision making.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± I said. ¡°Color me surprised.¡± The sarcasm was thick, and I scrunched up my nose and narrowed my eyes in mock offense. ¡°Maybe you could work your way up there, be my boss, and then you¡¯ll know.¡± He said it casually, like it was totally possible. ¡°How long did it take you to get to where you are?¡± ¡°Over a year.¡± I set my fork down, abandoning my last bite. Over a year? And that wasn¡¯t even the highest level; he admitted to having no decision-making power. ¡°Would you ever want to? Get a higher clearance, I mean.¡± ¡°Maybe, but it takes a while to move through the system. They¡¯re very careful, for obvious reasons. And I¡¯m happy where I¡¯m at. I can still work a job I love. Get too high, and it takes up all your time, and then it¡¯s the only thing you¡¯re doing. And honestly?¡± He leaned back against the sink, crossing his arms. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be there, all day, all the time. I like this balance I have.¡± I stood up and brought my own plate over to him, which he took off my hands and set in the sink. He didn¡¯t bother to rinse it, instead wrapping his arms loosely around me. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I returned the gesture, even going so far as to rest my cheek against his collarbone. I took a calming breath and willed my body to relax into the embrace. ¡°Any other questions?¡± I could hear the amused smirk in his voice, and I pulled back. Not enough to break his hold on me, but enough to look slightly up at him. ¡°None that you can answer, you Level 2,¡± I teased. ¡°How many levels are there?¡± ¡°Seven, I think. There¡¯s Level 1 and 0 above me, and then some other designation for the very top people. I don¡¯t know what it is. They don¡¯t interact with us lowly 2¡¯s.¡± ¡°One more question. How quickly could someone move up?¡± ¡°Absolutely no idea. Why? You interested?¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°Maybe. I enjoy my interviewing and traveling, don¡¯t get me wrong. But a different purpose could be good. And I have this idea...¡± Before he let me get too into a very detailed description of my app idea, he interrupted me and directed us to the couch to sit. I curled my legs under me and faced him, forgetting I was wearing a dress until his eyes glanced down and then quickly away, his cheeks looking a little pinker than usual. I grabbed a blanket and draped it over me to cover my lower half, my own face probably turning a bit pink. For nearly twenty minutes, I talked non-stop, describing my idea while also spitballing tweaks and other ideas as they came to me. Alex, to his credit, didn¡¯t ask a single question until I was done and seemed to follow my disjointed thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s quite an idea,¡± was his first comment. ¡°Honestly? I think it has a lot of potential.¡± ¡°Do you think the Organization would be interested in it? To help monitor stuff?¡± Slowly, he nodded. ¡°Possibly. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s resources to build it from the ground up, unfortunately. Who would do it, you think?¡± I looked down at my lap, fidgeting with a frayed edge of the blanket. ¡°Um, me?¡± Alex didn¡¯t laugh, or smile, or react beyond asking, ¡°Do you have any experience?¡± I huffed out a frustrated breath. ¡°No. But I don¡¯t trust someone else to do it the way I want, or to understand what the problems are and how they need to be solved. And I can learn. Besides, I don¡¯t have any money to pay someone to do it for me.¡± ¡°You ever consider applying for a grant? Then maybe you could pay someone to build your design, under your management?¡± I laughed, once. ¡°You can¡¯t really think that someone out there would give me a grant when I have no clue what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good idea,¡± he insisted, shifting closer. ¡°And I think someone would. We just need to find the right someone.¡± I thought about that, seriously considering it. For two seconds. ¡°I think my time might be better spent learning how to do it myself. If I can at least get a prototype started, then I think it would be easier to get other people on board. Right?¡± ¡°Probably. Do you want help?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Of course. But who would? I have exactly zero resources.¡± ¡°I would,¡± he answered simply. ¡°At the very least, I¡¯m happy to be a sounding board. Though you gave me a lot of information, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve already forgotten some. We¡¯ll need to organize ideas somehow. We can do that later. And I might be able to get in touch with other people who deal with that kind of software design, pitch it to them, get their input. Worth a shot, right?¡± I looked at Alex. And I mean, really looked. Here he was, offering his unwavering support of this idea. He didn¡¯t know I wanted to use it to get clearance faster, just that I thought the Organization could benefit from it, that it could give me a serious leg up. He wanted to help me just to¡­help me. There was no denying that that was a very attractive trait. Instead of answering him outright, I leaned forward onto my hands and knees and into his personal space. He watched me approaching, his eyes dropping to my lips and then the neckline of my dress before meeting mine again. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered. And then I reached just the tiniest bit farther to place a soft kiss on his mouth, which he responded to with enthusiasm, reaching forward to drag me sideways onto his lap. The kiss conveyed a few things; that I was grateful and appreciative of his offer, yes, but also that I had forgiven him, and no longer needed distance and time between us. We¡¯d talked like adults, apologies were made, and we would move on and be stronger for it. Chapter 27 ¡°Let¡¯s get you unhooked,¡± said blue scrubs. Black scrubs stood off to the other side, looking at the machine¡¯s readings and tapping away on his tablet. Neither had introduced themselves when I was paired with them four hours ago, which was rude but also probably on purpose. They probably knew my name, but I wouldn¡¯t volunteer it on principle. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t be interested in giving up one of my days off to be here and do all this. But yesterday had been the Autumn Holiday, an extra day marking the end of summer and beginning of my favorite month of the entire year. Everything non-essential was closed, and I¡¯d spent the entire day in bed reading. Leo didn¡¯t know I was here, though he was well aware that I was thinking about it. For me, it didn¡¯t matter what information they gathered from these little trials today. They could easily get it from someone else anyways, but this way I had a chance to work my way up and make a bigger difference. At least, that was the goal. Blue scrubs peeled off the first of the stickers harshly after removing the sensors, leaving angry red skin behind. No apologies. Some arm hair was still attached, and I rubbed the irritated areas. ¡°I can do it,¡± I interrupted, turning away from his reaching hands. ¡°I have sensitive skin,¡± I added to account for my bit of rudeness. Not that I didn¡¯t think he deserved it, but I was a bit of a people-pleaser. Without waiting for him to answer, I gently peeled the rest of them off. My skin was still unhappy from the adhesive, but I wouldn¡¯t get any more angry red welts from them being ripped off. Or free hair removal. ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing your skill since you signed up?¡± black scrubs asked. It was more of a statement than a question; it had been a requirement to proceed with today. Black scrubs had yet to actually look at me today, and that didn¡¯t change now as he flicked through the tablet. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, just as flatly as he asked the question. No wonder these people were here and not in a hospital somewhere; no bedside manner. Or maybe they were, and volunteered here, and had nothing left to give. That, I could understand. But even the smallest of introductions when I first arrived would have gone a long way to helping me feel more at ease. As it was, I was tense, on edge, and not looking forward to this next part. ¡°Describe your ability,¡± black scrubs instructed. ¡°Teleportation,¡± I answered, crossing my arms. Finally, he looked at me. ¡°That¡¯s not what was reported last week during your onboarding.¡± I shrugged, feigning indifference, and said, ¡°I practiced. It happened. Must not have realized it earlier.¡± My answer acceptable, black scrubs made what I assumed were changes in my file while blue scrubs left and started moving things around at the other end of the cavernous room. It echoed slightly in here, and there was space for fifty or more people to gather with room to spare. It made me wonder what else this space was used for. ¡°Do you teleport yourself, or objects?¡± ¡°Objects.¡± ¡°Have you tried it on yourself or another person.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± It was a disapproving sound, as though I should have risked the lives of people just to fuck around. My fists clenched, hidden under my crossed arms. ¡°I¡¯m open to trying here, today,¡± I added sweetly. ¡°Though it would probably be better for me to start with a volunteer.¡± Black scrubs didn¡¯t reply until blue scrubs came back. ¡°Get a few mice, please,¡± he requested, making eye contact with his colleague. Blue scrubs nodded once and left to fetch the mice. My stomach turned. I didn¡¯t want to experiment on living things, but¡­If it was the fastest way to gain clearance to help save people¡¯s lives¡­ Black scrubs gestured with an arm. ¡°Please stand on the line. We will get started now. Move the objects on the table however you wish. You may start with any object and move it to any clear space in the room.¡± About fifteen feet away were a variety of items, from an apple to a bowling ball to a feather. Mundane, everyday items, ten in total. I twisted my arm so my palm faced the items and bent my elbow slightly. I didn¡¯t have to hold a hand out like I was a wizard performing some great, dramatic magic trick, but I hadn¡¯t yet gotten good enough to do it without a little bit of physical direction. With my hand hovering near my hip, I moved each item to different spots around the room in rapid succession. The bowling ball appeared at my feet. One. The broom clattered to the ground at the far end of the room, next to the trash can. Two. The water bottle rolled underneath the table it started at. Three. The feather somehow ended up in black scrub¡¯s front pocket. Four. Each time I moved something, my bio-screen buzzed once, alerting me to my own gamma. There had been no secondary gamma radiation so far today, making me wonder what abilities the two nurse-types had, if any. I finished my little demonstration by teleporting the apple into my hand¡ªten¡ªand taking a bite. I¡¯d been here for hours already, without a break, and I was starting to get hungry. ¡°So, not only can you teleport an item, you can change its orientation while it is in the in-between.¡± Black scrubs pointed to the water bottle, which had stopped rolling after running into the table leg. ¡°And you can also set the object in motion upon arrival.¡± I blinked. I hadn¡¯t considered that his statements would be something worth mentioning. But now that he had, I had to admit it was true. I hadn¡¯t thought about changing how the water bottle was positioned or making it move; I¡¯d just done it because I thought it would show off my ability. Huh. ¡°Apparently,¡± I answered unnecessarily. He was already messing with his tablet again, no doubt taking even more notes on what I¡¯d just displayed. Great. ¡°Very good.¡± Finally, a positive reaction to something. ¡°Let¡¯s get close to the table. Have you tried teleporting moving objects yet?¡± I thought about it for several seconds. ¡°I don¡¯t remember, so let¡¯s say no.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll roll some tennis balls slowly to start, and work our way up to a greater velocity as you succeed.¡± The rolling balls made no difference; it was just as easy to summon them to my hand. Eventually, black scrubs worked up to throwing them across the room, and I had them vanishing out of thin air and into my hand. I lost track of how much gamma I had racked up, which made me grateful I wasn¡¯t being exposed to any secondary on top of all of my own doing. Black scrubs nodded after I got the last one. I offered it back to him. ¡°I¡¯d like to try something else.¡± He frowned down at his tablet as he thought. Could this guy pay attention to anything else? Make eye contact for any length of time? ¡°This time, when I throw it, I¡¯d like to see if you can maintain its original velocity.¡± ¡°Sure, I can try. Where should I send it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you send it to your hand.¡± ¡°Do you want me to change its path so I catch it? Or do you mean teleport it to my hand and keep it moving?¡± ¡°The second.¡± Awesome. I don¡¯t know why, but I had very little faith in myself for this. For good reason. When I teleported the ball from halfway across the room to my hand, instead of continuing along at a quick speed, it fell straight down and bounced. ¡°Try again.¡± I did, with a similar result. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Let me try again,¡± I requested. ¡°I have an idea.¡± Black scrubs obliged. This time, I decided to try a wizard¡¯s dramatic magic trick. With my arm parallel to the ground, palm facing away from me and towards the opposite wall, I summoned the ball and gave it the biggest oomph that I could. There was the tiniest moment, less than a heartbeat, where the ball was in my hand. Then it blasted into the opposite wall, lodging itself there in the drywall with an echoing, thunderous whack. We stood there silently, staring. ¡°Uh, sorry,¡± I apologized. ¡°No need. This is why you¡¯re practicing alone, and not with others today.¡± Black scrubs typed so quickly on his tablet that his fingers nearly blurred. ¡°Do you want me to go get it?¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No need. We will want to measure it. Do you think you can try again, but without making it into a volatile projectile?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± He threw another ball, and this time, I gave it a tiny amount of force. With my hand outstretched again, I had no problem sending the ball flying several yards away before falling harmlessly to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re a quick learner.¡± I turned to him, taken by surprise by the compliment. ¡°Thank you. Is that not the norm?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered without elaborating. Alright then. Blue scrubs returned then, carrying a cage of mice that he placed on the table where the original ten objects had been. The feather was still in black scrub¡¯s pocket. ¡°We will try the mice next. But let¡¯s start at a closer distance.¡± He led me towards the table where the mice quietly squeaked in their cages. I swallowed. Blue scrubs reached in and grabbed one quickly by the tail, holding his hands like a small cage around the tiny creature. Its nose poked through the gaps in his hands, whiskers twitching adorably. ¡°I¡¯m getting pretty tired,¡± I lied suddenly, not wanting to go through with this. Not today, at least. I knew if I backed out now, I¡¯d have to do it later. But at least I would be prepared better. Right? ¡°This is the last task. Do you think you can finish?¡± I inhaled deeply through my nose and held it. I was scared, terrified really, of killing the mice in my attempt. Inanimate objects, even plants and fruit, were no problem. But living, breathing things? Thinking back to my reason for doing this in the first place helped. I could save people¡¯s lives faster if I did this today. And while I thought every living being was important and deserving of respect, if I had to rate a person over a mouse¡­I couldn¡¯t not pick the person. Just as I let out the breath to answer, my back pocket vibrated. My phone. I snatched it out, buying myself a little bit of time, and swiped up on Leo¡¯s message. We quickly exchanged messages; he must have been waiting for my reply. Leo: Where are you? Me: Out. Busy. You good? Leo: Fine. When will you be back? Me: Not sure. Soonish? As soon as I¡¯m done with this. Gotta go, though. See you later. Leo: What are you doing? I left his question unanswered. Black and blue scrubs were looking at me expectantly. ¡°Sorry. Roommate wondering if I was okay,¡± I said by way of explanation. ¡°I think I can at least try with the mice.¡± ¡°Good. Just to your hand, please.¡± I focused on the white, wiggling mass in blue scrub¡¯s hands, holding mine out in front of me and creating a little cup so the mouse wouldn¡¯t immediately fling itself out of my grasp. If I was being teleported through space and time, I would probably be pretty disoriented and not know to stay put. Willing all the negativity, the thoughts that I couldn¡¯t do this, into a box and shoving it closed and locking it away in some dark corner of my mind. I tugged. And was immediately bitten. I yelped and jumped back, barely managing not to drop the mouse that was in my hands. I dropped to my knees and let the little heathen onto the ground. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Blue scrubs asked, watching the mouse skitter across the white floor. It nearly blended in, its pink tail the only thing standing out against the floor. ¡°Sorry, it bit me,¡± I answered, inspecting my hand. There wasn¡¯t even a mark, no tiny indents from tiny teeth. Blue scrubs went after the mouse, but I decided to help him out and teleport the mouse back into the cage with its friends. The other mice squeaked and scattered when the other mouse reappeared, but they quickly settled. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I pressed a hand to my forehead and spread my feet apart to better keep my balance. ¡°That¡¯s all I have in me today,¡± I announced. They wrapped up their notes, hooked me up to more machines for another twenty minutes while I got to sit and drink water. While they waited for the tests to finish running, I checked in with my bio-screen. I hunched over to hide it from any cameras that might have been watching the room.
Tally Weighted
P1 3 3
P2 8 16
P3 5 15
P4 0 0
S1 0 0
S2 0 0
Total 16 34
That was¡­different. The only object that might have been classified as primary gamma level three was the bowling ball, but what four other objects created that much gamma to register as P3? I counted again. Each of the ten items at the beginning. The tennis ball¡­four times. And then the mouse, twice. That made sixteen. That number matched my total tally; I hadn¡¯t forgotten that I had done something earlier today, at least. Was it when I intercepted the tennis ball and kept them moving those two times? The first time like a bullet, and the second, more controlled time? Did that impact the amount of gamma used? Current evidence suggested yes, but that still left two instances unaccounted for. I cleared my bio-screen, leaning back against the chair and waiting out the remaining few minutes until the scrubs unhooked me and sent me home. I¡¯d have to bring this up to Leo, but¡­another time. I didn¡¯t want to deal with his ridiculous disapproval tonight.
¡°Tell me you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t what?¡± ¡°Do that stupid trial thing.¡± How he knew that¡¯s what I was doing yesterday, I had no idea. Did he just automatically jump to the worse conclusions, at least in his own head? Was it my lack of response to his question about what I was doing, and he assumed I was keeping secrets? I mean, that last one was true, but still. Assumptions were running rampant. ¡°Do you want me to lie to make you feel better, or do you want the truth?¡± ¡°Callie, are you fucking kidding¡ª¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t get to do that!¡± I pointed an accusing finger at Leo. He was on the other side of the counter. My coffee spluttered into the mug behind me. He couldn¡¯t even wait until I was caffeinated to pick a fight with me, and that was to his detriment. I was a lot less patient without it. And he was about to get a reminder. A mean one. ¡°It is not your decision to make! I get to decide what I do with my time, my body, how I want to help people. This is me trying, because I¡¯m not a fucking genius like you who can work with all this amazing tech. I¡¯m a nobody, just like too many other people who¡¯ve been kept in the dark and suffering and dying in silence. So I¡¯m going to try my fucking best to stand up for them and give them a voice.¡± I spun on my heel, giving him my back. I was done. So done, with all of the bullshit Leo kept trying to pull. At first, I¡¯d chalked it up to him being concerned for me. But even presented with my reasoning, and assuring him that I was quite capable of taking care of myself, he still treated me like some helpless princess who didn¡¯t need to get her hands dirty or worry about the people in her kingdom. Fuck. That. As soon as Leo started to make noise, surely to keep arguing with me, I snapped, ¡°I¡¯m fucking done with these conversations, Leo. I don¡¯t want to hear it any more. You¡¯re not treating me like an equal. And until you do, you don¡¯t get to have an opinion on what I choose to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to look out for you!¡± he shouted back. I whirled and all but shrieked, ¡°You¡¯re smothering me!¡± He stalked around to come toe to toe with me. I held my ground, almost wavering. I crossed my arms in front of me protectively, and they brushed against him with how close he was. He hands landed on my shoulders. I tried to shrug them off, but he just held on tighter. Asshole. I could try harder, or even teleport him away from me and hope I could do it like I managed with the mice yesterday, but I didn¡¯t. Not yet, at least. ¡°Callie, I¡­¡± He sighed, dropping his head. His forehead was a hair¡¯s breadth away from mine. It made me feel a little cross-eyed, trying to look at him. I gave up and settle for starting at the stitching of his shirt near his neck. ¡°You need to let me go,¡± I forced through gritted teeth. He dropped his hands, but didn¡¯t move away. ¡°I worry because I love you. I don¡¯t want to see you hurt.¡± I yielded a step, and he moved with me. ¡°Leo, you know I love you too, you¡¯re my best friend, but seriously? I¡¯m my own person.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not hearing me. You haven¡¯t been hearing me.¡± He stepped forward, forcing me back another step. I was almost at the counter now. Caged. Cornered. ¡°I think I fucking am.¡± He placed his hands on my face, something I couldn¡¯t recall him ever doing before. His thumbs stroked my cheeks slowly, softly, as his eyes bored into mine. ¡°Callie, I¡¯m in love with you. Not a friendship love, or a sibling love. Like a wish-you-weren¡¯t-dating-that-tool love. You should be with me.¡± My brain short-circuited and I twitched in surprise as Leo kissed me. A month ago, I would have been over the moon at his declaration. I¡¯d harbored a crush on this man for almost the entire time I¡¯d known him. But now? With the way he had been treating me, trying to control me? There was nothing less attractive to me right now than that type of behavior. The number of red flags was alarming now that they were waving in my face. And I realized then that over the course of the last several weeks, that Leo had been losing my friendship. I didn¡¯t feel like he respected my decisions, respected me, and that wasn¡¯t something I could ever look past. And that meant that any sort of relationship with him was an absolute no, even if I wasn¡¯t still with Alex. And if he thought that some grand declaration would change my opinion on what I wanted to do to help people, to convince me to change my mind for him, he was going to be sorely mistaken. I teleported. I didn¡¯t mean to. But after the moment of frozen shock had passed, I wanted to move. And suddenly I was on the far side of the living room, my back pressed up against the wall. I tumbled to the floor. My entire body was buzzing. Not exactly unpleasantly, but more uncomfortably, like when a limb falls asleep and the blood rushes back in when it¡¯s shaken out. ¡°Callie?¡± Leo called out, undoubtedly searching for me. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I called from the floor, hoisting myself up and trying to ignore the tingles that were slowly dissipating. Leo rushed over, but didn¡¯t get too close. ¡°You¡­you teleported. Yourself.¡± ¡°Yes. It appears that way, doesn¡¯t it? If you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go lay down.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. The room was spinning, and there were almost two Leo''s standing in front of me. My first few steps were unsteady. Leo reached out to help me, but I swatted him away. ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m very pissed at you right now. And that¡¯s putting it lightly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sometimes I wish I had the audacity of this mediocre man. I turned my head as far as I dared and glared. He just frowned, like he was concerned if I was okay or not. I¡¯d have to be properly threatening later. ¡°I could write a dissertation on all the reasons I¡¯m mad at you right now.¡± My teleportation must have been impressive or unexpected enough that he let me retreat into my room without a fight. ¡°We can talk another time,¡± he promised. I rolled my eyes and slammed my door behind me after spotting Lucie curled up in my laundry basket. At least it was my dirty clothes this time. When I went to clear the notification from my bio-screen, I saw for the first time a new level to my gamma table, one that Leo must have programmed to activate if I ever got to that level. P5. Chapter 29 ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to the young woman sitting in front of me. She was younger than me by a couple of years, maybe, dark circles permanently under her eyes, hair dull and flat just like her blue eyes were whenever she managed to make eye contact with me. The beeping in the background was persistent, the wires taped to her irritated skin tugging, the harshly clean smell of the hospital room, it all reminded me of my own stint in the hospital. How long ago was that? Almost a month, so what, five weeks? Six? It felt like an eternity ago. My life had changed so drastically since then, it was unrecognizable to me when I thought about it. And I was vibrating in anger, trying to keep my thoughts, my words, to myself. My life had changed for the better, but would hers? She was so far gone, it physically pained me to look at her. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what she had been going through, was still going through. LaShoul¡¯s usually didn¡¯t present so quickly, so severely, in someone as young as her. She should have another few years, at least. But it looked like it was more like a few months, at the most. If she was lucky. Why wouldn¡¯t someone do something for her? The girl, Amelia, nodded lifelessly in response to my thanks for her time, her eyes dropping again to the thin hospital blanket in her lap. Her long, too-thin fingers toyed with the hem, fraying it further. It felt like as soon as she was done unraveling the threads, she too would be unraveled. I kept an eye on her as I finished packing my bag. I didn¡¯t ask her my own questions today. She was dealing with enough, even though she would never know the difference. Her shoulders were curled inward like she was just waiting to implode. It was heartbreaking. Throughout the entire interview, I¡¯d exposed her to small bits of gamma, teleporting a pen from my bag to the bedside table just out of her view, close to the IV stand. The chances of it making a difference were next to none, but I couldn¡¯t not try. The pack of sticky notes in my bag caught my eye. Without thinking too much about it, I ripped one off and scribbled my name and phone number on it. I hesitated just a moment before extending it out to her. ¡°That¡¯s my personal number,¡± I told her. She didn¡¯t react. ¡°I have LaShoul¡¯s, too.¡± She spared me a quick glance, no doubt cataloguing how healthy I looked in comparison to her. I pursed my lips together, trying not to outwardly cringe. ¡°I was were you were weeks ago,¡± I continued. ¡°If you need someone to talk to who understands¡­¡± I gestured to the paper still in my hand. ¡°Or if you want someone else to talk to, there¡¯s a group of us that meets every other week. I can give you the details. It¡­helps. To have others who understand.¡± Slowly, so slowly I was afraid to even breathe, she reached out. As her hand made contact with me, I noticed the pen still sitting on the table behind her and quickly zapped it into my other hand. Amelia jerked, as though shocked, pulling the paper with her as she recoiled from my touch. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized. ¡°Did I shock you or something?¡± Big, wide blue eyes met mine, suddenly shining with life. The monitor behind her started blaring an alarm. I looked, noting her pulse, blood pressure, and respiration all increasing. Her heart was pounding, if the monitor was to be believed, and her chest started heaving as she took in gulping breaths. ¡°Amelia, look at me,¡± I instructed. She hadn¡¯t stopped, the whites of her eyes exposed. ¡°Breathe in. Hold it. Two. Three. Four. Out slowly. Two. Three. Four. Again. You count.¡± She listened, slowing her breathing. Her gaze never left mine as she wrestled her pulse back under control. A nurse stopped by, clearly alerted by the monitors. ¡°Everything okay in her?¡± He shot me an angry look, as though I were responsible for Amelia¡¯s sudden change. ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Amelia rasped, her voice sounding like she hadn¡¯t had anything to drink in days. It was a vast difference from how she sounded earlier; meek, quiet, defeated. ¡°I didn¡¯t say¡ª¡± ¡°You were thinking it,¡± Amelia interrupted. She cleared her throat. ¡°Could I get some water, please?¡± The nurse hesitated, clearly surprised to be called out like that. He didn¡¯t deny it though. Amelia was more observant than I gave her credit for. Hopefully my questions had been distracting enough that she hadn¡¯t noticed the pen trick. After the nurse took her water cup to refill, she turned her luminous eyes to me. It was such a stark difference than earlier that it had me standing up straighter, observing her just as she observed me. ¡°What¡¯s the pen trick?¡± she asked. Pen trick? How in the¡­? My eyes darted away as a flood of thought crashed over me, each more disturbing, more exciting, than the last. I couldn¡¯t remember what her stats had been earlier when I first walked in, but they looked¡­good. Really good. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to answer her. I couldn¡¯t say anything, obviously. But I had questions, too. Namely, how did she know about the pen thing? Well, she didn¡¯t know, because she¡¯d just asked me. So what did she know? And more importantly, how? My bio-screen pinged, the little vibration pulling me out of my swirling thoughts. I shook my head in an attempt to clear it as I pulled up my stats with a couple quick taps, noting the S1 that was suddenly there.
Tally Weighted
P1 22 22
P2 3 6
P3 0 0
P4 0 0
P5 0 0
S1 2 0.67
S2 0 0
Total 27 28.67
As I watched, S1 increased again to three. Meaning I was currently being exposed. I looked out of the room to the hallway. Rude nurse wasn¡¯t back yet, so it couldn¡¯t be him. There were a few people sitting at the central desk, working. It could be any of them, though I was barely within range if that was the case. ¡°Exposed to what?¡± Amelia asked. I turned back to her, my brows together in confusion. ¡°Exposed?¡± I repeated. She nodded, leaning forward. ¡°You think you¡¯re being exposed,¡± she clarified. ¡°Exposed to what?¡± As it all came crashing down in my head, Amelia winced, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Too much,¡± she moaned. ¡°That was too much.¡± ¡°Too much what, Amelia?¡± I asked. ¡°Just¡­stuff,¡± she said unhelpfully. ¡°What kind of stuff?¡± I pressed, grabbing the railing at the bottom of the hospital bed and leaning in. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± she moaned. She opened her eyes again and looked at me. I saw the slight flinch. ¡°How do I make it stop?¡± ¡°What needs to stop?¡± Her pulse was increasing again. In a moment of what might be temporary insanity, I reached forward and grabbed her hand, giving it what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze. ¡°Breathe, Amelia. Close your eyes and just breathe.¡± She listened, her pulse slowly ticking back down as she focused on her breathing. Good. We didn¡¯t need rude nurse coming back in on his high horse to kick me out while I was trying to put together what my brain had already figured out. I could call Alex, probably. He could send someone else who could probably help better than I could. Maybe that person would know what was going on and how to help. Because Amelia had just developed an ability. Telepathy came to mind as the most logical answer to what her ability was. How good she was at it, could become, was undetermined. As I continued to hold her hand, I checked my bio-screen again, noting that S1 was up to five, but was no longer increasing. That had to mean she¡¯d turned it off. ¡°Good, Amelia. Can you look at me?¡± I asked. She opened her eyes, blinking furiously, and let go of my hand. ¡°What was that?¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not positive,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°But I think I know someone who can tell us.¡± ¡°Alex?¡± With the greatest effort known to mankind, I hid my shock. ¡°Alex knows some people who know more than the both of us. You mind me hanging out here while I call?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I pointed to the hallway, towards the nurses¡¯ station. ¡°I¡¯ll be right out there. Shout if it starts happening again, okay? I¡¯ll come and help you.¡± She nodded just as rude nurse came back in with her water. I deposited my work bag on the visitor¡¯s chair and stepped into the hall to call Alex. Thankfully, he answered on the third ring. ¡°Hey, I was just thinking about you,¡± he said upon answering. ¡°Want to meet for lunch?¡± ¡°Um, I kind of have a situation here,¡± I said quietly into the phone. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°But¡­she¡¯s not and could use some help from, uh, people who understand better than me.¡± ¡°Callie, what do you mean, exactly?¡± ¡°I was interviewing,¡± I began, checking the hallway for any eavesdroppers. ¡°And then¡­Alex, I think she¡¯s telepathic.¡± A beat of silence. Then, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°She got an ability while I was here,¡± I whispered hurriedly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening, she has no one here to help. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing. Can you just¡­send someone here to help her?¡± ¡°Oh. Oh shit. Yeah. Yeah, I can. Um, stay on the line. I¡¯ll just add someone to the call, and then you can explain it again so we¡¯re not playing telephone.¡± I waited, crossing my free arm across my middle to hold the opposite elbow, tapping out an erratic beat with my fingers. I tried not to fidget with my whole body. Drawing attention to myself right now would not be a good idea. The silence of being on hold disappeared, and Alex¡¯s voice started speaking again. ¡°Callie, I got a hold of Aaron. Can you explain again what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the University hospital, interviewing a patient, and at the end when I was getting ready to leave, I think she got an ability. Telepathy, maybe? I don¡¯t think she could really read my thoughts clearly, but she mentioned Alex¡¯s name when I was deciding to call him for backup. I never mentioned his name out loud.¡± The silence¡ªthere was a lot of that lately, and it unnerved me¡ªwas tense for a moment. ¡°Alright, Callie. Can you stay there with her until someone gets there? We¡¯ll be able to better asses what¡¯s going on in person.¡± The voice was familiar, but with everything else going on I wasn¡¯t going to try to place it. ¡°Um, yeah, I can do that. It¡¯s kind of freaking her out a bit. I mean, that makes sense, I would freak out too. But, um, how long will it be? Because I don¡¯t know if it will happened again. I think it stopped. At least for now.¡± Damn, the word-vomit was appalling. If I wasn¡¯t so concerned for Amelia, I might have cared. This was someone higher up in the rankings of the Organization, someone I probably wanted to make a positive impression on to help me get higher clearance. This surely wasn¡¯t doing me any favors. ¡°I see,¡± Aaron said. ¡°If I can¡¯t get someone there in twenty minutes, I¡¯ll come personally. You said the university hospital, yes?¡± He rattled off the address, and I checked my phone to make sure it matched my location. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Someone will be there soon. And Callie? Quick thinking. That¡¯s exactly the type of response we like to see.¡± My chest inflated with pride, even though I still couldn¡¯t figure out who was on the line. ¡°He hung up,¡± Alex said. I nodded before realizing he couldn¡¯t see me. ¡°Okay. Thanks, Alex.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. Anyways, about lunch¡­¡±
Twenty-five minutes later there was a soft knock on the door. Amelia had drifted off to sleep five minutes earlier, but roused easily as¡­Dr. Goodwin walked into the room. That¡­actually made a lot of sense. I knew he was a part of the Organization, having seen him previously. And being able to access my schedule, of where and who I was interviewing, also checked out. No one had asked where exactly I was in this building during the earlier phone call. Amelia looked startled by his presence, and I stood up and gave Dr. Goodwin a smile. ¡°Amelia, this is Dr. Goodwin. He works with Hubert Industries, and knows a lot about what we think is going on. He¡¯ll be able to help figure everything out for you, okay?¡± Amelia took a deep breath and nodded. She scooted up on the bed into more of a sitting position. I made to leave, introductions having been made, but Dr. Goodwin stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Callie, why don¡¯t you stay? You might be able to fill in some gaps and offer another perspective.¡± Amelia looked relieved at his suggestion. There was no way that I was going to say no now. ¡°Sure,¡± I answered. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I need a second to let Alex know of the change in plans.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Alex. He¡¯s a good one. Remind me, how did you two meet?¡± I tapped out a message to Alex and sent it before answering so my words didn¡¯t get mixed up and result in an undecipherable message to him. ¡°The support group. After that first meeting, he actually asked me out. And, well, here we are.¡± ¡°O-ho! You¡¯re dating, then?¡± I nodded, a little sheepishly. I didn¡¯t like this attention, not when it involved my personal life at least. But I wasn¡¯t going to give Amelia any reason to doubt Goodwin, not when she needed his help. ¡°I can see it. No wonder you called him. And here we are!¡± He gestured to the room broadly, arms extended. ¡°Now, Amelia. I¡¯m sure this is all very confusing. Can you start at the beginning and tell me what happened? Then I¡¯ll ask Callie to add anything else, and then we can figure this out.¡± I had to give it to him. Goodwin had a way of putting people at ease. Amelia visibly relaxed, her monitors clearly showing the same shift. Twenty minutes later, Goodwin had the story from both of us. Amelia had looked shocked when I explained that she verbalized, more than once, what I had been thinking. She¡¯d thought I¡¯d been muttering to myself. Even though she knew now that wasn¡¯t true, the brain often tried to classify things into groups based on what it knew. Toddlers were notorious for this, Goodwin explain. Any four-legged creature might be considered a dog, for example, instead of a cat or a cow. The categories were broad when information was limited, and in Amelia¡¯s case, she had no idea this other category could even exist. ¡°I think we have Callie her to thank for her quick thinking. You¡¯re not the first telepath I¡¯ve met. Unfortunately, I knew of a few who went a little¡­let¡¯s say, off, in the head, because they didn¡¯t understand what was happening. One was diagnosed with schizophrenia, even. But thankfully, none of that will be a problem for you, my dear.¡± He reached out and patted her hand reassuringly, like a grandfather would. ¡°Am I going to die?¡± Amelia asked. In that moment, she looked so young and hopeful. Dr. Goodwin chuckled. ¡°Eventually, we all die. But if you¡¯re asking if LaShoul¡¯s will be the reason, the answer is no. You will need to learn about this ability of yours. How to control it, use it, turn it on and off. But we have time for that, and facilities for you to do so safely in a controlled environment. I believe Callie can speak on that.¡± He turned to me expectantly, eyebrows raised slightly, awaiting my response. I cleared my throat. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I¡¯ve just started there, but I discovered my ability on my own, by accident.¡± I gave a casual shrug. ¡°I¡¯m learning more about my ability and limits right now.¡± ¡°Amelia. Here is my card. Once you¡¯re feeling better, and once you¡¯re discharged, you call me and we¡¯ll get you started. Okay? And if it starts happening again, you find someplace where you can be alone, and you call me.¡± She reached out and took the card, thanking him. Dr. Goodwin caught my eyes and nodded towards the door. I nodded once, turning to say my own goodbye to Amelia as he stepped outside. ¡°It¡¯s going to be great, Amelia,¡± I promised. ¡°And you can still call or text me, too. I¡¯d be happy to go with you if it makes you feel better. Okay?¡± ¡°Thanks, Callie. I will.¡± I grabbed my bag and left, looking around until I found Dr. Goodwin standing near the elevators down the hall. When I approached, he turned and smiled. ¡°Honestly, Callie, you handled that extremely well, all things considered.¡± ¡°All things considered?¡± He nodded as the elevator dinged with its arrival. He held a hand out, encouraging me to go first, and filed in behind me. I stabbed the button for the ground floor, and we started moving. ¡°Typically for situations like this, there¡¯s a certain way we do things. You obviously haven¡¯t had that training. Even so, I¡¯m impressed. You kept her calm and kept her ability from burning her out.¡± ¡°Has that happened before?¡± He nodded solemnly. ¡°Unfortunately. We¡¯ve learned that the abilities housed in the mind, like telepathy, are more difficult to turn on and off. It¡¯s more difficult to navigate when the magic happens on the inside. Your ability, for example, affects external objects and beings, and your brain has an easier time controlling it because it can see what¡¯s happening and what it¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°I had no idea,¡± I said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s part of why we need to be careful with the information we share. If you weren¡¯t there to calm her, ground her in reality, it could have gone very differently for her.¡± ¡°Glad I was there for her, then.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± We fell quiet as the doors slid open in front of us, Dr. Goodwin once again insisting I go first. Once we walked outside into the chilled autumn air, I took a deep breath in to cleanse my lungs of the antiseptic smell of the hospital. Even spending time at least once a week in a hospital for an interview, I didn¡¯t know if I would ever grow used to it. Turning to say my polite goodbyes to Dr. Goodwin, I found him looking at me as though trying to figure something out. I fought the urge to fidget. ¡°I can tell that you care about people,¡± he said as he slowly nodded. ¡°I think that, if you¡¯re interested, you¡¯d be a great addition to out team of Level 3¡¯s.¡± I wanted to jump on the chance, but I wasn¡¯t stupid. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Goodwin. What would that mean?¡± ¡°I think at this point, Callie, you can call me Aaron. As to your question, you¡¯d be a part of a team, working under someone. Like Alex, though I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d allow him to be your superior,¡± he chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d be trained on how to help people who develop their ability in your presence until someone else can get there. Like what happened today. You¡¯d also be trained to look out for possible signs and report back, so we can look into those people. ¡°Our goal for Level 3¡¯s, your goal, is to keep people safe. And you did exactly that with Amelia today. You might have saved her life.¡± I blinked, the possibility never crossing my mind before. I¡­could have killed her. If my gamma exposure had triggered her ability, but after I left, would she have been able to turn it off on her own? Would she gave gone crazy, harmed herself? I swallowed thickly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot of pressure,¡± I answered slowly. ¡°But I¡¯m interested. I want to help people. That¡¯s always been my goal.¡± Dr. Goodwin¡ªAaron¡ªclapped his hands together once, loudly. I jumped, my hand flying to my chest to calm my erratic heart. ¡°Excellent! Well, I will get in touch with Alex, and he can get you set up for training. Probably not until next week sometime, but we¡¯ll get you there! If that happens again before you¡¯re trained, give me a call. You can skip Alex.¡± ¡°Okay, Dr. G¡ªAaron,¡± I corrected. He beamed and dropped a hand onto my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m very glad that we found you.¡± ¡°I am, too,¡± I answered, feeling a little befuddled at the comment. I wasn¡¯t that special. Right? I stood there awkwardly as Aaron got into a black SUV with tinted windows that pulled up to the curb, like he was some celebrity or something. I was still distracted with my thoughts when a hand brushed against my lower back. I whirled, simultaneously jumping away, nearly falling flat on my ass. Only by some miracle did I stay upright. Alex stood there, one hand holding a bag, the other extended out to me. ¡°Woah, there. Easy, tiger, it¡¯s just me,¡± he said. ¡°You good?¡± ¡°Sorry, yeah,¡± I apologized, putting a hand to my forehead and closing my eyes. ¡°Distracted today, I guess.¡± ¡°It was a pretty exciting day, huh?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Everything go alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so. She¡¯s okay now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I brought lunch since you said you couldn¡¯t meet me.¡± I looked at him again, then at the bag that must be the take-out. ¡°What did you get?¡± ¡°Sushi. Not the raw kind, though. I know you don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± I stepped into his space and planted a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Goodwin say anything to you?¡± he asked as we began walking towards some picnic benches outside the hospital. ¡°He insisted I call him Aaron, now. And he offered me to train for Level 3.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great! You can be part of my group,¡± he said excitedly. I shook my head. ¡°Aaron,¡± I emphasized, still trying to get used to the name, ¡°said that he wasn¡¯t sure he should put me with you.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll convince him. Don¡¯t worry. Unless,¡± he paused with mock concern, ¡°you don¡¯t want to be with me?¡± I just rolled my eyes, not dignifying that with a response, as we sat at the table to eat in the cool breeze. Chapter 30 I was cornered. Not literally, but Leo stood between me and a clean escape from the apartment. For days, I¡¯d been avoiding him. Successfully. Even though I knew I would eventually, statistically, run into him again, I really didn¡¯t want it to be today. I¡¯m sure there were things left unsaid between us. I wanted to keep them that way, just for a little while longer. I had a meeting with Dr. Goodwin¡ªhe would stay Dr. Goodwin in my head, not Aaron¡ªand some others later this morning. What about, I wasn¡¯t sure. But it was at Hubert Industries, so I didn¡¯t think it was related to the Organization. Was it a performance review for my job? Something to do with the clinical study I was a part of? They hadn¡¯t reached out to me about the next part in a while, but with Goodwin apparently an integral part of both, was it really necessary? Probably not, but I didn¡¯t know for sure. Starting my day with another argument with my roommate was not what I wanted. My anxiety was high enough already. Leo spotted me before I could decide whether or not to retreat back into my room and try again in five minutes. ¡°Coffee?¡± he offered, sounding hopeful. Admitting defeat and bracing myself for what was sure to be an uncomfortable interaction, I took slow, measured steps into the communal space and towards the kitchen. He set down his bowl of cereal as I approached, already turning to pull a mug down from the cabinet. ¡°Sure,¡± I hedged cautiously. ¡°Thank you.¡± After hesitating another moment, I set my work bag down and took a seat. He didn¡¯t say anything as he prepared my coffee. If it were just a week ago, the silence would have been comfortable. But I was on edge, wondering what, if anything, he would want to talk about. The tantalizing scent of caffeine didn¡¯t set me at ease, seeming to ramp up my anxiety instead. Maybe I should have said no to the coffee. Finished, he slid my favorite mug across the counter towards me. The peninsula between us served as a physical barrier, one that I was grateful for. I¡¯d planned to treat myself to a coffee on my way into the office, but I could spare a few minutes here instead. If Leo had something he wanted to say, he had approximately seven minutes to get it out. I didn¡¯t look at him, and I had no idea if he was looking at me as the minutes slowly ticked away. I kept my gaze locked onto the coffee swirling in my mug, cinnamon dancing on top. Leo sighed, loudly. I didn¡¯t react. ¡°Callie, I¡­¡± he moved in my periphery, coming to stand in front of me on the other side of the peninsula. He braced his hands against the countertop and leaned into them, ducking his head. Finally, I looked up. He was staring down at my hands gripping my mug. Slowly, so slowly, he looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said simply. I didn¡¯t answer, didn¡¯t react. There had to be more to it than those two words. It took another minute before he continued. ¡°There¡¯s a lot that I regret from the other night. And I¡¯m sorry for upsetting you.¡± The laugh bubbled up and out before I could stop it. A confused expression fell on his face. ¡°That¡¯s¡­You¡¯re sorry that I got upset?¡± I asked. He nodded. I pushed the coffee mug away from me and stood, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder as the words tumbled out violently. ¡°You¡¯re not sorry for being a controlling asshole, or kissing me without my permission, or anything else that actually matters. You¡¯re just apologizing for how it made me feel. Awesome. Got it. So you won¡¯t change your behavior. Good to know.¡± I stalked towards the front door, shaking trying to wrangle my emotions so I didn¡¯t accidentally teleport myself somewhere. ¡°Callie, no, please,¡± he begged. He darted in front of me, blocking the door with his hands raised. I took three quick steps back. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m so bad at this.¡± I crossed my arms, waiting. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m sorry for all of it.¡± I pointed an accusing finger at him. ¡°No, it¡¯s not obvious.¡± ¡°Okay. Well. Um, then I guess I should be more specific?¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I raised my eyebrows. ¡°You think?¡± I checked the time. ¡°You have exactly three minutes before I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Got it. Alright.¡± He held up his hand, ticking off each apology on a finger to keep track. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve been treating you like shit. You don¡¯t deserve that. You¡¯re smart, and I¡¯m sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn¡¯t think you were. I¡¯m sorry that I kissed you like that. I was out of line. I should have just told you my feelings and left it at that. I¡¯m sorry for coming across as controlling. I swear to you, that was not my intention. I just¡­¡± He looked down at his shoes, shoulders sagging. ¡°There¡¯s something else going on.¡± When he didn¡¯t continue, I asked, ¡°What?¡± His eyes were sad. ¡°I don¡¯t know everything. But I know enough, I think.¡± ¡°Leo, just tell me.¡± He shook his head and sighed. ¡°I want to tell you. But it will take way longer than two minutes. If you call out from work today, even for the morning, we can talk about it. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t ask me to just ditch my job without giving me any sort of hint,¡± I argued. ¡°You¡¯ll just need to trust me.¡± It was my turn to look down at my shoes. Could I trust him? He¡¯d apologized for basically all of it. But actions spoke louder than words, and he hadn¡¯t shown me a reason to believe him yet. ¡°Can we talk tonight?¡± I counter-offered. I had a support group meeting that I planned to go to, but I¡¯d cancel to talk to Leo. I glanced up at him. He looked defeated, refusing to meet my eyes. ¡°No. It needs to be now. I don¡¯t mean that in a controlling way, but I have no other choice. Please, believe me.¡± I shook my head, moving to step around him to the door. I¡¯d shove him¡ªor teleport him¡ªout of my way if necessary. But when I took the first two steps, I wobbled, barely staying upright. I tried again and barely managed to shuffle one foot forward. I blinked as I looked down at my feet, trying to clear my blurring vision. My next attempt sent me sprawling, the room around me spinning. I tried getting back to me feet. My arms felt like spaghetti. ¡°What¡­¡± My tongue was thick and foreign in my mouth. I couldn¡¯t coordinate it enough to get other words out, and panic settled in my chest. Was this a stroke? Did I trigger my LaShoul¡¯s by using my ability too much? Was I dying? Leo stepped up next to me. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was looking down at me or not, but he didn¡¯t make a move to help me. No sudden concern from him, no alarm, no reaction of any kind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this, Callie,¡± he said, the words coming through layers of cotton in my ears. He crouched down next to me, stroking my hair away from my face with gentle fingers. I blinked again, an automatic response to try to clear my vision, which failed. ¡°When I said it couldn¡¯t wait, I meant it. It¡¯s bigger than you and me, and we can¡¯t risk anyone else finding out about you. Especially not Hubert Industries. They¡¯re getting way too close, and if they realized they had the key in their grasp? It could spell disaster. We couldn¡¯t risk it anymore. I really hoped that you¡¯d agree to talk to me, and I could bring you in without all this fuss.¡± He reached into my bag on the floor, and I watched helplessly as he pulled out my phone. After a moment, he showed me my calendar, wiggling the phone a little. ¡°That meeting today, with that Goodwin person? That could have been a trap for you. And I know you probably don¡¯t see it this way right now, but later you¡¯ll learn that I¡¯m just trying to save you. Again, I am really sorry it had to be this way.¡± I couldn¡¯t move, my limbs feeling like they weren¡¯t a part of me anymore, my brain sluggish and just now catching up to what had to have happened. He¡¯d¡­drugged me? He stepped away, giving me his back and leaving me to mull everything over at a glacial pace. I heard the door open as though it was a thousand miles away. This was un-fucking-believable. Panic clawed at my chest, my breaths heaving in and out as I hyperventilated. I needed an out, right the fuck now. Get myself some space to think. Could I teleport myself in this condition? Hide myself in my closet or something until this drug, whatever it was, wore off? No. I¡¯d be found there, easily. It would have to be out of this building. But where would I go? I¡¯d never tried to teleport myself such a distance. How would the drug affect me? Leo was talking to someone else at the door. I had seconds, if I was lucky, and two options. Option one, give up. I could play along, learn what was going on, and go from there. My heart wanted to believe that Leo was telling the truth, that he had some world-altering reason why this made the most logical sense, that I¡¯d be thanking him later. My brain told me that I was a fucking dumbass for hoping that was a possibility. Option two, teleport somewhere. Anywhere. And quickly. Let the drugs wear off and hope they couldn¡¯t track my location with the bio-screen. I wouldn¡¯t have my phone, my wallet, or anything. But maybe I could ask the Organization to remove the screen for me. Ask them what they knew, if anything, and why I was suddenly important. Leo came back into view before I¡¯d made up my mind. I had enough reservations against the Organization as it was that there was no obvious right choice. They¡¯d obviously been keeping things from me, but were slowly revealing more as time went on. The trust had to go both ways, and that was still a work in progress. My trust with Leo? Gone. Nonexistent. Decision made. It might not be the right decision, but one problem at a time. Leo¡¯s edges were crisper than before, the blurriness in my eyes lessening, leading me to hope the drug he had to have put in my coffee was fast-acting but not long-lasting. Maybe I could pull it off. If I was insanely lucky. ¡°Again, I am sorry about this, Callie. I¡¯ll apologize to you forever if I need to. But once we¡¯ve discussed everything in a secure location without the risk of Hubert Industries snatching you away from us, it will all fall into place and be as it should.¡± Two men came into my view, dressed in bright blue paramedic uniforms, a stretcher being pushed between them. So this was how they¡¯d get me out of here and to wherever the so-called secure location was. No one would think twice if they saw a patient thrashing around while strapped down to a gurney. These men probably had more sedatives they¡¯d force into my body to keep me from becoming a problem. I had to act now. No pressure or anything. Before they could touch me, I burrowed down into myself, reaching for my power. It flickered there, and I wasted no time willing it into a raging inferno to bend to my will. With their hands nearing, less than a second before contact, I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that I could do this. Book One Epilogue He fucked up. He hated knowing exactly how badly things with Callie went. Because if he were in her place, he¡¯d never offer forgiveness. When his father gave him the ultimatum over a week ago, Leo hoped that confessing his feelings for her would get her to listen to him, hear his concerns without him having to explain everything to her right then and there, risking¡­he didn¡¯t know exactly how much, but probably a lot. It had all gone sideways after that. Leo knew Callie had feelings for him, at least a little bit. He¡¯d caught his fair share of stares, blushes, and fidgeting. It wasn¡¯t his fault that he was better at hiding his own stares and nervousness around her. There hadn¡¯t been a point to pursuing her. Not at the beginning, when they thought they were both going to die. Sure, he put on a brave face and ignored that fact, but he didn¡¯t want to put her in a position where she could lose him. Or worse, where he could lose her. And now he truly had lost her, even with her still right in front of him, alive and breathing and pissed. Leo didn¡¯t have all of the pieces of the puzzle put together, but he was working on it. Brining Callie to his father had been a last resort, one he wished he hadn¡¯t been forced to do. But to get the information to figure it all out, to decipher what he¡¯d found hidden in his father¡¯s secured files¡ªthough, not all of them were secure enough¡ªhe needed more time, more trust. He¡¯d panicked that morning. He¡¯d been caught off guard and unprepared. The best, the safest course of action was to play along. Maybe, if he¡¯d had a warning, he could¡¯ve come up with a different plan, one that didn¡¯t include drugging his best friend. He thought over it obsessively, trying to figure out what he could have done differently to avoid this outcome. But every time, he came up empty. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And the worst part played on repeat in his mind whenever he tried to relax, when he¡¯d stood over her with the syringe to finish sedating her, he knew she didn¡¯t see it coming until it was happening. The hurt in her eyes at his betrayal was unmistakable. Those eyes haunted him, and probably would forever. He hated himself even more for that. Not only did the serum render her unconscious, but it also temporarily shut off the part of the brain responsible for their unique abilities. The bribes after the fact didn¡¯t help. Her room was fully furnished, and he¡¯d even brought her the tablet he¡¯d gifted her with all the books on it. That had been another fail, trying to buy her love. She was already in a relationship with Alex by then. All he wanted was to show her that he could take care of her. The apartment was another big fucking clue, but she was oblivious. She had proven how intelligent she could be over and over. But when it came to men? Zero sense. He¡¯d noticed the looks she would garner from men while out in public, how their gazes lingered on her. She was beautiful in a simple way, her features soft and inviting, missing all the sharp lines and drama that adorned models. It was another thing he loved about her, even if it meant his plan to help her failed spectacularly. It was those same features that enraptured him now as he stared at her through the one-sided window in the door. The cameras and monitors didn¡¯t do her justice, so he stood outside of her small hotel-style room at his father¡¯s company. She couldn¡¯t know he was there, but she glared at the door with all the venom and ferocity of a house cat. And he meant that as a compliment; Lucie had torn him up, badly. He¡¯d needed a few scratches glued together and they would probably scar. Thankfully her claws has missed his eye by centimeters, raking lower down his cheekbone instead. As soon as he was done here, he¡¯d go and pack up the cat to bring to Callie. Lucie still posed a risk to his well-being, but maybe, just maybe, that peace offering would finally wear her down just enough for him to start explaining what happened, why she was here, and what her part in all this was. And if not¡­he¡¯d have to figure out something else to get her to listen. END BOOK ONE Non-Chapter Book Two Details I hope that you enjoyed Book One! I had such a fun time writing it, and I''m excited to get started on Book Two! As I mentioned, I will be creating different volumes for each book, with the series name remaining "A Disease of Magic." Top 3 things to look forward to in Book Two 1. More "traditional" stats/changed stat system 2. More frequent stats 3. Deep dive into nuances of abilities Things that will change in Book One edits 1. It will be stated that Callie has a small science background - she began pursuing a degree because of her mother''s own passing from LaShoul''s - but dropped out after her own diagnosis and got the equivalent of an Associate''s, which she doesn''t use in her jobs. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. 2. More side-effects from using the ability. Primarily, an increase in appetite. 3. May include a prologue that just adds more background/context. 4. Interludes may be incorporated into the story in other ways. For example, her moving in with Leo may be discussed more instead of being its own chapter. Specifics are TBD. Feedback I would absolutely LOVE to hear your feedback! Please feel free to leave a comment about any of the following, of anything else you''d like me to know! - Any inconsistencies you noticed - Anything you''d like more detail on - for example, writing out the chapter where she''s interviewed for the Organization instead of summarizing it, etc. - Any burning questions you want answered in Book One - Whatever you want me to know about literally anything :) Posting for Book Two I''m going to take 4 weeks "off" to work on solidifying the plot for Book Two and finish major edits for Book One that will affect Book Two. The first chapter of Book Two will be posted on September 2nd! Scheduled TBD based on how my new job (which starts August 14th) goes! Chapter 31 Everything was¡­beige. Nearly worse than sterile hospital white, it was the most boring color I think I¡¯d ever seen. It gave off that feeling when you feel sick but can¡¯t explain how you feel sick, or when you want a snack but nothing sounds good. That general just¡­blah. The walls: light beige. The floors: beige carpet. The bedspread: a third shade of beige, though if I stretched my imagination I could pretend it was tan instead. The pillows on the bed and the ones on the couch were at least different, but I now considered white just the palest shade of beige. All they had to do to get me to cave was keep me in this room, devoid of color, just a little while longer. If anyone besides Leo had tried to talk to me, I would have been more willing to listen. But that asshole was dead to me now. Whenever he opened the door and started pleading with me to just hear him out, I¡¯d lock myself in the bathroom and turn on the shower to drown him out. So far it had been wildly successful, but the chances of this continuing were slim to none. I was sure, at some point soon, they¡¯d send someone else in. And I was right. Five days into my captivity, the door opened and someone else came in. At first, I thought it was still Leo, from the dark hair and fitted suit to the way he walked. But then I realized that this was maybe the one person worse than Leo. Leo¡¯s father. Andrew Farley. Well. This would be interesting. Leo¡¯s relationship with his father was rocky at best, a disaster at worst, and that hadn¡¯t changed over the time I¡¯d known Leo. Andrew didn¡¯t give a shit about his son, his accomplishments, his dreams, any of it. Leo had managed to carve out a space for himself in Farley Tech, but I¡¯d wondered over the course of our years-long friendship if Leo would have picked a science field at all if it hadn¡¯t been expected of him. Then again, part of the reason we became friends in the first place was one of our shared experiences; losing a parent to the disease that had transformed both of our lives into something completely unexpected. Leo had reacted differently to his diagnosis than I had to mine. To him, he didn¡¯t care how much time he might have left on this planet. All he wanted was to make his mark before he left. I, on the other hand, dropped out of college, sacrificing the work I¡¯d put into my own degree. I had managed to leave with a two-year degree instead of a four-year one, and I¡¯d never gone back to finish. My field had also been science, biology leaning towards genetics though overall undecided. I had been hoping to make a difference for people with the same sometimes-lethal disease that had claimed our mothers. Andrew considered me, and I him. I had to admit, I was surprised and it probably showed on my face. I didn¡¯t think the man himself would make an appearance, let alone walk into the room and make himself comfortable on the couch without even glancing at me. ¡°Callie.¡± He said my name like a parent might scold a child, filled with a self-righteousness that immediately put me on edge. Surely he had to realize that keeping me here was kidnapping, and I had done nothing wrong by refusing to talk to the enemy¡ªLeo¡ªespecially without a lawyer. I didn¡¯t say a word. He¡¯d get nothing from me unless he wanted to start sharing what was going on. Was it a good thing that I had the attention of the man in charge? Would he actually give me some answers? Or would it be the same sort of half-truths that I¡¯d been getting all this while. There was too much free time to think while being obstinate and ignoring Leo whenever he came. It allowed me to mull things over, work on motivations, try to parse what the big picture was. I was too close to see it clearly, but I had some theories. Maybe Andrew would give me enough information to narrow them down, because some were wild and so improbable that they¡¯d honestly make an interesting story if I ever wanted to be an author. Lucie was in the doorway to the tiny bedroom. I had never confirmed it, but after Leo eventually left, Lucie was always sitting on the couch, making me assume he spent some time with her. Why Lucie decided all of a sudden to tolerate him was beyond me, but that cat was her own creature. Now, she stood in the doorway, having expected Leo. She was a poofy mess, glaring at Andrew. It made me smile. At least she had good taste about that one. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall behind me next to the kitchenette. Even though there was plenty of space between us, I felt cornered. Maybe because I assumed this was probably his building, meaning any attempts at escape wouldn¡¯t work. My ability to teleport myself was untested, and I didn¡¯t feel confident or desperate enough to make an attempt. Yet. ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been ignoring my son,¡± he said, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees and touching his fingertips together. His tone was formal, polite, probably the one he used in a boardroom. ¡°I¡¯ve given him the chance¡ªseveral chances, in fact¡ªto get your cooperation. For some reason, he has failed. Can you tell me why you ignored all his attempts?¡± I frowned in confusion. What was he talking about? Andrew took note, and added, ¡°Before we had to resort to bringing you here for your own safety, he tried talking to you about Hubert Industries.¡± ¡°You mean, how he refused to listen to me and shared his own skewed view of everything?¡± It blurt out of me unintentionally, and I cursed myself for giving this man anything. But I¡¯d already opened my damn mouth, so I added, ¡°At no point did he tell me they were a danger to me. Did he try telling me not to go? Yes. Did he explain why? No. And I get the feeling that has something to do with you not wanting to give me information.¡± ¡°I had hoped that your relationship with him was enough for you to trust his judgment.¡± I scoffed. ¡°What are we, in the 1800s? Should I have just allowed him to make my decisions for me?¡± Andrew shrugged one nonchalant shoulder. ¡°If you had, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me,¡± I muttered. Now I knew exactly where Leo got his audacity and misogyny from. I pushed off the wall, intending to grab Lucie and retreat into the tiny bedroom, but Andrew stood and took all of three steps to get in my way. I tensed, adrenaline rushing through my veins by the bucketful. I did not trust this man. All cylinders were firing, and I was preparing to zap myself over to Lucie and try my damndest to get us both out of here. The tall man held up his hands in what was probably supposed to be in a reassuring, harmless gesture. But knowing what I did, I couldn¡¯t rule out Andrew being powerless. My bio-screen had been turned off when I woke, so I had no way to know if anyone used an ability around me. ¡°Please, I did not come here to argue.¡± Could have fooled me. ¡°Let us talk, and when we¡¯re finished, if you choose, you will be free to go.¡± ¡°Wait¡­really?¡± ¡°Leo would have offered you the same, had you simply listened to him the day you arrived.¡± The day you arrived. Hilarious, because what he really meant was the day I was fucking kidnapped. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. And did I trust him to keep his word? Not really. But did I have another choice? Not really. ¡°Callie. Please, sit.¡± I thought about it for half a second before deciding I would hear him out. If he was being honest, it was the quickest way for me to get out of here and back to my life. Well, after I found a new apartment, because I sure as shit wasn¡¯t going to share with Leo anymore. Taking the armchair that put my back to the front door, I sat and tucked my legs up to my chest. I looked at Andrew with wary curiosity. ¡°Thank you. As much as I wish I could give you all the information, right now, we¡¯d be here for days and I also would have no guarantee that you wouldn¡¯t share it with the public. It¡¯s been a source of debate since we started putting the pieces together, and there are still some people who disagree with the path we have chosen to take.¡± He paused to gather himself. His eyes looked tired, haunted. ¡°We know of your ability. Leo¡¯s, too.¡± Was I surprised Leo ratted me out? No. ¡°I first learned of the possibility of these abilities you and my son have developed when my wife died. She¡­manifested an ability herself, which unfortunately killed her. Ever since, I¡¯ve been searching for answers, developing ways to get more information quickly. And what I¡¯ve learned is astounding. ¡°Again, I cannot tell you everything. But the bio-screens were developed and manufactured to not only get information, but to also identify those who developed an ability.¡± Something clicked in my mind, and I blurted, ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that you knew the entire time that people with LaShoul¡¯s could develop an ability, and you kept it a secret?¡± ¡°At first, no. I believed my wife¡¯s death to be because of her disease. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that something wasn¡¯t adding up. So I went digging. It wasn¡¯t until the last decade or so that I figured out the truth. But the more I uncovered, the more questions I had. Eventually, I realized I needed more information.¡± ¡°The bio-screens,¡± I supplied. Andrew nodded once. ¡°They were the perfect way to get the information we needed. And we got that information very quickly. In part thanks to you and my son.¡± ¡°Happy to help,¡± I responded dryly. ¡°Care to tell me why I was kidnapped?¡± ¡°As I said, it was for your own safety. I was not the only one to discover this evolutionary change and start digging. Hubert Industries is also aware of this change. However, I have yet to see any attempt by them to help others.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve done studies,¡± I answered. ¡°I signed up for one.¡± Andrew waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Plenty of others have done studies, and no one has been able to identify a cause, let alone develop a cure. Their studies provide them the opportunity to search for others with abilities and recruit them to their cause.¡± ¡°Their cause?¡± ¡°Undetermined. But from what we¡¯ve been able to uncover, it seems for selfish reasons.¡± ¡°How do you know for sure?¡± ¡°Again, we don¡¯t know exactly. But this is where you come in.¡± Andrew stood up, walking over to the kitchenette and grabbing a bottle of water. He continued to let the suspense build, but I refused to cave. He knew he had my attention; all the questions I was asking was proof enough. Finally, he said, ¡°I would like to propose a deal with you, Callie. We would like you to work with us. We¡¯d like to study your ability, along with Leo¡¯s and a handful of others, in a lab setting to get more accurate data than what your bio-screen has collected. You would be compensated, of course.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°We¡¯d like to develop a way to help others, which I hear is important to you. Leo informed us that telling people that they can develop an ability does not work. He said that people trying to force an ability end up dead more times than not. In addition, we¡¯d like to have you continue to meet with this group tied to Hubert Industries, and report back on what you learn. ¡°You mean, be a spy.¡± ¡°Informant,¡± he countered, like the word he used would make a difference. I didn¡¯t like how Andrew was towering over me while I sat, so I stood up and began pacing while my brain worked overtime to figure out what the fuck to do. I think I had more questions now than I did before Andrew walked into the room. Which was frustrating, because I didn¡¯t have enough information to make a decision. So I would have to ask more questions. ¡°I¡¯m not saying no,¡± I began, ¡°but you do realize that I have more questions now than when you came in here?¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t, then my faith in you would have been misplaced.¡± ¡°Why do you want to know what Hubert is doing? Why would I be your informant?¡± ¡°In part, to share any new information you might gather from them with us. I think you¡¯ll agree that we are attempting to help people with the rollout of the bio-screens. They have done nothing similar, have not shared any plans, but continue their studies and interviews. In this field, no one gathers that much information for nothing. There has to be a plan, but they¡¯ve refused to share it. Which is highly suspicious.¡± I paused. I couldn¡¯t deny that his reasoning made sense. It planted not a seed of doubt, but a whole plant. Why did they want so much information? My only theory was to collect people with abilities, evidenced by the Organization itself and Alex¡¯s role. But why, besides helping people feel connected to others like them? Was it to keep tabs on everyone? Make sure the information wasn¡¯t shared? Or could they be looking for something specific? A particular ability? But why? Again, the lack of answers and increasing number of questions was infuriating. But now my target also included the Organization. Because I couldn¡¯t believe I had been so blind before. Naive enough to not realize I wasn¡¯t asking the important questions. They offered to train me, and for what? Why did I need training? To prepare for something? I wanted to scream. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me, besides paying me? If I¡¯m spending my time playing lab rat for you, spying on them, giving me money won¡¯t be enough. I at least need a new apartment, because I¡¯m not going to live with your son after he facilitated my kidnapping, regardless if the intentions were because I was in ¡®danger.¡¯¡± I put air quotes around the word, though I don¡¯t think Andrew needed me to with the sarcasm I added. Andrew looked at me, thinking. He came up empty, because he asked, ¡°What else do you want?¡± What did I want? There wasn¡¯t much I wanted for myself. The money Andrew would throw at me was sure to be enough. There was a reason why he didn¡¯t have a high turnover of employees; he paid them ridiculously well, even if the man himself was an asshole. I thought back to what Hubert was¡ªand more importantly, was not¡ªdoing for the people. It clicked then, both ideas popping up in my mind. I took a few more moments to organize the thoughts before telling Andrew. ¡°It¡¯s not fair that people are dying because they don¡¯t have the information that might save them.¡± ¡°You already know why we cannot go announcing it to the general public. Forcing it does no good.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t my idea,¡± I answered. It had been, but I knew Andrew wouldn¡¯t agree. I was hoping he might be amiable to my backup idea instead. ¡°A big problem with LaShoul¡¯s is how quickly the attacks happen to people who haven¡¯t developed abilities,¡± I began. ¡°Especially for those without loved ones nearby, it can be a death sentence. So, I¡¯ve been working on developing an app to help address that problem. The goal is to have it be a wellness check system, so that help can be called sooner. Loved ones can check in on their person daily, hourly, whatever the main user sets as the interval. And if the primary user doesn¡¯t check in, an alert gets sent out for someone to check on them. But I¡¯m no app developer; I have no idea where to start. And there¡¯s a lot of details I haven¡¯t figured out yet.¡± Andrew didn¡¯t need me to ask the question. ¡°You want us to develop this app?¡± ¡°Yes. The bio-screen is great at collecting information, but there¡¯s no way to communicate with people to get help. And since not everyone can get the screen right now anyway, this could be a great way to help those people in the meantime. Build better relations with hopeful future users.¡± Andrew nodded to himself. The gears were turning, I could see it. He was considering it. I kept going. ¡°And when people have an attack, end up in the hospital, there should be a way to give them gamma radiation therapy. It might not trigger their ability, but it might, and in a setting where they can be monitored. We wouldn¡¯t need to tell them anything that could put them at risk of forcing it this way.¡± It was quiet for so long that I thought Andrew would say no. ¡°The app is not a bad idea. We can probably figure out how to gather more information for us with it, too. Yes, I think I can spin it that way. But as far as, what did you call it? Gamma radiation therapy? That we cannot do. It would put the people working the hospitals at risk for long-term exposure.¡± I hadn¡¯t considered that, and was actually glad that Andrew had. ¡°Would you like to have a hand in developing this app? Or do you just want it done?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to help. As someone who¡¯s dealt with LaShoul¡¯s, I have a good idea of what the people would need and want.¡± ¡°Then I think, Miss Navie, that we have ourselves a deal?¡± Andrew held out his hand for a shake. I knew it wasn¡¯t a binding contract, but it felt monumental. Over the course of one conversation, my view on things had shifted enough that I was still wrapping my head around it all. I took his outstretched hand and asked, ¡°Can I get this all in writing?¡± For the first time, Andrew smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯ll have my lawyers draw up a contract. Though you realize you will need to quit your current job at Hubert.¡± I had assumed as much. I couldn¡¯t work two full-time jobs. But I would still be a part of the Organization, even if I wasn¡¯t interviewing people anymore. I would just say that I was quitting to work with an app developer on my idea, since Hubert Industries couldn¡¯t¡ªwouldn¡¯t¡ªshare information. It wasn¡¯t a lie, technically. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± I answered. ¡°So, when do I get out of here? You guys seriously need an interior decorator here. I think I¡¯m going color-blind.¡± Chapter 32 The jumpsuit they put me in was the most ridiculous, unflattering piece of clothing I had ever seen and was, fucking surprise, beige. I wondered if I could teleport only a part of it to rip it in half so I couldn¡¯t be forced to wear it. Definitely worth a try. Later, though. Leo and his father were standing in front of me, heads bent over a tablet, discussing something about my ability in hurried, hushed tones. I could make out a word here or there when Leo got excited about something, but his father would quiet him so I couldn¡¯t decipher anything meaningful. ¡°You want to share with the class, fellas?¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting a response but asked anyways, even if it was only to annoy them. Just because I had signed a contract of employment didn¡¯t mean I had to be all smiles and sunshine. I had something they wanted, after all, which granted a small measure of protection. There was surely a limit to what they would put up with, and I would be careful to toe the line without going over. Leo shot me a look for interrupting, and my answering smile was saccharine sweet. Fuck him. ¡°Leo,¡± Andrew admonished, snapping his fingers once, like calling a dog to heel. Hah. I was growing bored. The past three days had been spent showing off my ability, eerily similar to how the Organization tested me. They¡¯d also pushed me, trying to force me into doing new things I¡¯d never done before, to see how quickly I could adapt to new situations. They wanted a prediction of how long it would take to further ¡°evolve¡± my ability into whatever they thought it might become. I went to bed each night exhausted and slept without dreaming. It was a good kind of tired, the type that was both physical and mental rest, but it left me with very little time to do anything that I wanted. It was unclear exactly why they pushed me so hard, but Leo mentioned that my early instances of breaking objects, shattering them, made them believe there was something else to my ability we hadn¡¯t uncovered yet. People had one ability, not multiple. The temporary theory, until proven otherwise, was that I had an abundance of power that had to go somewhere. It was unchanneled, raw energy, simply thrown out into the universe. But they wanted to rule out something else, whether it was a secondary ability or a strange nuance of my teleportation. While they continued to pour over whatever interesting tidbit they¡¯d seen from the most recent data set, I popped myself over to the table set up in a far corner. I was there in a blink, having become much more familiar with teleporting myself over such a short amount of time, and grabbed the most obnoxious snack I could find. I crunched loudly on the cheesy tortilla chips, feeling smug when Leo shot me another annoyed look. He had no idea what was coming for him. Because I was just getting started. I couldn¡¯t attack him, harm him, or do anything else permanent. Technically, Leo was now one of my bosses. And while Andrew got me a new apartment yesterday, per my request, and handled the move for me, I was Leo¡¯s new neighbor in the same apartment complex. That cunning, irritating man only put another door between us. It was a gorgeous apartment, unfortunately, and I loved it. Whoever had lived there before had impeccable taste, and being there felt like living in one of my books. The walls were painted in rich, deep tones with detailed trim and one room held floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. It would be heaven if it wasn¡¯t so close to Leo. Speaking of the devil, I watched as he shifted to keep me in his line of sight over at the snack table. It was like he though I would just up and vanish into thin air without warning, just to spite him. Tempting. But I¡¯d signed a contract, and I wouldn¡¯t break it except in extreme circumstances. I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him, setting down the chips and looking for what I actually wanted to eat. Using my ability so frequently made me ravenous. It was an unexpected side-effect. Though, once it was pointed out, it was easy to notice the signs all those weeks ago. The extra portions here and there, the high-calorie desserts, the snacking, all without making any difference to how my clothes fit. If anything they were slightly looser, almost unnoticeable. I threw the finished apple core in the garbage can and turned to face both men. They were looking at my expectantly, as though they¡¯d been waiting for me to finish. ¡°What next?¡± I asked while I examined my nails. Maybe I¡¯d paint them tonight, something obnoxious. Or better yet, I could dye the terrible jumpsuit and then match my nails to it. Andrew answered me. ¡°You will teleport Leo about one yard.¡± I raised my eyebrows at Leo as if to ask, did you agree to this? Leo nodded once in answer. ¡°Might be your funeral,¡± I muttered. I took my time walking over to them as I built up my power, grabbing it with metaphorical hands. It took significantly more effort to teleport a living being that wasn¡¯t myself. There was surely a reason for that, but not one I cared to figure out. So far, they¡¯d had me practice on smaller animals, mice, rabbits, even a goat. It had bleated in panic afterwards and shit all over the floor as it ran in circles, some of it almost landing on Andrew¡¯s shoes. It was hilarious. But another person? That was new. I figured they¡¯d have something else first, maybe a miniature pony or a llama or something. But if they wanted to jump straight to people with Leo as the guinea pig, I wasn¡¯t going to say no. ¡°From how far away?¡± I asked, slowing as I approached. Even though the contract had been thorough, ensuring my safety and well-being, something still rubbed me the wrong way. I¡¯d keep my distance. ¡°Whatever is comfortable for you for this first attempt. If you can manage it, then we will get technical.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be nearing my limit after this,¡± I warned honestly. I could feel the very beginnings of the tingles at the tips of my fingers, my own personal warning sign that I was running out of juice. I¡¯d learned that the hard way on day one, when I¡¯d nearly collapsed after teleporting the entire group of mice at once. I¡¯d ignored the strange feeling in my hands and arms, thinking it was because I had moved to multiple animals versus one. I had been wrong. Thankfully a medic had been on standby the entire time, and I was quickly hooked up to IV fluids. It took only ten minutes to recover, but my hands buzzed uncomfortably the rest of the night. ¡°Noted.¡± I gave Leo my full attention. It was difficult to look at him, to see the man who had been my best friend for years, and reconcile that with what he had done to me. Even though I was perfectly fine, and truly nothing terrible had happened, it was traumatizing. Sometimes him being too close to me triggered my anxiety, causing me to break out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, he noticed the few times it had happened. He was smart, at least, and realized what his presence did to me if he got too close. Letting the burn of anger fuel me, I closed my eyes and extended my hand. The hand wasn¡¯t always necessary but it helped direct the flow of my energy, my ability, as a physical conduit, especially when trying something new. It was probably a mental crutch, but for now I¡¯d continue using it. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I visualized Leo, where he was and where I wanted him to go besides the thin air outside this building. I felt it, that shimmering, vibrating feeling washing over me. I let that energy wrap around him until it held him in a firm grasp. I¡¯d been paying attention lately. Before, I¡¯d had no idea what I was doing or how I was making it work. I¡¯d simply done it, probably on instinct. But throughout these few days of assessment and training sessions, I¡¯d learned more about my ability than I¡¯d noticed over weeks. And I wanted to improve, to get better. Not for them, but for me. And that was the biggest motivator. With my eyes closed, I saw the white-violet sparks at the edges, the tangible indicator that my power was ramped up and ready to go. I deposited Leo on the other side of his father, startling both men when I didn¡¯t quite manage to land Leo on his feet. He stumbled forward, crashing into Andrew and sending them both sprawling to the ground. ¡°Oh, goodness! I am just so sorry!¡± I exclaimed. They both ignored my half-fake apology as they worked to untangle themselves from each other. I think the smothered giggles gave me away. Leo grabbed his father¡¯s tablet while they struggled to disentangle, looking down at the information there and soaking it in. I watched his eyes widen just a little before he recovered. Getting to his feet, he extended a hand to his father and helped him up before handing the tablet back over. ¡°You¡¯ll need more practice, Callie,¡± Andrew chided, shaking his head, as if I should¡¯ve had it perfect on the first try. I ignored him. I caught Leo¡¯s eye, raising a single eyebrow at him. At times, our apparent former best friend telepathy came in handy, even though it hurt. Like now. He mouthed ¡°dinner¡± at me, and I nodded once. I didn¡¯t want to, but I wanted to know whatever Leo had seen on the tablet. And if I insisted we go out to eat, in public, I¡¯d feel safer. Hopefully.
There was not enough bread on the table to share, not with the incredible butter and cheeses displayed between us. So I tugged the tray closer to me, feeling a pang in my chest when Leo rolled his eyes and let me take it without a fight. While stuffing my face, I watched Leo scribble notes onto a little notebook he had started keeping with him. When I caught his eye again, I raised an eyebrow to ask what it was about, the hand-writing. ¡°There are some things that I¡¯m trying to put together. And I don¡¯t want any record of them, not until I¡¯m sure of what I¡¯m looking at.¡± I nodded, picking up another piece of bread. The server brought our drinks, and Leo waited until he was out of earshot to continue scribbling away. ¡°My father hasn¡¯t told me everything.¡± ¡°Shocking,¡± I said, my voice practically drowning in sarcasm. The side of Leo¡¯s mouth twitched, the only sign he even heard me. ¡°I can only assume that¡¯s why you took your sweet time picking yourself up off the floor earlier. You¡¯re welcome for that, by the way.¡± Unsurprisingly, he ignored me. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to piece together, and from what he told you, I think he believes that your ability will mature or evolve into something else. Looking at the specifics of what he¡¯s focusing on, it has something to do with how you¡¯re bending space.¡± ¡°Um¡­what?¡± ¡°When you use your ability, you aren¡¯t actually moving the object or person; you¡¯re bending the space between the starting and ending points. You warp the space the object occupies. You¡¯re not atomizing anything, sending it through the air, and reassembling it once it reaches its destination.¡± I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. ¡°Like that one movie about the chocolate!¡± Leo shook his head. ¡°There are so many better references you could have gone with. ¡¯Beam me up, Scotty!¡¯ being the best.¡± I shrugged. ¡°My movie was better. It had chocolate.¡± Leo, being of sounder scientific mind, brought us back on track. I was grateful. This Leo I was very familiar with. This Leo hadn¡¯t betrayed me. ¡°I think my father is hoping that you can learn how to bend the space without it being centered around an object.¡± It took my brain a few seconds to figure it out, but when I did, I burst into laughter, earning me a few confused looks from other patrons nearby. I smothered my laugh and asked, half-joking, ¡°What, like portals or something?¡± ¡°Or something. I¡¯m not positive. But he¡¯s been measuring not only your ability, but also taking readings on the room we¡¯re in itself to see what can be picked up. And it could explain why you shattered those objects earlier on. You were reacting strongly, or quickly, without thinking at all. And instead of being purposeful about it, you fractured the space the object occupied.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Leo began explaining, leaning forward and holding his fork between us. ¡°This fork takes up space.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Just¡­let me explain it from start to finish. Please.¡± When I didn¡¯t respond, he continued, ¡°If you were to teleport the fork, you¡¯re bending the space between the beginning and end points. But, if you didn¡¯t mean to, and touched the fork, instead of creating that instantaneous portal, your power breaks the space apart because it¡¯s directionless. You¡¯re bending space in a random pattern, with no intention. So it shatters.¡± I crossed my forearms and leaned them against the table. I wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°Could it be anything else?¡± Leo sat back against the booth and regarded me. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That, he won¡¯t share with me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s such a¡ª¡± ¡°Here you are, folks!¡± the server interrupted, bearing two plates of steaming food. It smelled incredible, as I picked up my utensils as soon as he set both plates down between us. Assuring him we didn¡¯t need anything else, he disappeared again. In thoughtful silence, we dug into our meals. I had noticed that Leo was practicing his ability behind his father¡¯s back every so often, including earlier today. He had to be hungry, too. ¡°So, he still doesn¡¯t trust you,¡± I said after I¡¯d swallowed the first several bites. Leo shook his head slowly. ¡°No. I doubt he ever will.¡± ¡°What is his problem?¡± Leo scoffed, shaking his head. I could tell he was hurt that he wasn¡¯t being told everything. He was the type of person who latched on to information like it would solve all the world¡¯s problems. Then again, maybe it would. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯ll be able to create a portal?¡± The question came out unintentionally, and I shoved a bite of mashed potatoes into my mouth to shut myself up before I expressed any other worries or fears. They were cheesy and garlicky, the potatoes, and I wish I had ordered only them as my meal. ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡± My heart squeezed, more at his tone of certainty than his words. Apparently, I still valued his faith in me. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot to learn first, and obviously we¡¯ll need to get your stats in the right range, but¡ª¡± ¡°What stats? What range?¡± I interrupted with a mouthful of potato. ¡°Uh, you weren¡¯t told?¡± I gave him a look. ¡°Seriously? Me? Told anything useful or meaningful?¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± he sighed. ¡°So, my father is under the assumption that for your abilities to be at their best, you need to work on your physical and mental health too.¡± ¡°I can tell you right now my mental health isn¡¯t exactly in a good place.¡± Abashed, Leo flushed and looked down, poking at the food on his plate. I considered saying more, like how I would be a more willing participant if someone had simply asked or explained it to me instead of going straight to abduction. But a part of me, the small part of me that still wanted Leo as my friend and mourned that friendship, wouldn¡¯t let me. ¡°If I could go back and do things differently, I would,¡± Leo said quietly as he stared down at his plate. I had to strain to hear him over the dim chatter of the restaurant. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I didn¡¯t know. If I had¡­¡± He shrugged one shoulder, then met my eyes. ¡°Truly, Callie. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I glanced away and set my fork down, staring out at the windows to the city, all the strangers walking past with their umbrellas and jackets. The quiet, constant drizzle didn¡¯t stop them, and being inside the restaurant felt like being in a whole other world. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I don¡¯t expect you to give me your forgiveness. I¡¯m going to work for it.¡± His words stung, reminding me of how awry everything had gone so suddenly. ¡°All this time, you¡¯ve treated me like I¡¯m inferior. Too uneducated to learn new things.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You do remember that we met after I dropped out of college, right? I started a degree, took the basic core requirements and the prerequisites for my higher level classes. I even started a handful of them before I got diagnosed. But I couldn¡¯t keep up with the labs with my absences because of the LaShoul¡¯s, and I was told to either switch majors or drop out.¡± Leo¡¯s brows furrowed, as if he¡¯d never considered this before. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just make up the labs another time?¡± I steepled my fingers in front of my face and tried not to blow a gasket. ¡°You do realize that people who run the labs get paid for their time? Their work? And how was I to pay them to meet on the weekends or during times I was free to make up the labs?¡± I cocked my head and stared at Leo. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you get a disability accommodation?¡± ¡°You¡¯re missing the point. But no, to answer your question. I still couldn¡¯t make half of the available labs. They were usually back to back sections.¡± I took a deep breath and held it, counting to five before letting it out. ¡°The point is that you treat me like I¡¯m not smart enough for this, which is probably why we ended up here in the first place. You need to tell me things, tell me everything. Don¡¯t try to spare me the boring details that you think I won¡¯t understand. Treat me like an equal, Leo, or this¡ª¡± I pointed between myself and him ¡°¡ªwill continue to break.¡± Leo blushed, embarrassed at being called out on his misogyny. Intentional or not it was wrong, and was the first thing that had to change before I¡¯d even consider¡­anything. ¡°What was your major?¡± I narrowed my eyes. He hadn¡¯t accepted my demand, so he¡¯d get nothing. ¡°You haven¡¯t earned that answer yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something important to you, then.¡± I opened my mouth to snap back at him when the waiter returned for our dessert order. Leo ordered two at random to-go and paid. After a couple minutes of silence waiting for the desserts, Leo finally said, ¡°I hear you, Callie. An equal. I can do that.¡± I nodded, satisfied for now. Time would tell if he could actually uphold his end. I was betting not, but I hoped to be proven wrong. On our way towards the door, a thought occurred to me, and I added, ¡°Oh, and to start with the whole I¡¯ll make it up to you, Callie thing¡­can we stop and pick up a few things on the way back? I have an arts and crafts project I want to do.¡± Chapter 33 I was so focused on shoving the jumpsuit into the gently boiling vat of water and fabric dye that I didn¡¯t initially register my phone ringing. When I finally did and looked at who was calling me, I dropped the spoon I was using into the water with a splash. A dark, smokey blue-purple splash that would likely stain the white countertops. ¡°Shit, shit, shit,¡± I chanted, swiping at my phone while grabbing the hand towel by the sink and mopping up the mess. In a forced calm voice, I answered, ¡°Hi, dad. Is everything okay? My dad didn¡¯t call me. We texted, weekly, because we really didn¡¯t have much to share with each other. Or, in my case, I didn¡¯t have much that I could share with him. My dad chuckled, the soft sound nearly unfamiliar. Over the years, I hadn¡¯t often heard my dad laugh. A wave a warmth trickled over me, slowly. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t any more colored water. ¡°Does something need to be wrong for me to call my daughter?¡± I hesitated. ¡°No? It¡¯s just that¡­we don¡¯t call.¡± My father sighed, a long, measured breath. ¡°I know. I feel like I¡¯m to blame for that.¡± ¡°What? No!¡± I hurried to reassure him. ¡°I mean, the phone works both ways.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m your father, Callie. And I know that I¡¯ve¡­distanced myself from you. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t called. But that¡¯s wrong of me, and I want to make things right.¡± Again, I paused. Where was this coming from? It wasn¡¯t like him to just dive head-first into saying what was on his mind. We both were more beat-around-the-bush conversationalists, at least with each other. I¡¯d thought we had an understanding about it. The bad shit was there, but why bother wasting breath on it? ¡°There¡¯s nothing that you need to make right,¡± I answered. I picked up the stained towel, noticing the faintest blush of color left on the countertop. Damn. I should have laid down a towel or plastic or something. Deciding to do just that, I tossed the ruined hand towel in the sink and turned the heat down on the pot, covering it with a lid while I went in search of¡­something. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s reassuring to me,¡± my father said. ¡°But, anyways, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter now. Because I¡¯m going to fix it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± I said distractedly. The movers that Andrew Farley hired had done¡­fine. Not much had been boxed up. Why bother, when it was just moving one unit away? Everything was left, neatly, in disorganized piles. There were blankets folded over stacks of books, my shower supplies carefully lined up next to Lucie¡¯s cans of food. It made zero sense, and I hadn¡¯t really had time to unpack. Well, reorganize everything. Between going to my new job, planting the cover-up story for why I disappeared from my old job, and feeding Alex lame excuses that weren¡¯t going to hold up much longer, if at all, I was exhausted. It wasn¡¯t even the good kind of exhausted anymore. It was physically and mentally draining, and I needed a break. But even on my next weekend, I had things to do, people to see, lies to spread. ¡°It is,¡± came my father¡¯s voice as I picked through my belongings, looking for something I wouldn¡¯t mind getting ruined. I¡¯d put him on speaker and set him on top of a piled of folded clothes. ¡°Okay,¡± I agreed, spotting another old towel that I¡¯d used previously for hair-dying experiments. ¡°Do you want to do weekly phone calls or something?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to that, but I was thinking of something else.¡± I waited for him to tell me, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°Do you want me to guess?¡± I offered. I didn¡¯t want to play twenty questions. ¡°No, Callie, I just don¡¯t want you to take it the wrong way.¡± I froze, towel in one hand, the other outstretched to pick up my phone. After kicking my brain in gear again, I finished the motion and walked back out to the kitchen. ¡°Then tell me before I start getting wild ideas,¡± I recommended. ¡°I was offered a new job,¡± he finally said. ¡°Oh!¡± I exclaimed, happy for him. ¡°How could I take that the wrong way?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ll be living in the same city as you.¡± I set the phone down on the counter and frowned. I must have misheard him. ¡°What?¡± I asked, carefully spreading the towel out between the stove and sink so it wouldn¡¯t catch on fire. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯d accidentally set something ablaze. ¡°I¡¯ll be a handful of minutes away from you, instead of a handful of hours.¡± ¡°But¡­you love that house.¡± I wasn¡¯t at all opposed to him moving here. Quite the opposite. I was glad I would get to see my only remaining family on a semi-regular basis instead of once or twice a year. Dad¡¯s reason for never moving before was that he couldn¡¯t give up that house. When he had finally bought it when I was around twelve, it had been like everything had fallen into place for him. Gone were the days where he was worried about rent, making ends meet, caring for me, all on his own without my mother around. At the time, he¡¯d vowed that he would never leave that house. It was the big sign to the world that he¡¯d done it. Made it in life. We weren¡¯t well-off by any means, but he¡¯d stayed loyal to the job that paid him enough to afford what we needed for the past dozen or so years. ¡°I know,¡± he agreed, ¡°but the house isn¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting a significant raise, right? City living is not cheap like at home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, Callie. Don¡¯t you worry about me. It¡¯s a significant raise. While you¡¯re the main reason I decided to take it, you¡¯re not the only person I¡¯m considering.¡± ¡°Did another company buy out yours? Are some of your coworkers coming, too?¡± That would be nice, for him to have some familiar, friendly faces in the city. I¡¯d of course be more than happy to show him around, but I wasn¡¯t interested in having a parent in my daily life again, no matter how much I loved him. ¡°No, we weren¡¯t bought out or anything.¡± ¡°So, what happened?¡± I could hear slight rustling, and I could see my dad getting comfortable on the small worn sofa in front of the fireplace. ¡°Well, you know, I always keep an eye out for opportunities.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Nope. I hadn¡¯t known that. I¡¯d assumed my dad would die still employed with his current company, whatever its name was that I¡¯d forgotten. ¡°Someone reached out from this company, said they liked my experience and asked if I¡¯d be interested in interviewing for them? Told me about the pay, benefits, everything, and it was too good to say no to right away.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°Oh, a few weeks ago, maybe a month? I don¡¯t really remember. But I went through the interviews, and the HR lady was really nice, my new boss was really nice, and so after several interviews they offered me the job.¡± ¡°That great.¡± I took the lid off the pot and peered inside. My spoon was somewhere at its watery depths, and I wasn¡¯t about to give the pot another sacrifice. But the directions on the dye said let it boil for fifteen to twenty minutes, and looking at the clock¡­yep, time to get it out. Like five minutes ago. While I turned off the heat and searched for pot holders, my dad kept talking. I half-listened as he described, in detail, how he had already started working remotely with his new team to see if it was a good fit, how that team was based here which he just found out about, and that he accepted the bonus to move out this way to be able to meet in-person with them daily. ¡°And, of course, the added bonus is I get to see my daughter more,¡± he finished. ¡°Definitely the best perk.¡± Again, my father chuckled, and it made me smile. ¡°So, when are you moving? Do you have a place picked out yet? Do you want help finding a good area?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done the legwork, Callie. I¡¯ve got a few places in mind. But they¡¯re going to put me up in a hotel for a couple of weeks so I can get everything checked out.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be welcome to stay with me.¡± The words were out of my mouth without a second thought. ¡°You mean, stay with you at Leo¡¯s? No offense, Callie, but I don¡¯t think I want to share the same space as you and your boyfriend.¡± I groaned, loudly. ¡°Dad, he is not my boyfriend. And I have my own apartment now, anyways. Just moved, actually, this week.¡± ¡°Okay, sheesh, don¡¯t be mad at me. I was just teasing.¡± I wanted to grumble angrily about it, but held my tongue. There was no need to get into that now. I didn¡¯t want to invite more questions right now anyways. ¡°Sorry. He just did something stupid and pissed me off. I¡¯m pretty mad at him.¡± There. Potholders. Next to the candles sitting under the coffee table. ¡°Well, then I¡¯m mad at him too. Stupid jerk.¡± ¡°Thanks for your support.¡± I grabbed the potholders and stared at the pot. ¡°When will you be in town?¡± ¡°In a few days. I need to wrap up a few things here with the real estate agent so that I can do everything else remotely.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll let me know when you get here, right? Are you flying? Do you want me to meet you at the airport?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m flying. No, there¡¯s no need. The company is sending a car to pick me up. But we¡¯ll plan dinner that night?¡± ¡°Perfect! I hate to cut this conversation short, but I¡¯m in the middle of an arts and crafts project and need to wrap it up. We¡¯ll talk when you get in? Will you text me your flight info?¡± ¡°Yes, I will send it to you. Have fun with your project. Love you, Calliope.¡± ¡°Love you, too, Dad.¡± I stared at the steaming pot before remembering I could just teleport the whole damn thing instead of carrying it. Which was a good idea, in theory. But in actuality, I should have just tried to teleport the jumpsuit into the sink instead of the entire pot. Because when it landed in the sink with a solid thunk¡ªwhich sent Lucie scrambling off the back of the couch¡ªmore water splashed up and out over the rim and onto the countertops and floor. At least the floor was sealed, I discovered. But the counters around the sink would forever have the faintest hint of lilac. At least it wasn¡¯t beige.
It was so much better. The splashes of soft color, the muted blues and purples, looked a little muddy. It was a bad mix between watercolor and tie-dye, some harsh lines and nearly-bare patches. Considering what the jumpsuit had looked like to start with, I really couldn¡¯t complain about the results. My haphazardly painted nails added to the chaos, making me a veritable eyesore. It was perfect. Andrew had done a double-take when I walked in with Leo, who was fuming mad at me. He hadn¡¯t said a word to me since seeing me lock my apartment door behind me to leave. I doubted Leo actually cared about my changes to the jumpsuit, but was more concerned with what his father would say. I still stood by the argument that what I wore held no bearing on my abilities. ¡°I¡¯m ready to get started!¡± I greeted cheerfully, mostly to be even more obnoxious. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for today? Do I get to throw Leo around a bit more?¡± Andrew didn¡¯t answer me, just looked me over again like I was trash that needed to be taken out. ¡°Also,¡± I continued, unbothered, ¡°I was curious if we were ever going to work on that app I mentioned to you. You know, the one that was in the contract I signed?¡± Surprisingly, Andrew nodded. ¡°We¡¯re working on a different prototype than the bio-screen. The screens take additional resources to develop, are more expensive, and require personnel to install them. As an alternative, we¡¯re looking at something that people can wear, take off, upgrade with a newer model. We also have discussed marketing it for the entire population.¡± I frowned. ¡°But devices like that already exist,¡± I pointed out. ¡°What makes yours better than everyone else¡¯s?¡± ¡°They are rings that people wear. We¡¯re looking into other options, such as pendants or bracelets or earrings, with different designs and personalization features to appeal to more individuals. It also has the app integration, and we are looking into expanding on that as well. We have not come to an agreement on what that might look like yet. ¡°We¡¯re also hoping to work with insurance companies on it, for people with LaShoul¡¯s or other illnesses, where keeping an eye on loved ones can save lives.¡± Andrew seemed to be open and honest with me. It made me suspicious of his motives. True, I wasn¡¯t often great at reading people, the recent incident with Leo abducting me being Exhibit A. But I did genuinely believe he was being honest with me about the what. It was the why that I couldn¡¯t figure out. There was certainly more thought, more thoroughness, than my original idea, meaning he was up to something that he wasn¡¯t sharing with me. Was he looking to get more data from more people? Was it perhaps a simple ploy to bring in more money? Almost for sure, though that may just be a pleasant side-effect. I filed his words away for future examination. ¡°I like bringing insurance companies in on it,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that. But it is difficult for people with LaShoul¡¯s to hold down a job, especially later on when they¡¯re likely the target audience, meaning insurance changes could make that difficult.¡± Andrew raised one eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement. Perhaps marketing the device as a way to help lessen, or even prevent, LaShoul¡¯s attacks will make insurance companies more eager to approve them quickly.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± Leo and I waited while Andrew made a note on his tablet. His eyes met mine and flicked down to my outfit. Now that dear old dad hadn¡¯t reprimanded him for what was clearly my own stylistic choice he could stand to look at me. I pursed my lips and raised a challenging eyebrow at him. He shook his head ever so slightly and stepped towards me. I took a step back. Leo stopped, ducking his head and pulling out his own tablet. To a degree, I could stand Leo¡¯s presence. Like last night at dinner, in public. Even the hallway of our shared apartment building, where I knew cameras were hidden. But here, when I was the only person in the room at a disadvantage? It was confusing as fuck to me, too, and I didn¡¯t try to pretend to understand why I reacted the way I did in some situations. Maybe I needed to reach back out to my therapist again. It had been a year since I had last talked to her. Or was it closer to two now? I couldn¡¯t remember, not that it truly mattered. While Daddy and son were playing on their own devices, though I suspected Leo was using his as a cover, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and pulled up my email. Quickly, and succinctly, I sent my therapist a message asking for a session. Hopefully she was still practicing. Somehow I finished before Andrew did. And when the boredom took hold and I started wandering around, I noticed something different. There was¡­exercise equipment in the room. I pointed at it, as though I could accuse it of not being here yesterday. Which I could, because it hadn¡¯t. It just didn¡¯t have the answers I wanted. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Andrew¡¯s voice came from behind me. I didn¡¯t bother to turn. ¡°We¡¯ve gathered enough preliminary data to get started with the real work.¡± ¡°To get started? We¡¯ve just been¡­doing what, exactly, this whole week?¡± Leo stepped into my line of sight. In my periphery, I saw him glance back at Andrew, who must have nodded because Leo answered, ¡°We¡¯ve got a thorough understanding of where you¡¯re at and your current ability to grow and increase your overall ability. But to do so in the most efficient way, it¡¯s not only your ability that needs trained. It¡¯s all of you.¡± It clicked. He¡¯d told me, briefly, last night at dinner. ¡°You¡¯re¡­going to make me work out?¡± I asked dubiously. ¡°Not today. But later, yes. It will become part of your regular routine.¡± Leo said that like it should be exciting. It was not. ¡°Today,¡± Andrew elaborated, ¡°we¡¯re going to test your physical fitness. We¡¯ll use these machines to find your limits. After, we¡¯ll set up a regiment for you to follow daily. If your physical health is lacking, it could impede your ability. This will rectify that. After today, we will also set up a meal plan for you based on your weaknesses. We can discuss you and Leo sharing the same chef, if it suits you.¡± What I would eat was the least of my worries right now. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re going to make me do this until failure?¡± ¡°Yes. Until your body fails. Otherwise we will not have an accurate starting point.¡± ¡°Fan-fucking-tastic.¡± I should have dyed my suit a bright orange, like a prison jumpsuit. Because that¡¯s what today was going to feel like. Chapter 34 Unless I came up with an extremely good excuse, there was no way I could put off this date with Alex more than I already had. Even though my body ached from all the physical fitness tests yesterday, I¡¯d promised to meet with him to explain everything. Well. Not everything everything. But with Alex significantly high in the Organization¡¯s crew, and technically still my boyfriend, I had to make sure he believed me. Because if he doubted me, it could spread quickly. And then it would ruin the entire point of me working with Farley Tech. So, despite the early morning hour and the whole-body stiffness, I rolled out of bed and got myself ready to meet Alex for breakfast. I put on one of my new gold ear cuffs, a welcome-to-the-company-gift from Andrew Farley that all employees received, and voiced a message to Alex, confirming that I was still coming. Leo had looked at the cuffs to make sure they hadn¡¯t been tampered with, and he¡¯d assured me that they weren¡¯t programmed to listen in and spy on me. I didn¡¯t completely trust that assessment, so hadn¡¯t worn them up until now. It had been over a week, close to fifteen days, since I had last seen Alex. We had continued messaging each other, but it was different seeing him in person when he walked into my favorite coffee shop five minutes late. I rose, a conflicted feeling curling in my chest, and walked forward to wrap him in a hug. After half a moment¡¯s hesitation, he hugged me back, squeezing once. He pulled back first and searched my face, still holding onto my arms. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked quietly in a low voice that wouldn¡¯t carry. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered honestly. I gave his forearms a squeeze. ¡°Let¡¯s get coffee and I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± We stood in line silently, but Alex was a calm, steady presence that I didn¡¯t know I needed. I reached out between us to take his hand, and this time he didn¡¯t hesitate in reacting, lacing his fingers with mine. After ordering and taking our coffees to a semi-secluded corner, I took a breath and didn¡¯t wait to begin explaining. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I vanished on you. And Hubert Industries.¡± I looked down, playing with the bottom hem of my raincoat I¡¯d had to wear this morning. ¡°There was a problem. Turned out to not be as severe as they worried, but they took me in to keep me under observation for a while.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± The worry in his eyes seemed genuine, and it only made me feel bad for the lie that was about to come out of my mouth. ¡°There was an issue with my bio-screen. I don¡¯t know if it had something to do with all the gamma, Leo¡¯s meddling, or what, but they were worried it would short-circuit and electrocute me or something. I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t really care to find out. It was mostly a false alarm, but they said they want to keep an eye on it regularly.¡± ¡°Is that why you resigned?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah. They offered me a job. Which, no offense, pays more anyways, but also means that they can keep a close watch on my bio-screen so I don¡¯t have to make special trips or anything. Plus they know I¡¯m friends¡ª¡± I tried not to choke on the word ¡°¡ªwith Leo, so they¡¯ve all been treating me well.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s it? They offer you more money, and you jump ship?¡± I recoiled, pulling away from Alex¡¯s warmth on the two-seater. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± I hissed. I wanted to cross my arms as a means of defense, but forced my shoulders to stay back, my posture open. ¡°The way they swooped in made me worry that I could actually get hurt if they weren¡¯t checking on my screen. And¡­¡± I sighed, lowering my voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t want them to look too hard and find out that my screen is recording gamma, too. I wasn¡¯t sure what they know, what we were okay with them knowing. There wasn¡¯t much time to make a decision, so I went with my gut.¡± Alex placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me back into his side. I fit comfortably there, and relaxed a bit at the physical reassurance that he didn¡¯t hate me. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized. ¡°I get it, I do. But I can¡¯t help but feel that they stole you from us. I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving the group,¡± I promised, then frowned. ¡°Unless they decide to kick me out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they will. You were backed into a corner.¡± I don¡¯t answer, instead choosing the stare out the window at the overcast sky, the beginnings of another drizzle slowly appearing on the sidewalk. A gust of wind grabbed a stray paper wrapper of some sort, sending it tumbling down the street where the cars quietly zipped past. It didn¡¯t feel like my city anymore. And maybe that was because so much had happened, so much had changed, in the last month. ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that,¡± I belatedly tacked on. ¡°I may have bargained that to work for them, they had to help me develop my app.¡± Alex¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Really? Did it work?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re working on it. I¡¯ll be a part of the process.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°That made a huge difference to you, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It was never about the money. Though that¡¯s been nice, too. I was able to move out of Leo¡¯s apartment.¡± ¡°Really?¡± His tone was a bit suggestive, and I felt a flush crawl up my neck and into my cheeks. ¡°Another benefit I bargained for. I didn¡¯t want to live with him anymore, but Leo knows a lot about the bio-screens. Obviously.¡± I waved a hand in the air dismissively. We both benefitted from the mods Leo had made; my screen, and Alex¡¯s eye lenses. ¡°So I¡¯m now his neighbor, instead of his roommate. Just in case it acts up, or something happens. He¡¯s close enough to help, but no so close as to drive me crazy anymore.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Alex let out a low whistle. ¡°Had to be expensive.¡± I shrugged one shoulder. ¡°Maybe. Though they¡¯re probably garnishing my wages for it. Not that I mind. Leo was getting to be a bit insufferable about some things. I was already considering moving out anyways. I¡¯d only moved in because both of our LaShoul¡¯s was getting worse. Seemed wise to stick together, you know? But now we don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to give me the grand tour some time,¡± Alex said. I glanced at him, then quickly looked away. Before I could overthink it, I said, ¡°I¡¯m free right now if you are.¡±
When the door shut behind us, Lucie came careening out of the kitchen and disappeared into the office. It was really just my own personal library, but it¡¯s where all my books would end up, and I was happier thinking of it as a library versus an office. ¡°Crap,¡± I muttered, remembering the dinner plate I¡¯d stuck in the sink last night without rinsing it off. Lucie was obsessed with cheese, and there had been some melted to my plate. I¡¯d bet anything she had been licking the plate in the sink. But really, it wasn¡¯t the worst offense she had ever committed, and I was grateful that she was adjusting better to this new apartment than she had moving into Leo¡¯s. ¡°Wow.¡± Alex toed off his shoes, kicking them onto the mat, and looked around. ¡°I know. It¡¯s a very similar set-up to Leo¡¯s, except there¡¯s no guest suite like where I was staying, but the design is completely different. I don¡¯t know who lived here last, but they did a fantastic job.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say. Leo¡¯s place feels¡­sterile. This is homey.¡± Alex helped himself, walking over to the sectional and flopping down on it. ¡°Did the furniture come with it?¡± ¡°Yeah, fully furnished. Do you want anything to snack on? Water?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± I helped myself to a protein bar, grabbing a second for Alex in case he changed his mind. When I walked over to sit next to him, he reached out and grabbed me, pulling me down awkwardly on top of him. ¡°Woah,¡± I muttered, unsure what was happening. Alex straightened himself a bit and pulled my back against his chest. His hands found my shoulders and began massaging. I melted back into him, shifting slightly in his lap. ¡°Oh, my god,¡± I all but moaned. Embarrassing. But it felt too good that I didn¡¯t care. Alex chuckled low in my ear, a puff of breath sending a shiver down my spine. ¡°I figured you¡¯ve probably been stressed out,¡± he offered in way of explanation. ¡°At least, I would be if I was told a device permanently attached to my arm could explode, then have to quit one job, start another, and move, all within, what, about a week and a half?¡± ¡°That about sums it up.¡± ¡°But it just so happens that with my extra strength, I can easily work these knots out.¡± He did just that, his hands moving higher up to my neck, carefully but forcefully rubbing the tightness out. ¡°Ugh, I love you for doing that,¡± I said without thinking. Alex laughed before I registered what came out of my mouth. I rushed to explain, ¡°Oh, shit, not like that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t take it that way. I¡¯ve been told my hands are magic.¡± I felt the flush creep up my neck as my brain immediately went inappropriate with his statement. To counter, I said, ¡°I mean, they kind of are. Literally.¡± Alex paused in his ministrations. ¡°You know, they are literally magic. Huh.¡± ¡°Speaking of which.¡± I extracted myself from his hold, wanting to focus without the distraction. ¡°Now that we¡¯re not in public, I wanted to ask you a few things.¡± Alex leaned back, spreading one arm out along the back of the couch. The other wrapped around my back, his hand resting on my hip to loosely hold me on his lap. ¡°Have you ever heard of anyone¡¯s ability¡­evolving?¡± His eyebrows came together. ¡°Evolving?¡± he repeated. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± Did I even know what I meant? Truly? ¡°Leo seems to think that there¡¯s more to my ability than just teleporting things, based on his observations and whatever. So I was wondering if you¡¯d ever heard of someone¡¯s ability¡­growing? That might be a better word. Like, they practice, and it gets better? Levels up?¡± ¡°Ah, gotcha. Um¡­maybe?¡± Alex pursed his lips in thought. He began idly tracing shapes with his fingertips, and I held back a shiver. ¡°I mean, I know that I¡¯ve grown my ability. I¡¯m definitely better than I was when I first started. But I think you mean more along the lines of changing? Versus strengthening?¡± ¡°Yeah. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure that I¡¯m convinced. Leo said that I don¡¯t atomize an object when I teleport it, but that I bend the space it occupies instead. And that¡­¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°This sounds crazy. But he thinks that I¡¯ll be able to create portals.¡± A pause. Then, ¡°Portals.¡± It was a question; he¡¯d heard me clearly. ¡°That¡¯s crazy, right?¡± I asked, hoping he¡¯d agree with me. Another pause. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting theory. I could see, logically, how it¡¯s possible. I can¡¯t say that I know if it will work or not.¡± Lucie darted out of the office and into living room where we sat, screeching to a stop when she spotted Alex. It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t heard him talking in here, so why she was acting surprised at his presence was beyond me. She poofed herself up as she slowly took two steps back. After a brief pause where she swished her tail side to side, she turned and scrambled away. Her paws were moving too fast to get any traction, but she eventually escaped back down the hallway. I sighed and shook my head. ¡°Your cat is¡­¡± Alex trailed off. I looked back at him and rolled my eyes as he tried to contain his smile. He let it out then, his body shaking as he laughed. ¡°She¡¯s something,¡± I answered fondly. ¡°Have you ever tried this portal thing?¡± I tensed. I hadn¡¯t. I¡¯d been too terrified to try without supervision. ¡°No,¡± I answered. I didn¡¯t offer an explanation. ¡°You could try now,¡± Alex suggested. ¡°If things go sideways, I can get Leo over here or Dr. Goodwin, or someone.¡± Blood tickled the tip of my tongue, and only then did I realize I had bitten it. I swallowed the metallic taste and shook my head. ¡°I¡­¡± On one hand, I didn¡¯t want to be irresponsible and cause any harm. But on the other, larger hand, I was terrified of burning myself out if I tried. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. Leo¡¯s dad was saying that I need to be physically healthy too, so that my body can handle the added stress of my ability better.¡± ¡°And you believe him?¡± Alex interrupted before I could finish. I shrugged, finally slipping off Alex¡¯s lap and into the space next to him. The accusing tone of his question didn¡¯t sit right with me. ¡°No, not completely. But, at the same time, it logically makes sense. And if I¡¯m going to try something new like that, I¡¯d rather be as prepared as possible.¡± Alex nodded slowly. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Alex sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Did I fuck up my chances as higher clearance levels by resigning?¡± It was a genuine worry, though maybe not for the reasons Alex would assume. In part, I still wanted information to be shared with people. And the other part had to do with the legally binding contract I had. ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t help anything,¡± Alex admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d go so far as to say you ruined anything, either. Maybe you¡¯ll just stay where you are for a little longer. It¡¯s harder to show how valuable you are if you aren¡¯t around, you know?¡± The breath I was holding came out in a rush. ¡°Yeah. I get that. But you know I don¡¯t mean anything by it, right?¡± Alex stood and held out his hands. I took them and he pulled me to my feet. ¡°Look, I can¡¯t say that I agree with your decisions here, because obviously I¡¯m a little biased. But if they¡¯re working on your app idea, and giving you better benefits and all that, this apartment included, I can¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t have made the same decision you did.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly reassuring. He admitted outright to disagreeing with me. Which meant I would just have to work harder. Because if Alex didn¡¯t like my choice, even after I had the chance to explain it to him, then others, Dr. Goodwin included, definitely didn¡¯t, either. ¡°Fair,¡± I answered on a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to work harder to show that I¡¯m in this with you all.¡± Alex smiled, a gleam in his eyes. ¡°I can think of a few things to help you with that. If you¡¯re interested.¡± The relief I felt was a balm, the stress slowly beginning to ooze out of my body at his statement. He was offering to help me. There was no way that I was going to say no. ¡°Mmm, color me intrigued. What do you have in mind?¡± Chapter 35 Laser beams bored into Alex¡¯s back as I glared at him while he walked ahead of me, sweeping the light side to side. Not literally, unfortunately, though a part of me wished I could develop a second ability just to better express my frustration without having to use words or be passive aggressive about it. This was not what I had in mind when he said he had ideas how I could help prove my¡­dedication? Loyalty? Usefulness? Probably all of the above. I wasn¡¯t truly mad, but I was definitely irritated. Something about this felt strange to me, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. Maybe it was because I was using my ability, essentially in public, to prove my worth? ¡°Remind me,¡± I said to Alex. He turned to face me, grinning despite my obvious annoyance. He was enjoying this way too much. ¡°How is this helping?¡± ¡°We have a hard time getting people to help with stuff like this. Or, at least, people with a useful ability. They usually get promoted quickly, to have the clearance to do the big stuff, since their ability is needed.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re stuck at your level? Because your ability is kind of useless?¡± I grumbled. Alex reached over and flicked my nose, unbothered. I swatted at his hand and missed. ¡°Remind me next time to pick something that isn¡¯t so early in the morning.¡± ¡°Or, bring my caffeine next time, like any sane human being,¡± I countered. ¡°What kind of abilities get moved up quickly?¡± Alex thought for a few moments. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was thinking of an answer, or whether or not he should answer. While I waited, I turned back to my task. It seemed to stupid. Ridiculous. But, unfortunately, I could kind of understand. Alex was sweeping a black light across the sidewalk, focusing on cracks and crevices that might hide hidden gems. Literally. So far, we¡¯d seen two, both of which I was easily able to retrieve with my ability. Our cover story, should anyone ask, was that I¡¯d lost the stone to my engagement ring and was trying to find it with the help of my fianc¨¦¡ªAlex. Alex had both gems¡ªsmall, dirty, potentially worthless¡ªin a bag in his pocket. Ideally, one or more would be an actual precious gem that could be appraised and sold to help fund the Organization. While there were ties to Hubert Industries, there was limited cash flow. This, Alex had assured me, would help fund some of the other projects on the waiting list. And that was what would get me noticed, my dedication to help the organization during my free time. As long as these damn colored rocks were worth something. To be able to find them with the black light, we¡¯d had to come out here before the sun. The streets were mostly empty, a few cars quietly zipping past, a few other pedestrians walking. They mostly ignored us, though I¡¯d caught a few curious glances when we bent down to peer into particularly deep cracks. I¡¯d be tempted to keep the gems for myself if I had any idea what I could use the money for. The first check from Farley Tech had dropped in my account last night, and at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. It was thousands of dollars for a few days¡¯ worth of, well, fucking around and playing with my ability. As it was, I had no idea what to use that money for. I didn¡¯t owe rent, my bills would be paid off in no time, and I had no personal goals. It was kind of depressing that my life revolved around my ability and its implications, to be honest. Another thought occurred to me, and I asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you suggest that we, I don¡¯t know, rob a bank or jewelry store or something instead?¡± Alex stopped walking and gave my an exasperated look. ¡°Callie, we aren¡¯t criminals,¡± he admonished. I shrugged, the scarf wrapped around my neck limiting the movement to more of a strange twitch. ¡°It¡¯d be so much faster,¡± I added. Alex rolled his eyes at me and refused to entertain my ridiculous question. But the train of thought continued, making me wonder how easy it would be to follow that path, to do illegal things just because those of us with abilities could do so easily. We continued walking, Alex leading, as my thoughts continued to wander. By the time the sun had risen too much for the black light to be useful, I had created an entire hypothetical villain origin story in my head for a fictional character. It was quite impressive, tragic backstory included. Maybe I¡¯d go home and type it out, just in case I wanted to do something with it one day. Morally gray villains¡ªor even heroes¡ªalways felt real to me. Nothing was truly black and white. Alex paused outside of my apartment building, and I drew to a stop. ¡°You coming up? I can make us some coffee, which I should have already had by now,¡± I joked, though my offer was genuine. Alex shook his head. ¡°I have things to do. I want to drop these two stones off before work.¡± It still seemed like an abso-fucking-lutely stupid task to prove my worth, like a side quest in a game when all I wanted was to focus on the main quest. But if Alex said it would help, to boost my standing, then I was willing to give it a try. Once. After this, I would wait and see what effect it had, if any, before agreeing to more. It was lucky that Alex could take the two little maybe-gems in for me so I didn¡¯t have to show my face yet. I was a little trepidatious and was secretly hoping Alex would agree to go with me the next time I had to go there. I was too tired and under-caffeinated to go with him right now, so I¡¯d let him do the honors before work. The corners of my mouth turned down. ¡°You¡¯re working today?¡± I tried remembering what his schedule was. My days were still blurred, my time being held against my will for my own protection having thrown me off my routine. If I remembered correctly, which was a big if, then he shouldn¡¯t be working today. It would be the second of his days off, unless work meant something with The Organization. ¡°Technically, no, but there¡¯s meetings that I don¡¯t want to miss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bummer. You getting paid?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my day job,¡± he confirmed with a wink. ¡°So, no, but still important.¡± We said our goodbyes, Alex¡¯s strong arms wrapping around me tightly and giving me a little squeeze that was comforting, making me feel safe. It was a feeling I wasn¡¯t used to, and I wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. When he went to pull away, I grabbed his hand and held it tight between mine. ¡°Hey,¡± I said quietly. It wasn¡¯t like there was anyone around at the moment who could overhear us, but it felt like this was a private moment, one that was shared in whispers. ¡°Thank you. For helping me with all of this, even though I was bitchy earlier. And I know¡ª¡± I held up a hand when he opened his mouth to stop his interruption ¡°¡ªthat I said the same thing last night when you left. But it means a lot to me that you gave me the chance to explain everything. Part of the reason why Leo and I aren¡¯t getting along is because he didn¡¯t listen to me. And I just¡­¡± I ended with another awkward shrug, not sure how to finish that statement. I just, what? I just appreciated Alex being a considerate person? I just am glad he took the time to listen, didn¡¯t keep me in the dark and shared valuable information with me even though he had no reason to trust me? There were a lot of ways to end that sentence, but none could accurately convey the warm, fuzzy feeling blooming in my chest as I looked up and met Alex¡¯s warm eyes. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He reached forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, letting his hand linger and trail along my jaw before it fell back to his side. ¡°What are your plans tonight?¡± he asked, leaning in close and ducking his head a bit. It gave me the illusion of privacy, and I felt my heart kick up a beat or two. ¡°I¡­¡± I had to wrangle my thoughts back into coherence, because suddenly all they wanted was to drag this man upstairs and spend the entire day with him. Without me noticing, he had slowly started to become my safe space, and I wanted more of that. Was it because Leo had betrayed my trust, and I was looking for someone else to fill that best friend role? Maybe. Would it be okay if Alex was the one to¡ª My phone vibrated in my pocket, dragging me back to the present where my boyfriend was watching my thoughts spiral in amusement. Alex chuckled and leaned the rest of the way to kiss my nose. ¡°Let me know how your day goes. If you¡¯re awake enough, I¡¯d like to take you out on a date. But we can always pick another day, of have a night in. Let me know.¡± I nodded mutely as he gave my hand, which I was still holding, a squeeze and turned away. After a moment of standing there, feeling a bit lovestruck, I took my phone out of my pocket and read the message that had come through. Unknown: Hey Callie! Are you free to meet for lunch or something? (It¡¯s Amelia, btw)
She looked like a whole new person, one I didn¡¯t recognize at first until she waved at me across the little taco place she had suggested. The bags under her eyes were gone. Her hair was brushed and braided, showing off pink cheeks and a bright smile. She looked healthy. It nearly brought tears to my eyes to see the stark difference in her just from less than two weeks¡¯ recovery. She stood as I arrived at her table, and she all but strangled me with the force of her hug. ¡°Amelia,¡± I managed to get out. ¡°You look good. How are you feeling?¡± She pulled away, still beaming at me. ¡°Great.¡± She tucked some of her blond hair behind her ear. Her voice dropped and she added, ¡°Thank you. Truly. Dr. Goodwin says you may have saved my life.¡± It was my turn for pink cheeks from the compliment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that,¡± I hedged. ¡°But I am sure that I¡¯m glad to see you. How have things been? How are you adjusting?¡± Her ability, telepathy, was one that intrigued me to no end. To know what a person was thinking, at any point, could be so useful but also overwhelming. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she promised. ¡°I have these pills that I can take when¡­thing get to be too much, and it dampens them.¡± That was¡­curious. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Amelia took out her phone, scanning the code for the restaurant¡¯s menu and ordering system. I copied her, and began putting together what tacos I wanted. ¡°Sometimes, I can¡¯t stop it. And so the pills help dampen it until I can get control again.¡± ¡°So is it¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t want to say it out loud, even though the low buzz of other conversation would drown out my question. It took her a few seconds to catch on. ¡°Oh! The ability? Yeah, it is. It¡¯s¡­interesting. Like, I spent some time with Dr. Goodwin at the beginning, you know? Something like this is apparently a big deal, and he wanted to make sure that I could control it and all that.¡± She waved a hand in the air dismissively. ¡°That one friend of yours, Alex, stopped by a couple of times. He had some¡­interesting thoughts.¡± ¡°Are you sure it was my Alex?¡± It felt weird calling hime mine, even though he technically was. Could this be another thing that Leo had ruined? Calling me his best friend, and doing that? Ugh. My therapy appointment could not come soon enough. ¡°On the taller side, messy brown hair, blueish eyes?¡± ¡°Sounds like him.¡± Amelia submitted her order and placed her phone face-down on the table. I was still building my third taco. ¡°Your name frequently came up in his thoughts,¡± she informed me. ¡°He was worried about you.¡± Thinking back to the timeline of when Amelia would have been visited by Alex, it probably matched with me disappearing on him. ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯m obviously fine,¡± I promised Amelia. My bio-screen buzzed slightly, alerting me to gamma exposure. Was¡­was Amelia reading my thoughts now? ¡°Sorry!¡± she apologized quickly. ¡°Sometimes when I¡¯m curious about something, it just sort of happens. But how do you know when I¡¯m doing it?¡± I submitted my own taco order and mimicked her phone placement. I set my left arm on the table, turning on the bio-screen to show her some things. ¡°I have one of these,¡± I said needlessly. Obviously, she had eyes. ¡°And a¡­friend of mine, who works for the company, made some changes because we both developed abilities, like yours. His is telekinesis. Mine¡¯s teleportation.¡± ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡°Um, so is yours,¡± I said honestly. To be able to get more information without having to pry it out of people? Now that would be useful. Amelia cocked her head, he braid swinging to one side. ¡°What aren¡¯t people telling you?¡± Fuck, I wanted to trust this girl. My gut was telling me to, but I barely knew her. Lord knows I needed a friend, someone to share this with, someone to just have a normal conversation with, too. Boy talk. Sleepovers. Whatever else was normal for girlfriends to do together. I didn¡¯t even know. Quietly, almost under her breath, Amelia said, ¡°I would love to be your friend.¡± ¡°Shit, sorry Amelia,¡± I apologized. ¡°My thoughts got away from me. I¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I get your hesitation, truly. But I think if you give me a chance, you¡¯ll see that you can trust me. I¡­also don¡¯t have many friends. Not any close ones, anyways. And this¡­new change sets me apart from them. And I can¡¯t tell them why I¡¯m suddenly better. I think they¡¯re worried that I¡¯m going to get worse again. They¡¯ll get hurt.¡± I reached across the table and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends. We can work on everything else. But it is definitely nice that we don¡¯t have to hide what we can do from each other.¡± She twisted her wrist and took my hand, squeezing it back. I could see her eyes water a bit. Maybe this meant as much to her as it did to me. ¡°To answer your question,¡± I said, redirecting my thoughts before either one of us turned into a blubbering mess, ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what people aren¡¯t telling me. I don¡¯t know what I don¡¯t know, if that makes sense? But I¡¯m trying to get answers, and it¡¯s not going well.¡± Amelia nodded, withdrawing her hand. ¡°Would you like help?¡± I considered that for half a second before deciding that I didn¡¯t want to drag her into this. ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. Thanks for the offer, though. I don¡¯t even know where we would start.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to get me involved.¡± She looked puzzled, trying to figure out the meaning behind my thoughts. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. This girl could become a menace if she wanted to. Knowledge was power, and suddenly she could know a lot of things in a very short amount other than time. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. This isn¡¯t something you need to worry about. It¡¯s my problem that I¡¯ll figure out eventually.¡± She pursued her full lips at me. ¡°I¡¯ll let it go for now. But since you¡¯re my friend, I should warn you that I¡¯m going to bring it up again.¡± She was tenacious. I admired that. Amelia smiled at my thoughts as my bio-screen buzzed again. ¡°Maybe,¡± I relented, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to my neighbor, and we¡¯ll see what happens.¡± Her blue eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Oh, yeah? Who¡¯s your neighbor?¡± ¡°The ex-best friend.¡± ¡°Ooh, why are you no longer friends?¡± I leaned back in my chair and scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s a long answer.¡± She gestured to the empty table between us that was still taco-less. Sighing, I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table so I could lower my voice. ¡°Well, he betrayed my trust, withheld information from me, kissed me without permission when I have a boyfriend, is misogynistic, and an overall control freak.¡± Amelia¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Wow. Okay, going to be honest, that¡¯s an impressive list of offenses.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s amazing one person could fuck up so bad.¡± ¡°Can we circle back to one particular offense?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I know there are probably more important ones than this. But he kissed you when you have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Mhmm. I should have slapped him.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Well, I kind of freaked out and teleported myself away from him for the first time.¡± ¡°Woah. Okay, that¡¯s pretty cool. What¡¯s your range on that?¡± Before I could answer, someone appeared with our taco orders. They smelled delicious, and the white queso and chips I¡¯d added to my order looked divine. I moved it between us to share with her. ¡°You¡¯ll need to keep your calories up,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s one thing I wasn¡¯t prepared for.¡± ¡°The constant eating?¡± ¡°Yep. It¡¯s great that I can eat whatever I want without consequence, but also annoying at the same time. Although, I¡¯m supposed to get my very own personal chef to make my meals for me so I get the right balance of stuff.¡± Amelia swallowed a bite of her taco. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s part of the contract I have.¡± ¡°Um, where are you employed, and are they hiring?¡± I laughed, which felt nice. ¡°It¡¯s the ex-best friend¡¯s dad¡¯s company. I kind of got strong-armed into working there. I would not recommend it if you have another option. I¡¯d go Hubert Industries first, if I were you.¡± Amelia considered me, those blue eyes of hers seeing more than what was written on my face. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more to that, isn¡¯t there?¡± I took a bite of my first taco to buy myself some time, the spicy chicken making my taste buds dance happily. Once I swallowed, I answered with a sighed, ¡°Yeah.¡± Amelia nodded understandingly. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± I looked around, noting the other customers seated nearby. It wasn¡¯t busy, but it certainly wasn¡¯t private. ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it here. Want to come over to my place after we¡¯re done?¡± Her eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 36 As soon as I closed the door behind me and Amelia, a bit of unease settled in my stomach. She was basically a stranger and I had invited into my apartment. Not to mention the whole telepathy thing added on a whole other level of risk, even though she wasn¡¯t well-trained or even trained at all. Right? ¡°Have you started any training yet?¡± I asked, toeing off my shoes by the door. Amelia didn¡¯t answer me right away, taking in the space in front of us. I had to have cashed in some serious karma to get this apartment so perfectly decorated for my taste, even if it was still next door to Leo. ¡°Training?¡± Amelia echoed, finally looking at me. She tilted her head to the side, and my bio-screen buzzed once. ¡°Yeah, for your telepathy,¡± I clarified. I could have just thought it and she likely would have heard, but it wasn¡¯t something I was used to. Amelia shook her head. ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m just working on turning it off when I need to. It can get overwhelming if I can¡¯t manage it.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention something about some pills or something you could take to help?¡± ¡°Yeah, for emergencies. But I don¡¯t want to rely on them, you know? I¡¯ve had to take more than my fair share of meds in my life.¡± Didn¡¯t I know it. Up until recently, having emergency meds on my person was just as natural as taking my phone everywhere with me. ¡°Who came up with those? That¡¯s a clever idea,¡± I said, honestly curious. It was news to me. Alex had never mentioned a way to put a damper, or even stop, someone¡¯s abilities, even temporarily. It was likely a useful tool, in the event someone started going too far and couldn¡¯t stop. It would be easy enough for Amelia to leave hers on and forget about it, eventually burning herself out. Amelia shrugged. ¡°No clue. But I¡¯m grateful.¡± ¡°Can you hear just people? Or animals, too?¡± She considered, twisting her long blond hair in her hands. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know that they really have thoughts I can interpret. They have instincts, you know? Maybe some general feelings. I might be able to get an impression, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to get much more. But thanks for the idea. I¡¯ll definitely try it out sometime.¡± I put up my hands. ¡°Just don¡¯t blame me if it goes terribly wrong.¡± She turned the conversation to me. ¡°What about you? What can you do, exactly?¡± I sighed, walking to my right into the kitchen to make a coffee. It was only the early afternoon, but I was tired. Caffeine would mentally wake me up a bit, but it did nothing physically. It would do. ¡°Mine it teleportation, specifically bending the space between objects. I don¡¯t manipulate the objects themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool. So could you, like, send me across the country?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not that talented.¡± ¡°Yet,¡± she added for me. ¡°Yet,¡± I allowed. ¡°We¡¯ll see how crazy things can get. I¡¯ve only ever teleported myself and one other person a few feet. I¡¯m still learning my limits. It¡¯s kind of like a muscle. If I use it too much without practice, I¡¯ll strain it and that can cause problems.¡± ¡°So you have to slowly level up.¡± My coffee spluttered into the mug, and I reached into the fridge for my creamer. I gestures towards Amelia with it. ¡°Exactly.¡± She sighed, helping herself to one of the bar stools at the peninsula island that was almost identical to the one in Leo¡¯s kitchen. I ate all my meals there, choosing to use the small kitchen table at the other end as a catch-all instead. It worked pretty well for folding laundry, which I¡¯d done all of once since moving in. I was getting pretty low on some necessities, and knew I¡¯d have to schedule a day to get caught up. ¡°This is complicated.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve been working on trying to figure it out for a little while now.¡± ¡°We?¡± It was my turn to sigh. ¡°Me and the ex-best friend.¡± ¡°Ah, the one who kissed you?¡± ¡°Yeah, though honestly that wasn¡¯t even his worst offense.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about it.¡± I shook my head and stared down at my coffee. ¡°Not particularly. At least, not yet. Things are¡­¡± I met Amelia¡¯s gaze as I searched for the words to describe my current feelings towards Leo. Her expression was open, and she waited patiently. ¡°Complicated,¡± I finally decided on. ¡°He thought he was keeping me out of trouble, and went to some extremes to do so instead of just talking to me. He betrayed my trust that way. Which is part of why I live here now.¡± I gestured to the space we occupied. ¡°Before, we were roommates. We both seemed to be on a similar timeline for LaShoul¡¯s, and thought it smart not to live alone. Now, he¡¯s just my neighbor.¡± There was more to it than that, of course, but I didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°Sounds like a real peach,¡± Amelia teased. ¡°I¡¯d love to get in his head sometime. With your permission, of course, and maybe some leading questions.¡± ¡°I may take you up on that offer. I have questions.¡± ¡°What questions?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that I even know what questions I have.¡± Amelia laughed. ¡°Girl, I feel that way, too.¡± ¡°Maybe I know some answers?¡± I suggested. ¡°Ask away. I¡¯ll share what I know?¡± Amelia didn¡¯t waste a beat. ¡°What caused this? Will everyone be able to eventually do something? Why us? Why the LaShoul¡¯s? Does this impact how long we live? What kind of other abilities are there? Are there hard limits that we won¡¯t be able to train up to? Will we ever get a different ability?¡± I took a long swig of my coffee. ¡°Great questions. No answers.¡± Amelia¡¯s shoulders slumped. She began drumming her fingers on the quartz countertop. ¡°Those aren¡¯t even half of my questions.¡± Let out a short bark of a laugh. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re not alone. We¡¯re trying to figure this out, too. But what I can tell you, which is secondhand information, so don¡¯t quote me, is that no, people have only one ability. So far. There¡¯s probably ways to grow and manipulate it, but beyond that I haven¡¯t heard of anyone with a second ability. I don¡¯t think you can change what your ability is, either. It seems like once it manifests, that¡¯s what you¡¯re stuck with. Again, this is based on what I¡¯ve been told, and a bit of what I¡¯ve read between the lines. ¡°As far as limits go, that¡¯s a great question. To start, you will have a low limit, because you¡¯re still learning how to use those mental muscles. There¡¯s also a theory that it may tie in to your physical health, that using the ability affects your body. So the healthier you are overall, the more you¡¯ll be able to do. That I have been told is a working theory, one that I¡¯m going to be working on at Farley Tech.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It took Amelia a few moments to absorb my words, and another minute or so to digest them. Just like she had, I waited patiently. ¡°Huh.¡± I gave her a grim smile. ¡°Yeah. We really know hardly anything right now.¡± ¡°That gave me more questions.¡± My smile was more natural this time. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± We were interrupted by a knock at the door. I looked to Amelia. ¡°Can you tell who that is?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°No. I need eyes on a person.¡± ¡°For now,¡± I added. ¡°Maybe that¡¯ll be something you can build up to.¡± I walked over to the door, pulling up the camera feed built-in. I didn¡¯t turn on the camera on my side, hoping that the man standing on the other side would take the fucking hint and leave. In true Leo fashion, I wasn¡¯t so lucky. ¡°I know you¡¯re home, Callie,¡± he said. ¡°We need to talk.¡± I turned to Amelia. ¡°Ready to meet the ex-best friend?¡± It was sooner than I personally would have planned, but if situations presented themselves so easily, who was I to say no? She smiled widely. ¡°Oh, yes, this should be good.¡± Amelia needed warning. ¡°Leo seems decent, but can really be a prick. He¡¯s trying to play nice with me because he knows he messed up. I don¡¯t know what thoughts will be going on in his stupid fucking head, but that¡¯s your warning. The inside might not match the outside.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I opened the door. ¡°What do we need to talk about?¡± I asked, stepping away from the door and giving him my back. He could follow me in and close the door behind him, because I wasn¡¯t going to play hostess to him. He was lucky that I was even letting him in here. ¡°It looks nice,¡± he commented, glancing around. ¡°Do you like it?¡± I turned and narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°This is not what you came here to talk about. And I have a guest.¡± Leo¡¯s gaze darted around until he found Amelia, who grinned at him like she knew a secret. She probably already did. ¡°Hi,¡± she greeted with a wave, not moving from her seat. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia, Callie¡¯s friend. You are?¡± ¡°Leo. I live next door. Callie and I have been friends for years. I don¡¯t think Callie¡¯s mentioned you before.¡± An attempted jab, one that had Amelia smiling wider. ¡°Oh, no, you wouldn¡¯t have.¡± She didn¡¯t elaborate, and I choked on a laugh. I watched Leo¡¯s face pinch in confusion for just a second. ¡°This will be quick,¡± I told Amelia, walking to my library. ¡°Feel free to make yourself at home.¡± I held out an arm towards the library, eyes on Leo. After a beat, he moved towards the door, not bothering to take off his shoes. Purposefully, I left the door open behind me and sat across from Leo, giving my back to Amelia. Leo glanced over my shoulder, and I turned to see Amelia give him a little wave from the kitchen. All the was over there, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hear what was said. But she¡¯d hopefully be able to decipher his thoughts. ¡°So, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± I deadpanned, examining my nails. It was a little clich¨¦, sure, yet I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Can you close the door?¡± ¡°Worried about my friend?¡± I knew he was. ¡°If we close it, how can you be sure she won¡¯t eavesdrop at the door? This way you can keep eyes on her. I figured that¡¯s what you¡¯d want?¡± Leo pursed his lips but relented. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°So. Talk.¡± ¡°This is a nice room in here. I thought you¡¯d like it. The green in here is one of your favorite shades, right?¡± Only my eyes moved as I looked at him, assessing. ¡°Talk.¡± ¡°We got all your results back from the testing. We¡¯re ready to get your personal chef started.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t text me that because¡­?¡± I raised my brows at him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his fingertips together. I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other to maintain the distance between us. It didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Leo chose not to mention it. Wise of him. ¡°Well, we want to put a bigger emphasis on protein, and I wasn¡¯t sure what your preferences would be. We don¡¯t think the health differences between white and red meat will really impact you. Either way, that¡¯s a decision for you to make.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± He took my indifference in stride. ¡°Okay. In terms of foods you won¡¯t eat¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you a list.¡± I just wanted him out of my space. If Amelia wasn¡¯t in the other room, I never would have let him in. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were doing okay. We put you through a lot this last week, and I haven¡¯t seen or heard from you.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s on purpose.¡± Hurt flashed across his face for the tiniest moment before he reigned in his expression. ¡°Callie, I know that things are still a bit rocky, but¡ª¡± ¡°A ¡®bit rocky¡¯?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Leo, you betrayed my trust and now I have to work with you. This is not exactly the situation I was hoping for, but I¡¯m making it work to a degree and you need to accept that you and I will never be friends again.¡± His head dropped to his hands, and he rubbed his face. He was silent for a long while, and I sat there waiting. I wouldn¡¯t kick him out because I wanted to not only give him a chance to come clean about everything, but also to prove to myself that I could handle being semi-alone with him. ¡°Would me explaining everything make a difference? No holding back, answer any questions you have¡­?¡± I crossed my arms, considering. I wasn¡¯t naive enough to think that I had the whole picture, and getting new information might change my view on the entire situation. At the same time, I wasn¡¯t sure if knowing the motivations behind it would make it better or maybe even worse. Finally, I answered, ¡°I¡¯d consider it. But I make no promises it will change my mind.¡± Leo sighed and stood. ¡°I¡¯ll have to accept that. I¡¯ll, um, head out. Let me know when you¡¯re ready to talk. Have fun with your friend.¡± I stood and showed him out. As soon as the door closed behind him, I took a bracing breath and leaned my head against the door and closed my eyes. ¡°That was certainly something,¡± Amelia chimed, still perched in the kitchen. ¡°You get a read on both of us?¡± My bio-screen hadn¡¯t gone off, meaning we must have been far enough away, or Amelia used such a small amount it hadn¡¯t registered. ¡°Yeah. What I want to know is why would you agree to work with them after he pulled that shit on you.¡± I straightened and ran my hands through my loose hair, my fingers getting caught in tangles. I freed my hands and started pacing instead. ¡°I want to help people. And I have this idea for an app. They agreed to help build it, since I have no idea how to do that. They have more data with the bio-screens, know about the abilities, and want to look into it more. So, their purpose is similar to Hubert Industries, but they¡¯re a step ahead because of the tech. I do think they can do more because of that,¡± I admitted with a shrug. ¡°But really, it was their agreement to help with the app.¡± Amelia nodded once, slowly. ¡°What¡¯s the app idea?¡± Briefly, I explained it to her, focusing on the goals of helping keep track of loved ones and contacting emergency services when needed. I left out all the technicalities that didn¡¯t matter right now, like what that process would look like, the customizable features people could change, and later adding forums to help connect people with others like them. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that if we actually tell people about their potential to develop an ability, and they force it, it could kill them. Which is the opposite effect we want.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say so,¡± Amelia agreed. ¡°This app is a band-aid solution. It¡¯s not ideal. What would work is gamma radiation therapy, but they shot that down quick.¡± ¡°Gamma?¡± she asked, tilting her head. ¡°Yeah, when we use our abilities, it gives off small amounts of gamma radiation. Not enough to cause any major issues or harm other people, but it happens. I, uhm¡­¡± That¡¯s what I¡¯d done to her, to try to save her life. ¡°I¡¯ve found that exposing other people with LaShoul¡¯s to gamma can help trigger their ability without them forcing it and increasing that risk of, you know, death.¡± I huffed a breath, stopping my pacing. ¡°But that¡¯s a much bigger endeavor. To get it approved, show evidence, would be risking exposing the details, which could in turn create the situation we want to avoid. It would have to be kept secret, somehow.¡± I¡¯d spent some time considering other ways to get gamma radiation to work, and had realized these issues could pose the same problem in a different way. ¡°Not to mention we don¡¯t know why this is happening.¡± Amelia paused, then added, ¡°Do we?¡± ¡°Nope. That¡¯s another mystery.¡± We were silent, thinking, until Amelia said, ¡°He still really cares for you, you know. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what went down between the two of you, but it¡¯s eating him up from the inside. Not to say he deserves your sympathy or forgiveness, based on what I caught from you, but¡­He does love you.¡± I closed my eyes and shook my head. Those were not the words I wanted to hear. ¡°We were friends for a while, the only person we both really had who understood. He had other friends, acquaintances, but he never told them about the LaShoul¡¯s. He didn¡¯t want to lose them. I didn¡¯t really bother trying to make many friends. We supported each other.¡± ¡°And you both developed feelings for each other.¡± My eyes flew open. I hadn¡¯t thought that way about Leo in weeks, and didn¡¯t like the reminder that I had once hoped to end up with him. She shrugged. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t, neither of you would be feeling so strongly about this.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What are you, a therapist?¡± I joked halfheartedly. She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just calling it like I see it, whether it¡¯s true or not. He¡¯s definitely not over you. That was very clear to me. I assumed the part about you having had feelings for him, and you proved me right.¡± Damn, that was clever of her. I fell into the chair next to her and put my head down on my arms and groaned. ¡°Do you want a detailed list of everything he paid attention to when he was looking at you?¡± ¡°No! Why would you even offer to tell me?¡± Now my curiosity was going to eat at me. Great. ¡°Okay, then I won¡¯t. That¡¯s mostly where his thoughts were. I didn¡¯t pick up on much of anything else.¡± ¡°Figures.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re going to meet with him, hear those explanations, right?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± I mumbled into my arms. ¡°I could be there, incognito, see if I pick up anything? I could also be your emergency exit strategy if it gets to be too much.¡± I turned my head so I was looking at her. ¡°That sounds like the perfect plan.¡± Chapter 37 It had taken longer than I thought to schedule a meeting with the higher-ups in The Organization. Or perhaps I had expected them to want to see me as soon as possible, assess what the damage was, make sure everything was fine after going MIA for days before quitting my job at Hubert Industries. I probably just wasn¡¯t that important. The lack of information let my brain go wild, picking out things to worry about that I didn¡¯t want to be worrying about. The most unreasonable one, What if they know about my contract with Farley Tech and take me out? had kept my brain occupied for a solid two hours yesterday. Thankfully, that one wasn¡¯t at the forefront of my brain anymore, but only because I¡¯d convinced myself that I would see it coming and teleport myself out of danger. Unlike the situation with Leo, I¡¯d be expecting it, ready, and I¡¯d had significantly more practice since then. Some, however, were legitimate concerns. How were they going to react? What was going to change from here on out? Would they kick me out, or let me stay? Those three questions specifically were actually important, both personally and now professionally with the work I needed to do for Farley Tech. My nail beds were picked to pieces from worrying if I¡¯d still be able to uphold my end of the contract. A particularly brisk breeze cut through street, yanking on my hair and freezing my cheeks. It brought me back to the present, where I stood standing outside staring up at the building in front of me with a mix of dread and adrenaline. Alex had been kind enough to arrange this meeting for me, and he even had insisted on coming with me. I was grateful for his help, but he¡¯d been an expert at navigating away from all my prompting questions and statements when I was trying to get any more information from him about the meeting. It was possible he had nothing to share with me. It was also possible he hadn¡¯t picked up on any of my attempts. Maybe I should have just asked him outright. With five minutes to spare, Alex found me still waiting outside in the cold. I didn¡¯t move to him, still trying to dig my way out of my head and clear my pesky thoughts before we went in and got this party started. He stepped into my space and grabbed my hand, and only then did I realize my fingers were freezing. ¡°Sheesh, Callie, how long have you been standing outside like this?¡± I shrugged a shoulder noncommittally. Truth was I had no idea; it could have been fifteen seconds or fifteen minutes. Alex moved to stand in front of me, reading correctly that I wasn¡¯t mentally ready to go inside just yet. He grabbed both of my hands and pressed them between his, sending tingling warmth to my frozen digits. ¡°Worried?¡± I met his eyes, and he gave a reassuring smile at whatever look he found on my face. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± he tried assuring me. ¡°They don¡¯t know you like I do. I¡¯ll doubt anything will be suspicious.¡± Finally, I made my voice squeak out, ¡°What do you mean?¡± He gave me a look that was a mix between pity and patronizing. ¡°You really think I don¡¯t know something else happened that made you disappear like that? Sure, your story is solid, but I know there¡¯s more to what you¡¯ve told me.¡± I looked away and down, focusing my eyes on the few leaves that danced across the sidewalk. Autumn had hit hard and fast, faster than I remembered. I shivered in my coat and looked up at the few trees scattered down the road, turning a premature yellow. He was right. Just because Alex could tell that something else had been going on didn¡¯t necessarily mean that anyone else would. He was my boyfriend, and it was a good sign for our relationship that he¡¯d noticed those types of things. We¡¯d spent plenty of time getting to know each other over the weeks, learning the little peculiars of each other¡¯s mannerisms, habits, things that a stranger or acquaintance wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up on. Right? Alex¡¯s warm hand left mine, lightly grasping my chin to turn my face back up to his. ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain anything to me, Callie. I know you have good intentions, and there are people out there who would take advantage of that.¡± Oh, Alex, you have no idea, I thought, staring up into his blue eyes, wishing I could come clean to him. Did I feel manipulated into working at Farley Tech? Not exactly. Maneuvered, maybe, but knowingly. It wasn¡¯t what I wanted, obviously, but I went into it with open eyes. Hopefully. Would Alex see it the same way I did? I couldn¡¯t be sure, which meant I couldn¡¯t say anything. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I breathed, taking a half step back to break his gentle hold on me. ¡°We should get inside. I didn¡¯t wear the right coat for this.¡± He looked at me, eyes searching, but nodded anyways and guided me gently by the elbow inside the warm building. We both remained silent as he led me to the elevators, already knowing where to go. We ended up back in the same hallway I had my first interview in. Each room we passed was empty, the doors open and lights off. I followed Alex to the end to a larger room and he opened the door without knocking. The walls were a nice shade of peach that lended warmth to the otherwise modern room with sharp angles and clean silhouettes. The conference table in the middle was long, made out of a synthetic white marble, the chairs similar in style and make. Several white cushioned benches with curling armrests on each end sat along the perimeter of the room, interspersed with deep green large-leafed potted plants. A wall of windows behind the head of the conference table looked out at the Hubert Industries campus. This was nothing like the small meeting room I had previously been in. There was no harsh lighting, no oddly orange-hued table, no ominous black door. If I had to guess, this room was reserved for the highest-ups, who wanted function and style and ambiance. After a few minutes of standing at the window, staring outside while Alex calmly sat on one of the benches nearby, I was proven right. Dr. Aaron Goodwin led the way, his comb-over just as obvious as it always had been, carrying a tablet tucked against his side. He was followed by other people, ones who made Alex stiffen to attention. That couldn¡¯t be a good sign. Alex looked over at me, briefly, as the three men and two women filed in, each taking a predetermined seat at the table. He nodded once, trying to convey that it would all be alright. I wasn¡¯t convinced. I gave him a look and head tilt as though to say, if you say so, and settled myself in the chair at the far end of the table, opposite of where Dr. Goodwin sat with the window at his back. Alex took one of the vacant seats adjacent to me, on my right. ¡°Callie,¡± he greeted warmly. ¡°I apologize for the formality, but we hope this meeting will be quick so we can send you back on your way.¡± ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked. I wanted to roll my eyes at the stupid question, knowing I wouldn¡¯t¡ª ¡°Not exactly,¡± Dr. Goodwin answered. The woman to his left, who I recognized as Lola from the Hubert Industries study orientation, cut him a sharp look. He completely ignored her. ¡°To be honest, Callie, we¡¯re dealing with some issues that we¡¯re having trouble solving. Not to say that we won¡¯t.¡± He chucked, leaning back in his chair. ¡°It will just take some more time.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything you think I could help with, I am at your disposal,¡± I answered. Dr. Goodwin tilted his head slightly to one side, considering me and my offer. ¡°We may take you up on that. But not now.¡± He waved a hand dismissively before lacing his fingers together and resting them on his stomach. ¡°We¡¯d like to hear from you what happened recently with your sudden absence and resignation. Alex shared the basics, but we¡¯d like the hear the whole story. And I have to say, we were concerned for you. Some of us more than others. We want to make sure you¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± I said honestly. I took a deep breath and dove in, not letting myself think about the lies, ¡°You know that I have a bio-screen, one of Farley Tech¡¯s devices.¡± I held up my arm and swiped on the screen, lighting it up for everyone in the room to see. One of the men to Dr. Goodwin¡¯s right leaned forward to get a better look, his straight blond hair falling into his eyes, which he brushed away impatiently. ¡°As someone with a LaShoul¡¯s diagnosis, I learned about the clinical trial and applied. I had no trouble with it, but there was an update or something that messed with it. It was probably a false alarm, but they were worried about it potentially harming me. They want to make sure it doesn¡¯t happen, and offered me job to make it easier for them to keep checking on it. And, I think, to make sure I didn¡¯t try to sue them or slander the bio-screen online.¡± I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. ¡°Either way, it seemed like it was the best path forward for me, even if the timing wasn¡¯t great. I was happy with my new job at Hubert. But they¡¯re also planning on helping me develop an app, one to help other people with LaShoul¡¯s who don¡¯t have the ability to get a bio-screen.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The blond man who was gawking at my bio-screen leaned forward again to make direct eye contact with me. The hair made it difficult. ¡°Did they specify what the potential issue with your screen was?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¡°Can you elaborate?¡± ¡°Sure. They thought one of the sensors may have been misfiring, leading to a false alarm. Or the update had a problem, didn¡¯t install correctly, something like that. It seemed like mine was the only one affected, but they didn¡¯t say that specifically.¡± Blondie nodded. ¡°What have they done to fix it?¡± Nothing, because it was all a lie. But I couldn¡¯t say that. Instead, I improvised and said,¡°A whole-system reset, then a direct update in one of their facilities.¡± ¡°Direct update?¡± ¡°Yeah, instead of sending it through the internet, they used bluetooth. Seemed to work.¡± ¡°Yet they¡¯re still concerned about it?¡± It was the other woman, not Lola, who asked. Her shirt was a crisp white, not even one visible wrinkle. It was a little intimidating. ¡°They¡¯re concerned that there¡¯s a slight defect in my screen, and the first update triggered something. It¡¯s working now, but may not continue to.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they just remove or replace it?¡± ¡°Have you heard how these are bonded to the body?¡± I countered. ¡°A thousand tiny, hooked needles, like velcro, are shoved into the skin. To remove it requires actual surgery, plus healing time before another could be grafted. Scar tissue may prevent another from being possible. It¡¯s not an easy, quick fix.¡± ¡°You have two arms; you could use the other for a new one,¡± blondie pointed out helpfully. Alex cut him a look I couldn¡¯t see from my position. The woman ignored blondie¡¯s contribution, tapping her fingers on the table. She narrowed her eyes, not liking my answer. ¡°Why put yourself at risk?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a very low risk. And if it helps them figure this out, it could then go on to help other people who get screens or already have them. We know the connection between abilities and LaShoul¡¯s. But what if there¡¯s a way for people to get treatment, to save lives, without them developing an ability?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that will happen,¡± blondie disagreed, and the woman opened her mouth to probably say something derisive. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the major issue here,¡± Dr. Goodwin interjected, giving the blondie and the woman meaningful looks. They backed off, the woman clearly unhappy to do so. She was decidedly not convinced of my innocence. ¡°Unfortunately, Callie,¡± Dr. Goodwin said with a grim tone. ¡°We cannot trust you anymore.¡± Chapter 38 Alex and I kept our mouths shut as the elevator descended and spat us out back to the lobby. It was an effort to keep my strides even as we exited the building. I had glanced up at Alex when we were waiting for the elevator, which had been a major mistake, and had almost lost my composure. We didn¡¯t linger once we hit the sidewalk, instead immediately walking towards the subway in an unspoken agreement to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. The brisk movement and cold breeze helped disperse the adrenaline rushing through my system. I flexed my hands in my coat pockets, trying to shake the feeling, the need, to use my power. ¡°So,¡± Alex started once we made it almost two blocks away. I glanced up at him, a small grin creeping onto my face. ¡°So,¡± I answered. ¡°That was¡­not what I was expecting.¡± Alex blew out a breath. ¡°You¡¯re telling me. I got really worried for a second there.¡± I nodded, remembering the momentary panic I¡¯d felt before Goodwin had clarified. ¡°It makes sense that they don¡¯t trust whatever Farley may have done with the screen. I would probably feel the same. I can¡¯t blame them for wanting to test it.¡± ¡°It was a good idea for you to bring up Leo.¡± ¡°I figured if I offered to help, it might make me look better.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It felt like the right thing to do in the moment.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt, at least,¡± he agreed. ¡°And if Leo decides to remove your mods, then we¡¯re covered.¡± After Goodwin saw the panic on my face at his declaration that he couldn¡¯t trust me, he was quick to elaborate that they couldn¡¯t trust that my bio-screen hadn¡¯t been tampered with after the supposed issues with it they needed to fix. Goodwin doubted they did anything malicious since I agreed to work for them and leave Hubert, but they didn¡¯t want to take the chance. They requested that I allow them to test the screen for anything suspicious. At that point, I¡¯d chimed in that I was neighbors with one of the lead developers¡ªalso my best friend, though I left out the former part of that¡ªand I could have him take a look to ensure there wasn¡¯t anything going on that there shouldn¡¯t be be. I¡¯d also claimed that I hadn¡¯t considered the possibility it had been messed with, and didn¡¯t want to be some guinea pig for them unknowingly. Blondie hadn¡¯t trusted me, saying that ran the risk of him tampering with things, and that devolved into a twenty-minute heated debate about what to let me or not let me do. Ultimately, Goodwin had suggested they give me a chance since ultimately the tests they planned to run on it were still in development. It bought a little bit of time. I wasn¡¯t sure what Leo¡¯s reaction would be. Thinking about it, and knowing Leo like I did for most things, I could already anticipate him insisting on coming with me to both ensure that they didn¡¯t tamper with the screen and to get a look around himself. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to talk to him. Soon. And I bet he¡¯ll want to tag along,¡± I said. Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. ¡°Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.¡± ¡°You were?¡± ¡°If I were in his shoes, I wouldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to at least take a look around while using the excuse of keeping my best friend safe.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my best friend,¡± I answered instinctually, without thinking. Alex paused on the sidewalk right outside the subway doors, turning to face me so quickly I startled back a step. He matched it, and I could feel the warmth radiating off him. I shivered, wanting to step into that warmth. ¡°Are you ever going to tell me what really happened?¡± he asked quietly. I wasn¡¯t ready to, not yet, but I didn¡¯t want to tell him. I knew Alex, but not well enough to know how he would react to his girlfriend being drugged and kidnapped and subsequently manipulated into working for her kidnappers. Yeah, thinking about it like that, it sounded just a smidge crazy. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to Leo,¡± I suggested instead. ¡°That¡¯s a priority.¡± ¡°No. You are the priority,¡± he insisted. His hand grabbed my biceps, pulling me close and pressing his lips against my forehead. I closed my eyes and leaned into his embrace, feeling some sort of something leave my body, letting it relax fully for the first time since the whole situation began. My head dropped, leaning against his shoulder, as I took in a deep breath of cold air mixed with Alex¡¯s scent that had a faint hint of spice. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± he whispered, ¡°but I know there¡¯s more to it than you¡¯re telling me. If you¡¯re not ready, that¡¯s okay. But I need you to tell me this: are you safe?¡± I nodded against him. As far as I knew, I was safe. They¡¯d gotten what they wanted out of me. I was cooperating¡ªmostly¡ªworking with them to serve their purpose. ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, pulling back to look up at him. A worried crease existed between his eyes, and I reached up and smoothed it out with my finger before letting my hand drift to hold his cheek. Going up on tiptoes, I kissed him once, briefly, in thanks. Maybe I needed to give Alex more credit. ¡°Okay,¡± he relented, taking a step back. ¡°Let¡¯s go bother your ex-best friend.¡± I rolled my eyes but grinned, grabbing Alex¡¯s hand and leading him down into the subway. The ride was a short but welcome break from the cold. I spent that time browsing new winter coats online since this year was already turning out to be a frigid one. Alex pointed to ones that he supposedly liked, mostly ones in garish colors or with faux fur trimming the hood that would inevitably get into my mouth. It was the kind of lighthearted bantering that I needed. Because as soon as we made it into my and Leo¡¯s apartment building, I felt the color draining from my cheeks. Of course, Alex had to notice. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± he threatened, mostly joking. I hoped. I jabbed at the floor number and shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± was all I said. Alex¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t stray from me the entire ride up. After taking bracing breath as the doors slid open onto my floor, I marched forward and pounded on Leo¡¯s door. I wasn¡¯t feeling polite enough to use the doorbell. ¡°Leo!¡± I shouted through the thick manufactured wood. ¡°Open up! We have a problem!¡± It took Leo only seconds to yank the door open. He must not have seen Alex off to the side because he reached forward to¡­embrace me? Pull me inside? I couldn¡¯t be sure, but as soon as I flinched away from his touch Alex was there, standing in front of me, his arms crossed. Ho-ly shit, I thought, staring at Alex¡¯s back. I could feel the protectiveness coming off him, protectiveness over me. And while I was a strong, independent woman who didn¡¯t need a man, it was¡­something that I didn¡¯t have time to analyze right now. I couldn¡¯t help it. I reached out and grabbed the back of Alex¡¯s coat, near his waist, in what may have been a slightly possessive move. I tried nudging him to the side, but failed as my bio-screen buzzed. Great. He was literally flexing his strength ability in front of Leo, meaning there was no way to move him. Guess I¡¯d just have to go around them both. I teleported myself into Leo¡¯s apartment, appearing behind Leo and raising an eyebrow at Alex. He visibly relaxed, looking a bit chagrined, and let his arms drop. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized. ¡°No need,¡± I answered for Leo. He spun around to face me, and I gave him a little finger wave. ¡°Leo, we need to talk, the three of us. We have an issue.¡± It took about ten minutes to bring Leo up to speed, explaining what the Organization¡¯s concerns were and what they planned to do. Leo didn¡¯t look at either of us the entire time, instead making himself a cup of tea and staring down into the steam wafting up. He¡¯d made me a coffee, exactly the way I liked it, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to drink it or even touch the mug. Alex noticed and took it from Leo, thanking him. He took a couple of sips and waited a minute before offering the mostly-full cup to me. I downed it, mostly to keep my mouth occupied before I said something embarrassing from all the protectiveness that was doing things to me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We didn¡¯t mess with it,¡± was the first thing Leo said when we finished. ¡°But you want me to check anyways.¡± ¡°We need to know what you want to do about the gamma mod,¡± I said. ¡°Do we want them to find it? To risk them asking questions about it, find out what it means, what they can learn from it? It would be easy for any company to develop a way to track gamma without needing a full bio-screen.¡± Leo was quiet. Then, ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t speak to what they will be looking for or what they will do with any information they find,¡± Alex added from his spot beside me. ¡°Are we ready for someone else to know about the gamma, and is that someone else the Organization?¡± I looked to both Alex and Leo for their answers. ¡°It has the potential to help people,¡± Alex chimed in. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do with it. But they¡¯ve been working to help people for a while, before the bio-screens came around.¡± ¡°Not to mention the CEO of Farley knows about the gamma,¡± I added. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything with it yet.¡± ¡°That you know of,¡± Leo added. ¡°My father is looking into things.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Alex interrupted, ¡°Farley Tech knows about it?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I answered, leaning back in my seat to get comfortable for the argument I expected to erupt. ¡°And we¡¯re talking about keeping that same information quiet? From other companies that can help? No, absolutely not. Tell them.¡± ¡°It would level the playing field,¡± I added. ¡°Right now Farley has the upper hand with the bio-screens and this information.¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°It may seem that way, but from my perspective this just means Farley Tech finally caught up. We knew about the abilities long before the bio-screens came around, even if we didn¡¯t know the cause.¡± ¡°So,¡± Leo began, ¡°you¡¯re saying to give your group the information to get them back ahead. I don¡¯t think so. There are too many unknowns. Callie, let me see your arm. I¡¯ll fix this.¡± I crossed my arms defiantly. ¡°Do. Not. Touch. Me,¡± I bit out. ¡°You are one person, one vote in all this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my tech, and my mods!¡± Leo protested. I shrugged. ¡°I thought we were in this together. Isn¡¯t that why you gave Alex the lenses with the same gamma mod?¡± Alex smirked, which only further infuriated Leo. Before he could argue, I added, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this calmly, look at all sides of things, and then we can take a vote, the three of us. Alex, do you agree to this?¡± He nodded, turning that smirk to me. He was enjoying this, maybe a bit too much. ¡°Leo?¡± He was frowning, arms crossed, but nodded. As I began speaking, I ticked off each point using my fingers. ¡°First, as far as the gamma radiation goes, I think we¡¯ve got enough data to support any claims, especially if we provide demonstrations. Second, there¡¯s not much else we can do with this information by ourselves. We are only three people. I know we talked about maybe getting some more data from other sources, but is it necessary? I think we need to start bringing in more people to be able to do anything. And third, is it worth sharing the information so others can benefit from it? It¡¯s not without risk, but is that risk worth it?¡± Leo opened his mouth to reply without hesitation, and I cut him off. ¡°I think we all need to sleep on it. These are big decisions, and we have a little time. We should meet again, soon, maybe tomorrow, and each share what out thoughts are.¡± I stood and walked into the kitchen to rinse my mug in the sink and put it in the dishwasher. Even though technically I was a guest here, I didn¡¯t want Leo having to clean up after me. It felt too much like I¡¯d owe him for his hospitality. ¡°Are we all free tomorrow evening?¡± I called out to the two men, who were in the middle of a stare down. I bit back an exasperated sigh. ¡°My apartment, tomorrow. Seven okay? I¡¯ll make dinner.¡± Neither of them answered me. I stalked over and snapped my fingers between them. ¡°Excuse me, assholes. Quit this bullshit and answer my question. Tomorrow at seven. Dinner provided. Yes or no?¡± Alex broke his gaze first, his eyes meeting mine and lighting up with suppressed laughter as his shoulders almost vibrated. Something was amusing him, and I was going to drag it out of him as soon as we relocated to my apartment. ¡°I¡¯ll be there,¡± Alex answered, his voice confirming he was trying not to laugh. I raised an eyebrow at Leo. He nodded. Good enough. ¡°Don¡¯t be late.¡± I pointed an accusing finger at Alex briefly before turning it to Leo. He just looked at me, something almost haunted in his eyes. I ignored it. Not my problem. ¡°Alex?¡± I nodded towards the door, inviting him to leave with me. He wouldn¡¯t stay without me, since he and Leo were not at all close to being friends if today¡¯s interaction was any indication. He followed, a warm presence at my back as we walked out Leo¡¯s door and through mine at the end of the hallway. ¡°That could have gone better,¡± I muttered as I unlocked and opened my door. ¡°Eh, it could have gone worse.¡± ¡°Ha. I suppose that¡¯s true enough.¡± I closed and locked the door behind us. ¡°Trying to keep me from escaping?¡± Alex teased, gesturing to the door. ¡°No,¡± I answered, my cheeks heating for absolutely no reason. ¡°More like keeping Leo out.¡± ¡°Why? Has he come in uninvited before?¡± ¡°No. I just¡­it makes me feel better to have a solid barrier between us.¡± ¡°He really did a number on you.¡± Shrugging, I kept my thoughts to myself. I wasn¡¯t sure how to describe all the conflicting feelings I was now dealing with on a daily basis, especially when we were at work together. ¡°It wasn¡¯t good,¡± I finally allowed as Lucie appeared from around the kitchen peninsula. She mrrow¡¯ed at me, twice, before lazily sauntering to her enclosed cat bed by the coffee table. She liked Alex, it seemed, or maybe his energy was calmer than Leo¡¯s. Or it was a new moon phase. One could never know. ¡°Want a drink?¡± I was grabbing one for myself, because after that I needed something to take the edge off. Interacting with Leo these days put me on edge. It wasn¡¯t a healthy coping mechanism, but until I had my appoint with my therapist, it would do. ¡°Uh, sure, why not?¡± I handed him a cider, one of my personal favorites. Now that I had a higher-paying job I could more easily afford the little things that previously had been only for special occasions. My fridge and pantry never looked so luxurious, filled with snack cakes and a variety of cheese-flavored crackers. My personal chef, courtesy of Farley Tech, hadn¡¯t started cooking for me yet, which meant I still had the freedom to eat whatever the hell wanted. For now. I took several long swallows of mine while I fished through the fridge for something to eat. I had two takeout containers I didn¡¯t trust. Well, I would eat it, but I wasn¡¯t going to offer them to a guest. ¡°Want to order out?¡± I offered, shutting the fridge door. ¡°I could eat.¡± While I tapped away on my phone to order food, Alex approached me slowly, coming to stand behind me to look over my shoulder at my choices. His arms wrapped around my middle and he rested his chin on my shoulder. I leaned back into him, and he nuzzled my neck with his nose. ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± I whispered, leaning away without breaking his hold on me. ¡°Why not?¡± My brain stuttered. How was I supposed to explain to him that his displays of protectiveness, facing off with Leo, and now the intimate snuggling were turning me on? ¡°Uh¡­¡± was all I managed. Alex chuckled, his warm breath ghosting over the curve of my neck while his nose continued it path up towards my ear. ¡°Order the food,¡± he reminded me. Oh, right. I¡¯d completely forgotten the phone in my hand, fully absorbed in his embrace. Get it together, woman, I scolded myself. ¡°Then stop doing that,¡± I answered, pulling my shoulder up to try to protect my neck and ear. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. It was hot watching you take charge like that.¡± Oh. Oh, no. No no no no. ¡°You can¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Mmm, I actually can say that.¡± His voice was lower, a slight rasp reaching places it shouldn¡¯t, places that hadn¡¯t¡­ Focus. Food. Ordering. I managed to ignored him successfully until the order was placed. But as soon as I had, he¡¯d grabbed my hips and spun me around. He stepped into my space, pinning me against the counter with his body. My breath stuttered as his hand crawled up my back and grabbed a handful of hair at the base of my head. He tugged gently but firmly, tilting my face up to his. ¡°Tell me what you want,¡± he breathed. Holy fuck. There were so many images flashing through my mind, different answers to his question I could tell him. But he¡¯d told me that he wasn¡¯t interested in a physical relationship. His strength ability, while better controlled now, made him worried he could hurt someone, hurt me, if things got out of hand. I¡¯d respected that, maintaining the equivalent of a preteen relationship with dates, handholding, and kissing. We¡¯d never explored anything else, and I¡¯d never suggested any different or pushed him for more. But if he kept doing the things he was doing, there¡¯d be a reckoning one way or another. ¡°Honestly?¡± I paused, gathering my courage. ¡°You.¡± He stiffened. I braced for the implosion, knowing I¡¯d likely asked too much of him with that single word. He¡¯d let me go, run from the apartment, and break up with me over text. Then I¡¯d be all alone to deal with¡ª His mouth collided with mine, nipping and teasing and driving me wild. I grabbed his shirt in my fists, pulling him closer until I could wrap one arm around his neck, the other grabbing his waistband. For stability, of course. He made a low sound in the back of his throat, his hand tightening in my hair and wrestling a whimper out of me. And then he ripped himself out of my hold and was as far away from me as the kitchen allowed, panting and chanting, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry, Callie, it won¡¯t happen again, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Did I miss something?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Alex¡¯s panicked eyes met mine. ¡°I hurt you.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± I tried to assess my body, but all I could feel was a sort of tingling buzz over my limbs, not unpleasant. ¡°You¡­you whimpered,¡± he explained. My cheeks flamed. ¡°Oh. That. No, that, uhm, wasn¡¯t because you hurt me,¡± I told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°No. The opposite, really. It, uh, was a good thing.¡± Alex let out a sigh, and I approached him. I gave him a chance to move or tell me no, but when he didn¡¯t I wrapped my arms around his middle and held him tight. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I reassured him. ¡°Absolutely fine. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. And I truly mean that. Okay?¡± His arms wrapped around me to return the hug and he nodded against my shoulder. ¡°We can practice. If you want,¡± I rushed to add. I didn¡¯t want to assume anything. ¡°I mean, this isn¡¯t me trying to proposition you or anything, but I just want you to know that, if you want to, we can try¡ª¡± He pulled back and covered my mouth with a hand. ¡°Just¡­stop talking about what you¡¯re willing to try. It¡¯s kind of killing me right now.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± And there went my bio-screen, alerting to something else stupid. Probably my heart rate, since I was going to die of embarrassment. ¡°Let¡¯s put on a show or something while we wait for the food,¡± he suggested. ¡°And then maybe we¡¯ll talk about it. Though doing it over text might give me the best chance at survival.¡± Doing it. Ha! Get your brain out of the gutter! I smacked my forehead with the heel of my hand twice. It didn¡¯t help to dislodge the errant thoughts. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, fine, ignore that. But I agree, maybe text might be better. I¡¯ll grab a couple of blankets real quick. You can pick what we watch.¡± Thankfully, Alex picked an action movie I hadn¡¯t seen before that had absolutely zero romance, and it was enough to keep us distracted through dinner until he left an hour later. After the door had shut behind him, I beelined to my bathroom and hopped into a freezing cold shower. If it worked for the men in some of the books I read, it could work for me, right? Wrong. BONUS CONTENT Hello, readers! Updates have been slower than desired lately because there are a number of decisions being made off the page, behind the scenes. There are more moving parts now, and I want to take the time to be sure the decisions made are the right ones. As I''ve made these decisions on background details, I began writing out some scenes to help keep things straight in my head and to make sure my plot doesn''t get hole-y. I''m not going to post them here but I''ve created a (completely free!) Patreon page where those chapters will be shared for anyone interested. If you''d like to check it out here''s the link to the first bonus content. Warning: they WILL contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Love, Kit Chapter 39 ¡°Thanks for coming,¡± I told Leo and Alex when we were seated at the table, the food I¡¯d made spread out between us. As if they¡¯d had a choice, like I hadn¡¯t threatened to zap myself to wherever they were and drag their asses back here. Okay, that was mainly geared at Leo, but I¡¯d included Alex in the group chat to be non-discriminatory. My phone buzzed in my lap, and I glanced down to Amelia¡¯s text. You¡¯re saving some food for me, right? she sent. Obviously, Amelia, I thought in her direction, hoping she¡¯d get it. Maybe one day she¡¯d be able to project her thoughts, create a two-way connection. But for now, she¡¯d talk to me through texts. She was currently hiding in my office-library, able to see all three of us and texting me updates to what the boys were thinking. Leo was her main target, but I¡¯d told her that if Alex gave her anything interesting to feel free to share it with me anyways. Having her here also had the benefit of filling her in on everything the three of us had been working and deciding on related to the gamma. Though she wouldn¡¯t get a vote this round, she¡¯d be fully informed from here on out. I worried about her, feeling like she was my responsibility. After all, I was the one to trigger her ability and place her directly into the Organization¡¯s hands. Alex had told me she was still learning how to fully control her ability in large crowds but that she was a fast learner. Her telepathy ability would prove irreplaceable, allowing her to easily identify others with abilities and help bring them in to the fold, like Alex had done with me. Early on, Amelia¡¯s ability had been overwhelming. She¡¯d had no control so had her ability dampened, muted, because that lack of control meant things were getting through to her almost constantly. That had been the Organization¡¯s doing with some sort of medication or tranquilizer. Amelia hadn¡¯t known any specifics, hadn¡¯t asked them, and I was hesitant to bring it up to Alex. I wasn¡¯t sure why I hadn¡¯t yet. Would it open a can of worms? Was I worried I¡¯d learn things I¡¯d rather stay ignorant to? Ignorance couldn¡¯t last, and I¡¯d ask him eventually. One problem at a time. I waited until we all had food on our plates¡ªAlex loading up with pasta, Leo starting with the side salad¡ªbefore looking across the table at my former best friend with raised eyebrows. He knew what I wanted and sighed, dropping his fork without taking a bite and leaning back in his chair. ¡°You¡¯re not going to like my answer,¡± was all he said. He crossed his arms across his chest. I set my fork down too and glared. Alex froze, his fork halfway to his mouth, watching warily as I snapped, ¡°And what excuse do you have this time to continue to hoard information like it¡¯s your given right to decide what to do with it? Just because you¡¯re rich and smart doesn¡¯t mean you can just make all these decisions on your own.¡± Leo leaned forward in his seat and pointed a finger at me. ¡°Okay, first, I¡¯m going to ignore that last bit. You know that I do care and I do have reasons, so calm down.¡± A text from Amelia came through and I chanced a downward glance at lap to read, Famous last words. I had the urge to steal the air from his lungs so he couldn¡¯t keep spewing nonsense. But I¡¯d bide my time and listen to his asinine explanation while imagining how it would feel if I teleported his head over there and kept the rest of his body over here. Leo continued, ¡°It¡¯s as I said yesterday. Too many things we don¡¯t have control over if we start sharing the information we have. It creates too many moving parts going off in different directions. There¡¯d be no control, no safety, no regulation.¡± I was shaking my head by the end. I saw what he was getting at, but he was wrong. I leaned forward. ¡°I believe we¡¯ve kept the information to ourselves for long enough. It was a total fluke that we found it in the first place. And no offense, but none of are are equipped to do anything significant with it. We don¡¯t have the right background to do more. There needs to be a team, or better yet, entire companies, doing the work from here on out. And let¡¯s not forget that this affects people¡¯s lives. Literally.¡± ¡°Which is why we need to make sure there are procedures in place to minimize the risks! As Alex brought up, if people try to force things they could die. We can¡¯t have people trying to develop an ability on the small chance it might save them.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing,¡± I argued, throwing my hands up. ¡°Can you at least agree with me on that?¡± Leo didn¡¯t answer, instead stabbing his salad and taking a bite. My lap buzzed. Amelia. I looked down. Leo mostly agrees, but he¡¯s hesitating. IDK why, she types. To cover staring at my lap again, I grabbed my fork and starting spinning the pasta on my plate. ¡°Look, Leo,¡± I said to him. ¡°The bottom line is people are still dying, now. Are you okay with that? Or should we try to help them using what we know about the radiation? Because if it¡¯s the latter¡­I don¡¯t know how else to put it other than we need help. Yes, it could become a logistical nightmare and will inevitably leak to the public. But that¡¯s going to happen at some point, no matter what. It¡¯s not a matter of if it gets out there, but when.¡± Deciding to try another angle, I set down my fork without taking a bite. ¡°Remember when we decided on a point to share this with everyone? I think we¡¯re there. Yes, it¡¯s earlier than we planned, but¡­we need to get some preventative measures up, now, before people with LaShoul¡¯s start trying to force it and accidentally kill themselves because they don¡¯t feel like they have another choice. We don¡¯t have the time, resources, or knowledge to do it by ourselves. And here, in front of us, is an opportunity to start making some real progress.¡± I glanced at Alex. He gave me an encouraging grin as he twirled more pasta onto his fork. At least he was on my side in this. Leo was looking at me when I looked back. My lap buzzed again, but I ignored it. We were caught in some sort of twisted staring contest and I knew if I looked away I could lose. His face twitched, as if to say something, before it closed off again. I had a hunch. ¡°What are you not telling me?¡± I asked quietly. My head tilted to the side as I took in the slight widening of Leo¡¯s eyes, the tighter grip on his fork. Bingo. And if he so much as thought of what he wasn¡¯t telling me, Amelia would catch it. My lips pressed together the longer Leo stayed silent. But, to his credit, his gaze never wavered from mine. Then, I went for the kill. ¡°If you really wanted to mend things between us, you¡¯d treat me like your equal. Don¡¯t repeat the past.¡± His eyes closed and he dropped his fork. He rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, muttering something unintelligible. I chanced a glance down at my lap, quickly reading Amelia¡¯s message. The first text from a minute earlier read, He believes he¡¯s making progress. The next text, a single word, popped up as I stared at my lap. Therapy. Therapy?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Was Leo in therapy? How did that have anything to do with all of this? I supported therapy, always, but it was so unrelated. Or was it? I was more confused now that I was earlier. So pretty much par for the course. ¡°I can tell you, but this information can¡¯t be shared outside of the company,¡± Leo said, interrupting my floundering thoughts. Alex scoffed, tossing down his fork and shaking his head. ¡°You do realize that much of the information you have now is because I gave it to you, right?¡± ¡°And you realize you have the same gamma tech as us because I gave it to you, right?¡± Leo countered without missing a beat. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± I interjected. ¡°Can we please just get along and quit the pointless bickering at each other? That¡¯s not why we¡¯re here!¡± Leo and Alex turned away from each other without another word. Because giving people the silent treatment always solved problems. ¡°Leo,¡± I pleaded. In a last-ditch effort to get him to fess up, I reached across the table to grab his wrist. He stared at it. ¡°Can you tell us anything?¡± His eyes were tired, defeated, lips pinched tight. ¡°Um¡­I think the best that I can say right now is that the idea of creating a¡­not exactly a solution, but more of an implementable procedure, or guidelines, is being talked about. And sharing the information about the gamma with others could put that in jeopardy.¡± ¡°How?¡± Alex demanded. ¡°I think that sharing the information could help, actually.¡± Leo pulled his arm out of my hold and didn¡¯t look at either of us. His voice was hard as he said, ¡°Look, if Hubert shoves their nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, this could all go south. We¡¯re working on things, okay? We¡¯re not satisfied to have just the bio-screens and collect data. We want more than that for people with LaShoul¡¯s and plan to do something about it. You do remember that¡¯s what got my father started, right? My mom¡¯s death from it? This is important to him, even if I don¡¯t agree with everything. So when I say we are working on things, I mean it. Let us do what we can without worrying what someone else might come up with.¡± ¡°And how would completely separate research on it affect that?¡± ¡°If someone on your side decides to share that information with the public prematurely, we may not be prepared for the fallout. That means corners get cut and people can get hurt.¡± I put my head in my hands and groaned. This was going nowhere. ¡°Do we need, I don¡¯t know, like a pros and cons list or something?¡± I muttered. ¡°Because this is taking way too fucking long and I am really getting sick of all this back and forth. Leo, I get where you¡¯re coming from. But I have no other proof that your company is actually working on things besides your word. Your father turned down my idea about gamma radiation treatment already. And what else is there?¡± I couldn¡¯t take it. I stood, slowly this time, and took my plate into the kitchen. After I dumped my food into a container and stuck it in the fridge, I pulled out the brownies I had made last night and took a massive bite. With my mouth full, I said, ¡°There¡¯s not right or wrong answer here. Whatever we decide has risks. We just need to decide what has the lowest risk, or what has the risks we are willing to live with.¡± Giving my back to them, I texted Amelia, What are they thinking? And I¡¯m about to zap your pasta over to you. Yay! Food! Leo sees your point about how to make a decision and thinks it¡¯s logical. Alex is going to reveal the gamma to Goodwin either way and is done waiting. Also, you owe me more explanations about what the fuck is going on. Wow, miracles DO happen, I answered. I can¡¯t say I disagree with Alex at this point. Of course I¡¯ll update you. Once they leave we¡¯ll talk. I stuck my phone back into my pocket and opened the fridge. I put my hand on Amelia¡¯s plate and teleported it to my office-library. ¡°So, Leo, you want to make that list?¡±
Several torn sheets of Leo¡¯s notebook and twenty minutes later, we had a mostly comprehensive list of the risks associated with each choice. Amelia had chimed in a couple of times, and I zapped her a bottle of water and a couple of brownies in thanks. The three of us each compared the lists in silence, absorbed in our own thoughts for several more minutes while we slowly ate brownies. Alex was the first to speak this time. ¡°From where I¡¯m standing, it seems to me that sharing the information and having an incomplete procedure is less risky. Because it¡¯s going to get out eventually, like Callie said. Having two companies working on it instead of one doubles those chances of coming up with something before it gets out. Yes, it also increases the risk of that information getting out. But after their first attempts at people forcing it, they banned that. I really doubt anyone would share any information with the public.¡± Leo didn¡¯t immediately argue against his point, which was a good sign. ¡°And if the companies decide to not be rivals and work together, each could target a specific problem,¡± I added. Not that I thought they would, but a girl could dream of a world where corporate greed didn¡¯t exist. ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Leo sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± I countered. ¡°But can you live with it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s actually something else we haven¡¯t considered.¡± He paused to scribble a question down on paper that I couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°We¡¯re making this decision like we¡¯re the only ones who know this about the gamma. But what if we aren¡¯t?¡± The question sat between us, heavy and full of implications. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting,¡± I clarified, ¡°that other people unrelated to us may know about it?¡± ¡°Exactly. And, if that¡¯s the case, then I have to agree with you both. The information should be shared to better the chances of coming up with something in time.¡± I had the urge to pinch myself to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming. Instead, I looked to Alex with wide eyes. He was trying, and failing, to hide a self-satisfied smirk. ¡°Logically, the chances of someone else already discovering this are extremely low without the tech we have,¡± he added. ¡°But not impossible,¡± I finished. Leo nodded. ¡°Yeah. So, as much as it could come back to bite me in the ass, I think we¡¯re all in agreement then that we¡¯re going to let them know about our little secret?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Leo nodded again, once. ¡°Alright. But I hope you¡¯re aware I¡¯m going to be tagging along. I don¡¯t want them fucking up the tech.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I would have expected nothing less.¡± Shortly after, Leo excused himself, claiming he needed to do more work to make sure my bio-screen couldn¡¯t be hacked. Alex offered to stay longer but I claimed fatigue from a day of work and the ensuing cooking and arguing. ¡°I just need to recharge. We¡¯ll catch up tomorrow,¡± I promised. As soon as the door shut behind him, automatically locking, Amelia came bounding out from her hiding place holding her empty plate. Neither of us said a word, just staring at each other. ¡°That was such a¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡ª¡± We both stopped talking. I shook my head and rubbed my temples. ¡°Why was that so incredibly difficult?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get why you were catering to him.¡± I dropped my hands. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Amelia shrugged one shoulder and deposited her plate in the sink where I had put the others. ¡°Two versus one. Majority rules?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not. It was more like fifty-fifty.¡± She scrunched up her nose in obvious distaste. ¡°But¡­why?¡± ¡°Because the tech belongs to him, to his father¡¯s company. If we¡¯d done it without his agreement, I could get in trouble.¡± ¡°So what?¡± I put my hands on my hips and stared at the floor. She had a point. But¡­ ¡°This is the best-paying job I¡¯ve ever had. So, you know, I don¡¯t want to lose it. Plus they¡¯re going to do my passion project with me, remember?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do it on your own?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not easily. It would take significantly longer and be significantly less¡­well, just less.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s all this about the gamma?¡± I walked into the kitchen, grabbing two wine glasses from a cabinet and placing them next to the fridge. ¡°Want one?¡± We sat on the couch, wine in hand, while I explained everything in chronological order, beginning with the bio-screens themselves, Leo¡¯s mods, our developing abilities, and the information we gathered in the process. I showed her my bio-screen, all the stats, even going so far back to the day we played around in Leo¡¯s apartment to figure out what was going on. ¡°So, in summary, people with LaShoul¡¯s are kind of¡­unactivated? And the reason why they die is because it sort of rots their systems?¡± I blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s actually a good way to put it. Yeah. We don¡¯t know the details about what causes the LaShoul¡¯s or how to treat it besides developing a power. We know that exposure to the gamma radiation from other people can help kickstart that process. I assume that any gamma radiation, whether it¡¯s from another person or another source, would do the same.¡± ¡°Was that what you meant when you guys were talking about a sort of procedure?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I leaned back against the cushions. ¡°Eventually, it¡¯s going to get out there. Alex was a part of a trial of people who attempted to force an ability. He, um, he was the only one successful.¡± ¡°And the others¡­?¡± ¡°Died.¡± Amelia was quiet, thinking through everything I had just dumped on her unceremoniously and without warning. ¡°This is a lot,¡± she finally said. She set her wine glass down and pursed her lips. ¡°I know,¡± I answered apologetically. ¡°I wish there was an easier way to break it to you. But as soon as we learned things, we were just more confused. This way you have the whole picture. Or, really, just our little puzzle pieces of it. It helps, knowing things. It¡¯s how I was able to save you.¡± Her eyes snapped to mine at my admission. ¡°I¡¯m not an important person,¡± I elaborated. ¡°I¡¯d asked about how we could help more people and was shut down. So I did what I could, and me working on the app will be another thing I can do to help.¡± ¡°And now sharing it with Goodwin,¡± Amelia tacked on. ¡°Exactly. And thank you for your help with that tonight.¡± I raised my glass at her and took a sip. ¡°I don¡¯t think you really needed my help.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Please. You let me know that I was making progress and just had to push a bit more. Otherwise I probably would¡¯ve given up before Leo agreed. And, on that note, I want to circle back to something you texted me. Therapy? For him, or¡­?¡± Amelia shook her head slowly. ¡°Not quite. It was like¡­he was involved, but it wasn¡¯t all about him?¡± A horrible idea sprang to mine, and I choked on my own breath. ¡°Like¡­¡± I lowered my voice to barely a whisper as I set my own wine glass down on the coffee table, ¡°couples therapy?¡± Amelia considered it, adding to my increasing horror at the thought Leo would want to drag me to couples therapy. ¡°No, that¡¯s not quite right. I didn¡¯t get the impression that you were involved.¡± ¡°Oh, thank fuck,¡± I said loudly, collapsing backward dramatically onto the seat cushion. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what he did mean by that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope that whatever it is, it¡¯s for the tight-ass¡¯s own good.¡± Amelia picked up her glass. ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡± Chapter 40 My arm buzzed, the new stats Leo and his father set up today alerting me to absolutely every single change in my body. It was infuriating. I wouldn¡¯t mess with the notifications until I learned about my limits, which could take days, if not weeks. I glanced down at the newly updated screen, missing the simplicity of the gamma stats I was familiar with. But these ones granted me a more detailed look at what was going on in my body and specific ability limits with hardly any guesswork.
Current Maximum
Ability Pool 30 33
Statistic Gamma Level Physical Condition
Strength 1 -6%
Constitution 1 -2%
Intelligence 2 - 15%
Farley Tech, through all their extensive tests and data collection from the bio-screens and in-house assessments, had discovered that our bodies processed gamma radiation in specific regions. For Leo and I, most of it happened in our brains and central nervous systems. Since both of our abilities were mental, it made sense that the majority of gamma would end up in Intelligence. There was still residual gamma buildup in other areas, like our muscular-skeletal system, Strength, and other internal organs and systems, Constitution. Because there was no baseline to go off, everything started at zero and went up. Over time, and with continued use of abilities, the Gamma Level would rise. We didn¡¯t know what that rising level would mean long-term. Preliminary data showed that it was a strengthening of not only abilities, but also of the human body. Leo was particularly interested in that volunteered to take charge of monitoring the changes, continuing testing, and analyzing the data. The Physical Condition stats continually changed throughout the day and caused all the alerts on my bio-screen. How I fueled my body, how much sleep I got, how stressed I was, and literally anything else that affected me calculated a modifier to show how effective my ability would be. At the end of my work day, I¡¯d been told my negative fifteen percent in Intelligence was because I was mentally exhausted, likely from trying to wrap my head around all of this¡­newness. My attempts to argue against that point had been proven moot when I¡¯d begun repeating myself. The bio-screen¡¯s calculations didn¡¯t lie; it continually tracked my stats, like oxygen, hydration, heart rate, all the normal stuff it was initially created to do, and adjusted the percentages as needed. Which was why I received another notification that my modifier dropped to negative fifteen percent. The most useful category was Ability Pool, which is why I made Leo put it at the top. It was calculated based on how much predicted gamma my body could safely process. Practice helped increase the Ability Pool. Bonuses could also be granted if I took good care of my body, increasing the effectiveness of whatever I did. After twenty-four hours, previous uses of my ability would fall off, or could be removed after I¡¯d gotten a solid night of sleep. Leo had explained it wasn¡¯t a perfect system and I¡¯d have to keep track of my own symptoms¡ªprimarily, tingling hands¡ªto make sure it was accurate while any kinks were worked out. Today while calibrating the new stats at work, I¡¯d used my ability thirty times of the thirty-three it predicted I could use. I¡¯d considered pushing for thirty-three to see if I started tingling but wanted hold off on the last few uses, just in case. Because I was meeting my dad for dinner tonight on the other side of town. After the Leo incident, I always wanted to make sure I had an escape route. Even if I knew my father would never do anything to me, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the general public. I flicked at the screen, turning it on dark mode and switching a second setting to keep it from lighting up. I didn¡¯t want it distracting me or grabbing my father¡¯s attention tonight. He knew nothing. While I tried to convince myself it was for his own good, I had no idea how to tell him I was no longer dying without revealing everything. There was no way he could be told. In part, because he wasn¡¯t one of us. I couldn¡¯t deny that there were significant risks with anyone outside of us knowing about this. Hopefully Leo¡¯s promise of a game plan would be enough. But until then, my dad was left in the dark. I¡¯d come up with something to tell him eventually. Maybe I could say the bio-screens proved extremely useful in figuring out how to better manage symptoms? It was a long shot but also a part of the original goal of the bio-screens. And it wasn¡¯t like my dad to ask a lot of questions about my diagnosis. Not after he went through it already with my mother. I pulled out my phone and checked his location, then Alex¡¯s. Alex offered to come tonight, in part to support me, another part to meet my remaining relative. After asking my dad if I could bring someone, he¡¯d answered with ¡°The more, the merrier! Maybe I¡¯ll bring someone, too.¡± It was a bit hypocritical of me, but I didn¡¯t want him bringing anyone. Maybe that¡¯s because I was holding onto the idea that I was the single, most important person in this city for him to meet for dinner like this. He¡¯d told me about his job, how well he was getting along with his coworkers, how promising this position was. It was reasonable to expect him to have made friends, even if they¡¯d just met in person recently. The train slowed to a stop and I stood. My fingers were tingling in anticipation. Or was it my ability reacting to my nerves? I needed to keep it together. There could be absolutely no use of teleportation tonight except in an emergency. No matter what. It was a delicate balance that needed to be maintained. Once I reached the correct address for the restaurant, I shot off two separate messages to my father and Alex telling them I had arrived. My father had picked this one from a recommendation of a new coworker. I stepped inside to get out of the chill and had to hide my surprise when there was a coat attendant waiting expectantly. I handed mine over and scanned the code on the hanger with my phone, linking it to me. After, I stepped up to the host station and provided the reservation name. My father replied, letting me know they were a few minutes out. So, he was bringing a friend. That¡¯s okay, I told myself. He¡¯s allowed, just like I am allowed my boyfriend. And speak of the handsome devil. Never had I seen Alex so dressed up before. Clearly, he knew what type of restaurant this was when I¡¯d sent him the name and address, or else he looked it up. I was lucky that I¡¯d chosen a classic black velvet dress and some simple jewelry. I¡¯d almost picked up my mother¡¯s necklace, but didn¡¯t want to bring up sad memories the first night I was seeing my father after so many months. Alex approached me and immediately leaned in for a less-then-chaste kiss. Thank goodness for smudge-proof makeup. ¡°Hey, gorgeous,¡± he greeted. He pulled away only slightly and wrapped his arm around my back. ¡°You excited to see your dad?¡± ¡°Hey, yourself, handsome. Yes. Very. It¡¯ll be nice. And what about you? Nervous at all?¡± Alex gave a noncommittal grunt, which I interpreted as most definitely nervous but obviously not going to say so. ¡°Have you been here before?¡± I asked, looking around again.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It was the opposite of modern infrastructure. The wood tones were dark and inviting, the lights a warm, dim yellow glow, the chairs draped in dark fabrics. The only white in the entire establishment was the tablecloths, but even those were covered with burgundy and forest green and jewel-toned blue napkins. ¡°Twice,¡± Alex responded. ¡°Both were work parties.¡± My eyebrows shot up. ¡°Must have been one hell of a party.¡± He chuckled, his body shaking slightly against mine. ¡°It was. I think I remember one of the interns getting so wasted, he tried to turn it into karaoke night.¡± I laughed. It sounded like a fun time. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°We called him a rideshare and sent him home. He tried to get one of the servers to go with him. Thankfully, the guy was a good sport and wasn¡¯t upset about it. He got a lot of tips for that night.¡± Before I could ask any other follow-up questions, the door behind us opened, bringing in the cool pre-winter bite that had bumps trailing down my arms and legs. ¡°Callie,¡± came my father¡¯s voice. I turned in Alex¡¯s arms and was moving before my brain could catch up. My father caught me, squeezing tight and trying to hide a slight sniffle that gave away his watering eyes. He never cried in front of me, believing that he needed to always be strong for me. I¡¯d tried to disagree with him, saying that tears were a healthy show of emotion, but he¡¯d been insistent. After that, I had called him old and stuck in his ancient ways, and he¡¯d tossed a pillow at my face. I¡¯d been eleven. It was good to see him, to hug him, smell his cologne again. I¡¯d made the right decision in moving here, but had always felt like I¡¯d left him behind. Now he was here and my life felt a little more complete. ¡°Hi, dad,¡± I whispered into his shoulder where I¡¯d automatically buried my face. The man was not tall, only a few inches above me, which meant he was perfect hug-height. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you.¡± He gave me a solid squeeze before gently pulling back. ¡°You look good, Callie. And this is your someone?¡± ¡°Yeah. Dad, this is Alex. Alex, my dad.¡± Alex held out his hand. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Navie,¡± Alex answered smoothly. ¡°You¡¯ve raised quite an impressive woman.¡± Both my father and I flushed at the compliment. I pinched Alex¡¯s side. Who knew he could be this smooth? A gentle throat clearing brought my attention back to the woman standing slightly behind my father, presumably his coworker. ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯m so sorry, Veronica,¡± my dad apologized. He stepped aside and gestured a bit awkwardly to the woman. ¡°This is one of my coworkers, Veronica. She¡¯s been with the company for years and has been so helpful in getting me here. Even though she didn¡¯t have to.¡± Veronica had the sort of timeless grace any person hoped to have thirty years down the line. Her graying blond hair was expertly styled, her dress modest but attractive, the pearls at her throat the perfect compliment to her skin tone. I almost hated how incredible she looked, but I hated how she eyed my father more, like she wanted to eat him up. Not that I¡¯d begrudge my dad any bit of romance. But after my mother¡¯s passing, he¡¯d spent all his time and effort focused on raising me. It felt wrong that he could be interested in another woman. It was probably more of a me problem, unfortunately. Now that I was living my full life, and not the half-life I¡¯d stuck myself in for years, I knew that it wasn¡¯t going to just be me and my dad against the world like when we were younger. Veronica held out her hand, making me realize I hadn¡¯t said a word to greet her. ¡°Thanks for helping my dad,¡± I said, reaching for outstretched hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± As soon as my skin made contact with hers, a cool jolt traveled up my arm. My bio-screen buzzed. Damn. I couldn¡¯t look to see what the newest, latest update was in front of them. It would be rude. Right? Like taking a phone call at the dinner table. Later, I¡¯d excuse myself to the bathroom to check it out. Because a part of me was convinced that Veronica, as sweet-faced as she appeared, was an opponent with an ability. Which was absurd. My brain was actively looking for reasons to hate her, which was a bit embarrassing. It was probably another modifier being modified. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± she said to me before turning her gaze to Alex. I, too, turned my gaze to Alex, and he shook her hand a little more stiffly than he had my father¡¯s. ¡°Shall we?¡± my father prompted, leading the way further into the restaurant as we followed the host to our table. Grabbing Alex¡¯s arm, I tugged on him to give us a bit of space. I reached up on my tiptoes to ask, ¡°Does something feel off about her, or am I just paranoid?¡± Alex laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders to carefully drag me forward. ¡°What are you paranoid about?¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± I hissed, looking ahead to make sure they hadn¡¯t heard him. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I just¡­as soon as she shook my hand, my screen alerted.¡± That got his attention for a moment. Then, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you got your stats updated today?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, scrunching my nose. ¡°It was so annoying. I¡¯ll have to tell you about it later. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s related!¡± ¡°Well, are you going to check?¡± ¡°Not in front of them.¡± ¡°Do you think she has an ability like us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe?¡± I sighed, resisting the urge to run straight to the bathroom to check my screen. ¡°Am I overreacting?¡± Alex hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. You never know what type of person you¡¯ll meet. But¡­yeah, you probably are.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered, looking down at my feet. ¡°Keep me in check, okay?¡± Alex gave me a befuddled expression like he didn¡¯t know the first thing about subtle communication. Hand squeezing. Code phrases. Tapping a glass three times. Something. Anything. The last thing I wanted was to ruin this for my father. We were shown to a table near a window where the blustering fall wind swirled leaves against the tinted glass. Alex took the seat across from Veronica, and I gave his thigh a squeeze under the table as I sat. He jerked, moving his thigh away and smacking at my hand. Too high. Oops. I weaved my fingers together and placed them in my lap. We already had enough unresolved tension between us, and adding to it while at dinner with my father was absolutely not the right time. Me practically groping the poor man was the opposite of helpful. After that little mishap, dinner was mostly uneventful, except for the part where I accidentally knocked my water onto my appetizer plate, soaking the bread. We chatted about superficial things, like the changing weather, how his move went, how my new job was treating me, all safe topics for the presence of new acquaintances. Before dessert, which my father insisted on, I snuck away to the bathroom to collect and reassure myself that there was nothing to worry about with Veronica. Locking myself in one of the stalls, I swept up on my forearm to pull up the screen. I was definitely getting better with this. I navigated across the tabs at the top, trying to remember where just the gamma stats were located. Instead of them being on the home page, they¡¯d been relocated to a background tab or something. Leo and Andrew wanted me to focus on improving my overall health to see how it impacted everything. Moving the old gamma stats was a way to encourage what they wanted. ¡°Where the fuck did it go?¡± I muttered to myself, scrolling down a detailed list of my other, biological stats like oxygen, cortisol, heart rate. A voice came from outside the stall. ¡°Callie? You okay in there?¡± I froze, immediately recognizing Veronica¡¯s tone. Had she followed me? What that on purpose, or a coincidence? It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d been gone long enough to warrant being searched for. ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just looking for something is all.¡± ¡°If you need any menstrual products, I always keep some on me,¡± she offered. Ew. I appreciated the gesture, but I was so not going to accept something from the woman who might be into my father. That was just¡­no. ¡°I found it,¡± I answered. ¡°But thanks.¡± My screen would have to wait. Damnit. I used the toilet to not be suspicious, and left the stall to find Veronica dabbing at her lipstick with a tissue. After washing my hands, I went to leave and return to our table when she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. Again, I froze, this time with a rush of adrenaline flooding my system. I was alone in a place without cameras with someone I just met who may have an ability. I felt cornered, trapped, even though I had an out. But I¡¯d thought that last time, and had failed, hadn¡¯t I? Not to mention that I was running on low, if not almost empty. And the greater the distance I zapped myself, like from here to my apartment, the more of it I would use up. I wasn¡¯t sure I had enough left in me to get all the way there and I didn¡¯t want to find out what happened if I ran out mid-teleport. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind I tagged along tonight,¡± Veronica said sweetly. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with your father for a bit now, and want to get to know him.¡± ¡°My father¡¯s pretty great,¡± I hedged. This was not a comfortable conversation. ¡°I also wanted to meet you,¡± she added, taking a step closer. I shuffled back half a step,, trying to be subtle about it. ¡°He¡¯s talked a lot about you, you know. I had to meet the famous Callie.¡± I forced out a laugh. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not famous. Pretty average, really. But I appreciate the compliment. We should probably get back to the table before they miss us, or before we miss dessert,¡± I suggested, edging to the side to step around her. ¡°Of course. But I hope to get to know you better, Callie.¡± I paused with my back to the stalls. I was about five steps away from the door, which anyone could walk through at any time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why anyone would be interested in getting to know their coworker¡¯s daughter,¡± I stated, watching as the implication registered on Veronica¡¯s face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say he¡¯s just a coworker.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I took another couple of steps towards the door, feeling a rush of relief when my hand grabbed the handle. ¡°I¡¯m glad my father has a friend in you.¡± Was it what she actually had meant? Maybe, but my gut was telling me no, that this woman had a more specific interest in my father than just being his coworker or friend. And I didn¡¯t really care to get involved. My father¡¯s love life was his own. I was a grown woman myself and didn¡¯t need a step-mother to try to take my mom¡¯s place. My dad had filled that role almost my entire life. Was I reading into things too much? Perhaps. But I would be keeping an eye on Veronica. Something was telling me that there was more going on that I should keep tabs on. When I arrived back at the table, Veronica trailing closely behind me, I shot Alex a Look. He didn¡¯t know what that look meant, of course, but he was smart enough to know something was up and to ask about it later. Our desserts came shortly after that. The entire time, Veronica kept her focus on my dad. For her talk about wanting to get to know me, she wasn¡¯t doing a very good job at the moment. Or maybe she was trying to show me how she was genuinely interested in my father? It was all so awkward. I kept my eyes on my plate or on Alex as the conversation transitioned to discussing how great the dinner was, how nice it was to catch up in person, and when we were free next to plan something else. Originally, I¡¯d planned on inviting Alex and my father over to my apartment afterwards, assuming that his coworker would head home, but Veronica complicated things. I didn¡¯t want to specifically exclude her but I sure as hell wasn¡¯t inviting her over either. ¡°Remind me what hotel you¡¯re at?¡± I asked as we collected our coats. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m staying at Veronica¡¯s,¡± he answered. ¡°She was so kind to offer me her guest room instead of dealing with a hotel.¡± ¡°How generous of her.¡± If either of them caught on to the insincerity in my tone, they didn¡¯t react. Veronica smoothed the front of her coat, the waist cinched tight. ¡°Well, I had the space, and it¡¯s gone unused for so long. I figured that your father might prefer to stay somewhere a bit more homey while he works on finding a place of his own.¡± I nodded, not trusting myself to keep the snakiness out of my tone. Alex came to the rescue in the silence that followed. ¡°I should get home. Long day. It was so nice meeting the both of you.¡± He extended his hand first to my father, and then to Veronica. ¡°Here, Callie, I¡¯ll walk you to the station.¡± I gave my dad a hug goodbye and settled on a polite wave for Veronica. As Alex and I turned and left, he wrapped an arm around my middle and tugged me close. Leaning down, he whispered, ¡°You good?¡± I swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s probably nothing. Well, not nothing. I think Veronica has a thing for my dad. It¡¯s¡­weird to me.¡± Alex dug his fingers into my ticklish side, making me flinch into him. ¡°Yeah, I bet it¡¯s weird seeing someone flirt with your parent.¡± ¡°Right? It was so weird. And also, like, why bring a date to meet your daughter? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually together.¡± I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Wait. Do you¡­you don¡¯t think they could actually be together, do you? It¡¯s way too early. They¡¯re coworkers.¡± Alex moved to stand in front of me and placed his hands on top of my shoulders. ¡°Do you want me to give you the truth, or make you feel better.¡± ¡°Ugh. Truth.¡± ¡°I asked you out on a date the first time we met, remember? And look where that got us. It¡¯s totally possible they¡¯re dating and didn¡¯t want to tell you yet. Gauge the situation first, figure out how to break it to you gently.¡± I let my face fall forward onto his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about that,¡± I moaned into his coat. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms before I pulled back. ¡°How about we go back to my place and you can show me these fancy new stats you have,¡± he suggested. ¡°It¡¯ll probably make my brain short-circuit.¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t keep thinking about your dad and Veronica,¡± he countered. I gasped in mock-offense. ¡°Ew, don¡¯t say that. You just ruined the mood.¡± He winked at me. Winked! ¡°I bet I can fix that.¡± Alex grabbed my hand and pulled me along while I sputtered. Chapter 41 My vibrating forearm woke me from a dream where I was at a seafood restaurant being served by a human-sized Lucie. I slapped at my bio-screen blindly until I managed to turn it off. There had to be a snooze setting, right? Or a scheduled do not disturb? Because it waking me at¡ªI rolled over to grab my phone, squinting as my eyes tried to adjust¡ªsix thirteen in the morning was simply blasphemy. Work didn¡¯t start until eight, meaning I could get up at seven and make it on time. Especially because if I was really running late, I could just teleport myself there in an instant. I rubbed my face as I contemplated either trying to get another forty-five minutes of sleep or just accepting defeat and getting up. When my phone lit up in my hand with a text from my father, I admitted the universe needed me to wake up right now. Even though I really didn¡¯t want to. I sat up and let the warm fur-covered comforter pool around my waist. Never before had I fallen asleep while vertical, so it was my go-to way to make sure I didn¡¯t fall back asleep on accident. I turned on a light, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and opened the text from my father to try to start my day. Have a great day at work! Was he kidding me? This man raised me and knew better than to think I would be awake before the sun. Texting me had woken me before, back when I still lived with him. Granted, I¡¯d always kept my phone on loud in case he needed to get in touch with me while I was sleeping and he was at work, but he¡¯d quickly learned to hold off on any non-essential messages until later in the morning. Tempted to send him a picture of me flipping him off while still in bed, I instead tossed my phone away so I didn¡¯t do something rash. It wasn¡¯t his fault, and he¡¯d done nothing wrong. I was just being a cranky asshole this morning. I pulled my arm in front of me and flicked the screen, pulling up the new stats to see what had awoken me.
Current Maximum
Ability Pool 0 33
Statistic Gamma Level Physical Condition
Strength 1 0%
Constitution 1 0%
Intelligence 2 0%
Back to baseline, which was breaking news to absolutely no one. If I¡¯d been able to get just a tad more sleep, I wondered if any of my conditional modifiers in the Physical Condition category would have ended up positive instead of neutral. Maybe I¡¯d make Leo show me how to temporarily turn this damn thing off so I could sleep in a bit more. For science, obviously. I got myself ready in record time, not caring how I looked or what I got dressed in. If I was up this early, I was stopping to treat myself to coffee and breakfast before heading in, and was wasting no time in putting in effort. It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d be doing anything other than more tests, seeing how the stats adapted, the same thing day after day. Famous last words. Instead of the security guard nodding towards the elevators like she did every day, I was instructed to meet on the seventeenth floor instead. I checked my appearance in the mirrored elevator, frowning at the haphazard ballet bun and casual clothes. I looked like a college student who¡¯d stayed up too late last night partying. Awesome. With some quick thinking and a prayer to the universe, I shook out my hair and tucked the front of my shirt into my pants. At least I had showered last night and remembered antiperspirant this morning. Leo was waiting for me when I stepped off the elevator. He gave me a once-over that I didn¡¯t appreciate and handed me a tablet that I took on reflex. ¡°You need to show me how to mute these notifications while I¡¯m asleep,¡± I snapped at him before he could say anything. ¡°They woke me up early this morning.¡± Leo frowned. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have. They automatically turn off when it detects you¡¯re asleep, and turns them back on when you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what happened. Fix it.¡± I held out my arm, ready for him to do it right here. ¡°We have a meeting.¡± ¡°Fabulous. Screen first, meeting second.¡± Leo shook his head, grabbed my outstretched arm and began pulling me along. To my credit, I didn¡¯t immediately flinch away from his touch. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time for me to figure out what went wrong with it. I¡¯ll do it later. But I promise that you won¡¯t want to miss this meeting.¡± I yanked my arm out of his grip, falling into step slightly behind him. ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± ¡°Your little app idea.¡± I jabbed him in the shoulder with my pointer finger. ¡°It¡¯s not some little idea,¡± I protested. ¡°It¡¯s a great idea that could help people.¡± ¡°Apologies,¡± he deadpanned. I poked him again, harder. ¡°Quit it.¡± I relented, needing to address the worst issue. ¡°Next time we have a meeting, a warning would have been nice so I wouldn¡¯t come in looking like I haven¡¯t done laundry in a month.¡± It was actually getting close to two weeks. Lucie was loving her new nesting pile of dirty clothes she could get her fur all over. When I ran out of underwear I¡¯d be forced to do it, which was in a few days, probably. Although¡­I should probably double-check that. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s only a few of us.¡± Leo led me around a sharp turn, coming face to face with a large conference room with two walls made entirely of windows; one facing the office, the other facing the city. Which was just great, so everyone who walked by could witness my embarrassing fashion choices. The two women and one man looked up as we entered, their conversation stopping. ¡°Good morning,¡± Leo greeted them while standing. ¡°This is Callie. The app was her idea, so she¡¯ll be a part of the development team. This is Gloria, Kennedy, and Malcolm.¡± Gloria nodded at her name, Kennedy gave me a little wave, and Malcolm ignored me. I offered a smile before taking a seat. ¡°Game plan for today is to get the general idea out in the open,¡± Leo continued confidently. He walked over to one of the two opaque walls and hit something on a control panel. The windows connected to the rest of the office space turned misty, granting us some privacy. ¡°This isn¡¯t technically under-wraps, but we don¡¯t need to encourage it getting out there yet.¡± He took his seat at the head of the table and clapped his hands together, once. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get started.¡± Immediately, the room became a living argument. Ideas started flying across the table faster than I could follow, overlapping questions and answers that no four people should be able to do. I watched in fascination as Gloria began taking notes on her tablet, which then appeared on the far wall.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Are we looking just to start here, or do we want to make it global?¡± ¡°What type of interface do we want? Something medical, because of the target audience?¡± ¡°Here, to start. With the ability to expand.¡± I tried to chime in to answer Malcolm¡¯s question. ¡°Not a medical one, that¡¯ll only¡ª¡± ¡°We should have a summary on the home screen, give an overview of everything all at once.¡± ¡°Should the settings and account tabs be top or bottom? Or maybe even a swipe from the side?¡± ¡°How many main categories are we looking at?¡± ¡°Main targets are to check stats from some wearable device. We¡¯ll also want to include a section for people to input their own symptoms.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that defeat the purpose of encouraging them to get a device?¡± I tried again. ¡°This should be accessible to anyone, so both would¡ª¡± Leo interrupted as if I wasn¡¯t there, standing up and walking over to the wall of brainstorming. ¡°We want them to see how useful the app is. Of course, it will be limited to what they input as their own symptoms. It¡¯ll be significantly better if they have a device, and that¡¯s what we want them to realize.¡± The conversation continued, if it could even be called that. It felt more like a free for all, yet progress was being made. Except they weren¡¯t doing it right. None of them were focusing on the average user. They wanted to develop it so people would feel the need to buy more from them. With the bio-screens still in clinical trials, it was going to be a long road for many of them, taking time they already didn¡¯t have. And while people tried this app and waited for screens, they would die. This was¡­so wrong. I couldn¡¯t be here, be a part of that. Grabbing my tablet and bag, I left the room without being noticed. For several minutes I wandered aimlessly until I found what looked like a quiet windowed corner by a potted plant. I sat down on the carpeted floor, leaning my back against the wall. I rested the tablet Leo gave me on my propped thighs and started sketching a very rough and mostly disorganized graphic organizer. How would I get a word in edgewise with these people? They didn¡¯t seem to even pause to breathe. If I didn¡¯t speak up somehow, would I ultimately be okay with the app being less than what I hoped? Was having something better than nothing? Because if it were completely up to me to get it off the ground and running, it wouldn¡¯t happen. What the app should be was something people could use in a number of ways. Logging and tracking symptoms was a good idea, as Leo suggested. But it needed to include a daily log of activities, so trends could be determined. If someone logged shortness of breath without also being able to add running on a treadmill, the data was useless. And beyond logging symptoms, there needed to be a community where people could share ideas, ask questions, get support during the hard times. That was what prompted my idea in the first place; everything else was just extra. At the bare minimum, it needed to be able to reach out to people of the user¡¯s choice in the event of an emergency. Instead of calling or messaging people manually, holding down a button on a home screen widget could do it for them with a predetermined message and current location. It was one of the few things I¡¯d thought about extensively and believed I had a decent game plan for. All that and more I organized onto my tablet, working through what I viewed as most important to least. And I let those ideas absorb me completely. When my pocket vibrated at an incoming call, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I dropped the stylus and barely managed to hold onto the tablet. I took a few greedy gulps of air and reached around to grab my phone, yanking out of the pocket as I leaned to one side. My forearm buzzed. ¡°Hey,¡± I answered in a breathy voice. I sounded like I¡¯d been running. ¡°Hey,¡± Amelia¡¯s chipper voice came from the line. ¡°You okay? They working you too hard over there? Quit. You¡¯ll have more time to spend with me.¡± ¡°Oh, no I¡¯m fine. Your call just startled me is all.¡± I shifted the phone to prop it up with my shoulder as I pulled up my bio-screen to see why it was yelling at me this time.
Current Maximum
Ability Pool 0 33
Statistic Gamma Level Physical Condition
Strength 1 +1%
Constitution 1 +3%
Intelligence 2 -1%
Well, that was actually interesting. Something triggered the modifiers to change. Was it the near heart-attack inducing reaction I had and the resulting surge of adrenaline? It should probably be investigated, again for science, but one thing at a time. It would just have to wait until I finished seeing how sleeping in affected things. Amelia continued, unaware of my distraction. ¡°I was actually wondering if you were free later? Maybe for lunch, or dinner? ¡°Dinner could work. I¡¯m not sure what my lunch is going to look like. I¡¯m technically in a meeting right now.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! We¡¯ll talk later,¡± she apologized. I waved a dismissive hand, not that she could see it. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. I left the meeting a while ago.¡± ¡°Really? What happened?¡± I sighed into the phone, expressing my frustration without having to say anything. ¡°That bad, huh?¡± I rubbed my forehead and said, ¡°You have no idea.¡± ¡°I might have some idea,¡± she countered. That was fair. ¡°We¡¯re working on my app, and no one would stop talking for two seconds to listen to me. So I got up and left to work on it on my own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s annoying, and I¡¯m sorry they¡¯re not listening,¡± she lamented. ¡°What¡¯s your game plan?¡± ¡°It needs to be simple and easy to understand, and they¡¯re trying to make it¡ª¡± ¡°No, I mean about the interrupting thing,¡± she interjected. ¡°Which I just did, too. Oops, sorry.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re good. I don¡¯t know. I just¡­It¡¯s hard because I¡¯m not qualified to offer input and they know it.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you qualified? Isn¡¯t it your idea? I¡¯d say that makes you the most qualified.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think that,¡± I muttered. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to develop an app.¡± ¡°And? Isn¡¯t that what they¡¯re for? Sorry if I¡¯m pushing, I¡¯m just thinking about what you¡¯ve told me about it. You¡¯re the one with the vision. If I were in your shoes, I¡¯d make sure that they saw that vision.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know I need to make them hear me, but it¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°My mom always told me that most worthwhile things in life are never easy.¡± I groaned, letting my head fall back to bash against the wall. ¡°Can¡¯t some things at least be easy?¡± I whined. ¡°Callie, I say this with all my love. Get up off your ass and go tell those idiots what they¡¯re missing. It¡¯s your idea. Make them listen.¡± ¡°Could I just come up with a kick-ass idea and wow them at a later time?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯ll have their own ideas by then and it¡¯ll be harder to get them to change them.¡± She had a point. They could absolutely come up with an idea that was the complete opposite of my goal with the app. Yes, I had told Andrew that there were ways the app could benefit him and his company, but the primary focus needed to be on people who needed it. And¡­a thought occurred to me, a way to maybe perhaps hopefully give them what they wanted while giving me what I wanted. ¡°You¡¯re right. Gotta go. Dinner later,¡± I said in a rush before hanging up on a probably confused Amelia. I quickly retraced my steps as best I could and entered the conference room to find chaos. Kennedy was gesturing wildly at the information on the board, Malcolm was leaning dangerously far back in his chair and arguing with her, Gloria was furiously scribbling on her tablet, and Leo was staring out the window at the city below. Quickly, I glanced at the information on the wall. I stepped up to Leo, touching his arm to get his attention. ¡°Can you clear that screen for me and show mine?¡± I asked, holding out my tablet. He took it without a word, navigated through it, and suddenly my brainstorming session appeared on the board, everything else wiped away. Kennedy turned to face me, fire in her eyes for interrupting her monologue. Gloria¡¯s stylus paused over her tablet. Malcolm nearly lost his balance and flew forward in his chair with a huffed gasp. ¡°I understand you all have ideas, great ideas,¡± I clarified while everyone¡¯s eyes were on me. ¡°What¡¯s the goal here, though?¡± No one answered. Instead of caving and continuing, I put on my big girl pants, raised my eyebrows, and stared all four of them down. ¡°Well?¡± I prompted. ¡°There¡¯s multiple goals,¡± Leo answered. ¡°Right.¡± I zoomed to a clear section of the whiteboard feature on the tablet and wrote Goals. ¡°What are the main goals we want here?¡± ¡°Money,¡± Malcolm chimed. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t make money, what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Fair,¡± I answered, writing it down. ¡°What features of this app will make us the money? What¡¯s going to bring them in?¡± Leo spoke up this time. ¡°Well, we¡¯re looking at other forms of tech, specifically smaller versions of the bio-screens for anyone to get.¡± ¡°How does that relate to my question?¡± ¡°The screens will be compatible with the app and bring in revenue of its own. Also, in making them half the size, we can manufacture them in half the time, meaning more people can get one sooner. Not to mention all the other tech already out there for removable health trackers.¡± Completely sidetracked, I asked, ¡°Why go in that direction, though? Of the mini-screens, I mean.¡± ¡°The screens are great, no one¡¯s arguing that. But for the average person, they don¡¯t need all the extra tech right now. There¡¯s so much unused space on them, and they¡¯re not cheap to make. Having a smaller version, maybe a two-inch by two-inch square, would work for most people until we get the other programs for more features up and running.¡± ¡°Other features?¡± Gloria prompted. ¡°Right now, they¡¯re focused on just reading the human body, and we¡¯ve all but finished the clinical trials. We¡¯ll be approved. But they could, in theory, replace phones with how much power they have. We just aren¡¯t there yet.¡± ¡°So,¡± I deduced, ¡°you¡¯re creating a smaller, focused device that will be usable by everyone based on the programs you already have available.¡± Leo turned to me, blinking. ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised. Because that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m getting at with this app. What we should be focusing on is how to make this app useful to everyone. Not just people with LaShoul¡¯s. If anyone can get a mini-screen even without LaShoul¡¯s, everyone should be able to use the app.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the way I¡¯d planned to convince them, but whatever worked. The room was so silent that I could hear someone flushing a toilet in the nearby bathrooms. Leo continued my train of thought and added, ¡°Still keep it useful for people with LaShoul¡¯s, but also make it useable to everyone.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Finally, we were getting somewhere. I zoomed back out on my tablet to show my brainstorming. ¡°The interface should be so user-friendly that a child could understand it. Because, let¡¯s be honest, some of the population has about as much common sense as one. Main categories for logging food, water, weight, activities. Another for symptoms; people can either have a device sync to it automatically, like the mini-screens, or they can log manually. A third for communities. And a customizable fourth option, so people with LaShoul¡¯s can easily contact loved ones when they need help, which can be a major problem for them.¡± ¡°Maybe even get some board-certified doctors to do Q and A¡¯s, or write articles about hot topics. We make it the health app to have, and with the new tech, we¡¯ll make all the money we need.¡± It was probably Leo¡¯s last statement about money, but Malcolm drawled out a slow yes while nodding. ¡°We could even have a section for women to track their cycles,¡± Kennedy added. ¡°Ooh, yes. I wonder if we could get doctor¡¯s offices to sync their records with it,¡± Gloria mused. ¡°So for people without a bio-screen or mini version, they could still have somewhat updated information, or at least an easier way of tracking changes.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re doing all that,¡± Leo said, ¡°we need to include an export function so people can send their logs to their providers ahead of appointments.¡± Chaos reigned again as more suggestions were made. But this time around, I wasn¡¯t afraid to raise my voice to make sure I was heard. Chapter 42 - Delayed Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Unfortunately, Chapter 42 is delayed for at least several more days. My dog, Teddy, has been doing very poorly, and last night things came to a head and resulted in a trip to the emergency vet. He''s on major pain meds and steroids now, and is doing a little better today though he still needs to be hand-fed and hand-watered. We expect him to do well with these meds, but we''re looking at potential/probable surgery down the road. With his needs combined with holiday plans through Monday, I''m not sure when I will find the time to finish the next chapter. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Please be assured that the latest the next chapter will be out is next week Friday, Jan. 3rd! I''m very hopeful to squeeze in some time while the toddler is distracted with his new toys to get something out before then, but can''t make any promises. My new year''s resolution is to build a backlog of chapters somehow so when life gets in my way it doesn''t get in Callie''s. Thank you for your patience and understanding! I hope you and yours have a happy holiday season!