Unseen

By: Stephanie Erickson

For Grace

1.

I was alone at the piano. The music flowed from my fingers to the keys, and then the hammers and the strings, filling the small room. I desperately needed the sense of peace I felt while playing—it freed me from the pressures closing in on me, from the constant drone of people’s voices in my head. At least until I hit the wrong note. After nearly six years of practicing Gaspard de la Nuit, I still couldn’t get it right. But Ravel’s piece was my Everest and, someday, I would conquer it.

A knock at the practice room door let me know today wouldn’t be the day. “Come in,” I said, sighing.

“I’m not surprised to find you here.” Professor Peterson quietly shut the door behind her.

I shuffled the sheet music back into order. “Yes, well. I thought it might help.”

“How’s it coming?”

I glanced at my sheet music.

She walked around me and peered at it through her thick, black-rimmed glasses. “Gaspard? Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“I don’t know what my problem is. The paper’s mostly written. I just don’t think it’s terribly good, or that it represents my last six years of study well enough.”

She scooped the skirt of her yellow suit beneath her as she sat in the chair next to the piano. “Maybe you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. I know it seems like a big deal at the moment, but years from now, you’ll look back and wish for a problem as trivial as your Master’s Thesis.”

I blinked at her. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

She laughed. “Yes.”

I harrumphed, and she laughed a little harder.

Noticing my iLs on top of the piano, she reached for it, turning the little device and its ear pieces over in her hands. “Do you remember your audition?”

She paused, but I didn’t respond. I just watched as she studied the thing that had kept me sane for most of my life. It was basically a glorified iPod, but it was the only thing that kept the voices out—until I learned to play my own music.

“I don’t remember every audition I sit in on, but yours… I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The Dohnanyi Recital Hall itself wasn’t particularly intimidating. It was the circumstances that were making my hands shake. If I blew this audition, I had no plan B. All my eggs were in this basket: Getting into the FSU College of Music.

The judges, all professors of music at the school, were seated in the center of the auditorium when I walked into the room. I took a breath, letting the music from my iLs calm my racing mind. There were four judges. I’d thought there would only be one, maybe two. I took a breath, letting the music enfold me. It would be okay. I could do this.

I nodded to the judges as I walked past them, then climbed the stairs to the stage and seated myself at the piano.

“Excuse me, Ms. Day. Are you wearing headphones?” It was the judge in the center. She had frosted blonde hair, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched at the end of her nose.

I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. “Well, technically, yes. It’s an iLs, to help me concentrate.”

“I don’t understand,” the judge on the end piped up. “What are you listening to? Is it just white noise?”

“No. It’s Beethoven.”

“It’s music. Music like what you’re planning to play?” They exchanged looks while an uncomfortable pause settled over the auditorium.

The blonde woman appeared sympathetic, but I didn't need sympathy. I needed understanding. “I’m sorry, Ms. Day, but you can’t listen to music during your audition. How are we to know you’re not listening to the piece you plan to play? It could be construed as cheating. Please give me the device before you start your audition.”

I couldn’t move for a heartbeat. They were making me relinquish my lifeline. My dreams were slipping through my fingers, and I was powerless to stop it from happening.

“Ms. Day?”

Nodding sharply, I stood to walk toward her. I turned the iLs off and removed the earpieces. Just like that, I was bombarded by their thoughts.

It looks like an iPod. Did she really think she was going to get away with cheating? I wasn’t sure whose thought it was. It was a man’s voice, but there were three men, all of them staring me down.

“If you check my file, it should explain about the device. I wasn’t trying to cheat, I promise.”

The woman looked at me with a kindness in her eyes. “I’m sure you weren’t. We just have to make sure everyone adheres to the same rules. You understand, right? It’s important to be fair.”

Not really, I thought. It wasn’t fair—I was quite certain none of the other prospective students were mind readers like me. “Sure,” I said out loud.

While I walked back to the piano, they were all thinking different things.

How much longer? My back hurts.

This one’s going to be a waste of time.

She’s chosen some difficult pieces. Let’s see how she does. The woman was the only one whose thoughts I could conclusively identify.

This should be interesting.

Sitting down at the piano, I stared at the keys while their voices filled my head. I took a breath, trying to find the music, but their thoughts were so loud. Panic started to rise at the back of my throat.

“Whenever you’re ready,” one of the male judges said, and sat back in his chair, clearly unimpressed. By the sound of his voice, he was also the one who was convinced I was trying to cheat.

I laid my hands on the keys. Just play. The music will come, I thought.

What a joke, that same male judge thought. To shake his thoughts from my head, I slammed the first notes of a Bach three-part invention a bit too loud. Not a great start, but at least it was a start.

The notes came slow at first, but soon, music filled the room until I couldn’t hear their judgments anymore. I didn’t stop between my pieces, for fear their thoughts would overpower me. Seamlessly, Mozart’s Fantasia in D-minor flowed forth until I was gloriously lost in it. The sadness, the darkness, the happy triplets all carried me away. Finally, it was time for my last piece. I didn’t even pause. I added a transitional measure between the two—a flourish, really—and began playing Brahms’ A German Requiem.

Before I was ready, the last notes were hanging in the auditorium. The silence that followed was nearly as crushing as the professors’ thoughts had been before I started. I stared down at the keys, missing them already.

After a moment, I stood, thanked my audience, wordlessly collected my iLs, and walked out of the auditorium, not hearing a single peep from the judges’ mouths or minds the entire time.

“I didn’t really think you were cheating,” Professor Peterson said, propelling me out of my thoughts and back into the practice room.

“No. I know.”

“It was a remarkable audition. Frankly, I assumed you’d be a performance major. I’m not ashamed to tell you, I was a little disappointed when you opted for Music Therapy.”

“Yes, well. Performance is great. I love it—don’t get me wrong. But therapy… well, that’s what got me where I am today. It’s something I’d like to be able to do for others. To let them know their demons can be silenced just like mine were.”

The professor handed the iLs to me and smiled. “I can’t help but wonder how the audition would have gone if we’d let you stay inside your comfort zone.”

“Maybe better, maybe worse. It’s hard to say.” I’d never been without my iLs in a public place again, at least not on purpose. Although I was too afraid to try it again, that experience had proven to me that I could control the voices myself. If only just the one time.

“Maybe that’s what you need to do with your thesis and defense. Step outside your comfort zone?” She shrugged and stood to leave. “Just a thought. I’m sure you’ll be brilliant. You usually are.”

“Thank you, Professor.” She always astounded me. Nine times out of ten, she said exactly what she was thinking, and it was always something positive or kind. I didn’t know many people as genuine as her.

She smiled. I hope that helps calm her jitters, she thought as she left me alone with Ravel’s piece.

2.

In the end, I decided to pack up and go home. Gaspard wasn’t helping, so maybe the solitude of my little apartment would do the trick. It wasn’t far from campus, and I usually walked. That day was no different.

April was my favorite time of year in northern Florida. The air wasn’t cloying yet, and there was usually a cool breeze. A last bit of lovely before the oppression of summer settled in to stay.

My apartment wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but it wasn’t in the worst one either. I couldn’t hear other people’s thoughts through the thick cinderblock walls that were filled with iron rods and cement. Silence in my home was an absolute necessity, and it had taken a while for me to find an available apartment in a well-insulated, older building.

My neighbors were all poor like me, either fellow students or deadbeats who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—find work. The lack of income among them kept drugs away, and that was fine by me. I didn’t need that kind of nonsense anywhere near my life.

In the six years I’d been in the apartment, I hadn’t had many visitors, which was the way I preferred it. The only family I had was my aunt, and despite the fact that she’d raised me, we weren’t close. I had always been more of a burden than a blessing to her, and she never let me forget it. Needless to say, she didn’t come over.

My best friend Maddie was my only regular visitor. She and I had lived in the same neighborhood when we were kids, and she’d quickly become my favorite person. She’d helped me move in and decorate, making my one-bedroom unit look almost homey. Six hundred square feet didn’t go far, but it was all I needed.

I came in, tossed my keys in the bowl on the coffee table, put my backpack down next to it, removed my iLs, and added it to the pile. Crossing the small space in about eight steps to the refrigerator, I got myself some water and settled on the couch. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sank into the past-its-prime, lime green, hand-me-down couch, and reveled in the silence of my sanctuary. No one thinking about their to-do list. No one wondering if they’d left the back door unlocked. No one worried about tomorrow’s meeting. Just me and my own problems.

For a few moments, I leaned my head back and focused only on my breathing, letting my thesis sit in my backpack next to the coffee table. But before long, it was calling out to me. Nagging me, really. Reminding me that it had to be finished in a matter of days.

“By this time next week, I’ll be free of you,” I said as I pulled it out, along with my computer and a few printed case studies I was referencing. I curled up on the couch, pillow on my lap, thesis on top, and pen in hand. All I needed to do was start marking it up. But I couldn’t. The focus just wouldn’t come.

I kept circling around to what Professor Peterson had said about this stage of my life being trivial. And she was right. I had funneled so much energy into getting over this hurdle. But the next one was even more important: Finding a job. I had a few leads, but nothing solid yet. Graduation was still two weeks away, and I had enough grant money to pay for my apartment through the end of the summer, which felt like a lifetime away.

I have time, right? I looked up at the clock and saw forty-five minutes had passed already. Feeling a little hungry, I decided to take my work down to the café on the corner and get a salad for dinner. Perhaps it was another excuse to procrastinate, but I promised myself I would buckle down once I was fed.

Who could do anything worthwhile on an empty stomach? I don’t think the slaves in Egypt were very well fed when they built the pyramids. I grabbed my bag, keys, and iLs, squashing my own personal Jiminy Cricket as I stepped out into the beautiful spring evening.

I had almost reached the café when a shiver ran through me, forcing me to fold my arms over my chest. It wasn’t cold out, so I scanned the area for the source—perhaps a fan in a storefront or air conditioning gusting out of an open door. Suddenly, I realized what was wrong… it felt like someone was watching me. Goose bumps climbed up my arms and made the hair on my neck stand on end. I quickly reached into my purse and turned off my iLs, taking a moment to look all around me, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everyone was too absorbed in their own thoughts to notice me, let alone watch me.

Just as I was taking a breath to steady my nerves, a shadow moved in the alley right next to the café. I jumped, but it turned out to be a cat that came out and rubbed up against my leg. I shook my head and mentally chided myself for getting so keyed up over nothing.

The café wasn’t busy, so I grabbed a small salad and settled in at a little wrought iron table for two on the patio outside, still feeling a little uneasy. It backed up to Carter-Howell-Strong Park, where you could watch people walking or playing with their dogs. It was one of my favorite places in town to sit and relax.

But relaxation wasn’t on today’s agenda. Taking a bite of my salad, I dove into my thesis as my iLs played a soft concerto to help me focus.

I was roughly three pages in when someone interrupted me. “You’re concentrating awfully hard, so that must be interesting. Who’s it by?”

I jumped. “Um… it’s actually my thesis. It’s due next week.”

He took the liberty of sitting down across from me. With blond hair, blue eyes, and smooth, tan skin, he was very attractive at first glance.

I decided against removing my iLs. Maybe I’ll give this one a fair shot, I thought. I’d learned long ago that to know a man’s thoughts was not to love him.

Maybe this would be fun.

3.

I called Maddie as soon as I got home that night. She picked up on the first ring, just like always.

“Hey! I was just thinking about you!” My friend’s bubbly voice was always a little loud, and I turned the volume down on my phone a few clicks before answering her.

“Guess who has a date Saturday night?”

“Saturday night? Right before your thesis is due? This must be good! Do tell.”

“I met Ken at the café while I was working on my paper, actually. He came over and introduced himself.”

“I see. And what makes you think he’s any different from the string of roadkill you’ve left in your tracks over the last few years?” She always knew how to cut to the quick. “I mean, the last guy was to-die-for gorgeous, but dumb as a doornail. The guy before that was too selfish—your words, not mine. And let’s not forget the old sleazeball…” She trailed off, forgetting his name.

“Hank.”

“No.” She laughed. “I forgot about him. Which one was he again?”

“Funny guy, but he only laughed at his own jokes.”

“Oh yeah. He was a jerk.” She paused, reflecting for a moment. “Vinny! That’s who I’m thinking of.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Oh yeah. He was awful.”

Silence reigned for a few heartbeats while we paid our disrespects to my many past dates. “So, I ask you again,” she said, “what makes this guy special?”

“Nothing, actually. I have a sinking feeling I will regret this, but he’s good looking and I could use a night out.”

“I’ll remind you of that sentiment if you call me on Saturday night to tell me he’s a loser.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad.”

“Yes, you are. If your Spidey senses start tingling, you’re out of there faster than you can say bring the check.”

I chuckled. Maddie didn’t know I could read minds. Honestly, I didn’t think she believed in that sort of thing, or maybe the possibility had simply never occurred to her. She did believe I had an uncanny intuition about people, particularly for pointing out scumbag boyfriends. I’d done it to more than a few unworthy guys she’d brought home.

“Would it kill you to date a guy more than once? Maybe overlook the greenery in his teeth to find out a little more about him on a second date?”

Would it kill me? No, probably not. Most guys were harmless at heart. Crude? Yes. Malicious? Sometimes. Violent? No. Or at least not in my experience.

“What if my Spidey sense tells me he’s a serial killer?”

“Was your Spidey sense going off at the café?” Thankfully, she answered her own question before I had to come up with an explanation for why I didn’t know his true intentions. “No, I suppose it wasn’t. Otherwise, you never would’ve agreed to the date, right?”

“I guess not.”

“So, tell me what you’re going to wear.”

“Oh jeez, Maddie. Come on. Do I have to wear something special?”

“Absolutely! It’s a date, Mac, so by definition, you have to wear something special. Tell me what you have in mind, and I’ll tell you what you should wear instead.”

“You know, I wasn’t wearing anything special today, and he seemed to like me well enough.”

“Oh God. What were you wearing? Tell me it wasn’t those God awful grey shorts you bought in the little boy’s department.”

“Hey! They’re long and they have pockets!” It was hard to find lounging shorts that covered your butt and had functional pockets.

“Mmmhmm.” She was unimpressed. “I swear, the next time I’m over there, I’m throwing those things away. I’m not even going to take them to Goodwill. The people who shop there don’t deserve to have that horror unleashed on them.”

“Hush. I wasn’t wearing those. I’d just come from school—”

“Lucky for him,” she said under her breath.

I let it pass. “So I was wearing jeans and that purple t-shirt with the sequins on it.”

“Fine. Did you fix your hair before going out in public?”

“No. I wore it in a bird’s nest on top of my head. You know, how it is in its natural state. Also, you might as well know, I haven’t showered in a week, so my hair has a nice, oily sheen to it.”

“Mackenzie!” she cried out before she burst out laughing.

“Maddie!” I yelled back, teasing her. “I wasn’t wearing the grey shorts, and my hair was pulled back. I’d say I was fairly presentable.”

“This time. Let’s get back to what you’re thinking of wearing on Saturday…”

“Cut to the chase, Maddie. Just tell me what to wear.”

“Yay! Okay, you should totally wear that white strappy dress that kind of flows when you walk, the one with the big, pink flowers on it. And your pearls… and those white sandals you have.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, do your hair nice please? Maybe wear it curly or something.”

My hair was a beast to be reckoned with. Long, dark, and wild, I always considered myself lucky if I managed to get it back in a ponytail. “I make no promises in that department. You might have to come over on Saturday to give me a makeover to make sure I meet your standards.”

“Believe me, I would if I could.”

“Hot date?” I asked, half jokingly. Maddie’s dating record wasn’t much better than mine was. I had a terrible habit of chasing her boyfriends off after hearing what they really thought of her.

“Actually, yes.”

I groaned internally. “With who?”

“A new guy at work. He’s so sweet, funny, and handsome. I just know you’re going to love him.”

Oh God, I could tell she was already gaga for him. “Just take it slow this time, will you?”

“I always take it slow! We never go past first base on the first date!”

“You know what I mean. Don’t…” I hesitated. “You know, fall in love with him so quickly.”

She didn’t respond.

“Maddie…”

“What? He’s sweet! And funny! And handsome!”

“Yes. You said that,” I said flatly.

“When are you coming to meet him?”

I was overdue for a trip to see her. “How about Wednesday? I can come over for dinner with you and your new man, and we can celebrate the turning in of my thesis.”

“That sounds amazing! You’ll stay over, right?”

“Of course.” The drive to Orlando was too long to warrant just going for dinner. “Maddie, what are you going to do if I don’t like him?” I asked, trying to gently prepare her for the worst.

She didn’t answer right away, and I was worried I’d upset her. Just as I was about to ask if she was there, she said, “Well, I suppose I’ll do what I always do—kick him to the curb.”

“Right, because you always do that?”

“Oh my God. You’ll never let me live that down, will you? One time I didn’t listen to you. Once!” Judging by her increasing volume, I’d struck a nerve.

I cleared my throat and tried to diffuse the tension. “Yes, well, I wouldn’t want you to go through that again.”

She quieted a little. “Once was enough. You were right, of course—he was a lying, cheating scumbag.”

I decided it was time to change the subject. “Well, I can’t wait to see you in less than a week!”

“Oh my gosh, yes!”

I glanced over at the clock. How did it get to be 9:30 already? I sighed. “As much as I’d love to talk to you all night, I should go. We both have early mornings.”

“Work schmerk,” she said. “We’re overdue for an all-night chat.”

“Ugh. I don’t think I’ve stayed up past ten since New Year’s Eve.”

“That’s because you’re a grandma trapped in a twenty-five-year-old’s body.”

“Whatever. At least I’m a well-rested grandma,” I retorted.

She laughed. “All right. I’ll see you in a few days. Call me after your date on Saturday.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too, Maddie. Night.” I hung up, trying to hang on to the feeling of pure joy she always left me with. It was good for my soul to talk to her, and I went to bed that night still wearing a smile.

4.

By Saturday, I was feeling good. I had made one round of edits to my thesis, and was working on round two when Maddie texted to see if I’d started getting ready for my date with Ken.

No. Are you? Was my original response.

Yes! I want to look just perfect! Don’t you?

I want to look like me.

She didn’t answer that until an hour later.

I hope you’ve started primping by now.

I still had over an hour before I had to be at the restaurant, so of course, I wasn’t. What do you think?

MAC! You can’t just show up with food in your teeth from breakfast and expect him to fawn.

First of all, what kind of breakfast do you think I eat that could still be stuck in my teeth? Second, isn’t it the woman who’s supposed to fawn?

OMG. Get ready.

Putting on the dress she’d requested took all of two minutes, so I sent her a picture. Happy?

YES! Was her answer. Now do something about your hair.

I hated wrestling with my hair. Managing to find a pink scarf that was close to the shade of the flowers on my dress, I tied my hair away from my face. It was sort of bohemian looking, with black curls falling every which way. Luckily, the just-out-of-bed look was in style right now, and it bordered on sexy.

Digging under my bathroom sink, I even found some pink, dangly earrings to complete the ensemble. Maddie would be proud, I thought.

Standing in front of the mirror, I assessed the damage. I really didn’t look half bad. Thin and proportional. Not too tall, but not too short either. The dress hugged me in all the right places, flowing down to my knees. It really was an excellent choice on Maddie’s part. I nodded to my reflection, satisfied with my work.

Snapping one more pic for Maddie before I donned my sandals and walked out the door, I stuck out my tongue just for her. Tada!

Lovely! Thank you! Although, you might want to keep the face to yourself.

And how about you?

A picture of her promptly came through. She looked gorgeous. Her red hair spilled down over her porcelain shoulders and tumbled over her navy, strapless dress. The skirt was trimmed with pretty off-white lace, but I was having trouble taking my eyes off her cleavage. She was definitely more well endowed than I was, and she wasn’t afraid to flaunt it.

A little daring, don’t you think?

Absolutely.

No wardrobe malfunctions tonight, huh?

Haha! No malfunctions here! If these babies come out, it’ll be on purpose.

The fact that she was fearless made her even more attractive in my opinion. Okay, well, good luck with that. I gotta run to the restaurant.

Have fun and call me when you’re done!

With that sign off, I put in my iLs, grabbed my keys, and headed out.

The restaurant wasn’t too busy for a Saturday night. I hoped that wasn’t a bad omen. Despite the fact that I was a few minutes early, I went inside to get a table. Turned out he’d arrived before me, and the hostess directed me to my seat.

To be honest, he cleaned up well in his baby blue polo and khaki pants. Flashing that winning smile when he spotted me, he stood to greet me.

“You’re very punctual,” I said as he pushed my seat in for me.

“That should give me some points.”

“Should it?”

“Yes! If it didn’t, I would have finished watching that X-Files rerun.”

I laughed. “Well, I suppose I can give you a point or two for your sacrifice.” The menu was interesting, with a wide variety of choices.

“What are you going to get?” he asked after a few moments.

“I think I’ll try the Firecracker Bowl. How about you?”

“Adventurous, huh? I like that in a woman. I think I’ll try the Citrus Beef today.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“Guilty as charged. I bring all my hot dates here,” he said as he folded his menu down.

I bet you do, I thought as I put my own menu on the table.

“So, fess up. What’s with the headphones? Are you that into music?”

“Yes and no. Are you just now noticing them?”

“No. I didn’t want to ask about them at the café. I interrupted you, so I figured you might have forgotten you were wearing them, but then you showed up wearing them today. They don’t exactly compliment your ensemble.”

“Uh, thanks?” I bristled a little.

“Your dress is lovely—stunning, some might say. But the headphones distract a little.”

“Your backpedaling distracts a little.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me. It’s probably none of my business anyway. Especially not on a first date. You can tell me on date six or seven, okay?”

I wrapped my finger around the wire of my iLs self-consciously. What would he think if he knew the truth?

My first day of kindergarten wasn’t like everyone else’s. I mean, it wasn’t the first time I’d been around that many people. I’d been to the store, of course, and the library with Maddie, but the classroom was such an enclosed space. If there were ten or more kids in the library, I could wander away, feigning disinterest in story time. But there were so many voices in the classroom, and no way for me to escape them.

It didn’t even occur to me to be nervous at the time. I had no idea what might happen. I only felt excitement for this new adventure. At first, it wasn’t so bad. Maddie and I were the first ones there, and I was used to hearing her, after the hours we’d spent playing together in our neighborhood. The teacher was there too, but I was used to having adults around. But then, more and more and more kids came in.

Wow! This is so cool!

I want my mom!

I think I’m gonna puke.

Do I get my own crayons?

When’s lunch? I’m hungry.

Oh no, my desk is brown! I hate brown!

I don’t want to stand in line! My daddy said I’m a princess and princesses DON’T stand in line.

I can’t—

But I—

That’s so—

As more kids came in, I lost track of who they were, and it became such a cacophony of sound that I couldn’t even distinguish complete thoughts any more. I curled into a ball on the floor and covered my ears, trying to block out the roaring train barreling down on me. But, their voices just kept coming.

Maddie came over and put her hand on my back. I think she said something, but her tiny voice didn’t penetrate the roaring in my mind.

In the end, they called my aunt and told her I wasn’t quite ready for school that day. She was furious about missing a day of work to come get me. She didn’t speak to me all day, but her thoughts—the few that I heard—rang loud and clear.

I can’t believe what I gave up for this, she thought on the way home, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. And then, nothing. Her thoughts were always very succinct and to the point. She was the only woman I knew whose thoughts worked that way.

When I told her goodnight, she merely nodded and thought, She better get her act together tomorrow.

The next day, I resolved to redouble my efforts to keep their voices out. But I didn’t have much luck. I couldn’t concentrate on what the teacher was saying over all the noise in my head. It was too many voices for my young mind to handle.

It affected my work immediately. At first, my teacher thought I didn’t know how to read or write, and she didn’t know how to teach me. But when she asked me to stay after school one day to do an assessment, I aced it. One on one, I did fine.

Baffled, she asked, “I don’t understand, Mackenzie. You don’t do your work in class, but it’s clear you’re capable of succeeding. Are you acting out on purpose?”

“No.” I didn’t like it when adults were upset.

Why am I not reaching this girl? What am I doing wrong?

How could I tell her it wasn’t her fault? I barely knew her, so I was hardly going to tell her the truth. I was only five, but I already knew I was different. I decided to be honest, but vague. “I can’t hear you.”

“What do you mean, you can’t hear me? You’re hearing me now, aren’t you?” She can’t hear me? What does that mean? Is she hard of hearing? Does she have special needs of some kind? The questions were coming a mile a minute, and I struggled to form a response.

“Mackenzie, do you mean you can’t focus?”

That was one way of putting it, so I nodded my head.

“Why?”

What a tricky question. And it was worse because she so badly wanted to know the answer—her mind was silent with anticipation. I just stared at her with my giant, brown, kindergarten eyes. I mean, really, she was the adult. Wasn’t she supposed to have the answers to all the tough questions?

She sighed heavily and sat back in her chair. “Well, we know you can’t focus. That’s something.”

A barrage of testing followed. The school psychologist recommended a specialist, which my aunt wasn’t too pleased about. It was just another expense, another drain on her time; a drain she thought was “useless” and “unnecessary.”

The specialist ran a bunch of different tests but, ultimately, the results were “inconclusive.” I could’ve told him why. For some of the tests, he and I were the only ones present. But for others, there were several people watching. He said they were interns, people who were helping him learn about Sensory Processing Disorder, which they thought I had.

Basically, they told my aunt I couldn’t process sound the way normal people did for some unknown reason. She’d taken it as another blow. Another burden. Her dead sister had saddled her with a disabled child.

That was when they gave me my iLs, which at that time was basically a Walkman with giant headphones that played classical music. And that was how I fell in love with music.

The music surrounded me in a way I’d never experienced before. The first time I heard it through the iLs, it was magic. The music played loud enough to drown out the voices, but low enough for me to hear someone if they wanted to speak to me.

When it was on, everything but me, the psychologist, and the music melted away. From that moment on, I was officially diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, and I excelled as long as I had my iLs with me.

It wasn’t perfect. There were days when my batteries died or my iLs broke. Then, my only recourse was to go home to get some peace. But by the time I was in high school, the clunky headphones were replaced with ear buds, and the Walkman was replaced with an iPod. Life just got that much easier.

The psychologist who diagnosed me became uncomfortable with how reliant I was on the iLs, truth be told. He said, particularly with an early diagnosis, it was best for subjects to wean off the device and learn to cope normally with outside stimulus so they could lead more normal lives. And I was sure that was one hundred percent true for someone who really did have Sensory Processing Disorder. But I didn’t.

I was just a mind reader.

Of course, I couldn’t tell Ken that. I hadn’t told anyone. “I was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder when I was five. In a crowd, the headphones help me focus by drowning out…” I paused. I always struggled for the right phrase when trying to explain this to people. “Incoming distractions.”

“I see. Well, if you want, we could go somewhere a little more private after dinner.”

It didn’t take a mind reader to hear the innuendo in his voice. “Let’s see how dinner goes.”

“Fair enough,” he said as the waitress brought our bowls.

“All right, I told you something personal about me. Tell me something personal about you.”

“Well, I don’t have any rare disorders, if that’s what you’re angling for.”

“No, but thanks for pointing out that I’m a freak,” I said between bites.

“That’s not what I meant!”

I smiled. It was fun to see him flustered.

“Hmm. You’re good.” He jammed noodles in his mouth, perhaps to give himself time to come up with something to say… and maybe swallow his pride a little. “Well, I have four brothers. We all do some kind of manual labor. The oldest owns a moving company. I’m in between the next two, who both work in farming, and the youngest works in construction like me.”

“And do you get along with all of them?”

“Why do women always ask questions like that?” he asked with a smirk.

“I can’t speak for my sex, but I asked you to tell me something personal. I could have Googled you and found out how many brothers you have and probably what they all did. Which means it doesn’t count.” I looked at him over the top of my water glass as I took a drink, giving him an opportunity to respond. He didn’t take it, so I continued, “Let me break it down for you: Do you enjoy spending time with them? Do you go out of your way to see them? Do I need to spell it out any further for your hard head?”

He swatted me playfully with his napkin. “No. I get it. Yes, if you must know. By that definition, we get along well.”

“That’s it? That’s all I get? I basically tell you I’m disabled, which you apparently judge me for, and you tell me you get along with your brothers? Hardly seems fair.”

He threw up his hands. “Fine. I have a big, hairy mole on my ass.”

I burst out laughing.

“I see how it is. Now you’re laughing at my imperfection!”

I shook my head, eating another bite of food, surprised to realize I was actually enjoying myself.

“Your turn. Tell me something about your family.”

I rolled my eyes. “There isn’t much to tell. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was a baby. My aunt raised me, reluctantly. Now that I’m on my own, we don’t see each other.” I looked down into my dwindling plate of food, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Whenever people found out about my family, they always felt “horrible,” “terrible,” or “so sorry” and it made me uncomfortable.

He frowned. “That’s kind of terrible.”

I shrugged. “Everyone’s got some kind of tragedy in their life. I was just lucky that I was young enough not to remember mine.”

Just then, the waitress dropped the check on the table.

“Whew,” I said. “Right on cue. This conversation was in a downward spiral.”

“That’s your opinion,” he said as he pulled out his wallet.

I reached for my purse to throw something in, but he held out his hand. “I’ll get it. It’s a date, remember?”

“Yes, well, that doesn’t always mean the guy pays.”

“Chivalry is not dead!” he insisted.

“We’ll see,” I said, and he put on a wounded expression as he threw down some cash.

He smiled, a little softer than I’d seen before. “Well, whaddya say? Wanna go someplace a little quieter?”

I hesitated. If we did that, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to take out the iLs to see what his intentions were, but why ruin a fun evening? On the other hand, why go out with him again if he was secretly a loser or a pervert?

Sensing my hesitation, he said, “I promise, we’ll just walk and talk.”

I tipped my head. “Well, we’ve already shared such personal things with each other. What more is there to say?”

“Uh oh. I overshared on the first date, didn’t I? Broke the first rule of dating according to Cosmo magazine.” He shook his head in mock shame.

Smiling, I relented, against my better judgment. “I’m game. Where do you want to go?”

“Myers Park is just across the road if you want to walk a little.”

“Sounds perfect.”

There was no real sexy or graceful way to take out my iLs and put it away. We were a few paces into our walk before I felt assured there weren’t too many people around.

He smiled. “So this is an okay spot for you to talk without that thing on?”

“I guess so.” I squirreled my iLs into my purse and braced myself for whatever Ken might be thinking. Surprisingly, I found nothing. It never ceased to amaze me how often men were being truthful when they answered ‘nothing’ to the question ‘What are you thinking about?’

But it wasn’t long before he let me know what his intentions were. We rounded a corner, revealing a secluded, grassy area behind some trees and bushes.

Perfect. I probably won’t even have to do any work. She’s been throwing herself at me all night. I bet she’s not even wearing underwear, the slut.

I thought about letting it go. Pretending I didn’t hear his thoughts. I thought about telling him the food wasn’t sitting right or making another excuse. I could have just continued to walk with him without letting him steer me toward that grassy knoll. But something about what he thought struck a nerve, and I didn’t do any of those things.

“Excuse me?” I said.

He seemed startled by the volume of my voice and my tone, which to be fair, had changed pretty dramatically. “What?”

“So, you think I’m a slut?”

“What?” He acted horrified. “I never said that!” What the hell? This bitch is turning on the crazy a little early. She better be worth it.

“And what exactly would make me worth it?”

“I…” He paused. Then his face changed. Confusion was replaced with anger, and he closed the space between us, forcing me up against the bushes that lined the path. “Listen, you little cunt. You’ve been parading that sweet ass under my nose all night, and I intend to get what I came here for.” He grabbed my wrist, but I already had my other hand in my purse, feeling for my mace. This date was rapidly climbing to the top of my ten-worst-dates-ever list.

“Is there a problem here?”

The voice belonged to a man who was standing directly behind Ken. He was slightly taller and stockier. With closely cropped blond hair and cargo pants, he looked like he’d spent time in the military.

The same goose bumps I’d felt on my way to the café the night I met Ken spread across my skin. Were they from Ken, or the new guy?

I didn’t have time to decide because Ken turned, concealing my wrist behind him, squeezing it harder. I continued to dig for my mace while he answered, “No. No problem here. Have a nice night.”

I eyed the newcomer, wondering what he would do. Why can’t I hear him? I could tell he was thinking something, maybe weighing his options, but I couldn’t read anything. It freaked me out more than my date did. Him, I could deal with. This had never happened before. Never.

“Who are you?” I blurted out.

Ken glared at me.

“My name’s Mitchell. I was just passing by when I heard some rustling. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.” His voice was deep and masculine, but not threatening. I eyed Ken, wondering how he would react.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mitchell.” Ken flashed one of those charming smiles he used on me.

Does that really work on other guys?

Mitchell raised his eyebrow.

Apparently not, I thought.

“You know, to be honest, I’m not feeling all that well. I think I’m going to head back,” I said. “Mitchell, would you mind walking me to my car at the Genghis Grill?” A daring move, since I couldn’t read the guy at all. There was a possibility I was trading one would-be rapist for another, but I’d finally found my mace in my purse, so I was prepared for the worst.

“Sure. No problem,” he said.

I turned to Ken. “I’d like to say it was a pleasant evening, but you kind of ruined it. Have a nice life.” I tried to wrench my wrist free of his grip, but he yanked me back.

“You think you can humiliate me and leave me in the lurch just because this asshole walked up?”

Mitchell put his hand on Ken’s shoulder, but I already had my mace out and discharged before either of the men could do anything. In moments, Ken was on the ground. The colorful string of expletives that spewed from his crumpled frame was extremely satisfying, and I was tempted to stand there and listen to him suffer.

“I bet you regret calling me a cunt now, don’t you?” I said to his moaning form on the grass.

Mitchell put his hand on my elbow and I recoiled, not wanting to be touched by a man this soon after my horrible experience. “Sorry,” he said. “But we should go. Unless you want me to call the police or something.”

“No, it’s okay. Let’s leave.”

We walked back the way Ken and I had come, and before long, I was out of earshot of him, hopefully for good. Blessed silence descended on me, but I only reveled in it for a few moments.

Why can’t I hear this guy?

Before I could formulate any kind of intelligent question that wouldn’t make me sound crazy—So, I’m a mind reader and I can’t read you. Why is that?—we were back at the restaurant. I stopped walking when we reached my car.

“Well, you take care,” he said, hands jammed in his pockets.

I stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure what to say. “Listen, thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy I was able to help.” He rocked on his heels a little and avoided eye contact. I could tell he was uncomfortable just from his body language, but I didn’t know why.

“Okay, well, see you around.”

“Yup.”

I hesitated for one more moment. I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me by, was I?

“You better leave before your gentleman caller gets any more bright ideas.”

I frowned. He wasn’t giving me much of a choice. And what’s more, he had a point. “Okay, well, thanks again.”

“Any time.” I got into the car, and he shut the door behind me as I fastened my seat belt. I paused before I turned over the engine, but he nodded at me, as if to encourage me to get the hell out of his life as quickly as possible.

I backed out of the spot and left Ken, the Genghis Grill, and the mystery man, Mitchell, behind me.

It only took five minutes to get back to my apartment, but I drove around the block a little, just in case Ken was somehow following me. I wondered if it had been stupid of me not to call the cops on that slimeball.

By the time I got back at a little after nine, the shock had worn off and I was boiling inside. How dare he? I thought as I threw my purse on the couch. It landed softly and bounced. Not satisfying at all. I flounced down next to it and kicked off my shoes, shoes that I had worn to try to impress that sorry excuse for a man.

I grabbed my purse and dug out my cell phone to text Maddie. I’m already home, I wrote. That’s how good it went.

My phone rang almost immediately, and I didn’t even say hello when I picked up the call.

“Are you okay?” Maddie asked.

“No, not really.”

“Why, what happened?”

“He tried to rape me.”

“What?” She yelled it so loud I nearly dropped the phone.

I heard her new boyfriend ask, “What’s wrong?” in the background.

“Mac’s date tried to rape her.” When he asked if I was okay, she said, “I don’t know. I’m finding out. Well, are you?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re doing better than I would be, because that’s just how you are.”

“How would you be doing, Maddie?”

“Well, for starters, if some guy had his mind set on raping me, he probably would’ve been successful. But you on the other hand, I’m sure you fought your way out of it. Get in any good shots to his crotch?”

“No, but I maced him pretty good.”

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

So I did. Starting with how nice dinner was and how well everything was going until we got to the park and Ken tried to force himself on me. I left out the part where I confronted him about what he was thinking, wrapping it up with Mitchell coming to the rescue.

“Sounds like you didn’t really need Mitchell in the end.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But he did make me feel better on the walk back to my car.” I paused. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m more upset about Ken or about Mitchell.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just let him go.”

“Who? Ken? Are you mad you didn’t call the police? Because you still can, you know.”

I tried to collect my jumbled thoughts. “Mitchell.”

“Yeah, you’ll need to be more specific than that.”

“He was different. I couldn’t read him.” Well, that was honest at least.

“Are you talking about your Spidey senses?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, he walked up like he was some kind of knight in shining armor, then when we were alone, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. He acted like he didn’t want to be near me. I kept trying to start a conversation, you know, to find out more about him, but he put me off every time.”

“Do you think your probing might have scared him off?”

I paced around the living room and threw the hand that wasn’t holding the phone in the air. “I don’t know, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“You’re acting like you’ve never been stumped by someone’s actions before.”

I stopped walking. This was one of those defining moments. In truth, I hadn’t ever been stumped by someone else’s actions. When you could read someone’s mind, you could kind of predict what they were going to do. But Maddie didn’t know about that, so what was I supposed to say to her?

“I’m usually better at reading people, that’s all.”

“Well, you’d just been attacked! You were off your game! I’m sure that’s all it is.”

“And now I’ll never know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m never going to see Mitchell again, so I’ll never find out what his deal was.”

She chuckled quietly, which meant she thought I was being foolish. “Mac, even if you did see him again, you probably wouldn’t find out. Maybe he was just interested in getting out of there before Ken came back to the restaurant and decided to start a fight. Maybe you splashed a little mace on him and he was antsy to wash it off. Maybe he was late for his own date, and he didn’t want her to see you. Maybe you smelled, and he wanted to get away.”

“Maddie!” I laughed.

“Well, you don’t know. A million different factors might have motivated his behavior. The fact that you couldn’t identify each of them doesn’t equate a failure on your part.”

But it does, I thought. For the first time in our relationship, Maddie wasn’t making me feel better.

“Listen, I can tell I’m not helping, so let me change my tactic. I’m glad you aren’t hurt. Also, I’m glad that scumbag doesn’t have your phone number or your home address… wait, he doesn’t, right?”

“No.”

“Good. And in spite of the horrible circumstances, I’m glad you met a guy who shook you up a little. Good to know it’s possible, at least!”

“I guess.” She was right. I was glad I wasn’t hurt, and I would never have to see Ken again. And hey, I had a lot to look forward to—being done with my thesis, seeing Maddie this week, and graduation.

“You know what?” I said. “I think I should just stay away from men for a while. Maybe forever.”

She laughed. “You can’t! You’re coming to meet Bobby in like five days!”

“I promise I won’t try to attack you!” he called out in the background.

I smiled. He was a good sport, letting her talk on the phone this long during their date. “Well, he doesn’t count.”

“And why not?” She feigned indignity. “He’s as much man as anyone.”

I heard a slap, Maddie giggled, and her boyfriend said, “Don’t you forget it!”

“Ugh, you guys are getting gross. Get it out of your system before I get there, but after I get off the phone.”

“Duly noted.”

“All right. I guess I’ll let you get back to it. Have a better evening than I did!”

“Oh, we are.”

It was my turn to laugh. “I can tell.”

Her tone turned serious. “Really, though, I’m sorry your evening was such a crash and burn. If nothing else, I was hoping you could blow off some steam. You’ve been so stressed about your thesis, and I wanted this to be a fun night out for you.”

“Me too.” I sighed. “At least it was interesting, I guess.”

“Well, I promise we’ll have fun when you get here.” She paused. “Hey Mac?”

“Hey Maddie.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” In spite of everything, I hung up with a smile, like I always did. My best friend couldn’t read minds, but she had a special magic all her own.

5.

My thesis was due on Wednesday, and the very nature of time seemed to change in the days leading up to that date. Some moments crawled, like when I spent an hour staring at the blinking cursor on my computer screen. Others flew, particularly when I started to get stressed about how little time I had before my fate was out of my hands entirely. In some of my lower moments, I thought about how much easier it would be if I could control minds in addition to reading them. But that was lazy and unrealistic at best, and devious and borderline evil at worst.

So I marched dutifully to my Thesis Defense on Wednesday, hoping for the best.

I walked into the appointed conference room, where I met Professor Peterson and—by coincidence, I was sure—the other three professors who had attended my original audition for the FSU College of Music. The room itself was relatively small, and it had already been set up for my presentation with a projector, screen, and some speakers. I only had about fifteen minutes to plead my case, and then they would have up to forty-five minutes to question me on my life choices. I swallowed hard, not looking forward to the next hour.

Nodding to all four professors, I tried to lighten the mood. “Just like old times, huh?” I pointed to my iLs, which was securely in place, playing Gaspard de la Nuit.

They all nodded and smiled. One of the men, who I now knew as Professor Brown, said, “Yes, and you set the bar pretty high with that audition, Ms. Day.”

“Heh. Yeah.” Oh, good, knock them out with an intelligent response, why don’t you?

“Well, we’re all looking forward to this,” Professor Peterson said, giving me her reassuring smile.

“Okay. Let’s begin.” I hit play on my computer and immediately bombarded the professors with overwhelmingly loud noises—bombs exploding, fireworks, jack hammers, dogs barking, kids screaming, the list went on. I proceeded to begin my speech, knowing none of them could hear me.

Professor Brown—the one who’d been convinced I was cheating during my audition—raised his hand as his face twisted into a grimace that gave me way too much pleasure. I paused the background sounds. “Yes, Professor Brown?”

“We can’t hear you at all.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“This is what it’s like for someone who can’t focus. Someone who is bombarded with too much stimuli all day, every day. Someone with Sensory Processing Disorder. Someone like me.”

I laid another iLs, an old one of mine that didn’t work reliably, on the table. “Through the use of this device, an iLs, and the subsequent music therapy, I was able to conquer my demons, focus, and ultimately excel.”

“We’ll see,” Professor Brown said with a sly smile.

Unfazed by his attempt to rattle me now that I was on a roll, I just smiled and kept going. “I was only five when I was diagnosed with my condition and assigned an Integrated Listening System. School was impossible for me when I started. The noise…” I trailed off, remembering the barrage of voices. I stomped down the rising panic and continued on. “Well, let’s just say it wasn’t too dissimilar from what I just played for you. I literally couldn’t hear the teacher, and I was failing as a result. My teacher was frustrated, and I was non-functional.

“When nothing else helped, they tried music therapy, and it unlocked the prison that had become my mind. Just think what might have happened to me if I’d never been given an iLs, if I’d never been introduced to music therapy. Realistically, I’d probably be in isolation in an institution.”

I let that thought soak in. “What a waste of a life that would be.

“Michael Thaut, Ph.D. and Gerald McIntosh, M.D., said in an article, ‘Music can drive general reeducation of cognitive, motor, and… language functions via shared brain systems and plasticity.’ This is a relatively new discovery, made within the last five years, using brain-imaging technology to see how the brain relates to music. It’s now being used to help stroke victims, cancer patients, and amputees, as well as the mentally ill. Who else could it help? Could we use it on the general public to reduce incidents of road rage? Could it be part of the key to unlocking the cure for Parkinson’s disease? Alzheimer’s? FTD? How far could we reach?

“How many lost souls can be saved with music therapy? All? No, probably not. Some? Maybe. One? Certainly. Does that make it worth it? Absolutely.” With that, I was finished. I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes. I’d raced through it. Frowning, I hoped that hadn’t hurt me.

“I believe it’s time to open the floor for questions.” So you can rip my fingernails off one by one.

“Why is one life worth your entire career path?” Professor Brown asked.

“Because, it is.” Excellent answer. “What if your granddaughter gets cancer one day? She is dying, and your family is desperate, so you take her to a highly regarded specialist, a miracle worker. That miracle worker saves your granddaughter. But he wasn’t always a miracle worker. Years ago, he was a troubled teenager flunking out of school, constantly getting into fights, heading toward a life of gang violence and drugs. Until his desperate parents brought him to me, and I showed him the world of music. He didn’t respond at first, but I kept trying until I found something that spoke to him. And he took that message and saved lives with it. That is why one life is worth it.”

They were quiet for a moment, and Professor Peterson was beaming. She cleared her throat. “I think that does it, but let’s ask some of the obligatory questions, shall we? Where do you see this field going in the future?”

“With new technology, I suppose the sky is the limit. Smaller iLs systems, integrated therapy into the subject’s classroom, and ideally, even their homes. Have you seen the iPad apps with a full piano on them?” I pulled out my iPad and opened the application. “It’s a complete keyboard in your iPad. And to be honest, it doesn’t sound half bad. Someone who needed music would benefit greatly from something like this, from being able to have such easy access to therapy. This is what they have now. Imagine what they will have in ten years when I’m introduced to your miracle worker, Professor Brown.” I smiled at him, and he nodded at me. It was the most encouragement I’d ever gotten from him.

Then his expression turned hard. “I only have one question left, Ms. Day.”

“Fire away,” I said, trying to sound confident.

“What have you done to deserve this Master’s Degree?”

“I think a better question is what will I do with the degree?” He sat back in his chair, his satisfied expression only partially hidden by his enormous grey beard. “And the answer to that is: I plan to unlock the future by freeing the minds of those who are imprisoned.”

“All right. Does anyone else have anything further to ask?” The other three professors shook their heads. “Then I see no point in wasting everyone’s time here.” Professor Brown stood and reached out his hand. I stared at it in disbelief. “Good work, Ms. Day. I will see you on Saturday at graduation.”

6.

Euphoric. That was the only way to describe how I was feeling. Euphoric. That feeling didn’t fade either, not even with the daunting task of meeting and evaluating Maddie’s boyfriend ahead of me.

I knocked on her door right on time with a smile on my face and a booming song in my heart.

She opened it with arms spread wide. “Hi, my favorite smartie pants!” For a third grade teacher, she was remarkably strong. She lifted me off the ground, and we spun together.

I was breathless when she put me back down.

“How do you feel?”

“Excited! Weightless. Scared.”

She laughed. “Well, you can be scared after graduation. This weekend is for celebrating!” She ushered me into the living room.

Maddie’s apartment was small like mine. There was a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, and that was about it. But, she’d made into a place you’d actually want to spend time in, not just a place to sleep. Earth tones on the walls made it soothing, but brighter accent pieces kept your eyes interested.

“The place is looking great Maddie. You should’ve been a designer.”

She chuckled wistfully. “Maybe in another life. One with more money.”

A man popped his head around the corner. Bobby, it had to be. “Do I get to be in this new life with more money?” His dark hair dangled down passed his shoulders as he leaned out of the kitchen. I’d never pictured Maddie with a long-haired guy before. It was an adjustment.

She walked over and kissed his cheek. “Of course you do. Now keep stirring that. Don’t let it settle.” He disappeared again obediently enough.

In a matter of minutes, Maddie had dinner for three set out on a table meant for two. We sat elbow to elbow, sort of staring at each other for a moment.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” I said as I reached for the bowl of pasta.

Maddie took some bread and passed it to Bobby. Adoration poured from her eyes, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at his phone.

Damn it. They’re down by two, he thought.

I frowned. “So, Bobby, what exactly do you do? Maddie said you met at school.”

“Yeah.” He set his phone on his leg, out of sight, but still accessible. I didn’t approve. “I’m the new P.E. coach.”

“How do you like the school?”

His green eyes snapped up to mine, a trace of irritation in them. Despite the negativity coming from him, I could see why Maddie was attracted to him. As a rule, I didn’t entertain guys with nicer hair than mine, but his eyes were very striking against his pale skin and dark hair. “It’s good. And hey, the people I work with aren’t half bad.” He shrugged, and Maddie beamed.

I watched the two of them for a moment. Maddie’s hand was resting on the table at an angle that looked slightly uncomfortable for her, but she didn’t notice. Her thoughts were totally focused on him.

I hope Mac sees how wonderful he is. How could she not? Look at him. She was just barely touching his hand. He sat back to glance down at his phone and, in doing so, moved away from her. She reached for her wineglass and even managed to convince herself it was her idea to do it.

“How long have you been teaching?”

He sighed, clearly annoyed to be pulled away from his phone. “This is my third year,” he said, jamming some pasta into his mouth. “Mmm. Man, Maddie, this is really good. Way better than that slop you tried to feed me the other day.” He looked at his plate when he said it, so he didn’t see the way she was beaming from his backhanded compliment.

“I always said she could’ve been a chef,” I said through my teeth, shocked at the fact that Maddie had completely ignored his barb.

“Chef, designer, teacher. I’m a triple threat.”

Dinner continued on that way, and I was fairly unhappy with Bobby by the end. While we were clearing the dishes, he parked in front of the TV. Maddie took the opportunity to interrogate me.

“Well! What do you think?”

“Maddie.” I hesitated, searching for the words that wouldn’t break my best friend’s heart. I’d never successfully found them before, but it hadn’t stopped me from searching.

“You don’t like him, do you?” Her voice turned quiet as disappointment smothered her normal jubilance.

“It’s not that I don’t like him. He’s perfectly pleasant.”

“So…”

“I don’t like how he treats you.”

“What do you mean? You heard him compliment my dinner! He loves me!”

“Not as much as he loves himself.” There. Harsh, but true.

Her face contorted like I’d smacked her, and her mind started whirring with emotions—panic, disappointment, anger. “What? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t mean to make you mad. Maddie, you are always the one doing the fawning. Don’t you think you deserve to be the source of someone’s infatuation? I do. This guy ogles his phone more than he does you.” And it doesn’t take a mind reader to see that. “He just seems a little indifferent.”

She can’t be right, can she? Does he really not love me at all? How can that be? Her mouth formed a thin line, and I knew our conversation was over.

“I’m sorry,” I said and walked out into the living room, where Bobby was already watching TV, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts.

I sat down on the other end of the couch, leaving a cushion of space between us. It was still too close for my comfort. He didn’t even acknowledge I was there. Knowing Maddie would need a few minutes to cool down, I didn’t really make an effort to interact.

Before long, a Victoria’s Secret commercial came on, and his mind exploded. Yeah, that’s what I like to see. Wonder what she’s like in bed. Probably a firecracker. Oh, yeah, bend over a little more.

I couldn’t listen to any more of it. “Bobby, I’m going to cut right to the chase. Do you have any feelings for Maddie? Or is she more like a placeholder for you?”

“What? Jesus, Mac. That’s a little out of line, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have said it.”

“Look, I barely know you, so I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation for us to be having.”

“I really couldn’t care less about you, your feelings, or how uncomfortable you are. I care about Maddie. Apparently a hell of a lot more than you do.”

“Whatever,” he said, shifting until a little of his back was to me.

Oh, like hell was that going to make me drop the subject. “‘Whatever’ isn’t much, as far as declarations of love go.”

“Look, bitch, my feelings for Maddie are none of your business.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong—”

Maddie picked that moment to make her entrance back into the living room.

“Where the hell have you been?” Bobby demanded.

Her eyes darted from him to me.

I glared at him. “How dare you talk to her that way! If you have a beef with anyone, it’s me, not her.”

“Maddie, your ‘friend’ here is being a total bitch. I think she should probably go.” He said it so confidently, and why wouldn’t he? She’d always been at his beck and call before.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Bobby,” she said in a quiet but determined voice, “but it’s not her that I’m going to ask to leave.”

“What the hell happened here tonight? You girls just totally ganged up on me! Are you lesbians or something?”

I laughed. “You wish.”

He finally stood up and went to Maddie. “Listen, Maddie. Mac is just jealous. Her own date was a total sleazeball, and she’s taking it out on us. She doesn’t want to share you.”

Impressive. “Wow. That’s some fast talking, Bobby.”

He reached for her hands for the first time, trying to salvage what was left of their ‘relationship.’ But why? Maybe it was a pride instinct. He seemed like the kind of guy who liked to do the dumping rather than the other way around.

Maddie, on the other hand, was thinking about everything at once. What a snake. I can tell he’s lying. Mac isn’t like that. She’s never been jealous of me, except maybe about my boobs. I do have great boobs. Oh God, he’s reaching for me. Is that the first time tonight he’s touched me on purpose? That can’t be right. I must be forgetting something. Surely, he kissed me when he came in. Or did I kiss him? Did I even give him a chance to kiss me? What is wrong with me?

He leaned in close to her. “Maddie, come on, please?”

She took a step back, but not far enough to escape his embrace. “Please what? Please be a little more of a doormat, so you can keep walking all over me?”

“No! I’m not walking all over you! She’s putting words in your mouth!” He jabbed his finger in my direction, and I just shook my head.

He’s losing and he knows it, but he’s having trouble believing it. “Your arrogance is astounding, Bobby,” I said.

He rounded on me and got right in my face. I held my ground and stared back at him without flinching. We were practically nose to nose. “You probably deserved whatever that guy gave you last weekend.”

“Get out,” Maddie said quietly from across the room.

“Fine,” he said, snatching his keys off the end table. “You’re a lousy lay anyway.”

“Very mature of you,” I got in just before he slammed the door.

Maddie slumped in the kitchen doorway, withering under his cruelty. I rushed over and hugged her while her mind raced with why’s, how-could-he’s, and how-could-I’s. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, but when her mind was finally quiet, either at peace or numb, I led her to the couch and covered her with the blanket that was draped across the back. Quickly, I retrieved a pint of ice cream and two spoons from the kitchen and came back to sit next to her.

Wordlessly, she took the spoon and indulged, the gratitude pouring off her washing over me like a warm breeze. I smiled in spite of myself.

“You know, this isn’t even good without sprinkles,” I said.

“Don’t you dare you even joke about ruining this gourmet ice cream with sprinkles! They’d make it look like clown puke.”

I looked at her from over my spoon. “I’m sorry Bobby turned out to be such a jerk.”

“Me too.” She paused as she sucked ice cream from her spoon. “Do you think we’ll ever get married?”

“To the right people?”

“Well, ideally, yes.”

Somehow, I couldn’t imagine myself getting married. Constantly knowing every single thought of your significant other didn’t seem like it could be healthy for a relationship. “I don’t know about me, Maddie. I really don’t. But I have high hopes for you. There’s someone out there who will adore you even more than I do. Then we’ll know he’s the one.”

She scooted closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m not sure it’s possible for someone to adore me more than you do.”

“Of course it is! We just haven’t found him yet.”

We sat in silence, eating about half of the ice cream while I listened to Maddie stew. Suddenly, she flipped like a light switch.

“Enough.” She tossed her spoon into the carton I was holding. “We’re going to celebrate your thesis presentation tonight, not wallow in our bad luck with men.”

“All right. What do you want to do? Get wild?”

“Maybe. You know it’s open mic night at the Muldoon.”

I paused wistfully. “It’s been a long time since we’ve done open mic night.”

“Did you bring your guitar?”

“Of course I did.”

“I’m game if you are.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Open mic night had been a staple of our teen years. Every weekend, we’d found somewhere to play together—I would strum my guitar and Maddie would sing. We even had a small following of people who’d come and see us if we gave them enough notice. But most of the time, we’d decide where to play at the last minute, much like we’d done tonight.

Muldoon’s was busy for a Thursday night, and just gearing up to start the festivities, so I put our names in while Maddie got us a couple of drinks.

The first few acts weren’t half bad, but I wasn’t surprised. Orlando had a lot of talent, talent that probably wouldn’t go any further than Muldoon’s.

I watched Maddie tap her foot to the music, wondering what she was thinking about, and if she’d been able to let Bobby go already. In the busy crowd, my iLs prevented me from checking in on my beloved friend. But maybe that was best. We all deserved some privacy in our dark moments.

Four or five acts in, they called our name. I grabbed my guitar and followed Maddie on to the stage. We hadn’t even talked about what we wanted to do, but I wasn’t nervous. No matter what I played, she would be brilliant.

I plucked out the first few notes of California Dreamin’, and she smiled wide—it was her favorite song. She started singing, and her performance was flawless. Her voice was deeper than you might think, with a richness to it that I loved. On the stage, standing next to my best friend, I felt at home. Even though we weren’t playing anything complicated like Gaspard de la Nuit, we were still living the music. And as I looked down at the faces in the crowd beneath us, I could tell they were living it too. Heads bobbed, feet tapped, lips moved along with Maddie, and at the end of our song, everyone in the house was on their feet, demanding an encore.

As I scanned the crowd, I spotted a familiar face. Mitchell was there in the crowd, with a dark and handsome friend whispering in his ear. What the hell is he doing here? We’re miles from where I saw him last.

Maddie noticed my startled expression and raised her eyebrows at me. I looked over at her and smiled. “Just like old times,” I yelled loud enough for her hear me over the applause.

When I looked back, they were gone. I convinced myself that I’d imagined it—that it had been some doppelganger of Mitchell’s rather than Mitchell himself—and a mixture of relief, disappointment, and unease settled in my gut.

7.

I went home on Friday, and then picked Maddie up at the train station Saturday morning for my graduation.

On the drive to my school, she asked me a question she’d been chewing on for quite some time. I was kind of relieved when she finally spit it out—I was sick of listening to her go over it again and again in her head. “Is your aunt meeting us here?”

“No, actually, when I tried to call her with the details, her phone had been disconnected. Who knows where she is. Finally free of me, I suppose.” I stared straight ahead, trying not to give any emotion away on my face. Truth was, despite our rocky relationship, I’d hoped she would be there. She was my only true family, and some twisted part of me wanted her to be proud of my accomplishment. But she hadn’t come when I’d walked for my bachelor’s degree either, so her absence wasn’t surprising. I was trying hard not to let my irritation progress to hurt.

“What? Jesus, Mac. Are you worried about her?”

I snorted. “No. She always said I was a drain, nothing but a waste. She’s just doing her thing now.”

Maddie couldn’t let it go. “But, don’t you think she wanted to see you walk at all?”

“Maddie, if she cared, she’d be here.”

I thought back to the day my acceptance letter from FSU had arrived. It had been so exciting to have the path to my dreams laid out before me. But my aunt had been completely indifferent, and I’d been too young to know better than to let her steal my happiness.

She skimmed my acceptance letter with cold grey eyes for no more than thirty seconds before lowering it. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I…” I stammered, her reaction knocking the wind from my sails.

“Is it going to cost me anything?”

I stood up a little straighter. “No. Not if you don’t want it to. I’ll find a way to do it without you.”

She threw the letter down onto the table between us. “Fine,” she said and went back to reading the newspaper. She didn’t waste even a single thought on the letter. I heard nothing in her mind but the words from the story she was reading.

It wasn’t the first victory that she hadn’t shared with me, but it was my biggest. All at once, any remaining attachment I had to her was severed.

“I hate you.” It wasn’t much more than a whisper, but I knew she’d heard me.

Her cold gaze fell on me, but this time I was so hot with rage, I didn’t feel it. “And how do you think I feel about you, Mackenzie? You’ve stolen everything from me.” My whole life has been wasted on you, she thought as she glared at me. And then, silence.

Of course, hate was a strong word that could be thrown around too often by teenagers. But at that moment, I meant it. And thinking back on our encounter, I didn’t regret my words. She made my life very difficult for those first few years on my own. I’d needed to scrape and scrounge to afford anything, even food, while she lived relatively comfortably in her middle-class home. I mean, she wasn’t taking luxury trips every weekend, but she did have clothes on her back and food on her table. I usually went over to Maddie’s on the weekends just to get a good meal.

I sighed as I pulled into a parking space in front of the auditorium. All of that was behind me. My aunt could be part of my life or not, as she chose. I had decided long ago not to waste any more tears on her. Besides, I had a world of opportunity ahead of me. Why waste time looking back?

The ceremony was a little long this time around. My third time walking for a diploma was a bit bittersweet. All the other times, I knew there was more school ahead. But this time, as Professor Peterson smiled and handed me the dummy diploma, I felt like she was passing the baton, and I was gearing up for the longest leg of the relay: Life.

After the ceremony, Maddie and I went to dinner to celebrate. It was a fairly nice sit-down restaurant, and Maddie insisted it would be “her treat.” I felt guilty about allowing her to pay, since she still couldn’t afford a car, but she was adamant.

She raised her glass. “To the graduate and the next phase of her life!”

I clinked my wine against hers. “To the next phase!”

She took a sip. “Speaking of which, any leads yet?”

“No solid ones. I’ve got applications in with Leon and Orange counties, and a few with the surrounding counties too.”

“With the county? What does that mean?”

“It sounds like I’d be a roaming therapist for all the schools in the county. It’s not really in the state budget to have a single therapist per school, which is what I’d really like to do since it would let me focus on individual kids. This way, I’ll have thousands of kids to sort through. It’ll be a lot.”

She took a bite of pasta. “Mmm. But, it’ll be work.”

“Yes. It’ll be work.”

“So nothing in the private sector?”

“Not yet, but I’m hopeful. I have a fair amount of feelers out. Can you imagine if I landed a job like that? Think of the resources I’d have at my disposal.”

“Not to mention that the pay would be much better. You know, it’ll take forever for you to save up enough to own your own practice if you work for the school system for a long time.”

“Yeah, I know. If I get a job with them, I’ll have to change my mindset a little. It would be a challenge. But, I always like a challenge. As long as I could still do some good, I’d be happy.”

Maddie raised her glass to that, with one last sip of wine inside. “To doing some good!”

I smiled. “To doing some good.”

I walked out to the car while Maddie was in the bathroom, thinking I’d get the air started.

The overwhelming feeling that I was being watched made me miss a step. Goose bumps that were becoming too familiar formed along my arms, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I scanned the area, and my eyes landed on a guy about a hundred paces ahead of me. Leaning against the streetlight, he was looking right at me with a bit of a smirk on his face. It was the guy from Muldoon’s, the one I’d seen with Mitchell. I couldn’t believe it.

Discreetly, I reached into my purse and turned my iLs off, to see if he was a threat or if he was just being a guy. I kept walking toward him, but I still didn’t hear anything. Forgetting the potential threat, I stared openly at this person I couldn’t read—the second in a matter of weeks. He stared back, the smirk never leaving his face.

Who were these guys and why did they seem to be following me?

As I got closer, I realized his expression wasn’t threatening. In fact, he was gorgeous. The attraction was immediate and overwhelming in a way that caught me off guard. Only a little taller than I was, he had dark, wavy hair, chocolate eyes, and beautiful olive skin. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a T-shirt that read, “Can you hear me now?”

I chuckled when I read it. Just as I was about to open my mouth to say hello to him, he moved to leave, walking in the opposite direction of me. When he brushed past me, we almost touched. My skin tingling at the mere thought of making contact with him, I stopped in my tracks and watched him go. Never had I been so attracted to, and confounded by, anyone in my life, let alone a complete stranger. It made him all the more intriguing.

I nearly called out to him as I watched him walk away, but my mind was still struggling to form an appropriate comment when he rounded the corner and disappeared.

Had I suddenly lost the ability to read minds? I had gone through my entire life with the ability to hear everyone, whether I wanted to or not, and now I’d met two men I couldn’t read at all. On top of that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy had known I couldn’t hear him. The image of his shirt flashed through my mind again.

I dug around in my purse for my keys. My hand landed on what felt like a business card. I pulled it out, thinking it was just some junk I’d jammed in there, but I didn’t recognize it at all.

In the center of a completely white card, it said Unseen. On the back was an address. That was it. Simple. Mysterious. Irresistible.

I flipped the card over several times as I settled myself in the driver’s seat, each time irrationally hoping I’d find more information.

Unseen. What the heck does that mean? Is it some cult or something? I jammed the keys in the ignition and turned the air on full blast with one hand as I continued to turn the card with the other. Where had I even picked it up? It seemed like the sort of thing I’d remember. Could he have dropped it in my purse when he walked by? The thought was as exciting as it was alarming.

I dug my phone out of my purse and typed the address on the back of the card into Google maps. It wasn’t all that far from here, maybe five minutes away, and it appeared to be in the industrial district.

What could be in the industrial district? I wondered.

“Predators who lure women with strange, uninformative business cards, that’s what.” It was exactly what Maddie would say to me if I gave her the chance. Quickly, I glanced around for her. I didn’t want her to catch me with the card. It would just lead to questions. Ones I didn’t have answers to at the moment. Questions that would inevitably lead me to the address on the back of the white card, whether it was the smart decision or not.

I couldn’t let this go. What if this was my chance to find out more about these strange men I couldn’t hear? I couldn’t possibly waste this second chance after the way I’d blown my opportunity to question Mitchell.

Hurriedly, I jammed the card back into my purse and tossed it on the floor of the passenger’s side before Maddie came back.

I needed answers. And I was going to get them.

8.

Maddie and I parted ways in the morning. I’d originally asked her to stay all day on Sunday, but she wanted to get back to catch up on some grades and lesson plans.

“Some of us aren’t lucky enough to be done with school already,” she said as she loaded her things into my car. I’d offered to drive her home, but she’d insisted on taking the train, saying she’d use the time to get a head start on her grading.

Once we got to the station, I helped her carry her bags to the platform and gave her a hug. “Have a safe trip home. I’ll call you soon.”

“You better. We need to plan our summer. It might be your last summer of freedom!”

“God willing.”

“Congratulations, Mac,” she said, holding my hand for a few more moments. “I’m so proud of you.”

Not many people had ever said those words to me and meant them. Lord knows my aunt never said anything that might be misconstrued as praise or encouragement. Professor Peterson had, which made me feel good in a hey-I-pleased-my-mentor kind of way, but this was different. This was the kind of fulfillment you got when someone in your family saw you struggle, stood by you through it all, and watched you come out on the other side.

I managed a weak smile. “Thanks.”

She smiled, and then broke the emotional tension quickly. “Oh, please. Don’t tell me the ironclad box that holds Mackenzie Day’s emotions has been cracked by one small compliment.”

I laughed and pushed her. “No. Certainly not a weak compliment like that one.”

“That’s what I thought.” She hugged me one last time. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Can’t wait,” I said.

I didn’t go home. Instead, I typed the address on the back of the mysterious, white card into my phone and followed the instructions from my GPS app.

After about twenty minutes of driving, my phone chirped, “Arriving at address 1817 Capital Circle Northwest, on the left.”

“This can’t be right,” I said to no one in particular. The building I parked in front of was long and narrow, with metal, rolling doors all along the front. I walked to the door marked 1817, but it seemed vacant. There were no signs or lights to indicate any form of life existed in the building. My car was the only one in the lot.

I looked at my watch. 11:30 am on a Sunday. Maybe they were closed. My phone chimed as I walked back to my parking spot.

It was a text from Maddie. I leaned against my car to read it. Grading papers sucks. Wish you were here. What are you up to? Get home okay?

What could I tell her? Oh, I’m just at an abandoned warehouse all by myself, waiting to be murdered.

Laughter interrupted my thoughts. “I don’t think anyone’s going to murder you out here in broad daylight. Although, I’ve been wrong before.”

Startled, I whirled around to find the gorgeous guy from the restaurant leaning against the metal door. So, I’d guessed correctly—he was the one who’d put the card in my purse. I wasn’t sure if I was excited to see this handsome man again, or if the fog of mystery surrounding the whole situation made me leery of him. But as I looked at him, his eyes crinkled with laughter, excitement was winning.

Realizing I’d been staring at him for a beat too long, I spit out the first thing that came to mind.

“Where did you come from?” I could have asked so many questions. Who are you? Why were you at Muldoon’s that night? How come I can’t read your mind? Did you just read my mind? Can I be your girlfriend forever? Apparently, my mind had gone for the least pressing one.

“Inside.”

“Okay, well, I assumed you came from inside. I mean, I know you didn’t teleport.”

He flashed the same sly smile that had slayed me the night before, making it very difficult for me to keep my wits. “Do you want to come in?”

To my life, my arms, my bed? I mentally finished for him. I thought I heard him cough, but I couldn’t be sure.

I took a deep breath, struggling for composure. “I don’t know. This is all very creepy and cloak and dagger. Are you going to pull my fingernails off or something?”

“Huh. No one’s ever asked me that before.”

“Right. Not reassuring me.”

He chuckled, and the sound made my knees weak.

“No, we won’t pull your fingernails off.”

“We?”

“Well, I didn’t bring you here for a one-on-one conversation, if that’s what you thought.”

“I know. It’s not a date.” Dear God, why did you say that? He wasn’t implying it was a date. Idiot.

“Okay,” he said. “Well, I’m going back inside. You can chill in the parking lot if you want, or you can come with me to find out a bit about who we are. It’s not really a life-or-death choice.”

My phone chimed again, but I ignored it. “I’m coming.”

He shut the outer glass door behind him, then pulled a heavy metal door down behind that, and turned a giant lock on it, almost like a bulletproof safe.

Once inside, we almost immediately descended a staircase. “Okay, the metal door and basement thing aren’t exactly making me feel better about this whole situation. Is all that so no one can hear me screaming?”

“Didn’t you see how empty the parking lot was?” he said, turning to smile at me. “Who would hear you?”

“Man, I hope I get to look back on this and laugh at your jokes, but right now, they’re creeping me out in a big way.”

He stopped two steps from the bottom. For a split second, I thought he was going to off me right then and there. Then he burst out laughing. “Would you relax? We’re not going to kill you!”

“I…” I paused, confused. “I don’t think I said anything about that.”

He descended the last two stairs, and I followed. “Not in so many words.”

“But, I… what?”

He rounded the corner and ushered me into a large room. I reached for my iLs and panicked a little when I realized I’d left it in the car, along with my purse.

“Welcome,” he said, holding out his arm.

There were about fifteen people, close to my age—give or take ten years—seated on couches, chairs, or the floor. Mitchell was among them, but he avoided eye contact with me as I glanced around the room. The rest of the men and women were looking straight at me. Some smiled; some showed no emotion at all. None of them said a word. I braced myself for their incoming thoughts, but nothing came.

The silence was overwhelming. My breath started coming faster as a sense of panic settled in. I’d never been without my iLs in a room filled with so many people without hearing a single voice in my head. After years of wishing for silence, it was surprisingly unsettling now that I had it. Deafening, even. Maybe I’ve gone deaf.

“You’re not deaf,” the gorgeous guy said.

“I… what?”

“Or maybe you are. You’ve been saying ‘what’ a lot lately.”

A few people chuckled, and I looked at them as if they were aliens. What was happening here? Why couldn’t I hear anyone? And what was the deal with this guy? Was he really reading my mind? Was it too much to hope there was someone else in this world like me?

“Oh, for God’s sake. Put her out of her misery already, O. I can’t listen to all these questions anymore,” a blonde girl sitting Indian style on the floor called out.

She can’t listen to all these questions…

“If she doesn’t have a panic attack soon, I might have one just from listening to her,” someone on the couch said.

“Mackenzie, maybe you should sit down.” The gorgeous guy—O, apparently—gestured toward an open seat.

“I’m fine, thank you.” My eyes darted from person to person, and then landed on Mitchell, silently pleading for answers, reassurance, anything. He looked away, obviously uncomfortable.

“Suit yourself,” O said as he found himself a seat, leaving me the only one standing, in a room full of people staring silently at me.

“Welcome, Mackenzie. We are the Unseen.”

9.

“Unseen? More like unheard! Would someone please tell me what’s going on? Mitchell? Come on, man.” The panic was starting to eke into my voice. Mitchell shrugged his shoulders and shifted uncomfortably.

O didn’t acknowledge my comment to Mitchell. “I’m trying, but you keep interrupting me.”

“Pretty sure I interjected just the once.”

“Do you want answers to your questions or not?”

I decided to push him. “What questions?”

He was unmoved. “Who we are, why you can’t hear us, and if we’re reading your mind.” I blinked at him, so he continued. “Like I said, we are the Unseen. You can’t hear us because we’ve learned to protect ourselves against other readers, and yes, we are reading your mind.”

I put out a hand to steady myself, but I wasn’t close to a chair or anything to grab onto, and I ended up sort of flouncing to the floor.

“Bet you wish you’d taken the chair now,” O said. He met my glare with a smile.

Here I was, in a room full of people just like me. All this time, I had thought I was alone. A freak. But now I knew there were others who shared my ability.

Picking up on my thoughts, O bristled. “You are not a freak. None of us are.”

“Stop.” I put my head down on my knees and covered my ears, like that would keep my thoughts from escaping. “I can’t think with all of you in my head.” With each word, my voice raised another decibel.

“Okay, you’re right. This is a lot to handle. Let’s start over.” He stuck out his hand. “Hi. My name is Owen, but everyone calls me O. I’ll take you downstairs to meet the boss. He’s the one with the authority to give you some answers. On our way, maybe you’d like to see the joint?”

I eyed him, completely unsure of what to do. I felt caught between two worlds, the one where I had direction and purpose, but no sense of belonging, and this new and scary one. I took a deep breath. You came here to find out who this guy was. Now you know. And it’s more than—

“I’m gonna stop you right there. Let’s leave a few things to the imagination, shall we?”

A crushing thought occurred to me. He’s heard everything. All my stupid, girlish thoughts. My stomach rolled at the thought.

He chuckled. “You’re not the first girl to fall for my devastatingly good looks.”

“Your arrogance takes off a few points,” I said aloud.

He laughed. It was a deep, rolling sound, but there was obvious joy in it too. He was someone who took great pleasure in laughing. “Indeed. Should we take that tour?”

“Why not?” I said, liking him a little more in spite of myself.

“Great.” He didn’t waste any time. “Well, this is the sitting room. It’s where we all sort of gather to relax or watch movies and TV.”

I nodded to a few people who were smiling encouragingly at me as we walked to a set of double doors across the room.

“Through here is the kitchen.”

It was huge and state of the art. Stainless steel covered every appliance, the countertops were granite, dark wood cabinets lined three of the walls, and an island divided the food prep area from the eating area. Two long tables with seating for about twenty helped me envision fun, noisy meals here. After spending so many meals alone, even when I was a kid, it was hard to imagine myself at the table.

“Yeah, it can get loud if we all eat at the same time. But it’s rare for every seat to be full, if that helps.”

I nodded, and he led me through a second set of double doors at the back of the kitchen. This room was smaller and narrower than the previous two. All four walls were lined with books. A small table with a lamp was at its center, and there were plush chairs scattered around.

“This is our library, obviously. There are a few here who like to read, and a few others who like to study and try to learn more about the science behind mind reading, things like that.”

“Science behind mind reading? I thought the general belief was that mind reading is science fiction, not science,” I said as I gazed up at the floor-to-ceiling shelves. There was everything from Dante’s Inferno to What Every Body is Saying by some guy I’d never heard of. I had to stop myself from reaching for that title, wondering how much truth there was in it.

“That one’s good. I wonder if he actually is a mind reader, to be able to read so much into body language and what people are communicating without actually saying.”

I nodded, making a mental note to buy the book.

“You could just read it here.”

I looked at him blankly. He expected me to come back, like over and over again. At least enough times to read a book.

“Right. Let’s move on.” He led me through another set of doors that opened to a room just as narrow as the library, but a little longer.

“This is our game room. Mostly the guys hang out in here, but we have one or two gamer girls who like to join us.”

They had everything—Ping-Pong, pool, and at the end of the room, a huge television with several of the latest gaming systems connected to it.

I whistled. “Man. You guys don’t spare any expense here, do you? How do you afford all this?”

“Our benefactor is very generous.” He held the next set of double doors open for me, which led us back to the sitting room. We’d made a giant square, as far as I could tell.

“Whatever that means.”

Mitchell made eye contact with Owen from across the room, nodded, and got up to leave.

“What’s his deal?” I asked, wanting to know more about my rescuer.

Owen didn’t answer right away. I wasn’t sure if he was hesitating because he didn’t want to betray his friend’s confidence, or if he truly didn’t know. “Mitchell is complicated. His journey to the Unseen left him a bit broken. Someday, he might share his story with you. But it should come from him, not me or anyone else.”

“You two must be close if you’re privy to that information.”

“Well, we’re all friends, but yes, I suppose Mitchell and I are closer. He and I joined the Unseen around the same time a while ago. He’s the closest thing to a brother I have left.” We started walking back to the stairwell.

"He joined the Unseen before I did, but only by a few weeks. My road here was… rocky to say the least. Mitchell took me in, showed me the ropes, and really helped me feel at home. And it had been a long time since I’d felt that way anywhere.” He looked wistfully in the direction his friend went, and I wondered just how deep his ties to the Unseen were.

I waited for him to elaborate, but he moved on. “At any rate, lucky for me, it turned out Mitchell is a pretty cool guy once he lets you get to know him. Just give him a chance.”

I nodded, knowing I wouldn’t get any more information on the subject, and I’d gotten what I wanted initially anyway, so I changed the subject a little. “Where are we going now?”

“To finish the tour.” I followed his gesture and realized the stairwell didn’t end at this floor, like I’d assumed it did. He led me down another flight. This one too was protected by a huge, metal door, but it had a keypad lock. Once he’d punched in the code, the heavy door creaked open and dumped us into a hallway.

“These are the dorms.” He walked to the third doorway. “This one is mine”

He pushed inside, revealing a relatively large room with a double bed against two walls, a dresser next to the bed, and a small television on the back wall.

“You live here?” I surveyed the room. It was every bit as nice as my own room, except it didn’t have any windows. They’d added plants and other natural textures to make it feel less confining, despite the lack of natural light.

“Yup.” He paused, possibly debating his next words. “You could too, if you wanted.”

“I could…” I paused. “Wait, what?” I could live there. This could be a good option if I don’t find a job before the end of the summer. My heart began to race.

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s a lot to consider before you decide whether you want to move in.”

“What do you mean?” A catch. I knew it.

“Not so much a catch as a commitment.”

“Commitment?” What kind of commitment? Who exactly were these people? Is this a creepy cult or something?

He laughed. “No. We’re not a cult. Let’s finish the tour, and maybe that will help answer some of your questions.”

We walked back to the stairwell. “All the dorms are the same as far as furnishings go. But we decorate them however we want.”

“Does everyone have their own room?”

“Yup.”

“What about the fact that there aren’t any windows? How would you get out in a fire? Aren’t there laws against that?”

“I’m sure there are. Those who choose to live here accept the risks.”

He didn’t elaborate. Risks? I didn’t care much for that word… or the fact that he’d used the plural form of it.

The next floor was guarded a little more heavily. Owen stood in front of an eye scanner, then when the light turned green, placed his thumb on a pad next to the door and it creaked open, just as the one above did.

The floor was organized into smaller rooms resembling offices. There were windows on all the doors, making it feel more open and inviting. Most of the rooms were empty, but there were a few people sitting at tables flipping through paperwork, working on computers, or listening to laptops or iPads with headphones.

“This is what we call the work floor. It’s where the magic happens when we’re not out on assignment.”

“Out on assignment? What kind of work do you do?” Maybe I could work with these people, I thought. But what would they want with a music therapist?

He laughed. “We do mostly confidential stuff,” he said. His debonair smile didn’t do anything to quell my curiosity, but I decided to keep quiet for now. “As for our current openings, you can ask the boss when you see him. We always have room for more readers, though.”

We came to the bottom floor, and he pushed open the door. It was a gym filled with an extensive array of equipment. Punching bags hung from the ceiling, machines and free weights lined the walls, and the open space off to one side was…

“That’s for hand-to-hand training,” Owen filled in for me.

“Hand-to-hand training? Like fighting?”

“A bit more elegant than that, but I suppose.”

“So, karate?”

“Not quite that elegant.”

“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t see at all. Who on Earth were these people?

He led me toward three sets of doors along the back wall. “The first two rooms are for individual training.”

“Individual training, like what?” I peeked through the tall, skinny window in one of the doors. The room was small, with two chairs, a white board, and a television. It reminded me of a practice room at FSU, without the piano.

“Oh, like learning to guard your mind.”

I had never dreamed of doing something like that; until now, there had been no need. “Is that something I could learn to do?”

“Absolutely. You’ll learn that and more if you join us.” He smiled slyly at me. “That way, we can all get a little peace.”

I shoved him, and he laughed that beautiful laugh of his. When he stopped, I wanted to say something funny just to hear it again.

He cleared his throat, and I realized he’d probably picked up on my thoughts. If he did, he was kind enough not to draw too much attention to it. “And here we are at the end of our tour.” We stood in front of the last door in the back corner of the gym. It looked just like the other doors, so I assumed it led to another training room.

“This is the boss’ office. Normally, he doesn’t see people on their first day, since not everyone decides to stay. But he asked to see you.”

“What? Why?”

“Who knows? Maybe he could hear your incessant and scattered questions and wanted to silence them.”

“Silence them like how? Kill me and stuff me in some creepy drawer four floors underground?”

He laughed. “I think you watch too many serial killer movies. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re safe here.”

I spied some of the heavy equipment on the other side of the room and raised my eyebrow skeptically.

“You are. Anyway, he knows you’re here and he’s waiting to see you.”

I hesitated, knowing Maddie would not approve of any of this. In fact, she was probably going nuts since I’d ignored her texts for the last hour or two. I glanced at my watch. It was already 2:30, so she was probably most of the way home by now.

“He will only take as much time as you want to give him.”

“You make it sound like it’s his privilege to see me, not the other way around.”

He shrugged. “I’ll be waiting out here to take you topside when you’re done.”

Something puzzled me. “Why are you the one guiding me through this?”

“You better go in,” he said, ignoring the question.

“There may come a time when you won’t have an unfair advantage over me. Then what will you do?”

His eyes danced with merriment. “Enjoy the challenge.”

“We’ll see,” I said, and turned to go into the boss’ office.

I raised my hand to knock on the door, but he called out, “Come in,” before I could make contact.

“Hello Mackenzie. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He sat behind a cherry wood executive-style desk with bookshelves behind him filled with books on every possible subject, everything from All the King’s Men to something called The 33 Strategies of War.

He let me linger a bit, allowing me to take in the room and my surroundings before gesturing to the chair across from his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

After easing myself into the surprisingly comfortable chair, I looked him over. He looked middle aged, and was by far the oldest person I’d seen in the place, with salt-and-pepper hair, glasses, and a huge mustache that hung down over his top lip. I wondered how he kept it clean, but of course, I didn’t ask. Instead, I said, “So, how come you’ve been waiting so long for me?” After what Owen had told me, I had the impression I was special in some way, but I couldn’t put my finger on how.

He chuckled. “I try not to eat anything terribly messy, but it generally cleans up pretty well. Don’t hesitate to tell me if something is caught in it though. Wouldn’t want to look foolish.” I laughed, and he continued before I could comment. “You are special, but you need to discover the reason for yourself.”

“Is that the name of the game here? Aloof answers to direct questions?”

“Depends on the question, I suppose. What else do you want to know?”

“Got any job openings for a music therapist?”

He smiled. “No, but I do have an opening for you if you’re interested.”

“What are the pay and benefits like?”

“Excellent.”

I eyed him, feeling like I was missing something important. “A short answer.”

“I can go into details once you agree to work here.”

That seemed fair to me. Not all employers would be free with information, particularly where it came to confidentiality of patients, duties, and possibly methods.

“And what exactly would my job responsibilities be?”

He sat back in his chair. “Each assignment is different and all are highly confidential.”

“Okay, well, give me a for instance. I’m having trouble picturing what mind readers do for a living.”

“We read minds, Mackenzie.”

I frowned, getting frustrated, but before I could ask another question, he held up his hands. “Fine. For example, in the beginning, you might be asked to provide background information on a mark for an assignment. As you advance with us, your tasks will involve more and more reading.”

“Background information? So you target certain people for readings? To what end?”

“To all different ends. It depends on the assignment.”

“Also, I’m not a researcher. I’m a music therapist. How do you know I would be any good at this job?”

“Let’s just call it a gut feeling.”

His evasive answers were making me uneasy. Clearly picking up on my thoughts, he said, “Listen, as with any job, I’ll be able to provide you with more details once you commit. The work is classified, so for now, this is all I can give you.” He looked like he meant it—that he’d like to give me more information but couldn’t—so I decided to let it go for now.

“Fine, but I have one question that has nothing to do with me working here. It’s pretty clear that Owen and Mitchell followed me. Why?”

He frowned. “I hope you don’t see that as a breach of privacy. Mitchell wasn’t following you initially. He stumbled upon you in your time of need, and then he reported to me that he’d found a reader who had no idea other readers existed. He felt your need to belong, all your questions about who and what you were. So I sent Owen to confirm his suspicions. When he did, I gave him the go ahead to make contact.”

Finally, a straight and truthful answer, from what I could tell. It gave me the confidence to go back to asking him questions about my potential future with the Unseen. “Owen said I could live here if I wanted, and he implied it would be rent free. But he also said it would require a commitment of sorts. What exactly does that mean? Is room and board one of the benefits?”

“Owen is right, our members live on site, and I suppose it is part of the benefits package. If you want to be one of us, you must live here, and make a full-time commitment to honing your gift.”

“My…” I hesitated. “Gift?”

“That’s right.”

I’d never thought of it that way. It had always been more of a curse—a burden, at best.

The boss frowned. “I am sorry you’ve been alone for this long. Normally, we would have tried to approach you sooner. Circumstances kept us apart. But I do hope you’ll consider staying. Just imagine your potential, Mackenzie, how different your life could be if you knew how to control your gift.”

Control it, I thought, tempted by the possibility. I shook my head, struggling to bring rational thought back to the forefront. “Although I’m excited about this new opportunity, I just graduated from grad school, and I have a lot of applications out there. I’ve spent the last six years pointing myself down the road I’m on. I’m not sure I want to change direction so suddenly.”

“Music therapy is important to you, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s been my dream ever since I found out about it. I need to help people. I need to be surrounded by music.” I paused, trying to picture myself living there. “Come to think of it, there’s nowhere really for me to play, if I did move in here.”

“We would find a way to accommodate your recreational playing. But if you decide to work here, it would mean giving up a career in music therapy.”

Hearing it out loud made me cringe. It didn’t feel right. “Sell it to me. I’m not sure you understand what you’re asking me, and I deserve a thorough explanation before making such a tough decision.”

“That’s fair. Learning to master your gift will take all of your energy and focus. This place is rent free, and all your expenses will be covered when you live here, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and dedicating yourself to the process is the price you would pay to be here.”

“All my expenses would be covered? What exactly does that mean?” I asked.

“If you need something, ask and it will be provided.”

His ask-and-ye-shall-receive answer was a little unbelievable and creepy too. Where did all of the money come from? I was quiet for a moment, and then I said, “Not to be greedy, but is there a salary on top of this all-expenses-paid gig, or is it just a blank check kind of deal?”

“I suppose technically there is no salary. As I said, if you need something, you will have it.”

I sat back in my chair, unsure if a legitimate business could actually run like that. “It sounds too good to be true, until I think about the sacrifices you’re asking me to make… particularly since I have so little to go on.”

“I’m sorry to be the one to make you choose.”

I shook my head, tears suddenly threatening. I felt like I had come close to finally understanding who I was, and now it was being snatched away from me. “I don’t understand why everyone is always trying to come between me and my dream. It seems like my friend Maddie and the professors at FSU are the only ones who believe in me.”

He looked at me with a lot more sympathy than I would have expected to get from a total stranger, almost like his heart was breaking for me. “I’m sorry to put you in such a difficult position. Unfortunately, life is a series of difficult choices— which school to attend, which man to marry, whether or not to have kids, then how many kids to have, where to raise them, where to send them to school. All of these decisions have the power to alter the course of your life. As in this case, neither choice is necessarily right or wrong. But it is one you will have to live with for the rest of your days. It shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

I felt like he’d just laid a hundred tons of bricks on me. “First of all, I just met you. I’m not sure I need a lecture on life lessons.”

I looked deep into his steel eyes, demanding an actual answer to my next question. “How can I choose between something I’ve been reaching for my whole life and something so unlikely I never even dared to hope for it?”

“Only you can decide which path your feet should follow.”

Um, okay, Rafiki.

He seemed confused by my thought, but he didn’t press me. “Why don’t you think about everything and come back another time?”

Taking that as my cue to leave, I stood, disappointed that this opportunity to gather information about the Unseen had ended, but relieved to be free of the pressure to make an immediate decision.

“Fine,” I said. “Nice to meet you?” I phrased it more like a question, not really sure what was socially acceptable to say to the leader of a group of mind readers.

“It was an absolute pleasure to finally meet you, Mackenzie.” He smiled, like he meant it more than I did. A lot more than I did. “I do hope to see you again soon.”

My only response was to nod and walk out of his office.

Owen was waiting for me.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

“Could’ve been better. I’m sure it could’ve been worse, but I can’t imagine how at the moment.”

We were alone in the gym, and his voice echoed a little when he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

I looked at him, not ready to open up to this person I’d just met… even though I wished I could. Somehow, I knew he would understand in a way Maddie never would.

Alarm flashed across his face. “You can’t talk to your friend Maddie about what happened today.”

“Well, I certainly won’t tell her I spent the day with a group of mind readers who want me to join their cult, if that’s what you’re worried about.” The tears in my throat made my voice thick. “She doesn’t know what I am, anyway.”

He shook his head. “Please don’t say anything. It’s not just for your own safety, it’s for hers.”

“Safety? But you said I wasn’t in any danger here.”

“No. In fact, you’re probably safer here than you are out there.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know what? Nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. Just forget it. But please keep this to yourself. It’s a decision you need to make without Maddie’s input.”

That made me bristle. It felt like an exclusive club where you were either in all the way, or you were out. “What is this, the Free Masons or something? You know, all these secrets are just exhausting. How am I ever supposed to make this kind of decision without all the facts? Your boss in there just gave me a lecture about making hard choices, but he didn’t even tell me his name. I’ve known other mind readers exist for all of a few hours, and I’m suddenly supposed to turn my life upside down for you? Potentially cut friends out of my life who are like family to me? Talk about wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”

“You’re right. It’s a decision none of us took lightly.” He paused. “Although, I suppose that isn’t really true. I sort of dove in headfirst, but that’s neither here nor there. This is about you, not me.”

“And are you happy with your headfirst dive?” I watched him carefully, trying to decide if he would tell me the truth or not. Without being able to read him, I supposed I’d never know for sure.

He looked me straight in the eyes, making me shiver. “I’m getting happier with it all the time.”

We didn’t speak while he walked me back to my car, and I tried hard to clear my thoughts so he couldn’t hear them. I focused on breathing in and out slowly. In. Out.

When we got to the car, I turned toward him, but I didn’t make eye contact. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I was glad when he spoke first.

“Mackenzie, I do hope I’ll see you again.” He held my hands in his and looked steadily into my eyes, but he said nothing more.

I simply stared back at him, losing myself in eyes that were almost too dark for me to tell where the pupil ended and the iris began. I needed to be careful, or I’d never walk away from him.

Just breathe. I released him and got into my car, thinking of nothing but breathing. In. Out.

10.

The shaking didn’t set in until I parked in my driveway. Still sitting in my car, I pulled my phone out of my bag and it flopped around about like a fish out of water until I got a handle on it. I had four messages from Maddie.

So bored! Where are you? You should be home by now!

The guy next to me is a total mouth breather, and he’s stinking up the whole car.

One more hour and a few more papers to grade!

So… trying hard not to worry that you’re lying in the middle of the street after some horrible car accident or something. Call me, ok?

She picked up on the first ring. “You’re alive!”

“Yes! Sorry. Something came up.” Please don’t ask any questions about it. Please don’t ask any questions. Please…

“Like what?”

Damn it. “Just an opportunity. I need to look into it a little more before I make any decisions.”

“An opportunity? Like a job opportunity? That’s great! Why didn’t you say something about it yesterday? Maybe you don’t recall this giant conversation we had about your job prospects? That would have been a perfect opportunity to mention it!”

“It came up kind of suddenly, like on my way home from dropping you off suddenly.”

“Wow! So, tell me about it. What’s the job? Is the pay good? When would you start if they hire you?”

Well, truth be told, I was with a bunch of mind readers who want to train me to be a better reader, and if I accept, I have to give up my dream and go live with them. Exit Maddie stage left. “Basically the job is mine if I want it. Pay is livable, but there are some major drawbacks to consider.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I can’t go into too many details, which frankly is one of the drawbacks.”

“What does that mean? You’re supposed to keep it a secret?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Whoa, did you get tapped by the CIA or something? That would be so cool!”

I smiled. Nope, no judgment here. Just shining, unconditional support. I wondered what she would say if she knew the truth, all of it. “Um, not exactly. All I can say is it would mean giving up any involvement in music therapy. That’s the other major drawback. Oh, and I have to live on campus.”

“What do you mean—you’d have to give up music therapy? You’ve dedicated your whole life to it. How can you even consider this opportunity?”

I paused. How could I convince her without telling an outright lie? It was a constant source of guilt for me that she never kept secrets from me, and I’d been keeping a huge one from her for our entire relationship. I’d thought of telling her the truth many times, of course. In my best-case scenario, she’d be understanding—she’d think my talents were super-hero cool and she’d want to know more about them. But our world was far from perfect. As amazing as Maddie was, telling someone you could read minds was bizarre at best, crazy talk at worst. In the end, I was never willing to risk our friendship in the selfish interest of unburdening myself of the secret.

“Let’s just say it’s something I never even knew I could hope for.”

She was silent while she waited for me to provide details that I couldn’t give her.

“Okay, well, I don’t really know what that means. I do know you, though, and I know you wouldn’t think about abandoning music therapy lightly, so this must be important. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

Blown away. That was how I felt. She wasn’t mad I was keeping secrets, demanding more details, or judging me for thinking of throwing away the last six years of hard work. I marveled at how she could still surprise me after decades of friendship.

“Thank you.” It seemed an insufficient thing to say, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

“What do you think you’ll do?”

It was the million-dollar question. “Honestly? I have no idea.”

I spent two days stewing about the Unseen. By Tuesday, I was no closer to a decision. Letting Mitchell walk out of my life without getting any answers from him had been one of the biggest regrets of my life. How could I let something like that—yet on a much larger scale—happen again? How could I resist the chance to surround myself with people just like me, people who could teach me how to better myself? On the other hand, how could I abandon my life’s work, turning my back on the grants and scholarships that had been given to me in good faith? More importantly, how could I give up something that had been my passion for nearly twenty years?

I was chewing a piece of biscotti to a pulp, as if that would bring me answers, when a knock on the door jerked me out of my thoughts. Swallowing, I rose to answer it.

Peering through the peephole, my breath caught in my chest. Owen.

“The one and only,” he said through the door.

I hesitated in opening the door. “What are you doing here? And how do you know where I live?” I called out. My eyes grazed the apartment, taking note of the dirty dishes on the coffee table, the half-folded load of laundry on the couch, and a halfheartedly read newspaper strewn across the floor.

“I wanted to see you today. And I have my ways of getting information.”

I groaned inwardly.

“I suppose I can come back if you’re not feeling up to company.”

The tug of being with another reader—and not just any reader, but Owen—was becoming familiar, and it drove me to open the door. He greeted me with a smile, wearing basically the same outfit, jeans and a T-shirt, despite the fact that it was getting warmer every day.

“Why are you here?” Sure, cut to the quick. Don’t offer him a friendly greeting that might actually make him like you. Also, he’s probably listening to this, you idiot.

He smirked.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“It’s getting kinda warm out for a walk, isn’t it?” In truth, I’d walk just about anywhere with him, but I wanted to know his intentions first. I was sick of being caught off guard.

“I’m more comfortable when my feet are busy.”

“Shockingly, I didn’t have your comfort in mind when planning my day.”

He stared at me, and I stared right back. Folding my arms across my chest, I tried to wait him out, but his beautiful brown eyes pleaded with me, so I relented, even though I hated myself a little for doing it.

“Fine. Just let me grab my keys. Do I need my wallet?”

No, he thought.

It startled me so much I nearly tripped on my way to get my keys. No one had ever deliberately communicated with me through their thoughts before. “How did you…?” I trailed off, not sure how to even finish my thought.

You could do it too, if you wanted.

I snapped myself out of the awed trance I was in, forcing myself to keep moving toward the door, where Owen waited for me. “How useful could something like that be? Unless I was around other readers and we didn’t feel like talking. Or hey, maybe if we all came down with some particularly nasty laryngitis. In day-to-day life, though? Not super helpful.”

“You never know when something like that can save your life or someone else’s.”

“What? You’re verging into creepy territory again,” I said, turning to lock the door behind me. “Why would I be in danger? And I can’t really envision a scenario that would require me to get into another reader’s head.”

“You’re thinking about this particular skill all wrong,” he said as we walked down the sidewalk, cars whizzing past, ruining any hope of a peaceful walk. “I’m not inserting myself into your mind. I’m selectively allowing you into mine.”

“So you can… choose what I hear?”

“Yes, a slight perfection on the protection techniques you could learn.” He paused, looking down at his feet as he walked, hands jammed in his pockets. I didn’t need to read his mind to pick up on his inner turmoil. “If you decided to stay with us.”

I had to admit the idea was intriguing. But something still made me hold back. “I just can’t make that kind of commitment without knowing everything that’s involved. I think any normal person would feel the same way.”

“I suppose I’m not a normal person then,” he said, an edge to his voice.

“You expect me to believe that you just blindly put your fate into the hands of complete strangers?”

“Yes.”

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. He just kept walking, eyes trained straight ahead on something I didn’t see, mind totally closed to me. Finally, he looked over at a hobby shop we were walking past.

“There was one of these in the town where I grew up.”

The comment totally caught me off guard, and I almost stumbled.

“I used to beg my mom to take me there every weekend, so I could get a new model car to build.” He smiled, obviously fond of the memory. “But she always made me wait until I had enough money saved to actually pay for it. That just made it all the better when I actually got to go in and pick something out.” He laughed. “They were having a sale this one time, and my mom had clipped a buy-one-get-one-free coupon so I got two. It was like Christmas.”

“I didn’t know you liked to build model cars.”

He nodded and walked on, staring at his feet.

Part of me wanted to stay in this moment with Owen. It felt special somehow, this glimpse of his life before. But another part of me yearned to know what lay before me. And I knew Owen could tell me.

“And how did it feel to isolate yourself from your mom for the Unseen?”

“I didn’t. She was already gone when I joined.”

Gone, I thought. What does that mean? He didn’t elaborate.

I threw up my hands, frustration taking over. I was tired of getting so close to real answers, then having the door slammed in my face. “Okay, this is ridiculous. You guys expect me to make some lifelong commitment without all the facts? Forget it. Go back home. I’m through. My career is worth more to me than this.” I did an about face and headed back toward my apartment, leaving him standing alone on the sidewalk. I imagined what his face would look like, totally crushed by my rejection, and I reveled in that image a little.

“Wait just a second.” He jogged to catch up with me, but I didn’t slow my pace or turn to look at him. He reached for my arm to stop me. “Mac, seriously. You can’t just walk away.”

“Watch me,” I said as I jerked my arm from him. “I’m sick of your secrets. It isn’t fair. You know all of mine, yet you keep everything from me—secrets about reading, secrets about the Unseen, even secrets about you. If you want me to be in, I need to know what ‘in’ means.”

“I understand where you’re coming from. But that’s not how it works. Listen, David sent me today to find out if you’ll come back to our headquarters. That’s kind of a big deal.”

“Wait, who’s David?”

“The boss.”

“Why does he care so much if I come back?”

“Not sure. But he does. Think of it this way, just because you come back, doesn’t mean you have to stay.” He paused, pleading with his giant puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, for God’s sake.” I pointed at him. “You’re using your powers for evil. Fine. But I’m only coming back on a fact-finding mission. If I don’t get the answers I need to make an intelligent, well-informed decision, I’m done.”

He swallowed, and I hoped it was because my confident and confrontational manner was making him nervous. He smiled, but only slightly. “Fair enough.” After a few more steps, he looked over at me and said, “Mac, I hope you get the answers you need. I’d hate to have to say goodbye to you.”

Before my girlish mind went into a complete tailspin, I called Gaspard de la Nuit to mind. Shutting my eyes, I let it consume my thoughts, allowing my feet to land where they may as we walked along the city street.

“That’s a beautiful piece,” he said quietly.

“Yes. It is.” I kept my answer short, not wanting to let him into my world, not when I still knew so little of his.

“What is it?”

“It’s called Gaspard de la Nuit.”

“Gasbag de la noot?”

“Gasp—never mind. It’s my Everest.”

He was silent as we worked our way back to my apartment. I wondered if he had an Everest.

“Someday, I’d like to dive the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

“You scuba dive?”

“Sometimes. I suppose the reef is my Everest.”

I smiled to myself, having learned something tangible about him.

When we got to my door, he gently reached for my hand. “Will you really come back?”

I looked at him, and the mixed messages he was sending threatened to put me over the edge. He seemed eager to get to know me better, to keep me around, but he kept shutting me out. “You know, for someone who says he’d hate to say goodbye to me, you’re sure not giving me much to say hello to.”

He dropped my hand, adding more bricks to the wall between us. Wrong move, I thought, but he ignored it.

“You need to understand…”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do since the day I met Mitchell.”

“What?”

“Understand.”

I thought I saw some sympathy in his eyes, but instead of responding directly, he said, “You’ll have to tell me that story someday.”

I couldn’t keep up with the change of gears. “What?”

“How you and Mitchell met. He won’t tell me.”

“I thought I was an open book.”

“You are. But I’d still like to hear it from you.”

You build the wall up, and then try to reach out to me from the other side?

This is how it has to be. For now.

We stood in front of my door. I was so consumed by our conversation, it didn’t occur to me to invite him inside. “For now? You mean I’ll have the answers I seek once I commit? Once I effectively sell my soul to the devil?”

“Not exactly.”

“Which part?”

“We’re not the devil, Mac.”

“Says who? Lots of people believe mind reading is witchcraft, devilry.”

“Well, that makes you one of the damned right along with us.”

I opened my mouth, but for the first time, I didn’t have a reply. He had me.

He smiled triumphantly, deciding to take his winnings and run. “I hope I’ll see you again soon.”

“Well, if you don’t, you seem to know where to find me.”

“Indeed, I do.” The charm oozing off him made me want to shiver, but I kept Gaspard safely in my mind as I turned to unlock the door.

“Well, nice seeing you again,” I said awkwardly.

“Yes. You too, Mackenzie.”

My full name sounded nice on his lips. He smiled, knowing he’d gained another point with me.

Exasperated, I sighed. “Goodbye, Owen.” I turned and closed the door on his triumph.

“Bye, Mac,” he said from the other side of the door. I watched him walk away through the peephole, and once I knew he was truly gone, I threw myself face-first into a pile of laundry and screamed, letting the bottled-up energy and feelings explode into the clean clothes. They could handle it better than I could anyway.

11.

The next day, I resolved to go back to the Unseen and get some answers, but a phone call stopped me in my tracks.

Normally, I didn’t answer unfamiliar numbers, but I changed my habits when my job hunt began.

“This is Mackenzie.”

“Ms. Day? Hello. My name is Shelly Goldstein. I got your resume from Marcia Peterson. I was wondering if you’d have time to come in for an interview.”

“Sure! Yes! What’s the job?”

She laughed. “Yes, I suppose that is pertinent information. I own my own psychology practice. I have no training in music therapy, and I would like to be able to offer it to my clients. I think the advances in that field are very exciting, and Marcia said you were the one to call.”

It was a little jarring to hear Professor Peterson called Marcia, but I was very flattered. “It sounds ideal.”

“Well, thank you. We can discuss all the details of the position’s pay, benefits, and work hours at your interview.”

“When would you like me to come in?”

“When are you available? I have an open appointment tomorrow at one.”

“Perfect! I’ll be there.”

“Okay, the address is 511 West Virginia Street. See you there at one.”

“Wonderful. Thank you so much.”

Completely dazed, I hung up the phone. This was the exact opportunity I had been hoping for, at least until I met the Unseen.

The clock always seemed to move so much slower when Maddie was at work, and I had something to tell her. At 2:15, I couldn’t wait any longer. I knew she’d still be at school, but the kids left at 2:00 and I needed to tell her about my interview.

“Hey, Mac! What’s up?” I knew she’d pick up on the first ring, but a small part of me was still relieved to hear her voice. She would help. She always did.

“Hey, so… guess what?”

“You took the new job and it’s the most amazing and best decision you ever made, except for making friends with me.”

“Not quite.”

“Well! What is it?”

“I’ve landed an interview with a private firm interested in expanding to music therapy.”

Silence.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. What the hell are you going to do?”

“I was hoping you might offer some insight on the matter.”

“Good God, Mac. I don’t know. I will tell you one thing though. It could be worse.”

“How on Earth could it be worse?”

“You could be facing the imminent end of your grant money with no job offers or prospects.”

“You’re right. If I’m going to have problems, these are the kind of problems to have.” I sighed. “I’m just afraid if I make the wrong decision, it could shape my whole life.”

“Mac, wrong decisions don’t shape your life. Right ones do. Wrong decisions simply change the way you get to the right shape.”

“But if I take the other opportunity, and it turns out to be the wrong choice, this music therapy job probably won’t still be available.” My mind was on a downward spiral.

“You’re going to plan your life on probably? That’s weak, Mac, and you’re stronger than that.”

“You know what I mean.”

“And you know what I mean. If it’s meant to be, it will be. Did you apply for an opening with the firm? How did they get your information?”

“No, apparently Professor Peterson gave the psychologist my information and said I was the person to call.”

“Hmm. Sounds to me like the job is yours if you want it.”

“Hence my problem.”

“Do you want it?”

“Absolutely!”

“Do you want it at the expense of the other opportunity?”

“I don’t know. It would mean never…” I hesitated, biting my tongue to stop myself from blurting out what I wanted to say—it would mean never getting answers. “It would mean I would never get to find out for sure if I made the right decision.”

“That will happen no matter what you do. You can’t walk two paths before committing to the one that’s right. That’s not how it works. You could always do what Robert Frost did.”

I paused, trying to follow her train of thought. Being best friends with a Literature buff made it hard to keep up sometimes.

“Take the road less traveled.”

“Which is?”

“You’re the one standing in front of the ‘two paths diverged in a yellow wood.’ You tell me!”

I didn’t have an answer. The paths before me appeared equally treacherous and enticing.

Maddie filled the silence. “At any rate, I don’t think either decision is necessarily wrong. Even if you do take this other opportunity that doesn’t have anything to do with music therapy, you’ll still have the last six years of training. This decision won’t make that disappear. If you change your mind, you can always go work at a school or in a hospital program if the opportunity with the firm is gone. That was your plan anyway, to work your way up.”

“Sounds like you think I should pursue the music therapy job.”

“I’m not trying to push you either way. I mean, I don’t think you can go wrong with the music therapy job. It’s been your dream forever. If you do take it, I think you’ll be very happy. What more could you want?”

Answers. Others like me. Freedom. “Right. What more could I want?” I murmured.

“Right,” she said, her tone unreadable. Sometimes when we talked on the phone, I was glad I couldn’t read her, but not this time. I wanted to know what she really thought, so I could decide what to do.

Anger bubbled up at Owen and the Unseen. “I wish the other opportunity had never come along. I had everything planned out so perfectly until this happened.”

“Oh, my lovely.” I could tell she was shaking her head when she said it. “And there’s your fatal flaw. Life loves to take your perfect plans and dump a bucket of paint on them. It’s your choice to call it garbage or make something beautiful of it.”

“Yes. You’re right.”

“Of course I am. Don’t you know me at all?”

I laughed. “Yes. I forgot myself for a moment.”

“Don’t let it happen again.” She eased the tension, but only momentarily. “So, whatcha gonna do?”

Every time she said that to me, I always started singing the COPS theme song in my head. “Well, I’m gonna do the interview, that’s for sure. Then I’ll make a decision, I suppose.”

“Assume the music therapy gig offers you tons of money, a great benefits package, and is everything you ever wanted, then what will you do?”

“I’ll still wonder about the other job.”

“Hmm.”

“Indeed.”

“Well, I think—” she cut herself off, censoring her response. “I think I’d better get some work done so I can get home. Only two days left with the kids, baby!”

“Bring on the summer debauchery!”

“Get ready!”

“Oh, I am.” I smiled, picturing all the fun we’d have this summer if I weren’t part of some borderline cult that might try to keep me somewhat isolated from her.

“Say goodbye, Mac.”

“Goodbye, Mac.”

“Smartie pants. Call me after the interview tomorrow, okay? What time was it?”

“One.”

“Okay, good luck!”

“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.”

“No, you’re not. You’re gonna totally nail the interview!”

“That’s not what I’ll need the luck for.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, good luck with that too,” she said in a better-ye-than-me tone.

“Ha, thanks. All right, I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for being amazing, as always.”

“I can’t help the way I am.”

I laughed. “Bye,” I said and hung up. Although the conversation was over, her words stayed with me. She was right; life had just dumped a huge bucket of paint on my plans. So, what could I do with the resulting mess? Of course, I wanted to make something beautiful, who wouldn’t? But how?

Ravel and my keyboard kept me company late into the night. I slept in the next day, getting up with just enough time to get ready for my interview and go.

The one decision I did make the previous night was to wear my iLs to the interview. I knew it would probably be just Dr. Goldstein and me, but I didn’t want to know what she was thinking. If it was good, it would be that much harder to say no, and if it was bad, it would hurt my feelings and the knowledge that Professor Peterson had recommended me would be humiliating. So, iLs it was.

The office was actually within walking distance, but I drove anyway. It was getting warm out, and I didn’t want the hard work I’d put in to make myself presentable to go to waste. But, if I did take a job there, it would be nice to walk to work in the cooler months.

I ended up driving past the address a few times, because it was set back behind some other buildings. Flustered, I tried to take some calming breaths before heading to the door. Despite getting turned around, I had still arrived five minutes early. Nothing to stress about here.

The reception area was decorated with a minimalist hand and a token potted plant sat perfectly in the corner, not a speck of dust on its leaves. The receptionist greeted me warmly and told me Dr. Goldstein would be out any minute, so I had a seat on the immaculately clean couch to wait. I pulled my phone out to distract myself, but I didn’t get very far before Dr. Goldstein appeared.

“Ms. Day. Hello, I’m glad you could make it.”

I stood and shook her hand. She had blonde hair cut short in a severe bob, with streaks of silver throughout. She was dressed smartly, with grey slacks, a light pink blouse, and steel-framed glasses perched high on her nose.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity,” I said.

“Follow me to my office, and we’ll get started.”

The room was painted a calming light blue color, and a couch and two chairs were arranged on one side, while a desk and some bookshelves took up the other half of the room.

“Please, have a seat.” She gestured toward the couch.

I sat down and, surprisingly, she sat on the couch with me. I’d expected her to sit in one of the chairs, keeping some distance between us, although I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps because she was a psychologist, and they were always analyzing people from a distance? Don’t be judgmental, I chided myself.

“I see you have an iLs.”

“Professor Peterson didn’t tell you?”

“No. She simply said you were highly qualified for the position.”

I smiled awkwardly, second-guessing my choice to wear the iLs. “Yes, well, that’s why I wanted to be a music therapist in the first place. I want to help people the way I was helped.”

“How long have you had your iLs?”

“Since I was five.”

“Wow, I thought successful music therapy weaned the subject off after a time.”

“Technically, yes. However, I still consider my case a success, because even though I still use an iLs, I’m highly functional.”

“I see.”

Her tone was hard to read, but I pressed on. “I think with a music therapy program, you need to see the potential for success in every case, then work to achieve it.”

She leaned back, getting a little more comfortable on the couch. “I think that applies to almost anything, don’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes, I suppose it does.”

“The program is obviously in its infancy, and it would be your responsibility to shape it, acquire resources, and find clientele.”

My mind raced. My program to shape. It really was a dream come true. “Sounds ideal,” were the only coherent words I could form at the moment.

She gave me a slight smile, showing her approval. “Can you tell me a bit about what your vision would be for the practice?”

“Well, I’d probably want to start out small, focusing on a few clients at a time. That would allow me to customize my treatment to meet their specific needs.” I paused, thinking of the case studies from my thesis. “For example, if someone’s more tactile, I might include some instruments in the therapy to make him or her feel more involved in the process. If a technophile teenage boy came to me, I’d get some mixing software to let him play around with. Anything to achieve a breakthrough.”

I paused, my mind starting to move faster than my mouth with the possibilities. “They’re developing new techniques all the time, so the opportunity to constantly evolve is very exciting.”

Her smile stretched wider. “Right. Okay then. Let’s talk money. Starting pay is fifty thousand, with full medical. Unfortunately, I don’t have a dental package available yet, but I’m working on it. You could probably expect that in the coming year or two.”

“Whoa.” It slipped out.

“I know, but if you can hang with me, I promise it’ll be a great place to work. Oh, and you start with two weeks paid vacation and get an additional week every five years you work here. We close the week of Christmas, so you don’t need to use your vacation then.”

“Honestly, I don’t think it could get any better.”

She beamed. “Wonderful! When can you start?”

My throat closed. Accepting would mean never going back to the Unseen. Never seeing Owen again. My throat closed a little more. I coughed, trying to clear it.

“Would you like some water?”

I nodded.

She went to a mini fridge behind her desk—brilliant, I thought, then wondered if I would have a mini fridge in my office—and came back with a wonderfully cold bottle of water.

Sucking it down, I frantically tried to come up with something to say that couldn’t be interpreted as disrespectful, but would still afford me some time to think.

“Would it be possible to think about it for a day or two?”

Her face fell. “What? But I thought this was what you were looking for?”

“It is!” I said, scrambling to explain. “It’s just that another opportunity has come up, so now I need to choose.”

“I see.” Her tone was flat, and I could almost see the wheels in her head turning. “Is there anything I can do to persuade you?”

“No, you’ve already made this an exceedingly difficult choice.”

She crossed one leg over the other and sat up a little straighter, clearly satisfied with herself. “Wonderful. Take all the time you need. You’re the only one I’m considering for the position at the moment, to be honest, and I do hope you’ll take it.”

I stood and shook her hand. “I will certainly give it serious consideration.”

“I suppose I can’t ask for more than that. I hope to hear from you soon,” she said as she led me out of her office and to the door.

“It’s ideal, Maddie. Good money, benefits, paid vacation, and they’re closed the week of Christmas! The whole week!”

“Mac, you knew it would be ideal, and not because of the money or benefits.”

“No, I know. She said I would be responsible for shaping the program. Her words, not mine. Can you imagine? I’d have free reign to reach out to people and make a difference in a real way.”

“You knew this wouldn’t be an easy choice.”

The excitement drained out of my voice a little. “She said I was the only candidate she was considering right now.”

“So?”

“If I turn her down, I feel like I’m leaving her in the lurch.”

“Get over yourself!” Maddie said. “You’re not leaving her in the lurch. It’s a business. She’ll keep running it the best way she sees fit. You have to do what’s best for you. Don’t make a decision like this out of some bizarre perceived guilt toward some person you’ve only spent like fifteen minutes of your entire life with.”

She certainly had a way of putting things into perspective. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“When do you have to give her an answer?”

“She said to take all the time I need.”

“Really? That’s very generous. I wouldn’t string her along though. Make your decision. Put us all out of our misery.”

“Yes. You’re right.” I made a decision as I hung up the phone. I needed more information, and the only way I was going to get it was making a trip down to the Unseen.

12.

I went to the Unseen first thing in the morning. I’m going to make my decision today, I thought as I got out of my car.

Owen was already leaning against the building when I walked up, and the sight of him made my knees weak. “Heard you coming.”

“Great,” I said, less than enthusiastic. “So you know why I’m here.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Tell me about the job.”

“You already know everything, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I want to hear it from you.”

While we walked down to the basement, I told him all about the interview and offer. By the time we got to the bottom, I was done.

“Sounds ideal,” he said. I thought I detected a hint of sadness in his voice at the thought of my leaving, but maybe that was just what I wanted to hear. He looked into my eyes, and I felt like he was trying to see my soul. The sensation made me shiver. “So, what do you think you’ll do?” He knew I didn’t have an answer yet, but he was asking anyway. Sometimes, I did that too, hoping some new revelation would pop into the person’s head. It never did, but that didn’t stop me from trying, and it hadn’t stopped Owen either.

“I think I’m going to try to get some answers from the boss man.”

Just then, David emerged from his office. Owen straightened up a bit more, and I gave him a perplexed look, trying to understand why he would puff himself up for this man. Respect was the only answer that made sense. I followed David back to his office, giving Owen one last glance over my shoulder.

“Thank you for coming back,” David said as he seated himself behind his desk. “I hear there’s been a complication.”

“You could say that.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“There isn’t much to tell beyond what you must already know. I’m a fairly open book, right?”

He nodded, and silence ensued.

“Listen, I came back to try to get some information from you, to see if you can sweeten the deal, because I have to say, your competition is steep.”

“Fair enough, Mackenzie, but I don’t know what I can do to ‘sweeten the deal.’ I don’t have much control over what I can and can’t offer you. It’s more of a take-it-or-leave-it kind of thing.”

“That’s fine, I guess. Let me tell you what I’m struggling with and maybe you can provide a solution. Sound good?”

“I’ll try.”

“First, I’m not wild about the idea of moving in here. I’ve lived alone for the last six years. And this feels too much like a commune. How do I know it’s not some creepy Hotel California deal?”

He laughed. “It’s not some creepy Hotel California deal. Although, if you do decide to join, it is a member-for-life kind of thing. I suppose it’s similar in that way.”

“Member for life? So, if I choose this, I can never go back to music. What if it doesn’t work out? What if you and I don’t get along? What if I don’t get along with anyone? What if you can’t train me, and I’m a big waste of time? Doesn’t that ever happen?”

“No. The training process is rigorous, and relatively foolproof, although I have heard of problems once or twice. None in my division.”

“And how were those problems resolved?”

“I believe the two parties separated as amicably as possible.”

“Vague.”

He didn’t respond.

“Right. Well, I still don’t want to live here, at least not right away. I have enough money to live in my apartment through the end of the summer, and I’d like to stay there at least until then.”

He thought for a moment, and not for the first time, I was irritated I couldn’t read him. “I suppose that’s reasonable. Frankly, I’d prefer you stayed here where I can keep an eye on you, but if you insist, you may stay in your apartment for the rest of the summer. But you will be responsible for showing up on time for all of your training.”

“No problem. I’ve been showing up on time for classes for the last six years.” All right. One point down.

“What else?” he asked.

“I really would like some more information about who you guys are before I make this apparent lifelong commitment to you. I don’t sleep with men on the first date, let alone marry them.”

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable for some reason. “No, I don’t suppose you do.” He mumbled something that sounded like ‘thank God’ but I couldn’t be sure. “Unfortunately, I hate to beat a dead horse here, but I can’t tell you anymore. At least not until you’ve been here for a while. You will have to decide based on the information you have.”

“And if I choose the therapy job?”

He frowned but nodded. “That’s your right, and I’m quite sure you will be happy there.”

Ha. I don’t think that’s what you really mean, I thought, not brave enough to say it out loud.

“No, it is what I mean. Obviously, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get to work with you, but I’ll be happy you’re happy.”

“Why? We just met. I barely know you. I didn’t even know your name until Owen told it to me.”

He leaned forward on his desk and looked me in the eye. “Mackenzie, it’s like I told you before, you’re special. That’s very exciting. I hope to have the opportunity to see just how far you can go.”

How far I can go? He didn’t respond to my thoughts. He knew he’d just baited me, and he didn’t want to jerk the hook out of my mouth.

“Was there anything else?”

I tried to collect my thoughts. “Um, yes. I think I know the answer, but I suppose it warrants asking. If I choose therapy, can I still come here? See Owen? Maybe train over the weekends or after work?”

He gave me a sympathetic look. “Mackenzie, you can’t expect to succeed if you divide your focus that way. I’m sorry, but it’s not possible.”

I sighed and slumped back in the chair, not ready to face the world outside his office.

“You know what?” he said. “I’m going to take a walk. You can stay in here as long as you’d like.” He stood and walked to the door, pausing before he left. “Mackenzie?”

I turned to see him waiting with his hand on the doorknob.

“Find me with your answer before you leave.”

I nodded, and he left me alone with my future.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there. I kept thinking he would come back. He must have had work to do. But he left me alone, just like he’d promised.

Owen was waiting for me right where I’d left him. When I saw him, I wanted to run to him, put my arms around him, and let him make this decision easier for me. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Instead, I took a deep breath, trying to clear some space in my head for rational thought, and crossed the gym, closing the distance between the two of us.

When I reached him, he was the one who folded me into his arms, and it felt more like home than anything I’d ever experienced. His smell, clean with a hint of men’s deodorant, intoxicated me. He put a hand on my head and ran his fingers through my wild hair, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. No rush. No push to get away. He just held me.

The thought of never seeing him again hit me like a semi-truck, sucking the breath out of my lungs. If I walked away from the Unseen, Owen would be out of my life. Not only would I be losing the chance to discover who I really was, I’d also be losing the chance to share the experience with someone who truly understood.

Owen felt the change in me. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” I was being ridiculous. A lovesick teenager. I couldn’t base life decisions on a stupid crush I had on a boy I barely knew. Unless… “Owen, you know how stupid I am over you.”

A smile worked its way across half his mouth. “I’ve heard some rumors.”

“Do you feel the same way about me?”

His eyes turned dark, and the half second he stayed silent stretched on for an eternity. No. That was all he had to say. All he had to do was crush my dream of having a partner who shared my strange ability, and I would move on. The therapy job would be good for me. It was what I’d always wanted.

No. Such a short word to do so much damage, but in the end, it would be all right. I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me—despite the fact that he could hear my every thought.

No. I waited for him to say it.

Instead, he leaned in, kissing me deeply, and sensation eclipsed thought. His lips were soft and warm, his hands tangled in my hair, my own hands wrapped around his shoulders, holding on for dear life. He pulled back before I was ready, but would I have ever been ready?

“Does that answer your question?”

“I need to find David.”

“Not quite what I wanted to hear after giving a girl some of my best moves, but okay. How come?”

“To tell him I’m in.”

13.

First things first, I thought when I got home that night. It was only about seven o’clock. Dr. Goldstein had written her cell number on the business card she’d given me. I dialed the numbers, holding on to the memory of that kiss, and of how wonderful it felt to be around other people like me, to strengthen my resolve. Meeting the Unseen had revealed to me just how lonely I’d been without them, and the thought of going back to that world in which my abilities alienated me from everyone around me was unacceptable. I pushed “call,” feeling good about my decision.

“Mackenzie! Tell me something good,” she said, making it even harder. I didn’t want to be responsible for stealing the enthusiasm from her voice.

“Unfortunately—”

She cut me off. “No, don’t say unfortunately! Come on, Mackenzie, don’t make me beg.”

“No, please don’t beg. Believe me, this has been a hard decision, but the other opportunity is something I just can’t pass up. If I don’t at least try, I will always wonder.”

She sighed, long and heavy. “All right, well, I can’t begrudge you that. But listen, if for some reason it doesn’t work out, please call me right away. I’m sure I can find something for you, even if this spot has been taken.”

Her kindness broke my heart a little more. “Thank you so much for this opportunity, and for everything, Dr. Goldstein. I do hope our paths will cross in the future.”

“I’m counting on it, Mackenzie.”

As soon as we hung up, I dialed Maddie.

“What did you decide?” she demanded without even saying hello.

“I took the other one.”

“Oh my God!” she yelled. I pulled the phone away from my ear and could still hear her clearly. “I knew that’s the one you would choose! I knew it! This is going to be so exciting for you! A whole new direction!”

“Yup.” One syllable was all I could squeeze in.

“So, when do you start? Do you know what you’ll be doing? Have you met any of the people you’ll be working with?”

“I start first thing on Monday morning. It sounds like I’ll mostly be training for a while. I’ve met a few people. One person in particular sparks my interest.”

“Oh, really?” I could visualize one of her eyebrows rising up into that this-is-about-a-boy-isn’t-it position.

“Yup.”

“Well, give me more than one word on the subject. What’s he like?”

“He’s gorgeous, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Good sense of humor.”

“I assumed.”

“And not a bad kisser.”

“What?” she exploded. “Okay, um, what? Start at the beginning.”

“Well, I’m not sure how much I should even tell you. Except that right or wrong, he helped make my decision.”

“How’s that?”

“I couldn’t imagine giving up the chance to see where this goes.”

“Aw, my wittle Mac is falling in love,” she teased.

“I don’t know about all that. Feels more like a dumb teenage obsession.”

“That’s fine. Except you never really had one of those. When we were teenagers, you were more likely to date a guy once and punch him in the face than become enraptured with him. What’s different about this guy?”

I can’t read his every gross guy thought, and we might be able to have an actual relationship because of it. “I don’t know. It just feels right.”

She didn’t respond, and I imagined her smiling on the other end of the phone.

“I do know that saying no to the therapy job was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I just hope it’s worth it.”

“Well, I’m happy for you. And proud. You made a hard decision—went outside of your comfort zone. I think it’ll be good for you. I mean, you’re getting kissed, so it’s already a step in the right direction.”

I laughed. “Priorities.”

“I’m just sayin’.”

It was after ten by the time we hung up, and I went to bed not long after. Though I was exhausted, my mind raced with thoughts about what might happen on Monday, how far I could go with my “gift,” and, of course, Owen.

Although I couldn’t read him, I knew his feelings for me ran deep. Our kiss was proof positive of that. I’d never had someone genuinely feel that way for me, and it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I wondered how dating worked with the Unseen. Were any of them married? Did any of them have lives outside of the group? It didn’t seem like it. Still, I hadn’t really spent much time with any of them. Anything could be possible.

I lay in bed, letting my mind run rampant for a while before finally turning to look at the clock. 2:02 burned through the darkness at me. This is going to be a long weekend.

I pushed Owen from my mind, a Herculean task, and pushed the excitement of Monday away too, finally letting sleep claim me.

I was hoping Owen might pop over like he had on Tuesday, but he didn’t. Being such a new member, I didn’t feel it was my place to go spend the weekend with the Unseen, so I busied myself with normal weekend stuff. I cleaned the apartment, went shopping, got some groceries, saw a movie, and played Gaspard incessantly, anything to help pass the time.

I tried desperately not to obsess about Owen’s absence. Of course, that worked about as well as dropping a rock in a lake and hoping it would float. By Sunday night, I’d worked myself into a tizzy—worrying about why he hadn’t stopped over and whether I’d made the wrong choice.

I woke up Monday morning before my alarm, too wound up to register how little sleep I’d gotten. Unsure of what my training would involve, I opted to face the day in khaki pants and a nice blouse, packing yoga pants, sneakers, and a tank top in my backpack in case they actually expected me to use the gym.

I showed up promptly at eight. Owen was waiting outside for me, leaning against the building in what I was coming to think of as his habitual pose. The morning light cast an otherworldly glow on his olive skin that made my legs forget how to function.

He walked over with a big smile on his face. “I have something for you.”

“Already?”

“It’s your key to the building. Now I won’t have to meet you out here anymore.”

“Oh. Ha,” I chided myself. “I stupidly thought you were doing that because you wanted to see me. Of course you had to let me in.”

His expression turned serious, and he reached for my face, tracing my cheek with his thumb. “Of course I wanted to see you.” He let his hand drop. “I just thought you’d want your own key, so you could come and go as you pleased. Go out on the town. You know.”

We walked toward the door, and I bumped him with my hip. “Right. I’m such a wild child.”

“So I hear.”

He handed me the key, and it looked so ordinary. Then he gave me a small envelope. “Those are your codes for the other doors. Your prints and things have already been entered into the system. You have access to everything except the work floor. You’ll get that once you’ve finished training.”

I decided to ignore the fact that they were still keeping secrets and shook my head. “So, why didn’t you come see me this weekend? Hot date with another woman?”

He laughed. “Absolutely.” When I looked at him, my eyes wide with horror, he laughed even harder. “Not really! I thought you might want some space after all this, to let it sink in.”

“Oh. How courteous of you,” I said, a little flatter than I’d intended.

We walked down the steps together. “Okay, well, clearly that was a mistake. You can attend my public flogging after your training.”

I softened and laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it. What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Today, you meet Tracy.”

Turned out, Tracy was my no-nonsense instructor. She was petite, a few inches shorter than I was, with big, blue eyes and long, blonde hair. But her doll-like appearance belied her temperament. Her voice was deep for someone so small, and it was obvious she wouldn’t tolerate tomfoolery of any kind. She commanded a certain amount of authority, and even though she looked much younger, her experience and mannerisms made me place her in her late forties.

Owen told me that she’d been with the Unseen for quite some time, but he hadn’t elaborated beyond that, which didn’t surprise me. More secrets.

“Mackenzie,” she said when we met her in the gym. It was a statement, not a question. “I’m Tracy. I’ll be your instructor.” She led me away from Owen, to one of the small rooms at the back of the gym. I returned Owen’s thumbs-up with an unsure smile before turning to follow her.

Once we were both seated in the room, at opposite ends of a small table, she said, “Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“Yes, actually. Something’s been driving me crazy. Owen keeps making jokes about how relieved everyone is that I’m starting my training because they’re sick of hearing all of my questions.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t they just block me?”

She sat back in her chair and thought for a moment before speaking. “An untrained reader’s thoughts are much louder and more difficult to block out than a regular person’s.” She paused to make sure I was following, and I nodded.

“Because of this, your voice can be… distracting. Only someone who’s highly skilled can block someone like you all the time. Most of us can block you part of the time, but we all hear tidbits now and then. Except for maybe David. He hears what he wants to hear. Make sense?”

“So you’re saying that when I’m not low man on the totem pole anymore, I won’t be able to block new people one hundred percent because of how loud they are?”

“Exactly. As you learn to hone your skills, you’ll naturally start controlling your volume, making it easier for other readers to block you. Then, you’ll learn to quiet your thoughts so much that others won’t be able to hear them, even if they’re trying. Picture yourself like a lighthouse. Before you met us, you were super bright, so that we could find you. Now, we’re teaching you to use the dimmer switch to avoid attracting unwanted attention.”

“Unwanted attention?”

“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate. “Is that all?”

It was far from all, but I had more than enough to chew on for the moment, so I nodded.

“Blocking is still a while off for you, I’m afraid. You’re going to start off by learning to zero in on a single voice.”

“Okay…” I trailed off, not exactly sure what that meant.

“I mean that when there are multiple people in the room, I will teach you to hear only one person’s thoughts. I will show you how to choose who you hear and who you don’t hear.”

“You can do that?” I felt for my iLs in my purse. “Without this?” I showed it to her.

She frowned, disgusted. “That is a crutch only the weak-minded use. You will not be allowed to use it here, or ever again for that matter.” She jumped to her feet, snatched it from me, placed it on the ground, and unceremoniously crushed it beneath the heel of her shoe. Then she returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.

I swallowed the rising panic. My lifeline to the outside world had just been destroyed. I can always buy a new one if this doesn’t work, I thought, trying to reassure myself.

“No. You will not get a new one of these ridiculous Band-Aids. When I’m through with you, you won’t need or want one ever again.”

I swallowed, but my mouth had gone dry, so all that went down was a lump of air, which offered no comfort whatsoever.

A short knock came at the door, and then a man slipped inside the room, shutting the door behind him. “I’ve invited Camden to join us today,” Tracy said. “He will be our second voice.” She nodded at him, and he returned the gesture. He gave me a quick smile before he seated himself next to Tracy, across the table from me. I felt like it was two against one.

“I suppose it is,” Tracy said. “We are going to allow you into our minds at the same time. Your purpose is to listen to Camden only. I will be able to tell when you have succeeded, so don’t even think about lying to me if you haven’t achieved your goal.”

I shook my head rapidly. Did anyone ever lie to her? I couldn’t imagine what must have happened to that poor soul.

“It wasn’t pretty,” she said with a sly smile. “Shall we?” she asked Camden.

“Wait,” I choked. “How do I…?” I trailed off, not sure how to verbalize what she was expecting me to do.

“Discipline your mind.”

I waited for her to say more, but I was met by silence.

“I could elaborate. I can discuss the semantics of it with you until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t help. You need to experience it for yourself. When it comes down to it, you just need to discipline your mind. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Right. Sure. Okay. Discipline my mind. That’s easy. I mentally rolled my eyes.

“Why are you here?”

It was such an abrupt question, I stammered to answer it. “Well, I… I wanted to learn how to control it.”

“It?”

“What you all refer to as the gift.”

“And what do you call it?”

“My curse, I suppose.”

“It’s not a curse. Get that out of your head before we go any further. It may not be a gift, but it’s certainly not a curse. I like to think of it as a responsibility. And that means we don’t treat it haphazardly, wantonly going through life using crutches to control it. We must work hard to use it to the best of our abilities, constantly honing it so that we’re at our best every day, so that we can hopefully use our talent to bring some good to this world.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t really expected an epic monologue from her, and I didn’t know how to respond. Truth was, I’d never looked at it that way.

“Now, are you ready to begin?”

I took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Camden started thinking first. His voice came to me smooth and low, very Barry White. Welcome! How’s it going so far?

Well, I’ll let you know in a—

Tracy interrupted us. No small talk. Just work.

I looked at her. What are we supposed to talk about?

You are not to engage me. You are to block me out entirely. Get to work.

I scowled at her, and she scowled right back. Shifting my gaze back to Camden, I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. Neither did Tracy.

So, any tips on disciplining my mind? I asked him.

I think it’s different for everyone. The way I found my center might not work for you. I think that’s why she said you have to—

Do it yourself, Mackenzie. Quit asking him for ways to cheat, Tracy interrupted again.

Stung, I blurted out, “I wasn’t trying to cheat. You said to talk about work!”

She tilted her head, and her expression softened a bit. “Okay, clearly, you’re not getting what’s happening here. Let me walk you through it. You and Camden will share a thought connection. I will interrupt, trying to provoke you any way I know how. My job is to be as distracting as possible. Yours is to ignore me, filter me out, and eventually not hear me at all.”

Feeling dumb and chided, I hung my head a bit.

“Maybe it’s a good time for lunch? I’m getting a little hungry myself, Trace,” Camden ventured.

“What?” I looked around for a clock. “It can’t be time for lunch already.”

“It is, if you want it to be,” Tracy said.

“But I haven’t learned anything yet.”

She chuckled. “Sure you have. You’ve learned who Camden and I are. That’s enough for the morning. We’ll revisit this in an hour.” Her soft demeanor vanished. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Of course not,” I said as I stood and scrambled out of the small room, grateful for even a momentary escape.

Owen was waiting for me when I practically fell out of the room. I straightened, trying not to look like a complete buffoon.

“How’s it going?” he asked, although I was certain he already knew the answer.

“I suck. But Tracy gave me a break for lunch, so let’s go get some food.”

“Oh, come on,” he said as we walked toward the stairs. “You don’t suck. No one can do it on their first day.”

“Really?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not the authority on training. You’d have to ask Tracy for some hard facts. But I’m sure almost no one can do it on their first day.” I jabbed him as we finished climbing the stairs to the main floor.

“And you? Did you do it on your first day?”

He smiled devilishly. “Honey, I never kiss and tell.”

I rolled my eyes. “So no, in other words.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Nope. Took me about a month.”

I withered at the thought of accomplishing nothing for a full month, but the flurry of activity in the kitchen quickly distracted me. People were at the fridge getting food, making sandwiches at the counter, taking chips and snacks from the pantry, and a few others were already eating at the tables.

It was still an adjustment to be around so many people without my iLs. The image of my broken lifeline flashed in my mind. How would I function if it took me a whole month to learn anything? I swallowed the rising panic, bringing myself back to the bustling kitchen.

“Jeez, how do you get what you need without getting in the way?”

“What do you mean by ‘getting in the way’?” he asked as he reached around the girl standing in front of the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Want one?”

I nodded. In the end, I stood off to the side while Owen made us a couple of sandwiches, grabbed a few handfuls of chips, and carried our plates to the table.

“Thanks,” I said as he put my plate in front of me.

“I may not have learned to zero in on one voice on my first day, but I’ve always known how to make a mean ham sandwich.”

I smiled in spite of my mood.

Tracy and Camden came in and got their food, but they didn’t stay. I wondered if they were friends outside of torturing new people together.

Owen laughed out loud. “They’re not torturing you. Don’t let Camden hear you say that. He’d be destroyed, the old softie.”

“Camden? Really? He’s so…” I trailed off, trying to come up with a politically correct way to describe him.

“Big, black, and intimidating?” Owen filled in between bites of his own sandwich.

“A bit less eloquent than how I was going to put it, but yes.”

“Don’t let him fool you. Tracy, on the other hand, is genuinely a hard ass.”

“I picked up on that all on my own.”

“Ha! So, you are learning something!”

The fire in my eyes was hot enough to wilt the lettuce on his sandwich.

“Oh, come on. What did you expect on your first day?”

“I don’t know. Some kind of success,” I said as I picked the crust off my sandwich and jammed it into my mouth.

He lowered his voice. “I think you being here at all is a success, but that’s just me.” He looked into his water bottle as he took a drink instead of making eye contact. “Listen, the world can be a terrible place. I know you’ve seen it. But as mind readers, we have the potential to help fix it. Someone once said something about how the opportunity to change or save one life was worth a little sacrifice. But I think she was talking about her favorite boy band or something to do with music. It probably doesn’t apply here.”

I swatted at him. “Yes, well, I just hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Putting down his water, he leaned in toward me. “What exactly do you think we’re expecting?”

“I don’t know. It’s got to be amazing though, given the way you practically begged, lied, and cheated to get me here.”

“Okay, no one lied or cheated, and I think begged is a harsh word to describe any of our interactions.”

I rolled my eyes. “Typical insecure man. I was being facetious.”

“Well, I don’t know what that means because I would never behave that way.” He hid his grin behind his sandwich.

I threw a chip at him.

“Hey! Don’t waste good chips!” He picked it up off the floor and ate it. I cringed. “Five-second rule.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “Girls and their cleanliness. Jeez.”

I laughed. “What time is it, by the way? I don’t want to keep Tracy waiting.”

“None of us do.” He glanced at his watch. “Yeah, let’s go.” He gathered the plates and put them in the dishwasher, leaving no trace that we’d been there at all. Considering how many people had been through the kitchen at lunch, it looked surprisingly clean.

Owen approved of my observation. “That’s the idea. We all pitch in and clean up after ourselves. This place would be a sty if we didn’t.”

We walked back down to the gym in silence. I was too consumed by the prospect of more failure to make small talk.

When we got there, Owen tried to encourage me. “Don’t think about it like that. You’ll get it eventually, and when you do, it’ll be awesome. Like your Everest.”

I frowned. “I already have my Everest. And I still haven’t conquered that. The last thing I need is another unreachable goal.” Despairing, I turned to face him. “Maybe this was a mistake.”

He took me by the shoulders. “This was not a mistake. Nothing with you in it is a mistake.” He paused, letting that sink in. Then he shook me a little. “Now, tuck in your bottom lip and get to work. There’s no room for self-pity here.”

I straightened up. “Yes, sir!”

He smiled at me, but I couldn’t quite bring a smile to my own face. The prospect of the long lesson before me was too daunting.

And, as it turned out, I was right to dread my next lesson. The afternoon dragged on, drenched in failure after failure. Tracy continued to berate, attack, and otherwise annoy me as I tried desperately—and unsuccessfully—to focus on Camden. Although the work wasn’t physical, I was sweating from the effort by day’s end.

I’d lost track of time when Tracy finally sat back in her chair. “I think that’s enough for today. We’ll pick back up here tomorrow.”

I frowned. “Can I try one more time?”

“Honestly, Mackenzie, I don’t think one more time is going to make a difference. You’re not going to have your epiphany moment today. You’re just not. Might as well come to terms with that right now.” She looked over at Camden. “You ready to call it a day?”

He nodded.

“No,” I said, too loudly for the small room. “One more chance. That’s all I’m asking. I refuse to end the first day of this new life in defeat.” I thought I saw a flash of sympathy pass over Tracy’s eyes, but it was so brief that I couldn’t be sure.

“Fine. You have ten minutes.”

What makes you think this time will be different? Camden asked me.

Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on Camden’s voice and my breathing. I closed my eyes, hoping it would help me shut Tracy out that much more. I don’t know. It probably won’t.

I thought I heard Tracy’s voice say something, but it was too quiet to make out the words. Not like a whisper, though, more like an echo. I resisted the urge to strain to hear what she was saying. I probably didn’t want to know anyway. Camden and breathing. That was all I cared about.

No, probably not. But at least you’ll know you’ve tried your best, right? You can go home feeling satisfied.

I guess. I wanted to have some kind of success today. To know I made the right choice. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me intently. Tracy had moved across the room and was standing right next to me.

“Jesus! You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing?” I yelled.

She leaned on the table in front of me. “I can’t believe it.”

“What?” I looked back and forth between the two of them. Camden had a huge, goofy grin on his face, but Tracy just looked perplexed.

“I’ve never heard of someone doing it on the first day,” she muttered, almost to herself.

“Me either,” Camden said. “We’ve got a regular prodigy here!” He got up, and it felt like his height and breadth filled the small room completely. Reaching for my hand, he shook it enthusiastically. “Congrats! You did it.”

“I did?”

“You did,” Tracy answered. “I was talking nonstop that whole time, and you didn’t hear a single thing.”

“She was slinging some real doozies too,” Camden said, pride saturating his voice.

“Like what?”

“That you were a total failure, that you were wasting our time, and that I wanted to go get some dinner before I died,” Tracy said, completely deadpan, like the insults meant nothing to her.

And they shouldn’t have meant anything to me. She was trying to provoke me. That was her job. But the words still stung. “I’m not a total failure,” I said quietly.

“No. You’re not,” she said. “Far from it.” And with that, she patted me on the shoulder and left the room. Camden followed, but not before flashing me another huge smile.

I sat alone in the room in disbelief. I’d done it. I’d actually controlled it.

Someone knocked on the door. “Yeah,” I said without looking to see who it was.

“I hear you’re a superstar,” Owen said, quiet caution mixed with the excitement in his voice.

“I guess.” I was still staring at the spot where Camden had been sitting, not quite able to believe it. After all that effort, it had seemed easy, almost natural.

He sat down in Camden’s spot, right in my line of sight, so I finally looked at him. “What if I can’t do it again tomorrow? I only did it the one time.”

Owen laughed. “That’s what you’re in here worrying about? That you won’t be able to do it again?” He dissolved into more laughter.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “Why is that funny?”

He straightened up immediately, clearing his throat. “It’s not.” A smile cracked his face. “Except it is, Mac. No one’s ever achieved what you’ve done this quickly. You’re a natural! Of course you’ll be able to do it again tomorrow.”

“I just wish she hadn’t interrupted me, so I could be sure. She scared the hell out of me.”

A mischievous smile played on his face. “What did she do to you?”

“She just invaded my personal space.”

He leaned in close enough for me to feel his breath on my face. “I’d like to invade your personal space.”

I smiled up at him. “Oh, would you now?”

“Maybe.”

“We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.” Our knees touched as he moved his whole body closer. I was tempted to turn my face, just to squash his cocky attitude, but his lips were too tempting. They curled at the corners, since he knew I’d chosen him over my own pride.

The kiss was slow and sweet. I leaned into him, resting my hand on his knee for support.

After a few heartbeats, he pulled back and took a deep breath, as if calming himself. “Well, I’d say it was a pretty good first day on the job after all, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I would.”

“Can I interest you in some dinner? Maybe a movie?”

“Like a date?”

“My, my, you’re awfully forward,” he said cheekily. “No, I was thinking we could just hang out here with everyone. It’ll give you a chance to get to know us all a little. We know you pretty well, so it would be good to even the playing field a little.”

“Or maybe I should crawl into a hole and die. Everyone knows all the intimate details about my life.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve got more backbone than that. I know, because I’m not attracted to spineless twits, and I find you very appealing.”

I straightened. “Well, I’m certainly not a spineless twit.”

“No. I didn’t think you were.”

“As long as we’re clear on that.”

His face turned serious as he nodded. “Crystal.”

“Good.” I stood. “I suppose dinner and a movie wouldn’t kill me.”

“Glad to see you’ve let go of the cult-killer theory. We’ll just have to make sure it’s not a horror movie.”

I pushed him as we walked out, causing him to bump into the doorframe and stumble before regaining his balance.

“Got it together there, O?” Mitchell asked from right by the doorway. I hadn’t heard his approach, so I was surprised to see him.

“Always.”

He nodded and smiled before walking away. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?” Owen asked.

“You’ve always got it together? Always?”

If we’d been in one of those cheesy teenage summer flicks, he would’ve tripped right at that moment. Unfortunately, it was life, not a movie, so he kept his stride. “Don’t you forget it.”

“Must be nice.”

At dinner, everyone flooded me with questions, even though I was pretty sure they already knew most of the answers. Where I was from, what I studied in school, what instruments I played—that sort of thing. They all seemed excited to have a musician join the group, and they begged me to bring my guitar or keyboard or anything to play for them. I told them I wasn’t much of a peacock, but if they wanted to sing and have fun, I’d be happy to provide some background music.

“Ok, now it’s my turn to ask a question.” All eyes were on me. “If you could live forever, what would you do with your life?” It was a fun icebreaker question I’d learned in one of my therapy classes. Every once and a while, someone would really answer it, giving you a glimpse of who they were.

One person said travel. Another said write a book. Someone else claimed they would play all the Mario games back to back.

Once the laughter died down, Owen chimed in, “I wouldn’t want to live that long.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I don’t want to give people the chance to hate me. To become a burden to them. To be—” he hesitated, “—relieved when I die.”

“Well, that’s one way to kill the mood, O,” a guy sitting across from us said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant to say I’d learn to play Gasbag de la Noot.”

“Now you’re just stealing ideas,” I said.

The conversation regained its jovial flow, but I couldn’t help wondering what had happened to Owen. Though he always had a smile and a laugh for everyone, he’d given me a glimpse of the dark thoughts that ran deep inside him.

All night, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was an outsider. Someone had to hate me, right? Some scorned girl who had her eyes on Owen, some unimpressed person who might perceive me as a threat for my successes today. But they were all welcoming and kind. It made me a little uneasy, particularly since there was still so much I didn’t know.

During the movie, Owen took my hand and leaned over. “Would you relax?” he whispered. “We can all hear you wondering which one of us hates you and is covering it up.”

I could feel myself turning six shades of red, so I was grateful for the dim lights.

One of the guys I didn’t know paused the movie. “Listen, if being readers has taught us anything, it’s to be honest and open with the people in our lives. Because everyone else is going to know exactly what you’re thinking until you learn to block your thoughts. We’ve all been where you are.” Everyone laughed, and I tried to chuckle with them, swallowing my horror at the intimate facts they knew about me.

The girl sitting on the floor in front of me turned and touched my leg. “Hey. It should make you feel better that we know all that stuff about you and still want hang out with you anyway.” She winked at me, and Owen burst out laughing.

I sighed. Clearly, they weren’t bothered. I was the one who was going to have to get over this. Maybe I could level the playing field someday, but today, I’d have to settle for my small victory in the training room.

I snuggled into Owen’s arm to watch the movie, trying to focus on what tomorrow might bring.

14.

My fears were unfounded. The next day, I honed in on Camden like it was nothing, so Tracy added a third person, then a fourth to the group. My next task was to change my focus to a different person’s thoughts. Once I figured out how to do it, I could easily zero in on the single voice of my choosing. It didn’t seem to matter who it was or how many people were in the room.

By the end of the day, we’d moved out into the gym to accommodate more people. She added Mitchell as a fifth person, and I zoned in on him immediately.

Mitchell, what happened the day we met?

He avoided eye contact with me, scratching the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable. What do you mean? You were being attacked, and I thought I’d lend a hand. In retrospect, I’m not sure you needed it.

Afterwards, though, you acted like you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Like the very sight of me made your skin crawl.

In the back of my mind, I knew the others were listening and trying to distract me, but I didn’t care. This was my chance for answers, and I wasn’t going to let it pass me by again.

He sighed heavily. Put yourself in my place, Mac. I knew you were a reader. I also knew you thought you were all alone. I wanted to tell you, I did. But it wasn’t the right time, and I wasn’t the right person. I needed to get myself away from you before I messed things up.

I thought about that for a minute. Things? What things?

Just things, I don’t know. He shrugged in his chair, clearly getting flustered. There’s a protocol to follow with new people, and I didn’t want to be responsible for doing it wrong.

He didn’t elaborate and I saw him give Tracy a desperate stare, silently pleading with her to move on. I wondered if the “thing” he meant was David sending Owen to check up on me.

“All right, that’s enough. I think that’s good for today. Thank you for coming, everyone. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Tracy said.

The rest of the week went even better. Maddie’s supportive do-great-on-your-first-week text messages combined with my successes kept my spirits high. By Friday, all the available members of the Unseen were helping me train in the gym. I could hone in on one person’s voice and change my focus at will. I even learned to recognize voices, and zero in on someone with a purpose, instead of just picking someone randomly.

After we finished up on Friday, Tracy dismissed everyone and asked me to meet her in the training room for a debriefing, as she called it.

She sat down across the table from me, then leaned forward and interlaced her hands. “Listen, Mackenzie, I’m going to be honest.”

My heartbeat quickened as dread crept into my stomach, feeling heavy, like a rock.

She ignored my panic. “We’ve covered about a month’s worth of material in a week.”

“Okay…” Was that good or bad?

“I suppose it’s good and bad. It’s more than good; it’s amazing. I’ve never seen anyone who’s as much of a natural as you are. There’s still a lot for you to learn, but I’m afraid there will come a time when I can’t teach you anything more.” Her voice got a little quieter, almost reflective. “I’m not sure what we’ll do then.”

“Well, it’s only been a week. I’m sure we don’t need to worry about that already.”

“Maybe, maybe not. At any rate, you probably don’t need to worry about it at all. You’re going to be a great asset to the Unseen.”

I’d never thought of that. I could actually be an asset, rather than a bumbling fool everyone and their brother could read.

A rather deadly asset, at that.

“What?” The comment snapped me out of my own mind like someone had cracked a whip next to my head.

“What?” she asked, her face calm.

“You said, ‘A rather deadly asset, at that.’ What the hell does that mean?”

“Shit. You heard that? I apologize for my carelessness.” She left it at that, as if there was nothing more to say on the matter.

I’d never heard her swear before, and it startled me. “But what did you mean?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. That’s enough for today. Truly remarkable work this week, Mackenzie. I look forward to seeing just how far you can push your abilities.” She had never been one for social courtesies, but this exit was abrupt, even for her.

I followed her out. “Tracy, wait.”

She waved her hand over her back, but she didn’t stop walking.

Owen met me halfway across the gym. He raised his voice a little over the clang of the weights being used. “What happened?”

“Tracy said I would be a deadly asset. What the hell does that mean?”

“Oh God, she said that to you? I can’t believe she would say something like that! Especially without talking to David first.”

“No, she thought it. Honestly, I think she forgot to put her wall back up or something. I can’t ever read her unless she lets me. She apologized for her carelessness and hustled out of the room.”

“Shit.”

“That’s exactly what she said. What did she mean, Owen? I have a right to know.”

He ran a hand down my arm. “I’m sorry, Mac. I don’t have the right to tell you.”

I turned and walked away from Owen, marching straight to David’s door. Knocking loudly, I barged in. “David, listen, it’s time to come clean—” I stopped short, finding his office empty.

Owen jogged up behind me. “David is out for the weekend.”

“Of course he is.”

“Listen, I’m sure Tracy just misspoke. She’s very military in her mindset; you’ll get used to it. Don’t jump to any conclusions, and certainly don’t worry about it.” His voice was even and reassuring, but his eyes told a different story. They were big, and lines of concern had formed in the outer corners. I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him. But the alarm bells that Tracy’s comment had set off in my head were so loud… and frankly, I wasn’t sure silencing them was the right thing to do.

That night we sat on the couch and watched another movie with a few other members of the Unseen. Mitchell was there too, along with two others I hadn’t gotten to know yet.

I tried to focus on the movie and watch as Tom Cruise tried to save the world again, but I couldn’t.

Owen’s right. Tracy was probably just being flippant. Another explosion lit the room up. When have you ever known Tracy to be flippant? Music blasted through the surround sound speakers as Tommy narrowly missed dying yet again. You don’t even know Tracy. You’ve spent five days with her. Just because she slipped up once and let you read her private thoughts means nothing. Everyone thinks dumb things when they think no one can hear them. Even you.

“Especially you,” Owen whispered, and I threw a piece of popcorn at him.

It didn’t mean anything. Stop focusing on a five-second comment and concentrate on your successes this week. You should be celebrating, not freaking out. But Owen had reacted strangely when I’d told him about Tracy’s comment. What did he mean when he said he didn’t have the right to tell me what she meant?

A girl in front interrupted my train of thought. “Quiet, Mac. I’m trying to watch this gorgeous hunk of man save humanity.”

I snuggled in further to Owen’s body and tried to watch the movie, but I couldn’t concentrate. My fingers twitched.

“I’m gonna go home,” I whispered.

Owen looked startled. “What? Why?”

“I need music. I can’t relax.”

He smiled. “Why don’t you come with me?”

Taking my hand, he led me to the library. No one was in there but us and, off to the side, where there used to be a couch, I spied an upright Steinway. It was a beautiful piece. I went to it instinctually and ran my hand along the top, feeling like I was one with the smooth surface. Owen stood back and watched.

When I sat at the bench, I noticed Gaspard de la Nuit ready to go on the music stand. I smiled as I stroked the bright white keys. This was the first time I’d ever sat at a brand-new piano.

What was the meaning of this? Were they trying to buy me? Show me what I could have if I cooperated?

Owen ignored my thoughts, effectively keeping me in the dark on why the Unseen had essentially bought me an expensive piano. Instead, he asked, “Well, are you going to play?”

“But, this is the library. Won’t people be disturbed?”

“We voted, and the group decided the reading experience could only be enhanced by some music. The one or two dissenters said they wouldn’t mind going to their rooms if they were truly bothered.”

My fingers itched to play as my feet found their way to the pedals. Owen took a seat at the bench next to me. He looked at the music, then back at me, urging me to play.

I wanted to so bad, but I wasn’t sure I could accept something like this. What would it mean if I did? What would it mean if I didn’t? The questions piled on top of questions were enough, and Gaspard flowed from my hands, my fingers dancing along the keys. Music once again filled my mind, as well as the small room where we were sitting.

I wasn’t sure how long I played with Owen sitting there next to me, but the exhaustion I felt when I finally stopped indicated it had been a while.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to play for that long. I hope I didn’t disturb anyone.” I wasn’t used to playing somewhere that public. Normally, I played in practice rooms or my own apartment, but there were plenty of people around the Unseen’s facility. Embarrassment threatened.

The look on Owen’s face was one of total enchantment. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me, or the music.

He smiled and put his hand on my knee. “I think everyone really enjoyed it. I know I did.”

I relaxed a little. Hopefully, they would still feel that way in a few weeks, after listening to me play incessantly.

Owen chuckled. “If nothing else, it silenced your constant musings for a bit. I think people were relieved.”

I shoved him off the bench. “I should go home.”

Owen got up to walk me to my car. He stopped me before I could get in. “Hey, I was wondering if you might want to get together this weekend.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Well, I left you alone last weekend and that was a colossal mistake on my part. This time, I thought I might take a different approach.”

“Smart.”

He shifted his weight. “So, interested?”

“Like a date?”

“Yeah, like a date.”

I hesitated. Actual dating had always gone poorly for me. I’d never gotten past the first date with anyone, and I’d had my fair share of them. The last thing I wanted to do was wreck this growing connection I had with Owen.

“I don’t think one date will wreck anything.”

“You’ve never been on a date with me.”

“And I intend to remedy that this weekend. How about I take you to the Genghis Grill?”

The shit-ass grin he wore, combined with his comment, made me groan. “Anywhere but there.”

“So you’ll go out with me?”

I gasped, realizing too late that I’d played right into his verbal trap. “You are an evil genius.”

“An evil genius who’s going to take you on the best date of your life. I’ll see you tomorrow around noon.”

“Noon? What kind of date starts at noon?”

“The kind where we get to spend the day together.” He shut my car door once I was buckled in, leaning through the window to gently kiss me on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, great,” I said. Once I was out of earshot, I added, “I hope.”

15.

It was after ten when I got home, but I called Maddie anyway. She answered on the first ring.

“Hey stranger! How was your first week?”

We’d been texting all week, but I had been exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment each night, so I hadn’t taken the time to call her.

“Pretty good actually. Apparently, I’m some kind of prodigy. I blew through a month’s worth of training in a week.”

“Whoa, really? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, my trainer said today she’s worried she might not have much to teach me soon.”

“Good?” She said it like a question.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to think either. But she did say I could be an amazing asset to the company if I keep progressing like this.” I left out the deadly part. I didn’t know what to make of it. There was no need to give fuel to Maddie’s very active imagination.

“Man, Mac, that’s amazing. Are you feeling pretty good about your decision?”

Tracy’s comment kept cycling through my head. “You know, I still feel like there’s something huge they’re not telling me. It’s making it hard for me to settle in completely.”

“Oh, really? What makes you say that?”

I scrambled for a half-truth. “I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling I have.”

“Your Spidey sense going crazy again?”

“I guess so.”

“Well, it’s never been wrong before, at least as far as I can remember. But maybe it’s nothing. A dumb company policy, like KFC’s secret recipe or something. Just because it’s a secret doesn’t automatically make it bad.”

“No, you’re right. I should stop assuming the worst. It was a great week, so I should expect great things moving forward.”

“Absolutely.” She paused. “How’s the hot guy?”

“I’m surprised you waited this long to ask me about him.”

“Oh my God, it was complete torture.”

I laughed. “Owen is great. He’s taking me on a date tomorrow.”

“A date!” She squealed. “How exciting!”

“But what if this ruins everything? You know how much success I’ve had with dating.”

“Then he wasn’t the right guy for you, and you haven’t wasted any time on him.” She said it so matter-of-factly, like I wouldn’t be losing anything if he wasn’t the right guy for me. Certainly not my entire world or the air in my lungs, yet the mere thought of it made it difficult to breathe. “Honestly though,” Maddie said, “I’d be surprised if that happened.”

Oh, good, I thought. She’s throwing me a bone.

“You haven’t said much about him, but I can tell you’re enamored with him. That’s never happened before! Besides, not everyone’s dates crash and burn on day one, you know.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said. “I just don’t want to wreck it.”

“So don’t.”

“You’re always so helpful, Maddie.”

“Hey, I do what I can. Listen, the bottom line is to have fun, maybe learn a thing or two about him. Just enjoy yourself!” She paused for a moment, and I knew what was coming next.

“What are you going to wear?” She plowed into the normal rundown, not missing a beat. But for the first time ever, I actually cared. What was I going to wear? I wasn’t sure what I should be more worried about, the fact that I actually wanted to look good for Owen, or the fact that Maddie knew it.

After another thirty minutes of frantic discussion, we settled on a flowy skirt paired with a white blouse and white sandals, with a white headband, beaded earrings, and a pearl necklace for accessories. I would do my makeup meticulously, and then send her a picture for approval.

Our planning session complete, the only thing left for me to do was go on the actual date.

Owen knocked on my door promptly at noon. I wondered if he’d been standing out there for a few minutes just so he could be right on time.

When I opened the door he said, “I wasn’t.”

“Well, you’re very punctual then.”

He looked me up and down. “You should change.”

I had spent much longer than I usually did on my appearance, so his comment was devastating. “Why?” was all I could choke out.

“Because we’re going swimming and hiking. I wouldn’t want you to ruin that pretty skirt.”

Nice save, I thought.

“Thank you.” He tipped his head to me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Well, if you’d provided me with an itinerary, I would’ve dressed appropriately.”

He shrugged. “I like an element of surprise. It’s romantic.”

“Romantic, stressful, whichever.”

He laughed. “Hurry up and change, or we’ll miss the next tour.”

I invited him in to sit on the couch while I changed. “Tour? What tour?” I called out from behind the closed bedroom door while I frantically searched for a swimsuit that wasn’t totally threadbare and appropriate hiking clothes. A swimsuit? Seriously? On our first date? This is a nightmare. I don’t want to be half naked in front of him already! My heart skipped a beat. Okay, maybe I do a little bit.

“Just FYI, the door provides little-to-no soundproofing for your thoughts.”

I sank to the floor and covered my head with a shirt I was about to cast aside. “Good to know,” I called from underneath it. You knew that. If he were a normal person, you’d be able to hear him almost through the whole damn apartment because it’s so small. Use your head.

After a few minutes of wallowing in humiliation, I tucked in my bottom lip, gathered my things, and opened the door. I was dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, and trainers, with my nicest bikini underneath.

“Better?”

“For what we’re doing today? Yes.”

“A very diplomatic answer.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said as he stood and walked with me to the door.

“Just how public is this place you’re taking me?” I asked him, feeling naked outside without my iLs.

“Consider it a hidden gem of Florida. There will be people there, but I don’t expect it to be crowded. You should be able to manage. If you have trouble, I’m sure I can come up with something for you to focus on,” he said confidently.

My snappy comeback caught in my throat when he stopped in front of a brand-new BMW. The only thing I knew about them was that they were expensive. Really expensive. I couldn’t even tell what model it was.

“Jeez, this is a nice car,” I said.

“Yeah, the Unseen has two of them. Lucky for me, one was available today.” He opened my door and I slipped inside, settling into the plush leather seat. Suddenly, I was glad I hadn’t taken too long getting changed. The leather was still cool from his drive over. “So, where are we going?”

“That’s need-to-know information, and right now, you don’t need to know,” he said as he buckled his seat belt and started the car. After punching a classical music station on the radio, he hit the road.

I raised my eyebrows. “Trying to make points?”

“No, I like this.”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“Gasbag de la noot,” he said confidently.

If I’d had a drink, I would’ve spit it all over the dashboard laughing.

I stared out the window, watching as the landscape changed from city to country. I’d never been out this way before. Suddenly, the need to ask him something that had been on my mind for a while became insurmountable. “Owen, can I ask you something?”

“You just did. Clearly, you’re capable.”

I glared at him, but he just looked straight ahead, feigning innocence.

“Why do you like me?” I finally asked.

“What kind of question is that?”

“I don’t know. I’m used to being able to read the men I date. I know what their intentions are right from the beginning.” I looked out the window and lowered my voice. “Anyway, I know why I’m attracted to you. And I’m pretty sure you know it too. But I have no idea why you’re interested in me.”

He was silent for what seemed like miles. Good. I ruined everything before we even got to the date.

He snorted. “You didn’t ruin anything. I was just trying to think of something intelligent to say because I don’t want ruin it.”

“Oh, Lord. Then I’ll be waiting all day.”

“That.”

“What?”

“That’s why I like you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. My snark? He likes me for my snark?

“Exactly.” He smiled as he watched the road, seemingly content.

Itching to know more about him, I thought I’d bait him. “You know, Maddie’s pretty snarky too. You’d like her. She’s like a sister to me. My only family, really. Are you close with your family?”

It was subtle, but his expression tightened. “No.”

Wondering if this was the reason for the darkness inside him, I probed a little more. “How come?”

He stared straight ahead, his knuckles white from his tight grip on the steering wheel. “Because they’re dead.”

“What do you know? Mine are too. That’s something we have in common,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t respond. I lowered my voice. “What happened?”

“Today is not the day for that story.” He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he said it.

We were quiet for the rest of the ride. After just under an hour of driving, we pulled into a state park.

By the time we arrived, Owen had visibly relaxed and I hoped his mood was improving.

Florida Caverns, the sign read.

All the years I’d lived in Tallahassee, I’d never heard of the place. “So it’s a state park?”

“Yup! Only the coolest state park around. My parents brought my little brother and me here one summer. We had a great time,” he said, genuine excitement in his voice. He parked the car and got out. “Come on. Just wait till you see!”

He led me to the main building. So far, it looked similar to most Florida state parks, complete with dense woods and ample parking. I was sure there was a watering hole somewhere too—there always was.

A bell jingled overhead when we walked in the door. “Welcome to Florida Caverns,” the man behind the counter said. “What can I do for you?”

“What time is the next tour?”

“Starting in five minutes. You’ve got good timing.”

“Perfect!” Owen looked over at me, mischief in his eyes. “Good thing you didn’t take any more time to wallow in your bedroom.”

I hated him for bringing up that little gem of a moment. “Yes, well, give it time. You’re sure to do something worthy of wallowing before the day is out.”

He chuckled. “You’re very confident about that.”

“I know my audience.”

“Do you?” Something about the way he said it made me pause.

“No, I suppose I don’t,” I said quietly. “But that sure as hell isn’t my fault.” The anger in my voice surprised me.

“You’re right,” he said, and turned to the smiling man behind the counter, who was obviously entertained by our exchange. “What time is the next tour?”

“It’ll be at two.”

“We’ll be back then.”

I glanced at my watch—two o’clock was an hour away. “But we’re here now. Don’t you want to go on this one?”

He took my hand and led me out of the building. “I want to do this more.”

He found a secluded patch of grass in the shade, facing the crystal-clear water. It was beautiful. A staircase led down into the watering hole, where people of all ages swam and splashed. It called to me. Despite the shade, the Florida heat was gathering sweat between my breasts and dripping into my bra. I resisted the urge to dab at it with my shirt. That would only leave a big, ugly wet mark.

We sat in silence, watching the swimmers for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Care to go for a swim? I’m dying here.”

“I know you deserve more than what I’ve given you.”

His words caught me off guard, despite his snap decision to wait for the later

tour. “That’s probably true,” I said, “but you’ll have to be more specific.”

He smiled with one corner of his mouth as he watched the swimmers. “I know it upsets you that you know basically nothing about me.” He turned and looked into my eyes. There was pain in his dark gaze, but he blinked and it was gone, replaced by resolve.

Now that he’d raised the subject, I didn’t want to let him off the hook. “It does bother me. Frankly, if you want to have any kind of relationship with me, it should bother you too.”

He nodded and looked back out at the swimmers. I followed his gaze. Everyone was having such a nice day. We should be enjoying ourselves too.

“Time. I just need time,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Time? We don’t have any time!” I shouted.

He turned to look at me, eyes wide with surprise… and pain.

I stood and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. “This day is melting away, and we’re wasting it up here in the shade!” Relief washed over his face as I pulled him close to me, just barely holding on to both of his hands. I lowered my voice. “Take all the time you need.” I kissed him lightly on the lips. “You just better hope I’m still around when you’re ready.” I smiled devilishly at him and ran down to the water line.

“If that’s the fastest you can run, I’ll be able to catch up to you anyway!” he called after me.

We splashed and swam in the cold spring water for nearly an hour, almost missing the next tour. I was famished when we got out, so Owen bought us some snacks at the little store. We munched quickly, as no food or drinks were allowed in the caverns.

My heartbeat quickened as I jammed the last chip into my mouth, tossed the bag into the trash can, and jogged to catch up to the back of the group heading for the caverns. I’d never known Florida had caverns. Our home state was so sandy; I sort of assumed anything underground would just collapse on itself.

The entrance to the cavern was little more than a slit between two rocks. We squeezed through and were greeted by the most amazing formations I’d ever seen—the result of thousands of years of work by Mother Nature. I gasped as I took it all in—stalagmites and stalactites formed columns all around us. The park had even used special lighting in some areas to make the formations colorful. Bats clung to the ceiling, and we ducked low in some areas to avoid disturbing them.

The temperature dropped markedly as we ventured further into the cave. The tour guide had embarked on a long monologue explaining the formations and the history of the caverns, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy soaking it all in. In some spots, if you looked closely, you could almost see the faces of trolls in the ancient formations. I wondered if there were any folktales about them.

Maybe you’d know the answer if you were listening to the tour guide, Owen chided from behind his smile.

And you were listening to him because you’re the good one, right?

No, your thoughts were too noisy. I couldn’t hear the guy.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. Sounds like you need to spend a little more time with Tracy to learn how to tune unwanted voices out.

Who said you were unwanted? He winked at me, and my knees went weak.

Wanting to prove myself to Owen, I focused on the guide. I entered his mind easily, with much less effort than it took with other readers. With them, it was like an unlocked door stood in my way. All I had to do was open it. But with the guide, there wasn’t even a superficial barrier. I just waltzed right in.

I scanned his mind, searching for the information I wanted. It took me a moment, since there was a plethora of information in there about his family, his job, and the games he was currently playing. Eventually, I reached his knowledge about the caverns, which was fairly extensive.

Hmm. Nothing about trolls. But he does know a disturbing story about some kind of picnic shooting where a kid died in the eighteen hundreds.

He didn’t answer me. When I looked over at him, he was staring at me.

“What?”

“You amaze me.”

I beamed. “Don’t you forget it.”

We spent the rest of the tour holding hands when we could. When we finally left the caverns behind, the sun seemed oppressively bright. I squinted and held my head up in a feeble attempt to shield myself from it.

“Well, what now?” I said through my scrunched-up face.

“Head home for dinner?”

“Sounds good. I’m starving.” Then I looked down at myself. My clothes were stiff in places from dried sweat and my hair was a tangled mess from swimming. I imagined I didn’t smell all that great either, despite our dip in the cool spring. “Um. Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry, I thought we’d order a pizza and watch a movie.”

I sagged with relief. “Sounds perfect.” When we got back into the car, a wave of exhaustion washed over me from all the sun and fresh air. I was asleep before we hit the highway.

I dreamed of Owen. He was holding me in his arms, and there was nothing but him and me… until Tracy’s voice seeped in. At first, it was quiet, nothing more than a whisper. A rather deadly asset. She said it over and over again, until Owen melted away and her words were the only thing that surrounded me. A rather deadly asset. A rather deadly asset. A rather—

Owen woke me up with a start. “Sorry. We’re home.” He looked concerned.

“Oh, thanks,” I said, trying to shake the dream.

“Want to tell me what that was about?” he asked as we walked into my apartment.

“You didn’t see?”

“No. Dreams are different.”

“Different how?” I asked, tossing my keys into the bowl on the coffee table.

“I don’t remember many of the specifics. It’s been a while since I studied dreams, but the basic gist is the brain functions differently while you’re sleeping. When you dream, you sort of automatically protect yourself against readers.”

“Huh. Weird.” Consciously blocking others was supposedly a very difficult skill to acquire. It was also the next thing I would be learning.

I went into my bedroom, changing out of my swimsuit and sweaty clothes while Owen ordered the pizza. Resisting the urge to put on sweatpants and a giant T-shirt, I opted for shorts and a tight cotton V-neck shirt—casual, but sexy.

“Pizza will be here in thirty minutes,” he said when I came out.

“Sounds great.” I settled in next to him on the couch and used the remote to pull up Netflix. “What do you want to watch?”

“You,” he said, staring into my eyes. Despite the fact that I couldn’t read him, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what he had in mind.

My body leaned in toward him, but my mind screamed against it. We both stiffened. “Sorry,” I said, knowing he must have heard my thoughts. “We can’t move this quickly if you’re not ready to tell me your secrets.” I looked at him, hoping my next words wouldn’t hurt him. “I can’t trust you right now.” I’m apparently hell-bent on ruining this date, I thought, not intending for him to hear.

He took my hand. “No. You’re not. And I respect you for it.”

We started watching the first Harry Potter movie, ate the pizza, and then snuggled close after we finished it. Because it was still early when the movie was over, we started The Chamber of Secrets, and went for a double feature. It was only 9:30 when that ended, so we decided to go for a triple play. But I drifted off toward the end of The Prisoner of Azkaban.

I woke up, and the clock on the cable box blinked 4:02. Owen had his arm draped over me, leaning back against the arm of the couch. He was breathing heavily. I knew he was dead asleep, just like I’d been moments before.

“Owen.” My voice was thick with sleep.

“Mmm.” He stirred, but he didn’t wake up.

“Owen, it’s four am. Do you think you should go?”

His eyes came open. “Do you want me to?”

“Well, no, but I didn’t know if there were any rules about staying out all night.”

He smiled and pulled me closer. “I’m a big boy. They won’t miss me after one night.”

I snuggled into his chest, breathing in his clean scent. “I’m not so sure about that.”

The next time I woke up, the clock showed 7:00—earlier than I normally liked to get up, but I was sore from sleeping in such an awkward position for so long. Still, I didn’t want to move. Owen had his arm draped over me, and I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Strong and steady.

I hadn’t planned for Owen to spend the night, and all I had for breakfast was cereal. Slowly, I tried to get up without disturbing him, but he stirred and grabbed me, holding me to him tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked without opening his eyes.

“To see if I can find something other than Froot Loops to eat for breakfast.”

“What?” he said, jostling me. “You have Froot Loops? I haven’t had those in forever. Is there enough for both of us?”

“Uh, sure.” Despite the fact that Froot Loops was one of my favorite cereals, I decided to tease him a little for his enthusiasm. “What, you can’t have delicious sugary cereals at home?” I asked.

It felt funny calling it home, but in truth, that was what it was—for Owen, at least. If I couldn’t have my cereal there, it sure as heck wouldn’t ever be my home.

“It’s not that we can’t. It’s that no one else likes them, so they go stale before I can finish a box. I hate to waste it, you know?” He stood behind me while I poured him a bowl. He looked like a little kid at Christmas, hardly able to contain his excitement.

“I judge you a little for not being able to finish a box of cereal on your own.”

He threw up his hands in surrender. “Don’t judge! I like it, but I’m not exactly a cereal fiend.”

We sat on the couch, enjoying our cereal. “What’s the plan for today?” I asked.

“No plan. Although, I should get back to help with the Sunday chores.”

“Sunday chores?”

“Just dumb stuff. Laundry and cleaning and whatnot.”

“Oh, I suppose I should do that too. And apparently go to the grocery store, since all I have to offer my guests is Froot Loops.”

He laughed. “Whatever. This is the best breakfast I’ve had in a while.”

I shrugged, pouring myself another bowl. “Whatever twists your Twizzler, man.”

When we were finished and we’d cleared the dishes, it seemed like a natural time to part ways, but we were both reluctant. He lingered in the doorway while I picked at the paint on the frame.

“Well, thanks for a great date.” I paused for a minute. “My first one.”

“What? No, it wasn’t. That guy Mitchell chased off, that was a date.”

“Not my first date, you goofball. My first great date.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Eventually, he shrugged. “Well, you’re welcome. I had a pretty awesome time too.”

“Oh, good.” Apparently, I was out of snappy comebacks for the moment.

“All right, well…” He trailed off.

“Well.” I paused, waiting to see if he’d fill in the gap. He didn’t. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you tomorrow.” He turned to go, but he thought better of it. Sweeping me in his arms, he leaned in for a soft, warm, turn-your-legs-to-Jell-O kiss. When he set me back down, I wasn’t sure my body would support its own weight.

I cleared my throat and made a feeble attempt at smoothing my hair. “See you.”

An impish grin spread across his face as he walked away.

I spent the rest of the day talking to Maddie on the phone, doing laundry, cleaning the apartment, and alternating between my keyboard and guitar. Maddie fully approved of the details of our date, demanding to know when she would get to meet Owen. The thought filled me with both excitement and dread. Just imagining the two of them in a battle of the wits was enough to give me an anxiety attack. I put her off for the moment, urging her to cool off since I was too busy with training to get away, plus Owen and I had only been on one date. She was disappointed, but she let it go.

That night, I lay in bed thinking of how different my life was from this time two weeks ago. Despite the fact that I wasn’t following the path I’d laid out for myself, I felt like I was in the right place. Owen didn’t hurt that feeling. But Tracy’s voice still nagged at me, reminding me that there was so much I didn’t know. Tracy. David. Owen. Mitchell. They were all keeping something from me, and I felt like it was something big. I rolled over and took a deep breath. The only way to uncover the truth was to keep training, show them I was loyal and trustworthy, and let the pieces fall where they may. I just hoped I wouldn’t be in the way of any of them when they came crashing down.

16.

Monday morning, Tracy didn’t waste any time. “As you know, we’re going to concentrate on blocking this week. There are two stages to blocking. The first, you know how to do. You’ve done it before.”

“I have.” It was an unsure statement, not a question.

“You have. When you focus in on one voice, you block all others out. All you need to do this time is block out that last voice.”

I chuckled uneasily. “Sounds like a breeze.”

“It’s not. Most people take months to get it down. But I know a few people are hoping you’ll catch on more quickly.”

I think they’re tired of listening to your incessant questions, she thought.

Yes, well I’m tired of them too. Maybe if someone around here would give me some answers, they’d get some relief.

She didn’t flinch. Or maybe if you worked a little harder, we wouldn’t have to worry about it. Do you plan on getting to work at some point today?

Oh. We already started? Of course, we started. Like you would have small talk with me.

No, I don’t do small talk. She didn’t crack a smile, but I would have believed her anyway. And I certainly don’t have small talk when I should be working.

Despite her harsh exterior, I was really starting to like Tracy. She was rough around the edges, and maybe in between too, but she was honest. Although she hadn’t said what she meant when she called me a “deadly asset,” she hadn’t lied about it either.

We went back and forth all morning with no luck. Owen met me in the gym, as usual.

I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t as many people in the kitchen as there normally were. “Where’s Mitchell? And Camden?”

Owen set his plate down on the table and sat next to me. “They had to go do some work.”

“Like off-site?”

“Yeah. On assignment.”

“Will I have to do that kind of thing?”

“Probably.”

I wondered what exactly that meant. Would I be following people around, recording their thoughts? Stealing secrets? I frowned, hoping it wasn’t anything that sinister.

By the time I returned to Tracy, I was almost in a tailspin with my musings.

Tracy insisted I concentrate and get to work. I sighed. I guess I’ll have to puzzle it out later.

Yes, please.

I tried to block her out for the rest of the afternoon, but without another voice to concentrate on, I floundered.

As usual, a group of us watched a movie together that night, and I noticed just how many of the core group was missing. Seemed like at least five people were gone. I wondered again about where they were, what they were doing. Top-secret mind reading business, no doubt. But what exactly was top-secret mind reading business? Were they getting information for someone? Was the benefactor someone with a lot of enemies who he kept in line using our abilities? Were they doing something illegal? Or perhaps they were working for the government?

I couldn’t help feeling discouraged as I tried to fall asleep that night. I hadn’t made any progress on blocking, and I didn’t know what my future held at this mystery company I was technically “working” for.

A thought struck me so suddenly that I sat up in bed. I couldn’t block Tracy because there were no other voices to focus on. No other voices, except my own.

I wonder…

Glancing at the clock, I cursed the late hour. I wanted to test my theory out right away, but it would have to wait.

In the morning, I was more ready to work than ever. I had trouble paying much attention to Owen when he greeted me out front, not wanting to waste any time.

“What’s your deal today?” he asked me.

“Nothing. I just want to get started.”

“You’ve got plenty of time, Mac.”

“I didn’t do very well yesterday, and I want to devote as much time as I can to doing better.”

“Seriously, you put too much pressure on yourself. Tracy told you it takes most people at least a month to get blocking. It was no surprise to anyone but you that you couldn’t do it on your first day.”

I didn’t answer. What could I say? Maybe he was right. But as far as I could tell, there was no reason for it to take people that long.

He left me in the gym, as always, and wished me good luck. I nodded, and he laughed.

“Seriously, Mac, lighten up a little bit. It’ll be okay, I promise.”

I gave him a small smile, but it was fake. From the look on his face, he knew it. “I’ll see you for lunch,” I said, giving up and going to meet Tracy.

We got right to work. She started in with her usual tactics, telling me how I needed to work harder.

At first, it was hard not to hear her. Hers was the only other voice in the room. But I concentrated on my breathing, and listened to my own thoughts, which had of course gone blank for the moment. I purposefully thought about stupid things—the color of the walls in the training room, how uncomfortable the chair was, just how much time I’d had to spend in that uncomfortable chair lately.

Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t hear her. Afraid to ruin it, I didn’t search for her voice. I just kept concentrating on my own thoughts. She let me go on like that for quite some time—the whole morning, in fact.

“I think we should get some lunch. When we come back, there will be more people here.”

“Oh, okay. How come?”

“Surprisingly, you did it. You successfully blocked me out. Now, you have to practice with a large group.”

I smiled to myself.

“Don’t get cocky,” she said. “It’s very difficult to block out a large group. It can be overwhelming.”

I thought of the handful of times I’d been caught without my iLs, and a shiver spread through my body. “I’m familiar with the concept.”

She nodded. “Eat a good lunch. When we come back, the real work begins.”

Great, I thought. What the hell does that mean?

“So, you did it?” Owen asked me over lunch.

“I did.”

“After one day.” He phrased it like a statement, not a question.

“After one day,” I repeated.

He was dumbfounded.

“You seem to have forgotten what a valuable asset I am,” I said, munching on some chips.

“Apparently,” he said, his mouth still hanging open a little.

“Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course, I believe you. I mean, it’s not like you can lie to me and get away with it for long.” He nudged me with his elbow. “It’s just so—” he paused, searching for the right word, “—astounding.”

“Good?”

“Great, Mac! It’s great! I wonder if David knows yet. I bet he’ll be antsy to get you to work.” I could tell he immediately regretted saying it. He stuffed his mouth full of food to avoid continuing the thought.

Feeling merciful, I decided to let it go. I’d find out what the work was soon, and in the light of day, that was enough for me.

Tracy made good on her promise, and when I came back, there were five people milling around the gym, all people I didn’t know that well, since Mitchell and the others were still not on base.

“Okay, let’s get started,” she announced. Seated in a circle, they bombarded me with their thoughts. Each voice was individual, unique, and blaringly loud. I decided Tracy had told them to do that on purpose to make it hard for me.

I won’t lie—it wasn’t easy. But I focused on my breathing and my own voice, resisting the urge to find out more about each of these new people by listening to them, and tuned them out. Slowly, the voices became softer, less individualized, and more like white noise. Eventually, they faded away completely and I was left alone in my head, so to speak.

One of the guys laughed out loud.

“Don’t break her concentration,” Tracy said.

“I’m sorry. It’s very impressive,” he said. “She hasn’t even been here two weeks and she’s doing things some of us are still learning how to do.”

“Wait, who’s still learning?” I asked. “I thought I was low man on the totem pole.”

“You are,” Tracy said, not willing to let me forget it. “And you need to focus on yourself without worrying where others are in their training. Worry about where you are with your training.”

Typical Tracy answer. “It’s a bit early to break for the day, so we might start on stage two today. Thank you all for your help. You’re dismissed.”

They got up in unison, no one daring to ignore Tracy. She got up and went into the training room, and I followed automatically.

“It seems you’re already ready for stage two,” she said, closing the door while I took a seat.

“What’s stage two?”

“Stage one is learning to block other people’s thoughts, which may or may not be directed at you.”

“Right…” I trailed off, not sure where she was going with this.

“Stage two is pushing out someone who’s inside your mind. Another reader who you don’t want there.”

“Inside my mind? Like how?”

“Readers can take many forms. They can be obvious, or they can hide in the shadows of your mind, stealing your thoughts. It’s imperative for you to learn to guard yourself against other readers.”

“Steal my thoughts? Why? Who would want them? All I think about is Owen and doing well at training.”

She frowned in disapproval. “Yes, well, eventually you may expand your horizons. In which case, you could be a very interesting target indeed. Someone might want insight into how you’re going through the training process this quickly, so they can duplicate your method and rapidly create some kind of army.”

“That sounds like something you would do.”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “So you can see why it’s important to learn to guard your mind.”

“I suppose. I guess I’m not as distrustful as you are, though. I don’t really think anyone would want to see inside my mind. You know how messy it is in there.”

“The day may come when you’ve had reason to become as distrustful as I am. And if it does, it’s best to be ready.”

I frowned, a little disturbed. Why did everyone here have such a dismal worldview? I preferred to think the best of most people until they proved me wrong, which usually didn’t take very long given my abilities as a reader. Seeing people’s innermost thoughts told you right away what kind of person they truly were. To be honest, most people were selfish but good-natured. I supposed you couldn’t ask for much more than that. So, despite the fact that I didn’t understand how necessary this last step was, I pushed forward anyway.

“What do I do?”

First, you must learn to feel others in your mind, she thought.

I had never pictured myself in someone else’s mind. For me, it had always been more like overhearing someone who was talking too loud, not an intentional invasion of privacy. The guide popped into my head. That hadn’t been overhearing. I had deliberately searched his brain for information.

“You did what?” Tracy demanded.

“What?”

“You searched someone’s mind for information?”

“Technically, I suppose I did.” Feeling like I was in trouble, I tried to keep it vague, although I wasn’t sure to what end. If she wanted to know exactly what had happened, it was all there, plain as day.

“Did you get what you were looking for?”

“No.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that because he didn’t have what you were looking for?”

“I suppose so, yes.” Neither one of us said anything for a while. She glanced at her watch and frowned.

“I think we will break early today. I need to speak to David. We will pick back up here tomorrow.” She stood abruptly and went to the door.

“Tracy, wait.” She stopped. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I’m afraid you’ve done everything right.” But there was no smile, no excitement, and no encouragement.

“That’s convincing,” I said, but she’d turned and left before I could respond, leaving me alone with my words.

Owen wasn’t waiting in the gym like usual, and I assumed it was because our meeting had ended early. I ventured upstairs on my own, searching for him, but he wasn’t in the kitchen, library, or the living room. Finally, I asked someone. I found one of the guys who had worked with Tracy and me that afternoon. He was sitting in the TV room, watching something.

“Hey, have you seen Owen?”

“Yeah, he’s in his room with Mitchell,” he said, not looking up at me.

“The others are back?”

“Guess so.” Clearly, he wasn’t interested. I was.

I took the stairs two at a time, nearly falling onto the landing. Not sure what was driving my sudden urge to see Mitchell, I pounded on Owen’s door, hoping they’d be together.

Owen opened it partway. “Hey. You’re done early. Listen, this isn’t really a good time. If you want, I’ll meet you upstairs in a little while. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“The others told me they were back. I want to see him.” I knew Mitchell wouldn’t tell me anything about where he’d been, if for no other reason than his apparent discomfort around me, but I had to try. The curiosity was eating at me.

He looked over his shoulder, I assumed at Mitchell. He squeezed through the door out into the hallway, opening it wide enough for me to catch a glimpse of Mitchell. He was lying on Owen’s bed, ashen faced and unconscious. The sight took my breath away.

“What the hell happened? Is he okay? Should we take him to the hospital?”

“Settle down and lower your voice for God’s sake. I just got him to sleep.” He said it protectively, like Mitchell was his child or something.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for an answer, but Owen just stood there. Exasperated, I threw my arms in the air. “What can I do to help?”

The look on his face softened. “I need you to stay out of it. Mitchell will be fine. That has to be enough for now.”

“He doesn’t look fine to me.” I stood on my tiptoes, trying to peer over Owen’s shoulder, but he’d shut the door most of the way, preventing me from seeing inside.

He took my arm and led me down the hallway, away from his door. “Why are you done early?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” You insist on keeping secrets? Well, so do I.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s fine. I need to get back to Mitchell.” He reached for my hand, but I kept it just out of reach. He acted like he didn’t notice. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” His tone was friendly, but final.

I didn’t respond. No, it was not okay. Clearly, it was anything but okay. Whatever had happened to Mitchell was pretty awful. I wondered about Camden and the others, but I didn’t know them well enough to go poking around.

I stood alone on the landing, debating whether to go home, or to try and get answers from David. The more I thought about it, the more I was leaning toward going home. If David was the man I thought he was, he’d be with the people who’d just returned. They needed him more than I did right now. And to go barging into his office, demanding answers, when his employees were potentially in a state of crisis, was a bit childish.

In the end, I opted to go home. But my apartment was lonelier than ever. What had happened today? Now, more than ever, I felt like I was an outsider of this group I’d given up everything to join. And for what? Questions swirled in my head, my only companions for the rest of the night.

17.

The next day, Owen was waiting for me in his usual spot. I decided to give him the cold shoulder. Immature? Perhaps. Did I feel better, walking past him with my head held high, saying nothing? Absolutely.

He trailed behind me as I brushed by. “Well, good morning to you!” he called from behind me.

I ignored him and descended the stairs, heading straight for Tracy.

“Hey, Mackenzie, wait up!” He huffed behind me, but I stayed ahead.

When we reached the second landing, he grabbed my arm. “Hey.” He turned me to face him.

I hoped icicles would sprout on his nose from the frosty glare I gave him.

“What’s wrong?”

The genuine concern on his face gave me pause. Maybe he didn’t deserve this. Then I remembered the way he’d brushed me off, and my resolve turned to steel. “What’s wrong? You can give me the cold shoulder, but you can’t take it?”

“Mac, I wasn’t giving you the cold shoulder yesterday.”

The memory of Mitchell lying in that bed, his skin a bizarre ashen shade, came rushing back to me. “Is Mitchell okay?”

“I told you last night that he was.”

I frowned at his slightly curt answer. At least, I thought it was curt. “So you did.”

We stood on the landing in a stalemate. Him with his secrets, me with my anger.

“Listen, I’m sorry if you got your feelings hurt last night. The only reason I can’t talk to you about what happened is because you’re still a new recruit. You can’t know everything yet. But I promise… there will come a day when you do know everything. No secrets.” He came closer to me and took both my hands in his. “And when that day comes, I can only hope you’ll stick around to share them with me.”

Tracy came up the stairs at just that moment. “There you are. We need to get to work. There’s a lot to do today.”

I nodded, not breaking eye contact with Owen, unsure if I was nodding at him or Tracy. Maybe both of them. While Tracy and I descended the last set of stairs, my mind circled around what Owen had said. What secrets did he have that would make me want to leave? I couldn’t shake the feeling that it had something to do with the work of the Unseen. What exactly had he done for them?

Tracy shut the door behind me a little hard, startling me out of my Owen-centered world. “I need you to focus today. What I’m asking you to do isn’t easy. And you’ll never be successful at it if you aren’t one-hundred-percent focused.”

I nodded. “Fair enough.” Taking a deep breath, I worked hard to push Owen from my mind.

“Now, as I said yesterday, you’ll need to work to feel me in your mind. Then, shut me out. Protect yourself.”

The way she emphasized ‘protect yourself’ made one question spring to my mind. From what?

Everyone, she thought.

We nodded to each other, and I knew it was time to get to work. I cleared my mind, trying to ‘find her,’ but nothing seemed different. It was still my mind. I couldn’t hear her thoughts, but I wasn’t sure if that was because she wasn’t thinking, or because I was blocking her. Everything was still so new.

With nothing to listen to but my own thoughts, my mind tried to wander back to Owen, and I had to re-center several times. I searched and searched for any sign of her. Something out of place, unfamiliar. Then, finally, I thought I felt something odd. Like a shadow from a streetlight that wasn’t there.

I had my eyes shut, but I heard Tracy shift in her seat. “Good,” she said aloud. I opened my eyes and saw her leaning toward me. “Now, work to push me out. Overpower me. Take back control of your thoughts.”

I tried to do what she said, but it was too abstract. Once I’d found her, she stuck out like a sore thumb, but I had no idea how to ‘overpower’ her. I took a deep breath before I began. Then, starting in the far corner of my mind, as far away from her as I could get, I spread out my thoughts slowly, like pouring caramel from a jar. They poured through my mind, claiming every nook and cranny. At last, I came to her and washed over her like a giant wave in an angry sea.

When I was finished, I couldn’t detect any trace of her. Either she’d moved somewhere else, or I’d succeeded in flushing her out. I opened my eyes, looking to her for the answer.

She stared at me, blank-faced.

“Should we try again?” My stomach grumbled in response.

Tracy looked at her watch. “No need. I apologize. I wasn’t watching the time, and it’s three o’clock already. Why don’t we just call it a day?” She started to get up, but I stopped her.

“Tracy, wait. Did I do it? Was that right?”

“Mackenzie, that was one-hundred-percent correct. I will see you tomorrow.”

Owen was working out in the gym when I came out. “You missed lunch.”

“I just now realized that.”

“What happened?”

“I pushed Tracy out.”

“Like you physically pushed her out the door? Looked to me like she walked out on her own.”

I smiled at him in spite of myself, sick of being angry with him for his secrets. “No. I pushed her out of my mind.”

“What?” He stopped in his tracks in the middle of the staircase, turning to look at me. “What do you mean? Explain it to me like I’m an idiot.”

“Shouldn’t be that hard.”

He ignored my joke, and I shifted my weight uncomfortably. What was the big deal?

“The big deal is that it took most of us the better part of a year to learn how to do that. You’re saying Tracy entered your mind, you found her, and then pushed her out. In a day?”

“More or less, yes.”

His mouth hung open. “I’m not sure I believe you.” He said it quietly, as if it were some kind of swear word.

I bristled. “Fine. Let’s go. Right now.”

“What? What do you mean?”

I sat down cross-legged on the stairs and pulled on his arm, forcing him to sit down in front of me. We were facing each other, our backs against the wall in the middle of the staircase.

He stared at me intently, and I stared right back, waiting. “Are we really going to do this?”

“Are you scared or something?” I challenged.

Frowning, he turned silent. I knew he’d started.

He wasn’t nearly as elegant as Tracy. His formless shadow was huge, and I found him right away. I smiled to myself when I heard him straighten. He knew I’d found him. Slowly, just as I’d done with Tracy, I overwhelmed him with my thoughts. In the end, we only ended up sitting there for ten minutes or so.

“Holy shit,” Owen whispered. “Do you know what this means?”

“Apparently you do.”

“You could be the most gifted reader in history.”

“There were mind readers in history?”

“That’s the question you’re asking me right now?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess so.”

“Of course there were. Readers didn’t just appear out of nowhere.”

“Like who?”

“Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous readers. She didn’t play her cards quite right, so she was beheaded after being accused of bewitching the king—which was absolutely true, except she was using mind reading, not sorcery.”

I leaned back against the wall, questioning the extent of my historical knowledge, wondering how many readers were hiding among the ‘normal’ people.

“Wait, how did she bewitch the king, if she was just a reader?”

“There’s more to reading than just hearing people’s thoughts. I expect you’ll be learning that from Tracy soon.” He stood up and offered me his hand.

“So tell me who else we owe our legacy to,” I said, excited to know we were connected with famous figures of history.

His expression turned dark. “Jim Jones is the most recent reader to come to fame.”

I didn’t know the name off the top of my head.

“The leader of the Jonestown cult.”

I recoiled as I remembered the people who’d killed themselves and their own children after being brainwashed.

“Yeah. It wasn’t our finest moment. Jones was a talented reader, obviously. He killed those we sent to see exactly what he was up to.”

I searched my limited knowledge on the event. “Wasn’t there a senator he killed?”

“That’s the one.”

The thought that there were readers in government office was overwhelming and intriguing at the same time.

We walked the rest of the way in silence while I chewed on the new historical facts. But, before we headed into the common room, he turned and looked at me. “Do you understand the impact you could have on the world of readers?”

I frowned and shook my head.

He took my face in both of his hands. “You will.”

The next day, Tracy was as serious as ever, despite the progress I’d made. You’d think I would get a day off, perhaps some accolades. Nope.

“Let’s get to work,” she said as I sat down across from her in the training room.

“Not like we’d be doing anything else.”

That gave her pause. “Did you have something else in mind?”

I sighed. “Nope. Not a thing.” I was closing in on the end of the second week of my time with the Unseen, but it felt like a lifetime. Everyone kept telling me I’d accomplished an unimaginable amount of work. Suddenly, I felt like I’d appreciate a break.

“You can have a break on Saturday.”

“And I will!” She rolled her eyes at my enthusiasm. “Tracy, can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

I tried to formulate my thoughts into an intelligent question, not wanting to waste her time. “I never see you in the common area after we train. What do you do to unwind?”

“Unwind? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“You’re always working, always with your nose to the grindstone. What do you do for fun?” I pressed.

She looked hard at me. “This, Mackenzie. This is what I do for fun. If I take it seriously, it’s because I want you to succeed. You have more potential than anyone I’ve ever seen. That excites me.” Her voice remained flat when she said it, but the sparkle in her eye spoke to her genuine passion for her job. “When I’m not training, I’m studying techniques, training methods, and new uses for readers. I’m working hard to stay one step ahead of you, so in the future, I’ll still have things to teach you. You possess an extraordinary mind and I, for one, don’t intend to waste it.”

Okay then, I thought.

“If that’s all…” She paused, and I nodded. Even if I had something else to ask her, I knew I wouldn’t get a straight answer. “Today, we’ll work on keeping readers out.”

“What do you mean? I learned how to push unwanted readers out yesterday.”

“Yes, and while that is a vital skill, it’s best if you can keep them from ever entering your mind in the first place.”

That made sense to me.

“These defenses will not only prevent others from entering your mind, but they’ll contain your outgoing thoughts too.”

I perked up. “So, everyone will stop hearing my thoughts.”

“Ideally, yes.”

“Ideally indeed,” I mused, longing for the return of some privacy. Up until two weeks ago, I’d never had to worry about keeping my thoughts to myself. I was the only reader on my playing field. I didn’t like having the tables turned, and I looked forward to the return of some peace. I was pretty sure everyone else was eager for that too.

“I’ve heard it likened to building a wall around your mind to keep your thoughts in, and others out. That’s as basic as I can make it for you.”

“I suppose I’ll have to figure out the rest?”

“It’s worked for you so far.”

“I guess it has.” I couldn’t help the skepticism in my voice. I was new to this. How was I supposed to build a wall in my mind? I sighed. She was right though. I hadn’t had much trouble honing my abilities before, so why would this be any different?

And it wasn’t. It took me about two days, but I got it. I built my wall with memories, brick by brick. Memories of Maddie, of my aunt, of playing my first instrument, of school, I used everything that made me me—the good and the bad—and built the wall higher and higher, until my sanctuary was complete.

It felt different when I was done, sort of warm, like I’d just shut a window against a draft I hadn’t realized was coming through. And most importantly, I could tell I was secure.

Thursday afternoon, as I was clearing my dishes from lunch, I caught a glimpse of Mitchell. His skin still had an unhealthy grey tinge to it, but at least he was up and about. He didn’t linger, though—he stayed just long enough to nod to Owen and grab some food.

Tracy didn’t allow me to dwell on my concern for Mitchell. After my last defensive brick was in place, she gazed at me thoughtfully. “I wonder if you might let me try something.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve killing me, sure. What’s up?” Her wicked smile unnerved me. “Hey, I wasn’t kidding.”

“I’m not going to hurt you. Just stay behind your wall.” She leaned forward, staring intently, making me very uncomfortable.

I retreated as far back as I could get, both in the room and in my mind. Bracing myself for whatever she might give me, I tensed and waited. And waited. And waited. She sat back, sweat beading on her forehead, despite the steady temperature in the room.

A satisfied grin spread across her face. “Very impressive indeed, Mackenzie.”

“What?”

“I have just attempted to invade your mind. I tried repeatedly, using several different methods, and nothing worked. Your defenses are already stronger than those of many Unseen.”

“Already?”

“Smart readers are always honing their defenses, learning how to fortify them against stronger readers. Their training doesn’t stop.”

I nodded, wondering just how far I could go with my abilities.

“That is the question of the day, isn’t it?”

“More like the question of the month.”

She smiled, and it softened her features. Suddenly, she looked like someone I could be friends with, not my hard-as-nails glorified drill instructor. “Yes, well. Tomorrow, we will not be training, so you will get the break you wanted.”

“Really? That’s awesome. I was thinking of going to see my friend Maddie.”

“No, I didn’t mean you could shirk your responsibilities to the Unseen. I meant you wouldn’t be training with me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I frowned. “So, what am I going to do instead?”

“You will be meeting with David first thing.”

My frown deepened. “David? Why?”

“He frequently meets with the trainees to discuss their progress. There’s nothing to be worried about.” Her attempt at comfort only made me more concerned.

She stood, signaling that we were finished. “One more thing. Now that you have them, keep your defenses up at all times. Even around Owen. The more you can keep to yourself, the better.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. They’ll be at their strongest around Owen.”

The smile returned to her face. “Good girl.” Once again, she left before I could respond.

Owen came in before I could collect myself enough to follow Tracy out. “Are you coming?” He paused for a second. “It’s very quiet in here.”

I decided to play it coy. “Is it?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’ve blocked me out!” Closing the distance between us, he lifted me off the ground. “That’s amazing! Good for you!”

Caught off guard by his reaction, I tried to catch up. “Thanks,” I said, lacking his enthusiasm.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just didn’t think you’d be this excited about not knowing every time I swoon over you.”

He put me down and smoothed his shirt. “Well, that’s true. I am at a disadvantage now.”

“I prefer to think of it as leveling the playing field.”

He smacked my butt on our way out of the training room. “I’ll show you how to level the playing field.”

I squealed and ran away, Owen trailing behind me.

Mitchell appeared at the entrance to the stairway, looking a little more human all the time. His skin was slowly getting peachier, and his eyes weren’t quite so sunken. He no longer looked like the Grim Reaper was standing over his shoulder, and that was a step in the right direction if you asked me.

He avoided eye contact with me as we approached. We came to a halt in front of him, both of us a little out of breath. “Good to see you up and around, Mitchell,” I said.

He nodded, though he was clearly uncomfortable with talking about his excursion.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Fine.” His one-word answer was followed by a long silence that stretched awkwardly throughout the gym.

Owen cleared his throat. “Where are you headed?”

“Down to David’s office to finish debriefing.”

Owen nodded once. “Come find us when you’re done. We’ll probably be watching a movie or something.”

He nodded, and then he turned his gaze to me, almost in spite of himself. A small smile found its way to his mouth. “Hey, I can’t hear you.” A glint of excitement lit his tired eyes.

“Yup. Tracy’s been pushing me hard.”

He nodded once, struggling to find the right response. “Well, good work.” I could tell the sentiment was genuine, and somehow, it meant more to me than some of the other congratulations I’d received.

“Thanks.” I so badly wanted to put him at ease, to know more about him, to be his friend. But I sure as heck didn’t know how.

Owen came to our rescue again. “Well, you better get in there. David doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

He nodded and walked toward David’s office.

“Good luck!” I called after him, but he didn’t respond.

We turned and started walking up the stairs. “He seems to be doing better, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, he is.”

I looked over at Owen, but he was staring straight ahead. Clearly, I wasn’t going to get any more information on the subject.

“So…” I hesitated. I wanted to ask him about my meeting with David tomorrow, but I wasn’t sure he’d give me any information. But it was on my mind, so I pressed forward. “I’m supposed to have a meeting with David tomorrow morning instead of training.”

“Oh.” He didn’t hide the surprise in his voice. “I suppose that makes sense. You’ve hit all the marks you’re supposed to hit before having a meeting with David.”

“I take it you had a meeting with him too?”

“Yeah, after I learned to defend myself. But I’d been here for months, not weeks.”

“Yes, well, you’ve already established yourself as a slow learner.” He playfully shoved me. “Tracy said it was just a status update sort of meeting, but it feels like more than that to me. I’m uneasy about it.”

He looked at the steps rather than at me. “There’s nothing to be uneasy about.” It came out quickly and sort of barbed. I could tell he was hiding something. It was a sensation that had become all too familiar.

I gazed at him from the corner of my eyes. “Clearly.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “There isn’t. You should quit being suspicious of us all the time. We’re not trying to kill you or whatever else you have cooked up in your head.”

“If that’s true, then why not tell me the big secret you’re all hiding? Or is it secrets, plural?”

He looked at me for just a moment, and I thought he might spill right then and there, but instead, he turned and kept walking. By then, we were on the landing for the common room.

I stopped before going in. “Is that what this meeting is about? The secrets? Will I finally get some answers?” I couldn’t help but be excited about the chance to finally learn exactly what I’d gotten myself into.

He was halfway into the common room when he turned to close the distance between us. He leaned in close, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my face.

He didn’t close his eyes like he would if he was leaning in for a kiss. Instead, he looked straight at me, his eyes drilling into me as if he could see into my soul. “You might get the answers you’re looking for tomorrow, and you might not.” His voice was so low I could feel it in my chest. “All I care about is what you do after your meeting.”

“What would I do after my meeting?” I knew there was hidden meaning behind his words, and I wanted him to be the one to spell it out for me.

A sad look flashed in his eyes, but he shrugged his shoulders and it was gone. “What else would you do? Spend time with me.” He leaned away, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the common area. “Now, let’s go watch a movie and enjoy our evening.”

What on Earth was that about? I wondered. I replayed his words in my head, You might get the answers you’re looking for tomorrow, and you might not. All I care about is what you do after your meeting. And then there was the way he’d held me so close, almost as if he were afraid he might lose me. All I care about is what you do after your meeting. What in God’s name could David possibly tell me that would tear Owen and me apart?

It was troubling enough to keep me from concentrating on the movie. I’d been so excited about getting answers that I hadn’t thought of the possible consequences of what David might tell me. I’d just assumed he would sing my praises and give me some cushy spot with the Unseen. But what if that wasn’t what happened tomorrow? What if he told me something I didn’t want to hear?

I frowned and looked to Owen. He might no longer be able to read my thoughts, but he could still read me. We both retreated to the library, heading immediately for the piano.

“You can finish the movie if you’d like,” I said.

“I’d prefer to sit next to you.”

“Suit yourself,” I said, losing myself in the music, momentarily banishing my troubles.

That night, when the music was gone, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, counting the popcorn pieces that glimmered down at me. I tried to fathom what David could possibly tell me that would make me want to leave. Coming up empty, I rolled over and tried to get some sleep, but I couldn’t. Something nagged at the back of my mind. Something Tracy had once said.

A rather deadly asset…

The words floated in my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

18.

I had no idea what time I finally drifted off, but when my alarm went off, I wasn’t ready. I slapped at it, knocking my phone to the ground. The sound only got louder due to lack of attention, which made my flailing to reach the damn thing more pronounced.

Eventually, I gave in and got out of bed. Retrieving my phone from the floor, I said, “You win this round,” and silenced the alarm, which was blasting by then. I was sleeping so deeply, I had trouble bringing the numbers on the clock into focus, let alone comprehend what they meant. Then it all came rushing back to me. David, Owen, Tracy, Mitchell, the Unseen, a deadly asset…

I got up and rushed to the bathroom, attempting to brush my teeth and tame my hair at the same time. There was still plenty of time, but the sooner I got there, the sooner I might get my answers. I might not like what I learned, but I couldn’t be in this limbo stage anymore.

Being an adult was about asking questions and making the best you could from the answers you got, which was exactly what I intended to do.

Owen was waiting for me when I pulled up, but we didn’t speak. The air was thick with things unsaid between the two of us. Silence reigned all the way to David’s office.

As we stood in front of the boss’ door, he stared at me, his eyes pleading. “Good luck,” he said.

“Thanks.”

We stood face-to-face for a heartbeat. I searched his eyes, wondering what secrets lived behind them and how many would be unlocked for me today.

The desire to have his lips on mine overwhelmed me, and I leaned forward. The small action was all he needed, and he claimed my mouth. His kiss was so passionate. I could tell he feared it might be the last time.

When he finally released me, my head spun, and I took a step back, slightly off balance.

“I hope you find your way back to me.”

“I will, Owen.” I tried to sound strong and confident, despite my racing heart and mind.

He only nodded in response, and I turned to knock on David’s door.

“Yes, come in,” he called out.

I watched Owen as I shut the door behind me.

“Hello, Mackenzie. I didn’t hear you out there. Very impressive. Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the seat across from him.

“So, what have I been called to the principal’s office for this time?”

He chuckled. “Nothing bad. This is just a progress report and sort of an informational meeting, as I’m guessing Tracy explained.”

“Explained is a loose term for what she did.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” he said through a smile. “Mackenzie, you are the most gifted reader I’ve ever come across, myself included. Tracy told me what you did with the guide at the caverns. That’s very impressive. In fact, it’s a skill you should have had to learn. But you just used what you already knew and inferred what to do next. You have the opportunity to take this as far as you’d like. Your abilities will open more doors to you than are available to the rest of us.”

“Opportunities like what?”

He continued talking without acknowledging my question. “Never in the history of the organization has someone gone through their training as quickly and skillfully as you. In fact, I’ve been trying to read you this entire time, and I haven’t been able hear a single thought.”

He watched as a sly smile played on my face. Of course, I had realized what he was doing. I could feel him trying to chip away at my defenses without any luck.

“Yes. You should be proud of being able to keep the boss out of your head. Less than a handful of the Unseen are capable of that. All of them have been with me for quite some time.” He paused. “Well, all of them save for you.”

“Perhaps I will just ask you this, since I can’t get the information myself. What is your plan moving forward, Mackenzie?”

“My plan?”

“How do you see yourself fitting in here with us?”

Great. An interview question I was entirely unprepared for. Get ready for an epic fail in 3… 2… 1… “I don’t really know, to be honest. Everyone has so many secrets. And although Tracy is training me, I’m still very much an outsider. Until I’m truly one of you, I don’t have any idea how I can contribute or fit in.” There. That was easy enough.

He sat back in his chair. “Mackenzie, do you want to be a member of the Unseen? Would you like to join us?”

Confusion took hold. “I’m sorry; I thought I already had joined you.”

He hesitated and brought his folded hands to his mouth, as if searching for the right words. “Mackenzie, I’m going to tell you a story. It’s about a young family. The parents aren’t much older than you are, and they have two young children, both still in diapers. The parents are rare by today’s standards. They love each other very much, and they love their children even more. They spend time with both of them, read to them, nurture them, and fawn over them. But one day, the oldest is killed. He’s shot in the backseat of their car while the mother is driving home from the grocery store.”

He paused to let the horror of that scenario sink in. “At first, the shooting is deemed an accident. A random act of violence that was the direct result of the family being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A bullet meant for someone else tragically found the two-and-a-half-year-old boy.”

Tears threatened my eyes. Why was I getting so emotional? This wasn’t true. Get a hold of yourself. I cleared my throat and waited for him to continue.

“But as police investigate, it’s uncovered that the child was targeted, the shooting was deliberate, and the murder of a toddler had occurred.”

“But why?”

“Why is not the correct question.”

“So, what is?”

“If you had the power to stop it, to save the child, to keep the family whole, would you do it?”

“I—”

He cut me off. “Before you answer, think about what saving the child might mean. Would you be willing to take a life? To kill the shooter?”

Without thinking, I responded, “Yes. If it would save the child.”

“What if the shooter had a family of his own? A child the same age waiting for him to come home? A child who would wait forever because you took his daddy away?”

My head spun. How could I possibly value one life over another? But after a moment, I said, “Perhaps the shooter was a bad influence on the child and removing him from the kid’s life was for the best.” I couldn’t believe I’d said such a thing. I thought about how keenly I’d felt the absence of my own parents, immediately regretting what I’d said. “I don’t mean that,” I said in a quiet voice. “A child should have their father. No matter what.”

A pained expression crossed his face. “Yes, I agree.” It was so quiet, I wondered if I’d imagined him saying that.

Silence hung in the room. I didn’t know what to say, and David seemed to be struggling for words as well.

Eventually, he broke the silence. “Mackenzie, if you commit to the Unseen, these are the types of situations you will be faced with.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I realize this must be very shocking to you.”

“No, go back to the killing part. You want me to do what to who?”

“Maybe I should start over. The Unseen is a counterterrorist group working with the government.”

“What exactly does that mean? You’re murderers who are excused for your crimes?”

“No, we’re not murderers.”

“I’m sorry, do you kill people or not?” My anger was building. They’d all lied to me, from start to finish. Every last one of them.

“Well, yes, but we also save hundreds and thousands of lives every year with the work we do.”

The tears I’d held back earlier spilled over. I’d never been betrayed like this before. These people knew everything about me, and the fact that I had been wrong to trust them slapped me in the face so hard it stung. “You’re the one who just got done telling me that everyone has a family. Everyone is a son, brother, father, husband. Why the hell would you tell me that if you’re trying to get me to be some sort of assassin?”

“Because you need to be able to face this from all the different angles. You must make your final decision knowing exactly what you’re getting into.”

I got to my feet, glaring at him. “I am not a killer. And you were wrong to think I ever could be.” I stormed out of his office, tears flowing freely.

19.

Owen was waiting for me, and he rushed to catch up to me when I flew past him without pausing. “Mackenzie, wait.”

“I do not wait for murderers,” I said, giving him my back as I climbed the stairs two at a time. I had to get out of there. I needed away from these people.

“Please, let me explain.”

I turned to him. “Who are you?” Right there in the staircase, I demanded the answers I’d been waiting for so patiently.

“What?”

Wrong answer, I thought, and turned my back on him, pressing on toward the ground floor.

“Mackenzie, please, I don’t understand your question.”

Rather than look at him, I continued moving. If I can just get back to the light of day, maybe this will all be a bad dream. “You know damn well what I’m asking you.” I burst through the front door, squinting at the brightness of the morning sun. But Owen was still behind me.

“I can’t read you anymore. I really don’t understand. Please, let’s talk about this. Don’t leave this way. Let me try to explain.”

“What do you have to explain to me if you don’t understand what I’m asking?” I turned to face the first and only man to break my heart. My impatience for his secrets had dried my tears.

He looked at me, his hands held out to me in surrender, but he said nothing.

“Did you just act like you had feelings for me to get me to join the group? Was I your assignment? Acquire the exceptional reader?”

Horror filled his face, but I felt like it was an act, all of it. I couldn’t trust any of them. “No! That wasn’t it at all.” He reached for me, but I pulled away. “Mackenzie, I care very much for you.”

I eyed him with suspicion. “Fine. Then tell me the truth. How many people have you killed?”

He sighed. “Maybe we should focus on how many people I’ve saved.”

“How many people have you killed?” I demanded again.

He didn’t answer at first, so I was surprised when he eventually spoke. “Four,” he said after what seemed like an eternity. “So far,” he added.

Horror made me retch right then and there, losing everything I’d eaten in the last few hours on to the pavement. I wiped my mouth. Four people. He’d taken four different lives.

“I trusted you. I thought you were different. Someone who could be a real partner. But you turned out to be the worst one of all. You’re a—” I choked on the word, “—murderer.” I whipped around, hoping I’d smacked him in the face with my ponytail.

I crossed the parking lot in record speed while he jogged after me. “Mackenzie, please. Consider the consequences before you leave this way.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No! But there are other dangers.”

“What dangers?” I looked at him, seeing a cold, hard killer instead of the man I’d grown to care about. Where my body had once been drawn to him, it was now violently repelled. He disgusted me. I needed to get away. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I was fine without you before, and I will be again.”

I tried to open my car door, but Owen grabbed my arm. “Mackenzie,” he said, looking deep into my eyes. A flash of the old desire bubbled up, but the leftover bile in the back of my throat didn’t make it hard to push it back down.

I tried to free my arm, but he held fast. “I care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what? Like I could be a totally normal person who never kills anyone or commits a crime of any kind for her whole life?” I spat. “Sure, I’ll probably die a lonely old maid, but at least my conscience will be clear.”

He looked at me in that special way he had, where he seemed to be seeing into my very soul. “You may not live long enough to become an old maid.”

I glared at him. He was just trying to manipulate me into staying by using scare tactics, or at least that was what I told myself. The look in his eyes said he was telling the truth, but how could I trust him after everything he’d kept from me?

“You want answers? Stay long enough to hear me out, and I’ll give them to you.”

My car keys jangled in my hand as I debated what to do. Even now, I didn’t want to lose Owen. But I also didn’t want him to be a killer, and I certainly didn’t want to join him down that path. “You’ve had plenty of chances to tell me your secrets.”

He had no defense, but at least he didn’t look away.

I sighed. What could it hurt to listen to him? “Fine. You have ten minutes, and then I’m out of here.”

“Do you want to go back inside, where it’s a little more comfortable?”

I leaned against my car. “I’m as comfortable as I’m going to get. Nine minutes, thirty seconds.”

“You know, I wasn’t alone like you were. My whole family could read minds.”

He’s finally telling me a little more about his family? I tightened my hands into fists, refusing to get sucked into his story this easily.

“We were like peas in a pod. My little brother was annoying at times, but I still loved him, the way brothers do. My folks were great at teaching us about our abilities, helping us get through our awkward childhoods with this extra little complication. They didn’t tell us how to control it or anything, not like the Unseen do, but they helped us cope, told us what was normal, what to expect in public, stuff like that.”

“Must’ve been nice,” I said, with more bitterness in my voice than I’d intended to show.

He smiled warmly, thinking about his family. “It was nice, for a time… then they were taken away from me one by one. My brother was the first to go. They said it was a rare form of cancer. A quick and silent killer, they called it. One day, he was fine; the next, he was gone.” He paused, a deep frown creasing his face.

Despite my anger toward him in that moment, my heart went out to him. I didn’t have any siblings, but I imagined it was immeasurably difficult to lose one.

“How old were you?”

“Hmm?” He looked at me like he’d forgotten I was there for a moment. “Oh, I was twelve. Jason was ten. My parents were destroyed, as you can imagine, but we soldiered on, clinging to each other for support. Some days, that’s all we did—hold each other up until it was time to go to bed, then start over again the next day. It was horrible. I didn’t think it could get any worse, but then it did.”

“My mom usually took me to school, but she had an early meeting one day, so Dad took me. If she’d driven me, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten into the accident. Or I guess I could have been killed with her. It’s hard to say.”

“Well, you can’t blame yourself. It was just an accident.”

He smiled, though this time the expression was bitter. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was told. It was just an accident. Unpreventable. Tragic. I heard a lot of those words. In less than a year, half of my family was taken from me. The worst part of it was that my mom was the best one of us. She loved without question, which I find to be a rare quality in people.” He shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I care for you so much. You accepted me even though I couldn’t answer your questions.”

Just how deep did his feelings go? My knees nearly gave way. It was too much. I opened my car door and sat down in the driver’s seat.

Owen continued his story without commenting on my movement. “The last person to go was my dad. They said he fell onto the train tracks. Another ‘tragic’ accident. It had been just over a year since Jason, just over a year since my family was whole.”

He looked off into the distance, squinting into the sun. “After that, I bounced around in the foster care system for a few months until David found me. He pulled some strings and brought me here, gave me a home. Eventually, he told me the truth.”

“What truth? That they’re all murderers?”

“No, that my family had been killed one by one by the enemy—a group trained to eliminate other readers. He’d worked hard to find me before the enemy could. The disorganization of the foster care system is probably what saved my life.”

It echoed of David’s story about the little boy who’d been shot. I looked at him skeptically. Was this the truth or another lure? “And you just took his word for it?”

“No, I didn’t. I was still reeling from losing my whole family. I couldn’t get my mind around some elaborate conspiracy theory. It just seemed too unlikely. But I also didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I hung around and heard him out. He showed me the evidence they had against these people.”

“These people?”

“The ones who’d hunted my family down. Even my ten-year-old brother. How much of a threat could he have been? They killed him anyway. They said it was a mercy to kill him first.” A hatred I’d never seen before clouded his eyes. “They weren’t even sorry.”

My emotions warred with themselves. “Sounds like you weren’t very sorry about the four people you killed.”

“No, I suppose I’m not. Three of the four were kill-or-be-killed scenarios, and I chose my own life over theirs. If that’s selfish, fine. But don’t judge me too harshly until you’ve looked down the barrel of a gun.”

“And the fourth?”

“The fourth was—” he hesitated, “—difficult. He was unassuming, and he actually seemed like a nice guy on the surface. I questioned David more than once, since I wanted to make sure we had the right guy. He just didn’t seem like he had it in him. Long story short, I got my hands on some direct evidence linking him to a plot to release a massively deadly airborne virus at the Olympics that year. It would have killed at least ten thousand people. In the end, I chose to take one life in order to save many.”

I tried to get my head around it. Everything he was saying made sense. It was reasonable. Certainly, I wouldn’t expect him to stand there and be killed if someone was threatening him. The fourth man’s death was a little harder to rationalize, but if what he said was true, he had saved a staggering amount of people.

He reached for my hand, pulling me out of my internal debate. “Mackenzie. The bottom line is, there are truly bad people out there, and the Unseen aren’t them.”

I looked at his hand holding mine. It was big, and it covered my entire hand, making me feel encompassed by him. Protected. “Enemy is a dangerous word to use flippantly. I imagine the mothers who are without their children find you to be the enemy, don’t you think?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but I kept talking. “And what about the wives without their husbands? You’re their enemy too. And those children who have to grow up without a father or mother…” I shook my head. “No matter how you slice it, it’s still killing.” I shook loose from his hand. “I’m sorry, Owen, I truly am, but I just can’t do this…”

Before I could see the expression on his face, I got the rest of the way into my car, shut the door, and drove away, not once looking back to see Owen—and the Unseen—disappear from my life forever.

20.

Despite the fact that it was a four-hour drive, I barely even registered the length of the trip to Maddie’s.

I’ve never felt this betrayed, I thought over and over and over again. Owen’s face flashed through my mind, and regret stabbed me in the gut. But I thought again of those families David had mentioned, the families of the “enemy,” as it were. But maybe I was thinking about this the wrong way. Enemy was such a loaded word—replace “enemy” with “danger” and maybe the Unseen’s mission was more palatable. Owen said he’d killed four people, three of whom were a direct threat to him. They were all a danger that needed to be eliminated. The fourth was a danger to thousands of others, although not a direct danger to him.

I shook my head, trying to recapture the anger I’d initially felt. Now you’re rationalizing killing, I told myself, justifying it even. This isn’t a Bourne movie. This is real life. And real death. But what would I do if someone held a gun to my face? Would I try to protect myself? I had no idea. Despite the fact that I hadn’t had an easy road, it hadn’t exactly been that difficult either. I’d never faced death, and I intended to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Owen’s voice echoed in my mind. You may not live to be an old maid.

The story of his family played like a movie on fast-forward in my head. I knew he was trying to show me that some readers weren’t safe when they stood alone. It occurred to me that he might have made the story up to convince me to stay, but something about it held an element of truth. And that look in his eyes…

Despite having spent the entire drive thinking through every angle of my situation, I didn’t feel any better by the time I pulled into the parking spot in front of Maddie’s apartment. I don’t know how long I sat there, staring blankly ahead, but Maddie snapped me out of it when she knocked on my window.

“This is a nice surprise!” Her muffled voice floated through the closed window. Her expression changed when she saw my face. She shifted her bags to one hand and opened my car door. “I was just coming home from the store. Mac, what happened? Did that bastard break your heart?” When I didn’t answer right away, she retracted her statement. “If he didn’t, I take back the bastard comment.”

I stared straight ahead, my hands still on the steering wheel. “They lied to me, Maddie. All of them.”

“Who?”

“The Unseen.”

“The what?”

I wasn’t loyal to them anymore, was I? How much could I tell her? None of it, if I still didn’t want her to know I was a mind reader. All of it, if I finally wanted to share my secret with the one person in the whole world I could trust without hesitation.

While I debated, Maddie frowned. “All right, why don’t you come inside and tell me what happened from the beginning?”

She must have helped me out of the car and into her apartment, because the next thing I knew, I was sitting on her couch with a mug of tea between my hands.

She stared at me expectantly, showing more patience than I’ve ever seen from her. I expected her to start yelling, ‘Spit it out already!’ I was sure she wanted to, but she didn’t. I looked at her then, and it dawned on me that for the first time in our long friendship, I didn’t have my iLs and I wasn’t hearing her thoughts.

At least I’d gotten some control out of this mess, I thought.

I took a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m not sure how much I can tell you.”

She nodded but waited patiently.

“Things started out great. They taught me to live without my iLs.”

“Wow. I haven’t seen you in public without it since we were kids. How did they do that?”

“It was part of the training. I had to learn to be without it.”

“Jesus, Mac, you didn’t tell me any of that! Was it hard?”

“At first, but I caught on a lot quicker than any of the therapists who treated me when I was a kid would’ve believed.” The tea she gave me was warm and calming as it slid down my throat.

“Okay, so they taught you to live without your iLs. Sounds good to me. When did things go south?”

“Today.”

“Right. I figured as much since you showed up like a zombie at my door, after not getting more than an occasional text from you for like five days.”

I just looked at her, not really processing her comment or her sarcasm.

“Okay, something is really wrong here, and I’m just trying to get my head around it.” Panic was replacing frustration in her voice. “So what happened? Did the hot guy cheat on you? I’ll kill him if you didn’t already.”

“No, Owen didn’t cheat on me.”

Confusion played across her face. “I don’t understand…”

“They lied to me.” They’re killers. It was on the tip of my tongue, ready to spill out, but something held the words back, perhaps the instinct that once said, they could never be unsaid.

“Lied to you about what?”

There it was. The question I wasn’t prepared to answer.

Tears pooled in my eyes when I looked at her, and she was by my side in an instant, her arms around me. “Mac, you know I’m only good at tough love.”

I looked at her while the tears spilled down my cheeks.

“Why did you come here? If you want my help, you have to tell me what you need from me.”

“I came here because you’re the only family I have. The only person I trust in the whole world.” It wasn’t a lie, so why was I hesitating to tell her my secret? She’s right; she can only help me if she knows what happened.

“Maddie, throughout our entire friendship, I’ve been keeping something from you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I knew you took that Barbie. I knew it! Mac, it’s not a big deal. We were like five. It’s certainly not something to be blubbering about more than twenty years later.”

I stared at her, wondering if she could possibly be ready to hear what I had to say. It was too late, though. I’d set the ball in motion, and there was no stopping it now. “I’m a mind reader.”

She laughed at first, but the sound cut off abruptly when she realized I was serious. “You mean your Spidey sense?”

“My Spidey sense is reading minds.”

A new wave of panic spread across her face and she swallowed hard, having a hard time coming up with a response.

Reaching out for her mind, I read her thoughts purposefully for the first time.

Holy shit, she’s lost it. She’s gone totally crazy. What can I do for her? Should I take her to a hospital?

“I’m not crazy, Maddie.”

“No, of course not. No one said you are.” She turned away from me a little bit. “I just need a moment to process this.”

Think faster. She knows I think she’s lost it. I had an aunt who was institutionalized. Maybe I should call my mom. She might know what to do.

“I don’t think your mom will be able to help. I’m pretty sure my case is different from your aunt’s. Also, the less people who know my secret, the better.”

“I…” She trailed off.

Did I say any of that out loud?

“No, you didn’t.”

“Stop. Just let me think for a second.”

I knew exactly how she felt, after having the Unseen inside my head for so long.

Thirty-nine.

“Thirty-nine.”

Holy shit.

“Holy shit.”

She sat back on the couch, her eyes wide.

“The iLs helped me to block out other people’s thoughts so I could concentrate.”

“The first day of school…” she said, trailing off.

“Yeah, that was a hard day for me. There were so many voices, and nowhere for me to hide from them.” I sipped my tea, letting that sink in before I went on. “The Unseen, the people I was working for, are readers like me. Until they approached me, I had no idea there were others. I thought I was all alone… a freak. Discovering them was like a dream come true, a dream I’d never dared to entertain. They taught me how to control my gift, how to choose whose voice I wanted to hear and whose I didn’t, even how to protect my mind from other readers.”

“That all sounds totally bizarre, but great. What went wrong?” She shook her head. I couldn’t believe how well she was taking all of this, and I was so relieved to finally level with her.

“I was flying through my training. Things that took everyone else months or even years took me two weeks. So, they let me in on their KFC secret recipe.”

“Uh huh…”

I struggled with what to say next, but really, there was only one way to say it. “Turns out they’re a bunch of government assassins. They kill terrorists and potential threats to society. And they wanted me to become one of them.”

“Holy shit.” She said it quietly.

“Yes. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”

“This is huge.” She paused, taking a moment to formulate a response. “You mean… you have the opportunity to stop things like 9-11 from happening?”

Her tone confused me. She was excited by the Unseen’s mission. “Maddie, they’re killers.” There. I had said it.

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand,” I echoed.

“You have the chance to save lives—”

I cut her off. “By taking lives, Maddie. I’m not a killer, and I don’t ever intend to become one.”

She stared at me, chewing on her bottom lip. “Are you reading my thoughts right now?”

“No. I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

“Good call.” She took a breath. “So, what happened with Owen?”

“He told me this horrible story about how his whole family was killed by terrorists, and he was rescued by the boss guy, David. I’m hoping it was a lie to get me to stay.”

“Jeez, Mac. What if it wasn’t?”

I just looked at her, unable to hide the pain I felt from leaving Owen and the Unseen behind.

“Seriously. Why would he lie to you about that? Really?”

“Maybe so I would stay and be their quote ‘deadly asset’ end quote.”

Her face remained neutral while she mentally chewed on that. “That’s kind of intense.”

“Intense wasn’t the word I’d use. Ridiculous? Idiotic? Those are more fitting, I think.”

“What makes you think you couldn’t be a deadly asset?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t… I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t kill someone, Maddie. Maybe if I was in a life-or-death situation, a fight instinct would kick in, but why insert myself into something like that?”

“Mac, there’s no question whether or not your fight instinct would kick in. It already has.”

“What?”

“With your charming attempted rapist date?”

I groaned. “I totally forgot about him. So much has happened in the last month.”

Leaning back on the couch, she sighed and looked up at the clock. “It’s late.”

I couldn’t quite comprehend how it was already dark outside, let alone how it was 2:00 am.

“I have to level with you,” Maddie said after a moment. “I think you’re making a mistake. These people have the potential to make a real positive change in this country, which means you have the potential to make a positive change. And you can save people’s lives. That’s amazing. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? Remember? ‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’ ”

“I’m not a killer, Maddie.”

“You said that.” She yawned and stood up. “But are you a savior?”

21.

Morning came much too quickly after our late-night chatting marathon. Maddie had a workshop first thing, so she was up and around, neither bright eyed nor bushy tailed.

“I can drop you off if you want,” I offered from my spot on the couch, rubbing my eyes.

“Nah. I have some prep reading I want to get done, and the train is a good place for that.”

I felt bad making her ride the train when I could easily give her a ride. “I have no problem dropping you off.”

“I know. Why don’t you just hang out here? I’ll be done by three. We can get some dinner downtown if you’d like.”

“That’s all right. I should get back anyway. Start looking for other work. Maybe get in touch with Shelly Goldstein.”

“Who?”

“The woman with the dream job.”

She frowned. “You’d rather work with troubled kids than save lives?”

“Who says that wouldn’t be saving lives?”

She shrugged. “Point taken, I suppose.” She came over and hugged me. “Just think about it, before you do anything too rash.”

“Rash thing already done. I left.”

“Maybe. Maybe it’s not as final as you think. If you want to go back, I’m willing to bet they’d take you.”

“Maddie, I’m not going back. I’m not going to kill people for a living.”

“Boy, I would.” She gave me a devilish smile.

I laughed. “I know you would.”

“Lock up when you leave. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Have fun at the workshop. Why a Saturday workshop? That’s dumb, by the way.”

She was half out the door. “I know, but it’s supposed to be really good, about how to incorporate technology into your classroom with the Promethean Board. I’m actually excited about it.”

“Ugh, go! You exhaust me!”

“I wasn’t the one who kept us up until two am talking. Just sayin’.”

I laughed, and she shut the door behind her. I wasn’t far behind her. I hadn’t brought anything with me, not even a toothbrush. I just got up, folded the blanket she’d given me, left a thank-you note on the fridge saying how amazing she was, and headed home.

The drive felt much longer than it had on the way down. The last thing I’d expected was for Maddie to disagree with my decision. I thought she’d be just as horrified as I was. Truth was, her reaction had me questioning my decision.

Could I be a savior? It certainly was a romantic way of looking at it.

Something tickled at the back of my mind. Is Maddie right? Either way, it felt like a dangerous game to play. I thought about what happened to Mitchell, and wondered what series of events had led to his injury, whether the mission had been successful, and if he believed risking his life had been worth it. Judging from his post-recovery attitude, he’d probably say it had been. The Unseen believed in their cause. The question was, did I?

It was early afternoon by the time I got home. I grabbed a snack, my laptop, and the remote, settling onto the couch. I flipped on the news, intending to draft an email to Shelly with the newscasters as background noise, but a word caught my ear.

“—on the new Sun Rail commuter train. So far, the death toll is estimated at ten people, but more bodies are being uncovered as we speak.”

My mouth went dry. It couldn’t have been her train.

“So far, no suspects have been named in the bombing, and authorities believe the person responsible may have been killed on board.”

A bombing? On the Sun Rail? That makes no sense. The Sun Rail didn’t carry enough people to be an effective target. Why not bomb the subway in New York? Why the Sun Rail? I scanned the ticker tape running along the bottom of the screen, searching for information that would confirm Maddie was safe.

Reaching for my phone, I dialed Maddie without taking my eyes off the screen. The wreckage was a tangled mess. You couldn’t even tell it had been a train, except for a single semi-intact car at the edge of the frame. My heart began to race as the phone rang and rang. Maddie always picked up on the first or second ring when she was available.

“Hey, it’s Maddie, leave me a message and if it’s important, I’ll call you back.”

“Hey, I heard about the train. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Call me.” I hung up, feeling sick. She was at the workshop all day. It wasn’t her train.

An urgent knock at my door startled me out of my thoughts.

I opened the door absently, still not taking my eyes off the TV.

Owen pushed me back into my apartment.

“Wha—?” I stumbled over my own two feet .

“We have to go. You’re not safe here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll explain in the car. Grab what you need; you’re not coming back here.”

“Whoa. You don’t get to tell me what I’m doing. Slow down, tell me what’s going on, and maybe I’ll think about coming with you.”

He turned his attention to the TV. The reporter was repeating the details while they played footage of the scene of the bombing in the background.

“They’re sending a message.” The look he gave me sent chills all the way down to my toes. “You’re next, Mackenzie.”

“I… what? Are you implying this was directed at me? How?”

His eyes turned sad. “It was Maddie’s train.”

“No,” I whispered. “No! You can’t possibly know that. How do you know that?”

“We know. And we also know that you’re not safe. Not here. Not now. You need to come with me.”

I collapsed to the ground, unhearing. The TV, Owen, the apartment, all of it melted away, until it was just me, alone. Completely alone. Forever. Maddie was my rock, my partner in crime, my family, my everything. How could she be gone? If she was, I had only myself to blame. I’d led them right to her.

Owen was rustling around, but I paid no attention.

It wasn’t her train. It couldn’t have been. There was some mistake. She hadn’t answered her phone because the workshop was running a little long, that was all. She’d call me back or text me any minute. I clutched my phone in my hand so tightly my fingers turned white. I willed this last lifeline to ring, chime, anything that would prove Maddie hadn’t been on that train.

Owen hoisted me up into his arms. “What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving. You’re not safe.” He grunted a little as he pulled the door shut behind him.

“But—”

“No buts. Boss’ orders. We’re out of here.”

But why would David care about my safety after the way I’d told him off and stormed out of the building yesterday? I sagged against Owen’s chest. I couldn’t take all of this.

He plopped me down in the passenger’s seat of his car, circling around to toss something into the trunk. It felt like everything around me was on fast forward, while I was stuck in slow motion.

Memories of Maddie overwhelmed me. Late-night talks about boys. Maddie’s smiling face in the crowd at my first concert. Her tears over her first broken heart. Her next crush a few weeks later. The memories kept coming, fast and furious. My lie of omission had stood between us for years, but other than that, we’d had the perfect friendship—more open and honest than anyone could hope for. Maddie was the best person I’d ever known. How could someone like that be taken from a world that needed her so badly?

Tears streamed freely down my face while Owen rummaged around in the trunk of the car. Before I knew it, he was beside me and we were speeding off toward the Unseen.

22.

Somewhere between my apartment and the Unseen’s facility, my brain started to click into gear.

“Tell me what you think happened,” I demanded, still clutching my phone, desperate to hear it ring.

“We think the Potestas found out about you, although we’re not sure how.” He paused, making a sharp turn. “One thing’s for sure; they’ll eventually come after you.”

“I’m sorry, the Potestas?”

“For lack of a better word, they’re the enemy, the main group of terrorists we’re fighting.”

“The enemy,” I repeated. That word again. I sucked in a breath through my teeth, like the phrase had burned me.

“Assuming that’s true, and I’m not saying it is, because I can’t believe Maddie was on that train, why not stop what happened if you already knew all this information?”

“The information is streaming in quickly now, but it’s after the fact.” He chanced a sideways glance at me. “I know that doesn’t help you much now.”

“Or Maddie,” I mumbled.

He pulled into the garage behind the Unseen’s building. Just as he was reaching for the key, the DJ cut off the music. “Sorry to interrupt folks, but we just got a disturbing piece of information about the Sun Rail bombing. Police are beginning to release the identities of those killed on the train.”

“Mac, we should—”

“Shh!” I cut him off.

“A mother of two, a construction worker, and a local teacher are among the dead. Our prayers go out to the families of the victims.” The music started up again, but I didn’t hear it. All I heard was a local teacher.

A local teacher. I looked over at Owen, pleading with him. “It wasn’t her. Right?”

From the look on his face, I could tell his heart was breaking for me right then and there in the car.

“Mackenzie…”

“Oh, God,” I whispered. Shock was the only thing keeping my tears at bay.

Owen softly placed a hand on my shoulder. “We should go inside. David is waiting. I know he’s anxious to see you.”

I looked at his hand on my body like it was poisonous. “Let him wait,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

Owen slowly removed his hand, still staring at me.

“Who the fuck cares about David?” I railed, my voice getting louder with each word. “The center has fallen out of my world. David is nothing to me.” The words unstopped my tears, and they flowed freely down my cheeks.

Owen’s gaze wasn’t on me, though, it was looking just over my shoulder. I turned to see David standing at the window.

23.

He didn’t knock on the window or do anything courteous. He flung the door open, reached over me to undo my seatbelt, and grabbed my arm roughly, hoisting me out of the car. “Let’s go.”

I wasn’t sure if his harsh tone because of what I’d just said, or if something else was bothering him. Instinct told me it was something else, but I didn’t know what.

He kept his hold on my bicep all the way down to his office. Owen followed close behind. Once we were on the bottom floor, David pushed me into his office and turned to lock the door behind Owen.

“What the hell is going on? I don’t need you to rough me up like some thug, thank you very much,” I said, my grief turning to anger in a flash.

“Where are we at?” Owen asked.

“It’s hard to say. The information I’m getting from our agents on the other side is sketchy at best. Obviously, they know about her and her skills.”

“Hey, I’m sitting right here,” I said, but they continued to ignore me.

“We believe they’re sending a message, although I’m not exactly sure if they’re trying to scare Mackenzie by killing her friend, or if they’re hoping to attack her while she’s in shock. More information is needed.”

“Okay, you know what,” I said, “you two need to start talking to me, or I’m out of here. Cooperation over.”

“Ha, if this is your idea of cooperation, I’d like to see you act belligerent,” Owen said, biting down on his bottom lip.

“Owen, why don’t you make sure the facility is secure? I’ll get Mackenzie up to speed.”

Disappointment clouded his eyes as he looked between the two of us. He clearly wanted to stay. Well, if he wanted me to beg him not to leave, he’d be standing there forever.

When David locked the door behind Owen, I launched into my attack. “Time to give me some answers.”

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Why Maddie?” My voice shook when I said her name.

“As I said, I need more information to determine the exact reason why your friend was targeted. Like I said, I believe the Potestas were sending you a message. They know who you are, they know what you can do… and they know how to get to you.”

“What am I supposed to glean from that? Who cares if they know all that?”

“I care.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes you vulnerable, a target.” He looked deep into my eyes. “You are too valuable to be taken from me.”

I missed a beat. Did he say from me, or from us? I decided to ignore it. “I don’t understand. I left the Unseen. I’m not valuable to anyone.”

“I don’t think they knew you left. Otherwise, they might have tried to kill you rather than targeting your friend.”

The thought gave me pause. Had I been that close to losing my own life? I swallowed hard. “So does that mean I traded my life for Maddie’s?” The thought nearly choked me.

“Don’t think about it that way. They had a plan in motion before you ever left the Unseen.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t you stop it?” I was getting louder with each word, but I decided I didn’t care. Someone needed to be held accountable, and David was the one in front of me.

His expression turned sad. “I didn’t know about it until after. I had Owen follow you when you left to make sure you stayed safe. When you got to Maddie’s without a problem, I summoned him back here. I was worried when I heard the news. For a while, I thought you might have been on that train too.”

“Why do you care so much about me? Is it just because of my talent? That I’m a prodigy?”

“No. It’s because of how valuable you are.”

“You said that before. I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks. Explain my value like I’m a two-year-old.”

Sighing, he opened a drawer in his desk. He looked down inside it while he spoke. “Mackenzie, do you know my position with the Unseen?”

“Um…” I hadn’t exactly been expecting that comment, so I scrambled to come up with something intelligent, failing miserably.

“Let’s just say I’m very high up. I answer only to the head of Homeland Security, and of course, the President, but that’s rare.”

I gulped. “I assumed this was just a small satellite group of a larger, nationwide organization.”

“It is. I specifically requested this station.” I didn’t have time to wonder why. “Because of my position, my family is extremely vulnerable, and the Potestas are constantly searching for them. I spend much of my time keeping them hidden.”

“I… you have a family?” I blurted it out before I could think of making it more tactful.

“I do.” He pulled out what was in his drawer, looking at it lovingly. It appeared to be a picture frame. “My wife…” He paused, pain etched on his face. “My wife was killed by the Potestas. But my daughter has recently come back into my life. And I’m not willing to let her go for a second time.”

He turned the frame around, revealing an image of a baby. The image took my breath away once I realized the baby was me.

24.

I gasped. A bit dramatic, I know, but I couldn’t help it. Of all the things he could have had tucked in that drawer, a picture of me was about the last thing I expected him to pull out. I didn’t have any memories of my dad. I’d always been told that both of my parents had died when I was an infant. How could this man in front of me be my father?

The world spun around me, and I sat back in the chair, resting my head on one hand. “This is all too much. I lost my only real family on that train today.”

“I’m happy to tell you that isn’t true.”

I perked up. “Maddie survived?”

He frowned. “No. I meant that you didn’t lose your only family.”

The way he’d always treated me like I was a special case—and not just because of my talents—started to make sense. But my distrust of him and the Unseen was still fresh. “How do I know you’re not lying? As far as I know, my parents died decades ago. Do you think you’ll get some kind of promotion or kick back if everyone thinks you’re the father of the ‘prodigy’? Why would you screw with someone like this?” Tears threatened. I felt like I was drowning in lies, and all I wanted was something true to hold on to.

He took a deep breath, and just like that, he let down his defenses. A barrage of images flooded my mind. In them, I recognized my mother’s face—she looked just like she did in the one picture I had of her, but so much lovelier. She had wild, dark hair, just like mine, but her skin was lighter, almost porcelain. Her eyes were positively bewitching, dark blue with flecks of green. I could immediately feel his attraction to her. Memories of their wedding flashed through our connection next. It was a small but beautiful affair in a small church I didn’t recognize. There were stained glass rainbows on the floor, and Mom’s dress was made of antique lace. She looked lovely as she walked down the aisle toward my dad. His feelings for her overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t help but smile. She smiled back, and the expression transformed her into something straight out of a glamor magazine.

The next flash was brief. Mom was pregnant. Dad rested his hand on her huge belly while they both looked at it in a full-length mirror in their bedroom.

Then I was being placed in my dad’s arms for the first time. Wiggling and crying, clearly displeased, I fussed and searched for my mother with my mouth.

Last was a funeral.

The pain was crushing. It sucked the air from my lungs. He’d told her family and friends a lie—she’d been killed in a car accident. He convinced himself it wasn’t that much of a stretch. She had been killed in a crash, but it was no accident. The Potestas had targeted her to get to him. He was becoming too powerful, too high up with the Unseen. His daughter was next.

The image of me in a bassinet in the corner of the living room surrounded by people in black flashed through my mind, followed by a feeling of resolve.

Then I was left alone in my mind once again. I put my face in my hands, letting the revelations of the last few hours crush me. I couldn’t breathe. The room was spinning around me. I gasped for air.

“Mackenzie?” he asked, but his voice seemed far away.

When I woke up, he was holding me, brushing the hair away from my face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I am the furthest thing from okay,” I said, sitting up slowly.

He offered me a glass of water. I took a sip, and the cold liquid snaked deliciously down my throat. He helped me back into the chair and leaned on his desk, facing me.

“I failed your mother, Mackenzie. I couldn’t fail you too,” he said as he stared at another picture he’d pulled out, this one of my mother.

“So why not take me with you? Raise me here at the facility? Anything but leave me with her sister. She never loved me… not for one minute.”

“She isn’t your aunt.”

“She… what?”

“She’s a member of the Unseen. Trained to keep you safe and hidden.”

He said it like it was nothing more than a fact. Like throwing one more little tidbit out there didn’t totally change my life and who I was.

“I was an assignment for her?”

“Yes.”

I thought for a moment about the woman who had raised me—the closest thing to a mother I’d ever had. Her thoughts had always been very short and to the point, and suddenly, it started to make sense. “She knew I was a reader, didn’t she? She guarded her thoughts against me. But not so much that I would suspect something.”

“Yes.”

“Why did she let me just muddle through? Why not help me deal with it?”

“We decided it wasn’t safe for you to know about the Unseen. We tried to keep you as uninformed as possible, since it was the best way to keep the Potestas in the dark as well.”

“But she was so horrible to me. Right before I left for school, she told me I’d stolen her life from her.”

He sat back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’d hoped over time she would soften to you.” He sighed. “To her, you did steal her life. She was a very gifted member of the Unseen. She thought she would go far with our organization and imagined a life spent pursuing and eliminating terrorists. When she learned she was to be a single mom for the rest of her life, she wasn’t too pleased. She couldn’t see the big picture.”

I exhaled, as if all the lies that made up my life were leaving my body, making room for the truth. “But that wasn’t my fault. I didn’t choose her.” I looked at him, hurt in my eyes. “You chose her, didn’t you? There wasn’t anyone better? Perhaps someone with an ounce of kindness to their name? You thought it was better for me to be raised by some heartless bitch?”

My own hurt reflected back at me in his expression. “Believe me, Mackenzie, it’s not a choice I took lightly. She was incredibly gifted, and I knew she would keep you safe. After your mom was taken from me so brutally, that was my priority.”

I knew how grief-stricken he’d been after experiencing the memories he’d shared with me. “But if they found Mom, they would’ve known about me. How exactly did you make me disappear in their eyes?”

He didn’t look at me. Instead, he reached behind him and pushed a newspaper clipping into my hands. It was the front page of the Tallahassee Democrat, dated over twenty-five years ago. The main headline read—Grief blamed for murder suicide. The subhead read—Local man kills infant daughter, then self.

“Oh my God.” It was all I could say. He’d made everyone—their friends, their family—think he’d killed me and then himself. He’d given up his life as he knew it. For me.

“I’ve killed a fair number of people in my time with the Unseen, more than anyone else in this office. But fabricating your death at my hands was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.”

I was at a total loss for words. Everything I knew—or thought I knew—had been turned upside down in one day.

“Of course, the Potestas found out that I was still alive soon enough.” He retrieved the newspaper and put it back on his desk behind him, out of sight. “That’s when the hunt started for you. And it’s never stopped.”

“And now they’ve found me?”

“And now they’ve found you.”

Confusion clouded my mind as I tried to digest everything. “Why did you come to me now? I was happy. I had a plan for my life, even a job offer. But you’ve turned all of that upside down. For what?”

“Actually, it was an accident. I intended to keep you hidden indefinitely. In the event that I died, someone else would take over for me, but I was determined that no one else would ever learn about you. But when you met Mitchell in the park that day, he told me how desperate you were to meet other readers. And Owen confirmed it for me after watching you that day at the bar. But you already knew that much at least.” He sighed heavily.

“So that part was true.” He nodded and waited for me to digest everything.

“Honestly, Mac, I would’ve preferred to keep you safe from this world. You seemed happy, like you had purpose and direction. But when Mitchell told me about seeing you, the temptation was too great for me to ignore. If that was wrong, I apologize.”

I laughed a bit maniacally. “So, now I’ve got a band of killers after me as a result of the world’s worst first date.” Tears suddenly sprang to my eyes. “But they killed Maddie instead of me. And I led them right to her.”

He reached out for my hand. I looked at it and him for a moment, wondering what it would feel like to hold it, to be part of a family. The tears streamed down my face as I carefully placed my hand in his, cautious. I still wasn’t sure I could trust him, but I wanted to desperately.

“Maddie’s death was not your fault.”

“Was it yours? Could you have stopped it?” I looked into his eyes, willing him to tell me the truth.

“No.” He said it simply, but it was anything but a simple answer. “I didn’t know they were coming until it was done. If we could have done anything to stop them, we would have. I promise.”

The resolve in his voice did nothing to quell the anger rising in me. “I don’t understand that. You’re a mind reader, for God’s sake. How could you not know their plan?” I jerked my hand from his.

His frown made the lines in his face deep and harsh. “It is certainly a disturbing turn of events. There is an entire department of the Unseen dedicated to tracking the Potestas. That they didn’t see this coming implies the Potestas have developed some new methods. We need time to reveal the true nature of what we’re facing.”

I sighed, feeling defeated in more ways than one. “Time is all I have left. It’s stretching out in front of me like some cruel joke… like it was taken from Maddie and handed to me.” Tears threatened, making my voice thick.

“I don’t agree. I’m here for you, as are the rest of the Unseen, if you want us for your family.”

Silence reigned in the room for a few heartbeats. David, my father, broke the silence first. “What will you do now?”

I looked up at him, thinking of my mother and him, of Maddie and the Potestas. The rage burned new, like nothing I’d ever felt before. But then again, I wasn’t who I thought I was. I was a new person now, with a new history, and a new future ahead of me.

Maddie’s death was unjust, untimely and unthinkable, but it would be avenged. “I will be one of the Unseen.” The anger inside me made my voice low and menacing. “And I will make those responsible for the destruction of my family pay.”

Owen was waiting for me outside David’s office. He silently took my hand and led me upstairs to the piano. Sitting next to me on the bench, his hand rested warmly on my knee as it bounced on the pedals. I imagined Maddie leaning against the edge of the piano, tapping her foot to the music, humming along. I would always keep her with me. Gaspard de la Nuit flowed from my fingers to the keys, to the hammers, to the strings, filling the small room with music, with peace. It was peace I desperately needed at this moment.

I was no longer alone at the piano.

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I thank God for everything. For giving me the words, time, and drive to complete this project. I am in constant awe of the blessings I’ve received recently, and my gratitude is increasingly inadequate.

Although Unseen is my third published book, for me, it’s a first of sorts. It’s the first book I’m publishing as a full-time author. It’s scary, exciting, and uncomfortably real. Through the rollercoaster, my husband has been such an amazing supporter, cheerleader, business partner, best friend, and general cohort. It’s because of him that this book even came to be. Honey, your support with this endeavor is so appreciated! I’m so excited to see how far we can take it!

Of course, no project can come together without the unrelenting support of your team. So, I’d like to first thank my amazing editors Angela and Cynthia. Angela, you really got out your turd polish on this one and helped me take Unseen from an okay story to something I am so freaking excited about! Cynthia, I thank you for removing every misplaced comma, every extra space, every wrongly used word, and other sinful grammatical errors. And who can forget the beta readers? My favorite beta, Jamie, is an amazingly patient person who can read a barely passable draft and point out glaring errors while still making you feel like it’s amazing enough to keep going. What would I do without you?

No book is completed without friends and family. Sometimes they end up as characters in the book, sometimes they sit on the sidelines, quietly supportive while you write just one more chapter, but they’re always there, always interested and always excited. Dannie and Mary, you guys are amazing. I love you both so much and hope I can be as good to you as you are to me.

My parents are a force to be reckoned with. Their support for whatever I do is ceaseless, loud, and joyful. I know I’m lucky to have such selfless people for my parents, and hope that if you don’t, dear reader, you have at least one person in your life who can show you what unconditional love looks like.

Lastly, of course, a book is nothing but a paperweight without a reader. So, I thank you. You’ve taken hours from your busy schedule to spend time with my characters, and me. I know what a sacrifice that is, believe me, and I am so grateful. I certainly enjoyed it, and I hope you did too! Until next time!

–S

Unforgiven

By: Stephanie Erickson

For Grandma Joyce.

Hopefully you can finish this one,

since there probably aren’t any

interruptions in heaven.  We miss you.

1

I cursed myself every day for my innate instinct to breathe in and out. Because if I stopped, maybe the pain would stop too.

Life without my best friend Maddie was a living nightmare. My rock, my one constant, was gone. How could the sea be expected to keep the tides without the moon there to guide her? And yet, I stubbornly continued to exist, aimless and without direction.

I was not allowed to attend her funeral. David said it would be too dangerous, not only for me, but for Maddie’s family. My father, it seemed, was taking his protective role seriously. So instead of saying goodbye, I spent my days in my new room with the lights off, willing the world around me to disappear.

Owen had risked making a single trip to my old apartment to get some of my things—my keyboard and my guitar, most of my clothes, the sheets off my bed, as well as a few personal belongings. Even if David had allowed me to go back, I wouldn’t have had the heart to dismantle the space that Maddie had decorated.

In an attempt to cheer me up, Owen had even set up my things. When I opened my eyes long enough to see what he’d accomplished, it wasn’t a bad attempt.

He’d arranged my twin bed in the corner on the far side of the room and hung an abstract picture of a piano from my apartment behind it to serve as an artsy headboard. But my old bed had been a double, so my black-and-red comforter slumped to the ground on two sides. The TV sat across from the bed, on top of a five-drawer dresser provided by the Unseen, the mind-reading organization I’d sacrificed everything to join. The dresser offered more than enough space for all of my clothes, but I preferred a closet. It was another adjustment I couldn’t wrap my head around at the moment. My guitar and keyboard were set up on the far end of the small, narrow room, and that was that. It was functional and had some elements of home, but it just wasn’t how Maddie would’ve done it.

What’s worse, I had no idea how Maddie would’ve organized the space. I never learned her secret—but all she’d needed was a few hours to transform any room or apartment into a homey, uncluttered, and functional haven. The sparsely decorated room felt unoccupied, despite a few touches from home. But, if I was honest with myself, I didn’t really occupy the space at all. I was buried beneath a haze of grief.

In one fell swoop, I’d lost everything. The path I’d been walking on for years had been erased—both by the choices I’d consciously made and the ones that had been made for me—yet, in my grief, I couldn’t see the path that now lay before me. With no direction and nothing to lead me but my sorrow, I spent my days and nights buried beneath ill-fitting covers in a strange bed, in a life I no longer recognized.

I closed my eyes, praying for sleep to claim me, but all I could see was her face. Her clear blue eyes sparkled at me as she smiled, and her red hair spilled all around her face, framing it perfectly. But then I opened them again and she was gone, making the pain worse than ever.

Owen tried to help. He brought me meals that largely went untouched and forced me to drink water. That just made me angry, because it meant I’d have to leave my sanctuary and trudge to the bathroom, where I was exposed to the real world. Life went on in that world. Things like going to the bathroom, taking showers, and eating meals went on with or without Maddie. People laughed and cried and watched TV and talked about other things. I couldn’t comprehend that.

Oddly, Mitchell was one of my biggest advocates. Owen’s best friend was quiet—incredibly so—but somehow, his silent companionship was more comforting than any advice and encouragement the others offered me. When he was around, I felt… understood. He didn’t want me to feel anything except what I was feeling. Most of the time, he would come by with Owen, but occasionally, he’d visit alone.

Once, I heard him and Owen whispering near the door of my room.

“Just give her time,” Mitchell said. “She’ll come through it eventually.”

“How much longer until eventually happens, Mitch?” he asked.

I didn’t hear the answer. Instead, I snuggled down deeper into the covers.

David came to see me once or twice, but seeing as our relationship was relatively new, he never quite found the words to say. He would just stand near the edge of my bed, opening and closing his mouth, as if about to speak, and then change his mind. Once, while I was pretending to sleep, I saw him reach out for me, but he must have thought better of it because he turned to leave instead.

Tracy only stopped in once.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Let me know when you’re ready to work.” Her words were brief and stern, but oddly, full of sympathy. I wasn’t ready for them, so I kept my back to her and stared at the wall, following the cracks in the paint with my eyes.

Finally, about ten days after Maddie’s death, Owen reached his breaking point. “You have got to get up,” he said simply.

I didn’t respond. His words barely even penetrated my grief, so rather than acknowledge them, I continued to stare at the changing images on the TV.

He jerked the comforter off me and tossed it into a heap on the floor. My pajama bottoms were hiked up to my knees from all my thrashing around. The T-shirt I had on was stained and probably smelled from being worn for days on end. My brown, curly hair had turned into a ratty mass that dominated the space above my shoulders, barely leaving my face visible. I preferred it that way. Because if he could see my face, he’d know how broken I felt.

I curled into a ball and turned my back to him, shielding myself from the outside world, the one that didn’t have my Maddie in it anymore. But the outside world was through with letting me ignore it.

He scooped me out of bed, ignoring my whines of protest. “Come on. I have a surprise for you. But you have to get up to get it.”

After carrying me down the hall and into the bathroom, he opened one of the stall doors and unceremoniously plopped me onto one of the toilets. Thankfully, no one else seemed to be in the bathroom at the time, although I didn’t pick my head up long enough to do a thorough scan. Based on the awful TV programming Owen had torn me away from, I estimated it to be midday, which would explain the absence of people. Most likely, they were all either on the work floor researching their next targets or out on assignments, tracking down potential threats to society with their abilities. Silently, I thanked him for choosing this time to drag me back into the world of the living. That way, no one else had to see what I’d become, at least not yet.

He knelt down in front of me and placed his hands on my knees. I didn’t look at him, hiding instead behind my mop of hair. He reached up and tried to tuck some of it behind my ear, but he only managed to get his hand tangled in the mess. After a few minutes of struggling, tugging, and painful pulling, he was free.

“Well, now that I’ve thoroughly ruined the moment, please get yourself showered. I’m going to wait here for you. You can talk to me if you want… or not. Just know that I am here.”

I didn’t nod or acknowledge that he’d spoken in any way. I just stared down at the floor of the bathroom. There were precisely fourteen small, yellow tiles in my view. I counted them again.

“I can stand here all day, Mac. David’s given me some time off, in light of your… condition,” Owen said as he leaned against the wall opposite me.

Finally, I tore my eyes away from the fourteen tiles at my feet and looked up at him. It was the first time I’d done so in days. How was it that he hadn’t changed at all? My world had collapsed in on me, and yet, he knelt in front of me, perfectly put together in a clean T-shirt and cargo shorts. His black waves had recently been combed, and despite everything I’d become, his gorgeous, dark eyes did not look away from me. There was no judgment or expectation in his expression, only hope, and maybe a little sadness. It made my chin quiver.

He sighed. “Mac, I’m sorry.” It wasn’t much, but it was enough. He held his arms out to me, and I climbed into them. His clean scent enveloped me, bringing the comfort only he could give. Although I’d cried in his arms a lot over the last several days, this time felt different, like it was washing away some of the haze that cocooned me. Not all of it, but some.

I wasn’t sure how long he let me cry, but eventually, I took a breath and sat back to look at him. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Not yet.

He gazed deep into my swollen eyes. “You’re welcome.” He paused, and then wiped one side of my soaked face. “Now, quit your blubbering and take a shower. You’re a snotty mess.”

The old me would’ve laughed and swatted at him. But that girl was gone. There was no trace of her anywhere. And this new girl I’d become didn’t know who she was… or how to laugh. So I just stared blankly at him.

He chuckled awkwardly. “All right, Mac. Go get in the shower. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

At his prompting, my body stood, as if by its own will, and went into the nearest stall. They were all divided into two sections. An outer curtain concealed a small space equipped with a bench for your clothing, and then the actual shower stall was behind a glass door. I was grateful these showers had doors. Shower curtains were useless—if there was any kind of gentle breeze, they ended up getting stuck to your wet skin.

The water came on hot, and steam soon engulfed the stall and fogged up the door. I stood watching it for a moment, numb to everything.

Slowly and methodically, I peeled my days’ old clothing away from my skin, threw them on the bench, and stepped into the steaming water, shutting the door behind me. At first, I just stood there, letting the water fall on me, willing it to wash the memories away. When it didn’t, I sighed and actually started washing. Each stall was equipped with men and women’s toiletries, organized in small cabinets built into the wall of the stall. They were well stocked and typically had a variety of shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, and soaps.

My hair was very nearly a lost cause, and I seriously considered shaving my head for a moment. I searched the cabinet for a comb, but I came up empty. After using about half a bottle of conditioner, I gave up and decided to get out.

With one towel wrapped around my rat’s nest and a second around my body, I exited the stall. True to his word, Owen was waiting for me where I’d left him. “Ah. Good. You’re still alive. You just about steamed me out.”

I stood looking at him, waiting for my next directive. “I didn’t bring you any clothes, so you’ll have to get dressed in your room.” He held out his arm, pointing in the direction he wanted me to go, and I silently went. After stopping to scoop up my dirty clothes from the bathroom floor, he followed close behind me.

Once in my room, I picked out a T-shirt and a pair of knit shorts while he waited outside for me. I didn’t bother to make sure my outfit matched. In fact, I couldn’t stop looking at my bed. The comforter was still on the floor where Owen had left it, but I could easily remedy that. It looked so inviting, in a rumpled sort of way.

Before my train of thought could get much farther out of the station, Owen knocked. When I didn’t respond, he came in. “Hey, don’t go getting any ideas,” he said, clearly noticing the way I was lusting after my bed.

He pulled my rolling stool out from under my keyboard and sat me on it, sitting across from me on the bed. “Thought the bed might be too tempting for you.”

Of course, he was right.

“So, listen. I told you I have a surprise for you, and I do. This thing called Coda is coming to town.”

That caught my attention. Coda had been a big deal in my former community. Orchestras from all over the world came together to perform in a three-day music festival. As much as I’d always wanted to go, it had never been a realistic consideration. For one thing, it was always held in another state or even another country. For another, I never had the money for traveling, let alone for tickets to the event. One year, I had actually summoned the courage to ask the woman I’d believed to be my aunt to lend me the money. Needless to say, I didn’t end up going that year either.

So it had seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when I found out it would be held in town this year. I had even called Maddie about it, and we daydreamed about going together.

But my bestie wasn’t around to go with me anymore. It hadn’t occurred to me that Owen might want to go in her stead.

Owen smiled at my obvious interest in his topic of choice, pulling a folded brochure out of his back pocket. It was wrinkled from the steam in the bathroom, but still legible. It boasted the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the LA Philharmonic. But their featured orchestra was the Royal Concertgebouw—the best one in the world. I gasped when I saw their name. They had never performed in Florida before.

The old me tugged at the pieces of my heart desperately, not wanting to miss this opportunity. I traced the bold, yellow letters of THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW with my finger.

“I thought you might like to go,” Owen said quietly, resting his hand on my knee.

I looked up at him, torn between knowing he was right and wrong. He’d been watching me, searching for some sign of life.

Gazing into his beautiful, brown eyes so full of hope, it was hard to deny him. But could I really go without Maddie, knowing it was something we’d intended to experience together?

Trying to rescue me from my floundering, Owen spoke up again. “I thought I might like to go with you. Maybe brush up on my Gasbag de la noot?” It was a special joke between us—his purposeful mispronunciation of the piece I dreamed of mastering on the piano. He paused for a moment. “Especially since I haven’t heard you play it for a while.”

His observation made me flinch. I hadn’t played since the day after Maddie’s death, the day I agreed to be part of the Unseen. I’d seen her spirit so plainly, leaning against the piano so she could listen to me play, her face drawn into a relaxed smile. I could almost hear her humming along, her beautiful voice a soft whisper carried along by the notes I banged out of the piano. Part of me wanted desperately to play again, just to bring her back. Another part of me was terrified she wouldn’t be there this time. Maybe she’d said her goodbyes that night, and I’d never see her again. If I didn’t play at all, I could still hold onto those slender threads of hope.

“So, what do you say?”

I looked down at the pamphlet again. The festival was being held at my alma mater, Florida State. The performances would be in several auditoriums, so people could easily walk from one concert to the next. It was a great venue for the prestigious event, and it would only cement the school’s reputation as the premier music school in the area. Over twenty thousand people were expected to attend, so book your seats today, the brochure implored.

As much as I wanted to stay locked up in my room—in my grief—forever, I knew I couldn’t. I tried to smile at him, but it was like my face had forgotten how. So I nodded instead.

His face lit up as he jumped up from the bed and scooped me into his arms. Hugging me close, he spun around, and I caught the stool with my legs. It rolled across the room, but Owen didn’t even notice. He was too joyful.

He kissed me earnestly, which surprised me. We hadn’t shared a real kiss in quite some time. Sensing my need for space, he’d kissed away my tears, kissed my forehead when we parted ways, things like that, but this was different. It was full of potential—potential for our future, for the life we could share if I wanted it.

He smiled from ear to ear as he set me down. “This will be so fun, and hopefully, it’s just what you need to remind you of who you are.”

That was an awfully lofty expectation for Coda, despite the fact I had long considered it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I didn’t want to kill his enthusiasm.

For the first time since the day Maddie died, I found my voice. It was raspy and cracked with disuse, but it was there, waiting for me. “Thank you,” I said and weakly attempted to clear my throat.

Owen beamed at me. “Wow. You could totally play a Star Wars villain with that voice.”

Again, I felt like I should smile, and I almost wanted to. Almost.

Thinking of everything he’d done for me—and how little I’d given back—I blurted out, “Owen, why are you being so good to me?” The question had plagued me for days.

He sighed. “I know what you’re going through, Mac, and I don’t expect anything from you, if that’s what you think. I’m here to let you know you’re not alone. I’m not going to lie—I hope we can have a more two-sided relationship when you’re ready—but we don’t have to decide that now. Until then, all I want to do is be there for you.”

It was the perfect answer, and it reminded me of exactly why Owen had captured my heart, why I’d wanted to be with him once all the secrets between us fell away. Could he fill the void Maddie had left in my life? No, probably not. But could his love heal my broken heart? Maybe, if I was willing to let it.

I tried to smile at him, but the effort was too much. I’d already said thank you, so I was left with nothing, no way to show him my gratitude.

He smiled knowingly and saved me from saying more. “Maybe you’d like to join me for a movie? Remember, I have the whole day off to celebrate that you’re rejoining the world.” He held his hand out for me to take, looking at me with that same hope in his eye. This time, my chin didn’t quiver. My tears were spent, for now.

But my exhaustion wasn’t. I glanced back at my bed. This was the most action I’d had in days. It was enough for me, but apparently not for Owen.

“Come on. It’ll be fun,” he promised, still holding his hand out for me.

Silently, I took his hand and followed him upstairs. Just like that, I rejoined the world of the living, but the ghosts of my past followed close behind.

2

The days that followed my shower were a blur of being paraded around the facility and kept busy playing video games, doing mindless chores, or watching movies. Owen suggested playing the piano a few times, but I evaded him.

Aside from Owen, I continued to spend a lot of time with Mitchell. It was too much effort to try and form new friendships with any of the girls in the Unseen. They weren’t unkind to me, but I kept them at a distance, and they all seemed fine with that.

Mitchell and I often sat in silence in the main room, no pressure on either of us to speak. He might sit on one couch with his legs stretched out in front of him, reading a book or listening to some podcast he’d found, while I would lay on the adjoining couch, staring off into my haze, our bodies following the L-shape of the furniture. We hardly ever turned on the TV, despite its huge, imposing presence on the other side of the room. Mitchell never asked me if I wanted something to read—he just let me sit—and because of that, I found him very comforting. He was there if I wanted to talk, but he never seemed disappointed if I didn’t.

David kept his distance for the most part, and I appreciated his decision to give me some space. I couldn’t deal with the constant drain of my grief, let alone form a relationship with my long-lost father.

But, eventually, he called me into his office, apparently tired of waiting for me to seek him out. “Hi,” he said after I sat down in front of his desk, the simple greeting delivered almost cautiously.

I looked at him, not feeling like that needed a response. Responses required too much effort, for very little return. At any rate, everyone seemed to be getting used to my new, quieter nature, so he didn’t miss a beat when I didn’t answer him.

“It’s been over two weeks since…” He paused. “Since you moved in with us. I think it’s time for you to return to your training. Tracy is ready to begin tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Are you ready?”

I shrugged.

David sighed. “Now look, I know you feel like you’ve lost everything, but I wish you could see that you’ve gained a few things too. You’re not alone here, Mackenzie. We’re all trying to give you some space, but I have to tell you, your attitude is less than encouraging. You have the most potential of anyone I’ve ever seen come through my office. Will you throw that away because you’re too blinded by your grief to seize the life that’s in front of you?”

My eyes narrowed as anger loosened my tongue. He wasn’t my father any more than the woman I’d grown up with was my aunt. “So, now you want to give me some fatherly advice?”

The beginnings of a frown formed on his face. “No, I’m just trying to help.”

“You want to help?” My anger was flowing freely now that the dam had broken. “How about throwing some understanding my way, instead of judging me for the poor way I’m handling my grief?”

His frown gained traction, and I frowned back. We sat there that way for a few minutes, our disapproval for each other mirrored on our faces. Finally, I asked, “Anything else?”

“No,” he said, clearly unhappy with me.

I got up and left, considering David’s reaction to me. The old Mac would’ve been upset that I’d stepped out of line and would’ve wanted to correct it. But the new girl couldn’t find the will to care. It was easier to just let everyone’s concern flow off me.

Owen met me in the gym outside David’s office, like always. “How’d it go?”

“How is it that no matter where you are with a job, you’re always here waiting for me whenever I’m done with training or a meeting?” It came out sharper than I’d intended—almost like an accusation. I reminded myself that my irritation was with David, not with Owen. The hurt look on his face made me regret speaking at all.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” I amended. “Thank you for being here.”

He nodded. “I just happen to be good at managing my duties. That, and I asked to be given only research jobs for the next few weeks while you—” he paused, seeming to search for the words, “—while you ease back into things.”

I smiled and took his hand as we walked toward the stairwell.

“So, how did it go?” he asked again.

“They want me to start training again.” I decided not to say anything about David’s little pep talk. Talking about it would mean going places I wasn’t in the mood to go, giving explanations I wasn’t ready to give, feeling things I didn’t want to feel. Better to pretend it hadn’t happened.

“That’s good news, right?” He looked at me, searching my face for some kind of indication of how I felt, but it was an ill-fated mission. I felt nothing—well, nothing but grief.

“When do you start?”

“Tomorrow, I guess.”

We walked upstairs together. When he squeezed my hand, I wasn’t sure which one of us he was trying to reassure.

That night, Mitchell and I sat alone in the gym while Owen did some research for a confidential job. He didn’t tell me the details, and I didn’t ask—not because I was afraid he wouldn’t tell me, but because my heart wasn’t in it, at least not yet. The main room was full of nightly movie watchers, and I was still avoiding the library where my piano was kept, so we retreated downstairs.

He was lifting some free weights in front of the wall of mirrors while I sat on the floor, pulling at a thread in one of the mats.

“I’m going to start training again tomorrow.”

“Mmm,” he said as he curled the twenty-pounder to his chest.

“I don’t want to.”

“I know.”

Instead of getting upset at his simplistic response and lack of encouragement, I only felt relief. He did know how I felt, but he didn’t judge me, try to tell me I should be ready, or encourage me to refuse.

In that moment, it was enough. At least, it was enough to get me through to the next day.

3

In the days that followed, I didn’t have any luck getting past Tracy’s defenses. Owen tried to comfort me, but his concern was plain in the way he tiptoed around me. He tried to be encouraging at every opportunity, and never pushed me to do anything I wasn’t ready for, but I could see the worry in his eyes. Tracy seemed more and more concerned with each passing day.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to try very hard. As soon as I found myself in her mental landscape, I would just sit Indian style in front of the barbed wire fence day after day, unable to properly concentrate on the task at hand. All I could think about was the image of Maddie disintegrating in front of me and how alone I felt on, and off, that battlefield.

She’s left me forever, I thought one afternoon as the dew from Tracy’s battlefield seeped through my yoga pants. But the cold couldn’t compete with the shivers of loneliness wracking my body at that moment.

After a week had passed with no progress, Tracy took action.

I sat across from her and started to enter her mind, but she stopped me. “Today, we’re just going to talk.”

“What?” Tracy never wanted to talk. My curiosity threatened to part the haze.

“It has never taken you this long to make progress with your training. You might not master a skill right away, but you can at least stumble toward achieving it.” She paused, searching my face. “I can tell you’re not even trying.”

What was I supposed to say to that? She was right, I wasn’t trying, and I didn’t want to try. I just wanted to be left alone.

You are alone. The thought nearly loosed the sob I was keeping at bay in the back of my throat.

She sighed. “You know, Mackenzie, I understand how you feel. I’ve lost friends, family, loved ones.” She paused. “Seems like everyone I get close to is eventually taken from me.”

My grief turned to anger in a flash, and I glared at her. If she’d felt losses too, why couldn’t she throw me a rope? Because she’d honored her loved ones by working harder, not despairing? She thought my depression was a weakness. “Turns out I’m not so special after all, huh?” I sneered. “Everyone’s got some sob story here. You all know what I’m going through, but somehow, no one can understand my behavior.” I stood up, but before I stormed out, I threw one last barb Tracy’s way.

“I guess I’ve dishonored Maddie for too long, hmm? I must be a lost cause.”

I started toward the door, but I didn’t make it two steps before Tracy’s vice-like grip snatched my arm. “What do you mean, you’ve dishonored Maddie?”

“I heard what you said to David about how you reacted differently to your losses. And how my actions are dishonoring Maddie’s memory.” I looked at her accusingly, practically spitting the words at her.

She let go of my arm. “That’s not exactly what I said. And just because we handle our grief differently doesn’t mean I’m right and you’re wrong. It just means I’m not sure how best to help you.”

I sank back down into my chair, pouting, although I wasn’t really sure why. Tracy wasn’t wrong in her assessment. Then again, neither was I.

We sat in stalemate for a few moments until Tracy softly spoke up. “Mackenzie, think about how hurt you are over Maddie’s death. Don’t you want to work hard to keep it from happening again, if not for you, then for someone else? Think of another young woman losing her best friend. Why would you wish that on someone?”

“I don’t,” I said after a few heartbreaking beats.

“But your actions, or lack thereof, say you do.”

I thought about that for a moment. I had been taking Owen and the Unseen for granted. What if they needed me to be an active part of their team? What if my lack of care helped lead to their downfall? Then I would really be alone. The thought made me shudder.

Tracy leaned forward, her blue eyes boring into what was left of my hazy soul. “You have the power to defeat the Potestas once and for all. After everything they’ve done to you, why wouldn’t you want to seize that power?”

My eyes narrowed as I thought of all the ways I would harm them if I ever found out who they were. They would beg for death before I was done with them; I would make sure of that. “I do,” I said, my voice low and menacing.

Tracy sat back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her face. “Then let’s get to work.”

The rest of the training day was frustrating for me. My new resolve made me daring. I finally tried vaulting over her barbed wire, but I didn’t get enough speed or height and ended up in a tangled mess. The barbed wire poked into my arms and legs, and the fence gave me the shock of a lifetime. Tracy laughed at me as I tried to soothe my invisible wounds on the other side of the training room.

“Decided not to go with a subtle approach, eh?” she said through her laughter.

My glare just made her laugh harder.

“I suppose that’s enough for today.” She looked at me as she stood. “It was a good effort today, if unsuccessful. That’s all I want from you. Effort.”

I nodded, still rubbing my arms as she walked out.

That night, as Owen and I ate dinner in the dining room, I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation unfurling around us. At least it wasn’t because of my haze this time. It was because of Tracy’s barbed wire. How could I get past it?

“So, are you getting excited about Coda?” Owen asked me.

“What?” I looked up at him, trying to replay what he’d said. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

He frowned. “Sure seems like it.” He stabbed at his food, clearly frustrated with me.

In that moment, I felt bad about my behavior. He’d done something thoughtful and kind to try to make me feel better, and I’d basically ignored it. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” I reached across the table and touched his hand to let him know I meant it. He looked up from his plate, a hopeful expression on his face. “I’m trying,” I said simply.

He turned his hand over and grabbed mine. “I know.”

Our hands remained entwined as we ate in silence for a few moments, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. “I tried jumping the fence today.”

“Oh? How’d it go?”

I cringed at the memory. My arms still ached, and I felt a little twitchy from the shock.

“That good, huh? So, what’s your next move?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’m out of ideas.”

“Wow, you’re in trouble if your only idea was one of mine.”

I balled up my napkin and threw it at him, and he laughed louder than the situation warranted.

Mitchell sat a few seats down from us, trying to give us some space to eat together. But I wanted to pick his brain. “Hey Mitchell,” I called out. He looked up and nodded. “How did you get past Tracy’s defenses?”

“Well, I—” Just as I was about to get my answer, I spotted Tracy carrying her dinner plate across the room. She walked over and put a hand on Mitchell’s shoulder.

“He got creative. Perhaps that’s something you should consider, instead of stealing ideas from your colleagues. Out in the field, you’ll have no one but yourself to rely on,” she said. After giving me a disapproving frown that made me feel about five years old, she walked away.

“Great,” I said. “I’ve disappointed her again.” It was out of my mouth before I could stop it, and I cringed, bracing myself for Owen’s reaction.

But he didn’t bombard me with questions or encouragement. He simply moved the conversation to lighter things. “I was thinking I’d rent a limo for Coda. Really show my girl a good time.”

“That sounds great.” I said, successfully forcing a small smile. The emotion wasn’t there, but at least I knew my face could still form the expression.

“Maybe you should get a new dress to wear. You know, just for fun.”

“Maybe I should.” But the thought of shopping without Maddie threatened to throw me back into darkness. “Maybe I can borrow something from one of the other girls.” Seeing the disappointment crowd in on his expression, I added, “The festival is three days long. Who can afford three brand-new fancy dresses anyway?”

“Being awfully presumptuous, aren’t we? I never said I’d take you to all three days.” He smiled mischievously behind his fork as he stabbed at his salad.

“Oh, well, I’m not planning to miss any of the days. I can always find another date if you’re not willing. I hear I’m quite exceptional.” I didn’t really feel that special after my morning with Tracy, but I said it anyway. Perhaps faking confidence would help me feel it once more.

“Yes, well, being exceptional is an attractive quality.” The desire in his eyes was hard to ignore.

It sparked something deep inside me, something that had been lying dormant for weeks. But before it could catch, I went back to eating my dinner, feeling drained from the effort of holding back the haze. Mitchell eyed me from across the table, and he gave me a knowing nod.

Honestly, I would’ve welcomed some quiet time with Mitchell, but Owen was done with his research for the moment, so that meant a movie after dinner. I dreaded the nightly movie, since my bed was calling to me more loudly than ever. But at least it would relieve me of social obligations such as talking. If Owen had wanted to go for a walk, play a game with the others, or do anything else requiring some kind of interaction from me, I might have collapsed right there in front of him.

No, that night, I didn’t need to exchange pleasantries. I needed… what? Peace. To figure out how to get into Tracy’s mind. Maddie’s face floated across my mind’s eye once more—that same lifeless Maddie who’d accompanied me to the war zone. A sob bubbled at the back of my throat, but it didn’t make it nearly as close to escaping, which I considered a win.

After the movie, I went to bed with visions of Tracy, her battlefield, Maddie, and my old life swirling in my head, unable to find peace as they all warred for space and the haze threatened at the edges of my mind.

The following day, I sat in front of Tracy’s fence, wondering what to do. Then a sudden thought occurred to me. Something Tracy had said about reality. What was it?

Reality is a fluid concept in the world of the mind. It’s real because your mind believes it to be.

I looked at her fence, knowing it wasn’t real. None of it was. The reality was that I was sitting in the training room in a particularly uncomfortable metal chair across from a hard-as-nails woman who was both trying to keep me out of her mind and secretly hoping I’d get in. I wasn’t on an old battlefield. It wasn’t a relic of death and destruction from long ago. It was Tracy’s made-up ruse to keep people at a distance, and it worked.

“It’s not real,” I said aloud as I stretched out my hand toward the fence. Closing my hand over one of the barbs, I didn’t brace myself for the stabbing to come or the shock of electricity. It wasn’t real, and I finally knew it. The barb passed through my hand as if I were a ghost.

I waited silently for Tracy’s response, thinking she’d notice I discovered her weakness. Surprisingly, she said nothing, so I stood up and took a step toward her fence. One more and I’d be right in the middle of it, or it would be right in the middle of me. It was an odd feeling to have a barbed wire fence go straight through the center of your body. My body screamed that there should be some kind of sensation, but I forced my mind to remain calm.

It’s not real, I repeated to myself. Slowly, in no more than four steps, I walked straight through the fence that had kept me at bay for weeks. When I reached the other side, I turned to look back to look at the battlefield I’d finally crossed. I wanted to dance, to celebrate my victory, but I didn’t. Tracy hadn’t seemed to notice my breach, and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself yet. I wanted to see just how far I could go. I pushed on.

Approaching the trenches slowly, I peered down into them. Owen had said he never made it past the trenches, but he hadn’t told me why. It made me leery. A yellow fog hung inside, obstructing the view to the bottom. Mustard gas? I wondered.

Squatting down at the edge of the trench, I debated what to do. It was too wide to just jump over. I’d have to climb through it, which meant breathing in whatever that yellow fog was. It would get on my skin, in my eyes, and in my lungs. I imagined it burning holes in my clothes, leaving me coughing and clawing at my eyes. Just the thought was enough to make me want to turn around. It’s either real or it isn’t, I told myself as I hopped down into the abyss.

The instinct to cough was overwhelming. To squelch it, I took a deep breath and swallowed, reminding myself that the gas was a creation of Tracy’s mind. When I took in a deep breath, it was the air in the training room that was entering my lungs, not the yellow fog that surrounded my subconscious self.

Turned out the trench wasn’t that deep, just tall enough to cover my head. If I stood on my tiptoes, I could barely see over the edge of it. I walked to the other side, working hard to not get disoriented, and hoisted myself back onto the battlefield.

Looking back toward the fence, I silently congratulated myself, feeling like my accomplishment warranted some kind of fanfare. Two down. One to go.

But when I turned around again, I realized an immense and foreboding wall of dark bricks stood in front of me. Stretching as far and as high as I could see, it loomed over me. Smooth to the touch, there was no way to climb it, and I feared I could walk forever and never come to the end of it. There was no gate, no weak point, no corners, not even a tiny little storm drain. This wall had been built to keep people out, and it served its purpose well.

Thinking my approach for the last two barriers would work just as well on this one, I told myself it wasn’t real and walked confidently toward it. I crashed face-first into the bricks. My immediate instinct was to soothe my hurt, but I didn’t want to open my eyes and alert Tracy to the fact I’d made it this far. It was time to finish what I’d started. So I got up, brushed off my shorts, and tried to come up with a different approach.

As I narrowed my gaze, I realized I could see images within the bricks. I brought my face so close that my injured nose touched Tracy’s wall. It was cool against my skin, and my breath left a fog on its dark surface. As I narrowed my focus on one of the bricks, the scene expanded before my eyes. I could see a book in Tracy’s lap. The image became increasingly clear the longer I watched it, and soon, I could even read the words in the book. It was about strategy, specifically war strategy. I pulled back and it dawned on me that they weren’t just images and scenes, they were memories.

I examined another brick. Tracy was in a meeting with David.

“I’m looking at a new candidate,” he said, pushing a folder across his desk toward her. Suddenly, I was a fly on the wall in a very real way. It was odd and exhilarating at the same time.

She opened the file, and I saw my picture clipped to the left side.

“What makes her so special?” she asked, thumbing through the papers inside the file.

She’s too old, with no previous training. This one’s going to be a nightmare. Her thoughts sounded a lot like her voice, only they had a faint echo.

Fearing I’d be thrown from her mind if I didn’t concentrate, I ignored the sting of her early impression of me.

“Mitchell pointed her out. I was going to leave her alone, but he said her skill is making her feel isolated.”

Tracy closed my file and set it back down on David’s desk. “Isolation isn’t always such a bad thing. And I’ve never known you to take someone on out of pity. She doesn’t seem to be in danger, and based on what Mitchell has seen of her abilities, they’re not anything too extraordinary. So, what’s really going on here?”

David pulled my file closer to him and opened it, gazing at my photo with a hint of affection in his eyes. “Her true identity is classified for now.” He looked up at Tracy. “But know that she is special, and if she does decide to join us, I’m confident she would be a great asset.”

I’ve never seen David like this before. He’s almost sentimental. I wonder who the girl is. Tracy’s voice echoed again through my mind.

I continued to walk along the wall, stopping to watch a memory every now and then. The farther I went, the older the memories were. The wall went on forever in both directions, and I found myself wondering what the other direction held. If the blocks were made of memories, why didn’t it end at present day? But I was too enthralled with watching Tracy train with the Unseen to go back to check.

Then I saw something I would never be able to forget. It was a memory from her life before the Unseen. Tracy was a teenager, walking next to a girl who was her spitting image.

I didn’t know Tracy was a twin, I thought.

The two girls were so alike. They even had the same swagger about their walk. But Tracy was clearly identifiable by the style of her dress. Her cargo shorts and loose-fitting T-shirt posed a marked contrast to her sister’s feminine knee-length skirt and lacy top.

I couldn’t tell where exactly they were, but people bustled around them as they walked down the nameless city’s sidewalk. It seemed like a sunny, warm day, and from the look of the books in their arms and the packs on their backs, I guessed they were walking home from school.

This is going to be so fun. The voice was more chipper than Tracy’s, so I figured it had to be her sister’s thoughts I was hearing. But the girl in the cargo shorts was the one with a smile on her face. Confused as to which one was which, I listened eagerly.

Mom hates it when we do this. We’re liable to get extra chores for a week, you know. That one sounded a lot more like Tracy, just younger and a bit higher pitched.

Worth it, her twin answered as she shrugged her shoulders. Plus, it’s a double win for me because I get to see you looking pretty.

Tracy rolled her eyes as she adjusted the backpack she was carrying. Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.

I started piecing it together. They had traded outfits with each other before leaving school in a ruse to confuse their mom. I had a hard time imagining Tracy pulling a prank like this, but the thought of her doing something so lighthearted made me smile.

Bumping Tracy with her hip, her sister smiled and threw an arm around her twin as they walked along the sidewalk together, effortlessly maneuvering through the crowd. Thinking there was nothing more to this memory, I was about to move on to another brick when I noticed a figure following the girls. Tracy’s twin seemed to notice him too.

The man was dressed casually, in khaki pants and a polo shirt. He looked like he was on an errand for work. In fact, the only thing that made him stand out from the crowd surrounding him was the way his steel-gray eyes had zeroed in on the girls. Everyone else went about their business, not paying much attention to their surroundings. But he watched the twins hungrily, like they were his prey.

Subtly, the girls picked up their pace. Just as Tracy’s twin looked over her shoulder, the man raised a pistol equipped with a silencer.

Where on Earth had that come from? How come no one noticed him carrying it? I wondered, horrified at the events unfolding in front of me. Fear crept down my spine and through all my limbs.

The moments that followed passed by in agonizingly slow motion.

Just before the man pulled the trigger, Tracy’s twin darted behind her sister and grabbed her backpack, pulling her down in an effort to save them both. But it didn’t work. She took the full force of the bullet.

The memory returned to normal speed as Tracy whipped around and the shooter melted into the gathering crowd.

“Call 911!” someone shouted.

Tracy cradled her sister. Patti, stay with me. It’s going to be okay. Help is coming. Her tone was urgent, filled with fear.

But Patti didn’t answer her. She smiled at Tracy one last time, and then took her last breath in her twin’s arms, never saying or thinking another word.

The sorrow that filled my mind in that moment overwhelmed me completely. It felt like half my soul had been torn from my body. The pain I felt was altogether different from my grief over Maddie. It left me feeling raw, exposed, and so very vulnerable.

My eyes flew open, returning me to the real world and the training room with Tracy. I realized my face was wet with tears.

Tracy gave me a confused look. “What happened?”

I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t verbalize. I felt the weight of her sister in my own arms as her soul left her body an empty shell in my lap.

“Tracy, I…”

“What?” She narrowed her eyes at me, becoming suspicious.

Clearing my throat, I tried desperately to find the words to communicate what I felt. “I’m sorry.” I paused, wanting and not wanting to go on. “About your sister.”

Her eyes grew wide with shock. “What the hell did you do?” She flew up out of her seat. “That was private!” she yelled, and I shrank back in my chair, with nothing to protect me from her wrath.

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“You just what? Nosed around where you didn’t belong? How did you even find that?”

“I was just trying to get past your defenses, like I was told, but it—”

She cut me off again, clearly not ready or willing to hear me out. “It doesn’t matter. We’re done here,” she said, storming out of the room, leaving me utterly alone with a sorrow more acute than anything I’d never known.

4

The next morning, I was summoned bright and early to David’s office, not that I’d been sleeping. The encounter with Tracy had cursed me with an unsettled, sleepless night.

Tracy was seated in one of the two chairs across from David’s desk when I arrived. She didn’t greet me or even make eye contact. Pleasantries were never her strong suit, but her behavior was notably cold.

Before David could talk, I tried to smooth things over with Tracy. I was afraid I’d ruined everything by trying to prove that I was good enough to hack into her mind. But now that I’d done it, and the consequences were laid bare, who had I been trying to prove myself to? “Tracy, I—”

David cut me off. “Mackenzie, please sit down. Tracy has explained some of what happened in yesterday’s training. However, I’m not sure I fully understand. I’m hoping you can enlighten me.”

I sat down slowly in the chair, trying to read the temperature of the room. David seemed curious, but Tracy… well, I hoped I was misreading the hostility I felt emanating from her like heat off pavement.

“I’m sorry, Tracy. Truly,” I started. “I just wanted to prove to you… and me, I guess… that I could do it.”

“Do what, exactly?” David asked.

“Get past her defenses. All of them.”

Tracy’s eyes widened. “All of them? That’s how you knew about my sister?”

“Well, yeah. How else would I have known?”

She shrugged and shook her head. “David is the only one who knows what happened to Patti. He picked me up soon after that.”

I nodded. “Yes, I know.” I clapped my hand over my mouth as soon as it was out. For someone who hadn’t been doing much talking lately, I was sure making a habit of saying too much.

“You… of course you do.” She shook her head. “Is there anything you left private?”

“I stopped at your sister. I thought it was just a fun memory, and I was about to move on when I saw the guy with the gun. The rest played out in slow motion. I couldn’t stop it.” Just talking about it brought the images back to the forefront of my mind, making me shiver.

“I’m well aware of how the rest of it plays out, thank you.” Despite her smart words, her tone was quiet and sad.

David intervened on my behalf. “Tracy, it’s pretty clear she didn’t do it on purpose. And I trust you’ll keep what you’ve learned to yourself?” I nodded. “Now, it’s time to tell us how you accomplished it.”

“It really wasn’t that hard, once I figured it out.”

Tracy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “No one else thought it was that easy.”

“It was actually something you said to me, Tracy, about reality.” She looked sidelong at me, and I could tell she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear that she was to blame for the intrusion into her memories. “I realized the things in your mind weren’t real, at least not in the same sense that the things in the training room were real. They were real in our minds, which is how I got hurt by your damned barbed wire fence so many times, but it was still just a trick of the mind, right?” They both eyed me skeptically. “Once I convinced my own mind it wasn’t real, I literally walked through your first two defenses.”

“Even the mustard gas trench?”

“Well, yeah. The air I was breathing in the training room was fine. I just had to remind myself of that.” I shrugged. “But when I tried it on your wall, I ran smack into it. Actually hurt my nose a little.” I rubbed it, remembering the injury. “I had to work hard to keep my concentration, since you didn’t seem to realize how far I’d gotten. Honestly, I just wanted to see how much further I could go. That’s all. I wasn’t trying to pry into your past or hurt you in any way. I wish I’d stopped at the wall,” I said, thinking of her sister. Because of what I’d done, her sister’s death had haunted me the whole night. I wanted desperately to erase what I’d seen in her mind, and I hoped she realized I hadn’t snooped on her maliciously.

“Me too,” she said, all the hostility draining from her, leaving her slouched and weighed down with sadness.

“So, what happened at the wall?” David asked.

“After I crashed into it, I looked at it more closely and saw that there were little scenes playing in the bricks, almost like little movies. I realized they were Tracy’s memories, so I started watching them. Each time I watched one, I moved a little further down the wall. And I just kept making my way through them until I got upset by the memory of her sister.”

“I see. You make it sound so easy,” David said as he toyed with his mustache, seeming to consider my explanation.

We were all silent for a moment. I didn’t know what to say to that. It was easy, once I understood the mechanics of it.

“I do have a question,” I said, turning to face Tracy. “Your wall seemed to go on forever in both directions, but the memories started pretty close to the present. Why didn’t it end at today’s memories?”

“Memories, as you grow closer to present day, grow more detailed and mundane. What you wore yesterday, whether or not you flossed your teeth, what you had for lunch. The memories are smaller, but there are a lot more of them. Although not truly infinite, they’re close—you’re always creating new memories with each passing moment, so you’re continuously adding new bricks,” Tracy explained, her tone even and unreadable. I’d hoped for some sign that we were okay, that she had forgiven me, but I didn’t get it.

We fell into silence again, and I held my breath as I waited for one of them to speak, not knowing if I’d violated some sacred Unseen rule. Would I face some unknown punishment for learning one of Tracy’s deepest, darkest secrets? Before the panic could settle in too deeply, David spoke again.

“No one has ever made it to Tracy’s wall. I’ve seen it, but only because she’s allowed me to see it. She has put trainees, not to mention Potestas trying to hack her mind, in the hospital with her mustard gas trench.” He paused, seeming to consider his next words. “No one has ever described a strategy for entering minds in such simple terms. It’s revolutionary. Not to mention the skill it takes to discipline your mind that way. It’s not easy to convince yourself that what you’re seeing and feeling isn’t real… even for those who know better.” He leaned forward on his desk and looked at me so intently it unnerved me a little. “Do you understand what that means?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“You could be the key to bringing the Potestas down for good.”

I chewed on that statement for a while. What exactly did it mean? Maybe I could be responsible for bringing some kind of peace to our country by stopping the terrorist attacks from the Potestas once and for all. And I could bring justice to those who were responsible for Maddie’s death. The thought spread its tentacles through my mind, taking root quickly. Vengeance was almost as hot a fire as hope, and once the spark was lit, the fire could become an instant blaze.

“Honestly,” David said, “I don’t know whether to be proud of your accomplishment or disturbed by it.”

I cringed a little as I glanced at Tracy. “Yes, I’m in the same place as David,” she admitted. “But mostly, I’m glad you discovered it before the Potestas did. It questions everything I’ve ever learned about creating defenses. I mean, if nothing I can create within my mind is real, what’s to stop any old average Joe from waltzing in and stealing classified information?”

She tilted her head, as though a thought had just occurred to her. “If the first two defenses were so easy for you to walk through, why did my wall stop you?”

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot. The only thing I can come up with is because it’s real. The memories are real… or at least your version of them is real to you.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, more curious than defensive.

“Well, as I was watching the attack on your sister, I noticed you never once looked in the direction of the shooter. Yet, he appeared in the memory, plain as day. I even saw your sister notice him. None of those details were blurry or obscured as they might be in a less pivotal memory. I can only assume you read reports of the event later. Eye-witness accounts and things like that filled in the gaps, so you now have a complete picture of what happened, even if that’s not how you saw things that day.”

Her mouth hung open for a moment as she looked at me. I glanced at David, hoping for some reassurance, a tension breaker, something. He just smiled at me, his expression full of… pride?

“You know, for a music major, you have a fantastic understanding of how the mind works,” David said. Tracy just sat there, stupefied.

“Well, I was a music therapy major.”

He smiled again. “Yes, and on that note, I think Tracy is going to take a break from training you.”

“What? Why?” I couldn’t keep the alarm from my voice. “Is it normal to take a break? Am I being punished?”

David laughed. “You are absolutely not being punished. What would give you that idea?”

“Well, I violated Tracy’s mind. That has to be against some sacred Unseen rule.” I glanced at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

He chuckled and held up his hands. “Tracy just needs time to absorb what you’ve taught us, so we know what to teach you next. That’s all.”

I sat back, trying to understand what he was saying. They weren’t punishing me, just putting me on the bench until they could figure out how to keep up with me.

“So… what should I do in the meantime?” I asked carefully, still worried I might be transferred away from what few connections I had formed.

David pushed a file across his desk to me. “You’re going to start working.”

5

I walked out of David’s office in a bit of a daze. Owen wasn’t waiting for me in the gym, so after taking a quick glance at the file in my arms, I wandered up to the work floor in search of him. Unassigned workrooms were spread out along both sides of the hallway, each of them equipped with big, glass windows facing inward, which made it easy to find someone or to locate an empty room. There were at least five offices on each side of the hall, and at the end there was a bizarre little room equipped with a cot, a sink, and a toilet. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would stay in there on purpose when our dorms were only a few flights of stairs away, so I could only assume it was for prisoners.

About three rooms down, I found Owen staring intently at the set of screens in front of him. I knocked lightly on the glass window. He smiled when he spotted me and immediately left his workspace to join me in the hall.

“What are you doing up here, beautiful?”

“I’m taking a break from training, apparently.” I pointed to the file under my arm. “I’m going to start working.”

“What?” He seemed incredulous, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Did he think I couldn’t handle a job? Or that I wasn’t ready? That I wasn’t good enough? Or that I’d be in danger? The questions cycled through my mind on rapid fire until he interrupted them.

Opening the door to his work area, he gestured for me to follow him inside. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

Suddenly, I saw the situation from his perspective. No wonder he was startled—the last he knew, I was still having trouble launching myself over Tracy’s wall. I hadn’t felt much inclined to talk lately, so he knew only the bare minimum about my training. I didn’t know what to say, or how to say it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell him much more than that. I had secrets to keep, promises to uphold. Shuddering at the thought of Tracy’s wall of memories, I shook my head and struggled to find a safe place to begin.

“Well, I um…” I hesitated. “To be honest, I’m not really sure how much I can tell you.”

He frowned, so I decided to throw him some crumbs. “I got past Tracy’s defenses. It’s why they gave me my first assignment.” Deliberately leaving out exactly how many of Tracy’s defenses, I set the folder on the table in front of me and took a seat across from Owen. I hoped he would pick it up, thumb through it, and show some curiosity about my first assignment.

Instead, he simply glanced down at the folder with a disapproving look on his face, making my defensive side flare to life.

“What? You don’t think I can do it?” Folding my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes, I challenged him to cross me.

He looked up at me, startled by my reaction. “What? No! That’s not what I was thinking at all. I’m just worried it might be too soon.” He paused. “For work.”

“Well, don’t you worry. It’s just some spying gig on a real low-profile guy. As far as I can see, his only crime is being a scientist in a suspicious field. It’s essentially busywork.”

He leaned back in his chair, glancing warily at the file on the table. “Nothing the Unseen does can be classified as busywork, Mac.”

Although his sentiment tugged at my curiosity, I was still skeptical. I pulled the file closer and opened it to see the photo of the scientist paper-clipped to the top. I’d only thumbed through it quickly, but I’d seen enough to know he studied the toxic effects of chemicals on humans. He was mostly responsible for doing the due diligence for those warning labels you saw on stuff like bleach and brake fluid. Although some of his experiments were conducted on animals, which was a bit disagreeable to say the least, I wasn’t sure how else someone could discover the effects of inhaling too much ammonia mixed with bleach. Scientist I was not.

“Well, he seems pretty harmless to me,” I said, staring down at the scientist’s photo. Dr. Jeppe had brown hair, cut in an eighties-style bowl with silver-rimmed rectangular glasses covering his brown eyes. He’d worn a white lab coat for the photo, which looked like it had been taken for an ID badge, but that was all I could glean from the photo. Taken from the waist up, it was hard to tell how tall he was, but he seemed slender.

“Sooo…” He drew out the word. “Do you feel like you’re ready?”

I closed the file. “I’m not really sure what there is to be ready for, Owen. I don’t even have to leave for this ‘job.’” I put air quotes around the word with my fingers.

He lowered his voice. “I think you’re taking it too lightly, but that’s just me. All of this has hit you very hard. I just don’t want you to rush into anything. There are others who can do the work until you’re ready.”

I thought again of what had become of Maddie and Tracy’s twin and sighed. “Maybe. But the scientist will be a good distraction. Besides, no one else wants to take on my busywork.”

He ignored my last comment and glanced at the big, black computer screens behind him. I wasn’t sure if they’d fallen asleep while we were in the hall, or if he’d turned them off in anticipation of me coming into his space.

“Either way,” he said before I could debate it much longer. “You’d probably better get to work. Do you know what they’re looking for, or how much time you have?”

“No.”

He chuckled. “I love those kinds of assignments.” I didn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice. “Just do me a favor and try to take the scientist seriously. I can assure you he’s not busywork. And whatever intelligence you do uncover on him will be used later in an actual mission. Something you discover could save an Unseen’s life.”

From my cursory glance, my target just didn’t strike me as the type of chemist who was secretly gassing people with his creations in some creepy dugout in the woods. I felt certain that he wasn’t a threat. “Like what? What could I possibly dig up on this guy that would be that life changing?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed, clearly searching his mind for a good example. “Oh, I know. What if he has a nervous tic? He scratches his eyebrow when he’s nervous or something like that. You put that tiny detail in your report, and if the person assigned to him sees him doing it, he or she might know the guy’s onto them.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch. Anyway, how am I supposed to find out he has a nervous tic without meeting him? I’m not even being asked to go out into the field for this one.”

“That’s just an example. Everything you find out about the guy will be important. Sometimes, you never know how the details are going to add up until it’s too late. Hindsight is a terribly clear picture.”

His eyes pleaded with me, and the depth of his concern gave me pause. A tiny voice at the back of my mind said, Maybe the scientist is dangerous. But I dismissed it. As far as I could tell, sending someone after him would be a waste of our resources, so anything I put in my report wouldn’t ever be implemented in a real mission anyway.

“Hey,” Owen called out to me before I walked out of his workroom. “Good luck! And congrats on your first assignment.”

His tone seemed sincere enough, so I nodded. “Thanks.” It hadn’t occurred to me to be excited about my first assignment. It meant I was a contributing member of the Unseen. But I didn’t feel like it, since they obviously didn’t want to trust me with anything important. I wanted to be hunting the real bad guys—killers and terrorists, particularly those who were responsible for Maddie’s death—not chasing after some poor scientist who was probably just guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As I walked down the hallway, looking for an unoccupied space, I chewed on everything that had happened recently. I found an office a few doors down from Owen’s, and shut myself inside it before setting the file on the desk in front of the computer screens. Owen seemed adamant that the assignment wasn’t busywork, but of course he would say that. He cared for me, so the last thing he wanted was for me to feel bad.

I should’ve asked him what his first assignment was, I thought. Maybe they gave unimportant assignments to all the newbies.

The room I settled into was identical to the one I’d just left. Two computer screens and a large, flat-screen television lined one wall, hallway-facing windows lined another, and the other two were covered in dry-erase boards. A long table sat in the center, with chairs on either side so you could spread out as needed. All in all, it wasn’t a bad workspace, if you had to be several floors underground.

Settling in front of the screens, I typed in the scientist’s name to a Google search, just to see what it would spit out at me. It popped out several scholarly papers on the science behind separating chemicals, as well as his credentials at the University of Michigan. Not much else.

As I flipped through his file again, reading the contents more intently, nothing in particular jumped out at me. I thought about going back to David’s office and asking him why they were looking into this guy, maybe get some sort of jumping-off point. But then I remembered this assignment probably wasn’t about the guy. It was about keeping me busy until Tracy figured out what to do with me.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I sat back in the desk chair and put my hands behind my head. It was going to be a long week.

By Friday, I hadn’t come up with anything more. Having little else to go on, I’d printed out his papers, and I was trying valiantly to read through them. But I was a musician, not a chemist. The language was all jargon, and I found myself having to look up every other word. It was at once frustrating and tedious.

Most of his papers talked about identifying and separating the specific toxic elements of things like ammonia, trichloro (chloromethyl) silane—which I had to look up. Apparently, its toxicity was pretty intense and it was used to bond silicon and chlorine, or something like that—and a few other compounds that I didn’t learn much about beyond the fact that they were highly toxic if inhaled, and some were extremely flammable.

Then something occurred to me. I pulled up Google again, typing in, “What would happen if you combined ammonia, trichloro (chloromethyl) silane, sulfur pentaflouride, and osmium tetroxide?”

Nothing popped up, except articles defining what the chemicals were and how they were all ridiculously deadly.

Leaning back in my chair, I considered the scientist’s seeming fascination with identifying and isolating the most toxic elements of each of these chemicals. Assuming this was a real job, and not just busywork, what could he do if he managed to successfully combine some of the worst elements from each of these deadly chemicals? Could he create a stable super chemical that would be so horrifyingly deadly, I wouldn’t even expose my worst enemies to it?

I paused for a moment, considering those who were responsible for killing Maddie. Nothing could be bad enough for them.

A few minutes later, I had his Facebook page pulled up on one of the screens. His last post—a humblebrag about beating the latest Final Fantasy game—was over a month old. The rest of the posts followed a similar theme: a review of the latest Marvel movie or Game of Thrones episode, a few quick words about a comic book he’d read or a game he was playing. He didn’t post frequently, and he never talked about work. His most recent post about the game hadn’t gleaned any comments or likes, and he didn’t have many friends. But was unpopularity enough of a reason to accuse him of terrorism? Staring at his profile pic, I couldn’t repress the thought that he looked like a sitcom nerd. All he needed was tape on the bridge of his glasses and a pocket protector.

No, I thought as I slammed his file shut. He was harmless.

As I added the papers I’d printed to the file, I hoped this would be the last I saw of Dr. Jeppe.

The following morning, I had a meeting with David to report my findings.

“So, what did you learn about Dr. Jeppe?”

Refraining from the urge to roll my eyes proved quite difficult. “That he’s fascinated with highly toxic chemicals.”

“And?”

“Not much else to be honest. He has several papers published about separating the particularly toxic elements out of certain chemicals like ammonia.” I picked that one because I wasn’t quite sure how to pronounce the others.

“Isolating only the toxins?” He seemed to think about that for a moment. “And how does that strike you?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not a chemist, David. I don’t even know what’s possible. I guess there’s a possibility he might be trying to learn how to combine the toxins into a super chemical or something, but I don’t even know if that’s possible for one thing.”

“Is there another thing?”

“Well, I don’t really think he’s that dangerous. Just because he’s chosen a somewhat dangerous career, why should that make him an automatic target? From the looks of his Facebook page, he’s too interested in playing video games in his spare time to be plotting a major terrorist attack.”

“Are you so confident you can judge someone’s character from Facebook?” Although his question seemed accusatory, his tone was genuine, like he really wanted to know how I’d come to my conclusions based on the information available to me.

“No. I suppose not. But he doesn’t exactly have many of the common characteristics of a criminal. Wouldn’t it be a better gamble to use our resources elsewhere? On more of a surefire danger?”

“The atypical ones can be the most deadly. Not because they’re more manipulative or sadistic, but because they’re unexpected.”

His comment gave me pause, and we sat in silence for a few moments.

David sat back in his chair, his eyes looking at me without seeing me. His hands tented around his full mustache. “Yes, well, thank you for your work,” he said absently.

“I’m not sure how much help it was,” I said, somewhat startled by his abrupt dismissal. Atypical or not, I was still convinced the scientist wasn’t much of a threat.

My comment snapped David back to our conversation. “I won’t know for sure until I’ve read your report, but I’m sure I’ll find it very useful. Thank you, Mackenzie.” He leaned on his desk, all business now. “You’re to return to your training with Tracy this afternoon.”

“I am?” A mix of excitement and nerves washed over me.

David smiled as I squirmed in my chair. “You are. Don’t be late.”

I stood up immediately, not wanting to give him time to change his mind. “I won’t. Thank you.” I rushed from his office, only to realize it was only eight thirty in the morning. My afternoon training session with Tracy was still hours away, and I knew Owen and Mitchell were both busy working on their own jobs. I paused at the library, but my demons were already sitting on the piano bench. There wasn’t any room for me, so I moved on.

For the first time in a while, I didn’t really want to be alone, but the only company I had was my haze. I ended up in my room listening to a Royal Concertgebouw recording of one of Mozart’s concertos, letting the strings sing away the seconds until I had to meet Tracy again.

6

Tracy was sitting in her usual chair when I entered the training room. Her outfit of cargo shorts and a dark green T-shirt was completely wrinkle free, and I found myself wondering if she ironed her cottons. It didn’t seem outside of the realm of possibility.

“Please,” she said, gesturing toward my chair. Her tone was upbeat and friendly, and it unsettled me. Where was the stern, let’s-get-to-work Tracy I’d come to know?

Eyeing her nervously, I took my seat and fidgeted with the drawstrings on my hooded sweatshirt.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for my behavior.”

My eyes shot off the floor and straight to her face. “What?”

She didn’t repeat herself. “I was unprofessional. Moving forward, I will strive to not allow it to happen again.” She eyed me. “Despite the surprises you are sure to throw my way.”

I nodded, not sure what to think. To my mind, her behavior had hardly been unprofessional. I was the one who’d overstepped my bounds by invading her memories. Clearly, the mistake was mine.

“I’m sorry I overstepped.” I hesitated. “And I’m sorry about your sister.” The words came out almost in spite of myself—I needed to say them.

Tracy cleared her throat. “Yes, well. What’s done is done.” I wasn’t sure if she was referring to my invasion of her mind or her sister’s death, and she didn’t give me a chance to sort it out before she started talking again. “I’d like to talk about why you didn’t make it all the way into my mind.”

“How would I even know if I did make it all the way into your mind? I was seeing your memories, your thoughts during those memories. What more is there to see and do in someone’s mind?”

“Lots of things. Hear someone’s live thoughts, for one thing. Controlling them for another. But those are lessons for another day. Today, I want you to tell me what went wrong.”

I hadn’t really considered that something had ‘gone wrong’ as Tracy put it. To me, I made it past all of her defenses. That had been my only goal, and I hadn’t given any consideration to what might be past that. But when I thought back to the moment I was torn from Tracy’s mind, I knew immediately why my time inside her mind had ended with that memory.

“I was upset.” That about summed it up.

“Upset?” She frowned at me, as if she were unfamiliar with the emotion.

“By your sister’s death.”

“I see.” She hesitated before moving on, as if searching for just the right way to help me. “Mackenzie, the people we hunt will have far more disturbing things locked away in the corners of their minds. You must guard your heart against whatever you may see, or you will be found. If you are found inside the enemy’s mind, you could be lost to us forever. Worse, the things they would do to you would make whatever you had seen seem like child’s play.” Concern etched lines around her eyes. “I fear this may be your fatal flaw. Sympathy.”

I snorted. “It could’ve been empathy if they hadn’t hurt Maddie.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Be careful of your grief. I think you’ll find vengeance a terribly unsatisfying path to follow.”

“How do you know? You never pursued your sister’s killer.” I clapped my hand over my mouth. My tone was judgmental and almost accusatory. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”

“Yes. And that’s why I advised you to be careful of your grief. It can turn on you in a flash.”

Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees. “Today, I want you to try again. I want you to show me that you can maintain your control and successfully worm all the way into my mind. But…” Her eyes turned deadly. “If you so much as breathe a word about anything you find there, I will personally flay you.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I wasn’t aware you knew how to do that.”

“I would learn,” she said, her voice low and menacing. In response to my nod, she said, “Let’s get to work.”

“Tracy, I…” I hesitated, uncomfortable with the arrangement. “Couldn’t we do this exercise with someone else? That way you could guide me along. And your secrets wouldn’t keep me awake at night.” Hopefully, I could choose someone whose secrets weren’t as heavy as Tracy’s, though I knew too well that everyone had some kind of darkness in their past. The muted sound of the gunshot that had killed her sister echoed in the back of my mind, making me shudder.

“No. It should be just the two of us.” But she didn’t say why; she just quirked her brow and gave me an expectant look.

Apparently, the discussion was closed, so I figured I’d better suck it up and get to work.

This time, I found my way to her wall much more quickly. I also worked my way through her memories faster, trying not to stay too interested or focused on any one thing. It helped me make better progress, and it also saved me from learning anything else that might haunt me.

When it came to watching her sister get shot again, I still couldn’t guard myself against the force of the memory. It was too much, too needlessly violent, too heart wrenching. So I focused on maintaining my control instead. Tears streamed down my face as I worked past that brick in the wall. Birthdays, school days, summers, vacations… I watched all of it stream past until I finally found myself in a dark space. I didn’t want to call it a room, because I could see neither the walls nor the floor. My feet rested on darkness, and it also surrounded me. But somehow, I could see myself clearly, as if some dim, unknown light source hung over my head. I searched for it above me, but there was nothing there.

“Tracy?” I called, not sure what to do or where I was.

She’s done it. I heard her, but it was more of an echo than her actual voice. You’ve done it, she corrected.

“Now what?” Just then, a snowplow appeared out of the darkness. I tried to run from it, but it was surprisingly agile. Oddly, it didn’t dismember me as I’d expected it would when it literally plowed into me. I landed softly in the front shovel and was pushed back out onto the battlefield, just on the other side of the barbed wire.

I opened my eyes to find her grinning at me. “Now we move on.”

“Why did that snowplow work on me? I knew it wasn’t real.” I paused for a moment. “Actually, that isn’t true. It came at me so fast, and my immediate impression was that it was going to kill me. When it didn’t, I was so relieved that I let it carry me wherever.” I laughed at myself. “You have to teach me some of those added defenses. Apparently, the element of surprise is invaluable.”

“Of course. We will start with that tomorrow. Those are things you can constantly change and evolve as you see fit. They’re not as important as making sure you keep your wall strong. But they help serve as distractions. Plus, you already know how to effectively push someone out, you know. You did it to me.”

“That seems like a long time ago,” I said as I sank back into my chair.

“Yes, well, tomorrow we will have some fun. Then the real work starts.”

I hate it when she says that, I thought as I made my way to the door.

That night, Owen grilled me on the day’s training while the three of us ate dinner. “How did it go?”

I wasn’t sure how much detail to give them. Tracy had only requested I not say anything about her; she hadn’t asked me to keep quiet about how far I’d progressed with my training. But how could I tell them I’d gotten all the way into her mind without divulging what I’d seen there?

Taking a breath to try and calm my internal war, I tried to relax, not sure why I felt so unsettled about the hurdle I jumped. “It went really well.” I knew he wouldn’t leave it at that, but I hesitated anyway, still searching for the right words.

“Great! And?”

“And, I got all the way into Tracy’s mind.” I hadn’t exactly planned to tell him—at least not yet—but I’d never been too fond of lying.

“You what?” he shouted at me. I glanced around, smiling at the others at the table, trying to encourage them to go back to their own conversations. Mitchell smiled almost approvingly, but he refrained from commenting and shoveled another bite of his salad into his mouth.

Owen leaned in closer and whispered, “You what?”

“You heard me.” I stabbed at my noodles instead of making eye contact, suddenly feeling coy. Why should he be so surprised? Hadn’t I shown him I could accomplish anything I, well, put my mind to?

“How?” he said, leaning in so close that I could feel his hot breath on my hand as I twirled my spaghetti around my fork.

“That’s something even Tracy is struggling to understand. She wants to learn, though—probably so she can teach the rest of you to do it.”

He sat back in his chair and nodded, his jealousy—or whatever that had been—passing just as quickly as it had flared up. A smile made itself at home on his face, making my heart leap. It felt good to have that sensation again. “My girl, the prodigy. The only one to hack into Tracy’s mind.” He nudged Mitchell with his elbow, and our friend nodded at me, raising his glass in a silent toast.

The desire to beam at his compliment was outweighed by my desire to not get flayed by Tracy. “Pipe down, will you?” I snapped.

Lucky for me, all the people around us were still absorbed in their own conversations.

His smile didn’t break. “So, now what? Control?”

“She pushed me out of her mind with a freaking snowplow, so I asked her to teach me how to build some extra defenses. I think I need one of those machines in my head.”

Mitchell chuckled, and I went on. “Then she said after that, the ‘real work’ starts.”

Owen laughed out loud. “She’s right. Control is hard to master. It was a strange task for me. It didn’t feel right, controlling someone else.” He shrugged, keeping his tone lighthearted. “But it saved my skin more than a few times, so I’m glad I learned it.”

Finally, Mitchell chimed in. “Control can be a slippery slope. Make sure you keep your footing.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, so I decided not to dwell on it. “Well, that’ll be for another day. Tomorrow, I beef up my defenses.”

“You can do better than a snowplow,” Mitchell said without looking up from his plate.

“Like what, Mitch?” I asked.

“Anything you want. Use your imagination.” He said it so matter-of-factly and didn’t elaborate on my options.

“What’s yours like?”

Mitchell smiled out of one side of his mouth. “You’ll never have to find out if you know what’s good for you.”

Owen laughed. “We all know better than to go traipsing through your cobwebs, Mitch. I already feel sorry for the poor sap that tries to get into your head, Mac.”

I looked up at him and smiled; he’d already gotten into my head, and without having to scale a fence or deal with death by puppy. Despite the way I’d basically ignored him since Maddie, I couldn’t imagine having to go through any of this without him. Maddie’s death had ended the burning infatuation that had kept him at the forefront of my mind constantly, but it hadn’t snuffed the flame out completely. Instead, it had left slow, burning hot coals that kept me warm at night.

Reaching across the table to grab his hand, I simply said, “Indeed.”

The next morning, Tracy started teaching me about building up my defenses, adding traps, and pushing people out. “I don’t usually spend special lessons on this, since most people just adapt things they’ve seen other people do, but I thought we might have fun experimenting with it.”

I nodded, and she went on. “Your defenses are only limited by your imagination. Mine have a military feel because that’s how I was trained. It’s what I respond to best, and where I feel most at home. Yours don’t have to look like that.”

“Is there anything special I should keep in mind?”

She shrugged. “Your defenses must serve one purpose: keeping intruders out. It doesn’t matter how. Fear of harm, confusion, and the feeling of sheer defeat are all capable of repelling your enemies.”

The word confusion caught my ear. I didn’t care to have some terror-riddled landscape in my head, so the idea intrigued me. My haze could add to the confusion. Despite the fact that I didn’t want to keep it around forever, I might as well get good use out of it while it was there.

“But, if I confuse someone badly enough for them to get lost in my head, wouldn’t they just remain there indefinitely?”

Tracy nodded. “Assuming you didn’t know they were there. But the main point of your defenses is to arm yourself against unknown attacks. You already know how to push someone out. If you confuse them long enough to find them, you should be able to get them out yourself.”

“Assuming you know to look for them.”

She nodded, and we were quiet for a few moments.

“How are you feeling?” Tracy asked me, changing gears rather abruptly.

“Fine, why?”

“As I told you the other day, I hesitate to enter a grieving mind.”

“Why would you have to?”

“To test your new defenses, of course.” She thought for a moment. “I’m going to get a third party observer in here. Someone who can talk us through a rescue if needed.”

A rescue? I didn’t want to hurt her. “Tracy, we don’t—” However, she’d already walked out of the room. My mouth dried as I considered all the things that could possibly go wrong that would require a third person to step in and help. The original excitement I felt over this “fun” training day turned to dread as I waited for her to come back.

David came into the room and I swallowed, but my mouth was already so dry, nothing went down. I tried to cough out a greeting, but it came out more like a squawk.

He smiled and sat in the extra chair on Tracy’s side of the table as she followed him into the room. “This will be fun, I think. Thank you for inviting me.”

I cleared my throat. “I can’t believe you have time for something like this.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“This… dumb,” I filled in.

Tracy took the chair beside David, but he didn’t turn to look at her—his gaze was fixed on me, his expression serious. “Training is never dumb, Mackenzie. I’m proud to help you, both as part of the Unseen, and as your father.”

The word felt foreign, and he didn’t use it much because of that. The fact that he was also my boss added another element of strain to our father-daughter dynamic. The word hung awkwardly in the air, and I wondered how long it would take for us to get over that.

Tracy interjected, easing the tension. “Let’s get started.”

“Tracy, if this is dangerous for you, I don’t want to do it,” I said. “Seriously. This was supposed to be something fun, not intense and stressful.”

“Who’s making it intense and stressful?” she asked, sitting up completely straight in her chair, taking on her normal rigid appearance. “David, are you stressed?”

He shook his head no, and I rolled my eyes, resigned to the fact that neither of them was about to listen to me.

“What do I do?” I finally asked.

“Prepare your defenses and try to keep me out.”

“I’ll follow Tracy. I will alert you of any problems and let you know if you need to ease up,” David filled in.

“Okay, just give me a few minutes,” I said, shifting in my chair, still uneasy about this whole venture. Prepare my defenses. I pictured the caves Owen had taken me to see. They were so lovely, like nothing I’d ever seen before, let alone in the swamps of Florida. I wondered about the acoustics in the caves, imagining how enchanting and confusing a complex concerto would sound in such an echoey space.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I wasn’t going to get any more ready than I was in that moment. I looked at Tracy. “Are you sure we should be doing this?” I asked, giving her one last chance to change her mind. But she didn’t answer me. Her eyes were closed, and she’d clearly already gotten to work. David gave me a short nod of reassurance, but then he closed his eyes, apparently following her into my mind.

It was odd to be on the other side of mind reading, to watch them both sit stock-still, knowing they were trying hard to violate my mind as I’d done with Tracy’s.

Too soon, I noticed a strained expression on Tracy’s face. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, and she gripped the arms of her chair much too tightly.

Before I could alert either of them to her physical distress, David opened his eyes. “Mackenzie, push her out. She’s floundering.”

“How can she be floundering? She’s only been poking around for a few seconds.”

“Time has no meaning in the space of your mind.”

My voice, a high and strained version of itself, mirrored the panic I felt. “But I don’t know where she is!”

His eyes were cold and demanding. “Then find her.”

The open spaces of my mind were vast, and I wasn’t sure where to start my search. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and began, fanning out my thoughts to search for anything that didn’t belong. I tried to send out a signal to give her something familiar to grasp on to.

“Tracy?” I called out, but my voice echoed oddly inside my own head. She didn’t reply, and I had no way of knowing if she could hear me.

The memory of David’s words echoed in my mind. She’s floundering. I shuddered as I picked up the pace, scouring my mind for her.

She’s here somewhere. As long as I find her, she’ll be okay, right? None of my defenses could really hurt her, could they? Of course they could. That was what they were designed to do. The thought gave me an even greater sense of urgency.

The problem with delving into a person’s mind was that the space inside was both finite—in that it was contained within your skull—and infinite—in that it went on for as far as your imagination allowed. It could take me years to find her if she got herself lost enough.

“Tracy, if you can hear me, stay where you are.” If she keeps wandering, I may never find her. She could die with me seventy years from now. The thought was horrible enough that I started running, searching desperately for her.

Finally, I felt an unfamiliar presence on the outskirts of my mind and smiled with relief. She hadn’t gotten very far after all.

I didn’t try to use a snowplow. My method for throwing her out was more like blowing up a balloon. It started small, until it filled my whole mind, leaving no space for anything that didn’t belong.

Resisting the urge to enjoy the peace of having my mind to myself again, I opened my eyes and turned to look at Tracy. She was bent forward, holding her head in her hands.

“Thank you,” she said, but I wasn’t sure who she was addressing.

“Tracy, I am so—”

“An apology isn’t necessary,” she said from behind her hands. She peeked out at me warily, looking haggard. My horror must have been obvious, because she gave me a weak smile. “Those are some impressive defenses. Combined with your grief, it makes one hell of a maze. I almost pity the Potestas who decide to try you. Almost.”

“What was it like?” I ventured, not sure how much she’d be willing to talk about it at the moment.

She sat back while David held a bottle of water out to her. Smiling at him gratefully, she took a long swallow before she began to speak again. “It was lovely at first. There were these rock formations, almost like I was in a cave. Then the music started playing, giving it the perfect atmosphere. I even sat down for a moment so I could enjoy your lovely creation. But when I started trying to find my way out of there, the music got louder, so loud that it echoed off the cave walls, disorienting me. Then the music turned dark. My feet became heavy with the sadness of it. I lost my will to keep walking. When you found me, I was debating sitting down right there—” she paused, “—forever.”

“Holy…” I trailed off, not finishing my exclamation. A myriad of emotions bombarded me in that moment. Fear of what I was, horror at what I’d done… but also pride in what I could do.

“David,” she said, turning her gaze to him. “You know this isn’t the first time I haven’t made it past someone’s defenses. It doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen. I am human after all.” He nodded, and I wasn’t sure where she was going with her assertion. Tracy was human, yes, but she was the best of the best at what she did. “But it is the first time I haven’t made it past a rookie’s.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means you’re a very formidable foe. And I’m glad you’re on our side,” she answered, the exhaustion creeping into her voice as she rolled her head around her shoulders, trying to stretch her neck.

David turned to her. “Are you up for training tomorrow?”

“I will be. For now, I’m done for the day.” She stood with some effort. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to lie down for a little while.” She looked at me before she left. “Good work today.”

She left David and me alone in the room. I thought we were done for the day, but when I stood to follow her, he gestured for me to sit back down.

“A word,” he said. My legs collapsed automatically, flouncing me back into the chair I’d just vacated.

“I’m worried about you,” he said.

“I’m sorry?” I phrased it like a question, not sure how to respond.

“You need to learn how to handle your grief.” He was very matter of fact about it, acting like it was something that should be easy for me.

Anger compressed my lips into a thin line, keeping any sharp comments locked tightly behind them, for once.

“Control is a dangerous and difficult skill. If you don’t pull it together, you could hurt someone… or yourself.”

My eyes narrowed, seemingly of their own accord. “If that’s true, and I’m so out of control, why are you pushing me to do these things?”

He frowned at me, and we sat in a stalemate for several minutes. Finally, I’d had enough.

“Am I free to go?” I asked, hoping the ice in my voice would make him shiver.

It didn’t. After he simply nodded, I stormed out. He was the one who’d wanted me to start working and training. He was the one who’d wanted me to contribute so soon. Now he had the nerve to imply I wasn’t ready? That I was a danger to myself and others? It was an absolute outrage.

I knew I wasn’t ready to start. But David continued to force me to plow forward. But now that it wasn’t playing out how he wanted, he had the nerve to put the blame on me? To tell me to get my shit together?

I was so angry that I nearly collided with Owen in the stairwell. “Whoa, what’s wrong? You barreled down on me like a boulder on Indiana Jones.”

“Nothing,” I said and shook my head. He wouldn’t understand. He had made it all too clear that he didn’t think I was ready either.

“You’re right. There are flames hot enough to melt this staircase flickering in your eyes, but there’s clearly nothing wrong.”

I rolled my eyes, but I decided to tell him. “David doesn’t think I’m ready for the lesson on control.”

He frowned, but whatever his personal opinions were—and I had a pretty good idea—he decided to keep them to himself. “What happened today? I thought it was supposed to be defensive training day. Something fun.”

“That’s not how it turned out,” I began, and then I relayed the morning’s events. Once I’d told him the whole story, I sank down onto the nearest step, feeling overcome by defeat.

“Maybe David’s right,” I said in a small voice. “Maybe you’re right. But if you are, what is my purpose here? What am I supposed to do with myself?” My voice quavered as I thought of Tracy’s haggard expression, all because of me, all because of what I’d done to her.

“I think I was wrong,” he said quietly as he took a seat beside me on the stairs. “No, I didn’t think you were ready. Honestly, I don’t think you thought you were ready. But you’ve become more and more focused every day since returning to training. I haven’t had to pry you out of bed in quite a long time. That’s a win.”

I smiled weakly as I stared at my shoes, and he went on, his voice growing softer, warmer. “You’re even smiling again, even if it’s just little ones, and even if it doesn’t reach your eyes yet. I know it will someday, and I’m willing to wait.” Tears filled my eyes, but not from grief or sadness. They were tears of gratitude.

He raised my chin with his hand. “Plus, control is a fun skill. Imagine finding someone who bullied you in middle school. Or that guy who attacked you when Mitchell found you! You could make him pick his nose and eat it in public.”

Laughing out loud at that, I pulled away from his hand and swiped at the tear that was trickling down my face. “He probably does that on his own.”

Maybe I was ready and maybe I wasn’t. Maybe that wasn’t the point.

“Life happens whether you’re ready or not. It’s probably best to just enjoy the ride and try your damnedest to stay in the seat,” I said, feeling the weight of Maddie’s arm around my shoulder.

“Who said that?” he asked.

I lifted my hand to my shoulder and came up empty. “Maddie.”

7

“We normally do control exercises with other members of the Unseen, so I can keep watch on what’s going on and make sure it doesn’t get out of control.” Tracy paused, and I couldn’t help thinking of yesterday’s training exercise. I hung my head sheepishly, but if she noticed my reaction, she didn’t comment.

“However, I’m not sure I want everyone in the group to know just how powerful you are quite yet,” Tracy continued. “I need to understand your methods better before word spreads. Then, I can start teaching the others to do what you do. The more people who know, the quicker the Potestas can find out about you. They have spies everywhere. They already know you’re special, but they have no idea what they’re in for with you. The longer we can keep that a secret, the better our advantage.”

I groaned inwardly, and she must’ve seen the expression on my face.

“Who did you tell, and how much did you tell them?”

“I didn’t tell them anything about you or your secrets. That was the only thing you asked me to keep to myself before.” The words came out quickly, as if they might build a wall capable of holding back her anger.

“Who did you tell, and how much did you tell them?” Her stern tone didn’t make me want to hear the question a third time.

“Owen and Mitchell. I just told them I made it past your defenses. All of them.”

“No one else.” She said it like it was a command, not a request.

I nodded as quickly as I could, and she moved on.

“So, anyway, I’ve asked—”

I cut her off. “No. Not David.” The force of my anger made the words echo in the small room.

She stopped, clearly surprised by my interjection.

“Can’t we do this on our own?”

She hesitated, but I pushed. “I know I didn’t instill much trust in you yesterday, but this isn’t you coming at me, this is me coming at you. That’s always gone pretty well in the past.”

“Control is a dangerous skill,” she started.

“So I’ve heard.” David’s warning shaped the words, making them more sarcastic than I’d intended. Lucky for me, Tracy ignored the comment completely.

“It can be an odd feeling, to control someone else. With your history of seeing just how far you can go without asking permission first, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to try this alone.

I cringed. She was absolutely right. I’d done nothing to warrant her trust. “Please,” I pleaded, but then I sighed. “If you feel like you need to have someone else in here, please choose someone besides David. What about Owen or Mitchell? They already know. Or Camden? He seems pretty discreet.”

She sighed, taking in my desperation. “What’s the problem with David? I thought you might enjoy working with him again. Did something happen after I left?”

My voice hardened of its own accord. “No.”

Tracy scoffed. “Clearly.”

She frowned, but I could tell her resolve was weakening. After staring at me for a long, silent moment, she said, “I am going to give you a task. You are to do that, and only that. If you push it, there will be consequences for you. No matter how talented you are, you cannot hope to have a future here if the other members of your team can’t trust you.”

Nodding quickly, I tried to paint my face with the most innocent look I possessed.

Her frown deepened into disapproval. “Do not make me regret this, Mackenzie.”

I gave her a weak smile, hoping to show her I was grateful for this chance to prove I could be trusted.

“Fine. Let’s get started. Controlling someone from within their mind is the easiest, and sometimes safest, way to diffuse a potentially deadly situation. If you’re staring down the barrel of a gun, you only have to slip into the attacker’s mind to convince them to lower the weapon and walk away.

“However, the method isn’t without risks. It takes extreme concentration. And if you’re face to face with your attacker, it’s dangerous to leave your body vulnerable while you’re delving into their mind. Particularly if they’re working with an accomplice.” She paused, and I wondered if she’d experienced something like that before. After seeing so many of her memories, they were a blur. All except one. You’d think you would know a person well after watching her whole life, but the experience had been fast and overwhelming. It had left me with more questions than answers about what made Tracy Tracy.

“You don’t have to actually control the person in a puppeteer sort of way. All you have to do is plant an idea. They’re much more likely to do what you want if they believe they thought of it first. So be both subtle and specific. Their own ideas and personality will mold your original thought, the same way water and sunlight inspire growth in a growing plant. It can change the outcome drastically if you’re not careful.

“What I want you to do first is get me to write a sentence. The sentence can be whatever you, or I, want. Just force me to put pen to paper. Nothing more, nothing less.” A piece of paper and pen were already sitting on the table between us.

“A sentence,” I repeated.

“That’s right. Now get to work.”

“Tracy, how exactly do you implant an idea when you’re in the middle of the blackness of someone’s mind?”

“Ideally, with subtlety. Some people just whisper a command and hope it takes, others try something a bit more actionable, like creating a false memory. As always, you need to see what works for you.”

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and made my way through her defenses. It felt like it took me forever, but each time I walked through her battlefield and up to her wall, it got a little easier.

Finally, I found myself in the dark space once again. Plant an idea, I thought. Easy enough, right? But how was I supposed to plant an idea? It wasn’t like I could be literal about it. There weren’t any gardening supplies in the expanse of darkness that surrounded me. Or, if there were, I couldn’t see them.

Then there was the problem of what I should have her write. I see your mind. No, too creepy. Hey Tracy. Not thoughtful enough. Then I had it.

With no other ideas for how to plant an idea, I shouted the phrase desperately into the darkness. I thought my desperation might give her some urgency. That done, I waited. I couldn’t tell if anything was happening, so I shouted it again. Still no visible change, so I decided to open my eyes and reassess the situation. Maybe she could give me some tips on what I was doing wrong, or how I might go about the assignment differently.

Tracy was holding the paper in her hands and staring blankly ahead, as if she’d been reading it. She put it down so I could see, but she didn’t look at me.

Are you writing this, or am I? was scrawled messily on the page. Twice.

“That must’ve been you. My handwriting isn’t that messy,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. But she only blinked.

“What an odd experience,” she said, her voice sounding distant, as if her mind was still someplace else.

“You’ve never been controlled before?”

“No. I’ve done it to others, dozens of times. But that…” She trailed off.

Folding my arms over my chest, I felt very proud of what I had done. I had controlled the uncontrollable. “So, how was it?”

“Uncomfortable.” She slouched a little in her chair and leaned heavily on the table.

I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come. Uncomfortable wasn’t the word I’d expected. In the back of my mind, I’d hoped she might express some pride in my accomplishment. I hadn’t taken the time to consider what my accomplishment might have done to her. Then my mind jumped to the most probable ways control would be used against the enemy.

“Have you ever made someone do anything…” I paused, not sure how to finish that sentence.

“Unsavory?” she asked, and then nodded once.

I didn’t want to know, and I was suddenly thankful for the fact that most of her memories were now a blur in my mind. I didn’t want an image like that—of her questioning someone forcefully, or worse—to color my opinion of her. Anyway, I had no idea how I would react in a similar high-stakes scenario, so I felt like I had no right to judge her.

“Tracy, can I ask you something?” She looked at me, and I noticed her face had started to turn a pale shade of green, almost like she might be sick at any moment.

She nodded and swallowed hard.

“Is… what you did the kind of thing you and David have in mind for me?”

Her eyes cleared a bit, and some of her resolve seemed to return. “I don’t know. We’re relying on you to save the world and crush the Potestas, so whatever that entails is what you’ll be expected to do.”

I slumped in my seat. “Is that all?”

She laughed out loud, and the abruptness of the unexpected sound startled me. “Relax. I’m kidding. Don’t you know a joke when you see one?” The smile on her face seemed to bring some normal color back into her cheeks. Although she still looked a little pale, she wasn’t so green anymore.

“Not from you,” I said, a bit indignant.

Despite the sweat on her forehead, she was sitting a little straighter, as if the bad feelings from being controlled were draining from her. Frankly, I was glad it had passed so quickly.

“You will be expected to be part of this team, nothing more, nothing less. You won’t be made to do something that makes you uncomfortable, but you are expected to contribute.”

“I am ready to contribute. I’m tired of being a mooch, nothing but a gray cloud hanging around here. I want to get out, start working.”

“Good, because your first real-world assignment is being handed down tomorrow.”

8

I bounded out of the training room, a ball of excitement and nerves. Owen stood from the machine he’d been using and caught me in his arms. He smelled of sweat and masculinity, and a familiar pulse of desire zinged through me.

“I take it today went better than yesterday?” he said as we spun around in the middle of the gym, surrounded by clanging workout machines and people sparring. A few of them glanced our way and gave us knowing smiles.

I forgot my haze for long enough to plant a kiss on Owen’s lips. At first, he was too surprised to respond, but soon, he was kissing me back with abandon, apparently trying to make up for the last few weeks. Someone across the gym started hooting, and we reluctantly pulled apart.

“Wow, what brought that on?” he asked, for only me to hear. “Whatever it was, I think I like it.”

“I’m getting my first real-world assignment tomorrow.” It felt foreign to say the words out loud. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I had a real job, and I’d start work in the morning. Real work—not busywork. Just like that, I’d experienced my own personal coming-of-age.

“Really?” he said softly, rubbing his forehead as if he’d just come down with a headache.

The change in his mood startled me. “What?”

“I just…”

I waited impatiently for him to spit it out. “You just what? Don’t think I can do it? Or is it just that you still don’t think I’m ready?” My insecurities were showing, and I didn’t like it.

He frowned. “No. And frankly, I would love for you to get more assignments if they all result in kisses like that.” He forced a smile.

I stuck out my chin, refusing to relent. “Well, what is it then?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

It struck me as funny because it was just about the last thing I expected him to say, and I stifled a laugh. “I don’t think I will, Owen. They won’t send me to do something super dangerous on my first mission.”

“Do you know anything about it yet?”

“No. I’m supposed to get my orders tomorrow.”

“Well, you’re mine until then,” he said. There was an air of seduction in his voice, and the twinkle in his eyes returned.

Trying to encourage this more positive, though rather sudden change in mood, I asked, “What did you have in mind?” When I smiled back at him, I realized it felt genuine. It was a good sensation.

After Owen got cleaned up, we headed to dinner together. Most of the Unseen were gathered in the dining room at the same time for once, and Owen banged his fork on his soda can. “Excuse me, everyone. Tomorrow, our little Mac gets her first real assignment. She’s leaving the nest.”

I felt my cheeks flush amidst the chorus of hoots and hoorays from the group.

“So, tonight, we celebrate her initiation.”

My stomach dropped as I wondered what exactly he meant by initiation. “Oh, jeez guys, you don’t have do to that,” I said, hoping to save myself some embarrassment.

I gave Mitchell a hopeful glance, but he shook his head. “No fighting it. They do this for everyone. No matter what.” Turning back to his plate, he shoveled more food into his mouth, but the corners of his mouth had twisted into a smile. Traitor.

Camden ran into the pantry and emerged with a tiara and a plastic lei necklace. After I put them on—mostly to shut everyone up—a few of the guys came over and lifted up my chair to bounce me around the dining room. Everyone laughed and clapped as they sang songs of encouragement and good luck. It was a pep rally, just for me. It was terrifying, but a laugh or two escaped my lips in spite of myself.

By the time they set me back down, almost everyone was done eating.

“Now it’s time to play truth or dare,” Owen said.

“What? No,” I said. True, I’d learned to block my thoughts, but it still didn’t seem like the best game to play with a group of mind readers.

“Aw, come on. Everyone plays. It’s fun,” he pleaded.

“It never gets awkward, serious, or ruined by the fact that you all know who’s lying and who’s not?” I folded my arms over my chest, knowing I couldn’t possibly be wrong.

“No! Come on, we’re all good sports, and we know better than to pry. Justine learned that the hard way when she got tangled up in Kyle’s defenses—standing naked in front of a crowd of people, trying to give a speech.” Everyone laughed, but it still didn’t hold much appeal for me. “Just try it. We do it with all the first timers,” Owen explained.

I looked at Mitchell, who nodded and shrugged. “My first time, they made me try to balance eggs on my feet while I did a handstand. Needless to say, we needed more eggs by the end of the night.”

I laughed. Maybe this would be fun. “Fine. But I go first.”

“Fair enough,” Owen said.

As soon as I’d said it, I regretted it though. I didn’t know what to ask, or who to ask it of. I looked at Camden, full of joy, despite his imposing size.

“Camden, truth or dare?”

“Dare.” His deep voice resonated throughout the dining room.

“I dare you to squeeze into the cupboard under the sink.”

“C’mon, Mac, can’t I use one of the cupboards where the sink doesn’t take up forty percent of the real estate?”

“Sure. That’s fair. Now go,” I said, pulling out my cell phone to document his struggle.

We all cried with laughter as our six-foot-six friend valiantly tried—and failed—to cram himself into the biggest kitchen cupboard we had. The kitchen—and Camden—would never be the same. The game only went downhill from there. They dared me to share my most embarrassing story, so I found myself telling them about one of my open-mike performances with Maddie. Two things had gone wrong that night—I got the hiccups halfway through the set, and thanks to a poor wardrobe choice, I inadvertently flashed the entire audience in the intense overhead lighting. Maddie had thought it was hilarious, so she hadn’t told me my high beams were on until later.

I made the others do ridiculous things and tell equally embarrassing stories. My face was starting to hurt from all the laughter.

Before I knew it, someone was passing out mugs of hot chocolate, and we were all calming down.

“Now, it’s everyone’s turn to tell Mac about their first assignments,” Owen said.

“Ooh, I like this idea,” I said, eager to get some insight into what I might expect for the coming days.

But their tales were all so different. Camden told me about a local teacher he’d been assigned to check out. Turned out the guy was planning to bomb the school because he’d received another bad evaluation. That one turned my stomach a bit.

Mitchell’s was the most surprising. He’d been assigned to a college girl. The higher-ups thought she was a possible suicide bomber, but it turned out she was just a suicide risk. She wasn’t involved with the Potestas, and she wasn’t a reader. Mitchell kept a lot of the details to himself, but something in his tone said he’d cared more about her than he was letting on. Before I could ask what happened to her, the group moved on.

The others shared their tales of success and failure—each fascinating in its own right—and Owen went last.

“Mine is probably the most embarrassing.”

“I can attest to that. I’m surprised David kept you on after that foul up,” Mitchell said, and Owen threw his empty mug at him. As if expecting the attack, Mitchell caught it one-handed.

“You have to understand,” Owen said to me. “The assignment was to follow a blonde, fourteen-year-old girl whose primary interest was hanging out at the mall. Her name was Tiffany. Do you know how many fourteen-year-old blonde girls named Tiffany frequent the mall?”

“A kid? Why were you following a kid?” I asked, not sure I wanted the answer. The last thing I wanted to hear was that I might be asked to attack a child.

“Apparently, David thought she was a possible target for the Potestas. I was supposed to find out why—you know, if she needed protection if they intended to forcibly recruit her. It was a fact-finding mission.”

I nodded, feeling a little better.

“Anyway, as you can probably guess, I followed the wrong girl all day long, listening to her drone on about clothes, boys, and bands. It was horrible. Never once did it occur to me that there were no Potestas anywhere around her, and she had no memory of meeting one of them. David was not pleased.”

I laughed, enjoying the levity of the moment. As I looked around at the smiling faces that surrounded me, I felt a sense of peace. Although my life had been shattered, I could probably make something from the pieces.

At the end of the night, Owen walked me to my room. A note was taped to my door, but I ignored it as we stood facing each other, our hands still entwined.

“Thank you,” I told him.

“For what? Initiating you? We do that for everyone. It’s fun.” He shrugged.

“For everything.” I leaned in and kissed him slowly, deeply. Emotions and hormones I wasn’t yet ready for flared to life, so I pulled away before either of us was through.

He cleared his throat. “I guess I better say goodnight.” Then he lifted one hand and gently caressed the side of my face. “I won’t say this isn’t hard, Mac, but you’re worth it.” With that, he turned and left.

“Goodnight,” I said to his back. He gave me a jaunty wave over his shoulder. He’s too good for you. It had become a recurrent thought lately, but I pushed it away as I turned to pull the note off my door.

Meet in my office at 8 am to receive your orders.

— David.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach at the prospect of an early-morning meeting with David. After the way we’d parted yesterday, I hadn’t really thought about what it would be like to see him again. Not to mention everything that had happened since our last talk. He hadn’t really been in the forefront of my mind.

Top it off with the fact that he made me feel like an out of control, ill prepared child, and I didn’t really want to waste any brain cells on the matter.

Crumpling the note, I tossed it into the trash can next to my bed and debated what to do. I could either be responsible and go to the meeting a few minutes early to give us time to clear the air, or I could go right on time, get my orders, and leave.

As I got myself ready for bed, trying to calm the jitters coming from all corners of my mind—excitement and nerves over the new job, dread over meeting David, and the ever-present haze of grief—I decided on a civil but cold approach with David. After all, if he wanted to treat me like the child in this relationship, he could be the adult and make the first move.

I turned off the light and settled into bed, wondering exactly what I would have to do. No matter what it was, the next morning would be the first day of my new life. No more living in the haze, no more looking back. Nope, it was time to pick up the pieces; it was time to fight back.

Promptly at 8 am, I arrived at David’s office. I think Owen noticed my jitters, but he probably assumed they were from the assignment, not meeting with David. I hadn’t mentioned our tiff to him, so he had no idea we weren’t on good terms. He probably would have scolded me for disrespecting the boss. But he had some bizarre hero-worship thing going on with David that I didn’t share. He was just a guy who happened to be my dad… and because of that very fact, he’d made some decisions with pretty direct consequences on my life. He seemed pretty dang human to me.

In the end, Owen simply wished me luck, assured me I’d be great, and kissed me lightly before I took a deep breath and ventured into the lion’s den, unsure if I would play the role of the lion or the intruder.

David sat at his desk, and Tracy was in one of the chairs across from him. It was becoming a familiar picture.

“Good morning,” David said, his tone unreadable.

“Morning,” I answered, nodding at Tracy. She nodded back. Taking a seat, I spied a familiar file on David’s desk.

“Isn’t that the scientist’s file?” I asked.

“Yes. He is your assignment,” David said.

“But I thought we decided he wasn’t a threat.”

“You decided that. I believe he warrants observation.” He didn’t elaborate, so I pushed him.

“On what grounds? Because he studies dangerous chemicals?”

“Yes.” Somehow, he’d ended up adopting up my cold yet civil tactic before I could.

“We’ve received intel that the Potestas may be interested in him. We need to know why, and what’s going on. You leave for Michigan in three hours. Tracy is going to accompany you to supervise and offer any guidance you might need. Pack a bag for at least two days. I expect a full report upon your return.”

Looking at Tracy, I thought of the training she’d be missing while she was basically babysitting me. “I think it’s a waste of resources.”

David looked straight into my eyes, “I hope you’re right.” He paused to let that sink in. “Good luck, and get going. You have a plane to catch.”

I didn’t have much time to obsess over what the no-nonsense meeting with David meant. When David had said we were leaving in three hours, he’d meant our flight was departing at that time, not that we would have to leave the facility in three hours. I rushed upstairs and packed a bag, hoping I wasn’t forgetting anything vital, and barely got to kiss Owen and nod at Mitchell before Tracy whisked me off to the airport.

I didn’t say goodbye to David, which felt odd, despite our circumstances. He was my father, and it would be several days before I saw him again. Seemed like there should’ve been some kind of fare well.

“I should’ve said goodbye to David.”

“There wasn’t really time.” She was so matter of fact about it—like it didn’t make a difference that I hadn’t said a kind word to my father before I left on a potentially dangerous mission. Okay, that was dramatic, but still, it was true.

The airport was only about twenty minutes from the facility, and we were still tight on time, so my concerns about David were whisked away by the bustle of the airport.

“David could’ve asked us to meet him at seven,” I grumbled. “It would have given us more time.” I was still stewing about my rushed goodbye with Owen, not to mention my nonexistent goodbye with David as Tracy kept a brisk pace toward the security line.

Rather than acknowledge my statement or respond in any way, she kept her eyes on the target ahead. That was fine with me. Nothing she could say would change our circumstances or ease the stress of the situation.

Besides, the pace she was keeping was enough to make me breathless before too long, so any additional conversation was impossible.

We didn’t have any bags to check, so that helped, and they were boarding by the time we got to the gate, so we just walked right onto the plane.

Once seated, I took a few moments to catch my breath.

“You’re out of shape,” Tracy said. “You should keep up with the workout regimens.”

“I do! And yet, it’s still hard to keep pace with you in a crowd,” I muttered as I leaned my head back against the seat and waited for my heart rate to go from sprint run to resting.

“I like it that way.” She made no effort to hide her smile.

I shook my head and leaned forward to grab the file on the scientist. Figured I might as well get some studying done on the way. The flight took off while I attempted another read through of his articles about separating chemicals and isolating the most dangerous toxins, but I got frustrated about halfway through the flight. It might as well have been moon language for all the meaning I was able to take away.

Exasperated, I closed the file and jammed it back into my backpack. “Tracy, I don’t know how much help I’m going to be. I don’t even understand what this guy is studying. If his mind is anything like these papers, I’m not going to understand a single one of his thoughts. I’m not a chemist. I’m a music therapist.”

“No.” She lowered her voice and glanced at the people sitting near us. “You are Unseen. Identifying potential dangers isn’t about understanding their specific fields, although that can be helpful. It’s about understanding people—what motivates them, and what they intend to do with the resources available to them.”

I sat back in my seat, trying to find some comfort in her words. But David’s last words to us haunted me. Why would he want me to be right? Unless he was genuinely worried that this guy was bad news… but if that were the case, why would he send his daughter into a potentially dangerous situation?

I still didn’t have any answers when the plane landed, though I had plenty of remaining questions. As we disembarked, Tracy checked her watch. “One thirty. We’ve missed his lunch hour. He gets off at five, and then he goes straight to a café for a cup of coffee after work.”

Based on what I’d seen online and in his file, the man’s personal life was nonexistent. Never married, no kids, estranged from his parents, and no siblings. Lots of people had bad relationships with their families, of course, but maybe it was David’s sign of something amiss?

The cold Michigan air bit into me the instant we stepped outside to get the car, freezing the air in my lungs, making me cough. I wrapped my arms around my body, tucking the coat Tracy had loaned me for the trip closer to my skin.

“Good Lord. We couldn’t have been given an assignment in a more tropical part of the world?”

“We live in a more tropical part of the world,” Tracy said, deadpan as ever as she buckled her seat belt.

“Touché.” I rubbed my hands together, trying to warm them up after the short trek to the car. “I hope we don’t have to spend much time outside for this one.”

“Suck it up. Your thin Florida blood could use some thickening anyway,” she said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

As Tracy drove to the university, I scanned the file again. It didn’t reveal much. Dr. Jeppe lived in a small apartment near the university. In addition to his post-work cup of coffee, he began his mornings with a cup of joe at the café. He spent most of his weekends working or delivering lectures, which helped explain why he was single. Who would want to date someone who never had time to be together? I wondered if he even cared. From his very impressive resume, it seemed to me that he was married to his work… and that was how he liked it.

We arrived at the university long before the scientist’s workday was over, so we staked out the campus a little, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man we were there to watch. We planned to make a sneak attack on his mind later, at the coffee shop. It was exhilarating to be out on a real job, even if I was just supposed to gauge whether this guy was a threat.

We never did catch sight of him, so at four thirty, we headed over to the café listed in the file so we could ensure we had a seat when the professor arrived. If he left on time, he would be there at five fifteen. It would be my first opportunity to delve into his mind.

We ordered drinks and took a seat in the back corner of the café. It was a cute little spot with outdoor seating, but it was way too cold for anyone to take advantage of it. Part of me already longed for home, milder temperatures, and Owen’s warm embrace. But the rest of me knew I needed to stay focused.

I’d never spent many nights away from home, Maddie’s house notwithstanding. The woman who’d raised me, Amanda, never took me anywhere, and she avoided spending recreational time with me like it would’ve killed her. Since I hadn’t been a performance major, I never even traveled to competitions with school.

“I think this is the first legitimate trip I’ve ever taken.” I addressed the words as much to myself as to Tracy.

“How old are you again?”

My back straightened, and I held my head high. “Twenty-five.”

“That’s a quarter of a century mostly wasted, if you ask me. You need to get out more.”

Tracy couldn’t help but tell it like it was; I couldn’t help but laugh.

At five o’clock, Tracy ran through the scenario one last time. “When he comes in, you get to work. I’ll do what I can to ensure you have a safe space to do your job. If you encounter any problems, get out, and we’ll try again in the morning.”

I nodded, searching restlessly for Dr. Jeppe. Each time the bell over the door jangled, my heart raced. And each time it wasn’t him, I swallowed my disappointment and kept right on looking.

After what felt like an eternity, I saw him walk through the front door. He didn’t go to the counter and order his drink. Instead, the barista called out a greeting to him as he took a seat at his usual table, which we had strategically stationed ourselves next to. “Afternoon, Dr. Jeppe. Your coffee will be ready soon.”

Rather than acknowledge the greeting in any way, he buried his face in some paperwork. I could only assume it was work related. Tracy cleared her throat, signaling me to get to work.

Leaning back in my chair, I shut my eyes, hoping I looked like I was just resting for a moment.

As I reached out for his mind, I was immediately met with a problem. Walking through the darkness, I stepped onto a spring trap that launched me out of his mind. I opened my eyes and gasped in surprise.

Tracy eyed me as I glanced around, hoping I hadn’t drawn too much attention to myself. No one seemed to be watching, thankfully, and the doctor was still consumed by his work.

He has defenses, I thought to her as I tried to calm my racing heart. If he were truly a run-of-the-mill scientist, he wouldn’t have any need to protect his mind. He wouldn’t even know such a thing was possible or necessary. It meant he was either a mind reader or working with one.

Tracy frowned. Well, you know how to get past defenses. Find out why he has them.

Frowning right back at her, I gave her a sidelong glance before closing my eyes and venturing out again. This time, I was prepared, so I adjusted my approach accordingly.

I set off the spring trap again, but it didn’t affect me this time. After all, it wasn’t real, and the element of surprise—the only thing the trap had going for it—was gone. There was a barrage of additional defenses, including a box that fell from above to apparently trap an intruder and what appeared to be a minefield. However, I wasn’t sure because I never set any of them off. I just saw the lumps in the ground. There was also a pit covered with leaves and foliage. All in all, it was pretty uninventive.

Until I got to his wall. It was immense, and it stretched out before me, seemingly extending forever. It was nothing like Tracy’s wall. Hers seemed to go on for infinity too, but this… I paused as I looked at it, struggling to define it. It was infinite, but it was also empty. There was no sign of any memories embedded within it.

How can that be? I wondered as I leaned in closer.

But I didn’t get to examine it to my heart’s content. Suddenly, I was jerked away from the wall and rather unceremoniously plopped back in myself.

Blinking at Tracy, I asked, “What happened?”

She nodded toward the target, and I saw him leaving the café, coffee in hand.

“I—”

She cut me off. “Not here.” And with that, she stood and walked back to our car, never once looking back to ensure I was following her. Scrambling to my feet, I struggled to decode the strange scene I’d just witnessed while also keeping pace with Tracy. I stumbled on the way to the car, but I played it off as if I’d slipped on an ice patch, and I nodded gratefully to the passerby who helped me up.

Before I knew it, Tracy and I were sitting together in the car, but I was a little afraid to speak. Tracy was stone faced as she stared straight ahead, navigating the car toward our hotel. I took the opportunity to try and sort through what had happened, and what it might mean. Obviously, David had been at least partially right. There was just cause to suspect Dr. Jeppe. Otherwise, why would those defenses be in place? They seemed so weak, almost artificial, with the exception of that wall.

Silently, Tracy drove to the hotel where we’d be staying, and I trailed her as she checked in at the desk. We didn’t exchange a word until she secured the locks on the door of our room and sat on the bed across from where I’d absently seated myself.

“Tell me what happened.”

“His defenses were odd,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Almost insincere.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“Well, it was too easy to get past them. Like he didn’t have any stake in them working.”

That gave Tracy pause, but she didn’t comment. “Go on.”

“His wall, on the other hand… well, I’m not sure how to bypass it. It wasn’t like yours or mine. There didn’t seem to be any way around, above, or through it.”

Tracy’s expression seemed confused, so I took a breath, trying to gather my thoughts.

“Our walls are made from memories. Although there are a million or more of them, our memories are limited to our personal experiences. Eventually, inevitably, there is an end. Everyone has a first memory, right? Well, Dr. Jeppe’s wall is made up of… nothing. And nothingness can potentially stretch on forever.” I flopped back onto the bed, absorbing what I’d just said. How on Earth was I supposed to get inside this guy’s head? Suddenly, my seemingly mundane task was becoming much more of a challenge than I’d anticipated.

“Do you think you could come with me in the morning? Maybe you could identify his wall, help me understand what to do.”

She shook her head. “You need a lookout; someone to make sure nothing is amiss. The fact that he has defenses is extremely unexpected, and it’s all the more reason for us to be on our guard.”

That night, as I lay in an unfamiliar bed, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling, I found it hard to relax. I tried not to despair, despite the fact that I felt like I was failing at my first job, but trying was definitely different from doing.

Clearly, there was more to Dr. Jeppe than met the eye, and I’d missed it from the first. Perhaps if I’d been more prepared, I would’ve had a better idea of what to do at this stage. As far as I knew, he wasn’t a reader. So what could explain his wall of nothing? How and why had he formed such seemingly iron-clad defenses? I continued to circle back to those questions as sleep evaded me.

My emotions ran wild as I flounced onto my side, willing myself to sleep even as I raged at the situation.

“Stop it. I’m trying to sleep,” Tracy called out from the next bed.

“Stop what? I know I wasn’t snoring.”

“You’re huffing and tossing and turning. Whatever you think you did wrong, it doesn’t matter. Settle down. You need your rest.”

“But—”

“It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow does. And I’d like to get it right this time so we can go home and get out of this freezing, godforsaken state. So go to sleep. I’ll blame you if we have to stay here another night.”

Settle down, I thought. But how could I possibly do that? My fingers twitched. In that moment, I needed music. I did something I hadn’t done in a very long time. I got up, dug my iPod out of my backpack, and let Gaspard deal with my worries.

The music surrounded me with its familiar notes. And although Maddie didn’t come with them, that was ok. This was different. This wasn’t about finding her. It was about finding focus. And Gaspard de la Nuit had never let me down in that department.

Before the end of the piece, I drifted off, carried into the depths of my own mind by Ravel’s work.

9

The next morning, Tracy and I chose a different table at the coffee shop, farther away from the scientist’s normal spot, in an effort to go unnoticed. We sat across from each other, silently scheming. For what had to be the fifth time, she stressed the importance of getting in and out of the professor’s mind as quickly as possible. I nodded as our target came through the door, perfectly on schedule.

This time, I zeroed in on him and immediately made my way to the wall of nothing. It made a hollow glass sound when I knocked on it. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when my hand made contact. Secretly, I hoped my hand would just pass through it, and this defense would prove to be like the others—artificial and unimpressive.

Looking back at some of the other traps, I wondered if I could use something from within his mind to break down the wall. I walked back to the hole, haphazardly covered with brush and debris, searching for a stick wide enough to do some damage. Finally, I found one I hoped was suitable, but when I tried to pick it up, my hand passed through it.

Of course it did. The stick isn’t real, you idiot.

Frustrated, I went back to his wall, considering my options, knowing time was ticking away as I debated what to do. The professor could very well leave the coffee shop before I made any progress. With no other ideas, I took off my left shoe. To my relief, I was able to hold it in my hand. I suspected that it worked because I’d brought it, along with the rest of my clothes, into Dr. Jeppe’s mind, which made it more real to me.

At first, I merely tapped the wall with the heel of my boot, afraid of the consequences, although I couldn’t imagine what they might be. If Jeppe discovered me, I knew he wouldn’t be thrilled about my presence, and that was the only motivation I needed to work quietly. But it had no effect, except for a pleasant little glass ‘ting’ sound. I hit a little harder, slowly increasing my force until I was all-out pounding on his wall, the sound resonating through the landscape around me. Soon, the wall began to crack.

But before I could bring it down, I felt the tug. No, I thought. He must be getting up. I fought to stay in his mind, doubled down on my focus, and continued pounding his wall with my shoe, until it finally came crashing down around me. I skittered away from it, trying to shield myself from the falling shards of glass, despite the fact that I was wearing several layers and probably wasn’t in any danger at all.

Sweating from the effort, I wondered if I was actually perspiring in my seat across from Tracy. I could only hope I wasn’t showing any visible distress.

Grateful for my long sleeves, I brushed the glass from my arms and made my way through the mess I’d created inside Dr. Jeppe’s mind. As soon as I made my way inside, I knew he wasn’t a reader. His thoughts were scattered and disorganized, and his memories were too easily accessed, just out in the open for anyone to collect as they saw fit. It didn’t take long for me to find the information I needed.

Dux Ducis is really putting the pressure on. His voice was higher and more unsure than I’d expected it would be. He seemed frightened in this memory. I’m beginning to regret agreeing to explore this avenue.

Who is Dux Ducis? I wondered, dreading to go further down the rabbit hole.

But I delved deeper into Jeppe’s memories anyway, searching for the moment he’d met Dux Ducis. I needed to find out who he was, not to mention what he wanted Jeppe to do. Unfortunately, their first contact seemed to have happened via email, not in person. Dux Ducis had introduced himself as an interested benefactor and asked him how far he could take his research with proper funding. At first, Jeppe had been excited. But then, the threats started arriving. They were on a tight deadline, and Jeppe wasn’t making the kind of progress this Dux Ducis wanted to see. One note even threatened that the work would be tested on Jeppe if he didn’t deliver, and fast.

It wasn’t clear how Dux Ducis found Jeppe’s cell phone number—his e-mail address was easily accessible to anyone with Google, but his cell phone was unlisted. Still, found it he had. The threats and sensitive information all arrived via text messages on his phone. He’d never even heard Dux Ducis’ voice.

I ignored the sense of dread building in the back of my mind, with Dux Ducis at the root of it. Something sinister was going on, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to figure it out—and prove it—in time to put a stop to it.

All right, so I don’t know who this guy is. But maybe I can find out what he wants Jeppe to do. I continued to move ahead, searching for clues as to the nature of their arrangement. What I saw next would be burned into my memory for the rest of my days.

I found myself in a lab with white walls and oak-colored cabinets. Dr. Jeppe was dressed in his white lab coat, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose with a hand covered in a blue glove that went up to his elbow. He stood in front of an island—on one side there was a sink. Arranged on the white countertop in the middle were a recording device, some papers, and a laptop. He turned the recorder on and started talking. “I’ve successfully combined three of the four toxins into a gas. Today will be the first live test of the substance.” He moved over to a glass box.

“Subjects are two primates, most similar in lung capacity to humans. Additional testing will be done on pigs, to monitor possible skin reactions.”

My instinct to pull away from this memory was overwhelming as dread deepened in the pit of my stomach. But I had to know what Jeppe and now Dux Ducis were doing, so I stayed put. The chimps were cleaning each other, totally unaware of the fate that awaited them. Although I didn’t know what was coming either, I knew it wouldn’t be good.

Dr. Jeppe moved over to a pump set up outside the glass box. “The test begins now, at oh nine hundred hours on September 15, 2014.” He flipped a switch on the pump, and it hummed to life.

Soon, the box filled with smog, and the chimps started to scream. It was the most horrifying sound I’d ever heard in my life. Everything about it—the pitch and length of the cries, the sheer desperation of the sound—told me they were dying and they were afraid.

Although I knew it was ridiculous, one of the chimps looked right at me, its brown eyes pleading for help. I reached out for it, but this was just a memory, and I was helpless to change it.

Before long, big chunks of fur started falling off the chimps, blood poured from their eyes, and their screaming was interrupted by bouts of coughing that led to spurts of bloody vomit. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see any more of their suffering.

After entirely too long, the chimps fell silent. I heard Dr. Jeppe’s voice and peeked out of one eye to see what he was doing. He watched the chimps without emotion, typing notes into his computer. “Upon initial observation, the toxin seems quite effective. Subjects appear to be deceased after only four minutes and thirty-eight seconds of exposure. Adding the fourth toxin may speed the process.”

The fourth toxin? It was all too much. I finally pulled myself out of his mind, desperate to escape.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I was drenched in sweat. I dared to glance over at Dr. Jeppe, who was looking at his watch with a confused and flustered expression on his face. He quickly gathered his things and rushed out of the café.

Leaning forward on the table, I rested my head on my folded arms. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I whispered.

“Not here,” Tracy said, totally unsympathetic to my plight. She stood up and kicked the back of my chair, apparently encouraging me to follow her.

It took everything I had to keep it together long enough to get outside, where I leaned on a handicapped parking sign and left my breakfast on the pavement.

Tracy took me by the arm and ushered me over to—and then into—the car, which was parked a short distance away, before I could even wipe my mouth. Once seated in the passenger seat, I immediately started shaking. Moments later, Tracy started the car and glanced at me.

“Nope. Not here. Hey.” She paused, waiting for a response, but I didn’t give her one. I kept hearing the otherworldly shrieks of the chimps. I clapped my hands over my ears to try and block them out. As I thought about what I’d seen, not to mention the toxin’s potential effects on humans, bile rose again in the back of my throat.

“Hey!” Tracy yelled, forcing me to look at her. “Keep it together. You’re stronger than this.”

I shook my head, tears springing to my eyes. No, I wasn’t stronger than this, and I certainly wasn’t strong enough to deal with this scientist. Chimps were just animals, but watching them suffer like that… I could only imagine how I would have felt if I’d seen him torture people.

Owen was right. There was pure evil out there, and I couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. Disappointment and regret blanketed my heart. I should have never taken the job with the Unseen. I was ill equipped.

I was so busy thinking about the screaming, bleeding chimps, I didn’t even realize we’d made it back to the hotel.

Tracy led me into our room and helped me sit on my bed. Then she knelt in front of me and stared into my tear-filled eyes. “Pull it together, Mac.” She grabbed hold of my chin and shook my face a little—not hard, just enough to get me to look at her. “I mean it.”

After I took a deep, shuddering breath, she nodded at me. “Good. Now, tell me what happened.”

I couldn’t. I couldn’t talk about it right then. Saying the words out loud made them real. I’d been so very wrong about the scientist. But then the memory of what he’d said about the chimps’ lungs being similar to a human’s echoed in my head, and I knew I had to be strong. I had to force myself to do what needed to be done. Flying up off the bed, I accidently caught Tracy in the chin with my knee. “We have to talk to David. We need to warn him.”

10

Tracy and I didn’t speak much on the way home. She must’ve opted to let me work through the ordeal on my own. Or perhaps she was off in her own world, trying to puzzle out what I’d seen and what should be done about it.

Luckily, she was able to get a flight out pretty quickly, so we got home in the early afternoon.

Tracy had called David from the airport in Michigan to tell him we were on our way home. Their conversation was brief, and no details were exchanged. I didn’t know if that was normal protocol, or if it was because I hadn’t shared many details with Tracy. The echo of the chimps’ screaming kept me from dwelling on it too long.

On the drive back to the facility, she finally spoke. “Tell me something, Mackenzie.”

Failing to acknowledge her, I watched the greenery of my home state zip past us.

“How did you keep him there?”

That was enough to get me to look at her. “What?”

“At the time he would normally leave, he stood halfway up, but then his face took on a confused expression and he sat back down. He’d already finished his coffee and read the paper, but he stared down at the newsprint anyway, holding his cup in his hand. Then, as soon as you opened your eyes, he seemed to come back to himself. He flew out of the café, obviously late for work.”

I tried to make sense of what she was telling me. “When I was at his wall, I felt the tug of him leaving. But I hadn’t gotten into his head yet. So I just said no, but I wasn’t necessarily talking to him. I wasn’t consciously trying to control him; I just wanted to get the job done.”

“I see.” Her tone indicated she was a little taken aback by my answer, and frankly, so was I.

“If I stay, I need a lot more training, Tracy. I can’t just run around unconsciously controlling people. That’s kind of dangerous, isn’t it?”

But she ignored my question. “What do you mean, if you stay?” The alarm in her voice was unmistakable.

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be such an active member of the Unseen. Maybe I can do paperwork or something more behind the scenes? Owen tried to warn me about the evil out there, and so did you. But I can’t handle it.” I stared out the window, but instead of the passing landscape, I saw the chimp’s big, brown eyes staring at me through the glass of his prison. I shut my eyes. “I’ve let you down.”

She chuckled, which wasn’t exactly the response I was expecting. “That’s ridiculous. You haven’t even shared the nature of what you learned with me, but I can already tell this mission was a complete success. You’ve done your job, and you’ve done it splendidly. What more could we ask for?”

“For me to not be emotionally shattered by the job.” Hysteria surfaced again, and I practically shouted the words at her.

She glanced at me and frowned, then stared straight ahead as she guided the car back to our home. “That will come,” she said after a moment, her voice uncharacteristically hushed.

But maybe I didn’t want it to come. Maybe I didn’t want to be an unfeeling, jaded, robot member of the Unseen. Silence hung between us for the rest of the car ride, but my mind was less than silent. A little voice argued that Tracy wasn’t that way. Sure, she seemed a little jaded, but she wasn’t a robot, per se. She had feelings; I knew that better than anyone.

I sighed heavily and watched the changing landscape as we neared headquarters. The problem was that I wasn’t Tracy, Owen, or Mitchell. And I didn’t know how to deal with me.

We went straight to David’s office as soon as we arrived. He was poring over some files on his desk when we came in.

“Please,” he said, motioning toward the two chairs in front of his desk.

But I didn’t want to sit. We’d been sitting for far too long, and Dr. Jeppe was close to something. I didn’t fully understand what, but I knew it was terrible. That experiment with the monkeys had taken place almost a month ago. Who knew how much he progress he’d made since then. Maybe he’d successfully added the fourth chemical. Maybe not. It had seemed plenty deadly without it.

I paced back and forth while Tracy and David waited for me to start talking.

“Has she been like this the whole time?”

“Just since our last encounter with the scientist,” Tracy said, not bothering to lower her voice for my sake. “She’s been wildly emotional since then.”

David nodded and went back to waiting.

“You were right,” I said abruptly, deciding that was a good starting point. “He is evil.” But I couldn’t bring myself to continue quite yet. That would mean telling David about the experiments—saying those awful words out loud.

“How is he evil?” David asked. Both he and Tracy were watching me closely.

“His research…” I trailed off, searching for a way to make them understand without having to explain. I could have just shown them, of course—let them into my mind to see the horrifying vision. But no, I had to be stronger than that. This was my first assignment, and I had to do it justice. In the end, I swallowed the revulsion building in my stomach and told them everything. Right down to the screams. I flopped down heavily into the chair next to Tracy when I was finished.

“Who is Dux Ducis?” David asked.

“I don’t know, some benefactor apparently. He approached Dr. Jeppe via email, and after that, they contacted each other solely via text messages. He’s never heard his voice, let alone met him in person. I think he’s a bit afraid of the guy, actually. And rightfully so, based on the threats he’s been getting… not that he doesn’t deserve them.”

David frowned at that information. “Tracy, what do you think of his defenses?”

“I’m bothered by them, to be sure. From what Mackenzie said, it doesn’t sound like he’s a full-fledged member of the Potestas. I suspect someone in their ranks, possibly this Dux Ducis person, put the defenses in place in an attempt to protect the information in his mind.”

“A disturbing proposition,” David said.

“You can do that?” I’d never considered the defenses might have been set up by an outside party, but it made sense since there were no other indications Jeppe was a reader.

Tracy looked at me, a sly expression on her face. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

I rolled my eyes at her terrible pun. David smiled and said, “The important thing is to never assume something isn’t possible. It can leave you open to attack. Tracy is right. In the world of the mind, anything is possible.”

The conversation lulled for a moment, so I sat back in my chair, allowing my eyes to wander to David’s desk. The file he’d been reading lay open on his desk, and there, plain as day, was Maddie’s smiling face staring up at the ceiling.

The shock of seeing the image made me sit bolt upright in my chair and point accusingly at the file. The movement startled Tracy.

“Why do you have a picture of Maddie in that file?”

David sighed heavily. “I was just studying the incident, Mackenzie.”

“David, I don’t think this is a good time,” Tracy said.

My world stopped. In that moment, the chimps were gone, and the scientist was no one. All I cared about was what was in that file. My hands started to shake, so I folded them in my lap in an attempt to show how mature and collected I was… not to mention totally prepared for whatever he had to say.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Now is as good a time as any.”

David eyed me skeptically. “Tracy might be right. I wasn’t anticipating the job to have such a deep impact on you. Perhaps we can discuss this later.”

“No, please. I want to know.”

Tracy frowned and leaned back in her chair, but then reconsidered and sat forward again. “David, I urge you not to discuss this matter at length right now. You weren’t with her over the last twelve hours. She’s been an emotional wreck. I don’t even know what’s in that file, but whatever it is could break her.”

“You don’t need to talk about me as if I’m not here.” I took a deep breath. “And I can handle it. I know I can.”

Tracy eyed me, but what she saw didn’t change her mind any. “Mackenzie, this is not about some perceived weakness on your part. It’s about your mental health. I’ve seen your mind. Your grief has made it terribly unstable. Whatever is in there, you may think you want to hear it, but I can assure you that you don’t.”

“How do you know?” I turned on her. “You never got any closer to finding your sister’s killer, so you know how painful it is not to know who took her life. Why would you want to rob me of that knowledge?”

“What kind of closure do you think it will give you? Are you hoping that you’ll find out Maddie’s killers have already been eliminated? Is that what you want to see in that file? If so, you’ll be disappointed. Usually, there’s only vague, unconfirmed information about suspects. Do you want to live with that kind of frustration?” She paused for a moment, letting it sink in. “Or worse, what if it’s evidence telling us the Potestas weren’t involved at all? That Maddie, like everyone else on the train that day, was just a victim of a random act of violence, nothing more, nothing less. What will you do?”

“I don’t know. But I should be given the chance to decide for myself.”

David nodded. “The timing may be poor, but it’s standard operating procedure for agents to get some time off after an assignment. You will have the rest of the day today and tomorrow free. Do with it what you will.” He pushed the file toward me. “I will need that back in full when you’re finished. You are not to make copies of it. I don’t need sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.” I nodded as I eyed the folder, not willing to touch it just yet.

“And I need you to be ready to go back to work Thursday. There’s a lot to do.” My eyes snapped up to him. The scientist. The chimps. The chemical. True, I didn’t want people to die at the hands of Dux Ducis and the scientist, but my heart was in that folder. I could only hope I would have more focus once I had answers. Reaching forward, I took it off his desk and met Tracy’s disapproving gaze head on.

“Thank you for this,” I said to David, but I didn’t break eye contact with Tracy.

“Are you sure you want to do this? The information in there…” He paused. “It won’t be easy for you to read. If you want to talk about it, my door is open to you.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure I would feel much like talking… particularly not to him.

“Don’t disappoint me, Mackenzie. We need you now, more than ever.”

The statement stopped me short. “That’s an odd choice of words,” I said, even though I knew what he meant. But I’d heard that particular line so many times from my former aunt—don’t disappoint me, Mackenzie—and I was through with being a disappointment to the people in my life. “Was it you who taught my ‘aunt,’” I made quotation marks with my fingers, “to keep saying that to me while I was growing up without you?”

He stared at me slack-jawed as I walked out of his office, the file tucked carefully under my arm.

11

Owen was waiting for me in the gym, but I walked right past him without really seeing him. I had tunnel vision. I planned to head straight for the work floor, pore over the file, find out who was responsible, and then…

And then what? The thought almost brought me to a stop right in the middle of the stairwell, and that was when Owen, who must have been trailing me for a while, alerted me to his presence.

“Hey!” He tugged on my arm. “I heard you were back, but by the time I got down here, you were already sequestered to David’s office.”

I looked down at his hand on me. “Hey.” I blinked at him a few times, trying to bring myself back into the moment.

“How was the job?”

The job. The scientist. The chimps. The chemical. “You were right. David was right,” I said, turning and continuing on my path upstairs.

Owen jogged to catch up to me. “Right about what?”

“That he was evil.”

“Hey, can you stop for a second?” He was a little out of breath when he paused on the steps.

I turned to him, confused. He didn’t understand. But then again, how could he? He didn’t know what was in the file under my arm. He probably thought it was about the scientist.

“This is the first I’ve seen you in two days. How about we start over?” He climbed the stairs slowly, holding his hands out toward me, acting like I was some skittish dog that was about to take off on him.

Realizing how tense my entire body was, I tried to force myself to relax.

He leaned in close and rested his forehead against mine. “Why don’t we go somewhere quiet and talk about it?”

I shook my head. “No. There’s more to do.”

“It can wait. You have today and tomorrow off.”

“No, I have today and tomorrow to work this out, then I have to start thinking about the scientist again.”

Clearly, he was confused, and my cryptic answers weren’t helping. Part of me really did want to stay right there in the stairwell, wrapped in his arms. Part of me wanted to let him offer me the comfort that my soul desperately needed. But the folder was heavy under my arm—it weighed on me, demanding answers, retribution.

Owen seemed to notice the file for the first time and pulled back. “Why do you still have that if you’re off for the next day and a half? What is it?”

“Something that requires my attention.” Why was I being so secretive? Did I think he’d try to talk me out of finding more about Maddie? Or was I just not prepared to take the time to explain it to someone? Either way, it didn’t seem like a good way to treat someone you cared about. Guilt made me pause, and my mouth opened in preparation to tell him the truth. It was all there, ready to spill out. He might even help me read through the file. David’s words came back to me. The information in there won’t be easy for you to read. Did I want to be a total basket case in front of Owen… again? No.

Anyway, I reminded myself, this wasn’t about Owen. It was about Maddie. I didn’t even know what was in the folder. Once I did, I would be better equipped for his questions. At least, that was what I told myself as he stared at me with worried eyes.

“Right now?” His grip on my arm loosened a little, as if he already knew he’d lost this round.

I nodded, and he let me go completely.

“I’d like to spend some time with you. I missed you.”

“Me too.” I nodded quickly, hoping he heard my sincerity. But I wasn’t ready to be what he wanted just yet. I needed to do this first. I needed to give this time to Maddie.

A sad expression passed over his face as he reached out and touched my arm lightly. “Come find me when you’re done.”

Again, I nodded and hesitated before I continued up the stairs on my own, leaving Owen alone in the stairwell. My heart wanted to be with him, to stay there, to accept his comfort. But what it wanted and what it needed were two different things.

I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings as I rushed down the hallway of the correct floor, looking for an empty workroom, so it surprised me when Mitchell rather abruptly stepped out of the room I was walking past.

I nodded a greeting at him, but he didn’t nod back. He pulled the door closed behind him and stepped in front of me, coming to a careful stop.

Eyeing the folder in my arms, he sighed. “Just be careful. Use your head, okay? Not your heart.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It wasn’t a lie. How could he possibly know what I was up to? Maybe he was talking about the work I’d done on the scientist? Either way, I wasn’t interested in wasting brainpower on it at the moment. I had bigger fish to fry.

“Right,” he said, his tone skeptical, almost suspicious. I shrugged him off and sequestered myself in an empty workroom.

Leaning back in the chair, I let exhaustion take me for a moment. It was only about four o’clock, but it felt like midnight after everything I’d been through. Frankly, I was worried Tracy was right, that I wasn’t entirely prepared for whatever the file contained. I might finally be holding the key to Maddie’s death. All I had to do was read.

I glanced at the file in front of me, feeling like Pandora must have as she sat before a certain box. Once I read the contents, I couldn’t unread them, I couldn’t unlearn whatever horrors lay waiting for me inside. Or maybe there was nothing inside. Maybe the file simply contained empty lead after empty lead, with no real answers. Or maybe her death truly had been a senseless accident. What would I do then?

The questions kept coming, so I silenced them by throwing the file open.

Maddison Farland

Born: July 2, 1989

Died: September 21, 2014

Cause of death: Terrorist attack

Suspects involved: Aydin Nascimbeni, Washington Lange, Curtis Kingsley

Headshots of all three men had been clipped right behind Maddie’s. Staring at their faces, I supposed the word “men” was a bit generous. They were probably not much older than I was. In fact, they were each kind of attractive in their own way. Under different circumstances, I might have flirted with boys like them. How had they become killers?

I read on, noticing a hastily scrawled note near the list of suspects.

Amanda?

I read the name again. It couldn’t be her, could it? According to David, she’d disappeared and no one had heard from her since my graduation. The woman I’d known as my aunt couldn’t have been involved in Maddie’s death…

David’s voice echoed in my head: Never assume something isn’t possible. Did she hate me that much? Of course she did. I’d listened to her thoughts all day, every day, for years. But Maddie? How could she do something so horrible to someone like Maddie? She was always kind to my aunt; she’d even gone so far as to make gifts for her on Christmas and her birthday. She was always the first person to remind me to give my “aunt” the benefit of the doubt. I had wanted to believe her, of course, but I’d always known the truth. It was hard to ignore.

Now, even more of that awful truth was staring back at me in messy handwriting, refusing to be disputed. But what role could she have played, really? Had she turned coat and led them right to her? Why her? Why not me?

The file held no answers, so I spent the rest of the day searching the Internet and the Unseen’s databases for the names in Maddie’s file, starting with my “aunt.”

Amanda Day was a bit of a ghost, at least to me. Apparently, I didn’t know her real last name, because I found no relevant search results. At times, it had bugged her that we shared the same last name, as she didn’t care to be mistaken for my mother. According to the story she’d told me, she was my dad’s never-married sister. Her perpetual singleness had confused me when I was younger, but I ultimately decided it made all the sense in the world that no one would want to spend their life with such a negative person. I searched the website of her old employer and found nothing. In fact, I couldn’t even find any record of the accounting firm where she supposedly worked. I knew it existed. I’d been there more than once. How had it just disappeared into thin air? If they’d gone out of business, wouldn’t there be some kind of paper trail? Making a mental note to ask David what he knew about my aunt, I moved on. I made a separate mental note to stop calling her my aunt.

Surprisingly, I found a fair bit of information on the boys. Oddly, the three weren’t geographically close to each other. The one named Aydin lived in Texas, Curtis lived in Illinois, but Washington lived right here in Tallahassee. What were the odds of that? Did he have some connection to me? I stared at his high school picture on the computer screen. He was dark and handsome, and his expression was intensely sultry, as if he’d known women would be looking at the picture.

Finding his address was a simple matter, and despite the fact that it might interfere with the Unseen’s investigation, I knew I had to see him for myself. A glance at my watch told me I’d missed dinner. I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my eyes, groaning.

If the boys were so easy to find, why couldn’t I find anything about Amanda? I wondered what David knew about the investigation of Washington and the other guys. Maybe he could even tell me something about Amanda. Despite our recently tense exchanges, my drive to know more about what happened to Maddie outweighed my pride.

My body cringed when I stood up, complaining after so much sitting. Stretching, I tried to appease my sore muscles and made my way back downstairs.

Mitchell was working out in the gym when I got there, and I groaned at the sight of him. Despite the fact that he wasn’t the lecturing type, I knew he disapproved of whatever he thought I was doing. I had no idea why, and at that moment, I didn’t really care.

Thankfully, he could tell where I was headed based on the angle I took across the gym. He simply nodded at me. I returned the gesture and knocked on David’s door.

It was almost seven, so I didn’t really expect him to still be around. He didn’t sleep at the facility with the rest of us. In fact, I wasn’t sure where he went after “work.” He never hung around and watched movies with the rest of the Unseen, and he never ate meals with us. I figured it was some boss/employee hierarchy thing. He probably just wanted to let the peons have their time together. Don’t make things awkward by having the friendly boss swoop in. Anyway, I could only hope he was still there. I didn’t want to wait until morning to get my questions answered. I had other plans for my day.

To my surprise, he responded to my knock. “Come in.”

“I didn’t think you’d still be here.”

“Someone brought some alarming new information to my attention today. It required further scrutiny.”

I wrinkled my chin and sat down across from him. “Hey David, where do you go when you’re not here? If it’s a rule for us to live here, why don’t you?”

“What makes you think I don’t live here?”

“Because I never see you milling around the facility. You don’t have a room on our floor. And I never see you in the bathroom. Those are all pretty good indications that you don’t stay here.”

He smiled. “All valid points. But I’d rather not say, especially to you. As my daughter, you’re a highly valued target. The less you know, the better.”

“In your worst-case scenario, they’re going to think I know all this anyway. They’ll torture me to death trying to get the information whether I know it or not.”

He frowned. “Maybe.”

“Don’t you think being your daughter should come with some perks instead of so many restrictions?”

A small smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “The office is the entryway to my suite. There’s a hidden panel that opens to my apartment, equipped with my own kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom. I live here too, just like the rest of you.”

“Huh. I’d like to see it sometime,” I said, trying to picture how far back it went.

“Let’s not get carried away. Is that why you came down here? To ask me where I sleep?”

Though I was suddenly curious about whether there were other secret compartments inside the facility, I forced myself to return to the problems at hand. “I want to know about Amanda.”

“You read the file then?” I put it on the desk, and he reached out for it. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for showing it to me. Now, tell me what you know about her.”

“Oddly, nothing. She really has disappeared. My moles tell me she’s joined the other side, which would make sense given the way her entire existence has been erased.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me. The other three in that file were super easy to find. If she were a traitor, wouldn’t she be less protected than them rather than more?”

“Not necessarily. And her level of anonymity tells me she’s stepped into a fairly high position. Of course, this is all just speculation. I can’t set too much stock in the information the moles give to us. They tell me what the Potestas want me to know.”

“Why would she do such a thing?” I hadn’t thought she still possessed the power to hurt me, but if even a small part of what David had said was true, I was horribly wrong. She’d betrayed me in every way possible.

“I think she did it to get back at me for making her…” he hesitated, but said the word anyway, “babysit you for so long.”

“You think this is about you?” It surprised me, as I’d never considered the possibility. Based on what I knew, on what I’d heard from her thoughts, she hated me. I’d never heard a single thought about him. Although, now that I thought about it, that had been probably been a calculated move on her part.

“Of course it is. What did you think?”

“That she hated me so much that she has a vendetta against me.”

He actually laughed out loud. “It’s also possible she doesn’t have a vendetta against either of us. Perhaps she just found herself a very nice position with our competitor, and she’s in a good place to elevate herself further by exploiting us. Or, before we’re too hasty, it’s possible the Potestas have gotten ahold of her and killed her, erasing all traces of her existence.”

I cringed at the thought. She was nothing if not selfish. But I didn’t really want her dead. “It isn’t good, no matter how you slice it.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Silence settled over the room as we each retreated to our own thoughts. Eventually, David spoke up. “All three of the suspects are being monitored closely, as we try to find connections between them, the SunRail, and the Potestas.” He paused, watching me carefully. “Tell me something. The boy, Washington, what are your intentions with him?”

“I’m already dating someone, Daddy.” I’d meant it to sound tongue in cheek. The way he’d phrased the question was so fatherly. But the d-word hung in the air between us, changing the atmosphere in the room.

He let it go and smiled just a little. “You know what I mean.”

Rather than flat-out lie to him, I put off responding.

He sighed. “Please, Mackenzie. Don’t make me regret giving you the file.”

The exhaustion in his voice almost made my resolve waiver.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I plan to spend the day shopping for a new dress for Coda.”

David eyed me. “I want to believe that.”

“You should. It’s the truth.” So much for not lying to him. But it was a brilliant cover, and I mentally patted myself on the back, even if it was a horribly deceitful thing to do.

“Okay, well, enjoy yourself then. I’ll see you at eight sharp on Thursday morning. There’s much to discuss.”

Taking that as my dismissal, I rose. “Okay.” I left his office feeling just as confused as I’d felt going in, except for different reasons.

Thankfully, Mitchell was gone by the time I left, and a glance at my watch told me I’d been in there for less than an hour. Owen would probably be upstairs watching a movie. I felt I should do the courteous thing and at least say hello to him, but I found myself dreading it. All I wanted to do was go to bed. Too many things were at war in my mind. Amanda, Maddie, Washington, Jeppe, the chemical, Owen, Mitchell. Which one was most important? Which one deserved the bulk of my attention?

I shook my head and made my way up to the living room, trying to prepare myself for Owen’s third degree.

As expected, I found Owen draped lazily on the couch near Mitchell. He got up and came over as soon as he spotted me.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again today,” he said, his voice pitched low so he didn’t disturb the movie watchers.

“I just wanted to say goodnight. I’m toast.”

“Mitchell said you went to see David again.”

“I did.” I glanced at our friend, who didn’t bother averting his eyes. I couldn’t be upset with him. It wasn’t a secret. And he obviously wasn’t sorry for telling on me.

“Did you work everything out? Will you be off tomorrow so we can spend some time together?”

That thought hadn’t even occurred to me. I groaned, knowing he wouldn’t be happy with my cover story. But something deep inside me was driving me to seek closure over Maddie’s death, something that went even deeper than my feelings for Owen.

“I do have tomorrow off, but I want to find a dress for Coda.”

His face fell, and I knew I’d hurt him. He was the one person who’d steadily been there for me through everything, which made disappointing him that much worse.

He tried to smile. “Oh. Don’t you think that could wait a little while? I really want to spend some time with you.”

“No. They need me back at work on Thursday. This job is bigger than any of us thought it would be, so I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity. I want to be ready for our big date.” I smiled, hoping it would be enough.

“I’m sure you’ll find something great.” He leaned in and planted a light kiss on my lips, then turned to walk away, trying to hide his disappointment. I grabbed his arm, not wanting to part from him on such terms, even for a few hours.

“Owen, I’m sorry. But I wanted to have at least one new dress for this event. I thought you wanted me to be excited about it. I’ll try to be back after lunch and we can spend the rest of the day together. Okay?” I hoped that would give me enough time to accomplish my undefined goals for the following day.

He perked up a little, but still pouted, probably to get more sympathy out of me. “All right, I guess. And I am glad you’re excited about Coda. I hear it’s kind of a big deal.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Now, take your sad puppy expression and go back to your movie. I’m going to bed.”

“Already?”

“Job? Travel? Exhaustion? Any of this ringing a bell?”

“Oh. Right. Well, have fun tomorrow. I’ll see you after lunch.” He leaned forward and kissed me. The softness of it let me know he forgave me. I trudged back downstairs and gratefully crawled into my bed, trying to put his sad puppy face out of my head.

Owen was a trouble for another day. Tomorrow, I would face a killer.

12

It was early when I pulled up in front of the guy’s apartment. I was hoping to catch him before he left for work. Cursing myself for not having looked up where he worked, I stewed in the parking lot for at least an hour. There was no sight of him. Maybe he was off that day? It was possible I’d already missed him, but when I glanced at my watch, I saw it was only 8:07 am. I didn’t think it was likely he’d left yet unless he worked some seven to seven shift. In which case, I was totally screwed.

I just planned to talk to him. I hadn’t decided if I would call him out or not. The most important thing was to gather information. According to David, the Unseen were watching him closely already, and I didn’t want to interfere… too much. I just wanted to hear for myself if he was responsible. That was all. I hoped it would give me closure, I guess.

Suddenly, he emerged from the building. Dressed in jeans and a brown suede jacket with the collar turned up, he turned and walked east down the sidewalk, his back to me. I scrambled out of the car, almost falling in my haste, and jogged to catch up with him.

Slowing my pace behind him, I allowed some carefully curated thoughts to escape in the hopes of catching his attention.

He’s so cute. I wonder if he has a girlfriend waiting for him. I bet he keeps her warm on these cold nights.

I had just enough time to wipe the smirk from my face before he turned around. “So, you think I’m cute, huh?”

I feigned surprise. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” He moved in close to me, and I looked up at him. His dark hair was cropped short and gelled to stand straight up, and his chocolate eyes were rimmed with criminally long eyelashes. No guy should have lashes that dark and thick. He scrutinized my face from behind them.

“Call it an instinct.”

Playing coy, I smiled and looked away.

“Why don’t we go someplace a little quieter where we can…” He paused. “Get to know each other.”

His smooth moves and confidence made it hard to push down the bile that had climbed into my throat.

Hooking my arm in his, I let him lead me away. It was a nice day outside, if not a little cool. The sun was shining, and a light breeze kept the air around us fresh. It was the perfect day for a walk with an enemy.

I knew the neighborhood fairly well, as it turned out we weren’t all that far from my old apartment. A few turns and street crosses later, we found ourselves in a quiet little café.

“Huh, this place is pretty empty.”

“Just how I like it.”

“I bet it’s not how the owner likes it,” I said. A crowd would have suited me better as well, but I could hardly say that to him.

After we ordered and retrieved our coffees at the counter, we sat across from each other at one of the small, round tables. The rest were empty. “You’re a bit puzzling,” he said, his gaze narrowing on me.

“Why?”

“Most women are full of emotions and questions, not to mention thoughts and opinions about all kinds of things. But you seem very quiet.”

A normal person might have assumed he was calling me an introvert, but I didn’t miss the deeper meaning. I wasn’t letting my thoughts leak through like a normal person would. Panic started to settle in as I tried to take control. If I overdid it now, he’d be suspicious. If he discovered my defenses, I’d be toast.

“I like to practice yoga. It keeps my mind clear.”

He eyed me, clearly still suspicious, and panic thrummed through me. What would he do if he recognized me? After all, the people who killed Maddie did it to get to me. Wouldn’t they have pictures on file, or did David do that good of a job at hiding me?

Desperate, I tried to divert him. “So, what’s a good-looking guy like you doing spontaneously taking a girl out for coffee? Surely you must have obligations. A girlfriend?” I added with a coy quality to my voice, hoping he was the type of guy who was controlled by his ego.

His smile stretched from ear to ear, and I let out a breath, knowing I’d won this round. “No, I don’t date steadily. I prefer to keep things light—flirt a little, have some fun.”

I chuckled to cover up a snort of derision. “And that works?”

“Worked on you.”

“Besides me.”

“Worked great on this girl on the train a few weeks back. She practically threw herself at me.”

I gritted my teeth. “I’m not sure I want all the gritty details of your last conquest.” It was a lie. Of course I wanted to know, it was why I was there, but a casual date wouldn’t react with curiosity.

“She wasn’t exactly a conquest. More of an assignment.”

Knowing all too well what that meant, I asked. “Oh? What happened to her?”

“She… our relationship met with an untimely end.” He never missed a beat. There was a smug smile on his face, like he was actually proud of what he’d done to her. As he took a sip of his mocha-caramel-frappe confection, I realized I hadn’t even touched mine.

“From the look on your face, I’d say you were glad to be rid of her.” It came out through my teeth, and I hoped he didn’t notice the strain. Anger heated my insides—sudden, intense, and agonizing. The arrogance, the conversation, the hungry way he looked at me, it was all too much.

“Let’s just say, getting rid of her did good things for my career.” He paused, looking kind of wistful. “I might even be able to quit my day job soon.”

That was all it took. The rage boiled over inside me, and without thinking, I took control of the situation—and him. We sat for a moment in what he probably thought was companionable silence, when in reality I was making my way past his weak defenses. Soon, I found myself deep inside his fragile mind.

Sipping my coffee, I watched his memories whizz by. I purposely didn’t focus on the SunRail explosion. I didn’t need or want to watch it. As it turned out, Maddie hadn’t been his only victim. Most were men, but he’d killed women too… even a child. What kind of threat could a child have possibly posed? I counted almost a dozen deaths at his hand, and none of the murders had made him feel the smallest amount of guilt. I didn’t even know how to process the information. The visions haunted me, until I could take no more.

“Well, I think our time together is up,” I said, standing up and walking away from the table, knowing he would follow me, willingly or not. We walked a few streets over before coming to a street busy enough to suit my purposes. On the walk, my resolve wavered a bit, but then I remembered how he’d smiled after saying Maddie’s death had done good things for his career. And I could never forget the face of the child whose life he had snuffed out. No, I could not let this man get away. I just couldn’t.

I increased my pace, and he tagged along behind me like some puppy.

Once we were in a busy enough spot, I turned to face him. “Do you know who I am?” Confusion played on his face. “Did you even know who Maddie was, or why you were told to kill her?”

His eyes narrowed, and I could see the struggle on his face, but it was for nothing. I had complete control of him, and he was starting to understand that.

Taking a step toward him, I draped my arms around his neck. To any passersby, we would’ve looked like a normal couple, except I made sure to keep his hands by his sides. I didn’t want him touching me ever again.

“I am Mackenzie Day. A name you’ll never forget.” I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek for effect. And then I turned him around without touching him, and walked him directly into the street.

I’d never been inside a mind as it died before. It was a rather shocking and unpleasant experience, to be honest. The Greyhound bus barreled down on him, with no hope of stopping. The horn blared, and Washington turned to face it, his horror written on his face. He wanted to lift his arms, to shield himself from it, but I wouldn’t let him do even that. I wanted him to take the full force of the bus. I wanted him to watch it barrel down on him without being able to stop it or even jump out of its way. A scream bubbled in his mind, but I didn’t allow it to surface. To an onlooker, he would seem very purposeful. Suicidal. I smiled at the horror I felt in his mind.

Now you know how Maddie felt, I told him as the bus careened toward him, squealing its tires and blaring its horn.

He tried to look at me, but I kept him staring straight at the bus. No. You stupid bitch, you’ll pay for this. No!

The bus came to a screeching halt at least four car lengths from the point of impact. The pain I felt in that moment was excruciating, and I nearly tumbled to the ground.

In the aftermath of the accident, there were cries of shock, pointing fingers, and several people pulling out their phones for 911 calls. I just stood and stared at the back of the bus, feeling nothing. Maybe I was in shock.

Eventually, the pain faded, and I knew he was dead.

In the chaos, I noticed a man on the other side of the street, staring directly at me. But before I could get a good look, Owen was beside me, urging me to leave.

“Come on, Mackenzie,” he said, pulling me along by the elbow.

“What are you doing here?”

“Perhaps a better question is what are you doing here?” He glanced over his shoulder at the place where the man had been. It was empty. “You know what? It doesn’t matter right now. Let’s go.”

Feeling drained suddenly, I relented and let him lead me on a rather winding route back to his car. “Seems like that was the long way around,” I said as he threw me into the passenger’s seat.

Instead of addressing my statement, he asked, “Where did you leave the Unseen’s car?”

I gave him the address and he raced to it, driving rather recklessly around the city streets. “We have to get it before they start investigating.”

“What’s the big deal? To all the witnesses, it looked like he just walked out into the street.”

“But all the witnesses saw you hanging on to him and whispering to him before he did it. They also took in the fact that you didn’t react at all.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

“That doesn’t mean anything. People deal with shock in all different ways. Don’t you want to know who he was? Owen, he was a murderer. He’d killed a lot of people.”

“I don’t care who he was, Mackenzie. I care who you are. Frankly, I’m not sure I like that girl right now.”

Feeling at once deflated, confused by what I’d just done, and still angry, I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying to me. Wasn’t this what the Unseen did?

Folding my arms over my chest like a defeated child, I said, “Well, fine.” It came out more indignant than I’d intended. “What were you doing there anyway?” I asked.

“David asked me to follow you today. He thought you were up to something. I wanted to prove him wrong. Apparently, he won that bet.”

“He had me followed?” I tried to feel violated, but he was right. I certainly had been up to something, even though I’d had no idea how far it would go.

After a few moments of silence, we arrived at Washington’s apartment. Before I could get out of the car, Owen spoke again.

“You were seen.”

“I know I was seen. There were a ton of people milling around.”

“No, you were seen by the Potestas.”

13

I didn’t know what to do with that information, so I said nothing and got out of the car, gratefully taking in the silence and emptiness of my own car. Following Owen back to the facility proved difficult given the way he was driving, but we made it back in record time.

After parking the car in the Unseen’s underground parking garage, I sat there for a moment quietly, thinking about the man on the other side of the road. It must’ve been him. He was the only one who’d seemed out of place. But I’d only seen him for an instant, and I couldn’t remember any of his features. There was no way I’d be able to pick him out of a lineup.

Before I was ready, Owen ended my meditation and hauled me out of the car by the arm.

I spotted Mitchell on our way down to David’s office, but he didn’t say anything. Just looked at me. There was no judgment in his eyes, but no approval either.

Owen slammed me into the chair across from David’s desk. Tracy was already there, mid-conversation with David. Both of them were visibly upset.

“The witnesses are being handled, and I don’t mind telling you, there were a lot of them,” she said.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, rotating my shoulder and trying to work out the ache Owen had left there after jerking me down four flights of stairs.

“Actually, we’re talking about you,” David said.

Owen interjected before he could continue. He paced the small office rapidly, making me dizzy. “You said you weren’t a murderer. You dumped me for being one, even though I’ve never killed someone like that—someone who wasn’t actually a direct threat to me or thousands of other people.” He pointed his finger accusingly at me, but the guilt I should’ve felt eluded me.

“He was a direct threat.”

“To who?” David asked.

“He’d killed people other than Maddie. Lots of people. And a—” I choked on the word, but then cleared my throat and got it out. It had to be said. They had to understand. “A kid. He killed a little kid.”

They were quiet for a bit. “He didn’t even know who Maddie was,” I said, the words coming out of my mouth as if on their own accord. “It was just a job for him. He didn’t seem to know who I was either.”

“They do now!” Owen yelled. “I bet all the Potestas have a pretty little picture of your sick grin as you walked that guy in front of a bus. You were being watched the whole freaking time!”

David held up his hand, and Owen quieted down. I didn’t realize how loud he’d been talking until he stopped. My ears rang a little as David started in on me. “How could you be so reckless?” His tone was low, accusing, and dangerous.

But I wasn’t threatened. I was vindicated, so I held my chin up in response. I’d done the right thing. I’d killed a remorseless killer. Until the moment it happened, I hadn’t even known I was capable of such a thing.

He frowned as he went on. “As members of the Unseen, we must operate with the highest level of discretion. What you did is the complete opposite of that. Had it been a mission, there would have been sweeps of the area to make sure it was free of Potestas. You would’ve been covered. But this…” He trailed off. “This is a mess.”

“And the clean-up procedure will be extensive because of the way you handled it,” Tracy added. “Not to mention the fact that the other suspects in Maddie’s murder are lost causes. The Potestas will know you’re targeting them, and by now, their identities will have been wiped clean.”

Okay. I hadn’t achieved the perfect execution. But I’d still done the right thing. Right?

Before my resolve could waver, I spoke up. “He deserved it.”

David thrust a file at me. It was Washington’s. “You know, if you’d given this to me earlier, it would’ve saved me a lot of work.” I was trying to be funny, but no one laughed.

I flipped it open and started looking through papers. Some of it I already knew—his name, age, address, things like that. But there was new information too. Apparently his “day job,” as he’d put it, was working at Foot Locker as an assistant manager. He also had a younger sister who would be graduating from FSU in two years, and two parents who seemed to dote on them both. I frowned at their latest family portrait. If David was trying to elicit some kind of sympathetic response because the killer had a family, he’d missed his mark.

“What kind of people could raise such a monster?” Shoving the file back to David, I sat back in the chair, trying to contain my revulsion.

“The kind of people who’ve just had their son taken from them, the kind of people who will have a hard time swallowing the fact that he was suicidal and walked out in front of that bus on purpose. That’s what all the witnesses are saying.”

“And the people who had their toddler taken from them? Maddie’s family? What about them?”

“Clearly, I’m not getting through to you,” David said, his frustration evident.

I sighed, feeling tired and sad. “David, I didn’t intend to kill him. I went to his house because I didn’t think I’d ever be at peace if I didn’t confront him. One thing led to another, and I couldn’t stop myself from reading him. Once I saw what was in his mind… I couldn’t let him go, I just couldn’t. He had no regrets, so why should I?”

Owen couldn’t hold on to his tongue anymore. “This is exactly what we were all worried you would do. And you proved us right.” His eyes narrowed. “The worst part is that you aren’t even sorry.” He shook his head and stormed out of the office.

Tracy chuckled shortly.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. Not that long ago, you were obsessively in love with him. I’ve never seen him so angry, so he’s clearly in love with you. A few weeks ago, that little tantrum would’ve had you groveling at his feet. But you’re just sitting there, your chin held high.” She shook her head. “Now, I don’t support groveling of any kind, but the fact that you’re so staunchly standing behind what you did is bothersome, Mackenzie.

“If nothing else, you have made this world much more dangerous for yourself. You had some anonymity before. You obliterated that with your act of revenge. Don’t you care about your own safety?”

“Apparently not.” I agreed with her assertion more than I wanted to. She’d made a good point.

David threw up his hands and threw himself back in his chair. Looking at Tracy, he said, “I don’t even know how to deal with this.” He jabbed a finger at me, and then continued. “How about this? What you’ve done is completely against company policy. You’ve exterminated a human being.”

“A member of the Potestas. The enemy, as you yourself have called them. An enemy who killed at least a dozen people.”

David frowned. “Yes. You’ve found a nice little gray area for yourself, haven’t you? If you think you’re going to go unpunished for what you’ve done, you can think again.”

“I never expected to go unpunished, David.” I put special emphasis on his name. I couldn’t call him Dad. Not now. Maybe not ever, after what I’d done. “I just wanted to get justice for Maddie and the others.”

“And is that really what Maddie would’ve wanted?” Tracy’s tone was quiet. The statement cut through me like a sword through a piece of paper, but she kept on. “You always said what a great person she was, so happy and bubbly all the time. Would she have wanted such an ugly vengeance?”

No. Maddie’s voice echoed in the back of my mind. No. My eyes pleaded with them as I looked from Tracy to David. No. An eye for an eye, right? No. The word pulsed in my brain until I put my hands over my ears and shut my eyes. Pulling my knees up to my face, I created my own personal cocoon in the chair. But Maddie kept talking.

I want you to be happy, she said. That’s all I want.

Soon, I felt Tracy’s hands on my shoulders. I risked opening my eyes a little, and found her mere inches from my face. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for a breakdown right now.” I should’ve known she wasn’t going to be sympathetic.

I looked at David, hoping for support, something, but his expression hadn’t budged.

Feeling alone and unwanted, I looked into David’s disapproving face. Somehow, I still couldn’t bring myself to say I was sorry. I didn’t regret taking that man’s life, but it was hard to forgive myself for dishonoring Maddie and endangering the others.

“Tracy is right. There’s work to do. Today, you will be confined to isolation. Your privileges are being revoked. Tomorrow, you will go back to work. And I mean work. None of this vigilante crap. I need you focused and on top of your game. This is serious, Mackenzie. People’s lives are at stake. A lot of people’s lives. We all believe you can save them, if you can manage to pull it together… if you can manage to put other people above your own personal agenda.”

I had no defense for that, so I let Tracy escort me to the locked room at the very back of the work floor, the one with the cot, sink, and toilet. I was right—it was for prisoners. The front of the cell was equipped with a floor-to-ceiling window that would allow around-the-clock supervision of the prisoner inside—in this case, me. The speaker near the door ensured I could speak with visitors, not that I expected any.

Tracy said nothing as she locked me into the cell. She didn’t have to. The disappointment was plain in her drawn expression, her stiff posture, and the way she looked at me. She’d expected more from me. But I wasn’t sure what. I’d done extraordinary things. Just because I hadn’t done them exactly how they wanted me to…

No. That was a vindictive and self-destructive path to follow. I’d done wrong by Maddie. That was what mattered. Problem was, I had no idea how to make it right. Maddie was dead. It wasn’t like I could apologize to her.

Left alone in the cell, the events of the day finally started to penetrate my state of shock. A man died at my hands, rather horribly.

I lay down on the cot and turned my back to the outside world. Even in death, Maddie was a better friend than I was. Now, I could do nothing but live with that fact.

“Turns out, neither one of us was right, Maddie,” I said to the wall through my tears. “I’m not a savior. I’m nothing but a killer.”

Sometime in the night, I drifted off. It was Mitchell who woke me up with a light knock on the window. He was sitting in a chair he must have dragged from one of the workrooms.

“I was hoping Owen would come by,” I said, wiping my eyes, willing them to focus after so little sleep.

“He’s pretty pissed at you.”

I nodded, not needing to hear more. We sat in silence for a few moments, like we so often did. Except this time, I could feel something hanging in the air, like a strange sort of pressure.

Eager to relieve it, I prompted him. “Why’d you come here, Mitchell?”

He didn’t look at me. Instead, he just kept staring down the long, quiet hallway. I knew him well enough to realize he was deep in thought.

“I didn’t even see them coming.” It came out quietly. So quietly in fact, I almost didn’t hear him. I sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, as if getting closer would help.

“They wrecked me. Not anyone else. I didn’t have anyone else for them to wreck. I was already an orphan by then, through no fault of theirs.” He glanced at me and shrugged.

I’d never heard Mitchell’s story, and had no idea what was prompting him to tell it to me now, but I silently urged him to go on, completely enraptured with his tale.

“But what they did to me… I can’t explain it. They thought I was dead. But I wasn’t. Somehow, by some miracle—or maybe some cosmic joke—I was left alive.”

“They hacked into my mind, tortured me in ways I’ve never been able to tell anyone. Not even David. And then…” He trailed off, his expression distant.

Getting up off the bed, I crossed the room, if for no other reason than to be closer to him. I put my hand against the window right next to him. But he didn’t see. He was in another world, watching his memories.

He blinked and took a deep breath. When he turned to look through the window at me, he didn’t seem startled by my sudden closeness. He simply went on with his story. “At any rate, they made it very difficult for me to differentiate between the world they’d created and reality. Even after David and his people rescued me. I couldn’t enjoy an ice cream sundae without suspecting it wasn’t real.”

“An ice cream sundae?”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at me and shrugged. “They’re my favorite. And the Potestas knew it. They liked to exploit that fact. Frequently.”

Slowly, I sat back, still keeping my hand on the glass, trying to make a connection with the broken person on the other side.

“What they did to me made me so angry. They destroyed the person I was.”

My head snapped up. He was angry too? Everyone always acted like I was the only person in the history of the Unseen to react that way.

“In fact, I was so angry that I went back to the place where they’d tortured me. Years had passed, but I still remembered it like I’d lived there my whole life. Small details stood out to me, like the single, bare lightbulb that hung in the room where they’d tried to break me.”

Silence hung between us for a few beats, so I decided to risk a question. “Mitchell, why? Why did they do that to you?”

“You know, at the time, I didn’t understand. I was an orphan who could read minds. I wasn’t really anything special. My foster families could vouch for that.”

His frankness pulled at my heartstrings. He’d been through so much, yet he was still somehow holding it together. I, on the other hand, was a complete and total wreck.

“When I went back, I asked that very question to the man I found there. At first, he didn’t even remember me. But, after some persuasion, his memory came back. He said they wanted to get to me before the Unseen did. That’s all it was. I asked him why they didn’t recruit me instead. Apparently, they needed talented subjects for their trainees. For them, I was nothing more than a target for shooting practice.”

“It was slow and messy. But I didn’t kill him.” He looked at me then, a sad smile on his face. “I did him one worse than you. I destroyed his mind, leaving him a drooling vegetable. When I walked away, he was nothing but a worthless shell of a body.”

Were he and I really so similar? If so, maybe he could help me find a way out. “Mitchell,” I said quietly. “How did you come back from such a dark place?”

“I didn’t. At least, not right away. I was pleased with what I’d done. Owen wasn’t sure how to handle me at first. He couldn’t understand why I would destroy someone like that. Despite what you thought of him at first, he’s pretty black and white when it comes to killing people. But, he’s still a good friend and a brother in arms, so he tried to be supportive while constantly telling me what I’d done was wrong.

“I didn’t agree for a long time. Years. Only when I managed to let go of my anger did I see the violation I’d made. I hadn’t just killed someone—I’d ruined their life.”

“But—” I started, not sure how I would’ve finished if Mitchell hadn’t interrupted me.

“But nothing. That was the fact of the matter. Every once in a while, I check on him. He’s in an assisted living facility, eating from a tube because his family can’t bear to let him go. One time, I even stopped in to see him. To tell him I was sorry. But I couldn’t do it. The silence coming from the other side of the door was crushing. I’d left nothing untouched, and it showed.”

He sighed, the weight of what he’d done evidenced by his hunched shoulders. “In the end, I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. So I left. I haven’t been back since. That was right before you joined us.”

I scooted back and leaned against the wall, looking in the same direction as Mitchell. Resting my arms on my knees, I looked down the hallway, hoping to reconcile what I’d just learned with my own future.

What kinds of people use an ice cream sundae against you as torture? These are the people who deserve mercy? I thought. But justification wasn’t the right path to follow, and I knew it.

“Boy, I could sure go for an ice cream sundae right about now,” I said, trying to distract myself from the tension around me.

He laughed. “When you get out, I’ll show you what a real sundae is. Homemade caramel sauce like you’ll never get out of a jar.” His smile lit up his face. It gave me hope to think he could still enjoy a thing that had been so terribly used against him.

“It’s a date,” I said. “Hey, Mitch, can I ask you something?” He nodded, so I went on. “How did you know what I was going to do?” He didn’t answer, so I prodded him a little more. “After I got back from my first job, I was carrying Maddie’s folder, not the scientist’s, when I came up here to work. You stopped me in the hall and told me to use caution. How did you know?”

He sighed and scrubbed his face with both hands. Finally, he said, “I’ve been trying to find your… aunt. David is concerned about that particular loose end. I knew David was planning to share the intel we had on Maddie with you, and when I saw you come back from your job with another file, I put two and two together.”

I leaned my head back against the wall. David was working to find answers, if not for Maddie, then for my safety. I’d really blown it.

Mitchell added one more thing before he left me with my thoughts. “I didn’t tell you any of this to make you feel sorry for me, or to tell you you’re not alone or some other BS. I told you so you’d know what the world is like on the other side of this glass. It’s different, now that you’ve killed someone on purpose. But that doesn’t make life unlivable.”

“But… Maddie.” My voice cracked, made unstable by sorrow.

“But nothing. Maddie is dead. If she were still alive, she’d have every right to judge you for what you’d done. But things being what they are, I don’t think she much cares either way. Let it go.”

I cringed at his harsh words, but he didn’t see. He was already walking down the long hallway, leaving me alone to consider the road I’d already walked, and the one that lay before me.

Two paths diverged in a yellow wood. Maddie’s voice echoed in my mind. It seemed ages ago when she’d said that to me. My choices had seemed so much simpler then—one job over another, not one life over another.

“Well,” I said aloud to the room, hoping she’d hear me. “I certainly took the road less traveled.”

In the following silence, I decided to try to get some rest. I didn’t know what the road ahead held for me, but whatever it was, I wanted to be ready.

14

Tracy came to get me in what I assumed was the morning. Without windows or any natural source of light, the Unseen relied on their watches and clocks to separate day from night. I didn’t have my watch, and there was no clock in the cell, so I was sleeping when Tracy showed up. She seemed only slightly irritated at having to wait.

Surprisingly, I’d slept rather well in the cell. I suspected my exhaustion had finally caught up with me and silenced my concerns about my future.

It only took me a few moments to haul myself out of bed and get ready to go with her. I didn’t intend to push her patience by dilly-dallying. She walked me down to David’s office in companionable silence. I really didn’t have anything to say to her right then. Either she understood, or she didn’t. Nothing I could say would change that. I had no idea if what I’d done would change our relationship. I hoped not, but I didn’t have any control over it, and somehow, I’d come to peace with that.

What Mitchell told me the night before had hit home, and I hoped I could take the same peaceful approach with Owen. If he came around and decided he still wanted me in his life, I’d be there in a minute. If not, hopefully I could let him go. The thought made me catch my breath, but I pushed forward as we entered David’s office to receive our assignments.

It surprised me to see Owen sitting in the chair Tracy usually occupied. He stood when Tracy came in, offering it to her, but she grabbed another one from one of the training rooms.

Once we were crowded around his desk, David didn’t waste any time getting started. “Mackenzie.” His sharp tone startled me, forcing me to look straight at him. “I realize it might be a mistake to trust you with the upcoming job, but we don’t have anyone else with the skill to successfully complete it.”

I chanced a glance at Owen, who appeared to be pouting in the chair next to me. His arms were folded across his chest, as if in a defensive posture, and there was a deep frown face as he looked at his feet.

David brought my attention back to him. “There are lives at stake here. A lot of them. We need you to be fully focused on the job. No more of your childish vendetta. No more sulking. Just the job. Expect further restrictions on your privileges when you return. My trust in you has been broken.”

Forcing myself not to act wounded at his description of my behavior—after all, he was right—I tucked in my bottom lip and nodded.

“Fine. Do not disappoint me again, Mackenzie.” The familiar words made me bristle, and his fatherly tone didn’t help. I tried to shake off the feeling of discomfort. He might have been my father, but he’d missed most of my life. I didn’t need his approval or disapproval. All I needed was to do my job.

“So, what’s the job?” I asked, trying to sound confident.

“We’ve had several members of the Unseen working tirelessly to uncover more about Dux Ducis. Owen here is one of them. He’s the one who actually discovered your target.”

He didn’t look up at the mention of his name. I knew because I was still staring at him.

Sensing something brewing, I asked, “If Owen’s the one who found the guy, why isn’t he looking into him? He probably knows the most about him.”

“Because the man is considered highly dangerous. We feel you are best equipped to handle him.”

The words pushed me back in my seat. Was that why he was mad? Did Owen want this job and resent me for taking it? “But I’ve only been here for a few months. Surely, Owen is—”

David cut me off. “If you’re concerned you’re stepping on his toes, that’s not what he’s upset about. We all agree you’re the one for this job. Owen wants to go with you as your safety.”

“Oh.” It was as if all my breath had gone out of my lungs at once. Why would he want to go with me after what I’d done? “But after what I—”

“After what you did, we’re not confident Owen can keep you under control, should something happen. Tracy will accompany you.”

I looked over at Tracy, and she nodded. I chose to take it as an encouraging gesture.

“Back to the target. We’ve uncovered a plot against Coda.”

Of all the ways I’d expected him to finish that sentence, he’d chosen the most unexpected. After all, it wasn’t a major sporting event, a popular rock concert, a cruise ship, or anything like that. It was a highly intellectual gathering only known to those in the classical music community. Why target something like that? It wasn’t like the general public would be directly affected.

“Why Coda?” I asked, trying to make sense of it.

“This year, over twenty thousand people are expected. I think the sheer numbers have attracted the Potestas’ attention. Their motivation behind the attack is less obvious. Perhaps that’s something you will discover.”

Thinking of all the big names in today’s classical musicians, I started to panic. “But some of the greatest musicians in the world will be there. Can you tell the organizers at FSU to cancel the event?”

“I’ve advised them to do so, but so far, they haven’t. They don’t believe we have enough evidence.”

“What do you think the Potestas are planning?”

David took a breath. “Unfortunately, we think they’re going to unleash the latest version of the chemical Dr. Jeppe developed.”

“What?” It came out in an accusing hiss. “You can’t let this happen.”

“No, you can’t let this happen. The man Owen found is thought to have a close connection with Dux Ducis. We need to uncover his identity so that we can do whatever it takes to stop this plot. If we don’t…” He paused and looked straight into my eyes. “If you don’t, tens of thousands of people will die.”

A shudder ran through me as I thought of the screaming chimps. “And they won’t die easily either.”

“No, they won’t. You need to get us as much information as quickly as possible so we can stop that from happening.”

“Fine. When do we leave?” I looked over at Owen, assuming he would be helping Tracy and me on this one.

“Now. You’ll take one of the cars to Atlanta as soon as you’re ready. But Owen and the rest of the research team is staying here to search for further information.”

I frowned, but I knew it wasn’t the time to argue. “I’m ready.”

As we left David’s office, I realized I wasn’t as ready as I thought. Owen hung back, and Tracy went on ahead, catching me between the two of them.

Tracy looked back when I stopped walking. “Go on ahead. I’ll meet you at the car in twenty minutes.” She nodded and left the gym.

Walking back to Owen, I tried to find words to say to him, but they wouldn’t come. I kept hearing Mitchell’s story in my mind. If he could forgive him, he could forgive me, right? But panic clawed at my gut. If I lost Owen… only then did it hit me how grave a loss that would be.

I didn’t look at him when I approached, taking care to watch my feet as they closed the gap between us.

He let out a heavy sigh and folded me into his arms. I collapsed into him, but the words still didn’t come.

“You are the worst kind of impossible.”

“Which kind is that?” I asked, my words muffled by his neck and shoulder.

“The kind that is impossible to understand, impossible to forgive, but impossible not to.” He pulled back and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. The ones I fell in love with what seemed like ages ago. “The kind that’s impossible to be without.”

“Lucky for me,” I said, incredulous that this man had decided I was worthy of him after everything I’d put him through. I had been so quick to turn my back on him for what he’d done. He had every right to do the same to me, but instead, he opened his arms.

He reached for something in his pocket. “I have something for you.” He handed me my iPod.

I took it out and turned it over in my hand, unsure of what it meant.

“I took the liberty of adding the London Symphony Orchestra’s latest recording of Gasbag de la Noot. I thought it might help you concentrate.”

I held it in my hand, not closing my fingers around it. In that moment, a small shift happened in my mind. Maddie was still there, but I allowed all the other emotions, thoughts, and fears I’d been holding back into the forefront of my mind. I allowed Owen all the way back in. I wanted him in my future, I realized—and I actually wanted a future.

I closed my hand tightly around the object. “Thank you,” I said, proud my voice didn’t waver.

“You’re welcome. Now go pack. It’s over four hours to Atlanta, and you’ll need it to read up on this guy.”

I groaned. “Didn’t I just get back from doing this?”

“No. You just got back from your dumb-ass vigilante mission. That was how you decided to use your vacation, so now you don’t get one.”

“Ah,” I said, knowing there’d be more digs like that in my future. Somehow, it didn’t bother me anymore, not now that I knew I’d been forgiven.

Leaning in, I didn’t even think about what I was doing or what would happen if he didn’t respond. All I was doing was saying goodbye to a man who loved me better than I had loved him. Silently, I vowed to change that as I kissed him deeply.

“Good luck,” he said when we finally parted.

I nodded as I walked away, but I hoped we wouldn’t need luck to carry us through the days ahead.

15

Dylan Shields didn’t seem particularly special. Though Owen had done some pretty extensive detective work, he’d found very little information, which was suspicious in and of itself. What we did know was that Shields was a confirmed member of the Potestas with a connection with the University of Michigan. David hoped he was the link between Jeppe and Dux Ducis.

“Do you think this guy is even real? Are you sure he’s not some sort of diversion they’ve cooked up to keep us busy? There aren’t even the most basic facts about him. No birthdate, birthplace, parents, job, social security number, nothing. Do you think he’s maybe a higher up that had his history erased?” I asked, thinking about Amanda. “How on Earth did our people track him to Atlanta, anyway?”

“One of our guys spotted him on some security camera footage. Some scouts we have stationed here confirmed the lead.” She paused as she navigated the busy city streets. “And yes, he could be a diversion, but if so, what are they hiding behind him? We need to know,” Tracy said.

“How can we hunt a diversion?”

“Yes. That part’s tricky.” She didn’t once take her eyes off the road as we drove into downtown Atlanta. “Let’s hope he’s a higher up, then we’ll really have a big score on our hands when we take him out.”

It was shortly after lunchtime, and the research the Unseen had collected about Shields said he was regularly seen walking from Grady Memorial to Hurt Park at five thirty in the afternoon. After that, he seemed to disappear. It made absolutely no sense to me. Did he work at the hospital? If so, why wasn’t there a record of him?

Not having much else to go on, we waited at the park. I grew more and more uneasy. “Tracy, this feels like a trap. There’s nothing to go on. What if they’ve lured us here, lured me here?”

Tracy scanned our immediate surroundings suspiciously, but it wasn’t unusual for her. “That’s true, it could be. To be honest, I wish we’d brought more people with us.”

She glanced at her watch. From a glance at my own, I knew we had about fifteen more minutes before we could expect our guest. “I’ll stake him out first, okay? I’ll just feel him out, try to get an idea of what we’re in for.”

“Sounds good.” I breathed a sigh, relieved she was going to do some reconnaissance for me.

But a few minutes later, I noticed someone off in the distance that I couldn’t hear at all. He was a total void. “Tracy,” I whispered.

“I see him. He’s not alone.”

Sure enough, more and more voids popped up throughout the park. It felt like they were just materializing out of the ground. How had they learned to be so stealthy?

“What should we do?”

“Try not to get killed. That’s our new objective. Forget the target for now. We’re surrounded.”

“Disguise yourself. Let them hear some inane thoughts so they don’t know who you are,” I said.

“What? That doesn’t—”

I cut her off. “Just do it.” They were starting to notice us. More than a few of them were throwing glances our way. There were a total of fifteen Potestas in the park, only three of them women, but there was still no sign of the man we knew as Shields.

Catching the eye of another member of the Potestas, I sent out a thought. Man, it’s gorgeous today. I’m sure glad we decided to take our break out here. Jeez, what is he looking at? I’ll bet he thinks I’m checking him out just because I made eye contact. Men are such pigs.

I hoped the standoffish approach would work with this group. I didn’t want to do anything to provoke a direct interaction—that sort of thing would likely get us caught. Looking back down at the book I’d brought to make it look like I was out there to enjoy the nice day, I risked saying something to Tracy.

“Are you doing it?”

“Yes.” She also kept her face angled toward her magazine, but I knew her well enough to realize she was keeping constant tabs on those around us.

I read the words on the page in my head, making sure everyone around me could hear them. Then I saw him. It broke my train of thought for just an instant, and I glanced around to make sure no one had noticed.

With one eye on Shields and the other on my book, I watched him walk down the path right in front of us. He didn’t seem to be walking toward any specific person, just meandering. Taking a seat at a bench not fifteen yards from us, he ate a sandwich he must’ve picked up on the way over.

It was frustrating not to be able to get into his mind right then, but clearly, this was much bigger than we’d guessed. Fifteen Potestas didn’t gather around for nothing.

For a very tense ten minutes, I watched him eat his sandwich as I absently read my book. I didn’t risk speaking to Tracy again.

Once his last bite was gone, he got up, tossed the wrappings in the trash, and retraced his steps back out of the park, walking right past us yet again.

After he left, the Potestas slowly trickled out after him. It took another ten minutes or so for the last of them to leave the area. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Holy shit,” I said. “Tracy, we need more help.”

She already had her phone out. “I couldn’t agree more,” she said as she typed out a message.

The following day, Owen, Mitchell, Camden, and most of the rest of our division of the Unseen met us for breakfast in the hotel. Tracy reserved a special meeting room for us to eat in, so we could talk freely.

Owen embraced me long and hard, and I squeezed him back, finally letting myself feel how scared I’d been. Hell, I was still scared. We didn’t exchange words; we just looked at each other with gratitude in our eyes.

It took a few minutes for everyone to exchange greetings. We might stand a chance, I thought as people started to settle around the huge, oval table at the center of the room. We had a fair number of mind readers in our army, and there was at least one of us for every Potesta. Owen stayed right by my side as we got some cereal from the buffet that had been set up along the edge of the conference room and took our seats at the table.

“What’s our approach?” Owen asked once everyone was settled.

“The park isn’t very big,” I said through a bite of Froot Loops. “If we all go down there, they’ll notice us, don’t you think? Not to mention, they all saw Tracy and me down there yesterday. They’ll think something is up.”

“Well, you guys have already passed their test because you were able to act like you enjoyed taking your break out there. But you have a point for the rest of us,” Camden said.

“Well, we could take turns milling around the park. Just have a revolving door, so to speak. Plus, you could hide two or three people up in the trees throughout the park,” Owen said.

The wheels turned in my head. “If Tracy and I are out of sight, they won’t know they should be hearing thoughts from us. Right?” A few heads nodded at me. “Tracy, we’re idiots. Why didn’t we do that yesterday?”

She shook her head. “I’m glad we didn’t. This goes deeper than we thought. We needed help. I hope we have enough.”

Mitchell spoke up. “Tracy said you’ve learned an interesting defense technique for keeping the Potestas distracted. She said it saved your lives yesterday.”

“I guess. I kind of assumed it was what you all did to hide yourselves from them. Just let them hear some stupid, normal thoughts. About the last sports game, or some girl you’re dating, or some made-up problem at work. Just make yourself seem normal to distract them. It worked on Washington, and it worked on fifteen Potestas yesterday, so I’d say it’s fairly effective.”

Everyone nodded as they considered the various scenarios we’d laid out for the day ahead. But I still had questions. “If that’s not how you’ve kept yourselves hidden among the Potestas before, how do you normally do it?”

Tracy shrugged as she chewed her bacon. “We didn’t, really. Usually, it’s a race to get in—and out—before we’re noticed. But this technique offers a whole new level of time and safety for us. You saved our skins yesterday, and I imagine your tactics will save many more of us in the years to come.”

We all chewed on our breakfast for a moment, trying to piece together a plan. Finally, I said, “So, how about this? Tracy and I will hide in the trees while the rest of you will mill around, keeping us safe.”

“No. Absolutely not. That’s too dangerous because of the level of relaxation required of the body to enter someone else’s mind. They could fall out and kill themselves,” Owen piped up.

Then, the idea hit me. “What if we tie ourselves up there? We have plenty of time to get into position. If we go down there now, hours before he’s expected, we’ll be golden. You guys would be down there to keep an eye on us.” Excitement at the prospect made me talk faster and faster. I looked up into the faces of my brothers and sisters in arms. “This could work.”

“People will be suspicious of what we’re doing. I’m pretty sure people don’t normally tie each other up in trees,” Mitchell offered.

He was right. “We’ll have to deal with whatever attention we attract. I mean, there’s not too many ways you can tie someone up in a tree without being seen by someone.”

Tracy and I were set up in our trees about two hours later. It took some time to find a hardware store where we could buy rope, hooks sturdy enough to satisfy Owen’s concerns about our safety, and a ladder for those responsible for tying us up there.

In the end, I was glad we were there so early. It was quite a production to get ourselves up in the trees. In fact, we were spotted by a police officer just as Owen was securing the last hook and knot.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Owen froze, but I smiled at her.

“Just setting up for a little game,” I said, easing into her unprotected mind so I could urge her to move on.

“Oh. Well, have fun,” she said and walked away.

“You are just the absolute worst kind of impossible,” Owen said as he leaned in to kiss me. “Good luck. I’ll be milling around down below if you need anything.”

“I’ll see you on the other side of this mess,” I said, already looking forward to completing the mission.

The hours in that tree passed slowly. I kicked myself for not bringing that book I’d pretended to read the day before, anything to keep my mind occupied and make the time pass a little faster. The tree wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to sit for more than a few minutes, let alone six hours.

But the time eventually passed, as it always inevitably does. From behind the tree’s branches, I noticed the same faces come trickling in, but I couldn’t risk signaling any of my fellow Unseen. I could only hope they’d noticed and were doing their jobs. Soon, I was reassured as they started to trickle through the park. The block prevented me from hearing their defensive thoughts, but based on the way the Potestas essentially ignored them, I could tell it was working.

Right on time, Shields took his seat on the bench across from the tree where I was stationed, and I could only hope Tracy had begun her attack. The plan was to let her hack into his mind and make her presence known. This, in theory, would distract him, giving me the chance to get in cleanly and unnoticed. Hopefully, she would simply be pushed out unharmed and I could poke around undetected. But as I sat in the tree, waiting for my turn at Shields, I thought of what Mitchell had told me about these people. They would never just push her out unharmed. Regret and dread settled in, and I wanted to cry out, to do anything and everything I could to keep her safe and protected. But it was too late. I had to focus. There were a lot of lives in my hands. I couldn’t let my panic allow them to slip through my fingers.

I took a deep breath as I counted the seconds, and the five minutes I waited dragged on like an eternity. Then, I pressed my attack.

Immediately, I felt his struggle with Tracy. She wasn’t getting pushed out easily, that was for sure. Lucky for me, she was keeping him so occupied that I slipped right in. His defenses weren’t even active, which puzzled me. I’d thought that, once set up, a person’s defenses were always armed and ready to go. But his were like traps that had already been sprung, perhaps by Tracy? I made a mental note to ask her about it later as I pressed onward.

His mind seemed strangely empty as I began to search it for information. Another tactic of the Potestas, I assumed. Redoubling my efforts, I combed through the darkness until I came across something. It was nothing more than a speck at first. But as I got closer, I knew it was the jackpot, or at least something that would lead me to the jackpot.

Under my focused attention, the speck became clearer and more distinct. It was a model train. Picking it up, I examined it more closely. It was an exact replica of the SunRail—the train on which my best friend had died. My mouth went dry as I peered inside the small windows. I didn’t want to watch Maddie die again. I’d already glazed over it from Washington’s perspective. But I couldn’t stop it. No matter what I did, I couldn’t control what I was seeing.

Washington was sitting next to Maddie, flirting with her. Actually flirting. The rage nearly made me crush the model in my hands. Two other men—both Potestas—had taken up positions next to her and across from her. All of them were engaging her in friendly banter as they waited for the train to start up. Maddie ate up their attention, flirting right back. And who could blame her? They were all very attractive, and I knew from experience that Washington was quite the charmer.

Two of them got up eventually. One excused himself to check something in his bag. Washington said he wanted to go to the restroom before the train left, but he added that he couldn’t wait to come back to Maddie’s beautiful face. She beamed at him, and I wanted to walk him in front of that bus all over again. I watched helplessly as the last man sweet-talked Maddie, and then the train’s explosion blew my heart to pieces.

16

The model train lay in pieces at my feet. The explosion had not harmed me at all. It wasn’t real, at least, not this time. I looked around in the darkness, tears streaming down my face, when something tugged at the back of my mind.

Two men had left the train. The one who stayed had died with Maddie. So whose memory had I just watched?

The sound of someone clapping echoed through the space, but I couldn’t find the source of the noise.

“Well done, Mackenzie.” A man’s voice slithered through the air around me, making my skin crawl.

Folding my arms over my chest and pulling my sweater tight around me, I tried to protect myself from him.

“You are a rare specimen indeed.” I had to resist the urge to cover my ears when he spoke. Was it Shields? I wasn’t sure who else it could be, so by default, I assumed it had to be. “Your skills are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, not even among our most advanced members.” He made a tsking sound. “Too bad we didn’t find you first.”

“You would’ve killed me if you had, considering who I am. Then you never would’ve known I was such a rare specimen,” I spat.

The voice laughed. “I can’t argue that. But I think it’s fair to say that we’ve learned our lesson. We’d like to have you for our side. We believe you would be a very valuable asset. In fact, we’ve been looking for you for quite some time. I had no idea we’d be lucky enough to have you walk right into our latest meeting.”

“A meeting.” I said it as a statement, not a question. “Of course. That’s why so many of you keep gathering here.”

“And yet, you still attempted to get what you came for. Very brave of you.”

“Or stupid,” I said.

The voice chuckled. “A sense of humor to boot. Like I said, you’re a valuable asset.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”

Again, he laughed. “I bet you have.”

The voice was quiet, as if he actually expected me to consider his offer. It was my turn to laugh. “You are all dumber than I thought.”

“Are we?” His tone didn’t seem to show any sign that I’d wounded him.

“I’m not joining you. I’ve seen what that chemical can do, the suffering it would cause. I don’t want any part of it.” By that point, I’d had enough. I tried to break the connection, but alarmingly, I couldn’t. Opening my eyes seemed like a Herculean task. In fact, I had trouble even connecting to my own body. Before my alarm could develop into a full-blown panic, he interrupted my attempts to escape.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” His tone turned dark, making the panic shooting through my body all the more insistent. “Those who are not with us are against us.” Slowly, I perceived the smallest bit of light, a short distance off. I saw Tracy lying in a heap just under the light source.

I ran to her and collapsed by her side. “Tracy,” I whispered. “We have to get out. We’re done here. Let’s go.” But she didn’t respond. Shaking her shoulder, I pleaded with her again. “Come on.”

Just then, the voice started laughing—quietly at first, and then with a maniacal power that made me shake.

Owen and the others. My mind started to race as their faces popped into view. How could I warn them? Tell them the mission had failed? But trying to help might compromise their position. So I just let them flounder? No. I couldn’t just sit idly by, letting them get slaughtered.

Tracy. I may not have been able to find my own body, but Tracy was right here. It blurred the lines between the mind and reality, but I couldn’t get hung up on technicalities. I had to try.

Ignoring the laughter that grew louder with every breath I took, I tried to infiltrate her mind, but I found only fog.

“Tracy?” I called out. “Tracy! You have to warn them. I think we might die, but you can save the rest of them. You have to call out to them. Do it! Now!” I took a deep breath and yelled. “Owen, run!”

But without any warning, I was thrown headlong out of her mind. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on top of Tracy’s crumpled body. I looked more closely at her. She lay on her side, knees drawn up, her blonde hair spilling every which way. Her face seemed peaceful, relaxed, and almost unrecognizable.

“What have you done to her?” I asked the darkness.

“I’ve eliminated her. She wasn’t useful.”

“You what?” My heart pounded in my ears as I turned her onto her back and pressed my ear to her chest, willing there to be a sound. But all I could hear was the man’s laughter.

“Shut up!” I screamed until my voice was hoarse. I began chest compressions on the lifeless image of her body, not knowing how much good it would do, but I couldn’t just let her lie there. Was she still tied to the tree? Had Owen and the others saved her? I could only hope as I pounded on her chest.

“Your efforts are as commendable as they are useless. I’ve commanded her to stop breathing, and so she has.”

“You’re… an… idiot,” I said between compressions. “Do you know how much information she had on the Unseen? You’ve pissed away countless secrets, all in an effort to what? Scare me? Intimidate me? Show me how superior you are and how unworthy the Unseen are?”

He didn’t laugh like I thought he would. But he didn’t bring her back to life either. Instead, he let me sit in silence as I pounded on the chest of my lifeless friend, wondering how I’d come to find myself in this new and terrible version of hell.

17

The voice did not return. I had no way of marking time in the darkness, and even if I did, time passed differently in the mind than it did in the real world.

Tracy’s body hadn’t faded with the voice, and I continued to give her CPR until exhaustion finally overwhelmed me. I gave in to the tears and collapsed on her chest.

“I’m sorry, Tracy. I knew we shouldn’t go in, but it was too late by the time I realized it. I couldn’t stop you without endangering everyone else. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

But her lifeless body had nothing to say. No reprimands. No stop your blubbering—nothing but silence.

I didn’t have anything to cover her with, so I couldn’t shield myself from the reality of her death. Folding her arms over her chest, I tried to make her look comfortable again, at peace. But I knew better. I knew she’d died horribly, and it was my fault. I tried not to think about what Shields might have done to her, how he’d probably tortured her, but the darkness didn’t offer many distractions.

After a time, I found myself wishing the voice would’ve taken her with him. As soon as the thought formed, I regretted it. Once she was gone, I would never see her again. But this wasn’t even her. It was a shell of who she’d once been.

Regret became my companion for a little while, simply because there was no room in my heart for more grief. So I blamed myself. I shouldn’t have agreed to this mission. I wasn’t ready or prepared. I had too many distractions on my mind, too many burdens on my heart. I was too new. Maybe with more training, more skill, I could have succeeded, but I’d ruined everything instead.

Because of me, the Unseen had lost one of their most valuable members. Tracy was the best of the best. What on Earth would we do without her?

Once the questions started, there was no stopping them. How could I have prevented her death? What could I have done differently? The number of Potestas milling around should’ve been a clue that we couldn’t handle the job. But if we couldn’t, who could?

When the answers didn’t come, I got up and ventured away from Tracy. Now that I knew I couldn’t save her, it was time for me to once again search for either a way out or a way into the mind that had trapped me. I struck out in a random direction and just put one foot in front of the other, always keeping the light source at my back. Strangely though, no matter what I did, I couldn’t make much progress in distancing myself from it. I could hear my shoes hitting the floor, so I knew I was walking, but the space between Tracy’s body and me never seemed to grow any larger.

After a while, I gave up and went back to her. Sitting down beside her, I decided a more internal approach might work better. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. What had become of Owen and the others? Did they manage to get out? Did my warning work? What if Owen had been killed right alongside Tracy? What if all the others were gone?

No, I thought, taking another deep breath and making myself lightheaded. Get out. That’s what you need to focus on doing. You’re no use to anyone trapped in this bizarre purgatory. Just concentrate on getting out.

Hoping to shut out the few distractions that surrounded me, I closed my eyes and searched for myself. It was an odd feeling, being so separated from my body. I knew I still existed, that somewhere on Earth I was still breathing, but I didn’t know where, when, or how. I had no idea if I was still tied to that tree in the park, if they’d moved me someplace, or if Owen or one of the others had rescued my body and I was safely back at the facility.

No. I sent out the questions swirling in my mind. But I couldn’t stop the rising desperation that held the peace I sought just out of reach. That was when the if-onlys started to plague me. If only I’d saved Tracy, if only I’d left Owen and the others out of this, if only I’d… what? What else could I have done to prevent this situation? And what could I now do to fix it?

The answers continued to evade me, and, suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts. A voice I’d recognize anywhere. A voice I’d been listening to for over eighteen years.

“Ah, Mackenzie. I’d like to say it’s good to see you again, but I never did much care for you,” Amanda said.

My mouth hung open as a giant image of her was projected against the darkness.

She occupied most of the frame. Her makeup was precisely applied—not too much, just enough to make her look polished. She looked exactly as I remembered her, but there was something in her expression I’d never seen before. Was she happy? What was she happy about? Had she wormed her way into the man’s mind to save me?

Then another question occurred to me. Could I address her directly?”

“Hello…” I trailed off, not sure what to call her. We both knew she wasn’t my aunt. She didn’t respond, so I had no idea if she’d even heard me.

“Perhaps I should explain the… situation before we get into why you’re here. I don’t expect you to understand because honestly, I don’t think you’re capable, but I’ll tell you anyway. I’ve left the Unseen. After squandering my life with them, I was offered a rather high position with the Potestas. Given the amount of inside knowledge I had about you, they were happy to forgive my transgressions and accept me into their ranks.”

Her brown, perfectly styled, shoulder-length hair bobbed as she shrugged. “The Potestas take very good care of me. I have everything I could ever want. And I’m able to use my abilities to their fullest extent. The Potestas can do things the Unseen are too backward to even imagine. Naturally, I was more than happy to join them after the way I’d been treated by the Unseen.”

David was right again, I thought.

Narrowing my eyes at the projection, I walked closer to it, trying to get a feel for what I was seeing. Her image was bigger than life, and as I walked closer, I had to look up to see her face. Was it a recording, or was I watching this live through Shields’ eyes?

She appeared to be inside, but the frame was so entirely filled by her image, I couldn’t discern much else. As she shifted in her seat, I thought I caught a glimpse of something behind her, but I couldn’t tell exactly what.

“Now…” A smile crept across Amanda’s face—a rare expression for her. “I can let you in on a little secret. I think you’re familiar with a gathering called Coda?”

I shifted my weight, growing more and more uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going.

“Of course you are. You always dreamed of going to it. Even had the gall to ask me to fund a little excursion for you and that pathetic friend of yours.”

“Now wait just a minute—” I said, unable to sit silently while she prattled on unchecked.

But she interrupted me, and I still couldn’t tell if I was even being heard. “At any rate, I’m sure you know some of the details of our plan. You know what we’ve allowed you to know—enough to make the Unseen panic, but not enough for them to do anything about it. It’s actually quite entertaining to watch you all scramble.

“But, I’m getting off track. Dux Ducis was a trap, a made-up role played by Dylan here, a few others, and me. That idiot scientist had no idea what Dylan was doing when he planted the defenses, nor did he know Dylan was one of the ones playing Dux Ducis. Not only were we able to control Jeppe with the alias, but the person we created was untraceable, and he led you right where we wanted you.

“Our plans for Coda are merely a test run, you see. Nothing more than a distraction for the Unseen while we plan strategic, global distribution of the chemical we’re calling Zero. I don’t want to give you all the details—after all, the surprise is half the fun—but Zero will help put our organization into the ultimate position of power.”

Strategic, global distribution? Position of power?

As I contemplated what she’d said, the frame panned out, revealing more of the room my former aunt occupied. A person sat just behind her, a woman. A woman who looked a lot like me. Her likeness startled me so much that I choked, halting the tears in their tracks.

Soon, a second projection appeared. It was fuzzy at first, and it blinked in and out a few times before becoming clear. I glanced over at the first projection and saw that my former aunt was taking a seat in front of the woman.

“You, Mackenzie, are going to play a large part in this plot, whether you like it or not.” She smiled again, but it was a wicked smile, full of evil.

I looked again at the woman who was near my former aunt. Suddenly, I realized she was wearing the same outfit my physical body had last worn. In fact, I was still wearing it. That can’t be me… can it?

My eyes darted back to the second projection, struggling to make sense of it. This image was much blurrier, and it continued to blink in and out rapidly. Still, I could make out a seated figure.

Returning my gaze to the original projection, I narrowed in on the mess of dark hair obstructing the face of the mystery woman. I reached up and touched my own messy hair. Desperation overtook me as I frantically glanced back and forth between the two screens, trying to convince myself that what I knew to be true wasn’t.

The original projection panned around, so that its new vantage point was behind my former aunt. “You are our greatest weapon, you see.” She looked at the woman sitting across from her, who was motionless except for the steady rise and fall of her shoulders.

Dread filled my body the way water fills a cup. It rose from the pit of my stomach until I was nearly choking on it as the original screen got closer and closer to the girl—the weapon. I couldn’t look away.

Then my face filled the screen, and no amount of denial would erase it. They had me. They’d captured my body. I railed at the screen, thrashing and tearing at the image, but nothing happened. The terrible truth lay there before me.

Now what did they plan to do with it? As if on cue, my former aunt began explaining my part in their horrible plot.

“That day when you thought you could pull one over on Shields here,” the second projection showed Shields’ face, while the first still showed my own. Slowly, I pieced together what was happening. The first had to be what Shields could see, and the second displayed my own line of vision. “I couldn’t be more pleased. David’s arrogance about your skills played to our advantage. Perhaps if he had waited, let you hone your skills a bit more, let you sort out your… issues, you would’ve been more formidable. But because your focus was so,” she searched for the right word, “divided, we took you easily.”

Shields cleared his throat.

“Well, perhaps easily isn’t the right word. At any rate, you’re ours now. After a carefully choreographed struggle, we allowed the others to escape, but not without damage,” she said through another smile that made another scream tickle the back of my throat as I struggled to keep my mouth shut.

“And now, you will help us defeat the Unseen for good.”

I collapsed to the ground in front of the two projections, unable to bear the weight of the freight train barreling down on me.

“You will be sent back into their facility. You will tell them exactly what we want you to tell them, and in so doing, you’ll help us pull off our attack on Coda, as well as our later, larger attacks. And we will wipe out your little friends while we’re at it. You will get the Unseen in position, and then you will mysteriously disappear to safety. You will be where we want, when we want.”

My former aunt leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her face. “You’re on our side now, Mackenzie, whether you like it or not. And even better, you’ll get to watch your friends die.” Her laughter followed her footsteps as she walked out of the room, and the original projection went dark, leaving me alone with the empty shell of myself.

18

The despair I felt was difficult to describe. It was more than hopelessness.

Looking over at Tracy’s body, I asked, “What do I do? How can I fix this?”

She just lay there like she was sleeping. “Tracy!” I yelled. “People’s lives are at stake here. A lot of people’s lives. What should I do? How could I stop this?”

Silence answered me again. Sighing wearily, I turned away from her lifeless body. “I don’t know either.”

At first, I ran, hoping I could outpace the darkness. But when that didn’t happen, I ran out of steam.

Then I started to walk. I put one foot in front of the other, just to be doing something. My mind alternately was filled with everything and nothing. One moment, it swirled with worries—Owen, David, Mitchell, the Unseen, Coda, and the people of the world—the next, it was totally blank as I wandered aimlessly in the depths of Shields’ mind.

The darkness was odd. There was nothing but blackness all around me, and yet, I could still see myself and where I was walking. It never seemed to change no matter how far I walked. But I never turned back to check on my progress. Really, I didn’t want to know. Besides, I wasn’t trying to escape. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. I wasn’t trying to escape Shields; I was trying to escape myself. I needed to get away, get some peace, so I could figure out what to do next.

After what felt like days of walking, the darkness finally began to lift. The sun rose across a beautiful white sand beach with crystal clear waters lapping gently at its edge. The sound of the waves calmed my despairing mind and drew me closer. I took off my shoes and socks so I could curl my toes in the sugary sand.

I still didn’t turn around. I didn’t need to see the blackness that haunted me. I knew it was there, and although I didn’t understand this unexpected respite I’d found, I couldn’t help but embrace it.

Dipping my foot in the deliciously warm water, I decided to wade in. I didn’t bother taking off my clothes; I just kept walking in until the water closed over my head. Slowly letting the air out of my lungs, I sank to the sandy bottom and sat, letting the current rock me back and forth. I wanted to stay there. Let the ocean take me. End it. At least that way I’d be free, and the others would be safe.

But, defiantly, my lungs demanded air. For a moment, I ignored them, reminding them that this wasn’t real, that they didn’t need air because they had plenty of it wherever the Potestas were keeping me. But eventually, their screaming became louder than the screaming in my mind. Even then, I paused, letting the sound in my head drown out my problems. But instinct finally took over and I broke to the surface, gasping for air.

Reluctantly, I trudged back to the beach, feeling no better than I had before. I’d hoped for some kind of cleansing, some kind of epiphany when I walked into the sea. But there had been nothing. There was no rescue for me.

Dripping wet but not cold, I walked toward the dunes. As I crested them, I saw a beautiful meadow of wildflowers spread out before me. It was at once a lovely and odd juxtaposition of scenery. A clear lake sat quietly off to one side while a huge snowcapped mountain cast a lovely reflection on the water. And there, at the edge of the lake, sat a lovely little log cabin. Longing to rest, I walked through the field of color toward my shelter.

As I got closer, I realized part of the cabin actually extended out over the water. Before going inside, I walked out onto the deck and sat dangling my toes in the water. It was cold, much colder than the ocean I’d just come from, but not uncomfortable. Sitting there, I pleaded for the peace that surrounded me to overtake my mind. When it didn’t, I reluctantly decided to explore.

The interior of the cabin was everything I’d ever wanted in a home without realizing it. The huge entryway opened into a living room area, complete with a baby grand piano. How long had it been since I’d sat at the bench? Too long. I stroked the keys longingly, wondering if I had the courage to play.

Not now, I thought as I looked around the cabin. It had looked small from the outside, but inside, it was spacious. Windows lined almost every wall, providing lovely views of the meadow, the lake, and the mountain. I ventured upstairs and found the bedroom. The bed was huge and inviting with plush bedding and at least a dozen pillows. But before I could collapse into it and let the darkness take me, I walked over to the window. From that vantage point, I could see the gently rolling waves of the beach just beyond the edges of the meadow. It was lovely, odd, and perfect all at the same time.

“What is this place?” I asked aloud.

“It’s your own personal paradise,” the voice answered. After being in silence for so long, the sound startled me.

“My what?” I looked around the room. It was true. Right down to the personal touches. A guitar sat near the bed, and there was a keyboard on the other side of the room. Both looked identical to my own instruments. The walls were decorated with abstract pictures of instruments and framed sheet music. Bold reds and blacks accented the soft white linens on the bed. It was a perfect retreat for me, complete with a to-die-for view.

Was that what had happened? Had I died? But how could this be heaven if that voice was there with me?

“We thought we might as well keep you comfortable during your imprisonment.”

My imprisonment. So I wasn’t free, and I wasn’t dead. I’d accomplished nothing in my wanderings. The rage that had been building inside me since I first saw my own face in that projection finally boiled over.

I picked up the guitar by the neck and swung it, sending the lamp on the bedside table flying. Again and again, I swung the guitar until it was toothpicks. Then I picked up the keyboard and smashed the windows with it, turning next on the beautiful cherry wood dresser and mirror, the bookshelves lining the walls, anything within my line of sight. Seeing a shard of glass, I picked it up and went to work on the bedding, shredding it into ribbons.

As the feathers flew, a picture on the ground caught my eye. The glass in the frame was broken, but the image behind remained untouched. Maddie had her arm around me, and she was giving me a broad smile. I wore an equally joyful expression. The piece of glass fell from my miraculously undamaged hand, and I held the picture tightly. I ran my thumb across Maddie’s face, needing her help, wondering how I’d gotten so lost so fast in her absence. My rage dissolved into sadness, and silent tears coursed their way down my cheeks as I stared at her face.

“And that’s why you’ll never escape. I don’t even have to work to keep you here,” the voice said, chuckling softly. “You’ll do it for me.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, but his laughter drowned out my words.

As it faded, the projection screen returned. It wasn’t Shields’ point of view I was seeing—it was my own. I was walking, rather stiffly, across the parking lot to the facility of the Unseen.

Horrified, I watched as I easily passed through all the facility’s outer security measures and slipped inside. And why not? I belonged there.

It’s begun, I thought. And there’s not a damn thing you can do except watch the world come crashing down around you.

19

As I went deeper and deeper into the facility, I held my breath, knowing I shouldn’t be there, but I was powerless to stop it. I couldn’t control my own body, and in that moment, I realized how terrible Washington’s fate had been.

The voice came back when I made it to the main floor. “Congratulations. You have officially gotten us deeper into enemy territory than any other agent in history.”

“Fuck you,” I said through gritted teeth as I watched myself, glued to the projection.

Across the room, Owen was slouched lazily on the couch, watching a movie. His arm was in a sling, and his face was black and blue in places, but he was alive, as were the others who sat near him. Mitchell and Camden both caught sight of me before Owen did, but they let him greet me first.

He got up, grimacing only slightly, and ran to me. Cinching me to him with his one good arm, he didn’t speak for a few moments as the others gathered around. Owen’s breath was coming in short gasps, and I struggled to hold it together. That’s not me, I wanted to scream. Get away from her! Anything to make him understand the horror that was about to befall him and the others. Instead, I just watched it happen, like a soap opera on television.

As he hugged me, I noticed my body didn’t relax into him like it usually did. I remained stiff as a board as Owen and the others shared an outpouring of emotion.

“What happened?” Owen finally asked me.

“They let me go.” The words were just as robotic as my movements, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Surely, my friends would see through this act.

Owen’s voice brought my attention back to the screen. “What do you mean, they let you go?”

“They let me go,” I repeated in the same robotic tone.

Mitchell stepped forward and took a long look into my eyes. He scrutinized me in a way that sparked a tiny bit of hope. Climbing down off the bed, I moved closer to the projection.

“Mitchell,” I whispered.

His eyes narrowed as he looked right at me on the screen. Frowning, he pulled back and mumbled something into Owen’s ear.

Owen nodded and took the robot’s hand. I looked down at my hand, empty and cold in the destroyed room, and then looked back to the projection half a world away.

Owen led me down to David’s office, with a few of the others in tow. If he noticed any stiffness in my gait, he didn’t comment on it.

Part of me hoped my body would fall down the stairs if it kept walking like that, ending this farce once and for all. That way, none of my friends would have to die. Unfortunately for me, we made it to the bottom.

Owen didn’t even knock before he went into David’s office.

“David. It’s good to see you,” I said in that strange, stiff voice. But it wasn’t me; it was them playing their sadistic little game. He looked up at me from some file he was poring over. His face was haggard, with dark bags under his eyes and a five o’clock shadow that looked more like an eleven o’clock shadow.

“Mackenzie.” It came out like an exhalation as he rushed over and took me in his arms. He’d never hugged me before, and I could tell the robot didn’t respond. I didn’t see my hands go around his neck or torso or anything. I just stood there, letting him hug me.

David didn’t seem to notice. “What happened to you?” he asked as he pulled back and helped me into one of the chairs in front of his desk. He sat on his desk and faced me while Owen took the seat next to mine.

“They let me go.” It sounded exactly the same the third time as it had the first two. There’d been no change in tone or inflection, and the statement hadn’t become any smoother with practice.

“Why?”

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t believe it. They hadn’t worked out even the simplest of cover stories? Or were they having more trouble controlling my body than they’d expected? I wasn’t sure which option to hope for. Either way, the odds seemed to be tipping slightly in my favor.

David leaned forward and looked deep into my eyes. I hoped they appeared as vacant as they actually were. He was my father. He would see, wouldn’t he?

“Mackenzie, the Potestas don’t just let people go. What happened?”

“I don’t remember.” I saw David glance doubtfully at Owen, who frowned in response.

“Owen, how did she get here? Did you see a car? Where did she come from?”

Owen shook his head. “I don’t know. She just appeared in the living room. We were watching a movie, and I looked up to see her standing there as still as a statue.”

“This is ridiculous,” I shouted at the projection. “David! David! Don’t tell her anything! It’s a trap! David! Look at me! Don’t you see?”

“Mackenzie, are you okay?” The robot didn’t respond, so he went further. “Your eye is twitching.”

Apparently, my body must have brought my hand to my eye and rubbed it, because half the screen went dark. My eye twitched, I thought. Had I done that? Could I use it to communicate with them?

“Maybe I can help fill in the gaps for you,” he started. Caught in my snare, I screamed hopelessly and helplessly at David to stop talking, not to tell them anything, but the robot me just kept rubbing my eye.

Yes, keep rubbing that eye, I thought, willing David to notice, but he didn’t.

“We believe Shields was a more formidable foe than we anticipated,” David said.

“Well duh,” I shouted, making the robot take another swipe at her eye.

“Do you need some eye drops or something?” David asked, veering from his story.

Yes! He’s noticing.

But the robot didn’t respond. Apparently, that question was outside her script.

Letting out a tense breath, he continued on with his explanation, adding to my frustration. “He managed to take out Tracy somehow.” He paused, searching my face for a reaction to the news that my friend and colleague had died. The robot gave no such response. He cleared his throat and started to continue, but Owen piped up.

“We could tell something was wrong. Tracy called out for me to run, and then shit hit the fan. The other members of the Potestas who were milling around ambushed us. A bunch of us managed to get away by using your defensive technique. But I couldn’t leave you. Mitchell and I tried to get you down, but they flanked us, ten against two. I told Mitchell to run, and he did, so he managed to get away fairly unscathed. I wasn’t so lucky. But they let me live.”

“Strangely,” David added. “This whole thing is a bit strange.” He circled his desk and sat down heavily in the huge, executive-style chair. “Why kill Tracy and no one else? And it’s not at all like them to let two members of our ranks go free, particularly one as high profile as you, Mackenzie.”

“To be fair, we did get a few good shots in. Camden had no trouble taking out the guy who tried to get him. It was a little comical actually. This puny little white guy ran at him like he thought he was going to best him in hand-to-hand combat or something. Camden clotheslined him, and then tried to take control of his mind. When he didn’t have any luck, he moved on.”

“Camden couldn’t take control of some puny punk?” I asked, but of course, they couldn’t hear me from my prison.

“Your tactics with the Unseen are a bit… primitive,” the voice said.

“So, you are still there,” I said, a smile spreading across my face. The voice went silent again, but I didn’t need him to respond. I knew he was there.

For some reason, that gave me hope. Maybe he knew his little scheme wasn’t working and he was pissed. For as ill equipped as Shields and my former aunt seemed to think the Unseen were, I knew the truth. Someone would notice something was wrong. All I had to do was wait.

“At any rate, while they were busy with me, they must’ve taken you away.” Owen’s voice was quiet and distant. I sensed his guilt, and I wanted so desperately to reach for him, to tell him I was okay, even if I wasn’t. But the betrayer didn’t do any of those things. She simply sat stock-still, looking back and forth between the two men in the office with her.

David picked up the story then. “You were gone for over two weeks. We thought you…” He hesitated, clearly not wanting to say what they’d thought. “Well, at any rate, I’m certainly glad we were wrong.”

“You shouldn’t be,” I said aloud, but only the voice heard me.

“You’re right about that,” it said.

Something about what David had said caught me. Two weeks. I tried to calculate in my head what that meant—what date it had to be—but I was having trouble keeping up.

Then, my own voice, delivered by the robot, interrupted my train of thought. “Coda.”

“Yes,” David responded. “We’ve made very little progress there.”

“They have a mole in the faculty. They will release the chemical called Zero. Find them to stop it.” I was speechless. The betrayer, the robot, was leading them all to their deaths.

“Nooo!” I screamed. “Don’t listen to her! You’ll all die.” The projection cut in and out, as if the robot was blinking rapidly, but David didn’t notice. He was too preoccupied with what the robot had said.

David’s eyes first went wide at the implications of my words, and then narrowed as he thought about it. “How is it that you remember this little tidbit and not what happened to you?”

The betrayer sat there silently and stared back at David. He didn’t look away.

“Good! Keep challenging her, David! Don’t believe a word of it!” I cheered.

“Coda is starting tomorrow, Mackenzie. We don’t have time to research which faculty member might be a mole. We need to save our men for the larger picture. I sense something more is going on here.”

“More than the potential deaths of more than twenty thousand people?” Owen’s voice startled me. “David, we can’t just let them die.”

“It’s Professor Marcia Peterson.” I blanched at betrayer robot’s words.

“How far are you planning to take this? How many people in my life are going to die at your hands?” I asked the voice.

“All of them.”

20

“Professor Peterson? Are you sure? Wasn’t she your mentor?” Owen asked, clearly a little shocked.

“It’s her. Find her and destroy the plot against Coda.” It wasn’t a sentence that should’ve been spoken with such a flat tone. There should have been some force behind it, some passion.

Owen noticed, and he took a long look at the betrayer before turning to David. “What do you think? I can go and nip this in the bud today. You won’t even have to send anyone else.”

“Professor Peterson is more dangerous than you might think. You’ll need back up. How do you expect to remove all the Zero by yourself?” the betrayer asked.

David exhaled. “If Zero, as you call it, is on campus, we are not equipped to remove it. We would call in a team of specialists to clean it up. If we go today, we go with a small group. Our goal would be to gather enough evidence to get the faculty to cancel the event.”

I couldn’t help but feel hopeful; David was skeptical—I knew him well enough to see it on his face.

“What do you mean, if?” Owen asked.

David turned to the robot. “Mackenzie, would you please excuse us? I know you must be exhausted. Why don’t you go relax for a bit? Owen will join you shortly.”

Owen watched the robot closely for a reaction, but evidently, she showed none. She didn’t address either of them as she stood and left the room. I thought she would keep walking all the way to her room, like a good little robot, but she didn’t. She left the door to David’s office the tiniest bit ajar and stood outside listening.

“She’s still there!” I yelled. “Say nothing!” But there was no way for them to hear me. Nor did they seem to notice her lurking there outside the door. They had too much trust in me, it seemed.

“David, if there’s a chance we can stop this, we need to stop it. We’re wasting time debating it! People’s lives are at stake. We can’t just ignore that to save ourselves.”

“And we can’t just send our people to be slaughtered either.”

“We wouldn’t be! We have a name.” Owen was starting to yell. The robot would probably have been able to overhear his half of the conversation even without the door cracked open.

“Owen, have you considered the possibility that they—” he hesitated, taking care with his words, “—changed Mackenzie?”

“What? No. She’s just a little shell shocked.”

“Maybe. But the fact that she doesn’t remember what happened to her, but she does remember rather detailed information about the plot against Coda is too convenient for my taste. It feels like a trap.”

“Yes!” I shouted to the voice. “They’re not as stupid as you’d like to think.” A very self-satisfied grin spread across my face as I folded my arms over my chest.

“You’re absolutely right. It could be a trap.” Owen sat back in his chair. “But if it’s not, tens of thousands of people will die.”

21

The projection became jerky, and I didn’t hear any more of the conversation as the robot was grabbed and roughly thrown into one of the training rooms.

After a few blinks, Mitchell came into focus. Mitchell wasn’t normally forward or aggressive like this. Something was up. I got up and moved closer to the screen, as if that would help me understand what he was thinking.

Whirling around, he shut the door behind him and backed the robot up against the nearest wall.

“Tell me something, Mackenzie.” He placed emphasis on my name. “What makes a good sundae?”

I was practically nose to nose with the projection, willing her to defy him, to give him a wrong answer, anything. But all she did was stare at him, seemingly cowed into silence. But I knew better. The puppeteers didn’t know the answer.

“I don’t know what’s going on yet,” he said, his voice low and threatening. “But I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Everyone is blinded by their happiness to see you. But they’ve done something to you, and I can tell it ain’t good.” He was right in the robot’s face, bracing himself with one hand on either side of her against the wall he had her backed up against. Under different circumstances, an outsider might think he was about to ravish her.

But the robot was remarkably unaffected by his threats. She didn’t flinch when he got in her face, her breathing never quickened, and I was willing to bet her stone-faced expression had not changed.

“I’m watching you. And when I figure out what’s going on, you better hide.” He pounded the wall near her head, but she still didn’t flinch. Then he left her alone in the room.

After a few moments, she calmly exited the training room and went upstairs to her own bedroom.

Mitchell knew. Of course he knew. He knew what it was like to be tortured by the Potestas, what it did to a person. But this was different, and he could tell. And thank God for that.

“What now?” I asked the projection, feeling hopeful. Mitchell would figure it out any minute. Then we could fight this together. I wouldn’t be alone.

“Tomorrow, your love will die,” the voice said, very matter of fact.

“You don’t know that. David might not even let him go.”

“We shall see,” the voice said, leaving an ominous feeling to the air that was hard to ignore.

The robot stared at the ceiling of my room. “Get up,” I said to her. I needed to know what Owen was doing, and yet she refused to move. “Get up, you worthless piece of—”

A knock at her door silenced my swearing.

She got up and went to the door rather stiffly. David was on the other side. “Owen isn’t here with you, is he?”

The robot blinked at him, and I saw David push past the robot and search my room. “Damn it,” he whispered, more to himself than to the robot.

“Where is he?” I called to David. “Where is he?”

David sat on my keyboard’s stool and leaned on his knees. “I told him it was too dangerous to go to the university on his own. I didn’t make the decision lightly. He openly disagreed with me, but I remained adamant. It’s become clear that he went anyway, and he apparently took a few people with him. I don’t know if I should send someone after them, or if it would mean I’m just sending more sheep to the slaughter.”

“Go after him! Bring him back before Coda can happen! I’ll do it myself!” I called out to the projection.

“How gallant of you,” the voice said. If it had a face, I knew it would’ve given me a mocking smile. “Unfortunately for you, you’ll do no such thing. Look around you, Mackenzie. You do as I say. And I say you’re going to watch your friends die. Every last one of them, starting with Owen.”

“How am I supposed to watch Owen die if I’m not there? If he dies at Coda, there will be nothing left of his body. Zero will reduce him to ash, and you know it.”

“A valid point. However, I’m willing to live with that small imperfection.”

Well, I’m not, I thought to myself, knowing I had to find a way out before it was too late.

22

Looking out across the beautiful mountain lake as I sat on the deck of my nightmare dream home, I came to a resolution. I would fight harder. There was nothing to lose by trying.

I took a deep breath as I sat in a chair I hoped never to see again. Closing my eyes, I emptied my mind of everything. All the grief, anger, guilt, and fear that had been my constant companions for months poured out of me until my mind had nothing inside it, nothing but the sound of my breathing. I didn’t think about Owen, Tracy, or even Maddie. Only breathing. In. Out.

The quiet was rather calming for me, and I hated to abandon it so soon, but there was work to be done. So I stretched out my mind and searched for any sign of Shields. At first, it felt like an odd thing to do, like I was one of those Russian dolls or something—a mind lost within a mind, looking for a mind.

Lacking any tangible experience in this arena, I floundered at first, finding no sign of my captor. But I had nothing but time on my hands, so I kept at it. With my eyes closed, I continued to search the darkness. My paradise hell didn’t exist behind the security of my eyelids. Here, there was only darkness, where there was nowhere and everywhere to hide.

The darkness was peaceful in a way I’d never understood before. While I was lost in grieving for Maddie, I’d allowed it to consume me completely. But this was so much more serene. The quiet wasn’t lonely; it was welcome, offering me time to breathe.

I had no idea how long I searched the darkness with my mind. Without watching the projection, I had no way to keep track of the passage of time. It didn’t matter. Not anymore. I operated in a sort of Schrodinger’s Cat world. Owen existed, and at the same time, he didn’t. I wouldn’t know for sure until I freed myself from the box. So that remained my focus—open the box.

Eventually, I realized I was no longer alone in the darkness. I came across a small block. It looked like a child’s wooden building block, with an uppercase letter T on one side and a picture of a toothbrush on the other. Examining it more closely, I noticed the top had a different image, and as I looked at it, the image started to move. It was Shields, standing at the mirror, brushing his teeth. He wore a towel around his waist and leaned close to the mirror to inspect his face as he brushed. His dark, curly hair dripped a little when he ran his free hand through it. And that was all. The memory played again, looking exactly the same as it had the first time.

I held the memory in my hand and looked at it. Such a small building block, I thought as I closed my hand around it and started to squeeze. At first, the corners of the block dug into my hand, but I kept right on squeezing. I could feel the memory starting to give under the pressure, and soon a fine, sawdust-like material started to seep through my fingers and form a small pile at my feet.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” a familiar voice asked me. I knew it was Shields, but he sounded different… almost desperate. The balance of power had shifted.

I ignored him I settled down beside the pile and blew, forever scattering the first of many memories I hoped to destroy. As I scattered the memory dust, the darkness seemed to press in around me, as if it was imploding on itself.

“I will kill you before you finish whatever it is you hope to accomplish,” the voice threatened. If he killed me, it would be over—they would lose their weapon. If he didn’t, I would kill him. Either way, I won.

Silently, I pressed on and found more and more building blocks to destroy. The blocks formed a nice little pile at my feet. Each time I picked one up, two or three new ones appeared in its place.

His memories were odd, unimportant, and scattered all over the timeline of his life, not linear like other memories I’d seen.

I got very excited about one memory in particular, thinking I’d found what I was looking for, but that feeling waned when I started to watch it.

It had a capital P on one side and a lightning bolt on another. Power? I wondered? Potestas?

The memory showed Shields in front of another man, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. It was too muffled, save for a few words I could make out through their mumbling. Things like “Unseen,” “Coda,” and “Dr. Jeppe.” The image became so hazy, I could barely see the two figures through the fog, and I had no hope of understanding the things they were saying. Something important was in there, but it had been deliberately obscured from me.

Frustrated, I threw the memory to the ground and crushed it beneath my foot, ignoring the surrounding darkness as it closed in around me.

“Stop it!” the voice yelled, but it sounded more muted than it had before.

Whether Shields was scrambling his memories to protect himself, or the Potestas had programmed him to protect their own secrets, I wasn’t sure. What I did know was that the method was effective. But if Shields’ mind was built this way, how did he function? How did he remember anything at all?

I pondered their methods as I crushed memory after memory, the darkness closing in on me each time, the voice becoming little more than a whisper as its protests continued.

The task so consumed me, I barely even noticed. I was intent on stopping the Potestas, on preventing them from learning more about the Unseen. More than that, I had to eliminate the threat to Owen, Mitchell, and David—my family. I had to break free so I could find Owen, and then I could concentrate on the other threats. Destroying Shields from within was my best hope.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to his body as I wreaked havoc on his brain. Didn’t the people around him notice something was happening? Maybe he was alone, with no one around to help him. Maybe he was beyond help. I could only hope that was the case.

Finally, I came to his last memory. The darkness was so close, pressing down in on me, making it hard to breathe. I’d stopped watching the memories ages ago, but I was curious about this last memory. So heavily guarded, buried deeply among all the others, it had to be something special. Peering into the block, I found myself in a hospital room. A woman with sweaty, long brown hair lay in the bed with a bundle in her arms. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed down at the sleeping baby. Machines beeped and nurses bustled around, but I barely noticed them. All I saw was the woman and the baby. Shields put one tender hand on the baby, and then leaned in to kiss the woman.

Pulling back in horror, I hesitated with the memory in my hands. This tiny, wooden block was probably all that kept me in the Potestas’ prison. But the image of the baby stayed my hand. He had a family. The knowledge was hard to digest. Did they know his plans for the world? Were they also members of the Potestas? For their sake, I almost hoped they were. Otherwise, they’d be in a lot of danger.

The memory tumbled from my hand at the thought. Whose side was I on? Anger bubbled up inside me. I didn’t want to have to take sides, but if I did, I always and inevitably would choose the side of life.

I reached over and picked the little, wooden block back up, which proved difficult in the tight space. The Unseen didn’t plan to murder thousands and thousands of people. They were trying to save those lives. And so was I.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the baby as I crushed the last memory in my hand, knowing he would never hear me, but hoping he would one day forgive me for killing his father.

As the darkness caved in around me, crushing me, I sent out a silent prayer. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was praying for. My own soul? Owen’s safety? Peace for Mitchell and David? The end of the Potestas? In the end, it was all of the above.

The weight on my spectral body was excruciating. My head felt like it was going to explode, right along with my chest and my arms and legs. I tried to push back, but there was nothing to push back against.

I cried out in fear and pain, and then it was over.

23

I sat up in bed, so drenched in sweat that the sheets were soaked. The room around me was blurry. Blinking a few times did nothing to bring it into focus.

Much to my dismay, no one was sitting at my bedside. The robot had hardly encouraged such attention, but I’d hoped Mitchell wouldn’t leave her unattended. I would have to speak with him about that. And where had David gone? Regretting that I hadn’t witnessed the rest of their conversation, I now had no idea if he’d sent others after Owen. For all I knew, days could have passed.

The room spun as I took my first real steps in weeks. I collapsed a few feet from the door and crawled the rest of the way.

Help. The word kept repeating over and over in my mind, a constant mantra that kept me moving.

Clawing my way to the door handle, I fumbled clumsily with the lock. Of course the robot had locked it. Why wouldn’t she have? She wasn’t one of the Unseen. She was a danger that had lurked among them.

Finally, the lock released and I tumbled out into the hall, dangling from the door handle. I scanned both directions wildly, not trusting what my eyes saw to be reality. Mitchell’s words echoed in my mind: They made it very difficult for me to differentiate between the world they’d created and reality. It left me angry sometimes. They’d destroyed the person I was.

Had the Potestas destroyed the person I was? Then I remembered the things I’d done in my grief—the selfish way I’d pursued my own goals and aims. If they had annihilated my past self, was that such a bad thing?

Shaking my head, I tried to focus, but fear suddenly crippled me. What if I were somehow still in Shields’ mind? Could this be one of the Potestas’ games?

“Shields!” I cried out. “You coward! Talk to me!” As I crawled down the hall, my sweaty hand went out from under me and I smacked my face on the ground.

When there was no sign of the voice—no laughter or snide comments—hysteria bubbled up inside me. “Is this your idea of some kind of joke?” I asked, scanning the empty hall. Where was everyone? Was this just another corridor in Shields’ mind? Was I still trapped inside him after all?

“Is this just a new prison you’ve created? Well, bravo.” I rolled over onto my back, but I couldn’t raise my arms to clap like I intended.

Mitchell’s face materialized within my line of site. It was stricken with suspicion, tempered with the tiniest flash of concern. I frowned at him. “You’re an asshole,” I said to the voice.

“I’m not real fond of you right now either,” Mitchell said as he lifted me into his arms, and then everything went dark.

When I woke up, there was a cool cloth on my head. Mitchell leaned against the far wall, while David sat on the edge of my bed.

Mitchell noticed me stirring first, but he just stared at me, saying nothing. I managed to get David’s attention by bumping him with my leg. He was solid. Warm. Real. He turned toward me.

Sitting up too quickly, I threw myself into his arms. He held me as the worst head rush of my life passed over me. “This is real,” I breathed into his chest.

David held me out at arm’s length and searched my eyes. “Of course this is real. What do you mean?”

I leaned back, but nothing was there to support me, and I ended up flouncing back onto the bed. “Where do I start?” I said in a small voice, managing to prop myself up on my elbows. It was all so confusing. Though I wanted to believe this was real—that I’d truly escaped—it was hard to trust that impulse.

“Mitchell,” I whispered. He would be able to tell me if this was real.

David narrowed his eyes. “Mitchell has not exactly been your best advocate lately. I’m surprised you want to talk to him.”

Hope brought a sliver of a smile to my face as my eyes went to Mitchell. He continued to glare at me. “Is that so?”

“He thinks you aren’t to be trusted, that we shouldn’t discuss sensitive matters in front of you. He even went so far as to suggest we expel you from our ranks.” The conflict played out on my father’s face plainly. I could tell he wasn’t willing to expel the daughter he lost twice. But I could also tell he didn’t fully trust me after whatever Mitchell had said to him—it was obvious from his tone of his voice and the way he’d pulled away from our embrace. It was hard to ignore the fact that he was not touching me in any way anymore.

“He’s right. Or at least, he was.” Both men gaped at me. “Please, Mitchell.”

He approached the bed cautiously. “What do you want?”

“Mitchell, what makes a really good ice cream sundae?” I asked, not even trying to hide the desperation in my voice.

He moved closer to me, his suspicion bordering on hostility. “Why should I tell you?”

David interrupted. “You want to talk about ice cream?”

“I could tell you if you asked me,” I begged, ignoring David. This moment had to be real. It just had to be.

He hesitated, either debating his options or my sincerity. And those mere seconds felt like absolute torture. If I were still in Shields’ mind, he’d taken torture to a whole new level, practically erasing the lines between reality and the prison.

After an eternity, Mitchell finally spoke up. “Fine, then. What makes a really good ice cream sundae, Mac?” he asked as he folded his arms over his chest, confident I wouldn’t answer.

“Homemade caramel.”

His arms dropped and his face lit up. His approach was slow and deliberate, but I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. I imagined the same emotion could be found in my own expression.

“Mac?” he asked as he reached out for me.

“Is this real?” I asked him, tears making it hard to see him, but I refused to blink them away. If I did, he might dissolve into the voice’s laughter.

“It’s real.”

And still the voice didn’t come, and neither did the projection screen. I searched wildly for it in the room, but I came up empty.

“What are you looking for?” David asked.

“The screen. The projection that showed me you.”

“What?” David asked, but Mitchell got quiet, his face turning sad.

“You were in there all along.” Mitchell said it like a statement, not a question.

“Yes.” We sat in knowing silence for a few moments, but then David apparently couldn’t take it anymore.

“Would either of you care to enlighten me on what the hell is going on here?”

After propping a few pillows against the wall behind the bed, I managed to sit all the way up and get myself comfortable. I knew it was going to be a long explanation. Just before I began, a thought occurred to me.

“Where is Owen?”

Their expressions turned sad.

“He’s in the hospital.”

Panic and hope battled for space in my exhausted mind. He was alive, but not well enough to be with me. “How long was I out? I was hoping I’d free myself in time to go to campus and save him.”

“Coda happened two days ago. You have been locked in your room since our last meeting.,” David said with confusion in his voice..

“Just tell me what happened.”

“We didn’t manage to put a stop to Coda. My contact at Homeland Security refused to cancel the event, or even move it to a more secure location, without more evidence. Their initial investigation of Professor Peterson turned up nothing—rightfully so, as it turns out—so they filed it as a false lead.” The scowl on his face did little to hide his frustration.

I tried not to think about his words. Unsuccessful. How many lives had been lost?

“As I understand it, the musicians were never told of the danger. The event went on as planned. Over a thousand people were killed.”

Shock and horror washed over me, but then another thought registered. “Wait, only a thousand?” I asked. The Potestas had hoped for a much larger number of casualties.

“It was still a lot of people.” I thought I heard a hint of frustration in David’s voice. “But Owen and a few other rogue members of our group were able to save most of the people who were there. I still don’t have all the details.”

My heart filled with pride for the man I loved—and also broke for those he hadn’t managed to save.

Looking to Mitchell, I asked, “A few others?”

Mitchell nodded. “I was there. But I got out.”

I nodded, knowing what that meant to him—that he’d gotten out while his best friend was hanging on to life by a thread. He wouldn’t see himself as a hero, only the one who’d escaped unscathed.

“Unfortunately, ISIS is being blamed,” David continued. “They are denying involvement, but their word doesn’t go very far. This could lead to war, Mackenzie, and that may be exactly what the Potestas are hoping for. I’m not sure what their ultimate goal is yet.”

The words the ultimate position of power played in my head, but before I could get them out, David went on.

“The world is reeling, as you can imagine. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how devastated the music industry is by the loss. Many of the world’s top musicians were lost in the attack. There have been dozens of memorials over the last few days, with more to come, I’m sure.”

I slumped at that information. Some of the world’s best musicians had lost their lives, and for what? Tears flowed silently down my cheeks, and I buried my face in my hands as David rested a hand on my leg.

“Would you like to see Owen?”

My head snapped up. There was nothing I wanted more in the whole world than to see him. Touch him. Kiss him.

“Take me to him, now.”

Mitchell helped me out of bed, and we walked over to the stairwell. But instead of going up, toward the garage, we went down.

“Where are we going?”

“To see Owen,” David said simply, as if the answer should be obvious.

“But, isn’t he in the hospital?”

“He’s in our hospital, on site.”

I should’ve known. Of course we had our own hospital. Too many wounded in public hospitals would raise questions, not to mention it would leave our patients vulnerable and exposed.

Many of the Unseen we passed stared at me with open distrust in their eyes.

There are many partially burned bridges to repair, I see. The robot did well.

David continued with his explanation as we walked.

“Owen…” He trailed off, and I held on to Mitchell desperately, both because I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing about Owen’s injuries and because I needed help navigating the stairs. “Owen is lucky to be alive. Quite frankly, I have no idea how he managed it. We haven’t gotten his side of the story yet. He’s been unconscious since he was found.”

“Found?” I asked. How had he not been reduced to ash by the chemical if he’d still been at Coda when it was released?

“I have my own theories about what happened,” David explained. Mitchell looked down the staircase, listening but not commenting, as was his way.

“Let’s hear it.” My voice broke, betraying me.

“I believe Owen tried to talk to Professor Peterson and remove her from the school, but he was mistaken about her being a threat. I can only assume the… robot… provided her name because she was on your mind. As you know, she was a complete dead end. After that, he and the other Unseen who were with him managed to stop the performances on two of the three stages. They evacuated that part of the campus rather effectively by pulling fire alarms and calling in bomb threats—old school, but effective in a pinch. Owen somehow ended up being locked in a secure location by campus security. I don’t know if he was caught pulling an alarm or what. But I believe they were waiting for the police to come get him when the festival was slated to start. Because of his proximity to the site, he had minimal exposure to Zero. Those in his building have had a forty percent survival rate so far. He’s included in that statistic.”

Forty percent. It echoed in my mind. I came so close to losing him.

“Will he wake up?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

“Most likely, yes. He’s in a chemical coma now, while his body heals from the damage.” David paused as he navigated the stairwell.

“Damage?” I asked, picturing him permanently confined to a hospital bed, nothing more than a vegetable for the rest of his life, all because I hadn’t gotten out in time.

“Third-degree burns cover about twenty percent of his body. His neck, left shoulder, and both hands all the way up his arms were severely affected by the chemical. We assume his arms took the brunt of the outer damage because he used them to shield himself. But he also incurred a fair amount of damage to his lungs. The hospital is working hard to repair it, but considering how they’ve never dealt with this chemical before, they’re having a hard time knowing what to do. It’s a trial-and-error process at this point.”

“Will he be functional?”

“Yes,” Mitchell answered firmly without looking at me.

David tried to catch his eye, but Mitchell continued to focus on the stairs.

“The doctors believe he will. He may not run any marathons, but I don’t think he was too fond of running in the first place,” David filled in. “Unless it involved chasing after you.”

A small smile formed on my face in response to David’s remark, but it didn’t feel real. None of it did. “How long will he be…?” I trailed off, not really sure how to complete the sentence.

“Until it’s time,” David answered vaguely. “Are you ready to see him?”

“More than,” I said as we stood at the very bottom of the stairwell.

David touched a seemingly inane panel on the wall. The outline of his hand illuminated, and the floor beneath us slowly lowered, catching me by surprise. Mitchell took my elbow for support, and we went deeper into the depths of the facility.

At the bottom, a sterile room awaited us. It looked remarkably similar to a real hospital. White walls and horrible florescent lights surrounded us, but there weren’t as many beds, and not nearly as many nurses or doctors bustling around. There was no receptionist to receive us, probably because it was assumed we knew where we were going. The technology that lined the walls was astounding. Some screens showed x-rays of various body parts; others showed vital statistics.

“Are those all for Owen?”

“No, he was the most badly hurt, but he’s not the only one down here. Camden will be ready to go back upstairs today, I expect.”

Camden too? The thought threatened to break my heart even more.

We finally arrived at Owen’s room. Though I’d thought I was ready, nothing could’ve prepared me for seeing him that way. He was connected to a dozen tubes and wires. A machine hissed rhythmically as it breathed for him. His neck and arms were covered in white bandages that already had stains seeping through them, but his face looked as I remembered it.

Mitchell led me over to Owen’s good side and sat me in a chair. I stroked Owen’s face and started talking, not sure if he could hear me, but knowing what I needed to say.

“Owen, my love, I’m so sorry.” Leaning forward, I stroked his face, feeling how warm it was. How real.

“We can leave you two alone if you like,” David offered, shifting awkwardly.

“No. Now that we’re all together, I’d like to tell you what happened.” I paused, trying to take strength from the love that surrounded me. These men were all so important to me. Silently, I vowed to never take them for granted again.

“I don’t really know where to start. Going in to get Shields seemed like a good plan, but something went terribly wrong.” My own voice sounded distant to me as I struggled to find words to explain how horribly I’d failed. “It started with Tracy. He got her easily, too easily. Then he trapped me inside my own personal hell.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at Mitchell. I had no idea what they’d done to Mitchell, nor did I want to know. My own personal paradise/hell had been quite enough.

“I watched on some kind of projection screen from the inside of Shields’ mind as Amanda, of all people, explained what they were planning—how they would use me to infiltrate the Unseen’s facility. They had control of my body, although they didn’t use that control as well as they should have.”

I continued stroking Owen’s undamaged face, holding on to this reality with everything I had. It might be broken, but it was real.

“No. I took to thinking of her as a robot. Her movements were so stiff, I had to laugh as I watched her climb the stairs. I thought they’d get me killed just trying to maneuver my body. But, unfortunately, they didn’t. She made it all the way down to your office, David, and I’m afraid of what they’ve learned.”

David sank into a chair behind me. “I um…” He trailed off, a stunned expression on his face. He spoke through his hand over his mouth. “I had hoped I was wrong about Amanda.”

After a long pause, I swallowed and told them the rest. “There’s more. Coda was just a test run, or maybe even a diversion. I don’t really know. In any case, the Potestas intend to use Zero for more attacks. Something about getting into a position of power.”

“How can we stop them?” Mitchell asked, a hint of fear in his voice. He’d lived through the Coda disaster. He had probably been out there helping Owen. Being trapped in Shields’ mind had at least saved me from seeing the devastation of that day firsthand. And yet, the memory of those screaming monkeys came back to me full force, and seeing the evidence of that horrible chemical all over my love’s broken body brought tears to my eyes. The knowledge of the damage that had been done to so very many people made them flow freely down my cheeks.

We couldn’t allow it to happen ever again, let alone on a wider scale. But I had no idea where to begin. I looked to David for answers. Mitchell was staring at him too, I noticed.

“Mackenzie, as soon as you are feeling a little better, we will have a detailed debrief,” David said. “You will tell me everything you know, and I mean every last detail. Something you’ve witnessed will help us.” Although it was a statement, it came out sounding a bit like a prayer.

“There’s one more thing.” Taking a deep breath, I dove in. “I’m sorry. I wanted to say that to all of you.” I looked at the men, each with a different expression on his face. Mitchell seemed understanding, David seemed caught off guard, and Owen…

“I know who the real enemy is now, not to mention the devastation they’re capable of wreaking. I know it’s not about me, or my grief, or the fact that my family was torn apart by these maniacs. More families will be torn apart by them if they’re not stopped.” I thought of Shields’ family, and how I’d just torn them apart, and sighed. “I understand sacrifices will need to be made for the greater good, but I also know my personal vendetta has gotten in my way. It has hindered my ability to serve the Unseen.”

Looking down at Owen’s face, I stroked his forehead with my thumb. His eyes were closed, but he looked anything but peaceful with the huge tube coming unnaturally out of his mouth, held in place by tape on both sides.

“The Potestas have a lot of interesting techniques I don’t believe they’re using to their full potential. I’d like to learn more, and perhaps we can perfect their techniques for use against them. Tracy would’ve wanted that.” I swallowed a hitch in my throat.

Sighing, I let all the questions, doubts, grief, and anger whoosh out of me with one long breath.

“I promise, from now on, I will be undivided.”

24

I wanted to stay by Owen’s side until he woke up, but the nurse shooed me out, saying I needed to eat, sleep, and “for God’s sake, shower.” It gave me a little comfort to think about all the ways I’d be there for him when he woke up—just like he’d been there for me.

Sleep evaded me, but the piano finally summoned me. I found my way to the baby grand for the first time in weeks. Gaspard flowed from my fingers better than ever, as if I’d never taken a break. Yes, I missed a note here and there, but it felt wonderful to be lost in the music again. I wasn’t the same person I’d been the last time I played, but I’d survived. And I’d come out stronger for it.

David and Mitchell, apparently night owls themselves, stopped by once or twice and listened for a bit, but I didn’t stop. I needed the music.

When my fingers finally started to ache, I reluctantly quit, but the music stayed with me.

A woman’s voice interrupted my peace. “That was lovely.” Her voice was calm and soothing, despite the fact I hadn’t known she was there. Based on the sound, I knew she was in the back corner of the library.

I stretched over the top of the piano and spotted her sitting under a soft lamp with some sort of knitting and a ball of yarn. She had long, brown hair and beautiful, chocolate-colored eyes.

“Have we met?” I asked, not sure if the robot had met her, or if she was totally new.

“No. I’m Rebecca. I will be taking over training at this facility.” There was no arrogance in her tone, but her statement made me bristle a little. I didn’t want to train with anyone else.

Sensing my discomfort, she set her project down and walked over. “I knew Tracy well. We trained together as new recruits.” Leaning against the piano, she looked into my eyes with kindness. “I’m deeply saddened by the circumstances that brought me here. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited by the opportunity to work with you.” I couldn’t help but return her smile.

Holding out my hand for her to shake, I said, “It’s nice to meet you, Rebecca. I’m Mackenzie, Mac for short.”

“Let’s hear a little more, hm? I’m not quite ready for bed,” she asked.

So, I cracked my aching fingers and dove in to another round of Gaspard, this time slowing it down, taking care with the notes, measures, and melodies, letting the music fill the room completely.

We had a lot of work ahead of us, and even more lives would be at stake, but in that moment, I knew down deep that we would prevail. I knew it like I knew how to breathe.

After all, I was not alone at the piano, and I no longer felt unforgiven.

Acknowledgments (Unforgiven)

First, thanks be to God, for His glorious gifts to my family and me.  I’ve been afforded the time to write, the money to fund the books, and the ability to craft stories and characters I love.  For these things, and so much more, I am grateful.

Second, thank you so much to my wonderful husband.  You are the logic to my emotion, the rock to my ocean, and I can’t wait to see how far we can go together.

To my team, what can I say?  You guys are freaking amazing.  Jamie, my constant beta, even when she’s off to Europe in like two days, makes time to read my crap.  Where would I be without you?  Angela and Cynthia, my editors, your turd polish is something I need to get the recipe for.  Because when I hand you a steaming pile of you-know-what, I get back solid gold and I love it!  Thank you!  And of course, the amazing designers at Damonza, your covers continue to be works of art.  Hats off to you!

My friends, Mary and Dannie, I love you.  You curse at my failures and toast my victories, even if I just have pop in my glass.  I couldn’t ask for better friends.

And of course, Christian.  You’ve helped me so much with this career change.  Despite the fact that you’re technically my boss, you’re one of my biggest cheerleaders, and will spend hours talking book covers and word count with me.  I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated.

My family, I love you (the mostest).  And Shane, you’re a pain but I’ll make a reader out of you yet.  Seriously, thank you for reading my stuff, and for your genuine support.

This time, I have a few special thanks as well.  Shannon Mayer, I am so lucky to count you among my colleagues, and more importantly, my friends.  Thank you for your continued council and help.  I’m forever in your debt.

And The Literary Connoisseur.  Words cannot express how much I heart you.  Friends, if you’re looking for an awesome book blog, hers is it.  Your passion for the written word is astounding.  Thank you so much for your support.

Lastly, thank you, dear reader.  You’ve sacrificed most of all for this book, your time.  For that, I am deeply grateful.

I’ll see you in September.

—S

Undivided

By: Stephanie Erickson

For Shannon Mayer. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. May the right “readers” always find you, my friend.

One

“The unprecedented attack on London’s British Museum is being called catastrophic. So far, twelve hundred people have died with another thousand unaccounted for. That number could have been much higher, but the day’s low attendance was blamed on poor weather.

“The chemical has also done an unknown amount of damage to the priceless items on display within the museum. Exhibits from Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Australia have all sustained what authorities are calling ‘significant and irreparable damage.’

“Authorities refer to the chemical as ‘Zero,’ and say the survival rate is based solely on proximity. Exposure to Zero shuts down the respiratory and endocrine systems, and those unlucky enough to be close to the toxin’s point of release will die within four minutes of direct contact.

“ISIS is being blamed for the attack. However, the group’s uncharacteristic denial of their involvement is breeding doubt for many politicians looking to point fingers. Normally, the terrorist organization claims responsibility for their attacks almost immediately. But, other politicians, like Department of Defense Secretary Chris Becker, claim there is no normal for terrorist organizations.”

The brightly dressed, middle-aged anchorwoman faded from the screen. She was replaced with an overweight, balding gentleman dressed in a gray suit with a bright blue tie. He stood in front of a podium, clearly at a press conference, camera bulbs flashing on his face occasionally. “ISIS is a terrorist organization. Why should we take their word for anything? Terrorists can’t be trusted.” He shook a finger at the camera as he said it, driving his point home. Beneath his image, he was identified as Department of Defense Secretary Chris Becker.

The anchorwoman’s voice rang out over the image. “Others say placing the blame on ISIS is a political stratagem intended to distract the public from the larger issue of whether or not this attack can be linked to the attack on Coda in Florida a few short weeks ago. There are fears that a new serial terrorist group might be at large.

“Many say the link is irrefutable, since both attacks were made with the same toxin. Others hesitate to make the connection without further evidence.”

The image switched to a video feed of a man dressed in a full police uniform addressing a crowd from a podium. He was identified at the bottom of the screen as Chief Constable George Lindley. “The Ministry of Defense and I are not ready to jump to any conclusions until all the evidence regarding the attack on the London museum is properly analyzed.”

The shot returned to the anchorwoman. “More as we get it. For now, I’m Lila Fox for NBC News Thirteen.”

David muted the television, and we all went quiet. The oval-shaped table we sat around was brand new. Everything was new. We’d been relocated in the days following Coda. The Potestas had learned too much about our facility and how to access it, thanks to me. We’d settled into our new home deep in the mountains of Colorado almost three weeks ago, and I loved it. The crisp air and cooler temperatures were both wins in my book. But the Potestas were giving us no time to relax in our new digs.

“How did the authorities even pick up that term, Zero?” Owen asked via Skype. His voice was almost unrecognizable—an unfortunate side effect of the injuries he’d sustained in Coda. It was deep and raspy, almost like he’d spent sixty years smoking, even though he wasn’t yet thirty. He was still recovering from his other injuries, but luckily for him, our new hospital ward was much nicer than the one at our old facility.

“Someone must have fed it to them.” The comment just slipped out of my mouth. Zero was a term I’d heard the Potestas use while I was caught in their web. As far as I knew, we were the only other people who knew its name. Someone inside had to have told the right people what it was called. Either that or a member of the Potestas was doubling as a member of the authorities. The thought made my skin crawl, but I knew it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

“It’s a troubling thought,” David said, tapping the table in front of him with his finger.

“The Ministry of Mind Reading in London issued a brief statement to us. They said they did get a little bit of intel, tipping them off to the attack, but it was too little, too late.” David paused. “They didn’t put the pieces together fast enough.”

Rebecca, the replacement for Tracy, our fallen instructor, spoke up. “Owen, are you sure there was nothing at Coda marking the chemical? No indication of what it was?”

“Honestly? No. I never found the release device, let alone any canisters of the chemical. I was more concerned with getting people out. A lot of it is kind of a blur.” Shrugging his bandaged shoulder without thinking, he tried to hide a wince. He was sitting up and talking, which was a vast improvement, but he still had a long way to go. I smiled encouragingly at him, but I was seated next to the computer monitor, so he couldn’t see me anyway.

Mitchell was sitting on the other side of the computer, keeping quiet. Rebecca was next to him, while Camden and the others were scattered around the large, oval table. David sat directly across from the computer screen, so he had the best view of Owen. Not all the seats at the table were full, but all the remaining members of our team were there, about twenty of us total.

“From what I learned during my captivity—” I said, choking on the words. I hated to think of the time I’d spent in their power, “—the Potestas are working toward a ‘position of power,’ whatever that means. Knowing how they operate, I’d guess a different member of their ranks is in charge of each attack.” I glanced at the screen behind David, which showed people scrambling in the streets out in front of the museum. “Clearly they’re angling to be a global force. So, what can we do?” I asked.

“We can get to work,” David said.

After our meeting, I made my way across our new facility to see Owen. Whereas our Florida home had been vertically aligned, our new home was horizontal. Built right into a mountain, it was perfectly concealed and very scenic. It was originally intended for a much larger division of Unseen members, but they were sent to Washington after the attack on Coda to bolster our efforts at headquarters.

We were situated deep in the Rocky Mountains, but a subtle tunnel ran from one of the small side roads to the main entrance, allowing us to get in and out as needed. Of course, several layers of security concealed the entrance, and we were located about twenty miles from the nearest town. I preferred to go out another way, through the smaller entrance that opened into the wilderness surrounding the mountain facility. We were inside the tree line, so the forest engulfed us, but it was only a short walk to a beautiful mountain lake that reflected the surrounding range as perfectly as if someone had painted it there.

It reminded me of the mountain lake in the mind prison Dylan Shields constructed for me, but not in a bad way. It was beautiful. Just as Mitchell still enjoyed eating ice cream sundaes after the Potestas had used them to torture his childhood self, I still appreciated our new home’s beauty.

The inside of our new building was totally different from our Florida facility. For one thing, there was a lot more metal, including the walkway I was currently using. Our old home had been coated with thickly laid cement, intended to keep out the water and sand. Here, the builders seemed to have used steel beams and rods to hold the mountain up around us. In some places, they’d even left the rock exposed, and I loved to run my hands along its cool surface as I walked by.

The air was cool and dry inside because of the altitude, and I went through about a gallon of moisturizer a day. But it was a nice feeling, particularly since I was used to the thick humidity of Florida.

Owen hadn’t warmed to our new home the way I had. Of course, he was still in a chemical coma when we left Florida, so when he woke up, the changes were jarring to say the least. Add his injuries to that insult, and his mood was thoroughly sour. But as I breathed in the cool, refreshing air, I felt confident Owen would come to love it as much as I did. He just needed time to adjust.

When I arrived at the hospital wing, I rested my hand against a panel on the wall to be scanned, and the door opened inward, allowing me passage. Although the flooring was made of metal grates, and the walls were literally carved out of the mountainside, the equipment was the same as it had been at home, giving the room a familiar feel.

Staff was sparse down there. Owen was their only patient for the moment, but there were enough beds to treat all of us if something catastrophic happened. I nodded to a nurse who was filling one of the drawers with supplies as I walked toward Owen’s room. I didn’t need to hear what she was thinking to know she was a reader. All employees of the Unseen were.

I knocked on his door, but I didn’t wait for him to respond before I opened it and walked in. No way was I allowing him to stew alone in his crankiness.

Despite being several hundred feet inside a mountain, the room was well lit. They’d used natural bulbs instead of fluorescent lights, which gave it a homier feel, and there was even a plant in the corner, along with some chairs, a state-of-the-art smart TV, and a private bathroom with a spa-like tub that his injuries did not allow him to use. If you ignored the equipment and hospital bed, which gave the room an undeniably sterile feel, it was quite nice.

“Hey,” I said, making my way around to the chair next to his bed. He nodded at me, but he said nothing.

Bandages still covered both his arms and his left shoulder, but his wounds had stopped oozing, so at least they looked clean. And he was sitting up, facing the TV, so that was another step in the right direction. Currently, it was on mute, which was a promising sign that he’d be willing to talk. His beautiful, black hair was greasy and lackluster from going too long without washing, and his face had taken on a yellow hue, but to me, he was more handsome than ever. After all, he’d loved me in my darkest hour, and looking down at him, I knew it wouldn’t be hard to return the favor.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“We have grossly underestimated them. Once we accept that, we can start to move forward.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. But I think David is hoping for a more glass-is-half-full outcome.”

“Then he’s a fool.” Combined with his rough new voice, it came out shockingly cold.

“Owen,” I said, a bit of scolding in my tone. Owen used to consider my father something of a hero, which I’d always struggled to understand, but this level of disrespect swung too far the other way.

Finally, he looked into my eyes. “You know it’s true. They’re attacking, and we’re sitting here doing nothing. Nothing but harboring useless monsters like me and vigilantes like you,” he said.

“Hey. That’s enough.” His comment stung, even if it was deserved. Yes, I had gone after one of my best friend’s killers on my own, but that seemed like such a long time ago now. So much had changed in a few short weeks. I looked at Owen’s bandaged body, at the evidence of all the hurt we’d both suffered, and hoped we’d make it to the other side of this battle without losing any more of ourselves.

“It’s not enough until we start to fight back,” he said.

Where was my positive, patient, and loving man? Damned if I wasn’t going to find him buried under all those bandages. “Well, you know what? I’m starting with you. This attitude stops now. You’ve been nothing but this angry, kinda bratty version of yourself since you woke up, and I’m tired of it. Snap out of it.”

“Well, how would you feel? I thought I was doing the right thing, Mac. I risked my life to save those people, just like we’re supposed to do, and this was the thanks I got.” He held up his bandaged arms and let them fall heavily back to the bed, wincing as they hit.

“Your life was the thanks you got.”

“And was your life any comfort to you when your mind was trapped in the psyche of Dylan Shields?” His tone had a self-righteous note to it that I didn’t like.

“Stop it. Now you’re just being mean. This isn’t you.”

“Don’t tell me what is and isn’t me.” He was being so cold, but I kept reminding myself not to take it personally. He was in mourning. But he hadn’t lost a friend or a loved one. He’d lost himself.

I wanted to take his hand, but the bandages meant I could not even give him that simple comfort. Instead, I rested my hand on his leg. The stony look in his dark eyes told me he wasn’t about to listen, but I had to try. “You don’t know who you are right now. And that’s okay.” He didn’t relax in my grasp, but he didn’t pull away either.

He turned his head away from me, and when he next spoke, his voice was sad and tired. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t. And you don’t understand the things I went through, the things Mitchell went through, or hell, the things Tracy went through. But I’ll tell you what I do know. You were my rock after I lost my best friend. Now my rock has turned into a solitary statue, thinking he can withstand every storm on his own. And who knows, maybe you’re right. After all, if you’re my rock, what am I to you?”

He looked at me then, some of the softness returning. “You don’t need a rock anymore, Mac. And you certainly don’t need a monster. You should find someone else.”

Oddly, his words didn’t hurt me. I knew deep down it was only his grief talking. That was something I understood all too well.

“Who else would tolerate me?” I chuckled. “Who else would tolerate you?” But he didn’t laugh like I hoped he would.

“Well, if you’re going to keep calling yourself a monster, maybe I’ll change your name to Oscar, since you’re such a grouch all the time.” The corner of his mouth lifted just a hair, but it was enough to tell me he was still in there under all that grief and anger.

“Mac, you know they’ll strike again.”

“Mmhmm. But Dr. Jeppe just finished the formula a few months ago. They can’t possibly have it in mass quantities yet. Besides, the Unseen in Washington are hot on their trail. There’s bound to be a breakthrough soon.”

“Don’t underestimate them,” he warned, looking down at his mangled body.

“Owen, that’s not what you did. What happened wasn’t your fault. And if you hadn’t been there, thousands more people would have died. Think of all the families you saved from heartache. Don’t you see how heroic your efforts actually were?”

“I suppose you’re right. But the cost was high.”

“It always is,” I said, thinking of Dylan Shields. In order to save the members of the Unseen, I killed the man who’d imprisoned me in his mind. He had a son—an infant, as far as I could tell.

Knowing he wouldn’t take what I had to say next lightly, I braced myself. “David is anxious to get me back to work, now that you’re…” I hesitated, not wanting to draw attention to his current state. “Doing better. Starting tomorrow, Rebecca and I are going to begin developing some stronger techniques to overcome the Potestas. Do you remember her?” I couldn’t bring myself to say her title out loud. Tracy’s death was still too fresh.

He nodded. “She stopped by once or twice. Seems nice. Left a couple of little stuffed animals around.”

Searching, I quickly spotted her crocheted creations on the table next to his bed. One was Chewbacca, and the other was Jabba the Hut. The thoughtful gesture made me smile. Star Wars was Owen’s all-time favorite movie. “She’s a lot different than Tracy, but I like her. You might also be interested to know Mitchell seems to like her quite a bit.”

“Really?” He couldn’t hide his curiosity, which made me smile. It was good to see him engaged, even if it was over gossip. Our strong, silent friend had taken quite a shining to the bubbly, outgoing woman, and it was the first time I’d seen him express such an interest in anyone. She was his opposite in almost every way, but somehow, they seemed perfect for each other. This was good stuff.

“Mmmhmm. I left them sitting on the couch when I came down here. They were nearly touching.”

He nodded to himself, looking more relaxed. Any other time, he would’ve smiled. Instead, he simply said, “Good.” I accepted his answer, knowing it would have to do for now.

“Anyway, David hopes we can train the others. That way, we’ll be better prepared for the next…” The next what? Attack? Ambush? Mission? Hopefully not the next mistake. “The next time. There are a lot of things we need to work through.”

“Sounds like.” He didn’t hide the sadness in his voice.

“Listen, don’t think you’ll get out of helping us while you’re in here. I’m going to be over here constantly to pick your brain and ask for pointers. You’ve been here longer than me, so you better be ready to contribute.”

He perked up a little, and I thought I saw a flash of the old mischief in his eyes. He held up his bandaged arms. “I’m just an invalid. I need to rest.”

I dramatically rolled my eyes and sighed. Picking up the remote and pointing it at Owen, I said, “This channel is getting boring. How do I change it?”

He snatched it from me and unmuted the television. We watched in companionable silence for a long time, but I didn’t even register what was on. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts about Owen, Zero, Shields, and the Potestas’ quest for power. They’d already proven they were willing to take lives without mercy or apology in pursuit of their goal, and somehow, I was caught up in the middle of it.

As I sat there with Owen, I had no idea what I could or would do about any of it, but unlike the girl I had been, who’d been so lost in mourning for Maddie she could barely function, I knew I would do something. I wouldn’t bury myself in that haze of depression ever again. I would take control of this situation, affect a change, and be Unseen. And Owen would do the same, if I had anything to say about it.

Two

Our new training facility was top of the line, not that we had wanted for anything before. But this was different. All the equipment was brand new, complete with digital screens that measured everything from the efficiency of your workout to caloric burn and heart rate, as well as big screen TVs that broadcasted workout videos and displayed how certain equipment should be used. But the pièce de résistance was an incredible system of holographic trainers. You wore headphones when you exercised with one of them, so only you could hear your trainer, and the hologram could be tailored to meet your needs. You could make it a man or a woman, a drill sergeant or more of a hand holder, whatever your preference. It was odd to walk through the gym and see all the holograms pointing, gesturing, getting in people’s faces, and sometimes even working out alongside them.

Even the training rooms seemed nicer. They were much larger, with digital white boards instead of actual white boards, and plush chairs. These rooms were built for use, unlike the small, cell-like rooms I trained in with Tracy. I found myself actually looking forward to the long days ahead.

A pang of guilt washed over me, and I thought of how excited Tracy would’ve been to see the new facility, and how she and I would’ve put everything to good use. But she wasn’t here, and she never would be again. I’d failed to properly protect her—or myself—in our confrontation with Dylan Shields. I sighed as I crossed the open gym, filled with people who were either lifting weights or working out with a holographic trainer. She wouldn’t have wanted me to mope around. She would’ve wanted me to get to work.

As I put my hand on the door to the training room where I’d arranged to meet Rebecca, I decided that was exactly what I would do.

“I suppose there’s no better place to start than the beginning,” Rebecca said, tucking a strand of long, wavy brown hair behind her ear. “I know Tracy was a bit guarded about her personal life, but you know I don’t operate like that. We’ve spent a fair amount of time together over the past few weeks, but we haven’t shared too many details about ourselves yet. What with the move, Owen’s recovery, and the new attack, there just hasn’t been time to get down to the nitty-gritty of who we are. Now’s the time to change that!” She smiled as she said it, as if the prospect of obliterating this social boundary between us excited her.

“I’m almost thirty, so I’ve been working with The Unseen for over fifteen years—gosh, is that right?” She thought for a moment, looking a bit wistful. “Yeah, it is. Makes me feel old.” She chuckled. “My family died when I was young. Believe it or not, it was of natural causes.” Perhaps in some conversations, this disclaimer would be unusual, but many members of the Unseen had lost family to the Potestas. While the two organizations were both large groups of organized mind readers, the Potestas often worked for their own personal gain, while the Unseen strived for justice as best as they could. As a result, many members of the Unseen had lost their families in the struggles.

“They were older anyway,” she continued. “I was their miracle child—their one and only. Dad went first, and Mom followed not long after. They were both in their seventies, but I was barely a teenager, so I couldn’t cope. The Unseen found me and took me in.

“You know, I met Tracy years ago, in a training meeting. We were learning the latest training techniques and brainstorming methods of sharpening our forces. She was formidable, even then.” She smiled at the memory, and I smiled right along with her. Formidable was the perfect adjective for Tracy. “She kept her distance, but I liked her. Her knowledge and skills were impressive. I knew she had a lot to offer, so I aligned myself with her right away. I could never tell if she found me charming or annoying.”

“Probably both,” I said with a chuckle.

Her smile warmed me, gave me hope somehow. “I don’t mind telling you that I’m very excited about getting to work with the Mackenzie Day. I can’t wait to see what we can teach each other.”

It was refreshing to be around her, energizing even. I found myself sitting forward in my seat, just as excited as she was to get to work. I hadn’t told Owen, not wanting to reinforce his dark mood, but I completely understood his distaste for stagnation. My fingers twitched with the desire to move, to help, to make music of the mind.

“All right, let’s get started. Tell me what they did to trap you in Shields’s mind, what the prison was like, and how you think we can use it to our advantage.”

“I can tell you until I’m blue in the face, but I think it would be better to show you.” If Tracy had taught me one lesson, it was that. And now that I’d been through hell, I wasn’t as frightened of it. I was strong enough to show her what had been done to me without hurting her. I always had been—the difference was that now I knew it.

As soon as I allowed her into my mind, I created a prison for her. Though I had been free of Shields’ prison for weeks now, the idea of it still captivated me, as if holding me in its thrall. I often imagined what a prison of my own creation would be like, and who might occupy it. I never imagined putting my imaginings into practice, particularly not on a friend. But she needed to see what we were up against.

Swallowing hard, I captured her in our own little prison. I tried to make it pleasant, with plenty of crocheting supplies, a lovely view similar to the mountainside we now occupied, and several dashing pictures of Mitchell scattered around. This last detail made me smile to myself.

At first, she didn’t touch anything; she just stood still, her eyes slowly examining her surroundings. Then she started to explore. It was odd for me to be on the other side, watching her, knowing Shields had watched me the same way. The thought gave me the willies. “All right, you get the idea,” I said, ready to stop.

“No, not yet,” she said, her voice distant, like she was deep in thought. She started to walk around, running her hands over the piles of yarn as she went. “This is nice yarn. Very high quality.”

“I thought you’d want the best.”

“Mmm.” Moving over to the windows, she stood there for a moment, taking in the mountain view. She stood there for several moments.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. The projection screens that had been such a huge part of my hell were missing from Rebecca’s prison. While I was in Shields’ mind, those screens had served as my only connection to my body and the outside world. How had they shown those to me?

“I think for you to be able to see the projection screen I saw—the one that showed me what my body was seeing—someone else would have to take control of your body. But I could also see what Shields was seeing on a separate screen. That’s how they showed me they had me.” I let the comment drop off, as I considered how I could show her what I was looking at without freeing her from the prison.

The only method that seemed to make sense was for me to open my eyes. So I did. And it severed our connection less than gracefully.

We both moaned and I doubled over, holding my head in my hands and bracing myself on my knees.

“What happened?” Her question was muffled behind her hands.

“I opened my eyes.”

“Why?” It wasn’t a why-is-the-grass-green kind of why, but more of a why-on-Earth-would-you-do-such-a-thing kind of why.

“Because I was trying to show you what the projection screens looked like. I wanted you to have the full experience, and I figured it could also help us understand what they’d done from the other side. Maybe we can use some of this.”

She nodded. “Maybe.” I could tell by her tone there was more to that maybe. What did she know that I didn’t? But I didn’t push it. She’d voice her mind when she was ready.

“Put me back in the prison,” she said.

“What? Why?” I asked, fairly certain I wasn’t ready to do what she’d requested. My head still ached from our last attempt.

“Because I want to try to find a way out. You can tinker with the projection if you want.” But it was more of an afterthought, something to keep me busy while she did the real work.

I chuckled. “If I want?”

“Well, seems to me like it was a focus and control issue that broke our connection so…abruptly. Everyone could benefit from working on those two things. Give it a go.”

So, we settled in and got back to work.

She wandered around the prison, quietly taking everything in, and I tried to concentrate on focus and control. Twice more, I broke our connection. By midday, we both had raging headaches.

“Do you want to press on? I feel like my nose is going to start bleeding at any moment,” I said, cradling my head in my hands.

“Yes, let’s keep at it. Remember, the pain isn’t real,” she said with a smile on her face.

“That’s a load of BS, and you know it. Every time I touched Tracy’s fence, it shocked the hell out of me.”

“You touched it more than once? Sounds like you’re a pretty slow learner.” She couldn’t even get it out without smiling.

“Fine,” I said, rather indignant. “Let’s just get back to work.”

But the pain in my head was becoming overwhelming. While she just meandered around, concentrating and focusing were becoming more and more difficult because of the pounding. It’s not real, I told myself. It didn’t help. The pounding still kept a rhythm with my heartbeat, but instead of ignoring it, I used it. It was a steady beat, almost like a metronome. Instinctually, I started remembering how Gaspard de la Nuit went, letting my heart sing the tune.

When my eyes came open this time, I managed to hold on to our connection.

“This is a little overwhelming,” Rebecca said in my head. She sat in front of me silently, eyes closed, head bowed, not speaking. And yet, I could hear her voice clearly and feel her moving around inside my prison. I knew exactly what she was doing without closing my eyes, almost as if I existed in two realities at once.

“What part is overwhelming for you?”

“The music, seeing myself sitting in that chair. It’s all really odd.” Her voice was a bit distant, almost as if I’d created space between us by opening my eyes.

“You can hear the music too?”

“Yes. It’s a lovely tune. In fact, it sounds a lot like the one you were playing the night we met. It’s just a bit much at the moment. It would be good for a foe though. Anything to throw them off-guard.”

Watching her body take slow but steady breaths, I grew increasingly unsettled. I didn’t like having her locked away inside my mind.

“Great, another weapon for the enemy. You about done? This is really uncomfortable. It’s like watching you sleep sitting up.”

“I suppose I am dreaming, in a sense,” she said as she continued to run her hands over random objects in the house I’d created for her. “Dreams are nothing more than a different state of consciousness, right? Here I am, active, alive, and well, just not inside my body.

“But what does it take to wake up? Is the only way out of this for me to kill you?” she asked suddenly.

“Don’t get hasty. I can let you out, too.” I’d meant it as a joke, but it wasn’t really funny. “Yes,” I added after letting out an uncomfortable chuckle. “It was the only way I could get out. Maybe someone else could find a more elegant solution, but I was feeling pressed for time.”

“No, no. I’m not criticizing you. I’m just assessing the options.” She baffled me. Tracy never would’ve said such a thing to me. She was always criticizing, always trying to improve, but Rebecca took a totally different approach.

As she walked around her prison, she smiled at a picture of Mitchell before moving on. “These are a nice touch, by the way,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“You know, when Owen and I started dating, everyone knew about it. It bothered me to no end that I didn’t know how to guard my thoughts. But I guess it didn’t matter much; you’re not broadcasting your thoughts, and everyone knows you and Mitchell hit it off.”

Her laugh helped me relax. “No, I suppose it didn’t matter at all,” she said, taking one more look at the picture of Mitchell before setting it back down.

She spent what little time was left in the day unsuccessfully trying to find a way to escape.

When I finally pushed her out at the end of the day, she was shaken. She pushed her chair away from me just a tiny bit, enough for me to feel the larger space between us. “That was a truly terrible experience. I knew it wouldn’t be permanent; it was just weird to be so absolutely trapped. This could be an excellent self-defense mechanism when dealing with an adversary, Mac. You could trap an enemy until reinforcements arrive, or until you get away…” She trailed off, mentally ticking off all possible applications for the tactic.

“Right, but it’s dangerous. If you can’t keep them in the prison, you risk giving them control of your mind or worse. Plus, the concentration it takes to do anything in the real world while keeping someone trapped in your mind is ridiculous.” I paused as I considered the realistic possibilities this technique might have for us. “It’s not perfect.”

“No, nothing is,” she said as she gathered her things. “But it’s a start.” She squeezed my shoulder and left the room.

In the days that followed, Rebecca pushed me in a way Tracy never had. She created fake or unimportant memories for me to destroy, told me how it felt, and then showed me how to do it better. Her method was much more elegant than mine—she almost dissolved them instead of just crushing them and moving on. We practiced control, pushing each other out, reading each other’s thoughts, everything. But I still felt like we were one step behind the Potestas. These were all things they already knew how to do.

While Rebecca and I were sequestered in our own little world, everyone else was buried in research on the Potestas. Our division had been charged with finding as much information as possible to help those in the Unseen’s Washington headquarters. While we worked in the training rooms, Mitchell and the others were scouring the Internet, secure databases, and any other intel they could hack into for everything they could find out about Zero, its location and quantities, where it might be unleashed next, and who would be responsible for doing it.

One day, toward the end of the week, we were sitting in the training room just looking at each other, when a question occurred to me. “What do you typically need on a mission?”

“Well, focus…and sometimes reinforcements.”

“Right. But you don’t always know you need reinforcements until you’re knee deep in it, right?”

“Right…” She trailed off, not quite understanding what I was getting at.

“And reinforcements often take too long to arrive. You’re left to make decisions for yourself on the fly.”

“Yes. Thinking on your feet is an important skill for our agents.”

“But what if we could hear one another and communicate while we’re out on missions?” I stood up and paced around the room as the idea worked itself out in my head.

“Well, that would be very useful. You could have direct access to the researchers for more information, or to David for advice and help. Or you could talk someone through a tight spot.”

“But there would be drawbacks.”

“Like what?” she asked, clearly not ready to stop listing the positives.

“Well, if you were captured, it could theoretically create a direct line for the Potestas to everyone here.”

Her mouth opened, and then shut as she leaned back in her chair, all the excitement draining out of her.

“Now, I don’t think we should abandon the idea entirely. I just think we need to come up with a failsafe—a way to hide or defend the connection in the event of danger. Much like the way we protect our own minds.”

“All missions are dangerous, Mac. Every time we leave the compound, we risk getting caught.”

I nodded. “All the more reason to have as many reinforcements as possible, don’t you think?”

That night, I rushed to the hospital wing to see Owen, excited to share my idea with him. I’d been to see him every night, but I felt different tonight. No amount of his gloom could bring me down.

I bounded into his room and started in immediately. “What do you think of this idea? What if we were able to communicate internally even when we weren’t in the same room, when we were out on assignment, say?”

He thought for a moment, and I felt heartened by the fact he was actually considering my question. “Well, I’d say that would be a pretty helpful skill. Particularly since it seems like I’m never going to get out of this hospital bed for any respectable length of time. I fear I may melt and meld with the bed.”

“Then you really would be a Sesame Street monster. I’m pretty sure Bert and Ernie had a talking bed at one point.”

Instead of laughing, he morosely stared at the ceiling. “Hey, I heard they were going to let you go up to your room soon,” I said, changing gears. “What happened to that?”

“Soon. That’s what happened. They won’t give me a date. They won’t say if soon means tomorrow or next week. I’m sick of being in here. I want out. I want to work with you guys. I want to be part of this.”

His frustration was plain on his face, and I think if he could have reached for something, he would’ve thrown it.

I sighed. “Owen, you have a long, hard road ahead of you. Why are you so eager to start walking on it, when you should be resting and building up your strength for the journey?”

“Isn’t that poetic?” The contempt in his voice stung, and it must’ve shown on my face, because he softened a bit. “The sooner I start walking the road, the sooner I come out on the other side. That’s all.”

I moved to his bedside and sat down. “That’s probably true. But the stronger you are, the further you’ll be able to walk. Please,” I begged. “Anyway, just yesterday, you were whining about therapy being too much work. Sounds like your taskmaster nurse won’t let you ‘meld with the bed,’ if you ask me.”

He chuckled a little, and the sound made my heart sing. “She must’ve taken a page from Tracey’s book. She’s merciless.”

“It’s good for you. Builds character,” I said, wanting to take his hand but still unsure if I could touch his brand-new skin. Instead, I rested my hand near his, so our fingers—his peeking out of his bandages—barely touched. He’d been doing therapy in some form since before he woke up. At first, it was just the nurse moving his body around. But now, they were making him move himself, walk, lift things, pushing him to his limits every day, but on a much more basic—and frustrating—level than what Rebecca and I were doing.

He was quiet for a moment. “The world is collapsing to chaos around us. And I can barely get my pants down to go to the bathroom by myself.” I knew he was talking about the attack at the British Museum. The last of the memorials had been held, and ISIS still refused to take responsibility. The media’s resolve that ISIS was responsible was starting to crumble, but no one else was stepping forward to claim it. Half the general public’s panic was a result of a very understandable fear of the unknown. Of course, we knew who was responsible, and worse, that they’d strike again before this was over, which didn’t help me rest any easier than the average Joe.

“Owen, this is talk for another day. A day when there aren’t so many other things to worry about.”

“There will always be other things to worry about. Why shouldn’t we worry about the lives of thousands of people today? Just because I’m lying in a hospital bed with injuries from the very chemical the Potestas are using to attack innocent people?”

“I just meant that there are other people who are dealing with this situation. Today, you’re not one of them. Maybe you will be tomorrow, but for now, this isn’t your concern.”

That turned his mood even darker. “It should be my concern. Of everyone here, I know firsthand what Zero can do. I should be helping to stop it.” He paused for a moment, considering what to say. “Mackenzie, this is bigger than you or me. I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but this toxin could be used to end the world as we know it. They’re going to need every one of us to stop it. This is no time for me to act like an invalid. Every second counts in this battle. I should be helping.”

“You are. You will. You’ve been included in all the meetings via Skype. Please be content with helping us in that capacity until you can help yourself. You need to concentrate your energy on your recovery, instead of focusing on all the bad things in life,” I begged. His mood was starting to worry me. “Seriously Owen, soon is better than never. And soon, you’ll be out of here and back in action.”

“Soon might as well be never,” he muttered, but even though I understood his frustration, I ignored him. Honestly, I didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t sure how to help him. All I could do was hope.

On my way back to my room, I found Mitchell watching TV with Rebecca. They were sitting on the couch together, their legs just barely touching. I smiled to myself and cleared my throat. “Mitchell. A word?”

Rebecca smiled as he got up, and the complete adoration I saw in her eyes made it even more difficult to hide a grin of my own.

We maneuvered the main walkway to the secondary door, then went out and sat near the edge of the lake. It took the better part of three minutes to make our way outside, but we didn’t speak.

The night sky was filled with thousands of stars, more than I’d ever seen when I lived in Florida. Light pollution there made it impossible to see so many systems. But in the shadow of the mountains around us, stars shone so brightly it seemed like I could reach up and grab a handful of them.

Taking a deep breath, I told Mitchell what was on my mind. “I’m worried about Owen.”

“Mmhmm,” he said, looking out over the water as he picked at a long piece of grass.

“I think his attitude is hurting his recovery.”

“Agreed.”

“What can we do?” I asked, not considering for a moment that the man next to me wouldn’t have an answer. He knew Owen like a brother. He would know how to help.

“Nothing, really. He’ll come out of it on his own, when he’s ready.”

“But what if he doesn’t?”

“And he goes on a killing rampage?” He looked sidelong at me, and I smacked him. Regardless of whether or not what I’d done to Washington had been right, or just, I’d never live it down.

“Well!” I said with a hint of indignation.

“We both came through our ordeals okay. He will too. Just give him time.” He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants, but I wasn’t quite ready. The man I loved was hurting. I couldn’t just sit idly by while he wasted away.

“With everything that’s going on, I’m not sure he’ll get the time he needs.” Owen was right. The Potestas were on the move, and it was only a matter of time before their real intentions were revealed.

“Well, maybe that’ll be the kick in the pants he needs, hmm?” He held his hand out to me and hoisted me onto my feet. Apparently, we were done talking, whether I liked it or not.

“He’s already had a pretty good kick in the pants,” I said, almost under my breath. We were quiet as we made our way back to the door, so I wasn’t sure he’d heard me.

He came to a stop on the path and turned to face me. “Listen, Owen is wired differently than you and me. Even though his whole family died around him, he wasn’t bitter. He’s…” He trailed off.

“He’s more forgiving,” I filled in. I had reason to know. Considering the self-righteous way I’d acted after discovering the Unseen’s true purpose—that we existed to wipe out terrorists before they could carry out their murderous plots—Owen had forgiven me rather quickly for taking justice into my own hands with one of Maddie’s killers.

Mitchell nodded as we went back inside. “He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

I followed him back into the living room, where Rebecca welcomed him with a glowing smile, and I couldn’t help but notice the glimmer in his eyes as he reclaimed his seat next to her.

He’d been broken once, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him. That could happen for Owen too. And it would. Soon, I hoped.

In the meantime, all I had to do was find a way to save the world from Zero. The weight of it made me hunch over a little as I made my way to my room.

“Sure. No problem. Just save the world,” I said as I leaned on the inside of my bedroom door, in the middle of a mountain, where no one could hear me.

Three

Rebecca and I worked through the weekend, trying to establish a strong, stable connection between us that would not sever at a distance. It was frustrating at first. She could hear me, and I could hear her just fine, but as soon as we got out of range, it was over. And our range was frustratingly short. Only a few yards if we couldn’t see each other, further if we could. But the whole point was to be able to do it over thousands of miles.

By Sunday night, we were both feeling a little defeated. We sat in the training room in silence, each staring off into our own world.

I was so burned out from the last forty-eight hours, I wasn’t really thinking about anything at all. But still, I reached out lazily for nothing in particular. It was then I noticed Rebecca’s mind was recognizable, unique. Her mind had a signature, so to speak. It felt warm and bubbly. It packed everything that made her her into this tiny little ball of light, feeling, and energy. What would happen if I hung on to that signature as I moved farther away from her?

Hey, I thought as I stood up.

Hey yourself. Where ya going?

Just roll with me.

You got it, especially if it means I get to stay here. She leaned back in her chair and rested her head against the wall.

Don’t fall asleep!

You’re quite the taskmaster. She gave me a wink as I walked out of the training room and closed the door behind me.

I walked all the way across the floor before I tried to speak to her. But I knew it would work, because I could still feel her. Her signature stood out to me now.

Still there?

Yeah, where are you? she asked

Heading toward the kitchen.

You’ve done it!

Maybe. I didn’t want to jump the gun, so I kept walking. I wasn’t sure when I would feel sure that I had, in fact, done it, but two rooms over wasn’t instilling enough confidence to stake a mission on our ability to train the others in this newfound skill.

Once I was outside, I tried again. It’s nice out tonight. Getting pretty cold.

Are you outside?

No, I’m just checking the weather on my phone. Of course I’m outside, I teased.

This is amazing! Come back in here and tell me how to do it!

Her enthusiasm made me pick up my pace as I headed back toward the training room. I’d done it. I’d created a connection to another mind that could withstand distance. The question was—could I repeat it?

On my way back to the training room, I grabbed David. Just like in our old place, his new office was near the training rooms, and I wondered if that placement was standard in all Unseen facilities. I knocked on his door and popped my head inside.

“You busy?”

He looked up from some files. His new space was bigger, with a huge, modern black desk in the center of the room. There were two big, black cabinets with frosted glass doors on the top half of the wall and massive file drawers on the bottom behind him. I wondered if one of them was the door to his apartment, or if that was hidden somewhere else in the room. “That depends on what you want.” By the look of his smile, his threat was empty.

“Can you help us out for a second?”

“Oh, sure. I’ll be there in just a moment.” He gathered his papers together, and I left him to it, knowing he’d follow soon.

What’s taking you so long? Rebecca asked just as I was walking back into the room.

“I wanted reinforcements to see if I can duplicate the experiment. The results are nothing but coincidence unless you can reliably duplicate them.”

“I didn’t know you were such a scientist.”

I was too excited to acknowledge her quip. “Once we’ve done that, we need to figure out how to protect the connection. Then I can teach you how to do it. But not before. That way we won’t risk you getting inadvertently captured and exposing all of us.”

She frowned. “Well, I don’t have any dangerous kamikaze missions on my calendar yet, but if one pops up, you’ll be the first to know.”

She ignored my laughter, reluctantly relenting. “You’re right, of course. But aren’t I the one who’s in charge of training?”

My smile turned mischievous. “Are you?”

She threw a wad of paper at me just as David walked in.

“David. This is a nice surprise,” she said, and I could tell she meant it.

“Mackenzie asked me to pop in.”

I nodded toward him. “Duplicate,” I said to Rebecca.

“Ah. Good. This will be fun,” she said, but David looked skeptical.

“The last time I helped you with your training, Tracy nearly got lost in your head. I’m not sure what you have in mind, but I’d rather not be your guinea pig.”

“Come on, you big chicken.” His skeptical expression made me push a little harder. “Da-vid, please?” I stumbled over his name because Dad was on the tip of my tongue, but I held the word back. I didn’t relish the idea of calling him Dad for the first time to manipulate him into doing things my way.

He sighed heavily. “Fine. But I swear, if something happens to me, you do not want to be in charge of this place. These kids are a bunch of renegade vigilantes,” he said to Rebecca.

“I prefer spirited, loyal individuals, but whatever. Also, we’re not kids.” Of course, David hadn’t known me when I was a kid. Back then, I’d been more of a rule follower.

He looked at me with a bit of nostalgia in his eyes. “You are to me.”

Rebecca chuckled. “Aw. That’s sweet.” She knew David was my father just like everyone else in our group did. His secret had stopped being…well, secret, the minute he invited me to join the Unseen.

“Just get it over with,” he grumbled

Reaching out for him, I felt for his signature. I could still pinpoint Rebecca, which I took as a positive. But David was harder to pick out. Maybe it was because he was my dad. Or maybe his signature was better disguised. I couldn’t really say. Several silent minutes passed. Eventually, David got antsy.

“What’s supposed to be happening here?”

“You’ll see,” Rebecca said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Pipe down. I need to concentrate,” I said to both of them. Rebecca snickered, but David grumbled. I knew he was just giving me a hard time, so I smiled and shut my eyes, searching for him again.

Then, all of a sudden, I saw it plain as day. Or maybe I should say I felt it, heard it? It was hard to describe someone’s mental signature. His was different from Rebecca’s, in the way that a B is different from a B flat on the chromatic scale. And in the same way I could see music on the page, feel it with my heart, and hear it with my ears, I saw, felt, and heard his signature.

All I had to do was reach out to it.

Hey, I thought to him.

Hey. What are you doing? You’re making me nervous.

I’ve created a connection between us that will maintain long distances. At least, that’s what I think it will do.

Did you do it? Rebecca asked.

You can’t hear him. It was a realization, not a question. And you can’t hear me talking to him?

Nope.

David, can you hear me talking to Rebecca?

No, you’re also talking to Rebecca?

Getting tired of the back and forth, I decided to speak out loud. “Okay, it makes sense that you can’t hear each other when I’m talking to you separately this way, but why can’t you hear me talking to the other person? Once I’ve found your signature and our connection has been made, shouldn’t you be able to hear the thoughts I’m broadcasting all the time?”

Rebecca thought for a moment, and then her face lit up. “Maybe the connections are like highways. You can’t drive on both at the same time. So, when you’re talking to me, you’re on one road that’s shared by us. Your communication with David is a separate road, one that I can’t hear.”

David nodded. “Also, just because you’ve established a mental connection with someone doesn’t mean they have an open door to your head. Consider the way we normally communicate. When I send you a message, you hear what I want you to hear. It makes sense that the rules wouldn’t change so dramatically.”

I sighed. “It just means it’s not perfect, and there’s still work to do. If we have a large mission, we’ll need to make sure that everyone is not only on the same highway, but in the same car. But we’ve made progress today,” I said, hoping it was enough for now.

David stood to go back to his office, but he stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder. “Good work. Tracy would be proud.”

I nodded, not feeling like I could trust my voice in that moment. Rebecca smiled encouragingly at me, her eyes shining with the excitement of our discovery.

He left Rebecca and me alone in the room, and I tried to imagine the real-world applications of this skill. “It might be hard to decide who you need to speak to in a critical moment.”

“No, it wouldn’t be. I imagine the list of people you’d want to talk to would be pretty short. Me, David, maybe Owen, but that’s it.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“What about the researchers? Wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to tap into what they know without having to call them?”

She paused for a moment, considering the suggestion. “Yes, that would be helpful. You’re right. But one of us could always find out what you need pretty quickly if it came down to it. Anyway, we may be overcomplicating it. One step at a time.”

“And the next step should be protecting what we’ve learned. These connections make me nervous.” I thought of how easily the Potestas had captured me in Shields’ mind. That could happen to any one of us at any time. It would be disastrous if they somehow gained access to our signatures. Without our help, the world would go up in a cloud of Zero. Then a thought occurred to me. Did the Potestas even know the signatures existed? If not, it was all the more reason to keep the information out of their hands.

“It can wait until tomorrow. It’s late.” She stood and stretched. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I nodded, and she left me alone in the training room. I had no idea what time it was, but I wanted to see Owen so I could tell him what I’d learned.

Leaning back in the chair to take a moment of rest before I went to the hospital ward, I shut my eyes and imagined him in his room. I wondered what his signature would be like, and I felt for it, trying to answer my own question.

Perhaps my love for him had taught me his signature long ago, without me even realizing it, because I found it easily. And we weren’t even in the same room. I was so excited I nearly lost it.

Hey, are you awake?

What? What the hell? he asked, a hint of alarm in his internal voice.

Rebecca and I made some great strides today.

Where are you?

In the training room.

Seriously? Slowly, his alarm was turning to excitement. I thought maybe you were just outside the door and didn’t want to knock or something.

Just wanted to see if I could connect with you from a distance. But there’s a lot to do to perfect this method.

He turned a bit wistful then. I’ll bet.

You’ll be up and at ‘em soon, Owen. You’ll see.

Sooner than soon actually. I thought I detected a hint of excitement in his voice, but I couldn’t be sure if I was just projecting. They’re releasing me tomorrow. That was definitely joy I heard, and I loved it, but his news stressed me out.

What? No! It was an automatic response, and I instantly regretted it. I knew he would misunderstand me.

You don’t want me to get out of here? The hurt in his tone was only slightly masked by his confusion.

No, that’s not what I meant. I’m supposed to work with Rebecca tomorrow. I wanted to help you. To show you your… I hesitated. I hadn’t told him about my plan for us to move in together. David had rather reluctantly approved the idea after I’d reminded him that we were both adults—and had been for some time.

I gathered my courage and continued. To show you our quarters.

Our quarters?

Suddenly, I regretted the distance between us, so I left the training room and started to make my way to the hospital ward. I thought you might like to share a room. I asked David, and he approved my request…eventually. We have a larger space, two dressers, and a double bed. It’s no California king or anything, but it’s big enough.

One bed? I could almost hear the wheels turning in his mind.

One bed. It was a big step for us. But after what we’d been through…well, I loved him and he loved me, and I wanted to spend my nights with him in every possible way. I knew all too well how short life was. I didn’t want to waste it tip-toeing around social niceties.

I’m on my way to see you. I’ll be right there.

He was silent as I made my way across the facility. My anxiety ratcheted up with each step I made, closing the distance to his room. If I’d assumed too much, moved too quickly, I might have ruined everything. But then again, was our relationship really that fragile? We’d been tested by fire these past months, and we were still there for each other. We’d survived. And we’d survive this, right?

I put one hand on his door, then took a deep breath and went into his room. He had a huge smile on his face, and the sight of his joy filled my own heart with light. “One bed, huh? I think I can handle that.”

I ran to his side and flounced on top of him, taking no care for his injuries. He groaned, but he wrapped his lightly bandaged arms around me anyway.

“I need to tell Rebecca I can’t train tomorrow, because I’m moving in with my boyfriend.”

“Whoa there, you little hussy.” His eyes sparkled as he tried to hide his smile.

I swatted his head playfully. “If I’m a hussy, what does that make you?”

His face turned serious. “Lucky.”

I laughed out loud and pulled the pillow from behind his head to smack him with it, taking care not to hit his shoulder or arms. “If you think I’m easy, you’ve got another thing coming.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Honey, you are anything but easy.”

Things degraded from there until we were both laughing and prodding each other, although Owen was at a serious disadvantage with his bandaged hands.

We lay next to each other in an exhausted heap, staring up at the ceiling with smiles on both our faces. “What time is it?”

“After eleven.”

“Rebecca’s such a night owl; she’s bound to be up.”

I tapped into our connection and addressed her quietly, just in case she was sleeping. You up?

Yes. But don’t be so whispery. It’s creepy.

I raised the volume of my thoughts a little. I didn’t want to wake you. Owen’s moving out of the hospital tomorrow. I can’t train.

Yay! The genuine enthusiasm was plain in her thoughts. What can I do to help?

See if you can figure out how to hide your signature. If we’re discovered, the signatures could be the Unseen’s undoing.

Sure. Anything you need.

Thanks, Rebecca. Night.

As I snuggled in next to Owen, I felt content. Yes, terrorists were trying to kill hordes of people with a deadly chemical, but I drew strength from my love for the man next to me.

Four

We both groaned when the nurse woke us up in the morning. I was sore from sleeping in such an awkward position, and I knew Owen had to be in even more pain.

“You’re going home today, although I see a bit of your home has come to you.” She eyed me, but there wasn’t disapproval in her look. She seemed to find the situation amusing.

It took most of the morning to get Owen packed up and on his way. He didn’t need to sign any release forms or anything like you’d normally do after a long hospital stay, but there was still a lot to gather after such a lengthy stay. It didn’t help that he was moving pretty slow. I reminded myself that at least he was moving.

Before we left, the nurse reminded him, “Now, you’re scheduled for continued therapy four times a week.”

He groaned. “Can I have Saturdays off?”

She chuckled at him and shook her head. “It’ll be every other day, so sometimes it might be Saturday, sometimes it might be Sunday. But that’s half what you’re getting now, so quit your whining. Plus, think about the person who has to work weekends to get your butt back into shape. Eventually, you’ll go down to three days a week, and you and our nurses can both have your weekends. Just don’t be late.”

There were three nurses there to see him off, all full-blown members of the Unseen’s medical staff. They’d spent plenty of time with him in the last few weeks, and they all seemed like they’d miss him. I wondered what they did when there weren’t any patients around. They probably kept inventory, cleaned, and monitored any missions. If the Unseen hated anything, it was being unprepared, and I imagined these nurses were always prepared for the worst.

They offered him a wheelchair to make the transfer, but he declined. He said he needed to walk anyway, and besides, it wasn’t that far. We made the trip slower than I would have made it by myself, but not as slow as you’d think considering he’d been in the hospital for the better part of a month. He’d been allowed out of his room for short visits to the living room to watch the occasional movie with us, but nothing more. I could tell from the look on his face that he was really enjoying his freedom.

When I opened the door to our room, I stood back to let him take in our space. The new facility had a lot more space anyway, but our room was even bigger because we were sharing. A couch stood opposite our very own TV, and my keyboard and guitar sat next to the TV stand. Two dressers finished out that wall, and the couch and our bed took up most of the opposite wall. I’d sprinkled some decor around the room, and I’d even found a plant to set between the bed and the couch as a divider. It was fake, but it made the room feel homier. I thought Maddie would have appreciated my effort, if nothing else.

“There’s a door. Where does it lead?” Owen asked, looking at the second door in the room.

This was my favorite part of the new facility. The door he was referring to was tucked between the couch and our front door.

“Go see.”

Quirking his brow at me, he walked to the door and opened it, revealing a state-of-the-art bathroom. Granite countertops, glass sinks, and a shower with multiple heads, jets, and temperature settings. The separate tub was a dream. I’d already tested it on several occasions, and I couldn’t wait to try it for two.

“We have our own bathroom.” He ran his lightly bandaged hand along the vanity as he walked further into the bathroom. “Does everyone have their own?”

“Yup. This facility is awesome. I know you’re going to love it once you can explore a little. You should see our view.”

“I’m quite enjoying this view.” He eyed me, and I could tell what was on his mind. But I didn’t think his body was up for what his heart wanted, so I maneuvered him back out into our room. It was worth waiting until we didn’t have to worry about aggravating his injuries.

Gently squeezing his hand, I said, “Welcome home, love.”

We took it easy for the rest of the day. I helped him get unpacked and settled. He took a nap in the afternoon, and then we had dinner with everyone. They held a huge group meal for him, and everyone chatted him up. We were all excited to have him back, and he was equally enthusiastic about being back.

Even Mitchell spoke up more than usual. “Good to have you topside again.” He nodded at his friend between bites of food.

“Someone has to make sure you’re staying on task.” Owen eyed Mitchell’s hand, resting gently on top of Rebecca’s, in plain view of everyone at the table.

Camden chimed in. “I think Mitchell has his tasks prioritized just fine without your help, Owen.”

There was much hooting and hollering, but Mitchell just smiled. It felt good to see such simple happiness on his face. Rebecca laughed right along with everyone else, and while I thought I detected a faint blush on her cheeks, it could’ve been a trick of the light. As the conversation devolved into further teasing, neither of them moved to take their hands from the table.

That night, Owen and I climbed into our bed together. He was exhausted after so much activity, so he fell right to sleep, and I snuggled up to him, feeling content as I listened to the soft sound of his breathing. It was an emotion I hadn’t experienced in quite a long time.

The next morning, I had to go back to work with Rebecca, so I left Owen to his own devices. He was still asleep when I got up, and I expected he’d sleep well into the morning.

Just to ease my mind, I caught up with Mitchell on my way to the training rooms. He was already mostly done with his workout for the day.

“Can you check on Owen a little later? He was still asleep when I got up.”

Sweat pouring off him, he nodded, not willing to pause his workout. Mitchell was a man of few words, but when he said he’d do something, he meant it, so the simple gesture was enough to reassure me.

David stopped me on my way to the training room. I knew that something was wrong before he even said anything, and my suspicion was confirmed when he asked me to follow him into the office.

Once the door was latched behind me, he gestured for me to take a seat. My heart was racing uncontrollably. Had something happened to Owen? Were the Potestas about to strike again?

“There’s been word from the Spanish Ministry of Mind Reading. They suspect an attack is in the works, but they’re having trouble working out the details.”

I sank back in the chair, weighed down by the gravity of what he was telling me. “What can we do?”

“I have Mitchell and his crew working hard to sift through the information sent to us by the foreign ministry. All of our chapters are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of this, but so far, we don’t have enough to go on.” His brow was furrowed in obvious frustration.

I had no answers, nothing to offer him. But his resolve didn’t seem impacted by the uncertainty of the situation. “Keep working. We will get to the bottom of this,” he said.

“Hopefully sooner rather than later,” I said.

As I left his office and made my way to the training room, I felt more pressure than ever to get things right with Rebecca. Time was running out.

Rebecca waited patiently for me in the training room, working on her latest crocheted creation. It was too early to know just what it would be, but it looked like it might end up being a scarf or a shoulder wrap for the cold Colorado temperatures.

“There may be another attack in Spain,” I announced as soon as I closed the door behind me.

“I heard.” Her tone was low and sad. It felt odd on her, which made me want to fix the problem even more.

With nothing more to be said about it, I asked, “Did you figure out how to hide your signature?” I asked as I settled into the seat across from her, watching her hands work artfully as they pulled the yarn just so.

“Oddly, no. It’s almost like a phantom limb for me. Now that I know it’s there, I can feel it, but I can’t see it. Without being able to see it, I’m not sure how to hide it from intruders.” She frowned as she continued to twist and loop the yarn.

“It’s a bit of an abstract concept, I guess, just like everything else related to mind reading and defenses. You can’t see your thoughts, your memories, the things that make you you. But you still have defenses in place, right?”

“But without knowing where my signature is, or even what it is, how can I defend it?” She was clearly frustrated from her lack of progress.

“Maybe I need to do it first, and then I can explain it better.”

Sighing, I wondered how much it even mattered. We needed more than a connection to our peers to defeat the Potestas, find Zero, and stop the killing. It had been days since we’d heard from our headquarters in Washington. They were busy sifting through the possible leads being fed to them by the various branches of the Unseen, like us. David said we’d get news as soon as there was some to give. And the foreign ministries weren’t sharing much either. The lack of information, and apparent lack of forward progress, was making me antsy. And there was a new threat in Spain…

“What’s up?” she asked, clearly sensing my discouragement.

“I just feel like no matter how hard we work on this, it doesn’t matter. We need more weapons to fight them.”

“Yes, we do, but we’re not going to win the war by rushing it. People all across the country are fighting this. We’re going to have a breakthrough soon. It’s just a matter of time. Until then, we need to stay focused. It may seem abstract now, but this skill will be immensely useful once we’re on the front lines again. You’ll see.”

“I know you’re right.” And when the time came, I would be ready. In truth, it would feel good to dispense with all the behind-the-scenes work. I wanted to get into the trenches and stop them before anyone else had to die.

We were silent for a moment, and with nothing else to do but focus on the task at hand, I went back to thinking about our signatures. I wondered what mine looked like. I knew how to detect Rebecca’s—and David’s and Owen’s, for that matter. But my own was still a mystery.

I thought about the things that made me who I was, traveling down the rabbit hole of my internal self for what seemed like an eternity. I watched memories float by, moments, people, and things I held dear, opinions I felt strongly, emotions, and everything else that made up me.

At the end, I found my signature—small, defenseless, and unassuming. It looked to me like a golden treble cleft, giving my life’s notes some basic direction.

Okay, now that I’ve found you, how do I defend you? I thought as I held the cleft gently in my hands.

I didn’t want to create any defenses that would draw attention to the very thing I wanted to keep secret and safe, but I did want to ensure my safeguards were virtually impenetrable if an intruder found my signature.

I began with a black box. Made of strong, indestructible material of my own imagining, it blended almost seamlessly with the rest of my mind. It had no opening, no hinges, and no lock. The only way to open it was if I placed my own hand on top of it. Once I did, the seam would appear, and the lid would come off. I placed it on the ground of my subconscious, and then let it disappear into the depths of my mind. Someone would only find it if they literally tripped over it, and even then, they’d have a hell of a time getting into it without my permission.

My only concern was that I’d hidden my signature too well. Would this hinder my ability to form connections with the others? But that was a bridge to cross another day.

When I finally opened my eyes, I had no concept of how much time had passed. Rebecca was making notes on the dry erase board in the room.

Potestas. Zero. Location. Release devices. Timing. Where next? Goals. Defenses. Connections.

“I think I did it. But I have no idea if my defenses will impede our ability to find each other.”

“Oh geez, I didn’t even think of that. We’ll have more work to do, testing and—”

“All personnel, please report to the conference room at once. Emergency meeting to begin in one minute.” David’s disembodied voice startled me to attention.

“I didn’t know we had a PA system,” I said to Rebecca as we rushed out of the room.

“Me neither. Must be special to the new facility?” She hadn’t lived in our Florida home for long, but maybe they hadn’t had the feature at her old facility either.

Rebecca started following the crowd, but I knew Owen would need help. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you later,” I said, and she nodded her understanding.

Camden came toward me. He looked like he was coming from the rooms, so I stopped him. “Seen Owen?”

“Nope, just on my way to the conference room,” he said in his deep, soothing voice.

“Okay, I’ll be right there. I just want to make sure Owen gets to the meeting okay.”

Then it occurred to me. I’m an idiot, I thought. Why wasn’t I reaching out to him through our connection?

Owen, where are you?

I’m coming. Just takes me a little longer is all.

I’m nearly to our room. Are you still in there? David said we only had a minute.

No, I was in the kitchen getting a snack. I’m nearly there.

I doubled back and headed for the kitchen, but he was gone by the time I got there.

Everyone’s waiting for you, Owen said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Well, if I hadn’t been chasing after you, I would’ve gotten there with Rebecca!

Pretty sad you couldn’t keep pace with me.

Biting my tongue as I came into the conference room, I begrudgingly took my seat next to him. I wanted to sit on the other side of the room so I could glare menacingly at him, but those seats were all taken. Once I was seated, David did a head count.

“Good. That went faster than I expected. Next time, maybe we can actually do it in a minute or less.” He eyed me, and I looked away sheepishly. The clock on the wall told me I’d delayed everyone by about four minutes.

Without any more preliminaries, David turned on the TV. My stomach dropped as I took in the massive chaos on the screen. The video appeared to have been taken with a camera phone, and it shook, indicating that the person making the recording was running in a crowd of people. It panned around behind, showing what the videographer was running from. The screen zoomed in on bloodied people kneeling in the street, the flesh appearing to melt from their bones. It then panned down to what remained of the videographer’s hand, and the phone fell to the ground, the screen going dark.

“No,” I breathed. “Spain. We’re too late.”

“Madrid to be more specific,” David answered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

He unmuted the TV when the reporter returned. “Officials fear another attack has occurred. The victims appear to be suffering the effects of Zero, but authorities say it’s too early to make any definitive claims. The video you just saw was taken only minutes ago outside the Atocha Railway Station. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people pass through this thoroughfare on a daily basis. As of now, officials are not speculating on a death toll.”

“Why Madrid?” Camden asked.

“Why not? By hitting seemingly random global cities, they’re demonstrating that no one is safe,” I said, my eyes glued to the screen. Owen reached for my hand and squeezed it, but it did nothing to dissipate the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“But certainly there are places in Madrid that would be more effective if loss of life was their ultimate goal,” Camden persisted.

“Agreed. Which is why I don’t think that’s at the heart of their task. No, they don’t mind making sacrifices, but their ultimate goal is power. They want to gain control through fear.” I watched as a crowd of people ran screaming from the station. “They’re going to get it too.”

Owen spoke up, but he didn’t release my hand. “What do we know, David?”

“We know that ISIS continues to deny their involvement. And has in fact released a statement that will be given to the media shortly.” He paged through some papers in front of him. “We at ISIS do not condone or support the use of the chemical Zero. It is nothing more than a coward’s weapon. What can be the gain of such nameless fear? Who attacks this way without explaining their purpose? Not ISIS.” He cleared his throat when he was finished.

Owen sighed heavily. “By wrongly accusing a known terrorist group, the media may be kicking a hornet’s nest.”

“Indeed,” David said. “But much as it grieves me to say, ISIS isn’t our biggest concern right now. It’s been just under two weeks since London, and just over a month since Coda. That’s three attacks in less than six weeks, with a total death toll of over three thousand people. And that number will climb today, I’m sure.”

He paused for a moment to watch the chaos unfolding on the screen. “I think Mackenzie is right. The death toll is remarkably low for attacks of this scale. This is the power play they mentioned.”

Normally, I enjoyed being right, but this didn’t give me a good feeling.

“The Spanish Ministry has requested reinforcements, so some members of the team based in Washington are flying overseas to help. That means a lot of headquarters’ work will fall to us and the other nationwide branches.”

He paused, letting us absorb that. “What that means is, we will now be receiving information from Washington to sift through, rather than sending our intel to them. And I’m not afraid to tell you, after this latest attack, it will be a lot. Watch for inconsistencies or anything that seems too obvious. Find any small clues you can to connect the dots between the intel we got before the attack and what actually unfolded. This may help us identify their next move before they make it. We can’t make a mistake or a misstep with this one. Lives are at stake. Now is the time for diligence, not fear. I need all of you to double your efforts.”

I shot a glance at Rebecca. I hoped she knew exactly how we were going to do that, because I sure didn’t. And Owen seemed utterly lost. At a time when we needed help the most, he was adrift, still trying to make his own recovery from the first attack.

David then turned to Owen. “Owen, now that you’re on your feet again, I want you to head up the research team. You’ll be responsible for sifting through all the information we get from Washington. You’ve been with us a great deal of time, so you have a remarkable understanding for how the Potestas operate. You also know firsthand what to expect from an attack made with Zero. You’re the clear choice for this post, at least until you’re ready to be fully in the field again. I know you won’t let me down.”

Mitchell nodded to Owen, and a few of the others clapped. Owen’s expression remained stoic. I knew he would take his new post seriously, but I could tell he was disappointed about being relegated to research for the time being. But, we were all in the same boat. Information was what we needed, not guns-blazing attacks.

“If no one has any questions for me, let’s wrap this meeting up. Stay informed, and immediately let me know of any leads you have.”

We all nodded, knowing that went without saying. Slowly, we filed out of the conference room, with noticeably less energy than we’d had going in. There were lives at stake, and I felt like I held every last one of them in my own hands.

Five

For five days straight, we all worked hard to crack the Potestas’ code in the hopes that we would be one step ahead, instead of two steps behind, when we next confronted them. My concerns about the side effect of protecting my signature were thankfully unfounded. I could keep it shrouded from invaders without concealing it from friends. Teaching the skill proved more difficult, but eventually—after what felt like an eternity to both of us—Rebecca finally got it.

Once we had it, we perfected the long-distance connection. However, we decided it would be best to keep the number of connections down to five or less at any one time. Any more voices would be too overwhelming.

Training my peers to create these long-distance connections was challenging in a lot of ways. For one thing, I wasn’t used to being the trainer, and patience was not my strong suit. If someone took too long, it was hard for me to continue being encouraging. Luckily for me, my peers were eager to learn our new techniques, but my work with David was awkward to be sure. Really though, what was one more strain on the dynamic between us? Employee, boss; father, daughter; and now trainer, trainee? We both tried to take it in stride, and he picked up on the technique pretty quickly. The more I worked with him, the more I found his skill to be unlike anyone else’s.

“I wish we had more downtime, David,” I told him after we were done for the day.

“Why’s that?” he asked casually as he prepared to leave the training room.

“Because I’d like to pick your brain.”

He laughed and said, “I don’t think I’d like that very much!”

“Yes, you would. You could teach me stuff.”

“Like what? What do you think I know that you don’t?”

“I don’t know. That’s the point of picking your brain.”

He patted my leg. “Soon. I have a feeling all of this will be over soon, and we’ll have all kinds of time for picking each other’s brains.”

That felt ominous, and I didn’t say anything as he walked out.

Meet me in David’s office, Owen said through our connection before I could stew too much about David’s comment. The urgency of his tone didn’t make me feel any better.

“What? Couldn’t get enough of me?” David asked when I followed him into his office.

“Owen said to meet him in here. He’s on his way.” I could tell he was uneasy, but I was as much in the dark as he was.

Owen didn’t keep us waiting long before bursting into the office. “A man has come forward claiming he can save the world from Zero. He’s having a press conference right now. It should start any minute.”

“What?”

“Here.” He turned on the TV and tuned to a random news station. The man at the podium was well dressed, in a full suit and gray tie. His jet-black hair was slicked back, giving him a rather slimy appearance. My intuition immediately told me not to trust him.

“Good evening, members of the press.” His voice was clear, deep, and seductive, making me even more leery. “I have come to you today to tell you something special. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Agusto Masterson. I’m CEO of a lot of companies that will mean nothing to those who are not in the health care industry, and I won’t waste your time by listing them. Just know that I can and will follow through on what I’m about to promise you.”

He looked up at the crowd and then into the cameras with startlingly green eyes. Paired with his dark hair and pale skin, it made for a striking look. I found myself feeling a bit afraid of him as he looked right through the screen and into my eyes.

“I am going to end the threat of Zero.” Cameras flashed in his face, and members of the press barked questions at him, trying to be heard, but he held up his hand to silence them.

“I promise you all, I will answer questions at the end. Just let me get through my speech.” Then he chuckled easily, and the audience laughed with him. I narrowed my eyes at the screen. Were they really falling for this guy’s sleazy charm?

I wished I could read his mind through the TV screen, but that wasn’t really how it worked, at least not yet.

“It appears that Zero is becoming a worldwide issue. The terrorists responsible are using it as a scare tactic to get what they want. They’re hiding behind it to create an escalating sense of fear, so that we will be willing to give them whatever they want when they finally do come forward. ISIS has called them cowards, and isn’t that rich? I actually think they’re geniuses. If they were allowed to continue, unchecked, who wouldn’t give them the whole world if they promised to put a stop to their attacks?”

He looked around at the crowd of people who were giving him their rapt attention. He was purposefully using inflammatory language to grab their attention…and it was working.

“But this puts us in a dangerous position. Would we sacrifice our finances, our weapons, our very freedom if it came down to it?” The camera panned out toward the crowd, and I could see some members of the press shaking their heads, others standing stock-still.

“I can’t say for sure, but that uncertainty has spurred me into action. I don’t like variables. I like known quantities. Waiting to find out what these people are going to do next, hoping that they’ve had their fun and will leave us alone is too much of a variable. Here’s a known quantity for you: I promise you that I will stop those behind Zero for good.

“Due to security measures, I can’t tell you how I plan to do it, but I can tell you why. I am an extremely selfish person. I care only about my own family. We live in a big city at the heart of this great nation—a likely target, if you ask me. Frankly, I don’t want to die. Not yet. Nor do I want any of my family members to be hurt by these lunatics.

“After managing so many different types of people over the years, I’ve found that selfish motivations are often the most productive. And believe me, this goal will be reached. Thank you.”

David muted the TV as the press started bombarding the man with questions. “Agusto Masterson rings a bell. Why do I know that name?”

Owen plopped a small file down on David’s desk. “This is all we could collect so far, but I’ve got the team working on it right now. Because he’s a big behind-the-scenes CEO, he has his hands in a lot of pots, including oil in the Middle East, tobacco, and health care, as he said.”

“What?” I asked, trying to get my head around the apparent conflict of interest. “Health care and tobacco? He makes money off people smoking, and then makes money again when they’re dying from it?”

“I suppose so, yes,” Owen said.

“Sounds like a real winner.”

Owen nodded at my comment, but he seemed distracted. “He has the financial resources to do what he claims. But, at least on paper, he doesn’t seem to have the connections he would need. That confuses me. His confidence concerns me. And the Potestas’ involvement in this whole mess really concerns me. Is this their move?”

“It’s impossible to know,” David said as he flipped through Agusto’s file. “What are his connections to the Potestas?”

“We haven’t had time to get that far.”

“What do we have to go on, except this gut feeling we all have that he’s bad news?”

“Not much. He’s very charismatic, and the public and press are eating him up.”

“The Bible says the antichrist will be very charismatic. Charisma is not a reason to trust him,” I said quietly.

Owen snorted at my comment.

“What? I’m just saying,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“I don’t think he’s the antichrist, Mackenzie,” David said flatly. “But we need to do some extensive digging. If we manage to find proof he’s bad news, we can take him out before this goes any further.”

Owen nodded and walked out, leaving David and me alone in his office.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“I don’t think it’s good, that’s for sure.” He lowered his voice a few notches, and it left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Six

That night, while Owen and I were lying in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about Agusto. Owen, however, had other things on his mind. He’d been feeling better and better every day since his release. Now that he was working, contributing again, he was almost back to normal.

He ran a finger along my arm, tracing the length, and slipped it over to my stomach. But the butterflies I felt at his increasingly more intimate touch fluttered away as thoughts of the mysterious CEO continued to plague me. “Agusto is a problem.”

His finger paused as he stopped to trace the buttons on the front of my shirt. “You’re right; Agusto is a problem. A problem for another time.” He worked his way slowly up my shirt.

“Maybe.” I wanted to focus on him. We hadn’t done much more than make out since his release from the hospital ward. It was like a high school relationship, except we had both long since graduated high school. And we still hadn’t had sex—first because of my overwhelming grief for Maddie, and then Owen’s long recovery process. From the look in his eyes, he had a home run in mind for tonight’s game.

Owen slowly unfastened the top two buttons on my shirt. As he worked on the third, I grabbed his hand, startling him. I knew he thought I wanted him to stop, but that was the last thing on my mind.

“You’re doing it too slow,” I said, looking deep into his chocolate-brown eyes. Then, jumping over the line with both feet, I kissed him hard and we hurtled toward our future together.

Afterward, we lay in bed together, our fingers intertwined, our hands resting on Owen’s chest. I didn’t feel any regret, embarrassment, guilt, or any of the other dark emotions I’d experienced with previous partners. If possible, I only felt a deeper connection with the man beside me. Our silence was easy, not strained as it sometimes was after the first time with someone new. We fit together, and we both knew it.

But, my paradise didn’t last long. Agusto knocked at the door in the back of my mind, nagging me. He was in a position of power. Had the Potestas put him there? Did they hope to use him for some massive takeover? But how could they if he really had no connections to them? Something didn’t add up.

“We need to know more,” I said out loud into the dark bedroom.

Owen rolled over to face me. “I couldn’t agree more.” The hunger in his eyes gave away his intention.

Playfully, I pushed him away. “I mean about Agusto.”

He flopped onto his back and cleared his throat. When he spoke next, his tone was more serious. “Oh. Yes, you’re right.”

“We need someone on the inside.”

“That would be helpful…” He trailed off, not knowing where I was going with this.

But I didn’t elaborate. I knew what had to be done. Soon, the rest would know too.

The next day, I requested a meeting with everyone. Once we were all assembled, David gave me the floor.

“What have we been able to learn about Agusto?” I asked.

“Not much. The information is heavily guarded, and what little we’ve been able to find out is untrustworthy. The same goes for the people around him. His VP is new, but I can’t find anything about who they are or where they came from. We know it’s a woman, but that’s it. Our one reliable source on the inside hasn’t been able to get close to her yet. But they are working on it,” Owen said. I hadn’t told him so, but he was actually quite good at heading up the research team. He seemed to be a born leader, and naturally knew how and where to look for the most important and relevant information to our cause.

“That in itself is suspicious. Don’t those big companies usually issue some kind of press release when someone gets promoted? One of my friends just got a promotion and they did this whole write up about him, including his job history within the company. Agusto’s hiding something. We need someone on the inside,” I said.

David eyed me. “Yes, that would be helpful. But we have no idea how dangerous the situation is. I don’t like going in blind.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever know unless we can get our hands dirty. It’s best to assume it’s going to be dangerous. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, right?” I persisted.

“Who do you have in mind?” he asked, giving me a sidelong stare.

“Me.”

For a moment, no one spoke, and then the sound of muted whispering filled the room.

“No. Absolutely not,” Owen answered for David, but I could tell from my father’s expression that he agreed.

“Hear me out. This is an exciting time for the Unseen. With the long-distance connections Rebecca and I have been working on with you, this could be the fastest and least dangerous way for us to collect the information we need. If we can infiltrate his company and get someone close to him, we could learn directly from the source exactly what he plans to do about Zero, and more importantly, why.”

“I agree, but it shouldn’t be you.” Owen remained adamant.

“I’m the one who figured out how to make the connections. If anyone else went, could we rely on them to be able to sever the connection completely? I’m not willing to take that risk the first time our new skill is tested. If they were captured the way I was, it could mean the end of the Unseen.” I shook my head. “No. It has to be me.”

“So, you admit it’s risky.” David said it as a statement, not a question.

“Life is risky, David. Does that mean we shouldn’t live it?”

He frowned at me, along with most of the other members of the Unseen. Mitchell stayed silent, but Rebecca, more and more frequently at his side, spoke up.

“I agree that planting someone on the inside is a necessary evil. I also agree that it should be Mackenzie.” Owen was about to protest, but she cut him off. “However, I do not agree that it is quite as urgent as Mackenzie thinks.” She turned to me. “If we gather more information so that we can better arm you, it could save your life and the lives of many others.”

“I’m sorry, Rebecca, but I respectfully disagree. I doubt we’ll be able to gather any more information in the conventional way than what we already have. His information, if it even exists in digital or hard copy form, is too heavily guarded for us to access it. If we want to know more, we need to get in there. The sooner, the better.”

Before Rebecca and I could continue our argument, David said, “Your opinions on the matter are duly noted. For now, I’d like to wait and see what this Agusto’s next move is. We can reassess in a few days.”

“But—” I started to protest.

“No buts. We wait,” he said firmly before he got up and left. The others followed, and Mitchell put a hand on my shoulder as he passed behind me toward the door—a silent gesture of solidarity.

Owen stayed in his seat next to me. I avoided looking at him until the last person had left the room. I thought he’d have a smug expression plastered on his face, but he didn’t. He looked just as defeated as I felt.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked, sounding a little more accusing than I intended.

His response was quiet. “It has to be you?”

“It seems that way, yes.” I’d stopped asking myself why it had to be that way. It seemed like it just was.

“Maybe this is just my path. And if it is, I have no regrets, because it led me to you.” I reached for his hand. He smiled, but the look didn’t reach his eyes, which were still clouded with concern.

“It will be okay. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that!” His sudden change in volume startled me, and he immediately reined himself back in. “I almost lost you once. Why would I ever willingly go through something like that again?” He paused, seeming to consider. “You of all people know what the Potestas can do…and will do. Doesn’t that scare you?”

His concern touched me to my very core. It made me want to throw myself into his arms and stay there forever. But our job was to protect people from the Potestas, to put ourselves in the line of danger just like Owen had done at Coda. “Of course it scares me, Owen. I’m human. But, I can’t possibly opt out of every dangerous mission. I’d be no use to the Unseen.” I paused, thinking how to word my next thought without sounding too arrogant. “You were the one who said we were in this fight for life. And you were right. My exceptional abilities come with certain responsibilities, which is why I think it has to be me. But more than that, I want to help. I want to save lives if I can.”

He sighed and took my other hand, turning me a little in my chair so we were facing each other. “I love you for it. I just wish you could save those lives from the safety of the research department.”

I smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “You just want me to take your place. You hate being stuck in research.”

He quietly chuckled. “True enough. I look forward to getting back in the field. And I guess it isn’t fair to deprive you of that same privilege.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You are the worst kind of impossible.” He stood up and took me with him.

“I’ve been told that before.” We walked out together, and it comforted me to know that we would face whatever lay ahead of us hand in hand.

Seven

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for us find our next lead.

The next day, Rebecca and I were brainstorming in the training room when Owen poked his head in.

“We have something,” he declared, and then instantly walked out. We scrambled to get up and follow him.

By the time we made it out of the training room, David’s door was already closing. Mitchell sat next to Rebecca, and they shared a soft look. I glanced at Owen with a half smile, knowing whatever was happening between them was getting serious.

Owen turned on David’s TV and connected to the network, going through several layers of security to access a message addressed to him. In order to play the video message once it was open, he had to plug a fingerprint scanner into the monitor and scan his print.

A mousy woman with brown, frizzy hair, steel-rimmed glasses, and a business suit appeared on the screen. “Greetings, fellow members of The Unseen. This message contains highly sensitive information and should not be shared lightly. Your ability to access it will be revoked sixty minutes after it’s first opened. We’ve received word that there’s a plot to use Zero against a major metropolitan hospital in the San Francisco area.

“The attack on the UCSF Medical Center is supposedly going to be made within the next forty-eight hours. The San Francisco division believes they can handle it, and they are already investigating. We are waiting anxiously for their update.

“There are several thousand people inside UCSF Medical Center at any given time. This has the potential to be the deadliest attack so far, but because of the details we have in hand, we are confident we can stop the attack before the public learns of the plot.

“We have no leads that might indicate why UCSF Medical Center was chosen, or even why the San Francisco area is a target, but we remain diligent and on our guard, as we expect you all to do. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.”

The screen went back to Owen’s inbox, and we sat in silence as we absorbed the information.

Mitchell was surprisingly the first to speak. “How exactly did we come across this information?”

Owen shrugged. “You know what I know.”

“It’s a bit convenient for my taste,” Mitchell said, a frown forming on his face.

Rebecca nodded in agreement. “It feels like a trap. The details haven’t been leaked this way before.”

“But all other variables follow their pattern. It’s a relatively small, self-contained location,” Owen answered. “We can’t ignore it. Particularly if we can stop it. We have everything we need to do that.” He looked to David for confirmation, but he was deep in thought.

Camden attempted to break his concentration. “David, why not wait and see what Agusto does? Maybe it would be an opportunity for him to show us his true intentions. If this guy really wants to be the savior, let him.”

He toyed with his mustache, seemingly unaware that we were all looking at him. Owen persisted. “David, you can’t really be considering doing nothing. It’s the Unseen’s job to pursue this kind of stuff.”

Silence reigned in the room as we waited for our fearless leader to answer.

“While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Owen, and I don’t necessarily agree that we should step back and allow this Agusto character to handle it—although it would be an interesting approach—this isn’t our responsibility. As you heard in the message, the division out in San Francisco is handling it. Our job is to continue to find information that will help us get to the bottom of Zero and Agusto.”

“But maybe they could use our help,” Owen persisted.

I put my hand on his, hoping it would help him settle down. He was so ready to get back into action that he was willing to insert himself where he wasn’t needed. Or maybe he thought it would be a good first step, since he would’ve just provided an extra set of hands rather than taking a more crucial role. I couldn’t say for sure. But from the way he instantly jerked his hand from mine, I could tell trying to comfort him had been the wrong move.

“They can use our help,” David said. “By continuing to find out everything we can. We are of more use to them here, than we would be there.”

Owen frowned, and his voice turned cold. “If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll get back to helping.” David nodded and Owen walked out, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

I turned back to David, and he shook his head. “I’m too old for all this angst. All of you need to learn to be team players.”

“What can we do for him?” I asked, trying to hide the desperation in my voice. I’d thought Owen was doing so much better, but his outburst had rekindled my concerns.

“Just try to show him the work he’s doing is important,” Mitchell said.

“In the meantime, the Potestas are barreling down on us, poised to strike at any moment. This plot against the hospital could be a ruse to divert attention from a much larger attack. Has anyone considered that?” I asked, my mind going a mile a minute, as one scenario after another tumbled through it, each more terrible than the last.

“That is a distinct possibility, yes,” David said. “But there isn’t any intelligence pointing to that, so any contingencies we attempt to put into place would be based on guess work.”

“Perhaps some educated guesswork would be better than nothing? What can we do to protect the people we’re sending in?” Rebecca asked.

“Nothing really. Our guys are already there. We should know soon who’s right.” Mitchell said matter-of-factly.

“Excellent,” I said flatly. “The more I think about it, the less likely it seems that anything will actually happen to that hospital.” I shook my head, trying to banish the image of the sick and injured patients, already bound to their beds, suffering horribly as Zero melted their skin and scorched their eyes and lungs. It was too obvious. Something else was going on, just under the surface, and none of us could put our hands on exactly what it was. Slippery as a fish, the truth stayed just out of reach.

Rebecca and I worked for the rest of the day, which made it easy for me to give Owen some space. But by evening, I couldn’t stay away any longer. I found him watching a movie with some of the others.

“Hey,” I whispered as I plopped down next to him. He moved just a tiny bit, creating a space between us, and didn’t respond. I knew he was upset, but why was he taking it out on me? In that moment, I was very tempted to slip into his mind to find out exactly what was going on there—not only to try to understand, but so I would know how to help him. The damage such a violation of his trust would cause held me back…and left me frustratingly in the dark.

“Can we talk? Somewhere else?” I asked. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he just sat there stoically, watching as Tom Hanks stood at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere. To my mind, Castaway had quite possibly the most unsatisfying ending to a movie ever.

“Come on, this is over.” I gestured to the TV as I stood up, hoping he would at least acknowledge that I was interacting with him. But he kept staring at it, as if boring into the screen with his eyes would give him some kind of answer about the motivations of Hanks’s character, even though the credits were already rolling.

“Fine. I’m going outside to sit by the lake. If you want to join me, that’s where I’ll be,” I said, openly frustrated with him. It wasn’t my fault he was in this situation. Maybe I was the one who’d told him there was a plot against Coda, but still. I hadn’t been in control of my own body at the time. Besides, there came a point where you just had to accept the things you couldn’t change. Que sera sera, and all that crap, right? It occurred to me that I hadn’t always felt so zen about life—after all, Maddie’s death had undeniably pushed me over the edge—but I buried the thought, hanging on to my frustration.

I stormed outside and slammed the iron outer door behind me, which made a very satisfying clang as it banged shut. The thin layer of snow crunched beneath my feet as I stomped over it. Once I reached the edge of the lake, I plopped down onto a dry rock.

The weather was cold, and I found myself wishing I’d grabbed a coat before I went out. My sweatshirt and jeans weren’t going to cut it in the cold mountain air. Christmas was fast approaching. It would be my first without Maddie, but it would also be my first with Owen. Of course, the thought didn’t give me much comfort at the moment. With everything that was going on, the thought of celebrating hadn’t even crossed my mind. No one had decorated or anything. I was sort of used to that. My guardian Amanda, who’d since joined the Potestas, had resented being assigned to me. Perhaps as a method of revenge, she’d never decorated for Christmas, not even when I was a little kid. But Maddie always did. And as I got older, I started spending the holiday with her family, so I never missed out on the festivities.

As I looked out across the lake, I knew this was shaping up to be the gloomiest Christmas I’d ever had. And Amanda wasn’t even around to ruin it for me. Well, she wasn’t here. She and her new friends were doing plenty to ruin it for us.

I sat out in the cold for as long as I could stand it, hoping he would come. The longer I stayed there, the madder I got, and I started to hope he wouldn’t come, for fear I’d say something I’d regret. I’d tried to help him over and over again, and he was ignoring that, ignoring me. Sure, I’d done the same to him when I was grieving, but of the two of us, I’d never been the patient one.

Despite the fact that I’d long since tucked them into my sweatshirt, my fingers were going numb. Just as I was about to turn around and go back inside, I heard footsteps crunching on the path behind me.

Not turning to see who it was—I knew, deep inside—I lifted my chin and stared out at the lake. Owen quietly sat down next to me, but I didn’t move over to make room for him. He perched carefully on the edge of the rock, balancing himself with a leg on the ground, while I sat Indian-style, dominating the majority of the space, not willing to give him an inch. Maybe he was making an effort, but damned if I wasn’t going to make him work for it.

He draped my coat over my shoulders. “It’s cold out here.”

Instead of responding, I slipped my arms into the sleeves. It was warm from being inside, and it almost felt like a hug. It made my impatience with him start to dissolve.

“I just want to get back to work. To be useful again.” He said it to the lake.

I stared at the moon’s reflection in the water for a moment before responding. “Do you remember my very first job? The one where I was asked to research the scientist? Dr. Jeppe?” I drew my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around them, holding on to my newfound warmth.

He nodded, and I kept going. “I was absolutely convinced it was busy work. Just something to keep me occupied while Tracy and David figured out what to do with me.” I smiled at the memory, thinking about how much my abilities had flustered Tracy. She’d been pretty unflappable other than that. My smile faded as I realized I would never again be able to catch her off guard like that.

“You told me it wasn’t, that every job was important. Even the smallest detail could save a life. A nervous tick he had, the place he liked to have his coffee, his favorite newspaper—anything could make a difference, even if it didn’t seem important at the time. Come to think of it, that philosophy is probably why you’ve done so well with the research department.”

Chancing a look at him, I saw a smile pulling at the edge of his mouth. “I am pretty smart, huh? Almost wise.”

I nudged him with my shoulder and bumped him off our rock. “You’re only wise if you heed your own advice.”

I made room for him, and he sat down next to me. We both peered out at the lake, so peaceful on this clear night. If the water had been a little more still, we probably could have made out individual stars on its surface. The moon was enough to make it a beautiful picture. It was certainly a far cry from the tropical climate of our Florida home.

Silently, I hoped the peace of the evening would help us both focus on the road ahead. Something big was coming; I could feel it. It hung in the air right in front of my face, just like my icy breath. And I knew it would bring challenges with it that neither of us knew how to face. We would need each other, as well as the rest of the Unseen, before the end.

Narrowing my eyes as I stared out at the lake, I felt ready for what lay ahead. “Bring it on,” I said to the darkness, and I felt my words roll through the woods and find their home in the ears of our enemies.

Eight

In the morning, Owen and I were startled awake by an announcement. “All personnel, please come to the conference room at once.” It was David’s voice, and he sounded…displeased.

“What did we do now?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m disconnecting the PA system when the meeting is over. David is abusing it,” Owen said groggily. He put the wrong leg into his shorts, and then almost stumbled in his effort to fix his mistake.

When we emerged from our room, it soon became clear we weren’t the only ones who’d been awakened by the all call. We looked like a horde of zombies.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Seven thirty,” Owen said through gritted teeth.

We trudged down the hall to the conference room with the rest of the Unseen. David waited for us to take our seats, and we all sort of flounced down, letting our tired bodies sink into our chairs.

“I see most of you weren’t too anxious to get to work today,” David said, more than a little judgment in his tone.

“David, it’s Saturday. Cut us some slack,” I whined.

“Agusto has announced a press conference, to air at eight this morning.”

“What is he going to talk about?” I asked, trying desperately to wake up enough to process this information.

“He hasn’t said.”

“When was the attack on the hospital supposed to be?” I asked, trying to link the two even though I knew it might be reaching.

“Within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of when we got the message. Basically, any time. But we haven’t received any updates from the team in San Francisco.”

“If the two are connected, it’ll give us all the more reason to be suspicious of Agusto,” I said. The guy gave me a bad feeling I couldn’t shake. He was hiding something, and the more public appearances he made, the more certain I was that he couldn’t be trusted.

“Let’s say it’s about Zero or the hospital attack? What can we do?” Rebecca asked.

“It’s not overly constructive to speculate. What we can do will depend on what he says. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll admit to being involved. Maybe he has something totally different to announce. Maybe he’s running for president, and this press conference is unrelated to Zero.”

Running for president. The sentence struck a chord with me. But before I could puzzle it out, David turned the TV on. A few minutes remained before the scheduled start time, but reporters were already covering the conference.

CNN’s reporter was a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a black suit and a bold red tie, probably to stand out from all the others when it came time to ask questions. His face was clean-shaven, and his hair was neatly combed to one side, giving him a polished look. “Agusto Masterson, president and CEO of Visco Oil and Agusto Masterson Health Care, has publicly announced a pledge to eliminate the threat of the highly toxic chemical Zero. An unknown terrorist group has used Zero to attack various locations across the globe, putting the entire world on edge as to who will be next.

“Masterson is expected to discuss how he will go about eliminating the threat of Zero. There are many who hope he will even identify who’s behind the attacks.”

“Does he have that information?” I asked no one in particular.

“I have no idea. If he did, he probably wouldn’t release it to the public,” David said, not taking his eyes off the screen. “He’d have to explain how he came by it, and if he couldn’t, people would probably assume he was involved in some way. He’s working hard to gain the trust of the average American. Of the whole world. If he does what he says he will do, we will all be in his debt. It’s a scary thought.”

Dread settled deep in my stomach, and I reached for Owen’s hand as we glued our attention on the screen. In place of the reporter, an empty podium with the occasional bulb flash of a camera appeared on the screen. A low murmur of reporters talking dominated the background noise as I scanned the screen for information.

Owen squeezed my hand, and I loosened my grip, realizing I’d been holding on too tight. The sound of camera’s clicking replaced the murmuring as reporters settled into their seats.

Agusto walked out onto the stage, looking much like he did at the last conference. His black suit matched his slicked-back black hair, making him look slimier than ever. He flashed a used-car-salesman smile at the crowd after taking his place at the podium. I held my breath, instinctually feeling whatever he had to say would change our course of action, making our lives—and our work—that much more difficult.

“Good morning, members of the press, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans,” he began. “I’ve come here to report some good news. But first, let me give you some background information about myself.”

“Oh, come on. Just get to it,” I breathed, and Owen chuckled.

“My team has been working around the clock to unmask the criminals behind Zero.”

“What have we been doing?” I asked, already annoyed with Agusto. He was nothing more than a peacock, if you asked me, one with more money and power than sense.

“It hasn’t been easy, and we’ve sacrificed a lot, but we saved thousands of lives by stopping the enemy’s latest plot.” Cameras flashed as Agusto displayed a proud smile.

“What do you know about that?” I whispered to David across the table, but he shook his head. Apparently, it was news to him too.

“My researchers were able to uncover a major plot against a San Francisco hospital. A plot that would’ve resulted in countless lives lost. The terrorists planned to release Zero through the ventilation system. As it rained down on patients and workers alike, it would’ve ravaged the thousands of people inside the building.”

Agusto went on. “A specialized team of government workers were able to use my information to go in and remove the threat before Zero could be released. What’s better, we now have samples of Zero to deconstruct, samples that will hopefully tell us more about its makers.”

I sat back in my chair, slack-jawed. If he’d gotten a sample of Zero, the plot had to be real after all. But how had he gotten there before our people did? Or maybe the government workers he’d spoke of were the San Francisco division of the Unseen? If that were the case, wouldn’t we have been the first to know they’d found a sample? Or that they’d stopped an attack?

David was already dialing a number into the phone in the center of the conference room desk as Agusto continued his monologue. “Thanks to my brilliant team of workers, we’ve had a major breakthrough that not only saved lives today, but also gave us the tools to possibly save who knows how many lives in the future. We’re well on our way to eliminating the threat of Zero, my friends. Thank you.”

He paused before speaking again, a small smile on his face. “Make no mistake, we’re not out of the woods yet. The attackers are probably not too pleased with me right now. I stopped their plans, saved lives they hoped to destroy.” He looked into the camera. “To them, I say: Come at me. We’re ready for you.” His expression was menacing and unsettling to say the least.

Questions started to pour in. I couldn’t tell how he picked a reporter from the bustling crowd, but he pointed at someone, and everyone else quieted down. “Is there anything the average person can do to help?” the reporter asked.

“Of course!” His eyes lit up. It didn’t take a mind reader to pick up on the obvious fact that the reporter had been coached. “The most important thing for all of us to do is to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior, and to report anything of that nature to the nearest authority as soon as possible. It was a Good Samaritan’s report that brought us to the hospital. She thought she saw someone who didn’t belong. She had no proof, no evidence, nothing to back her claim, but we looked into it anyway, and bam. Turns out she saved a ton of people. Trust your instincts, folks.

“I’ve even set up a number you can call with any information you might have regarding Zero or the people behind it. We have people available twenty-four seven to take your calls.” A number flashed on the screen, declaring it the ELIMINATE ZERO HOTLINE.

“I’ve also started a donation fund, called the Eliminate Zero Fund. Although I’m quite wealthy, most of my money is tied up in my companies and private ventures. Anything you can give will help fund our efforts to save you and your loved ones.” A website flashed on screen, telling people where to go, and that PayPal was accepted.

Frowning in disgust, I turned my attention back to David. He was speaking quietly on the phone, and had moved to the corner of the room so we could continue to listen to the press conference.

“But if we weren’t involved, who was the specialized team Masterson referenced?” he asked. He frowned as he listened to the response. “I understand. Keep me informed. Mmhmm. I’ll do the same. Thank you.” He hung up the phone, and muted the TV, cutting off any additional questions for Agusto.

“The Unseen were not involved in removing the threat of Zero from the UCSF Medical Center,” David declared to the room.

“What? Who was?” I asked.

“We don’t know. Apparently, it was Agusto’s people.”

“What did our people find when they got there?” Owen asked.

“Nothing. No trace of anything. They even checked the ventilation system. Evidently, they posed as maintenance workers so they would have access to all the nooks and crannies in the hospital.”

“Smart,” I said. Then I remembered what Owen had told us about Coda. “You guys didn’t find anything at Coda either, did you?”

“Well, no. But to be fair, we were in more of a survive-and-save-lives mode than a search-and-destroy mode,” Owen said.

David’s frown accentuated how grim the situation was. “The San Francisco team, whose sole purpose it was to find Zero, found nothing. No canisters, no deployment systems, no trace that Zero had ever been there. They were starting to look at some of the other hospitals and surrounding buildings, just in case the threat had been a diversion, when Agusto announced the press conference.”

“When did they go? Maybe Agusto’s people had already removed it,” I proposed.

Owen walked to the computer in the room that controlled the presentation technology and downloaded a transcript of the conference. He scanned it for any information we might have missed. With his back to the rest of us as he faced the computer screen, he said, “When a reporter asked him when all this went down, he said his people finished cleaning up yesterday.”

“But the Unseen were in and out of there all day yesterday. Did they see anyone else?” I asked

“No.” David’s answer was short, but heavy with meaning.

“Something doesn’t add up. If Agusto is lying about dissolving the plot, how did he get samples of Zero to analyze? And why didn’t our people see anything?” I asked.

“Maybe it’s just a money scheme, you know?” Camden said. “Could be that he’s in over his head, and this is how he’s getting the public to dig him out. Maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with the Potestas. He’s just a money-grubbing slime ball, capitalizing on the public’s fear.”

We were all silent for a few moments as we considered that option. We spent so much time thinking about the Potestas that it was almost inconceivable they weren’t involved, but Camden had probably raised the simplest explanation.

After a time, Mitchell spoke up from the other side of the room. “One lie often leads to another,” he said quietly. “Even if he’s not just an opportunist, who’s to say he really does have samples of Zero? Or, if he does, that he didn’t get them directly from the Potestas? If he is in bed with them, he’d have access to all the Zero he wanted, wouldn’t he?”

A hush fell over the room as we all absorbed the ramifications of what Mitchell was implying.

“I have no answers,” David said. Fear flickered across his face before a stony expression took its place.

“We need information, David,” I said.

“I agree. We leave tonight for headquarters in DC. Mackenzie, you’re going undercover.”

Nine

Most of our division stayed behind. David didn’t want to abandon our quest for information or our responsibilities to the larger unit, so only six of us—Owen, Rebecca, Mitchell, Camden, David, and I—flew to Washington DC to visit headquarters.

The reason David decided to make the trip with us himself was because he felt like the mission was too important for him to rely on secondhand information. At least, that was how he put it. He seemed to be staying awfully close to me throughout the journey though, which made me feel like I had a little more to do with his decision to accompany us than the importance of the mission.

We landed in DC at about 12:30 AM local time. We were all exhausted, but we weren’t done with our day yet. David rented a SUV big enough for all of us, and we drove directly to The Department of Homeland Security. The guard at the gate let us in without any problems after David showed him an ID, making me wonder how many people knew about the Unseen—I mean how many really knew. David’s badge was just a general ID that apparently gave him permission to be there. It didn’t say anything about his security clearance or department.

The brick, rectangular headquarters looked brooding if ever a building could. Windows lined the three bottom floors, with mysterious coverings on the top windows. Honestly, its boxy uniformity reminded me a little of a jail. I wasn’t overly comfortable with going inside.

But David didn’t hesitate. He parked the car in the virtually empty lot and got out. Whoever we were supposed to be meeting must’ve parked somewhere else.

We scrambled to file out of the back of the SUV and follow David, but by the time we were out of the vehicle and in the parking lot, he was already at the door, scanning his badge. The door clunked, and he pulled it open as we all rushed forward to join him.

David walked quickly through the lobby, not bothering to turn on any lights, so we didn’t get much of a chance to look around. We followed a long hallway, lighted minimally by an occasional florescent bulb in the ceiling. The effect was eerie. All it needed was that creepy hum artificial lighting gave off, and it would feel like we were in some kind of slasher movie.

I rubbed my arms, trying to shake off the willies I’d caught. “This place is creeping me out. Why couldn’t we come here during the day?”

“Because they’re waiting for us. And our quarters are in here,” David responded quietly as he stopped in front of a wall.

We stood around him awkwardly as he stared ahead, seemingly at nothing. I was about to say something when a light flashed in front of him. Apparently, he’d been waiting for the retina scan device to activate. Once that was complete, a panel popped out of the wall to scan his fingerprint. A sharp point jutted out of the scanner to prick his finger.

He jerked back. “Gets me every time.”

“What is that? Some kind of torture device?” The needle still protruded from the scanner, and the sight of his blood on the tip took the creepiness level up a few notches.

“No, it’s a DNA scanner. They prick your finger on the spot, so you can’t fake the blood,” David said.

Then the wall swung inward, revealing a pleasantly well-lit (much to my relief), stark white corridor. The door closed silently behind us, and we followed David in and continued to trail behind him as he led us through a few turns. Finally, we ended up in a conference room, not dissimilar from our own.

“Seems like we traveled an awfully long way to end up basically right where we started,” Camden said, eying the place.

David gestured toward the seats surrounding the white, oval table, and we all sank gratefully into them. After a few minutes, a tall, thin man with tiny, steel-rimmed glasses perched neatly on the end of his nose walked into the room.

“Welcome to headquarters, everyone. I’m Jeffery. I will show you to your quarters.”

Somehow, we found the will to stand from our seats, although I was sure a lot of us could’ve slept right there at the conference table. We followed Jeffery down a few more winding hallways until we reached the rooms that had been reserved for us.

Owen and I shared a nice room that was inviting despite the sterile feeling imparted by the all-white furniture. The bed was very plush and comfortable. Of course, by the time we finally crawled into it, it could’ve been made of cement and we would’ve been happy.

I slipped easily into a dreamless sleep, knowing I would need plenty of rest to prepare for the days to come.

We were awakened earlier than we would have liked, but at least it wasn’t an all call. Rebecca knocked on the door. “Hey guys, you awake?” she asked in a quiet voice. “David wants a meeting in five.”

We groaned, and she must’ve taken that as a yes, because we didn’t hear from her again. We both lay still for a few moments, not wanting to admit it was time to get up. Finally, Owen relented.

“What time is it?”

“Too early.” I groaned and rolled back over, covering my head with the plush white comforter.

He met me in my cocoon and kissed my nose. “Time to get up, sleepyhead. Anyway, you don’t want to suffocate, do you?”

“If the alternative is getting out of this bed, then yes. I do.”

“Your alternative is getting tickled until you fall out of bed.” Pinning me beneath him, he brought his hand up near his face and wiggled his fingers. “Make your decision,” he said in a dramatic voice.

I sighed heavily, finding it harder to take another breath with Owen on top of me. But I wasn’t about to give up so easily. I pushed my hips up into him. “You sure you’re so motivated to get out of this bed?”

He eyed me, raising his eyebrows. “That’s low,” he growled right before lowering his mouth to mine in a savage kiss. I threw my arms around his neck and drew him closer to me, but he only let me enjoy it for a moment or two. “You are a wily minx.”

He poked me right in the soft part of my side, right under my ribs, and I squealed. “Fine. I’m up!”

We dressed in record time, but we got lost on the way back to the conference room. I was beginning to despair that we’d be lost in the tunnel-like corridors forever when we stumbled on someone who directed us where to go.

The last to enter, we tried to be quiet and unobtrusive, but as soon as we came in, David drew everyone’s attention to me. “Ah, and here she is now.”

“Sorry. We got lost.” I hung my head as I tried to find a seat. The room was more crowded than it had been the night before. Every seat around the table was full, mostly with unfamiliar faces, so we stood along the back wall with a few others who must’ve been latecomers. I spotted Jeffery, but he only frowned at me, probably disapproving of my tardiness.

An older man with salt-and-pepper hair, broad shoulders, and a stern expression sat at the head of the table. He didn’t look like someone I wanted to cross.

“I hear you’re willing to go undercover,” he said, his voice low with an edge of gravel to it, like he’d spent too much time yelling at people, or maybe he’d smoked a little.

“Yes.”

“There are others who would like to go as well. Today’s meeting will cover everything we know about Agusto, and then you six will be given a full tour of the headquarters and our facility here while we decide on the best candidate for the job.”

I’d never imagined there would be competition for the job. Maybe there was someone better suited. The more time we spent at the headquarters, the more I realized that the Unseen was so much larger than I originally thought. I was having trouble processing it. But there was always a bigger fish in the sea, right?

Perhaps it would be best if someone else were chosen. Owen and David would certainly be happy. But I wasn’t sure how I felt about being off the hook. My ego didn’t like the idea that someone else would get the chance to stop the Potestas; I had entertained the notion that I was the only one who could stop them for too long to let it go easily.

Before I could bristle too much, the stern man continued talking. “My name is Davis. I’m a former colonel in the military, so I will not waste time sugarcoating this situation for you. Whoever takes this job will be diving headfirst into enemy trenches.

“Agusto is suspected to be a high-ranking member of the Potestas. His financial status, the guards that travel with him at all times, and the fact that there’s very little personal information on him available all point to that fact. We’re just not sure how high.”

It felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I thought about how Amanda’s history had been erased after she joined the Potestas, and suddenly our lack of information on Agusto made sense.

“Because of his suspected status, I want you all to understand how dangerous this mission will be. The man you’re going to follow could be third or even second in command. You will be deep into enemy territory, and you will be alone. The risk is high; the probability of success is low. It’s important for you understand that before you proceed.

“Although we have nothing specific on Agusto, men of his caliber are known to swiftly eliminate those who get in their way. In fact, he’s been seen associating with several known contract killers. So, tread lightly.

“It will be your job to gain his trust, find out what we need to know, and not get killed. Get in, learn as much as you can, and get out. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Now, knowing the risks involved, I want those who are still willing to volunteer to raise your hands. You will not be judged if you decide to stay behind. You will be put to work here. There is much to do to both prepare for this mission and see it through to success. Each of you must play your role to the absolute best of your abilities, or we are sure to fail. The agent who goes undercover is just a small part of this.” He paused, taking a moment to look at each of the faces in the room. I wondered what assessment he was making about me as he stared me down with cold, blue-gray eyes. I shifted in my seat nervously before he moved on to the next person.

“Do I have any volunteers?” Six hands went up in the end. Two from our ranks—Owen, me, and four others I didn’t recognize. Disapproval clouded my gaze as I looked at Owen’s outstretched arm. He shrugged, and I shook my head no at him.

“If you think I’m going to let you head right into the snake pit again without a fight, you can think again,” he whispered.

“If you think I’m going to let you throw yourself into that same pit before you’re ready, you’re dumber than you look.” He nudged me with his elbow, but I didn’t smile. This was serious business.

“Okay. Thank you for your willingness to be on the front line of this fight,” Davis said. “The chosen candidate will be announced tonight. Meet back here at five o’clock for our decision.” He looked straight at me, and I gave him a terse nod before flying out of my seat, suddenly eager to escape the room. I couldn’t put my finger on why he made me so nervous; I just knew he wasn’t someone I wanted to disappoint.

David met us out in the hall. We would take a tour of the headquarters while the leaders deliberated on which one of the volunteers to send undercover. “I’m staying here to help. Besides, I’ve seen this place before. You guys go, have fun.” He put a hand on my shoulder, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about his involvement in the vote. I was sure he’d vote against me, and the realization made me angry.

“David, don’t you think you’re a bit too biased to be on the selection committee for this particular mission?” I didn’t want him to choose Owen over me, and I really didn’t want the slap in the face of him choosing a stranger over his own daughter.

He looked at the rest of our tour group, which included Jeffery, who would apparently be our guide. “Why don’t you guys go ahead? She’ll catch up in a second.”

Owen hesitated, but I nodded for him to continue onward. I didn’t want him to try to argue his case with David. I could tell he didn’t want to listen, so I was grateful when he fell into step with Mitchell and Rebecca.

It was all the prompting Jeffrey needed to start the tour. The cadence to his voice reminded me a lot of C3PO. That, combined with his gawky stature, really made him resemble the likably annoying robot. I made a note to share my observation with Owen later—it was sure to give him a laugh given his obsession with Star Wars. Of course, Owen wasn’t my favorite person at the moment, so maybe I’d save that little tidbit for later.

“Listen, it’s no secret that I don’t want you to go on this mission. But I also know you’re the most well-equipped member of the Unseen for the job. You’re right; it will be a difficult choice, and I won’t make it lightly.”

I had only been with the Unseen for a few months. Doubt started to creep into my thoughts again. How could I possibly be the best person for the job? “What do you know about the other volunteers?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Well, I know Owen sure isn’t ready for this yet.” His comment made me laugh, but it was more of a stress release than anything else.

“And I know the others are very skilled,” he finally said. “Two are some of the highest-ranking trainers among the Unseen. More skilled even than Tracy.”

What could we learn from them? I wondered.

“It will be a tough choice,” he repeated.

“Just promise me something.” I paused, not surprised when he waited for me to continue before making any hasty guarantees. “Don’t make your choice based solely on your desire to keep your daughter safe.”

A few more moments passed before he responded. “A choice like that is one I would never regret, Mackenzie,” he said. “Even if you’d hate me for it.” I had no idea how to respond to that. Once again, he’d blurred the lines between boss and employee, father and daughter. So, I simply nodded and rushed down the hall in the direction the tour group had gone, suddenly eager to escape the intensity of our conversation.

The group hadn’t made much progress while David and I were chatting, so I caught up with them easily. Once I rejoined them, I looked back, but David was already gone. Owen was standing with Mitchell, and I deliberately stood next to Rebecca instead of him. Childish? Yes. But I had too much on my mind to worry about my maturity—or lack thereof.

Jeffery had stopped in front of what appeared to be a workroom, but it was significantly more sophisticated than anything in our new facility, let alone our old one. I felt like I would need years of training just to operate the technology in the room. I couldn’t even begin to guess what all of it was for. Luckily for me, Jeffery gave us a brief summary before moving on.

“Our workrooms are equipped with the latest scanners, servers, surveillance, and informational devices. If the information is out there, we are equipped to find it.”

I thought about Agusto as we walked to the next stop on the tour. All that technology hadn’t revealed too much about him. There was still something to be said for manpower, which was a surprisingly comforting thought. In the face of such impressive technology, I was still needed.

After a few more stops on the tour, we ended at the cafeteria. It was huge, which gave us an idea of just how many people worked at headquarters.

Even though it was lunchtime when we arrived, there weren’t more than twenty people in the cafeteria. “Where is everyone?” I asked Jeffery.

“We all take our lunch at different times. That way we don’t overwhelm the cook. Anyway, about fifteen percent of our employees aren’t even on duty yet. Someone is always working, even at night.”

“Seemed pretty dead in here last night,” I said, half under my breath.

“Yes, well, as you’ve seen, our facility is large,” Jeffrey said. “It’s easy to be, well, unseen here.”

Nodding, I snickered at his pun.

“Enough talk. What’s for lunch?” Camden asked. Jeffery gestured toward the line, and we all followed him and grabbed what we wanted from the display. They had a good variety of food ranging from sandwiches to pasta salad, all different kinds of fruits, and a variety of chips and snack items.

Once the six of us were seated with our lunches, Jeffery excused himself.

“Wait, what do we do after this?” I asked around a mouthful of pasta. I hadn’t expected him to just leave us.

“Whatever you like, I suppose. I was given no instructions beyond ‘give them the tour.’” He shrugged and walked away.

“Does he remind anyone else of C3PO? Even the way he acts is a bit robotic,” I said in an undertone after he was out of hearing range.

Mitchell responded right away. “Thank you. I’ve been trying to place him all morning.”

Owen smiled, and it was all I needed to accept peace with him. He was just trying to protect me after all, and I him.

“What should we do until tonight’s meeting?” I asked as I stuffed more food into my mouth. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I started eating.

Owen looked at me slyly. “I can think of a few things.”

I nudged him, and Camden cleared his throat. Rebecca yawned. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could go for a nap.”

Mitchell perked up, and the look the two of them shared was unmistakable. “Not sure how much sleeping you’re going to do,” I said, unable to stop myself.

After he turned three shades of red, Rebecca came to the rescue. “I meant I wanted to actually sleep, thank you very much. After the early wake-up call and late night, I’m exhausted.”

“I don’t know if I can sleep. I need to move. Do something productive,” I said, and Camden nodded. He seemed relieved to have someone on his side, since he was the only single guy with us at that moment.

“You can totally go do something productive if you want, Mac. I’m going to get some Zs. I feel like a zombie.” Rebecca stood with her plate.

“Okay, well, you can find me in one of the workrooms later if you want. Otherwise, I’ll see you at tonight’s meeting.”

“Sounds great,” she said and walked away. Mitchell stood without comment, and after giving us a smile and a shrug, he followed her.

“Can you blame him?” Owen asked.

“Nope. I’m glad they’re happy,” I said as I watched them walk away. Rebecca reached back for Mitchell’s hand without turning to find him. He connected with her naturally, and they fell into step. “They fit together.” Opposites really did attract, and when they did, it was magical.

Owen nodded as he finished up his lunch. “I think I’ll go lay down for a bit too. The idea is too enticing. Sorry, Mac.”

“No, you need to rest. Come find me when you’re ready. What about you, Camden?”

Camden nodded. “I’m in. Let’s find something to do.”

“Great.” Owen kissed me lightly before he left, and Camden and I made our way to a workroom. There were computers and monitors everywhere, with people working busily at each station. We both selected a computer and sat down.

I stared at the screen for a few moments, not sure what to look for, knowing all the workers around me were certainly researching Agusto, his company, and what I’d be getting myself into if I was chosen as the plant. Then his disgusting fund popped into my head. I wondered how much money he’d already raised for his cause, and if there was any way of telling how much—if any of it—was actually going to stop Zero.

I typed in THE ELIMINATE ZERO FUND, and the website popped right up. After clicking over to it, I learned in big, red letters that they’d already raised a million dollars in the twenty-four hours since funding had started. David was right. If Agusto did succeed, people would blindly give him whatever he wanted. It was a dangerous thought, for someone who was such a question mark.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find the name of the bank where the money was being sent, but I had no luck. “If it’s out there, we have the resources to find it, huh?” I asked the computer, just as Owen put his hand on my shoulder.

Relaxing at his touch, I rested my hand on top of his. “How’d you sleep?”

“Like a log. Glad I set an alarm. It’s time to go to the meeting and find out who they’ve chosen.”

“Already? It seems like I just sat down.” Suddenly, a gamut of emotions washed over me. Stress, excitement, and anxiety all warred for space in my head.

My mouth went dry as Owen took my hand and led me down the hall to the conference room. I looked back at Camden, and he gave me two thumbs-up and a goofy smile as he followed us.

We took our seats and anxiously awaited the arrival of the committee. The sounds of people shifting in their chairs, clearing their throats, and smoothing their clothing dominated the room. No one had the nerve to speak, not even those who hadn’t volunteered. The tension in the room was taut enough to keep everyone’s mouths shut.

Finally, Davis came in with David and two others. They took their seats at one end of the table. David looked tired and embattled, his eyes a bit sunken, his hair sticking out in directions it didn’t usually go. He’d fought hard for this decision. Had he won?

“We’ve deliberated for hours over this choice,” Davis said. “This is quite possibly one of the most important missions the Unseen have ever undertaken. We haven’t made our decision lightly.

“Some of you have years of experience and a long list of extensive skills you alone have mastered.” He turned his gaze to me. “Others have a natural ability the rest can only dream of.” I shifted in my seat.

“Please know that just because you weren’t chosen, it doesn’t mean we felt you were unsuited for the task. We’ve made the selection we feel will give our team the best odds for success. If we thought you would be more useful behind the scenes, you were eliminated from the running. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I glanced at Owen, whose face revealed no emotion whatsoever, but his grip on my hand remained tight.

“That being said, the candidate we’ve chosen to go undercover for the Unseen to investigate Agusto Masterson is Mackenzie Day.”

The room let out a collective breath, but I still held mine. I understood that I was to be the one to stop the Potestas, but it was in that abstract sense we all know we were going to die someday. It seemed so far off. Now, it was real, staring me in the face, and all I wanted to do in that moment was plant my hands on its shoulders and push back.

Instead, I took a deep breath and nodded to Davis. I couldn’t look at Owen or David, whose expressions would be full of heartbreak, concern, or some other emotion I couldn’t process at the moment. No, I stared right at Davis, trying to show him I was strong enough and worthy of the cause.

Owen squeezed my hand a little tighter, but I wasn’t sure if he was encouraging me, or trying to hold on to me.

Davis nodded briefly to me, and then moved on. “The rest of you will be given your assignments individually. Those of you from Mackenzie’s group will stay here on location until the mission is complete. I hope you all know you’re in for a long haul. This won’t be easy for anyone.”

Turning to address me specifically, he said, “Mackenzie, your transformation starts first thing tomorrow morning.”

Ten

That night, Owen and I lay awake in bed, unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between us. We both stared up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend our future—and if we would still have one after all this was over.

As the minutes stretched on, I started to get worried that this was how we were spending our night together. Then I got irritated. I didn’t want to admit out loud that it might be one of our last nights together, but I wanted it to be special.

Throwing caution to the wind, I rolled on top of him and kissed him with all the passion I felt for him, for the Unseen, for doing what was right, and for saving lives. I let it all flow through me, and he responded in kind.

No, we didn’t sleep that night, but at least we didn’t spend our time staring up at the ceiling, wondering, worrying, and afraid.

I was too keyed up in the morning to be exhausted. Davis hadn’t elaborated on what my “transformation” would entail, so I had no idea what to expect.

David met me outside my room promptly at eight. Before I went out to meet him, I shared one last moment with Owen. “I love you.”

He nodded as his dark eyes sparkled in that way that turned my insides to mush, and I didn’t need to hear him repeat the words to know he felt the same way. I’d never said it to anyone except Maddie before, but my inexperience didn’t make it any less true.

David led me down the hall to an unfamiliar room. “Jeffery didn’t show us this room. What is it?”

“It’s where you’ll become Agusto’s assistant,” David answered.

“Agusto’s assistant? How did you manage that?” I asked, excited and nervous at the same time. This meant I would be much closer to Agusto than I would have imagined possible.

“We haven’t managed anything yet. You still have to get the job. All we’ve gotten you is an interview with Agusto.”

I swallowed hard. “So if I don’t get the job, the mission is done before it can even get started.”

“You better make a good first impression then,” David said as he held the door open to what I mentally dubbed the transformation room, and a team of people met me on the other side.

First was hair. They cut it short and dyed it platinum blonde. It was pretty trendy, but the difference was shocking to me. My hair was a tangled mess most of the time, but the pixie cut didn’t suit me. It made the angles of my face too prominent.

David stood behind me as I gazed at myself in the mirror, and he must have gleaned my thoughts without reading them, because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It…it isn’t me.”

“That’s kind of the point, Mackenzie.”

Frowning, I nodded. What else were they going to do to me?

Next, I was fitted for color contacts. They gave me explicit instructions for how to put them in, take them out, and care for them. Once I was on the inside, there would be no physical contact with the Unseen, so I had to make the pairs I was given last. They offered me two pairs, but I asked for three in case I lost one. I wasn’t used to wearing contacts at all, and they burned at first, but I was assured I would get used to them.

“I don’t like Agusto. How am I supposed to make a good impression?” I asked as the transformation specialists were pulling something that looked rubbery out of a mold.

“You don’t have to like him. You just have to get him to like you. Turn on the charm. And for God’s sake, keep the snark to yourself.”

I lowered my voice while the other members of the team were still a few feet away with their rubbery creation. “Are you sure I’m the best person for this job? I’m excited, but I’m also a little nervous. Are you worried?”

“No matter what the mission, no matter who’s sent as our undercover agent, we are always worried,” he said as they approached with the rubber. It was a prosthetic nose. They showed me how to apply it, and then let me practice doing my makeup around it. They also advised me on how to make my makeup heavier and darker than usual. In the end, it didn’t look bad, just different.

When they were done, I stood in front of a full-length mirror and examined the effect. I was dressed in a navy pinstripe suit with a baby-blue blouse underneath, modest navy-blue heels, my hair gelled into messy-on-purpose spikes, and a trendy little headband to hold back my bangs. Dark blue dangly earrings and a matching necklace completed the look. They’d changed my brown eyes to a soft sky-blue, with flecks of dark blue in them that complimented the blues in my outfit. The person staring back at me was startlingly attractive. But, at the same time, she made me uncomfortable. I’d already spent time looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. I wasn’t thrilled I would be doing it again.

David walked up behind me with a file in hand. “This information details your work history, your qualifications for the position, and the background of Joyce Nye. The team worked hard to create this person, and to make all of her credentials valid, should Agusto want to check up on you. Study it like it’s your gospel. That is your life story. Believe it, and you might just get the job.” The glint in his eye told me he was teasing me, but I couldn’t smile back at him. It was all a little overwhelming.

“You okay?”

“I guess so. It just feels odd to be sort of trapped in someone else’s skin so soon.”

He took opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it without saying anything. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he finally said.

We stared at the girl in the mirror for a few minutes. I wondered if she was strong enough for the task at hand.

“So, did the vote go your way?”

David gave me a soft smile. “I wondered how long you’d wait to ask me that. Let’s just say, I think the decision we made will give us the best possible outcome for success.”

“That’s not an answer,” I said, not wanting to let him off the hook so easily.

He shook his head, a slight hint of sadness in his eyes as he put a hand on my shoulder. “The father in me is…worried, to say the least.”

Tilting my head, I gave his reflection a half smile. “I promise to touch base with you every night through our mind-reading connection.” I chuckled. “Because that’s not weird at all.”

The sadness drained from his face, replaced with a genuine but reserved smile. “Yes, well, you’re surrounded by weirdos now. And hopefully, those weirdos will keep you alive.”

“Hopefully.” I whispered it to the girl standing in front of me.

As I stared at her, I thought about the way I’d felt going into our last mission, the one that had ended with my imprisonment inside Dylan Shields. I’d been at once excited and scared, particularly after we learned what we were getting into. This time, the nerves were there, but they felt more like jitters than real fear. A calm swept over me, brought on the wings of my newfound confidence. I was confident I was capable of tackling this mission, and some pretty high-up members of the Unseen thought so too.

We’ve got this, I thought as I stared at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, and she nodded back at me.

Before the team showed me how to get everything off without ruining it, they let Owen come in and see the disguise. He didn’t recognize me. He stood like a lost puppy near the team of people who’d worked on me.

“Owen, it’s me,” I said cautiously as I walked toward him from the middle of the group. I had no idea how he would react to this look, and he’d been somewhat unstable lately. The last thing I wanted was for him to turn away from me now, before I went undercover.

He did a double take and then stared at me with wide eyes as the team dispersed to give us some time alone.

Holding my arms out for his inspection, I shrugged. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know.” I could tell from his tone he was being totally honest.

“I don’t like it,” I admitted, hoping that would be an icebreaker.

“Why not?” he said as he stepped closer, appraising the girl in front of him as he went.

“It’s not me. I’m looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. Again.”

He reached out for me with a pained expression on his face that quickly turned into the mischievous look I loved. “I don’t know,” he said as he took my hands. “I think she’s kind of hot.”

I scoffed and jerked away. “You would like her.” He took me in his arms, and I playfully tried to push him away. “She wears too much makeup.”

He honked my fake nose. “And her nose is a bit hollow.”

Davis walked up, so we separated, stifling our laughter.

“Mackenzie.” He held out a purse to me. It was a bit comical to see such a stiff, former military man holding a purse out at arm’s length, but Davis wasn’t the kind of man you could laugh at.

“Inside, you’ll find your new driver’s license, various credit cards in your name, some cash, and anything else you might need for this venture. You won’t be staying here at the facility during this mission, so you’ll also find keys to your apartment. You need to have a legitimate residence in case you’re followed. This is the address.” He handed me a piece of paper. “It’s within walking distance of Agusto’s office. I think you’ll be doing a lot of walking, so I hope those shoes are comfortable.”

They dug into my ankles as if to tease me. Maybe I just needed to break them in.

“You’re to report to Agusto’s office first thing in the morning, so this will be your last night with us until the mission is either aborted or completed. Before you go, you need to be certain you understand how to apply your disguise without our aid. Please take advantage of the team while you have them.

“As you know, one of our members has already been implanted within Agusto’s company. She’s been able to tell us that Agusto is heavily guarded at all times, which is why it was vital to get you a position so close to him. Obviously, being that close is not without risks, but we need to know what he knows, what his motivations are, and who he is.”

I nodded and peeked into the purse. My new driver’s license had a picture of the new me, taken no more than an hour ago. Seeing a different name next to a picture of the new me was a lot to take in.

You’ll help me along the way, right? I thought to Owen.

Of course, Joyce. You know, I like dating two women. It’s exciting.

I returned his smile with a glare, but Davis was still in front of us, so neither of us did any more.

“David told us about your talent for communicating over long distances, which we think will aid this mission’s success tremendously. Keep us as informed as possible. Any tiny detail you manage to uncover could be the key to unlocking the source for Zero, where the Potestas plan to attack next, or who Agusto really is.”

“Of course, we’re assuming I’ll get past the interview,” I said, unsure of how I felt about facing such high stakes right out of the gate. Davis only stared at me in response, as if what I’d said didn’t deserve any kind of acknowledgement. Of course I would get past the interview. Why would I even say something like that?

Good thing all they want me to do is save the world.

You’ve got this, Owen thought back to me.

I could only assure myself he was right. There was no other option.

There was only one last detail to master before I left for my—or, rather, Joyce’s—interview in the morning—how I would stay hidden from Agusto’s security.

My transformation had been exhausting, but I knew my time undercover would be over before it began if I didn’t learn how to protect myself, so I doubled down to listen to Davis’s explanation.

“Our mole in Agusto’s company tells us that each new employee goes through basic mind screenings. If the subject is not a reader, he or she won’t even notice, but you will. You’ll need to hide your defenses. Of course, you’ll still need to let stray thoughts out to reinforce the impression that you’re not a reader, but this goes beyond that.”

“But what if I’m legitimately attacked?” I asked, not comfortable with the thought of burying my defenses.

“The cloak doesn’t work for attacks, only probes. If someone goes in with the intent to muck around, your defenses will activate.” He pulled up a chair, and one of the transformation crewmembers brought me one too, so we could sit down facing each other.

“It’s almost like placing a giant, black cloth over your whole mind,” he said, trying to explain the abstract concept to me. “Give it a go.”

I shut my eyes and visualized a huge cloak coming down over everything, my defenses, my memories, my subconscious, everything. I didn’t know what was supposed to happen once it had settled into place, but I didn’t feel any different. Opening my eyes, I shrugged at Davis.

“Now what?”

“Now I see if your cloak is effective.” He shut his eyes, and I sat uncomfortably as one of the highest-ranking members of the Unseen tried to probe my head. It felt like a light push on the outskirts of my mind, and it was unsettling to say the least.

After only a few moments, he opened his eyes again and smiled. “Good. Just make sure you study Joyce’s file to the fullest. You need to place some of her memories outside the cloak, so they find something when they probe you. If you’re not a reader, they’d be bombarded with the things that make up Joyce. You need to put those things into place.”

“Sure,” I said, even though I was anything but sure.

He nodded succinctly at me. “You’ll be ready. Try to get some rest, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

I nodded at his instruction, but somehow, I didn’t think I’d be getting much rest at all.

That night, after spending hours absorbed in memorizing all things Joyce Nye, I showered and took off the removable portions of my disguise, then slipped into bed and laid my head on Owen’s chest. He ran his hand through my closely cropped, now-blonde hair. “I kind of like it. It’s soft.”

“Like petting a dog or something?” I teased.

He laughed. “Maybe. But at least you don’t smell like one.”

“Yes, that is a plus.”

We were quiet for a few moments as I played connect the dots with the freckles on his chest. He didn’t have many, so it made for a short game, but it kept my hands occupied while I thought about the coming days. After not sleeping the night before, I should’ve been exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t turn off.

“I don’t think I have to tell you that I’m not thrilled about this, Mac.”

“I know.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid, like getting yourself turned into a robot. Oh wait…”

I swatted him, and he laughed.

“Seriously though. Come back to me.”

“I will,” I said.

One way or another, I knew it was true.

Eleven

Long before the sun came up, Owen and I said our quiet goodbyes. He wanted to say goodbye to me, not Joyce Nye, despite the fact that he planned to stay with me for most of the morning. The conversation was silent, carried on through tender looks and gentle touches. We’d said everything that needed to be said the night before. All that was left was to move forward.

He walked me to the transformation room, where I worked as quickly as I could to become my alter ego.

The team had a few minor tweaks to make, but overall, they were impressed by my performance. It took me over an hour to get everything just right, and I knew that would have to be factored in to my daily routine. I wasn’t used to spending so much time on myself. Normally, I liked to sleep as long as possible and walk out the door looking one step above awake. But this mission called for more than that.

Owen waited for me near the entrance of the transformation room. This time, he recognized me as soon as I approached him. “Joyce,” he said. “Where shall we tell our better halves we are this time?”

I swatted him, and he laughed as we walked to David’s makeshift office, which was really his quarters, spruced up with a laptop, portable file folder, and a giant monitor hanging on the wall that the rest of us didn’t have.

I knocked quietly, not wanting to wake him up. Even though I’d been up for almost two hours, it was still before sunrise. “Come in, Mackenzie.”

“Not Mackenzie. Joyce,” I said, closing the door quietly behind me, knowing Owen would wait for me on the other side, like he always did.

David sat on his bed, dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, his computer on his lap. Of course I hadn’t woken him up. That would require him to stop working long enough to actually sleep. “Ah yes. You’ve done a good job learning how to apply all this.” He gestured vaguely at my overall appearance.

“Thanks.” I wasn’t sure if it was the compliment or the attention to the new me that made me uncomfortable, but I changed the subject. “Well, I’m off. I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Actually, I feel pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m terrified of the interview, jittery, and I know I’m bound to mess up about half a million times, but we’ll get through this. I know it.”

“Just don’t sass him, and you’ll do fine. I’m very proud of you, Mackenzie.”

“Thanks?” I phrased it like a question, not sure how to respond to such emotion from my boss. Yes, he was my father, but we didn’t usually do the father-daughter thing.

“You were born to do this. I have every confidence in you.”

In that moment, I knew he was right. I walked over to the bed, and we shook hands. It felt more natural than a hug. He turned our hands over, putting his other hand on top of mine.

“I know you won’t disappoint me,” he said, and I tensed up at the word, even though his tone was soft. “I know that because I’ve realized nothing you could do would disappoint me.”

Smiling, I wondered about the man sitting before me, and what our lives could’ve been like if we’d spent them together.

“We’ll talk soon,” I said as I let go of his hands—only then realizing how much warmth they’d imparted.

When I got to the door, he quietly said, “Good luck.”

I turned around in the doorway. “Thanks, Da—” But I still couldn’t do it. It felt too foreign on my tongue after all those years alone. “Thanks, David.”

Acting like he hadn’t noticed, he smiled warmly at me as I walked out.

By the time I met Owen in the hall, Rebecca was waiting with him.

“Hey stranger,” she said. I hadn’t had a chance to see her the night before, so this was her first introduction to Joyce.

“What do you think?” I asked and did a little twirl in the hallway.

“It sure is different. But you wouldn’t look unusual if I didn’t know how different this is for you. In fact, she’s quite striking.”

The three of us started walking out of the building together. “Well, I hope that’s a good thing,” I said, suddenly nervous about the mission as I got closer and closer to leaving my family behind. “I mean, do I want to be that noticeable? Memorable? Don’t I want to blend in?”

“In the high-powered business world, well-put-together women are a dime a dozen. You’ll be fine. So what’s your plan of attack? You have to absolutely nail this interview. I know we’re all hoping he’ll just give you the job on the spot, but that’s unlikely. Try to be calm and patient,” Rebecca said, getting right to the heart of things.

“What if I don’t get the job?” I asked.

Rebecca hesitated as we walked, and then shrugged. “Well, you’re sort of a chameleon. I suppose we can just bring you back here and remake you, then toss you back into the ring.”

Her response made me stand up a little taller. She was right. We were more resilient than that. If he passed on me, we’d find another way in. It was what we did. It would work out either way.

Mitchell was waiting outside the main entrance, taking in the sunrise. I nodded to him, and he nodded back. “Have a sundae for me, okay?”

“I will,” he said, smiling at my mention of our code.

Owen stopped walking then, and our arms were pulled tight when I kept going.

“I’m going to stay here with Mitchell,” he said.

“I’ll just go tell the cabby you’re coming,” Rebecca said. “Mitchell?”

He nodded and walked on.

“She’s subtle, isn’t she?” Owen said, a small smile on his face. I tried to burn it into my memory since I wouldn’t get to see it again for a while if I was successful.

“You know I love you, right?” he asked.

“Impossibly.”

He smiled and lifted his hand to my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “You are the worst kind of impossible.”

I leaned in to kiss him. It was soft and full of meaning. “So I’ve been told.” Taking a step back, I held on to his hand as I started to create distance between us.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” we said at the same time. We laughed, and that was how I left, with laughter. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I passed Mitchell, who gave me one last nod, and joined Rebecca at the curb. The cab had already pulled up to give me a ride to my new life.

She smiled knowingly at me, clearly understanding how hard it was to say goodbye. “Just make sure you remember to let out stray thoughts while you’re undercover. Just because you have that fancy cloak in place doesn’t mean you can be careless. He’s probably high ranking and highly skilled. Stay focused on what he wants you to do, and do it right, so he doesn’t notice anything odd about you. And don’t get frustrated if it takes some time. Learn to do the job he wants you to do first so you can gain his trust and confidence. Then start digging. Don’t worry about any of this until you’re past the interview, but I assume you’ll knock that out of the park. I mean, who wouldn’t love you?”

As she rattled off my responsibilities, I nodded along, laughing all the while. “Okay, Mom.”

She leaned in and hugged me. “Above all, don’t do anything stupid.”

I pulled away and gave her a mock hurt look. “Why do people keep saying that to me?”

Her expression turned serious. “Because you have a habit of doing dumb things.”

I chuckled and leaned in for one last hug. “Take care of Mitchell. I’m pretty fond of him.”

“I’m getting pretty attached to him myself.”

Reluctantly, I pulled away and got into the cab. Mitchell and Owen had joined Rebecca at the edge of the curb. Mitchell had his arm around her, and she leaned into him as they watched my cab pull away. Owen waved, and the sight of him retreating into the distance made my heart give a funny throb.

The drive wasn’t that far, maybe ten minutes or so. I flipped through Joyce’s file one last time on the ride, refreshing myself on the details of her life. Before I knew it, the cab stopped at my new apartment and the driver took my luggage upstairs. I followed him, the shoes digging into my heels with each stair we climbed. He set my suitcases down just inside the door, and after I thanked him and tossed the file on a nearby table, we both left. I didn’t have time to explore my new digs, but I registered that the place was both furnished and small.

Agusto’s office was only a few blocks from the new apartment, and I spent the walk trying to clear my head, get my defenses in order, and well…get my mind ready for the long road ahead.

Just before I went inside, I touched base with David one last time. I’m not sure if I should risk talking to you inside. I’m just about to go in. Will advise when I can.

I didn’t wait for an answer before crossing the threshold into enemy territory.

Twelve

The building Agusto owned was sprawling, and I wondered how I’d ever learn my way around. Just beyond the glass doors separating safety from the enemy’s lair, a receptionist sat at a tall desk against the back wall. Chairs lined the front wall, with plants scattered around. A fountain dominated one of the short walls, and a huge saltwater fish tank helped balance the water feature on the other. It made the room feel rather serene.

“My name is Joyce Nye. I’m here to see Mr. Masterson,” I said to the receptionist, standing up as straight as possible to try to exude confidence.

“Of course, Ms. Nye.” The woman didn’t look familiar. She had straight, brown hair that cropped into a bob, giving her a severe look. But her huge, brown eyes softened her face. I had no way of knowing whether or not this was my ally. All I knew was that the mole was a woman. She could be anyone, and with those kinds of odds, no one could be trusted or confided in.

She picked up the phone and called a mystery person. “Joyce Nye is here.” Hanging up without saying goodbye, she pointed me toward one of the chairs in the lobby area. “Someone will be right out to take you to Mr. Masterson.”

“Thank you,” I said, giving her my friendliest smile. Instead of sitting down, I went to look at the fish tank. In my downtime, watching the colorful fish swim by, I was tempted to reach out to Owen to tell him about the building and my suspicions about the receptionist. But this was the first time we were using our new long-distance communication method in a real mission. If the line wasn’t airtight, and she heard me, I’d be dead in the water before I even got to meet Agusto Masterson.

To be fair, I was letting through some mundane thoughts, and I had a fair amount of impressive defenses in place, including the cloak, so the likelihood that she would hear me was slim. Was it worth the risk? A blue tang stopped right in front of my face. “Nope,” I told it, reaching my finger up to the glass. It tried to nip at it, making me smile.

But the moment was shattered when a man behind me startled us both. “Joyce Nye?” His voice was too loud for how close he was to me. It echoed.

Taking a calming breath to expel my flash of irritation over being startled, I turned and offered him my hand, but he didn’t take it. He looked at it and turned around. “This way.”

He was tall, bald, and dressed in a black suit. Even his shirt and tie were black. The only thing that didn’t fit into the color scheme was the clear earpiece and the wire that trailed from it, down the back of his neck, and into the back of his suit coat. Security.

Once we were alone in the elevator together, I felt the telltale push against my mind, and I knew he was probing me. I held my breath, hoping my time spent creating Joyce, and then throwing her to the wolves outside the cloak, were enough to throw this dog off my scent.

At least I didn’t have to probe him to know he was a reader.

He didn’t bother to look back at me at all as we made our way down a long corridor, up a few floors in an elevator, and down another hall that was more nicely decorated than the one downstairs.

It was adorned with plush carpet that looked like it was cleaned and plumped on a daily basis. It also had upgraded light fixtures that cast a soft yellow light on the space, and small fountains coming out of the walls on either side at regular intervals. It created a very Zen, spa-like atmosphere.

Silently, the guard and I walked down the hallway as I wallowed in my disappointment over the guard’s abilities. Of course Agusto had surrounded himself with readers. Why wouldn’t he, if he was really a high-ranking member of the Potestas? One thing was for sure—this was bound to make my job more difficult.

The guard stopped in front of a set of cherry-wood double doors. He opened them, revealing a grand, circular room. Windows lined the back wall, displaying a glorious view of DC’s monuments.

To my amazement, I realized a small river was running through the floor, dividing the room in half. A stone stood in the middle, and the guard stepped easily across it, obviously well practiced. Putting way too much faith in my ability to walk in my torturous shoes, I followed suit, and by some miracle, I made it across without getting my legs wet. I’d always thought the rich had more money than sense, and here was the proof.

Peeking around the guard, I saw Agusto sitting at a huge, cherry desk that faced the windows. His head was down, and he appeared to be writing something.

“Mr. Masterson, the assistant candidate is here.”

“Wonderful,” he said, rather flatly. He continued writing, and the guard walked away, leaving me alone with a man who didn’t seem to want to give me the time of day.

As I watched him take his station near the door, I took a better look at the office and its décor. Huge paintings of men I didn’t recognize hung on the walls, and guards stood between them, making me tense. I hadn’t originally noticed them because of how still they stood, but it was bad news; I was more outnumbered than I’d originally thought.

Glancing at Agusto to make sure he was still preoccupied, I took care to keep releasing benign thoughts about the gorgeous room and my excitement about potentially working for him.

Carefully, I inspected the guards. Oddly, three of the five who were quietly lining the walls weren’t readers. Their unguarded thoughts bombarded me the moment I reached out. Why would Agusto have non-readers so close to him? Why wouldn’t he surround himself with only allies, particularly if he was so important to the Potestas’ cause? I was so busy scrutinizing the guards, I didn’t notice Agusto had turned his attention toward me.

“I hope the guards don’t make you uncomfortable. I find their presence…” He trailed off, as if searching for the right word. “Necessary.”

I turned back to him and smiled, hoping it would be enough to convince him I wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead of smiling back, he held out his hand without standing up, and I stepped forward and took it. His shake was firm and abrupt. A single pump was all he needed before he let me go.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Nye. I’m Agusto Masterson. Please call me Agusto.”

Nodding, I said, “Then you must call me Joyce.”

“Fine. Deal struck.” Even his causal talk was all business. “You have a very impressive resume, Joyce. Graduated top of your class with an MBA from Stanford. Your first position after graduating was with Apple. Tell me a little bit about what you did for them. I’m not sure how your experience at a technology company would translate here.” He sat forward in his chair as I stood uncomfortably in front of him. Although his tone was soft, almost friendly, I definitely felt like I was being interrogated, and I got the impression that was exactly how he wanted it.

“The positions are probably more similar than you would expect. I assisted many of the upper-level managers within the company. I helped them put presentations together, fielded phone calls and errands so they could focus on their teams, tracked deadlines, and helped in any way I could. I was a jack-of-all-trades, so to speak. If something needed to be done, I did it.”

“And as a Stanford graduate, you found that work satisfying?”

He was baiting me, but it didn’t bother me. I had a response. “For now, yes. I left Apple because I wanted a change of scenery. Nothing more, nothing less. It takes time to climb within a company. I understand that. I’m willing to do the work.”

He leaned back in his chair, appraising me. “And what if I hire you and you decide you want another change of scenery?”

“And what if you kick me to the curb after I spend years here, giving it my all? I’m going to be honest with you, Agusto—I’m in this for me, not you. If this job becomes more negative than positive for me at any point, I’ll leave with no regrets. But while I’m here, you have me one hundred and ten percent.”

He smiled at me, and although I knew I’d taken a risk in saying that, I sensed he would respond to an appeal to his selfish side. After all, he did think his most productive workers were selfishly motivated. As he stood, he held out his hand, and I took it.

“I think you’ll be an excellent fit here, Joyce.”

I smiled confidently back at him, taking care to hide the gamut of emotions running through my mind. I’d deal with them later.

Abruptly, he released me and went back to his desk, opening a drawer and flipping through some papers. “As my personal assistant, you will do what I ask, when I ask it, without question,” he said as he pulled out a form. “With that comes a certain amount of confidentiality. I need to know I can trust you before you will really be useful to me.”

“Agreed,” I said, not knowing if I should speak or not.

“This is a very detailed confidentiality agreement. I recommend you take it home, read it carefully, and sign it. You will start work once it’s been signed. If you would like, have it looked at by a lawyer. It’s important for you understand what you’re signing away.”

What I’m signing away? I thought as I glanced over the document in my hands. He had a way of providing you with just enough honesty to make you almost want to trust him. It made me nervous about what he was hiding.

He eyed me and then said, “Trust takes time to build. However, know this. You have my respect until you give me a reason to take it away. Don’t abuse that.”

“Understood.”

Succinctly, he nodded once. “Fine. Come back to me when you’re ready to work. And don’t take too much time, Joyce. There’s a lot to do.” With that, he turned his back to me, not even watching as I stood to leave, the confidentiality agreement in hand.

I guess that’s that. I turned on my heels and walked out as calmly as I could, taking care to make sure my steps were even and unhurried all the way out of his office, downstairs, and out of the building to safety.

I didn’t go to my apartment. Instead, I wandered a few blocks over to a café, wanting to get far enough from Agusto’s office to be out of range of any spies, but not too far. I ordered a cup of coffee and sat down with the form, reading it over. I tried to skip down to the meat of it, but even then I was bored with the legalese.

David? I asked as I scanned the document.

What, are you done already? Did you blow it?

No! Why would you even ask me that? Total confidence in me, huh? I teased. I knew he was just anxious about how the mission was going, but I couldn’t let that one go.

He didn’t answer me, and I knew he was waiting for some real information. So I got straight to it. The job is mine, if I sign this super long and boring confidentiality agreement.

We expected that. Make a copy of it before you sign it, just in case you need to reference it later. But go ahead and sign it. After all, Joyce Nye doesn’t exist. She can’t be legally bound to anything. I’ve double and triple checked with the attorneys in our system. You’ll be fine. He may ask you about it though, so try to read it carefully and understand what it says.

Will do. With that green light, I finished my coffee and studied the rest of the agreement.

Turned out the confidentiality report was everything I expected. Basically I was selling my soul to Agusto and his company, and if I had a problem with that, my only option was to not sign the form. I didn’t have the luxury of having a problem with it, so I just signed it, trusting that David was right and the form was the least of my problems.

I made a copy of the form at a local office and returned to the lion’s den just after lunch. The receptionist summoned the same guard, who silently ushered me through the various levels of the building and back to Agusto’s office.

“You’re back quickly. You obviously didn’t have a lawyer read it over.” His tone was very judgmental, as if I’d already made a misstep.

“Actually, I have a lawyer friend downtown. I went straight from here to her office. She advised me not to sign it. I believe her exact words were: ‘No job is worth it.’”

He laughed. “Then why did you sign it?”

“Because I want to work for the great Agusto Masterson. You’re trying to save the world after all.”

He snorted, and it sounded almost like disgust, but I didn’t know him well enough to distinguish his moods yet.

“All right, good. Once you’re settled in, take that form to human resources.” I nodded, and he kept talking. “I suppose now is as good a time as any for you to meet one of the most valuable members of my staff. Aside from me, she’s the one you’ll be working with most.”

He turned around and pressed a call button on his phone. “Amanda, come in, won’t you? I’ve selected a new assistant.” He didn’t wait for her response before turning back around.

Amanda. The name hit me like a semi. It couldn’t be her. It wouldn’t be her. Amanda was a common name.

A door opened that I hadn’t noticed in my earlier inspection. It was seamlessly placed between two paintings and a guard. As it was on our side of the river, she didn’t have to cross over the rock as she approached us.

My mouth went dry in an instant. She’ll recognize me. I should kill her before she has the chance. Either way, my whole cover is blown. Shit, what do I do? I didn’t chance a glance at the guards; in fact, I didn’t take my eyes off her. She was more smartly dressed than the last time we’d seen each other, but the joy seemed to have disappeared from her eyes. They were tired and sunken, her skin seemed to have taken on a sickly tone, and even her hair looked stringy and unhealthy. Something had happened to her, or maybe was happening to her still.

A bony hand reached out to me, and I examined her rail-thin arm. She’d lost weight. “I’m Amanda Pierce. I’m the vice president of Agusto’s largest company AMHC.”

I looked at her blankly, unable to make my mind process and respond. She was the vice president of his largest company. I remembered Davis saying something about a new VP being recently appointed, but I had never dreamed it would be her. This mission had just become a minefield for me, and I suddenly wished someone else had been chosen.

“Well, Agusto, seems like you picked an intelligent one,” Amanda said. Clearly, whatever disappointments or setbacks she’d faced hadn’t affected her sarcasm and contempt for others.

Agusto smiled at us, seemingly enjoying the verbal thrashing. “Amanda takes her job very seriously. She’s learned what’s at stake when you work for me. Soon, you will too.”

Was that a threat? My mind was awhirl, and I was having trouble keeping up. I dreaded the moment I’d have to speak in front of her. Surely, she would recognize my voice. By some miracle, the Unseen’s disguise seemed to be good enough to fool a woman I’d lived with for eighteen years. But my voice would undoubtedly give the whole thing away.

“Amanda will show you around today, and she’ll help you get your work phone set up so I can reach you easily. I’ll let you know when you are needed. Enjoy.” With that, he turned back around, leaving Amanda and me staring at his back, except she didn’t look for long. She turned and walked briskly away, leaving me to scurry to catch up to her.

Her office was significantly smaller than Agusto’s. Long and narrow, it only had a few windows on the back wall, and it was much more sparsely decorated. The river disappeared beneath the wall between the rooms.

“What happened to the river?” I asked, and then slammed my mouth shut, angry with myself for letting curiosity overcome my common sense. I hadn’t even tried to mask my voice or add an accent.

Well, that’s done it. Pack your bags, you’re going home…if you’re lucky and she doesn’t have it out with you right here, right now.

Curiosity clouded her expression, as if something nagged at the back of her mind. She ignored it, for the moment. “Agusto doesn’t come into my office, so the river doesn’t need to be in here.” Her tone was short, as if the answer was so obvious she couldn’t believe I’d wasted her time with the question.

Taking a breath, I hoped I could gather some patience if I was to spend so much time with her in the coming weeks. I wasn’t mentally prepared to work so closely with someone I’d spent my life trying to escape, so it took some work to get my mind right.

Her small desk near the windows faced out into the room, and the office was decorated with a few plants, a floor lamp in one corner, bookshelves lining one wall, and a plush chair. That was it. It was nice, but after seeing the grandeur that was Agusto’s office, it fell a little short for me. I almost felt bad for her, having that dichotomy rubbed in her face every time she went in there. It was like a constant message that she wasn’t as good as Agusto, and therefore wasn’t as deserving.

“You will not have an office. You won’t need it. You will be much too busy and mobile for that. Everything you need will be kept in here, files and things of that nature. If you need access to a computer, there’s a lab downstairs you can use. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

We walked out and down the hall to the elevator. While we were there, she handed me a card. “That’s your keycard, so you can get back up to the executive level.”

For the first time, I noticed there was a slot below the numbers on the elevator’s keypad. I had hadn’t noticed it on the way up, both times. Reasons I probably should’ve been paying attention instead of feeling out the guard’s mind.

“I don’t have time to hold your hand and give you a tour of the entire building,” she said as the elevator came to a stop, “but I’m going to show you where you can find the things you’ll need most.” She led the way out, keeping such an intense pace, I had trouble keeping up with her. It was even worse than walking with Tracy through the airport on our first mission together. At least I’d been comfortable with Tracy.

We didn’t go in any of the rooms, she simply gestured to them as we walked by. “There’s the computer lab. This is the cafeteria, although there are some good places to eat outside this building too, if you can afford it.” She smiled sidelong at me, as if looking down her nose.

I let the comment roll off me, trying to concentrate on absorbing everything she was saying, but the pace of the tour was too frantic. I knew I’d have to ask for directions when she wasn’t around.

We walked to the end of the long hall and entered a huge, cold room, with machines stacked all the way to the ceiling for what seemed like hundreds of yards. “This is our IT department. They will issue you your work phone and all your security clearances. I’m going to leave you here for a few moments. Think you can manage?” I answered her condescending tone with a sweet smile. She responded by rolling her eyes and walking away in a huff.

I exhaled when she was gone, releasing some of the tension I’d been feeling since her sudden appearance in Agusto’s office.

Get a hold of yourself. You’ll give yourself away if you’re not careful. Take a breath. She hasn’t recognized you yet. Just step carefully and you should be fine…at least for long enough to get what you need and get out.

Standing up a little straighter, I walked the short distance to the man sitting at the desk in the front corner of the room. Apparently, he was very involved in whatever task he was doing, because he didn’t look away from his computer as I approached.

I cleared my throat, but that didn’t work either, so I resorted to speaking to him. “Um, I’m supposed to get my phone and security clearance from you?”

“Name?” His eyes were still glued to the computer.

“Joyce Nye.”

“Card, please.” It was a statement, not a request.

I handed over the keycard Amanda had given me, and he inserted it into a slot in his computer. “You’ll have limited access to most areas of the company, including servers and network access. Put your card in the slot next to the computer you’d like to use, and you’re set.” He removed the card and handed it back to me, finally making impatient eye contact.

I grabbed the card from him, not wanting to occupy more of his time than was necessary. He went back to his computer, leaving me rather awkwardly standing there.

“Um…the phone.”

Reluctantly, he looked at me and audibly sighed. It pushed me over the edge. “Look, I know everyone in this company has a ridiculously high work ethic, and whatever you’re doing is a million times more important than dealing with me, but for right now, I’m your job. Take care of me, and I’ll be out of your hair a lot faster than if you keep on giving me attitude.”

He rolled his eyes so hard I almost asked him what his brain looked like, but then he opened a drawer beneath him. Pulling out a very expensive smartphone, he started toggling from screen to screen. “I’ll let you set up your own password,” he finally said. “Your company email is on here, as well as Internet access. I’m setting up your clearance level now, and you should be good to go. Agusto’s number is already programmed into it. His is the only saved number, so it’s not hard to find.”

As soon as he held the phone out to me, I took it from him. “Thank you.” I hoped I’d find at least one friendly person within Agusto’s company. But I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there to do a job. Making friends would probably just make that job harder.

I should just adapt a cold personality, like everyone else here, I thought. It’d be safer.

Amanda was walking toward the IT room at a breakneck speed just as I was leaving. “Good. You’re done. Let’s grab a coffee.”

Again, I was thrown off. She wanted to do something social? She’d acted so annoyed with me, so why would she want to get coffee? Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe Agusto had asked her to do it. I sighed internally, deciding that maybe she just took pleasure in keeping the people around her off balance.

We walked to a little cafe just around the corner from the office. “We have twenty minutes before I have to be at a meeting, and you should start learning your way around.”

She’s telling me to hurry up and drink my coffee, I thought.

We sat down at a small table near the window. She ordered black coffee. Didn’t even put any sugar in it. Very utilitarian, get the job done with as little frills as possible. I, on the other hand, liked frills, especially when it came to coffee, so I ordered the most sugary drink on the menu, completed with whipped cream and caramel sauce on top. She frowned as I sipped my drink, but I didn’t care. It was delicious.

“Tell me about yourself. Where do you come from? What’s your background?”

“I grew up in Colorado. I graduated from Stanford a few years ago, worked for Apple for a while, and now I’m here. Not a terribly interesting story.”

“So, you’re ambitious. What made you leave Apple?”

“I was ready for a change of scenery. Plus, California is so expensive.” I shrugged as I sipped my drink again.

She frowned as she watched me. “Not the brightest choice, I would say.”

“Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Not the safest choice? Maybe. Not the best choice for my career? Debatable. But it wasn’t stupid.”

Her mouth hung open for a few beats, then she closed it and smiled. “I think I’m going to like you.”

Relaxing a little, I ate my lunch in silence for a bit. Then she asked me another question.

“You’re really from Colorado, huh? I had you pegged as a Florida girl. You sound just like someone I knew who grew up there.”

My heart stopped for a moment, and I struggled not to show my distress outwardly. Keep drinking your coffee, swallow, and smile at her. Don’t give her a reason to suspect you, now that you’ve finally started to build a relationship.

I just nodded as I sipped my drink, and after a moment, she glanced at her watch. “We’d better go. You’re on your own for the rest of the day. I’ll check in with you a little later. Where’s your phone?” I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to her, grateful this suit had pockets at all, let alone ones big enough for a smartphone.

She punched in her information with so much vehemence, I felt sorry for the phone. Tossing it back onto the table, she said, “There, now you have my number. Text me if you need anything.” She got up and gathered her things, then turned to look back at me. “Are you coming?”

For a second, I’d thought she would give me a moment alone. But no, she stood there waiting for me, so I stood and followed her back across enemy lines.

By the time we got back, there wasn’t much time left in the day, but I decided to spend it exploring the building, trying to learn where things were. The first floor was where the computer lab and cafeteria were located. The second floor mostly consisted of the offices of people who worked under the AMHC umbrella. I tried to introduce myself to a few of them, but they were all pretty cold. The third floor was the executive area. I didn’t know who else was up there, so I decided not to poke around. I didn’t feel the need to get fired on my first day.

I carefully probed the people I passed to get a feel of what I was up against. It turned out to be a mixed bag of readers and non-readers, split almost evenly by my count. If Agusto’s company really was a Potestas’ hotbed, why weren’t they all readers?

By five o’clock, I was feeling good about the building itself, but I hadn’t heard a peep from Agusto. Amanda finally texted me.

How’s it going?

Good! I think I’ve learned my way around.

Good. What did you get done today?

…I learned my way around. What else had she expected me to do? It wasn’t like anyone had assigned me any tasks.

That’s it? I could feel her eyes rolling through the phone.

That’s it. But I did it well.

Well, good. See you in the morning. It was too hard to detect her tone via text. I could only hope I was still on her good side.

Is it weird that Agusto hasn’t been in touch?

No. He needs to trust you.

How can he trust me if I never see him?

Don’t be impatient. Pretty soon he’ll be texting you more than you want. I’m done talking to you now.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her response. I could practically hear the snark in her voice as I read the message.

Relieved to be, well, relieved, I walked out of the building and headed back to my apartment. I kept my phone on, just in case either of them needed anything that night. I hoped I hadn’t squandered the only day I’d have alone by learning the layout of the building and scoping out the enemy. I could’ve gone deeper and potentially learned more, but I was trying to be discreet. And the guy I really needed to get to know wasn’t quite ready to let me into his circle.

As I climbed the stairs to my apartment, exhaustion flooded me. I still needed to touch base with David and the others, but I was so tired. I’d been up long before sunrise, after getting very little sleep for the past two nights, and the stress of the day was wearing on me.

Just as I put the key into the door, my phone buzzed.

Bring me a Reuben. It was from Agusto. It didn’t say where he was, but I knew better than to question him. He was probably still at the office. If he wasn’t there, then I’d start asking. There was a risk I’d waste time, but they needed to know I was willing to figure stuff out on my own.

Be there in 15 or less, I texted back. I’d really be S.O.L. if he wasn’t in his office, but it was best to dive in with both feet, right?

Taking the key out of the door, I turned and ran back down the stairs, searching for the closest deli on my phone as I went. I ran to the shop, ordered a Reuben, some chips, and a drink to be safe, and hustled back to the office. I arrived outside the cherry double doors with two minutes to spare, but I was pretty sure my feet were bloodied from the experience.

Because I was supposed to be there, I didn’t knock before entering. I walked into the room with confidence, maneuvered over the river without dropping his meal into the water, and stopped at his desk. Luckily for me, he was sitting there with his back to me, but I didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief for having guessed correctly.

“Your dinner.”

“Set it over there.” He nodded toward the end of his desk. I found a clear spot and set it down. Lining the back of his desk, a myriad of books was jammed between two silver bookends that looked like an arrow piercing them. He had Machiavelli’s The Prince, an alarming number of books on politics that I hoped he would never want to discuss with me, and a few fiction titles I didn’t recognize. I’d never been much of a reader, well, of literature anyway. Maddie would’ve known what they were.

“Anything else?” I asked, wondering if I should just leave or await further instructions.

“If there is anything else, I will tell you.”

Ignoring his sharp tone and lack of eye contact, I nodded to him. “Have a good night.”

He didn’t respond as I made my way back out of his office.

I was standing in front of my apartment, my key once again poised outside the lock, when my phone chimed.

Black coffee. Now.

“Couldn’t you have asked me for that earlier?” I glanced at my watch. It was almost six. David probably wouldn’t be too worried about me yet, but I chanced a quick message to him anyway.

Being tested. Will touch base when I can.

There was a coffee shop right across the street from the building, so I limped over and returned to Agusto’s office with the coffee in record time.

I set the coffee next to him on his desk, and then left without comment.

When I arrived back in front of my apartment for the third time that night, I hesitated in front of the door, waiting for my phone to chirp. By some miracle, it didn’t, so I ventured inside.

Finally, I peeled the shoes off my feet and surveyed the room. It was small, nothing more than a studio, but it was trendy, clean, and safe. The kitchen had zero counter space, a less-than-full-sized refrigerator, a stovetop, and a microwave. There was no dishwasher. I shrugged. I had the company card, paid for by the Unseen. I could afford to eat out some, and I knew from experience that I could survive on cereal. I’d be fine. My luggage was stacked neatly near the door, the bathroom was across from the kitchen, and the living room/bedroom completed the tour.

The bed was dressed in flowing, white linens, and right now, it looked glorious. A television sat across from it, stacked on top of a short, four-drawer dresser.

After double and triple checking the locks, I made my way to the bed. Owen?

Oh my God. We’ve been waiting for hours to hear back from you.

I was surrounded. I didn’t want to risk it. How’s it going?

Slow. We didn’t get anything done today because none of us could focus.

Understandable, I said, picturing myself in Owen’s place. No way would I have been useful. I would have been a nervous wreck.

I’m home, guys, I said, reaching out to David and Rebecca, pulling them into the conversation.

Owen’s just told me, David said. I’m glad. What’s the good word?

Amanda is his VP. I dropped the bomb casually.

Silence was his only answer, and I knew he was thinking about what it meant for the mission.

Did she recognize you? Owen asked.

No. But my voice is naggingly familiar to her. It could be a problem.

How closely do you have to work with her? David asked

Close. I spent more time with her than with Agusto today. And I think that’ll be the norm. Honestly, I think she likes Joyce.

Good. Keep it that way, David said.

Rebecca, you there? I asked.

Just processing, she said.

He also has an odd mix of readers and non-readers around him. About half of the guards I met today were non-readers. Why wouldn’t he want to be surrounded by his allies? Think about Shields. Potestas were crawling all over that park when we saw him. Plus, as far as he knows, he just hired a non-reader as his assistant. Why would he hire non-readers at all, let alone position them close to him?

David answered me. That is interesting. Maybe he doesn’t trust those around him?

Does that include Amanda? I thought about her elevated position and her haggard appearance. Was she doing her penance with Agusto? What did that mean for who he was within the organization? Was he some kind of warden?

I don’t know, David said. For our part, we don’t have anything new. We were…less than productive today.

So I heard, I answered, chuckling to myself. I’m fine, guys. Don’t worry. Admittedly, I could hardly speak when Amanda came through that door. I mean, of all people… It went fine after that, though. I’ll have to be on my toes, but this wasn’t a pleasure cruise from the get-go, was it?

No, otherwise I’d be there with you, Owen said.

A glance at my watch told me it was almost seven. I don’t suppose you could meet me for dinner?

David answered for Owen. No. It’s too risky. You have to maintain your cover.

Fine. But can you send some flats my way? These shoes are a freaking joke if I’m going to be running across town six times a day to get that lazy man food.

Flats? David asked.

I’ll take care of it, Rebecca interjected.

I’m going to let you say good night to Owen. We’ll talk in the morning, David said.

Rebecca signed off too, leaving Owen and me alone.

This connection thing is kind of nice, I thought.

Yeah, someone pretty smart must’ve come up with it.

I bet you’d like to date her.

Nah. Two women are quite enough for me. He couldn’t stifle his laugh, not even in his head. It was frustrating not to be nearby so I could smack him…and then do other things.

What now? he asked.

I keep working for Agusto until I find something. And I get something to eat.

We said our goodbyes, and I finally got some food. I crawled into bed around nine, which was early for me, but I was exhausted.

Unfortunately for me, my sleep was interrupted around midnight. A text alert startled me awake. Confusion clouded my mind as I tried to decide if I’d dreamed the sound or not. Blindly, I reached for my phone, knocking it off the nightstand next to me.

Black coffee. Now.

I read it again. Was it some kind of network glitch? It was exactly the same message from earlier that day. But could I really risk ignoring it if it wasn’t a glitch? Sighing, I got up, pulled on some sweats and a T-shirt—at midnight, he wasn’t getting a suit and high heels—fumbled with my nose, contacts, and makeup, and headed a block over to the twenty-four-hour cafe. Google was saving my skin. By the time I doubled back to the office and made my way through the dark building, a record fourteen minutes had passed. But it was hard to care at almost 12:30 at night.

Much to my chagrin, his office door was locked. Either it was a glitch, or he was really testing me. If it was the latter, the 12 AM text was quite enough, thank you.

Amanda’s door was open, so I went in that way and used the secret door to Agusto’s office.

Guards still lined the walls of his office, so I knew right away he was there.

No surprise, Agusto was at his desk. Neither of us acknowledged the other. He didn’t look up from his computer, and I simply put the cup in its usual spot and walked away.

Before I got to the door, he stopped me. “Joyce.”

I stopped dead, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of turning around. “A little faster next time, hmm? You don’t want to find out what happens to those who disappoint me.”

The threat made me turn to look at him. “Why don’t you just tell me so I don’t have to learn the hard way?”

“If you really want to know, why don’t you speak to Amanda?” A sick grin spread across his face as he turned back to his computer, absently grabbing his fresh coffee and taking a sip.

It was hard to control my breathing and posture on my way out of the room. Once I was safely inside Amanda’s office, I leaned against the door, taking a moment to compose myself.

I can do this, I assured myself as I walked home and let myself into the apartment. Midnight coffee calls were nothing. Just try to stay on his good side. What had he meant about Amanda though? Something told me her haggard appearance wasn’t unrelated. What exactly had he done to her after she’d “disappointed” him? Sighing, I climbed back into bed. I wasn’t going to solve the mystery then, and the more I stewed about it, the less sleep I’d get. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw her sunken, red-rimmed eyes.

Of course, I could guess why she’d gotten on his bad side. She’d let me escape, and Dylan’s death would have fallen on her shoulders. I could never ask her what Agusto had done to her. I’d just have to assume the worst and do my best to stay on Agusto’s good side.

Sighing, I rolled over and looked at the clock. 3:26 blared at me. I shook my head, rolled back over, and put my back to the clock. Why should I care about Amanda anyway? Surely, everything she’d done to me outweighed whatever had happened to her. She’d probably deserved it, right?

The eye-for-an-eye mentality did little to comfort me, so I rustled around for my iPod, plugged in my headphones, and let Gaspard carry me through the long night.

Thirteen

The next week passed in a blur. Agusto was preparing for a big press conference, though only he seemed to know what he was going to say. He only spoke to me when he wanted something. So he didn’t tell me any trade secrets, and I was on my own to find out anything I could about Zero—which was nothing.

Frustratingly, he kept at least two guards with him at all times. They even went into the bathroom with him. Picturing them standing at the urinal stalls on either side of Agusto just made me uncomfortable. It was evidence that he didn’t feel safe, even on the pot.

At first, I tried my best to keep Amanda at arm’s length, thinking the less interactions we had, the less likely she would be to recognize me. But, as time went on, I discovered how impossible it was to keep my distance from her. We worked too closely together. She was more like Agusto’s main assistant than the VP of AMHC.

Later in the week, I decided to ask her about it. “You sure spend an awful lot of time waiting on Agusto considering you’re VP of one of his biggest companies. Don’t you need to, you know, help run AMHC?”

“Thankfully, I have more competent people than you working for me. They do their jobs without hand holding.”

All I could do was smile and shake my head. Although she seemed to be slowly warming to me, she never lost her I’m-better-than-you snark.

On Friday, after we’d spent all week hustling for Monday’s press conference, Amanda was particularly short. I knew she needed to pick up some documents from Kinkos for Monday, so I offered to do it for her, hoping to solidify our relationship. If I couldn’t keep her at bay, maybe I could learn something from her. After all, Agusto wasn’t telling me anything.

She looked at me like I had six heads, like the thought to ask me for help had never occurred to her.

Her face hardened, and I thought she might refuse. “You think I need your help?”

“Nope, I just wanted something to do.”

“Well, if it would help fill your time, then by all means. Go.”

Smiling to myself as I walked out, I knew I’d made some headway. I spent the rest of the day helping her out, and that weekend she texted me instructions to pick up a few last-minute things on my way in Monday morning. Positioning myself as an asset to her would hopefully prove helpful.

All week, the Unseen hadn’t gotten anywhere with their research, and since I hadn’t learned anything either, we were getting a little frustrated. Rebecca was the only one who didn’t seem bothered by our lack of progress. She reminded everyone that I had to learn Agusto’s routines, gain his trust, and get to know him before I would be afforded the opportunity to see anything unusual.

But after a lonely weekend, I was ready to wrap up my mission. I’d taken my laundry to a cleaner, walked around some of the monuments, and spent way too much time whining to Owen about being alone.

I did find a piano shop on Sunday night. The owner said I could play for as long as I wanted, and he even stopped by the piano to listen. The music helped calm my nerves, so I went into the office on Monday morning feeling focused.

The press was buzzing with speculation on what he would announce, and I was just as anxious as they were. Both he and Amanda had been tight-lipped about the announcement, leaving me totally in the dark.

Finally, he approached the podium to make his speech. “Thank you for coming, everyone. My fellow Americans, we have something to celebrate.” The sparkle in his eye made me nervous, but Amanda, who stood close to me, showed no emotion at all.

“After analyzing the sample of Zero obtained at the USCF Medical Center, we were able to apprehend a suspect.”

Murmuring spread through the audience, but he held up a hand to cut it short. “There is evidence of his involvement in the plot, so there is reason hope he may have information on the next attack.

“Now, this does not mean the threat is over. He is one man in what I believe to be a large organization. But, I’ve found a chink in their armor. It’s hope.

“My plan is to learn what we use to stop the next attack, which will get us that much closer to ending this thing altogether.

“I’m sorry, but I will not be taking questions today. You will be advised when we know more. Thank you for your time.”

Holy shit, I thought as Agusto walked past me, smiling like a snake his whole way out of the room. The press was a flurry of activity as they frantically composed their stories.

“He has a suspect? How was that not important information for me to know?” I whispered to Amanda.

“What exactly would you have done with it? How would it have changed your day-to-day responsibilities?”

“I suppose it wouldn’t, but this is huge.”

“Not really,” she said, and the flatness of her tone made me question the news.

“Not really?”

“Let’s just say he’s got his sights aimed a little higher than Zero right now. This publicity will help him get there.”

That statement made me stop for a moment. “What does that mean?”

“It means we need to finish up here, so we can move on to the next task.”

The comment bothered me, but I didn’t say that to Amanda. She seemed to be one hundred percent behind Agusto. Whether she actually respected him was another thing altogether. The way she never made eye contact with him told me she feared him. But why? And what did it have to do with his next task?

That night, I mentioned it to David and the others as I paced restlessly around my small apartment.

I’m starting to suspect he may be positioning himself for presidential candidacy, David said.

What? No. David’s words settled in the pit of my stomach like bad Chinese food.

What evidence do we have to support that assumption? Owen asked, looking for reasons to deny it with me.

The fact that he’s so focused on becoming a prominent public figure. He obviously wants to be seen as a savior—the man who’s rescued the world from Zero. Then there’s the fundraising he’s been doing. And the fact that Mackenzie was told the Potestas were aiming for a position of power. If they got one of their top officials into the presidential seat… His thought trailed off.

A top member of the Potestas in the presidential seat. With that kind of power in the hands of a terrorist, it could easily mean the end of the country as we knew it. Who knew what they’d do with the power.

Easing myself onto my bed, I tried to comprehend what it might mean, but I couldn’t. All I could see was horror.

How do we stop it? I asked, wishing they were all with me. I suddenly felt so alone in my little apartment.

Find out what we can, as fast as we can. We need proof. But not proof of his candidacy. Proof that he’s bad news, Owen offered.

Is it time to just go in? I asked, nervous about the prospect. He was never unguarded, and there was no way his guards would just let me hack into his head. They would have to be taken care of first.

Rebecca piped up. This is no time to be hasty. The election isn’t for over a year. Let’s wait until we can be better armed.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Going in right away meant the mission would be over faster, and I could go home sooner. But it would also be riskier. Taking an unnecessary risk might mean I wouldn’t get to go home at all.

Don’t you think I’ll have to go in eventually anyway? I asked.

Yes. But waiting might benefit us.

I didn’t know what to think. It’s going to be messy, no matter how long we wait, I told them.

A long pause followed. David was the one who ultimately broke the silence. I think we should wait. Rebecca is right. It’s only been a week. We have time to build a case against him before the election.

If we wait too long, I could make a mistake and blow this opportunity for good. The longer I’m here, the more familiar Amanda and I will get, and the more likely that is to happen.

Quit it, Owen interjected. You’re better than that and you know it, so stop the pity party. Do your job—get in, get out, and get it done.

I wasn’t used to hearing him talk like that, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment. You channeling Tracy?

Maybe.

We argued about it for a while longer, but the decision had been made. We would wait.

And what about the suspect? I asked.

There is no evidence that anyone has been apprehended or is in custody. Much like there is no evidence that he had any Zero to analyze in the first place, Owen said. But he has enough people in his pocket to get away with the lie.

What would he get out of lying about that? I asked.

Rebecca answered quickly. Plenty. He gets the trust of the nation, without the need to actually follow through. Besides, if we’re correct in our assumption that he’s a high-ranking official for the Potestas, he doesn’t really need to have a suspect in hand. He’ll still be able to “stop” the next attack. I could hear the air quotes around the word stop in her internal dialogue.

This is less than ideal, I thought to them all. And that was putting it kindly.

Agreed, but it doesn’t change anything. We need evidence and information. Nothing more, nothing less, David said.

After that rather bleak revelation, there wasn’t much left to say, and everyone started dropping off from the conversation. Eventually, Owen and I were the only ones left.

Christmas is only a week away. It came out sadder than I’d intended. It was much harder to guard your thoughts than it was your words.

That’s not a reason to rush into anything, especially if it gets you hurt…or worse, Owen said. It was a more practical attitude than I’d expected from him, but again, it was what I needed to hear.

It’s our first Christmas together.

We will celebrate when this is over. I promise.

By the time we said goodbye, I was resigned to my fate. Seemed like it would be a long haul, but I was in it to win it. Agusto wouldn’t be president if I had anything to say about it. I would make it a Christmas to remember.

Fourteen

The following day, Amanda and I were having lunch at the same cafe where we’d first had coffee together. We got a lot of our meals there. They met all of Amanda’s requirements: They were fast, nutritious, and reliable.

She smiled at me.

“What?” I asked, a little uncomfortable. Her smiles almost never meant anything good.

“You know, when I first met you, you grated on me. Your voice is so similar to that girl I knew. Even some of the phrases you use. But I’m glad I was forced to get to know you. Thankfully, you’re nothing like her, save for your voice.”

It took some work to accept her backhanded compliment, and even more work not to show a negative reaction. “I’m glad I don’t annoy you…too much.”

“I have something for you.” She pulled out a sealed brown envelope. “I need you to deliver this to Agusto. It contains highly sensitive information meant only for him. Please see that he gets it immediately.” We hadn’t finished eating, but she started to gather her things. “I’m off to check on some of the major hospitals out west. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Wait, what? Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?” I asked, scrambling to keep up with her.

“I figured it was need-to-know information. This landed in my lap, and I have to leave to catch my flight, so suddenly you needed to know.” She was so matter-of-fact about it; I didn’t know how to respond.

“If you need anything, text me,” she added. “If I think it’s important enough, I’ll respond.”

“Well, have a safe trip.” She nodded and left me alone in the cafe. The envelope sat on the table in front of me. I looked it over, knowing I should get up and deliver it, but wanting desperately to open it.

What if it was about Zero? If it held the proof we needed to take Agusto down, I wouldn’t even have to sneak into his mind. I’d have solid evidence with very little risk.

I chanced a glance around as I picked up the envelope. None of Agusto’s employees were there. I was alone.

David? I asked as I thumbed the seal on the envelope.

What? Why are you contacting me in the middle of the day?

Amanda has just left me with an envelope to be delivered to Agusto. She said it contains highly sensitive information. Think I should open it?

Before he could answer me, I sent him another thought. What if it has the proof we need to shut him down?

Okay, let’s be logical about this. Why would she tell you there was sensitive information in it? Has she ever told you anything about what you’re ferrying around for them?

I hesitated. No. They never gave me an explanation or reason for anything. They barely even acknowledged me when I dropped something off for them.

Do you think she was trying to tempt you to open it?

I don’t know, I said. I felt like a child being scolded.

Because this is so out of character, I think you should deliver the note undamaged. It feels like a trust exercise to me. If you do it right in their eyes, you may gain more in the long run.

But what if it’s something huge? The name of the person they’re supposedly holding? Evidence about Zero? Or where they plan to attack next?

And what if it’s not? What if it’s just his sandwich order, and all he wants is to see if you opened it?

Feeling defeated, I gathered my things and left the cafe, the envelope tucked under my arm. One of these days, you’re going to have to let me take a risk, even if it’s wrong.

Not today. I tried not to visibly roll my eyes as I went back into Agusto’s building and took the elevator to the third floor.

As I stood outside his office, I considered my options. I was a grown woman. David couldn’t tell me what to do all the time. Of course, the times I’d gone rogue hadn’t exactly served me well—or anyone else, for that matter. But what if this was different? What if breaking the rules was the only way to play the game?

I hesitated outside his office for just another moment, trying to gather my resolve when one of the guards opened the doors, nearly hitting me in the face.

“It’s rude to lurk in doorways,” he said as he held the doors open for me.

“How did you even know I was out here?” I knew the answer, of course—they must’ve heard my outgoing thoughts. I’d gotten so good at letting them flow in the background, I often forgot I was doing it at. Had I reined them in, I could’ve stood there for as long as I wanted.

Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, I thought as I walked across the office. I considered dropping the envelope in the river and destroying the sensitive information it might contain. But I was so close to completing the task, I might as well carry it through to the end. Anyway, why chance “disappointing” him, if it really was just a sandwich order.

I slapped it on his desk a little too hard. If I’d still had long hair, it would’ve been blown away from my face from the force of the movement. I didn’t acknowledge the overly aggressive move, I only said, “Amanda had to leave to catch her flight, so she asked me to deliver this.”

He sat back in his chair and peered up at me, amusement on his face. I kept my face cool as I turned to walk out, feeling like I’d made a mistake. But this was a situation in which there were no obvious right answers. As I made my way across the room, I could feel him looking at me. I kept walking.

He called out to me right as I stepped onto the stepping stone in the river.

“One more thing.”

Great. Now how am I supposed to turn around? I had to go across and come back, risking two falls in the river. By some miracle, I made it, but I stopped at the river’s edge, not wanting to get any closer to him.

“Your life is about to get much busier.”

“How’s that?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear what he was about to say.

“In the spirit of Christmas, I’m going to be announcing my candidacy for the upcoming presidential election when Amanda returns. She’ll be my campaign manager, and you will help us win.”

I worked hard to school my emotions, but I knew he would expect some response from me. Should I congratulate him? Probably not. He wouldn’t want reassurance from lesser employees. How was I supposed to respond? Very good, sir. That sounded too much like a butler. No! You’ll destroy this country. I nearly laughed out loud at that one. But this was no laughing matter, and besides, he was still staring at me.

“Just let me know what’s expected of me.”

“Oh, I will. I will shape this country into the greatest empire that ever existed. But to do that, we’ll have to break some things down first. You need to clean out the parasites, get yourself strong before you can start building back up, don’t you agree?” That sinister smile was back, and it turned my stomach.

“I don’t know that my opinion much matters.”

“You are so right.”

“Just…” I hesitated, wondering if I should continue. It almost certainly wasn’t wise, but I’d already started.

“Just?”

“Just don’t forget what happened to the Romans.”

Standing from his chair, he narrowed his gaze at me as he crossed the room. “Don’t forget what happened to the Romans?” he asked slowly, drawing the question out as he drew closer to me.

He got so close that his belly was nearly touching me as I stood at the edge of the river, unable to back away. I stifled a swallow, not wanting to show any weakness. “You know that whole, the higher they build it, the farther they fall mentality? I would hate to see you fall.”

“Would you?” He backed off a step. “Well, isn’t that nice to hear?” The condescension in his voice was evident. He turned on his heels and walked back to his desk. “If ever I need or want your opinion on my life choices, I’ll let you know.”

I turned and misjudged the distance to the stepping stone, planting my foot firmly in the river. It was ice-cold and about ankle deep, flowing gently against my foot. Taking a breath to steady myself, I planted my other foot on the stone and continued on, knowing he’d heard me splash in the river. He probably felt very satisfied with himself.

I didn’t care. I had bigger fish to fry, namely him. It was only one o’clock, but I walked out of his office and left the building. If he needed me, he’d text. I had to talk to David and the others. And get a dry pair of shoes.

Fifteen

You were right, I said to anyone who was listening. They all answered me at almost the same time.

What’s up?

He’s announcing his candidacy early next week, I guess. After Amanda gets back from her trip out west, but before Christmas. We’re running out of time.

David was the first to try to calm me. We don’t have any less time than we did before. Just because we have confirmation of our suspicions, doesn’t mean we need to rush into anything.

He’s getting bolder about his threats to me.

What? Owen said with obvious heat in his voice.

It makes me feel the urgency a little more than you guys do.

Just try to stay calm. I don’t see him making any moves on you as long as you can manage to stay on his good side. What did you do to make him threaten you today? David asked.

I reminded him about what happened to Rome.

You brought failure to the forefront of his mind? Rebecca said, amusement in her voice.

I suppose so, yes.

Perhaps a less inflammatory approach might be best in the future? David asked.

Whatever, you guys aren’t here. You’re not living it every day like I am.

Okay, let’s think about this realistically, Owen said. He might not even make it past the primaries. He doesn’t have any experience at all in politics. What’s the likelihood that the American people will get behind him? Just because he’s a smart businessman, doesn’t mean he’s equipped to run the country.

I stomped up the stairs to my apartment and let myself inside, slamming the door behind me. But if he eliminates Zero just in time for the election, think how people will rally behind him. Do you know what he said to me today? That he needed to clean out the parasites before he could build the country into an empire.

No one responded right away.

It doesn’t change anything, Mackenzie. David said. We already knew he was bad news. It stands to reason that he’d have some pretty terrible things planned for his term as president. Just because he implied it out loud doesn’t change anything.

No, but it wasn’t easy to hear.

Fair enough, he said.

I could tell the conversation was over, and they were leaving me alone again. Owen was the only one who stayed behind.

Just try to hang in there, Owen said.

And how’s that working out for you?

Some days are better than others, he admitted. They’re right, you know? We have time. Just because he’s going to declare he’s running, doesn’t mean he’s going to become president any time soon. It doesn’t give him any more power right now.

I know. But I can see what he’s planning…and it’s going to work.

We’ll stop him before it gets that far. Have a little faith, he said. I knew he couldn’t see me, but I nodded anyway. He was right. I need to stop panicking, take a deep breath, and have a little faith.

Over the next few days, while I waited for Amanda to come back, I found myself repeating that phrase a lot.

“My fellow Americans, I stand before you today to make a very special announcement, in the spirit of the season.” The tastefully decorated room was packed, and he’d booked a larger space than normal for the occasion. Every radio, TV station, and Internet news provider was there, anxiously awaiting the great Agusto Masterson’s announcement. It was nauseating.

“You’ve trusted me to eliminate the threat of Zero. And I’ve shown you that I will not rest until my promise is fulfilled. Now, I’d like you to trust me with something else.”

I held my breath as I waited for him to say the words.

“Today, I’m announcing my presidential bid as an independent candidate.”

Independent? I’d expected him to align himself with a party. I wasn’t sure if a third-party candidate had ever won before. It was a huge risk, and it gave me some hope that he might lose after all.

From where I stood at the back of the room, I could easily see the monitors showing the live feed; they displayed with his fancy new website running along the bottom of the screen.

“Right now, I’d like to briefly outline some of my policies for you. If you want more detailed information, please visit the website you see on your screen.

“First and foremost, it would be my priority as president to eliminate terrorist threats to not only our country, but around the world.”

What happened to you taking care of that before you were elected? I thought, frowning.

“What’s wrong with you? You look like you ate a lemon,” Amanda whispered.

I just shook my head, trying to rid my face of the expression, and kept listening.

“I would constantly work to ensure that even after the eradication of Zero, no other threats pop up to threaten our great nation. I will keep you safe.”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, making my nausea return and intensify.

“Second, I will adopt a logical approach to policies across the board. Science has indicated that there is life before birth, so I will not support abortion of any kind. I will close the borders to our neighbors and implement stricter immigration policies to keep our lands safe. With that, I intend to divert money spent on illegal immigrants to things like free healthcare and education. We must focus on taking care of our own.

“I will stimulate our economy by cutting taxes for the lower and middle class, adding jobs where I can. As a businessman, I can also promise to balance our budget before the end of my term. I can’t promise to get this country out of debt, but I can stop digging us deeper into it.

“Now, I know I can’t accomplish all of this right away, let alone without help. But I like to set lofty goals. They make victory that much sweeter.”

The speech was so brutally honest that I feared it would be very appealing to the masses, despite the fact that it was all lies and he didn’t give a lick about policies.

He was manipulating them, telling them exactly what they wanted to hear, and they were eating it up. It made me want to scream at them all. But I didn’t. I would’ve been just another story buried in the newscast, far beneath Agusto Masterson’s announcement that he was in the running to become the country’s savior and leader. I could even see the headline: Woman goes on a crazy rant about humanitarian CEO.

He opened the floor to a few questions that I knew had been preselected. I’d helped distribute them. The reporter from CNN went first. “What made you decide to run, Mr. Masterson?”

“A lot of things. But, in leading the charge against Zero, I realized just how much I love this nation and our people. Why not help take us to the next level of greatness?”

The next level of greatness? I thought to myself. It made me sick to think about how different his definition of greatness was likely to be from mine.

The next reporter read his question. “You already have some stiff competition, Mr. Masterson. So far you’re the only one to announce without any political background, and since you’ve also announced as independent, do you realistically expect to win?”

Agusto’s eyes flashed with anger, but you could have blinked and missed it. I’d seen the original question, and the reporter had editorialized it quite a bit. It was supposed to just ask how he planned to approach his candidacy against so many opponents with extensive political backgrounds.

I feared for that reporter’s career, but I was glad he’d asked the question.

“Of course I expect to win. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be pouring all my blood, sweat, and tears into my campaign. I’m afraid if you don’t have any more intelligent questions, that’ll be it for the day, folks. We’ll see you on the campaign trail. Let’s bring in the new year with a bang.” He waved as he walked off stage, and as he passed us on his way to the door at the back of the room, he whispered into Amanda’s ear, loudly enough for me to hear it. “Take care of that reporter.”

She nodded once, and I hoped she didn’t need help with that particular task. I did not want to know what he meant.

Once he was out of sight, and the reporters started clearing out, I risked talking to Amanda. “Do you think that little tantrum at the end will hurt him?”

“Not much. Only you and I know him well enough to know how angry he really was. Tread lightly if you know what’s good for you.”

“For how long?”

“Forever.” She walked away, her posture a little stiff—no doubt from the weight of the task on her shoulders. I didn’t envy her one bit. She’d done some terrible things to me in the past, but was this really what she deserved?

I no longer believed I knew the answer to that question.

Sixteen

Christmas Day was a quiet affair in my apartment. I hadn’t expected to have the day off, but Agusto’s office was closed, so I wouldn’t have to report to work. Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t get any demanding text messages. I tried to sleep in, but I couldn’t. I was used to being up first thing on Christmas morning. Maddie and I always used to wake up before her parents and count down until it was what they considered a “reasonable hour” before we started pounding on their door. The tradition had continued into our twenties, although our knocking had become more courteous, and we always came bearing coffee.

Her family had felt like my own, and it hurt me to be so alienated from them. Of course, it was for their own good—David thought it would be too dangerous for them to hear from me. Thinking about being apart from them, not to mention breaking our traditions, made me feel even worse about the day that stretched ahead.

It was my first Christmas without Maddie, and my first with a serious boyfriend, and somehow, I was lying alone in a strange apartment with an unfamiliar haircut, and I didn’t even feel like I knew myself.

As I watched the clock roll over to 7 AM, I felt like crying. It was going to be a long, lonely day.

I didn’t contact Owen to tell him Merry Christmas. I figured I’d let him sleep if he could. Frankly, I had no idea what his Christmas traditions were. He’d been with the Unseen for much of his childhood. Maybe they did their own thing Christmas morning.

Around 10 AM, I was flipping through a magazine in bed, trying to enjoy a cup of coffee, when someone knocked on the door.

That was all it took for me to be on full alert. No one had ever knocked on my door before. Beyond my contacts in the Unseen and the HR folks in Agusto’s building, I wasn’t sure anyone knew my address. Without even wasting a moment to set my coffee down, I silently reached out for the person on the other side of the door. It wasn’t one person; there were four of them. Four totally unarmed nonreaders. Based on their thoughts, they were musicians.

Curious, I got up and padded across the room in my sweats and T-shirt. I grabbed a zip-up sweater off the floor near my bed and wrapped it tightly around my body to give myself a sense of security, if not decency, and opened the door.

“Can I help you?” The four men were holding string instruments—two violins, a viola, and a cello. They were dressed in tuxedos, making me feel horribly out of place in my own home.

“Joyce Nye?” asked one of the violinists.

“Yes…” I trailed off, not sure where this was going.

“May we come in? We’re here to give you a private concert.”

Still wary of them, I dug for more information. “Can I ask who sent you?” If it was Agusto, he knew too much about me, and that would ruin the entire performance. But if Owen had arranged for them to come here, there was a chance I would melt right then and there. Of course, I hadn’t yet done anything for him. I’d figured I would get him a gift later, when I could actually celebrate with him in person.

“We aren’t supposed to tell you. He said he would be in touch later to see if you enjoyed our performance.”

That didn’t exactly set me at ease, but as I watched the cello player shift his rather large instrument case, they didn’t seem like an immediate threat. Suddenly feeling rude, I stepped aside and ushered them into the apartment. “Please, come in. But my place is awfully small. And…well, it’s not the best, acoustically speaking.” Embarrassed, I rushed around and started to pick up clothing that I’d tossed on the floor, but because it was a one-room apartment, I didn’t really have anywhere to stash it. I shoved it under the bed, smiling sheepishly all the while. The men didn’t seem to notice as they set up their stands and equipment right in front of the TV, apparently determining that it was the best spot for their performance.

But then they started playing, their instruments sending a beautifully haunting rendition of Gaspard into my apartment. I’d never heard it arranged for a string quartet before, and it carried me away as I watched their bows fly through the movements. Before I knew it, more than twenty minutes had passed, and they’d played the whole piece.

In the silence that followed the completion of their performance, they rested a moment and got their music in order. I sat with my head tilted back against the wall, one hand clutching my long-cold coffee, reveling in the aftermath of the music. I was so wrapped up in the piece that I didn’t even think to clap for them.

They didn’t seem to notice, or if they did, they didn’t react. They proceeded to spend the next hour and a half playing a full concert for me, filled with beautiful symphonies and concertos I’d never heard solely on strings. It was a wonderfully unique experience, and it made my Christmas rather magical, even if I was alone.

When they were done, I thanked them profusely.

The lead violin player nodded. “You know, we had to learn that first piece special for you. He was very adamant that we needed to play it first thing. He said we could play whatever we wanted after that, but Gaspard de la Nuit had to come first. When he asked for it, he called it Gasbag de la Noot. It actually took us some time to figure out what he meant.” He shook his head as he said it, and the comment brought tears to my eyes.

“Thank you.” It was Owen. It had to be. He was the only one who called it that. I didn’t think the first time was purposeful, but after that, the name had stuck—our first shared joke.

I found that I was no longer lonely after they left. Instead, I was filled with love and appreciation for the family I had found for myself.

After the holidays, the public rallied to Agusto’s campaign in an unprecedented way. His new website crashed the first day it was up. My mission was starting to feel hopeless.

I’d been working for him for nearly a month, and the only thing we’d really learned—beyond what the public knew—was that he didn’t have the people’s or the country’s best interests in mind.

Amanda and I worked around the clock to get things ready for his official campaign. Because he was running independent, the primaries didn’t really apply to him. So he planned to start trying to win votes in the big states in February. Pollsters were forecasting the lowest turnout at the primaries in history. An unprecedented number of people planned to vote independent in the coming election, and everyone knew what that meant.

One day in the beginning of January, Amanda and I were cleaning up the conference room after a campaign meeting. Potential campaign slogans and sample fliers littered the room.

“The first president I actually remember is Bush. Well, the senior Bush,” I said as I leaned down to pick up a stray flier that had gone under the table.

“I was upset because some of my classmates were talking about how his policies were going to leave all of our parents unemployed. We were only in second grade, and we knew nothing about presidential policies, but it was enough to make me worry. Later that day, I spoke to my a—” I stopped myself before I could get the rest of the word out. She was watching me intensely, with a look of disbelief in her eyes. I cleared my throat. “Anyway, my mom and dad were fine, and they laughed when I voiced my concerns. Kids are so weird.” I chuckled uneasily as I ducked down beneath the table again, desperately searching for something to pick up, a lifeline to save me from what I’d done.

In the complete silence of the room, a chilly sense of foreboding spread over me. It had taken almost a month, but I knew I’d finally done it. I’d connected the dots for her.

I braced myself for her reaction as I stood. She’d always been the kind of person who didn’t yell, and it was in those quiet moments that her wrath was the most frightening. I watched as surprise and then anger flitted across her face. “What the hell are you doing here?” she said, her tone so low and menacing, it gave me goose bumps.

“Amanda…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. Damage control, that was what I needed to do, and yet, I had no clue how I could fix this.

“You ruined my entire life. Why have you come back?”

“No need to be melodramatic. Seems like you’re doing pretty well. VP of a huge company, working closely with a man who might one day be president. Sounds good to me.”

Her eyes widened. “You have no idea what I’ve been through because of you.”

“You’re right, I don’t. But it’s all a result of the choices you’ve made. I’m begging you to make the right choice now.” After spending so much time with her, I knew she was much weaker than me. But I didn’t really want to test her either.

“Choices I’ve made? I didn’t ask to be your guardian. I didn’t ask to get saddled with a kid in what should have been the best years of my life. I didn’t ask for you to kill my associate and doom me to this life of slavery.”

“Is that what you are? A slave?”

“I’m certainly not what I once was.” She looked so small when she said it, breaking my heart a little more.

“I tell you what, if you help me, I’m sure the Unseen could find a place for you again. Give you a better life. Two heads are always better than one. And you’re closer to him than I’ll probably ever be. Help us out, and we’ll help you. I’m giving you a choice now.”

I could feel her weak attempt to get past the outermost defenses in my mind. “You’re offering me the option to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Why would I want to go back to the Unseen after what they did to me?”

“Because they never did you any harm.”

“Is that so? And what do you call my assignment to watch after you for eighteen miserable years?”

“Wow.” After all this time, she still had the power to hurt me.

“You have nowhere to go now, Mackenzie. You’re surrounded by enemies. You won’t get away this time.” She actually believed what she was saying. The genuine smile on her face gave her away.

She closed her eyes and began an all-out attack on me. But she was so weak, her attempts at attacking me were almost sad. “Please, Amanda, reconsider the path you’re going down. Don’t force my hand.”

She ignored me and pressed her attack, getting pushed out by my outer defenses over and over again. But she kept coming back.

The way I saw it, I had a few options. If I let her through, she would get lost in my caves. I could trap her there, walk away, and never come back, or I could kill her and try to finish the mission. Either option was pretty unappealing to me, but I didn’t want to risk the distraction of attempting to communicate with David.

After I threw her out again, she sat back, sweat dripping down her forehead. “Fine, you want to play hardball? I have something that will level the playing field.”

Before I could even think to act, she rushed over to the head of the conference table. Seconds after she reached under the table, I heard a telltale click, and she brought up a small, black pistol of some kind.

I’d never had a gun pointed at me, but I was a lot calmer than I imagined I’d be. I knew deep down Amanda wasn’t a threat to me, armed or not. Quickly and quietly, I reached out for her mind. “Are you really going to shoot me, right here? What would Agusto say about that?” Her defenses were pitiful. Could it have always been this way? Or had they done something to weaken her? Not too long ago, she’d presented herself as such a formidable foe, but after seeing what she’d been reduced to by whatever Agusto and his minions had done to her, it was no wonder her mind had been so affected.

“I think he’d be pleased. He might even let me go.”

“Let you go?” I watched as she leveled the gun at me. But I was already inside her mind. Gently, I encouraged her to put it down.

“Stop.”

“I’m not interested in getting shot today, so I don’t think I will.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “This is the only way.”

“I’ve already told you that it’s not,” I said calmly, trying again to reason with her.

“You don’t understand.” Desperation took her voice up a few notches.

“Then help me to.”

Her hand fell limply to her side, letting the gun dangle, and I was bombarded with memories, starting way back when David had first asked her to take me in.

“She can’t know you’re a reader. I don’t want her to know about this world. She must be kept safe. You’re one of our most skilled readers. I’m counting on you.”

“I’m not a mother, David.” She frowned down at my tiny body, clutched awkwardly in her arms. “And I’m not suited to be a single parent. I like being on my own too much. This isn’t the right assignment for me.” She held me out to him. “I can’t do this. Please, find someone else.”

“There is no one else. She’ll die if you don’t.”

“What kind of life will she have if I do? I won’t love her, David. I can’t. I hate her already for what I’m being asked to do for her.” Her honesty was brutal, but I was gratified to know she’d fought for my best interests, if only that one time.

“There is no one else.” He said it slow, and the memory faded. Next were flashes of her transition to the Potestas, my capture, my imprisonment, and then the memories slowed to focus on the time just after my escape.

“Dylan?” He’d gone limp in his chair and fallen to the floor. “No. You’re our only connection to the girl. No. Fight! You can’t do this to me. I’m as good as dead. You have to fight. Think of your wife, your little boy. Fight, damn you!” she cried, but it was too late. I’d already crushed that last memory. And he died at her feet.

Next, she was in darkness. The pressure she felt on her wrists, combined with the difficulty she had breathing, made me think she was hanging by her wrists, but I couldn’t see anything. Obviously, she’d been beaten, but she didn’t seem to remember. Pain radiated through her from head to toe.

“Well. I’d hoped we would see each other again under different circumstances, Amanda.” I recognized Agusto’s voice immediately, although I didn’t see him. There was darkness everywhere. Maybe she had her eyes closed.

What is he doing here? Why is the leader here to see me? she thought.

The shock of that revelation almost made me lose my connection with her, but I held it tight.

“Didn’t you like to tell that girl she was a disappointment? Now who’s the disappointment?”

He hit her hard across the face, but it didn’t compare to the pain she was already feeling.

“I should kill you. But you don’t deserve mercy from me.” His footsteps echoed in the room, and I heard him circle around behind her. “No,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll keep you close to me from now on. That way I can remind you of your transgression. Regularly.”

No wonder she’s so exhausted and weak, I thought, feeling nothing but sorrow for her.

But she was still fighting me. I tried to plant a seed in her mind that would convince her to help me and rejoin the Unseen, but she fought, with all that she had left, she fought me.

I looked over at her, and she had a feral quality in her eyes. “I’m done,” she said.

“I forgive you, Amanda. For everything. I hope you can forgive me too.”

“See you in hell, Mackenzie.” With her last ounce of willpower, she brought the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

Seventeen

She’d done it so quickly, and with such determination. It was like she’d seen it as her chance to reclaim some of the strength she once had for one final deed that she could call her own.

The sound of the gunshot still rang in my ear as I dialed 911 and listened to it ring once, twice. Come on.

“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” a calm woman asked.

“My coworker just shot herself. She’s not breathing. I need help right away.” The alarm in my voice was real as I gave her the address, and she assured me help would be there soon.

I eyed Amanda, slumped in her chair, blood pouring out of her wound. “There’s so much blood. How can I help her?” I knew I was in deep with an already-suspicious boss, who was also apparently the leader of the Potestas rather than a second or third in command like we’d assumed. The water was getting deeper all the time, and I was struggling to keep my head above it. All I could think of was creating a record of my efforts to save Amanda, something solid so I could reasonably deny involvement. It was a thin chance, but I was desperate.

Before the operator could answer me, two of Agusto’s guards came in to the conference room, waving their own guns around before pointing them at me.

“Amanda shot herself,” I shouted at them. “I’m on the phone with 911.” Then I kicked the gun that had fallen to the floor just beneath Amanda’s dangling hand toward them to demonstrate the fact that I wasn’t armed.

“Are you all right?” the 911 operator asked.

How could I answer that? Two of the enemy’s armed guards had their weapons aimed at me, and they hadn’t relaxed their grip one bit.

“Help is on the way, guys. Calm down,” I said to the guards, ignoring the operator. I knew the two men. They weren’t readers. I could easily make them lower their weapons, but if I did, my cover would probably be blown. But if I didn’t do anything, they might shoot me.

“Ma’am. What’s going on?” the operator asked again.

“Two of the CEO’s guards have come in to assess the situation. They seem to think I’m armed in some way. But I’m not.” At least it would be on record that two armed men had aimed their weapons at an unarmed woman. That would make for a great headline for Agusto’s campaign.

We eyed each other, and slowly, they lowered their weapons. For several seconds, we just stood there in a silent stand-off, and then the operator said, “Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“The EMTs are in the building. They will be there shortly. Just hold on a bit longer.”

“Thank you,” I said, and I truly meant it.

When the EMTs arrived, they stepped around the guards, totally ignoring them, making the guards move off to the side. They tried to shock Amanda a few times, but it didn’t help. After what seemed like an eternity, they loaded her onto a gurney, leaving nothing but a bloody mess behind.

One of them approached me. “You’re the one who called?”

Nodding was the only thing I could bring myself to do. The ramifications of what had unfolded weighed heavily on me. Despite the fact that I hadn’t pulled the trigger, I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I’d spent most of my life with Amanda, and although I still didn’t feel any love for her, I felt sorry for the role I’d played in her death.

“I’m sure the police will have some questions for you.” The EMT startled me out of my inner thoughts. “We were never able to get a heartbeat. I’m sorry.” He put a hand on my shoulder, squeezed, and left.

As he walked out, I noticed a huge crowd had gathered outside the doorway of the conference room. Police officers were keeping them back, and I eyed their vacant expressions. As I realized they were being controlled, I spotted Agusto and understood why. He was keeping them away from me so he could have me all to himself. He gave me a hard look before turning and walking away. The crowd parted for him, and I knew I was supposed to follow. My mind and heart rebelled against the idea of following him, but my feet did as they were told. People watched us as we went, but I didn’t make eye contact. I couldn’t worry about what they thought. I needed to focus on surviving whatever happened next.

As we walked down the hall to his office, I risked sending a quick message to David.

Amanda dead. Agusto number one. Going to his office now. Then I buried my signature as deeply as I could. I had no idea what Agusto was capable of doing, and I didn’t want to risk exposing our headquarters to literally all the Potestas. It would mean the end of us for sure, and without our protection, the people of our country would be at their mercy. As it stood, I was fairly certain this little exchange would be the end of me. There was no need for others to share my fate.

The two guards who’d interrupted my call for help fell in on either side of Agusto as we drew closer to his office. Just a few more feet and I’d be closed into a room with five guards and him. Six-to-one odds.

My mind reeled as I followed him into the office. I glanced around for some kind of safety rope to pull me out of the pit of quicksand I’d tumbled into, but there was nothing. Anyway, I wasn’t sure what I expected to find. I had no allies in this building. They were all a few miles away, safely within our headquarters. Well, all except for our mole, and I had no idea who that person even was.

Once I was inside, the door closed loudly behind me. Agusto was already making his way toward his desk, so I followed, eying the guards as they took their places along the wall. I knew two of them weren’t readers, including one of the ones standing closest to Agusto.

But before I could form a plan, Agusto spoke to me. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

My voice was shaky as I gave him the details. “We got to talking while we were cleaning up the room after the campaign meeting. I don’t even know what set her off, but the conversation turned south. She said something about being a failure and feeling trapped…and…and then she pulled a gun out from under the table and shot herself. It all happened so fast. I called nine-one-one, but they arrived too late to help her.” I hoped that by telling him most of the truth, it would seem believable. After all, I hadn’t lied; I just hadn’t told him the whole story. But the thought of her with the gun pressed to her head set the room spinning. But instead of sitting down or steadying myself in any way, I straightened my spine and swallowed the bile in the back of my throat.

“And that was that?” His tone was flat and hard to read, making me even more hyper-aware of the precarious situation I was in.

“Except for the part where your two lackeys came in and tried to shoot me, yes.”

“That is unfortunate,” he said, ignoring my comment about his lackeys. “I now find myself without a campaign manager. Despite the fact that Amanda was a bit of a blundering idiot, she was loyal.” He turned his chair around, mumbling to himself. “Not out of respect, but out of fear. Fear makes people reliably loyal. Respect can be taken away at any moment, but fear…” He trailed off as he considered his options. “But who could replace her?”

As he tried to work through his problem, I took another assessment of the situation. Could I get into his mind while he’s distracted? A quick glance at the closest guard made me hesitate. If he suspected anything at all, it would be over for me.

If I can just keep him talking. Keep him distracted. I would need to speak to Agusto while making my attack on his mind, and I’d need to keep broadcasting nothing thoughts to trick his attack dogs. Sure, I’d managed to multi-task with Amanda, but she had been relatively weak. Surely their number one would be a formidable foe.

Agusto was still mumbling about his options, and what to do, while I felt time running out. I couldn’t stand there forever.

It was now or never.

Eighteen

“What about Bob Yarwick? He worked closely with Amanda on a few projects,” I said, trying to keep Agusto distracted. Bob worked downstairs, but I didn’t actually know what his title was. He seemed to be one of Amanda’s go-to people for getting things done for the campaign. I had no idea if he was a good candidate or not. At the moment, his best interests weren’t foremost in my thoughts. Keeping Agusto talking was job number one.

“No. He’s an idiot. Too much of a yes man. He’d be crushed by the politics of this. In fact, why does he even work for us? I should fire him immediately.”

I nodded, my mind too busy trying to find a way to survive this mess to worry about Bob Yarwick and the fact that he was about to be unemployed. I tried to come up with other names, but as it turned out, he didn’t need that much prodding to keep talking.

I looked absently out the wall of windows and turned my focus inward, feeling like it was time to act. I split my concentration so I would keep hearing the audio of what was happening in the “real” world in the forefront of my mind.

Not bothering to risk another glance at the guards, I pressed my mental attack, but I couldn’t find him. He was sitting right smack in front of me, and yet his psychic space was like a black hole.

Maybe I’ve lost my touch, I thought as I reached out for the guards, all of whom I located easily.

I listened to him as he combed through his options again and again. His mind was running a mile a minute, so he should’ve been easy to find. He was practically screaming at me. But he just wasn’t there. Over and over, I tried to find him; each time, I was met with nothing. Not even darkness or a wall, like I was used to seeing in protected minds, just nothing. Like the man in front of me wasn’t a living thing at all. It made me feel even more desperate.

I’d already reached out for the guards, potentially alerting them to what I was doing. Time was ticking away while I floundered in front of the leader of the Potestas. I had the potential to end their organization right then and there, but I couldn’t tap into the mind of the man sitting right in front of me.

“You.” He interrupted my thoughts and brought me slamming back into myself rather uncomfortably.

Clearing my throat, I struggled to respond. “Excuse me?”

“You. It has to be you.” He smiled at me, as if he’d found the perfect solution.

“What?” A feeling of dread filled me at his suggestion. He’d zeroed in on me for a reason. None of Joyce’s qualifications pointed toward her being a logical choice for campaign manager. He was angling toward something. But what? Was he just trying to keep me off kilter, so I couldn’t press my mental attack, or was there more to it?

In the silence that followed, I listened to the bubbling of the river, which created a false sense of peace. It was nothing close to peaceful in there. Calm, yes, but in a sinister way that let me know he could kill me at any moment and feel absolutely no regrets about it.

As his eyes bored into me, my discomfort grew. “You heard me. I know you haven’t worked for me long, but I can already tell you’re perfect for the job. You’re already very involved in the campaign, so you know what needs to be done. You’d need minimal training. And, I tell you what, I’ll hire someone to replace you, so you’ll have help.”

Desperate to stall him, I fumbled for something to say, anything at all that would keep him talking for long enough for me to make another effort. But what if I was doomed to act as his second in command for the rest of my life, never being able to escape back to the Unseen?

I took a deep breath and scolded myself. Stop it. You’re being melodramatic. They know who he is. They’ll get to work. All you need to do is hang in there.

“I can see that you’re overwhelmed with gratitude. No need to thank me now.” He turned his back to me. “Go, gather your things, and get settled into Amanda’s office, I mean your office.” He turned around and smiled at me.

I knew I couldn’t take him at his word, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Just keep him talking, I thought.

“Perhaps you’d like to go over some of the details of my duties, since Amanda never shared that kind of thing with me.”

“I don’t think that’s a valuable way to spend my time right now. In fact…” He trailed off and nodded to one of the guards. The man approached, keeping his eyes glued on me.

“The campaign manager is someone I need to keep very close. I know you are going to be well suited for the post. Do you know why?”

Instead of responding, I watched as the other four guards slowly closed in on us. The final guard stood close to Agusto’s side, and I knew we were getting to the meat of what he had in mind.

Despite my best efforts to stay calm, my heart was racing, my breath coming in short gasps. I was probably visibly sweating, but I didn’t want to bring my hand to my forehead to find out. No need to draw further attention to my distress.

I need to abort this, right now, I thought.

“You know what? It’s been a very stressful day. I think I’ll leave you to it, and I’ll get to work on figuring out where Amanda left off,” I said. So much for seizing the moment; I was in survival mood. “At any rate, I think the police were waiting to speak to me.”

I took a half step back, but he stopped me. “You’re not going anywhere. You didn’t answer my question. Don’t you want to know why I need to keep you close?”

I shook my head as the guards continued to close in on me. Soon, Agusto was on one end of the circle of guards, and I was on the other—surrounded. The two guards closest to me could’ve seized me in an instant.

“Because you keep your friends close, but you keep your enemies closer.”

Nineteen

Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He glared at me, and his tone turned so cold, I was surprised I couldn’t see his breath. “Don’t lie to me. I can smell a liar from fifty yards away. Call it one of my talents.”

His talents? He was a one-man lie detector in addition to being able to read minds? Well, all bow down to the great and powerful Oz, I thought, secretly hoping he heard me.

“Tell me, what are your other talents? Maybe we should be exploiting them for your campaign.”

“I believe you know full well what they are, not to mention who I am.”

“You believe? Shouldn’t you know without a doubt? Seems to me your talents are less impressive than they should be given that you’re the leader of the Potestas.”

His smile was vicious. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” He took a step toward me, and the circle around us got smaller. The air was close, and I struggled to keep my panic at bay. “How long have you known who I am?”

“I think part of me suspected it all along. Maybe a better question is do you know who I am?” I was getting antsy. This back and forth had gone on for too long. Someone was going to draw soon, and if I wanted to win, it needed to be me. All I had to do was find his mind—a task easier said than done.

“I know you’re a member of the Unseen, and a thorn in my side. And I know that I’m going to crush you, and the rest of your sad little organization, one by one.”

Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. He had no idea specifically who I was.

“Now that we’re being honest with each other, tell me how you managed to get as far as you did. How did a little worm like you get so close to me?”

“With a little bit of skill and a lot of luck.” No need to elaborate, I thought. If I didn’t make it out of here alive, at least he wouldn’t have any useful information. Of course, if he was as powerful as he believed himself to be, he could probably get everything he wanted out of me, whether I was willing or not. Still, I wasn’t giving him anything for free.

I glanced at the guard to Agusto’s right, and immediately wished I hadn’t. He was glaring at me so hard it was almost comical. The look in his eyes was what kept me from laughing. Stone cold and deadly. I found I had a hard time looking away.

“What gave me away?” I asked, still trying to find a way out of this as I tore my gaze away from the angry guard.

He chuckled. “You’re dumber than I thought, Mackenzie.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my breath caught in my throat. He’d called me Mackenzie, not Joyce. That lying sack of shit! He knows exactly who I am.

Anger and panic kept my heart racing as a smile spread across his face. “Yes. Amanda wore a wire at all times. I heard your entire exchange. Your slip up. Her realization of who you were. Her refusal to accept your offer of rescue. Her cowardly death. It was better than she deserved.” His last statement was so oddly matter-of-fact. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he meant it, and I didn’t want to take the time to imagine exactly what kind of end he would’ve given her.

“And now my little sheep has wandered back into the wolf’s den on her own.” He paused and his smile made me nauseous. “Although, I must congratulate you on keeping yourself hidden from the person who raised you. She should’ve known you inside and out. It seems Amanda was a bigger imbecile than I thought.”

“That’s a bit of a backhanded compliment,” I said.

Agusto nodded in acknowledgment, staring at me intently. I could tell it was a challenge, but I wasn’t sure I could be intimidated any further. I was already scared out of my mind.

The guard to Agusto’s right, the one who who’d been glaring at me only moments ago, cleared his throat. When I looked at him, his once-fierce glare seemed vacant. His expression was more relaxed. Confused, I turned back to Agusto, not wanting to draw attention to the guard’s apparent transformation. As far as I was concerned, he was one less person for me to worry about.

Not seeming to notice what was going on with the guard, Agusto continued to revel in his success in capturing me.

“You thought you’d come in here and expose me for the demon I am, hmm? That’s very heroic of you.” He turned and started walking toward the window, breaking our little circle. It gave me some space to breathe, to think.

“What do you plan to do with me now?” I asked, stalling.

“Oh…” He trailed off wistfully. “There are so many options. You could become my new Amanda, but I don’t think you’d allow yourself to become a prisoner to your fear, particularly since we tried imprisoning you once before. Your talents are so…extensive, I’d hate to waste them. But make no mistake, I will if you force my hand.”

“I believe you.” I may have gotten myself into some pretty deep trouble, but I wasn’t stupid.

He smiled broadly as he looked out the window. “Maybe you’re not as dumb as I thought.” His breath fogged the window as he looked out on the county’s monuments.

I followed his gaze. “Do you envision having a monument to your greatness out there some day?”

He laughed. It was a genuine belly laugh, not an I’m-humoring-you chuckle. “Of course not. This country will be too busy to spend time on such frivolity. In fact—”

The guard to his left cleared his throat, cutting him off. Agusto glanced at him, an annoyed expression on his face, before looking away. “In fact, I’m going to change the face of this nation in such a way—”

A third guard cleared his throat, and then a fourth. Finally, the fifth guard started all-out coughing. “I’m sorry, am I boring you, boys? Do you have something to say? Or do you just need a drink? Feel free to drink from the river, like the dogs you are.”

My gaze bounced between them. Were they signaling each other? If so, why didn’t Agusto know what they were doing? Upon further inspection, I realized they all shared the same vacant expression.

What the hell’s going on? I wondered.

Before I could process anything, the original guard who’d glared at me took Agusto into a defensive hold, keeping his arms pinned behind his back.

“What are you doing?” Agusto bellowed.

“Now’s your chance,” the guard said, looking right at me.

Twenty

Questions raced through my mind. What if it’s a trap? What if they’ve designed this, and they plan on imprisoning me once I’m inside his mind? But I couldn’t dilly-dally. I couldn’t waste this opportunity. Instead of voicing any of the millions of questions racing through my head, I shut my eyes, giving myself the chance to fully focus on the task at hand.

I was taking a huge risk by opening myself to the four other guards flanking me, but I had to put my trust in something.

Doubling down, I concentrated on breaking into Agusto’s head. He struggled against the guard, and I could distantly hear the other guards moving away from me—moving toward him. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’ll never work. I’m the leader of the damn Potestas. You can’t get into my head.”

I easily found the mind of the guard who was pinning Agusto, but he felt different this time, almost familiar.

“Hurry up, Mackenzie. Don’t waste any time.”

I could’ve just killed him. I eyed the guard holding Agusto, wondering where he kept his gun, but I decided against it. Agusto had too much information. We needed to know where the Potestas’ supply of Zero was being kept, where they planned to release it next, how big the organization was, and how deep it went. The questions were endless, and this one man held all the answers.

I made another effort to find Agusto. There was still only the void. “What are you, some kind of robot?” I said out of frustration. Agusto laughed, and I heard him stop struggling.

“You’ll never be able to find your way inside my mind.”

“Don’t bet on it,” I said, trying to think fast. The guard was so close to the void that I could almost feel it, feel him, but almost wasn’t good enough.

“You three, can you get closer to him?” I pointed to the three guards separating me from Agusto.

That left one standing at my side. “Maybe you should watch the door?” He nodded and walked stiffly to the door. That still left Amanda’s secret door unguarded, but it was a risk I had to take at the moment.

“Okay good. One on each side, please?” I asked the guards, and they positioned themselves around him.

Closing my eyes again, I tightened my focus. The void was so obvious now, but I had no idea how to penetrate it. With four minds on all sides of him, it felt almost like a black hole of nothing in the middle of so much activity.

As I got closer to finding him, I heard him start to struggle again. His laugh changed from confident to slightly nervous. “You’ll never find me. My defenses are flawless. They were created by the best readers in the world.”

“Created?” I asked, coming back to myself.

But the original guard holding him begged me to keep working. “We don’t have much time, Mackenzie. He’s just trying to distract you, and it’s working. Keep going.”

But the phrase bothered me. Why would his defenses have been created by some of the best mind readers in the world? I thought about Dr. Jeppe. His defenses had been created for him too, but his had been almost laughably bad. This was something different. It was a work of art, as far as defenses were concerned. To another reader, Agusto didn’t exist. How had he accomplished that? Or rather, how had someone else accomplished that for him?

And, more importantly, why would someone else need to accomplish that for the leader of the Potestas?

I looked at him, desperately flailing as he tried to escape the guards. “You’re not a reader.” It was a statement, not a question.

In that moment he stopped struggling and got very still. A smile crept its way across my face as I let that truth reveal him to me.

He was a fraud.

Tracy’s words came back to me one last time. Reality is a fluid concept in the world of the mind. It’s real because your mind believes it to be. His defenses weren’t real. Creative to be sure, but they were nothing but lies. And there was nothing inside of him with the ability to bolster them.

The truth spread away from me, like roots reaching for him, pulling away the void with its tendrils. “The truth will set you free, Agusto,” I said with a smile as I started to feel him.

Then, all at once, I knew everything.

I had always assumed the Potestas had existed for generations. But I was wrong. The Potestas had popped up fairly recently, started by a young Agusto Masterson and his best friend, a rather talented and sadistic reader gone rogue from the Unseen.

I watched as they slowly gained followers over time, ones like Washington, who staunchly supported their cause and justified their means to an end, and others like Amanda, who got in over their heads and became too afraid to leave. They made empty promises, meaningful threats, anything they could to attract supporters.

Agusto was extremely charismatic, as I already knew, but his friend wasn’t. He was creepy, and people shied away from him. Agusto felt they were losing too many readers to his attitude, so he approached him about adopting a softer approach. His friend refused. Agusto persisted, saying it was for the greater good, and implored him to think of their dream, their bigger picture.

They wanted so badly to overthrow the Unseen. They’d reprimanded Agusto’s friend for his sadistic ways, prompting his AWOL status, and he’d never forgotten or forgiven it. For him, taking over the world one step at a time was no more than bonus. It was necessary because of the number and variety of Unseen chapters across the world.

But Agusto disagreed. For him, felling the Unseen was no more than an excuse for him to gain the power he’d always wanted.

It ended in a fight, leaving Agusto’s best friend, the only person with whom he’d shared a meaningful relationship, dead. Somehow, it surprised me that Agusto didn’t seem to feel any remorse over the act. In fact, he seemed pleased that he wouldn’t have to share his empire with anyone else.

After that, I flashed forward a decade, maybe two, and watched him hatch the idea of Zero. He gave the project to Dylan Shields and their newest—and most promising—recruit, Amanda, who in turn recruited the members they would need to successfully complete the project. It was hard to see Amanda so full of life. She’d been so pumped, so excited about the new direction her life was taking.

But it all crumbled as I watched. He tortured her for information, trying to piece together how one of their most valuable assets had slipped through his fingers. He struggled to understand what it meant for him, and whether it would affect the success of his plan.

And I saw his plan laid out in front of me, like blueprints. He didn’t intend to stop once he was declared president of the U.S. After all these years, he was a patient man. Slowly but surely, he would extend his tentacles out into the world, taking it over country by country, until he had control of all the world’s resources. His terrorist tactics wouldn’t end with Zero. He would buy a weapons company to help fuel the wars in the Middle East—not only supporting, but also controlling groups like ISIS. And then he planned to take control of the world’s economy by bending the oil companies to his whim, driving the cost of gas up so high that no one would be able to afford to drive anywhere, halting transport of all kind until he said go. All in the name of bringing down the Unseen for a perceived wrong that wasn’t even his to claim.

It was a nightmare, a living nightmare. Once everything he knew was out in the open, I didn’t know what to do. Slowly, I came back to myself, but I almost collapsed right there. The urge to fall to my knees from total and utter hopelessness was overwhelming.

The guards looked at me, waiting, and I had no idea what to do. They were all still holding him, and Agusto was staring at me, knowing he’d been violated. His eyes were wide, frantic, and feral. But now that I knew him for who he was, his fear didn’t bother me a bit.

“I thought you hated liars,” I said. He didn’t respond. “You’re one of the worst liars of all. You don’t have any special talent, except maybe the power of deception.”

“Do you have what you need?” asked the guard who had restrained him first.

I nodded, and he reached around and took Agusto in a hold by the neck. Before too long, he collapsed into unconsciousness. Then, just like that, the three guards around him fell to the ground, as did the guard at the door, leaving the original guard the only one standing.

He was looking directly at me.

Twenty One

Stunned, I stared the original guard down, not sure what he had in mind at this point. Was he still an ally of sorts? Before I could make a move, he spoke to me.

“Well, you people have really managed to pull something off here, haven’t you?” His eyes were clearing. Blind rage replaced the vacancy I’d seen there only moments ago.

“Who are you?” I asked, still reeling.

“Someone who’s stronger than these other guards, apparently.” He reached around behind him, and I knew he was going for his gun. I had to act fast, but I was tired of being on my toes, tired of trying to stay one step ahead of all these people who were trying to kill me.

The lag hurt me, and before I could stop him, he leveled his weapon at me. “Enough mental games. This ends right here, right now.”

The door opened behind us, and he looked over my shoulder.

A shot rang out, and I screamed. I’d been shot. Even though I felt nothing, I knew that one of the enemies who’d surrounded me for weeks must have finally ended my life. It had to be shock or something that was blocking out the pain. I thought of Owen, David, Maddie, and Mitchell in those long, taut moments.

Then the feeling of a hand clasping my shoulder brought me back to the world, back to that office where bodies were strewn around the floor. One more lay at my feet with a gunshot wound in his head.

I braced myself to see an enemy as I turned around. But it wasn’t an enemy at all, and I threw myself into his open arms.

“Daddy,” I breathed into his chest as he hugged me close to him.

“It’s okay. Everything is okay now,” he said, but I wasn’t sure which one of us he was trying to reassure. He pulled back, and I saw Owen waiting in the doorway, along with Mitchell, Rebecca, and Camden—one for each guard.

No wonder the guards felt so familiar, I thought as I surveyed my rescuers.

“How did you guys get in?” I asked, almost breathless.

“Very carefully. The police milling around due to Amanda’s untimely death presented an added challenge, but they’ve dispersed now, with some…ahem…encouragement. Mitchell’s been working on disassembling their security for weeks in the event of a storm-the-castle approach. Thanks to him, we didn’t have to worry about pesky things like cameras and keycards,” David answered, and all I could do was smile. They had been there for me when it mattered most. All along, they’d been keeping me safe from behind the scenes.

David released me and I went to Owen, feeling like laughing and crying all at once. Mitchell didn’t let me fall apart.

“We don’t have all day for emotional reunions, Mac. Need I remind you that we’re in enemy territory?”

Glancing back at Agusto, I saw him stirring. “Why didn’t you kill him too?”

“He’s our proof,” David said. “We need him. You can’t be the only one who knows who, and what, he is. As long as he has information about the Potestas and Zero, he’s valuable.”

As he said it, an idea occurred to me. “He’s also our getaway.”

Now that Agusto’s defenses had been obliterated, I infiltrated Agusto’s mind easily. I even found I could do so while easily maintaining control of myself. I walked him out in front of me, and then followed him out of his office. The rest of our group followed silently behind.

We made our way to the elevator, and I held my breath as the doors opened. We were reentering a world that didn’t know what had just happened.

We were careful not to make eye contact as we made our way out of the building and onto the street, but no one even looked our way. Everyone was so afraid of Agusto that we easily exited enemy territory and reentered neutral ground.

We got into three separate cabs, keeping Agusto with David and me, and made our way back to headquarters.

The receptionist recognized him right away. “Mr. Masterson,” she said, “what a surprise. It’s a pleasure to have you here. What can we do for you?”

But David showed her his ID and waved her off. It was the closest we’d come to being stopped.

Given the time of day, the building was frustratingly populated. So, Mitchell and a few of the others took charge of making people feel like they had somewhere else to be, giving us an opportunity to gain entry to our headquarters.

Not knowing where else to go, I took him to the main conference room. It was the only private place that was big enough for all of us. Davis was already there.

“Yes, Mr. President. I assure you, we have our best men and women on the case.” He looked up at us and smiled when he saw Agusto. “And as it happens, they’ve returned with quite the spoils of war, I must say.”

“Agusto Masterson was indeed a master of deception,” the report declared, documentary style. It had only been a few hours since his apprehension, but word had spread like wildfire, fanned by some well-placed members of the Unseen.

“Though he was charismatic and loved by the public, most of his employees have come forward to say they were terrified of him, and had received numerous threats from him or his vice president, Amanda Pierce, who died suspiciously in his office earlier today.

“Now that Masterson is in custody, the full scope of his plan is finally coming to light. But here’s what we know: Masterson was the head of a huge terrorist organization. That organization was in fact responsible for the attacks using Zero.” The reporter paused for dramatic effect while a slideshow of muted video clips and file photos of Agusto played in the background. “It seems the former presidential candidate wasn’t working to protect the world from Zero after all—he was the cause of it. Details are still pouring in about this shocking revelation involving the world’s self-proclaimed savior.”

The slideshow ended, returning viewers to the newsroom, where the anchors transitioned to a similar story. “In related news, Masterson’s main office building in Washington DC was raided today, resulting in over one hundred and fifty arrests. No injuries have been reported, as most employees are said to have gone with officers quietly.”

“But not all of them were guilty, David. Some of them weren’t even readers at all. They didn’t know what was going on; they were just trying to earn a living,” I protested as the frame showed droves of people being led away in handcuffs.

“The innocent will be sorted out, I promise.”

Nodding, I turned my attention back to the television.

“Masterson is currently being held behind bars without bail, while authorities gather evidence against him. Nationally, he is currently facing first-degree murder charges for the attack on Coda, the international music festival held in Tallahassee, Florida, last fall. Internationally, it appears he will face a myriad of charges, as the nations wait to take their shot at this outed terrorist.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, wrinkling my nose at the jargon.

“It means they’re not ready to divulge all the charges they’re going to throw at him, but they have to charge him with something in order to hold him.”

I sat back in my chair, relishing the feeling of being surrounded by my family, and reached out for Owen’s hand. It felt so good to be back with them, to be myself again. No one was pretending any more, at least not until the next mission. “Now what? Do we at least get to take a vacation before the next crazy person decides to kill everyone on Earth?”

David smiled at me, and I felt Owen take my left hand and slip a ring onto my finger. I looked at the ring—a rose gold swirl of diamonds. After studying it for a few moments, I realized it was a sideways treble cleft. I peered into his deep brown eyes, so filled with love, and knew I was finally home.

“Now, we live,” he said.

Epilogue

I sat at the piano, my dress spilling over the back of the bench, the riot of lace and pearls resting in the grass at my feet. I’d always wanted to play outside, and what better occasion than our wedding?

Owen sat next to me on the bench, watching my hands dance across the keys as I effortlessly played Gaspard de la Nuit for him, and only him, despite the guests who sat at a distance. It was the concert of my life.

Gaspard possessed me, surrounding us both, and even though I looked into Owen’s eyes rather than at the keys, I didn’t miss a single note. Tears filled both of our eyes as I finished the long piece. Perhaps our guests were bored, but I didn’t care. This wasn’t for them. It was for us. It felt like the end of one chapter of our lives and the beginning of something new and beautiful.

As the spring breeze carried the notes away, I couldn’t help but let the joy I felt bubble out of me as I threw my arms around my new husband.

I was not alone at the piano, and I never would be again.

Acknowledgements (Undivided)

First, and foremost, I need to thank God. I am blown away by this journey, and the blessings we’ve received along the way. Thank You so much. Even in the tough times, God is good, every day.

To my wonderful husband: Can you believe it? We made it! The trilogy is finished! Congratulations go to him as much as they do to me, because he has been such an awesome help. He’s been involved in everything from bouncing ideas off each other to handling the marketing of the series, as well as the business end of things. You are my rock when I wonder if this is all worth it. Thank you. I wouldn’t be here without you.

To Shannon Mayer, my dear friend and colleague. It’s your fault The Dead World isn’t being published right now, and I think a lot of my readers are very grateful for that. You are such a constant inspiration, and motivator. Thank you for being in my life.

To my awesome team—Angela, Cynthia, and Damonza—what would I do without you? You all make my books what they are, each with your own touch. They are perfect because of you. I love getting to my publication date, and saying there isn’t a darn thing I would change about this book. And that happens every time. It’s magic that I am so thankful to be a part of.

My friends, Christian, Mary, and Dannie, I love you. You relentlessly ride the ups and downs with me, and for that, I am forever grateful. Hold on tight! I think this ride is only going to get more fun!

To my family, Mom, Dad, Shane, you guys are amazing supporters. Thank you for reading my books and telling literally everyone you know, and a lot of people you don’t know, including a lot of radio listeners in Connecticut, about my books. Love you guys!

That leaves me with you, dear reader. You’ve stayed with me through this entire series. That’s quite a commitment, and for that, I think you are Awesome, with a capital A. Thank you so much for sacrificing your time to spend it with my characters and me. I truly appreciate it, more than I can say.

Until December guys, happy reading!

—S

About the Author

Stephanie Erickson is an English Literature graduate from Flagler College. She lives in Florida with her family. Undivided is her sixth novel.

She loves to connect with readers! Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/stephmerickson, Twitter @sm_erickson, or stop by her Web site at www.stephanieericksonbooks.com.

You can also get the latest news on new releases, contests, and author appearances by signing up for her newsletter here.

Stephanie’s Books

The Blackout

The Cure

The Unseen Trilogy:

Unseen

Unforgiven

Undivided

The Dead Room Trilogy:

The Dead Room

The Children of Wisdom:

The Fate

The Reaper—Coming March 2016!

Copyright © 2016 Stephanie Erickson

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof.

This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN-13: 978-1-944793-00-5

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Acknowledgments

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Acknowledgments (Unforgiven)

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Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty One

Epilogue

Acknowledgements (Undivided)

About the Author

Stephanie’s Books