A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3)

by Karpinske, Stephanie

  “I do, too. But if we never do those things again, I’m okay with that.”

  I smiled at him. “How did I get so lucky finding you?”

  His face got serious. “You’re not making this decision yet.”

  “I’ve already made—”

  He kissed me before I could finish. “Go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I went back to my room to find Brittany sitting on the bed crying.

  “Brittany, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said, quickly wiping the tears away.

  “But you were crying. Was it Erik? Did he do something? Because if he did—”

  “No. I was just thinking about you getting those treatments done to get rid of the alien genes. What if it kills you, Sam? You’re the only family I have left. You can’t leave me all alone.”

  I went over and hugged her. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere. And I’ll think about the treatments some more, okay? Maybe I won’t have it done.”

  “I asked Erik if he’s doing it, but he wouldn’t answer me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him either. I think I love him, Sam.”

  “Erik? Really?”

  She looked offended. “Why are you reacting like that? Do you think I’m not good enough for him?”

  “No. It’s not that at all. It’s just that you haven’t really acted like you think of him that way. At least not since we left Iceland.”

  “Because I didn’t want to screw up what we had. I guess it’s stupid for me to say that I love him. He doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

  “You said you guys made out the other night.”

  “Yeah, well, he was probably imagining it was you the whole time.”

  “It’s not like that, Brittany. He and I don’t think of each other that way anymore.”

  “You can say that all you want, but I can tell that Erik isn’t over you. You two still have something together. And it’s obvious you’re attracted to each other.”

  “I told you. We were made to be attracted to each other. But attraction isn’t love. What I have with Colin is love. What Erik and I had was different. I can’t describe it.”

  Brittany didn’t seem to believe me. “So do you think Erik will ever like me in a girlfriend way?”

  “I don’t know. But don’t rush it. Just take it slow. ”

  “I will.” She got into bed. “Although he’s a really great kisser. I don’t know how long I can wait before doing that again.”

  We slept almost until noon the next day. I was getting ready when I heard someone at the front door. It sounded like Rachel. I went out to check and ran right into Erik.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him. “Why is Rachel here?”

  “Beats me. But she doesn’t sound good.”

  We found Rachel sitting at the kitchen table with Jack, Abigail, and Dave. Tears were running down her face. “I don’t know if I can be part of this anymore. Too many people are getting killed. I should have done something. I should have protected him better.”

  “What happened?” I almost didn’t want to know. I couldn’t take another crisis.

  Rachel wiped her tears. “GlobalLife killed Ridley, one of our best geneticists. You and Erik met him back in Iceland, remember?”

  I nodded.

  “He transferred down here to the New York facility last week. He requested the transfer saying he wanted to be closer to his family. But he was really just trying to help with the mission. He was determined to get this project stopped.”

  “Did GlobalLife find out Ridley was working with us?” I asked.

  “No, they didn’t know about that. But they found out what Ridley did. Before he left Iceland, he was able to destroy the DNA samples GlobalLife took from you and Erik. Even the reproductive material. When Ridley got to the New York facility, he was given access to the samples that were shipped here from Iceland a few weeks ago. And just last night, Ridley destroyed them. All of them. He reported the samples missing this morning, hoping they wouldn’t suspect him. It worked at first. But then Loflin called the Iceland facility for the other samples and found they were gone, too. He put the pieces together and knew it was Ridley. And that was it. Ridley never made it out of the building.”

  Rachel’s crying began again. Retelling the story made her even more distraught.

  I felt horrible about what they’d done to Ridley. But I was beyond grateful for what he’d done for Erik and me, destroying all those DNA samples.

  I could see the relief on Dave’s face as well. “He’s a hero, Rachel. What he did took immense courage.”

  Her crying slowed. “I know. And I know that GlobalLife is capable of doing things like this. I just can’t believe it happened to Ridley.”

  Her comment made me think of all the people in my life that GlobalLife had killed. My parents. Brittany’s mom. Erik’s brother. Jack’s friend from Stanford. GlobalLife had left a trail of deaths and just continued on, leaving friends and loved ones to deal with the aftermath. They used their vast resources and powerful connections to keep their sins a secret. And those who didn’t cooperate got killed themselves.

  “Now that the genetic material is gone, GlobalLife will put all their efforts into finding Sam and Erik,” Dave said. “Their project is over if they can’t get more genetic material from these two.”

  Rachel’s tone turned urgent. “Yes, that’s why I raced over here this morning. You need to get out of this area. All of you. Jack, Dave, I know you’ve already discussed some options. But you can’t wait. You need to relocate as soon as possible.” She got up to leave.

  “Before you go, Rachel, I wanted to tell you that Owens paid us a visit yesterday,” Dave said. “He acted like he knew nothing about our involvement with Eve. He retold the same story he told the Founders in the conference call the other day.”

  “Yes. Preston has no idea that Sam was controlling Eve that night. That’s why he stuck with his story, blaming Eve for stealing the genes. He doesn’t know what really happened. I need to get back to work, but please, be careful. All of you.”

  Rachel walked to the door. “Wait.” I raced over to her. “Have you heard anything about what happened to Allie’s mom? Do you know how she’s doing?”

  “They put the genes in her right after the meeting. I haven’t heard how she’s doing, but you know the track record with these genes, Samantha. I’m sure she’s very sick.”

  “What happens to Allie? Will GlobalLife come after her now?”

  “We have people keeping an eye on her. I think GlobalLife will leave her alone. They assume she doesn’t know anything. And as long as she doesn’t indicate otherwise, she’ll be safe. If there’s news about her mother, her father will be told.”

  After Rachel left, Dave, Jack, and Abigail went downstairs to discuss our relocation plans. The rest of us stayed upstairs.

  “So it’s gone.” Erik didn’t seem like he believed it. “They don’t have our DNA anymore. I feel like we should celebrate or something.“

  “I would if Ridley hadn’t had to die in the process,” I said. “He died because of us, Erik.”

  “No. He died because he believed that GlobalLife had to be stopped. This is a war, Sam. There’s going to be casualties. Members of the rebel group say that all the time. They accept that when they join.”

  Erik kept talking, but his voice faded into the background as another voice filled my head.

  “Sam, can … hear me? I know … not supposed … but I have …”

  It was Allie trying to contact me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Phone Call

  “Sam, if you …” Allie’s thoughts kept breaking up. Erik was sitting next to me. I needed to use his energy to hear her, but I couldn’t just grab his hand with Colin sitting on my other side.

  “Colin, would you mind getting me a sweater? It’s freezing in here.”

  He looked surprised. I never asked him to get me stuff. “Sure. Just any sweater?”

 
; “Yeah. Thanks. Brittany, I think you left your flatiron on in the bathroom. You should really go turn it off. It could burn the counter.”

  “I thought it turned off automatically. I guess I don’t know. I’ll go check.” She went to the bathroom.

  “What’s going on with you?” Erik asked. I grabbed his hand. “What are you—”

  I suddenly heard Allie’s thoughts again. “They brought my mom back. She’s sick, Sam. Really sick. I think she might be dying.” Allie sounded desperate. “I gave her some water, but she can’t even drink it. Her skin is white like paper and she can barely move. She’s worse than when they brought her here. They said someone insisted that I get the chance to say goodbye to her. I didn’t know who they were talking about. GlobalLife did this to her, Sam. It had to be them. Now I don’t know what to do. They said if I called the police or an ambulance, I would never see my dad again. Help me, Sam! Help my mom! Please!”

  I broke my hand away from Erik’s just as Colin walked in.

  “Here’s your sweater.” He handed it to me. “What’s wrong? You guys have these strange looks on your faces.”

  “We heard Allie,” I confessed, remembering my commitment to no longer hide stuff from him. “I know I’m not supposed to do any mind-reading this week, but I heard her thoughts and I had to listen. Please don’t tell Dave.”

  “Sam, why didn’t you just let Erik do it? You’re supposed to be letting your brain heal.”

  “Because she wasn’t trying to contact him. She was trying to contact me. But Erik helped me hear her. I probably didn’t even do any damage.”

  Colin sighed as he sat down. “So what did she say?”

  “Her mom needs help. Eve is dying.”

  Erik shrugged. “Got what she deserved, if you ask me. They put those genes in us and didn’t care what happened. It’s about time one of the GlobalLife execs gets a taste of their own medicine.”

  “She wasn’t the one who put the genes in us, Erik. And she shouldn’t have to die for what she’s done. Maybe go to prison, but not die.”

  “What are you talking about up here?” Dave overheard us. He and Abigail came upstairs, followed by Jack. “Sam, how do you know about Eve? Did you hear Allie’s thoughts again?”

  “Yes, but it was really quick. And Erik helped me connect with her.”

  Dave shook his head. “Samantha! Oh, never mind. What happened?”

  I told Dave about Eve’s condition. “We have to help her. Maybe we could save her. Abigail, could you get the genes out of her? If you could get them out of me, can’t you get them out of her?”

  “It’s a series of treatments, Sam,” Abigail said. “It takes months.”

  “But can’t we do something? Anything?”

  She thought about it. “We could send a physician in to help ease her suffering. But from what you described, Eve is too far gone to be saved.”

  “Abigail, whoever we send to help Eve could be killed,” Jack warned. “GlobalLife will be monitoring the apartment. They’ll be waiting to take the body to get rid of the evidence.”

  “Yes, that’s why we may not get any members to volunteer. But I’ll put the request out and see if someone responds. That’s the best we can do.”

  Dave came over to me. “Sam, I know this is difficult for Allie, but if you hear her thoughts again, you really need to block her. Your brain will never heal if you don’t let it rest. And speaking of that, we’d like you and Erik to have one last scan later this afternoon.”

  Erik rolled his eyes. “Seriously? We just had one! They’re not going to find anything.”

  “Probably not,” Jack said, “but we’re leaving tomorrow, and who knows when we’ll have access to medical equipment again.”

  “What about Owens?” Erik asked. “We’re just letting him have the genes?”

  “There’s a team working on that now. We’re not going to be involved.”

  “But, Dad, we could totally—”

  “No, Erik,” Jack interrupted. “We can’t risk it. Not now. You heard what Rachel said.”

  While they continued to talk, I went to my room and thought about Allie. At that very moment she was watching her mother suffer and soon she’d watch her die. She was sitting there in that apartment, scared and alone, probably wondering if GlobalLife would kill her next.

  Colin came by my room later. “Hey, what are you doing in here?”

  “Thinking of Allie. Soon we’ll leave town and she’ll never know what happened to us. I should be there for her, Colin.”

  “But you can’t. So don’t get any ideas. We’re not driving down there again.”

  “Maybe her dad will be home soon. I never really knew her dad, but he’s gotta be better than Eve.”

  I glanced at the clock. “Crap! How did it get so late? I’m surprised Dave isn’t yelling at me. We’re supposed to leave now for yet another stupid scan.”

  “It’s not stupid, Sam. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

  “We just had one! This is so ridiculous.” I grabbed my sweatshirt from the closet. “You don’t need to come with me this time.”

  “Are you sure? Because I don’t mind going over there.”

  “We’ll be back in an hour or so. Just stay here. I’m sure you can find something more interesting to do than watch me get a brain scan.”

  “Okay. I was kind of thinking of getting a workout in.” He pulled up his shirt. “I’m starting to get out of shape sitting around here every day.”

  I ran my hand along his rock-hard abs. “You are definitely not out of shape.” I stood back admiring how good he looked in just a simple white t-shirt and jeans. “You know you’re really hot, Colin. Did I ever tell you that?”

  He laughed. “No. Never. But I don’t expect you to. Oh, did you think that’s why I said I was out of shape? Because I wasn’t—”

  “No. I just wanted to say it.” I went up and kissed him. “I can’t believe I haven’t said it before.”

  “Thanks. But I still need to work out. I have to keep up with you. And don’t even get me started with Erik. Like I need to look at that every day.”

  “Come on. That’s the genes, Colin. You know that. Erik and I don’t even have to work out. It’s not a fair comparison. Your muscles are real. You have to work for that body.” I kissed him again, longer this time. “Okay, now I really don’t want to go.”

  He smiled. “Go get your scan. We’ll finish this later.”

  I went to the living room where everyone was waiting. Dave grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table. “Where’s Colin? Tell him to hurry up. We’re leaving.”

  “He’s not coming. He’s going to work out while we’re gone.”

  “Okay. Then let’s go.”

  When we got there, the house was full of people. They were there to help Jack and Dave plan for our departure and pack up supplies that we would need. I felt sad that I wouldn’t see these people again. They had done so much for us and were truly dedicated to the cause.

  Abigail came over to Erik and me. “Sam, I just heard news that Eve has passed. It happened about an hour ago. We didn’t have time to get anyone to her. I’m sorry. But one of our members saw Allie’s father going into the building, so she’s not alone, Sam.”

  She waited for me to respond but I had nothing to say. Eve’s death wasn’t exactly a surprise. We all knew she wouldn’t make it. I just hoped Allie would be okay.

  Abigail continued. “With Eve’s passing, GlobalLife is in crisis mode trying to figure out what to tell the Founders. And the fact that they don’t have your genetic material or the alien gene samples, well, you can imagine. It’s not a good situation over there. Because of that, Rachel isn’t able to leave. In fact, you’ll probably be gone before she can get away. She asked me to tell you both goodbye.”

  “Okay, thanks for letting us know.”

  Abigail left and Erik and I went to have our scans done. Brittany had nothing to do, so she tagged along. The scans showed nothing new. My brain was h
ealing faster than anticipated but still had some damage. Erik’s was normal.

  After getting the results, we got up to leave. Dave stopped us. “We need to stay a little longer. Jack is meeting with some of the members and I have to talk to Abigail upstairs. We’ll leave in an hour or so.”

  Minutes later, a group of people came downstairs with Jack. They went into a side bedroom that had maps all over the walls. Erik and Brittany joined them, probably hoping to find out where we were going next.

  I went upstairs to get a drink. As I was getting a glass from the cupboard, I felt really dizzy. I filled the glass with water and sat down at the table. The dizzy feeling suddenly turned to one of panic. It came out of nowhere. I got up and looked outside. Nobody was around. I sat back down and drank the water, trying to ignore the feeling. But it continued to nag at me, getting stronger as the minutes went by.

  My body became restless. I started pacing the floor. I felt like I needed to do something, but I wasn’t sure what. Why was I feeling this way? There was no reason to panic. We were all safe. We were all together. I stopped pacing when I remembered that we weren’t all together. Colin was back at the house. Alone. But what could possibly be wrong? Was he hurt? Did he injure himself during his workout? I tried not to imagine more sinister possibilities, but my mind went there anyway.

  I had to get to Colin. And I had to go alone. If someone from GlobalLife was at the house, we would all be in danger. I knew it was stupid not to tell anyone about my suspicions, but I refused to risk letting GlobalLife hurt or kill any more of my loved ones.

  I tried to act normal as I went into the dining room, where Dave and Abigail were talking.

  “Sorry to bother you, but could I have the car keys, Uncle Dave?”

  “Yes. But why do you need them?”

  “Jack needs them. He forgot something at the house. I think I’ll go with him to see if Colin wants to come back and hang out here.”

  Dave seemed confused. “What does Jack need at the house?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t say. Can I get the keys? He’s waiting.”

  “Sure.” He stood up and pulled the keys from his pocket. “Here you go.”