Maybe that’s why I prefer undercover cop movies and detective shows to military or police-force action movies. I like the strategic plotting, the secret lives, the blurring of lines. The blurring of business and personal lines is tricky for me, though. How can I not become invested in my beings?
Tobias says it will get easier for me to detach from my mission once it’s over. But right now I still think about what happened to that little girl and get goose bumps. I still worry about the brother. He is still alive, isn’t he? Did I do enough? Is my orphan strong enough to go through this world alone? And my last girl. My age. Beautiful. Graceful. Sweet. So sensitive. So twisted. Her mother should have stopped pushing her, should have stopped criticizing her after my Extraction. Did I do enough to get her to stop torturing herself? Enough to get her to stop punishing herself?
Tobias has heard tell of only one other Seer like me, or actually, only one other Extractor, as I am called. I guess that’s why I am paired with him; he’s the only one who seems to have answers for me. Other Seers avoid me or look at me like they are either in awe of me or hate me because I make their awesome abilities seem second-rate. If I try to ask other Preceptors even the simplest of questions, it’s always the same reply, “Ask Tobias.”
On my first meeting for this mission, I learned the background on Miss Eri Kuono. Eri Kuono is the daughter of Marjorie and Arashi Kuono. Marjorie met Arashi while spending a year in Japan as a part of a Global Links learning abroad program. She was furthering her cultural studies as she worked toward becoming a translator and linguist. Arashi was completing his degree in neuroscience. When the year was up, they returned to the United States together. They married shortly after, pursued their careers, and had Eri four years into their marriage.
Marjorie has enjoyed unparalleled success in her field. Arashi’s breakthroughs in neuroscience have been praised and acclaimed. Eri is bright, no doubt. Alsinboro Academy bright. You can’t be a slouch in the intellect department and be accepted there. But she is not achieving to the level that is expected of her. Apparently this is a source of dissension in the house. Arashi is distracted. He has pulled back from his latest project to focus more direct attention on the potential successes of his only child.
Hence the mission. Tobias was contacted. Apparently the Seers are awaiting Dr. Kuono’s newest breakthrough in neuroscience. I am to win Eri’s confidence, uncover what lies at the center of her “lack of drive and inability to work to her known potential,” and then Navigate Dr. Kuono. It is believed that the key to her discontent lies in his overbearing nature. If I can Extract a memory from Dr. Kuono, one that is at the center of his need for Eri to be as successful as he and his wife are, he may be able to accept her as she is, relax about what she will accomplish in the future, and get his focus back on work.
In today’s meeting I report on the status of my relationship with Eri. In other words I recount our lone conversation. Tobias is pleased with the contact but stresses the need to form a deeper connection while I am still “the new girl.” Being new carries an obvious appeal. My classmates will feel me out and see what group I settle down with. And then they will label me and feel that all is right with the world. School is like the post office that way. All mail sorted according to zip code. All packages weighed and stacked in piles, piles that will never again be together in one great mass as they were when they came in. We might all start as a batch of blubbering kindergartners and go out attached to a year as one graduating class, but all the time in between is spent in sliced-off divisions of sameness. Skaters together? Check. Future starving artists together? Check. The beautiful popular crowd in the VIP section? Check. And no matter my tastes or comfort zone, my group is a clear choice. Eri’s group.
Tobias provides me more background information on Eri’s group.
“They are the overachievers,” he starts. “Luke Brewer is her main companion. I originally believed them to be a couple, but it seems they are platonic. Luke is a newer student to Alsinboro Academy. He transferred in last year after two years at a private academy for boys in Boston. Daisy Underwood is the daughter of the most affluent family in Preston. Her parents are both surgeons and work at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, here in the city. Eri’s parents seem to tolerate the presence of Luke but foster her friendship with Daisy. Whom she spends her time with seems of particular interest to them.”
Great. So I may have to sell myself to her parents if I want to spend any real time with her. It’s fortunate for me that Tobias leaves no loose ends when preparing my background information and credentials. At least I know her parents will find my pedigree acceptable.
Supposedly I spent my freshman year abroad, studying in England at a Cambridge preparatory school for young writers. I spent my sophomore and junior years in New Hampshire with an aunt, splitting my time between tutors and taking classes at an all-girls institution that primes young ladies for Ivy League educations and careers that will ensure there is no shortage of women in leadership and power-heavy roles in business.
In reality I have spent the last year traveling into brains and taking memories from them. I have been living in a two-room apartment above the building Tobias owns, which is also a location headquarters for Seers. Before that? I have no idea. Would that be acceptable to Dr. and Mrs. Kuono? A girl with a strange ability to raid brains but with no power over the memories in her own? I’m going to have to trick myself into believing that I can hang with their crowd, that I belong in their elite world of success and riches. The only thing I know I can match is their intellect. I’ll just have to focus on that in order to drum up my confidence.
“There’s also Patrick Crown. Track star and crew captain. And Frances Nelson. She holds the record for youngest female to have achieved a perfect score on the SATs and will surely be the academy’s valedictorian.”
Uh, okay. Maybe match their intellect was a bit assuming. I’ll just try to keep up.
“Be sure to secure an invitation into her home before next week,” he says as he swivels his chair back to his four computers and data table. I am being dismissed.
Sure, Tobias. Piece of cake.
Chapter
The next morning I make my commute in twenty-six minutes. No traffic over the bridge, a speedy trip down 295 South. I pull into the parking lot a little early. There are cars scattered here and there, a Beamer, a bunch of Mercedes, a few domestic cars. And then my fire-engine red Dodge Dakota SLT Crew Cab. It stands out like a boiled lobster on a bed of rice. I will make no apologies for my truck, though. I love that truck. With my fire-licked hair, I never blend in anyway.
I walk the winding brick path to the academy doors. I take it all in. The beauty of this place. It’s a brownstone that looks more like a church or a palace than a school. It has a slate roof with peaks and turrets. It’s the most romantic building I have ever been expected to enter. The front doors are intricately carved walnut, curved, with brass hardware and lion’s head knockers. I pull the right door toward me and enter the grand hall. Glass cases and gold-framed pictures of the academy founders greet me.
I do feel good here. In spite of myself I allow the grandness to reel me in. I want to belong here. If I knew myself, where I came from, would I be worthy of this place? Would I fit in here if Tobias hadn’t created my résumé to fit the requirements?
I don’t have time for self-discovery. I have to find Eri. And now that I know Eri’s group, I will have to decide what to do about Ryan. I knew I needed someone the first week. I needed to get around the school, and I needed to not be seen as antisocial or a loner. He initiated our acquaintance, and he was a welcome friend. But now that I know the small circle that Eri surrounds herself with, I may have to drop him. Circles are fickle like that. You can join one if you’re new, but you can’t bring in an “old” student with you. Maybe if he’s a floater—someone who transcends groups because of his usefulness or many activities or school political involvement—he can come with me. I kind of hope he can. I
like him. And he’s so freaking smart.
“Morning, Leesie.”
I was expecting Ryan. I was not expecting him.
“I’m Luke. Luke Brewer.” He smiles. I had seen pictures in the files Tobias provided and had seen him in the hallway, but the images and faraway glimpses had done him no justice. This boy is attractive. Fan-yourself attractive.
“I know. I mean … hi. Um, morning,” I say as I shift my books and send one over the top and onto the floor.
Smooth, Leesie. Great work.
“Right.” He seems amused by my fumble. He’s still smirking when he rights himself after retrieving my fallen book. “Yeah, I guess you’re getting to know some names around here. Listen, I was just going to invite you to sit with us at lunch today. Eri has told us a little about you, so I figured we all might as well know a little about you. Bring Ryan. He’s welcome.” He broadens his smile. God, his eyes are dark.
“Great. Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you then.” I continue down the hallway, leaving him there. I like to exit first. End the conversation first. Leave them wanting more, maybe. Never leave a guy wishing I’d just shut up already. I wasn’t doing too well in the conversation department just now anyway. I have until lunch to get it together. I am supposed to come off as calm, collected, confident, intriguing.
Well, one question is answered and can be off my mind: I guess Ryan is a floater. He’s welcome at their lunch table. Good. Great. This is perfect. Then why does it feel so weird? Why don’t I feel good about the way things are working out? Because it’s too perfect. Too easy. Why is Luke approaching me when my only contact has been with Eri? Shouldn’t Eri have done the inviting? And why does he need to know what Eri knows? What does he want with me?
I go through my morning distracted and anxious. I see them all in the hallway at various times. Senior wing is a horseshoe of three hallways, so running into them is inevitable. Daisy and Eri glance at me and offer polite half smiles. They show cautious interest, but not over-excitement. Frances seems to see no one but her instructors. Her focus is amazing. She has almost no interaction with her peers in the hallway. It’s like an expert dancer coming on the dance floor during a song. The amateurs part and watch her work. Seeing Patrick is like seeing someone famous. Patrick sees all and is sure that all see him. He is Mr. Hollywood. When he sees me, he gives me a broad, dentist’s dream of a smile. If the Ken doll where a real boy, his name would be Patrick Crown.
The members of Eri’s group all seem to fit easily into a category. It’s only Luke’s category that bothers me. I see Daisy and Patrick talk to Luke between classes. He listens, glances their way, nods, but I only see him actually speak to Eri. He watches her so protectively. Like a guardian. Like a boyfriend. Tobias said they were not together, but it’s hard to tell that by watching him watch her. Only he’s not just watching her. He’s watching me, too.
When I catch him, he makes no attempt to cover it up. He doesn’t look away quickly or offer a smile. He simply continues to watch me. It’s not staring. He’s not looking me up and down or checking me out. He’s watching my moves, my face, my eyes. Last week I saw only the back of him in the hallway and once at the drinking fountain. Today I see him at every turn. He always seems to know exactly where I am.
I know where to look when I enter the dining hall. They sit at a table in the center of the room. I had been sitting to their right with Ryan and a few others. Ryan hadn’t seemed to react when I asked him to join me at Eri and her friends’ table for lunch. He politely declined, saying he liked where he was. And there he was in his usual seat. I don’t seem to be missed. I guess he was just the welcoming committee, and, with the invite for me to join a group removing my “displaced new girl” label, his job is done.
Patrick flashes me another award-winning grin and waves me over.
As I walk toward them, I take them all in. Patrick is flawless. He’s muscled without being too bulky, has elegant features without appearing too polished, his blond hair is tousled and sun-streaked, and he’s funny and easy-going. He would make it hard for me to be a boy in this school. Too fierce a competition. Eri’s the smallest. Very petite. But her olive complexion, dark, shiny hair, and interesting features ensure that she’s not overlooked. Daisy is cute. She’s a dark blonde with light-green eyes. She’s tan, though still paler than Eri. She’s tall and athletically built. She’s curvy but looks strong. She is the all-around teenage girl. Money, looks, great personality, and she actually seems like a decent person. And why wouldn’t she be? She’s got everybody beat anyway. Frances reminds me of Velma from Scooby-Doo. Not physically, but because of the seriousness she brings to the group. Could you imagine Scooby-Doo without Velma? All you’d have is the antics of Scooby, the voracious hunger and fumbling of Shaggy, the dumb-jockness of Fred, and the who-cares-about-the-brains-when-there’s-a-short-dress-and-a-shock-of-hot-red-hair? of Daphne. Velma gives validity to the group, enough for them to call themselves mystery solvers. This good-looking group is smart on its own, but with Frances, it is a coveted group for its brains, despite its looks. I rest my eyes on Luke, last but not least.
I am inches from the table now. His body and chin are straight, facing Patrick, who sits opposite him, but his eyes are focused to his left. On me. My lips part as I inhale at … at what? Being caught checking all of them out? Analyzing them? Or at his face? That perfect face.
“Hey, Leesie! Welcome! I’m Patrick. You’ve met Eri and Luke. This is Frances, and this is Daisy.” He gestures to each of his friends as he goes around the table. “So, Eri says you seem okay. We figured we’d find out for ourselves. How do you like it here so far?”
I snap out of it and focus on the task at hand, which I’m sure will be a series of questions. The first of which is a trick question. How do I like it here so far? I have to be positive or else I am a whiner. But if I’m too positive, I defy the laws of normal teenage angst. “It’s an adjustment, but I like it okay.”
I answer some more expected questions: What was your old school like? Why did you transfer? I answer according to my created backstory.
“I lived with my aunt in New Hampshire before I moved here. She had me set up with tutors, and I took classes at a school nearby. It was a nice place, lots of land. She ran a stable, so there was always something to do. I loved spending time with the horses.”
“Ooh, do you ride?” Daisy asks. “You’ll have to come riding with me if you do. I have two horses boarded nearby.”
“I did ride. And thanks. I’d love to get back on a horse.”
That part’s true. I see images of horses in the foggy mess of a memory I have.
“Let her continue, Daisy,” Luke says, bringing us back to what I guess is important to him: my bio.
“About a year ago my aunt got sick. Cancer. When she found out, she began to make arrangements for me to attend Alsinboro. She had talked before about it being the best on the East Coast. My education, even to her death, was her top priority.”
“So, she …” Frances hesitates.
“Yes. She died two months ago.” I drop my eyes instinctively. Even if I didn’t really lose “my aunt,” I’ve lost everyone I knew. Considering I have no past, no clear non-Seer memories, and no family, this fake loss pales in comparison to my real one. So I really don’t feel like watching them pity me.
“We’re so sorry, Leesie,” Patrick offers.
“Thank you.” I glance around the table at the concerned faces, hoping they feel as if they have looked appropriately concerned long enough and are ready to go back to being just plain curious. I stop at Luke’s. He’s frowning.
“So who do you live with now?” His voice borders the line of casual interview and inquisition.
“I live with my legal guardian, I guess until my eighteenth birthday.” Mostly true. I live above him. Alone.
“Legal guardian? You have no parents?” Eri, who had until now remained silent, is wide-eyed and somewhere between shock and awe. I can understand her reaction, knowing w
hat I do about her. She swims in the middle of the pool—at the shallow end is the safety net of her family’s love, and in the deep end is the imminent drowning she feels as they weigh their expectations on her shoulders.
“Nope. No parents.” We lock eyes. She purses her lips, turns the corners down, and nods slightly as if to say, Well, okay, then. She says more in that nonverbal gesture than she could have aloud. She says she doesn’t know what to say, so she isn’t going to try. I like that. Besides, she doesn’t need to say anything. What is there to say?
Around the table there is a tag team exhale as we all take a break from my heavy sharing. Daisy is the first to attempt to lighten the mood. “Hey, we’re all going to watch Patrick and his crew team annihilate the competition this afternoon. Want to come along?”
“Sure. Sounds like fun. You’re all going?”
“We’re all going,” Luke says with emphasis. I still can’t tell if he is interested in me because he is simply selective about who can join the group or because he wants to make sure I don’t join the group. I hate to break it to him, though: no matter how he feels about it … I’m in.
Chapter
I have studio art with Eri after lunch, but we don’t walk there together. Luke hustles immediately after Eri and sets their quick pace. I’m behind, with Daisy and Patrick. Frances is already back in work mode and has moved off on her own. Daisy and Patrick chat about the arrangements for the afternoon. They’ll take two cars. Eri will drive Daisy and Luke in her car, and Frances and I will ride with Patrick in his. Someone will drop me off at my truck afterward. Obviously my goal is to be as close to Eri as I can get, but, because I cannot be obvious, I can’t attempt to change the car situation. Besides, getting close to her friends is a step closer to her at this point.
Seers Page 4