by RJ Crayton
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Call your father? How would I do that?”
“He works in the research lab. James Woodson.”
Recognition washed across his face and the doctor nodded. “I know Jim,” he said. “Wait here, and I’ll go check in with him, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with this.”
The doctor took the tray with the syringe on it and left the room. Elaan wondered briefly if she was making too big of a deal, causing too much trouble. She sure as hell didn’t want to be sent to the Basement, like they planned to do with Ki, but she didn’t want to be drugged, either. Though, if some people, like Ki, weren’t as affected, then maybe it was a case of mind over matter.
Elaan was pacing the room, thinking of how far she wanted to push this issue, when the doctor returned, a smile on his lips. “I spoke to your father, and he says this is fine. Said you shouldn’t worry.”
She stared, emotions inside her colliding. Had her father really said to do this to her? Or was that a lie? Had this guy even talked to her dad? “Can I talk to my dad?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’ve just hung up and I really don’t want to bother him again. He’s a very busy man.”
Elaan had a hard time believing that. She was trying to think what to do when the doctor spoke again. “I do have authorization to restrain you and deliver your shot. But I’d prefer to just do it and move on.”
Restrain her? No vitamins were worth restraining someone over. She was ready to bolt, but she had nowhere to go. Her father hadn’t wanted her to have it, but he’d never said it was actually harmful. And Ki hadn’t done what they wanted, despite getting it. So, maybe, just take it and try to resist its influence. Especially since the doctor had already said he’d get someone to restrain her, and she’d end up injected anyway.
“Ms. Woodson, please return to the table, so we can finish.” The doctor smiled, but his tone was unmistakably that of a person who had given an order he expected followed.
She swallowed and did as she was asked. Her father had only been able to get her a reprieve the first time. Right now she’d just take the stupid shot and sit in the room with Stephen until it was time to leave. She would resist whatever this shot was going to do to her. However appealing Stephen looked in the aftermath of it, she’d just tell herself it was all the drugs.
The shot was minor, and she’d been stuck with needles tons of times when she was first in an SPU, so this was like old hat. The doctor smiled at her lack of drama and said, “See, that wasn’t so bad.”
She didn’t dignify that with a response. The doctor motioned for her to follow him. They walked out a different way and ended up in another waiting room. Sitting there was Josh. She smiled.
Chapter 34 - Elaan
She couldn’t believe her luck. Josh. She immediately walked over. She heard the door to the room close as she sat down beside Josh, and turned to see the doctor had left them alone.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she said.
He smiled at her and took her hand. “Me too,” he said, leaning in and kissing her. His lips were soft and familiar and easy to fall into, but she pulled away, remembering why she’d been left here.
“What?” he asked, as if offended she’d stopped.
She shrugged. “Nothing.” She looked around the room. It seemed empty, but it was still a public place. “It’s not you,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I just, I’m not sure why you’re here, here with me. Now.”
“Oh,” he said. “I had to get another vitamin supplement. They told me to wait here, until someone is able to walk me back.”
She nodded, wondering if he knew about the vitamin supplements. Though, he didn’t seem to. Had Kingston not told him? That seemed like the kind of thing he’d want to tell his son. Or maybe not. Not if he wanted Josh paired with someone else. Man, Josh was cute. A perfect smile, gorgeous eyes, and such a strong, manly brow.
She had started to lean in to kiss him, when she stopped herself. What the hell? Her desire to be close to him had suddenly, inexplicably multiplied. Is that what she would have felt with Stephen if she’d been given the drug last time?
“Are you alright?” Josh asked, staring intently at her.
Elaan nodded. “Yeah,” she said, trying to play it off. “I just have a bit of a headache. The vitamins. Something about them makes me feel a little weird.” She might as well play it off for whoever was listening. She didn’t like the idea of being in a place where she was monitored all the time, but if she wanted to get out of future shots, this was the way.
Josh furrowed his brow in concern. “Do you want me to get the doctor?”
She shook her head, and then rested her head on his shoulder. “I think I’d like to just sit with you a bit. I’ve missed you, and I don’t know when we’ll get to see each other again.”
He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead. “I’ve missed you too,” he admitted, giving her a gentle squeeze. “And seeing you now, brought it all back how much.”
“Why don’t I ever see you? You don’t come to dinner in the hall with everyone else. And you never seem to be in the common areas.”
“I’ve been eating with my dad,” he said. “And he’s…well, never mind. Let’s not talk about him.”
No, she didn’t want to talk about Kingston Wells. Gee, Josh smelled really good. There was something so alluring about it. She snuggled closer to him. “Last time, after the shot, I was stuck in here with a guy named Stephen. He had boundary issues. I’m glad it’s you this time.”
He chuckled. “I think we had twin experiences. I was stuck in here with a girl who was a bit, um, forward.” He stroked Elaan’s arm. “So, being here with you is much better.”
“I want to see you again,” she said. She lifted her head to face him. Even though she knew others would hear, she didn’t care. “Can you come see me tonight? Ask your dad to bring you someplace so we can see each other.”
He smiled. “Of course,” he said, bringing his lips to hers. They spent the next few minutes wrapped in each other’s arms, alternating between just being together and kissing. Then, there was a knock at the door that conveniently left them plenty of time to detangle themselves from each other before the person entered.
It was Ms. Pace, which Elaan hadn’t expected. She smiled at Elaan. “Come with me, Ms. Woodson,” she said. Elaan stood. Ms. Pace looked at Josh. “Dr. Woodson will be in to get you, Mr. Wells.”
Elaan stared at her. “My father?”
“Yes,” Ms. Pace said.
Elaan sat back down. “I want to stay,” she said. “I want to see my father.”
Ms. Pace frowned, shook her head. “Ms. Woodson, you’ve done very well today, so let’s not ruin it with impertinence. Come with me, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised this evening. Your father has some things to discuss with Mr. Wells, but I’m sure he will make an effort to see you very soon.”
Elaan still didn’t want to go. Josh patted her leg. “Go on. I’ll tell your dad you want to see him.”
She turned and offered what felt like a ridiculously big smile to Josh. “Thanks.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I appreciate it.”
“Ms. Woodson, please,” Ms. Pace said.
Elaan stood and wandered out behind Ms. Pace, leaving Josh behind. The further away from Josh she got, the more mortified she became. Her behavior in that room had been weird, and felt weird. Whatever was in that cocktail not only increased her interest in Josh, it had done something to loosen her inhibitions. She hadn’t cared about being watched. She hadn’t cared about what anyone would think, least of all what Josh would think of her forwardness. And, frankly, neither had he.
It had been strange. Even now she still felt an odd openness, an odd willingness to do things she shouldn’t. She wanted to turn and leave, to go back to Josh. Yet, she managed to follow Ms. Pace back to the dormitory. She got to her room and lay down on her bed. Ki was sitting across from her, on her own bed, reading a Narnia book.
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br /> Elaan didn’t really want to talk, so she was glad Ki was occupied. But she couldn’t help staring at her. She couldn’t help wondering how Ki had managed to resist the pull, the urges the injection made one have. Ki looked up from her book.
“What’s wrong?”
Elaan wanted to shake her head and say nothing, only she found she also had an urge to ask Ki a question. And the question urge won out. “You really don’t like him,” she said, angling her head toward the picture of the boy on Ki’s desk.
“You got a shot?”
Elaan nodded.
“You said you’re seventeen, right?”
“Eighteen in December,” Elaan said. “But, yes, seventeen for the moment. Why?”
“Usually they give the vitamins to the older people, here. But it doesn’t matter. How about this: if you still want to ask me in half an hour, I’ll answer.” Ki returned to her reading.
Elaan lay there, mouth agape. So, Ki knew. Not necessarily everything, but she knew enough to know that the shots made you say things you normally wouldn’t. She closed her eyes and decided to try to digest her afternoon. She hoped it would give her body a chance to come down from the drugs she’d been administered. Ki said a half an hour.
“What do you think is in the injections?” Elaan asked, even though now was probably not a good time to have this conversation. She wasn’t quite able to keep her thoughts inside when she should.
Ki smiled at her and winked. “Vitamins, kid,” she said. “Isn’t that what they tell you?”
“Yeah,” she said. “But it makes me feel weird. And I kissed Josh in the room, when anyone could’ve walked in.”
Ki put her book down, stood, and pulled her desk chair over toward Elaan. “Spill. All the details,” she said.
Elaan raised an eyebrow. She’d never seen Ki in the mood to gossip. “Are you taking advantage of me?” Then she giggled at how that sounded. “You know what I mean. I’m not myself and you’re trying to get me to talk.”
Ki didn’t respond. “If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t. But you’ve mentioned Josh before and I just was curious.”
Elaan mulled it over. There seemed to be nothing wrong with talking to Ki. So she told her pertinent details of feeling overwhelmingly attracted to Josh, of spending their post-appointment waiting kissing.
“Snoggers,” Ki teased.
“You read too much British fiction,” Elaan said, tipping her head to the book.
Ki rolled her eyes. “But I thought you liked Josh.”
“I love Josh,” she said, the words coming out so unexpectedly, she clamped a hand over her own mouth.
Ki grinned. “That’s good. They like coupling among us, and sounds like Josh is a good match for you.”
Elaan didn’t respond. She didn’t want to say anything else she didn’t intend for public consumption. Ki seemed to understand, for she didn’t ask any more questions.
“You asked about David,” Ki said. “He’s a nice guy. He just isn’t for me. But I know they want us to be together. They made me keep his picture on the desk, and every time I look at it, I just hate the idea of them trying to force us together.”
Elaan nodded. “I get that,” she said. “I think maybe at first they wanted me to be with Stephen. He’s nice and all, but I…” She paused, not wanting to say again what she’d said before. “I have feelings for Josh, and so it would have been hard for me to like Stephen if they kept forcing him toward me.”
Ki sighed. “Yeah,” she said, patting Elaan’s knee. “Well, sounds like they switched you out to the right guy, so you’re in good shape.”
“What about you?” she said. “Is there someone here you like? Someone you could talk to during class or social time, so they could get the hint and maybe make the adjustment.”
Ki’s face soured immediately. She shook her head, stood, and dragged her chair back to her desk. “I’m at the good part,” she said as she picked up her book. “Going to get back to it.”
That ended the conversation rather quickly. Elaan considered trying to say more, but the truth was, this was not the place. They’d probably already said too much.
* * *
Ms. Pace had been right. She was called away for dinner. She was taken not to the lab, but to a cluster of a dozen small houses on the perimeter of the enclave. You could see the fence from here. It wasn’t pretty. Chain link, with barbed wire at the top. A guard was stationed near one of the fence posts. He looked menacing enough, his weapon at his side.
They stopped at the first little bungalow, a cottage. The guard who’d brought her knocked on the door, and a moment later, it was opened by her father. He thanked the guard, who said he’d return in an hour for Elaan. She entered the little house, and once the door closed, her father ushered her through the entryway toward the back, where there was a kitchen. Josh was sitting at a table in the center of the room. Her father motioned for her to sit next to Josh at the small round table and then joined them.
He moved closer. “It’s safe to talk here at the moment, but I can’t say that will always be true.”
“Where’s my dad,” Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.
“He’s not coming,” her father said.
“But you said he was when you came to get me. I don’t understand.”
“Your father is very much happy to be here, and very much happy with the proposed new world order, so I didn’t think he’d be open to hearing what I have to say.”
“And what is that?” Josh asked, eyes narrowing, his voice bitter.
Elaan put a hand on Josh’s leg, hoping to remind him she was sitting right there and that he should cut her dad some slack. Josh turned to her and his expression softened slightly.
James said to his daughter. “You still want to leave here?”
“You know I do,” she said.
He asked Josh, “And you?”
Josh didn’t answer. “And where would I go if I left here?”
“For the moment, you’d go up the mountain. I have an address that’s safe up there.” He smiled at Elaan. “And your mother is going to get the proper vaccine in the hands of the right people, those who can reproduce and distribute it.”
“You’ve talked to Mom?” Elaan asked. She hadn’t expected that. “Is she alright? Is Lijah OK?”
He leaned back in his chair and bit his lower lip. “Your mother is fine, and she’s trying to handle the situation, but Alex is problematic.” He scratched his chin, bristling slightly as he’d forced out the name of his wife’s ex. Or, by the looks of things, his wife’s current, but Elaan had no interest in bringing that up.
“Is he still promising to help her?”
Her father rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t matter if he was. He’s a manipulative liar, and the fact that your mother thought she could convince him to help her is just a sign of how desperate she feels right now. I could have told her Alex was a poor option to rely on, but I….” He sighed and apparently decided to refrain from expressing whatever thought he’d planned to express.
“Mr. Woodson,” Josh said. “Umm, what is Thoreaux planning?”
“He wants to start over, to repopulate the world with immunes who are genetically diverse and who commit to his brand of Christianity. He’s already unleashed soldiers who are carriers on the communities. He plans to cull the survivors, taking them into his new safe haven communities, slowly gaining their trust, weeding out the so-called faithful. Once he finds those he wants, he plans to vaccinate them and unleash the virus on the rest of the community, leaving a group of believers.”
Josh shook his head. “That’s insane. It wouldn’t work. There’s no one who would help him do that.”
“There are plenty of power-hungry people out there who want power any way they can get it. So long as he’s promising it, they’ll help him. Someone has to emerge from this awful disease as the leader of what’s left of the population. They figure Thoreaux holds the power at the moment. He’s rightfully in command. Why not be the
re at his side?”
“Because he’s killing people,” Josh said, his voice raised. James motioned for him to lower his voice and Josh did. “Killing innocent people would be the reason not to comply. I don’t believe you.”
“Fine,” James said. “You should probably go. I want to talk to my daughter.”
Elaan shook her head and pressed firmly on Josh’s thigh. She didn’t want him to leave. “Let’s not be hasty,” she said, trying to use inclusive language, even though it was really only Josh who seemed to want to move away from the table. “Let’s hear my dad out.” She turned to her father. “Tell him about the vitamins.”
Her father did, and Josh appeared a bit stunned. “Are you sure?” he asked her father.
Elaan answered instead. “You could feel it, couldn’t you?” She looked him in the eye. “I mean, didn’t you feel a little too attracted today?”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “I did, but I just figured I missed you.”
Enough to kiss me without a thought of who might walk in? She gave Josh a significant look.
“The two of you were both rather affected,” her father said. “Unless that’s always how you act when left alone.”
Elaan gaped at her father. “How do you know?”
“I watched,” he said, seeming not to care in the least bit that he’d been spying. “It’s a monitored room. They like to watch how the subjects interact after the Number Nine shot.”
“Subjects,” Elaan said. “We’re not subjects.”
“You are subjects as long as you’re here,” her father said back. “Which is why you need to leave and we need to expose Thoreaux.”
“How do we expose him?” Elaan said.
“Much of this place is monitored. Thoreaux’s plan doesn’t work if news of it gets out, so he likes to keep watch on people. His inner circle reviews tapes. Lots of audio surveillance, and in some places video surveillance. They watch the waiting rooms after the shots to see how couples interact. Ms. Pace and I watched you and Josh.”