by Jamie Grey
I was upset. And obviously not thinking clearly because I said, “Would you be all right if you just found some hot college girl trying to make out with your dad? After he forgot about you?”
Asher let out a low whistle. “Let me guess — Jordan Sellers?”
“How did you know?” I demanded.
“She’s been throwing herself at him all summer. I suppose it was only a matter of time before he gave in. I could see where she’d be tough to resist. If you were into girls like that, I mean,” he added at my ferocious glare.
I crossed my arms and tried to push away the wave of loneliness welling up from the deepest part of me. I’d been stupid. I’d let myself hope we could start over, that Dad actually wanted me here. But on my very first day, he couldn’t even remember me.
“Whatever. I’m catching the shuttle home. I hate this place.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at Asher. I didn’t want to see pity — or, even worse, amusement — in his eyes.
“Ah, yes, the QT shuttle service, savior of many a late-night science experiment. But let me take you home. I was leaving now anyway.” His tone was perfectly normal, not a hint of pity, but I shook my head. I just wanted to be alone, to get my thoughts together and not have to worry about saying the wrong thing to Asher. Especially now that I knew he was not only the resident genius, but the resident player, too.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I know, but I want to.” He checked his watch and shook his head. “Besides, there’s not another one until seven. You don’t want to wait that long.” He walked to the door, but I stood frozen in place. I didn’t want to owe him and I definitely didn’t want to keep talking about Dad, but waiting around for the shuttle was even less appealing.
Finally, I nodded and followed him. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
He pushed open one of the heavy glass doors, stepping aside so I could pass. His smile was sad. “No problem. I know how it feels to want to escape this place.”
I wondered what he wanted to escape. Asher seemed to have it all here at QT — popularity, a cute girlfriend, resident genius status. But I pushed aside my questions as we exited the building. I barely knew the guy; there was no way I was going to pry into his personal life, no matter how curious I was.
Outside, the sun hung low in the sky, turning the sky peach and blue and orange. The smell of leaves starting to turn lent a hint of fall to the rapidly cooling air. I followed Asher to a black BMW and opened the passenger door.
“Nice car.” I slid into the leather seat. The scent of his cologne still lingered, something spicy and clean. I wanted to relax into it, but instead, I forced myself to stay on my guard. Asher confused me more than any other person I’d met. One minute, he was flirting or making fun of me; the next, he was offering me a ride home and a sympathetic ear.
Asher shrugged. “I won some prize money from a robotics competition, so I bought it to piss my parents off. If Dad had his way, we’d all ride bikes or invent some magical flying car with no emissions. He’s a little…strange.” A muscle jumped in Asher’s jaw as he started the car. “My dad doesn’t forget me because he’s making out with his assistants. He forgets me because he’s too wrapped up in work to give a damn.”
Looked like I wasn’t the only one with parent problems. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and my dad will feel so guilty about his latest screw up he’ll buy me a new laptop. A girl can hope, right?” I risked a smile at him, and the sudden heaviness in the car faded away.
Asher eased the car to a stop at the gate, and we waited in silence as it rolled open for us.
“I know it’s none of my business — and you can tell me to drop it — but what happened to make you come to QT now? You’re a little…older than the typical first-year student.” Asher glanced at me from the corner of his eye as we wound our way back toward town.
I stared out at the shadowy forest. I still wasn’t entirely sure of the answer to that question myself. The trees flashed past for almost a mile, but still I didn’t answer.
The silence between us grew almost uncomfortable until Asher finally shrugged. “It doesn’t matter why you’re here — I’m just glad you are.”
My lips parted in surprise. He’d ignored me all day after I’d been kind of counting on him to help me out. “Is anyone at this place ever going to accept me, or should I just give up now and learn to love the library?”
He laughed. “I told you they were tough. Just don’t let them push you around. Once they see you really do belong here, they’ll back off.” He turned into town. “Your dad still live on Middle?”
I nodded, and a few moments later, we pulled up in front of my dad’s dark house. I frowned, staring at the chipping paint on the front door. The last thing I wanted to do was go inside, but I couldn’t think of a reason to stay here in the car.
“Thanks for the ride,” I finally said, tracing the door handle with my finger.
“No problem. Glad I was around.” A dimple flashed in his cheek. “You know, my offer still stands. If you ever want a private tutoring session, I’m your guy.”
My pulse jumped. Play it cool, Kepler. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” I paused. “If I ever get desperate.”
He pressed a hand to his heart and mock-pouted. “I’m hurt.”
I grinned at him, feeling better than I had all day, and got out of the car.
The passenger-side window rolled down, and Asher ducked his head so I could see him. “Hey, Lexie? Hang in there. It’ll get better.” And then he sped off, leaving me with a stupid smile stretching across my face.
The house felt huge and empty as I let myself in the front door and switched on the hall light. I shivered as the air conditioning clicked on and a cool breeze caressed my face. I hated empty houses, always had. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining something huge and hungry waiting for me in the shadows.
Stop it, Kepler.
I dumped my messenger bag on the chair and slogged into the kitchen, turning on lights as I went. Dad had taken me grocery shopping yesterday, but cooking was at the bottom of my to-do list right now. I pulled out a bag of tater tots and turned on the oven. Then, I flopped onto the couch with my tablet and pulled up my email.
A few shopping ads, a joke forward from an acquaintance back at Columbus High, a reminder that my subscription to Scientific American was about to expire, and an email from a name I didn’t recognize. Timothy Grant.
A light blue logo was at the top of the email: a rifle crossed by a microscope. The image looked familiar — like I’d seen it before but couldn’t remember where.
My hands turned to ice as I began to read.
Miss Kepler,
It’s always difficult to start at a new school, and I hear today was especially hard for you. But you do have a choice. You are special, and Branston Academy wants to help you make use of your amazing gift. We want you to join us. Become part of something great. Unlike Quantum Technology, Branston Academy could become home to you. A place where you belong.
We’ve been waiting a long time for you, Lexie, but the wait is almost over. I’ll be in touch soon, and you can decide for yourself instead of being a pawn in your father’s game.
Major Timothy Grant
I stared at the stark, black words on the screen, each breath sharp and painful. What. The. Hell.
The front door rattled, and I jerked my head up, heart pounding.
Dad stepped inside. “Lexie? Are you here? Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” He threw his keys down on the counter and stormed into the living room. “I’ve been worried sick. This is unacceptable behavior, young lady.” His hair was spiky, like he’d been running his hands through it, and his eyes flashed with anger. But one look at me and the anger drained away. He clutched the back of the couch. “What’s wrong? Is it your mother?”
I shook my head and shoved my tablet at him without a word.
He scanned the email, his lips tightening until they disappeared into a thin line. The tablet trembled
in his hands.
“What is this about?” I demanded, getting to my feet. “What else didn’t you tell me?”
Dad set the tablet down on the table and swallowed hard. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He sighed. “I know, but it’s the best one I have right now. Branston Academy is a government facility that tracks highly intelligent individuals. They use their students’ intelligence to solve problems their own scientists haven’t been able to fix, to help them advance their weapons and programs. Branston’s goal is to become the most powerful scientific corporation in the world.”
“What does this have to do with me?” I crossed my arms over my chest, not caring that the words came out more like a snarl. None of this made sense, but the fear growing in the pit of my stomach told me it was all bad.
Dad cleared his throat. “Branston has been looking for you since you were three.”
“What the hell for?” And then it hit me in a wave of hot, sick fury. The drugs. The lies. “You kept me average so they wouldn’t find me.”
“We didn’t have a choice. Your mother and I couldn’t risk them using you or experimenting on you. We had to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what?”
Dad’s lips thinned again. “More than anything, Branston wants power. And they will go to any lengths to get it. They were the ones who staged the break-in at Los Alamos to steal military secrets. And they think by gathering an army of super-smart individuals to infiltrate the highest levels of the government, they’ll become unstoppable. They want you to be part of that army.”
His words echoed through the room, and all I could do was stare. The war of emotions surging through me right now would explode into a bomb if I tried to make sense any of this.
“Lexie?” His voice softened. “Honey, everything we’ve done has been to protect you from them. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the truth. But now that they’ve found you…”
“How did they find me?”
“We think the drugs started wearing off last spring. And when you took that standardized test before school let out, your test scores were high enough to ping on Branston’s radar.”
I closed my eyes. I remembered that test. The answers had popped into my head like they were waiting for me. I’d finished a good half hour before anyone else.
The room spun, going dark around the edges as the panic started to take hold. If Dad was right and they’d been searching for me since I was little, what would they actually do when they found me?
“Lexie, listen to me. You’re safe here at QT. That’s why your mom brought you. She saw Grant at the mall that day and knew it was only a matter of time until they found you. She left so she could lead them off your trail.” He let out a sigh. “It looks like it didn’t work, unfortunately.”
I froze, fear making everything sharp and clear. “Where is she? Is she all right?”
“Yes. She’s fine. She emailed earlier today. She has a few more things to finish up before she comes back to us. Branston isn’t after her. They’re after you. But now that you’re here, we can protect you. There’s nothing to worry about.”
And yet Dad didn’t exactly look relieved. “What else aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
“Nothing. That’s it. I just need you to let me know if anything else suspicious happens. QT security will protect you anywhere in the city or the facility, but you have to keep your eyes open.”
I didn’t know whether to feel reassured or creeped out. I decided to focus on a third option: anger. “I could have kept my eyes open a hell of a lot better if I’d known about this. I am. Sick. Of. Your. Lies.”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at me, which pissed me off even more.
“I thought things were going to be different between us, and this was our opportunity to start over. Obviously, I can’t trust anything you say. How come I’m not surprised?”
“Damn it, Lexie.” He slammed a hand down on the back of the couch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t feel like we had another choice.”
The words sliced through me like a knife. “Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? That you can’t trust your own daughter with the truth? Do you even want me here? Or is that another lie, too?”
He still wore his white lab coat over his jeans, the QT logo in navy blue against the white, his name in script below it.
Dr. William Kepler.
We shared a last name, but that was it. I glared at him and waited for him to answer.
Finally, he shook his head. “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you. Your mother and I told you that when you arrived. I’m sorry that meant not being there for you.”
“Really? Because you seem to have plenty of time to ‘be there’ for Jordan Sellers. If Branston wants me that badly, maybe they’re not so bad after all.” My voice broke, and I had to look away.
Dad shook his head. “Branston is terrifying. They have destroyed villages just to show they can. They’ve released bioengineered viruses to threaten governments. They have worked behind the scenes to fund terrorists and fringe groups. They want you to be a part of the team to develop these weapons, to destroy instead of create.”
He still didn’t get it. I didn’t care about Branston. I cared that he couldn’t be bothered to ever tell me the truth, to trust that I might be able to handle it. Anger curled through me like poison, and I hated him at that moment. Hated everything he’d done, even if it had been to protect me.
“I don’t see where you’re much different from them,” I said with a sob, snatching my laptop off the couch and sprinting to my room.
“Lexie!” he called after me.
I slammed the door on him and threw myself on the bed. All I’d ever wanted was my dad to be there. I’d let myself hope moving in with him might rebuild our relationship.
Obviously, I’d been fooling myself.
The ride to QT the next day was one long, awkward silence, broken by Dad’s attempts to explain. I stared out the window and refused to answer. There was nothing he could say. I was done letting him disappoint me. I was still freaked out that Branston was out there looking for me, but right now, Dad was the bigger pain in my ass.
I left him in the lobby without even a glance back, though I could feel him staring after me, feel his frustration. Maybe if I let him stew, he’d finally get the point. I stomped into the classroom and threw myself into one of the clear, plastic chairs.
Some of the other students looked at me, but I glared them down. I was not in the mood for their bullshit today. If Asher thought I needed to stand up to them, then so be it.
“Morning, Lexie.” Max dumped his bag on the floor and sat down beside me. His scraggly beard was gone, and his hair neatly trimmed.
For the first time that morning, I smiled, surprisingly glad to see a friendly face. “New look?”
“Mom said I looked like a hippie.” He sighed and ran his hand over his smooth jaw. “I guess it’s not that bad.”
“I like it. Very preppy.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Preppy. That’s me.”
“Here, let me help.” I reached over and roughed up his hair just as Zella appeared in the doorway. She narrowed her eyes at me before stalking over and taking a seat on the other side of Max.
“Hey, Z,” Max said over his shoulder. “Lexie is trying to make me less preppy. Is it working?”
Her stare was cold, assessing. “I thought you were fine the way you were.”
Max laughed, totally missing her glare. “Always room for improvement, right?”
Zella didn’t bother to answer him and turned to rummage in her bag. I went back to adjusting Max’s hair.
“There.” I leaned back to examine my work, a mock frown on my face. I tapped my chin with my finger. “There’s something missing, I’m afraid.”
Max sighed. “There always is.”
“Hey, stop that. I’m just kidding with you. I think you’re perfect ju
st the way you are.”
“That’s more like it,” he crowed, grabbing me in a headlock and ruffling my own hair.
We both laughed, and I struggled to get away from him. Asher wandered into the room and flopped into the chair across from us. He raised an eyebrow. “Careful there, kids. Someone could poke an eye out.”
“We can only hope,” Zella muttered, loud enough so we all could hear.
Max sat back in his seat with a frown at her, and I tried to smooth down my messy hair. I wasn’t going to let her get to me today.
“What’s the plan?” Asher stifled a yawn and stretched his arms over his head. I tried not to stare as the bottom of his shirt rode up and displayed the muscled strip of skin above his jeans. “More research? Team meeting? What do you think we should tackle, Lexie?”
I shrugged, feeling slightly breathless at the sight. “Zella seems to have taken on managing the project. What do you think?” I asked her. Maybe deferring to her a bit would get her off my back. Or at least show her I was a team player.
She tapped on her tablet and then nodded. “I think we need to keep researching the historical piece while some of us start to tackle the actual experiment. Lexie, why don’t you go back to the library? Max, you can help me today.”
He glanced at me before nodding, and I could read the disappointment in his eyes. I was kind of disappointed, too. I had a feeling it was going to be a long, lonely day in the library.
Amy sauntered in wearing a cute sundress and sandals. She trailed her fingers down Asher’s arm as she sank into the seat beside him. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”
My heart did a weird little twist in my chest. They made the perfect couple — gorgeous and brilliant. Were they together? I stared down at my tablet and pushed away the twinge of disappointment. I wasn’t interested in him like that, no matter how nice he’d been to me last night.
Asher yawned again. “What do you want me to do, Z? Or do I get a free day? I could use a nap.”
Zella shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t get out of it. I need you and Amy to tackle the computer models and design. We are going to blow Dr. Avery away with this project.”