Then again, Dr. DeWeese, too, had seemed gentle and caring when I first met him. But after facing him and Sandra inside The Farm… and if he was responsible for killing Dad—his best friend…
“Mr. Whitmeyer.” A nurse approached. “It’s time for your mother’s bath.”
Seth leaned over and kissed his mother on the temple. “Good to see you, Mom.”
She squeezed her son’s hand with a palsied but firm grip. “I hope you’ll both come see me again. Your voices are lovely.”
“Of course we will.” I smiled as I watched the nurse wheel her away.
When she was gone, Seth said, “I was sorry to hear about Danielle.”
My heart constricted just hearing my best friend’s name. “Were you?”
“Of course I was. I’m not my sister, Lexi. I’m hoping since you asked me to meet you here, you’re figuring out that I’m here to help you.”
Had I figured that out? “How do you know so much of this history if you weren’t actually a part of the original lab?”
“Who said I wasn’t?”
“So you were there? When Sandra decided to clone human beings? Did you know she planned to implant them?”
“I’m the twin brother no one notices, Lexi. Sandra was always the star, the one going places. But yes—I was there.” Seth stood and faced the windows overlooking the grounds. “And I knew that she would never destroy those embryos once she figured out that she could not only clone a human, but actually alter their genetic makeup.
“We tried to stop her. A plan was in place—to destroy the embryos—but then the fire started. Everything was so chaotic. We had no warning. But Sandra knew. It was all part of her plan.”
I stared at Seth’s back as he remembered his sister’s actions all those years ago. “Something obviously went wrong.”
He faced me. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the embryos weren’t destroyed, but she also lost control of them. In some cases, she didn’t even know where they ended up.”
“Not all of them,” he corrected. “At least not at first.”
“Jonas,” I said, mostly to myself. Not to mention the non-altered clones: Dia, Lin, and Ty. “What about the other clones? The ones that don’t seem to have the same abilities we have?”
“A control group to compare the altered clones against.”
“How did Sandra keep control of those, but not the DNA-altered ones?”
“Good question. I don’t know.”
“And Addison? She seems different.”
“That she is. An anomaly.” Seth nodded. “She remains a mystery to me. She doesn’t talk about her time in Sandra’s facilities. However, she seems to escape every time. I don’t even know who she was cloned from, or if she has any healing powers. So far, all I know is that she has incredible mind-altering abilities.”
“I’m assuming her disappearances occurred once Dr. DeWeese was back in touch with Sandra. Why was Jack never taken to one of the facilities?”
Seth smiled. “Don’t underestimate a mother bear protecting her cub. I’m fairly certain Cathy had no idea that Addison and her mother disappeared to one of the facilities from time to time, but Cathy knew her husband, and she was careful to never let Jack out of her sight. Not for long, anyway.”
I stood and stared out the window. Two squirrels chased each other around the base of a tree. “Which is why she homeschooled Jack.” I remembered how protective Cathy had been when Jack first met me and insisted on enrolling at Wellington. “But Dr. DeWeese seemed to be on board with Cathy’s decision to keep Jack hidden. And they kept a lot of the truth from him. What changed?”
Seth joined me by the window. “It has always been important to both of them that Jack learn who he was over time. To become well-educated. And Cathy tried to maintain complete control over that. Educating Jack worked for both Cathy’s plans and John’s… in different ways, of course.”
Cathy was definitely a control freak. “So, why The Program?” I asked.
Seth crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “Ah, yes. The Program was my invention. Once I discovered that some of the clones had survived, and were even thriving as human beings, I began watching everyone closely. I knew Sandra had gotten in touch with John in the last few years, so I suspected he knew that she hadn’t stopped cloning. And Cathy and Roger had kept in touch. Of course, Roger was in touch with Peter since Peter was the money behind Wellington.
“Anyway, the lines were pretty clear, so I constructed The Program. It was my way of approaching Roger and Cathy separate from John and Sandra. And once I had The Program, I began building my database of what clones existed. I had the trust of all parties.”
“What about my dad? Did you ever talk to him?”
“We were supposed to meet the day he died. But he knew about The Program, and had given Roger his blessing to start teaching you and the other clones.”
I stared at Seth. “You were supposed to see him? That was the day you found me here.”
“Yes. And for the first time, I was afraid for the future of the clones I knew existed. I already knew that Peter had been back in touch with John, and that they were best friends. The lines had blurred. I didn’t know if Peter had been in collusion with John and Sandra, or if his loyalties lay with Wellington, the clones who lived there, and especially his daughter—you. Most importantly, I didn’t know who would have wanted him killed.”
I massaged the spot over my racing heart. I knew who killed him—the same man my father appeared to trust in his final days. I faced Seth. “Why would my dad trust you to teach me—to be anywhere near me—and the clones hidden at Wellington? I mean, being Sandra’s twin brother and all.”
Seth nodded, as if expecting the question. “I tried to warn him eighteen years ago that Sandra had her own agenda, that she had plans to destroy everything he, John, and Sandra had built. He didn’t believe me back then. But now I had proof.”
“Proof?”
“I had email correspondence between Sandra and the IIA. It linked John and Peter with Sandra and the project to clone humans and build the human clone robots the IIA wanted for some sort of foreign spy program.”
Sandra had shown me a video of the spy robots. The International Intelligence Agency was helping Sandra with her cloning program in exchange for experimental weapons. The thought made me sick. But something else bothered me. “You sent me one of those emails. You were blackmailing me.”
The corners of Seth’s lips curved slightly. “Sorry.” He shrugged. “You’re a replica of a sister who stabbed her own twin brother in the back, figuratively speaking. And I needed those journals your father wrote in order to know everything I needed to know about their research—his, Sandra’s, and John’s. I still do. But when I realized you’re nothing like my sister, despite almost identical DNA, I decided I would be patient.”
A case of nature versus nurture, I supposed.
Everyone had their own agenda, it seemed, and it was a challenge to decide which agendas were beneficial to the existing clones’ futures, which ones were harmful, and which ones needed to be crushed completely.
“Dad left me Wellington,” I blurted out.
“The school?”
I nodded. “I don’t know how to run a school.” I didn’t mention the fact that the school was almost insignificant compared to the amount of money Dad left me.
We were both silent for a moment, gazing out the window, until from somewhere down the hall outside our room, a man screamed, “Turn it on Kelly Ripa!” and reminded us where we were. After another beat, Seth touched my shoulder, bringing me back to focus on our conversation.
“I’ll ask you the same thing I asked you about The Program,” he said. “What do you want from me?” I must have paused a little too long, because he added, “Because last we talked, your strongest desire was to not need me or The Program.”
I looked him in the eye. “My desires have changed. I still want to know everything about our history, bu
t now I also need to know where Sandra Whitmeyer and John DeWeese are. I need help finding their new lab.”
Chapter Eight
I stared at the still water of the campus swimming pool early the next morning, breathing in the moist air and the smell of chlorine. Practice wouldn’t start for another hour, but I couldn’t sleep.
I sat on the edge of the pool. My legs dangled in the cool water, and I watched the ripples move across the surface. Each one carried a piece of the puzzle that had become my life. As the water settled, the weight of my problems burrowed back into the muscles of my shoulders. I placed my goggles over my eyes, then lifted my body up and propelled myself into the pool, allowing the water to engulf me.
I hoped the hollow sounds of swimming would drown out all the other thoughts screaming in my head. The desire to discover the location of Sandra’s new lab was at the top of that list. I would take her down one way or another. I had no idea how—yet—but I figured that being a billionaire was bound to work to my advantage.
I moved my arms and legs as I crawled from one end of the pool to the other. Flipping at the other end, I vowed not to stop until I physically couldn’t go any further.
One. Two. Ten. Fifty. A hundred laps. Whatever it took.
At about my thirty-fifth lap, I heard the distant thud of a door closing. Sure that it was just another swimmer showing up for practice, I didn’t stop swimming. My muscles were looser than they’d been in weeks. I was feeling no signs of tiring.
Ten strokes from one end of the pool, I cocked my head to the side to take a breath, and a loud screeching noise broke through the barrier of the water, reaching my ears. I stopped and looked up. Through the smoky color of my goggles, I could just make out a figure standing at the head of my lane.
Lexi, do not remove your goggles, and do not come any closer. The voice entered my head, and there was no mistaking who it was. Maya.
What do you wan— I attempted to mindspeak back to her. The screeching noise cut me off. My hands flew to my ears.
You will listen. Sandra insists that you join her. You and your friends. She will not stop until you do.
You know where she is? My twin allowed me to speak. I couldn’t believe we were back to this: Sandra being so arrogant as to think that I would willingly join her.
There is a video in your inbox. Once you’ve watched it, I’ll find you again. I’ll give you a few days to come to your senses and realize that surrendering to Sandra is your only choice.
My look-alike raised a hand over her head, her fingers spread wide, then lowered it. As she did so, I felt pressure on the top of my head, and I was shoved under the water. I thrashed about, reaching my arms up, grabbing at nothing but air. Why was she trying to drown me when she was supposed to be a messenger from Sandra? I stared up, seeing nothing but fuzzy shades of aqua.
I couldn’t get a breath. Jack! Jonas! Bree!
Two more things… Maya spoke through the deafening thunder of water raging against my ears. Sandra wants you to know that none of your friends will be able to save you if you don’t surrender. And though I could terminate you right now, I’m not the one you should be worried about. Someone else wants you dead.
Suddenly Maya left my mind, and Jack entered.
Lexi? Where are you?
Jack! Help! Unable to stop myself, I took in a breath. Instead of air, water hit the back of my throat, and like fire, it traveled through my body to my lungs.
I heard the mumblings of voices in my consciousness before darkness washed over me.
~~~~~
“One. Two… Thirteen… Twenty-nine. Thirty. Breathe.”
“One. Two…”
Suddenly I was coughing and throwing up water.
“That’s it.”
I felt a strong hand on my back, rubbing my skin in circles. In less than two months, I had nearly drowned twice. I could now say with certainty that if it came down to it, drowning would not be my top choice of a way to go. I’d heard people say that it would be a peaceful way to die. It wasn’t.
I threw up again. When I was done, I looked up and discovered Jack, Jonas, and Briana hovering over me.
If you wanted me to touch your chest, all you had to do was ask. A smirk spread across Jonas’s face, and I blushed, realizing he had just performed CPR on me.
You’re an idiot. I sucked in a painful breath, letting it out slowly.
“What the hell were you doing swimming alone?” Jack stood and paced. “I’m trying to give you distance, Lexi, but if you keep insisting on making these idiotic decisions, I’ll stick a twenty-four-hour bodyguard on you myself.”
“Jack,” Briana said. “Give her a break. Give her a chance to tell us what happened before you threaten to lock her up.”
“No. He’s right.” Jonas squared his shoulders, looking down on me. “She’s not being smart. And a bodyguard is not a bad idea… in light of recent news.”
“What recent news?” Briana asked. Her red curls hung down the front of her swim team warm-ups.
Jonas looked from me to Jack to Briana.
She shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “Well? What news?”
I pushed to stand. No one moved to help me. “Dad left me Wellington Boarding School. As in, the entire school—everything about it—mine.”
“And some amount of money that sent her into the mother of all panic attacks.”
If I’d had the energy, I’d have punched Jonas. I hadn’t seen him since the morning I was given the news of my inheritance, and actually I was a little shocked that he’d given me space after witnessing my hyperventilation.
“Are you kidding?” Briana asked. “That’s awesome.”
I rolled my eyes at her.
Jack rotated his shoulders. His brows furrowed, casting a darkness over his eyes that made me stand taller. I stuck my hands out to the side, a little dizzy.
“Hey.” Jack wrapped his hand around my forearm, offering me some support when he realized that I was off balance. His expression softened. “Take it easy. Let’s get you over to the infirmary. Seth or a nurse can check you out.”
“I’m fine. I couldn’t have been out long.”
“You were floating head down in the pool when I ran in,” Jonas said. “But you’re right. I wasn’t far when I heard your screams in my head.”
“And why is that? How did I get that lucky?” I narrowed my eyes. Jonas’s eyes darted toward Briana, whose face turned fire engine red.
“Jonas walked me to practice. I was in the locker room when I heard you.” She thumbed toward the doors over her shoulder.
“So what happened?” Jack finally asked. The edge of his voice had returned, scalpel-sharp.
“Maya was here. She had a message from Sandra. After delivering the message, she tried to drown me. It seems that Sandra likes to have her minions submerge me in water for some reason.” Probably her way of telling me that she can get to me, even in places where I’m most comfortable.
“Come on.” Jack placed an arm around me, giving me support, and began leading me toward the locker room. “Let’s get you a warm shower and some clothes.”
“What was the message?”
Jack and I stopped at Jonas’s question.
I turned. “That she’s not done with us. That she insists we join her.”
Oh, and that someone besides Sandra wants me dead.
~~~~~
For breakfast, the lovely food specialists in the cafeteria had concocted a green smoothie complete with spinach, banana, and frozen mango, along with some kind of vitamin supplements. It was quite the departure from my high-sugar cereal favorites, but handy since Jack insisted we get our breakfast to go.
And I needed to get to my computer. The thought of another video message from Sandra was enough to send my pulse racing.
November had brought with it cooler temperatures and grayer skies. I hugged my winter jacket tighter as I thought about how to ditch Jack. “Where are we going?”
“Coach is waiting on us.” He wa
s a step ahead of me. “He wants to talk to us before class.” He hadn’t looked me in the eye since we were by the pool.
I took a sip of the smoothie, letting the cold liquid soothe my scratchy throat, damaged from coughing up all that water. “You’re mad.”
From behind, I could see his shoulders rise and fall from a deep breath. Without turning, he thought, I’ve seen you nearly killed so many times now that I’ve lost count. You can’t imagine what it felt like to walk in and see your lifeless body by the side of the pool.
“I’m sorry.” It was all I could think to say. And I was positive he knew I was apologizing for more than almost dying.
He stopped abruptly and faced me. I jerked backward a little, and his lips tugged downward. “When I walked in and saw Jonas performing CPR on you…” His voice was barely above a whisper. “All I could think was, ‘This is it. She’s going to die, and I did nothing to make sure she knew how much I loved her.’” Tears formed in his eyes.
The pain in my throat from holding back sobs was almost too much to bear. Would he still love me when he discovered that I was already actively searching for his father? That I planned to make John DeWeese and Sandra Whitmeyer pay for the lives they took from me? That I planned to destroy their labs, one way or another?
A part of me didn’t think he would object to part of my plan, but I hated for him to see this darkness in me. A darkness I didn’t even know existed until recently.
“What is it?” Jack asked.
I shook my head. I continued to fight back tears. I would not cry.
“I know you still love me,” he said.
“Of course I do,” I said without thinking. My eyes shot up to his. “But…”
“But what?” He slid a hand behind my neck, forcing me to look at him.
In my mind I brought up the image of the dulled neurons of Dani’s brain, just after Sandra had shut off the lights that represented her life. Just remembering that image was enough to let coldness into my heart—to remind me that I had already set a plan into action. Seth and Coach were actively searching for wherever it was that Sandra may have moved her labs. And I now had the means to do whatever I wanted to do with those labs. I could destroy them, and everyone in them, including Sandra and John.
Mindsurge (Mindspeak Book 3) Page 7