Don't overthink.
I let my mind go blank and the feeling washes over me. The cold vanishes, leaving a sense of trust, security. Warmth. I slowly crack my eyelids to strange space filled with memories that zip and twirl around me as if each one is a separate entity. Alive.
One of them hurtles toward me, slamming into my body and through it. Ben and I are in the experimentation room. He's crying. Despair floods over me, dropping me to my knees, and then the sensation is gone. Another slams into my back, forcing me to my feet another time. The vision is of me hiding the heart-shaped necklace Ben gave me from Mother and Father beneath my mattress, the place where it stayed for years. The next passes through me like a breeze. Meeting Ben again, the relief he still lives, an embrace. This is the connection Ben and I share, one formed by horrible experiments, nanos, or maybe just our DNA. I don't know, but somehow the connection exists.
"Ben?" I call, but no answer comes back.
The memories move from me into a cluster and the entity teams with random patterns, forever creating a dance of new designs while retaining the appearance of a cluster.
I take several steps forward and place my hand onto the memories. In a way, they are solid, but, strangely, it also gives beneath my palms. I harness my thoughts and energy into the cluster and press into it. My hands fill with warmth, which quickly travels into my arms, back, and out to the rest of my body. The good memories.
As fast as they come, something replaces them. Darkness flows into my hands and slowly spider-webs up my arms, growing and growing until it fills me. It's not only the fears of my past, but Ben's, too. He had fears of being discovered for his ability, and I had fears of being overly emotional, that I'm not enough, too weak and incapable.
This is not my identity anymore.
My instinct is to pull away, but instead I lean into the memory cluster with greater force. The cluster vibrates under my hands. At first, it's barely noticeable. The vibration speeds up and shudders through my whole self. Sharp pain screams from my nerves, but intuition tells me to press harder, to let it consume me.
And consume me it does. Every inch of me.
I let it. I invite it to mold me and make me stronger. The memories release and whirlwind around me, the sound of wind roaring in my ears. I plant my feet, aware of what is coming, and I wait as the sound grows louder, then louder. I fight to keep from covering my ears to block the sound. I need to experience this fully.
The force pounds against my body and face, but I embrace it, experience it, let it forge and shape me as everything in my life up to this point already has, good and bad.
In an instant, the visual of the memories is gone and a figure appears. Ben.
"Whoa," he says with awe.
I smile and hurry to him. "Maybe I made a breakthrough."
"I'd say so." A wide smile forms on his lips. "Let's test it."
Ben frees us to the real world of Gabrielle's lab. I sit up and look to him.
You did it, he says in my mind. We can both communicate telepathically at will. This is big.
Butterflies skitter in my stomach. I return a thought to him. We should tell Gabrielle.
Ben nods and moves to stand, but he falls back into his chair instead, rubbing his temples with a pained grimace. The sight of it makes my stomach turn, and any excitement I felt is instantly turned sour. Springing from my seat, I rip the monitor from my head and toss it aside.
"I'm okay," he says, studying the monitor. "My brain activity is within normal function."
He's right. Everything appears normal on the screen. And it would capture if something was off. Wouldn't it?
"It's only a headache," he insists. "Your development was new, and I think overwhelming to my system. Who knows, you might develop one later, too."
But I don't have a headache. My head feels clearer than ever. I narrow my eyes at him. "Gabrielle should know that, too. To keep an eye on potential problems."
"I said I'm fine. There's no requirement to tell her every time I get a headache. People get them." Ben lifts his Flexx and messages Gabrielle.
"She might not be up yet," I reason, but as the words escape my mouth, a response arrives.
"She'll be here soon," Ben says, looking at the screen.
~ ~ ~
Gabrielle studies the data as Ben and I wait. "I told you not to do this without me in the lab. Avlyn, the activity in your brain is off the charts. To be honest, I didn't know a brain could function that way. It's incredible. Beyond incredible, really."
Ben's beaming. "Of course she's special. She's my sister."
I laugh and the warmest yellow, like sunshine, floods me.
You know, you're pretty special, too, I think.
Thanks, I hear in my head, plain as day.
"Your abilities are really progressing, and we're close to a breakthrough on the Direction grid structure," Gabrielle says, pulling me from my connection with Ben. "I believe it's time to contact Ruiz. She needs to know what we're planning."
I rub at the back of my neck. "So soon?"
Gabrielle chuckles. "Yes, Avlyn. What we're doing is only going to delay Manning. If Affinity can move in when the system goes down, we have a chance for long-term peace."
"As much as I hate to involve others," Ben says, "I think Gabrielle is right. If we're doing this success is much more likely with help."
I open my mouth to speak.
"Mom?" Sanda's voice calls from the hall.
Oh, nice. A distraction.
"In here," Gabrielle says, not diverting from her screen.
Sanda pokes her head into the lab. "Oh, good, you guys are around, too," she says, slightly too chipper for first thing in the morning.
"What do you need, Sanda?" Gabrielle asks.
Sanda waves a folded piece of paper in her hands. "A messenger arrived from Thornton."
Gabrielle spins her chair toward the door. "What is it? They asking for more food bars?"
Sanda chuckles. "No, they're having a get-together tonight. A dance. They invited us."
What's a dance?
I look at Ben, but his eyes are trained on Sanda, ignoring me.
"Sanda, you told them no, right?" Gabrielle asks.
"Um, no. You always say to extend goodwill to the town whenever you can. Refusing would be rude."
Gabrielle sighs. "You're right."
"What's a dance?" I ask, this time out loud.
Gabrielle chuckles. "Oh, yeah. You'd have no frame of reference."
"It's a ... gathering," Ben explains. "Where people listen to music and …" He stops and considers for a moment. He closes his eyes, and instantly I'm transported from the lab into a group of strangers swaying and twirling to the most beautiful sounds. The men and women swish around Ben and me as if we're invisible. The corners of my lips turn up into a gigantic smile.
"This is dancing," Ben says. "It may not be the type of dancing that the invitation means, but it's one kind."
The dancers are lost in another world, one I want to be a part of. As fast as it came, the vision is gone, and I'm back in the lab.
"Can I go?" I ask.
Gabrielle glares at Sanda. "Why'd they have to do this now?"
"It will be fun, Mom."
Gabrielle pinches her lips together, then sighs. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go in the first place. But you can go since they already saw you. I don't want them to think anything was out of the ordinary about your visit. People are nosey, and I don't intend to give them any further reasons to be."
Gabrielle stares at Ben, then me. Ben throws his hands into the air. "I'll stay."
"Avlyn, if we finish enough testing in here today, I need to take the time to evaluate the data with Ben," Gabrielle says. "It will provide you a rest."
I leap up, clasping my hands together. "Today will go well. I can tell. It's already off to a great start!"
She shakes her head at my childishness. "All right. Let's get down to business."
"I'll let the others know
." Sanda squeals.
~ ~ ~
Ben and I are both exhausted from our work today. His body shows it as well as his face. Gray emotion emits from him. He looks at me, and a meager smile crosses his lips. My mind clouds as well. I'm as tired as he seems to be.
"It's time to be done, Gabrielle," he says. "Avlyn needs to prepare to go into town."
The words perk me up slightly. We've been so engrossed in the digital world I'd nearly forgotten the real one.
Gabrielle checks the time. "You're, right," she says, and helps unhook us from the system.
I already know the answer, but ask anyway. "You coming with us, Ben?"
He shrugs and shakes his head. "Naw. You go and have fun. I told you, I'm sticking around here to assist Gabrielle."
The idea makes me feel guilty that I won't be staying behind to help too, and it must show on my face.
"Take a breather, Avlyn. Thornton would bring back too many memories of my life after Dad died. I'm happier here. It's only a couple hours, and I'll be working."
I stand and walk to Ben. "You feel okay, right?"
"Just tired."
I don't receive any indication that he's lying to me, so I accept him at his word.
Ben turns and waves me toward the door. "Now hurry. It's nearly time for you to leave."
I focus to activate my EP, and sure enough, according to the time glowing in the corner of my vision, it's time to go.
"See you soon," I say to Ben. "And thanks, Gabrielle."
"Anytime," she says. "But you should know I'm contacting Ruiz tonight." She lifts a hand into the air to stay my protest. "I'll encrypt the message so she won't know who it's from, but she needs to know."
I know she's right, but I must go. "Fine."
"And if we call, you return from Thornton right away," she says as I fly out the door into the hall to locate Meyer.
"Yes, yes," I yell back.
I message Meyer to find out where he is, but no answer comes. Finally, after searching every room, I locate him above ground. An icy breeze kicks up and I pull the jacket I grabbed near the bunker entrance in tighter to ward away the near-winter chill.
"You're coming?" I call to Meyer, who's standing 64.2 feet from me, according to the EP, looking off into the tan scrub and trees.
He rotates to face me and the EP zooms in. Meyer's jaw is clenched slightly, and his arms are crossed over his chest. Not a positive sign, but I continue forward toward him.
"I want you to come," I say as I reach his side, sliding my hand into the crook of his arm.
"Why?" he asks.
"Well, for one, everyone was invited. It might look bad if the four of us don't show up."
"Tell them I felt sick," he says.
I scoff. "You're not sick, and I won't say that. Please come."
"Why?"
"Because I want to dance with you. It will be my first dance, maybe my last, and sharing it with you is important to me."
Meyer takes in a deep breath, shaking his head. "There's so much to do. I should stay here and get prepared to leave." He touches my cheek. "Have fun." And with that, he jogs back to the bunker.
I follow after him, but he's already halfway there, leaving me to walk myself in.
Inside, I rush to ready myself, getting dressed in my room. I'm disappointed neither Ben nor Meyer are joining us, but I can make the best of it.
"Time to go," Sanda's voice wafts from down the hall.
"Coming!" I call.
I steal one final glance at myself in a mirror hung by the door and smirk as my short bob alters from brunette to blonde. I raise my hand and drag my fingers through the pale strands.
In the hall, Sanda and Aron ready to go. Guilt whirlpools in my stomach at the sight of him. Despite the discomfort, I tap Aron on the shoulder and his hair color shifts, darkening.
"Okay," Sanda says. "Let's go cut a rug."
"What's that mean?" I cast my gaze to Aron, his brow raised in a confused way.
Sanda chuckles. "Never mind. You two look great. Now come on."
Chapter
Twenty-Two
I take the back seat of the pod so Aron can be in the front with Sanda. The air is thick inside the small space, making me ready to arrive in town sooner rather than later. Aron hasn't said more than two words to me since we left.
Finally, Sanda lowers the pod to the ground on the outskirts of Thornton. She decided, and I agreed, that we don't want to hike back from town once the sun sets, but she parks far enough from town that the pod won't alarm the residents. In the distance, I can hear similar types of sounds I heard in the sim Ben showed me with the dancers.
"What is that?" Aron asks.
Sanda tips her head quizzically and then chuckles. "Oh … the music?"
Aron shrugs. "Is that what it's called?"
"Mm-hmm," she hums as she takes Aron's arm and hauls him in the direction of the city center. I hang behind them, watching the sun setting over the mountains beyond the town.
As we move closer, the music grows louder, lifting my mood. It also manages to increase the flurry of butterflies filling my stomach. Ahead, a sizable crowd gathers in the street, milling and talking in clusters. Surprisingly, even lacking electricity, they have lamp poles I didn't notice lining the street yesterday. A small panel sits below each light source, and I can only guess it must have the same sort of solar function the café uses because that power source seems to be acceptable here. Makes sense, it still keeps them off the grid and self-sufficient.
"You came. Couldn't stay away, huh?" a familiar low voice sounds from behind us.
We turn to Vincent, dressed in a freshly pressed, tan suit under a puffy, warm coat, left unzipped.
Without hesitation, Sanda reaches her hand for him to grasp. "Of course we did. My mom expresses her regret that she couldn't come, she's terribly busy, but we couldn't resist the opportunity."
Vincent chuckles and vigorously shakes Sanda's hand, finally releasing it. He gestures in the air. "Got the grid problem fixed. Some team from New Philly came out this morning."
My breathing stops at his statement.
"But you missed them. We invited them to the dance, but they had to go."
The tension he created melts and I force a smile as he looks to Aron and me.
"Please, enjoy the town's hospitality. I believe Katherine has organized some food if you're hungry." Vincent nods to me and gestures for us to continue. "Have fun, kids. Oh, and if you want to hear any more stories, I'll be around. Find me later."
Sanda thanks Vincent and eyes me after he leaves. No way she's finding that guy later. She smiles and grabs Aron, pulling him forward. I follow. The music grows louder and the crowd thicker as we weave around small groups. At first, we go mostly unnoticed, but the attention falling on us soon grows, sending a shiver up my spine. Aron must notice it, too, because his body has stiffened.
These people are just curious, I remind myself several times.
A tug pulls at the back of my shirt and I twist to the same shaggy-haired boy who watched us when we left town. His hand is behind his back.
"Hi," I say, glancing up at Aron and Sanda, still walking ahead. "What's your name?"
The young boy gives me a shy grin, one of his front teeth nowhere to be seen. "Ash."
"How old are you, Ash?"
"Five." He brings his hand from his back and presents me with a red flower. It's fake, identical to the ones from the tables at the café.
I accept it from him and lean in, whispering in his ear. "Thank you. It's lovely. I won't let Katherine see."
His lips form a broad smile and he turns and darts away. I chuckle and stand. Not quite knowing what to do with the flower, I shove it in my pocket and search for Aron and Sanda. I push through the crowd into an open space lit by strands of tiny lights above the dancing area. The two of them are dancing already. Beyond that, there's a group of two men, one of them Alen, the man who escorted us to Thornton the first time and three women, each with diff
erent devices producing the music. One of the devices is wooden with strings. The EP provides me no information on this. I stare as they make the beautiful sounds. The magical scene makes me forget any uncertainty about coming.
The sounds from the music makers are like nothing I ever heard in Elore. I guess I've heard people make music with their voices before. Maybe Bess did, but I can't be certain. This is all so new.
Despite the music, I feel awkward standing here. Everyone has someone to dance with but me. It's not as if I'm going to ask Aron. Sanda is already dancing with him anyway. I scan the scene and something else catches my eye. Someone. Behind the dancing group is an unexpected figure I know.
Tall and handsome, Meyer's dressed in the same clothes I saw him in earlier, except he's bundled in a heavier coat with a stripe decorating the length of each sleeve. His eyes lock onto mine until finally he breaks away and stares at the ground, his lips forming a wide smile. My pulse surges. Avoiding the dancing couples takes a bit of skill, but I make it past them to the opposite side.
"You came?" I ask, my heart skipping to the beat of the music. "How'd you get here so fast?"
"Gabrielle said I needed a break and she and Ben could handle the preparations. So, I decided to take a run. Funny how fast you can move when you're motivated to." He rakes his hands through his messy hair. "And ... I ended up here."
"Because there was nowhere else to go?" I ask with a smile.
"No, there were plenty of places to go. But none of them were where you'd be." He lifts his eyes toward me, sending heat up my neck. "I heard a rumor that you wanted to dance with someone."
The electricity I feel for him burns in my chest. "I want to dance with you."
I grab his hand and direct him to the area where the townspeople are dancing, as well as Sanda and Aron. Inside, I chuckle at them. Sanda seems like she knows what moves to make to the fast-paced music, but Aron is clueless. He looks a little ridiculous, but it doesn't seem to matter since they're both laughing and having a fun time. I'm tempted to activate my EP and download a program to boost my own lacking skills, but instead decide to learn without it, watching the other dancers and copying them.
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