by Leigh Walker
Finn gave me a chaste peck on the lips. I moaned, trying to pull him back.
“Hanover.” He reached for my hands and held them down. “We have to go back to class.”
I grumpily pulled away from him. “You’re the one who started it.”
“Ah, I know. I couldn’t help myself.” He ran his hand down my hair. “Don’t be mad at me, okay?”
“I’m not.”
“Great.” He flashed his dimple, full-wattage.
I got up in a huff. “You are seriously annoying sometimes.”
“I know, babe. Trust me, I know.”
4
Game Face
“I understand this makes some of you sick, so that’s why we’re doing it tonight. I want to get it over with and keep you fresh for the mission.” Nicole motioned for Josh to come forward. She pushed his T-shirt up over his shoulder and inserted the injection.
Josh closed his eyes briefly, but he didn’t wince.
Of course, I almost threw up as Nicole reloaded the syringe and motioned for me.
I looked away as Nicole readied the injection. “Just a bit of pressure, then a pinch,” she said.
Ugh! Why do they always say that? It’s not a freaking pinch! It’s a needle. I winced even at the thought of the word.
“Riley, come closer.”
I obeyed then closed my eyes and turned my head away, hoping that would help. “Are you coming with us into Levels?”
“Yes.” Nicole was mercifully quick with the shot.
“Have you done it before?”
She rearranged my shirt and frowned. “No. Is it as disorienting as everyone says? I’m really not a fan of psychedelic drugs.”
“Levels can be…intense.” I couldn’t think of a nicer way to say it. “But stick with the group. We’ll get you through.”
Nicole changed the needle again and fearlessly injected herself. “I understand the goal is to encounter different stimuli and see how we work together. Nora worked up these particular sets for us. Should be interesting.”
I raised my eyebrows but stayed silent. I’d said enough bad things about Nicole’s mother already.
She turned to everyone else. “You ready? We need to go to the steam room before this kicks in.” She fell in step beside Josh. “It’s too bad Rachel can’t join us. I still feel terrible about leaving her behind back at the prison. I really am sorry.”
Josh smiled at her. “She forgives you, which means I forgive you. I just hope she’s better soon.”
Nicole nodded. “She will be. Dr. Rharr’s taking excellent care of her.”
I caught up to Emma, who had a sour expression on her face.
“Can you believe we’re doing this again?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I’d believe just about anything right now. But I don’t know what they’re playing at, making us do testing right before they ship us off.”
“Nicole said Nora specially designed the course.”
Emma snorted. “I can hardly wait.” She leaned closer, looking around. “Stay close, okay? I’m worried they’re going to pull something.”
“Haven’t they already done enough?”
Emma shook her head. “They like to push it, and then push it some more.”
I followed her into the steam room, which was a vast improvement over the sauna we’d used at Freel. That place had been gross; this was modern, with immaculate tiles. We all grabbed seats, waiting nervously for the drugs to kick in.
“You need to turn the heat up,” Emma told Nicole. “No higher than one hundred fifty degrees, or Josh’ll pass out.”
Josh frowned, but Emma ignored him. “And Nicole, if you need to throw up, use the drain.” She motioned to the center of the floor.
Nicole adjusted the heat, scowling at Emma, her expression mirroring Josh’s. “Why would I throw up?”
Emma shrugged. “It happens to most of the newbies. And Joshy, of course.”
This time he made an obscene gesture, which Emma also ignored. She sank back against the tiles and closed her eyes. “I can feel it starting. See you on the other side.”
Morgan and Maya looked at each other, then they each made the sign of the cross. Maya closed her eyes. “Here’s hoping there’s no spiders.”
Morgan closed hers, too. “Or centipedes.”
Finn reached over and patted my hand. See you in there.
I nodded, too nervous to do more.
I hated Levels, but I was also curious to see what the test had in store for us. Last time, I’d seen my father—and received a message from him. And then Finn had almost been drowned by a giant lavender river octopus…
He shuddered. Don’t remind me.
Let’s just hope Barney the Octopus isn’t waiting for us this time!
Finn chuckled inside my brain, all scratchy and warm. I was about to tell him I liked the way it felt, but I couldn’t get the words out. My limbs felt heavy, and my mind kept drifting.
A bright light was shining, and I scrunched my eyes shut. I didn’t want to wake up. I’d just been having the best dream. What was it? I couldn’t remember.
“Hanover.” Finn nudged me gently. “We’re here. Time to get up and face the music.”
I opened my eyes and squinted. His handsome face was above me, the sun shining behind him.
I sat up. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Where are we?”
Finn held out his hands for me. I noticed the bandages were gone, and the skin on his knuckles was unmarked. “It looks like New Hampshire.”
He helped pull me up, and I stared. We were on a hill, acres of trees with colorful leaves rolling out beneath us as far as I could see. My breath came out in cloudy puffs. “It does seem like home. In the fall.”
Finn nodded. “I wonder why we’re here.”
I waited, listening to what sounded like squirrels and other small animals scurrying through the forest. “What do you think we’re supposed to do?”
He shook his head. “I’m sure it’ll be pretty obvious in a minute. It always is.”
More noise came from the nearby forest, and a moment later, Micah shuffled out. His gait was awkward, jerky.
“Buddy?” Finn called to him. “Are you okay?”
Micah fussily fixed his collar as he shuffled out of the woods. “I’ve been better.” But it wasn’t Micah’s voice. It was my mother’s.
I gripped Finn’s hand, hard. Micah was a medium. He channeled the dead. So when people spoke through him, it meant they were…
“Mom?”
“It’s me.” Micah came closer, and I could see his eyes had changed from their normal dark brown to a watery green—my mother’s eyes.
“Are you…” I took a deep breath. “Are you dead?”
She looked around, blinking. “I think so? That flu’s a bitch.”
Tears threatened as the ground spun beneath my feet. “Oh, Mom.”
Remember where we are, Finn thought-spoke. And don’t believe it—not yet.
Nora had designed the test. This must be her work. What did she want from me? What was she checking for?
If my mother dies, she wants to know if I’m still in. Nora wanted my allegiance. My loyalty. My commitment. Even if my mother was gone.
Right. Finn nodded, almost imperceptibly. You know what they’re looking for. You can do this—give Nora what she wants.
I reached for Micah. “I’m so sorry this happened. I’m sorry for everything.”
Micah tsked in my mother’s voice. “It’s not your fault, honey. You know what they do.”
“Yeah, I do.” I nodded. “But I’m still going to get the antidote and save everyone I can. I’m just so sorry it’s too late for you.” My breath hitched, but I put on a brave face even as my thoughts raged erratically.
Please don’t let it be true.
Please don’t let her be dead.
Please, I’ll do anything.
I didn’t even know who I was begging.
I shoo
k the thoughts off, focusing on the strange sight in front of me—my mother inhabiting Micah’s body.
“I hope Tess makes it.” Her gaze skipped nervously to Finn then came skidding back. “I think they’ll let her go.”
“Good.” I shook my head stupidly, no longer knowing what to believe. Is this propaganda?
My mother looked up as though she heard something. “I have to go. I love you, honey. Never forget that.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Micah’s shoulders slumped, and his eyes rolled back in his head. A moment later, he came to, looking around wildly. “What the hell? They can get to me in here now, too?” He cursed and started fidgeting, fixing his shirt and hair. His dark skin flushed. “I don’t even know what just happened!”
“That was my mom.”
He stopped fussing and stared. “Your mother’s dead?”
I shook my head. “I don’t… I don’t know if it’s real or just the test.”
Micah nodded. “Let’s see what else they have waiting for us. We’ll find out about your mom when we get out.” He pulled me in for an uncharacteristically tight hug. “I hope she’s all right.”
“Th-thanks.”
As he pulled away, he tucked something into my hand. Before I could ask what it was, he shook his head.
My heart pounded as I looked at the small piece of paper folded in my palm. I quickly slipped it into my pocket.
We heard shouts from down the hill, deeper into the forest. Finn took off first. “C’mon, let’s go find the others.”
I followed, clutching the note in my pocket, wondering what else Nora had in store for us.
5
Doppelgänger(s)
The shouts turned to shrieks, and we sprinted through the damp forest.
“Who is that?” Micah asked, weaving through the pine trees.
“I thought it sounded like Emma.” I picked up speed. My BFF was not a shrieker.
Finn reached the others first. “What’s going on?”
Micah and I skidded to a stop next to him. I gaped at the scene, unable to process what I was seeing.
Kyan was suspended above a clearing by some sort of rope-like trap. He hung, upside down, arms dangling, eyes closed, his face completely slack.
He looked as if he were either passed out—or dead.
“What happened?”
Morgan, Maya, and Emma stood beneath him. “He attacked us. We chased him here, and then he got caught in this trap, which yanked him up there.”
Finn circled Kyan from the bottom, looking for a way to get him down. “He attacked you?”
Morgan nodded, her face pale. “He didn’t come through with us. We ran into him in the woods, but he wasn’t acting like himself. He seemed…strange. He went for Emma. He grabbed her by the throat.”
Emma rubbed her neck. “It wasn’t him, though. It didn’t sound like Kyan. It’s like he was possessed.”
“Who knocked him out?”
Maya raised her hand. “I whacked him in the temple with this.” She held out what looked like a small log.
“Jesus.” Micah looked incredulous. “You could have killed him!”
“He could’ve killed Emma!” Still, Maya tossed the log back into the woods. “I guess I got carried away.”
Micah raised his eyebrows. He said something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “crazy-ass ginger.”
“I heard that.” Maya crossed her arms against her chest. “And I can still go get that log, you know.”
“Knock it off, you two.” Finn turned to me. “The branch is too high for me to climb up to. Can you untie the knot and get him down?”
“I think so.” I peered up at the rope binding Kyan’s feet. I closed my eyes, envisioning the intricacies of the knot. I let my energy surround it and gently eased the massive rope until it unfurled.
Kyan plummeted toward the ground.
“Oh my God—Riley!” Maya screamed. “Stop him!”
I used my power fast, saving him nanoseconds before he smashed to the earth. Then I lowered him slowly, much to the relief of my teammates.
Morgan clapped. “Good job!”
Maya sighed, visibly relieved. “I’m so glad. I didn’t actually want to kill him.”
Emma smiled at me. “You’re getting better with your landings.”
Finn knelt by Kyan, checking his pulse. “He’s okay, but I’m going to have to carry him.”
But Kyan opened one eye as Finn started to lift him. “Easy, stud.” His voice was thick, but he still managed to smile. “I can get up.”
Finn released him. “Are you sure?”
“I think so.” Kyan rubbed his temples then glared at Maya. “What did you do to me?”
“I whacked you in the head. With a…log.”
“You what?”
She twisted her ponytail. “Because you tried to choke Emma.”
“I what?”
Emma stepped forward. “You did. But it wasn’t really you. It was weird. Do you remember anything?”
Kyan frowned. “Just a flash…a voice in my head. It was saying that I needed more respect.”
“And you were going to achieve that by choking me?”
“I don’t know. All I remember is feeling compelled. It was definitely somebody else in my head. They’re messing with us again.” Kyan looked around the group. “Where are Josh and Nicole?”
“We haven’t seen them yet. We should go find them.” Maya flicked her ponytail over her shoulder then frowned at Kyan. “And hey, sorry I bashed your head in.”
He propped himself up on the ground so that his bicep was visible—and fully flexed. “No problem, Red.”
Maya shook her head. “Every time I think you’ve hit rock bottom, you blow right past it.”
Finn hoisted Kyan up. “Are you sure you feel up to moving on your own? I know they’ve got some more nasty stuff planned for us. This is just a warm-up.”
“I’m fine.”
Maya grunted. “Now that we’ve had our ‘Kumbaya’ moment, let’s move on, shall we?”
Finn stayed close to me as we moved through the forest with the group. I “heard” you back there when you got the note from Micah. You should read it—it won’t transport back with you.
I nodded, taking it out and opening it as we traipsed through the forest, in search of Josh and Nicole. I stopped by a tree ad unfolded the note.
Dear Pumpkin, it read. My eyes filled with tears. It was from my dad.
You might need to light this on fire after you read it, and no, I’m not kidding.
They’re capable of a lot. You probably know that by now. The time has come. You’ve been with them long enough to know the truth.
The Division caused the accident, the one that killed me and Katie. You might already know this from your friend.
But he doesn’t know why.
Katie had a secret power, one they couldn’t control. That was part of why they destroyed her. They were afraid.
You know she was your biological sister, one hundred percent your flesh and blood. Your DNA.
You need to figure out what you’re made of. And whom. Because I’m certain—even now—that there’s more to the story.
Find your donor parents. Destroy this note.
Never forget who you are or that we love you.
Even now. Forever. Always.
Dad
I read it again, and again. Even from the grave, my dad was looking out for me. I had to protect his secret. I looked around wildly until I spotted a puddle close by. I stopped and dunked the note until it was a soggy mess, the words blurring beyond recognition. Then I clawed the thin paper apart.
I ran to catch up to the others, careful not to draw any more attention to myself, careful not to cry. Nora was watching us. The last time we’d done Levels, Cranston had explained that he couldn’t see and hear everything that went on while we were under the simulation, but he could monitor our feelings. It was imperative that I kept some semblance
of cool, even though I wanted to burst.
What did it say? Finn asked.
Later. I couldn’t begin to process everything my dad had said.
Clear your mind, Finn thought urgently. You can’t let them know anything.
I shoved all further thoughts of the note from my head. Rage and sorrow fueled me as I ran through the forest, calling for Nicole and Josh. I came even with Kyan, who still looked pale. I tried to focus on him, on anything but my dad’s words. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
He grimaced. “Not really. I think I was, like, possessed back there. And it didn’t help that Maya whacked me in the temporal lobe.”
“Do you remember anything specific?”
He shook his head. “It was just a throb…a pounding in my head I couldn’t shake. I think I was actually seeing red.”
My lip curled. “Freaky.”
Kyan shuddered. “Totally gross. I hope they can’t do that to us in real life.”
I dodged another tree. “How would they?”
Kyan looked at me as if I had three heads. “Our monitors, duh. They have a direct link inside our heads. They haven’t fully exploited it yet, but then again, they’ve been a little busy with this whole world war thing.”
I grimaced. “I don’t want them in my head.”
“Who does? I told you—we should’ve run when we had the chance.”
“You didn’t even get a mile away,” I reminded him. “It wasn’t much of a chance.”
“Whatever. They’re testing something in here, trust me. I just wish I had an ‘off’ switch.”
I filed this unpleasant news away to fret over later. If The Division could mind-control us, we were seriously screwed.
I tripped over a root and landed smack-dab on my face. Speaking of screwed. “Ow!”
Finn lifted me up. “Stay focused, Hanover. We’ve got company.”
“What?” But as I looked around, I saw that we were surrounded—by Rachels. Each of her replicas had long, glossy black hair, perfectly sculpted cheekbones, and extremely pissed looks on their faces.
“But Rachel’s in her hospital bed,” I whispered to Finn.