by Kate Tailor
Grant and Able requested Raleigh’s blood work and scans and Dr. Moore sent them. They were ecstatic, to say the least. They did a background check on Raleigh and nothing suspicious turned up. With her perfect record, Raleigh was an ideal candidate. Soon enough, she found herself sitting in her living room waiting on an interview with the head of the company, Agatha Grant.
“Do you think she’ll want lemonade or tea?” Beth rearranged the serving tray in the living room for the sixth time that morning. The tables were polished, and the cabinets had been dusted. As far as she was concerned, this was a job interview, and she was desperate for her ill daughter to get the position. The blackouts had already resumed, and she didn’t want her daughter to return to Liege.
Raleigh reached out to grab a cracker and cheese but caught her mother’s glance and refrained. They were for presentation not eating. A bunch of work for nothing, Raleigh was a shoo-in. Grant and Able needed her far more than she needed them. Never the less, she let her mother fret and fuss, it added authenticity.
Beth pressed her hand to her curled hair. “Thalia’s at the pool, and I’ve told her that if she comes back while Agatha is here, she should say as little as possible. Remember to sit up straight and don’t fidget.”
“Raleigh will be fine.” Theo put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. They’d both taken the day off work.
The doorbell sounded, and Beth jumped into hostess mode. Gliding to the door, she opened it. “Hello. I’m Beth Groves. Such a pleasure to meet you.”
Raleigh perceived two people at the door. Agatha’s strong heart and toned body made her physically seem younger than forty, which Raleigh guessed had to be her age from the way she held herself and the way her white hairs mingled with the blonde. The young man accompanying her was in his early twenties. His muscles ached from a recent workout, and there was a yearning in him similar to Collin’s. This could easily be one of the men in the Recep army Rho warned her about.
Theo sat next to his daughter and unwound her clasped hands. “You’re going to do fine. They don’t send the CEO out to interview people they aren’t really interested in.”
Raleigh managed a half-smile and smoothed her dress as the two guests entered.
“Please, have a seat.” Beth motioned to the coffee table and food before seating herself next to Raleigh on the couch.
Agatha reached her hand across the coffee table and offered Raleigh a firm handshake. Her short blonde hair and navy dress gave her an air of sophistication. However, her smile was the kind that belonged on a hiking trail or sitting around a board game. It was genuine.
“I’m Agatha Grant, head of Grant and Able.”
“My name is Raleigh.”
“Yes, we’ve heard a bit about you. Sabine and I spoke.”
Raleigh bobbed her head. “Sabine felt you’d be a better fit. Not that Belgium wasn’t great.”
“And the treatment works,” interjected Beth.
Agatha sat back in her seat. “I’m happy to hear that. Sabine said as much. We should be able to continue the same extraction schedule at our facility in Arizona. This is Gabe,” she said, introducing the young man. “He’s been with our company for several years.”
If he’d been there for years, he would have met Collin and the Designed. Had he been there for the escape? Surely Agatha would have been with the company at that time.
Agatha rested her thin attache case on her lap, unzipped it, and removed a brochure. “Grant and Able is committed to improving health and outcomes in a variety of patients. Lucidin helps us do this.”
“But that’s what’s making our daughter sick.” Beth took the pamphlet and unfolded it.
Agatha delicately put her hands in her lap. “That’s usually not the case. Most people can use it to help with diagnosing and treating illnesses. Patrick and Sabine told us that Raleigh had already been using her talents to do just that, well before the Lucidin was discovered.”
Beth flicked away the idea. “It’s something that she pretends. The therapist theorized that it’s probably her mechanism for coping with her illness, thinking everyone else is sick.”
Agatha leaned forward and knitted her eyebrows. “Mrs. Groves, what your daughter can do is not fabricated. We have quite a few people who can do it.”
Raleigh flinched, knowing the direction this conversation was headed. Agatha would provide evidence and her mother would reject it. It was amazing how unwilling her mother was to consider the possibility.
“What happens with the Lucidin is of secondary importance,” Theo said. “The key is that Raleigh gets treatment.”
“And she will.” Agatha tapped the brochure over a picture of the buildings with cacti in the foreground. “Our complex in Phoenix is a research facility. We have a state-of-the-art extraction room. Many of our scientists live in the city, but we have some on-site housing. It was a retreat before we acquired it, and we’ve kept some of the rooms. That’s where Raleigh will stay.”
“I want to go to college,” said Raleigh. Phoenix must have at least one college. She might as well get something out of the deal, she didn’t just have to rescue Mu and Tau.
“Wonderful. We’re close enough to the city that you could take classes at Arizona State,” Agatha said. “I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t get in. You’ll just have to apply.”
“How much is this going to cost?” Theo studied the clean white campus that looked not only modern but pricey.
Agatha paused. “It’s free.”
“Really?” Raleigh pretended to act surprised, but she knew that her Lucid would go for a lot on the black market. If anything, they should be paying her.
Agatha’s reassuring smile returned. “Yes. You can work in the labs and with Gabe. He specializes in training people to use Lucidin.”
“I think you’ll do well.” Gabe’s voice was low and stern.
“The labs would be good for your résumé if you go on to become a doctor,” Theo told Raleigh.
Beth handed back the brochure. “When can you take her?”
“She could accompany us back tomorrow. Am I correct in thinking that it’s been a few days since you last extracted?”
“Yeah.” Raleigh thought of the blackout she had yesterday at breakfast, uneasy about how quickly they’d returned.
“She’s already having blackouts.” Beth’s eye went to the bruise her daughter had sustained during the most recent fall. “The sooner she goes the better.”
“What do you think, Raleigh? Does it sound good?” Theo asked.
Raleigh plastered a big smile on her face. “It sounds wonderful.”
—
A DAY LATER Raleigh sat on a sleek private jet, her hands twisting in her hair as the bags were stowed. Over the past few weeks, she’d overcome many of her fears of commercial flying, but that confidence didn’t extend to the tiny jet. The news often featured stories on how small planes went down, and she could imagine the local newscasters describing her fate in the same sorrowful tone as the others.
She sat facing a pair of chairs, a glossy table between them. The buttery soft seat she perched on now was far more comfortable than the rough fabrics of the larger planes.
“Don’t fly often?” Gabe sank into one of the identical seats across from her. He was more social now that they weren’t with her parents.
“Just to Belgium and back, and a few years ago I went to California to visit my brother. But I’ve never been on a small jet like this.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“So, you’re going to teach me how to use Lucidin?” She mindfully called it by its proper name. “I’ve been detecting illnesses for a long time. Sabine said I did it better than anyone she knew.”
The engines revved, and the force of take-off pressed her into her seat. Gabe lounged in his, although his fingers tapped absently on the armrest. He displayed the same tics as Collin—the craving for Lucid affected them similarly. Agatha sat across the aisle, smiling politely whenever their gla
nces crossed.
In the air, the plane rocked a few times, the water inside the plastic bottles on the edge of the table slid up the sides. She tried not to think about the distance accumulating between her and the ground.
Gabe pressed his lips together. “You’ve sensed, but have you ever influenced?”
This was going to be the tricky part of being a spy. Her backstory was mostly true, minus the time in France. Anything she learned from Rho, she’d have to feign ignorance to. “Influencing?” She opened her eyes in the same ditzy way Thalia did when tricking their parents.
Gabe clearly had no mischievous younger sisters, as he seemed eager to explain. “Yes. Lucidin not only allows you to feel what other people feel, you can also control how their bodies work. It’s called influencing.”
“I’ve been diagnosing for a while, but I’ve never done that.”
Gabe leaned on his knees. “You have to will it to be. If you don’t have resolve behind it, then it won’t work. Likely you never had the right mindset. We’ll teach you. Very few people can do it. But I’m certain, after looking at the information Sabine forwarded, you will.”
“Is it just going to be you and me?” Raleigh hoped that Sigma was wrong, that the private army had been disbanded.
“No.” Gabe sat back, his eyes slipping to the side, resting for a second on Agatha. “Anyone in the ninety-sixth percentile for Lucidin receptors should be able to influence. Anyone over the seventy-sixth should be able to sense. We search the country for people in the former category.”
“Four percent of the population?”
“Not everyone with that level of receptors will be able to influence well. Some people will require more Lucidin to do so.” From the way he spoke, it was clear that he was adept at it. He just fell short of puffing up his chest like a proud bird.
“And you train them to be doctors?”
“The women, yes. They aren’t in Arizona. They have clinics in New York and Chicago. The women you’ll meet in Arizona are our scientists.”
Her heart sank. “What about the men?”
“We’ll be training with them in Arizona.”
“Shouldn’t I be going to Chicago or New York?”
Agatha interrupted. “No. It wouldn’t be as safe.”
“Safe?” Raleigh pretended to not know about the synthetic trade—an easy feat. She honestly couldn’t think of what could be more dangerous than an army of Collins and Gabes. “I know big cities can be intimidating....”
Gabe shook his head. “You’ll learn all about the relevant safety issues tonight.”
“Is this something I should be worried about? Sabine never mentioned anything. She said that I might not want to announce what I can do, but I was under the impression that was more to keep people from thinking I was crazy.”
Gabe crossed his arms. “The situation is complex. But you needn’t worry. I’m here to keep you safe.”
Raleigh wasn’t sure if he expected a thank you for that. “All right. I won’t worry.”
After that brief exchange on influencing, the conversation turned to mundane things like the weather and Raleigh’s family. Agatha closed her laptop and joined in. Besides Gabe’s militant posture, there was nothing off-putting about them. She tried to view the conversation as if she’d never met Rho. The scary thing was that without her preconceived notions she found herself liking Agatha. Grant and Able, on a whole, seemed friendly and organized, two things the Designed lacked. Soon enough they were on the ground and headed towards the facility.
In the limo, air-conditioning blasted across Raleigh’s arm, making the hairs stand on edge. Outside heat made its presence known in the scorched earth. Buildings here were a different style, and she couldn’t be sure if it was to accommodate the climate or cultural influence. Once they left the city the desert stretched out, an open scar on the landscape. After a while, the white stucco buildings from the brochure came into view like a mirage.
“This is home.” Gabe held open the car door for her and Agatha.
Raleigh stepped out of the car, shielding her eyes with her hand as the hot sun overhead beat down on her. “You live here, too?”
“Yes, in the dorms.” He motioned to a building to the left of the main one. “I live with the people I’m training.”
“But I won’t live there?”
Agatha signaled to the driver to bring in their bags and then led the procession into the building. “No. We have something special for you. This used to be a retreat.” The automatic doors parted for her and cold air rushed out as they went in. “It was for artists.”
With the technological advances taking place, Raleigh assumed the decor would be modern and sterile. Instead, a bison head hung over the entrance, rugs covered the walls, and potted cacti peeked out behind doorframes.
Agatha’s heels clacked on the tiles as she gave the tour. Gabe stayed back a few paces, but still within earshot. “This is the central building. The others you saw are the dorm, gym, and laboratory. This main building is where you’ll eat and spend your free time.”
As if on cue, the cafeteria came into view. With its round tables and a buffet skirting one wall, it wasn’t as homey as the entrance. What it left wanting for charm, it made up for in functionality, it was large enough to accommodate a crowd. Mexican spices filled the air, trays clattered, and open tables were few.
The two types of diners separated themselves accordingly. The first wore shirts with collars, slacks, and were generally older. They reminded Raleigh of the doctors in the hospital cafeteria, and she assumed they were the researchers. The second set was younger, male, and dressed in black. They sported the same haircut as Gabe. She didn’t need to be told that they were the Receps. They joshed around and spoke in the same boisterous way boys at her school had. It would be easy to mistake them for jocks, but that would be underestimating them. Influencing made them powerful, and the Lucid addiction made them unpredictable.
While Raleigh sized up the Receps, Agatha prattled on about the nutritional content of the food. Apparently, Grant and Able wasn’t only vested in the health of their patients but also their employees. “We have vegetarian and vegan options.” Agatha didn’t miss a beat. It was a well-rehearsed spiel.
A twosome in the corner caught Raleigh’s attention. They couldn’t have been any older than her, and they lacked the professionalism of the researchers and the uniformity of the Receps. Ironically, their normalness made them stand out. “Who are those two boys?”
“Dale and Quinn. They undergo extractions, like you.” Agatha kept walking, her steps leading away from the cafeteria to the next segment of the tour.
Raleigh stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes scanned their faces, Dale’s plump and Quinn’s spotted with acne along the chin. Not Designed, they must be naturals—a phenomena that she was supposed to have the monopoly on. “Like me? Sabine thought that I was one of a kind. I guess she was wrong. How many people are like me?”
“You are unique. Sabine was correct. There’s a special reason Dale and Quinn are able to produce enough Lucidin to need extraction. We’ll discuss it tonight. You’ll have plenty of time to meet them. They live next door to you. Let’s go there now.”
Raleigh remained staring at them. This is why Grant and Able had enough Lucid to hunt down Mu and Tau. Sigma had been right, they’d gotten it from somewhere. Agatha checked her watch and Raleigh turned, a mystery for another time.
Going unnoticed by the diners they headed out of the cafeteria and down a hall to the back doors. Outside tiny cottages dotted the pebble path. Flowers that weren’t deterred by the aridness released soothing fragrances.
“You have a pool.” Raleigh walked up to the edge of the kidney shaped pool, her reflection bouncing back to her.
Agatha stood alongside her. “The water helps thwart the heat. Do you swim?”
“No. It was always a bad idea with the blackouts. If I faint on dry land, I just have to worry about how I fall. In the water, I might drown. I ha
ven’t done it in years.”
“You’re past the blackouts. We’re going to help you the way Sabine did. I’ll make sure that we find you a suit.”
Raleigh stepped back from the poolside. Even without the blackouts, she had a distrust of water, one that wouldn’t be overcome in the presence of a suit. Agatha followed her lead, leaving the pool and continuing on.
“There are eight of these small homes.” Agatha handed her a key card with a large number 4 on it. “You’re in this one.”
Raleigh held the thin white card to the rectangle lock. After a faint chime, it opened. The inside contained a main room, kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom. Pretty standard, but even so it had personality. A cacti painting hung over the bed, its paint rising off the canvas in tiny peaks and a quilt covered the bed. Raleigh brushed her hand along the soft fabric, the uneven stitching and colors too imperfect to be commercial. The bedroom window overlooked the Arizona desert where barren hills layered the distance. No wonder artists were inspired here.
Agatha remained outside. “Gabe and I will let you get settled. I’d like you to join us for a formal sit-down dinner at the restaurant on the second floor at six. Unless that’s too early? Mister Able is a little older and would have us all eating at five if he could.”
“It sounds fine.” The small apartment instilled an illusion of freedom. In reality, she’d traded in her mother’s rules for Agatha and Gabe’s schedule.
With the door shut, Raleigh found herself alone. Wandering over to the window, she chewed on the corner of her fingernail. The campus had a few buildings, none of them an obvious place to capture Mu and Tau. It would be a difficult arrangement. Like Rho’s captors, they’d have to devise a way to keep the boys sedated enough not to influence. Tomorrow she’d start searching. She couldn’t risk it now, not if she wanted them to think she was there solely for treatment.
For the second time, Raleigh closed her eyes and tried to envision what this would be like if she hadn’t visited Belgium, met Rho, or learned all of G and A’s secrets. No doubt she would’ve been excited. This was a big change from home, and they were committed to helping patients. A passion she shared, and one that she couldn’t pursue if she was on the run with Rho.