Defective (The Institute Series Book 3) (3 page)

“But not your mother?” she asks. I don’t answer her. “What even happened between you two? It’s been a while, can you even remember what you’re fighting about?”

“I do remember.”
That’s the problem. I still remember Chad, and she could’ve helped me fix that. All she had to do was use her ability, erase him from my memory.

“Fine. We don’t have to talk about her,” Ebb concedes after quite a lengthy silence. “But you
do
have to start moving on, start dating.”

“Hey! Of the two of us, who is the one who got proposed to last night?” I say, hoping that my near engagement will be enough to keep her off my back about this whole dating thing for awhile.

“Paxton proposed?” She screws up her face. “I don’t see a ring, so I’m assuming I don’t have to kick your arse for saying yes?”

“I didn’t say yes.”

A look of relief crosses her face.

“Although, the more I think about it, the less crazy it sounds.”

“No, it’s just plain crazy. Tell me you’re not seriously considering marrying Paxton?”

I smirk. “I’m not. I just wanted to see your face looking like that.” I raise my palm, gesturing to her freaked out expression.

“Damn. I was looking forward to delivering you a swift arse kicking,” she smiles, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“So,” she says changing the subject, “dating then?”

“You’re one to talk. You’re not dating. You haven’t had a steady boyfriend since Hall.”

Ebb broke up with Hall not long after we were freed. She’s admitted she was only ever interested in him because he was a piece of home. Once she was able to go back to Eminent Falls, she didn’t need him anymore. Ebb and her mum moved to the city soon after she returned home, though. Small towns like Eminent Falls aren’t the most welcoming to our kind – even for people like Ebb who grew up there.

“That’s by choice, and at least I’m putting myself out there. I’m not saying you have to get a boyfriend – just have some fun.”

“Ugh. Dating is
not
fun. Granted I don’t have much experience in that department, but getting tongue-tied, trying to keep your heart from leaping out of your chest, getting so nervous you can’t even think straight? Really not my definition of fun.”

“That’s the best part!”

“You’re weird,” I say, cracking a smile.

“You are,” she replies, matching my smile.

It feels good to be normal with someone for once. Ebb’s words may hurt when she steps over the line – which happens more often than not – but at least I can rely on her to always be herself around me.

“Got plans for this afternoon?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction.

“I’ve got a few assignments due soon, I was thinking I should, you know, start them.”

“Start them?”

“So I’m a bit behind, I’ll make it up,” she says.

It annoys me how Ebb can leave everything to the last minute, get the assignment done, and ace it. I find myself studying any spare chance I get, and I’m still struggling to get anything higher than a pass.

“Want to come over, and I can help you?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t see through my charade.

“Now, if I were to do that, just who would end up helping whom?” She smiles.

“Okay fine. I’ll admit it. I need help. Will you come?”

“Sure. But you know, I don’t even know why you’re bothering with this course.”

I raise my eyebrows at her.

“What I mean is, you’re studying something you don’t even like,” she clarifies.

“I like it,” I say noncommittally.

“You
hate
working at the clinic,” she states. I want to dispute her, but we both know neither of us would believe me. I do hate it there, but it’s something I have to do.

“What is this? ‘Pick on Allira’s life choices’ day?”

“Yes. And before you ask, it will be the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Until you do something about it… or until I get bored of ripping on you.”

I sigh. I think I’ll be dating again before Ebb gets bored of lecturing me. My stomach churns at the thought.
Dating? Really?
Ugh.

***

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” I ask Paxton when I get home. He and Nuka are sitting at the dining table eating lunch.

“Sure. What’s up?” One look at my face and he knows this needs to be a private discussion. “Uh, in your room?”

“I think that would be best,” I say with a smile, trying not to alarm Nuka. We try to hide as much of the ugliness as we can from her – she’s only six… no, almost seven, as she reminds me constantly.

“You keep eating, sweetheart,” Paxton says to Nuka, excusing himself from the table.

We walk to my bedroom, and I close the door behind us. “It’s nothing alarming or crazy or anything,” I start. I notice Paxton let out a breath he must’ve been holding in. “I’m just wondering if there’s been any developments regarding… Brookfield?” I struggle to say his name.

“Brookfield?” Paxton asks, taken aback. “I haven’t heard that name for a long time.”

For the first few months after Brookfield escaped, there were reported sightings of him almost daily. None of the tips seemed to check out. After the buzz and media died down, so did the anonymous tips and alleged sightings. He hasn’t shown his face once, has never made a move to try to kill me again, and everyone believes he’s dead or in a remote location, hiding. I don’t know what to believe. I hope that if he’s still out there, he has no desire to come looking for me to finish what he started, but it’s Brookfield. I don’t know if giving up is really his thing. Then again, it has been a year and a half, maybe he really is dead? I like that thought a little more than I should.

“What makes you ask?” Paxton inquires.

“Just that feeling again,” I say. “I know it’s probably nothing. I’m just being paranoid. I was just wondering if you’d heard something.”

“The being watched feeling again?” he asks, and I nod. “I can tell you with almost certainty it wouldn’t be Brookfield.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know, okay?”

“What, did you kill him or something?” I joke.

“You know me – I don’t like getting my hands dirty. I hired someone to do it.”

I stare at him blankly. The words came out so naturally and breezy, I can’t tell if he’s joking or not, but then he smiles.

“I haven’t heard anything about him, but maybe it’s not nothing,” he says. “You want me to leave a few extra bodyguards here this weekend while I’m away?” he asks.

“No, no. I’m sure it’s nothing. You’ll need them more than me.”

“It’s really no trouble,” he insists.

“No. It’s okay,” I emphasise with a smile to let him know it really is okay. “I’d just feel a lot better if we knew where he was. I’m sure I’m just reading into it, like always. It was probably some stupid journalist wanting to know about our relationship.”

“There was a journalist? You didn’t say anything, did you?”

I sigh. “I didn’t say there was definitely a journalist. I said that there was probably one, and that’s why I thought someone was watching me. Calm down – geez, you’d think I haven’t been in a fake relationship with you for a little over six months now.”

“And what would you say to a journalist if they did approach you and ask about me?” he says in a teasing yet condescending manner. Part of me thinks he’s actually quizzing me, making sure I still know the one and only rule about ‘dating’ him.

“No comment,” I say slowly with an almost sarcastic tone.

“Good girl,” he says stepping forward and giving me a kiss on my forehead. I roll my eyes, and he exits my bedroom.

Grabbing a change of clothes, I head for my bathroom and have a shower before Ebb comes over to study. That way I can just go straight to bed when we’re done.

I avoid going into the living room after my shower to save intruding on Paxton and Nuka. I sometimes feel guilty when I impose on their time together. Being away a lot, he doesn’t exactly get a lot of time to see her. He sometimes takes her with him, like if it’s a really long stint, but mostly she’s being raised by her nanny.

I get a jumpstart on studying and before I know it, it’s night time and Ebb still hasn’t turned up yet. Paxton knocks at my door. “Hey, Ebbodine called. She wants to study at the café instead of here. I told her I’ll drop you off if she could bring you home. Are you ready to go? I’ve given Linds the night off so we’ll need to take Nuka with us, and I’ll need to get her back before her bedtime or she’ll never go to sleep.”

I look down at my grey sweatpants and black singlet top before shrugging. “I guess so. It’s not like I’m out to impress anyone,” I say before grabbing my books off the bed and my backpack from the corner of my room to head out. I grab my hoodie from the couch so I can cover up my mark while I’m out. It’s in dire need of a wash, but I can’t be bothered finding something else.

Arriving at the café, I sit down at the same table I was at just a few hours earlier. Ebb hasn’t arrived yet. Reaching into my bag, I start getting my books out when I sense someone standing over me. I lift my head to see some random guy with black hair, wearing red skinny jeans and white polo shirt, looking down at me with a weird smile on his face.

“Are you Allira?” he asks.

“That depends,” I respond, wary of what this guy wants. “What newspaper are you from?”

“Huh?”

“I’m assuming you’re a journalist?”

“No, not a journalist,” he says, shaking his head. “Ebbodine didn’t tell you I was coming, did she?”

I raise my eyebrow. “No. Who are you?”

He smiles, taking the seat opposite me. “I’m Dex. I’m your date.”

Chapter Three

“I could kill her,” I mutter, hanging my head.

“Sorry. I thought this was a mutual set up. I didn’t know she was keeping me as a surprise,” Dex says. “I can go if you’d like?” He starts to get up out of his seat.

“No, that’s okay. I’m just caught a little off guard. I wasn’t expecting… I mean… I’m not exactly dressed for a date,” I say looking down at my raggedy, dirty clothes. He sits back down, and I almost kick myself for saying it’s okay. I should just send him away.

Dex shrugs. “I think you look cute. Fashion sense isn’t exactly on my list of criteria for a date. In fact, clothes aren’t even needed at all.”

I’d blush if I wasn’t so stunned by his innuendo. “What?” Did I hear him correctly?

He gives a half smile. “I just mean, what you’re wearing isn’t a factor to me. You could probably wear garbage and still look adorable.”

This time, I do blush. He’s confident and suave, and I guess he’s not too unattractive. His teeth are straight – that’s something. And if going on this date means I’ll get Ebb off my back for a while, I think I can endure a few hours with this guy.

“So, dinner?” I ask him.

“Sure,” he replies, grabbing the menu off the table to have a look, stealing the occasional glance at me with a smile.

While Dex goes into the café and orders our food, I repeatedly tell myself to resist the urge to flee while he’s not looking.

Dex comes back and takes his seat opposite me. We hold each other’s gaze for a moment before he looks down at his hand, playing with his napkin.

“So why did you think I was a journalist? Are you famous or something?”

I let out an involuntary huff noise. “Hardly. It’s just that I’m roommates with someone who is.”

“Who?” his eyes light up like a star-struck groupie.

“Paxton James,” I reply.

He tilts his head to the side, confusion marring his face. “Who?” he asks again.

“I’m guessing you don’t follow politics?”

“Nah. Not really.”

“Fair enough,” I say, trying to hide my disapproval.

I don’t understand those who don’t care about politics, about the people who are leading our country. Maybe it’s because of what the previous governments have done to us, or because I live with a politician, but I take pride in the fact that I get to say who I want running our country.

“You seem disappointed at that.”

“No,” I say quickly. “Everyone has a right to their opinion.”

“It’s not that I don’t like politics, I just don’t think my say would really have any impact. I rarely even tick a box – any box – when I vote. I don’t see the point.”

“Do you not care at all about who make choices for us as a country? You’d rather throw your vote away and then complain when someone you don’t like gets in?”

“It doesn’t matter who gets in, they’re all the same to me. My life doesn’t change either way,” he says with a casual shrug.

I tell myself to bite my tongue. “That must be nice,” I mutter hastily.
So much for biting my tongue.

Campbell comes out and puts our food on our table. “Still here, Allira?” she asks, a smile on her face.

I smile back. “Nah. I went home, but what can I say, I just can’t stay away from this place.”

“It seems that neither can I,” she jokes before eyeing off Dex in an almost confused manner – like she’s thinking,
‘Allira, with a date? It must be the end of the world!’
“Can I get you guys anything else?”

“Nah. We’re all good, thanks,” Dex says with a flirtatious smile. Campbell walks back in, and I can’t help but notice Dex’s eyes follow her, scanning her body up and down. I know I should be annoyed, but I’m not. He looks back at me and sees that I was watching him, but doesn’t comment – just starts digging into his food.

I shrug and follow suit.

“So. Guy roommate?” he asks with a mouth full of pasta.

“Yup,” I answer between bites.

“That’s… unusual?” he says, his voice heavy with meaning.

My brow furrows. “I’m surprised Ebbodine hasn’t filled you in on that situation.”

“Situation?”

“Just how well do you know Ebb?” I ask, changing the subject from mine and Paxton’s unconventional relationship.

“Not very well. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious.”

“I work at the hospital – the real one. Not that pissy excuse of a clinic she works at. I’ve seen her around when she’s had to do her practical assessments.”

I almost choke on my food. “I’m guessing she didn’t tell you what I do for a living.”

“No. Why?”

“My Aunt is the founder of that ‘pissy excuse’ of a clinic. I’m doing the same course as Ebb, she’s just more advanced than me. I haven’t started my prac-work yet.”

“Oh,” he says, and that’s it. Just ‘Oh’. No apology, nothing. This date is going about as well as I expected it to.

“I just don’t know how you do it,” he finally says.

“Do what?”

“Work with all those Defective people,” he says, screwing up his face. I shove more food in my mouth just hoping that I can contain myself. “I mean, I know Ebbodine’s Defective, and she seems normal, but I’m guessing not all of them are like her. It would be a hard job to deal with.”

“It’s really not hard at all,” I state confidently.

He looks up at me from his plate. “Ah crap. You’re Defective too, aren’t you?”

My silence is answer enough.

“I’m sorry,” he says. I’m a little surprised by his apology after him not giving one earlier. “I’m just nervous. I ramble crap when I’m nervous. I’m really not good at this blind dating stuff. I think I’m going to need my foot surgically removed from my mouth by the end of tonight.”

“Well I am training to be a medic. I could probably help with that.” I give him a smile even though I don’t believe he deserves one. He’s lucky he doesn’t need my foot surgically removed from his arse.

While we finish up our dinner, I try really hard to come up with an excuse to leave right away. I should be able to come up with a good lie, I was a double agent not that long ago! But my brain has obviously turned to mush since then because when Dex offers to walk me home, I accept.

We casually stroll the few blocks to my apartment with awkward chit-chatter about things we like and don’t like. The farther we get, the more apparent it becomes that we have absolutely nothing in common. He likes sport, I don’t – although, he doesn’t exactly look like the sporty kind. I loved it when we had our own farm and I got to work on it, he has never been outside of the city – he doesn’t even know what a real cow looks like. I try to talk about the hospital under the impression we have similar jobs, but it turns out he works in the laundry room of the hospital, not in the medicine side of things.

I sense him trying to move closer to me with each step, and I find myself stepping further away. If he keeps it up, I’m going to be walking up against the buildings soon. His fingers brush against mine for a second, and I fight my instincts to pull away – that would just make it more awkward, right? Two of his fingers intertwine with my ring and pinkie fingers, and I can’t help but hang my head, look at the ground, and refuse to lift my eyes to his.

We reach the entrance to my apartment building, and I almost want to keep walking around with him, just to put off the awkward goodbye that I know is coming.

“This is me,” I say, forcing myself to stop outside my door.

Dex lets go of my hand and looks down at his feet. “Well, thanks for not bailing on me,” he says, bringing his eyes up to meet mine. “When I realised you weren’t told you were going on a date, I thought you were going to blow me off.”

I half smile. “To be honest, the thought did cross my mind.”

He matches my smile and takes a step forward, his hands finding my hips. I suck in a breath as he brings his lips next to my ear. “So are you glad you stayed?” he whispers.

How can I say no? I really want to, but this whole dating thing is new to me. Surely he doesn’t think this date has gone well, does he? Before I have a chance to respond, his lips are on mine, his tongue trying to assault my mouth. He pulls me closer to him so my body is up against his. I don’t know why I’m letting this happen. Maybe a part of me is curious to find out if I can feel anything again, for anyone. I don’t, other than the overwhelming urge to wash my mouth out with detergent.

‘I’ve never been with a Defective before. This is going to be so good,’
I hear him think.

Shit, Tate must be near and I’m borrowing his ability subconsciously.

I pull away from Dex with a strong desire to punch him. I’m glad that when I take a step away from him, Tate’s standing by the door. He doesn’t look as pleased to see me though.

“Uh, hi Tate,” I stumble for words.

“Who’s this guy?” Dex asks in a possessive tone he has no right to use.

Please help me,
I ask Tate telepathically.

“I’m her ex,” Tate says to Dex before turning to me. “I came to tell you… that… I’m still in love with you, and I want you back.” He says it with so little meaning behind it, I expect Dex to see right through it.

“Well that’s not going to happen,” Dex says. Okay, I was wrong. But
really?
He goes on one date with me and thinks he can say stuff like that?

“Actually,” I say, stepping in front of Dex, closer to Tate. “That’s exactly what’s going to happen.” I start walking towards Tate, pretending like I’m in some sort of hypnotic love trance. Tate puts his arm around me as I turn to face Dex. “I’m sorry Dex, but I never really got over my ex. Ebbodine keeps trying to force me to move on, but I just can’t.”
Not a complete lie.

‘You’re so telling me how Ebb talked you into this when we get upstairs,’
I hear Tate think.

Dex shakes his head and begins to walk off. “Whatever.
Defectives pfft
,” he mutters.

Tate keeps his arm around me until we see Dex round the corner. I let out a sigh of relief as he pulls away and goes to open the door. “Shall we?” he asks with a smile on his face.

“Thank you,” I say to him as I walk into the lobby. “I’m so going to kill Ebb tomorrow.”

“I still can’t believe she convinced you to go on a date. Although, I have to say, it’s about time.”

I ignore his second remark, because I don’t want to get into that again – with him, or Ebbodine. “She didn’t even convince me. She ambushed me. We were meant to be meeting up to study, and
he
turned up instead.”

“Ah. So that explains why you look like a hobo,” Tate says, pressing the button for the elevator. “I thought you were trying your hardest to turn him off.” I look over to him to see him grinning from ear to ear. “Lucky you didn’t dress up. He might have tried to eat the rest of your face.” He’s laughing now.

“Yeah, well, he was only interested in one thing.”

“That was pretty obvious from the thoughts he had while kissing you. What a dick.”

The elevator dings and we get on. “So what are you doing here anyway? Are you in love with Paxton or something? You don’t see him enough with all this campaigning? Should I be telling Shilah to watch out?”

“And if I was? You going to fight me for him?” he jokes back.

“He’s not mine to fight for!” I exclaim.

“I’m here because Paxton is flipping out over these upcoming appearances. I’ve come to talk some sense into him. And we’ll see about you and Paxton. I still think it’ll happen between you two.”

“You don’t really think we’ll end up together, do you?”

Before he can answer, the elevator reaches our floor, and we enter to find Paxton in the living room, still wearing his suit and tie, minus his jacket. He’s sprawled out on the couch watching the TV.

‘You deserve to be happy,’
Tate tells me so Paxton can’t hear.

Well how can I resist that?
I reply, gesturing to Paxton, slobbed out on the couch.

We both laugh, and before I can think better of it, I lean over and give him a hug. “Thank you for rescuing me. I’m going to go wash my mouth out now – twice.”

Paxton sits up. “What did he rescue you from, and why do you need to wash your mouth out?” he asks. I didn’t even realise he could hear me.

“Bad date,” I say, not caring to elaborate.

“You went on a date?” Paxton asks, standing.

“It was Ebb’s idea,” I reply.

“I don’t care whose idea it was! You can’t do stuff like that, Allira. What if a reporter saw you? We need to show stability, remember?”

“Paxton,” I say slowly, “I know you’re stressed right now, so I know this outburst isn’t all about the fact that I went on a date, but you’re out of line. We aren’t actually together. We’ve never gone public to say that we are, and you can’t hold me to what the media thinks is going on between us.”

“That’s not the point. They think we’re together, and the last thing I need is a scandal in my campaign. It’s already scandalous enough that we’re a Defective party. Our struggles are already big enough without adding fuel to the fire.” He pauses to take a breath. “Just please promise me you won’t date anyone. At least until the campaign is over,” he says a little calmer.