Stray (15 page)

Kitty leans forwards, elbows on knees, head in one hand, phone in the other, as though absorbed in urgent text messaging. I get to my feet as Aiden appears behind her, his hair neatly combed, face clean-shaven, complexion bright, a nice-looking guy. Despite the tension of readiness that tingles through my shoulders and legs, my heart gives a squeeze at the sight of him. His expression adjusts from caution to exasperation as soon as he sees me.

“Hey,” I say, dry-mouthed.

He doesn’t reply, retaliatory silence.

“Half an hour.” The grey-haired counsellor leans in from the corridor. She hooks a clipboard on the wall inside the alcove and nods at the counter. “Help yourselves to coffee. I’ll be down the hall.” She pats Aiden on the back, a little prompt, and he steps towards us.

Deep in the signal mix, I comb for any hint of threat or hostility, but beyond the surface frustration in Aiden’s face, the bandwidth seems untroubled. I start forwards, moving between him and Kitty’s chair.

Aiden narrows his eyes, startling hazel at this proximity. “I thought I made myself clear.”

“I’m sorry,” I begin, struggling to gather my wits. “Miriam and I – we just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I haven’t changed my mind.”

I check the wide corridor but the counsellor has gone to an admin station, busy at the desk. “Aiden, just give me five minutes.” I put one hand on his shoulder and reach behind me with the other until I find Kitty’s. A small electric charge shoots up my arm, his signal meeting mine, amplifying the low buzz of the pins and needles in my spine. I brace for my body’s command to throw him back against the wall.

There is no command. No suggestion for attack or defence, just the hum of a familiar signal. The second ends as Aiden’s gaze slides past me and he finally realises it’s not Miriam in the chair. He jerks away, clutching his arm where I touched him. Kitty gasps, sitting bolt upright. He scrambles backwards but I block the way. There’s nowhere for him to run.

Kitty grips the arms of her chair as though flung back by an irresistible g-force.

“What have you done?” Aiden holds his hand out like he’s facing a loaded gun.

Poised on the balls of my feet, I wait for the shadow, the threat in the bandwidth, but there’s nothing. Only static clouded by the mayhem of my thundering pulse. “Tell me what you feel.”

Aiden’s eyes snap back and forth from Kitty to me. “Why would you do this?”

“Tell me what you’re feeling.” I’m terrified – terrified the counsellor will come up the corridor, that Aiden won’t listen, that he’ll cry out and run. “Tell me.”

He edges away till he’s backed into the corner behind the other chair, sweat beading his forehead. “I don’t know.
I don’t know
. What have you done?” His face contorts. “Goddamn it, Evie. If you’ve – if this makes me–”

A loud crack echoes in the alcove. Kitty suppresses a breathless squeal. Aiden and I look down. He’s broken the spine of the chair he’s gripping; it folds in beneath the upholstery. “Shit.” He releases his hold. “Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?”

Footsteps in the corridor.

“Please. Please don’t go. It’s safe. I’m sure of it. Just let me explain.”

His eyes move over my face, his brow furrowed. He shifts out of Kitty’s line of sight and mouths,
What if I hurt her?

The whole room spins. “You won’t; I won’t let you.”

“Is everything okay?” the counsellor asks behind me.

Aiden looks undecided.

With a strangled laugh, I gesture at the chair and rub my butt cheek. “I’m so sorry. I only sat in it, the back went and I fell. Aiden helped me up.”

She comes in, frowning at the crippled backrest. “You’re not hurt?”

“No.” I chuckle, half-choked, my eyes imploring Aiden to stay.

“Is there a problem?” The counsellor focuses on Aiden.

He shakes his head. “It just broke. I helped her.”

The counsellor studies his face a moment before taking the broken chair, clicking her tongue and leaving us to it. “There are more across the hall.”

Alone again, Kitty presses her clasped hands to her lips. Aiden stands paralysed and I hover between them. “It doesn’t feel the same, does it?”

He swallows thickly. “It’s no guarantee.”

We stare at each other like we’re both waiting to see what he’ll do.

Kitty rises behind me.

Aiden flinches.

“I’ll, um, get another chair,” she says.

He watches as she crosses the hall, his voice a low hiss. “
This is insane. I thought she was your friend. Why would you put her in danger? Why would she come here?
”

It’s like a prelude to the conversation I expect to have with Jamie, except Aiden’s not throttling me. “Look at her and tell me what you feel, in here.” I startle him by pressing my palm to his stomach but he pushes my hand away, his breathing shallow, as Kitty returns.

I take the seat from her and place it where the broken one had been. “Can we all sit down?”

Kitty slips into her seat, looking pale and uncertain.

Aiden pulls the chair further away. He sits with his eyes to the floor, his whole body rigid.

“You’re not going to do anything.” I take my seat. “It’s safe.”

“How do you know?” he says, almost a growl.

“I was Kitty’s Shield. I can sense danger and read your intent. Your signal’s clear, Aiden. You’re not going to hurt her.”

Gradually, he lifts his head. “My signal?”

“We don’t have time to go into it. Basically, you and I are genetically engineered to be the way we are. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

His face tracks through several expressions ranging from disgust to despair. “I don’t know what that means, but you cannot sit there and tell me–” His voice cuts out and the rest comes strangled, “It can’t be made right … what I did. And you just bring her here like it’s nothing.”

My insides squirm.

His face screws up. “Exposing her like this …”

“Evie didn’t make me come,” Kitty says, her voice uneven but determined. “I mean, she asked me but it was
my
choice. I’m sorry if this makes things bad for you.”

“
You’re
sorry? Why would
you
apologise to
me
? How can you stand being near me?”

I can’t deny he has a point. It’s jarring to have them both in the same room and not feel the need to do anything about it.

“Look.” She pulls her hat off and removes the bulky coat, trying to sound firm despite the warble in her voice. “I trust Evie and you should listen to her.”

He groans and covers his face.

“Give me your hand.” I reach out to Kitty and she takes it obediently. “Aiden.”

He peers through his fingers. “You’ll feel something?”

I nod.

He doesn’t move.

“I won’t let anything happen.”

Slowly he brings his hand up and takes mine.

The gentle ignition comes. “Can you feel that?”

Aiden nods, a worried flick of his gaze to Kitty’s face.

“I don’t feel anything,” Kitty says. “Is that good or bad?”

“Sparks aren’t sensitive … Listen, don’t freak out, but can you take Aiden’s other hand?”

Both their heads swivel towards me in slow motion. Aiden tugs to pull away but I tighten my grip. “Please, I’m trying to figure this out. It doesn’t feel bad.”

“This is important,” Kitty says, like she’s convincing herself. “I know you’re scared, but–”

“Why aren’t you?” he demands, shaking his head.

“I am, but like I said, I trust Evie.” She lifts her chin and presses her trembling hand flat on the coffee table before him. “Can we manage fingertips? Evie will keep watch.”

Aiden looks like he might pass out. Finally he lays his hand on the coffee table, inching it forwards until the tips of his fingers touch hers. I hear the deep pull of his breath but nothing changes. The signal remains steady. Kitty searches my face, Aiden too. A hesitant smile tugs at my lips. “How do you feel?”

“Okay.” He frowns like he’s listening for a distant sound. “I feel normal. I mean, I can feel you, Evie, like a buzz, but that’s it.”

Kitty gives a clipped nod and sits back, squeezing her hands between her knees. “Good. That’s decided then.”

Alarmed, Aiden crosses his arms, jamming both of his hands beneath his armpits. “What’s decided?”

“You have to run,” she says.

“
What?
”

I sit forwards. “The group I was telling you about, the ones who want to help me and get rid of you, they’re coming for me in two weeks, which means you’ll likely be dead in two and a half … or less, depending on how quickly they can dredge my memories.”

He widens his eyes.

“I believe we can prove you’ve deactivated. We know a geneticist. He helped us identify you when you were a Stray. If I can get him new samples of your DNA, he can provide the hard evidence. They’ll
have
to listen. But it’s not a quick process – it took a few weeks last time – and we can’t risk waiting. We need to get you out of here and into hiding.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Kitty thrusts her head forwards. “Are you paying attention? They’ll
kill
you.”

Struggling under her intent gaze, he turns to me. “I understand what you’re trying to do here. But just because we’re … related … I mean – you don’t owe me
anything
. I deserve what’s coming to me, Evangeline.” He squints at Kitty like it hurts to look at her. “I’m sorry, but you can’t minimise what I did. If your brother hadn’t shot me ...” His voice peters out and he lowers his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to stop, no matter how much I wanted to.”

She draws herself up in her chair. “Haven’t we just established you aren’t that person any more?”

I can’t take my eyes off her, clenched jaw, nostrils flaring. Was she always this strong?

“If anyone gets a say,” Kitty says, “
surely
it’s me.”

Aiden turns his head away.

I keep my mouth shut.

“You don’t deserve to lose your life for something you had no control over,” she says. “For one thing, it’s not bloody fair and for another, you’re Evie’s brother. Her
twin
brother. And that might not mean much to you, but I can tell you for a fact it means a lot to her and it means a lot to your mother who’s spent her whole life trying to keep you safe and, okay, it turned out to be a bit shit for everyone, but you’ve actually got an opportunity to change things.”

An agonised groan rises from Aiden’s bent form and his voice comes muffled. “How?”

Kitty gives me a frantic look.

I try for a gentle, reassuring tone. “I’m going to abduct you.”

His head snaps up. “Right. You’ll just carry me out?”

“Yes.”

“She’s very strong,” Kitty explains then turns pink under Aiden’s uncomprehending gaze.

I stumble through an explanation of my plan. Bust him out late at night. Fretizine to look legit. The forest. Kitty’s car. A motel for quick recovery. Get him on the road. Get the sample to Doctor Sullivan. The beach house. The jeep. The need for him to keep moving until his results are confirmed. The likelihood that I’ll be in the custody of the Affinity Project. The letter Doctor Sullivan will post to the beach house in two weeks. If it’s clear, he can choose to wait or run.

“That. Is. Insane.”

I open my hands. “Better than dead.”

He rubs his face. “What about the police?”

“You have to fight me. Make it look like I took you against your will. That’s what the Fretizine’s for. If they catch me before – the others – I take the blame. The others will come for me anyway.”

He lurches to his feet.

Kitty startles then tries to cover it by acting like she was just shifting position.

Aiden pretends not to notice and paces in front of the sliding door. “You could get hurt.”

“You’ll die if we do nothing. Now, where do you sleep?”

He glowers at me but I can tell he’s beginning to consider it. Reluctant, still arguing, he tells me where the dorms are and a map formulates in my mind. Patients can lock their rooms if they wish, though guards have the master key. He’s heard there’re minimal night patrols, but it’s his first day in the new wing and he doesn’t know for sure. There are cameras in the corridors, but I was expecting that anyway.

Footsteps bring us to silence and Kitty and I get up. The counsellor appears in the entrance to the alcove and retrieves her clipboard from the wall. “Say your goodbyes. I’ll wait at the desk.”

When she’s gone, I whisper to Aiden, “I’ll signal you when I’m coming.”

“I still don’t know what that means.”

I reach into the bandwidth, touching my signal to his.

His mouth forms a small “o”. “How do you do that?”

“Practice.”

He gives me a long hard look. “Jamie doesn’t know you’re here, does he?”

Neither Kitty nor I answer.

“It’s not worth it. It’s just going to make things worse for everyone.” He gestures at Kitty. “What about your folks?”

“That’s not your problem,” Kitty says. “I’m not a child. I know what I’m doing and I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Their eyes stay riveted on each other, an intense moment stretching out, unspoken and heavy things seeming to shift at a subterranean level, opposing tectonic plates finding a new alignment.

I clear my throat.

Kitty blushes.

Aiden ducks his head.

Kitty looks frozen solid so I take her by the arm and move her out of the alcove, lifting my voice for the sake of the counsellor. “Good luck with your hearing, Aiden. We’ll be there.” I surprise him with an embrace, patting him briskly on the back to cover my awkwardness. I release him abruptly and turn to shepherd Kitty down the corridor. “Walk.”

We barely exit the foyer before she starts. “You can’t do this by yourself. I’m staying.”

Stepping out into the blast of frosty air doesn’t help clear my head. My whole body trembles in the aftermath of Aiden giving in. It’s happening. We’re doing this. I’m about to become a felon. “No. You’re not.”

“Yes. I am.” She stalks beside me. “It’s my car. You’ll have your hands full dealing with Aiden. I can be the driver.”

“That is not going to happen.” I check the time on my phone and twinge inside at the Instagram photo of Jamie and me smooshed together that I saved as wallpaper. My nose screwed up as he plants a kiss on my cheek. He took the shot. There’s hundreds more; I should delete them all but I know I won’t. It’s three-thirty. Miriam won’t expect me home till five now that I can’t carpool with the Gallaghers and I’m supposed to be catching the bus. That gives me at least a couple of hours before I can expect her first “Where are you?” text message.