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She shook her head. “I can’t promise you that, Cael.”

“But if you’re strong right from the start, they’ll realize blackmail doesn’t work with you, and they’ll eventually send me home.”

“Or kill you because you’re useless.”

“I don’t believe Jensen would do that.” She made a disbelieving face, and I tucked some hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about me, Iggy. Just take care of yourself. You —. ” She cut me off by standing on tiptoe and kissing me softly on the lips. Then she ducked under my arm and headed for the hall.

Chapter 17

Cael

I had just stepped out of the shower when the horn sounded twice, and I stopped towel drying my hair so I could listen.

“The following people are to follow the blue arrows to Dr. Jensen’s office: Brian Krenshaw, Cael Bellamy, and Shayla Moore.” While the message repeated, I hurriedly dressed in the dark green scrubs I’d been given last night. I was nervous, but I wanted more information, so I was more than willing to go see Jensen.

I stepped into the hallway to be greeted by flashing blue arrows. Brian had just passed my door. He looked back and stopped when he saw me. When I caught up to him, we continued side by side. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”

He shrugged. “Nope.”

As we passed the nursing station, several men in military uniform and women in scrubs looked up at us. Brian waved and said ‘good morning’, but none of them responded – not even so much as a slight smile. The few military policemen patrolling the hallways ignored us as well, save for a quick visual assessment.

The blue arrows from our hall continued past the nursing station and directly across the other side. We passed doors on the right marked ‘Lab 4’ all the way down to ‘Lab 1’. Doors on the left were labeled ‘Area 1’ and ‘Area 2’. At the very end of the hallway, on the opposite side of all the labs, was a door marked ‘Dr. Jensen’; the door was open.

I followed Brian inside. A girl wearing the same green scrubs as us was already seated on a brown sofa in a sitting area that took up the front half of the office.

“Have a seat near Shayla,” Dr. Jensen said from the back of the office where he sat behind a large, polished wood desk filled with computer screens and paperwork. Behind his desk were packed book shelves and filing cabinets topped with potted plants of all varieties. A series of short, wide windows ran across the top of the wall, secured by steel bars. The beige walls held copies of famous paintings.

I sat down in an overstuffed chair while Brian occupied the opposite end of the sofa. Shayla glanced at us before staring once again at the floor. She had curly brown hair and dark eyes, which contrasted with her pale skin. Her legs were crossed, and one foot wiggled back and forth as she chewed her nails.

We sat in silence until Dr. Jensen joined us several minutes later, sitting on the opposite side of the coffee table from Brian and Shayla. “First let me begin by commending the three of you on your bravery and fortitude. It’s not easy to cope with the idea that human beings can actually achieve the potential that has only ever been known to us through fictitious Hollywood movies. I remember when I first discovered the abilities of the students here; I was shocked and frightened. And many people would have run from the knowledge, or perhaps even labeled these students ‘freaks’. But you all are supportive and caring, and you’ve earned the trust of three very talented, special people.”

“Where’s Cody?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him.”

Jensen said, “I don’t know. He’s probably back with Iggy’s parents.”

“You didn’t take him, too?”

“No. I don’t need him.” He crossed his legs and looked at each of us. “I know you must be wondering why we’ve brought you here. After all, none of you came here of your own free will. I understand that the method in which you arrived would automatically put you on the defensive. That’s why I brought you in here this morning. I wanted to meet you personally and lay to rest any doubts you may have. I’m happy to answer any questions, and then I’d like to go over the rules of the facility – rules designed to keep everyone safe. Especially Ibram, Pippa, and Iggy.

“Keep in mind that all of the students here are scared and suspicious. By the very nature of what they can do, fear is a natural reaction. But we’ve designed this program to help each and every one of these young men and women learn what they are capable of. Help them understand how to control and use their gifts. We are here to support and guide them through this difficult journey. The three of you are here because Ibram, Pippa, and Iggy need all the help and encouragement we can give them.”

Shayla spoke first. “I want to go home.”

Dr. Jensen gave her a gentle smile. “And you can if you want to, Shayla. But the real question is: Do you really want to? You and Ibram have been engaged to be married for four months now. I assumed that you would want to be wherever he is. If he needs special care because he’s a gifted young man, don’t you want to remain here where you can help him? Some of the students’ tests are very tiring, both mentally and physically. You are the person Ibram trusts most in this world, and having you here to listen and provide comfort is vital to his wellbeing.” Jensen held up his hands in a gesture of giving up. “But if you like, you can walk out the door and be on your way home in less than an hour.”

“Can Ibram come with me?”

Jensen shook his head. “No. Ibram must come to terms with what he is capable of. He needs the training and support we offer. If he walks away now, he could hurt someone. Or worse.” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Shayla, you and I both know the depression and anger Ibram has struggled with because he doesn’t understand. He accidentally hurt both of his parents, and he’s scared of hurting you. We can help him achieve full control over his power, and then he will be able to return to his family and friends with confidence and self-acceptance.”

Brian scooted to the edge of his seat. “But your people are the ones who caused all this to begin with. That untested vaccine you gave to them has caused more problems than you can imagine.”

“And we will work the rest of our lives to help them in any way possible. We will never give up on them or abandon them, because we are the ones who started it all. However, what we injected in them was not a vaccine.”

“What was it then?” I asked.

Jensen looked at me and shook his head. “That’s something I’m prepared to discuss only with those who choose to stay. I can’t have any of you walking out of here with knowledge that could harm these students. I have to know you’re working with us and not against us.”

“So you’ll keep us informed about what’s going on?” Brian asked. “You won’t lie to me or use me to make Pippa do stuff she doesn’t want to do?”

“No, Brian. Although, honestly, we
will
ask Pippa to do things that may scare her so badly she doesn’t want to participate. But I want you to understand that that if Pippa doesn’t use her power here, and learn to control it in a safe environment, she might one day accidentally kill you. Or even herself. So it is for her benefit that we must push her to cooperate. But I can promise you that no harm will come to her here.”

“What about all the threats and bribes? What about the five grand you were going to pay to have Granger kidnap Iggy? What about all the things you’ve done in the past? Iggy told me about you.” Shayla and Brian looked back and forth between me and Jensen. “You could never get me to believe no harm will come to any of them.” I folded my arms across my chest and waited for the doctor's response.

“Yes, I was willing to pay to have Iggy brought here. I would have paid even more. Out there, with no help and no training, she's a danger to herself and everyone around her.”

I scoffed, “So she deserves to be tied to a chair and tortured into cooperating?”

Brian scowled. “Is that what this is all about? You're going to torture Pippa into cooperating?”

Jensen held up his hands in defense. “Absolutely not. No one is going to be tied up or tortured.”

Shayla said, “Ibram is already a prisoner. You kidnapped all of us.”

“To save them,” the doctor exclaimed. “Wasn't Ibram having horrible headaches? I can make them stop. And with you here, won't he be calmer and happier?” He sighed. “I'm not a monster, but I do have to make sure that we take responsibility for what we've done to these young men and women. We have to perform tests to figure out why Ibram has headaches and why Iggy has nose bleeds.”

“How often does she have them? Can you stop them?” I asked.

Jensen raised his eyebrows at me. “If you want answers to your questions, Cael, then you must stay and cooperate.”

I wanted to hit him. “Is she okay? Is she sick?”

Jensen shrugged. “That's what I need to find out, Cael. If she is sick, then we are the only ones who can help her. She is safer here than anywhere else in the world. And I swear I am not going to tie her up and force her to cooperate. No torture.”

Brian asked, “What about us? Are you going to use us as bargaining chips?”

Shayla folded her arms across her chest. “Where are the others? Why are there only three of us here for
support,
” she finger-quoted the word, “when there are many more students?”

“Because Iggy, Ibram, and Pippa don’t want to be here. I fear they will cause themselves harm trying to get away if you three aren’t here for them. The other students agreed to come here of their own accord.”

“Except Wesley.” I stared at Jensen, trying to judge just how good of a smooth talker he was.

He nodded. “True. But Iggy is Wesley’s only family. If she’s here, he won’t leave or try to harm himself. And I am confident that one day soon, Iggy, Wesley, Ibram, and Pippa will all realize we are on their side.”

Shayla leaned forward. “I was talking to Alex, and she said you’re paying her to be here. She said that each month, money will be put into her bank account. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s accurate. Every student is paid for their time and service to the government. Even you three will be compensated since you are essentially helping us. Shayla, I know you and Brian both had jobs, and your incomes helped support your families. If you agree to stay, money will be deposited each month into an account of your choosing. You can still help support your families, even though your job is one you would likely choose to take regardless of whether or not you were paid.” Jensen looked at me. “As for you, Cael, I know you don’t need the money, but –.”

“I don’t want your money.”

The doctor’s lips pressed into a thin line before he sat back and asked, “So will you be staying or not?” His gaze passed over each of us. “If you choose to stay, you must stay the entire time. If you choose to leave, you must say your good-byes within the hour.” He looked at Shayla for a response.

“I’m staying,” she announced.

Brian nodded. “Me too.”

Jensen looked at me with a stoic expression. “I think you know I’m not going anywhere.”

The doctor smiled brightly. “Excellent! Then let’s talk about the regulations, permissions, and schedules, shall we?”

Cael

When a clock on Dr. Jensen’s wall read 8:00 a.m., the announcement for breakfast was made. Brian, Shayla, and I followed green arrows to the dining hall and I spotted Iggy standing next to Wesley in line, and I instantly relaxed. She was searching over her shoulder, and when she spotted me, she smiled and mouthed ‘hi’. I returned her smile and joined the end of the line with Brian and Pippa.

There was a rainbow of scrubs in the cafeteria. Iggy, Pippa, and Shayla’s boyfriend Ibram wore green. Wesley, another blonde boy, and two girls wore purple scrubs. Four guys were in dark blue, and another two girls and one boy were wearing gray. Did the color of scrubs describe the escape risk level? Dr. Jensen had said Iggy, Ibram, and Pippa were the only three, other than Wesley, who didn’t want to be here. But then why wasn’t Wesley wearing green? Then I considered the colors had something to do with where their rooms were located since Pippa was one room up on the opposite side of me, and both Brian and Shayla’s rooms were beside mine. Then again, one of the guys in blue was in the room next to me, across from Pippa. Another blue scrubs guy I recognized had the room across the hall from me. So that theory didn’t seem valid. The only definitive connection I could make was that Brian, Shayla and I were wearing green that matched Iggy, Pippa, and Ibram. So maybe green was indicative of students with boyfriends or girlfriends in the facility.

But Iggy and I were not officially a couple. Jensen had assumed I meant as much to Iggy as Ibram did to Shayla. They had been engaged for four months. And Brian had mentioned he and Pippa had been living together for more than a year. Jensen didn’t seem to realize that I was the odd man out. Iggy wasn’t in love with me, and I didn’t have the sway over her that Jensen thought I had. Sure, Iggy and I had grown closer since Wesley had been taken. But now that the two of them were reunited, Wesley would be the one Iggy turned to for comfort. Not me. Jensen didn’t need me like he did Shayla and Brian.

Still, I would never confess this to Jensen because I wanted to stay. The thought of leaving Iggy was motivation to cooperate. Even if I wasn’t her boyfriend, I cared about her too much to leave. I would do whatever I could to help both her and Wesley.