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First thing Monday morning, Jensen made a long speech about how to conduct ourselves, and he assured us that further lock downs were assured if punching and hitting became a regular occurrence. What struck me as interesting was that only ‘punching’ or ‘hitting’ was prohibited. So far, use of power had never been mentioned as off limits. I wondered if Alex would pick up on that and make sure to use her power instead, next time. If so, Iggy would use hers as well, and I had no idea what that might mean for all of us, because Wesley and I wouldn't just sit around and let it happen. Neither would Gavin, Brodie, or Ibram. Pippa too. It would be a disaster. Controlling water didn’t seem as though it could be harmful, but then, Pippa could dehydrate a human body in just a few minutes. That was different than Iggy because Pippa’s control was not over the water, but the cells that contained the water. And that was the key. Every single student controlled biological functions, but nothing was alive in chlorinated water. So Iggy’s ability must also include inorganic control. Did other students have inorganic control and just not be aware of it? I couldn’t begin to imagine how any of this was even possible, especially when Jensen refused to tell me about the injection he'd given them, but I would continue to read and study every day to figure out as much as I could.

Before breakfast, Iggy and Alex were called to Labs 1 and 2, and I couldn’t help but worry. Other students were sent to various places, but I forced my attention to defining some of the scientific terminology I didn’t understand in Iggy’s files. It kept me busy, but as soon as breakfast was announced and my lock popped, I was out the door.

When Iggy spotted me from her doorway, her face lit up, and I wondered if she looked at me that way because she loved me. As I held her tightly, I reveled in the sense of peace and rightness that holding her brought. Each time I saw her, I wanted more of her. More touching. More talking. More kissing. More time. A day and half without her had felt like forever. And when I pushed her back into her room and closed the door, she didn’t object.

My hands slid up under her shirt at the same time my tongue delved into her mouth. Her skin was warm and silky, and all I wanted was to explore every place on her body...to know her better than anyone else in the world. Inside and out. And then she shoved my shirt up, and her fingers kneaded into my skin as she kissed me greedily back. I threaded my fingers into her hair and gently pulled her head back to expose her throat. And when I kissed my way up her neck to the sensitive area just behind her ear, her small sound of pleasure drove me crazy. I flicked my tongue across her earlobe and she pressed her hands into my back, sliding her fingers beneath the waistband of my pants.

A loud knock interrupted us, and we jumped apart just before Wesley pushed the door wide open. I wished the damn thing would lock! We were both breathing heavily, and he looked away from Iggy’s flushed face and swollen lips to lock his eyes on me. He stopped grinding his teeth long enough to state, “I need to talk to Iggy before breakfast.”

I wasn’t happy about his timing, but I understood they'd known each other a long time. They had a unique relationship. Still, I gave Iggy a slow, lingering kiss before leaving.

I was sitting with Pippa, Brian, Ibram, and Shayla when Iggy and Wes walked into the cafeteria. I caught Alex’s jealous expression a second before she masked it. That girl was not going to accept Wes's friendship with Iggy, and there was always going to be a dangerous tension between the two girls.

When Iggy at down with us, our friends asked about her fight with Alex. To my surprise, Iggy joked around about it. Then she apologized to them for causing them to be sequestered for the remainder of the weekend. They all laughed about it and made her feel at ease, and I realized that Iggy was naturally likeable. Everyone teased her and she even made fun of herself before teasing them back. Then her hand found my thigh beneath the table. She scratched patterns lightly with her nails while daintily cutting her waffle. It drove me crazy as she reached higher and higher, until I had to still her hand by squeezing it in mine. I looked at her, hoping she would see the silent frustration her actions were causing me. She gave me a sweet smile and pulled her hand away to bite into an apple.

A few minutes later, a sudden movement across the dining room caught my attention. Alex had left her tray on the table and was striding out of the room, looking mad as hell. Wesley rested his forehead in the hand of the arm he had propped on the table and shuffled his eggs around. He chatted with Jax and Aaliyah for a minute before heading out of the cafeteria. I looked at Iggy, but her eyes were on Pippa and Shayla who were having a discussion about a couple of action movie stars.

Soon after that, several announcements called students to various places. Iggy had to go. A walk around the halls revealed the rec center was open. It was the perfect place to think, and I went for a long run.

Cael

There seemed to be a push to get a lot of testing done. Everyone was involved in a multitude of activities each day, and I didn’t get to see Iggy very much. I worried about her. Sometimes she seemed fine, but other times she'd come back from a test looking really tired or angry. She didn’t want me asking Jensen about what had happened to her during the three missing days of her memory, nor did she want me to bring up the strange way she’d acted. We knew Jensen was aware of everything that had been happening, and she’d expected him to interrogate her about it. But as the weeks passed, it seemed as though he was going to let things go. It surprised her, but she was content to pretend that he'd missed it, so I kept my mouth shut and my nose to the books.

Word got around that the next couple of weeks were going to be really busy because the Christmas holiday was approaching. Staff and students were getting a full week off, and that week had to be made up prior to the holiday. Everyone seemed tired, and meals in the dining hall became quieter.

Iggy was still convinced every nice deed was a trick played by Jensen for a purpose we weren’t aware of. Even when ballots were passed around so we could vote for what we wanted for Christmas dinner, Iggy wouldn’t relax about it. I asked about the types of tests she was participating in, and she told me they were different than in Atlanta. Their goal seemed to be to make her faster at affecting animals and having control over more and more in a single instant. Even though they weren’t asking her to hurt anyone or anything, she was still nervous every time her name was called over the intercom.

Both Wesley and I reminded Iggy to keep her power low and to stay away from water except in the shower. She confessed that she missed doing her water tricks because it made her feel good, and I wasn’t certain that she didn’t practice when bathing. She made it sound like using her power with water was the equivalent of getting high.

I asked Wesley’s opinion at one point, but all he did was glare at me and say Iggy wasn’t visiting or talking to him very much anymore. After learning that, I understood why he was becoming quieter and angrier looking with each day that passed. He and Iggy didn’t have a romantic relationship, but I knew Wesley wanted it. He wouldn’t pursue that kind of relationship with her, though, because he believed he’d only hurt her. But even Mr. Stone Mountain himself couldn’t consistently hide his feelings. The more withdrawn Iggy was from him, the less he wanted to be around everyone else. Especially me. I saw the way he watched her when he thought no one was looking. Iggy herself didn’t even know. And while I cared about and respected Wesley, and I knew what his intentions were, I felt more and more possessive of Iggy around him. And it wasn’t just Wesley that was drawn to Iggy. The more people spent time with her, the more they liked her. Except for Alex and Gavin, Iggy talked with everyone. She had a sense of humor that fed off other people’s comments about themselves, yet she always managed to make them feel good. In fact, she usually followed up her teasing with some kind of compliment. She had something positive to say about everyone. Devon, who thought he was God’s gift to women, tried to impress her. And Brodie worked at spending every spare moment with her. I might have been jealous except Iggy’s eyes sought mine so much when we were in the same room, and she always touched me in some way. It was sometimes as simple as a brush of her hand against mine or the rub of her thigh as she sat beside me. Other times, she twined her fingers through mine, or she pressed herself to my side so that my arm came around her shoulders. And if she wasn’t touching me, I had to touch her, which elicited a smile or a look of longing. I wanted so much to hear her say she loved me, but the words never came. And I didn't want to pressure her. After all, we’d only known each other as adults for a couple of months.

On the last day before the Christmas break, we were all wound tight. No one said a word when we were called to the Arena. Everyone looked pissed, and Iggy clutched my hand almost to the point of cutting off circulation to my fingers. She stared at the doctor, and hate was practically a physical force emanating from her. Pippa, huddled under Brian’s arm, looked nauseated. I took hope from the fact that Shayla, Brian, and I were told to line up on the red line with everyone else.

Jensen stood on the yellow line instead of in the control room. He announced, “First of all, you can relax. This is not a test of any sort. I gathered you here so I could explain the holiday break.”

Still, none of us dared breathe. Couldn't he have made the announcement in the cafeteria?

“For the next week, nurses and security guards will run twelve hour shifts. Because of your excellent behavior these past few weeks, I am only keeping one security guard and one nurse on staff each shift. Keep in mind that, in an emergency, back-ups can arrive in as little as ten minutes. But I expect you all will behave and enjoy yourselves. The staff has been instructed to notify me only in an emergency – allow me to clarify that an emergency is a life-threatening situation.

“During the holiday week, you will be given additional freedoms. At this moment, a remote control is being placed on each of your study desks. The remote will allow you full control over the locking mechanism on your doors, and the staff will not override your choice to lock or unlock your door unless an emergency arises. It also gives you control over the lighting. Additionally, we are cutting off all cameras. Since there will be no tests, there will be no need to monitor your health status.

“There are fewer kitchen staff members as well. This means that your meals will be a combination of hot food but also pre-packaged food. You can eat whenever you want. Hot food will be put out for one hour at dinner time only, but pre-packaged food like sandwiches and frozen entrees will be left in refrigerators in the dining hall. Except for Christmas dinner. You all voted on what you wanted and,” he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, “you will have ham, turkey, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes…” He waved the paper in the air. “Should have figured you all would vote for champagne.” Jensen stuffed the paper back in his pocket and added, “Plus there will be a multitude of desserts and etcetera.

“The rec center and the library will remain open twenty-four-seven. Also, the clothes closet is accessible, but you have to find your own sizes. There are a few civilian clothes in there, and you may wear what you like.” He took a deep breath and said, “I know you all want nothing more than to go home to your families over the holiday. But I cannot allow it. Rest assured that all of your loved ones are being financially compensated. Generously, I might add.

“And in case you miss tradition, we’ve had a tree put up in the basketball court. There are boxes of ornaments and lights should you care to decorate it. The library also holds a collection of holiday disks and, from my understanding, a good sound system.”

He clapped his hands together. “Well, that’s it. Any questions?”

Silence.

This had to be the dumbest idea he’d had so far.

“Then you are dismissed. The staff and I wish you a Merry Christmas and happy new year.”

Chapter 27

Iggy

I was filled with contradiction. First of all, I was waiting for the catch. This was the most extreme opposite of Jensen’s style that I could have possibly imagined, especially after everything that had happened. I would probably spend the whole week waiting for him to pop in with some heinous surprise test. Secondly, I missed Dad and Kim so much. Hanging the ornaments on the tree made both Cael and I so nostalgic, the activity ended up being more sad than fun. Even though I enjoyed talking to Krish and Brodie while decorating, I finished up in an emotional slump. Third of all, I felt like Jensen had just let loose a bunch of cooped up young adults looking for nothing more than ways to have fun and let off steam. Brian and Pippa had disappeared into his room. The same went for Ibram and Shayla. I didn’t know who was with Val in her room, but they were certainly noisy. I had seen Wesley and Alex go into the atrium, and all I could think about was the pool sex they would undoubtedly have.

What really took me by surprise was that I was jealous. I wanted pool sex for myself. During the tree decoration, I spent more time watching Cael stretch and bend in the process of hanging decorations than I did in actually participating. He was wearing jeans that hung low on his hips and a t-shirt that hugged his body. And all I could think about was the way his muscles bunched and stretched as he moved. And when he went on tip-toe to place a star on top of the tree, his t-shirt pulled away from his pants, leaving a gap of skin that made me flush. He was the most beautiful male I’d ever seen, and my body was going absolutely hormonal over him.