Fractured by Lisa Amowitz Page B

only just noticed him sitting on the couch as the room came into focus.
    I squinted at Agent Reston. “You said temporary antidote.”
    She lifted her chin. “That’s because there is no true cure.”
    â€œFeeling better, Pendell?” Glass asked.
    â€œFuck you,” I said. “You’re the one who called her.”
    Agent Reston tilted her head and adjusted her skirt. I looked away. The woman was blind, but she wasn’t above flaunting her long legs.
    â€œUngrateful bastard. I should have left you for dead,” Glass said, rising from the couch. He stood over me with a mocking half-smile, his pointy chin peppered with faint stubble. He looked like he’d slept in his clothes. “You look like a pile of shit, Pendell. I’ll get you water. Since I’m a thoughtful kind of guy.”
    I sat up and rubbed my head. “I’m fine. All I need is a shower.” I tried to stand, but my head was still spinning crazily. The dead girl was gone. And in the chaos I hadn’t noticed that Gabe and Marisa were gone, too.
    â€œIn case you’re wondering where everyone went,” Glass said, offering me the glass of water, “Gabe had a new student orientation and Marisa decided to go with her. We thought it was better than sitting around watching you wig out.”
    â€œYou let them go out alone?” I shouted. I caught Agent Reston smiling from the corner of my eye.
    â€œRelax,” Glass said. “It’s just on campus. What do you think Gabe is going to do when she goes to school here? Have an armored car shuttle her around?”
    â€œThanks for reminding me about that.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose and sipped the water.
    My gaze caught the ring sitting on the coffee table. It looked so bland and unthreatening. I looked away. I wasn’t ready to revisit the horror of the visions just yet.
    â€œWell then. We’re done for now. The treatment lasts seventy-two hours. If you manage to solve the crime, the object will lose its resonance and the seizures associated with it will most likely quiet. You’ll go into remission.” Agent Reston smiled, stood, and flicked open her cane. “Until you stumble across the next criminal artifact.”
    Her partner took her by the arm as the medical team packed up its equipment. “If you don’t, the seizures will return with more severity,” she said. “And the worse they get, the more antidote you’ll require to break out of them.” Agent Reston walked to the bed and stood imperiously over me, her face angled downward.
    I stood abruptly, my face inches from hers so that I could see myself reflected in her dark lenses. “You did this to me, didn’t you? You never planned to let me go.”
    Agent Reston’s mouth twitched. “These things happen. It’s beyond our control. For the meantime, it’s probably best to wait for further decisions. You’ll be turning eighteen next month. Then you can decide your destiny for yourself.” She started to turn away, then stopped and faced me, adding, “If you make it through this weekend, that is.”
    I moved in closer to Agent Reston, my face nearly touching hers, but she stood her ground. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I don’t want any part of your shitty Program.”
    She nodded, smiled, and cupped my face in her hand. “Such soft skin. Just like a baby’s.” Her smile faded. “Administered in large doses, the antidote destroys brain function. It will pull you out of a psychic seizure, but at the same time, it’ll slowly turn you into a vegetable. We won’t deny you the temporary cure, but unfortunately it will lose its efficacy as your brain unravels. But there is a much better alternative available should you agree to sign on.”
    I shook my head. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth? You’d say anything to get me into your