only just noticed him sitting on the couch as the room came into focus.
I squinted at Agent Reston. âYou said temporary antidote.â
She lifted her chin. âThatâs because there is no true cure.â
âFeeling better, Pendell?â Glass asked.
âFuck you,â I said. âYouâre the one who called her.â
Agent Reston tilted her head and adjusted her skirt. I looked away. The woman was blind, but she wasnât above flaunting her long legs.
âUngrateful bastard. I should have left you for dead,â 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 heâd slept in his clothes. âYou look like a pile of shit, Pendell. Iâll get you water. Since Iâm a thoughtful kind of guy.â
I sat up and rubbed my head. âIâm fine. All I need is a shower.â I tried to stand, but my head was still spinning crazily. The dead girl was gone. And in the chaos I hadnât noticed that Gabe and Marisa were gone, too.
âIn case youâre wondering where everyone went,â Glass said, offering me the glass of water, âGabe 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
âYou let them go out alone?â I shouted. I caught Agent Reston smiling from the corner of my eye.
âRelax,â Glass said. âItâs 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
âThanks for reminding me about that.â 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 wasnât ready to revisit the horror of the visions just yet.
âWell then. Weâre 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. Youâll go into remission.â Agent Reston smiled, stood, and flicked open her cane. âUntil you stumble across the next criminal artifact.â
Her partner took her by the arm as the medical team packed up its equipment. âIf you donât, the seizures will return with more severity,â she said. âAnd the worse they get, the more antidote youâll require to break out of them.â 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. âYou did this to me, didnât you? You never planned to let me go.â
Agent Restonâs mouth twitched. âThese things happen. Itâs beyond our control. For the meantime, itâs probably best to wait for further decisions. Youâll be turning eighteen next month. Then you can decide your destiny for yourself.â She started to turn away, then stopped and faced me, adding, âIf you make it through this weekend, that is.â
I moved in closer to Agent Reston, my face nearly touching hers, but she stood her ground. âI think Iâve made it pretty clear that I donât want any part of your shitty Program.â
She nodded, smiled, and cupped my face in her hand. âSuch soft skin. Just like a babyâs.â Her smile faded. âAdministered in large doses, the antidote destroys brain function. It will pull you out of a psychic seizure, but at the same time, itâll slowly turn you into a vegetable. We wonât 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.â
I shook my head. âHow do I know youâre telling me the truth? Youâd say anything to get me into your
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