want to give away that the idea had never occurred to him. “I guess. There has to be a reason we’re kept alone. But it’s hard to guess what when we don’t even know why we’re here.” He frowned on the inside, hoped it didn’t show on the outside. He’d said the word
guess
twice, and the whole thing had sounded stupid.
Teresa didn’t seem to think so. “I know. Is your life pretty much school stuff from the wake-up to lights-out?”
“Just about.”
Teresa nodded, then said almost absently, “They keep telling me how smart I am.”
“Me too. It’s weird.”
“I think it all has something to do with the Flare. Did your parents catch it before WICKED took you?”
All the joy Thomas had started allowing himself to feel came to a grinding halt. He suddenly saw his dad, drunk with rage, his mom saying goodbye to him when he wasn’t even five years old. He tried to shut the vision out.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said.
“Why not?” Teresa asked.
“I just don’t.”
“Fine, then. Me neither.” She didn’t seem mad.
“Why are we in here, anyway?” Once again, he gestured at the tiny room where they sat. “Seriously, what’re we supposed to be doing?”
Teresa folded her arms and let her leg drop back down to the floor. “Talking. Being tested. I don’t know. Sorry being around me is so boring for you.”
“Huh? Now you’re mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. You just don’t seem very nice. I kind of liked the idea of finally having a friend.”
Thomas wanted to slap himself. “Sorry. That sounds kind of good to me, too.” He didn’t know if this meeting could have gone any worse.
Teresa let him off the hook with another smile. “Then maybe we passed the test. Maybe they wanted to see if we’d get along.”
“Whatever,” he said with a smile of his own. “I quit guessing about things a long time ago.”
After a long pause, she said, “So…friends?”
“Friends.”
Teresa held out her hand over the desk. “Shake on it.”
“Okay.” He leaned forward and they shook on it.
Teresa sat back in her chair, and her expression shifted again. “Hey, does your brain hurt sometimes? I mean, not just like a normal headache, but deep down inside your skull?”
Thomas could only imagine the look of shock on his face. “What? Are you serious? Yes!” He was just about to bring up his terrible morning headache—maybe even the feelings of having done this before—when she held a finger to her lips.
“Quiet, someone’s coming. We’ll talk about it later.”
How she’d known, Thomas had no clue. He hadn’t heard anything, but someone knocked at the door a moment after she spoke. A second later it opened and Dr. Leavitt popped his head through the crack.
“Hello, kids,” he said brightly. He looked from Thomas to Teresa. “Time’s up for today. Let’s get you back to your rooms. We think this went well, so there’ll be plenty more opportunities to get to know each other.”
Thomas exchanged a glance with Teresa. He wasn’t totally sure what her eyes said, but he really did believe he had a new friend. They got up from their chairs and moved toward Leavitt. Thomas was thankful for even the short time they’d been given, and would keep his fingers crossed that the good behavior would truly lead to more meetings, as promised.
They were at the door when Teresa stopped and asked Dr. Leavitt a question. Two, actually. And it was enough to change the man’s demeanor completely.
“What’s a swipe trigger? And is it true that seven kids died during the implant surgeries?”
The questions stunned Thomas. He turned to look at Teresa as the doctor fumbled for an answer.
“How…,” the man began, then stopped, realizing at the same moment what Thomas did: Teresa had stumbled on something major. Something
true.
“Where would you come up with such nonsense?”
Thomas wondered the same thing. How could she have heard something like that? He never heard
guess
twice, and the whole thing had sounded stupid.
Teresa didn’t seem to think so. “I know. Is your life pretty much school stuff from the wake-up to lights-out?”
“Just about.”
Teresa nodded, then said almost absently, “They keep telling me how smart I am.”
“Me too. It’s weird.”
“I think it all has something to do with the Flare. Did your parents catch it before WICKED took you?”
All the joy Thomas had started allowing himself to feel came to a grinding halt. He suddenly saw his dad, drunk with rage, his mom saying goodbye to him when he wasn’t even five years old. He tried to shut the vision out.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said.
“Why not?” Teresa asked.
“I just don’t.”
“Fine, then. Me neither.” She didn’t seem mad.
“Why are we in here, anyway?” Once again, he gestured at the tiny room where they sat. “Seriously, what’re we supposed to be doing?”
Teresa folded her arms and let her leg drop back down to the floor. “Talking. Being tested. I don’t know. Sorry being around me is so boring for you.”
“Huh? Now you’re mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. You just don’t seem very nice. I kind of liked the idea of finally having a friend.”
Thomas wanted to slap himself. “Sorry. That sounds kind of good to me, too.” He didn’t know if this meeting could have gone any worse.
Teresa let him off the hook with another smile. “Then maybe we passed the test. Maybe they wanted to see if we’d get along.”
“Whatever,” he said with a smile of his own. “I quit guessing about things a long time ago.”
After a long pause, she said, “So…friends?”
“Friends.”
Teresa held out her hand over the desk. “Shake on it.”
“Okay.” He leaned forward and they shook on it.
Teresa sat back in her chair, and her expression shifted again. “Hey, does your brain hurt sometimes? I mean, not just like a normal headache, but deep down inside your skull?”
Thomas could only imagine the look of shock on his face. “What? Are you serious? Yes!” He was just about to bring up his terrible morning headache—maybe even the feelings of having done this before—when she held a finger to her lips.
“Quiet, someone’s coming. We’ll talk about it later.”
How she’d known, Thomas had no clue. He hadn’t heard anything, but someone knocked at the door a moment after she spoke. A second later it opened and Dr. Leavitt popped his head through the crack.
“Hello, kids,” he said brightly. He looked from Thomas to Teresa. “Time’s up for today. Let’s get you back to your rooms. We think this went well, so there’ll be plenty more opportunities to get to know each other.”
Thomas exchanged a glance with Teresa. He wasn’t totally sure what her eyes said, but he really did believe he had a new friend. They got up from their chairs and moved toward Leavitt. Thomas was thankful for even the short time they’d been given, and would keep his fingers crossed that the good behavior would truly lead to more meetings, as promised.
They were at the door when Teresa stopped and asked Dr. Leavitt a question. Two, actually. And it was enough to change the man’s demeanor completely.
“What’s a swipe trigger? And is it true that seven kids died during the implant surgeries?”
The questions stunned Thomas. He turned to look at Teresa as the doctor fumbled for an answer.
“How…,” the man began, then stopped, realizing at the same moment what Thomas did: Teresa had stumbled on something major. Something
true.
“Where would you come up with such nonsense?”
Thomas wondered the same thing. How could she have heard something like that? He never heard
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