the excitement of a secret discovery?
“Did you figure out how to turn off your chair or something?” I scratched the back
of my head as we walked toward the dining room, where the scent of tomato sauce and
freshly baked bread wafted into the hall.
“Think about it, Jackson. Everyone walked out of there just fine, and I wasn’t the
only one struggling in the beginning.”
I remembered the yells of pain from some of the other agents. I looked down at my
own arms. “It didn’t really burn us?”
She held a finger to her lips, but nodded. “All those cuffs did was send a signal
to our brains, making us think that we were being burnt or shocked. That’s why we
had to physically see our own heart rates, so we’d anticipate the consequences.”
“Mind over matter,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know, right? I’m sure some of the others will figure it out eventually, if they
haven’t already.”
A few minutes later we were in the dining room with plates of pasta and, as the unfortunate
result of being the last ones to arrive, we were forced to share a table with Stewart
and Mason. “Hey,” Mason said with his mouth full of lasagna, “we’ve got two days of
freedom coming to us. You guys got anything planned?”
I had almost forgotten about the forty-eight hours of leave we all received every
three months, assuming no major universal threats required our presence.
“Haven’t thought about it yet,” Kendrick said, “but I have a feeling it’ll involve
crepes.”
“What about you, Jackson?” Mason asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know … probably just stick around here and get some studying
done for the upcoming exams.”
“And I was sure you’d be headed to a wild party,” Stewart said, then she turned her
eyes on Kendrick. “You know, this one time … I came into Agent Meyer’s apartment to
do the routine nightly surveillance while he was out of town. Junior here was passed
out in the hallway, couldn’t even make it to his bed … and the governor’s daughter
was out cold on the couch, totally trashed. Can you imagine the scandal we would have
had to cover up if it leaked to the public? I had to drag Junior’s ass into the shower
because he smelled like a beer keg had been dumped over his head.”
Summer 2008 . I remembered it. Well, not the part after I passed out. And she was basically bringing
up a very wild night like it happened every day, when that wasn’t the case at all.
Mason laughed a little under his breath and I ran my fingers through my hair and made
every attempt to keep my mouth shut.
“How nice of you to hose the poor boy down, Jenni, ” Kendrick snapped.
I was starting to think Kendrick might be able to tolerate Stewart even less than
I was. Maybe because she was the only other chick in this division right now and Kendrick
had probably originally hoped that they could form some X chromosome alliance. But
not Stewart. No freakin’ way.
Stewart smiled. “It was quite a task. Not to mention the fact that I caught a glimpse
of a little more of Junior’s skin than I wanted. Even the really little Agent Meyer,
if you know what I mean.”
I groaned and started to get up from my seat. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Footsteps followed behind me out of the dining room.
“We’ve got thirty seconds before the door closes,” Dad said in a low voice.
My heart pounded. We had done this for the first time a week ago, and every day since,
and it still freaked me out.
CHAPTER THREE
JUNE 8, 2009, 12:59 P.M.
I made it through the secret exit, completely unnoticed. Dad was waiting for me in
the tunnel on the other side. It was totally dark.
“You got a flashlight?” I whispered.
A tiny light came from beside me and lit up the dirt ground in front of us. I blew
on my hands and rubbed them together as we walked. It was a very chilly fifty-one
degrees here.
“What’s the matter? Stewart getting to you
“Did you figure out how to turn off your chair or something?” I scratched the back
of my head as we walked toward the dining room, where the scent of tomato sauce and
freshly baked bread wafted into the hall.
“Think about it, Jackson. Everyone walked out of there just fine, and I wasn’t the
only one struggling in the beginning.”
I remembered the yells of pain from some of the other agents. I looked down at my
own arms. “It didn’t really burn us?”
She held a finger to her lips, but nodded. “All those cuffs did was send a signal
to our brains, making us think that we were being burnt or shocked. That’s why we
had to physically see our own heart rates, so we’d anticipate the consequences.”
“Mind over matter,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know, right? I’m sure some of the others will figure it out eventually, if they
haven’t already.”
A few minutes later we were in the dining room with plates of pasta and, as the unfortunate
result of being the last ones to arrive, we were forced to share a table with Stewart
and Mason. “Hey,” Mason said with his mouth full of lasagna, “we’ve got two days of
freedom coming to us. You guys got anything planned?”
I had almost forgotten about the forty-eight hours of leave we all received every
three months, assuming no major universal threats required our presence.
“Haven’t thought about it yet,” Kendrick said, “but I have a feeling it’ll involve
crepes.”
“What about you, Jackson?” Mason asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know … probably just stick around here and get some studying
done for the upcoming exams.”
“And I was sure you’d be headed to a wild party,” Stewart said, then she turned her
eyes on Kendrick. “You know, this one time … I came into Agent Meyer’s apartment to
do the routine nightly surveillance while he was out of town. Junior here was passed
out in the hallway, couldn’t even make it to his bed … and the governor’s daughter
was out cold on the couch, totally trashed. Can you imagine the scandal we would have
had to cover up if it leaked to the public? I had to drag Junior’s ass into the shower
because he smelled like a beer keg had been dumped over his head.”
Summer 2008 . I remembered it. Well, not the part after I passed out. And she was basically bringing
up a very wild night like it happened every day, when that wasn’t the case at all.
Mason laughed a little under his breath and I ran my fingers through my hair and made
every attempt to keep my mouth shut.
“How nice of you to hose the poor boy down, Jenni, ” Kendrick snapped.
I was starting to think Kendrick might be able to tolerate Stewart even less than
I was. Maybe because she was the only other chick in this division right now and Kendrick
had probably originally hoped that they could form some X chromosome alliance. But
not Stewart. No freakin’ way.
Stewart smiled. “It was quite a task. Not to mention the fact that I caught a glimpse
of a little more of Junior’s skin than I wanted. Even the really little Agent Meyer,
if you know what I mean.”
I groaned and started to get up from my seat. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Footsteps followed behind me out of the dining room.
“We’ve got thirty seconds before the door closes,” Dad said in a low voice.
My heart pounded. We had done this for the first time a week ago, and every day since,
and it still freaked me out.
CHAPTER THREE
JUNE 8, 2009, 12:59 P.M.
I made it through the secret exit, completely unnoticed. Dad was waiting for me in
the tunnel on the other side. It was totally dark.
“You got a flashlight?” I whispered.
A tiny light came from beside me and lit up the dirt ground in front of us. I blew
on my hands and rubbed them together as we walked. It was a very chilly fifty-one
degrees here.
“What’s the matter? Stewart getting to you
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