Mindsiege (Mindspeak #2)(57)

“What do you mean? What happened on campus?” Bree asked.

Jonas’s lips quirked on one side. “Let’s just say Lexi and I had a power struggle, and Georgia had to step in.”

“Ahhh. I totally get that. Lexi and I have a power struggle on a regular basis.” She threw a mischievous grin my way.

Just like that, Bree cut through the tension with brutal honesty. The whole table laughed. Except me.

I think I’m gonna like her, Jonas said.

I had a strong sense that he already knew he liked her. Good. Maybe you can get inside her head for a while.

Anyone ever tell you you’re no fun?

I chuckled. All the time.

~~~~~

“They said to meet them in Room 201. That’s all I know.” I linked my arm with Jack’s. His anxiety level had grown since lunch. We were all a little on edge. “I wanted to visit Danielle first, but Kyle insisted I didn’t have time.”

“We’ll see her after,” he reassured me.

All of Wellington Boarding School had been transformed in less than twenty-four hours into The Program—a school for the genetically enhanced human cloned. According to Jack, his mother and Dr. Wellington were planning to hire additional science teachers to add to the extensive curriculum for all of the students who remained at Wellington and needed an education into whom they were designed to be. This was what Cathy DeWeese and Roger Wellington had desired all along, I supposed, but I still wanted to understand why.

While school personnel scheduled meetings and classes for the younger students, Seth and Coach Williams had arranged for a special presentation for me, Jack, Jonas, Kyle, and Briana.

Apparently, with the majority of the students gone from the school, we were able to spread out into a classroom building that had not been damaged in the explosion.

Jack and I entered the room to discover a variety of different guns strewn about two large tables. My heart constricted. I should have seen this coming.

The first person I saw was Danielle. She wore her signature yoga pants and a pretty wrap-around cardigan. Her blond hair was tied into a loose ponytail that hung down her back, covering the incision at the base of her neck. I let go of Jack’s arm and crossed the room. Throwing my arms around Danielle’s neck, I pulled her into a giant hug. “Hey,” I whispered. “I’m so glad you’re here. How’re you feeling?”

Kyle turned his head toward us, smiling. That was why he’d discouraged me from seeing her. He knew she’d be here.

“I feel fine. No different, really.” She stepped back. “Kyle and Jonas have explained a lot of crazy things to me.”

“Have you noticed anything… strange?”

“You mean have I felt someone invade my mind and turn me into a robot?” She wrung her hands in front of her. “No.”

“Good. I’m glad.” I hugged her tightly again. “I’m going to get that thing out of you.”

“I hope so. Kyle explained some of the things you’ve been learning.” She cocked her head at me. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were going through?”

The others standing around us had gone quiet. “I… I don’t know.” I glanced nervously around the room. Briana was watching me expectantly. This was all new to her, too. “Well, because I’ve really struggled to grasp the magnitude of what it all means. And until recently, I had no idea how many of us there were. It all happened so fast, you know?”

She nodded. “And your father? He had something to do with cloning you and Jack? And Kyle, Jonas, and Briana?”

“It would appear he knew about it. I’m still trying to understand just how much. Although I’m not sure it matters anymore. He’s not responsible for the predicament we’re in now.” No, we had others to thank for that. “I think he was trying to protect those of us that he could. So much so that he got himself killed in the process.”

“Okay,” Seth interrupted. “Let’s begin. Everyone have a seat. Coach Williams is going to get us started.”

We all sat. Jack scooted his chair close to me. It suddenly dawned on me that he was constantly touching me. And I didn’t mean by holding my hand, or placing his palm in the small of my back. It was less obvious than that. Sometimes, if we were sitting, he would position himself so that our knees knocked together, or he would interlock his ankle around mine. If we sat at a table, his pinky finger would graze mine ever so lightly.

Are you purposely touching me every chance you get? I asked him.

He met my gaze. Well, yeah, of course. That’s what guys do when they like girls.

I smiled. That’s not why you’re touching me, though, is it? You’re shielding me.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now pay attention.

I faced Coach. He was going on and on about gun safety and why one gun was better than another for various reasons. How he and Seth planned to teach us to protect ourselves, but more than anything, how to be safe.

I raised my hand. “What other options are there?” Everyone looked at me strangely. “What?” I shrugged. “I am not going to use a gun.”

Jonas looked up at the ceiling and sighed loudly. You’re killing me, Sarah.

Don’t call me that. My name is Lexi. “Why does that surprise you? You saw how I reacted to a gun.”