Mindsiege (Mindspeak #2)(80)

“No, but I will.” Sandra reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a syringe. “I need a small amount of blood from you.” She grabbed my arm and turned it over.

Instinctively, I jerked back, though I had nowhere to go, and I had no intention of stopping these tests—yet. How much of this would I allow before I fought back? Could I even fight it? Would Jonas stop getting inside my head when I told him I was done with all of this and wanted out?

Sandra motioned for his help. Jonas approached from the other side, reached across my body, and held my hands against the arms of the chair, exposing the vein Sandra needed to draw blood.

You know where the journals are, don’t you? Jonas asked.

I looked up into his eyes. I can’t tell if you’re on my side or not anymore. I was not about to confide in him about the journals.

His eyes softened just slightly. His face was inches from mine. I am on your side. I will not let her hurt you.

But you got inside my head. You controlled me.

Are you kidding me? Don’t act like I’ve hurt your feelings. You asked for this. Coming here was your choice. We could have approached this another way, but you took the risk. He looked at Sandra. “Could you please hurry?” Jonas pleaded.

The movement was small, but I felt it. The slow graze of Jonas’s finger against my arm—the arm farthest from Sandra, and out of her view. I found Jonas’s eyes. He didn’t look at me at first, but when he did, his eyes were an inferno.

Sandra tied a rubber armband around my upper arm, pressed two fingers into the crook of my elbow, then stuck a needle into one of the veins. “Why? You don’t like being close to a younger version of me?” Sandra winked.

She.

Winked.

Like this was some sort of fun and games to her. Like I was some sort of toy. For her. Or for Jonas.

“I thought you liked the most precious and most protected clone ever created.” She pulled the needle out. After slapping a band-aid across my arm, she untied the armband.

“Of course not. It’s creepy. You’re my mother, and she looks just like you.”

A vein popped out on the side of Jonas’s neck. He was lying about something. When he turned his head back to me, I studied him. Heat flared across my cheeks when his eyes met mine. I’ve got to get out of here. She’s going to figure out how I really feel about you.

My eyes darted sideways. Sandra typed, and Dr. Mendez pointed at the computer screen. I looked back at Jonas, whose face was too close. He rubbed his thumb across my arm, the arm he continued to hold, only much more loosely now.

My heart sped up. My pulse was going to register in the brain activity they were about to measure. How do you feel about me? I had no idea what made me ask that. I didn’t want to know the answer.

Let’s just say, I’m starting to understand why Jack was ready to whisk you far away from all this.

I narrowed my gaze. But you’ve always been against me running.

It’s just that I feel protective of you. You’re not my sister. And I don’t see myself as being related to Sandra or to you by blood. So, don’t look at me like kissing you or having feelings for you is incestual. I’d like to blame Ty for getting inside my head and playing mind games with my feelings for you, but I could have stopped those feelings from happening. I could have fought them harder the way I did yesterday in the gym. And I will. For Jack. And for you. I don’t think I can turn off the protectiveness I feel for you, but I will try to think of you more like a sister.

“Okay, I think we’re ready,” Sandra said, and Jonas jerked backwards away from me. I stared straight ahead, practically tuning Sandra out, as I digested Jonas’s latest revelation. “Dr. Mendez will take it from here. I’m going to check on Addison.” Sandra started for the door.

After giving my head a little shake, I reached out and grabbed Jonas’s arm before he could follow her. You have to get Addison out of here, I begged.

A sly grin spread across his face. The moment of awkwardness between us was gone. You don’t know much about Addison, do you? He leaned closer, his mouth next to my ear and whispered. “Now be a good little girl.” I’ve got a surprise for you later, and I don’t want to come back and find you tranqed. He pulled his arm free and followed Sandra out, leaving me alone with the snooty Dr. Mendez.

~~~~~

The EEG was painless and uneventful. Afterwards, Dr. Very-Uptight led me to a cafeteria. Teenagers my age and younger sat at long, picnic-style tables. Dr. Mendez pointed to the start of the lunch line, then turned and left out the door through which we’d entered.

Strange. She trusted me to do exactly as I was told? Even I wouldn’t trust me to do that. I went straight to the door and pushed. Locked. A woman with spiky blond hair and teeth too big for her face approached me. “Miss Matthews, can I help you?”

She wore a dark suit. I immediately spotted a Glock on one hip and a Taser on the other. An agent. “No. I’m good.” Identification hung around her neck, along with four keys.

I turned and walked toward the start of the lunch line. I didn’t even pay attention to the food I grabbed. Someone handed me a plate of something. I managed to grab a banana and a bottle of water.

As I searched for a place to sit, I felt several pairs of eyes on me. I scanned the faces of several kids sitting by the windows. Dia and Lin.

And Jonas.