Whisper (Whisper #1)(73)

His confidence starts to rub off on me, the plan clear in my mind.

“Shae — your doppelg?nger — will be waiting in the bathroom on the ferry to swap places with you,” Kael finishes. “Now, hurry — because by the sounds of it, they’re getting ready to cast off.”

Feeling the stress of the moment but also knowing how important it is to concentrate, I take a deep breath, ignore Sneak’s pleas, trust Kael’s promise and focus my thoughts on a single-minded intention. “Forget,” I whisper, seeing everything in my mind exactly as Dante suggested.

I don’t need to watch the soft light flow from me or hear Kael’s quiet, “Nice work, princess,” to know I managed to do it all on my own. And I feel a little bit of pride at that, even as we all disappear again and I hurry out of the trees, down to the dock, and over the gangplank onto the ferry.

Jet must know exactly when I enter the bathroom, because the moment I do, I become visible again.

“Thank God! I thought you’d never get here!”

I stop short at the sight of — me.

Stunned, I can only watch as my copycat, Shae, says a few quiet words and, with a flash of light, transforms into a young man wearing a smart business suit.

Only then does she — now he — catch my gaping self and push me toward the door. “What are you waiting for? Seriously, Lyss — go!”

It’s only when I’m seated at the back of the ferry with Abby asleep on my lap and my Lengard friends arguing about whether the penguins or the crocodiles were more interesting that I try to gather my thoughts. But everything Kael told me is too fresh. I need time to get my head around it all, time to see for myself if he was telling the truth. Time to decide what to do.

For the rest of tonight, at least, I won’t think about Vanik’s lab or Lengard knowing who I really am. I won’t think about my parents being Speakers, why they left Lengard and why they never told me about their ability — or thought to warn me about mine.

Instead, I close my eyes, lean my head back and focus on clearing my mind.

Everything can wait until tomorrow, I tell myself. I’ll deal with it all then.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX


In my defense, my intentions were good. I planned to follow up on what I learned yesterday first thing this morning. But before I could do so, I was called to an unexpected — and early — training session with Ward. Hours later, I’m blurry eyed and have a stress headache verging on migraine status, with it taking everything I have to concentrate on his lesson.

It doesn’t help that Ward is edgier than normal today. Last night he stopped by our quarters after we returned from the zoo, and I struggled being in the same room as him, wondering if he knew the truth about Vanik. If he knew the truth about me.

… And fearing his level of involvement with what might truly be happening here at Lengard.

This morning’s session has given me no further insight into what he might know. The only way I’m able to remotely focus on the tasks he’s setting is by suppressing everything Kael said yesterday. It’s the only way I can listen to Ward, look at Ward, be anywhere near Ward.

“Where’s your head at today, Jane?” Ward barks.

I drag my eyes to him.

Standing in the center of the Karoel-lined training room with his jeans and white T-shirt in stark contrast to the black rock, he glares at me.

It seems like forever ago that I last saw his dimpled smile.

The moment that thought crosses my mind, I shove it away.

I don’t want to see Ward smile.

I don’t.

Not at me. Not at anything.

He manipulated me. He betrayed me. And, quite possibly, those are the least of his offenses, if even a fraction of what Kael claims about Vanik is true — and especially if Ward, the director-in-training, has been in on it all along.

“I didn’t sleep well,” I mumble out my excuse, forcing myself to ignore the way his features soften at my admission. “And I have a headache.”

He walks toward me, his steps deliberate. “Something on your mind?”

I nearly laugh at the loaded question. But perhaps … “Can I ask you something?”

I see it happen immediately. His face shuts down, his body tightens. His reaction makes me want to throw something at him.

To my surprise, however, he says, “Of course.”

I remind myself that he didn’t promise honesty. He has no qualms about lying to me. But this is an opportunity I’m not willing to waste.

“Why two and a half years?”

“What?”

I know I have to tread carefully. “Cami and Manning both told me that when new Speakers arrive at Lengard, they go through an initiation period, but it doesn’t last long before they’re moved down here to begin proper training.”

Ward nods, his eyes wary but not as shuttered as they were before.

“Why did Falon wait over two and a half years with me?” I ask. “Why wait so long and then suddenly threaten to kill me if I remained uncooperative?”

Ward straightens. “Falon never threatened your life.”

I cross my arms. “The implication was there. Come on, Ward. What do you think he was going to do once my month was up? Let me go on my merry way?”

“He wasn’t going to kill you,” Ward says firmly. “My uncle is many things, but he’s not a murderer. That’s not what happens here.”