He paused, stared out the window, and when he spoke, his voice was hollow. “Yes, I went to school at Branston. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The first time I ever felt like I fit in. I worked on special projects, made a name for myself, joined their ranks as a teacher, but once they admitted me to their inner circle, I discovered the truth. The trustees had another agenda, one I couldn’t go along with.” His eyes were haunted as he stared at me. “They were using students as their experiments, performing genetic testing to turn those kids into killers, to make them smart and deadly. I didn’t want that to happen to you.”
“So you decided to experiment on me yourself instead?” My voice cracked on the last word.
“Never! At the time, I didn’t know there were other options. I didn’t know places like Quantum Technologies existed until I started searching for a way out.”
“Why didn’t you drop the pretense, stop giving me the drugs, when you found out? You’ve worked for QT for almost my whole life. Why didn’t you hide me from Branston here?”
Dad started pacing again. “I didn’t trust QT yet. I was scared they’d be just like Branston. I convinced the QT directors we needed to continue the drug research, but I hid your participation in as much paperwork as I could. I told you — I wanted you to have a normal childhood.”
“Normal?” My voice rose to a screech, and I pressed a hand to my head as it began to throb. Whether from Grant’s drugs or this conversation, I couldn’t tell. “Those drugs made me feel like I was a freak. I thought I was smart, but then I’d forget things or have to study extra hard for something I’d learned just the day before. Nothing worked right for me. My brain felt like it was either full of holes or it was running on overdrive. And you weren’t around, so it’s not like you could see it. I just thought it was the ADHD.”
His eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t know. You never said anything, and your mom assured me you were fine.”
“How could I say anything when I never saw you and we barely spoke?”
His knuckles went white as he clutched the edge of the couch. “I’m sorry, Lexie. Sorry for so many things.”
I shook my head. “Sorry isn’t enough, Dad. People at QT know you drugged me. When they find out…they’ll hate me for being a freak.”
“They won’t find out. Only Dr. Rosen, Dr. Danvers, and Asher know about it. I promise you none of them will tell. They want to keep you safe here at QT as badly as I do.”
My head snapped up. “You know about Asher?”
“Of course. Asher told me himself. He wanted to understand why I’d do that to you. Why I’d turn off something that made you…you.” Dad grimaced. “He had some choice words for me, but he was right. It wasn’t my decision. And it’s not fair I took those opportunities away from you, no matter how scared I was. I’m so sorry, Lexie.”
I chewed my lip, mind churning with my dad’s words. Asher had defended me. To my own father.
Dad crossed the room and put his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “I know we’ve started off badly. But please, can we try again? Can you give me another chance? Branston knows where you are now, and they’ll be waiting for us to slip up again. Let me protect you.”
I stared up into his pleading in his eyes. I wanted to trust him, wanted to believe that things would be different, but he’d disappointed me so many times before. Was he still lying to me? I pleated the hem of my shirt between my fingers.
“Dad, the shot Grant gave me. He said something about it disabling the nanobots. I thought they only worked at QT.”
Dad’s eyebrows reached his hairline. “What? How did they know about that?”
“Know about what?”
“The nanobots are for more than just security at QT. They’re also a tracking device and alarm system. QT can activate the bots and find you anywhere in the world.” He paused, gave me that look again. His voice was hollow when he finally said. “They can also use them to wipe your brain.”
My skin crawled. “So if Branston were to kidnap me, QT could wipe everything out of my mind?”
He nodded. “It’s supposed to be a fail-safe mechanism. But now, if Branston can disable them…” Dad started pacing again, the tendons in his neck standing out corded and hard. I just wanted him to tell me it was going to be okay. But it wasn’t. Maybe never again.
He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to have to talk to Dr. Rosen and Dr. Danvers about this. We need to run some tests to see if there are any side effects.”
My head jerked up at the fear in his voice. The wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, and I noticed for the first time the flecks of gray at his temples. He and Mom had sacrificed their lives to protect me. They both could have been famous scientists, working anywhere in the world, but instead, they’d hidden from Branston, moving whenever they got too close.
They’d given up their relationship to keep me safe, and even though their lies still pissed me off, I could almost understand the deception. Almost.
I nodded. “Dad, I want to trust you, but no more lies, okay? Or forgetting about me or abandoning your responsibilities. We have to work on this.”
He held out a hand. “I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes, but I promise to do my absolute best.”
I shook it. “It’s a deal.”
11
I fell asleep for most of that afternoon — probably exhausted from whatever drugs Grant had injected me with. Dad woke me up just before dinner with a soft knock on my door.
“Lex? Honey? Time to wake up. Dr. Rosen and Asher are on the way over. I want him to make sure you’re okay and run some tests.”
I moaned and sat up. The last thing I felt like doing was entertaining Asher or his dad when I felt like I could sleep for a week. I crawled out from beneath my bedspread and shivered, reaching for my Columbus High hoodie. I frowned at the rat’s nest of my hair and scraped it back into a quick ponytail. It would have to do.
“Can I get you something?” Dad asked from the kitchen as I cocooned myself on the couch.
“Tea would be great.” My teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, and I didn’t know if it was still shock or the effects of Grant’s drugs.
The doorbell rang, and I heard my dad answer it. Asher and Dr. Rosen wandered into the living room a moment later. I smiled weakly at them both, and Asher frowned.