Defector: A Variants Novel - Couverture rigide

Winnacker, Susanne

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1595146563 ISBN 13 : 9781595146564

Editeur : Razorbill, 2014

Synopsis

Praise for Susanne Winnacker's Impostor:

"An unpredictable page turner with shades of terror reminiscent of a Stephen King novel."—VOYA

"Fresh and inventive. . . . the strongly-written mystery component takes center stage."—BCCB

___

Tessa has finally made peace with her life as a Variant. She and longtime love Alec are officially a couple, and for the first time, she has everything she wants. 

But the air is tense at FEA headquarters. An agent has disappeared, and rogue Variant organization Abel's Army is likely the culprit. 

When Tessa is summoned for her second mission, she is unexpectedly launched into a massive conspiracy. Her best friend Holly is kidnapped, and Tessa knows it was meant to be her. But who is after her? And more importantly, why? 

When the FEA's efforts to rescue Holly don't yield results, Tessa takes matters into her own hands. Desperate to save her friend and uncover the mystery behind Abel's Army, Tessa launches her own investigation—but nothing could prepare her for what she finds. 

Finding the truth will take her out on the road and out of her comfort zone, with danger lurking at every turn. Summoning all of her courage and strength, Tessa must decide who can be trusted and what is worth fighting for. Her final decision will leave readers breathless.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Susanne Winnacker studied law before becoming a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog, and a rabbit in Germany. Susanne loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling, and animals. When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes. Visit her website at susannewinnacker.com and follow her on Twitter @SusanneWrites

Extrait. © Reproduit sur autorisation. Tous droits réservés.

CHAPTER 1

Date night. My favorite night of the week—along with my evenings spent doing “girly stuff” with Holly (her words). Sometimes it was still hard for me to grasp that Alec and I had been dating for a couple of weeks, that it had been that long since I’d returned from my first mission. The time felt like a blur.

Though Alec and I didn’t go to the movies or out to a fancy restaurant (or even leave headquarters) for our dates, they were a big part of the reason why everything between us started to feel real. Holly had tried to talk me into dressing up. She’d even laid out an array of four outfits for me to choose from. Maybe she took this a bit too seriously. I’d explained to her in carefully chosen words that it would have felt wrong to get dolled up. Alec had seen me at my worst: crying and sobbing over my mother, beaten up and covered in blood. It would have felt as if I was putting on a mask if I’d dressed up for movie night. It was bad enough that I had to be someone else for my job; I didn’t want that in front of Alec. This evening was about Alec and me as we really were.

Despite Holly’s disapproving frown, I wore my favorite shorts and a T-shirt with ten rules to surviving a zombie apocalypse on the front. Alec greeted me with a peck on the lips as I slipped into his room. A small smile of endorsement spread on his face when he noticed my shirt. Happy that my instinct had been right, I stepped out of my shoes and lay back on his bed while he pushed the DVD into the player. With a buzzing, it snapped shut. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in my belly as I watched the muscles in Alec’s lower back and shoulders flex beneath his white T-shirt when he straightened. Alec kicked off his sneakers and locked the door. Date night number three, and it was the first time he’d done that. My imagination went into overdrive, and the fluttering in my stomach turned into a riot.

Alec turned slowly, as if he’d only just realized how his actions might look. His eyes were cautious as he glanced at me. Did I look nervous? “Because of Tanner. I don’t want him to barge in.” Then he added with a hint of annoyance, “Again.”

Good thinking. Tanner had already walked in on us kissing on the bed twice. If I had to bear his teasing and kissy noises one more time, I’d shave his beloved mohawk off while he was sleeping.

I gave Alec a smile, though the mix of nerves, embarrassment, and excitement had me feeling like I was going to combust. Nobody would interrupt us tonight; anything could happen. Alec was experienced—after all, he was older than me, and he’d dated Kate for months. How far did he want to go? How far did I want him to go? This felt momentous somehow.

“I can unlock it, though, if that’s what you prefer,” he said softly. It was pretty obvious from his expression that it wasn’t what he wanted, but it made me happy that he was trying to make me feel comfortable.

“Don’t be stupid. Come here.” I patted the bed and made more room for him. His expression lit up, but I could still detect a hint of uncertainty in the way he moved. He was always worried about me and constantly protective of me. That would probably never change. I had to show him that I wasn’t some breakable porcelain doll. I had extraordinary abilities; I’d recently survived a serial killer, for goodness sake.

He sank down beside me and stretched out his long legs. Then he paused and pointed at a big, round red candle on his nightstand. “Do you want me to light it?”

That was too much. I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter. “Did Holly put you up to this?” I could imagine only too well how she’d followed him around, trying to teach him what constituted a romantic date. Alec smiled sheepishly. “Maybe.”

“Okay, well, I’m not the candlelight type. The glow of a lightsaber is more my thing.”

“Thank god. This thing smells like apples and cinnamon, and I hate the stench.” The last bit of tension leaked from Alec’s body, and he sank into the crisp (the laundry staff loved starch) black cushions with Chucky’s face on the front propped up against the dark wood headboard. I pressed myself against his chest, breathing in his woodsy smell as he wrapped his arm around me. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what his date nights had been like with Kate. Had she liked candlelight? He pressed a kiss against my temple, and I looked up, bringing our faces closer together. Our breath mingled. I leaned forward, trying my best to bury my worries. He was mine now.

“You can trust me,” he said quietly, gray eyes earnest and open. Once again, it was almost like he’d read my thoughts.

I inched toward him until I could almost feel the heat of his mouth. I kissed him and smiled against his lips. Besides Holly, Alec was the only person I’d ever allowed myself to trust completely. The feeling was comforting and thrilling at the same time. “I know.” My skin tingled from the friction as I spoke.

His lips moved against mine, softly sliding over them, tasting, claiming. The prickle of his stubble sent a sliver of desire into my belly. My eyes fell shut, and I relaxed against the mattress. Alec’s hard body pressed against me, hipbone to hipbone. His hands traveled up my throat into my hair, fingertips feather-soft. My palms marked his back as mine, pressing him tighter against me. His muscles flexed beneath my hands. His kiss was slow, unhurried, and spread fire in my body before it pooled in my belly. His lips brushed the corner of my mouth, then moved to my chin and throat. A sound tumbled out of my mouth—a sound I hadn’t known I was capable of. When I opened my eyes, Alec was watching me. A small smile played around his lips. I pushed my fingers into his black hair, relishing in the silkiness. With a groan, he climbed on top of me, careful not to crush me with his weight, and pressed his lips against me again. The feeling of his body on me, his warmth seeping into me, his smell surrounding me, I felt safer than I’d ever felt before. I felt at home. He kissed the hollow of my throat, and I tilted my head back to give him better access. His tongue darted out and flicked across my collarbone. I gasped and dug my hands into his arms. His muscles twitched under my grasp. Something was unraveling inside me—a feeling unlike anything I’d ever felt before. There was no use holding it together—I felt no need to. His hand, warm and strong, crept under my shirt. His palm rested on my stomach, friction of skin on skin raising goose bumps all over my body. But then his fingers traveled up to my rib cage, and I froze.

His fingertips rested on the mark left by my mission. The glaring red of the A had faded, but the scar hadn’t. It had entirely lost feeling, but it was there and always would be. Alec stopped kissing me, closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against mine, releasing a harsh breath.

“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling inexplicably sad—and just as guilty for ruining the moment.

“No,” Alec said fiercely. He pulled back to look at me, and his gray eyes held mine with a startling intensity. “Don’t you dare start feeling guilty for this.” He brushed his fingertips across the scar. I shivered.

I stared at the candle, the way its wick was bent. “I know it bothers you. I mean . . . it’s ugly . . .” I trailed off, unsure what else to say.

“It doesn’t bother me because of how it looks. It bothers me because it reminds me of the danger you faced and how I failed you, how you could have died. How I couldn’t protect you from that monster,” Alec said.

“Alec, you won’t always be able to protect me from everything. I’m capable of protecting myself. There’ll be missions in our future that we’ll have to do alone. It was my first time out in the field. I let my guard down when I shouldn’t have, and this scar is a reminder of that.” I touched his arm and kissed his cheek. “It’s in the past.”

I could tell that Alec didn’t want to drop the topic, but he pulled me against him and settled us against the pillows. His lips hovered against my temple, tension coiling in his body. He released a harsh breath and started the movie. The screen turned black before the quote “Revenge is a dish best served cold” appeared.

“Kill Bill,” I said, laughing with approval. “That’s my kind of movie for a romantic evening.” I grinned, and I could feel the gloom of our conversation fall away from me.

The tightness around Alec’s lips vanished. “I know. That’s what makes you so perfect.” A blush crept up my neck, and I hastily put my head down and rested it against Alec’s shoulder so he wouldn’t see it. The opening song, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” started playing, and I hummed along with it. The Kill Bill soundtrack was one of my all time favorites. And when Alec whistled “Twisted Nerve” along with Black Mamba in her nurse costume, the moment was perfect. But no matter how much I tried to allow myself to relax, a thought haunted me. “Does she still try to talk to you?” I asked, my voice strangely hoarse.

“Hmm?” Alec’s fingers stopped tracing the skin on my arm. “What did you say?”

“Kate,” I clarified. I could see his body tense, feel it in the shift of his muscles, and I regretted ever bringing it up. “Does she still try to talk to you?”

“Tessa, do you really think this is a good time to talk about Kate?”

Of course it wasn’t. But would there ever be a time when talking about his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t be hurtful and awkward? “I need to know. Kate’s been between us for such a long time, and somehow in some way it feels like she still is.”

Alec stopped the movie. “All right,” he said slowly. “But you know that there was never anything real between Kate and me. We were friends, but the spark was never there between us. She and I had just been clinging to the relationship out of habit and because it seemed like the right thing to do.” That was a strange thing to say, I thought. Why was keeping up a relationship the right thing to do?

He continued, “She’s still pissed, and she never misses a chance to make that clear to me. She even tried to blackmail me, but—”

“Blackmail?” My neck bristled. What could Kate possibly use against Alec?

He was silent for a moment. “Yeah,” he said reluctantly. “We spent so much time together on our joint mission that we were bound to share a few secrets.”

“The mission where you and Kate first became a couple?” I still remembered the utter shock and heartbreak I’d felt when Kate and Alec had entered headquarters as a couple for the very first time. And just as vividly I remembered the twisted smile on Kate’s face and the triumph in her eyes when our gazes had crossed. I’d thought I would never hate someone more than I hated her in that moment.

Alec nodded, but I could tell from the set of his jaw and the tightness in his shoulders that that mission—or the secrets that went along with it—wasn’t something he wanted to talk about.

“I still don’t get it. If you and Kate never really loved each other, then why did you get together in the first place?” The words escaped me, even though I knew I should stop before I got a reply I didn’t want to hear.

“The mission formed some kind of bond between us. I guess that happens if you aren’t allowed to talk to anyone else about it. We only had each other, and we couldn’t help but grow closer. Our relationship was born out of practicality.” I could sense he was keeping something from me, but it was obvious that he had absolutely no intention of telling me more.

I opened my mouth, but Alec silenced me with a kiss. “Don’t let Kate ruin this evening. The relationship was a mistake. All that matters now is what’s between us.”

I nodded reluctantly and relaxed against him, though part of me didn’t want to let the topic go. Alec turned the TV back on. But suddenly seeing Kiddo’s pursuit of revenge wasn’t so funny anymore, because I was pretty sure Kate would be on a similar quest soon—not to kill me, but she would certainly make my life hell.

• • •

I woke with a start. Someone was trying to beat the door down. I sat up, brushing back a few unruly brown locks of hair that had fallen into my face. Straining, I blinked against the light. It was then that I realized I wasn’t in my room. I didn’t own bed linens with Chucky on them, or a Freddy Kruger figurine. My eyes found Alec, already on his feet, sliding his jeans over black briefs. My skin flushed with heat, and I hastily stared down at myself. I was still dressed in my T-shirt and the shorts I’d been wearing last night. I must have fallen asleep before Alec had taken his jeans off.

He gave me a quick smile. “You look adorable with your hair all over the place.”

I groaned. I knew exactly how I looked after waking up, and it definitely wasn’t adorable. My hair was naturally curly, but in the early morning light it tended to look like someone had given me electroshock therapy. Alec frowned, as though he could read my thoughts. I tried to smile, but when that failed, I trained my gaze on the Alien poster on the wall.

The knocking at the door grew even more insistent and made the door shake on its hinges. A tiny ball of unease gathered in my stomach. What could be so urgent this early in the morning? Had something happened?

Alec unlocked the door and pulled it open. Tanner stood in the doorway, and before I could hide under the blanket, his eyes settled on me. His eyebrows shot up—they were the same neon green as his mohawk. Somehow he pulled it off, and it looked impossibly cool with his dark skin. I waited for his teasing remark, but it didn’t come. That’s when I knew something really was wrong. I untangled myself from the blanket and staggered to my feet.

“What’s the matter? It’s not even eight on a Sunday,” Alec said, but the anxiety in his voice ruined the flippancy of words.

“You can get your beauty sleep on another day. Major wants to see you,” Tanner said. “Another agent has disappeared.”

CHAPTER 2

Tanner left without further explanation to fetch Kate. Our only directions were to head to Major’s office ASAP. In the hallway we almost bumped into a group of older agents deep in conversation, voices panicked and expressions strained. Word about another abduction must have already gotten around.

My stomach tightened. What had happened? Who was the newest victim?

When Alec and I stepped into Major’s office, I was surprised to find that Devon and Phil were already there. There was a moment of hesitation in their expressions. Even after living at headquarters for almost a week and seeing me pretty much every day, they still seemed to struggle with seeing me in my “real” body, and not as the person I’d pretended to be back during the Livingston mission. Devon’s blue eyes held mine briefly before his gaze quickly anchored somewhere else. It had been like this ever since he arrived at FEA headquarters, and I couldn’t really blame him. I couldn’t have forgiven him either if I’d been in his stead. I just wished he’d give me a chance to talk to him, but so far his evasive tactics had worked.

Phil occupied the second chair across from Major’s desk, and unlike Devon, he definitely wasn’t trying to avoid me. Quite the contrary, he stared at me with unmasked curiosity like I was a puzzle he needed to figure out. His eyes were a pale, watery blue, like the color had been washed away, and his hair was so light that it was almost white. Like the very first time I’d seen him, the sight of him gave me the creeps.

Someone cleared his throat, and I jumped. Major stood behind me, holding a tray with tea, the steam curling up from the cups in smoky spirals. The china had a blue, flowery pattern, which seemed at war with Major’s personality. The scent of bergamot flooded my nose. Earl Grey—Major’s favorite. I wondered why he didn’t let his secretary, Mrs. Finnigan, handle the tray, but realized she was probably still asleep. After all, Sunday was the only day everyone at headquarters didn’t have to work—at least on a usual Sunday.

Major’s dark eyes took in my crumpled clothes and unkempt hair, but he didn’t comment. He didn’t need to, his disapproval clear on his tanned face. “I’m glad you finally decided to join us,” he said neutrally as he strode past Alec and me and into his office, setting the tray down on his desk before handing a cup to each of us. “Sit,” he ordered in a clipped tone. Alec and I sank down on the glossy, black hardwood chairs across from Major’s desk, which was, as usual, spotless. Despite the dark wooden surface, not a fingerprint or a trace of dust could be seen.

“Major, what happened? Who is missing?” Alec asked, voice businesslike. This Alec—public Alec—was light-years away from the person I knew when we were alone.

Phil began sipping his tea casually, his eyes watching me from the side as if I was the morning entertainment. Why was he so fixated on me when there were much bigger things at hand?

Major sank heavily into his desk chair. “Agent Stevens.”

I let out a small sigh. I was glad it wasn’t someone I was close to, but I immediately felt bad for thinking like that. Stevens was a fellow agent, and who knew what he was currently going through? I’d met him a couple of times during my first mission, but I barely knew anything about him. I became acutely aware of the freezing temperature in the office as the cold from the linoleum floor seeped into my bare feet and spread through my body. Or maybe it was my anxiety that turned my blood into ice.

Who knew what his captors were putting him through? Or whom they were going to target next? Four agents had already been abducted, and the FEA had been incapable of stopping it. I shivered and began rubbing my arms for warmth.

Alec reached for my hand, and a wave of calm overcame me. I smiled gratefully. As long as Alec was at my side, everything would be fine. I don’t know how he did it, but his presence alone always managed to soothe my worries.

“Sir, what exactly happened in Livingston?” I asked, but Major raised his palm. “In a second, once everyone is here. I don’t want to tell the same story twice.” He drummed his fingers against his desk, then stopped abruptly when he felt my eyes on him. Major never showed nerves. Ever.

A knock sounded at the door, and a moment later Kate stepped in, freshly showered, blond hair still wet, and neatly dressed in clean clothes.

“Tanner briefed me on the situation,” she said in the same businesslike voice that Alec had used earlier. She settled herself into the only vacant chair—beside Alec. Her strange coppery eyes met mine for a second before I dropped my gaze. I didn’t want to make eye contact and thus allow her to read my mind. But she must have gotten a glimpse of last night, because her eyes narrowed slightly at me before she gave Alec a curt nod and smile and turned to Major.

“Now,” Major began, “as I said before, Agent Stevens has disappeared. All we know is that he didn’t give his usual status update and we couldn’t reach him by phone or e-mail. Given our experiences with previous disappearances of FEA agents, and the similar patterns of all recent events, I think it’s safe to say that Abel’s Army is involved.”

“But, sir, what makes you so sure? Do we know why Abel’s Army chose Agent Stevens? What is the deciding factor? What are the perceived reasons for the abductions?” Phil sounded like an analyst.

Kate’s eyes cut to me. I tensed. Why was she staring at me like that?

“Their main aim is to weaken us. The FEA is, and always has been, their enemy. So far they’ve abducted agents who weren’t living in headquarters and thus were an easy target. I believe, however, that their tactics might have changed. If they want to grow stronger as an organization, they’ll need reinforcement—Variants with useful talents. The mission in Livingston might have revealed five very interesting new Variations to them.” His gaze glided over us, and I sank deeper into my chair. If Abel’s Army really knew all about our talents, and I was almost certain they knew about mine, then we were all in danger. Alec squeezed my hand, and some of the tension left my chest.

Phil nodded, wide-eyed. His entire body was tense, the cup in his hand tipping precariously to the side. It was only a matter of time before he’d spill the hot liquid all over himself.

Devon’s fingers were turning white from their grip on the armrest. He hadn’t touched his tea yet. If his stomach felt anything like mine, he was probably afraid of regurgitating whatever he’d eaten for breakfast.

“I’ve been expecting their focus to shift, to target you. That’s why I made you join the FEA a couple of weeks before the agreed date,” Major said with a nod toward Devon and Phil. They tilted their heads in understanding, as if they, or I, knew what the hell that meant, as if we had the slightest clue what Abel’s Army was capable of.

“But still, if they were after us, then why take Agent Stevens?” Devon asked.

“He’d been tasked with guarding you while you were still in Livingston. He knew details about your Variations and your personal lives. He can give away important information about all five of you. He’s the first abducted agent who has a certain degree of insider knowledge that could potentially hurt us.” Major pressed his lips together in disapproval, as if he couldn’t believe Agent Stevens had dared to get caught.

“If he told them about your healing power”—he nodded toward Devon—“and about your capability to produce toxin”—he looked at Phil—“I’m sure Abel’s interest will be peaked. Your Variations are quite useful, after all,” Major said with an appreciative look. I wondered if they’d noticed Major’s choice of words. Useful. It was a term he loved to use.

Phil looked miserable. “But I can’t control my glands.” He stretched out his arms, gloved palms upward. “It’s not like I’m a biological weapon or anything.”

Major emptied his cup with a grimace. “The dose usually isn’t enough to kill a human, you’re right. At least, not a grown up. But with training and the right incentive, I’m quite sure that Abel’s Army could turn your Variation into something that’s worth being afraid of,” he said. My face must have shown my shock. Major gave me a pointed look. “That’s the problem with Abel’s Army. They wouldn’t hesitate to use your talents to kill and maim, while the FEA wants to teach you to control your Variations.”

“So you believe that we could be next,” Kate said, a hint of impatience in her voice.

“Given your involvement in the last mission and Abel’s interest in that case, I’ve come to that conclusion, yes. The Variations gathered in this room are too valuable for them to ignore. Appropriate security measures must be taken.”

“Alec should be safe, though, don’t you think?” Kate gave a delicate shrug. “After all, there’s nothing he can do that a machine can’t do in his stead. Strength isn’t that valuable.”

I couldn’t believe her audacity. Even in a situation like this, when agents were going missing and all of us were potential targets, she didn’t have anything better to do than continue to attack Alec. His fingers tensed in mine, but his face remained a stony mask.

“Alec is a very important asset,” Major said sharply. Discussion over. I smirked at Kate, but the expression on her face wasn’t the one I’d expected—not rebuffed, rather challenging. Kate had never defied Major openly. What the hell was going on?

“Until further notice, FEA headquarters will be on high alert. You will be on high alert. We have to take all necessary precautions to prevent another abduction from happening. Any kind of suspicious behavior must be reported immediately. Are we clear?”

“Clear,” we echoed as one. I wondered if the others were as confused about the meaning of suspicious behavior as I was. Everyone began rising from their chairs. Alec didn’t look half as freaked out as I felt. He even managed a smile for me, even though he usually kept our romantic interaction to a bare minimum.

“Alec, Kate,” Major’s voice lashed through the room like a whip. “A word with you.” I hesitated and glanced at Alec, Kate, and Major. None of them gave anything away. Alec released my hand with an apologetic smile. “See you later?”

I nodded and, with a last glance at him, left the room and closed the door behind me.

• • •

When I arrived back at my room, Holly was awake and reading an e-mail on our shared computer. But as soon as she heard me, she quickly clicked the browser window shut before I’d even closed the door—before I could catch a glimpse at what she’d been reading. Holly and I didn’t keep secrets from each other. “Hey,” she said without turning around. Her voice was too high. Strange.

I walked up to her slowly, hoping to catch a glimpse of something on her screen that would give me a clue. But her desktop background—a photo of us in front of the Christmas tree in the common room, wearing red Santa hats and huge grins—was the only thing greeting me. “Everything okay?” I asked, touching her shoulder. She tensed, then put her hand over mine and turned around in her chair, giving me a smile. “Sure.”

I searched her face for any kind of a sign, but it didn’t give anything away. It was Holly’s cheery face, the same face that had brought me through many dark moments. Maybe all this high-alert talk from Major had turned my brain cells to mush. Holly was the one person besides Alec I could trust completely. End of story.

I sank down on the bed, and a moment later Holly joined me. “Hey, you, why the gloom face?”

I put my head down on her shoulder and told her what I’d heard about Stevens and about Major’s suspicions. “Oh, wow, I suppose it’s a good thing that I keep messing up with my Variation. At least that means I’m not valuable enough to be a target,” she said with a laugh. But even that sounded off. I raised my head. “Holly, I don’t know what I’d do if . . .” I swallowed. Even thinking about it made me all choked up. “If something happened to you.”

She blinked quickly, then hugged me. “Oh, please. I’m safe. You heard what Major said. Only useful Variants should be worried. I still can’t get my invisibility under control.” She pulled back and changed the topic. “So! You spent the night with Alec?”

“Just sleeping. Nothing happened,” I snapped back, feeling a blush creep up my neck.

She grinned, then her eyes darted back to her laptop. A small envelope had appeared and then faded. A new e-mail.

“Who are you e-mailing?” I asked casually, but a feeling of concern wormed its way into my brain. I couldn’t stand the thought of Holly doing something without telling me.

She kept staring at her laptop before finally turning to me. Tears sprang into her eyes.

“Holly, what’s wrong?”

Her gaze dropped to her lap, where she was wringing her hands. “It’s . . .” she began, then sighed deeply. “It’s just my parents. My mom e-mailed me to say that Dad lost his job. She’s taken on a part-time job, but she can’t really do more. Someone has to take care of my brothers and sister. Noah has been sick a lot. His medicine is expensive.” Holly had two younger brothers and a younger sister, and her parents had always struggled to make ends meet.

“I’m sure he’ll find a new job soon,” I assured her.

“I should be there to help them. It’ll still be a couple of years before I’ll really earn money as an agent.”

That gave me pause. Somehow, being with the FEA had felt more like a way of living than a job, but Holly was right: As full-fledged agents, we’d get paid for our work.

“Maybe you can ask Major if he can help out. I mean, we’re practically doing this agent-trainee thing full-time, so we might as well get paid for it.”

“I don’t think Major would agree. I mentioned it once, but I got the feeling that he’d prefer that I break ties with them.”

“Are you sure? That sounds so callous.”

“You know he doesn’t care all that much about normal people. And look around: Most FEA agents are either orphans or were abandoned by their parents. I’m pretty much the only one who stays in contact with family, except for Kate and the few others with Variant parents.” She had a point.

“Maybe you could ask Major again? Or I could ask Alec to talk to him. Major listens to Alec.”

Holly shook her head hastily. “No, no. I’ll have to figure out another way. I wish I could live with them for a while to help take care of my siblings, so my Mom can work full-time. But Major would never agree.”

The FEA took us away from our families. Major seemed to think it was the duty of every parent to hand their child over with pride. But if he expected us to serve the FEA, he should at least make sure our families were doing okay. I wondered if parents had ever refused to send their child to the FEA, but somehow I already knew the answer. I didn’t think Major knew the meaning of no.

CHAPTER 3

That night Holly, Alec, Tanner, and I sat around a table in the common room, playing poker. Holly already looked much more cheerful, thanks to Tanner’s jokes. Seeing them sitting beside each other—he with his green mohawk and septum piercing, she with her fury-red pixie hair—they looked so cute together. I knew their admiration was mutual, but apart from an awkward kiss months ago, they’d yet to make a move.

Meanwhile, Alec kept touching my hand, my knee, my thigh beneath the table whenever he didn’t need to put down a card. It seemed like he couldn’t stop touching me, and it made me ridiculously happy.

“So what’s really the deal with Abel’s Army?” Holly asked as she dealt out cards.

“What do you mean?” Tanner asked distractedly as he sorted his hand. “I thought you knew the gist already. They broke off with the FEA decades ago and are doing their own thing. Mainly illegal stuff.”

“Yeah, but what exactly are they doing?”

“They’re working for the highest bidder. The Russian, Italian, or Chinese mafia, international terrorists—whoever pays the most,” Alec replied with an intense look at his cards. But something told me the cards weren’t why he’d tensed.

“But if they work for all kinds of gangsters, how can they keep Variants a secret? If they care about money so much, wouldn’t someone have bribed or blackmailed them and sold the knowledge to a newspaper or TV station?” I said.

Alec popped a few chips into his mouth, considering how much he should tell us. “You should know that what I’m telling you now are only rumors. I don’t know for sure, but I heard that Abel’s Army has a Variant in their ranks who can alter or even remove memories. The ability to instantaneously brainwash someone.”

“Holy shit,” Holly said.

Tanner nodded in agreement, but it didn’t look like Alec’s words had been news to him. I was too stunned to say anything. I’d always joked with Holly that I’d love to know someone who could wipe out a few of my less pleasant memories, like when my mother told me I shouldn’t call her ever again or that I was a freak and had ruined her life, or all the drunk, messed-up guys she’d dated back when I was a child. But it was scary to consider that someone could do that—change my memories, steal entire parts of my life so it was like they’d never happened. Alec was watching me as though he knew exactly what was going through my mind. His childhood had been filled with heartbreak just like mine.

The door to the common room swung open, and Phil and Devon entered. They glanced tentatively at our table, apparently unsure if they could join us.

“We still have room for more players,” Tanner said. He pointed at the vending machine in the back of the room, off behind the sofas and the flat-screen TV. “Get yourselves some provisions!”

“We don’t have any money on us,” Devon said as he walked toward the vending machine.

“You don’t need money for drinks,” Holly said. “They’re free! The vending machine is just for show.”

Phil and Devon got their drinks, while Tanner took care of the chairs. He raised his hand, and immediately the black folding chairs leaning against the wall beside the vending machine began floating toward us. Phil and Devon watched Tanner’s show with obvious admiration. I rolled my eyes at Tanner, but he just winked and carefully lowered the chairs to the ground beside our table. Devon sat down across from me, and Alec’s eyes darted between Devon and me with inquiring intensity. Alec didn’t like Devon very much. They had barely talked two sentences since Devon had joined the FEA. As implausible as it was, I suspected that Alec might be jealous of him.

I took Alec’s hand beneath the table and squeezed. A shadow of stubble showed on his jaw. I wanted to press my cheek against it. I loved the prickly feeling. His smile widened as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“So you’re the toxic guy, right?” Tanner asked as he handed cards to Phil. Only Tanner could say something like that without sounding rude. A deep flush spread across Phil’s pale face. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to attention, or to hanging out with friends.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Razorbill
• Date d'édition: 2014
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1595146563
• ISBN 13: 9781595146564
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 288
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible