Chapter 23

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The path back to Mendel was clear, with no one but the mourning doves to greet me with their throaty coos. All the other Mendelites were cooped up inside. Tested, gauged, prodded and poked -- where would they all net out? And what about me?

Schism.

The word tumbled around my head. What was brewing underneath my skin? Two aptitudes in a genetic civil war, testing their strengths to decide who would take over? Which one would win?

I plodded down the path, uncomfortably numb. Sunlight fell through gaps in the trees, splashing against rock and lush patches of grass. I walked in and out of shadows, sweeping unwanted thoughts to the furthest corners of my mind. The doves' gentle coos filled my ears until I stepped into the clearing and made my way to Watson's backdoor.

The soft-lit hall was dark as a cave compared to the afternoon sunlight. As I climbed the stairs, I willed my brain to be quiet and focused on getting back to my room.

Dead. Tired. Don't. Think.

With trembling fingers I unlocked the door, kicked off my shoes, staggered toward the bed and passed out.

***

Someone was knocking.

"I'm coming. Just a second." My voice was withered with sleep. Eyes bleary, I glanced at my Mendel-issued wristband. It was 4:15. Hoisting heavy legs over the side of the bed, I scraped my hair into a ponytail and padded across the soft carpet toward the door.

Archer's size was somehow more imposing in the hallway. His strong shoulders were almost as wide as the doorframe, practically drowning me in his shadow.

"Are you ok?" He spoke in a rush, voice like gravel, eyes a navy shade of blue.

"Yeah." I shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm fine." I hadn't been expecting his visit.

Clearing his throat, Archer took a breath. "I hope you don't mind me tracking you down. I ran into Gracie and she told me where your room was."

"Did you tell her what happened?" My throat felt tight. It wasn't that I didn't want Gracie to know. It was more that I didn't want anyone to know.

"No. It's your story to tell -- or not." He shrugged. "No one else was left in the room, so the only person who saw it happen was me. Well, me and Dr. Kelly."

Hot coals of embarrassment pressed against my cheeks. I was thankful the class was empty when my brain decided to schism, but the thought of Archer watching me pass out made my stomach lurch.

Glancing down the hall, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, is it ok if I come in?"

"Oh yeah, sorry -- of course." Nodding like a bobblehead doll, I stepped back into the room as he closed the door behind us.

Making a beeline for the bed, I quickly rearranged my comforter to hide the messy sheets and took a cross-legged seat while Archer stopped to peer at the pictures on my shelf.

"Your family looks nice." He held the photo of my parents and me in front of Cinderella's castle. "I've never been to Disney. Is it fun?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not obsessed with princesses and wearing mouse ears or anything." Pushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear, I tried to ignore the nervous energy coursing through my fingertips. "It's kind of magical though."

"I always wanted to go. I guess you could say magic's not really my dad's thing." Pulling the chair out from my desk, he sat down. His movements had a seamless fluidity to them, despite his stature.

"Anyway, I wanted to see for myself that you were alright." Archer's deep-set eyes searched my face for expression until I looked away. "We were kicking ass at that simulation — I mean, we'd beaten everyone in the room by a long shot and suddenly you were just ... gone."

I fingered the locket around my neck. "I woke up to Dr. Davis examining me. Turns out, what happened isn't super unique. My aptitudes are trying to sort each other out. They're competing to see which one is stronger."

"So, it'll pass then? As we get through Meta?"

"I guess so. I mean, that's what I understood from talking with Dr. Davis."

Sunlight peeked through my curtains, throwing a golden sheen against Archer's face, highlighting strong cheekbones and a faded scar over his left brow.

Though he'd been nothing but kind, I imagined Archer would appear intimidating standing on the wrong side of a dark alley.

"Hey -- can I ask you something?" His voice was hesitant, like he was deciding whether or not to cross a verbal river.

"When someone says that, it usually means they're going to ask anyway, don't you think?"

I had a habit of spewing the first thought that popped into my head when I was tired. And the honesty of that first thought usually made me wish I'd waited to formulate a second. A blush bloomed up my neck but Archer just laughed.

"You've got a point there. So, here's my question — what did you see before you passed out?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You moved so fast during the simulation, I almost had a hard time catching up. Then all of a sudden you just stopped. When I looked over, you were pointing at the screen like you saw something strange there. I called your name, but you didn't answer — "

My hand flew up and I winced. "Stop. Please. I know what happened. I don't need to hear it again."

"Hey. Marin. It's ok." Reaching out, he gently touched my arm. "Listen. I'm only asking because I saw something. At least I thought I did. You distracted me so I wasn't sure."

The warmth of his hand was reassuring against my skin. It calmed me down. It sped me up. I wasn't sure which was better.

"You ok?" His brows knitted together.
I nodded and he moved his hand away.

Archer took a breath. "As I said, you whipped through the module faster than I did. I had a hunch about what my last puzzle was turning out to be, but hadn't gathered all the pieces yet when you — well, you know."

His words took my mind back to the simulation. I could see my finger touching the screen, moving pieces from one column to the other, a butterfly's wing slowly taking shape. Then an antennae, a leg and another wing.

"It was the eyes that tipped me off. I'd seen them before." Archer's voice hitched a little. "On the first day of Meta. In that weird ass white egg. I had to go through a virtual maze, as fast as possible. In the centre was a wolf. He lunged like he was going to eat me alive. That's when the egg shut off."

"Your last puzzle during our simulation was a picture of a wolf?" My pulse stuttered in my neck. Maybe Archer was onto something.

But what?

"I didn't get to finish the puzzle, but the eyes were there and I'm sure that's what it was. Why would they do that? Because the wolf scared the shit out of me. It felt real." His words flew fast, like cold water rushing from a faucet. "My heart rate was through the roof when I got out of that damned egg. I was wearing my wristband and the attendants took vitals after the test, so me seeing it again can't be a coincidence."

"You think they chose our final puzzles to get a specific response from us?" My pulse skipped faster.

"That depends. What did you see?" Archer's knee bounced up and down, and he leaned a little closer to me from his chair.

"I saw a butterfly. And before you ask, yes I saw it in the egg."

***

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