Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
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.”
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. One of them was Summers.
My stomach tightened. What had happened? Who was the newest victim?
Summers motioned at Alec who turned to me. “Go ahead. I’ll have to talk to Summers.”
When I stepped into Major’s office, I was surprised to find that Devon and Phil were there. There was a moment of hesitation in their expressions.
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
Surprised by Devon and Phil’s presence, I let the door fall shut behind me. I’d heard that they’d arrived in headquarters a couple of days ago, but I hadn’t seen them yet. I took a few steps into the room, shivering as the cold seeped into my body.
Devon got up, unzipped his dark blue hoodie, and handed it to me. “Here, put this on,” he said.
For a moment we stayed like that: He holding out his hoodie and I too stunned to move. He was wearing a simple white shirt that he usually wore at night. It clung to his broad chest. There wasn’t a mark on his body from his encounter with Ryan, though his skull had been shattered and his ribcage littered with holes. A perk of having a healing Variation.
Phil 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.
I hastily snatched the hoodie from Devon’s hand. “Thanks.”
I put it on, trying my best to avoid Major’s inquiring stare, and not let the mortification over being in my pajamas overwhelm me. The hoodie smelled like Devon—like spearmint and something muskier. Devon slinked back to his chair and sank down. Maybe there was really a chance that he could forgive me for my deceit. I curled my hands into the too-long sleeves for warmth.
Major drawled, “Phil, you haven’t met Tessa in her own body yet.”
I always thought it was a weird way to describe it to people who didn’t know the extent of my Variation. No matter how I looked from the outside, it was always my own body. It wasn’t as if I sent my spirit out and possessed someone else’s body. I just transformed my own.
When I returned his stare, he lowered his head slightly and focused on a point over my shoulder. “So you were Madison?”
I wrapped my arms around myself, hating where the conversation was heading, especially with Devon in the room. “Yeah,” I whispered. “That was me.” I fought the urge to touch the spot where Ryan had left his mark. Devon didn’t know about it. His jaw tightened at my words.
“That’s unbelievable,” Phil gushed. His eyes darted to Major, as though he hoped someone would agree with him. “Just unbelievable. I tried to read up on people like us on the internet, but what I found was mostly unscientific and made up by role players. This is incredible.”