Page 1 of Raze
Prologue - Raegan
Six Years Ago…
“Raegan, come with me, please.”
Chairs screech against the tile floor in unison when Aiden and Kellan stand in protest.
I glance up from my doodling to the classroom door to see what the big deal is. Gordon stands in his white lab coat, clipboard held against his chest. Having one of the scientists call us away during class isn’t completely unorthodox, though, it is uncommon. But it’s the menacing stare aimed at me that sends a spike of fear into my chest.
Miss Farley looks away from her laptop that’s projecting today’s lesson on the wall to my friends. “Sit down. Both of you. He only asked for Raegan,” she chides them, then addresses Gordon, “How long will she be out for?”
“The rest of the day.”
My blood chills, dread wrapping my body with invisible chains. Igrip my hand holding the pencil to keep it from shaking.
Two to three hours was the norm. But the entire day?
I check in with my boys. They’re my only source of comfort, and I seek my strength in them.
Aiden’s eyes narrow on Gordon, but he sits as Miss Farley requested and then gives me a questioning look. I shake my head and turn to Kellan on the other side of me, who’s still refusing to sit. His arm muscles jump when he fists his hands.
“Now, Kellan. Or I’ll send you to solitary to think over this behavior.”
Gordon’s eyes are narrowed on him, his lips pursed with annoyance.
“It’s fine, Kell.” I can’t let him read the fear in me or I know he’ll go after Gordon. He may wind up in solitary for it, but he’d argue he got what he wanted so long as Gordon is too injured to do whatever he’d planned for me. “I’m sure it’s something stupid,” I add, trying to dismiss this as anything more than a random training session for my gift.
He clenches his jaw, and I worry he might react anyway, but he nods and drops into the chair.
From the desk behind Aiden’s, Jackson is boring holes into Gordon while looking him up and down for clues of what he’s up to. Then, as if he feels me looking his way, he brings his gaze to mine. I can feel this repressed buzzing energy from him. Just like Kellan, he’d take on everyone on this island if I asked him to.
I could never do that.
They may let us get away with disobedience here and there bytaking things away, or solitary for violence, but I’m sure there’s a limit. If one of them were to ever go too far, I don’t know what they might do. Which is why I’m determined to never let that happen.
“I don’t have all day,” Gordon whines in a condescending tone.
I collect my things and shove them in my bag. Dane is at his weekly health check, so he won’t know I’m gone until he’s released back to class. Whatever it is, I’ll just fill them in at dinner or in their room later tonight.
We leave the wing of the manor that holds all the classrooms and enter the science wing. This is where we have health checks, our training, and other tests to learn the extent of each of our gifts. Usually, these are one-on-one sessions since every student’s gift is so unique to one another.
We turn toward a staff-only door next to the health room, and Gordon spins to face me so suddenly that I almost bump into him. Frowning, he assesses me from head to toe. Is this because I learned about him and Vera the other night? Am I going to be bullied into staying quiet?
“I’m going to let you in on some of the inner workings of what we’re doing here. Vera already told you an oversimplified explanation of our goals, but it is far more than that. Since you did well in keeping your mouth shut these last few days, I’m going to reward you with more knowledge. I think you could be a great asset to GE once you’ve mastered your gift. This is your chance to show me your commitment.”
He looks at me expectantly, and I go with what’s safest and nod.
He twists the knob, then pauses to look over his shoulder at me. “I want to make sure you understood what I said. This is a test for you, and failure is not an option. Don’t disappoint me.”
My stomach churns. What the hell does that mean?!
Opening the door, he waits for me to enter first. It’s a simple room with white walls and a black tile floor. One wall has an enormous window to the next room, from my chest up to the ceiling and the entire length of the wall. There are scientific instruments lining the counter along the back wall and a bed with some other health or science-related tools on wheels next to it.
Vera stands in the corner of the room at a computer and a spinning machine on the counter while she stares through the window. She pivots to face us, beaming excitedly until she sees me. “Rae? Gordon, what the hell is she doing here?”
“Watch your tone,pet,” Gordon chastises. He moves further into the room and sits in one of the office chairs, leaning back and then smiling while peering through the glass to the next room. “She’s here to observe only. To see what miracles we’re designing. How are you progressing?”
Her lips press into a flat line, but as soon as he asks her about whatever she’s working on, her face lights up again. “I’m so close. I know if I can keep at it, I’ll get there. How much longer do we have?”
