Page 54 of Fixation of the Mind

I went on autopilot as I answered. “Yes. I know about the six other families and their members.”

She stopped at a large door that resembled something a high-tech bank would have over a vault. She pulled out a card and inserted it into the slot to the side. A robotic camera lens snaked out of the wall, moving past Maria to scan me and Rion. It flashed red for a second before retracting, then the door creaked open like it had taken twenty full-grown men to crank it open.

As soon as the door completely opened, you could see three different hallways. Maria pointed to the left and center hallways while heading toward the right. “The families’ private training hall and weapons room is to the left, center leads to the meeting rooms, offices, and a few bedrooms, but to the right…” She looked over her shoulder and gave me a smile that set me on edge. “This is the way to the testing facility.”

Keeping my mouth shut, eyes forward, I followed her at a steady pace, but my heart was pounding so hard I thought she could hear it.

Rion’s voice cut through our silent walk. “Who will be in the viewing room with us, Maria?”

She was quiet for so long I thought she was intentionally ignoring him until she let out a low chuckle. “I would be lying if I said that you were the only Ambros that wanted to be in the room.”

My fingers curled into fists at my sides. That asshole wanted to watch me, wanted to be near me to threaten the boys, and that made me want to rage. I wanted to find him. Kill him.

Wait, what? When had I ever been so mad that I wanted to go that far? That didn’t sound like me. I turned away from fights, not incited them, never letting my anger get out of control. Now, I was having a hard time keeping my face blank like Rion and I had talked about.

“Anyway, it's only going to be me, you, and the lab tech. The other heads don't come to the tests anymore unless it's one of their own.” She shrugged before she pulled out her card again, stopping in front of a wall.

“Maria Ricci,” she said, and a little slit appeared for her to insert the card. Watching closely, I tried to figure out how the door worked.

“All council members have a biometrics card made for them when they are sworn in. It gives us access to every nook and cranny of this place.” The door opened, and she walked in and continued. “It’s also fingerprinted, so if anyone tries to take the card and their fingerprints don't match, the card self-destructs, hopefully taking the life of the thief.” She smiled wide like she enjoyed that thought.

I gulped, my heart skipping a beat as I followed her in. The room we walked into had a large switchboard with several buttons and various mechanical attachments. To the left, someone was sitting at a computer with four screens, typing away like we hadn’t just entered.

“Now, this is where the test will be administered.” Maria pointed to the large wide glass panel that separated this room from another. When we got closer, I could make out the full-body chair in the center. It had a helmet attachment, and several tubes and wires came out of it. A halo of light circled around the chair like it was on display. “This is the control room where we will be, and in there,” she pointed at the lone chair, “is where you will complete your test.”

Rion had coached me through this on the way here, but I my palms were still sweaty. No matter how much I was told about this test, seeing how isolated I was going to be was making my skin crawl.

Maria barked, “Door,” and the man at the computer quickly pulled a lever. The vacuum-sealed door popped open. “Come, Layrin. Let's not waste any time.” She held out her hand, but I hesitated. I wanted to run and give Rion a hug, have him tell me that everything was going to be fine, that he was right here and would save me if anything bad happened, but I knew we couldn't. Not while anyone who was with Foedus was around.

Taking a shaky breath, I stepped forward, bypassing her hand. I kept my chin up and walked through the door. I could feel Maria’s eyes assessing me. Was this how it would always be? Would I need to be on guard all day, every day? It sounded so tiring.

I stopped at the chair, waiting for Maria to say more since she’d followed me in here. I had a sneaky suspicion that this woman never did anything without a specific plan in mind.

“Climb up. I’ll help hook you up and explain.”

Not looking at her, I sat down, allowing myself only a small glance at the glass. Rion’s intense gaze was fixated on me, and in a weird way, I found it comforting.

“As I’m sure Ambros has taught you, this test will contain three stages. I can’t say which will be first or what you will see because that is determined by you.” I nodded, and she picked up the helmet and put it over my head. “Now, this will be reading all of your brain waves. This will tell us if you are in distress, which part of your brain is working, and generally read all your activity.” She pulled out a cable from behind the chair, hooking it around my biceps, down my forearm, and circling the tips of each finger on my left hand.

“This will give us an idea of your body's distress level. For example, if you get hit in the stomach, you're going to see it and feel it. The test is so immersive that your body can't tell the difference and will react like how you would normally react if you were punched. Your body will jerk, and you will feel that pain like it's real because, to your mind, it is.” Her face fell as our eyes collided, and I suddenly felt scared by having this woman looming over me. “This is why the test has a mortality rating. If you get shot, stabbed, or beaten to death, that is it. Your mind will shut down on its own, thinking that you are dead, and will, in fact, make you die. It's also why some leave this place insane, too.”

She glared at me for a second, a flash of concern in her eyes before it was gone. “Don’t die.”

“Not planning to,” came out of my mouth, and for a second, her lips turned up.

“Cinzia, Elio, and Luca wanted me to tell you good luck. I wasn't planning on passing along their message, but…” She left the rest out, blinking like she didn't realize what she’d started. I saw a flash of the syringe before she stabbed me with it and my whole body jerked.

I fought to stay awake as my eyes began to droop. Her face became blurry, but I could hear her whisper perfectly clear. “Make it out of this, Rose. Don’t make me regret helping you. Your mother would never forgive me.”

She left me reeling just as the darkness took over. It was a real bitch move.

Chapter 20

It felt like my mind shifted, bringing me to a different place. My stomach rolled at the feel of each cell in my body being transported by force even though I logically knew I was still in that chair.

All of those feelings drifted off as soon as my legs hit the ground. Light hit my lids, making me squint until I got used to the brightness. I blinked them open and looked up. Seemingly endless blue met my gaze, white fluffy clouds moving across the sky. A shadow caught my eye, and I flinched when a bird flew by. A longer look around told me that I was in the middle of a forest.

The smell of pine and dirt filled the air around me, and a creek babbled in the background. The setting felt so real I could taste it. I shifted around in my tennis shoes, wiggling my toes, and the leaves beneath them rolled and crinkled like they would in real life. Eyes catching on the nearest tree, every nook and cranny looked real. My feet controlled me, bringing me over to a tree so I could touch it. The rough bark scratched the pads of my fingers. I was awestruck by how immersive the experience was so far, and nothing had really happened yet! My head turned when a rustle in the bush to my right caught my attention, ripping me away from my fascination with the leaves.

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