Page 224 of Silver Elite

“I won’t.” I glimpse a spark of excitement. “I want to study you. I want to work with you.”

My jaw falls open. “I would never work with you.”

Lower your weapon.

Jayde lowers the gun, just slightly. I don’t think she even realizes it. What I learned from my experience with the firing squad is that they couldn’t hear what I was saying. I was in their minds, but my commands weren’t translating into something they could consciously interpret. They didn’thearme telling them to pull the trigger—they just knew that they should.

“I wish you would reconsider,” she tells me. “You’re extraordinary. I’ve never encountered someone with such a strong mind.”

“Yes, I’m sure this is a sincere offer and I’ll just skip into the Capitol, where you and I will work together happily, our offices side by side.”

“Of course not. You would be a prisoner. At first,” she emphasizes. “But I think once I teach you everything there is to know, once I show you the possibilities, you’ll understand why I’m working with the General.”

I want to command her to lower her weapon again, but her animated voice, her palpable enthusiasm, triggers a cold rush of unease. It roils in my gut. An eddy of fear. I could stomach being a prisoner. Getting thrown into the stockade again.

But I can’t stomach beingherprisoner.

My mind flashes to that hospital full of fragmented Mods. The freezer of blood vials that makes me believe something horrific is happening there.

This woman wants to study me.

I refuse to let that happen.

“We could accomplish great things. Imagine the possibilities.”

“I will never work for or with you. You’re the reason my uncle is dead.”

“He’s the reason he’s dead.” Her expression clouds at the notion she’s not getting anywhere with me. “Your mind is the strongest I’ve ever encountered. I would hate to let that go to waste.”

Turn the gun on yourself.

She’s such a strong Mod that I expect her to smile and say,Nice try.But she doesn’t. She’s still in my head, though. Why isn’t she aware of what I’m trying to do? I wish I knew something about this ability of mine. Anything. Does it work on a different frequency?

Do I care right now as long as it’s working?

Turn the gun on yourself.

Jayde’s brow knits as her hand twitches, the gun trembling. I feel her losing her grip on my mind as she fights whatever impulse I’m feeding into hers. She tries to resist it, but my determination is stronger than hers. I’m not going to let this woman study me or sentence me to death. I refuse to face the squad. I refuse to leave Cross. I refuse.

Turn the gun on yourself.

“If you’re not going to work with me, then this is the end of the road for you.” She’s angry now. “But it really is a shame.”

Turn the gun on yourself.

She clicks the safety off, her exterior once again icy as she realizes I’m not going to “work” with her.

Frustration gathers inside me as my commands continue to go unobeyed. Why isn’t it working, damn it? I’m experiencing that same surge of energy I felt at the execution. My mind is alive with a kaleidoscope of gold dust. And I know she feelssomething.She thinks I’m reading her mind. She senses I’m doing something. So why isn’t—

“Try saying it out loud. I heard that helps sometimes.”

Uncle Jim’s voice rumbles through my head. Advice uttered a long time ago, during one of our many training sessions. He seemed so sure that vocalizing the commands could aid in inciting.

At this point, what do I have to lose?

“Raise your gun to your head,” I say, my voice coming out hoarse.

“What?”

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