Page 127 of Captured Immune

I turn to Katie and ask in a whisper, “What happened after I left?”

“We kept those Royals away from you for as long as we could. But after they killed Pixie and knocked Ruby unconscious, I surrendered. By that point, it was six against one, and all I could do was hope that you’d gotten far enough away. After that, Victor ordered his people to lock up all the agents in the cells. In case you can’t tell, there aren’t many of us left.”

I cock my head to the side. “The cells?”

“You know, like, jail cells?” She flashes me aduhlook. “That’s where Victor has contained us for the last day or so.”

“I didn’t know there were jail cells here.” Which is stupid, because I lived here for almost eleven years. Victor probably keeps the cells hidden in one of the many areas he forbade me from wandering around.

Katie continues, “We think he was keeping us alive for a possible ransom from ZIRDA or to torture us for information. We were in the middle of plotting an escape when the Ridge got raided by the Enforcers. They think this is a Royals hideout. We tried telling them that we’re ZIRDA agents, until the Royals started doing the same. Since the Enforcers can’t tell who is on what side, they’re taking us all to z-prison. They said once we prove our innocence, we’ll be released.”

“That’s right,” the biggest Enforcer says from where he stands. “We’ll be interrogating you all thoroughly, so you bestah get yo stories straight.”

“Settle down, Cameron,” the Enforcer closest to Victor says.

“Don’t you tell me to settle down,” Cameron says. “A Royal killed my son. I live for moments like this.”

From inside the cavern, a woman babbles words so fast, I can’t make them out.

“Please, you have to believe me,” the woman says. “You?—”

“I told you, lady,” a man says, cutting her off, “you can prove your innocence to the Keepers.”

“But you have to listen to me,” the lady says. “I’m not a criminal.”

When she steps out from behind the waterfall, I can’t believe my eyes. “Aunt Jodi?”

Her skin looks unhealthily pale, and she’s skinnier and more frail-looking than I remember, but it’s definitely her. I’d recognize her anywhere, because that’s the face of the woman who used to glare at me just for walking past her.

Jodi continues rambling as an Enforcer secures her handcuffs to the end of the chain behind me. “No, please! You have to listen to me. That man over there is not who he says he is.”

I can’t believe it’s really her. I haven’t seen her since I was six.

“I’ve been imprisoned here for twenty years!” she shouts as the Enforcer ignores her and huffs his way back into the cave. “I’m not a criminal!”

Is that true?Has Victor really kept his wife locked up here this whole time? Victor told my parents that Jodi packed up all her stuff and left, leaving behind only a note about finding her soul mate. I guess since that story came from Victor’s lips, none of it is to be trusted.

“Aunt Jodi?” I say, cutting into whatever she’s yelling to the Enforcers.

She flicks her attention to me, then her entire face drops. At first, she doesn’t say anything; she just stares. The way she’s looking at me isn’t the way she used to look at me when I was a kid. There’s no disgust, no loathing, not even an ounce of hatred in her eyes. Instead, she’s looking at me like she’s trying to figure out if I’m real.

“Trey?” My name leaves her mouth in a soft whisper.

“Yep,” I say with a nod.

“Oh, god.” She chokes up as tears stream down her pale cheeks. “Trey. You—you’re so grown up.”

“Well,” I say dryly, “it’s been, like, twenty fucking years.”

She places her hands on my forearm, and it takes everything in me not to throw her off. “Trey, listen to me. You have to believe me, because these damn Enforcers won’t.”

“Shut up, Jodi!” Victor shouts from the front of the chain. “Shut your goddamn mouth.”

Jodi ignores him. “Listen, I’m not Jodi. She’s a fucking liar, and so are her goddamn parents. They lied about her mind power because it’s on the Extinction List. Jodi doesn’t have a photographic memory, like they made everyone believe. She’s a Mind Swapper. Twenty years ago, she stole my body. I haven’t seen a single ray of sunshine until just now. Please, you have to believe me.”

I suck in a long breath as I muster up the courage to ask the question I think I already know the answer to. “If you’re not Jodi, then who are you?”

“I’m Victor.”

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