Page 56 of Gifted

“I can’t talk about this anymore.”

Of course not. I’ve lost again. “Fine. So what do we do when they come back?”

“Continue telling them what you see if they demand it, and deny you know anything else no matter what.”

“No matter what?” My voice is barely audible.

He doesn’t look at me. “I don’t think you’ll have to see the really bad stuff. I’m going to give them what they want; I just need to hold out long enough to negotiate.”

“Negotiate?”

“How’s your arm?”

“Huh?”

“That was quite a bump against the dresser this morning.”

“You’re trying to distract me. It’s not going to work.”

“You’re also hoping Matthew and Sara start dating, but are afraid Connor won’t be satisfied staying friends.”

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. “He’s nice, just not my type.”

“You need to work on your types.”

“Maybe.” I meet his gaze. “You know I’m not going to be able to just move on like you want.”

His smile fades. “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

I shake my head. “We’ve already been over this. Do you really think they’ll let things go back to the way they were?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

He doesn’t respond, and I suspect that will remain yet another mystery.

The door opens again, and Clausen parades in with his gang of assistants. I look to Daniel, shocked at the tears in his eyes. He clenches them shut as if to hide them.

“You know what I want,” Daniel says.

“You give us details about Emmit Market Corporation and we release Rebecca?” Clausen confirms, and Daniel nods.

My gaze shoots to his in alarm. “What’s going on? What are you doing?” His tortured expression meets mine. “Daniel!”

“I’m so sorry,” he says, and all goes black.

Chapter 10: Acquaintance

I wake with a start and rub my pounding head. The alarm clock hates me. It really does. I glare at the hideous red numbers and briefly consider declaring my first sick day. I am sick, right? Sick of Thursdays, anyway.

The shower is more supportive of my mood. Thursdays mean French toast for breakfast. That’s a plus. There’s also a truncated group session which is a reason in itself for getting out of bed. If only they didn’t come with a longer morning activity. Maybe we’ll go out on the East Lawn today. Then again, we’ll probably have to play some stupid preschool game like kickball. Hopefully Sara, Matthew, and Connor are up to the challenge. They make anything bearable.

After getting ready for the day, I meet Laura and Ben in the common area.

“I love your shoes,” Laura says. “Are they Candice Tano?”

“Yes, but last year’s line. You can get them at half price or less if you wait until the newest one comes out.”

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