Page 81 of The Outcast
With a resolute dip of my chin, I concluded, “In that case, we’re staying here.”
Banni intertwined our fingers again. “Freya is right, we’ll need to go back and negotiate with Moreau. Part of me is just terrified that when we go back there, he won’t allow me to leave again. Going back is a gamble because it could mean ultimate freedom or ultimate doom for us.”
My heart dropped. “If your government orders you to stay, we’ll smuggle you out like the last time.”
“It wouldn’t work.”
“It has to!” I rambled fast. “You could fake your death on an expedition in Old Europe. They would never know if I picked you up and took you back here. I’m sure we could get everyone here to keep it a secret.”
“No. They can track me through my brain implant. I can’t hide from them, Sparrow.”
“Then have that implant removed,” I begged.
“By whom? If I did it here, they would know, and no doctor in Old Europe would do it in secret. Nor would anyone back home understand why I would want to move here or why I would want to marry.”
I kissed him one more time, soaking up his masculine scent that I loved so much. “Then we’d better explain it to them.”
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CHAPTER 28
Vetting
Banni
Because we wanted Sparrow to be part of the vetting, Aubri asked the remaining eight Explorer candidates to meet us at the Gray Mansion.
We chose to conduct the personality tests in the Mansion’s gorgeous ballroom. In one end of the room, close to the balcony, there were eight separate test stations with a table and chair for each candidate. They would sit there to fill out long questionnaires that would give us a deeper insight into their psyche.
In the other end of the ballroom, a table with two chairs stood ready for Linea’s interviews.
I was curious about how she would conduct her vetting and had asked if I could stay close enough to listen in. Linea agreed and placed two chairs along the wall for me and Sparrow. “I want you behind the candidates. That way they won’t get distracted by your presence.”
When the candidates were let into the ballroom, they glanced around admiring the opulent room that looked like something you would see from pre-war photos. Bianca and Allan were pointing upwards and discussing the beautiful chandeliers when Aubri and Thor joined Linea, Sparrow, and me by the wall.
“Are you ready?” Aubri asked us.
When we all nodded, she turned to call the candidates closer. Once they stood in a half circle, Aubri began.
“Thank you for coming. This is a different setting from our open field in the rainy forest, but as you all know, Sparrow suffered greatly after Keith kidnapped her and we want to make things easy on her.”
I stood next to Sparrow, who sat in a chair, smiling at everyone. Waves of concern and empathy came toward her from the candidates.
“I’m okay now,” she told them. “Thank you for all your cards and flowers.”
“Will the Explorer Academy continue?” Franklin asked.
Aubri shifted her balance. “So far we haven’t heard anything from Old Europe. It is our hope that the rumor of what Keith did hasn’t reached them. We will, however, have to do better background checks and we’re implementing new procedures for vetting candidates. We’re setting up systems to ensure what happened to Sparrow will never happen again. In return, Banni has promised to keep what happened quiet.”
Introducing two of the most famous people in the Northlands was redundant, but Aubri still swung a hand in the direction of her cousins. “Before I forget, let me introduce Thor and Freya Aurelius, who are involved in this project behind the scenes. They have both been incredibly helpful. We have also invited another important person to help us out. Linea MacCumhail is a specialist in human behavior and you’ll each sit down with her today, either before or after you fill out the expanded personality test that will help us uncover mental health issues.”
A few sighs were heard, and it made Thor thunder. “Anyone who doesn’t want to do these tests is free to leave. An instructor almost died because of a mentally ill person and from now on we will waste no energy on people who aren’t right for the program.”
None of the candidates objected after that.
Aubri and Thor supervised the candidates taking the expanded personality test, which was a matter of filling out questions. In the meanwhile, Linea sat down at the table not far from Sparrow and me and called over Shiva, who was the first candidate on her list.
Shiva complimented Linea’s thick, red hair with a charming smile and asked, “How does one become an expert in human behavior?”
