Page 60 of Dangerous Deviance
Ellie
The four of us sat around the round table in Wil’s office; Maddie, the other two women found in the woods, and me. The newest woman was shorter in stature and afraid to look up. Axe had found her that morning. The short-haired woman from before stared at me, then Maddie, waiting for someone to speak. Maddie was the only one who had free hands. The rest of us had our hands and ankles cuffed. But I knew, deep down, that this wasn’t the only way we had been chained down. It had been much worse.
You’re stronger together, the voice said. I looked at their faces, then closed my eyes and let myself agree. I knew that was true; for once, there was no reason to fight that.
I turned to the woman who had spiky hair on top of her head. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“Billy,” she said.
I knew, now, that she was from Pebble Garden too, and that we had gone to the same gym. But did she remember me?
“I’m Ellie,” I said.
“I don’t remember my name,” the third one said. That made sense; it had been foggy to me at first too. Sandy blond hair covered her head, reaching her shoulders. She was smaller than Billy and I, but just as built. Her green eyes were piercing. If it hadn’t been for her eyes, I might have wondered if she was Julie in disguise.
Julie was out there. Somewhere. She had to be.
I didn’t know what I would do if she wasn’t.
“Is there a name you like?” Maddie asked.
The woman shrugged. “Not really.”
“Let’s call you Jane, then,” Maddie said. “It’s simple, and we’ll remember it.”
If I didn’t think of my sister, I still would have thought that Jane looked familiar, like I might have known her in a different life. But even if I had known her at the Skyline Shift, we wouldn’t have spoken to one another. Communication amongst each other was considered dangerous; the only person we were permitted to speak to was Dr. Bates.
And that’s where I would start.
“Do you know Dr. Bates?” I asked. Jane rubbed her forehead, shrinking down even further in her seat. “You don’t remember a lot, right?”
She shook her head. “Not a thing.”
Axe had found Jane in the woods by their parents’ house, like Billy and me. But the difference was that this time, Jane was closer to the house. Where Billy and I were found deep in the surrounding woods, Jane was only a quarter of a mile away. Billy touched the back of her neck, her fingers running over the tattoo.
“Do you remember getting the tattoo?” I asked. She had the same one as me.
“Yeah,” she said. “You mentioned Dr. Bates?”
“Yes?”
“He was there, wasn’t he? When they marked me.”
I nodded. If her experience was anything like mine, then he had been there for all of the tests. He may not have watched us for every training session, but he was an ongoing presence, always present during the important transitions. And if wasn’t there in body, then his voice carried over the speakers, constantly reminding us of what to do.
Like he was doing right now.
You can work together, his voice said.Kill the Adlers together. Kill them right now.
I locked eyes with Maddie. My forehead wrinkled, trying to fight the pain. But any time I ignored his voice, the ringing started, and it was so hard to fight.
“The voice?” Maddie asked. I nodded. She squeezed my thigh under the table, as if to say, We will work through this. Together. “All right, so that’s good,” Maddie continued. “You both know Bates. And Jane, does that name sound familiar?”
She shrugged, her eyes never meeting ours. Her eyes closed, as if she was trying to blink away a vision. Maddie put a hand on Jane’s shoulder. She flinched, then looked at her.
“Do you remember anything?” Maddie asked.
Jane blinked rapidly. “I can’t trust you,” she whispered.
