Page 15 of Impossible

“But I thought my blood test showed something?” Indie asked.

“It did,” I nod. “I’m not the best person to explain the testing. You can test aslikelybut notguaranteedto manifest a secondary sex other than beta. That’s what happened with you. Adams is built to keep an eye out for kids that come from beta families but might turn out to be omega.”

“Everybody at Adams is alpha or omega?”

“No,” I smile. “It’s still a snooty-ass regular boarding school. Everybody here at the Complex is though.”

“Oh.” I watch things click into place as she smiles at my remark. “So, they did want me here,” she laughs. It’s a bitter sound, not her real laugh, I can tell.

“When a potential omega is discovered, the school reaches out to the family and offers a scholarship to Adams, in return for a promise of guaranteed attendance to the Complex. A way to keep close those who might manifest.”

“Guaranteed attendance?” Indie asks.

“Yes,” I sigh. “In return for compensation.”

“So… you’re saying I was sold.”

“Kind of. But don’t panic, your life is still yours after...”Fuck.There’s no way in hell she’s ready for all this. “After a sort of graduation,” I finish lamely.

“But I have to be… here.”

“Yes.”

“And this isn’t just a gifted school, is it?”

“Not at all. It’s not even a school. Well, notjusta school.”

“Ok, and what if I don’t want to be here? What if I want to go back up to Adams and continue with my life, that I was very much enjoying?”

Was she enjoying her life? A quick glance at her collarbones practically poking through her skin and the jaundiced circles beneath her eyes tells me she wasn’t. I sigh. “I’m sorry, little bird. You can’t go back.”

“Why?” her voice is sharp.

“The Complex is designed for omega education. It will teach you what you need to know about your biology. How your brain works.”

“Ok, so what, I can’t do both? Is it a full-time job learning what my body does? Seems to be working fine without intervention so far.”

“But it won’t,” I say.

“What?”

“Well,” I begin. I don’t know how to say it gently, so I just say it. “One of the main things that sets omegas and alphas apart from betas is their sexual development. Omegas don’t get periods like beta women. They have heats instead.”

“Heats.”

“Yes.”

“Like a dog?”

I grimace. “Yes.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am completely serious.”

“Heats?”

“This is what the Complex is for,” I sigh. “Normally, you would have manifested when you were twelve or thirteen, maybe fourteen at the latest. It’s called pre-awakening, and it’s essentially the beginning of puberty. You come to the school, learn all about alphas and omegas and what is going on with your body and what to expect with your first heat. It gives you time to find a pack.”

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