Adam listens in silence while I recite the conversation for him, word for word. When I finish, he asks, “Are you sure that’s what they said?”
“Yes.” I’m not sure if I should reveal my secret to him. But I figure we’ll all learn each other’s “talents” eventually. “I remember every word they said. I have an…eidetic memory.” It’s weird to say it out loud after keeping it a secret for so long. Feels like I’m stripping off my clothes in front of him.
Adam sits up straighter. “Really? That’s amazing.”
I don’t want to talk about it. I switch back to the topic at hand, which is far more important anyway. “When they finished talking, they started walking toward me. I didn’t want them to know I’d overheard them, but I didn’t think I’d make it to my room in time.”
“So I was just a convenient escape?” he asks with a hint of a grin.
“Something like that.” I rub my arms, which have grown cold. “Do you have any idea what they were talking about?”
“No, but it’s probably nothing. I’m sure it doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Are you kidding me? They mentioned the five of us. And it sounded like they’d done this before.” I pace back and forth in the small space. “And next they want to use little kids!”
“I highly doubt a company like Aether Corporation would send children to the future.”
“But it all makes sense now. Why else would they use foster kids? They know we won’t be missed if something happens to us!”
“They chose us because of our abilities. And we’re not all foster kids.”
“No, you’re the only one who isn’t.” I stop pacing and stare at him. “So why are you here?”
“I…” He shakes his head and looks down. For a minute there is only silence, and I realize that’s his answer.
I turn away. We may have to work together, but we’re strangers. It was stupid to think I could trust Adam. And he’s right—he’s not one of us.
“Forget it,” I say, opening the door. “Just forget I said anything.”
I return to my exam room. As I wait, I replay the scientists’ conversation in my head a dozen times, trying to understand it. My only guess is there was another group of people who went to the future before us and something bad happened to them. Now the scientists are worried the same thing might happen to us. But that doesn’t explain why they need teenagers or kids even younger than us.
I’m tempted to run away from this place as fast as I can. But if I do, I’ll be exactly where I was before Lynne recruited me, looking for jobs and trying to figure out how I’ll survive once I turn eighteen. And I’ll miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—the chance to see the future.
No, I can’t back out now.
Lynne collects the five of us and takes us down to the basement level of the building. In the elevator, the tension in the air is almost tangible. Zoe chews on her black nails. Trent leans against the wall with his eyes closed. Chris glares at everyone. Adam keeps staring at me, opening and closing his mouth like he wants to say something. I avoid looking at him and hope he gets the hint.
The elevator doors open to a vast concrete room filled with computer panels and scientists in lab coats. In the center stands a domed enclosure covered in thick metal tubes that hug the machine, wrapping around it and leaving only one gap for a small door. This must be the accelerator.
“What, no TARDIS?” Adam asks. “I was hoping for a DeLorean, personally.”
I stare at him, wondering how he can make a joke at a time like this, especially after everything I told him. But he just grins at me and follows after Lynne.
She herds us through the room, a mother hen smiling at everyone we pass. Dr. Kapur and Dr. Walters bend over a computer, talking about something on the screen. Four other scientists type on keyboards or work on different parts of the accelerator, but they stop to take a good look at us as we walk by.
Soon we’ll be stepping inside that thing, facing whatever fate awaits us. After the conversation I overheard, I suspect it might be something dangerous. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to do something. I have to talk to Lynne about my concerns. The trick will be making sure I don’t reveal what I know.