Ultraviolet Catastrophe

I clutched my iced coffee, the condensation from the glass mingling with my suddenly sweaty palms.

Grant pulled a brochure from his back pocket and slid it across the table toward me.

I automatically picked it up. There was a large, ivy-covered manor house on the cover, with white-trimmed windows and a wide, oak door. Inside the brochure, there were pictures of smiling high school students and tidy dorm rooms. I caught the words “world-class education,” “limitless opportunities,” and “camaraderie.” My nostrils flared as I ran a finger over the embossed Branston Academy logo. A microscope and a rifle.

Grant continued. “If you attend Branston, doors you never even knew about will open for you. You’ll have the chance to work with mathematicians and scientists at the top of their fields. People who could be the next Albert Einstein. You can write your own ticket to any university in the world. We have students at Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, MIT…”

I felt a twinge of interest. Mom and I had always talked about me going there, but it had been more of a dream. But now, this all sounded perfect. Too perfect. “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch, I assure you.”

“Then why not just ask me? Why chase my family across the country?” I glared at him, my fingers tightening around the brochure. My whole life had been a lie because of these people.

Grant’s smile was sad as he gazed into his mug. “We didn’t chase your family. You’ve always been perfectly safe. Your parents have some misguided notion you’re in danger from us. I can assure you it’s absolutely not true.”

Part of me wanted to believe him — the alternative was just too freaky — but my parents wouldn’t have made the choices they had for a threat that didn’t exist. As mad as I was at them, I knew they’d never have drugged me if they didn’t feel I’d been threatened. I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t trust his shiny brochure or his smooth lies. “Care to explain why they’d think that then?”

“Branston offered your father a full scholarship to both the academy and to university afterward. He was a model student. Top of his class. Contributed to some amazing scientific discoveries. After he graduated from college, he came back as a researcher and professor.”

I frowned. Why hadn’t Dad told me he’d gone to Branston? That he’d worked for them? His knowledge of them made a little more sense now. And I totally got why he’d gone. My grandparents had been poor and probably would have jumped at the chance to have Dad in a top-notch school.

Grant took a sip of his tea, shifted in his chair. “Back then, Branston had different goals. The trustees put him in charge of medical studies, and for a while, it seemed to be going well. He was a great recruiter, and we had some amazing students join us because of him. And then the accidents started. Lab projects exploding, experiments going wrong, students disappearing. We traced it back to your father and discovered he was purposefully sabotaging things so students could be released from their contracts with the school.”

Something uncomfortable squirmed inside me. “Why would they want to be released?”

Grant looked me in the eye. “I’m going to tell you the truth, Lexie. It was a bad time for Branston. They did some…unfortunate experiments. Things your father disagreed with. He started a sort of underground escape plan for students, and in the meantime, he was working at cross-purposes to the trustees. He was asked to leave.”

I chewed my lip as Grant’s explanation started weaving through my brain. It all matched up with what Dad had hinted at. So far. “Branston was doing horrible experiments. To me, that’s a perfect reason he’d take me and run. Why hold a spot for me?”

“That’s classified information. What I can say is that just because your dad wasn’t a good fit for Branston, doesn’t mean you aren’t.”

“Uh-uh. I need more answers than it’s classified.”

“Come with me, Lexie. Let me show you Branston firsthand. If you don’t like it, we’ll send you back to QT, no hard feelings.” He smiled reassuringly.

I frowned. How stupid did he think I was?

“I’m sorry you think that, Lexie,” he said, like he was reading my mind. Grant pulled a syringe of clear liquid from his pocket. The Branston logo was etched into the glass vial. “This serum is something I created just for you. It will disable the tracking nanobots QT injected you with, so they won’t be able to find you or wipe you. You’ll be safe.”

I shook my head. “They weren’t tracking bots, and I don’t want anything to do with Branston. Or you.”

Grant frowned and sighed. “Poor Lexie. Lied to again. I’d hoped we could do this the easy way.” His hand shot out and grabbed my arm, and with his free hand, he flicked the cover off the syringe and jammed it into my bicep.

Fire exploded through my arm, and I let out a yelp, bucking and jerking against his grip. But his fingers felt like steel against my skin, and a moment later, everything went fuzzy.

He got to his feet, bringing me with him. “We’re going to take a little trip, Alexa. I think it’s time you experience Branston for yourself.” He slipped an arm around me, holding me firmly to his side.

My head swam from whatever drugs he’d injected, and my muscles felt rubbery. I could barely hold myself upright as he pulled me toward the front door.

“Lexie? Everything alright?” Coco asked, her eyes widening with concern.

Grant nodded as we passed. “She’s not feeling well. I’m taking her outside for some air.”

I tried to struggle against him, but it felt like too much work. “Let me go,” I yelled, but my voice was barely a whisper.

“Muscle weakness is a side effect of the drugs as they destroy the nanobots. You’ll feel fine in a few minutes.” Grant smiled down at me. “I wish you wouldn’t struggle. You’re going to love Branston.”

10

Inside my body, my cells felt like they were exploding. Pain shot through me with each movement until the world was tinged with red. My lungs tightened until I could only gasp for air. I wanted to scream for help, but it felt like my body belonged to Grant now. I moved when he did, lurching forward like a puppet. He steered me out the door and toward a nondescript black sedan. The fall heat smacked me across the face, and I started to pant. I was on fire.

And then I heard shouting.

Dad and Asher sprinted toward us. A surge of relief made my whole body tremble. I’d never been so happy to see someone in my life.