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  “All the more reason to get me a large!”

  “Okay, and your friend will be eating what, then?”

  He glanced over at Angela. So long as he remembered that she was a vegetarian, that was the important thing. She, however, was too afraid to open her mouth. When she didn’t speak, he did his classic eye roll. “Get a medium margarita pizza, and an order of the cheesy garlic bread. Oh, and the cinnamon dough balls. Those are good too.”

  “All right, I think I got all of that.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yep, bye.” He hung up the phone again quickly, pushing the same button on the steering wheel that he had before.

  Angela smiled over at him, wanting to let him know she was proud for taking the higher road with his parents. Given all of the drama in his family, it couldn’t have been an easy thing for him to do. At the same time, she knew how much he hated a big deal being made over anything. The way he’d chastised his mom over the phone earlier was proof of that. Hopefully, the smile was enough for him to get the message. Everyone needed encouragement, right?

  He glanced her way, returning the smile. “Thank you, too.”

  “I just did what any good friend would do.”

  “Yeah, I get that. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good friend.”

  “You were just waiting for me. My kind of awesome only comes once in a lifetime.” She winked.

  Slowly, he raked his lower lip between his teeth. “Cocky much?”

  “Cocky, confident, I guess they’re the same thing.” She shrugged, trying not to show how self-conscious his comment made her. She was ninety-nine percent sure he was only joking around with her anyway. If he’d been serious about her having too much attitude, he’d have been a whole lot more rude to her. Assuming she knew Orlando like she thought she did, at least. He didn’t seem to have issues with sparing people’s feelings when he was annoyed.

  After a moment passed, he glanced her way. “Confidence is cool. I’m glad someone else on the planet gets that. I was getting worried everyone had turned into passive-aggressive robots or something.”

  “I’m confident when I have reason to be.” But definitely not in everything she would have liked.

  Just like any other normal teenage girl, she had her fair share of insecurities. Different situations brought them out in different ways. The only thing she was insecure about when it came to Orlando was the crush-like feelings she had for him. Oddly, she didn’t have any fear about if he felt the same way toward her. All of the fear came from what Alan would do if he knew how she felt. After the fiasco of JD and Cadence’s failed attempt at a relationship, the alien had made it a rule that no one in the group date one another again.

  Orlando gave a slight nod and then frowned.

  She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Something on your mind?”

  “Plenty, I’m more than just a pretty face.” He winked.

  “You know what I mean. If you don’t want to tell, that’s fine, just saying I notice when the gears are turning.” And the fact he wasn’t trying to hide it from her was another indication he might want to talk about everything.

  His mouth opened, and for a second she thought she’d broken through another of his barriers. Instead of talk, he exhaled and shook his head. Angela respected his decision to not elaborate on his thoughts. A small victory had been made, and when it came to him, those were the moments that counted the most.

  Chapter Six

  Keep the faith, I gotta keep the faith. JD had always been big into exuding positive vibes, and making sure he surrounded himself in good thoughts. Ever since his breakup with Cadence, that attitude was getting harder to maintain. He’d messed up, but he didn’t understand how the whole thing was his fault—a fact that was killing him inside. How could he fix anything if she wouldn’t tell him anything?

  Hopefully, the silence would be ending. Her text saying she wanted to talk to him lifted his spirits significantly. They hadn’t had a decent conversation for a long time. Probably not since before they dated, and that had been at least three months. What happened? How did his best friend become a stranger?

  As JD walked into the Apartment, he couldn’t help but wonder where he’d gone wrong. Cadence was the one who freaked out at him for telling a horrible joke, she was the one who didn’t communicate that she had issues with their relationship, and she was the one who set the pace for what happened between them. All I did was what I thought she wanted me to do. It’s not all my fault. He grasped the doorknob to the outside door so tightly his hand started to cramp up. He pulled the door open with a lot of force, and it slammed shut behind him again. If anyone was around to hear it, they didn’t respond.

  The Apartment was a part of Orlando’s mansion. The place was so big it had an entire wing attached to it that could pass for a normal-sized house. In this wing was where the group made their headquarters. Because Orlando’s family was never around, his house was always unnervingly empty. JD could hardly stand it and was grateful it wasn’t him who had to live there.

  According to Orlando, no one in his family knew how to get inside the wing to begin with. JD had a hard time buying that the area was that well-kept of a secret. If Orlando could find it during his free time, so could his sister. For the time being, it was hidden. JD didn’t even have to hide his car when he parked it because the wing was far enough down the road where he could find a spot on the street and have it be close to a small park. The bus stopped right in front of it too. Everything about the location was perfect, almost eerily so.

  Inside the Apartment was everything the group would need to help Alan with his work. The basement consisted of a practice area where those who had more aggressive powers could make a mess and not have to worry about disturbing everyone else in the house; nearby was a smaller room with shelves upon shelves of dusty, old books and a computer where they could do research. Cadence spent a lot of time in there conducting experiments as well. On the floor above that was the War Room, which was more like a living room, containing a couch and a number of chairs for them to sit and meet in. A small kitchen and bathroom were also on that floor, creating a living space. Above that was a full bedroom and larger bathroom, complete with a jetted bathtub to relax in. Finally, at the very top was an attic for all of their storage needs.

  JD could move into the space and live there for the rest of his life if he thought he could get away with it. Since he didn’t have any money to pay rent, and his parents needed him too much at home, he couldn’t exactly do that. Even if Orlando let him stay there for free, it wouldn’t be right. JD didn’t like handouts, for one, and two, he wanted to show his parents he could be responsible. Someday, all of the time I’ll have put into the family will pay off.

  In an effort to hide his nerves, JD hummed quietly as he made his way up the stairs to the War Room. If anyone was there, they’d hear him coming. The room was empty when he entered. He took his usual seat on the couch and relaxed. For the first time in a while, he would be in close proximity to Cadence and he needed to get a handle on himself before he started letting his mouth fly. Running off his mouth is what ended up getting him into the most trouble. Censoring himself was getting a little easier, but he still had a long way to go.

  Alan popped in first, which surprised JD because usually the guy was the last one to arrive. His teleportation abilities made coming and going a lot easier for him, and JD was also pretty sure he had some kind of way to track who from the group was where, to an extent. Normally, Alan didn’t make his appearance until after everyone else was already there.

  The two young men briefly made eye contact. Alan offered a weak smile. “Greetings.”

  “Hi,” JD said, wondering why there was so much awkward tension between them. No, they weren’t best friends, but Alan was always so much more at ease. The way he held his body was tight and conservative, almost as if he were on edge. Strange.

  Alan glanced around the room. “
I thought everyone would be here by now. My sensors from the ship had everyone placed inside the building.”

  “That explains why you’re so early.” JD laughed. “Angela is over at Orlando’s for dinner, or something? She didn’t get into a whole lot of details, just mentioned pizza and a movie.”

  “Are they dating?” He narrowed his eyes, obviously not approving of the idea. Not like JD could blame him, given how badly he’d messed up the team by attempting a romance with Cadence.

  JD shrugged. “Pretty sure they aren’t. She’d be a lot more giddy at home if they were, seeing as how she’s never had a boyfriend before. Come to think of it, I heard Mom say something to Dad about him needing moral support dealing with his parents.”

  “They don’t get along, I take it.” Alan’s expression changed from intense to almost sad. His eyes softened and he wore a different kind of frown than the one from only a few seconds before. It was a look JD had seen on his father on a number of occasions, almost akin to disappointment. But why would Alan be bothered by Orlando’s family problems? They weren’t his business.

  Letting out a quiet laugh in an effort to ease some of the tension, JD threw up his hands. “Does anyone get along with Orlando?”

  For a moment, Alan tilted his head to the side and scratched his chin. “I suppose you make a good point, though he is much more pleasant to deal with as of late.”

  “True, okay, so I guess we get along with him fine. Maybe the guy is just mean to everyone as some kind of hazing ritual.” JD believed it possible.

  “Hazing ritual?”

  JD put the palm of his hand to his forehead. “You don’t haze people back on Altura?”

  “We do,” Alan said. “I just don’t see a point to it, especially when it comes to someone doing something as simple as making new friends or being around one’s family.”

  “I didn’t say it had to make sense, but I wouldn’t put it past him to put them through some kind of a test.” JD waved a hand in front of him.

  Orlando and Angela walked into the room then. “Both of you gossip like girls, seriously. Don’t you have better things to be talking about than me?”

  “I was only inquiring into your whereabouts and what the two of you were doing together,” Alan stated.

  A slight flush of color spread across Angela’s cheeks. Before she could say anything, Orlando spoke first.

  “Next time, you can just ask me if you want to know so badly. As much as it looks like a scandal, I promise it’s not. A guy and girl can hang out without it meaning something.” His voice was a lot more tense and defensive than it should have been for something as innocent as family dinner. Either there was more to the outing than Angela had let on, or Orlando was getting himself in a tizzy over something else.

  Alan’s jaw tightened. “If you were here to ask, I would do so. It was only a question.”

  “The question isn’t the problem.”

  “Then what is?”

  “Talking about my issues with people. If I want to be psychoanalyzed, I’ll see a therapist.”

  Taking in a deep breath, JD tried to think of how he could defuse the situation before it blew up. “Okay, sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” Apologizing was the last thing he wanted to do when he hadn’t done anything wrong in the first place, but if it got Orlando to take a chill pill, he’d suck up his pride and deal.

  For a moment, Orlando gazed over at him before nodding. “Fine, apology accepted.” He licked his lips. “My parents got me on edge, okay? I’m trying to not explode all over the place, but my whole routine is messed up. I’m pretty sure they’re trying to do everything they can to ruin my life too. They just need to go away. Plus Tait…”

  “Save your concerns for her until we all arrive. She’s part of the reason we’re having this meeting,” Alan said. He leaned against the window, taking a moment to gaze out at the small forest behind Orlando’s mansion.

  Orlando nodded, sitting down in his chair and tapping his hands on the armrest.

  The deep, sad frown Alan had worn before returned. “As for your parents, I can respect they cause a lot of unnecessary stress in your life. I’m trying to remember that you’re still youth despite your desire to be treated like adults. It’s a hard balance to find. Please, try to remember that if we’re discussing anything, it is only because we’re concerned, and I will do better to remember to not discuss something you would rather I talk to you about first.”

  “Fine, that sounds fair.”

  JD cracked a small smile. “For the record, parents are supposed to try and ruin your life. It’s what they’re good at. Usually, it means they’re trying to keep you from doing something stupid.”

  “Noted.” Orlando rolled his eyes and slouched further into his chair.

  Glancing over at his sister, JD noticed she was still a bit pink. Slowly, Angela made her way into the room and sat next to him. “It’ll be nice when things stop drastically changing on all of us. I’m all for shaking things up, but too much at once is headache-inducing.”

  Alan winced after she said that. “We’ll talk more once Cadence gets here. I wonder what’s taking her so long. She’s usually not this late.”

  “She can take all the time in the world,” Orlando mumbled. “All of my homework is done for a while and I’ve certainly got nothing better to do with my time. Maybe when we’re done we can all go out to a movie or something.”

  JD shook his head, knowing his parents would never allow it on a school night. Besides, his friend needed to stop avoiding his problems. “Just bite the bullet and do your obligatory family-bonding thing. Maybe they’ll leave faster, man. It’s clear they’re compensating for the guilt after you disappearing. Humor them, and they’ll get their fill and be ready to head off again.”

  Right when Orlando was going to respond, Cadence rushed into the room.

  “Sorry,” she managed in between deep huffs. “The bus ran late, and then I got off on the wrong stop. I ran all the way here from the next one up.”

  “You didn’t need to wind yourself to get here,” Alan said softly. “We’re more than fine waiting.”

  She shook her head and took the final spot on the couch, sitting next to Angela. Still not close to JD, but at least they were on the same piece of furniture again. He’d take it.

  “Want some water?” JD offered. She nodded, and he glowed on the inside. Finally, something he could do for her! He jumped up from his seat and rushed into the small kitchen right outside the door. “Keep talking! I’m listening!”

  “Sprout and her brother Bean have started undergoing rehabilitation treatment with the Ilotus,” Alan said. “They aren’t the first teenagers to undergo rehabilitation, in general, but with the Ilotus, I guess you could say they are our guinea pigs.”

  “Oh boy,” Angela said.

  “I’m not particularly pleased with this, but I was once told by a friend that sometimes in order to do the right thing, one must strike their enemy with the same strength their enemy would attack with.” Alan paused. “Meaning, they would not hesitate to do the same things to you or I, so there is no need to feel guilty.”

  JD turned on the faucet, absorbing what Alan had just said. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with the logic, though it did make sense. But did that mean Alan didn’t have any lines? The tribe Bean and Sprout worked for clearly did not have any respect for human life if they were so willing to experiment with teenagers in such a dangerous way. He didn’t want to believe Alan was capable of such a thing, but anything was possible.

  With Cadence’s glass of water full and in hand, he returned to the group. He handed over the glass, happy when she touched his hands with her own. Then he sat back down, his hope slowly starting to return.

  Alan ran a hand over his face. “The information we’re getting from them is unbelievably overwhelming. We did three hours of work on them this weekend and have only just scratched the surface. It’s a daunting task, and I can’t help but wonder the aftereffects of such a process b
eing done to their minds. While it isn’t painful, it still is intense. We are taking away their memories.”

  “That explains why she was such a space cadet today at school,” Orlando said. “Which is why I’m worried about her. Bad guy or not, this has got to be some form of cruel and unusual punishment. You’re positive it’s safe?”

  “Positive, and as we learn how to use the machine better, the easier it will. We won’t take so many gaps. The technicians think they can restore the non-war-related memories to their brains. That should make things…easier for them. The problem is finding the time to capture them again.”

  JD nodded. “Right, because the war being here is on the down-low. Taking them in as prisoners and detaining them until the process is finished wouldn’t exactly go unnoticed. Doing everything piece-by-piece is going to be messy as all get out, too. Like, what if your ex figures out their brains have been tampered with? She’s gonna be pretty ticked off.”

  “Ticked off would probably be an understatement,” Alan muttered. “With the old rehabilitation process, we were able to help a few of the other teenagers. Those who wouldn’t cooperate with my comrades, I mean. According to my supervisor, a few of the blue tribe’s old charges have agreed to work for us instead. Trade sides.”

  “And you believe them?” Orlando snorted, his usual cynicism shining.

  Deciphering the expression on Alan’s face was difficult. He was frowning, so he obviously wasn’t happy. His brow was deep, and the lines around his eyes were much more obvious. The guy was tired, no doubt about it. There was a slight hint of irritation as well, and at first JD thought it was directed at Orlando. But then Alan spoke.

  “I don’t believe them. I wasn’t even aware my people were making a deal with these youths. This was sprung on me about an hour before I arrived here. My superiors and I had many words over the issue. In the end, my opinion was overruled. The chance at having extra help was worth the risk of intellectual security. I’ve been assured that these youth will be watched thoroughly at all times. After all, the blue and green tribes know they have been betrayed by these few teenagers. This will not be something that goes unpunished.” Alan shook his head. “Another reason why I did not think it a good idea for them to do. It would be one thing if they were military-trained, but they’re innocents.”