actually thought explosives had gone
off. The tunnels,” she says. “They almost collapsed in on themselves.”
“No.” My stomach turns to stone.
“It’s okay,” Sara tries to reassure me. “You pulled back just in time.”
I can’t catch my breath.
“You couldn’t have known—,” Sonya starts.
“I almost killed—I almost killed all of you—”
Sonya shakes her head. “You have an amazing amount of power. It’s not your fault.
You didn’t know what you were capable of.”
“I could’ve killed you. I could’ve killed Adam—I could’ve—” My head whips around.
“Is he here? Is Adam here?”
The girls stare at me. Stare at each other.
I hear a throat clear and I jerk toward the sound.
Kenji steps out of the corner. He waves a half wave, offers me a crooked smile that
doesn’t reach his eyes. “Sorry,” he says to me, “but we had to keep him out of here.”
“Why?” I ask, but I’m afraid to know the answer.
Kenji pushes his hair out of his eyes. Considers my question. “Well. Where should
I begin?” He counts off on his fingers. “After he found out what happened, he tried
to kill me, he went ballistic on Castle, he refused to leave the medical wing, and then he
wou—”
“Please.” I stop him. I squeeze my eyes shut. “Never mind. Don’t. I can’t.”
“You asked.”
“Where is he?” I open my eyes. “Is he okay?”
Kenji rubs the back of his neck. Looks away. “He’ll be all right.”
“Can I see him?”
Kenji sighs. Turns to the girls. Says, “Hey, can we get a second alone?” and the 2
of them are suddenly in a hurry to go.
“Of course,” Sara says.
“No problem,” Sonya says.
“We’ll give you some privacy,” they say at the same time.
And they leave.
Kenji grabs 1 of the chairs pushed up against the wall and carries it over to my bed.
Sits down. Props the ankle of 1 foot on the knee of the other and leans back. Links
his hands behind his head. Looks at me.
I shift on the mattress so I’m better seated to see him. “What is it?”
“You and Kent need to talk.”
“Oh.” I swallow. “Yes. I know.”
“Do you?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” He nods. Looks away. Taps his foot too fast against the floor.
“What?” I ask after a moment. “What are you not telling me?”
His foot stops tapping but he doesn’t meet my eyes. He covers his mouth with his left
hand. Drops it. “That was some crazy shit you pulled back there.”
All at once I feel humiliated. “I’m sorry, Kenji. I’m so sorry—I didn’t think—I didn’t
know—”
He turns to face me and the look in his eyes stops me in place. He’s trying to read
me. Trying to figure me out. Trying, I realize, to decide whether or not he can trust
me. Whether or not the rumors about the monster in me are true.
“I’ve never done that before,” I hear myself whisper. “I swear—I didn’t mean for that
to happen—”
“Are you sure?”
“What?”
“It’s a question, Juliette. It’s a legitimate question.” I’ve never seen him so serious.
“I brought you here because Castle wanted you here. Because he thought we could help
you—he thought we could provide you with a safe place to live. To get you away from
the assholes trying to use you for their own benefit. But you come here and you don’t
even seem to want to be a part of anything. You don’t talk to people. You don’t make
any progress with your training. You do nothing, basically.”
“I’m sorry, I really—”
“And then I believe Castle when he says he’s worried about you. He tells me you’re
not adjusting, that you’re having a hard time fitting in. That people heard negative
things about you and they’re not being as welcoming as they should be. And I should
kick my own ass for it, but I feel sorry for you. So I tell him I’ll help. I rearrange
my entire goddamn schedule just to help you deal with your issues. Because I think
off. The tunnels,” she says. “They almost collapsed in on themselves.”
“No.” My stomach turns to stone.
“It’s okay,” Sara tries to reassure me. “You pulled back just in time.”
I can’t catch my breath.
“You couldn’t have known—,” Sonya starts.
“I almost killed—I almost killed all of you—”
Sonya shakes her head. “You have an amazing amount of power. It’s not your fault.
You didn’t know what you were capable of.”
“I could’ve killed you. I could’ve killed Adam—I could’ve—” My head whips around.
“Is he here? Is Adam here?”
The girls stare at me. Stare at each other.
I hear a throat clear and I jerk toward the sound.
Kenji steps out of the corner. He waves a half wave, offers me a crooked smile that
doesn’t reach his eyes. “Sorry,” he says to me, “but we had to keep him out of here.”
“Why?” I ask, but I’m afraid to know the answer.
Kenji pushes his hair out of his eyes. Considers my question. “Well. Where should
I begin?” He counts off on his fingers. “After he found out what happened, he tried
to kill me, he went ballistic on Castle, he refused to leave the medical wing, and then he
wou—”
“Please.” I stop him. I squeeze my eyes shut. “Never mind. Don’t. I can’t.”
“You asked.”
“Where is he?” I open my eyes. “Is he okay?”
Kenji rubs the back of his neck. Looks away. “He’ll be all right.”
“Can I see him?”
Kenji sighs. Turns to the girls. Says, “Hey, can we get a second alone?” and the 2
of them are suddenly in a hurry to go.
“Of course,” Sara says.
“No problem,” Sonya says.
“We’ll give you some privacy,” they say at the same time.
And they leave.
Kenji grabs 1 of the chairs pushed up against the wall and carries it over to my bed.
Sits down. Props the ankle of 1 foot on the knee of the other and leans back. Links
his hands behind his head. Looks at me.
I shift on the mattress so I’m better seated to see him. “What is it?”
“You and Kent need to talk.”
“Oh.” I swallow. “Yes. I know.”
“Do you?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” He nods. Looks away. Taps his foot too fast against the floor.
“What?” I ask after a moment. “What are you not telling me?”
His foot stops tapping but he doesn’t meet my eyes. He covers his mouth with his left
hand. Drops it. “That was some crazy shit you pulled back there.”
All at once I feel humiliated. “I’m sorry, Kenji. I’m so sorry—I didn’t think—I didn’t
know—”
He turns to face me and the look in his eyes stops me in place. He’s trying to read
me. Trying to figure me out. Trying, I realize, to decide whether or not he can trust
me. Whether or not the rumors about the monster in me are true.
“I’ve never done that before,” I hear myself whisper. “I swear—I didn’t mean for that
to happen—”
“Are you sure?”
“What?”
“It’s a question, Juliette. It’s a legitimate question.” I’ve never seen him so serious.
“I brought you here because Castle wanted you here. Because he thought we could help
you—he thought we could provide you with a safe place to live. To get you away from
the assholes trying to use you for their own benefit. But you come here and you don’t
even seem to want to be a part of anything. You don’t talk to people. You don’t make
any progress with your training. You do nothing, basically.”
“I’m sorry, I really—”
“And then I believe Castle when he says he’s worried about you. He tells me you’re
not adjusting, that you’re having a hard time fitting in. That people heard negative
things about you and they’re not being as welcoming as they should be. And I should
kick my own ass for it, but I feel sorry for you. So I tell him I’ll help. I rearrange
my entire goddamn schedule just to help you deal with your issues. Because I think
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