I step away from him, my eyes burning. “Did you tell me anything real, or just enough to take my blood and get your powers back?”
“I only wanted to get my powers back so I could save you,” he whispers, and Rose stiffens in the corner of my vision.
“Why should I believe you? You’ve kept things from me since the day we met. You’re as bad as he is,” I say, gesturing to Silas.
Parker’s mouth falls. “I’mnothinglike him.”
“He changed your past,” Rose says, still standing by the wall adorned with photos.
I turn to Parker, my hands snaking protectively around my chest. “You told me that wasn’t possible.”
“We were told it wasn’t, but there’s no other explanation,” he says. “Before Neurovida, you never broke your wrist, and you were in a relationship with a guy named Glenn.”
“And those pills you’ve been taking aren’t sleeping pills,” Rose adds.
I frown. “I got them from a doctor.”
“But Matthews set up your appointments, didn’t he?” Rose says, and my stomach clenches. “You never would’ve been recruited while you were taking those pills.”
How could Silas do this to me? How was I so wrong about him?
“McGregor confirmed it,” Rose says. “In small amounts they stop your sub-t and dampen your abilities, but a large dose of this drug will remove your powers altogether. He convinced you to take the pills so you wouldn’t find out the truth.”
I shake my head, searching the countless names, faces and dates covering the paper-lined walls. It feels like they’re pressing in on me, inching closer with each rapid breath. “What is the truth?” I whisper. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
Parker looks as if something inside him is breaking. “I didn’t want to tell you until I knew I could stop it. Telling you would’ve felt like acceptance.”
“We were protecting you,” Rose adds, her voice solemn.
“You sound just like him,” I say, gesturing to Silas.
“That man betrayed all of us,” Rose says, jabbing herblood-crusted nail at the man on the floor. “He’s the reason you die.”
“If that’s true, why did he spend the last thirty minutes begging me never to go to Neurovida, so I’ll live?”
Parker and Rose exchange a glance. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Parker says.
It doesn’t. The used syringe that stole my powers lies forgotten in the corner of the room. I should tell Parker what Silas did. That power no longer runs through my veins. But something is holding me back, an unexplainable nagging low in my gut. Parker will want to go to Professor McGregor and get me the antidote.And then what?Would I take it? The nagging sensation deepens. Parker has opened my eyes to a life I’ve only dreamed of and, without the antidote, that part of it will end.
I uncoil my arms from around my chest and lift my chin. “I want to see what happens to me in my future,” I say, keeping my voice stern. “I need to know the truth.”
Parker’s body tenses. “No.”
“Parker, it’s the only way to get her to trust us,” Rose says. “Travel and show her that Matthews is a lying piece of shit.”
Parker shakes his head. “I won’t put her through it.”
“I’ve experienced it in my sub-t, but it’s always dark,” I say.
“Because you’re untrained. With Parker, every sense will be incredibly clear. If you want to know the truth, this is how,” Rose says.
Parker’s silent for a moment, turning the idea over in his head. “If I take you into my past, you’ll see everything from my point of view. It’ll be different from your sub-t. With my abilities, every detail will be as clear as the day I livedit. You might also experience an echo of what I felt in that moment, but I’ll do my best to block it from you.”
Rose shakes her head. “Parker, you’re wasting time, she said—”
“Just wait, Rose,” Parker says with a raised voice. He turns back to me. “Before we do this, I need you to know… what you’re about to see willneverbe a reality. I’ll die before I let it.” He extends a tense arm toward me, his eyes searching mine. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I need to know the truth,” I say again, taking his hand, and sparks of electricity ignite where our skin touches. Parker leads me to the single bed. I pause, looking up at him. “I don’t understand.”
