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“It’s our most extreme form of punishment for criminals,” Korum said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s used in cases when an individual poses a severe danger to society – as these traitors clearly do.”
“Okay . . . but what is it?”
“Saret can do a better job of explaining it to you,” Korum said. “The exact mechanics of it fall within his area of expertise. But essentially, whatever it was that made them act that way – that personality trait will be thoroughly eradicated.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “How?”
Korum sighed. “Like I said, it’s not my area of expertise. But from what I know as a layman, it involves wiping out a lot of their memories and creating a new personality for them. It’s only done when there’s no other choice because it’s very invasive for the mind. The rehabilitated are never the same afterwards – which is exactly the point in this case.”
“So they wouldn’t remember who they are?” That did seem pretty horrible to Mia.
“They might remember bits and pieces, so they wouldn’t be completely blank slates, but the essence of their personality – and that part that made them commit the crime – would be gone.”
Mia swallowed. “That does seem harsh . . .”
His eyes narrowed again. “It’s better than what your kind does to criminals. At least we don’t have capital punishment.”
“You don’t?” Mia wasn’t sure why she was so surprised to hear that. Perhaps it had to do with the popular image of the Ks as a violent species, arising primarily from the bloody fights during the Great Panic.
“No, Mia, we don’t,” Korum told her sardonically. “We’re really not the monsters you’ve imagined us to be.”
“I never said your people were,” Mia protested, and he laughed.
“No, just me, right?”
Mia lowered her eyes, unable to bear the mockery in his gaze. “I don’t think you’re a monster,” she told him quietly. “But I do think it’s wrong for you to treat me like a possession just because I’m human. I’m a person with feelings and desires, and I did have a life before you came into it –”
“And now you don’t?” Korum asked, tilting her chin up until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. Noticing the deeper gold surrounding his irises, Mia nervously moistened her suddenly dry lips. “You think that I mistreat you? That I keep you from the fascinating life you enjoyed before?”
“I liked the life I had before,” Mia told him defiantly. “It was exactly what I wanted. It might’ve seemed boring to you, but I was happy with it –”
“Happy with what?” he asked her softly. “Studying day and night? Hiding behind baggy clothes because you were too scared to actually try living? Being a virgin at the age of twenty-one?”
Mia flushed with anger and embarrassment. “That’s right,” she told him bitterly. “Happy with my family and my friends, happy living in New York and going to school there, happy with the internship I had planned for this summer –”
His expression darkened. “I already promised that you will see your family soon,” he said, his tone dangerously flat. “And I told you that I will bring you back to New York for the school year. You don’t trust me to keep my word?”
Mia took a deep breath, trying to control herself. It probably wasn’t the wisest move on her part, arguing with him like that in her circumstances, but she couldn’t help it. Some reckless demon inside her had awoken and wouldn’t be denied. “You’ve lied to me before,” she said, unable to hide the resentment in her voice.
“Oh really?” he said, his words practically dripping with sarcasm. “I lied to you?”
Mia swallowed again. “You manipulated me into doing exactly what you wanted,” she said stubbornly. “I didn’t want any part of it – all I wanted was to be left alone . . .”
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He regarded her with an inscrutable expression on his face. “And do you still?” he asked softly. “Want to be left alone?”
Mia stared at him, caught completely by surprise. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
“And don’t lie to me, Mia,” he added quietly. “I always know when you’re lying.”
Mia blinked furiously, trying to hold back a sudden rush of tears. With that one simple question, he had stripped her bare, laid out all of her vulnerabilities for him to exploit. She didn’t want him to know the depth of her feelings for him, didn’t want her emotions exposed for him to toy with. What kind of an idiot was she, to want to be with someone like him? To hate and love him so intensely at the same time?
His lips curved into a half-smile. “I see.” Leaning toward her, he kissed her on the mouth softly, his lips strangely gentle on hers.
“I’ll see what I can do about getting you an internship,” he said, pulling away from her and getting up. “And I’ll introduce you to some other human girls in this Center – maybe you’ll meet some new friends.”
And as Mia looked at him in shock, he smiled at her again and went into his office, leaving her to digest everything that had just happened.
