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“If I did, it was a public service.” With that, I twisted on my heel and stalked off, my whole body buzzing with the thrill of what had just happened. I could feel him seething behind me, feel his hatred searing into my back as he watched me walk away.
This was what I’d been missing—fire,feeling.
IhatedRunning Man.
This was the passion I’d been searching for, the ignition I needed to spark my creativity. I dropped off the muffins and raced home. Finally, the words flowed.
THREE
GABRIEL
The tranquil white light and gentle technological hum of my private lab’s equipment centered me. Here, the world and all of its little annoyances faded away. I was currently twenty-two days into the latest trial, and had refined the trial’s tasks into the optimal routine.
I carefully extracted a sample of pale green fluid from a flask and pipetted a droplet onto the slide. I added the coverslip and positioned the slide under the microscope.
A sharp ringing cut through the quiet—my phone.
Only two numbers were left unsilenced once I entered the lab, and both Oma and Esme knew better than to call during work hours.
It had to be an emergency.
As quickly as possible, I removed my gloves, scrubbed to my elbows, and answered, catching that it was my baby sister’s name on the screen as I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Esme.” My throat tightened, making it hard to speak. “What’s the matter?”
“Hey, Gabe,” she said over a cacophony of rambunctious voices roaring in the background. “Why does something have to be the matter for me to check in on my favorite big bro?”
There was no panic in her voice, no urgency. She wasn’t in any immediate danger. A touch of relief loosened the knot in my chest. “Favorite brother? I’m your only brother.”
“Doesn’t make it any less true. How are you?”
I’m uncharacteristically agitated, and have been all morning.
“Everything here is fine,” I said. “Oma is well.”
Esme had left the states a few months ago to “spread her wings in sunshine,” which had apparently meant traipsing across the Caribbean with no plans in place. Her departure had been sudden, and she hadn’t returned for the holidays, which had disappointed our grandmother, Oma. I worried Esme’s free-spirited nature would lead her into trouble now, as it had so many times before.
“Why are you calling?” I asked. “Do you need money?”
“Psh, what? Why am I calling? Itold youI wanted to see how you are.”
“If that were the only reason, you wouldn’t have called me during work hours.”
She made a hissing sound. “I forgot the time difference. Sorry.”
Depending on where she was in the Caribbean, there was either one hour time difference, or none at all. Either way, she knew I’d be at work.
“But for the record, it’s always work hours for you,” she said. “If I waited until you were done, I’d be eighty.”
A small pinching sensation formed in the center of my forehead. I waited a moment before repeating my question. “Do you need money?”
“No. I’m good. I just…I really wanted to hear your voice.”
Something was definitely bothering her.
“I can have a car wherever you are shortly,” I said. “Take you to the airport, have you on a flight home within hours.”
“Gabe, I’m fine. Really. Try not to work too hard, all right? I gotta go.”
