Even when things are green with Adam, my life becomes increasingly not-normal. Hanging out with Chloe opens up the world of Atypicals to me. I try not to ask Dr. Bright too much about the organization she mentioned, and I definitely don’t talk about it with my parents, but little by little, I start to realize there’s this whole other world out there that I’m a part of. A world of telepaths and mind manipulators and other empaths and who the hell knows what else.

It’s all exciting and new until Chloe calls me one day, frantic and worried, and tells me to come meet her. After one minute hearing her talk, I wish I hadn’t agreed.

“What do you mean Adam’s parents did something to Frank?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around what she’s telling me.

“So,” she starts, fiddling with the colorful bangles wrapped around her wrist, “I ran into Adam and his parents this morning—”

“Yeah, so you said,” I say, to try to hurry her along. I like Chloe but she’s easily distracted. I don’t know if it’s because she’s always listening in on people’s thoughts or if it’s just the way her personality is.

“Right,” she says, “and they were really nice, they seem like good people. But I mentioned Frank and … they knew who I was talking about. They’ve met him.”

“Okay…” I prompt.

“They experimented on him,” she finishes, eyes wide.

“What?”

“What, exactly, did Chloe see?” Dr. Bright asks a few hours later after agreeing to do an emergency session with me. She’s got her walls up—her perfect therapist exterior—but there’s an electric undercurrent of fear running between us like a train track.

“She wasn’t totally sure,” I say, jittery, “but I guess mentioning the Marines made the Hayes think about their work—I guess they work with the military? I didn’t know that. I just always assumed they worked at a hospital.”

“It isn’t unusual for the military to hire scientists,” she says calmly. Calm, calm, calm—I can practically hear the thought running around her head. It’s such a lie.

“No, I know that, but Adam’s never mentioned it. I feel like that’s a pretty big thing to leave out. Especially since Adam has a lot of opinions about the military.”

“Is that what’s causing you concern?” she asks. “That Adam’s parents work in an area he doesn’t approve of?”