I made it back to campus Sunday night feeling like my head was spinning from everything I’d learned, or more accurately, everything I’d confirmed that I didn’t actually know about my own life. The two-hour drive back had given me way too much time to think about my mom’s panicked expression and all the careful non-answers my parents had given me.The first thing I did when I got back to the dorm was send a text to our group chat asking everyone to meet in my room. I needed to talk through what had happened this weekend, and honestly I needed people who knew me well enough to tell me if I was completely losing my mind or if my suspicions were actually reasonable.Jessica was making popcorn when everyone started showing up, clearly thinking this was going to be some kind of casual hangout. She wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation, just humming along to whatever music was playing through her earbuds.Naomi arrived first and immediately flopped onto my bed like she owned it,
I made it back to campus Sunday night feeling like my head was spinning from everything I’d learned, or more accurately, everything I’d confirmed that I didn’t actually know about my own life. The two-hour drive back had given me way too much time to think about my mom’s panicked expression and all the careful non-answers my parents had given me.The first thing I did when I got back to the dorm was send a text to our group chat asking everyone to meet in my room. I needed to talk through what had happened this weekend, and honestly I needed people who knew me well enough to tell me if I was completely losing my mind or if my suspicions were actually reasonable.Jessica was making popcorn when everyone started showing up, clearly thinking this was going to be some kind of casual hangout. She wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation, just humming along to whatever music was playing through her earbuds.Naomi arrived first and immediately flopped onto my bed like she owned it,
I woke up from that dream feeling like my entire world had shifted sideways, and not in a good way. The phantom sensations were still clinging to my skin, making me feel gross and confused and angry all at the same time.It took that to work up the courage to do what I knew I had to do next.Cain’s words kept echoing in my head - “ask your family a few questions” and “there’s quite a lot they’ve been keeping from you” - until I couldn’t focus on anything else. It kept playing on repeat every time I tried to think about something else.“I need to go home this weekend,” I announced to Jessica.“Random,” she said, applying mascara. “This sudden urge to visit the family wouldn’t have anything to do with your mysterious late-night internet research, would it”“I just need to see my parents,” I said, which was true even if it left out the part about interrogating them for information they’d apparently been hiding from me for years. “It’s been too long since I’ve been home.”The problem was,
I walked back to my dorm in a complete daze, barely paying attention to where I was going. The campus looked different somehow, like I was seeing it through someone else’s eyes, and I kept expecting to run into more men in suits.By the time I made it back to my room, I’d made a decision that was probably stupid but felt necessary. I opened a browser window and stared at the search bar for a few seconds, trying to decide how to approach this. Finally I just typed in “Blackthorne Pharmaceuticals” and hit enter, figuring that straightforward was probably the best way to start.The company had been founded two years ago.Their headquarters were listed as Seattle, but according to their corporate website they had research facilities in Washington, California, and Colorado. What really caught my attention was a press release from three weeks ago announcing plans for a new research facility in Oregon, specifically in the Eugene area.That was why he was here. Not some twisted desire to mes
I found Cameron three days later at the coffee shop near the science building, hunched over a table in the corner with an untouched latte growing cold between his hands. He looked like he hadn’t slept much, which made me feel even worse about whatever role I’d played in his disappearance.When he saw me approaching, his whole body tensed like he was preparing to either fight or flee. Not exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for. He didn’t get up or smile or do any of the normal Cameron things that usually made my day better.“Cameron?” I slid into the chair across from him without being invited before he could decide to bolt. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”He glanced around the coffee shop like he was checking for potential threats, which was so unlike his usual relaxed demeanor that it made me want to punch whoever had scared him this badly.“I know. I’m sorry, I just… I needed some time to think about things.”“Think about what things?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I
The elevator ride back down to the main level felt like it took forever, and I spent the entire time trying to process what had just happened. Luca and his so called brother that I have never heard of in one night seemed like overkill, especially when both conversations had left me feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.I kept thinking about what Cain had said but honestly my brain was too fried to deal with that right now. What I needed was to find Cameron, apologize for the weirdest date in history, and pretend this entire evening had never happened.It occurred to me as I walked back through the stadium corridors that Luca really had chosen the business world his mother had wanted for him. I remembered how good he’d been at volleyball, how he could have probably played professionally if he’d wanted to, and now all that talent was just wasted.I shrugged to myself because it wasn’t my problem anymore. He’d made his choices and I’d made mine, and if he wanted to live his life like tha