Page 61 of Her Magic Light

“With Dr. Anderson again?” I pitched my voice quieter, and for a moment it was like he hadn’t heard because his stride didn’t falter and the set of his back didn’t change. “Coop?”

Even his name had no effect on him. But it still felt almost forbidden to say it aloud.

We were headed back up the stairs, at least, so leaving solitary, hopefully. It would have been just my luck if they had some sort of testing facility down here, too, and I’d never get to see the sun again. I assumed I was pretty far underground, anyway.

The air down here was on the stale side, and the lighting didn’t make me feel anything at all. The sunglasses weren’t necessary down here.

We climbed up so many floors I lost count and couldn’t tell where we’d originated. I tried to look for distinguishing features, but the patches of damp and rust started to look the same after a while. Initially, I’d spotted shapes or patterns in them, and I’d tried to identify differences in shade, but that had been truly fruitless.

Surely, we hadn’t descended this many floors when the guard brought me down? I was a rag doll as he half carried me down here like a sack full of his own personal garbage, though. I missed the elevator for sure, but I could only guess Coop was keeping me off the main floors. This place really was a labyrinth.

Barely even heavy-breathing, Coop didn’t seem to slow or tire. I plodded up each step behind him, my feet landing more clumsily with each one. As we climbed higher, the light began to change, and the lights themselves resumed their familiar pattern of dimming as I passed beneath them.

Part of me almost wanted to return to solitary. I felt normal there, and nothing about this situation had been normal at all.

“Coop?”

He slowed this time.

“What are the tests about?” The conversation through the air vent last night wouldn’t leave me.

I wasn’t supernatural—one hundred percent not supernatural. Right? No, that didn’t make sense. I’d killed someone. There was something strange about me, but what the hell were they testing me for? How did they intend to use me?

“Categorization.”

“What do you mean?” I skipped a step to catch up to him as he peeled away from one of the metal walkways to push through a door. “For what?”

In an instant, we were back in a utilitarian corridor and, at a terse command from Coop into his cuff, shutters slammed down over all of the windows. This time, though, I didn’t mind. It was almost familiar. I could cope with the darkness.

Coop was ahead of me, and the dark was much better than being alone in solitary. I wasn’t sure if the person who’d spoken to me was ever coming back, even though I wasn’t done speaking with her—I hadn’t learned enough yet, and Coop was no help at all.

We approached the… What the hell? It looked like the cafeteria, but why would Coop bring me back by here? Not after what had happened before. Why would he do this?

For the first time, he glanced over his shoulder at me. “Stay close,” he murmured. It was almost concern.

My knees weakened as we walked closer. The strong smell of coppery blood still hung in the air, but now it was overlaid with bleach and some sort of lemony-fresh smell that left the acid taste of cleaning solution catching at the back of my throat.

This was where it happened. This was where I did… I stopped. What had I done? Everyone at the facility thought I’d murdered someone. But how could I have?

I was about to dismiss the thought all over again when I remembered how Anderson had done something to me yesterday, something that had made my chest tight with energy I couldn’t contain. Something that had hurt me.

What if I’d pushed out that energy and hurt someone else?

What if I’d done it? Killed Adrian?

I swallowed as my head swam, and I lurched to the side, glancing my shoulder off the wall. “Oof.” I groaned at the unexpected impact.

Coop turned and reached back for me. “You okay?”

I took his hand before I could even think about it, and energy zipped through me. Before I could tell him I was scared, he extricated his fingers from mine, and drew back.

“You good?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Just got a bit light-headed.” It wasn’t even a lie.

My head throbbed now, and it wasn’t from the bump against the wall. It wasn’t from the proximity of the cafeteria, either. Last time I’d felt like this, it was deepest, darkest winter in Minnesota, and sunlight had seemed like a distant memory.

Perhaps being kept in the dark wasn’t suiting me. I’d follow any request they had, do any test if it meant I could see real light again. I glanced toward the cafeteria again, a thin spike of fear piercing my chest.

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