Page 46 of Dangerous Deviance
I wrinkled my nose. What was this?
“I wanted to check out the camp. The Skyline Shift?” I lifted my shoulders. “I’m in the right place, right?”
He listened to his earpiece, tapping his finger against it. His eyelids lowered, then he pointed to a building on the far side of the property.
“Dr. Bates will meet you there.”
“Dr. Bates?”
He nodded. “Enjoy your flight toward the horizon.”
Then the security guard straightened. I shrugged it off. The catchphrase was eerie, but they had to saysomething, and it was probably just me. I had been on edge since Julie had gone missing. But I drove slowly. The parking lot was huge, but there weren’t many cars in it, as if they had expected more people. In between the semi-circle buildings, a long line of women dressed in white uniforms walked in a straight line, their eyes forward, their posture straight, disappearing into another building.
A man in a lab coat with a crisp red tie was standing on the sidewalk outside of the buildings. I slammed the car door, and the sound vibrated through the lot. The air smelled fresh, like pine trees and dirt, and I tried to put a positive spin on it. No matter what happened right now, being in the fresh air was good. I could even take a trip to Rubble River on the way back. Finding Julie here would be a bonus. I looked at the flyer one more time, hovering over the words,a perspective scope transformation camp for young women. What was a perspective scope transformation anyway?
I guessed I would find out.
I held out a hand. “You must be Dr. Bates?”
“And you must be Elena Jordan. Do you go by Lena?”
“Ellie, actually,” I said. We shook hands, and his grip was firm and deliberate as if he was trying to prove something.
“Ellie. So very pleased to meet you. How did you hear about our camp?”
A breeze blew between us, rustling his grayish-brown curly hair. Streaks of white sprang up throughout as if his hair had been brushed with bleach. A metallic odor drifted from him but mixed with the wind, it was hardly noticeable.
“My sister, actually,” I said. “Julie Jordan. Do you know her?”
He thought for a moment, but gave a slight shake of the head. “Can’t say that I do. That would be a breach of contract, and besides, I’m afraid that I don’t get to personally meet all of our recruits.” His smile widened, exposing his gums. “But if she is here, rest assured that she’s in good hands.”
He didn’t move. Stayed still. As if he was waiting for me to leave.
“Well,” I paused, “Can I have a tour?”
“Ah,” he said. “We actually don’t allow tours unless we find that a recruit is serious about their stay here.”
“You’re kidding?” His mouth didn’t move: still those same gums, bright red and wet, mocking me in his perfect smile. “How do I know if I’m serious about going hereunlessI take a tour? I drove over an hour to get to this place.”
“We recruit from all over the world.” What he actually meant?I don’t care where you came from.Go home.
I clenched my fists, then unrolled my fingers again. It was a habit, a bad one. But I was good about only letting out my aggression at the gym. You had to be purposeful with your emotions. And right now, I couldn’t let my frustration control me.
“I am serious,” I said. “Give me a tour.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
I grit my teeth. Did I have to beg?
“Can you at least find out if my sister is here? She’s been missing for six months.”
He pressed a finger to his lips, as if considering it, but his eyes never blinked, still staring soullessly into mine.
“If she was here, rest assured that she’s in good hands. Good day, Ellie Jordan.” He motioned toward my car. “We hope you enjoyed your flight toward the horizon. May you have a safe drive back.”
I turned toward the car, almost as if he had given me no choice but to leave, but then I froze. Dr. Bates wasn’t moving. He was waiting until I left. And I knew, deep down, that I could go back home. Move on. Try interviewing all of Julie’s friends once again. I could even visit her professors from her last semester, try to see if they recognized her picture at all. If they remembered anything weird that had happened. And I could mark the Skyline Shift off as another dead end.
Or I could refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.
