Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

37 | Soulmate

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• Amir •

As Amir walked with the staff, he crossed through the threshold of a laboratory. This one was bigger than the other rooms he'd seen, and it had more machines and tables in it. When he peered his gaze toward the back, he noticed a metal bed where a patient was lying on it, with blond hair all over his or her face. He couldn't see who it was that was getting a treatment done. But he continued walking, getting acquainted with other staff members, and followed the nurse around a set of tall tanks along a wall. 

The tanks, Amir recognized—were sleeper units for people who have sleep disorders.

On the front of one tank, a name caught his attention.

L. Marquette

D.O.B.: 7-7-1995

Room 707

Date of last session: July 1

Bile rose in the back of his throat. Amir was appalled at how Chase kept Luna in this institution to keep control over her, and then he insisted for his surname be added to everything for her? 

And now . . . now they had her in a sleep chamber for hours, he doesn't know how long. Was he dreaming? 

None of the other facilities he'd ever been to had those types of machines. Machines like these helped people who were doctors or law enforcement and any occupation where you had to stay on your feet twenty-four-seven.

Amir has read about that kind of thing in different countries where they did it for a scientific study. There were dozens of bodies in this laboratory that were in a chamber, asleep.

His eyes started with the waterworks. He was now adamant about breaking Luna out of the facility before the weekend began, which was their birthday. 

That was less than seventy-two hours.

He casually glanced at all the other information and was stunned to see children and teens laying in a chamber, sleeping for eight or ten hours at a time. He felt like he'd stepped into some kind of sci-fi movie and didn't know what to do.

Nurse Julia Smith stopped at a long counter with a refrigerator at the end, and she pulled out a pre-made turkey and cheese sandwich, some purple grapes in a small bowl, and a bottle of water. She finished fixing Luna's meal and placed everything on a metal rectangular tray, then laid a small cup with two pills in it on the side.

"These are for Ms. Carlyle." The nurse began giving Amir instructions on what to do with Luna. "She needs to eat her sandwich first, then swallow the two white pills. After she is finished, let it digest in her stomach for ten minutes, and then she can eat her grapes. Make sure she drinks all the water. In the room she is moved to, Luna has a toilet and a small sink in the corner. Stay with her until she is finished with her food, water, and medication."

"All right." He just wanted the nurse to get away from him. She was worse in person. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

She continued preparing the other patient's meal tray and smiled at Amir. "I wonder about the sleeping chambers in there. I saw Luna's name on one." He cleared his throat and covered his compassion quickly. "I mean, Ms. Carlyle. I read it said Marquette instead of her actual surname."

"That is Chase's last name, and he is our biggest donor."

"He must be wealthy."

She tsked softly. "Not really. He is a financial advisor for a law firm he works at, and just between us, I think he embezzles funds from them. He couldn't possibly come up with the ten grand for her treatment every week, plus another twenty grand for her sleeper tank. He only started paying for it four weeks ago. He is the one who makes the decisions of her care here."