Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) - EXCERPT

Chapter 3 - Part 2

Sai has fifteen minutes to make it from the defensive training room over to Bastian's private offices. It normally takes just short of that, and today is laundry day. There'll be piled up washing carts hovering everywhere. She glares at the slightly itchy spot on her wrist, as if it's the band's fault she didn't have the foresight to schedule herself five minutes ahead of time.

Used to her routine after a few weeks now, she's realized one thing: It's hard enough to train with Bastian on a good day, but on one of his bad days, which in her experience seem to far outweigh the good, it's even less fun. Maybe his bad days are his normal days?

"Department of Enforcement, my ass," she mutters as she dodges through a series of four laundry carts lined along the hallway leading to Bastian's office. It's not the first time she's wondered why on earth, with all their technology, they haven't figured out a better way to take care of laundry.

She glances at her wrist as she raises her fist to knock. Two minutes early. Perfect.

"Come in."

Of course he knows she's there. He always knows.

"I'm not god," he says as the door closes silently behind her, humor obviously sour.

"That's definitely bloody true," she snaps at him. "There's nothing benevolent about you."

She clasps her hands in front of her mouth, unable to believe she let that slip out. "I'm sorry, Bastian!" she gasps and bows her head.

His footsteps draw closer, and he raises her head with a finger. She's never seen him so close before. Blue-he has startlingly blue eyes. Just for a moment they're there, and then he steps away. "You're irritable today."

Sai waits for him to finish.

"Talk to me. You're not going to train well if you're this worked up. You've been doing so well with outer control lately, I started to think you wouldn't slip again. What is it?"

"I don't get the point," she says slowly, trying to find the right words.

"And?" The letter opener in his other hand resembles a dagger a little too much.

"I..." Here goes. "I'm learning how to do things with and without my psionic abilities, but I can't seem to get the hang of this controlled and detailed sifting. What's the point of training me in what I can't do?"

His expression is calm, as always. He sighs. "You really are difficult. Do you know that? Most people simply do as they're told. They like being a part of the bigger picture, of something larger than themselves. Why do you rebel?"

"It's not rebelling, it's needing to understand...sir," she adds the last word belatedly.

"A need to understand?" He twirls the letter opener through his fingers. "There's a lot you still won't be able to understand, Sai. But give it a few months and I think everything will become clear. For now, can I ask you to trust me?"

Sai pales and takes a step back. She's made it all the way here without trusting anyone. Bastian might have pulled her from the rubble, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own agenda.

"Will. You. Stop. That." His irritation is palpable. "Who the hell taught you to shield? You're inept. You scream your frustrations to anyone with enough talent to know how to listen and half of those who don't." He grabs her hands and holds them to her head with his own. "Watch how I do this. Close your eyes and follow what I do."

He guides her through every step, every building block, and demonstrates ways Sai never realized she could shield. Everything she's known up until now seems rudimentary and insufficient. He deftly weaves the blocks together, putting force and cohesion behind them until a much more secure wall surrounds the private parts of her mind. She notes the subtle reinforcement he uses and the repetitious way he shows her until she understands and works with him.

"There," he says, leaving cold air to rush in where his hands no longer contact hers. "Now, when you scream, only you should hear."

"But you can still find them, right?" She opens her eyes and knows the answer even before the incline of his head and wonders where the letter opener disappeared to.

"Shall we?"

Sai nods and steps away from the desk a little lightheaded. All these new, refined techniques drain her energy much faster.

Mind-sifting technique control is like playing with mirrors in a fun house, only without the mirrors or the fun. The gel-like liquid, apparently meant to replicate how sifting through actual memories feels, is gloppy and difficult to control. If not careful, it only shows what the reader wishes to see instead of what is actually there. And if really not careful, it just splashes goo everywhere when the control snaps.

But, if she tries really, really hard at controlling the sift, she should be able to...

"Oh. Wow." Bastian's voice is breathless. Sai cracks an eye open to see an intricate web of beautiful designs, even prettier than the ones Bastian had demonstrated, suspended within the liquid.

"You did it!" He's beaming. "I wasn't sure anyone else would be able to."

"Wait-you didn't know I could do that?"

He shrugs and makes notes on a little reader in his palm. "How could I? I'm not you. No matter what some people think, I can't just jump in and take your body for a test drive. You're a Rare. You have to be able to do some of the things I can, right?"

Sai glares and projects a thought toward him.

"Stop being childish, Sai," he says without looking up. "You outgrew that when you killed and maimed over a thousand people."

"Screw you, Bastian." She pushes herself away from the desk, fists clenched, chin raised. "I'm fully aware I should be dead. Maybe next time something in me awakens, I'll do the job properly and take myself with it instead of being rescued by some pity party to have it held over my head for my entire life."

He walks over to her and reaches out to grasp her shoulders, pulling her closer. "That's the fire you need, Sai. Hold onto who you are no matter what anyone tells you. It's the only real thing we all have. Let your pride make you stronger." He releases her abruptly. "How's your stomach?"

She blinks. "I'm fine."

"Not now! Do you have a strong stomach? Do you throw up easily?"

"No?"

"Good. Come here tomorrow after dinner. I think you're ready for displacement."

"Let me guess-you're not going to explain it to me until I get here tomorrow, are you?"

"Maybe." Bastian grins for a split second. "You never know with me, do you?"

Her body threatens to collapse, and her muscles ache. If she doesn't get back to her room soon, into that wonderfully small tub to soak out the aches, Dom will never forgive her in the morning.

"I'm going to bed, Bastian. Stop guinea pigging me. Give me something solid so I don't worry I'll blow us all up."

"Maybe."

She heads toward the door, limping slightly, focusing on her progression. Sai fails to hear Bastian and is startled by his sudden appearance beside her.

"What would you do if razor-tooth rabbits escaped?"

Sai blinks at him again. "Those weird experiments gone wrong? The fanged little menaces?"

He nods.

"I'd kill them, I guess?" She's still trying to understand what he's saying.

"Why?"

She looks at him, her eyes trying valiantly to close. Unless the rabbits stop biting long enough for her to use one as a pillow, Sai really doesn't care. "Because everything I've ever heard about razor rabbits involves them being dangerous and vicious, a pest that needs to be put down."

Bastian raises an eyebrow. "So not because you knew the information yourself, but because someone told you the information was true?"

"Well, yeah. Why would anyone lie about something like that?" Sai has no idea if her answer is even close to right.

He holds her gaze until she begins to squirm. "Good. Maybe it's starting to sink in."