Project Alpha

Chapter Four

Wait staff in crisp black and white uniforms lined up like dominoes, handing out mimosas and virgin smoothies to guests passing through the door. I grabbed a glass of pink froth topped with a strawberry-pineapple skewer and my stomach whined. I'd been too nervous to eat before we left home and suddenly I was starving.

Popping a ripe berry into my mouth, I spotted a sprawling buffet in the cavernous room's far corner. Bingo. I was willing to bet the food at DNA High was good – we were prime specimens, after all; didn't we deserve the best? Catching Mom's eye, I pointed to the breakfast stations and took off across the wide-planked floor.

Waiting in line, I took in the soaring vault ceilings, exposed beams, stone walls and great glass lamps hanging from rustic chains. An enormous arched window looked down the coast, exposing jagged cliffside, sandy beach, and churning water. Grabbing a fresh croissant, I took a buttery bite and spotted my mimosa-wielding parents laughing with another couple.

Before I could look away, Mom waved and called me over. "Marin! Come meet Lily and James Cho!"

Sigh. I blinked back an eye roll and swallowed a smirk.

When I reached my parents, the candidate most likely to be James spoke up. "Marin, we haven't seen you since you were..."

"In a test tube?" I suggested, and Mom needled my side with her elbow. "Just kidding," I said with a weak smile, but James just laughed.

"Touché, my dear, but no. I was going to say we haven't seen you since you were two, and we stopped in to visit on our way to New York. Lily, do you know where Opal went? It would be fun to introduce the girls now that they're old enough to have a conversation."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lily shrugged. She was pretty in a delicate way, but her eyes sparkled with good humor. "Knowing Opal, she's off wandering somewhere."

The adults returned to their discussion and I finished my last bite of croissant. Feeling restless, I excused myself to grab another smoothie and began weaving through the humming crowd. Halfway to my destination, I tripped on a shoe. Careening toward an epic face-plant, a pair of large hands caught my waist and broke my fall.

"Whoa, you almost took a nose dive there; better watch your step." A husky voice tickled my ear, and I looked up into a pair of wide blue eyes. The stranger placed me gently on my feet. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and his teeth flashed white when he tossed me a dimpled smile.

"Watch my step or watch your shoe?" I smoothed my skirt, and my stomach flipped over. "I'm pretty sure you tripped me."

"I tripped you, or you tripped over me?" His right eyebrow arched quizzically. "It's all semantics, isn't it? I'm Archer Miller, by the way. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his paw for me to shake.

"Marin Grey."

A man wearing formal military attire and a stern expression stepped up and placed his hand on Archer's shoulder.

"Son, I'd like to introduce you to the Dean." His chilly grey eyes scratched the surface of my skin. "You'll excuse us?" It was less of a question, more of an order, so there was no point in responding.

Army Dad turned on his heel to find Dean Hawthorne and Archer leaned in to whisper, "See you around. And Marin? Don't forget to watch your step." Winking, he followed his father into the crowd.

Cheeks burning, I grabbed the closest available smoothie. Gulping its chilly sweetness down, I squeezed back through the thicket of chatty parents and bored-looking new Mendelites to find Mom and Dad.

In the minutes since I'd stepped away, the huddle my parents started with Lily and James had turned into a laughing, back-slapping, hugging horde. My top lip curled: how had my orientation turned into a class reunion for the scientifically knocked up? Tapping Mom on the shoulder, I told her I wanted to take a closer look at campus.

"Sounds good, honey – we'll be here catching up for a while. I'll text you to check in. Don't go far, ok?" She reached out to smooth my hair, and I ducked just out of reach.

"Yup." I gifted her with a half-smile and disappeared. Sidestepping the crowd, I avoided making eye contact with my future classmates, declined a third breakfast smoothie and escaped the Great Hall.

A couple of solitary students leaned against the wall outside the doors. They scrolled through their phones, pretending not to look at me. I pretended right back, examining the ceiling, the floor, the framed artwork along the corridor – anything to avoid their sneaky glances, secret hopes of friendship or suspicions about who I might or might not be.

Turning a corner, I stopped for a minute to examine an elaborate mosaic that stretched from ceiling to floor, recreating the school's crest in multi-colored tile. Within the four quadrants, the eye glowed a fierce blue, the musical note shone silver, the pi symbol burned in enameled crimson, and the figure rejoiced under a star-spattered sky.

I rolled the words ALPHA PACK INFITINUM around the crevices of my mind. Dad was a Latin geek, amongst other things, and he'd passed a sliver of his knowledge on to me. Infinitum clearly meant forever, and PACK was a reference to the Mendel streaming system, but I wasn't sure about the exact context of Alpha.

I squinted, searching for a clue in the colorful tiles, when a faint melody leaked through a set of doors down the hall.

Someone was playing the piano.

As the notes seeped into my ears, a lavender tide lapped the edges of my vision. The song was a baited hook, and I was a doomed fish. Trailing the music helplessly down the hall, fingers buzzing with anticipation, I pushed open the doors to set the melody free.

***
I wonder what Marin's snooping will reveal? Please comment and vote if you're enjoying the story.