THE LIST

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Clayton

An x-ray illuminator? In my lab? "Holy sh–"

"Language!" a man said from behind me.

I spun around to find a tall guy, with close-shaven salt and pepper hair, pushing a broom.

"Test tubes!" I cleared my throat. "I meant, holy, uh, test tubes... Yeah. That's what I was going to say."

"Sure you were, son." The guy chuckled and offered me a knowing grin as we walked by.

I let the heavy door slam shut behind me, shocked at the sight before me.

At my po-dunk high school back in North Dakota, the science labs were nowhere near this high-tech. We'd been lucky to have computers and a few test tubes. But in the center of this state-of-the-art room sat a massive, square table with several microscopes and two computers atop the expansive black surface.

I took three steps into the bright room, drowning in my disbelief. I'd seen an x-ray illuminator at the hospital where my mentor, Dr. Asgarth, worked, but they had one at a high school, too?

They must be taking this concussion study seriously.

Good.

That was the only thing that made moving to the scorching desert, two weeks before my junior year, tolerable. Well, not the only thing. This internship I'd been selected to help with was focused on finding a way to combat and prevent traumatic brain injuries.

It was too late for my brother, Jordan, but it wasn't for me... I would not fail my twin.

A grunt followed by a quick slam had me whipping around. A short girl, maybe five feet tall, stumbled into the lab, one hand cupping her temple and the other out in front of her as if trying to see.

Whoa.

Groping the wall as she stumbled forward, long, jet-black bangs fell along her forehead. Neon purple streaks bolted through the shiny locks, but they were sticking out as the girl ran her fingers through her hair.

"Um...hello?" I said, my voice totally cracking like it had since puberty. It was like I'd never got over it or something.

The girl froze, arm out toward me. "Closet. Need...closet. Sun, lights, they, they hurt."

What was she, a freaking vampire? I jogged toward her, nearly tripping on the leg of a stool in the process.

Smooth...

"Quiet." She grasped her temples with both hands this time. "Not so loud."

"Do I...need to call someone?" What the heck was going on with her?

"Hurry." She stepped forward and directly into me.

My impressively scrawny arms had never even hugged a girl before. Yes, I was a pathetic sixteen—soon to be seventeen—year old with the classic case of total Nerdom.

At my last school, I was the king of Nerdom. Even had a substantial set of Nerd Knights at my round table. But, even with that status, I never had a girl run blindly into my arms.

Maybe I was hallucinating. Or there was a gas leak.

This tiny girl, still grasping her temples, leaned into me. A wave of vanilla and sugar swarmed over my senses, like maybe she'd just baked cookies. Or eaten some.

"Make it go away," she whispered.

Hands out to my side, I stood there, absolutely clueless what to do with this girl resting her forehead against my chest, telling me to make something go away. "Um...what—"