The Visitors (11 page)

At one-thirty exactly, Lucy appeared in front of the chamber. “Let's go,” she said with a serious tone.

I didn't question her; I just followed. She led me behind the visitors' chamber into a heavily wooded area I had never been to before. After walking for only a few minutes, she stopped in the middle of a group of trees. The trees were blocking any light that came from the moon and stars above; the only dim light we had came from the brilliant flowers in the treetops. I could barely see her face as she began to speak.

“Jady, I need you to understand that any information you gain from this conversation can never be spoken of again. Is that clear?” Her tone was grave and heavy. I shivered.

“Of course. I promise that I will never tell a soul.” Even though I knew she couldn't see my face through the darkness, I gave her my most serious and convincing expression as I spoke. Suddenly, I was terrified that she would begin to doubt me and decide not to talk after all.

“Don't worry; I know that you're telling the truth,” she began.

“Because you're a mind reader,” I interrupted. “That's your gift, isn't it?”

She paused slightly. “Yes, Jady. That is my gift. I can read anyone's mind as long as I focus on that person.”

“I knew it!” I exclaimed. “So that's how you found out about Noah and me.”

“I didn't purposely read his mind to try to find that information. To be honest, I wish I didn't know so that I didn't have to get involved. I'm taking a huge risk by being here with you tonight. If Sir Andrew found out I was telling you any of this…”

“I know. He hates me,” I said miserably. “Why?”

She spoke gently. “Jady, don't take it personally. He doesn't hate
you
, per say – he is just untrusting of all humans. We know of your society and its flaws. You war against each other; you hurt each other. Imagine what you might be capable of against members of other species, when you can murder your own kind in cold blood.”

I absorbed this information. When she put it that way, it made sense. I could see why he was wary of my intentions. “Lucy, why did Noah end things with me?”

Her sigh was long and deep. “I know this is hard for you to understand. I'm going to be as honest as I can with you, even though this will be a lot to process in just a short amount of time. Some of it is going to sound weird and impossible to you, but I assure you, it's not. Are you sure you're ready to hear this?”

“Yes!” I said eagerly. “I promise I will believe what you tell me.”

“Then here it comes,” she said, followed by a dramatic pause as she took a deep breath. “Every person in our society has a chip inside of them. The only thing I can tell you to compare it to is a miniature computer – only this chip is much more advanced than any computer. Each member is given a chip on the day of their birth, and it is connected to all major organs, cells, and tissues in the human body. It is capable of so many things that I cannot even begin to describe in one night. This tiny chip can send information directly to the brain and store the information so that our memory capacity is much larger than that of a human being.”

“That's how you know hundreds of languages,” I realized out loud.

“Yes,” Lucy agreed. “We can program it to any language we choose, and our brains process it so quickly that speaking and understanding that language becomes automatic. But it can do so much more than that. It connects to the major receptors and emotional centers in the body as well. Thousands of years ago, those chips were designed to suppress all physical and emotional attraction to others. This was done so that the progress of our society would not be interrupted by distractions such as relationships and heartache. That prevents issues over minor, unimportant everyday dramas such as break-ups or cheating. While we can bond with each other in friendships, we are not capable of attraction or falling in love, which means we can focus solely on our responsibilities for society. That's why we don't have family units the way humans do.”

I focused intently on the explanation she was giving me. “I understand. Noah told me that his feelings were not common in your society. He was really scared of it at first,” I told her, remembering his initial reaction to our first kiss.

“Well, until recently, Noah wasn't even aware of those types of feelings. Most members of our society are not aware of the emotions and physical reactions in their bodies that are being suppressed by their chips. The only people who are given access to that information are those of us who work in the genetics lab. That's why I know so much about all of this, but Noah was clueless. Noah is the first person I know of since the implementation of the chip thousands of years ago that has ever been able to feel those kinds of emotions for another being of any kind.” She stopped as if thinking about something.

“Why is he able to feel those things? Is something wrong with his chip?” The idea of him losing those feelings for me made my body feel weak.

“Well, that was my initial thought. Noah was acting detached and happy, and I read his mind, expecting to find some sort of good news. I had no idea that the only thing I would find in his mind were his memories of his time with you.” My smile was uncontrollable with that last piece of information. It was thrilling to hear that I consumed his mind the way he consumed mine.

Lucy continued, “I thought it was merely a wiring problem, so I convinced him to come with me to the genetics lab during the holiday. He didn't want to, but I made him realize that it was for the best. If Sir Andrew or any of the other leaders found out about this, he would be forced to leave our society. I also explained to him that with these types of relationships, there is no guarantee of forever. One person in the party can easily change their feelings, which either of you are capable of doing, leaving the other one hurt and alone. And even if the two of you managed to keep it a secret and neither of you lost your feelings for the other one, you would be leaving soon, which would leave you both with broken hearts. There would be no way to continue the relationship. All the risk and potential emotional turmoil is not worth the short-lived thrill.”

As the information sank in, my stomach sank right along with it. “So that's where he was all day, and that's why he didn't show up that night. You fixed it. He really doesn't care about me anymore.”

In the dim light, I saw her body move closer to mine as she reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. “No, Jady, I
t
ried
to fix it. We spent the entire day and half the night in the lab, but there was no wiring problem. The feelings that he has for you…well, they shouldn't be possible. I don't know how this has happened, but it has. He is completely head-over-heels in love with you.”

Tears rushed to my eyes as my stomach did somersaults. “You think so?”

She laughed a little, although she didn't sound happy. “I
k
now
so – I can read his mind, remember?”

Tears poured down my cheeks, but I didn't care. I wanted to jump up and down as I repeated in my head over and over again,
He's in love with me!
It was too soon, and it didn't make sense. But I didn't care. For the first time in my life, I allowed myself to think with my heart instead of my head. Sometimes, life just wasn't logical.

“Jady,” she said gently, “I can see that you are in love with him too. But you have to be smart about this. If you really, truly, and completely love him, which I know you do, then you'll want what's best for him, just like he wants what's best for you. Remember that even though I couldn't reverse his emotions, he is still avoiding contact with you. He knows what's best for the two of you. If Sir Andrew finds out, your crew could be in danger as well.”

I nodded, remembering Sir Andrew's promise to force us to leave if we got too curious. “So Sir Andrew, because we are such a terrible species, does not want us to find out about this chip. His worry is about giving us too much power. He believes us to be so evil that he can't imagine what we would do with such a technological advancement. And the thought of one of his own most trusted, valued society members falling in love with one of us horrible humans would be too dangerous to his little secret.” As I realized all of this out loud, I understood Lucy's desire to keep us apart. It was perilous to be together, no matter how happy it made either of us.

While I sorted out the information, I realized there was one more thing that still didn't make sense. “Lucy, why didn't Noah just tell me all of this? Why did he choose to handle it all in such a cruel way?”

She took a deep breath. “Because I told him to handle it that way. I thought it would be for the best. Though I knew it would hurt you initially, I thought you would accept his rejection and let it go. I had no idea you would be so persistent in your quest for the truth. As I watched your reaction to his attempt to end all contact, I had a feeling that I should listen to your thoughts for a while. When I heard you thinking of confronting Sir Andrew, that's when I decided to step in.”

Taking a step back to lean against the nearest tree, I allowed my brain to process everything I was learning. As I stood there in silence, Lucy spoke quietly. “Now that you have all the facts, please tell me you will leave Noah alone for the safety of everyone involved. I would never want to stand in the way of anyone's happiness, but I will when it puts lives at risk.”

I smirked. “Isn't that a little dramatic? I mean, I would never wish for Noah to be forced to leave your society, but that doesn't exactly put his life at risk.”

Lucy made a snorting noise. “Jady, don't be naïve. If Noah has to leave our society that means Sir Andrew will remove his chip. His organs will not recover and function on their own. ‘Leaving our society' is a polite way of saying that he will not live.”

I fumed in anger. “So he would kill him? How does that make your society any better than ours? He would be killing one of his own, which is the same thing he is judging human beings for doing!”

“No, Jady, it's not. That is an entirely different situation.” She tried to reason with me, but I couldn't even listen. It wasn't fair.

As furious as I felt, an insight soon came to me. “Well, whether it's actually fair or not doesn't really matter, when it comes down to it. It may be hypocritical, but the point is, he will still die if Sir Andrew finds out. I can't allow that; I will stay away from him,” I promised Lucy. “The last thing I would ever do is put his life in danger.”

“I knew you would listen to reason,” Lucy said with relief. “It's time to start heading back. We can't let anyone realize either of us was gone.”

“Okay,” I agreed. With slumped shoulders, I followed her as we headed out of the woods. I had gotten the answers I was looking for, although I didn't feel any more satisfied than I did before I came there. If anything, I felt worse.

As we walked, I remembered one last thing. “Lucy, wait,” I said, grabbing her arm to stop her just before we got out of the woods. “There's one more thing I need to know.”

She turned to me patiently. “What's that?”

“Sir Andrew made a comment that I was under the impression that Noah and I were of the same age, but implied that we actually were not. Noah was going to explain what he meant by that the night of the holiday. Can you explain it?” She had already told me more than she ever wanted to, and I hated to press her for more. I just had to know.

“You know, in our society, it's considered rude to ask questions about information you aren't privy to.” I ignored her exasperation and waited patiently while she paused for a while without a word. Finally she said, “I suppose at this point, this one last bit of information won't do any more damage than I have probably already done.”

Waiting for her explanation, I held my breath. This was the last piece of the puzzle. She spoke carefully as she began to elucidate the mystery. “I told you about the chip and all it is capable of. Well, there is one more thing it can do, something that is truly amazing. It has a youth-preserving function. When programmed exactly right, it can stop the body system from aging.”

“Wow!” I blurted out. “So because of this chip, you will all stay young forever?”

“Not all of us, Jady. This is a very expensive and extremely complex process. Because of the time, money, and detail that is involved in programming, this is considered to be an honor. It is only given to those members of society who are most valued and respected. As two of the few members of our society who were born with gifts, both Noah and I have had that honor bestowed on us.”

I struggled to wrap my brain around this. “Does that mean…you're immortal?”

She smiled. “Not exactly. Immortality is impossible. Even with this programming, we could still be susceptible to accidents. Or if we make a mistake, such as falling in love with a human, our chips can still be removed.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick with her last statement. “However, our bodies will not age. We were both given this honor at age seventeen, because our physical bodies peak at this age. All those gifted society members receive the honor at seventeen. Our bodies will remain seventeen, even though we will grow wiser with knowledge and experience. Leaders receive the honor as soon as they are appointed to the position. That's why they're older than we are. I guess you could say this is the closest thing to immortality that exists in the entire universe.”

I stared at her incredulously. “Wow. How many members of your society have been given this honor?”

“Thirteen to this date,” she said. “Our leaders are all programmed in this way, and those of us that have gifts have also received this programming. There are six known gift-holders at this point.”

“That's amazing,” I whispered. “You will forever be seventeen. How old would you be if you did not have the programming?”