Chapter 27: If You Could See the Skeletons in My Closet

I closed the door and stepped back in, intending to reevaluate the situation.

I then proceeded to gather my thoughts. This was what I came up with:

* Scarlette was hiding something

* It had to be something Dr Connor had told her

* She did not want to reveal it to me

So why then, did she not let me leave? The manner in which she responded—it was like she wanted me to figure it out on my own. But why the hassle?

Was it something she wanted to say, but physically couldn’t say it even if she wanted to?

That was the most probable scenario.

“Dr Connor told you something, and you aren’t allowed to mention anything regarding your meeting with him, did I get that right?”

Scarlette perked up. She didn’t answer or nod, but she looked very excited. I guessed I had hit the mark.

As I was contemplating on the next course of action, she spoke up.

“Hey Cadel, wouldn’t it be interesting if there was someone with an Ability that could detect lies?”

I tilted my head. So that’s what it was. Dr Connor would ask Scarlette if she had informed me of their deal, in the company of an esper who could detect lies. If she couldn’t lie—essentially forced to admit that she had leaked it—something bad would likely happen.

But there was a flaw with that logic.

“How would Dr Connor know if that Ability-user wasn’t lying themselves? Even if you kept it a secret, they could just say you lied and leaked it regardless. Also, did he provide any proof that he was in contact with someone who has that Ability?”

Scarlette furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of my words. It seemed like she was beginning to understand.

I decided to push further. “I recommend you tell me everything. There’s no guarantee that you can trust Dr Connor or his lie-detector friend. If you share with me the details, at least we’re in this together. Well, technically I’m already clearly involved. He wants something to do with me, right?”

“Okay wait a second! This is too much for me!” Scarlette gasped, collapsing to her bed. “Give me some time to think it through!”

She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. I returned to the chair she offered me earlier and waited patiently.

After a while, she sat up. “I’m amazed you managed to get all of that. I suppose you’re right, the situation’s pretty bad for me regardless of what I do, so I guess I should just tell you… yeah, I’d much rather trust you than that creepy guy,” she shivered, fiddling with her hair.

"Anyway, you were pretty much spot on. Dr Connor said that when he checks in on me after our camp, he expects me to share more information about you and your Ability. He told me to keep my ‘mission’ a secret, and warned that he’d bring in an esper who can detect lies to make sure I'm not just messing with him, and that I haven't leaked anything to you."

It was just as I had suspected. Now, the issue lay in countering Dr Connor and his shenanigans. But first…

“Sorry, why is he interested in me in the first place?” I asked.

“Ah yes!” Scarlette got up, sitting on her heels. “He mentioned that 6-Stars do exist! Kazen’s brother—I think it was Soren Rain—is a 6-Star, and more importantly, he believes you are one as well! Is that true?”

I felt my blood go cold. “Why would he say that?”

Scarlette shrugged. “I don’t know. But he does have connections in the Research Division. It seems he and a bunch of his friends are doing a little snooping.”

This was not good. The news of Soren’s existence surprised me, but if he suspected that I too was a 6-Star, then he must have done research on my past. It was a secret I didn’t want anyone to know.

“Uh Cadel? Are you okay? You look like you spaced out there,” Scarlette waved her hand in front of my face.

I blinked. “Yeah, sorry.” I hesitated for a moment before adding, “I think things might be getting a little dangerous.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, inching closer to me.

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I thought for a moment. Since her own safety was in question, I felt she had the right to know about my past. Her life could be in danger.

“Are you okay with being friends with a criminal?”

Scarlette stared at me. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m about to tell you a little about myself. Please don’t share this with anyone.”

“I promise.”

Scarlette may be a little hard-headed, but I felt she wasn’t the type to leak secrets. Besides, if anything happened to her because of me…

“When I was a child, I already started developing these powers. I was from a low-income family, with my father being a 3-Star telekinetic and my mother being a 0-star—she didn’t have an Ability. I was the only child. Unfortunately, one day, my mother contracted an illness. My father had to work to pay her bills and support the whole family, but he too got fired after the financial crisis back then. The lack of income and my mother’s declining health were really stressing him out. He already drank, but as he struggled to find another job, his tendencies increased as he tried to cope with the pressure of supporting us.”

I took a deep breath before continuing.

“One day we saw a notice on the news. A research branch of the Administration, known as “Umbra”, was looking for children who would act as volunteers for a new research project, known as the “Genetic Enhancement and Neural Intervention Study”, or “GENIS” as they called it. Of course, Umbra was offering significant compensation. My mother was hesitant, but my father was desperate. He urged me to join GENIS so we would have some cash. I didn’t fully understand what the project was about, but I knew how much we needed the money, so I volunteered.”

“The project lasted for about two months, and since it involved confidential data, we weren’t allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world. It was hell there. We were subject to all sorts of experiments, and we were even forced to use our Abilities against each other. They kept us in line by threatening that if we told anyone, we’d lose all our compensation and face legal consequences for breaching the contract. As kids, we didn’t understand, nor did we dare disobey. Like myself, most of us came from low-income families, desperate for the money. So, we just gritted our teeth and endured it."

I paused, giving Scarlette some time to absorb all the information. She was listening intently.

“Go on,” she urged gently.

“They were clever with keeping it a secret. Our families had to sign non-disclosure agreements prior to participation since it involved sensitive government data. We were also psychologically manipulated and warned of the repercussions if we ever spoke out. People who posed a threat to the secrecy of the project were subject to someone known as the Basilisk, though I’m still not sure who that is.”

“And of course, no matter how loud people talk, money speaks louder. This goes for both the families involved and the officials associated with GENIS. For a fee, they were willing to close one eye. After the project concluded, all our data was supposedly erased. They’ve managed to keep this whole project under wraps, as there was no proof of physical torture.”

Scarlette held up her hand. “But your data wasn’t erased, right? Also, what do you mean by no proof?”

Nodding, I continued. “Yes, after the project ended, we were cured of all signs of injuries by medics. However, my performance during the experiments were exceptional. They asked my parents if I could participate in further studies.”

I swallowed. “Unfortunately, my mother passed away while I was in the project. As we were voided all outside communication, I didn’t find out until I got home. My father was devastated. His dangerous habits and violent tendencies had gotten progressively worse. While he had given his consent for further experiments, it was the last thing I wanted. When I got home, we had our first argument. He hit me, but by then, I was used to physical pain. As time went on, I stood my ground, and eventually, he backed down.”

“However, the abuse continued. I hated living with him, but as a kid, I had no choice. One night, while really drunk, he totally lost it. “Let’s join your mother in heaven!” he cheered, as he playfully waved a knife around. When he came at me, I panicked. I used my Ability to redirect his arm, but I wasn’t in control. The knife ended up in his stomach, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.”

Scarlette’s face paled, but I pressed on.

“I didn’t know what to do, so I ran out of the house and headed to the nearest police station, telling them about the attack and the abuse I suffered. I had nothing to lose anyway. The last I heard, my father had managed to call an ambulance before being arrested and thrown in prison after an investigation.”

"Of course, I was under investigation myself for stabbing my own father. Umbra found out and made it clear that if I didn’t return to them, they would make sure I was charged as a criminal. There was a lot of confusion among the authorities—I’m pretty sure some of them had no idea about Umbra's experiments—but in the end, I was sent to an orphanage, where I stayed until I came here."

"But that wasn’t the last I heard from Umbra. After my father was released from prison, he racked up a massive amount of debt from gambling and other things. He ended up taking his own life not long after. Umbra manipulated the situation, making it seem like the debt had transferred to me.”

Scarlette looked puzzled. “But how could they do that? Debts don’t usually transfer to someone else.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Normally, that is. But Umbra operates differently. They used some obscure legal loopholes and probably forged documents to make it look like I owe the debt. Umbra has such extensive connections in the financial and legal systems that fighting them is almost impossible. They’ve demanded that I return to them to clear the debt, but I’ve refused. They’re using this debt as leverage, threatening that if I don’t cooperate, they’ll ensure I face the consequences. The debt hangs over me, and I’m constantly trying to find a way to deal with it in the future.”

It was a lot of information to take. I wouldn’t blame Scarlette if she was confused. Despite the torrent of information, Scarlette's gaze remained fixed on me, her concern evident. “There’s still a couple of things that I don’t fully understand and I have a lot of questions, but I had no idea you had been dealing with all of these…” she whispered.

I stood up and stretched. Admittedly, it felt oddly therapeutic letting it all out. “It’s alright, there’s a lot to take in, but I think that’s enough information for now. So now that you know my past, are you still willing to be friends with me? I’ve crossed paths with a lot of bad people,” I stated.

That’s right, I didn’t want to get Scarlette involved any more than necessary. The ball was now in her park.