and shook Tyler’s hand and mine before taking a seat. The next few were Melior Group employees and greeted Tyler as if they knew him.
“Shall we begin?” At Susan’s invitation, we’d just moved to take our seats when the door opened again.
“Victor.” Tyler greeted the man in the sharp blue suit, and the others in the room sat up a little straighter.
“Hello, Tyler. I thought I might sit in for this one. Please carry on like I’m not here.” He sat at the far end of the table and motioned for us to continue.
Tyler cleared his throat. “Evelyn, this is Victor Flint. He’s our recruitment manager and a member of the board.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.” I was too far away to extend my hand, so I just waved. He returned it with a tight smile. The anxiety twisting my gut doubled down, but I made sure to keep a neutral expression on my face and my hands steady as I laid them gently on the glass tabletop.
“I hope you don’t mind if I go first,” Susan said. “I have another meeting to get to.”
No one objected, so she pulled a small stack of papers from her bag and slid them over to me. She explained the forms were standard and just a way to verify my identity and register me as a Vital in the database. Each one had Evelyn Maynard written on it, and most of my other details were already filled in. I signed in all the marked spots. She handed me a brochure about my responsibilities as a person with abilities in the wider community, said goodbye to everyone else in the room, and left.
“OK, Evelyn,” said a short woman who’d been speaking with Tyler but hadn’t bothered to introduce herself to me. “I’m Gemma, and it’s my job to make sure you understand what it means that you’re a Variant and that you’re receiving the appropriate training.”
I nodded. She handed me pamphlets, then spoke about Variant DNA and how Variant Bonds worked. It was barely scratching the surface of stuff I already knew. Between Tyler’s tutoring and my own obsessive study, she really couldn’t have told me anything new. But protocols had to be followed. She ticked boxes on a tablet screen as she went through each topic.
“Have a glance at this list, and if you agree that I’ve explained all the items on it, please tick agree.” I ticked it without even looking at the list properly. I was getting bored. My focus kept wandering to my periphery where Victor sat, observing me as keenly as I wanted to observe him.
“Now, you’re attending Bradford Hills Institute, which means it should be easy to make sure you get the necessary education and training from now on. Tyler here can make sure you’re moved into the necessary classes.”
“Actually,” Tyler interjected, “that won’t be necessary. I’ve been tutoring Evelyn in the relevant Variant studies topics since we first learned of her status as a Vital, and she’s already enrolled in several Variant studies units. She’s a keen student and her knowledge is not lacking.”
“Oh, OK. Perfect. That takes care of that then. I’m done.” Gemma smiled at me and pressed some more buttons on the tablet.
Victor shifted in his seat. “Thank you, Gemma.” He leaned back and folded his hands casually in his lap, his head tilted to the side. Everyone paused and gave him their full attention.
“Evelyn, there is one last item I’d like to discuss with you.” His gaze was relaxed but intent on me.
I cleared my throat, not sure what to say, but Tyler spoke before I could. “What’s this about? I wasn’t informed of another item for discussion.”
Victor waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, you’re free to leave, Mr. Gabriel, if you have something else to attend to. It’s a last-minute item that I didn’t have a chance to add to the agenda. I only need a few more minutes of Evelyn’s time.”
No one got up. If anything, they settled into their seats, paying rapt attention to whatever this was.
There was no way in hell Tyler was leaving my side. His shoulders tensed just a fraction, but he managed to keep a neutral look on his face as he leaned his forearms on the table. “I have time.”
Victor nodded before turning his full attention to me. “I’m a busy man, so I won’t beat around the bush. Evelyn, I’d like to make you an offer. The standard offer that Gemma outlined stands, of course—we’re