The New Humans

Chapter 33

Ash paced in his room. His watch told him it was already seven p.m. Why hadn't Adam phoned yet? Over twenty-four hours had passed, and he still hadn't shown up with Crane's diary and wasn't replying to his messages.

"I notice a certain nervousness, Ash," Net said. "Do you want to hear a joke?"

"Okay."

"A teacher tells her student, 'Your essay entitled My Dog is identical to your brother's. Did you copy it?' And he says, 'No, teacher, we have the same dog.'"

Ash didn't laugh. "Tell me another one."

"A student asks the teacher, 'Teacher, can I be punished for something I haven't done?' And the teacher says, 'Of course not. Why do you ask?' He says, 'Because I haven't done my homework.'"

Why hadn't Adam called? Ash lay down on the bed, but he soon realized worrying was pointless; he just had to wait.

He checked several social networks but was too nervous to laugh at the photos and videos that drifted by. He visited Luther's page and read various posts until one helped him calm down: If there is no solution to the problem, then don't waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem, then don't waste time worrying about it.

He pressed the Like button. He then took out his notebook and started watching the video Adam had recommended: The Power Inside Us. The first exercise proposed was to keep one hand on a burning candle for as long as possible. Ash had bought a set of pink scented candles a year earlier. For some time, he'd been fascinated by meditation and had bought them to help him concentrate, but the passion had passed almost immediately, and they had remained unused. He fetched them from his closet, then went to the kitchen with the excuse of getting a glass of water and slipped a lighter into his pocket.

In his room, he lit a candle and held it in his right hand. He closed his eyes and held his left palm a few inches from the flame, where the heat was painful but bearable. According to the instructions, he had to be able to hold his hand there for at least five minutes. He imagined his hand like granite. He took long, deep breaths. The flame underneath had not gone out, yet Ash felt no pain in his hand.

Then he felt burning liquid on his right hand and blew out the candle. A little hot wax had dripped onto his hand. Ash watched the video again and noticed the author recommended not holding the candle in one's other hand.

His phone rang; it was Adam. He picked it up so quickly he almost dropped it. "Adam, what happened? Why did you take so long?"

Adam didn't reply immediately. "Oh. Sorry, the machine was busy all day yesterday. I was only able to use it now without being seen." He sounded distracted.

"And? Did you find anything?"

"Yes, something important."

Ash waited for Adam to provide more details, but he didn't. "So? Tell me. Why are you leaving me hanging like this?"

"Sorry, I would rather not talk about it on the phone. We have to meet. When are you free?"

Ash gripped the phone. He was grounded, and his mother would double his punishment if she found out he'd snuck out, but that was the least of his worries. What frightened him most was his father. The thought of having another confrontation with him after what he'd said in the maple forest made him sick with anxiety. But Crane was a murderer, and the savants had asked him to investigate; he couldn't abandon a mission because he was afraid of a slap on the wrist. He didn't want to be hanged a second time, but Adam wouldn't let him run a risk needlessly. If he had called him, there had to be a reason. Plus, by continuing the investigation, he might see Crane again and then discover the reason why he had joined the Shadows and had left him alive.