Mind Games

Chapter 3

Des

"You're sending me to Virginia?" I exclaimed, slamming the counter. "Across the states?"

"Yes," Andy sighed. "To Dr. Radcliffe's house."

Tensioning silence filled the room.

"Really?" I asked. "You're sending me to the house of the guy who was trying to kidnap me? Do you see the problem with that, Andy?"

He sighed, furrowing his eyebrows. "Des, do you really think I would do that without some kind of plan?" I was silent. "Look, there are a couple of things you don't know about Radcliffe that even I was surprised to hear."

"What kind of things?"

"I thought the same thing you did," he put the last plate into the dishwasher. I handed him the pod and he slipped it in and started the wash. "I thought it was a stupid idea to send you to Virginia. But you must understand that Radcliffe isn't entirely aware that that house is his."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my tone rising at the end of the question.

"Radcliffe has a personality disorder. Mr. Kabadi heard this from Wynn a while back that his father would be in the kitchen and randomly switch to another personality, a loving father and the next second he was a cold and heartless man. He did a little research and actually was diagnosed with it when he was eighteen. But Radcliffe doesn't believe he has a condition and isn't taking his medication."

"Okay ... wouldn't that make it more dangerous?" I ask.

"The personality that is Radcliffe doesn't know that that is his house. Otherwise, another personality does that isn't dangerous. Does that make sense?"

"Not really ...?"

Andy sighed, annoyed. "Never mind. You'll be fine. Wynn Collier, a boy I've heard very much about from Mr. Kabadi, lives there and he will take good care of you and the other kids that are going."

"Wynn Collier?" I mutter nervously.

Wynn was a boy from Facility 26 that I ironically had a crush on since his dad kidnapped my little sister. I marched back to the living room, realizing I would be living with my crush.