Mind Games by Teri Terry Read Free Book Online Page A

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    Out front is not just a car but an official government car: a long black electric limo with the dual flags of the UK Union Jack and the NUN Rainbow. A uniformed driver takes my bag and holds the door for me. I climb in, surprised to find not Melrose, but her dad in the back of it.
    ‘Hi, Mr Asquith,’ I say, a bit uncertain. I haven’t seen him in years , unless you count on the news when he got elected to NUN’s executive council. Even when I was in and out of their house he was rarely there except late at night, always off at government meetings. And who knows what he thinks of Refusers.
    He smiles. ‘Hello, Luna, good to see you again. Hope you don’t mind: Melrose has been shopping in the city, so it made sense to collect you first. And I’m on my way in to NUN Towers for a meeting.’
    ‘Of course, it’s fine. The meetings aren’t all virtual now?’
    ‘The international ones are, by necessity. Moving all national divisions to virtual is under debate. But some of us like to know our private conversatons are still private.’ The car pulls away. ‘And I’m glad we’ve got a moment to talk.’
    Ah. Is that why he’s really in the car? Here it comes. He’s not happy with Melrose and me taking up our friendship again. He doesn’t want to upset her, so he’s warning me off. I’m not surprised.
    ‘Are you excited about the Test?’ he asks.
    I stare back at him, not sure where he is going with this.
    ‘Or scared, maybe?’
    ‘This isn’t about Melrose?’
    ‘She’s neither excited nor scared. Daft girl – but I expect she’ll do middling to well, and be happy to get into university. It’s you I’m worried about.’
    ‘You’re worried about me ?’
    ‘Don’t look so amazed.’ He laughs.
    ‘Why?’
    He shrugs. ‘General weirdness,’ he says. And I remember the late-night drop-ins he’d have to our sleepovers if we were still awake when he got home. Telling us tales of his day, of trying to juggle UK and NUN interests, and of PareCo’s meddling: general weirdness . That’s what he used to call it. Melrose’d get bored and tell him to stop, to go away, but I was fascinated, and if you asked him a question, about anything , he’d always answer it.
    ‘General weirdness…something about PareCo to do with me ?’
    ‘Do you know why you got an appointment?’
    ‘Teacher said it might be a glitch.’ I shrug. ‘I shouldn’t have.’
    ‘PareCo doesn’t have glitches.’
    I stare back at him and my stomach lurches. ‘If it isn’t a glitch, then why?’
    ‘I don’t know. They want you there for some reason. But what could it be?’
    ‘You’re asking me? I’ve got no idea.’
    ‘It worries me. Take care, Luna,’ he says, and his eyes are on mine, steady and serious.
    The car is slowing, stopping. The door opens, and Melrose gets in, bags of shopping in her arms.
    ‘Just a few essentials?’ her dad says, and she thumps him on the arm.
    She smiles at me as the car pulls up the road. ‘And off we go! All ready?’
    ‘Guess so.’
    ‘You got through Queen’s Road El OK this morning?’ she asks.
    ‘Yes. Thanks. When did they gate the El there? Makes it hard to access the park.’
    Her dad looks embarrassed, shrugs. ‘That was kind of the point, I’m afraid. There have been problems.’
    ‘With Implant Addicts? We saw some today when we were cycling to get around the gates.’
    He raises an eyebrow. ‘Just so.’
    Melrose looks shocked as the pound drops. ‘You only went one way through the El. Tell me you didn’t cycle all those miles round the other way when you got there!’
    ‘OK. I won’t tell you.’
    ‘You did, didn’t you! And you saw addicts? They’re dangerous. Tell her, Dad.’
    ‘Well, I wouldn’t recommend getting too close,’ he says mildly. ‘Not sure about dangerous.’
    ‘More like upsetting,’ I say. ‘I saw a girl in a group of addicts. She looked younger than me. I thought Implants were limited usage until eighteen?’
    ‘They are,’ he