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"Really?" Arezoo couldn't contain her surprise. "Thank you! I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't."

As they stepped away from the counter, Arezoo turned to Drova with a grateful smile. "Thank you for that. I didn't expect it to be so easy."

Drova shrugged. "It's nothing. There is plenty of work in the village for those who are not too discriminating. Cleaning houses can get you the big bucks for now, but those types of jobs are not going to be available for long. The robots they are building in the underground will be doing those."

Arezoo's eyes widened. "Robots?"

"Yeah. Do you want to see? I can give you a tour."

"Yes, please!"

35

FENELLA

Fenella sat in an uncomfortable chair in Amanda's laboratory, electrodes stuck to her temples like some ridiculous science fiction prop. The whole setup reminded her of a low budget film about mind control, complete with blinking monitors and hushed, technical conversations she couldn't quite follow.

"Try to relax," Amanda said, adjusting something on her tablet. "Tension can interfere with the readings."

"I'm perfectly relaxed," Fenella lied, gripping the armrests tighter. "Nothing more soothing than having my brain probed by aliens."

Amanda chuckled. "When you are one of those aliens, it's not so bad, right?"

As Fenella cast the ridiculously beautiful professor a glare, she caught Din giving her an encouraging smile from his position in the rear of the room.

Another professor. No wonder they were teaming up against her.

"The electrodes don't read your thoughts," Syssi explained. "They just measure electrical activity in different parts of your brain."

"That's supposed to be reassuring?" Fenella arched an eyebrow.

Amanda chuckled. "It's completely noninvasive. I promise you won't feel even the slightest discomfort. And remember, you can stop anytime you want."

Fenella sighed and tried to loosen her shoulders. She didn't have any special abilities. But these women, her newfound relatives, seemed convinced otherwise, and she didn't have the heart to quash their enthusiasm.

"Let's start with something simple." Amanda positioned herself behind a computer screen that Fenella couldn't see. "I'm going to show Kyra a series of geometric shapes. She won't say anything, but I want you to try to pick up on what she's seeing."

"Telepathy?" Fenella scoffed. "You're joking."

"Just give it a try," Jasmine encouraged. "Clear your mind and see if any shapes pop into your head."

Fenella rolled her eyes while Kyra seated herself across from her. At Amanda's nod, Kyra's hand closed over the pendant at her throat, and her eyes grew distant.

Five minutes of silence followed, during which Fenella thought of juicy steaks, red wine, cocktail recipes, and the tile pattern in Shira's bathroom—anything but geometric shapes.

"Anything?" Amanda asked finally.

"Unless you were hoping I'd telepathically pick up on Kyra's thoughts about vodka martini variations, the answer is no."

Amanda made some notes. "That's fine. Let's try something else." She tapped her tablet, and the monitor in front of Fenella lit up with a simple game interface. "This will display a shape, but there's a three-second delay between when the computer selects the shape and when it appears on the screen. I want you to try to guess what's coming."

"Precognition?" Fenella sighed but nodded. "Fine."

The first shape—a red triangle—appeared without warning. Fenella hadn't had even an inkling it was coming.

"That's all right," Amanda said. "Let's try again. Focus on the blank screen."