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“That’s juice?” I asked, studying the fancy glass.

“Yes.” She smiled. “It tastes better in a fancy glass. We also have water over there.” She pointed to the beverage table.

“No cocktails?” asked Stacy.

“Sorry, no,” Tiffany said.

“How did you guys hear about this?” I asked my group.

“My thesis on Hollywood, mind control, and the CIA got Dr. Messina’s attention,” Joshua said.

“He’s a nerd.” Ana elbowed me.

“He sure is.” Stacy sipped her apple juice.

“I heard from my buddy.” Eric gave Joshua a light punch in the arm.

Embarrassed, Joshua scratched his head.

Intrigued, I said, “That’s an interesting topic. I wouldn’t have grouped Hollywood, mind control, and the CIA together like that. Where did you get that idea from?”

Joshua looked into his glass of orange juice for a moment as though considering something.

“The entire class knows why, Josh,” Ana said. “You even thanked your uncle in your thesis.”

Joshua sighed. “My uncle was in the CIA, but then he died. He mentioned a few things to me that got me researching.”

“He’s gonna make a fantastic CIA agent.” Stacy beamed.

“I don’t want to be an agent,” Joshua said.

“You’re going to be an incredible psychiatrist.” Ana patted his shoulder.

His thesis fascinated me. Perhaps Attikus could talk to Joshua about the CIA agents. So many of them had tried to kill me. I took it as a sign that Dr. Nico Messina was interested in Joshua’s papers.

Maybe I shouldn’t be here. Nerves multiplied in my stomach, but I wanted to stay for the entire event. Though I held a water bottle, I didn’t drink anything. I excused myself to use the restroom and told my group I’d join them in the room for the seminar.

I chose the last stall in the restroom. As I flushed, I dumped some of the water from my bottle to show I’d drunk something. I didn’t know if I was being paranoid, but something told me to be extra careful.

As I exited the bathroom stall, Tiffany exited the one next to mine.

She smiled at me. “Are you excited about the seminar?”

“I am. How long have you been with Modern Research Group?”

“Over a year.”

“Do they pay well?”

“Yup! As long as you do as they say, you’ll be fine.” She smiled and washed her hands.

“Are they demanding?”

“Oh, no. I meant to say, as long as you do your job, you’ll get rewarded.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a BMW key. “I paid for this car with my bonus. I graduated from college a year ago as a pharmacist, and I’m now debt-free.”

Tiffany was someone who knew medicine and its dosage.

“Wow. That’s amazing.” I stared at her key, pretending to be mesmerized. “Are you working as a pharmacist and this part-time job?”