I glance at Bren and my eyes snag on her hands. They’re clasped in front of her chest like she’s praying . . . or holding herself down.
“Wick,” Bren begins. “Considering some of the . . . difficulties you’ve been going through, Dr. Norcut recommended we contact Mr. Hart. He runs a program for at-risk youth, for teenagers dealing with loss. We want you to go. We think you need the help.”
She’s sending me away? It nearly kicks my legs out from under me. I straighten. “I think I’m doing fine.”
Bren’s mouth thins. “I’ll give you two a moment then.” She pushes off the couch, pawing her eyes. My skin goes hot then cold. She’s . . . leaving me.
Like an idiot, I open my mouth, snap it shut. That won’t work. I don’t know the words to bring her back even if I can name all my feelings—another gift from Norcut. There’s hurt and horrified . . . and hate.
I face Hart. This feels like a game, and when I see the way he grins, I know somehow I’ve lost.
“I was so looking forward to meeting you properly, Wicket. You have exceeded every expectation we could dream of.”
“Oh yeah?”
“We want to help you. We’ve seen what you can do, how determined you can be when properly motivated.” He lifts his brows like my biological mother is a punch line he’s waiting for me to get. “What you did with those video clips of your mother? Excellent job. I’ve enlisted dozens of kids over the years. Your results were the best.”
The best? My throat closes. I did an excellent job by following their clues? Or by taking down Joe? I’m not sure, but, suddenly, I feel very used . . . and afraid. What did Carson say? That he was protecting me from people who were worse? So that means . . . ?
“No smile?” Hart sighs and his eyes pull at the corners with some emotion I won’t name. “Let’s be friends. We’re the good guys, Wicket. Trust me.”
Acknowledgments
At this point, I feel like I am thanking the usual suspects, but there’s no way I would be here without any of them, so here we go.
As always, I’m indebted to my long-suffering agent, Sarah Davies, who routinely pulls me back from the edge even when—especially when—I cannot do it myself. A big thank-you to both my editors, Karen Chaplin and Jessica MacLeish, who are beyond gracious with their time and their feedback. I know darn well my timeline issues make you both twitchy. Next book, I promise to use a calendar, but we all know I’ll probably forget again . . . and then you’ll have to fix me again . . . and then I’ll break out the calendar again . . . and forget it again—and you know what? Let’s just leave it at: thank you for putting up with my digressions.
All of them.
You know who else puts up with me? Alana Whitman, Olivia deLeon, Margot Wood, and Aubry Parks-Fried. Thank you for everything, ladies. I so so so appreciate your expertise and input over the past two years.
And, of course, a very sincere thank-you to Joel Tippie for the exceptional covers. They are beyond beautiful.
Another big thank-you to the Doomsdaisies, who make me look way cooler than I am—especially looking at you, Cecily White. Thank you to Pintip Dunn and Stephanie Winkelhake for talking me through, well, everything, and particular thanks to Meg Kassel and Sally Kilpatrick, who saw every incarnation of this novel, and I do mean every incarnation. You ladies are so gracious. Thank you.
Huge, huge, huge thank-you to Natalie Richards, who has toured with me, critiqued with me, and pulled me out of the fetal position more times than I can count. Or want to. I’m a better writer because of you.
An equally enormous thank-you to my husband, Boy Genius, for all the website stuff and editing stuff and making sure there’s food in the house stuff. For everything, basically. And another thank-you to my parents. I wouldn’t be here without your unwavering support.
I would also like to thank Kari at A Good Addiction, Shay at Shaytastic Books, and Alex at Peace, Love, and Fangirl for all the beta reads and feedback. I am crazy lucky to have you guys.
Speaking of lucky, I want to particularly thank Ashley at Nose Graze and her husband, Peter, for their technical expertise. I know how slammed you two are. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions.
Another thank-you to Natalie C. Parker, who is not only an amazing writer, but also does an amazing critique. And thank you to Abra Schwartz for letting me steal one of her observations. She knows which one.
Bottom line, Remember Me is so much better because of all of you. You took time away from your writing and your lives to help and I cannot begin to tell you how much you mean to me. Thank you.
And, last but not least, thank you to all the bloggers and librarians who have been so passionate about the Find Me series. You guys are amazing. It’s been a total privilege.