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his statement. I was reminded of a bobble-head, as I wondered exactly who the ‘we’ he referred to was.
    I realized he was looking at me strangely. “Me? There’s nothing special about me,” I blurted, realizing he’d been waiting for a response.
    “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that being modest won’t get you anywhere?” He chuckled: a deep, warm laugh, obviously amused with his wit.
    “Well, I do well in school and swimming, but—” My voice trailed off. That life was behind me now, and I had little hope of getting any of it back.
    “Let me guess: so much has happened to you that it feels like someone else’s life now, not yours.” My eyes widened as he finished my thoughts. A lump formed in my throat, cutting off my voice, so I just nodded. “Well, I’m here to offer you an opportunity.” He sat back in his chair and gave another attempt at a warm grin. “In essence, I’m offering you an even better life than you had before.”
    “Well, I—”
    I didn’t finish my sentence; a flash of rage rolled through me. How dare he? Is this even legal? He’s going around offering an understanding shoulder to kids in my kind of situation, and then, before you know it, they’re signing a contract to join the armed forces. How dumb does he think I am? I may not know what I’m going do with my life now, but I’m sure as hell not going to give it up to join a war that I’m not sure we should even be involved in.
    My face contorted with fury. “You kind of sound like an army commercial,” I snarled at him, and waited for the shocked expression I expected. But he just sat there, unfazed. So I continued, “I have no desire to be a soldier. I don’t care what the pay is or if it pays for college. So I’ll just leave, and save us both some time.” My jaw twinged with pain: I had been clenching my teeth.
    I jumped to my feet and made to leave.
    John started to chuckle, so I stopped and turned back to glare at him. “Glad to see there is some spark in you. I was beginning to think you had a bit too much in common with this kitten behind us.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “We’re not recruiting for the armed forces,” he said matter-of-factly, and motioned for me to sit back down.
    “Then why are you here, and who is this ‘we’ you keep referring to?” I eyed him warily as I slowly sat in my chair.
    “I’m from the CTA; the Center for Technological Advancement. We’re a private corporation and, as the name implies, we’re focused on technological breakthroughs. I’m here for a special project that, while sanctioned by our government, will not be run by any part of it.” He said the last half of the sentence slowly to stress his point. “This project could change the face of life as we know it. An added benefit of the project is we’ll be helping disadvantaged teenagers with potential, like you.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking overly smug.
    I scowled at him. “Well what exactly is the project you want me for? And let me just get this clear right now: I’m not interested in being anyone’s lab rat.” I stared straight back at John, meeting his eyes, daring him to just try sugarcoating or beating around the bush with anything he had to say.
    John leaned forward again, never breaking eye contact, or even blinking. “I can’t give you all the details right now. All I can say is that you would be part of something big and important; a lot better than anything you’ll find here.” He gestured to the clutter around us.
    “And what’s the catch?” I demanded, still suspicious.
    “You’d be leaving behind your friends and family,” he admitted freely – most likely because he knew I didn’t have any left.
    I quirked my eyebrows at him. “For how long?”
    “For good.”
    “And exactly what third-world country would you be sending me to? Would it be the Amazon or the Arctic that I’m dropped in the middle of?” I crossed my arms tightly around