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with me. You’re not a slider.’ He shakes his head. ‘Only sliders survive it and even then it’s dangerous. Deadly without training.’
    â€˜I don’t know what happened.’ I go to push past him, not bothering to ask what a slipstream was. I didn’t want to know, because I was never going there again. Leather Jacket lifts an arm, blocking my way.
    My hands curl into fists. ‘Do you mind?’
    He arches an eyebrow. ‘No.’
    There’s a swishing sound as the door to my room opens and brisk footsteps enter, followed by an annoyed sigh.
    â€˜Blake Galloway. It looks like you’re intimidating our guest. Perhaps you could give her some space.’
    Leather Jacket/Blake rolls his eyes, but drops his arm. I squeeze by him to see a man beside the hospital bed, holding a bunch of flowers that look beyond my pay grade. His suit is crisp and his smile is broad, full of teeth that look too large for his mouth.
    â€˜Hello, Josephine. My name is Allen Schmidt.’ He gives Blake a suspicious look, then returns his attention to me. ‘Do you know where you are yet?’
    â€˜It’s Josie. My name is Josie,’ I correct him, my eyes darting to the window again, as if it can provide me with a sudden clue I might have missed before. ‘And no. I don’t know where I am. No one will tell me.’
    â€˜You’re a very long way from home,’ Schmidt says. ‘In a medical centre in the town of Babel, Vermont. Do you know where that is?’
    Excitement coils up my spine, hot and fast. I lick my dry lips. ‘Where the Helios Academy is based, right?’
    Schmidt throws me a wink. ‘You got it in one there, Josie. In fact, Helios is just a short fifteen-minute drive away. I’m an attorney with the General Relations and Media Unit for the Helios Academy and I’m here to answer any questions you might have.’ His eyes slide to Blake. ‘If you don’t mind, I think some privacy with Josephine is required.’
    â€˜Josie,’ I correct him again.
    â€˜Josie. Of course, forgive me.’ Schmidt unclips a shiny flexi-slate control-handle from his wrist. Straightening it, he pulls out the screen and taps in a note. ‘And please, call me Allen.’
    â€˜I’m out of here.’ Blake strides past me and exits the room without a backwards glance. I watch the door slide shut and try to get a grip on the idea I’m near the hallowed halls of the Helios Academy itself.
    Allen looks up from his slate. ‘You’ll have to forgive Blake. He’s a talented slider, but his manners leave much to be desired.’
    â€˜Does he work for Helios?’
    â€˜Yes. Blake is with the academy on contract from Soteria Security, a division of Galloway Industries. He does a lot of valuable work for Helios.’ Allen’s smile stretches to show his molars. ‘He’s also Victor Galloway’s son.’
    â€˜ The Victor Galloway?’ My voice is faint. ‘As in … Galloway Industries?’
    â€˜Correct,’ Allen says. ‘Blake is Galloway’s eldest son. Used to be in the army, before his father convinced him to return to the family business.’ Allen’s wide smile falters. ‘You’d think he was a primal, the way he behaves. I always thought shadow-sliders would have an otherworldly grace. Not be big, growling slabs of muscle.’
    A thousand questions bubble through my head, while hope warms my chest and I’m wondering if maybe fate has finally smiled on me.
    â€˜Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable?’ Allen gestures to a couple of chairs by the window and we sit down. I clasp my bandaged hands awkwardly together.
    â€˜Is there any pain?’ He points at my hands.
    â€˜I don’t even know why they’re bandaged,’ I tell him.
    â€˜The doctor hasn’t seen you yet?’
    â€˜No Doc-in-a-Box,’ I say without thinking.
    Allen looks