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talents.’
    â€˜But you could,’ Allen points out patiently. ‘And more, you can enhance a talent’s strength. Blake’s report said he returned here with you in half the time it usually takes. The report details he was unconscious for the first minute of the slide, which must have compromised the thread, temporarily exposing you to the elements of the slipstream.’ He nods at my hands. ‘We got the frostbite in time, but that wasn’t the only damage. Your brain was swollen from oxygen deprivation and you were in danger of cardiac arrest. Fortunately, Helios makes sure this town’s medical centre is one of the most up-to-date facilities in the world and the staff were able to treat you instantly.’
    My fingers stretch inside the tight wrappings, feeling stiff and itchy. Despite the nurse’s assurances earlier, I’m worried what my hands will look like once the bandages come off.
    Allen clears his throat and picks up his slate. ‘I understand you live with your uncle, Robert Ryder?’
    I groan, realising how panicked Bobby probably is by now, wondering where I am. ‘I have to call him. Let him know I’m okay.’
    â€˜And you will get that chance, I promise. But I just need to clear up a few things first.’ Allen’s eyes drop to the data scrolling across on his slate. ‘Your father, James Ryder, he was killed in a car accident when you were six, correct?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜The accident reports say you were in the car with him?’
    â€˜Yes.’ My answers are short and wooden, well practised. I’m skilled from years of stuffing thoughts and memories I don’t want into the deepest recesses of my puzzle-chest. There’s nothing about that last day with James that I want to remember. Ever.
    â€˜Did your father know you were a threader?’ Allen asks.
    â€˜He knew I had talents. But he didn’t like to talk about it.’ I shift again in the chair, uneasy, not wanting this stranger to think James was a bad father. ‘He just worried about me, is all.’
    â€˜And your mother was Alice Ryder?’
    â€˜Yes. She drowned.’ My words are abrupt and I don’t offer any more details. I don’t mention how James never talked about Alice as I grew up, no matter how hard I pressed. And I don’t mention the lake behind the house, with the cold, dark waters that took her from us. ‘James hinted that I inherited my talents from her, but that’s all I know.’
    Allen’s eyes turn cautious. ‘I’m afraid I have some rather shocking news for you, Josie. Your parents, Alice and James Ryder, were both graduates from the Helios Academy, and went on to work for Nanogen, the cybernetics division of Galloway Industries.’ He pauses, then adds, ‘A few years later, they returned to the academy on secondment to work on very high level projects.’
    It takes a moment for me to understand the words and their meaning. Allen’s revelation settles inside me, then unfolds slow, scattering my thoughts and leaving a dumbfounded void behind. For a crazy moment, I want to check if he’s lying. I need to check. But something must have shown in my eyes, because Allen quickly raises a hand.
    â€˜I am aware a threader’s TP has the ability to be silent. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a regular TP read you, but it’s like someone stomping over your thoughts with steel boots, while a threader can enter and leave without any trace. A blessing and a curse, I imagine. But let me make myself clear.’ His hand drops, eyes narrow. ‘It is a strict Helios rule that talents are never to be used against another person outside of the training environment without their knowledge. Even the suspicion of it can be enough for expulsion. Do you understand?’
    â€˜Yes.’ I mentally check the locks on my puzzle-chest, relieved to find them