Track 8

“Say My Name”

Ten Years Ago

Though his eyes were closed firmly, the boy knew it was morning. The blackout curtains did their job keeping the sunlight out, but intense summer heat throbbed through the glass. He threw his covers off the bed and tossed over onto his stomach, then onto his back again.

He’d slept poorly since the arrival, so he was determined to snooze just that little bit longer. Last night he had a nightmare about Kalexy, his best friend. Dreamed he’d never see her again.

He rubbed his swollen eyes. Seemed he’d cried sometime during the night.

The boy listened to the quiet murmurs of his parents as they fussed around outside his new bedroom. He heard them utter words like “too soon” and “this isn’t what we were told” and “they’re not like us at all.”

At least it sounded like they were in total agreement with each other. Still, those words contrasted sharply from the ones he’d overheard in the past year, such as “mission objectives” and “avoid detection.”

His parents’ work was important. Special. He’d known that from the day he was born. Or since he was old enough to understand, anyway. He also knew they were more than just a family. They were a unit. And they had to work together for the greater good.

Years of training had gone into the arrival. But now that they were here, the boy couldn’t help feeling there were gaps that needed filling. Like, how was he meant to integrate if he wasn’t allowed to make friends? What should he say if someone asked him where he came from? Was it going to be possible to hide all of his abilities?

A soft knock preceded the turn of the doorknob. The boy rolled over again, finally opening his eyes. Through the small gap in the door, he could see his mother’s flushed cheeks.

“Rise and shine, sweetheart!” Yes, she was smiling, but even at seven years old the boy could see tension in her eyes. Her neck muscles looked taut and strained.

“Lindsay,” he said, yawning.

She lightly bounced a pillow on his chest. “We’ve discussed this. You must call me Mom. Remember, we don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves while we’re getting settled, all right?”

He allowed her to pull him onto his feet. Digging his toes into the shaggy carpet, which he had to admit felt a hundred times more comforting than his new bed, he stretched and yawned. “All right, Mom.”

“Thank you. It has a nice ring to it, right?” Lindsay, aka his mother, jerked his cotton pajama shirt over his head and replaced it with a blue cotton T-shirt. “Now, what’s your name again?”

The little boy stared at his image in the mirror over a dresser for what seemed like an eternity. Dark, burdened eyes stared back. He’d been coached within an inch of his short life. He’d studied the data from previous arrivals and aced all the tests. Could he now ace real life? His new real life?

“Sweetie, I know this arrival has been hard for you, but—”

“Hayden,” he blurted before she could give another speech about the importance of their work. “My name is Hayden McGraw.”