“Of course I forgive you,” I say to Nathan, staring straight ahead in class. I can’t . . . I don’t understand, but I feel a memory just under the surface. Something dark. Something about to break through. A tragedy scratching at the inside of my skull.
When I look up, I see the monitor standing at the front of class, a stack of assessments in her hands. Nathan groans behind me and swears. Dr. Wyatt begins to talk, although her words drift past me without comprehension.
As if he’s still curious, Weston looks back at me again from the front of the room. Only this time, when his eyes meet mine, a tear drips onto my cheek. My world is completely turned upside down. Wes stiffens in his chair, his lips parting like he might call out to me.
And I think the boy who forgot everything, the one who will never remember again, might just be the only person I can truly trust.
EPILOGUE
MARIE DEVOROUX CLICKS THROUGH THE reports and e-mails, searching for a name as she sits in the back office. The Adjustment facility has been stripped bare, with only a few chairs, a desk, and the picture of Tom still hanging on the wall, while they await the ruling by the drug administration. Investigators came through already, and Marie handed over all the files.
But maybe not all.
The Adjustment is nearing approval, and Marie knows she and Tom will have to keep the Adjustment out of the news for now, at least until they get it passed. The public will be quick to judge this time, not willing to wait for the full benefit. It might skew the board’s decision.
And the monitor is getting closer; if Wyatt finds out about the Adjustment, finds out she and Tom are running it, she’ll do everything in her power to dismantle it—her ideology outweighing the benefits. They’ll have to be careful.
“How is she?” Tom asks as he enters the office, looking over at Marie.
“Seems well enough,” she responds. “Her grandparents are still pushing for us to tell Tatum the truth, but other than that, they say she’s coping well. No setbacks.”
“That’s good,” he says. “The headaches had begun to worry me. Tatum handled the therapy expertly, but after what happened with the others . . .” He sighs. “I’m not sure we could control another snag. If we hadn’t rushed the boy, then maybe—”
Marie clicks off the computer screen, and turns in her chair to face Tom. “Don’t blame me,” she says. “His file was incomplete. Besides, you saw how miserable they were. He and Tatum had already met—we couldn’t undo that. I thought if we could control the narrative, it would stave off any problems. The Adjustment should have worked on him, too. It didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. The boy would have had the meltdown either way. At least now . . . at least now he’s out of her life. And he’ll survive.”
“Yes, well—Kyle Mahoney threw a wrench in the gears,” Dr. McKee responds. “Showing up in the memory like that. Seems the truth serum is enough to cut through the implanted memories. We’ll have to watch that next time.”
“Tom,” Marie says, growing concerned. “We need to think this through. We have no idea how long this can last. Do you really think Tatum won’t crash back? We have so much riding on her case.”
“If she crashes, she’ll survive it,” Tom says curtly. “We only need a few more weeks. So long as we keep her and Weston controlled, the study shouldn’t—”
The office door opens, and in a flurry, Jana Simms bursts in with Michael Realm close behind. Jana walks over to the desk and hops up to sit on it. Her bracelets jangle, her hair hanging long and wavy. Michael chews on his lip, hanging by the door.
“Yes, come on in, Jana,” Tom says, making Marie smile. Jana often takes up the entire space she occupies. At least, she does when she’s being herself and not some version of everyone’s best friend.
“Hey, docs,” Jana says. “Sooo . . . ,” she starts dramatically, and turns to Michael. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”
“Tell us what?” Marie asks. Her heartbeats speed up, and she shoots Tom a concerned look. He straightens in his chair.
“Is there a problem?” Tom asks Michael Realm.
“Guess that depends,” Michael says. “Considering I just saw Tatum Masterson and Weston Ambrose ride off together on his motorcycle. Looked like they were going to his house.”
“Yeah, I thought you erased him?” Jana adds, looking at Tom.
The doctor curses and jumps up. He begins to pace, staring intently at Marie. She holds up her hand to tell him to stay calm, even if her concern has spiked as well.
“First of all,” Marie announces, and looks at Jana, “get off my desk.”
Jana’s expression falters under Marie’s scolding, and she hops down and wanders over to stand next to Michael, her cheeks glowing red.
“Now, Michael,” Marie says, turning to him. “Did Tatum see you?”
He’s quiet too long. “Yeah,” he says. “But I don’t think she remembers—”
“That was careless,” Marie responds quickly, slamming her laptop shut. “Seeing a handler, especially one with your vast talents, could have been enough to cause a crashback. I told you as much when you saw her in this office. And you do realize this is on you, right?” she asks him. Michael lowers his eyes. “The memories she told you,” Marie adds, “they weren’t true. How did you miss that?”
Michael shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he says. “It’s never happened before.”
Marie tsks like his answer isn’t good enough. She spins around and walks over to the window, slipping her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. “I don’t think the two of you grasp the importance here,” she states calmly. “Tatum Masterson is the only person to complete an Adjustment, fully restored without complication. The only returner to do so. In case you weren’t paying attention, people have died.”
She looks back at her adjustors to make sure they’re ashamed. Jana stares at her defiantly. “Yeah,” she says. “I know.”
“You were supposed to be watching her,” Marie responds. “But instead of keeping an eye on Tatum, you’ve been running around with that Nathan kid.”
Jana’s mouth falls open. “He’s her best friend,” she says. “And you have no idea how hard it was to get close to her. Everyone is suspicious. Now I’m aware of her every move. It’s smart. It doesn’t compromise—”
“Really?” Marie says. “And what about Vanessa? You let her find out you were a handler. An oversight?”
Jana rocks back on her heels, the color draining from her face. Marie has a moment of sympathy at the girl’s regret.
“A mistake,” Jana says quietly. “A fucked-up mistake.”
Marie nods that it was, and then she rounds the desk to sit in the chair. “You were the one who told us Wes was a good candidate,” she says. “You were wrong. We won’t trust you again on this matter.”
Jana flares her nostrils, holding back an ashamed cry. Michael puts his hand on her arm to comfort her.
“You’re both here because you wanted to make up for your crimes as handlers,” Marie says, looking at both of them. “You wanted to set it all right, just like us. But understand: You are failing us.”
Her words sting, but Marie goes on, sounding all business. “Now,” she says, “Tom didn’t fit The Program into Tatum’s recall pattern; he took that memory with the permission of her grandparents. So in Tatum’s mind, she was never sick. In her mind, she never left. We had those records sealed. At this point, any knowledge to the contrary would be devastating. Keep your distance.”
Michael scoffs. “Marie, I would never—”
“Yes, of course, Michael,” she says, agitated that the former handler would get so close to one of his patients again. “Always so ethical. You’re lucky you didn’t trip her memory when you showed up at the office during our meeting.”
Marie looks at Tom, and the doctor watches her expression before slowly lowering himself back into his seat, confident in Marie’s abilities to handle any situation.
“What should we do?” Tom ask
s her.
Marie purses her lips, thinking a moment. And then she nods. “It’s time to make some calls, Tom,” she says. “Let them know we have a complication.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUZANNE YOUNG is the New York Times bestselling author of the Program series. Originally from Utica, New York, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order. Suzanne is the author of The Program, The Treatment, The Remedy, The Epidemic, Hotel for the Lost, All in Pieces, and A Need So Beautiful.
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Visit us at simonandschuster.com/teen
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ALSO BY SUZANNE YOUNG
The Program Series
Book 1: The Program
Book 2: The Treatment
Book 3: The Remedy
Book 4: The Epidemic
Still to come . . . Book 6: The Complication
Hotel for the Lost
All in Pieces
Just Like Fate
(with Cat Patrick)
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Simon Pulse hardcover edition April 2017
Text copyright © 2017 by Suzanne Young
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ISBN 978-1-4814-7132-9 (hc)
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Suzanne Young, The Adjustment
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