Page 101 of The Session

“Ah,” she said. “Have you met him yet?”

“Yes.”

“Well?” she pressed.

“I haven’t spent time with him, but he’s interesting. He’s very kind to me and seems genuinely excited about the opportunity to get me more involved in Summit.”

“I’ll bet he does. But what does that mean?” she asked.

“It’s a very large organization. There’s a group called the executive committee, and I’m trying to make my way onto that.”

“You’ve only been there, like, two weeks,” Holly pointed out.

“I know. But my past experience has helped a lot.”

“As a paramedic?”

“That and the coaching.”

Holly reached across the table and took Mark’s hands. “You’re sweet and kind and capable when you set your mind to it, but you know this is how they manipulate people. They dangle titles and awards to boost their egos. None of it’s real,” she cautioned.

“Compared to what? Not everything requires sitting in a classroom for years, sucking up to professors you hate, or letting other people take credit for things you’ve done. There are different paths,” he argued.

“Paths to what, though?”

“You know Byron never got me a job with any other ambulance company. He never even really asked. After the shooting, I lost my certification. I didn’t want you to worry, but the only job I could find was taking out the trash and working the night shift at a broken-down retirement home. That was all there was for me.

“And because of stupid local politics I still don’t understand, the high school wanted to shut down our athletic program. Everything got taken away from me, Holly.

“I didn’t have parents ready to swoop in and cover my rent, make sure my car payment got paid. I was on my own. And maybe this path isn’t the clearest one, but it’s the only one in front of me.”

“But what about all those nasty rumors about Summit?”

“Oh, they’re not rumors,” Mark said. “There are some very nasty things about Summit. But I’ve also talked to war veterans who were sitting in hospitals thinking about putting bullets into their heads. Somebody from Summit changed their minds. I’ve talked to teachers who saw through the bullshit in Summit’s teachings yet still found value in it. I think they’re involved in a lot of shady things, but I also think there is good. I’d like to believe I can be a better influence.”

“I think you could be a good influence anywhere, Mark. Why there?”

“Because Max Lightman is my father. This was an entire world hidden from me, and like it or not, I’m part of it. Okay?”

“All right, you win. I don’t understand any of it, but I’ve never seen you this driven before,” she conceded.

“I appreciate that.”

“Just be careful. Don’t get in over your head.”

We’re well past that.

“When can I see the laboratory?” he asked.

“If you’re not too tired, we can go right now.”

“I’d like that. Do you guys have a microscope?” Mark asked.

Holly looked at him like he’d just asked if Google used computers.

“That’s a joke, right?”

The facilities for Pacific Genomics were more impressive than Mark had expected. His only comparison had been the university research labs stacked between classrooms. This was a two-story complex with multiple clean rooms and sophisticated equipment that looked nothing like the old, beat-up machines he’d seen in the lab when he first met Holly.