The next week, with my questions still not answered, I had to talk to Lissa. We were sitting on the ceiling of the common room so that the others wouldn't overhear us. This wasn't something I wanted other people to hear, I wasn't even sure if I wanted Lissa to hear it. But she wasn't leaving me much of a choice.

"Start talking, Missy. I can tell from your expression that you didn't get the answers you wanted." Lissa sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded across her chest, one finger impatiently tapping on her upper arm.

"Alright, Liss," I took a deep breath. "It's about Dimitri, my main researcher.

"Go on." She replied.

"There's something different about him and I was trying to figure it out, but I can't. I was trying to be sneaky about my questioning but then he got all evasive and practically bolted from my room and now he hasn't been back all week. I don't know what I said to make him so afraid of me, but he kept thinking 'She knows. I have to get out of here,'" I imitated his deep, accented voice. "I'm scared I did something wrong but I don't know what it could be. I don't know anything! And now Dimitri's gone so there's no way that I'm going to be able to figure it out. Now I have to deal with this Buzz and what if the other White Coats start to notice I have more powers than are listed on the reports? What happens when they figure out that I'm more than I say I am? What happens when they discover it was Dimitri that helped me hide all of it? I just don't know what to do, Liss, and I'm kinda freaking out." The words rushed out of my mouth and by the end I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Umm…okay. Maybe you should start from the beginning?" Lissa tried piecing together the information I'd given her.

"Oh, right, sorry. Well, you know Dimitri, right?" She nodded. "He's my main researcher. While other White Coats have had two or three Projects in their care, Dimitri has only ever had me. With our downsizing everyone just has one, now. He became a Guardian not two days after I arrived. I don't know why they would assign such a dangerous, high-level priority to a brand-new Guardian, but I'm thankful that it was him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can do a lot more than I let on. Like, a lot more. It's really kind of O.P. Dimitri has kept the majority of it out of his reports. If I have a particularly strong ability he lists it, but if it isn't potentially dangerous or exceptionally strong it's like it doesn't matter to him." Lissa's look turned speculative.

"He could get in a lot of trouble if the other Guardians were to find out." I nodded vigorously. "Then why would he do that?"

"That's the thing: I don't know. But every time I've asked him he says, 'They just don't need to know.' But, of course, they need to know, they're White Coats! They want to know everything."

"Maybe that's it. They want to know everything, but this is something that they don't need to know," supplemented Lissa.

"Dimitri is a White Coat, too, right? Why hasn't he shared his knowledge with the others? I get that he was new here when he first started observing me, but that doesn't change the fact that he's been here for two years now and still hasn't told anyone. Don't get me wrong," I said holding my hands in front of me in a defensive gesture, "him not telling anyone has kept me out of a lot of trouble, but I just don't understand why he would protect me like that."

"Well, what if he's doing it for himself?" Lissa's smiled.

"What could he possibly gain by keeping this to himself?" I frowned.

"He gets to keep you to himself. He's the only White Coat that you actually let close to you, maybe he's scared that if he starts making really detailed reports that you'll stop trusting him."

"Why would he need my trust?"

"Well, maybe he likes you. Like, likes you, likes you. Did you ever think of that? He can't really start building a relationship without your trust."

"It's crossed my mind, Liss, but not for long. It doesn't make sense. He's a White Coat, for God sake! And if you haven't noticed, I'm a Project."

"Yes, he might be a White Coat and you might be a Project, but he is also a man and you're a beautiful girl. It all adds up if you ask me. Boy meets beautiful girl. Girl is different. Boy tries to make Different Girl feel less different. Boy falls in love with Different Girl."

"Liss, that made no sense and you're getting off base." I stated flatly.

"Fine. I know it didn't and I know I am, but why else would he keep secrets from the White Coats? Why wasn't he assigned to any other Project? If he doesn't come in, who collects the data?"

"Well, it's never been the same White Coat in the weeks that he's been gone. I have a feeling, though, that they're drawing straws to see who gets to deal with me that day." I grumbled. "Liss, he's been gone all week. He left because I was questioning him about something and I guess I hit a little too close to home. He left, and he hasn't come back." Lissa looked even more confused.

"What were you questioning him about?"

"It has to deal with one of my new abilities." I answered vaguely.

"Pathokinesis?"

"No."

"Duplication?"

"No."

"Atmokinesis?"

"No, if we keep going like this we'll never get to the point. I discovered it before you got here, and I haven't told anyone about it yet."

"What does it do?" She looked intrigued.

"It's a Buzz, like a hum, only it's over my entire body." I gestured to all of me.

"Okay, no offense, but that seems like a lame ability to me."

"It would be if I could just do that whenever, but it only happens at certain times. It only happens when I'm in contact with another Project. I suspect it would do the same thing if I encountered any Spirited."

"So, what does this have to do with Dimitri?" Lissa asked, trying to make the connection.

"Well…I feel the Buzz when I touch Dimitri. The last time I saw him, the Buzz actually started when he entered the room, I wasn't even touching him at the time."

"Wait, you're telling me that you only feel this…this Buzz when you touch other Spiriteds. Okay, I can accept that, but why does it happen when you touch Dimitri?" Her eyebrows drew closer together and I let her draw the same conclusions I did. Her eyes widen in shock, horror, and…optimism? "Unless Dimitri is also Spirited."

Her smile grew and something about the look in her eyes made me uneasy.

"Why aren't you freaking out about this, Liss?"

"Do you know what this means?! Dimitri is Spirited and he has been looking out for you. You and you alone! He's scared you're going to think he's some kind of freak because he's working for the Guardians even though he's one of us. That's why he ran, he didn't want you to know the truth! He cares what you think of him. He likes you!"

'Not this again. I thought we had moved past this…'

"Even you have to admit that's a little far-fetched. Who would I be to judge him if he is one of us? We don't even know what the Buzz means. Correlation does not mean causation." I retorted sternly, trying to get that idea out of her head before it gave me hope.

I wouldn't mind if Dimitri was Spirited. If he did in fact like me, which I'm not saying he does, it would be easier to fall for him knowing that he and I were similar. But if Dimitri is Spirited, why is he working for the Guardians and why is he only helping me? Not that I don't appreciate it, but there were other Projects that could've used his help more than me.

If Dimitri was Spirited, how could he hide it from the Guardians. The screening process to become a Guardian was so lengthy and strict, even with Dimitri being a genius, there is no way he could've hid his abilities from the Guardians. What kind of ability did he have? Is it more than one? Highly unlikely.

'He hid them from you. If he could hide them from you, he could hide them from anyone. The only reason you noticed was because you got a new ability." I hate it when my subconscious is right.

"Project X!" A voice pulled me out of my inner turmoil. "Get down here!"

It was Stan Alto. He was in charge of all the main researchers and was one himself. While he usually assigns each one to a specific person, his superior could always assign someone else. When I first got here, he assigned himself to be my main researcher. Something about a Project with so much potential and he was hoping to get a promotion when he finally made me crack. Two days later Dimitri showed up and took his place, and Stan was not at all happy about it.

"Coming, Guardian Alto." I called down and began my descent, bringing Lissa with me. I stopped a few feet away from him and looked at him expectantly.

"I've got some good news for you, Project X." From the look on his face the good news was more for him than for me. "You have been selected to be the test subject for a new program we're thinking about implementing. If the trial run shows significant results, we'll put the other Projects through the same process you will be going through. You will be put through various tests to see where the limits of your abilities are. Because you have more than one, we can test different methods that are targeted to a specific ability."

"What kind of tests?" I asked hesitantly.

"Both physical and mental tests. We're going to administer vast amounts of stimuli to your body and see how you respond. We've taken the list of documented abilities that Guardian Belikov has provided from his observations and are currently creating tests suited for each individual power you possess. If we come across another ability while testing, we'll test that one after we go through the others. You'll be in the lab for most of your waking day, other than these social visits, of course, and we will be pushing your body to its limits. Think of it as training."

"So, basically you're going to torture me." I stated while crossing my arms over my chest.

"If it helps for you to think about it that way, then yes. But we like to think of it as furthering our research." His grin stretched across his face and held a sort of malice, the likes of which I've never seen before. "I'm very much looking forward to seeing how you do." I flinched as he turned and walked out of the room.

When I turned around the remaining six Projects were eyeing me warily, waiting for my outburst, but none came. I could feel their fear, both for me and for themselves. If I survive these torture sessions and whatever results satisfy their criteria, they were going to be tested, too.

The fear I had for my friends was more than the fear I had for myself. They come first. I had to show them I wasn't effected by Stan's words and I wasn't scared of the "training." So, instead of lashing out, I simply closed my eyes and floated back to my spot on the ceiling. No one tried to talk to me, and I didn't try talking to anyone else.

There was no saving me from the torture that would no doubt start tomorrow. I had no way of getting out of this and no Dimitri was here to hide me from what is to come.

I could feel my powers rise to the surface all at once. My body was responding to the threat that was just made against me, but I have no idea how my powers would be useful against torture. Physical torture I could handle, probably, but mental torture? I don't have a power that allows me to battle my own mind.

It didn't matter. I had to find a way to complete the tests with minimal damage to myself, but fail to give them the results they were looking for. But I didn't know what results they were looking for.

I didn't know what to do. I doubt any of my friends would know what to do. But Dimitri would. Dimitri would know what they're looking for and help me figure out a way to beat them at their own game. That's just the kind of guy he is. If he didn't help me because I asked, he would help me to save my friends. He was always there for me, even when I didn't need him to be there, but I don't know where he is now.

Without Dimitri here to help me, we were doomed.