Free A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3) by Stephanie Karpinske Page B

decision.
    “I’ll let you get some sleep. Jack and I have to meet with Preston early tomorrow, so I won’t see you at breakfast. Goodnight, Sam.” He left, not waiting for my response.
    That night, I lay in bed thinking about what Dave had said. If the software didn’t exist, then I didn’t know how to explain Erik and me. And if it did exist, how much control did I really have over what happened? Could it be overcome or was I destined to be with Erik?
    Since I met him, Erik had consumed my thoughts, but was that because of me or the software? Colin was the only boyfriend I’d ever had. Maybe part of me was wanting to see what else was out there. And when a hot guy like Erik began flirting with me, I went with it, just to see what would happen. It wasn’t at all like me to do that, so blaming the software was easier than trying to figure out what was really going on.
    When Erik and I were together at GlobalLife, I knew what I was doing. And I could have done things differently. But I didn’t wanted to. I’d always been the good girl. I knew being with Erik was wrong, but part of me liked not being perfect. Not doing the right thing. But facing the consequences was the down side of that. The software let me off the hook, at least I thought it did. Now I wasn’t so sure.  
    “Sam, are you awake?” I heard Erik’s voice in my head.  
    “Yeah. How did you know?” I thought back to him.  
    “I didn’t. I just thought I’d try. Our telepathy seems to work even better now that we had the procedure. I used to have to try a bunch of times before you’d hear me from another room and tonight you heard me right away.”
    “I wonder if all of our abilities will get stronger.”
    “Maybe I’ll start getting premonitions, like you. Or maybe we’ll both get new abilities. If you could choose, what other ability would you want, Sam?”  
    “I don’t think I want any more abilities, Erik. I’m still not used to the ones I have.”
    “Come on. How about flying? Or invisibility?” He laughed. “What’s wrong? You’re not coming up with a power.”
    “Erik, do you think the attraction software is real? And if it is real, do you think it works?”
    “I told you before that it wasn’t real. Well, not that it wasn’t real. I think it’s definitely in us. I just don’t think it can overtake free will. I don’t think it can make decisions for us about who we like or don’t like.”
    “Then how do you explain you and me, Erik? How do you explain this attraction we’ve had to each other from the moment we met?”
    “I don’t know. There’s probably some truth in what they told us at GlobalLife about how the telepathy makes us more connected to each other. Brain waves are electrical charges, right? And positive and negative charges are attracted to each other. So when we mind-talk, we have this constant attraction of positive and negative charges that creates this strong bond between us.”
    “So you don’t think the software has anything to do with it?”
    “Not really. So the software can identify our enhanced genes. Big deal. Or maybe it can mess with our hormones, but hey, at our age, our hormones are on overdrive anyway, right?”  
    “I asked Dave if it works and he wouldn’t tell me.”
    “Because he wants you to realize that the software doesn’t matter. Hey, here’s an example of the software failing. Think back to when we first met. I had to put in a lot of effort just to get you to kiss me. And I never have to work that hard with other girls. In fact, Brittany kissed me right away. Several times. Remember when I was getting that DNA sample from her? And then when I went to see her that day—”
    “Okay. I get it.”
    “Well, think about that, Sam. If the software worked, I shouldn’t have had to try at all. We should have been all over each other the second we met. Why were you thinking about the software anyway? Is that what was keeping you awake?”
    “Yeah, kind of. But I was