A Mind for Mysteries

Chapter 1

1

Selena Martez scrunched down further into her crimson fleece hoodie and leaned against her mother while they waited for Dr. Parsons to answer the doorbell.

“It will be fine,” her mother said. Although Selena could tell from her voice that she wasn’t so sure, either. “If you don’t like her, we won’t stay.”

Selena nodded. She felt tired again this morning. Exhausted to the bone. Yet her nerves were buzzing now like bees inside her blood. She clenched her teeth together and tried to force herself to stop shaking.

She wanted to be here, but she didn’t. The whole thing sounded so weird.

But also, in a way, exciting.

If this were a TV show, she would watch it. But to be living it instead …

Selena and her mother stood in front of a brightly blue painted wooden door set within a high stucco wall that surrounded Dr. Parsons’s house. An old, branchy mesquite tree stretched tall and wide above them, shading the front entrance.

The houses in this neighborhood looked old, as old as some of the buildings at the University of Arizona a few blocks away. From what Selena’s mother said, a lot of professors lived in the area since they could walk to work.

Besides the big mesquite tree, there were lots of pretty desert flowers clumped all around the front walkway: white oleanders, pink Mexican primrose, red and purple salvia. All of them still held their blooms this late in November.

Selena always liked this time of year best—or at least she used to. By Thanksgiving, the heat of Tucson’s endless summer finally gave way to the desert’s version of fall. She could dress in thick, fluffy clothes, wear thick wool socks around the house. It was like living somewhere north for a few months, just like Selena always dreamed of doing.

And her birthday was in November, which used to feel special, too. She was seventeen now. Finally a senior at Desert Wells High School. On track to apply to the best universities on both coasts—Stanford, CalTech, Princeton—along with her own hometown University of Arizona.

If she lived long enough to do it.

For the past month Selena had felt like a full-time science experiment rather than a student. What tests hadn’t the doctors done? Blood work, brain scans, extensive neurological work-ups—while Selena had to work harder than ever to keep up with her classes.

A lot of seniors were over school by now. They felt like coasting. Taking as few classes as possible. Just getting through it so they could get on to college or work or whatever their dreams of adulting looked like.

Selena was taking a full load, plus.

It was the plus that had her the most worried. If she couldn’t hack it in Mr. Spence’s Genius Track, then she might as well kiss all those universities goodbye.

It was why she and her mother decided to come to Dr. Parsons. To try something different, some drastic.

When her mother first pressed the doorbell embedded in the stucco wall, Selena had heard a dog bark from somewhere inside the house.

Now the bright blue door opened, and she saw the dog before she noticed the woman.

Selena knelt down, not even bothering to ask if she could pet the gorgeous yellow Labrador. Selena and dogs always understood each other. The dog tilted her head, inviting Selena to scratch her behind the offered ear.

“What’s your name?” Selena asked the dog, as if expecting the Lab to answer.

“This is Clover,” Dr. Parsons said. “She always knows who she likes.”

Selena glanced up from where she crouched. She pulled the hoodie back a little so she could see the woman standing behind the dog.

Dr. Parsons looked shorter than Selena, maybe only five-foot-three or four. She reminded Selena a little of her grandmother. Small, but sturdy. Not so skinny that you might be afraid of breaking her if you hugged too hard.

The doctor had wavy, chin-length, blondish-white hair that looked damp on the tips, as though she’d only just stepped out of the shower and toweled her hair dry.

She wore comfortable-looking, stretchy gray pants and a sky-blue T-shirt underneath an oversized green plaid flannel shirt.

From where she knelt in front of the Labrador, Selena could see the heels of Dr. Parsons’s thick gray wool socks poking out of the back of her fleece-lined slide-in shoes. They might even be slippers, although Dr. Parsons seemed too dignified to meet her guests at the door in anything other than formal shoes.

Dignified, but casual. Dr. Parsons wore no makeup. Her only jewelry was a plain gold wedding ring. She wore glasses with black plastic frames that made her look like the college professor she once was.

Behind the glasses Selena could see Dr. Parsons’s calm green eyes gazing down at her, studying her. The doctor was obviously as curious about Selena as Selena was about her.

Dr. Parsons smiled, a genuine and friendly smile.

Selena looked away, suddenly feeling shy. She went back to petting Clover.

But she could feel the tightness in her shoulders and her chest start to loosen.

She let out a quiet breath. Her heart wasn’t thumping quite so hard as it had on the drive over.

Maybe this would be all right. Maybe it would help.

They had only been with Dr. Parsons for a minute or two, but already something about the woman made Selena feel safe. Maybe it was her friendly dog, whose tongue was lolling out as she panted against Selena’s cheek.

Or maybe it was because Dr. Parsons’s smile seemed real. She didn’t look as scary or as stern as some of the other doctors.

Selena already knew from her mother before they even came here that Dr. Parsons would be different.

That might be good … or not.

“How are you both?” Dr. Parsons asked.

“A little nervous, to be honest,” Selena’s mother said.

“Understandable,” said Dr. Parsons. “Please come in.”

Selena still hadn’t said anything to Dr. Parsons. She felt more comfortable talking to the dog.

Clover the yellow Lab turned around now and trotted along the brick pathway of the courtyard inside the high wall. Selena stood up and closed the gate securely behind her before following the others.

There had been at least two security cameras in different spots at the front of the house, and Selena saw two more inside the courtyard, aimed in separate directions.

She noticed things like that. The cameras made her feel safe, too.

Some people might see them as invasions of their privacy, but Selena wouldn’t mind having a camera watching her all the time.

Something had happened to her recently—she could feel it, she knew it—but as hard as she tried to remember, she had no idea what it was.

And when she tried to tell the doctors that whatever was wrong with her had started then … once she confessed that she had no memory of it, no proof, they all acted like she was just some overdramatic teenage girl trying to pretend she had some strange disease.

Especially since none of them could find out what was wrong with her.

Even though something definitely was.

Selena lagged behind, not only to note the cameras, but also to take in the beauty of Dr. Parsons’s courtyard. Unlike the front yard, this didn’t look like the desert at all.

Trees and flowers crowded the dirt beds on both sides of the brick pathway. To the left, several lush olive trees grew tall against the wall. Beneath them bloomed masses of yellow and white daisies, red and purple pansies, and pale pink honeysuckle.

To the right of the pathway, purple sweet pea flowers climbed up a trellis set against the tan stucco house, and closer to the front door another trellis took over, where a bright magenta bougainvillea spread its arms and offered its blossoms to the sun.

Everything smelled earthy and fresh, and the flowers gave the air a light and pleasant perfume. It was spring inside the courtyard. Selena’s fingers and face felt warm. Just a few minutes ago, she thought she had been enjoying the November cold, but now she liked this better. If the others weren’t already inside the house, she would have stayed out here longer.

She hurried now to join them.

Clover was waiting at the open door, wagging her thick tail. Selena bent down again to pet her smooth yellow head. Then the dog led her onward into the cozy living room.

The floor was brick, covered by two large Asian rugs. Overhead the ceiling was made of dark wooden planks set between thick wooden beams.

The furnishings were homey: dark blues and forest greens for the couch and love seat and deep-cushioned chair across from them, knitted or crocheted throws draped over them in case someone got cold (Selena wasn’t. The temperature in here was perfect), everything made of wood or stone or fabric, nothing cold or harsh like metal and glass.

A small, cheerful fire crackled in the brick-lined fireplace at the far end of the room. Beside it, tucked into the corner, was a plush green dog bed. It looked big enough that Selena could curl up on top of it herself, and still leave room for Clover.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Dr. Parsons offered. “Coffee, water?”

Selena and her mother both said no.

But the coffee smelled delicious, coming from the adjoining open kitchen. Selena also smelled cinnamon. Maybe Dr. Parsons had been baking.

Natural light streamed into the kitchen from a window above the sink and from the skylight over the dark brown granite-topped island. The cabinets were all made of dark mesquite wood. The refrigerator, oven, and other appliances were all a shiny black. Two long oval braided wool rugs covered the worn oak floors on either side of the island.

Selena had never been inside a mountain cabin, but she could imagine it looking exactly like this. Right here in the middle of the city.

Everything felt comfortable and welcoming and clean.

Selena’s shoulders dropped another few inches.

This was nothing like the cold and angry hospital. Nothing like any of the many doctors’ offices she’d had to go to, all of their rooms so stark and loud and gritty, no matter how clean they might have looked to anyone else.

Selena had a feeling for places. She didn’t talk about it much, because people thought she was weird whenever she did. But her mother at least pretended to understand.

This place … was good. Selena could feel it in her blood.

Clover stood right up against her, leaning into Selena’s leg.

“Yes,” Selena told her mother. “We can stay.” To Dr. Parsons: “Tell me what I have to do.”

Selena pushed back the hood of her hoodie and let it fall free behind her.

“Have a seat,” said Dr. Parsons. “I’ll tell you what I see.”