Chapter 13
OBSERVATION DAY
“Do you think we’re being sent to the dungeon this time?” June asks as we round yet another flight of stairs.
“Maybe,” I whisper.
“Impossible. Dungeons are in basements,” Ivy says, rolling her eyes.
“Quiet,” Mister M barks, glaring at us from the landing. “Today is important, or have you already forgotten?”
I haven’t. The announcement came at breakfast, along with temporary uniforms and a laundry list of rules that no sane person could possibly remember.
Doctor Kade called it “Observation Day,” a chance for investors to preview our progress and experience the facility’s ’“top-notch conditions.” Strange, considering we’ve been led up four flights of stairs to a room we’ve never seen before.
Mister M levels us all with a hard stare at the door. “Let’s not turn today into a lesson, hmm?” He strides inside, not bothering to see if we’re following. He knows he’s trained us better than that.
The observation lounge is lovely. A little too lovely compared to what we’re used to. It’s…unsettling. Maybe that’s the wrong word; it’s suffocating, in a way I can’t quite place. I probably shouldn’t think that—even in my own head.
A long, carpeted aisle runs down the center, splitting the room in symmetrical halves of tables adorned in cream tablecloths.
Towering bookshelves frame the walls, lined with untouched books that somehow aren’t dusty.
Harsh sunlight pours through arched windows that reflect nothing but the too-bright midday sun.
We must be on a high floor, considering we can’t see anything but sky.
Sometimes I wonder how far we must be from the nearest city.
Since we never see movement outside, I’d guess pretty far.
There are no birds in the morning, no stars when day dips to night.
June waves to a tall girl from pod five, who crinkles her nose and turns back to listen to whatever lecture her mentor’s giving. There are around six other pods here. It feels full, yet the walls echo with every sound that dares to be louder than a whisper.
We take seats around a central table set with porcelain teacups painted with flowers. June grabs for hers immediately, but Mister M clears his throat.
“Later,” he hisses, pointing to the stack of books in the center. She takes one begrudgingly and passes the rest down. Avery opens hers immediately, looking at Mister M like he’s about to hand her a medal for it. He turns to me instead, settling a hand on my shoulder and leaning down.
“Be on your best behavior today,” he whispers, squeezing my shoulders tighter than necessary. I blink a few times, ready to tell him I’m on my best behavior every day. Then I hesitate, because I’m not entirely sure that’s true these days. I nod meekly, flipping open the book, only to find it blank.
I barely have time to process before photographers are flooding in, wielding large cameras that click and flash at alarming rates. My head spins, little pops echoing as I reorient. Mister M snatches the book out of my hands, setting it flat on the table and pointing to another page.
“You missed a line here.”
“It’s blank.”
“I have eyes,” he hisses through his teeth, still smiling. “Fake. It.”
I could say something snarky. Instead, I smile and thank him for the correction, fighting back a laugh as June flourishes her wrist, writing dramatically across the blank pages.
Doctor Kade instructs on poses from the corner.
Each slightly more absurd. Fix Brielle’s ribbon, pretend to clink teacups, laugh politely at something Mister M didn’t say.
The photographers grow closer. Men and women I don’t recognize who seem to care about nothing but snapping as many photos as humanly possible.
Avery plays her part well, eyes glued to her blank book like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world, but they hardly pay her any attention. They’re incredibly interested in Mister M, who hovers far too close to me.
A couple strides into the room, their steps light as the air itself.
The woman has striking hazel eyes, with gold hues that catch the light as she inclines her head.
They’re beautiful, yet I can’t help but think they’d be far more beautiful if they weren’t boring into my soul.
The man looks severe: set in harsh lines, square shoulders, and a no-nonsense glare that makes me straighten on instinct.
Mister M freezes before he remembers not to, pressing his palms to the table.
Doctor Kade beams. “Mr. and Mrs. Ashford, we’re so pleased you could make it.”
The woman hums, still staring at me. “This group is truly exceptional, Selene. We are so pleased with the progress we’ve been observing.” She turns to Doctor Kade. “Our son has always had an eye for refinement.”
Mr. Ashford nods. “Discipline suits him.”
Mister M inclines his head, all grace and control. “It’s an honor to have you here,” he says.
This, I realize, must be his parents. It’s written all over them. The jawline, the posture, the green-brown eyes that only warm when they want something. Mrs. Ashford glides close, straightening Mister M’s collar with gentle fingers.
“You remind me of your brother at this age,” she says fondly.
He stiffens, smile pulling tighter. “High praise, mother.”
“He made us proud too,” she whispers, fingers ghosting against his sleeve as she pulls away, following her husband out.
Mister M exhales once they’re gone, turning back to us with the polished, calculated grace that reminds me why he’s terrifying.
It’s hard to know where the act ends and the man begins.
If I were smart, I wouldn’t concern myself with trying to find out.
Not that I have the time to.
Expensive perfume wafts through the space, followed by voices too unguarded to belong to anyone here. A sea of well-dressed figures spills onto the carpet in waves, eyes everywhere at once. I don’t let it distract me from my ever-important task of pretending to be busy.
“They look very content,” one whispers, nodding around the room like he’s assessing art in a gallery.
“Oh yes, and so calm,” a man cloaked in gray chimes in, waving to a table in the corner. The girls don’t respond. They’re too “focused,” flipping through pages of their likely blank textbooks.
A woman near the back bristles, pressing herself close to a stocky man in a navy suit. “It’s all a bit eerie, don’t you think?” she says to the woman beside her.
The other woman giggles, shaking her head. “Nonsense. I wish I could get my daughter to be this docile.”
“That one’s posture is to die for,” a woman in pearls remarks. The weight of many sets of eyes lands squarely on my shoulders. She drifts closer, pressing her hands to her chest. “And what about you, dear? Do you like it here?”
I blink. Look at Mister M. Blink again. Freeze. My mouth unfurls to say yes, but nothing comes out.
“Of course she does,” Mister M answers smoothly, his hand falling to Bri’s shoulder. “They all do.”
Laughter follows, soft and polite as though he’s said something charming. Heat crawls up my neck. I knew the right answer, so why couldn’t I say it? The pages of the book blur as I force myself to stare at it.
Doctor Kade rounds our table, ready to dazzle her way out of my slip-up. “Any other questions?”
A soft-voiced woman perks up. “Do they ever ask to go home?”
Doctor Kade laughs softly, placing a hand on my shoulder that reminds me I should be smiling. She tilts my chin with the other, lifting my eyes to the investors.
“Why would they? They’re already home.”