Chapter 14 Interrogation – Luna
The summons arrives during breakfast. A folded note delivered by Victoria Charlson, Selena’s ever-present assistant. “Mrs. Harpsons would like to see you in her office at ten o’clock.”
Not a request. Never a request with Selena Harpsons.
Erik’s hand finds mine under the table. He squeezes once. A silent question and a promise wrapped into one gesture. I squeeze back. I’m okay. I can handle this.
Except I’m not sure I can.
Belle sits across from us, pushing eggs around her plate without eating.
She’s been different since yesterday. Quieter.
More withdrawn. Something happened during her library cataloging session, but she hasn’t had a chance to tell us what.
Not with Leyla appearing at every opportunity.
Not with the constant surveillance we’re all hyperaware of now.
“I’ll be fine,” I say quietly, more to convince myself than Erik. “It’s probably just a check-in. Making sure I’m adjusting.”
Belle’s eyes meet mine. There’s a warning in them. Be careful.
I leave the dining hall at nine forty-five. The walk to the administrative building feels longer than it should. Students pass me in the corridors, laughing about weekend plans, complaining about assignments. Normal university concerns. Normal lives.
They have no idea what this place really is.
Victoria looks up as I approach Selena’s office. Her professional smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “Miss Queen. Mrs. Harpsons is expecting you. Go right in.”
I knock twice before pushing open the heavy door.
Selena sits behind her desk, backlit by the windows overlooking the cliffs. The morning sun catches in her silver hair. She looks almost angelic. Almost maternal. The illusion would be perfect if I didn’t know what lies beneath.
“Luna, dear. Thank you for coming.” She gestures to the chair across from her. “Please, sit. Would you like tea?”
“No, thank you.” I settle into the leather chair. I cross my legs and fold my hands in my lap. The picture of a composed young woman. Not a girl who’s terrified of the monster wearing a respectable mask.
“I wanted to check in on how you’re settling back into campus life.” Selena leans back in her chair. “It’s been over a week now. I trust you’re finding everything satisfactory?”
“Yes, Mrs. Harpsons. Everyone has been very welcoming.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She pauses, studying me over the rim of her cat-eyed glasses. “Though I notice you haven’t attended any of the therapy sessions I arranged with Dr. Moore. I had Victoria schedule them specifically for you. Two appointments so far, and you’ve missed all of them.”
My stomach tightens. I’d forgotten about the mandatory counseling Selena insisted on. Or rather, I’d deliberately avoided it.
We had plans for me to go, and I even walked all the way to Dr. Moore’s office, but I couldn’t go in.
I wouldn’t go in. I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I entered, I’d never come out the same.
It wouldn’t be the first time the network used all kinds of brainwashing techniques to keep us in line.
“I apologize. I’ve been trying to catch up on coursework. The time just got away from me.”
“Of course. Academics are important.” Selena’s smile doesn’t waver.
“But so is your mental health, especially after everything you’ve been through.
The trial, the attacks, the months of being hunted by what remained of the network.
” She taps her fingers against the desk.
“That’s quite a burden for someone so young to carry. ”
“I’m managing.”
“Are you?” The question is gentle, but there’s steel underneath. “Because Dr. Moore mentioned she’s concerned about your avoidance. She thinks you might be dealing with unresolved trauma.”
“I’m fine, really. I just need time to adjust.” I hope she believes me. I hope she doesn’t push it further, especially since it was me who asked for therapy. But if I had known that Selena would set it up with a therapist of her own, I never would’ve mentioned a thing.
Selena is quiet for a moment. Her pale eyes never leave my face. “You know, I knew your parents quite well. Before their arrest, of course. Your mother and I served on several charitable boards together. Your father and I had business dealings through the academy’s endowment fund.”
The temperature in the room drops several degrees.
“Your mother was quite remarkable,” Selena continues. “So poised, so elegant. She had this way of making everyone feel special while keeping them at precisely the distance she wanted. You remind me of her sometimes. That same ability to charm while keeping your true thoughts carefully hidden.”
I force myself to breathe normally. “I’m nothing like my mother.”
“No?” Selena tilts her head. “You testified against her with such composure. Such strength. It must have taken tremendous courage to expose your own family like that. Or perhaps it was something else. Survival instinct, maybe. Self-preservation.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
“Of course it was.” She stands and moves to the window.
Her back is to me now. “Your mother mentioned you once, during one of our last conversations before her arrest. She said you were her greatest disappointment and her proudest achievement. I never quite understood what she meant by that. Did you?”
My hands clench in my lap. “My mother said a lot of things. Most of them were lies.”
“Perhaps.” Selena turns to face me. “But some lies contain kernels of truth. That’s what makes them so effective.” She returns to her desk, settling back into her chair. “Tell me about Belle.”
The sudden shift in topic makes my pulse spike. “What about her?”
“How are you two getting along? I know you had a complicated relationship in the past. Rivals, of sorts. But now you’re both back here. You’re both survivors of similar traumas. Have you bonded over your shared experiences?”
Everything in me is screaming that this is a trap. A trick question. “We’re friendly. Civil. We understand each other better than we used to.”
“That’s good. It’s important to have allies who understand what you’ve been through.” Selena leans forward slightly. “And Max? Erik? The four of you seem quite close now. Almost inseparable, I’ve noticed.”
“We’ve been through a lot together. It makes sense that we’d stick together.”
“It does.” She opens a drawer and pulls out a file folder.
My name is printed on the tab. “I’ve been reviewing your academic record.
Excellent grades, particularly in psychology and literature.
Your professors have only good things to say about you.
They’re impressed with your work. Professor Bennet, for one, mentioned that your interpretation of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ was particularly insightful. ”
I say nothing. I wait for her to reveal where this is going.
“You have a gift for seeing patterns others miss. For understanding the psychology behind people’s actions.” Selena closes the folder. “I imagine that skill served you well when you were gathering evidence against your parents. You must have been very observant. Very careful.”
“I did what I had to do.”
“And now?” She tilts her head. “What do you have to do now, Luna? Now that your parents are in prison, now that the immediate danger has passed?”
“I’m trying to build a normal life. Get my education. Move forward.”
“Move forward,” Selena repeats softly. “That’s admirable. Though I wonder if it’s truly possible to move forward when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder. Constantly waiting for the next threat to emerge.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” Her smile is knowing. Almost amused.
“Luna, I’ve been in education for over forty years.
I’ve seen countless students come through these halls.
The troubled ones, the traumatized ones, the ones running from something.
I’ve learned to recognize the signs. The way they scan rooms looking for exits.
The tension in their shoulders. The careful way they choose their words. ”
She stands again, moving around the desk to lean against it. She’s closer now. Too close.
“You’re frightened,” she says gently. “All four of you are. I can see it in the way you move, the way you interact. Something has you spooked. And I want to help, but I can’t if you won’t trust me.”
“I do trust you.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue.
“Do you? Because your actions suggest otherwise. Missing therapy appointments. Avoiding social events. Spending all your time in a tight little group with Belle, Max, and Erik.” She reaches out and touches my shoulder.
I force myself not to flinch. “If there’s a threat I should know about, if someone from the network has contacted you, you need to tell me.
I can’t protect you if you keep secrets from me. ”
“There’s no threat. We’re just adjusting.”
“Adjusting.” She removes her hand. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Though I can’t help but notice that Belle requested busy work from me yesterday. She said she needed a distraction from spiraling thoughts. Is that how you’d describe your mental state as well? Spiraling?”
My heart hammers against my ribs. “I’m managing my stress. That’s all.”
“I hope so.” Selena moves back to her chair.
“Because this island can be intense for those who aren’t prepared for it.
The isolation, the close quarters, the constant presence of your peers.
It has a way of amplifying whatever you’re already feeling.
Fear becomes paranoia. Suspicion becomes obsession. ”
She picks up a pen, rolling it between her fingers.
“Your mother struggled with that, you know. Near the end, before her arrest. She became convinced people were watching her. That her closest allies had turned against her. She wasn’t entirely wrong, of course.
But the paranoia made her sloppy. Caused her to make mistakes she never would have made otherwise. ”
“I’m not my mother.”