“Should you refuse, I’ll have to assume you have something you don’t want the hypnotists to discover,” Jaymin continued in a condescending tone. She wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was attempting to manipulate us. “Of course, anyone who refuses to see the hypnotists will be reported to the Warden. I’m sure he’d be very interested to learn you have something to conceal.”
“I have nothing to hide,” Ava insisted firmly. We all knew it was a lie, but she sounded damn convincing. “I just don’t want someone else in my head. I have enough voices in there already. You should know plenty about that. Check your notes.”
Jaymin huffed. “It sounds as if your interpretation of hypnosis is severely misguided, Miss Mitoh. No one will be entering your mind. Regardless, the choice is up to you. You either go through with the hypnosis session, or you answer to the Warden. Which will it be?”
“That’s not a choice. That’s an ultimatum,” Ava snapped.
Jaymin didn’t respond, but she must’ve been staring Ava down, waiting for her to break, because Oberi muttered in my mind,Damn, that’s one intense gaze, woman.
Finally, Jaymin spoke. “Well, I have a hypnotist waiting downstairs for one of you. Somebody needs to go first. No other groups have refused yet. I’m sure the Warden would love to hear you four are the first.”
We all went silent. We were scared to death of what the hypnotists might find. Considering they were hired by the Warden, I didn’t trust their intentions. I’d bet anything he hired them to uncover our secrets and report back to the bastard. It was just like our therapy— just like the Darke Games andeverything elsein this prison designed to draw out demigods.
Oberi, are the hypnotists safe? I asked him.
Yes and no, he admitted.They can open you to your subconscious, and they can’t access anything you don’t want them to. But you may not like what you find buried deep in your mind, Charlie. The danger is discovering not what you’re hiding from them, but what you’re hiding from yourself.
“I’ll do it,” I blurted.
“Charlie, no!” Ava protested.
“Are you serious?” Marcus asked at the same time.
“Can’t you see they’re trying to manipulate us?” Ava asked.
“Of course they are,” I said. “Just like everything else they do at this prison.”
“Reform school,” Jaymin quickly corrected.
Ava grabbed my arm and yanked me toward her so she could whisper in my ear. “This could be dangerous, Charlie. Aren’t you afraid of what they’ll find?”
“Oberi seems to think it’s safe,” I whispered back.
I quickly turned to speaking my mind across our bond, because I didn’t know how much Jaymin would hear. Ava hadn’t been able to hear me before, but things were different between us lately. Maybe if I tried hard enough, she’d hear me.If we don’t do this, we confirm to them that we’re hiding something. One of us needs to figure out how this works and report back. I have the most shit to uncover from my childhood. They’ll have to dig through a lot of crap before they learn any of our secrets. Let me go in your place.
She must’ve got the message, because she dropped my arm.
I straightened and repeated myself. “I’ll do it.”
Jaymin sounded far too pleased. “Very well. It’s nice to seeoneof you volunteer. Perhaps this will give the rest of you time to think about joining the hypnotists over our next few sessions. Charlie, if you would head to the room at the bottom of the stairs, the procedure will begin. The rest of us will have a littlechatwhile you’re gone.”
Chat, my ass,Oberi huffed.You’re gonna piss Ava off with your lecture.
You should stay here with her,I told him.Keep her from doing anything stupid.
I left the room and headed down the stairs. The door at the bottom was already open, and a woman greeted me when I stepped inside. “Hello. I’m Dr. Trinity Hasan. You must be…”
She shuffled through her papers. “Marcus? Or Charlie?”
“Charlie,” I stated. At least she sounded nice.
“Charlie, why don’t you have a seat?” Trinity shut the door behind me.
I felt for a chair, but I nearly tripped over a sofa.
“You can lie down if you want,” she offered as her chair squeaked across the floor. “Most people prefer it that way. It helps them relax.”
I sank into the sofa and rested my head on a throw pillow. The sofa was really comfy, way better than the bed in my cell. Trinity must’ve been diffusing essential oils, because the scent of lavender surrounded me. Soft music played from speakers in the corner. Though unease rolled around in my gut, it was oddly easy to relax here. I knew it was nothing more than an illusion— a false sense of security designed by the Warden, and Trinity was nothing more than a pawn hand-picked by the Warden himself. She probably actually believed she was helping our rehabilitation.
