Page 6 of Prickly as a Porcupine

“I didn’t know this place was that cool.They seem kind of uptight to me.”Joline must have had some sort of a look on her face because Ariel quickly added, “It could be because I have a lot of restrictions.”

“It could be hard to get used to, especially if you didn’t choose to come here.”

“What do you mean by that?”Ariel sighed, probably noting the harsh tone of her voice.“I mean—” She appeared to be fumbling with her words, probably trying to find a different way to phrase it.

“I’m a cadet; I’m here by choice, but not everyone is.Aren’t you a patient?”

“I guess you could say that.I see Dr.Brown practically monthly, and between group and individual counseling, I’m doing some form of therapy four times a week.”Ariel looked down at her food as if uneasy about something.

Joline wasn’t sure why Ariel reacted that way.She sounded like a patient to her.And while she didn’t dodge the question, she didn’t fully explain her confusion—or offense—either.Maybe she didn’t like the label “patient.”Joline wanted to ask her what she’d prefer as a designator, but decided not to pry.Ariel had a right to her privacy.If there was something she didn’t want to share, she didn’t have to.

“Well, in any case...”Jolie shrugged as if to reassure Ariel it isn’t that big a deal either way.

“I guess I’ve just never thought of myself that way.”Her brow wrinkled as if a concerning thought had passed through her mind.“I really need to go.I have a standing appointment with Agent Stone.I’ve been… He’s asking me questions about a case, even though I’ve not been all that helpful.”A rosy blush crept across Ariel’s golden skin.

“I’m sure you’re doing the best you can,” Joline offered.She didn’t want Ariel to feel bad about something she couldn’t help.

“But I’m not.”She dropped her fork on her tray.“I’m not trying at all.Unless you count trying to be difficult.”She gave a dark laugh.Joline hated to admit that it sent a shiver down her spine.She figured Ariel had some issues, but maybe she was more complicated than Joline anticipated.Joline hoped she wasn’t biting off more than she could chew by trying to be her friend.

“Maybe that’s part of the healing process.Or something you can bring up in therapy.If you want,” she added quickly, not wanting it to come off like she was telling Ariel what to do.

Ariel shook her head.“I just wish I wasn’t so confused all the time.My mind is swimming.”She put a hand to her forehead as if it could slow the racing thoughts inside.

“If you ever want to talk to someone who isn’t a therapist, I’ll be around.”Joline gave a supportive smile.While it wasn’t her job to fix Ariel, she could support her through her healing journey.

Ariel nodded.“I’ll try to be here tomorrow around five again for dinner.This was… nice.”She offered a small smile, though it didn’t reach the corners of her eyes.Joline thought Ariel looked exhausted.And without another word, she picked up her tray of half-eaten food and left.

Joline wondered what was on Ariel’s mind.She was clearly weighed down with something.She just hoped Ariel would be able to free herself from her burden.

She thought back to what Ariel said before she left.This was… nice.While she said it as a compliment, it also sounded like she was surprised.Joline wondered what the shrew shifter went through.So many possibilities swarmed Joline’s mind that she decided she’d never be able to guess.But there was one thing Joline was sure of: whatever Ariel had gone through, she must have been lonely.

Joline understood that feeling all too well.

4

I can’t use her,Ariel thought as she meandered through the halls, taking her time to meet Agent Stone and Sparks at the interrogation room while she pondered why, after only two interactions, she was already fond of the porcupine shifter and couldn’t stomach betraying her by using her for information.Was she becoming soft, spending so much time away from Dr.Grimm?Or was this how normal people felt?She shook her head.

I’m just getting confused,she chided herself.They’re all just trying to get in my head.She thought back to therapy and shook her head.Ariel wouldn’t accept what the group members told her earlier.Dr.Grimm did not use her.He cared for her.He did what her family could not: he had cured her.

But just because she wasn’t changing her mind about Dr.Grimm didn’t mean she had to use Joline.There was no harm in having a friend.Ariel could admit it would be nice to have one, and it seemed Joline might be in need of one, too.Oh well, she’d have to find her fancy prosthetic on her own.She could always explore other avenues, such as pretending to get close to her brother and get his help.

But why isn’t Grimm helping me?The thought that had consumed her for the past year resurfaced, seemingly stronger than ever, accompanied by ever-growing doubts.Grimm had told her she was an invaluable member of his team, an integral part of his plan, yet where was he?His continued absence worried her.If he did really care about her, would he so easily have cast her aside?And even if that wasn’t what was happening, it sure felt like it.

It seemed the seeds of doubt that FUC had been attempting to plant had taken root, to some extent, especially after that day’s group therapy, and now, after talking to Joline and listening to her enthusiasm for the cadet program, Ariel couldn’t keep denying the questions that had been surfacing.Joline’s view of FUC was so different than Ariel’s; the cadet was more than excited to be there.But Dr.Grimm had told Ariel that FUC was the bad guy, holding him back from real scientific progress.So who was right, and who was the deluded one?Ariel was afraid it was her—and Dr.Grimm—and not Joline and the rest of FUCN’A.She swallowed, trying to silence the tiny echoes in her brain that repeated, over and over, what the members of group therapy had said to her that day.

They finally quieted when she approached her destination.She inhaled sharply at the sight of the interrogation room.Though she’d taken her time getting there, it still appeared fast.She squared her shoulders and gathered her wits.She’d been here so many times before that the door acted like a physical trigger, transforming her back into her old, Grimm-loyal self.The door alone reminded her of all the arguments, all the pressure FUC tried to put on her to get her to break.Any doubts about Grimm she might have had dissolved, and her resolve strengthened.She remembered who she was: a Grimm loyalist, through and through.

She finally knocked, knowing that Agents Stone and Sparks waited inside—they always arrived before her.She figured it must be some sort of interrogation tactic.As time had gone on, she made a point of taking her sweet time getting there, just to piss them off.Let them wait all evening for her.She hoped it ruined their dinner plans.

Agent Stone opened the doors to let her in.Though he was dressed in normal casual attire of jeans, flannel shirt, and cowboy boots, he seemed more rigid than usual.With aharumph, Ariel crossed her arms before sitting in the interrogation chair.She glanced up at the one-way mirror, wondering who was on the other side of that glass today.Could her dear brother, Anson, be watching?Let him.It would be educational.She’d show him what a real supporter of Dr.Grimm would do under pressure.Anson had cracked too quickly when he was apprehended.Not Ariel.She knew where her loyalties lay.

Ariel glanced up at Agent Stone and his partner, Agent Sparks, to give them a sly grin, but their stony expressions stopped her.Usually, aside from occasional cat-and-mouse banter, the agents appeared bored during the interrogations.By this point, they knew they weren’t going to get any new information from Ariel, but until she was officially “de-brainwashed”—or whatever FUCN’A aimed to do—these sessions would continue to be a tedious task they had to check off their to-do list at least once a week.But today their vibe was different.Something had happened to make both of them legitimately pissed off.

Agent Sparks drummed her long, pink acrylic nails on the table.The rhinestones on her ring fingernail shimmered in the overhead lights.The agent narrowed her hazel eyes on Ariel, as a blush flushed the agent’s brown skin.Ariel’s heart began thumping.This was no ordinary interrogation, not one of their sessions where they asked her, yet again, if she remembered anything she could tell them that would help them find and apprehend Grimm.Ariel would tell them no, and then they would go back and forth, with the agents asking mundane questions and Ariel claiming ignorance.They didn’t seem like they were going to start playing that game again today, though.Whatever was on their mind seemed personal.

Ariel nearly jumped out of her skin when Agent Stone started speaking.“Dr.Grimm raided a nearby human county jail this morning.”

They paused, giving her a chance to react.She kept her face passive and her mouth shut, trying not to betray the fact that she’d been waiting for this announcement ever since she’d delivered the intel on the jail to Grimm—intel she’d gathered when she allowed herself to be arrested for a minor crime, just so she’d be able to get insider information.