Page 186 of Victorious

“Huh.”

A slight tip of his head. “What is it?”

Syd shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I expected a cell.”

That placid smile sat, fixed, on his face. “There are no cells at EON now.”

She didn’t believe that. “Then I can go?” She started to stand, and the room tilted like a ship at sea, her legs buckling back onto the seat.

“When we’re done,” said the therapist calmly.

She gripped the arms of the chair. “What do you want?”

“To help.”

“Yeah, well, then you shouldn’t start with kidnapping.”

The therapist nodded, as if she’d made a decent point. “That was an unfortunate necessity.”

Syd scowled. “Eli tried to kill me.”

Dr. Gray’s pencil continued its measured beat. “He has a flair for the dramatic, but I assure you, he didn’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he’s under my control.”

Syd snorted. The doctor’s smile widened. “I’ll show you.” Before she could protest, he said, as if to no one, or everyone, “Helena, please bring Eli in.”

“Don’t,” pleaded Syd, but the therapist ignored her.

“Yes, now please.”

She retreated in the chair. Drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around her shins. She knew it made her look like an animal, trying to disappear. She didn’t care. Her teeth began to chatter as the door swung open, offering a momentary glimpse of the white hall beyond before a woman with a short black bob strolled in. Sydney barely noticed her, attention narrowed on the figure trailing in her wake.

Caught you.

Eli stood there, tall and straight, unchanged save for the new scars that grazed his hands, wrapped around his throat. His eyes landed on Syd but lingered only a beat before sliding to the therapist.

As if she didn’t matter.

As if she wasn’t there.

“Gabriel,” he said blandly.

“Eli,” said the therapist. “You were very rough with Sydney earlier. Please apologize to her.”

The Eli Ever Sydney knew would rather cut out his own heart. But this one looked flatly at her and said, with the hollowness of a recital, “I’m sorry.”

“Go to Hell,” she seethed.

Not only because it felt good, but because she knew it would get a rise out of him. It should have. But it didn’t. He just stared at her. And something about the emptiness of his expression unnerved her more than his righteous anger ever had.

“Eli,” said Dr. Gray, “please return to your room.”

He nodded and turned his back on both of them.

The woman turned to follow Eli out, but the therapist stopped her. “Helena, stay.” She went to stand against the wall. The tapping of the pencil drew Syd’s attention back.