Page 24 of Shattered Sinner
“No.” I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. But my thoughts swirled with doubts when normally they wouldn’t have. This whole session was fucking with me, and I was sure that was done by design.
The examiner studied me, to the point where I was wondering if he was peering into my mind. “You seem nervous, Mr. Beaumont. Is there something you wish to confess before we continue?”
I hesitated. “I’m no more nervous than anyone else who is hooked up to a machine with you staring them down.”
The man in front of me chuckled. “Very well.”
He wrote something else down in his book. I wished I could move my body so that I could read what he was writing. What did he suspect?
The examiner leaned back, but his gaze only grew in intensity. "Have you ever betrayed someone's trust?"
I swallowed hard as a memory assaulted me. The look on Bianca’s face when I admitted to the deal.
I tried to force the memories away, but with the examiner watching me closely, I knew there was no use. He’d figure it out anyway.
"Yes," I whispered. "I have."
“Tell me about it,” he said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
I licked my lips, but I knew I had no choice. The sensors would reveal the truth anyway.
"I kept something from someone I cared about, and it hurt her immensely. I regret doing that now. I wish I could take it back."
“Let’s move on to our next question. Would you choose loyalty to the society over your personal relationships?”
I thought about it for a moment and wondered if this was the cause of the hesitation Bianca was getting from Nash when she asked him to find out about the Chevaliers connection to Iris’s disappearance. Apparently, she was right to think Nash might hide some stuff from her.
“I will.” I tried my best to keep my pulse steady as the doubts started to creep in.
He wrote something else down.
This process continued and my nervousness began to lessen with each subsequent question. As long as none of the questions made me think of Bianca, I had no problem with answering. Finally, I heard the words I’d been waiting for.
"The test is over. You may go now."
His expression gave nothing away as I stared at him while I processed the words he’d said. He walked over to me and began removing the wires and the other apparatuses that he’d put on my body.
That was it? Everything was done? I’d completed the task, and I had no idea how I’d done.
“How do I know if I passed?”
The examiner sat down and removed his glasses and said, “You’ll receive a notification of some sort.”
I took that as my dismissal and stood up and left the cold room. No one stopped me as I left Chevalier Manor, but I did see Nash for a brief moment. He gave me a small nod, his face showing indifference as I walked to the door. I didn’t break our eye contact until I closed the door behind me. I couldn’t help but think that the last time I’d been here, I was being dragged in with a hood over my head because he wanted to beat me up for messing with Bianca.
But with the fresh air flowing over my face and reaching my lungs, I was able to exhale slowly, giving me the ability to release the tension that had settled all over my body. The interrogation was over, and now I just needed to wait for the results.
The more I’d gotten involved in the Chevaliers, the more I realized that this was a brotherhood bound by secrets and power, and they would use any means necessary to get what they wanted. The end for them was a bottomless pit, and they would go to the ends of the earth in order to meet their objectives. I both admired that and was concerned about what it would mean for me if everything came crashing down.
Sometime later, I stumbled into my apartment, mentally tired from all the questions I’d been forced to answer. I made a beeline for my couch, determined to veg out in front of the television until I needed to go to bed.
Almost as soon as I turned on my television, a commercial featuring Diana Caldwell and Van Henson caught my eye. Bianca's father looked tired and worn, his suit rumpled and his hair unkempt, and I’m sure that was done by design. Diana, on the other hand, appeared to have all the confidence and power one could muster, her tailored suit highlighting that she was more than ready to be mayor of Brentson. There was a quick change of scenery that featured children playing at a playground in the background while Diana walked down a street in Brentson.
"Van Henson has failed Brentson," Diana declared, cutting through the silence in my place. Her eyes flashed with anger as she looked into the camera. She gestured dramatically with a sweep of her arm to showcase the scene behind her—children laughing, parents talking, Brentson’s community as a whole. “Our town and our children deserve better than his empty promises and the salacious secrets that he keeps."
She made sure to pause for dramatic effect, letting her words sink in for the viewer.
I sat up from the slouching position I’d been in while lying on my couch as an idea formed in my head. Could Diana be behind the leaked photos? Was she using underhanded ways to try and undermine Van Henson's campaign?
