Director Espen ran into the observatory. Cloak flapping behind him, he reached the trundle bed and did a series of health checks on Aerie. Once it was clear that he was awake and well, the Director called the justicar stand in over to take him away.

The look Aerie gave me was a hollow one. One coated in desperation. Painted with frustration and hate.

“Miss Axelle, Miss Valle,” in the company of others, he referred to me by my last name, “these are for the two of you.”

Axelles eyes lit up as the Director passed her a crescent shaped lunar stone. To me, he passed a piece of parchment.

My heart was thunder in my chest as I read over it, “You knew I’d do it.”

“I’m optioning you for a unity medal,” he said, “I always knew.”

Are you clairvoyant too? His sharp crimson eyes smiled down at me as Axelle tried on her necklace, “Can you repeat the process?”

“I’m sure,” but did I even want to? “Why is that man a prisoner here?” I tried.

But, he ignored me, “Together,” he said, taking my hand in his own—not caring if Axelle saw, “we will make our careers soar, North. I knew, I always knew, that we would do great things.”

Axelle pretended not to look, but her eyes narrowed a bit as she stared pointedly at her new necklace.

“The medal will be yours.”

But what if I didn’t want it? What if that would make me feel nothing too. And what about this we?

He wouldn’t let me go until I nodded. And as quickly as he had come, he swept right out again.

“I’ll be calling you doctor now soon, won’t I?” Axelle asked, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me one last time, “He’s so proud of you,” she said, “Aren’t you so lucky to have such powerful people in your corner? Or, rather, in your bed?”

“Excuse me?” all of what happened made a migraine split my head in half, “Would you repeat that? Do you dare?”

She shrugged, “Well, I suppose with your name, you wouldn’t need to do much to be great, would you? Miss Valle,” she shouldered past me, not letting me get in a word in, “You know, some of us had to do actual work for our positions. So, it would be nice if you could keep it at least semi-professional with the Director.”

I always knew Axelle held some contempt for me, as people often did. Because of my parents positions people often thought I was just handed positions. I didn’t even want this project. The Director chose me. Was I just supposed to say no? Was I even allowed to?

I let her go because I had nothing more to say. We both knew the truth, she just liked to jab at me. To keep me on my toes. I let her go because I had more important things to worry about, like the fact that the Director purposefully avoided my question. Like the fact that, waking Aerie up may have been the wrong thing to do.