wrist while Bodhi stood over Eric. “I think you’ll live,” Raven said.
Devon looked at Eric lying near her feet coming back from his knockout. “We get it?” Raven pointed to a corner of the Palace bunker. A small camera was wedged in the corner.
“We got it. Good work, Counselor. Oh, and I should tell you. You know how we jammed the camera in your therapy room? Yeah, well, we didn’t really jam it, we just re-routed the feed to our monitors at Reed’s.”
“You got all my sessions?”
“Yeah, fascinating stuff.” Raven shrugged.
Grant rubbed Devon’s shoulder. “Looks like I’m not the only one screwing with your confidentiality around here.” He stood up and helped Bodhi zip-tie Eric’s wrists together.
“This is for you, by the way.” Raven pulled a thumb drive from her jacket. “Copy of the confession. Might want to give it to Maya. She can hear it from Eric this way. Figured she deserved to know.”
Devon looked at the small drive. The adrenaline was still coursing through her body. She felt tears running down her cheeks. “Thanks,” she murmured. “Being here with him made me think about Hutch. He was just trying to do the right thing.”
Raven sat in the dirt and wrapped an arm around Devon. Despite her bloody wrist, Devon buried her head in Raven’s shoulder and sobbed. The tears came in a pulsing wave. “I miss him,” she said.
“Me too,” Raven said, holding her tight.
CHAPTER 20
Monday morning. The zillionth of how many zillions of Mondays? When Devon walked into the dining hall, students were shuffling through the food line, standing at the door chugging a glass of milk, or scarfing their morning cereal. The same old sea of sweatpants and unwashed hair. But this morning it felt different. For the first time Devon saw the Keaton world for what it was. It didn’t feel like a factory for the Ivy League anymore, a sci-fi colony breeding The Perfect Student, organs and all. For the first time, Devon didn’t feel like an outsider. She was a piece of this world. Keaton had been here for her this whole time, but she’d needed to strip away the lies and fakery around Hutch’s death to see it. It was murder. Hutch wasn’t a “troubled young man” with problems “beyond our control.” He was complicated and sweet and rash and tried to do the right thing, and his own brother had killed him for it.
“Yo, Whore-issa Explains it All.” Presley sidled up to her. She chewed on a piece of toast and held out another piece out for Devon. “I put raspberry jelly on it, just like you like.”
Devon took the piece of toast. “Thanks.”
“Um, so I’m sorry and stuff.” Presley shrugged. “I know you want to smack me. I want to smack me. You were following your instinct and it paid off. I’m sure somewhere Hutch is glad you believed in him.”
Devon swallowed and smiled. “I hope he is. But, I had to do it for me, too. To prove he was the guy I knew too.”
“What was the deal with you two, anyway? I didn’t know you were so tight.” Devon took another bite of her toast. “Oh, I get it. You think you can keep a seeeecret. That’s not going to last.” Presley smacked her on the butt and walked away. “I gotta get to Chem. See ya later, hater.”
Name: Devon Mackintosh
Session Date: Oct. 15
Session #4
Reason for Session: Peer Counselor Review
MR. ROBINS SIPPED FROM a white ceramic mug, stolen from the dining hall no doubt. The Santa Cruz Sentinel, with Eric Hutchins’s mug shot splashed on the front page, sat on his desk between him and Devon.
“The truth about what Eric may or may not have done has yet to be determined,” Mr. Robins began. Devon looked at her hands. Why had he called her here if he was just going to lecture her? “But, you did a brave thing. I shouldn’t have put you in session with something this difficult. The good news is, now, everything else in counseling will probably seem easy in comparison.” He laughed a little, and Devon looked up. Okay, he was trying to be nice. “Isla told me what was happening, with her, with Matt. You were keeping secrets, Devon, you shouldn’t have had to keep. And as much as some of your choices went against policy, you showed a lot of strength. Your subjects were lucky to have you.”
“Are you going to keep doing sessions with them? Matt and Cleo?”