The blue light from the screens created shadows on Lyra’s lowered face. The girl was curled up on a desk chair, her arms around her knees. She stared fixedly at the floor, uncaring about the monitors she usually scrutinized. On her left were Galen’s and Lucia’s video displays, and on her right were Artem’s and Ayden’s. In the middle was the CSI status screen. A rough crack ran through the middle of it. One she hoped would disappear once she evolved. Not that any of that mattered right now.

  The command center was cramped, with the terminal taking a big part of the workstation. The forceful fusion had resulted in some commands and keys duplicating. These duplication extended to the furniture with two office chairs, two shelves, and two floor-lamps. One for each of her hosts. It gave a claustrophobic atmosphere to the place, but Lyra had lived like a shut-in for two years before and didn’t mind.

  Lyra hadn’t moved from the chair in front of Artem’s screen since the Beast Rangers’ arrival. She had the possibility to get out and walk around, but she rarely left the command center. The inner world was mostly empty, with only the “Warehouse” and seemingly endless bare soil. It was depressing. At least, the screens and the keyboard gave her a sense of familiarity.

  However, Lyra wasn’t seeing any of that, she was locked into her mind. The only backstabbing she had ever witnessed had been childish pranks and bullying, like ruining partitions or inserting needles into dresses before an audition. The worst one had been when a contestant had messed up with her instrument. These actions had been due to social pressure and an unhealthy competitive spirit. Nothing close to an attempted murder.

  She couldn’t help but wonder what she could have done differently. She had messed up since the beginning: not warning the twins about Celeste straying from the group, not listening to Emilio muttering, not noticing Shahin’s falcon.

  Her passive talent was strong, but it still was only passive. Would things have been different if she had used her talent properly? Just thinking of breaking her vow to never use it again had her stomach churning and her chest tightening. Rattled, she put her arm around her belly and rocked herself.

  Lyra closed her eyes, images from the trip mixing with ones from her past. She suddenly hit her head to her raised knees and smiled derisively. She hadn’t changed at all. Her talent wouldn’t have helped. Moreover, it didn’t fit her role as the twins’ CSI. She was already doing more than she should by scouting for them, and the twins were already in danger because of the Phoenix. She shouldn’t add to their burdens by revealing who she was and what she could do.

  When she finally looked back at her hosts’ screens, she saw they were arriving at the FOB. Several beast tamers were waiting at the entrance. Among them were the Beast Ranger, who had carried Emilio ahead after feeding him an emergency potion, and Beast Healers, who were there to check the rest of the students and the pets. Beast tamers from the Army barked orders, guiding the students to a building near the logistical center and sending them to different rooms.

  Lyra understood the need to investigate what had happened. When she heard they intended to interrogate the twins last, she ignored the invisible insect still on the Beast Ranger woman’s shoulder. Instead, she focused on eavesdropping on the beast tamers from the Association and the Army. The rooms were close to each other, and the prefabricated building had thin walls, making the task easier for her.

  ***

  “That’s uncomfortably familiar,” Galen muttered.

  The young pharmacist wasn’t locked up, but the beast tamers had emphasized that he should stay put. So, he sat in a room with few furniture. He was alone, without his brother and without his fairy. This situation brought back somber memories from the days after his parents’ death. He didn’t like thinking back about it.

  The Beast Healers had used the fact they needed to check the fairies to take them away from the twins. Galen couldn’t refute the healers. Lucia’s fainting and Ayden’s injury were worthy of attention. However, the youth was wary after the beast tamers also confiscated their equipment.

  Galen was glad to have Lyra as his CSI. He didn’t think she realized how grateful he was for her. She had saved Artem thanks to her warning, even if she thought she had been too late. He was worried about her but didn’t know her enough to find the right words to cheer her up.

  Galen was also worried about Artem. His brother believed he had hidden it, but Galen knew his twin enough to recognize when he was perturbed. However, Galen would deal with all that later.

  “They are back,” Lyra suddenly said. The situation was delicate, and the twins needed information to avoid any trap. However, the CSI wanted to lighten the atmosphere by going back to her perky persona, forcing herself to boast and joke around. “Let your big sister keep you apprised thanks to her awesome talent! Oh! It sounds like they went looking for Mrs Bousrani and Mr Tawil.”

  Galen and Artem, sitting in the room next door, attentively listened when Lyra explained why the interrogation hadn’t started yet.

  “They’re disagreeing about how to proceed. Mr Tawil and another man I don’t recognize want to form pairs to work quickly, but the Beast Ranger lady is refusing.”

  “What’s her purpose?” Galen didn’t trust this woman.

  “Perhaps the person behind the insect wants to listen in during each interview,” Artem suggested.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. An officer has given orders… that the people from the Association want to ignore, saying they shouldn’t listen to the Army. However, the teachers are siding with the rules laid by the Army.”

  Galen and Artem quietly commented on this news, cheering for Mr Tawil. Waiting for the adults to settle their conflict, they could have been bored or anxious, but their CSI kept them informed and entertained.

  Lyra split her attention between the different beast tamers taking charge of the investigation. They had divided the work between the Army, the Association, and the school teachers.

  The CSI was soon attracted by Celeste’s interrogation since the other beast tamers cataloging the youths’ belongings weren’t talking. Lyra pouted at the way a Beast Ranger from the Army was trying to establish trust with Celeste by saying they should call each other by their first name. The CSI didn’t hear the girl’s answer clearly. Mrs Bousrani spoke softly, reassuring Celeste and telling her she was safe.

  However, when they began questioning her about the trip, Celeste sounded confused. In the midst of the girl’s hesitant answers, Lyra latched on to Celeste’s most shocking reply to their inquiries about Emilio’s injury: “Didn’t Artem teach him a lesson because he was disobedient?”.

  “How dare she?” Lyra exclaimed, furious at Celeste. “I thought she was an innocent fool, but she’s framing you!”

  Artem’s calm voice soothed Lyra. “They can’t accuse us of anything. After all, Jarek’s stiletto is unique among our weapons.”

  “Yes, but once Emilio is healed, there is no more proof,” Lyra retorted, twisting her sleeves and fidgeting in her seat.

  “Stop worrying so much. That’s another argument in our favor: if we wanted to kill Emilio, why would I spend so much energy healing him? And there are other witnesses.”

  “I’m more curious about Celeste’s strange behavior.” Artem changed the subject, frowning. “We never took any precautions against her. I regret it.”

  “So, you think her foolishness is an act?” Lyra asked dubiously. If that was the case, the girl deserved an Oscar.

  “It doesn’t feel like it,” Artem answered slowly, carefully recollecting his interactions with Celeste. “She never gave me uneasy feelings. That’s why I’m confused.”

  Unable to come to a conclusion, the twins fell silent. Lyra continued to listen in, sharing the important bits. After Celeste signed her testimony, Mrs Bousrani and the Beast Ranger accompanied the girl out of the building. Before they were out of hear shot, Lyra heard them counsel Celeste to keep quiet about the situation.

  Meanwhile, Mr Tawil and the Beast Ranger woman went to Jarek’s room. It was hard to determine, but Lyra believed the invisible insect stayed in the building.

  From what she was hearing, Jarek was very cooperative, admitting without any guilt to have stabbed Emilio. His honesty reassured the twins, but Mr Tawil wasn’t satisfied and asked the boy about his reasons.

  Jarek playfully mentioned that he was just doing what he was taught. Lyra rolled her eyes before she went on with her report. To prove his point, Jarek cited the times Artem had scolded him: when he had let Celeste be hurt, and again when Emilio had gotten into trouble with the River Otters.

  When Jarek grandly stated that he was just watching Artem’s back, repeating what he had said when he had stabbed Emilio, the woman twisted his words, asking if Artem had asked him to kill his classmate. Mr Tawil was more circumspect, but he cited Celeste’s report to doubt Jarek’s words. The blond-haired boy laughed.

  “I was warming up to Jarek, but I’m having doubts now. He’s calling Celeste a crazy girl to discredit her testimony and saying he had wanted to stab Emilio for a while. Is he a psycho?”

  “I don’t know what to think either, but Jarek’s going to be a problem.” Galen closed his eyes, discouraged by the growing list of things he had to take care of. His bleakness was interrupted by Lyra’s exclamation.

  “Oh! Why didn’t I think of that? That makes so much sense!” Without waiting for the twins to express their curiosity, Lyra added, “Mr Tawil was berating Jarek for his disrespect toward Celeste, but he said he wasn’t insulting her, just stating a fact. So, of course, Mr Tawil asked for an explanation. Then, Jarek said he knew people like her, who developed a different personality when faced with dangerous or particular situations.”

  “A split personality?” Galen mused about what he knew about this disorder, although it wasn’t much since his Family had never specialized in mental health.

  “You believe him?” Artem asked, more concerned about the issue at hand.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Yes, her breathing pattern changed when she saw you manhandling Jarek, but I didn’t think it was important. I don’t know much about it, but if that’s the case, it could explain her confusion. Sometimes, the main personality doesn’t know what happened while the other one takes over.”

  The twins hoped the teachers would consider Jarek’s input and wondered what was Celeste’s trigger. Then, they discussed if the blond-haired boy was going to be condemned. However, Lyra interrupted their speculations.

  “Uh, maybe you shouldn’t mess with him. Jarek whispered something I didn’t hear clearly, but Mr Tawil and the Beast Ranger backed off.”

  “It must be blackmail. That would explain why he’s never been expelled from the school.”

  “I wonder what Jarek used as leverage.”

  Unexpectedly, the beast tamers didn’t come to interrogate the twins once they let Jarek go. Lyra was outraged at the injustice: Jarek was a criminal. Were they really going to frame the twins?

  As Lyra was wondering what was happening, she overheard a soldier guiding Nasir’s group into the building. Understanding that their turn would come much later, Artem and Galen busied themselves. They trusted Lyra to report anything important.

  Artem exercised, doing push-ups, crunches, burpees, and squats. Meanwhile, Galen examined his room. Confident there was no surveillance, he retrieved some plants and writing materials from the “Warehouse”. Brewing potions was too inconvenient to hide in case someone unexpectedly entered while he was in the middle of some delicate manipulation, but if he studied the plants and took note about them, he could easily throw them back into the “Warehouse” at need.

  The beast tamers followed the same guidelines and first took the mundanes’ testimony. The twins were afraid the three boys would lie to protect their employer. Fortunately, they honestly told what happened during the fight and were scolded for fighting with their classmates in the wild.

  Then, it was Basic’s turn. Lyra was much more interested in what the Jamra boy would say. However, Basic was taciturn, only giving one-word answers and insisting Emilio’s accident didn’t concern him since he did nothing wrong.

  “Ah, look how hard he’s selling his innocence! Who would believe him?”

  “Well, that’s hard to contradict.”

  Lyra just huffed in disapproval. In her opinion, all this mess was the Jamra boys’ fault. Without their interference, the twins and their classmates would have returned to the FOB without accidents.

  “And this proves I’m right! The Beast Ranger from the Army is coldly reminding Basic of the rules about fighting and pointing out that Basic is guilty of firing a [light ray] at his classmates.”

  The back and forth that followed only ended when Basic deigned to sign his testimony. Before long, it was Nasir’s turn. Contrary to Basic, Nasir loudly asked why they were detaining him. He acted arrogantly as if he expected the Association to obey him and let him off lightly if he complained enough. Lyra grumbled as she reported it, but Galen wasn’t surprised: the Jamra Family did head the Beast Tamers Association.

  “Is the insect still with them?” Artem asked, sensing that was an important point.

  “The Beast Ranger lady and Mr Tawil are interrogating Nasir. I can’t be sure who the insect is with, but I caught the hum it uses to give instruction from time to time.”

  The insect’s presence and behavior added credence to the twins’ suspicion: the Beast Tamers Association was somehow involved in the schemes surrounding their parents’ death. Moreover, Artem felt the Jamra Family was involved too, but Nasir being drunk on power wasn’t proof enough.

  “Ah! Served him right! Mr Tawil is chewing him out! Sounds like Nasir forgot he was on a school trip and not on his home turf!”

  Despite cheering for the teacher, Lyra frowned at the way the woman tried to undermine Mr Tawil to defend Nasir. The Beast Ranger’s questions guided the boy to prove he wasn’t involved in Emilio’s attack in any way. Fortunately, Nasir spoke thoughtlessly, and Mr Tawil stayed firm and declared Nasir guilty of threatening his classmates, attacking them outside of the school’s and the Beast Tamers Association’s regulations, and harming a beast tamer’s pet.

  This declaration was satisfying, but Lyra and the twins were still on guard because this didn’t deal directly with Emilio’s case, and Jarek hadn’t been announced guilty.

  Since the beginning of the investigation, enough time had passed that a Beast Healer escorted a weak but awake Emilio to the building. Mrs Bousrani softened her voice so much to interrogate the boy that Lyra felt disgusted.

  “Don’t mind it, Lyra.” Galen comforted the girl despite his mixed feelings about his pharmacist teacher.

  When the Beast Ranger took over and asked what happened, Emilio saw it as an invitation to complain about everything, giddy to have someone listen to him at least. His speech was chaotic but full of information. Perhaps because he was still hazy after his grave injury, Emilio unwittingly revealed his intention to harm Artem, twisting it to make it sound like a rightful act of revenge after being abused.

  “I’m so glad you can’t listen to him. Me being outraged is enough!”

  Nevertheless, Lyra summed up Emilio’s version of the events. The boy had wanted to help Nasir, hoping to see the twins take a beating. At first, he purposely missed his shots.

  Artem and Galen refrained from commenting, but Lyra didn’t have their restraints and exclaimed, “I heard delusions are necessary for happiness. Good for him!”

  After her outburst, the CSI continued her summary. While everyone was busy, Emilio had abandoned his post to create chaos. As he was rushing to the front armed with his short sword, it had occurred to him that in the confusion, nobody would know him to be the culprit if he went further.

  “Emilio is a weak coward. I don’t think he expected to kill Artem.”

  “You mean he’s the kind of dog that barks harder than it bites?”

  The twins were amused at Lyra’s description but returned to their occupation. While they were curious, it wasn’t their place to judge Emilio’s true intention. Indeed, Mrs Bousrani and the Beast Ranger continued interrogating the boy for more than one hour.

  They finally got the whole picture. Influenced by Amir’s speech stating that the twins deserved to die and Nasir’s declaration that he was going to kill them, Emilio had listened to his resentment against Artem. That had led him to take his chance when he had seen Artem unguarded with his back to him.

  This time, the Beast Ranger didn’t announce his judgment. Mrs Bousrani had to coax Emilio to sign his testimony. Then, they left the boy alone in his room.

  The beast tamers met up to read all the testimonies before pursuing the investigation with the twins. The boys were used to being treated differently, but they were still frustrated and disappointed.

  When Mr Tawil entered Artem’s room with the Beast Ranger woman, the youth was doing his second set of crunches. Artem knew they were coming thanks to Lyra, but the training helped focus his mind and projected a confident front.

  Mr Tawil began with basic questions, telling Artem to recount what happened on his trip. Afterward, the Beast Ranger asked more pointed questions. Artem kept his calm, using his previous experience to side-stepped her tricks.

  When Mr Tawil reproached Artem for his attitude toward the mundanes, the youth defended himself using his military upbringing, trying to keep Galen out of it. However, the Beast Ranger insisted and described Artem’s behavior as aggressive and overbearing. Artem stuck to his explanation and developed it. He had used military discipline for two main reasons. Firstly, this was familiar to him because he was raised to become an Army officer. Secondly, Emilio and Jarek were in the military class and the professional combat elective class. It only seemed proper to Artem to treat them this way.

  Knowing his teacher’s character, Artem reported everything honestly while analyzing his mistakes to appeal to Mr Tawil. With hindsight, the youth admitted he had been wrong, although he didn’t know what else he could have done. Artem didn’t treat the conversation as an interrogation but as a debriefing. His purpose was to show no guilty behavior whatsoever.

  When it was his turn, Galen played the pitiful card first. He didn’t have to act much to appear hurt and perturbed with how the beast tamers were accusing the twins despite the shape of the wound and his fairy fainting to keep Emilio alive.

  “Mrs Bousrani, I shouldn’t need to tell you [small heal] can only heal external wounds by stimulating natural regeneration. Even if Lucia managed to use [heal] before fainting, the scar should still have been obvious. Did you interrogate the others before coming to me? You seemed convinced that I’m guilty!”

  Mrs Bousrani interrupted him before he could mention the Nebe Law. She scoffed at Galen’s hypocrisy. “That’s rich coming from you with the way you treated the mundanes in your group. Moreover, healing Emilio’s wound doesn’t exonerate you: you could have done it only to protect your brother.”

  Galen refused to talk further with her, stating that if that were her opinion of him, everything he said would be twisted by her view.

  “You looked so righteous, but do you know that your brother asked Jarek to kill Emilio?” The Beast Ranger from the Army took over since Galen stayed silent when Mrs Bousrani asked him questions.

  “Stop using mind games with me. I trust my brother's and my Family’s values. We’re not murderers.”

  When the twins were finally asked to sign their testimony, they read it carefully, afraid their words had been changed to frame them. However, the whole conversation was transcribed exactly as it had occurred thanks to a recorder linked to a printer.

  It was a small comfort. The twins were bitter because they didn’t know how they could have avoided all this mess. Should they have refused to team up with Emilio and Jarek? The trip was mandatory, and they hadn’t chosen their teammate. How were they responsible for the results?

  However, the twins weren’t raised to shirk their responsibilities. Galen and Artem were both affected. They were unsure of the outcomes of the investigation and doubted themselves.

  Like Emilio, the twins weren’t sent back to their accommodations. Indeed, they were treated as guilty parties.

  Finally, a few hours later, the teachers, a Beast Warden from the Association, and the commander of the FOB assembled Nasir’s group and the twins’ group into a briefing room. The commander announced their judgment once everyone had quieted down.

  “I thought they were only investigating? How can they pass judgment already? Shouldn’t there be a trial?”

  “We’re out in the field. The rules are different.”

  Basic and Nasir Jamra got fined by the Association and received demerits from the school for attacking students in the wild. Nasir had to pay a higher amount than Basic. The mundanes working for them were found mostly innocent, so they only received a warning. It didn’t seem like much, but the warning would stay in their files, cutting them off from some jobs.

  The Eos twins received demerits for mistreating their mundane classmates, although Galen's punishment was lighter than Artem's. Jarek, protected by his blackmail, only got demerits and detentions on the pretense that he had acted to defend his classmate’s life.

  However, Emilio had no background to protect him. His household was rich, but it was insufficient to influence the outcome. Even if there were extenuating circumstances proving that it wasn’t a premeditated act, Emilio was judged guilty of attempted murder. The teachers, acting as the dean’s spokesperson, expelled him from Dascalos High School, and the Association condemned him to serve for five years in one of the Army criminal regiments. Emilio was to stay in a training camp until he reached the legal age to become a soldier before serving his sentence.

  ***

  Lyra stared numbly at her screens. She should be glad for the twins, but she couldn’t. Lyra was dead tired, both from her cheerful act and the effort she had put into eavesdropping, thanks to her passive talent.

  The twins were in the long-travel vehicle on their way back to the school. The single night since the judgment had been enough for rumors to fly around. Despite escaping being framed for Emilio’s backstabbing, the Eos twins were painted as ruthless, discriminating bullies. Their classmates ignored them or whispered while pointing at them. Even Mahlon didn’t approach Galen.

  Lyra glanced at the students sitting in the vehicle. Emilio wasn’t among them. Thinking about him, Lyra couldn’t help muttering, “He was used as a scapegoat, right?”

  The twins didn’t answer.

  Lyra didn’t insist. She knew they weren’t in the mood to talk. She didn’t pity Emilio, but she couldn’t ignore the injustice and corruption. However, she had to. What else could she do?

  The CSI looked at the part of her status screen blinking with two notifications since the fight with the Jamra boys. They might cheer up her hosts, but Lyra decided to wait. The twins needed time. Perhaps she needed time too. She would wait until she felt as excited as she should when reading her dear blue screens before sharing them with Galen and Artem.