Page 88 of Take You Home

“It was JJ.” Chester’s eyes were fixed on the ceiling. Not watchingBryant’s reaction to the words. “My final exam was‍—was to interrogate JJ.”

“I know.” Bryant’s voice was neutral, but quieter than usual. Kind of like Nostrand’s was, Chester registered distantly. “Pretty sure the whole Sanctum knows by now, actually.”

Chester squeezed his eyes shut. “It was bad, Bryant.”

“I know.”

“He hates me now.” Chester didn’t phrase it as a question. “Right?”

Bryant’s eyebrows furrowed. “Of course he doesn’t hate you, stupid. He volunteered, remember?”

“Yeah, but that was before‍—‍” Chester cut himself off. “That was before he knew how bad it would be.Nine hours,Bryant. That’s‍—that’s not nothing.”

All at once, Bryant’s eyes gleamed. “You’re right. Itwasn’tnothing. And that’s exactly why it was the best possible outcome for both of you.”

Chester’s eyes snapped over to her. “What?”

Bryant pushed herself up on one elbow, turning to face him. “Chester, people don’tvolunteerto be fake dissidents for final exams, not even purebreds. It’s incredibly rare‍—so rare, in fact, that I don’t think it’s ever actually happened in this Sanctum.” She leans forward. “But JJ, a neophyte hunter, chose to volunteer. And you, a neophyte hunter, agreed to that assignment. You interrogated your best friend for nine hours straight. JJlastedfor nine hours straight. And now, no one in the Sanctum can deny that the two hunters at the very bottom of the hierarchy pulled off the most impressive feat of the entire decade.”

The speech sounded strangely familiar. Belatedly, Nostrand’s words from earlier finally sank into Chester’s brain. “It was… good for my status?”

“YoursandJJ’s,” Bryant said. “Frankly, I think JJ’s going to benefit more than you. A few of the other interrogators watched parts of your exam, and from what they said‍—‍” She hesitated. “They said that, uh. That you didn’t hold back.”

Chester flinched. “Bry‍?—‍”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Bryant said emphatically. “The spellcasters healed JJ, remember? He’s fine now. But the fact that he didn’t break even though it was a fake assignment and you interrogated him thoroughly? That counts for a lot.”

“How is he?” A tremor threaded through Chester’s voice. “JJ.”

“Probably hungry,” Bryant said. “You had him there for nine hours, Locke. The poor man deserves a sandwich, at least.”

Chester’s laugh was shaky. “Seriously, Bryant.”

“Roma’s debriefing with him right now. And we all know how good Roma is with this kind of thing.” She nudged her elbow into his ribs. “Unfortunately, she can’t be in two places at once, so you’re stuck with me.”

“I’ll say,” Chester said, narrowing his eyes at the far end of the mattress. “You’re wearing sneakers in my bed.”

Bryant sputtered indignantly. “So are you!”

Chester poked her in the side. “Off with you.Off.”

“Bossy,” Bryant grumbled, and she flopped off the bed, extending a hand. “Roma said she and JJ would meet us in the dining hall. Want to head down there?”

After a long moment, Chester smiled, putting his hand into hers. “Let’s,” he agreed, and they walked to the dining hall side by side.

“I can see why you’re so adamant about not leaving Bryant behind,”Obie admits, watching Memory Bryant unceremoniously drag Memory Chester out of the room. “She’s good people.”

“Yeah.” Chester’s smile is wistful. “Sometimes, I want to strangle her, but‍—but at the end of the day, I know she always has my back.”

“Just like you always have hers.” Obie bumps his shoulder against Chester’s. “You want to watch the reunion in the dining hall?”

Chester hesitates. “Actually, can‍—can we see something else instead?”

“Of course. Which memory?”

“I…” Chester swallows hard. Carefully, he slides his hand back into Obie’s, his voice winding through Obie’s head.Skip ahead six years. To the second time I interrogated him.

The words jolt through Obie. “Are you sure?”