Page 31 of Artifice

The rain fell now, starting with a few drops and then going from zero to sixty, the downpour plastering her hair to her forehead.

Olive forced a smile. “Just general chitchat. I figured Ethan was out here for some reason when he came across me, and I was curious what he might be doing here. The mind of a troubled teenager can be quite mysterious. Wouldn’t you agree?”

An unreadable emotion flickered across Mr. Thorne’s face. “Indeed, Ms. Bettencourt. Almost as mysterious as wealthy socialites who suddenly develop an interest in obscure youth facilities on dangerous coastlines.”

Her breath caught. Did he suspect something?

She made sure to keep her expression steady and even.

Mr. Thorne gestured toward the path. “Let’s get you back before this storm worsens. Director Ingraham would be devastated if anything happened to her potential benefactor.”

As they walked side by side down the muddy path, Olive couldn’t shake the feeling that Mr. Thorne knew exactly why she was there—and that he would be keeping a watchful eye on her.

CHAPTER 17

As soon as Olive stepped back inside, Margaret found her at the door. Just as before, she didn’t appear happy that Olive had gone off script.

“I’ve been searching for you.” Her expression remained tight.

Olive paused near the door, feeling cornered by the woman. “I just needed to get some air.”

“If you could apprise me where you go, that would be advisable. We need to be aware of these things for the safety of our students. And you too, of course.”

“I understand. My apologies.”

Margaret looked her up and down with disdain.

That was when Olive realized she was dripping wet.

“I’ll ask Sadie to get you some towels,” Margaret said. “We don’t want you to track water through the building. Could be a slipping hazard.”

“Of course.”

Margaret grabbed her radio and talked to Sadie.

Then she turned back to Olive, clearly still annoyed. “She’ll be here in a moment.”

“Perfect.”

Margaret shifted and raised her chin again as they waited near the door. “We were able to look at the security footage to see who locked you in the Quiet Room. Now that student would like to apologize to you. He’s waiting in my office.”

“Okay then.” Olive could still remember the sound of the student’s laughter after he locked the door. “How did the student even get the key to trap me inside? Because I noticed that’s the only way it can be locked.”

Director Ingraham’s face darkened. “This student has been a real troublemaker, and that means a lot considering the caliber of student we have here. He’s constantly a problem.”

“So I assume he’s had to be placed in the Quiet Room before?”

Her expression remained terse. “You assume correctly.”

Sadie appeared with a towel just then, and Olive dried herself off.

Then they began walking toward Margaret’s office.

“Tell me about Ethan,” Olive said as they walked.

Margaret’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Ethan?”

“I met him outside.”