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He clears his throat, sending me a discreet glance.

Heat spreads over my chest as he lifts a brow in amusement, and I should be mortified that he caught me mid-fantasy.

Instead, I can’t help but smile. His slight smirk only sends my pulse racing faster, and I would’ve thrown away our entire plan if he’d shown the slightest sign.

But he doesn’t move, and I take advantage of the opportunity to talk to him with my mind now that I know he’s listening.

You got my note. I hope you understood it. “Remember my heart as I remove my trigger.” Did you like that? I did a good job pretending not to care about you this morning. I even made a friend in the process.

He barely hides his smile at my last comment, and I wish I could read his thoughts in return.

Ben’s a monster. How have you not taken a swing at him yet? Or maybe you have and that’s why he hates you. Okay, so I’m dying to know what Lucy’s thinking. Are her fantasies better than mine?

He coughs, forced to turn away, and this time I can’t suppress my amusement.

“What’s so funny?” Lucy asks.

“Nothing. I was just remembering something Matthew said this morning at the triathlon. Do you know Matthew and Connor?”

“They live over in the East Wing, don’t they?” Thomas asks.

“I think so,” I say, sounding very casual, I might add. “We’re supposed to hang out after dinner tonight. They seem nice.”

“Yeah, they’re okay.”

Sudden pressure spreads over my thigh. Firm, warm. Intentional. Shocked, I try not to react as the fire rages. Every part of me hungers to touch him back, but I don’t dare. I can barely keep my composure as it is.

Are you insane?

He responds with a squeeze that takes my breath away. Laughter and conversation echo around us, but my mind only perceives one thing. Touch. Too much and not enough. I lose the battle with my will and find his hand under the table. Our fingers slide together and lock, a vision exploding in my head.

It’s a pastoral scene, serene and unexpected.

I grip tighter. Picturesque mountains rise to the sky, crisp and green beneath a forested blanket.

A dark-haired boy stands knee deep in a crystal stream, while the woman from the other visions waves to him.

She takes his hand when he doesn’t budge and tugs him toward the shore.

They fall, splashing and laughing as they climb the steep bank, covered in mud.

The sweet picture scars my awareness as much as the violent ones.

I wish we were alone so I could share the moment with him and remind him of the rare periods of happiness in his life.

It hurts so much, and I pull away, afraid to continue the strong connection right now.

He seems to understand and puts even more space between us.

Will you meet me after my private session? I think-ask.

His face reveals nothing when I try to meet his gaze. Instead, he shoves back his chair and pushes to his feet.

“It’s been great, guys. Thanks for lunch.”

“You’re leaving? Clausen hasn’t dismissed us yet,” Thomas says.

“Give him my apologies.”

We watch him leave, the others murmuring to each other while I cast one more silent plea for a meeting.

No response.

After my turbulent lunch, I’m actually looking forward to a quiet moment with Anna in my afternoon counseling session.

At the very least I could use a friendly face for a while, but that hope is quickly dashed as well.

I hover in the threshold of her office at the unexpected man in her chair. No, it can’t be.

“Hello, Rebecca,” Anna says from behind him. “Director Clausen asked to do your session personally today.”

“Why? Where are you going?” I ask. Don’t panic. You can’t panic.

“I’m just taking a late lunch. I should be back tomorrow.”

Her purse is already on her shoulder, a sweater swung over her arm as if she’d been waiting for my arrival before leaving.

The whole thing only makes this seem more staged.

I want to beg her to stay, cling to her legs like a desperate three-year-old, but somehow manage to swallow the alarm.

If I’m right, and this is Clausen’s latest move, my only hope rests in my ability to lie.

I scour my soul for some of Daniel’s strength.

“Enjoy your lunch,” I force out with a smile.

Her own seems stiff as she waves and disappears from the office. I take my seat while Clausen studies me with a thoughtful look.

“I suppose this comes as a bit of a shock.”

“It does. I got the impression you were too busy to conduct personal counseling sessions with your students.”

“I usually am. Your case interests me, though.”

Right. I hold his gaze and lean back. “I’m flattered, but I can’t possibly have the most interesting ability out of everyone here.”

“You don’t, but it’s not your gift that interests me.”

“Really? I can promise I’m not very interesting.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. I happen to disagree.”

Crossing my arms, I try to infuse irritation into my response.

“Can we just get to why you’re here? I know it’s not to counsel me about my strained relationship with my mother or my non-existent father.

I have no major violence in my past or earth-shattering prospects for the future.

I’m not even the first person you’ve come across with this ability, so what is it that could possibly interest you so much? ”

I shift nervously beneath his direct gaze, struggling to hold my ground. After a long pause, he says, “I’m interested in your relationship with Daniel Mueller.”

I huff a laugh. “My relationship with Daniel? That’s why you’re here? Because I agreed with him a couple of times in class?”

His expression doesn’t change, the pensive look settling on me with disturbing intent. “I know there’s more to it than that. You’re not the first of our students to show an interest in him, but you are the first he’s noticed in return.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think you know.”

I blink and fight to maintain my composure.

With another long, probing look, he clasps his hands loosely in front of him.

“Look, I’m not trying to be critical. I’m just curious.

Daniel is one of our more complicated students, and when we’re presented with a rare clue into his incredible mind we have to explore it.

I just want to know what it is about you that makes you so attractive to him. ”

“Shouldn’t you be asking him?”

“We did. He didn’t have much to say.”

Oh my god. Daniel’s face at lunch.

My heart stutters through a beat. My lungs strain for too-thick air as I work to reconstruct the hole in my mask.

But I fear the damage is already done when Clausen’s stoic expression slips for a second as well.

He’s changed the game, and my only hope now is to move from stalling to direct lies. I draw in a breath.

“Okay, fine. Yes, I was interested. And yes, I thought for a brief moment that maybe he returned the attraction, but we had a huge fight over his drug use last night, and I realized he’s the lost cause everyone thinks.”

“You had a fight,” he echoes skeptically.

“Yes, ask Ben and Laura. I lied to them about why we were fighting, mainly because I was embarrassed about my feelings. I’m such an idiot.

” I look away, and he encourages me to continue.

“Maybe it was the vision of the woman, I don’t know, but for some reason I wanted to believe that everyone else is wrong.

That maybe he’s the misunderstood antihero we all want to believe in. ”

“And now you don’t think he is?” His gentle push is a good sign. The way his shoulders have relaxed.

I stare at my hands, surprised at how easy it is to muster emotion when it comes to Daniel.

How much of this present heartache is real?

I’m not sure I even know. “He seemed to be improving for a while, and I stupidly believed it was for me. Gosh, it’s so embarrassing.

” I cover my face with my hands, relieved at the chance to hide.

“Addiction is a disease, Rebecca.”

He seems to be buying this, and I let out a ragged sigh while lowering my hands to face him again.

“Isn’t there something you can do for him?”

Clausen’s expression hardens before melting into the reflective mask I’ve come to expect from him. “We’re working on it. Believe me. We only want what’s best for him, but as you’ve seen, he’s quite resistant to help.”

My nod in agreement makes me feel sick. “Well, maybe one day he’ll clean up and see the destructive path he’s facing, but until then, I can’t be a part of it.”

Once again, I sense he believes me and I wait while his mind works on something behind that deceptively calm facade.

“There may be a way you can help him.”

Surprised, I lean forward. “How?”

“We’re still working on the details, but we’ll let you know when it’s time.”

“I don’t know how I could help. I don’t have any experience with addiction.”

I try not to react to his patronizing smile.

“No, but he trusts you. That’s all we need.” He pauses. “Of course, your assistance is entirely voluntary. Your involvement was only one of many treatment options we’ve discussed.”

Nausea sweeps through me at the veiled threat. “Can I go now?”

“I’m sorry, have I upset you?” His fake concern is particularly insulting, and this time I can’t stop the glare.

“I told you I don’t have feelings for him anymore, but I’m not going to help you manipulate him.”

“Manipulate him?” He sighs and shakes his head with great ceremony.

“Oh, my dear! No wonder you look so frightened.” His gaze turns earnest. “Daniel is a very special boy. He was one of our first students and by far the most gifted. It breaks our hearts to see how he throws away his enormous talents and refuses to acknowledge his potential.”

His eyes nearly burst with a plea for me to understand. His expression is so sincere, I start to doubt my own conclusions. Does he actually believe that? He can’t, and yet… Emotion burns inside me at the latest glimpse of this twisted, caustic relationship between the director and his prey.

“I appreciate your faith in me, Director Clausen, but I think you’ve overestimated my gift and influence over your star student.” I stand, struggling to maintain a calm pace toward the door. “I’ve only known him for a few days.”

My brain reels as I charge from the room, still wrestling through our tangled conversation.

There’s so much that didn’t make sense, so much I need to figure out if I have any chance at playing this game.

Still, I managed to discern one undeniable truth from the coded message: Daniel is in imminent danger, and I’m the current weapon of choice.