For just a moment, I considered using it to my advantage. If she wanted information from me, perhaps I could use it to get the information that I wanted. I wanted Claire. Would she tell me where she was and what’d happened to her, if I answered her questions?
But as I stared at her sharp, thin face, I had second thoughts. It felt more prudent to not let her sense my attachment to Claire. My intuition told me that any collaboration with this Dr. Grant would be a mistake.
Dr. Grant pinched her lips together. Her veneer was calm and smooth, and that slight movement of her lips was the only indication she gave that she was getting frustrated. I filed it away, making a mental note for later. It was the only true emotion that I saw her convey. Everything else felt as though I was watching her speak from behind a mask.
She tucked the clipboard back under her arm. “I see,” she said briskly. “Well, we’ll try again tomorrow.”
She turned abruptly on her heel and walked back to the door. She didn’t turn around, exiting without another word. I stared silently at the door, noticing how it stayed open a crack. Though the rest of her had disappeared from sight, I could see the edges of her fingers blocked it from shutting entirely.
She waited a beat before letting the door click shut. I realized that it’d been another ploy. She’d hoped that, by dismissing me, I would call out and volunteer to speak. It had been a power play, her attempt at reminding me that I was trapped here.
I’d not been swayed by her attempt to call my bluff. But it did reinforce my distrust of her. Everything she did was calculated, intended to manipulate. Even though I didn’t know what the goal of these hunters was, their suspicious behavior was enough to show me I wanted no part of it.
Alone once again in my cage, I wondered how Claire had gotten involved with these people. I didn’t understand all the humans’ ways, but these people seemed so sneaky. Claire was so honest and forthright. Had she been fooled by them, unable to see through their act?
If Claire didn’t understand how bad they could be, that worried me for her. I hoped that wherever she was, she was okay. She was a human, after all, and seemed to be part of their team, or tribe, or whatever this was. Surely, they’d look out for her, wouldn’t they?
But everything that I had seen so far filled me with misgivings. These people were untrustworthy. I hoped that Claire knew not to put too much of her faith in them.
Obviously, I didn’t like their treatment of me. I didn’t like this room, or this forced imprisonment. But I wasn’t particularly surprised by it. I knew that I could handle it. I’d been through worse.
And I was an alien on their planet. A stranger to them.
I just had a bad feeling they might not be any kinder to their own.
Chapter Eleven
Claire
“How did you get this bruise?” Dr. Evans asked as she gestured to a spot on my neck.
“Bruise?” I repeated, putting my hand where she pointed. Then I flushed as it all clicked. I had a hickey. Athos had given me a hickey.
Luckily, the tea that Athos had made for me did come with super-healing properties. The bruise had probably already faded enough to be unrecognizable.
“When the hunt went south, I ran. And I accidentally fell down a log chute. It didn’t end so well.”
Dr. Evan’s eyes went wide. I studied her expression, trying to decide if she was buying it. But she didn’t look skeptical at all, merely surprised.
“You’re lucky you didn’t break any bones,” she mused. “You’re sure everything feels okay?”
“Yes. Really, I’m fine.”
“Well, let me just go down my list then. It’s standard procedure,” she said.
All of this would be put into a report, limiting my ability to come back and accuse IMRA later of not taking care of my injuries. Of course, I had no plans on doing that, since I had no injuries or complaints. Still, it was all just part of the routine.
Dr. Evans attached a pulse oximeter to my finger. While she waited for the reading, she asked, “Did you eat anything after you became separated from your team?”
“Yes. He gave me food.”
She narrowed her eyes, looking suspicious. “What kind of food?” On her paper, she recorded the oximeter reading, and pulled the instrument off.
Instinctively, I knew that I needed to downplay my connection with Athos. Everyone here thought that he was a monster, without knowing him at all. They couldn’t imagine something as simple as us even sharing a snack.
I shrugged. “Human food. He survived by growing vegetables.”
She raised her eyebrows. Then she made a little scoffing noise and shook her head.