“I said I’d be brief,” my mom said, to effectively shut down the conversation.

Narwhal studied us, before pulling out her phone. She checked something. “Jessica, Mr.…”

“Darnall.”

“The Wardens will feel most comfortable working with Victoria Dallon if we can address the standing issues, the master–stranger effect and the pending review. We’d be comfortable letting her be involved in the current crisis if we can strike one of those things off the record. Do you think you could have a conversation with her?”

“We could,” Jessica said.

“Yes,” Wayne Darnall said.

The lingering memory of Jessica strangling Bonesaw made me feel like a whole other set of master–stranger protocols were needed.

Narwhal continued checking something on her phone, but her demeanor suggested she was still here with us, just doing something complimentary. She didn’t look up as she asked, “Victoria Dallon hasn’t discussed the Red Queen with you in any meaningful capacity?”

“No. We… don’t talk about her, when we can help it,” my mom said.

“You received healing from the Red Queen.”

“Partial. Yes.”

“Crystal Dallon? Have you been healed in recent memory?”

“Not by Amy.”

“Any concerns of memory manipulation, emotional manipulation, self-reports of unusual behavior?”

“No.”

“Good. Then are you comfortable corroborating and challenging your mother’s—sorry, your aunt’s accounts and advice on the topic?”

“Of Amy? Yes. I can work with her.”

“Then would you go to console two? Talk to the team, let us know how Mark Dallon is, verify if we can trust him, tell us what you can about the Red Queen?”

“Gladly, if it helps,” my mother said.

“Thank you,” Narwhal told her.

“Will Victoria be joining us?”

“As soon as she’s cleared,” Narwhal said.

“You good?” Crystal asked, touching my arm.

“I think so,” I said, even though I felt adrift in all of this.

Crystal gave my arm a squeeze. She and my mom left.

“We had three concerns about you,” Narwhal told me. Her eyes were piercing, unflinching. “Now we have two. If your therapists, past and present, can testify to your well-being, we’ll have no objection to your supervised involvement in this conflict.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said.

“I’m sorry about this,” Narwhal said, not really relaxing as she said it. “I’d rather do things strictly by the book in situations like this, than do otherwise and regret it.”

“Totally understandable,” I said. I wasn’t sure I’d have been able to say it like I did if my mom hadn’t spoken up on Vista’s behalf.

“As soon as she’s done, she can join the current situation,” Narwhal told my therapists. “Do you need anything?”

“No,” Jessica said.

“Alright. Thank you for coming. I appreciate it.”