Page 10 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

Chadwick leaned forward, setting his mug on the table.

“Did you wake up the moment she fell, or when she hit the ground?”

“The moment she fell.”

Chadwick nodded thoughtfully. “During the dream, when you, let’s say,inhabitedher body, did you hear her thoughts, or were they your own?”

I hesitated, thinking carefully.

My darling Christopher didn’t understand. This was my destiny. I had to do this—to pleasehim.

I’d never known a Christopher. And there was no one in my life I felt the need to impress or please in such a way.

“I think they were fully her thoughts,” I said eventually. “In the dream, I was just the watcher. There was nothing I could do or think, just watching her from the inside. It’s… hard to explain.”

I gave him an apologetic look, unsure if my words made any sense.

But Chadwick shook his head. “No need to apologise. I understand what you mean.”

He stood and moved around the sofa, but I didn’t follow him with my eyes. My mind lingered on the dream, particularly the strange detail about the tree outside the balcony. How could I have known it had been there fifty years ago? My mother hadn’t even been born then.

There had to be an explanation. Maybe I’d noticed a tree stump without realising it, and my mind had reconstructed it in the dream.

Chadwick returned with a small bottle in hand, holding it out to me as he sat back down.

“You look exhausted, Dorothee,” he said kindly. “From what you’ve described, it’s possible your dreams are connected to your anxiety. The dream might have been a metaphor, a reflection of wanting to escape your current situation. These pills aren’t strong or harmful in any way. If you’d like to have a dreamless night, you can come to my office before curfew, and I’ll give you one. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to hand over the entire bottle. The rules are strict, and I can only hand them out as needed.”

I placed the bottle on the table, glancing at it briefly. When I was younger, I’d taken pills like these every night before bed. They worked, but I hated the grogginess that followed me through the next day. Even if I’d slept, I always felt restless.

I nodded, glancing at the clock on my wrist. Our session was over.

“If you ever feel like you don’t want to be anymore,” Chadwick said gently, his voice softening, “please, promise me you’ll talk to someone. It doesn’t have to be me, but tell someone you trust.”

I knew what he was referring to. I’d told him about a dream of a girl falling, though I’d kept the details vague enough to avoid raising too many red flags.

I swallowed hard, gathering my belongings before answering. “I will. Thank you for listening.”

Chadwick smiled as he walked me to the door. “Have a good day, Dorothee.”

CHAPTER SIX

DOROTHEE

When I arrivedat the cafeteria, the first thing I did was wait in line for lunch. Even though I felt nauseous due to my nervous system working overtime today, I knew that something in my stomach was better than nothing. Since the money my parents paid for me to stay at this place included catering, I didn’t have to pay for every single meal each new day.

I got a grilled cheese sandwich with salad and a glass of apple juice.

With my tray in hand, I looked around to see my roommate already waving at me. Her little group, or family, sat near the windows overlooking the maze behind the school. As interesting as this part of Aquila Hall looked, I was too afraid to step foot in the maze in fear I wouldn’t find a way out.

Walking over to them, I took a deep breath and told myself I could do it. What was I even afraid of? Apart from the fact that I’d been homeschooled for the past two years and had no social contact with people my age. Still, I wouldn’t let this anxious knot in my stomach get the best of me. After all, Maisie had invited me to sit with them.

“I recommend the honey mustard dressing for the salad next time. Our lunch lady, Betty, makes the best honey mustard sauce in Great Britain,” she told me cheerfully as I sat down next to her. The bench beside me was empty, which I considered myself lucky for.

“I will, thank you for the suggestion.” While Maisie seemed excited to see me, the others at the table had quietened down, and I could feel their eyes burning holes into me.

I assumed they already knew my name, so introducing myself seemed pointless.

“So, Dollie, why did your parents decide to pay fifty thousand quid each year just to get rid of you?” the guy I recognised as Jesse asked with a gentle smile, even though his words weren’t.

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