The Forbidden Trilogy (The Forbidden Trilogy #1-3)

His voice hovered on the brink of a scream. "I'm asking the questions here, not you. Who is her outside contact? She must have one. Tell me now!"

Lucy grumbled in frustration. He had to actually answer a question for her lie-detecting para-power to work. Either he knew that and avoided giving her what she needed, or he was just a pain in the ass naturally. She suspected both. "You can yell at me all you want, Mr. Black. I can't tell you what I don't know. Would you rather I make something up just to get you off my back?"

Behind her, a door opened and closed. Lucy turned.

The man who'd been sent to interrogate Luke stood with a creased brow, sweaty pits, and a frown that made Lucy fight back a laugh. It looked as though he'd had as much luck with her twin as Mr. Black had with her. Bummer.

The two men stormed out of the room, taking copious amounts of testosterone with them.

Lucy leaned back with a tight smile and twirled her long dark ponytail around her fingers. She stared at the blank wall in front of her, unsurprised when Luke walked through it.

"That was fun!" His grin, so boyish and sweet, reminded her of their childhood, when they still had hope for a better future. Luke switched to their made-up secret language. "Oh cheer up, Sis. I'm sure Sam is fine. She'll contact us when she can. She just needs to rest a bit."

"I know. I just miss her like crazy. I miss her pale little face haunting the halls!"

Luke's head perked up like a puppy. "They're coming. Catch you on the flip side, Sis." He faded back into the wall, leaving Lucy alone in the stale room.

Mr. Black and his sidekick came back in, looking even meaner than they had before.

He growled at her with the face of a bulldog. "You and your brother have been less than helpful, but we have to let you go. However, know this: if you are hiding anything, it won't end well for either of you. Got it?"

Lucy stood and gave a mock salute. "Yes, Sir. Permission to return to my dorm, Sir."

Mr. Black balled his fists and looked about ready to swing.

Lucy knew she should feel fear, but couldn't muster it. Her world seemed more like a dream than reality. How could she be scared of a dream?

Before it could get ugly, Sidekick not-too-roughly ushered her out of the room.

Luke waited in the hall. The tasteful Tudor-style furniture of the office building had been cleared out shortly after Sam and Drake had escaped a month ago, replaced by a tacky military-like set-up to house the new grunts: metal desks and filing cabinets that lacked any class, footlockers for supplies, and wire cages that held weapons under lock and key. It looked like an old G.I. Joe board game had thrown up on their campus—grown men turned into war-playing boys.

There had been guards at the entrance before, but nothing so overt as now. They'd infiltrated her school like swarms of annoying ants, crawling all over the once pristine grounds and replacing the guards she'd trusted—even Old Charlie. He’d been like a grandfather, if her grandfather had been Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan rolled into one. It sucked.

Lucy ran her hand over the chrome desks as they walked out, thinking back to the rich mahogany wood that had once sat there. Why take out all the nice furniture? The grunts could've at least pretended to fit in.

She had a theory that they needed this set-up to convince themselves they were real men doing a real job. Because holding guns on a school full of kids and teenagers is so brave.

A guard let them out of the building, and bright sunlight blinded her. Two hours of interrogations was two hours too long.

Luke slung his arm over her shoulders. "You hungry?"

"Starved!"

They walked the winding paths to The Hub, a place that had once, not so long ago, been festive and fun. Despite the onslaught of ugly from their new "guests," the cobbled walking paths and perfectly manicured lawns, shrubs and trees refused to give up all of their Oxford-like charm. The cold season had sent its calling card early this year, in light dustings of snow, and the campus looked like a winter wonderland.

Lucy and Sam had loved this season. The campus came alive with lighted Christmas trees, choirs singing and festive decorations that lined walkways.

Lucy didn't think this year would be very jolly.

All the shops in The Hub remained open for business, but with armed guards lining the cobbled sidewalks, it didn't attract as many students as it once had. Still, they needed food, and the cafeteria had closed about halfway into their little chat with the Men in Black.

A bell jingled as they walked into Café Amour—an ironic name given the campus's very un-loving environment—and took a seat by the window. As busy as they'd been with classes and getting used to the change of regime, they hadn't been to the café since before the 'invasion.' It was nice to return to something semi-normal.

They sat at their usual table in the corner. The café boasted a French theme, with black and white photos of the Eiffel Tower lining the coffee colored walls.