“The hearing,” she said. “I want to tell the judge what happened.”
“You don’t have to,” Ariston said. “We can handle it.”
“I know,” Elo said. “I want to. So it never happens to another kid.”
He looked at his eight-year-old daughter and saw a strength in her he’d never seen in himself.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Sky squeezed her hand.
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
The day of the hearing, the courtroom felt enormous—high ceilings, dark wood, the faint echo of footsteps on polished floors. Dorian Vale sat at one table with his lawyers, cool and smug. Ariston sat at another with his lawyer, one hand resting on Elo’s shoulder. Sky sat directly behind her.
The judge entered, and everyone stood.
“This is a hearing to determine whether Project Seraphim violated ethical research standards,” the judge said. “Mr. Vale, you may present your case.”
Ariston’s lawyer rose.