“Find her father,” Dungar told Sel. “Tell him to meet us at the jailhouse.”
Sel nodded and left with Holly, the others dispersing as well.
“I wasn’t goingto hurt them,” Jamie said, sitting across from us in the sheriff’s office, her dad pacing the floor behind her. “I was studying them.”
Dungar sat beside me, facing the teenage girl.
“Studying them required breaking into private property and tampering with our security systems?” I kept my voice gentle despite the seriousness of the situation. Something about this girl’s defiant vulnerability reminded me of myself at that age. Back then, I’d been determined to prove myself and was desperate to be taken seriously.
“No one would let me near them otherwise.” Jamie’s voice cracked. “Dad just wanted the stupid tourist experience, but I saw what they really were. How special they are.”
“Your father didn’t know what you’ve been doing,” Dungar stated rather than asked.
“Of course I didn’t,” the older man growled, stoppinghis pacing to glare at the back of his daughter’s head. “Do you realize how this could ruin me, Jamie? Did it ever occur to you that they’d think I was involved? I head the innovation department at Sillavar Research.” His gaze sought mine. “I swear. I didn’t know.”
Head of innovation? We weren’t wrong to consider the research facility, then.
“Dad thinks I’m obsessed with them because they’re pretty,” Jamie said. “He doesn’t understand that they’re revolutionary.”
“In what way?” I leaned forward, actually curious.
Jamie’s eyes lit up as she launched into an explanation of the luminook’s bioluminescent properties, their complex communication patterns, and the potential applications of their genetic material.
“Their light production is chemical-free and generates almost no heat. Do you have any idea what that could mean for medical imaging? For sustainable lighting solutions? For treating diseases?”
“My little scientist,” her father said with a wry twist of his mouth. He was angry but pride came through in his voice. “Maybe it was a mistake to buy you that chemistry set when you were ten.”
Jamie shook her head. “I would’ve found one or begged the high school chemistry department to let me play around in the lab after school if you hadn’t.”
“This doesn’t excuse you, young lady,” her father said.
“Is that why you’ve been harvesting samples?” Becken asked.
“I needed enough data to prove my theories.” She looked up, meeting our eyes for the first time. “I’m presenting at the Young Scientists Competition next month. This could be my ticket to a scholarship.”
I studied her face, recognizing her desperation. “Jamie, why not just ask for permission to study them? Ruugar would probably have helped you.”
Something complicated flashed across her expression. “Adults never take teenagers seriously. They say they do, but they don’t. Not really.”
The hurt in her voice struck deep. “So you decided to handle this in your own way.”
“I had to.” Her chin lifted. “This research could change everything for me. I could get into any college program I wanted.”
I glanced at Dungar, whose dark eyes met mine in silent communication. We both recognized there was more to this story.
“Jamie,” I asked, “where’s your mom in all this?”
Her shoulders tensed. “Gone. Left when I was ten.” She tried to sound nonchalant but couldn’t quite manage it. “Dad works all the time. He’s trying, but…” She shrugged. “Science is the one thing that’s mine. The one thing I’m good at.”
This wasn’t just about research or scholarships. This was about a lonely girl trying to carve out an identity, to find meaning and purpose in a world where she felt overlooked.
“The luminooks are special to you,” I said.
Jamie nodded, her tough façade slipping. “They glowbrighter when I’m around. Like they recognize me. Even after I take samples, they still come to me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Nothing else has ever done that.”
My heart ached for her. I’d felt that same desperate longing to be seen, to be important to someone or something. It had driven me into forensic accounting, the satisfaction of untangling complex financial puzzles filling a void I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.
“Taking samples without permission is still wrong,” Dungar said, though his tone had softened considerably. “And dangerous for both you and the luminooks.”
