Page 300 of Scarbound

“He did.” Noeul corrected himself. “I think he did.” He looked toward Dr. Kim. “But then his face changed.”

“How?”

“He scowled.” Noeul’s mouth tightened. “And he said, ‘Noeul? What are you doing here?’”

Dr. Kim nodded. “What did you tell him?”

“That I wanted to see how he was doing.” Noeul gave another humorless laugh. “Stupid question.”

“Why?”

“Because obviously he wasn’t doing well.”

“That doesn’t make the question stupid.”

Noeul shrugged. “He laughed at me.”

“What kind of laugh?”

“Bitter.” Noeul looked back toward the memory. “He said, ‘Fantastic. Living my best life in the Land of the Mad.’”

Dr. Kim’s expression didn’t change.

“I told him it wasn’t the Land of the Mad. That it was a clinic. That they were trying to help him.”

“What happened?”

“He got angry.” Noeul’s shoulders tightened. “He said, ‘Help me? How? By locking me away from everyone? By taking me away from you?’”

Dr. Kim noticed the change in his breathing. “And then?”

“He blamed me.” His voice dropped. “He said I hadn’t fought for him.” Noeul looked down. “That I just let them take him.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Like I’d betrayed him.”

“Did you believe him?”

Noeul hesitated. “At the time?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Then, after a pause, “Yes.”

Dr. Kim waited.

Noeul sighed. “I knew why he was there.”

“Why?”

“Because we couldn’t manage him anymore.” His jaw tightened at the word. “He was dangerous.”

“To whom?”

Noeul went very still. “To himself.” A pause. “To other people.”

Dr. Kim didn’t ask him to name them. Noeul continued anyway. “To me.” The word came quietly.