The Sisters of Truth

Sensitivity Warning - Mild Sexual Violence Mentioned

Edward Hale sat across from Detective Verena Jones in the cold, sterile interrogation room, his posture too casual, too calm for a man in his situation. His fingers tapped lightly against the metal table, a small, measured beat that gave away more than his steady voice ever could. His eyes, though polite and attentive, showed frustration. Verena knew he wasn’t the type to break easily. She could feel the tension between his words and carefully chosen pauses.

Verena shifted slightly in her seat, her hand briefly grazing the pendant hanging just below her collarbone. The pendant felt heavier today, a reminder that the truth was hers to uncover, but only if she could ask the right questions. Like her sisters, she inherited the necklace from her grandmother.

Verena couldn’t figure out how the pendant worked, but it had special properties. If Verena asked a question to a person, they would be compelled to answer the question. But it had its limitations—the truth would only spill if it was pulled out the exactly right way. Verena must ask the questions very specifically.

Hale, however, was good at sidestepping vague questions. Verena was a seasoned detective who could dance around questions getting people to give just enough specific information for her to pounce on the truth. But Hale’s answers skirted the line of truth, offering up just enough to seem cooperative without really giving her what she needed.

Her mind raced as she watched his every move. She adjusted the chain around her neck, feeling the familiar pulse of energy from the pendant. Her questions needed to be perfect.

Across town, the hospital buzzed with the usual low hum of beeping machines and muffled voices. The antiseptic smell hung thick in the air as Seren sat by Rachel Porter’s bedside. Rachel's body, frail and trembling, was a landscape of bruises and scrapes. The real damage, though, was in her mind. Fear clawed at her, tangled with her fractured memories. She wasn’t trying to be difficult, but her trauma was a wall Seren struggled to breach.

Seren’s pendant, a quiet thing compared to Verena’s, glowed faintly as it worked, pulling Rachel’s pain into her. Seren could pull physical and emotional pain from the recipient, but she felt every bit of it as she did. She had to be careful—easing too much pain at once would overwhelm them both. But Rachel’s trauma slowly dulled, her mind quieting enough to let fragments of memory surface.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Seren asked softly, her voice steady despite the toll her own body was taking from the absorption. Every breath felt heavier now, her muscles aching with the weight of Rachel’s suffering. But she had to keep going. Rachel was the key to stopping Hale.

Almost hidden in the shadows, Thalia leaned back against the wall, her eyes closed as she focused on the connection between her sisters flowing through her pendant. The strain of keeping the telepathic channel open between them was starting to take its toll. The flood of emotions from Seren’s pain and Rachel’s fear filtered through her mind like static, and it was hard to keep it all sorted. She pressed her fingers against her temples, fighting the creeping headache that threatened to break her concentration.

Seren’s voice echoed faintly through the sister’s minds. Verena immediately asked Hale, “The red barn what happened there?”

Hale’s gaze flickered for just a second, the smallest crack in his polished veneer. It was enough. She had him on the hook, but she needed more. She needed the whole truth, not just pieces.

“Tell me about the farm,” Verena pressed, as she got more information from her sisters.

Hale hesitated, his hand tightening into a fist on the table. Verena’s heart raced. She could feel the truth inching closer, but it wasn’t enough yet. She needed to push harder.

Down the hall, Seren leaned in closer to Rachel, her voice softer now. “You’re safe here, Rachel. I know it’s hard, but you can remember. You have to remember. Your mind is trying to block out what happened, but I need for you to remember for a little longer.”

Rachel’s breath hitched, and her eyes fluttered shut. A flicker of recognition crossed her face, but it was fleeting, gone before Seren could grasp it. Seren fought to stay focused, but the strain was catching up to her. She felt the edges of her own consciousness flicker, the pain and fear she’d absorbed threatening to pull her under.

“I see a mountain out the window,” Rachel’s trembling voice whispered.

Seren clung to the thread of memory as she sent the image to Thalia, hoping it would be enough to give Verena what she needed.

Thalia, her headache pounding in her skull, passed the image along.

In the interrogation room, Verena caught the shift in Hale’s posture the moment Thalia sent her the image. It was like a spark had ignited. She could see the guilt creeping in, the panic Hale was fighting to suppress. He knew what she was asking about now.

“The red barn near the mountains, Hale. You’ve been there. Tell me what you know.”

His calm facade crumbled for a moment. Verena seized the moment.

“Come on, Hale,” she said, her voice low and steady. “You’re cornered. You know that. We already have enough to take you down. It’s just a matter of making this easy for yourself.”

Down the hall, Seren could feel the anxiety surging back into Rachel, creeping in like fog. It was clouding her mind again, undoing the calm Seren had worked so hard to build. Rachel’s body stiffened, her hand clutching at the hospital sheets as the memory slipped away. The fragile thread Seren had been holding onto was breaking, and she had to fight to pull it back.

Seren squeezed Rachel’s hand a little tighter, her voice soft but urgent. “You’re safe. You got out. No one can hurt you here. You can tell me what happened. You remember inside the barn, don’t you?”

Rachel’s breath hitched, her eyes darting around the room, fear taking hold again. “I… I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I can’t remember. I don’t want to remember.”

Seren felt the pain surge through her, like a wave crashing over both of them. Her muscles tensed, and she fought to keep herself steady, to keep absorbing it. But it was too much. Rachel was hurting too deeply, and it was pulling Seren down with her.

Thalia, seated in the room down the hall, felt Seren’s pain spike through the telepathic link, and she winced, her hand coming up to her temple. The emotional overload was growing worse.

In the interrogation room, Verena was running out of time. Hale shifted in his seat, his fingers still drumming. She saw the crack in his demeanor widen, just enough to know he was starting to feel trapped.

She adjusted her necklace again, feeling its weight like an anchor. The power was there, simmering beneath her skin, but the price for each use was getting heavier. She needed to ask the right question. If she pushed too hard, too fast, he’d shut down. Too soft, and he’d slip out of her grasp.

“What were you doing at the red barn by the mountain, Hale?” she asked, her voice sharper now.

He stared at her, his jaw tightening, eyes narrowing just slightly. There it was. The mention of the mountain

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” defensiveness in his voice.

Verena leaned forward, her hands resting on the table. “You were there. Rachel Porter remembers seeing you. She told us everything.”

The lie slipped from her lips without hesitation, and she watched the reaction hit him. His face paled just a bit, a flash of uncertainty crossing his features before he regained control.

“I wasn’t there,” he said, but the words were less certain now.

Behind her eyes, Thalia’s mental voice whispered, shaky from the strain. He’s lying. He knows the place. Have to get more information.

“The women, Hale,” Verena pressed on, her voice quiet but heavy with accusation. “You know what happened to them. You were there. You orchestrated this. You can’t run from it now.”

Hale’s jaw clenched again, and Verena could see the sweat starting to form on his brow. His fingers stopped tapping, his hands curling into fists on the table.

Back in the hospital, Seren leaned in closer to Rachel, her hand still resting on her arm, pulling in every bit of Rachel’s pain. She was losing strength, her breath shallow now.

“You saw him,” Seren said softly to Rachel. “You know who he is. He can’t hurt you anymore. You escaped.”

Rachel blinked, her eyes wide and unfocused, but something in her shifted. The walls she had built in her mind cracked just a little, and for the first time, a flicker of recognition passed through her eyes.

“The women…” Rachel's voice was distant. “There were ten other women.”

Seren’s heart pounded as she relayed the information to Thalia. She could feel the strain in Thalia’s mind as the telepathic connection wavered, but the message got through.

In the interrogation room, Verena straightened, her eyes locked on Hale.

“The red barn behind the mountain,” Verena said slowly, “Twenty women are there.”

His face gave him away. The final crack in his armor. His face reddened as the words spit out of his mouth. “We never had that...”

Verena didn’t take her eyes off Hale. His hands were still now, no more tapping, no more posturing. He had slipped, something small, but in this game, small cracks could topple empires.

She leaned in, her voice lowering but sharper, more focused. “You’ve been there. You know exactly what’s happening at that farm. Who’s there. Who’s running it.”

Hale’s composure was crumbling. His confidence, which had filled the room like a wall earlier, was starting to collapse inward. He shifted in his seat, his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he repeated, but the conviction was gone. It was defensive now, weak.

Verena pressed harder, using what little telepathic feedback Thalia could still manage. “The women you took, Hale. The ones you’re hiding. What are you doing to them?”

Hale’s breathing hitched, and he leaned back in his chair, as if trying to create space between them, but there was nowhere for him to go. His eyes darkened, and a flicker of something close to rage crossed his face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but I do,” Verena shot back, her voice colder now. “Rachel told us. She told us about you. And soon, she’ll tell us about the others.”

Hale’s face twitched, the muscles in his neck tightening as his fists balled up on the table. He was slipping—she could see it. The pendant pulsed lightly against her skin, its power subtly dragging the truth closer, but she needed to be precise. The toll was mounting; she could feel her own mental strength ebbing with each carefully worded question, but the moment was too close to stop now.

“Please,” Seren whispered to Rachel, her voice barely more than a breath. “You’re almost there, Rachel. The others… what were they doing to them?”

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, and Seren felt the surge of panic rise in her again, the overwhelming fear that had buried the memories so deep. Rachel sobbed as she told Seren the horrific details.

I’ve got it, Seren sent weakly to Thalia, her thoughts barely a whisper. Thalia, feeling the strain of both her sisters’ pain, bit down on the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to keep the connection open. Her headache throbbed violently, every pulse like a hammer inside her skull, but she pushed through the noise. Verena needed this information—now.

In the interrogation room, Verena shifted slightly as Thalia’s weak mental push reached her. As she absorbed the information her body wanted to vomit, but she still her mind, separating herself from the horrors.

“The women,” Verena said, her voice cutting through the silence in the room like a blade. “You were breeding them and farming the babies out?”

Hale’s fists clenched tighter, “Yes.”

“Who else were you working with?”

“There are no others,” he said, but the words were hollow now.

Verena leaned in as more information coursed through her mind. “You dad and your own son?” Verena asked using as much judgment and accusation as she could muster.

Hale's face paled and he looked as if he were going to pass out.

Verena exhaled sharply, her chest tight with the strain of the interrogation. The necklace felt like a weight pressing against her skin, the cost of each confession burning through her. But she wasn’t done yet.

“And the red barn next to the mountain where you exploited these women to sell their children,” she pushed. “Where is it?”

Hale’s mouth twitched, his eyes dark and filled with rage. He knew he had given away too much. The pendant’s power compelled him now, pulling the truth out despite his resistance.

“It’s… on Miller Road,” he said, his words coming through clenched teeth. “Behind the mountains, in the valley. But you’ll never find it.”

Verena’s pulse quickened. That was it. The location. It was all they needed. She had him.

“Where exactly on Miller Road is this red barn?”

Hale’s face struggled as he resisted, though the words flew regardless. “2056 North Miller Road.”

She slumped back in her chair, her body drained from the effort, her fingers brushing the pendant that had done its job, though at a heavy price. Verena didn’t need to push anymore. They had him.

We’ve got it, she sent to Thalia.

Her body felt heavy, like she’d run a marathon, but the small spark of victory kept her upright, even as the adrenaline began to fade. The necklace had done its work, pulling the truth from Hale, but she was spent. Every inch of her ached with the cost.

Verena didn’t even need to say anything as she stood up and left the room, the faint sound of her footsteps the only noise in the suffocating silence of the interrogation room as the uniformed officer placed the handcuffs on Hale.

Thalia sat with her back against the wall, eyes closed, her breath coming in ragged, shallow pulls. The throbbing in her head had become unbearable now, her entire body tense with the strain of keeping the link open as long as she had.

It’s done, Verena’s faint thought echoed through Thalia’s mind, the relief washing over her like cool water. We have the location.

Thalia let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, her body sagging against the wall as she released her mental grip on the telepathic bond. The moment she let go, her headache surged, a sharp, stabbing pain that pulsed behind her eyes. But it didn’t matter now. They had what they needed. They could save the others.

In the hospital room, Seren slumped forward in her chair, her hand still resting lightly on Rachel’s arm. Rachel blinked slowly, her breath shallow but steady. She wasn’t trembling anymore, the worst of her panic finally ebbing away. Her eyes fluttered open, and for the first time since they had started, she looked at Seren with clarity.

“Is… is it over?” Rachel whispered, her voice barely audible.

Seren nodded weakly, her hand slipping away from Rachel’s arm. “It’s over. We got him.”

Rachel let out a shaky breath, her eyes filling with tears, but this time they weren’t tears of fear. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Seren gave a small, tired smile but said nothing, her body too exhausted to do much more than sit there, her mind teetering on the edge of collapse. She could feel Thalia’s mental presence fade, the telepathic bond finally releasing, and for a moment, the silence in her mind was almost overwhelming. But she welcomed it. The quiet was a relief.

A nurse entered the room, moving to check on Rachel, and Seren closed her eyes, leaning back in the chair. She needed rest. They all did.

Verena walked into the hospital room a few minutes later, her face pale but resolved. She glanced at Thalia, slumped in the chair but still alert, and gave a brief nod. It was done. They had everything they needed to take down Hale’s operation.

Verena moved quietly to stand by Seren’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We got him,” she said softly. “It’s over.”

Seren didn’t open her eyes, but her lips twitched into a faint smile. “Good,” she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Seren, fingers pressed to her temple,  gave her sisters a weary smile, her voice tired but warm. “We need to take a week off after this one.”

Verena smirked, despite herself. “At least a week.”

Rachel, lying still in the hospital bed, whispered one final "thank you" to Seren before drifting off into a peaceful sleep. The room felt lighter, the worst of the fear and trauma lifted.

Verena gave one last glance to her sisters, her hand resting on her pendant for a brief second before letting it fall. “Let’s go home.”