When someone dies mysteriously during a Psych experiment, Rhiannon becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy that includes both the survivors and the killer.
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Short on cash, Rhiannon...
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CHAPTER SEVEN
EXTINCTION
( — in conditioning, the weakening of a conditioned association in the absence of a reinforcer or unconditioned stimulus. )
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THE WAIT IS TORTURING.
All Rhiannon wants at the moment is to get this interview over with, wishing she hadn't even accepted to come here in the first place, but Beatrice seems to have taken a particular liking to wasting her time. It leaves her awfully restless, watching the woman pace around the room to close the windows, turn on the heater and brew a cup of coffee for herself.
No one ever acknowledges the massive elephant in the room and Rhiannon knows just how smart this woman is; she didn't become the Dean of Psychology through a mere coincidence or by sheer luck, much like she hasn't gotten to where she is right now by sitting back and pretending to not notice what's going on around her.
Beatrice Northrop is successful because she fought for it—she fought for her rights and for her titles, for her experiments and for her department. If that doesn't make her a true inspiration, then Rhiannon has no idea what does. They belong to two completely different worlds, though you can always find a halfway point (it's no secret to anyone Psychology and Neurosciences can be intimately connected, but Social Psychology still has a long way ahead of it), but there's something there.
Unfortunately, the thread that connects Rhiannon and Beatrice is thin and it goes by the name of Connor Duncan, which is certainly not strong enough to make Rhiannon want to sit here in silence for much longer. If anything, thinking about him merely makes her skin crawl, with icy stalagmites threatening to rip through her skin from the inside out.
"We're not just trying to interview potential participants here, you know," Beatrice begins, and Rhiannon jumps on her seat when her voice resonates in the silent office. Before that, the only sounds inside the room were the faint buzzing of the heating system and the soft roaring of the tiny coffee machine, set on one of the corners. "Professor McCall and I are also trying to get to know our students, especially those we still haven't worked with. Do you take any Psychology courses?"
"Brain and Cognition," Rhiannon replies. "I'm more into . . . Neurosciences, and that was one of the only courses I could take that also brushed against Psychology. I guess." Beatrice nods, setting a Styrofoam cup in front of her. Steam rises in waves from the black liquid inside and Rhiannon holds it between her hands, feeling the heat seep through her palms. "Do you do this for all the students you interview? Bribe them with caffeine?"
