Rain still poured as dawn broke over the charred clock tower. The school grounds were
silent. Police tape fluttered across the courtyard, but no one had seen Ayla and Elian slip
away before sunrise.
They hid in the old greenhouse behind the gym. The glass panes were cracked and
overgrown with vines, but it was quiet and out of sight.
Elian sat on the bench, his arm wrapped in a torn shirt to stop the bleeding. His skin was
pale, his eyes tired.
Ayla knelt in front of him, holding the flash drive. "Lara's message said she's alive."
He nodded slowly. "She survived the fall. Someone must've pulled her out."
Ayla swallowed. "Who would help her?"
"The same people who built Project Nova," he said.
She stared at the flash drive, her voice shaking. "Elian, I need the truth. No more half-
answers. Who am I?"
He looked at her for a long time, his expression torn between guilt and something
deeper. "You were part of an experiment. A group of students whose memories were
wiped after the fire. They tested behavioral conditioning, memory rewriting, gene
therapy. You were the only one who survived."
Her breath caught. "So everything I remember—the past, my parents—"
"They're false," he said softly. "Implanted memories. They wanted to see if they could
replace trauma with normalcy."
Her stomach twisted. "You knew?"
"I found out years later. After the fire. I thought keeping it from you would protect you."
She stood, pacing. "Protect me from what? From my own life?"
"I didn't want you to break."
She turned on him. "Too late."He dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry."
Tears burned her eyes, but she forced her voice steady. "You said I started the fire.
Why?"
"You wanted to stop them," he said. "You thought if the files burned, no one else would
suffer. But you didn't know Lara's brother was still inside."
Ayla pressed her hand to her mouth. "I killed him."
"You didn't mean to."
"That doesn't change what happened."
Elian stood slowly. "You were a child, Ayla. They used you. They used both of us."
She shook her head, backing away. "And now Lara wants to finish what she started."
He stepped closer. "Then we stop her. Together."
Her eyes met his. "Why do you still care after everything I did?"
He took a breath. "Because I remember who you were before the fire. You were brave.
You stood up for people when no one else did. You saved me once."
Her chest tightened. "When?"
He gave a small, pained smile. "You don't remember, do you?"
"Tell me."
He hesitated, then said quietly, "The night the fire started. The lab was collapsing. I was
trapped. You went back for me when everyone else ran."
Her throat closed. "I thought you hated me."
"I tried to," he said. "But I couldn't."
Silence fell between them, heavy and real. The rain outside slowed to a drizzle.
She stepped closer, reaching out. Her hand trembled as she touched his cheek. "Youshould've let me burn that night."
His eyes softened. "Then who would be here to save me now?"
For a moment, the air between them felt still, suspended between guilt and something
more dangerous—something alive.
She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "If we do this, there's no going back."
He nodded. "We never had a choice."
Their lips met. It wasn't gentle. It was desperate, raw, like both of them were trying to
erase the past through each other.
When they finally pulled apart, she said, "We need to know who's behind Project Nova."
He gestured toward the flash drive. "The last name on that list. That's where it ends."
She opened the file. The screen flickered, and a name appeared.
Dr. Helena Vale.
Ayla froze. "The headmistress."
Elian's voice went low. "She's been running the project this whole time."
Before they could say more, a sound came from outside—the crunch of footsteps on
gravel.
Elian grabbed her hand. "We're not alone."
A beam of light swept across the greenhouse. A man's voice called out, "Ayla Monroe.
Step outside."
She recognized the voice instantly. The fake security guard from the courtyard.
Her heart raced. "They found us."
Elian whispered, "Run to the east gate. I'll hold them off."
"No," she said, gripping his arm. "We stay together."He met her eyes. "Then stay low."
Glass shattered as a bullet cracked through the greenhouse wall. They ducked, crawling
behind the metal benches.
"Give us the drive!" the man shouted.
Elian cursed under his breath. "They're not leaving without it."
Ayla's pulse pounded. She held the flash drive tight. "Then we make sure they don't get
it."
She yanked the laptop cord from the wall, sparks flying. "Help me."
Elian understood instantly. He used a broken shard to pry open the heater panel.
Together, they connected the wire to the exposed power grid.
When the men stepped inside, Ayla threw the laptop into the puddle at their feet.
A sharp burst of light filled the room.
The men dropped instantly, electricity tearing through the water.
Smoke filled the air. The glass walls glowed faintly from the current.
Elian coughed, eyes wide. "You could've killed yourself."
She stood slowly. "I didn't."
He gave a weak smile. "You're getting good at this."
She didn't smile back. Her hands still shook. "They'll keep coming until we end it."
He nodded. "Then we go after Vale."
Cliffhanger: Ayla looked down at one of the burned men. His radio crackled, and a voice
came through.
"Target secured. Bring them to the lab."
She froze. "Lab?"The voice continued, calm and clear.
"Phase two begins tonight."