Ruby bent over on the desk in the pack records room, her fingers moving swiftly on the keyboard.
The screen in front of her was the only light in the room where she sat. The pack's outdated system of keeping records was messy but full of authorization. She had by-passed most of them, one of the perks of working as an intern with a computer guru in her learning days.
She was looking for anything she could find on Chris.
Anything that would explain why he had been sneaking around her lab in the middle of the night. Why something felt wrong about him.
She had tried talking to him after catching him in the act of doing something, but he always found his way around her questions with his smooth lies and smiles.
That only made her suspicious of him.
But after two hours of scrolling through messy reports, and logs shift. She had nothing on him. He was clean on the system.
Too clean.
"No red flags. No strange movements," she whispered to herself, her brows coming together. "Even the council has little secrets. But Chris? Nothing?"
She fell back in the chair and crossed her arms.
Her mind told her something was wrong and Ruby had learned a long time ago to trust her guts.
Still, without any proof, accusing him without evidence was just pointless.
But she knew one thing for sure.
Chris was hiding something.
And she would find out what.
Meanwhile, across the compound, the girls had found a temporary place to stay while their mom worked.
Ruby had felt it brought no harm for the girls to be around the compound. That way they are under her watch and safe. And if anything she could wave off the questions.
Gold skipped happily on the walkway, spinning a string of fresh lavender she had collected from the garden. Silver followed behind her, slowly, cautiously, her hands locked behind her back, quietly watching the path as it went around the whole compound.
They had gotten good at sneaking out of the little place in the compound... too good.
Ruby was too busy with research, and the guards barely paid attention to two kids who didn't look like a threat to anyone.
Today, they found themselves inside one of the side homes used by staff who worked for the Alpha....drawn to the place by music.
Inside, seated near the open window with a guitar placed on his knee, was a boy.
No, not a boy ... a young man. Maybe nineteen or twenty.
He stopped playing when he noticed the girls standing at his door.
Gold blinked in honesty. "Is that.... Real music?"
Silver hit Gold with her elbow. "Don't be rude."
The young man laughed at them. "It's real. Are you two lost?"
Gold raises her shoulder. "Sort of. We're just exploring around here."
He placed his guitar down. "You're not from here, are you?"
Silver tilted her head slightly. "Is it that obvious to everyone?"
He smiled. "I don't get many visitors. Especially not small ones with mouths like yours."
Gold out on a wide smile. "I'm Gold. This is my twin sister, Silver." She said pointing to silver.
"Pretty names," he said, returning Gold's smile "I'm Indigo."
Gold almost scuffed. "Like the color?"
"Exactly like the color," he replied with a smile.
Silver looked at him for a moment. "Are you a servant here?"
"Kind of," he said with a smile "I help where I'm needed. I mostly run errands and do boring stuff."
Gold walked inside the house and fell on the cushion. "You play the guitar well."
"Thanks," he said, feeling excited. "It's how I feel peace. It helps clear my head."
They talked casually for several minutes, and whatever tension that was around them faded and died. Indigo was a calm, kind, and honest kid.
He offered them sweetened tea and even let Gold play a few notes on his guitar, laughing with her when she missed the cord.
Little did they know that Indigo was a hybrid.
Or he was a key to the cure.
And neither did he.
Back at the main building, Han walked the hallway with a distracted thought in his mind. He was supposed to be looking at a proposal for the borders, but his mind wasn't focused. It was on something else.
On Ruby.
Her sharp words. Her tired eyes. The way she felt under his arms that evening.
And to the strange girls he had been seeing around the compound. Twice now.
He turned a corner and stopped immediately.
There they were.
The two girls ...sitting on a bench near the courtyard fountain, sipping from their little cups and laughing over something one of them had drawn on the ground.
Han stared at them, confusion on his face. There was something about them. Something familiar.
The younger one ...Silver …..looked up and saw him and her laughter stopped.
Gold turned too.
Han walked toward them slowly and cautiously so as not to scare them.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice calm. "You two lost?"
Gold shook her head. "No. We're just waiting for someone."
"Your mother?" he asked, his brows furrowing in expectation.
They nodded.
Han tilted his head. "What's your name?"
"Gold," she said proudly standing up from the bench.
"And I'm Silver," the other said, her voice calmer and she still remained seated
His brows raised. "Gold and Silver?"
Before he could say more, a voice came from behind him. Loud and sharp.
"Girls!"
Han turned.
Ruby.
She walked out and within an instant she put herself between him and the children like she was their shield.
She was.
"They weren't causing any trouble," Han said quickly.
Ruby didn't answer him right away. She turned and knelt down and checked both of the girls ....then stood and turned.
"Please excuse us." Ruby said with respect she didn't mean at all.
Han didn't say anything or refused.
He just watched them walk away. The twin following their mother closely behind.