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Chapter 7
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Four Against One Chapter 10
By the time I returned to the cafeteria, my food had gone cold.Dr. Warren was still sitting where I'd left him, watching me. "Is it taken care of?""Yeah." I sat down and picked up my fork again. "They won't be coming back."Dr. Warren took away my cold plate and replaced it with a fresh, steaming one. "Eat while it's hot. The road you've chosen is a long and lonely one. But as long as you remember what you're working toward, you won't lose your way."I stared at the steam rising from my food, and my eyes finally burned with tears.For the first time in eighteen years, something as simple as a hot meal made me want to cry, not because I was hurt, but because I'd finally found where I belonged.The scene outside the gate didn't last much longer. After security fired a warning shot, Dad, Mom, and Dylan finally left.I later heard that after they went home, Dylan still couldn't repay his debts, and one of his creditors broke his leg.Dad's health completely collapsed. He became b
Four Against One Chapter 9
I pulled on my heavy winter coat and followed the security officer toward the main gate.A tall security fence surrounded the facility, with a yellow restricted-area line beyond it. The wind whipped loose snow across the ground.From thirty feet away, I saw them.Dad was bundled in a thick down jacket, shivering from the cold.Mom's face was bright red from the wind, while Dylan hunched his shoulders and stamped his feet to keep warm.When they saw me, they froze.I was wearing an olive-green uniform, and I'd cut my hair short. Months of wind and sand had left my skin rougher than before.I was no longer the Lia Conley who kept her head down and wore her sister's hand-me-downs."Lia! Lia!" Mom was the first to recover. She rushed toward the fence, tears streaming down her face."I finally found you! How could you run off to a miserable place like this?" She was sobbing uncontrollably.I felt nothing."What are you doing here?" I stood inside the restricted area, my voice col
Four Against One Chapter 8
Dr. Warren paused, then smiled. "Good. You made the right choice."He patted me on the shoulder. "Go check the equipment in Sector D. You're running the controls today.""Yes, sir!" I tightened my grip on the shovel and strode toward the lab.The wind howled, and the snow came down hard, but I never once looked back....Just before Christmas, the biggest fight the Conley family had ever had erupted.Dylan's startup had completely collapsed. Not only had he failed to make any money, but he now owed his investors more than $30,000.Debt collectors started calling the house. Someone even spray-painted "pay what you owe" in red across the hallway wall outside their apartment.Dad's blood pressure spiked so badly that he ended up in the hospital.Mom sat beside his bed, wiping away tears while Tessa stood nearby, scrolling through her phone."Tessa, can you put your phone down for once?" Mom finally snapped. "Dylan's in this mess, your father's in the hospital, and you're not wor
Four Against One Chapter 7
Mom had no idea how she made it home.When she opened the door, Dad was sitting on the couch smoking, the living room hazy with cigarette smoke."Did you find her?" He didn't even turn around. His voice was edged with impatience.Mom said nothing. She walked woodenly over to the coffee table and set down the copy of the confirmation letter she'd gotten from Mr. Lewis."What's this?" Dad picked it up and skimmed the page. Ash fell onto his pants, but he didn't seem to notice."Northwest... classified federal research program?" He shot to his feet, his voice rising sharply. "How is that possible? How could she possibly qualify for something like this?"Tessa came out of her new "walk-in closet," holding a wrinkled dress. "Dad, Mom, what's going on? Did you find Lia? I need her to iron this dress.""Forget the damn dress! Your sister went to the Northwest. She's doing scientific research!" Mom suddenly exploded. She grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and hurled it to the floor.
Four Against One Chapter 6
The freshman check-in area at the local teachers college was packed with students and their families.Dylan and Mom stood in the middle of the crowd, drenched in sweat."Mom, are you sure Lia never checked in?" Dylan tugged irritably at his collar."I asked the academic advisor. They said no student named Lia Conley ever registered!" Mom's expression darkened.For the past three months, everything at home had been falling apart.Dylan's loan application was rejected due to discrepancies in the household information and insufficient collateral. He'd fallen behind on his office rent and been evicted by the landlord. Now he had no choice but to work from home.Tessa had gotten her wish and turned my old room into a walk-in closet.But she'd quickly discovered that no one woke up at six every morning to iron her dresses anymore. No one carried her packages up six flights of stairs for her.No one had Dad's drink prepared exactly the way he liked it before he even asked.They were
Four Against One Chapter 5
"What... what is this?" Dad shot to his feet, nearly dropping the documents in his hand.Mom heard him from the kitchen and hurried out. "What's wrong?"She leaned over for a look and went rigid. "She changed her address? Why would Lia change her permanent address? Where did she change it to?"Dylan swallowed. "I looked through the paperwork. The new address is listed as... some classified government facility in the Northwest.""A classified facility?" Dad's brow furrowed deeply. "She just graduated from high school. What would she be doing at a classified government facility?"Tessa came out of the bathroom wearing a face mask. "Oh, what are you all freaking out about? She's probably afraid we'll make her go to the teachers college, so she made up some excuse and ran away."She's probably working some factory job somewhere. A classified facility? Like they'd ever take her."Tessa's words seemed to calm Dad down. He gave a cold laugh. "Tessa's right. She's throwing a tantrum and
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