Mag-log inAurora pulled into the driveway just as the sky began to dim, the last stretch of daylight thinning into evening. The engine cut off, and for a moment she stayed where she was, hands resting on the steering wheel, listening to the quiet hum of the house ahead of her.In the back seat, both children were fast asleep.Jaxon’s head had tilted forward slightly, lashes resting against his cheeks, his small fingers still curled loosely around the strap of his seatbelt. Elara was slumped toward the window, her mouth parted in sleep, one sock halfway off her foot.Aurora smiled softly.For a few hours, the world had been simple. No lies. No pretending. No watching every word and expression for cracks. Just laughter, sugar-sticky fingers, tired legs, and children who had no idea how fragile things really were.She stepped out of the car quietly and opened the back door.“I’ll take Jaxon,” she murmured to herself, more out of instinct than necessity.She reached in carefully, sliding one arm un
Lilith stepped out of the car and straightened her dress.The building stood tall ahead of her, glass and steel, sharp and imposing. It didn’t need a sign. Everything about it spoke of money, power, and influence. This wasn’t a place that welcomed brilliance unless it came with the right name.She barely took three steps toward the entrance before the glass doors slid open.A man in a pristine lab coat was already waiting.He was tall, silver-haired, posture military-straight, with the unmistakable air of someone used to being important. His smile was practiced, wide, eager…too eager.“Dr. Lilith Moretti,” he said, stepping forward as if greeting royalty. “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”Lilith paused.She hadn’t introduced herself yet.“I’m Professor Adrian Holloway,” he continued quickly, extending his hand. “Senior Head Scientist of the Steele Advanced Research Division.”Steele.There it was.She shook his hand briefly. His grip tightened just a fraction longer than necessary.
The ride to the lab began without a word, the driver pulling smoothly out of the Steele mansion’s long driveway and onto the open road.The chauffeur pulled smoothly out of the Steele mansion and onto the main road, expression unreadable in the rearview mirror. Lilith sat in the back seat, arms folded, eyes forward, phone buzzing relentlessly against her thigh.Billy’s name flashed on the screen again.She didn’t answer, she couldn't.Not with a stranger in the car at least.Not with Xavier’s spy so close to overhearing everything.Not yet.The driver kept his gaze respectful and forward, but Lilith could feel the occasional flick in his eyes, a quick glance to see if she was rattled, nervous, or simply dangerous.Which meant the driver was watching her, just not acknowledging it.Either that or she was just plain paranoid. Lilith peered out the window instead, jaw tightening and stomach coiling with unease.This call wasn’t going away.The phones buzzed again. Then again. Each buzz I
“You look ridiculous,” Aurora said, laughing before she could stop herself.“Ha ha, very funny,” Bobby answered from inside the enormous pelican head, the muffled tone somehow both gruff and fond. He shifted, the costume making a soft susurration of plush and stuffing. “You said I should disguise myself,” he reminded her, voice flat with offense.“I didn’t say come here looking like a clown,” she said, still laughing. “What happened to wearing a hoodie?”Bobby made an exaggerated huff that was all muscle under fabric. “I clearly didn’t get the memo,” he said. Then, with the small impatience of someone who gets on with what needs doing, he lowered his voice. “Enough theatre. Let’s get down to business.”Aurora’s smile softened, that was the tone she’d wanted. “What have you found on Lilith?” she asked, folding her coffee cup between her hands so her fingers could steady.Bobby sighed, and reminded her in the same practical cadence he used when giving orders. “Your twin sister used to b
Aurora clicked the last buckle into place and let out a breath that sounded like she was exhausted from everything.“Ready?” she asked, sliding into the passenger seat and turning to look back at them.“Yes!” Elara shouted before either of them finished speaking, the word bright and too big for a child who’d been up half the night thinking of cotton candy.Jaxon said nothing.Elara glanced at him, then back at Aurora. “Mummy, are you upset with Jaxon?” she asked, very quietly, as if she worried the question might blow something fragile apart.Aurora’s smile came on like a promise she intended to keep. “Of course not,” she said. She turned in her seat and looked him in the face. “Look at me, Jaxon.”He looked up slowly, as if someone had called him back from the edge of something he didn’t understand.“I need you to listen to me,” Aurora said, keeping her voice soft and steady. “I am not, and I will never be, mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong. The people who did something wrong
Xavier remained standing in the dining room long after Aurora, Elara, and Jaxon had walked out through the front door. The echo of their departure lingered, chairs were slightly out of place, the faint scent of coffee still hanging in the air and the untouched cutlery in front of Lilith gleaming under the chandelier.Silence pressed down hard, thick and uncomfortable.Lilith was the first to break it.“I… I’m sorry,” she said softly.Xavier turned toward her. She was seated stiffly now, shoulders drawn in, fingers nervously twisting the edge of her sleeve. Her earlier composure was gone, replaced by something fragile, almost translucent. Her eyes shimmered, lashes damp, lips trembling as if she were holding herself together by sheer will.“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Lilith continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “I swear. I just wanted to… to be here. To exist. And somehow that’s always wrong.”Xavier sighed, rubbing his forehead. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, b







