جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 105

CHAPTER 101NOVA'S POVThe video ends, and not even one person dares to take the phone from my hand. I am sure that if one person even does that, then I would have bit their hands off. The screen fades to black, reflecting five stunned faces back at us. It should be over. But my thumb finds the replay button before I even realize I am moving.The footage starts playing again, and Children's laughter carries through old speakers, warped by time but somehow untouched by sorrow.There I am, barefoot and grinning. It looks nothing less than me trying to gain all the attention. Lyra barrels into me from the side, sending us tumbling into the grass while someone behind the camera laughs so hard the image shakes.Then...the third child steps into frame.Too far away, and too blurred. The camera follows them for barely two seconds before they turn.The recording cuts to blank. I play it again and again. By the fifth replay, I am not watching the video anymore. I am listening.“There,” I say

CHAPTER 103KILLIAN'S POVI blink my eyes on the darkness, with my hands stretched out in front of me as I try to figure out where the fuck I am even headed. Nothing makes sense at that point. I am already calling out for everyone, when the generator suddenly coughs back to life. I can't ignore the relief that floods my veins. It is hard enough for my knees to buckle. Lights flicker once, before finally steadying itself. The safehouse is covered in warm yellow light again, as though nothing has happened.There are no shattered windows or doors. To be honest, that is the one thing that I am looking for, the second I sit down. "Cassian," Jason calls from the hallway, "The generator room is clear.""I've checked the eastern entrance," another guard shouts. "No signs of anyone.""The roof's secure!" Another person calls out, making my hands ball into fists at my side. I frown.It doesn't make sense. Power failures happen. But with the way our life has been going, I am not willing to be

CHAPTER 105CASSIAN'S POV"Brother."No one has said another word for nearly five minutes.The memory room, once filled with arguments and desperate theories, has fallen into a silence so complete that even breathing sounds intrusive. It lingers in every corner of the room, refusing to fade.Killina has walked in while the whole thing is happening, and his lips are pressed into a grim line. Jason is the first to speak, though even his voice lacks its usual certainty. "Children say strange things." He sighs. "I know how that sounded."Killian stands with his back to the room, staring out the narrow window toward the forest. His shoulders are rigid, his hands clasped behind him so tightly that his knuckles have turned white."I wasn't her brother," he says quietly. His voice is almost certain, but nobody has accused him. "I didn't even meet Nova until after..." He stops himself, swallowing the rest of the sentence. "It wasn't me."There is something about the way he stands. It is wron