All Chapters of My Family Died, Then Came Home: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My hand froze halfway through wiping away my tears. Cold sweat broke out across my back.I knew that voice better than anyone.It was Dad.I forced down my fear and slowly turned toward the window.Instead of the nightmare I had been expecting, I found Mom and Dad outside in raincoats, looking as kind and affectionate as ever.But deep in their eyes, I caught a faint, unnatural flash of blue.The news had just reported that my parents were dead, yet there they were outside my window, alive and asking me to let them in.None of it made sense. They were supposed to be...Dad seemed to notice my hesitation and said gently, "The family on the news wasn't us. We took shelter in a cave when the landslide hit, and it kept us safe."Mom stood beside him with my brother, Max Blair, in her arms. All three of them looked exhausted."Open the door, Adam. Max is burning up."The concern on her face looked completely genuine. Max's eyes were squeezed shut, his brow creased with pain, and

I forced a smile and tried to sound casual. "Gabriel just called. His girlfriend's threatening to break up with him, and he wants me to grab a few drinks with him."Even as I spoke, my teeth wouldn't stop chattering.They stood there staring at me, neither of them saying a word. As the silence stretched on, I began to wonder if I would make it out of that hallway alive.Then "Mom" finally spoke. "Go ahead. Just make sure you're home early."Her lips pulled into a cold, mechanical smile.I froze.Were they really going to let me leave that easily?I didn't have time to question it. All that mattered was getting out alive.The next second, I bolted out of the entertainment center. I was running so fast, even an Olympic sprinter would've struggled to catch me.I hadn't made it far when I nearly collided with Gabriel coming the other way.The moment he saw the panic on my face, concern flooded his expression. "Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?"I shook my head, struggli

I jerked my head up and scanned the store for anything suspicious.Nothing seemed out of place.How did they know I tried to find out who they were?Those few words made it feel as though they could see straight into my mind.[Who are you?] I typed, forcing myself to ignore my fear.Several minutes passed before they replied.[Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is whether you want to know the truth.]Before I could respond, another message appeared.[Harbor Café. Tomorrow at ten. I'll give you the answers you're looking for.]After that, they ignored every message I sent.I spent the entire night wide awake, sick with anxiety.At exactly 10 a.m. the next day, I arrived at the café. I had no idea how long I had been waiting when I noticed a young man standing near the entrance.He was wearing the exact same hoodie and baseball cap as me. Even the mud stains around the edges of his shoes matched mine.I was staring at another version of myself.He tilted his head and smi

I took the glass and deliberately raised my voice. "Can't you talk to Evan and convince him to let me go? Aren't we supposed to be best friends?"Gabriel played along, rolling his eyes. "Who do you think I am? I'm just being paid to do a job. Don't make this harder than it has to be."As he spoke, he leaned down to straighten the bedding and slipped something small under my pillow.A key card.My heart jumped, but I kept my expression neutral. "Then can you at least get me moved to another room? There's nothing to do in here. I'm going crazy!"Gabriel straightened and let out an impatient sigh. "Fine. I'll ask, but don't get your hopes up."He turned and left.The moment the hidden door closed, I pulled the key card from beneath the pillow. It was a plain access card with no markings.I didn't make a move right away.Evan was clearly no ordinary person. Anyone capable of building an entire underground lab and creating nearly perfect clones had to have extensive security in pla

Dad looked at me, his eyes red. "Had we kept Evan at home, it was only a matter of time before he seriously hurt you. Sending him to a residential treatment center was the hardest decision we ever made. We weren't trying to get rid of him. We wanted him to get the help he needed, and we had to keep you safe." Mom could barely speak through her sobs. "But then, the facility fell apart. It became so badly mismanaged that we lost all contact with him. We searched for years but never found him. Eventually, we convinced ourselves that someone had taken him in and that he was living a normal life somewhere. I never imagined he'd end up like this."It sounded too unbelievable to be true.But looking at the devastation on my parents' faces, I knew they weren't lying.I forced myself to ask, "How did he survive on his own all these years?"Dad shook his head. "We don't know. We searched for him for ten years and never found a trace. Then the center shut down, and all its records disap