Chapter 108

The boat rushed down the river, cutting through the silence like a blade.

Brielle’s face was wet with tears and smoke. Damian held the steering with one hand and kept the other on her back, steadying her as the current pushed them farther away from the cabin, from the explosion, from Zade.

We should go back, she cried. What if he’s still alive?

Damian didn’t look at her. He couldn’t.

If we go back, we die too.

You don’t know that.

I know Zade. And I know the kind of man who’d rather die protecting someone than let the enemy win.

The trees flew past on either side. The water slapped against the sides of the boat. The world blurred, but Brielle’s thoughts were sharp, fast, cutting.

What if they follow us? she whispered.

They will, Damian said. That’s why we don’t stop. We keep moving.

To where?

To the one person who might have answers.

Brielle turned to him.

Who?

Damian’s eyes stayed on the river.

My mother’s sister. She was a whistleblower once. She vanished after my mom died. I think she went underground. Changed her name.

She’ll help us?

If she’s still alive.

Hours passed. The sky turned from smoky blue to pale grey.

They drifted into a quieter part of the forest, where the river thinned.

Damian guided the boat to a hidden dock, then helped Brielle out. She was cold, exhausted, but still burning from everything they’d learned.

As they stepped into the woods, Brielle looked at him.

Why didn’t you tell me about her before?

Because I didn’t think she mattered.

And now?

Now I think she might be the only one left who knows what this drive really means.

They hiked through dense trees, through mud and branches and silence.

Eventually, they reached a dirt road. A motorcycle was buried under a tarp near a tree.

You stashed that here?

Always have a backup, Damian said.

They rode for hours, wind cutting across their faces, until they reached a small rundown town tucked between mountains.

Damian parked the bike near a gas station and pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket.

She used to send me letters, he said, when I was a kid. No return address. Just this symbol.

He pointed to the corner of the page.

Brielle recognized it. It matched the one branded into the tree back at the shack.

They asked a few questions, moved through side streets and alleyways until an old woman with sharp eyes and a shotgun led them to a bookstore at the edge of town.

Tell her the stars don’t sleep, the woman said. That’s the password.

They found the store empty, dusty, stacks of books and a bell that didn’t ring when Brielle pushed the door.

She stepped inside slowly, Damian close behind.

The stars don’t sleep, she said loudly.

The shelves shifted.

A panel opened behind a wall of old novels.

A tall woman with short silver hair stepped out. Her eyes scanned them both in one sweep.

Damian?

Hello, Aunt Lira.

She hugged him like she hadn’t seen him in a hundred years.

And then looked at Brielle with something close to recognition.

You must be the girl.

Brielle didn’t answer.

You’ve been marked since birth, Lira said softly.

What do you mean?

Lira led them to the back room, where maps, newspaper clippings, and red-thread boards covered the walls.

They sat.

She poured them water and finally said,

You were born in a lab, funded by secret government money. The people involved thought they could build the next generation of humans. Smarter. Stronger. But less emotional.

Brielle blinked.

Why me?

Because your parents were brilliant. And too poor to fight back.

They gave you up thinking it was a hospital program. That you’d get treatment.

Then what?

They were killed when they tried to pull you out.

Brielle’s hands shook.

So who raised me?

A paid actor. A woman hired to play mother until you were old enough to not ask questions.

She died right before the memory suppressant chip was supposed to activate.

Memory chip?

Lira nodded. They put one in every subject. But yours never activated. That’s why you still feel. That’s why you still question.

And Damian?

He was part of it too. His mother tried to destroy the records when she found out. She died in a fire that was no accident.

Brielle turned to Damian. His eyes were wet but he didn’t cry.

I always wondered why my memories hurt, he said quietly.

Lira stood and walked to the back. She returned with a black binder.

Everything I know is in here. But you have to be careful. The more you uncover, the more dangerous it gets.

Suddenly the door to the shop blew open.

Lira pulled them behind the counter just as bullets sprayed across the shelves.

They found us, Brielle gasped.

And this time they’re not here to warn us, Lira said grimly.

They’re here to kill.