Chapter 122
Elara's POV
I closed my bedroom door and leaned against it. My legs felt weak.
Mom's voice was still echoing in my head. She wore this little yellow dress. She loved that dress.
Three years old. Lynette was three years old when she vanished.
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out with shaking hands.
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE - WARREN
Council approved your mission request. Equipment support and cover story established. No additional agents. School will cooperate - official story is "elite exchange program." Confirm receipt.
I stared at the screen. My thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Thank god. I'd already told Mom and Dad a version of the truth, betting everything that Warren would approve the real mission.
This was real. I was actually doing this.
I typed back quickly: Confirmed. When do I leave?
The reply came instantly: Passport expedited. Will send details.
I sat on my bed and looked around my room. The pink diary was still hidden in my drawer. The photos of the original Elara with Blythe. The life she'd lived in this body before I took over.
Before My soul pushed into this Omega shell.
I was going to find her. My original body. With my sister's soul trapped inside.
Being hunted by Wild Hunt.
---
The next three days blurred together.
Warren's people worked fast. My passport arrived by courier on day two. Plain brown envelope. No return address.
I packed light. One duffel bag. Clothes that could handle cold weather. The bare minimum.
Mom kept asking questions. "How long will you be gone?" "Will you have phone service?" "Are you sure the school approved this?"
I lied every time. Smiled. Promised I'd be safe.
Ethan watched me pack with his arms crossed. He didn't say anything but his eyes tracked every movement.
"You're really going," he said finally.
"Yeah."
"To find Lynette."
I zipped the bag closed. "I promised."
He nodded once and left my room without another word.
---
The morning I left, everyone stood outside.
The sun was just coming up. Cold air bit at my face. I could see my breath.
Mom's eyes were already red. She grabbed my hand tight enough to hurt.
"Finding her is important," she said. Her voice cracked. "But you're important too. Your safety matters more than anything."
"I'll be careful."
Dad stepped forward. Put his hand on my shoulder. Heavy. Warm.
"Trust your judgment," he said quietly. "But remember - home is always here. No matter what."
I looked at him. Really looked at him.
He knew. Somehow he knew this wasn't just a school trip.
The way he was looking at me... like he could see something that didn't belong in a seventeen-year-old girl's eyes.
"I'll come back," I said.
"See that you do."
I picked up my bag and turned toward the car Warren had sent.
Then I saw it.
Kael's house. Right next door. All the windows were dark. Curtains drawn.
My steps slowed.
I hadn't seen him since that night. Since the... since we...
My face got hot just thinking about it.
He'd tried to talk to me after. Caught me outside my home. But I'd panicked. Said something stupid about it being a mistake.
The look on his face...
And then he'd said that weird thing about "switching favors" and I still didn't know what he meant.
We'd been avoiding each other ever since. Couldn't even make eye contact in the hallway.
Should I tell him I'm leaving?
But what would I even say? "Hey, going to Canada to find my original body, which my sister's soul is now trapped in?"
Yeah. That would go great.
I shook my head and got in the car.
As we pulled away, I looked back one more time.
The Harrington house stayed dark and silent.
---
The drive to the airport took two hours.
I kept pulling out my phone. Putting it back. Pulling it out again.
Cole was driving. He didn't say anything but I saw him glance at me in the rearview mirror.
"Problem?" he asked.
"No."
"You've checked your phone fourteen times."
I put it away. "I'm fine."
We drove in silence for another twenty minutes.
My phone felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.
This was stupid. Why did I care?
Kael and I weren't... we weren't anything. One night didn't mean—
I pulled out my phone again.
Opened messages.
Stared at Kael's name.
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard.
I'm going to Canada.
Delete.
I have to leave town for a while.
Delete.
There's something I need to do.
Delete.
"We're here," Cole said.
I looked up. Vancouver International Airport. Huge glass windows. People everywhere.
"Right." I shoved my phone back in my pocket.
We parked and grabbed our bags. Cole led me through the terminal to the check-in counter.
Everything felt surreal. Like I was watching myself from outside my body.
"Boarding starts in forty-five minutes," Cole said. "Gate C-12."
I nodded.
We found seats in the waiting area. I sat down and immediately pulled out my phone again.
Cole raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
I opened a new message to Kael.
Just... something simple. So he wouldn't worry.
If he even cared.
My fingers moved before I could overthink it.
I'm going to Canada for a while.
Delete the last part. Too casual.
I'm going to Canada for a while. Something important.
Still not right.
I'm going to Canada. Have to take care of something.
Ugh. That sounded cold.
The boarding announcement crackled over the speakers. "Flight 237 to Whitehorse, now boarding all passengers."
My heart jumped. Last chance.
I typed fast: I'm going to Canada for a while. Have to take care of something important. —Elara
Sent it before I could delete it again.
Then I stared at my phone in horror.
That was so... abrupt. Cold. Like I didn't care at all.
I started typing again. It's not that I don't want to tell you more, I just—
"Elara." Cole stood up. "We need to board."
I looked at the message. Half-finished. Pathetic.
Deleted it.
Turned off my phone and shoved it deep in my bag.
"Yeah. Let's go."
---
After a few hours on the plane.
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Mom's face. Heard her broken voice talking about Lynette's yellow dress.
When we finally landed in Whitehorse, my whole body ached.
Cole grabbed our bags and led me through the small airport. Way smaller than Vancouver. Felt more like a bus station.
Outside, the air was freezing. I could see mountains in the distance. Everything looked wild. Untamed.
This was the Yukon. Northern Canada.
Lynette's territory. Or... it used to be.
"Car's this way," Cole said.
We walked to the parking lot. He'd rented a black SUV. Unmarked. No plates that would draw attention.
I threw my bag in the back and climbed into the passenger seat.
Cole started the engine and pulled out a map. Actual paper map. Not GPS.
"My intelligence network confirmed a sighting two weeks ago. Woman matching Lynette's description. In a town called North Creek." he said flatly.
Irony tasted bitter. I'd used Jack's fake lead to lie to Mom, and now Cole's real intel was sending me to the exact same country. At least I wouldn't have to keep track of two different locations.
I looked out the window at the endless wilderness.
Somewhere out there, my sister was trapped in my old body. Running from Wild Hunt.
"Let's go," I said.
Cole folded the map and put the SUV in gear.
We pulled out of the parking lot and headed north.
I watched the landscape change outside my window. Cities gave way to forests. Forests gave way to tundra.
The sky was so big here. Endless.
I'm coming, I thought. Hold on just a little longer.
The road stretched out ahead of us. Empty. Desolate.
I leaned my head against the cold window and closed my eyes.
I'm coming, Lynette. I promise.