A Contract of Hearts

CHAPTER11

Cracks in an Empire

"Go."

I hear the word before I understand it. "What?" I ask.

He doesn't mention it again.

He is already on the move.

Fast.

Taking my wrist and pushing me away from the screens as the alarms get louder.

The room is full of flashing red lights.

The floor creates a buzzing noise.

"What's going on?" I ask, trying to keep up. "They've broken into the system," he replies. "Who?" "The people who took your sister."

My chest hurts. "Stop them then!"

"I'm trying."

At the end, we get to the door.

It opens before he touches it.

Like it knows him.

Or like it has been said before.

The hallway outside is a disaster.

People are rushing.

Voices that are too close to each other.

Security yelling into walkie-talkies.

The empire I saw on TV wasn't this peaceful.

This is a time of panic.

"Are they inside?" I inquire.Yes.

"How?" He doesn't answer.

That was quiet again.

I don't like it.

We walked quickly down the hall.

Sharp turns.

Glass doors.

Everything I see is wrong in some way.

Screens aren't working right.

Lights that flicker.

Guards going the opposite way.

"This place is falling apart," I say.

"No," Alexander says. "It's being opened."

I don't like what he says.

Started.

It feels like something that was locked is now coming out.

We stopped for the elevator.

Not the one I arrived with.

This one looks older.

Not seen.

He presses a button.

The doors open right away.

We go inside. "Where are we going?" I ask. "Down." "Again?"

He doesn't look at me. "That's where the truth is," I say.

The doors closed.

The elevator goes up.

Not fast.

Not smooth.

It makes a noise like it's creaking.

It looks like it hasn't been used in a while.

My heart is beating fast.

"Talk," I say. "I can't help Zara if I don't know what's going on."

He takes a slow breath.

Then, "Your mom worked for my family."

"I can't breathe." "What?" "She didn't just own a bookstore."

"That's not right."

"Yes, it is."

"No," I say, shaking my head. "She didn't say anything."

"She couldn't." "Why?" "Because she left."

The words hit hard. "Left what?" "My world."

The elevator shakes.

I grab the rail.

"What does that mean?" "It means she left something that no one else would have left."

My chest hurts.

"And you let her?" "I had no choice."

I can't help but laugh cruelly. "You always have a choice."

"Not in this system."

That term again.

System.

I truly don't like it.

I hate that it keeps coming back.

The elevator slows down.

After that, it stops.

The doors are unlocked.

We are met by the dark.

It's chilly.

A lot of weight.

We go.

The area is different now than it was before.

There isn't any glass.

No screens.

Just concrete.

And a lot of metal doors in a row.

They all had a number. "What is this place?" I say it softly. "Records," he says. "Of what?" "All of it."

I felt cold.

We walk along the line.

He walks steadily.

Not me.

He stops at one door.

17.

I have a tight feeling in my chest for no reason.

He enters a different code.

There is a noise coming from the door.

It opens.

Files inside.

Boxes.

Outdated.

Put it together.

Not seen.

He goes right to one.

Take it out.

Give it to me.

I don't know.

Then, let it out.

I can't breathe on the first page.

That's what people call me.

And not just that.

One more.

On the top, stamped.

AMARA VAUGHN "No," I responded softly. "That's not my name."

Alexander is observing me attentively. "It was supposed to be."

My hands are shaking.

"What do you mean?"

He gets closer.

"Your mother didn't just work for us," he explains. "She was in the inner circle."

My brain is spinning.

"That doesn't make sense." "It will."

I checked the file.

Photos.

Reports

Dates.

And then—

A picture of my mother.

Younger.

Standing next to a guy.

No, Alex.

Older.

More sharp.

Famous.

My stomach drops.Who is that?"Why?" I say.

Alexander's voice is suddenly softer. "My dad."

It looks like the room is smaller.

It's colder now.

"And you," I reply softly, "you knew her."

"Yes."

"How?" A pause.

Then, "She was going to marry him."

I can't breathe at all. "What?"

I can scarcely say the words. "That means—" "Yes," he answers.

He doesn't stop looking at me. "If things had gone differently, you wouldn't just be linked to this empire."

My heart races.

"You would be its heir."

The earth feels like it's moving under me. "This is crazy."

"It's the truth."

I take a step back.

Shaking. "No... no, there must be a mistake."

"There isn't."

I grip the file more tightly.

Then something comes out.

A smaller sheet of paper.

Folded.

Aged.

I take it.

Take your time and open it.

A handwritten note.

How my mom writes.

I know it right away.

My heart beats when I read the first line: "If you're reading this, Amara, it means they found you first."