CHAPTER 17: STEP FATHER'S SHADOW
1134 Words
SELENE POV
Selene ran.
Her legs moved fast. Too fast. Like the floor was pushing her.
Guards. Three halls away. Coming closer.
Her heart beat loud. 120… 130… 140.
She ducked into a side hall. Cold air hit her face. The blue marks by her ears burned gray again. Hot.
“Stop,” a guard shouted far behind her. “Halt! This is Starfall security!”
She didn’t stop. She ran harder.
Her chest hurt. Not from running. From fear.
The DNA wasn’t gone. It was inside her. Living. Growing fast.
Boots. Left hall. Then right hall. They were splitting up.
One guard said, “Check the vents.” Another said, “Check the stairs.”
Selene looked up. Air vent above her. Small. Dark. Old metal.
She jumped. Pulled herself up. Arms shook. The blue blood in her felt hot. Strong.
Inside the vent. Dust in her nose. Dark all around. She stopped breathing.
Listened.
Boots below her. Stopped right under the vent.
“Nothing here,” one guard said. “She ran the other way. Check floor 2.”
They left. Footsteps got small. Then gone.
Selene stayed still. 10 seconds. 20 seconds. 30 seconds.
Her heart slowed. 140… 120… 100.
Then she heard it. A new sound. Soft. Not boots. Not guards.
`Selene.`
The voice in her blood. From her head.
She clenched her teeth. “Not now,” she whispered. “Not now.”
She crawled forward in the vent. Metal creaked under her knees. Dust got in her hair.
Far below, a door opened. Prof. Kade’s office.
Kade’s voice, angry: “You risked your job for her. 3 days restriction. Was that worth it?”
Dr. Vant didn’t answer. He never did when he was protecting her.
Then another voice came from a small screen on the wall. News voice. Business channel. Too loud for 2 AM.
“Business news: Richard Thorne bids for Starfall Facility contracts tonight. Meeting set for 48 hours. Mr Thorne says ‘Starfall Facility is the future of science. I want in.’”
Selene froze in the vent.
Stepfather.
Richard Thorne.
His photo flashed on screen. Big smile. Cold eyes. Suit too sharp. The man behind her brothers accident but kept it a secret, her mother knew about it, but chose to turn a blind eye.
He knows Starfall Facility. Everyone does. It’s public. Big building. Labs. Offices. Contracts. News talks about it all the time. But why is he showing interest now.
He doesn’t know what’s under it.
He doesn’t know about the Sanctuary. The hidden level.
He doesn’t know about the Academy. The secret school for people like her.
He doesn’t know Selene is down there right now, hiding in a vent.
To the world, Starfall = a science company. Clean. Legal. Rich.
To her, Starfall = a lie with a secret heart.
“Contracts,” Selene whispered. Her hands shook. Dust fell. “He funds science. Did he fund the leopard project raid.”
The blue marks by her ears burned hotter. She heard more. Her new hearing caught every word.
A reporter asked, “Sir, why bid Starfall Facility contracts?”
Richard Thorne smiled at the camera. “My daughter is a gifted scientist that believes in a better future, Starfall Facility builds the future. I want to build it with them.”
Selene pressed her hand to her mouth so no sound came out.
He dares to use her as an excuse
" daughter" she scoffed. When has he ever treated her like. one. He wants the Facility. The public part. The part everyone can see.
He has no idea there’s a Sanctuary under it. No idea there’s an Academy for special people. No idea his stepdaughter is one of them.
If he found out… if the world found out… the Academy would be exposed. People would panic. Governments would come. Labs would come.
The voice in her blood whispered again: `Selene.`
She clenched her teeth harder till her jaw hurt. “No,” she whispered in the dark vent. “You’re not the key. You’re the door. Doors choose.”
She chose quiet.
She didn’t answer the voice.
She crawled back in the vent. Slow. Quiet. Away from the office. Away from the news. Away from him.
In. Out. In. Out.
Her breath was the only sound she let in. Her first real choice since the accident.
The Facility can be public. The Sanctuary must stay hidden.
Richard can bid for the building above. He can never know what’s under it.
---
VANT POV
Prof. Kade’s office. Lights too bright.
Kade threw a tablet on the desk. News still playing. Richard Thorne’s face frozen on screen. “Starfall Facility is the future.”
“You saw this?” Kade asked.
Dr. Vant stood still. Hands at his sides. “Yes.”
“Her stepfather,” Kade said. “He knows Starfall Facility. He bids contracts there. That’s public. Legal but why now."
Dr. Vant watched the screen for 1 second. Then looked away. “Obviously, this is Nolans doing, he wants Selene, he knows about her identity about the DNA. He wants to use Mr Thorne as bait. Let him have the Facility. The building. The offices. The contracts.”
Kade pointed at the floor. “He doesn’t know about the Sanctuary. He doesn’t know about the Academy. It's only a matter of time before he knows.”
Dr. Vant nodded once. “Then we make sure he doesn't find out. The Academy is a secret and it stays that way. If the world learns about special people… if Mr Thorne learns Selene is here…”
Kade finished the sentence: “They’ll panic. Governments will come. Labs will come.”
Dr. Vant’s watch beeped once. No words. Just a location ping. Selenes location above.
Vent system. Floor 3. Section B. Sanctuary level. Under the public Facility.
He didn’t move. “She’s safe,” he said. Voice flat. “She understands the rule.”
Kade sighed. “ She told her family she’s on a work trip with you. Mr Thorne thinks Starfall Facility is just business.”
Nolan isn't working alone. That explains how he found me so quick. Now I can't let him find Selene."
Dr. Vant met Kade’s eyes. Gray and steady. Like steel.
“If Mr Thorne comes for Facility contracts, fine,” he said soft. “But if he comes for Selene… if he comes for the Academy… he goes through me first.”
Kade nodded once. “Then we keep the line.No one outside this room knows what’s under Starfall.”
Dr. Vant didn’t answer. He just stared at the black screen.
Starfall Facility can be known to the world.
Starfall Sanctuary must stay hidden from the world.
The secret stayed buried. For now.
- Writer
