Chapter Thirty Four: Shadows in Motion
724 Words
Writer’s POV
The moment Lennox’s footsteps faded into the night, the silence in the greenhouse became unbearable — thick and electric, like the world was holding its breath.
Neither of them moved at first.
Mila’s pulse hammered in her ears; Xavier’s grip on her wrist stayed firm until he realized it.
He let go, exhaling a shaky laugh.
“Well,” he said under his breath, “that just made things worse.”
Mila’s POV
She straightened slowly, brushing the dirt from her dress.
“We can’t just let him walk off with that disk,” she said. “You saw what was written on it.”
Xavier looked at her — the defiance in her eyes, the tremor in her hands.
“Are you seriously thinking of following him?”
“Do you have a better idea?” she shot back.
He didn’t.
And that scared him.
*****
They slipped out the back entrance, moving quickly across the empty field behind the gym. The night air was sharp, the lamps dim and flickering.
Lennox’s dark coat was just visible ahead, cutting across the courtyard toward the east building.
Xavier’s POV
He kept low, matching her pace. Every instinct screamed bad idea, but something about Mila — her focus, her quiet fury — made him follow anyway.
Lennox reached a side door near the admin wing and punched in a code on a keypad. The lock clicked. He disappeared inside.
Mila’s whisper was barely audible. “Did you see that code?”
“Part of it,” he murmured. “3…7…something.”
She frowned. “That’s not a school code. That’s a restricted access pattern.”
“Which means,” he said grimly, “we’re right about this place.”
*****
They waited until the corridor light flickered off before sneaking closer.
The keypad still glowed faintly red. Xavier examined it — sleek, new, nothing like the rest of the building’s outdated tech.
“You’re not thinking of—” Mila began.
But he already was.
“Yeah. Breaking in.”
He pulled a thin metal pick from his pocket — a trick from his less-than-perfect past — and started working the latch.
“Why am I not surprised you know how to do that?” she muttered.
He smirked. “It’s a gift.”
After a few tense seconds — click.
The door slid open.
They exchanged one glance — wordless, reckless, united — and stepped inside.
*****
Writer’s POV
The hallway beyond was cold, sterile, and far too quiet for a school.
Rows of old computers lined the walls, their monitors dark.
And then — a single screen flickered to life at the far end, casting a ghostly blue glow.
On it, a login prompt pulsed:
Project Access Required — E.D.N. Authorization
Mila’s breath caught.
“E.D.N.,” she whispered.
Xavier frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Because deep down, part of her already knew what those letters might stand for.
Before either of them could move, a low beep echoed behind them — the keypad resetting.
Xavier turned. “Mila—someone’s coming.”
They ducked behind a desk just as the door opened.
Footsteps again. Two sets this time.
Lennox — and someone else.
The second voice was low, calm, and chillingly familiar.
“Make sure no trace remains,” it said.
“The students must not connect this to Project Mnemosyne. Not yet.”
Mila froze.
That voice.
Her father.
*****
Mila’s POV
It felt like the world collapsed inward.
Her vision blurred, her lungs forgot how to breathe.
She wanted to move, to run, but her body refused.
Dad?
Xavier saw the look on her face — confusion, disbelief, heartbreak all colliding at once.
He didn’t ask. He didn’t have to.
He just grabbed her hand and whispered, “We need to go. Now.”
*****
They slipped out through the emergency exit, hearts racing, the night closing in around them.
By the time they reached the empty street beyond the school gates, Mila’s mind was still spinning.
Her father.
Lennox.
The disk.
Project Mnemosyne.
And that screen — E.D.N.
Xavier broke the silence first.
“Mila… what’s wrong?”
She looked at him, eyes wide and hollow.
“My father,” she said quietly.
“He’s one of them.”
- Writer
