The words hung in the air longer than they should have.
Something your father never told you.
Emily's fingers tightened slightly on her lap.
Her heartbeat slowed, then picked up again, unsure whether to prepare for fear or confusion.
The mayor studied her carefully, as though weighing how much truth she could handle.
Alan remained silent beside him.
Too silent.
That alone unsettled her more than anything else.
Emily forced a small breath.
"My father?" she repeated slowly. "What about him?"
The mayor leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes drifting for a moment as if searching through old memories.
"Your father," he began, "was not just an ordinary man."
Emily didn't respond. She just watched him.
"He worked closely with people in authority. Important matters. Sensitive matters."
His voice lowered slightly.
"And there were things he was involved in... things most people were never meant to know about."
Emily frowned faintly.
"Sir... I don't understand."
The mayor nodded as if expecting that answer.
"That's because your father never wanted you involved in any of it."
The room went quiet again.
Emily glanced at Alan briefly.
He still wasn't speaking.
Still avoiding her eyes.
That alone made her chest tighten.
The mayor exhaled slowly.
"There is something that has existed for a very long time in this city," he continued.
"A group."
Emily's attention sharpened slightly.
The mayor's expression darkened.
"Not a public organization. Not something written in newspapers. Something hidden. Passed through generations."
He paused.
Then said the name carefully.
"The Veins of Lanta."
The name settled in the room like dust.
Emily repeated it softly in her mind.
Veins of Lanta.
It didn't sound familiar.
But it didn't sound normal either.
"What is it?" she asked.
The mayor's gaze hardened.
"A protection circle. Originally formed by humans who believed the world was becoming unsafe. They believed there were forces that should never be allowed to rise again."
Emily stayed quiet, listening.
"They were not politicians," he continued. "Not soldiers either. Just ordinary humans who decided that some dangers must be controlled before they grow too strong."
His hands folded tighter.
"Over time, it became more organized. More secret. And more... selective."
Emily felt a strange chill crawl up her spine.
"Selective?" she echoed.
The mayor nodded once.
"They do not act openly. They watch. They observe. And when they believe something threatens the balance of this world..."
He stopped for a moment.
Alan shifted slightly in his seat.
Emily noticed.
"...they remove it," the mayor finished.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Emily swallowed slowly.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked carefully.
The mayor looked at her longer this time.
As if the answer should already be obvious.
"Because your father was one of them."
That sentence hit differently.
Emily blinked once.
Twice.
Then frowned slightly.
"My father?" she repeated again, softer this time.
The mayor nodded.
"He was deeply involved in the early structure of the Veins of Lanta. Not just a member... someone trusted."
Emily felt her thoughts slow.
It didn't make sense.
Her father had always been... simple.
Kind.
Normal.
At least to her.
The mayor watched her reaction closely.
"He never told you because he left that life behind before you were old enough to understand it," he said.
"But people like him... they never truly leave."
Alan finally spoke for the first time.
"Sir..."
The mayor raised a hand slightly, stopping him.
Emily turned to Alan immediately.
"Did you know about this?" she asked quietly.
Alan hesitated.
That hesitation answered more than words could.
Emily's chest tightened.
"Alan."
He looked at her now.
And for the first time, he didn't have that easy confidence in his eyes.
"I only knew parts," he said carefully. "Not everything."
Emily stared at him for a moment longer, then slowly turned back to the mayor.
The room felt colder now.
"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked.
The mayor exhaled.
"Because things have started changing again."
Emily's fingers curled slightly.
"Changing how?"
The mayor's expression darkened.
"There have been incidents. Unexplained deaths. Missing people. Strange patterns that don't align with normal crime."
He leaned forward slightly.
"And your name keeps appearing around certain... unusual events."
Emily stiffened.
"My name?"
The mayor nodded.
"Not as a suspect. As a connection."
That made no sense to her.
"I don't understand what that means."
The mayor studied her again.
"As I said... your father was involved in dangerous knowledge. And sometimes, knowledge doesn't stay buried just because the person who carried it is gone."
A long pause followed.
Emily felt her mind trying to connect pieces that refused to fit.
Alan finally spoke again, quieter this time.
"Emily... there's something we've been monitoring for a while now."
Her eyes shifted to him.
"What kind of something?"
Alan hesitated.
Then the mayor answered instead.
"Something we believe is resurfacing in Atlanta."
Emily's throat tightened slightly.
"And we believe it is not human."
The words landed carefully.
Not rushed.
Not dramatic.
Just... final.
Emily didn't speak.
She couldn't immediately process it.
The mayor watched her reaction.
"We didn't call you here to frighten you," he said more gently now.
"But you deserve to know why your father's past is suddenly becoming important again."
Emily looked down for a moment.
Then slowly back up.
Her voice was quiet.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
The mayor held her gaze.
"Awareness."
A pause.
"And caution."
Silence followed again.
Heavy in a different way this time.
Not confusing anymore.
Just unsettling.
Emily slowly leaned back in her chair.
For the first time since entering the room...
She felt like nothing in her life had ever really been normal.
Not even her father.
Not even her memories.
The mayor finally stood.
"This is not something you need to solve today," he said.
"But you cannot ignore it anymore."
Alan stood as well.
Emily remained seated for a moment longer.
Then slowly followed.
As they walked out of the office, the hallway felt longer than before.
Heavier.
And somewhere deep inside her chest...
Emily felt it.
Her life had just shifted again.
And this time, she wasn't sure she was ready for what came next.