****Harper
The cold wind bit against my skin as I sat quietly in the dimly lit safe house. Luna sat beside me, arms crossed, eyes darting around like a wild animal trapped in a cage. I couldn't blame her. We were both exhausted—physically, emotionally, and mentally. Everything I'd been through felt like a storm I hadn't yet recovered from, and now here I was again, being dragged into another level of secrets.
Elias sat across from us, calmer than I remembered. He was sipping from a cup of tea, the steam rising lazily. It was surreal—this domestic scene after everything we had endured.
I broke the silence. "How's mom?"
He looked up at me, his lips thinning. "She's... not good. Her health is deteriorating, Harper. The doctor said she needs an emergency procedure—soon."
I swallowed. "Do we even have the money for that?"
Elias shook his head. "No. And I know you don't either. You've already been stretched thin."
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "I don't know what to do anymore. Everything's falling apart. I can't even think straight. I promised Maisie I'd protect her... and now—"
"Stop," he said quietly. "Don't go down that road. It's not your fault."
I glanced at Luna, who was pretending not to listen but was clearly hanging onto every word. I looked back at Elias. "Then what? What do we do now?"
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Have you ever thought about using your workplace against them?"
"What?" I blinked. "You mean the office?"
He nodded slowly. "Think about it. They're the ones responsible for all this, right? They trained the mayor's daughter. They manipulated the system. If you want to take them down... sometimes, it's best to attack from the inside."
I scoffed. "So I should go back to the people who—who trained my sister's killer? The same people who had a hand in dad's death?"
"Yes," he said calmly. "Because you know who they are. And they don't know who you're becoming."
I studied his face. His confidence scared me.
*Your brother is right Harper* Chris chirped at the side.
*Why should we trust him when he's been acting strange*
"You've changed," I said, my voice low. "You used to avoid conflict. You wouldn't even talk to me about dad's case."
He leaned back and exhaled. "I've been doing my own digging, Harper. Quietly. Carefully. I know everything now. About Project Eden. About the children. About Sophie. And... the mayor."
My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Elias's eyes flicked toward Luna, then back to me. "You remember the girl you saw me with at the park?"
I nodded slowly. The image was still burned into my brain—his arm around a girl, their heads close. The same day I found out Elias wasn't entirely himself.
"That girl," he said, voice steady, "is the mayor's real daughter."
I blinked. "What are you talking about? Everyone knows the masked lady is his daughter."
Elias shook his head. "No. That's just the public version of the story. The mayor has a daughter no one knows about. Only a few people on the inside are aware of it. She's hidden—protected. The masked lady? She's just the weapon. The shadow."
I felt my stomach twist. "So... he raised her to do all this? But she's not even his?"
"Exactly," Elias said. "She was taken in as a child. Groomed. He needed someone ruthless, someone expendable. The real daughter—the one you saw—is his blood. But she's not involved in any of this. She lives quietly, under the radar. Her name is Elora."
"Elora..." I whispered the name like it was a key to a hidden door.
Elias nodded. "You want to stop the mayor? Expose this truth. Everything collapses after that. His perfect image, the lies, the masks."
"But what if she finds out?" I asked.
He hesitated, then said, "If the masked lady finds out she's been used her entire life... all hell will break loose."
A chill ran down my spine. "Then we better be ready."
Elias stood up. "You're not alone, Harper. Not anymore. Whatever happens next, we do it together."
I looked at Luna, then at him. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I wasn't entirely drowning.
I nodded. "Okay. Let's start planning."
I turned to Luna.
'You have to helpe again '.
She looked at me confused, 'with what?'.
'Well, you need to helpe relay a message '.
'A message?'
'Yes'.
'What are you going to do Harper?'. Elias asked.
'Wait and see?'.
*********The mayor's office
The Mayor was pacing about with a worried look on his masked face.
'So, you have no idea of her whereabouts right now?'
'No sir'. His subordinate answered, weakly.
He did not see the masked lady-his daughter for a while and that was very unusual. She never left home for too long.
'What about that girl? Has she been taken care of?'
'Sir, she's still alive'
'What?!'
The Mayor was about to go on a rampage when.....
SMASH!!!