The hearing ends exactly how I expected it to—badly.
"Miss Sterling," Elder Harrison announces after two hours of brutal questioning, "the Council has reached a preliminary decision. Until Dr. Rosewood completes her investigation, you will remain under house arrest at the Blackwood estate."
House arrest. They're making it official now.
"Furthermore," he continues, "you are forbidden from leaving the grounds without Council supervision. Any attempt to contact outside parties will be considered an act of defiance."
Great. So I'm basically a prisoner with really nice accommodations.
"The Council will reconvene in one week to review Dr. Rosewood's findings and determine your... final status."
Final status. That sounds ominous as hell.
Marcus drives me back to the estate in silence, but I can feel him watching me in the rearview mirror. Calculating. Planning. Like he's trying to figure out my next move.
If only he knew I was planning to blow up his whole world.
Back in my blue prison cell—sorry, guest room—I wait until I hear Marcus's footsteps fade down the hallway. Then I grab the business card from my jacket pocket and stare at the phone number.
Truth awaits those brave enough to seek it.
Am I brave enough? After hearing my future self's warning, after learning that Elena has been manipulating me my entire life, do I have the courage to trust a complete stranger?
The alternative is staying put and letting Elena continue her sick experiments until she gets whatever she wants from me.
Not happening.
I need somewhere private to make this call. Somewhere the Blackwoods can't listen in.
The gardens. Far from the house, away from any surveillance cameras or listening devices. If I can sneak out again without being seen.
I check my phone: 3:17 PM. Most of the household staff will be busy with afternoon duties. Perfect.
The hallway is empty when I peek out. I slip toward the back stairs, the ones the servants use, avoiding the main areas where family members might spot me.
Mrs. Hendricks is in the kitchen giving orders to the cook. I hear her voice through the door as I creep past.
"...dinner at seven sharp. Master Marcus specifically requested the salmon..."
I make it to the back door without anyone seeing me. Score one for the sneaky Omega.
The October air has a bite to it that wasn't there yesterday. Storm clouds gather on the horizon, threatening rain. Perfect weather for clandestine phone calls and life-changing conversations.
I follow a gravel path deeper into the gardens, past the hedge maze where I met Adrian last night. The memory of that encounter sends heat racing through my veins. The way he looked at me. The electricity when our hands touched.
The knowledge in his eyes when he mentioned the white roses.
I find a secluded spot near a stone fountain, surrounded by tall hedges that block the view from the house. If anyone comes looking, I'll hear their footsteps on the gravel long before they see me.
Time to make the call.
My hands shake as I dial the number. It rings once, twice—
"You're braver than I thought you'd be." His voice is low, warm, with just a hint of an accent I can't place.
"How did you know it was me?"
"I've been waiting for this call since I gave you the card." There's a smile in his voice. "Took you longer than I expected."
"I've been a little busy. House arrest tends to complicate things."
"House arrest?" The warmth disappears, replaced by something sharp and dangerous. "What happened?"
"Council hearing. They think I'm using illegal enhancements to fake supernatural powers. Dr. Rosewood is running more tests."
Silence on the other end. Long enough that I wonder if he hung up.
"Adrian?"
"I'm here. Just... processing." His voice is tight with what might be anger. "Elena's moving faster than I anticipated."
Elena. He knows her real name.
"You know about her."
"I know a lot about Dr. Elena Rosewood. None of it good." A pause. "How much did your future self tell you?"
My blood turns cold. "How do you know about that?"
"Because I was there when she recorded the message. Three years from now, one minute before Marcus killed her. Before she used the last of her power to send her consciousness back in time."
The world tilts sideways. "You were there? You watched me die?"
"I tried to save you. Got there too late." His voice is rough with old pain. "I've been living with that failure for three years, waiting for a chance to change things."
"You're from the future too."
"Not exactly. It's complicated." He sighs. "Look, we can't do this over the phone. Too risky. Can you get away tonight?"
"I'm supposed to be under house arrest."
"That's not what I asked."
Fair point. "Where?"
"Central Park. Bethesda Fountain. Midnight."
"That's awfully dramatic."
"You want dramatic? Try explaining time travel and ancient magic over dinner at Applebee's."
Despite everything, I almost smile. "Fine. Midnight it is."
"Isabella." His voice gets serious. "Be careful who you trust between now and then. Elena's already planted false memories in your head. She might have done the same to people close to you."
"What kind of false memories?"
"Things that make you trust her. Make you doubt yourself. Make you think your parents' deaths really were an accident."
The ground shifts beneath me. "How do I know if my memories are real?"
"You'll know. Real memories have weight to them. Emotional resonance. The fake ones feel flat, like you're watching someone else's movie."
I think about my childhood memories of Elena. Birthday parties where she smiled too much. Doctor visits where she asked strange questions. Always wanting blood samples, always finding excuses to touch me.
Those memories feel real. Heavy with the weight of betrayal and manipulation.
"I think I understand."
"Good. Now listen carefully—"
A branch snaps behind me.
I spin around, phone clutched to my ear, and come face to face with Sarah Ashford.
She's standing about ten feet away, blue eyes wide with shock. Her thermos of chamomile tea dangles forgotten in her hand.
"Bella?" she whispers. "Who are you talking to?"
Shit. How much did she hear?
"I have to go," I tell Adrian quickly.
"Isabella, wait—"
I hang up and slip the phone into my pocket, trying to look casual. "Hey, Sarah. What are you doing here?"
"I came to see how you're holding up. The housekeeper let me in." She takes a step closer, studying my face. "You look upset. Was that... was that about the Council meeting?"
"Yeah." I force a smile. "Just needed to vent to someone."
"Who?"
The question hangs in the air like a challenge. Sarah's always been protective of me, but there's something different in her expression now. Something sharper.
"Just a friend from college. You don't know her."
"Her?" Sarah's eyebrows rise. "Sounded like a man's voice to me."
Fuck. She heard Adrian talking.
"You were listening to my private conversation?"
"I wasn't trying to. You were just..." She gestures vaguely. "Talking pretty loud."
Right. Because I was having a conversation about time travel and ancient magic. Not exactly something you whisper about.
"Sarah, how long have you been standing there?"
"Not long. I just got here." But her eyes dart away when she says it. Classic tell.
She heard more than she's admitting.
"Look," I say, walking toward her with what I hope is a reassuring smile, "I know yesterday was scary. The whole power explosion thing. I'm still trying to understand it myself."
"Yeah." She nods, but there's something guarded in her expression. "Dr. Rosewood thinks someone's been messing with your abilities. Artificially enhancing them."
"Is that what she told you?"
"She came to see my dad this morning. Asked about your childhood. Whether we noticed anything unusual."
My stomach drops. Elena's already making her moves, planting seeds of doubt.
"And what did you tell her?"
"The truth. That you were always different. Stronger than you should have been. More aware." Sarah's grip tightens on her thermos. "She seemed very interested in that."
Different. Stronger. More aware.
All the things that would support Elena's theory that I've been artificially enhanced.
"Sarah, I need you to listen to me very carefully." I take another step toward her. "Dr. Rosewood isn't who she appears to be."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she's been lying to all of us. About my abilities, about my parents' deaths, about everything."
Sarah's face goes pale. "Bella, you're scaring me. Dr. Rosewood delivered you. She's been taking care of our families for decades."
"Exactly. Don't you think that's a little convenient?"
"I think you're having some kind of breakdown." Sarah's voice is gentle but firm. "Which is totally understandable after what happened yesterday. But accusing Dr. Rosewood of... what exactly are you accusing her of?"
I open my mouth to tell her everything. The time travel. The suppression spell. The murder of my parents.
Then I stop.
Because Adrian was right about false memories feeling flat. And looking at Sarah now, really looking at her, I see something that makes my blood run cold.
Her memories of our friendship. All those times she brought me tea. All those moments when she was there at exactly the right time to comfort me or distract me.
They feel flat. Scripted. Like someone planted them there.
"Nothing," I say finally. "You're right. I'm just stressed."
Relief floods her face. "Of course you are. Anyone would be." She holds up the thermos. "I brought your favorite tea. Want some?"
The same chamomile tea she's been bringing me for years. The tea that always made me feel drowsy and compliant.
The tea my future self warned me about.
"That's so sweet of you." I take the thermos with hands that don't shake. "But I should probably get back inside. House arrest, you know?"
"Right." She hesitates. "Bella, about that phone call..."
"What about it?"
"Maybe you shouldn't talk to strangers right now. Not until the Council figures out what's wrong with you."
What's wrong with me. Like I'm broken. Defective.
"I'll keep that in mind."
We walk back toward the house together, making small talk about nothing important. But my mind is racing.
Sarah heard at least part of my conversation with Adrian. She knows I'm talking to someone the Council doesn't approve of.
The question is: what's she going to do about it?
At the back door, she gives me a hug that feels wrong. Too tight. Too desperate.
"Be careful, Bella," she whispers in my ear. "Not everyone who claims to want to help you actually has your best interests at heart."
The same warning Mrs. Hendricks gave me this morning. But coming from Sarah, it sounds like a threat.
She leaves through the front entrance, and I watch from the window until her car disappears down the driveway.
Then I look down at the thermos in my hands. The tea inside smells like chamomile and honey and something else. Something chemical.
Something designed to keep me docile and compliant.
I pour the entire contents down the kitchen sink and watch it swirl away.
No more tea. No more lies. No more letting other people control my story.
Tonight, I'm getting answers.
Whether Sarah reports my phone call or not, I'm meeting Adrian at midnight.
Because right now, a mysterious stranger who claims to know the truth feels a hell of a lot safer than the people who've been lying to me my entire life.
Even if trusting him might be the stupidest thing I've ever done.
Especially then.
End of Chapter 6