Rain fell hard that night. The kind that soaked through clothes and chilled the skin.
Ayla didn't stop. She ran across the courtyard, her shoes slapping against wet stone.
The flash drive burned in her pocket. Every instinct screamed danger, but she kept
going.
The clock tower loomed ahead. Its bell had stopped ringing years ago, after the fire. The
air around it felt heavy, almost alive.
She paused at the base, catching her breath. Her phone showed 11:59.
The door creaked open before she could knock.
Lara stood inside, dry, calm, holding an umbrella. "You came."
Ayla's hands clenched. "Where's Elian?"
"Alive," Lara said. "For now."
"What do you want from me?"
Lara smiled faintly. "Answers. Same as you."
She motioned for Ayla to follow. They climbed the spiral staircase, their footsteps
echoing. The higher they went, the more the air smelled of metal and rust.
At the top, the room was lit by a single bulb. Elian sat in a chair, his wrists bound, his
head down.
Ayla ran forward, but Lara blocked her. "Stay where you are."
"Let him go!"
Lara tilted her head. "Give me the drive first."
Ayla hesitated. "You won't get it.""Then I'll burn him again," Lara said, pulling a lighter from her pocket—the same pink
one from before.
Flame snapped to life.
Elian lifted his head weakly. "Don't."
Ayla's voice shook. "You said this was about revenge. You got what you wanted. You
exposed him."
Lara's smile faded. "You still don't get it, do you?"
She pointed at Ayla. "You were the reason my brother was ruined. You were the one who
told Elian about the files."
"That's not true!"
"It is," Lara said coldly. "You played both sides. Then the fire erased everything.
Convenient, isn't it?"
Ayla's heart pounded. "I didn't know. I don't remember."
"That's the thing about memory," Lara said. "You can erase it, but you can't erase what
you've done."
Ayla's chest tightened. "You're wrong."
"Am I?" Lara stepped closer. "Do you even know who you are?"
Before Ayla could answer, Elian spoke, voice rough. "She's the reason we're both still
alive."
Lara's eyes flicked to him. "Don't defend her."
"She saved us," Elian said. "You think the fire started because of me? It didn't. It was
her."
The words hit like a blow.
Ayla stared at him, confused. "What are you saying?"Elian's gaze was heavy. "You lit it. You wanted to destroy everything. You said it was the
only way to stop them."
Lara laughed, bitter. "There it is. The truth."
Ayla stumbled back. "No. I couldn't have."
"You did," Elian said. "You burned the lab where they kept the test subjects. You set it
off before I could stop you."
Her hands trembled. Fragments of memory flashed—smoke, heat, children crying. A
match falling from her hand.
She whispered, "No."
Lara's face softened, almost pitying. "You were one of them, weren't you?"
Ayla's voice broke. "I didn't know what they were doing."
Elian tried to stand. "Lara, stop this. She was trying to end it."
"By burning my brother alive?"
"He was already gone!" Elian shouted.
The tower fell silent.
Ayla felt tears sting her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
Lara's hand shook. The lighter flame wavered. "You took everything from me."
"Then kill me," Ayla said quietly. "But leave him out of it."
Elian struggled against the ropes. "Ayla, don't."
Lara stared at her for a long time, the flame reflecting in her eyes. "You think death fixes
anything?"
She threw the lighter to the floor. Flames spread fast across the old wood."You'll both burn together," she said. "Poetic, don't you think?"
Ayla lunged forward, grabbing the chair and yanking Elian up. The ropes snapped loose.
Smoke filled the room.
Lara backed away, coughing, but the fire trapped her near the window.
Ayla tried to pull Elian toward the stairs. "Move!"
He groaned, weak but standing. "Go first."
She hesitated, looking back. Lara's face twisted with rage. "You think you can run from
this, Ayla? You'll never outrun what you did!"
The floor cracked under her feet.
"Lara!" Ayla screamed, reaching out.
The boards gave way.
Lara fell through the flames, her scream swallowed by fire.
Ayla froze, trembling. Elian dragged her toward the stairs. "We have to go!"
They stumbled down, coughing, the tower groaning around them.
When they burst outside, the rain poured harder, dousing the smoke.
Elian collapsed on the grass, gasping for air.
Ayla knelt beside him. "We have to call for help."
He shook his head. "No one will believe us."
She looked at the burning tower. "Then what now?"
He turned to her, eyes dark and raw. "Now we finish what we started."