For most of my life, my mother existed in three photographs.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Vale laughing beside a lake.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth holding me on my third birthday.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth standing beside my father with one hand resting on my shoulder.<\/p>\n
I remembered almost nothing else.<\/p>\n
A perfume.<\/p>\n
A song.<\/p>\n
The feeling of fingers brushing my hair while I fell asleep.<\/p>\n
And a funeral.<\/p>\n
I remembered that clearly.<\/p>\n
The black dress.<\/p>\n
The flowers.<\/p>\n
My father holding my hand while a coffin disappeared into the ground.<\/p>\n
I had been six years old.<\/p>\n
Now I stared at a medical photograph of the woman I had buried twenty-nine years earlier.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Unconscious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adrian did not answer quickly enough.<\/p>\n
I grabbed his shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWHERE IS MY MOTHER?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexander\u2019s facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same place as Lily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I released him.<\/p>\n
Rebecca moved toward the computer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat condition does Elizabeth have?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started before Brooke was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat started?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA degenerative genetic disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey never gave it one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t naturally occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The church became silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother worked at Mercer Biotech.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe discovered Alexander was conducting unauthorized genetic experiments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe threatened to expose him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I already knew where this was going.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring what she believed was a routine fertility treatment, Alexander\u2019s team introduced an experimental vector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe experimented on Elizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout consent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor several years, nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeurological deterioration.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
My mother surrounded by machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe became sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought hiding you was the only way to keep Alexander from using you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou held a funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpty.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to scream.<\/p>\n
Instead, my voice became frighteningly calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let a six-year-old bury an empty coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched me put flowers on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched me talk to her grave every birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped away because I no longer trusted myself near him.<\/p>\n
Caleb stood across the room watching us.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I understood something about him.<\/p>\n
Adults had always called deception protection.<\/p>\n
My father had protected me with an empty coffin.<\/p>\n
Marianne had protected Lily with a false identity.<\/p>\n
Lawrence had protected his ambition with lies.<\/p>\n
Helena had protected a dynasty by destroying mothers.<\/p>\n
Alexander had protected a bloodline by creating children.<\/p>\n
Everyone had a noble word for what they did.<\/p>\n
The children were the ones who paid for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy create twenty-six children to save her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n
Adrian wiped his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Elizabeth\u2019s condition affects multiple systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOrgans?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBone marrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNervous tissue?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t simply transplant your way out of a degenerative genetic disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why the children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexander wasn\u2019t looking for ordinary donors.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked at the Project Eve file.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was looking for genetically compatible test subjects.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren similar enough to my mother biologically that he could test treatments on them first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Grace?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adrian closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrace was supposed to be the final version.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop calling her that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes her different?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me what you do know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked toward Caleb.<\/p>\n
Caleb opened another document.<\/p>\n
PROJECT EVE \u2014 TERMINAL PROTOCOL.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of it was encrypted.<\/p>\n One line was visible.<\/p>\n FINAL SUBJECT MUST DEMONSTRATE CORRECTED EXPRESSION OF EVE MUTATION.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rebecca leaned closer.<\/p>\n \u201cEve mutation?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what Marianne was talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n The unauthorized modification.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace carries a corrected version of whatever Alexander did to my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s our theory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he needs Grace for treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cOr he needs her to reproduce the correction.\u201d<\/p>\n My entire body tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one touches her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one here wants that.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Caleb.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n He held my gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if Grace could save Elizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n The answer came immediately.<\/p>\n I had expected anger.<\/p>\n Instead, I felt relief.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I know what it feels like when adults decide one child\u2019s body belongs to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n No one spoke.<\/p>\n Then Noah stepped forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something you haven\u2019t seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb turned.<\/p>\n \u201cNoah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat there are things she shouldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how all of this started.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb said nothing.<\/p>\n Noah walked to the laptop.<\/p>\n He opened a hidden directory.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 17 \u2014 PRIVATE ARCHIVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is this?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething I stole before I escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n He entered a password.<\/p>\n A video appeared.<\/p>\n Marianne.<\/p>\n She was younger.<\/p>\n Maybe fifteen years younger.<\/p>\n She sat alone in a laboratory.<\/p>\n \u201cThis recording is for Brooke Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n The date was two weeks after Lily\u2019s birth.<\/p>\n Marianne looked directly into the camera.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are watching this, then Adrian failed to keep Project Eve buried.\u201d<\/p>\n My father closed his eyes.<\/p>\n Marianne continued.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke, there is something you must understand before anyone tells you that these children were created to save Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n She paused.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the justification.\u201d<\/p>\n Not the purpose.<\/p>\n I knew it before she said it.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander Mercer does not care about saving your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n My father looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe never did.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian moved toward the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Marianne continued.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth\u2019s illness became useful because it gave Alexander permission to pursue research no ethics board would approve.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cA pretext.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n The video continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThe twenty-six children are not donor candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are proof-of-concept subjects for inheritable human genetic modification.\u201d<\/p>\n My father looked stunned.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander told me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Marianne\u2019s recording continued as if answering him.<\/p>\n \u201cAdrian believes Project Eve exists to cure Elizabeth. Let him believe it. His guilt makes him useful.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward my father.<\/p>\n He looked shattered.<\/p>\n Marianne continued.<\/p>\n \u201cLawrence believes Project Eve exists to control corporate succession.\u201d<\/p>\n Another lie.<\/p>\n \u201cHelena believes it will restore Alexander\u2019s bloodline.\u201d<\/p>\n Another.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery person involved has been given a different reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cSo nobody understands the whole project.\u201d<\/p>\n Exactly.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly Alexander knows the final objective.\u201d<\/p>\n Marianne looked down.<\/p>\n When she looked back at the camera, she was crying.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I discovered it.\u201d<\/p>\n The recording glitched.<\/p>\n Noah moved closer.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on.\u201d<\/p>\n Static.<\/p>\n Then Marianne returned.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander does not want to create healthier humans.\u201d<\/p>\n The video distorted again.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to create humans who can be\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The audio vanished.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah hit the keyboard.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never recovered that section.\u201d<\/p>\n The video jumped forward.<\/p>\n Marianne was still crying.<\/p>\n \u201cLily was the first success.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess at what?\u201d<\/p>\n Marianne continued.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she was incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n Then another sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cSubject Two showed the trait more strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb froze.<\/p>\n Subject Two.<\/p>\n Him.<\/p>\n Everyone looked at Caleb.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat trait?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n He sounded frightened now.<\/p>\n The recording continued.<\/p>\n \u201cBy Subject Seventeen, Alexander had achieved\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Static.<\/p>\n Noah.<\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n \u201cGrace may represent the first complete expression.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n Again that phrase.<\/p>\n Complete expression.<\/p>\n Expression of what?<\/p>\n Marianne leaned toward the camera.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Grace is born, Alexander will come for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Then the final sentence:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if he succeeds, what happens to Grace will not end with Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n The recording stopped.<\/p>\n Nobody moved.<\/p>\n Caleb whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell did they put inside us?\u201d<\/p>\n That was when Eva collapsed.<\/p>\n Her body hit the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cEVA!\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb ran to her.<\/p>\n She was conscious.<\/p>\n Barely.<\/p>\n Her muscles were spasming.<\/p>\n \u201cCall an ambulance!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo hospitals!\u201d Caleb shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cShe needs help!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis has happened before.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb lifted Eva.<\/p>\n \u201cThree of us have episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeizures. Fevers. Sometimes hallucinations.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca looked at Noah.<\/p>\n \u201cYou too?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I was thirteen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMore lately.\u201d<\/p>\n I remembered Lawrence.<\/p>\n Immune response.<\/p>\n Metabolism.<\/p>\n Neurological development.<\/p>\n These children were not merely being observed.<\/p>\n Their bodies were changing.<\/p>\n Caleb carried Eva toward the back room.<\/p>\n I followed.<\/p>\n He placed her on a mattress.<\/p>\n She grabbed my wrist.<\/p>\n Her eyes opened.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI saw her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood went cold.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Eva\u2019s eyes were unfocused.<\/p>\n \u201cShe talks to us.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cHallucination.\u201d<\/p>\n But Eva tightened her grip.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cShe says your name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow would Eva know Elizabeth?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n Nobody answered.<\/p>\n Eva whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cShe says she\u2019s sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n I crouched beside her.<\/p>\n \u201cEva, where do you see her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the white room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat white room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t encourage it.\u201d<\/p>\n But Noah was staring at Eva.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see the room too?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone stopped.<\/p>\n Eva looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah went pale.<\/p>\n \u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n Then another girl spoke from the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n Hannah.<\/p>\n Caleb slowly stood.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Hannah looked terrified.<\/p>\n \u201cThe white room.\u201d<\/p>\n Another boy raised his hand.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n Five children.<\/p>\n Same dream.<\/p>\n Same woman.<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause sometimes we remember things afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNumbers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCodes.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat codes?\u201d<\/p>\n Noah went to the computer.<\/p>\n He typed a sequence.<\/p>\n A locked Project Eve directory opened.<\/p>\n Everyone froze.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know that password?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI saw it in the white room.\u201d<\/p>\n My skin prickled.<\/p>\n \u201cNoah.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n No.<\/p>\n There had to be another explanation.<\/p>\n Conditioning.<\/p>\n Hidden messages.<\/p>\n Something.<\/p>\n Anything.<\/p>\n Rebecca seemed to reach the same conclusion.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody may have implanted information through audiovisual conditioning.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah opened the newly unlocked folder.<\/p>\n Inside were neurological scans.<\/p>\n Implant records.<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cImplants?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n The children had tiny experimental neural devices.<\/p>\n Not all of them.<\/p>\n Subjects 17 through 26.<\/p>\n Including Grace.<\/p>\n I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace has an implant?\u201d<\/p>\n The file said:<\/p>\n SUBJECT 26 \u2014 PRENATAL BIOINTERFACE SUCCESSFUL.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I called Grace\u2019s doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cGet imaging immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at the screen.<\/p>\n Another file had opened.<\/p>\n NETWORK STATUS.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ten subjects.<\/p>\n Ten signals.<\/p>\n Nine active.<\/p>\n One dormant.<\/p>\n Grace.<\/p>\n Then the dormant signal changed.<\/p>\n ACTIVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n My phone rang.<\/p>\n Grace\u2019s security team.<\/p>\n I answered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n The agent sounded panicked.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Vale, Grace started crying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs she breathing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFever?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Then I heard Grace screaming through the phone.<\/p>\n A sound no mother should ever hear.<\/p>\n \u201cTake her to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re moving.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly the screaming stopped.<\/p>\n Complete silence.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace?\u201d<\/p>\n The agent shouted.<\/p>\n Then whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery electronic device in the room just turned on.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the Project Eve screen.<\/p>\n The ten active signals began synchronizing.<\/p>\n Noah grabbed his head.<\/p>\n Eva screamed.<\/p>\n Caleb fell to one knee.<\/p>\n Around the church, children began collapsing.<\/p>\n \u201cCALEB!\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n His eyes were filled with terror.<\/p>\n Then all nine children spoke.<\/p>\n At exactly the same time.<\/p>\n The same words.<\/p>\n The same rhythm.<\/p>\n The same voice.<\/p>\n Not theirs.<\/p>\n A woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n My mother\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke, if you can hear me, do not bring Grace to Alexander.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n My blood turned to ice.<\/p>\n The children continued together:<\/p>\n \u201cBring her to me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Nobody moved.<\/p>\n Nine children lay scattered across the abandoned church, their bodies trembling as the same impossible sentence hung in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cBring her to me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Then silence.<\/p>\n Caleb collapsed completely.<\/p>\n \u201cCALEB!\u201d<\/p>\n Connor reached him first.<\/p>\n I dropped beside Noah.<\/p>\n His eyes were open, but he wasn\u2019t responding.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n Rebecca checked his pulse.<\/p>\n \u201cStrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Eva suddenly gasped.<\/p>\n Then Noah.<\/p>\n Then Hannah.<\/p>\n One after another, the children began waking.<\/p>\n Caleb opened his eyes last.<\/p>\n Connor helped him sit up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou spoke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll of you did.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n My phone was still connected to Grace\u2019s security team.<\/p>\n The agent spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrace is stable.\u201d<\/p>\n Relief hit me so hard I almost fell.<\/p>\n \u201cGet her scanned immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re six minutes from the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo not let anyone separate her from the security team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n I ended the call.<\/p>\n Rebecca was already examining the Project Eve files.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t telepathy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen somebody triggered the implants remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother has supposedly been unconscious for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSupposedly.\u201d<\/p>\n That word had become poisonous.<\/p>\n Caleb stood unsteadily.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did we say?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me not to bring Grace to Alexander.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said to bring her to Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb went still.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t say that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cI remember something.\u201d<\/p>\n We turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe white room.\u201d<\/p>\n His hands shook.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a dream this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA woman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was awake.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart pounded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n Noah looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said Alexander is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n A vehicle engine roared outside.<\/p>\n Everyone froze.<\/p>\n Rebecca drew her weapon.<\/p>\n Headlights swept across the boarded windows.<\/p>\n Then another engine.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n Caleb shouted:<\/p>\n \u201cPositions!\u201d<\/p>\n The teenagers moved with terrifying efficiency.<\/p>\n Tables overturned.<\/p>\n Doors locked.<\/p>\n Computers disappeared into hidden compartments.<\/p>\n These were children.<\/p>\n But they had learned to survive like soldiers.<\/p>\n I hated every adult responsible for that.<\/p>\n Someone pounded on the church door.<\/p>\n Three times.<\/p>\n Pause.<\/p>\n Twice.<\/p>\n Caleb lowered his weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s ours.\u201d<\/p>\n The door opened.<\/p>\n A young man stumbled inside.<\/p>\n Blood covered one side of his jacket.<\/p>\n Caleb ran toward him.<\/p>\n \u201cEthan?\u201d<\/p>\n Subject Four.<\/p>\n Ethan collapsed into his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cThey moved them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLily?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n Ethan shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot the mountain facility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew we found it.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb cursed.<\/p>\n Ethan looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Brooke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached into his jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cLily told me to give you this.\u201d<\/p>\n A small memory card.<\/p>\n Rebecca inserted it into an isolated laptop.<\/p>\n One video.<\/p>\n Lily appeared.<\/p>\n Her hands were restrained.<\/p>\n Her face was bruised.<\/p>\n But her voice was steady.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke, if you\u2019re watching this, don\u2019t come for me.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n Of course she would say that.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander wants Grace. He keeps saying Grace is the key to waking Eve.\u201d<\/p>\n Eve.<\/p>\n Elizabeth.<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n Lily continued.<\/p>\n \u201cMarianne says he\u2019s lying. She says Elizabeth has been awake before.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n The video continued.<\/p>\n \u201cMarianne says the coma isn\u2019t constant. Elizabeth wakes for short periods, sometimes hours, sometimes days.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca looked at Adrian.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily continued.<\/p>\n \u201cShe also says the implants aren\u2019t for controlling us.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb leaned closer.<\/p>\n \u201cThen what are they for?\u201d<\/p>\n Lily answered from the recording.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re for communication.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cCommunication between whom?\u201d<\/p>\n Lily swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cUs.\u201d<\/p>\n The room became silent.<\/p>\n \u201cMarianne says Alexander discovered something in Subject Seventeen\u2014Noah. When two implanted subjects were close together, their devices synchronized.\u201d<\/p>\n Noah touched the back of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThen they expanded the system.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily nodded as though she could hear him.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace\u2019s prenatal interface was designed to connect all compatible subjects simultaneously.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cA network.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca looked horrified.<\/p>\n \u201cA human neural network.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily continued.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Marianne changed Grace\u2019s interface.\u201d<\/p>\n The unauthorized modification.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe made Grace the only subject who could terminate the network.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb stared at me.<\/p>\n That was the secret.<\/p>\n Grace wasn\u2019t the final weapon.<\/p>\n She was the kill switch.<\/p>\n Lily continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander needs Grace because the network activated before he was ready.\u201d<\/p>\n I remembered the children speaking together.<\/p>\n Elizabeth\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething else is controlling it.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily nodded on-screen.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cShe found a way into the network years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer treatment system uses the same interface architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why they see her.\u201d<\/p>\n The white room.<\/p>\n The codes.<\/p>\n The shared dreams.<\/p>\n Not dreams.<\/p>\n Fragments of communication.<\/p>\n Lily\u2019s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke, Marianne says Elizabeth has been trying to reach you through us.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped closer to the screen.<\/p>\n My mother had been trapped somewhere for twenty-nine years.<\/p>\n And somehow she had been whispering through children I never knew existed.<\/p>\n Then Lily said:<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course there was.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is always a problem,\u201d Rebecca muttered.<\/p>\n Lily looked over her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander discovered Elizabeth was communicating with us.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe disconnected her.\u201d<\/p>\n The video glitched.<\/p>\n Then Lily returned.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has less than seventy-two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil what?\u201d<\/p>\n Lily started crying.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil they terminate life support.\u201d<\/p>\n My knees weakened.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander says Grace can stabilize her.\u201d<\/p>\n There it was.<\/p>\n The trap.<\/p>\n Save Lily.<\/p>\n Save fourteen children.<\/p>\n Save my mother.<\/p>\n Just bring Grace.<\/p>\n Lily shook her head violently.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n I whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if they hurt me.\u201d<\/p>\n My throat closed.<\/p>\n \u201cLily\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if they kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice became stronger.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent sixteen years wondering why my biological mother didn\u2019t want me.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears blurred my vision.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I learned you never had a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n She swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m giving you one.\u201d<\/p>\n I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cChoose Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n The video ended.<\/p>\n Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n Then Caleb turned toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting Lily ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared.<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo Alexander has already stolen enough of your childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m going to help get her back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t even know how to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked at her.<\/p>\n She continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd unlike all of you, I\u2019m old enough to have developed healthy fear.\u201d<\/p>\n That almost produced a smile.<\/p>\n Almost.<\/p>\n Then Adrian stepped forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI know where Alexander moved them.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone turned.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has one facility nobody else knows about.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said the mountain complex was his last facility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n I laughed without humor.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course you did.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian accepted it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder Vale Global headquarters.\u201d<\/p>\n I thought I had misheard him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe original building was constructed over Mercer Biotech\u2019s first laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy office was above it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor years?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou let me work there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believed it was sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou believe many convenient things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb approached the computer.<\/p>\n \u201cBlueprints?\u201d<\/p>\n My father nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI have partial plans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPartial?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander redesigned the lower levels.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca asked:<\/p>\n \u201cEntrances?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSecurity?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVentilation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndependent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPower?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndependent.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could keep people underground indefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n Lily.<\/p>\n Marianne.<\/p>\n Fourteen children.<\/p>\n Perhaps more.<\/p>\n All beneath the company whose shares people had spent decades murdering each other to control.<\/p>\n The empire had literally been built on top of them.<\/p>\n Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n The hospital.<\/p>\n I answered immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace?\u201d<\/p>\n The doctor\u2019s voice was tight.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Vale, the scan found something.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe implant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you remove it?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n \u201cDoctor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot safely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t simply an implant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt appears integrated with surrounding tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Grace in danger?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n I hated those words.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer scan produced a signal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA signal to where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe traced the frequency.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca moved closer.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n The doctor hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s transmitting to another device approximately eleven miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n Vale Global headquarters was eleven miles from the hospital.<\/p>\n My blood froze.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you tell whether something is transmitting back?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t decode it.\u201d<\/p>\n Then Grace began crying in the background.<\/p>\n At the same moment, every computer in the church turned on.<\/p>\n Noah grabbed his head.<\/p>\n Caleb stumbled.<\/p>\n Eva screamed.<\/p>\n A single message appeared across every screen.<\/p>\n BROOKE.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n HE IS LYING.<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n Another message appeared.<\/p>\n ADRIAN.<\/strong><\/p>\n I slowly turned toward my father.<\/p>\n His face went white.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n The screens changed.<\/p>\n ASK HIM WHO AUTHORIZED SUBJECT 26.<\/strong><\/p>\n Grace.<\/p>\n I looked at Adrian.<\/p>\n \u201cWho authorized Grace?\u201d<\/p>\n He backed away.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWHO?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb moved between him and the exit.<\/p>\n My father looked around.<\/p>\n Trapped.<\/p>\n Finally he whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n Everything inside me stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cYou authorized the embryo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe final protocol.\u201d<\/p>\n My voice shook.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew Grace would be modified?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew Alexander needed a final subject.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you let him use me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I could control the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n I slapped him again.<\/p>\n This time he fell.<\/p>\n Connor caught my arm before I could hit him twice.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLET ME GO.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian remained on the floor.<\/p>\n Blood touched his lip.<\/p>\n \u201cI deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop saying that!\u201d<\/p>\n I was screaming now.<\/p>\n \u201cStop confessing after the damage is done and calling that accountability!\u201d<\/p>\n The screens changed again.<\/p>\n ADRIAN DID NOT AUTHORIZE ME.<\/strong><\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n Me?<\/p>\n The next message appeared.<\/p>\n I DID.<\/strong><\/p>\n Nobody breathed.<\/p>\n Then two words.<\/p>\n ELIZABETH VALE.<\/strong><\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Another message.<\/p>\n I CHOSE GRACE.<\/strong><\/p>\n My stomach turned.<\/p>\n The woman I had spent the last hour believing was Alexander\u2019s prisoner had authorized the final experiment herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n The answer appeared slowly.<\/p>\n BECAUSE I NEEDED SOMEONE STRONG ENOUGH TO END PROJECT EVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n GRACE WAS NEVER CREATED TO SAVE ME.<\/strong><\/p>\n A pause.<\/p>\n SHE WAS CREATED TO KILL THE NETWORK.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThen why hasn\u2019t Elizabeth terminated it herself?\u201d<\/p>\n The answer appeared.<\/p>\n BECAUSE ALEXANDER CONNECTED THE NETWORK TO THE CHILDREN\u2019S AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS.<\/strong><\/p>\n Caleb went pale.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca understood first.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the network is shut down incorrectly\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She looked around at the teenagers.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026their hearts could stop.\u201d<\/p>\n The next message confirmed it.<\/p>\n TWENTY-TWO SURVIVING SUBJECTS ARE CURRENTLY LINKED.<\/strong><\/p>\n Twenty-two.<\/p>\n Not twenty-three.<\/p>\n Three had died.<\/p>\n Grace made twenty-six.<\/p>\n One number was missing.<\/p>\n I counted again.<\/p>\n \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb understood too.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-two surviving subjects?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat totals twenty-six.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Lily and I thought twenty-four others were alive.\u201d<\/p>\n The screen changed.<\/p>\n INCORRECT.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n SUBJECT 25 WAS NEVER A CHILD.<\/strong><\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Another message appeared.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 25 WAS THE CONTROL.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat control?\u201d<\/p>\n Then a photograph filled every screen.<\/p>\n A newborn baby.<\/p>\n The label beneath it read:<\/p>\n SUBJECT 25 \u2014 CONTROL GENOME.<\/strong><\/p>\n Biological mother:<\/p>\n ELIZABETH VALE.<\/strong><\/p>\n I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n Not me.<\/p>\n Elizabeth.<\/p>\n Biological father:<\/p>\n ALEXANDER MERCER.<\/strong><\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n Alexander.<\/p>\n A child.<\/p>\n The date of birth was thirty-five years ago.<\/p>\n One year before I was born.<\/p>\n I looked at Adrian.<\/p>\n He was crying.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho is Subject Twenty-Five?\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWHO?\u201d<\/p>\n The photograph changed.<\/p>\n Newborn.<\/p>\n Child.<\/p>\n Teenager.<\/p>\n Adult.<\/p>\n I watched the face age across the screens.<\/p>\n Then the final photograph appeared.<\/p>\n A man I knew.<\/p>\n A man who had manipulated Helena.<\/p>\n Created Grace.<\/p>\n Destroyed my marriage.<\/p>\n Held a newborn hostage.<\/p>\n And claimed Alexander Mercer was his father.<\/p>\n Lawrence.<\/p>\n My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n Lawrence was not simply Alexander\u2019s secret son.<\/p>\n He was Elizabeth\u2019s son too.<\/p>\n My mother\u2019s first child.<\/p>\n My half-brother.<\/p>\n And Grace\u2019s biological father.<\/p>\n Which meant the truth was even more horrifying than I had imagined.<\/p>\n Grace had been created using genetic material from two people who shared the same biological mother.<\/p>\n Me.<\/p>\n And Lawrence.<\/p>\n The screens went black.<\/p>\n Then one final message appeared.<\/p>\n BROOKE, GET GRACE OUT NOW.<\/strong><\/p>\n My phone rang.<\/p>\n The hospital security chief was screaming.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Vale!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone breached the maternity floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is Grace?\u201d<\/p>\n A gunshot exploded through the phone.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n I heard the doctor scream.<\/p>\n And through the chaos, a familiar male voice came onto the line.<\/p>\n Alexander Mercer.<\/p>\n \u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have something that belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Alexander laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not talking about Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n \u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n He answered:<\/p>\n \u201cMy son.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawrence.<\/p>\n And suddenly I understood.<\/p>\n The prison attack.<\/p>\n The escape.<\/p>\n The lies.<\/p>\n Alexander had never been trying to kill Lawrence.<\/p>\n He had been trying to retrieve Subject Twenty-Five.<\/p>\n The control.<\/p>\n The only living person who might reveal exactly what Project Eve had done to all of us.<\/p>\n For most of my life, my mother existed in three photographs. Elizabeth Vale laughing beside a lake. Elizabeth holding me on my third birthday. Elizabeth standing beside my father with … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5560,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5556\/revisions\/5560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}PART 12 \u2014 THE VOICE INSIDE THE CHILDREN<\/h2>\n
CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ PART 13 \u2014 SUBJECT TWENTY-FIVE<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"