CHAPTER 15: THE TWO EMILYS
Arthur stared at the two screens.
Both girls wore the same pink dress.
Both clutched the same stuffed rabbit.
Both had wet hair.
Both were crying.
"Daddy!"
Their voices echoed in perfect synchronization.
Marcus immediately turned to the technicians.
"Split the audio."
"Enhance the feeds."
The engineers worked frantically.
Waveforms appeared across the monitors.
Every movement matched.
Every breath matched.
Every blink matched.
One of the analysts looked up.
"They're identical."
Arthur whispered,
"No."
"They're meant to look identical."
Vanessa's voice returned through the speakers.
"You always wanted the truth."
"So here's your final lesson."
She laughed softly.
"People don't fail because they make the wrong choice."
"They fail..."
"...because they believe they have enough information."
The countdown clock appeared again.
09:58
Marcus frowned.
"What countdown?"
The answer came immediately.
The timer wasn't connected to explosives.
The words beneath it read:
REMOTE TRANSFER INITIATED
Arthur looked at the technicians.
"Transfer of what?"
No one knew.
Emily's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Daddy..."
The girl on the left monitor looked directly into the camera.
"You told me..."
"...that stars never disappear."
Arthur froze.
Only he and Emily knew that sentence.
Years earlier...
After Claire's "death," Emily had asked where her mother had gone.
Arthur had pointed toward the night sky.
"Stars never disappear."
"They're just too far away to see."
No one else had been there.
Marcus whispered,
"The left one..."
Arthur raised his hand.
"Wait."
The girl on the right suddenly smiled.
"Daddy..."
"You also said..."
"...Mommy still watches me."
Arthur closed his eyes.
She knew that too.
Vanessa chuckled.
"Memory is such a beautiful weapon."
Arthur realized the horrifying truth.
Someone had been listening to every private conversation.
For years.
Marcus quickly reviewed the surveillance files.
"Every nursery camera."
"Every baby monitor."
"They were all connected."
Arthur understood.
Nothing Emily said.
Nothing he whispered.
Nothing had ever been private.
The countdown reached:
08:41
Samuel suddenly stepped forward.
"I know which child is real."
Everyone turned.
Arthur looked at him.
"How?"
Samuel smiled sadly.
"When Emily was born..."
"I built something for Claire."
He pointed toward the left monitor.
"The rabbit."
Arthur frowned.
"What about it?"
Samuel whispered,
"I repaired it."
The technicians enlarged both images.
Two identical stuffed rabbits filled the screens.
Samuel shook his head.
"Closer."
The zoom increased.
Nothing.
"Closer."
Finally...
A tiny stitch appeared beneath one rabbit's left ear.
Hand sewn.
Almost invisible.
Samuel smiled.
"I made that repair."
"The left rabbit is real."
Arthur didn't hesitate.
"Go!"
Marcus and the tactical team rushed toward the corridor indicated by the tracking system.
Arthur followed.
The left hallway ended before two steel doors.
Door A.
Door B.
The tracking signal pointed beyond Door A.
Marcus scanned it.
"No traps."
Arthur reached for the handle.
Vanessa's voice echoed again.
"You should open the other door."
Arthur ignored her.
He pulled Door A open.
The room beyond was empty.
No Emily.
Only a projector.
The left video feed had been pre-recorded.
Marcus stared.
"No..."
Arthur looked back toward Door B.
Vanessa laughed.
"You trusted sentiment."
"You always do."
Arthur sprinted.
He slammed into Door B.
Locked.
Marcus fired twice at the hinges.
The door burst inward.
Emily stood inside.
Real.
Terrified.
She ran straight into Arthur's arms.
"Daddy!"
Arthur held her tightly.
"I've got you."
Marcus exhaled.
"We found her."
Arthur looked around.
The room was empty.
Vanessa had vanished again.
Then...
Emily tugged gently on Arthur's sleeve.
"Daddy..."
Arthur smiled.
"It's okay."
She shook her head.
"No..."
She pointed toward the wall behind him.
Someone had written a message in fresh black paint.
THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT EMILY.
Arthur slowly turned.
Beneath the sentence hung a final photograph.
It showed Arthur as a young boy.
Standing beside Alexander.
Standing beside Claire.
Standing beside...
Vanessa.
All four were smiling.
Arthur stared at the image.
He whispered,
"I've seen this before..."
Eleanor, who had just arrived with Samuel, looked over his shoulder.
The color drained from her face.
"No..."
Arthur looked at her.
"What?"
Eleanor pointed to the date printed at the bottom of the photograph.
Arthur read it aloud.
June 18.
Twenty-eight years ago.
His voice faltered.
"That's impossible."
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
Arthur slowly looked at Emily.
Then back at the photograph.
Finally, he whispered the words that changed everything.
May you like
"I wasn't born yet."
END OF BOOK ONE
