But she didn\u2019t move.
\nAdriana simply stood there in the middle of the road, staring at Elias.
\nMy father had his weapon raised.
\nElias had stopped smiling.
\nAnd I suddenly realized something that frightened me more than the weapon in my father\u2019s hand.
\nElias was afraid.
\nNot of my father.
\nNot of me.
\nOf Adriana.
\nThe little girl standing beside me looked nothing like the frightened child I had carried out of that underground facility.
\nShe looked calm.
\nAlmost impossibly calm.
\n\u201cAdriana,\u201d I whispered.
\nShe turned toward me.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\n\u201cCome here.\u201d
\nShe smiled.
\n\u201cI\u2019m already here.\u201d
\nMy father\u2019s eyes widened.
\n\u201cLaura, get behind me.\u201d
\nI moved closer to Adriana instead.
\nElias took one slow step backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Elias said.<\/p>\n
His voice had changed.<\/p>\n
For the first time, he sounded genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand what Subject One was.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she isn\u2019t Subject One anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tightened my grip around my daughter\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me what she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias stared at Adriana.<\/p>\n
She stared back.<\/p>\n
Finally, he whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the reason everything started.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias laughed once.<\/p>\n
A nervous, broken laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk your father what happened twenty-nine years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward my father.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered the weapon slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened twenty-nine years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother appeared behind me.<\/p>\n
Her face was pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I am done hearing that word.\u201d<\/p>\n
She began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more protecting me by lying to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father lowered his weapon completely.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then at Adriana.<\/p>\n
Then at Elias.<\/p>\n
And finally he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-nine years ago, the program didn’t create you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe program found you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world seemed to become very quiet.<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were never supposed to be Subject Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what was I?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n
Adriana squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n
I looked down at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore there was Subject One, there was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother believed she gave birth to an ordinary child.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did give birth to an ordinary child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Elias continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave birth to the first successful genetic carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that true?\u201d<\/p>\n
She couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n
Her silence answered me.<\/p>\n
I stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father reached toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled away.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn’t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew I was part of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew my father wasn’t my biological father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you knew about Adriana?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother looked at the little girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer came instantly.<\/p>\n
And somehow, I believed her.<\/p>\n
She genuinely looked terrified of Adriana.<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
Adriana was still smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you crying?\u201d<\/p>\n
I wiped my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tilted her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward Elias.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias’s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t listen to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re scared because you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias took another step backward.<\/p>\n
My father raised his weapon again.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father’s face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought you erased it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at my daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdriana, what are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou died before.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore this.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed around us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis life.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she telling the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees nearly collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother rushed toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped away from everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at me sadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then she said:<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold wind moved through the street.<\/p>\n
Elias suddenly turned and ran.<\/p>\n
My father shouted:<\/p>\n
\u201cSTOP!\u201d<\/p>\n
But Elias was already disappearing into the darkness.<\/p>\n
My father chased him.<\/p>\n
I didn’t move.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t.<\/p>\n
I was staring at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does everything mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time you married Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time you had the twins.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breathing stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time Diego betrayed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren’t born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the reason you came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt dizzy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCame back from where?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed toward my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n
My mother began sobbing.<\/p>\n
My father returned alone.<\/p>\n
He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cElias escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n
I barely heard him.<\/p>\n
I was still staring at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart shattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat down on the curb.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first timeline ended with your death.\u201d<\/p>\n
I slowly sat beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat killed me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe program.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tried to extract the genetic material from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn’t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother covered her face.<\/p>\n
My father continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Adriana did something they didn’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe changed the sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged what sequence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana walked toward us.<\/p>\n
She sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t change time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemembering can’t change time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can when you’re Subject Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my father.<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was created before the program understood what it had created.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re saying you’re older than me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch older.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what scares them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddenly, headlights appeared at the end of the road.<\/p>\n
Several vehicles.<\/p>\n
My father immediately stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother grabbed Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked toward the vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
Then one of the cars stopped.<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
Valeria stepped out.<\/p>\n
I nearly cried from relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cValeria!\u201d<\/p>\n
She ran toward us.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura!\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at my father.<\/p>\n
Then at Adriana.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won’t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Valeria looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, Adriana spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Valeria froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana pointed toward the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The car doors opened.<\/p>\n
Men and women stepped out.<\/p>\n
Some wore police uniforms.<\/p>\n
Others wore plain clothes.<\/p>\n
A few carried medical equipment.<\/p>\n
My father immediately raised his weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay back!\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Varela, put the weapon down.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we’ve been looking for you for twenty-nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know everything about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana suddenly laughed.<\/p>\n
The woman stopped.<\/p>\n
Adriana walked forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked down at her.<\/p>\n
For the first time, she seemed confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the child?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject One.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman stepped backward.<\/p>\n
Adriana continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every person behind her froze.<\/p>\n
My father whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet Adriana inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they know what she is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman raised her hand.<\/p>\n
Everyone behind her lifted their weapons.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t move.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stepped in front of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re not taking her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice became cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand what they told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know what she actually is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s not a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiologically, perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
I held it.<\/p>\n
The woman continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is also the only living key to Project Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat key?\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s waking up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cFacilities don’t wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s already awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the horizon.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen.\u201d<\/p>\n
At first, I heard nothing.<\/p>\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n
A low vibration.<\/p>\n
Almost beneath the ground.<\/p>\n
The pavement trembled.<\/p>\n
My mother grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked terrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Valeria stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said it was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vibration grew stronger.<\/p>\n
Streetlights flickered.<\/p>\n
Car alarms began sounding.<\/p>\n
Then every phone around us rang simultaneously.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked down.<\/p>\n
One message appeared.<\/p>\n
PROJECT ZERO.<\/p>\n
UNDERGROUND FACILITY ONLINE.<\/p>\n
My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n
A second message appeared.<\/p>\n
SUBJECT ZERO LOCATED.<\/p>\n
A third.<\/p>\n
SUBJECT SEVEN LOCATED.<\/p>\n
Then a fourth.<\/p>\n
TWINS LOCATED.<\/p>\n
My hand went to my stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed toward the hills.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy home?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at my father.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis home.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father understood immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat old house?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
Valeria stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house where you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the clinic was where I was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the hills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinic was where they took you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where was I born?\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother started crying.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were born at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you lie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they were looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because the house contains something they can never be allowed to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original records.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey forgot one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey forgot to destroy the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
We got into Valeria’s car.<\/p>\n
My father drove another vehicle behind us.<\/p>\n
My mother sat beside me.<\/p>\n
Adriana sat quietly in the back.<\/p>\n
For almost twenty minutes, nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I looked at her through the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdriana?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know what’s going to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how can you be so calm?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I’ve seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you seen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother began shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana’s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou died.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
I looked at my daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElias killed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father slammed his hand against the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember too.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
He kept driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, he whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened in the first timeline?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me in the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and your mother discovered the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tried to expose the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were caught.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Diego?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father was silent.<\/p>\n
I already knew the answer would hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Diego?\u201d<\/p>\n
He finally said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe helped them.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in the first timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I remembered his face.<\/p>\n
The coffee cup.<\/p>\n
The pregnancy test.<\/p>\n
The accusation.<\/p>\n
The suitcase.<\/p>\n
Paula.<\/p>\n
Everything.<\/p>\n
Maybe the reason his fear had always felt different was because some part of him remembered.<\/p>\n
Maybe he had been trying to repeat the same story.<\/p>\n
But this time, I had survived.<\/p>\n
This time, I had Adriana.<\/p>\n
This time, I had my father.<\/p>\n
And this time, I knew.<\/p>\n
We reached the old house just before midnight.<\/p>\n
It looked exactly as I remembered.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Quiet.<\/p>\n
Almost ordinary.<\/p>\n
My father unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
Inside, dust covered everything.<\/p>\n
My mother walked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven’t been here in twenty-nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I couldn’t bear it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father moved toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome.\u201d<\/p>\n
We followed him.<\/p>\n
He stopped beside an old wooden wardrobe.<\/p>\n
He removed a framed photograph.<\/p>\n
Behind it was a small metal key.<\/p>\n
He inserted it into the wall.<\/p>\n
A hidden panel opened.<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
My father looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were never here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the first ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
The panel opened completely.<\/p>\n
Behind it was a narrow staircase.<\/p>\n
We descended.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was a room.<\/p>\n
A very old room.<\/p>\n
There were boxes everywhere.<\/p>\n
Files.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
Medical records.<\/p>\n
Cassette tapes.<\/p>\n
And dozens of metal containers.<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
Valeria picked up a file.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
My birth certificate.<\/p>\n
My childhood photographs.<\/p>\n
My medical records.<\/p>\n
Everything.<\/p>\n
But underneath them was another file.<\/p>\n
Subject Zero.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
The first page contained a photograph.<\/p>\n
A baby.<\/p>\n
Adriana.<\/p>\n
But beneath the photograph was a sentence.<\/p>\n
SUBJECT ZERO WAS NOT CREATED.<\/p>\n
She was discovered.<\/p>\n
I stared at the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was born naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was she part of the program?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they discovered what she could do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could remember things that had never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMemories from the future?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMemories from the past?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father pointed to the next page.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
And my hands began shaking.<\/p>\n
SUBJECT ZERO CAN ACCESS MEMORY PATTERNS ACROSS MULTIPLE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES.<\/p>\n
I looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
She answered softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means I remember all the ways you can die.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart shattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
My mother began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-three?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this one is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you’re still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stepped toward us.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because the program doesn’t know one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how to end it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddenly\u2014<\/p>\n
A sound came from upstairs.<\/p>\n
A door slammed.<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
Valeria reached for her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo signal.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father picked up his weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stay together.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
We waited.<\/p>\n
Footsteps descended the stairs.<\/p>\n
Slow.<\/p>\n
One.<\/p>\n
Two.<\/p>\n
Three.<\/p>\n
Then a voice came from the darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Diego.<\/p>\n
He stepped into the light.<\/p>\n
His face was bruised.<\/p>\n
His clothes were torn.<\/p>\n
And he was holding something in his hand.<\/p>\n
A flash drive.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at my father.<\/p>\n
Then my mother.<\/p>\n
Then Adriana.<\/p>\n
Finally, he looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to warn you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He held up the flash drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the person who started all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father raised his weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then he whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Elias.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot your grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person behind Project Zero\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked directly at Adriana.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026is you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Adriana smiled.<\/p>\n
And for the first time since I had met her, I saw something different in her eyes.<\/p>\n
Not innocence.<\/p>\n
Not fear.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
She looked at Diego and whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou finally remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego dropped the flash drive.<\/p>\n
My father stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remembered the first timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
He continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the one who killed Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother screamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego fell to his knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know what I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father pointed the weapon at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect us to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diego looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect Laura to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then every light in the underground room turned on.<\/p>\n
The monitors around us flickered.<\/p>\n
One by one.<\/p>\n
Twenty-three screens.<\/p>\n
Each screen showed me.<\/p>\n
Twenty-three different versions of my life.<\/p>\n
Twenty-three different deaths.<\/p>\n
And on every screen, there was one person standing beside me.<\/p>\n
Adriana.<\/p>\n
My daughter.<\/p>\n
My protector.<\/p>\n
My impossible child.<\/p>\n
Then the largest screen turned on.<\/p>\n
A message appeared.<\/p>\n
TIMELINE 24 INITIATED.<\/p>\n
I felt the ground tremble.<\/p>\n
Adriana walked toward the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s starting.\u201d<\/p>\n
I grabbed her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last version.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens in Timeline 24?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom survives.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriana shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The screen went black.<\/p>\n
Then a final sentence appeared.<\/p>\n
THIS TIME, LAURA DOESN’T DIE.<\/p>\n
SHE BECOMES THE ONE WHO CREATES THE PROGRAM.<\/p>\n
I stared at the words.<\/p>\n
And suddenly, somewhere deep inside my mind, a memory surfaced.<\/p>\n
A memory that wasn’t mine.<\/p>\n
A memory of myself sitting in this exact room.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Cold.<\/p>\n
Holding a newborn baby.<\/p>\n
Adriana.<\/p>\n
And beside me stood Diego.<\/p>\n
Not as my husband.<\/p>\n
Not as my enemy.<\/p>\n
But as my prisoner.<\/p>\n
I gasped.<\/p>\n
Adriana looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n
She squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled sadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome back.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then every screen went dark.<\/p>\n
Except one.<\/p>\n
The final screen showed a date.<\/p>\n
Twenty-nine years in the future.<\/p>\n
And beneath it were four words:<\/p>\n
PROJECT ZERO BEGINS AGAIN.<\/p>\n
I looked at Adriana.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
And I finally understood the terrible truth.<\/p>\n
The story I thought I was fighting to escape\u2026<\/p>\n
was actually the story I had been destined to finish…..<\/p>\n
PART 11 \u2014 THE GIRL WHO REMEMBERED EVERYTHING But she didn\u2019t move. Adriana simply stood there in the middle of the road, staring at Elias. My father had his weapon … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4926,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916\/revisions\/4926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}