The hospital room was silent. I felt my heart begin pounding.<\/p>\n \u201cDiego\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat year is it?\u201d<\/p>\n He frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura, what are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat year?\u201d<\/p>\n He told me.<\/p>\n My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n It was the year everything had started.<\/p>\n The year before the first tragedy.<\/p>\n The year before my life had fallen apart.<\/p>\n The year before Project Zero was supposed to exist.<\/p>\n I looked toward the clock.<\/p>\n The numbers were moving backward.<\/p>\n 19<\/strong><\/p>\n 18<\/strong><\/p>\n 17<\/strong><\/p>\n Diego stood.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby suddenly began crying.<\/p>\n I held her closer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n The crying stopped.<\/p>\n Instantly.<\/p>\n Then she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-four.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n Diego stared at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down.<\/p>\n Her eyes were open.<\/p>\n She was staring directly at me.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-four.\u201d<\/p>\n The clock stopped.<\/p>\n 00:00<\/strong><\/p>\n Every light in the hospital went out.<\/p>\n Then\u2014<\/p>\n A voice came through the speaker.<\/p>\n My voice.<\/p>\n But older.<\/p>\n Terrified.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped backward.<\/p>\n Diego grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t answer.\u201d<\/p>\n The voice continued.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t let them take the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the ceiling.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n \u201cI’m you.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n The baby began crying again.<\/p>\n The hospital lights returned.<\/p>\n But something was different.<\/p>\n The room was empty.<\/p>\n The nurses were gone.<\/p>\n The doctor was gone.<\/p>\n The hallway outside was empty.<\/p>\n Even the hospital machines had stopped.<\/p>\n I looked at Diego.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cDiego?\u201d<\/p>\n He slowly walked toward the door.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t.\u201d<\/p>\n He opened it.<\/p>\n The hallway was completely dark.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s nobody here.\u201d<\/p>\n I held the baby tighter.<\/p>\n Then I noticed something.<\/p>\n A red number had appeared above the door.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 24<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Diego looked at it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n I whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cShe’s not supposed to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby opened her eyes.<\/p>\n And smiled.<\/p>\n We left the hospital through the emergency staircase.<\/p>\n Nobody stopped us.<\/p>\n Nobody followed us.<\/p>\n It was as though the entire building had been abandoned in a single second.<\/p>\n Outside, the city looked normal.<\/p>\n Cars moved.<\/p>\n People walked.<\/p>\n Lights were on.<\/p>\n But something felt wrong.<\/p>\n Everyone was looking at us.<\/p>\n Not at me.<\/p>\n Not at Diego.<\/p>\n At the baby.<\/p>\n A woman walking past stopped suddenly.<\/p>\n She stared at the child.<\/p>\n Then whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s her.\u201d<\/p>\n Another man turned.<\/p>\n \u201cSubject Twenty-Four.\u201d<\/p>\n I grabbed Diego’s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cRun.\u201d<\/p>\n We ran.<\/p>\n We didn’t stop until we reached the parking lot.<\/p>\n Diego unlocked the car.<\/p>\n I climbed inside.<\/p>\n The baby was still quiet.<\/p>\n Too quiet.<\/p>\n Diego started the engine.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother’s house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she’s the only person who might remember.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at me.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember what?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother’s house looked exactly as I remembered.<\/p>\n Same front porch.<\/p>\n Same curtains.<\/p>\n Same flowerpot beside the door.<\/p>\n I knocked.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n I knocked again.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n No answer.<\/p>\n Diego checked the windows.<\/p>\n \u201cShe’s not here.\u201d<\/p>\n I tried the door.<\/p>\n It opened.<\/p>\n The house was dark.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n We stepped inside.<\/p>\n Everything was untouched.<\/p>\n Her handbag sat on the table.<\/p>\n Her keys were beside it.<\/p>\n A cup of tea was still warm.<\/p>\n Diego looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was here.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded.<\/p>\n Then I heard a noise upstairs.<\/p>\n A drawer opening.<\/p>\n I held the baby close.<\/p>\n \u201cStay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n Diego shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI’ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe go together.\u201d<\/p>\n We climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n The noise stopped.<\/p>\n At the end of the hallway was my mother’s bedroom.<\/p>\n The door was open.<\/p>\n Inside, everything had been turned upside down.<\/p>\n Drawers emptied.<\/p>\n Clothes scattered.<\/p>\n Pictures smashed.<\/p>\n I walked toward the bed.<\/p>\n There was a note.<\/p>\n My name was written on it.<\/p>\n LAURA.<\/strong><\/p>\n I opened it.<\/p>\n Only one sentence.<\/p>\n YOU SHOULD HAVE LET THE TIMELINE END.<\/strong><\/p>\n My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n Diego looked over my shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cWho wrote it?\u201d<\/p>\n I didn’t answer.<\/p>\n Because I already knew.<\/p>\n A second piece of paper was beneath it.<\/p>\n I picked it up.<\/p>\n This one contained a photograph.<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n Standing beside a man.<\/p>\n A man I recognized.<\/p>\n My grandfather.<\/p>\n But they weren’t old.<\/p>\n The photograph had been taken decades earlier.<\/p>\n And between them was a baby.<\/p>\n I looked at the baby.<\/p>\n It was me.<\/p>\n My hands started shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Diego took the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n I pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s me.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked closer.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the date.\u201d<\/p>\n He did.<\/p>\n His expression changed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s before you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n Then I heard a voice behind us.<\/p>\n \u201cYou finally noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n My mother stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n Alive.<\/p>\n But crying.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at the baby in my arms.<\/p>\n Then immediately locked the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cClose the curtains.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d<\/p>\n Diego ran to the window.<\/p>\n He pulled the curtains shut.<\/p>\n My mother rushed toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother stared at the child.<\/p>\n Her face collapsed.<\/p>\n \u201cShe’s the one we lost.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe baby from the second pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me that pregnancy ended in miscarriage.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause your father told me to.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had another child?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother looked at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cYour sister.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut she was a miscarriage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThey took her.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down.<\/p>\n The baby was sleeping.<\/p>\n \u201cThey took her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter she was born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cThey said she was stillborn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you believed them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was young.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re my mother!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know!\u201d<\/p>\n She began crying.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew something was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI searched.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart broke.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you found her?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found her genetic record.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cSubject Twenty-Four.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby opened her eyes.<\/p>\n My mother stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe remembers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemembers what?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother looked terrified.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time she died.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cShe hasn’t died.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot this time.\u201d<\/p>\n The room went cold.<\/p>\n \u201cThen what do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s why they are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n A car stopped outside.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n My mother looked through the curtain.<\/p>\n Her face went white.<\/p>\n \u201cThey found us.\u201d<\/p>\n Diego stepped toward the window.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSix.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEight.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cMore.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the baby.<\/p>\n She was awake now.<\/p>\n Looking toward the door.<\/p>\n Then she smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re here.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know them?\u201d<\/p>\n The baby didn’t answer.<\/p>\n Instead, she pointed toward the bedroom wall.<\/p>\n There was nothing there.<\/p>\n Then the wall began vibrating.<\/p>\n My mother screamed.<\/p>\n \u201cBack!\u201d<\/p>\n The plaster cracked.<\/p>\n A hidden door appeared.<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cThe old room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat old room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe room your grandfather built.\u201d<\/p>\n The door opened.<\/p>\n Inside was a narrow staircase.<\/p>\n My mother looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cTake the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n I did.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that’s where Project Zero began.\u201d<\/p>\n The staircase seemed endless.<\/p>\n We descended for several minutes.<\/p>\n Finally, we reached a massive steel door.<\/p>\n My mother entered a code.<\/p>\n The door opened.<\/p>\n I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n The room beyond was enormous.<\/p>\n Machines covered the walls.<\/p>\n Old computers.<\/p>\n Medical equipment.<\/p>\n Hundreds of files.<\/p>\n And dozens of photographs.<\/p>\n My photographs.<\/p>\n Adriana’s photographs.<\/p>\n My father’s.<\/p>\n Diego’s.<\/p>\n Samuel’s.<\/p>\n Elias’s.<\/p>\n And people I had never seen.<\/p>\n My mother walked toward the center.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the original facility.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cThe public facility was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about this one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was never found.\u201d<\/p>\n Diego stared at the equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cWho built this?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYour grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he wasn’t trying to create a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what was he creating?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother pointed toward the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cA replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt a chill.<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n I looked at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cHe believed human beings were too unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo he wanted to replace us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith genetically controlled people?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I was part of it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were the first successful carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe final version.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down.<\/p>\n The baby’s eyes were open.<\/p>\n She was watching the machines.<\/p>\n Then she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cNot final.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother froze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n The baby pointed toward the far end of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked.<\/p>\n There was a glass chamber.<\/p>\n Inside was a little girl.<\/p>\n Maybe seven years old.<\/p>\n She looked exactly like Adriana.<\/p>\n My blood froze.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The girl opened her eyes.<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n And smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n I dropped the baby.<\/p>\n Diego caught her before she hit the floor.<\/p>\n I ran toward the glass chamber.<\/p>\n \u201cAdriana?\u201d<\/p>\n The girl smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n My entire body shook.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She placed her hand against the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cYou left me.\u201d<\/p>\n I touched the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI came back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo late.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears filled my eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n The girl smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the baby in Diego’s arms.<\/p>\n \u201cThen who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n The girl answered:<\/p>\n \u201cI’m the one you abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped backward.<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward another monitor.<\/p>\n A file appeared.<\/p>\n SUBJECT ZERO \u2014 ORIGINAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n SUBJECT ZERO \u2014 REPLACEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n SUBJECT ZERO \u2014 CURRENT<\/strong><\/p>\n Three versions.<\/p>\n Three girls.<\/p>\n Three timelines.<\/p>\n I stared at them.<\/p>\n My mother said:<\/p>\n \u201cYour grandfather never created one Subject Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is the third?\u201d<\/p>\n A voice answered from behind me.<\/p>\n \u201cRight here.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n A woman stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n Older.<\/p>\n Beautiful.<\/p>\n Terrifyingly familiar.<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n Then at the baby.<\/p>\n Then at the little girl inside the chamber.<\/p>\n Finally, she smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve been waiting for all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n She answered:<\/p>\n \u201cYour grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cBut my grandmother died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYour grandmother in this timeline died.\u201d<\/p>\n She stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cI am from the timeline before this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Diego whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cAnother timeline\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Evelyn nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-three of them.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo finish what your grandfather started.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he start?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cCreating a world without human choice.\u201d<\/p>\n I held my breath.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what does she have to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n Evelyn smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo the final reset.\u201d<\/p>\n The lights suddenly turned red.<\/p>\n A siren began.<\/p>\n The screen displayed:<\/p>\n SUBJECT 24 ACTIVATED.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n SUBJECT ZERO LOCATED.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n ALL TIMELINES CONNECTED.<\/strong><\/p>\n My mother grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to destroy this place.\u201d<\/p>\n Evelyn laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it’s already too late.\u201d<\/p>\n The doors above us slammed shut.<\/p>\n One by one, the monitors came alive.<\/p>\n Every screen showed a different version of my life.<\/p>\n Me as a child.<\/p>\n Me as a teenager.<\/p>\n Me marrying Diego.<\/p>\n Me pregnant.<\/p>\n Me running from the clinic.<\/p>\n Me holding Adriana.<\/p>\n Me losing my father.<\/p>\n Me discovering the program.<\/p>\n Me standing in this room.<\/p>\n Twenty-three versions.<\/p>\n Then a twenty-fourth screen appeared.<\/p>\n It showed something I had never seen before.<\/p>\n The future.<\/p>\n A city burning.<\/p>\n People running.<\/p>\n Machines covering the streets.<\/p>\n And millions of children standing in perfect rows.<\/p>\n At the center stood the baby.<\/p>\n Older.<\/p>\n Maybe eighteen.<\/p>\n And beside her\u2026<\/p>\n stood me.<\/p>\n But I wasn’t protecting her.<\/p>\n I was kneeling before her.<\/p>\n She was holding a crown.<\/p>\n The words appeared:<\/p>\n THE AGE OF SUBJECT ZERO<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared in horror.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby in Diego’s arms began crying.<\/p>\n The older girl inside the chamber smiled.<\/p>\n Evelyn whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cNow you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstand what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren’t trying to stop Project Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are Project Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd your daughter\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward the baby.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026is the one who will decide whether humanity survives.\u201d<\/p>\n The room shook.<\/p>\n The steel doors began opening.<\/p>\n Voices echoed from the staircase.<\/p>\n People were coming.<\/p>\n Armed.<\/p>\n Dozens of them.<\/p>\n My mother grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura, we have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the baby.<\/p>\n Then at the girl in the chamber.<\/p>\n Then at the screens.<\/p>\n And finally at Evelyn.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is the father?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone went silent.<\/p>\n Evelyn smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still don’t know?\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n She looked at Diego.<\/p>\n He stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cDiego\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura, I swear\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Evelyn interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cHe isn’t the father.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood froze.<\/p>\n \u201cThen who is?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward the chamber.<\/p>\n The little girl inside smiled.<\/p>\n And whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cGrandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward my mother.<\/p>\n She was crying.<\/p>\n My father had lied.<\/p>\n Diego had lied.<\/p>\n My entire family had lied.<\/p>\n Then the chamber opened.<\/p>\n The seven-year-old girl stepped out.<\/p>\n She walked toward me.<\/p>\n And when she reached me\u2026<\/p>\n she looked into my eyes and whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cMom, we don’t have much time.\u201d<\/p>\n I grabbed her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI already told you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me again.\u201d<\/p>\n She leaned closer.<\/p>\n \u201cI am the daughter you haven’t had yet.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n The baby began crying.<\/p>\n The lights went out.<\/p>\n And somewhere deep beneath the facility\u2026<\/p>\n a machine started counting down.<\/p>\n 10<\/strong><\/p>\n 9<\/strong><\/p>\n 8<\/strong><\/p>\n My mother screamed:<\/p>\n \u201cRUN!\u201d<\/p>\n 7<\/strong><\/p>\n 6<\/strong><\/p>\n The girl grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n 5<\/strong><\/p>\n The baby reached toward me.<\/p>\n 4<\/strong><\/p>\n I grabbed both children.<\/p>\n 3<\/strong><\/p>\n The doors exploded open.<\/p>\n 2<\/strong><\/p>\n Evelyn smiled.<\/p>\n 1<\/strong><\/p>\n And the entire facility disappeared in a flash of white light.<\/p>\n When I opened my eyes\u2026<\/p>\n I was standing in my childhood home.<\/p>\n But everything was different.<\/p>\n The walls.<\/p>\n The furniture.<\/p>\n The photographs.<\/p>\n Even the people.<\/p>\n A young woman was standing in the kitchen.<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n Then at the two children in my arms.<\/p>\n And screamed.<\/p>\n Because the woman was me.<\/p>\n Twenty-nine years younger.<\/p>\n And she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t answer.<\/p>\n Because behind her stood my grandfather.<\/p>\n Alive.<\/p>\n Young.<\/p>\n Smiling.<\/p>\n And beside him\u2026<\/p>\n was the man I had been told was dead.<\/p>\n The creator of Project Zero.<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n Then at the children.<\/p>\n And said:<\/p>\n \u201cFinally.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally what?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth of my daughters have returned.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n Then he looked at the baby.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n His smile disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026we can finally begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nToo silent.
\nI stared at the newborn in my arms.
\nShe was tiny.
\nWarm.
\nPerfect.
\nAnd somehow\u2026
\nshe had just spoken my name.
\n\u201cAgain.\u201d
\nThe word echoed inside my head.
\nAgain.
\n<\/strong>I looked at Diego.
\nHe was sitting beside me, frozen.
\n\u201cYou heard that.\u201d
\nHe nodded.
\n\u201cWhat did she mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI don’t know.\u201d
\nI looked at the baby.
\nShe opened her eyes.
\nThose eyes were familiar.
\nFar too familiar.
\nAdriana’s eyes.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
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