AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t have to convince Nico of anything. We had a chat. Give him a minute to think it over, and he’ll see the answer is right in front of him. I know he will.” I really believe it too. He’ll come around. It’s a lot of change in such a short amount of time. “You know he will.”
Holter nods at me like I might be nuts, but he’s going to see too, in time. I don’t miss the little twitch in Castor’s eye. But when I purse my lips in question, responding to him, he shakes his head. “We have time, Annabelle. Atlas has time left in his reign.”
“Some would say he hasn’t started his reign yet.” Holter picks up his tablet from the coffee table and holds it up. There’s a picture of Atlas and an article that I’m assuming is him being critiqued. I’m working on it, but I can only read a few words in Dorian so far. It’s something I should really try harder at, but I’ve got a lot going on. Working on Richeal’s code is more important right now. I need to not be so hard on myself, but then that’s one of my superpowers.
“What does it say?”
Holter turns to read it to me, and the tablet buzzes in his hand as he does. His eyebrows lift.
“What?” I ask.
“The curfew is lifted.”
Relief surges through me. “Oh, that’s good—great, really. That means the guys aren’t in as much danger.”
Holter nods, but both he and Castor are studying the tablet. Castor has his finger on his lip, his other arm hugging himself across his chest.
“Stop. What else does it say?” I grab Castor’s arm. “Tell me?”
“Not much.”
“Well, I guess that’s one thing the Veiled City has in common with humans.” Media tends to not say much of value.
“It says there will be an increased military presence in the city until the perpetrators are caught. And that, until then, all major gatherings, holidays, balls, anything with large groups of citizens is on hold,” Holter says.
“But nothing about who caused the dome to collapse.” I look at the picture.
“No.” Holter shakes his head. “And it kind of repeats the same facts over and over again.” He puts the tablet down. “Should we try meditation again?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Oh, why not, Belle?” Holter wraps his arm around my shoulders.
I wrinkle my nose at him. “Honestly, I have a lot of work to do.”
He cocks his head at me. “You’re the one who pointed out we all need breaks.”
“True. But it was making me horny, and I don’t know if we have enough time for it.” I shouldn’t have said the h-word. Both of the guys’ eyes flare at me. It’s a lot, and I’m now doubting myself. Maybe I could stop after one round. No, lately anytime I start, it leads into a full-blown mermaid sexcapade. “I’m going back into my little cave.”
I close the door to the library behind me before the guys move in. I’m halfway into a notebook that we found in Ophelia’s library. I stopped when I finally figured out Calvin Degree was a name. I turn the page and push the document under the translator. It’s more of the notes on the Braesen project. Calvin and Richeal were both working in the science division. Only, Calvin kept coming up with data that the work they were doing didn’t support; it was almost like he was running his own experiments. That was the conclusion Richeal had come to. Page after page of technical numbers and formulas. Some I understand a tenth of, and then it’s like the heavens sing to me.
My dearest family, if you are reading this, I’m gone. And I’m sorry I never got to watch you grow up. I hope you are a good big brother, Nico. And Holter, I hope I at least got to have a little time with you. Smell your tiny head, count your toes. I love you both so much. I’m going to do everything I can to keep us all safe.
To my mates: Muster, don’t forget that life can be fun. Alder, keep your passion for learning alive. Salvatore, please keep sculpting. And Pietro, life will be hard with me gone, but you will be okay.
I’ve hidden these notes with Ophelia. I know they would never go to look and find them there. I’ve had three of my other notebooks go missing, stolen from my safe at work. That’s after I discovered someone was regularly accessing my digital notebooks, no matter how much security I put on it. They were cutting through my devices like they weren’t even there. That’s why I developed this cipher.
You might be shouting, “Why didn’t you tell anyone? Tell us, tell the governors. This didn’t have to go this way.”
But my loves, I didn’t have enough information. A lot of this is my own supposition, which means they’ll say I’m searching for something that isn’t there. Then the government will take it out on our pod instead of the driving forces behind whoever Calvin is working for. It could be someone else—maybe. I still don’t believe Jerrod’s death was an accident. Even after five years, no one is going to convince me otherwise.
No, I think Jerrod was too close to figuring out what the Braesen are doing. I’m hiding this with the rest. I will start a new notebook tonight.
I love you all. You are my moon and tide.
Moon and tide. Nico’s mother said it to him. Oh, there’s hope.
I flip the page, but the only thing is a date. I check my own notes. It’s two months before Richeal, Salvatore, and Pietro died. I’ve never heard their names before, only that two of Richeal’s mates died in the “accident” that claimed her life. It makes me sad. What did Salvatore sculpt? Was Pietro sensitive, a poet even? I look at the other notebook I have and scan the first page. But this one is older, before this note. And who is Jerrod? Someone else who was digging into the Braesen? “Oh, Richeal, where’s your other notebook?”
