Chapter 160
No.1
Elisa was the first one out the door, running across the manicured lawn, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs. Dr. Blevins and Alastair were right behind her.
Drawn by the commotion, August and Allena followed them out of the library.
In a small, secluded rose garden, they saw her.
.Kayden was on the ground, her little white dress stained with dirt and grass. Her knee was scraped raw on the gravel path, a trickle of bright red blood running down her shin. She was crying, her small hands reaching for something just out of her grasp.
Standing over her, a triumphant sneer on his face,was Tate Mills.
No.2
Allena's seven-year-old brother. He must have arrived with a different family member.
In his hand, he held a small, sophisticated-looking robot with a custom-painted shell.
"It's mine now!" Tate shouted at the crying girl."You're just a baby! You don't know how to use it!"He had pushed her down and stolen her toy.
Elisa reached her in a second, scooping her daughter into her arms, murmuring soothing words, her mind a white-hot blur of maternal fury.
Dr. Blevins's face was dark with rage. "Young man,"he boomed, his voice echoing in the quiet garden."You will return that to her and you will apologize.Immediately."
No.3
Allena, seeing her brother being scolded, rushed forward and pulled Tate behind her, shielding him."Dr. Blevins, how dare you yell at a child!" she said,her voice dripping with indignation. "They're just children. Kids fight over toys. It's normal."
Her casual dismissal of Tate's cruelty, of Kayden's tears and bloodied knee, lit a fuse in Elisa.
She stood up, holding Kayden tight against her.Her voice was lethally quiet. "Allena. Tell him to give it back.Now."
August stood frozen a few feet away, watching the
scene unfold. But he wasn't looking at the adults. His gaze was locked on the little girl in Elisa's arms.
No.4
On her face.
The,shape of her eyes when she cried, the stubborn set of her small chin, the way her dark hair curled at her temples. It was like looking at a ghost. A ghost of himself, from a long-forgotten childhood photograph.The pieces of the puzzle-the school, the fierce protectiveness, the uncanny resemblance-slammed together in his mind with the force of a physical blow.
"It's just a stupid robot!" Allena was saying defensively. "We'll buy you a new one! Tate, let's ggo."
"A stupid robot?" Dr. Blevins roared, his face purple with rage. He pointed at the toy in Tate's hand. "Do you have any idea what that is? That is a one-of-a-kind prototype from a pivate project at MIT's media lab, a gift to my goddaughter! The innovation in its chassis design alone is more brilliant than anything your entire plagiarized project could ever hope to produce!"
The statement landed with the force of a thunderclap. August and Allena stared,
No.5
dumbfounded.
A five-year-old... had a prototype from MIT?
Elisa had no more words for them. She looked at Alastair."Get it."
Alastair nodded, took two long strides forward,and gently but firmly plucked the robot from a stunned Tate's hand.
Tate immediately burst into a fresh set of wails,running to hide behind Allena.
No.6
Allena was sputtering, her face contorted with fury and humiliation. She pointed a trembling finger at Elisa. "Who even are you? Why is your child here?What is going on?"
The question hung in the air. All eyes turned to Elisa and the crying girl in her arms.
August took a step forward. His voice was hoarse,thick with a dawning, terrifying understanding. He stared at Elisa, his eyes boring into hers, demanding the truth.
"Elisa," he asked, the single word cracking with the weight of a thousand unasked questions. "Who is
this child?"