The Hidden heir’s revenge

Chapter 76 — The Child Behind the Glass

Varek slowly turned towards Samuel.

The little boy stood in the middle of the nursery, smiling.

But it wasn’t the same smile he had given Varek moments earlier.

It was colder.

Older.

Almost familiar.

“Samuel?” Varek called.

The boy tilted his head.

“That’s not my name.”

Varek looked towards the glass cabinet.

The little girl was still standing behind the reflection. Her small palm remained pressed against the other side.

“Who are you?” Varek asked the boy.

He smiled.

“You already know.”

“No. I don’t.”

“Then why do you keep looking at me like you remember?”

Varek felt a strange pressure behind his eyes.

A flash of memory appeared.

A white room.

A woman crying.

A little girl sitting on a hospital bed.

And a voice saying, You must never let them separate the two children.

Varek staggered backwards.

Mary rushed towards him.

“Don’t listen to the voice.”

He looked at her.

“What voice?”

“The one coming from the chamber.”

Varek turned towards the glass.

The little girl was no longer smiling.

She was pointing towards the floor.

Then she disappeared.

Samuel laughed.

“She doesn’t want you to remember.”

Varek grabbed the boy’s arm.

“Who is she?”

The child looked at him.

“My sister.”

Mary covered her mouth.

Varek released him.

“Your sister?”

Samuel nodded.

“She was born before me.”

“Where is she?”

“Inside.”

Varek looked towards the glass cabinet.

“Inside what?”

“The room where they kept her.”

Mary moved between them.

“Samuel, stop.”

The boy’s expression changed.

“Why? You’re the one who told me to remember.”

Mary shook her head.

“I told you to remember who you were. Not what they put inside your head.”

Samuel looked at her for a long moment.

Then his face softened.

“Grandmother?”

Mary froze.

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“Are you going to leave me again?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“No.”

The boy suddenly began crying.

Varek watched him carefully.

The strange expression had disappeared.

For a moment, he was the frightened child who had asked Varek not to let anyone take him away.

Mary knelt and opened her arms.

Samuel ran towards her.

She held him tightly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Varek looked towards Jonathan.

“How many children were involved in this?”

Jonathan leaned against the table, holding his injured shoulder.

“More than you can imagine.”

“Give me a number.”

“Four in the original arrangement. Six in the first expansion. More were added later.”

“Names?”

Jonathan shook his head.

“Some were never given names. Others were assigned names that already belonged to someone else.”

Varek’s patience was running out.

“Who was the girl in the glass?”

Jonathan looked towards Mary.

“Ask her.”

Mary slowly stood.

“Her name was Varek.”

Varek frowned.

“That’s my name.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Mary took a deep breath.

“The first Varek was a little girl. She was born with a rare ability to remember things she had never experienced. She could recall conversations from before her birth, recognize people she had never met and remember events that happened to other children.”

Matthew’s voice came from the corridor.

“That’s why they created the memory chamber.”

Varek turned.

Matthew Cross had returned with Adrian and Victor.

The second Matthew was nowhere to be seen.

“Did you catch him?” Varek asked.

Victor shook his head.

“He escaped through the lower passage.”

Adrian looked at Samuel.

“Is he still behaving strangely?”

Mary nodded.

Matthew approached the glass cabinet.

“The girl in the reflection is not a ghost.”

“Then what is she?” Varek asked.

“A recorded memory.”

Matthew examined the cabinet.

“The original nursery used a system that connected the memory chamber to selected biometric markers. If someone with the correct identification stood close enough, the chamber could display stored images.”

Varek looked at the glass.

“So the girl is a recording?”

“Possibly.”

“Can you open it?”

Matthew studied the panel beside the cabinet.

“Not without the original key.”

Varek reached into his pocket.

He still had the silver key Eleanor had given him.

He placed it against the panel.

A small light appeared.

IDENTITY ACCEPTED.

The cabinet made a clicking sound.

A narrow section of the wall moved backwards.

Behind it was a small metal door.

Mary immediately grabbed Varek’s arm.

“Don’t open that.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where they kept her.”

“Who?”

Mary’s voice broke.

“The original Varek.”

Varek looked at the door.

“Was she your daughter?”

Mary nodded.

“Yes.”

The room became silent.

Varek slowly lowered his hand.

“You named me after your daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I lost her.”

Varek stared at her.

“And you thought giving me her name would bring her back?”

Mary shook her head.

“No. I thought it would remind me that she once existed.”

Adrian stepped closer.

“What happened to her?”

Mary looked at the metal door.

“She was taken from me when she was six. They said she had died during the first memory experiment. I never saw her body.”

“Then why did you believe she was dead?”

“Because I saw the chamber burn.”

Matthew examined the panel.

“The fire destroyed the upper nursery, but the lower chamber was protected.”

Mary looked at him sharply.

“You knew?”

“I suspected.”

Varek turned towards the door.

“Open it.”

Matthew entered a short code.

The metal door slid open.

Inside was a narrow room.

A small hospital bed stood against the wall. Beside it was a metal cabinet, an old computer and a chair.

There were drawings on the walls.

Pictures of a little girl.

A woman.

And a boy who looked exactly like Varek.

Varek stepped inside.

On the bed lay an old hospital bracelet.

He picked it up.

The name was clear.

VAREK THORNE.

Underneath it was a date.

The same date as Varek’s own birth.

He looked at Mary.

“Why does she have my birthday?”

Mary began crying.

“Because you were born on the day she disappeared.”

Varek felt his hands tighten around the bracelet.

“Was I born before or after her?”

“After.”

“How long after?”

“Twenty-three minutes.”

Nobody spoke.

Varek looked towards the drawings again.

There were two children in one picture.

A girl and a newborn baby.

The girl was holding the baby, smiling.

Underneath the drawing, someone had written:

MY LITTLE BROTHER. I WILL PROTECT HIM.

Varek stared at the words.

“She knew about me?”

Mary nodded.

“She was waiting for you.”

“Then what happened?”

Mary wiped her tears.

“She was supposed to leave with you. But the doctors came before I could take both of you out.”

Varek looked at her.

“Who took her?”

Mary’s lips trembled.

“Your grandfather.”

Jonathan looked away.

Varek turned sharply.

“You took her?”

Jonathan said nothing.

“Answer me!”

Jonathan slowly raised his head.

“I did.”

Varek stepped towards him.

“Why?”

“Because she was the original Subject Five. The system needed her.”

“She was your granddaughter!”

Jonathan’s face remained cold.

“She was more valuable than that.”

Varek lunged towards him, but Adrian and Victor held him back.

“Let me go!”

“Varek!” Adrian shouted. “We need answers!”

Varek struggled for another moment before stepping away.

He looked towards Jonathan.

“Where is she?”

Jonathan swallowed.

“Dead.”

Mary shook her head.

“You’re lying.”

Jonathan looked at her.

“She died in the chamber.”

“Then why is her identity still active?” Matthew asked.

Jonathan’s expression changed.

Matthew turned towards the computer.

A new screen had appeared.

ORIGINAL SUBJECT FIVE.

BIOLOGICAL STATUS: UNKNOWN.

LAST LOCATION: THORNE PRIVATE ESTATE.

Varek stared at the message.

“She’s at the estate?”

Mary rushed towards the computer.

“Show me.”

Matthew opened the location history.

A recent access record appeared.

SUBJECT FIVE — ACCESS DETECTED.

TIME: 14 MINUTES AGO.

Adrian frowned.

“Someone was there recently.”

Victor looked towards Varek.

“Could it be the second Matthew?”

Varek shook his head.

“No.”

He looked at the drawing of the little girl.

Then at the hospital bracelet in his hand.

“She’s alive.”

Jonathan suddenly laughed.

“You don’t know that.”

Varek turned.

“But you do.”

Jonathan’s smile faded.

Varek walked towards him.

“You’re afraid of something. Not the memories. Not the register. You’re afraid of her coming back.”

Jonathan said nothing.

Then his phone rang.

Everyone looked at him.

The caller’s name appeared on the screen.

SUBJECT FIVE.

Jonathan’s face went completely white.

He answered with a trembling hand.

A little girl’s voice came through the speaker.

“Grandfather?”

Jonathan closed his eyes.

“Where are you?”

The girl giggled.

“At home.”

“Which home?”

“The one you buried me under.”

The call ended.

Varek slowly looked at Mary.

She was crying, but this time she was smiling.

“She’s alive,” she whispered.

Then the computer screen changed.

A new message appeared.

SUBJECT FIVE HAS REQUESTED FAMILY REUNION.

ALL ORIGINAL GUARDIANS MUST ATTEND.

Below it were four names.

MARY THORNE.

JONATHAN THORNE.

ALISTAIR THORNE.

VAREK THORNE.

A fifth name appeared.

ADRIAN THORNE — GUARDIAN OF THE ORIGINAL DANIEL.

Adrian stared at the screen.

“Why is my name there?”

A final message appeared.

BRING THE CHILDREN.

DO NOT BRING THEIR REPLACEMENTS.