Chapter 6 - The Cabin of Secrets
Elara screamed as the massive, burning branch pinned the boy to the forest floor.
Without thinking, she relied on legs she had not used in a decade and sprinted toward him.
The heat blistered her skin, but the adrenaline masked the agonizing weakness of her newly awakened muscles.
She grabbed the heavy, smoldering wood, ignoring the sharp pain as the bark singed her palms.
With a desperate, primal scream, she threw her entire body weight backward.
The branch shifted just enough for the boy to wriggle free from the crushing weight.
He was coughing violently, his left arm hanging at a terrifying, unnatural angle.
Ghost charged through the smoke, positioning his massive body between them and the advancing wall of fire.
The boy grabbed Elara’s hand with his good arm, pulling her toward a rocky outcrop hidden behind the flames.
They squeezed through a narrow fissure in the stone just as the clearing was entirely consumed by a fiery explosion.
They collapsed onto the cool, damp floor of a hidden limestone cave.
The cave tunneled deep into the hillside, completely untouched by the raging inferno above.
The boy struck a match with his trembling right hand, lighting a series of old kerosene lanterns lining the tunnel walls.
The golden light revealed a massive, hidden underground bunker that looked like an abandoned laboratory.
Elara stared in absolute shock at the complex medical equipment covered in thick layers of dust.
Where are we.
The boy grabbed a torn rag to bind his broken arm, wincing in terrible pain.
This is my grandfather's laboratory.
He walked over to a massive wooden desk scattered with ancient, yellowed blueprints.
He brushed the dust off the top document, turning it around for Elara to see.
It was a detailed schematic of her custom motorized wheelchair, dated twelve years ago.
Your father did not invent the technology that runs his massive empire, Elara.
He stole it from my family.
Elara traced the faded ink of the blueprint, feeling her stomach twist into a painful knot.
My grandfather discovered a way to harness biological energy to cure degenerative diseases.
Your father murdered him, stole his research, and used it to create the poisons that keep you paralyzed.
Elara felt the cold, hard floor spin beneath her trembling feet.
Why would he do that to his own daughter.
The boy pulled a heavy, leather-bound legal document from the bottom drawer of the desk.
Because you are not his biological daughter, Elara.
The boy tossed the document onto the desk, revealing a birth certificate and a massive trust fund agreement.
Your real father was his billionaire business partner, and you inherit the entire company when you turn eighteen.
Elara stared at the date on the trust fund document with absolute, paralyzing horror.
May you like
Her eighteenth birthday was exactly twenty-four hours away.
A massive explosion suddenly rocked the cave, blowing the heavy steel entrance doors completely off their hinges.
