The fall

Chapter 23

Penelope

Doctor Fray's eyes remained fixated on me, his expression growing colder than ever. His words fell into the silence—like stones sinking into dark water as I slowly sat down to compose myself so that I don't completely collapse again after I just recovered.
"I will tell you this. You were never meant to be you, Penelope," He said, his voice low, almost clinical. "You were created as a weapon—a gift of god, some may say. Your purpose...is to execute the sylvanians."

The words hit me like a slap, my heart racing as they crashed through my thoughts. I was stunned. I opened my mouth to protests, to shout, but my throat tightened in disbelief. "No," I said, shaking my head. "That can't be true. I grew up in Sylvan. My whole life.."
I clench the white clean shirt I was wearing, trying to make sense of this new impossible reality. I'm not a weapon, I'm not a weapon. "I am a sylvanian, I'm not some weapon. I'm not a tool to kill my people...my friends."

But Fray didn't flinch, didn't waver. His eyes never left mine as he saw the panic in my eyes. The truth of his gaze still made me deny it and It made me feel like I was a child being taught a painful truth.
"You may not believe me now," He said, his voice almost sympathetic. "But I will tell you this; even if you can't accept your purpose yet, you can accept your origins."

I froze, a chill running down my spine. I wanted to lash out, to scream, to run. The thought of this man claiming something as absurd as my origins... It felt wrong, twisted. But he pressed on. I just left another place who saw me as a weapon, only to be brought into another one.

"Your real family...your biological family is from Valort. Your mother, Amelia, Your father, Finn—they were valortorians...They were subjects of project Dorothea, just like you."
He stops for a moment, before continuing.
"My name Is Finn Fray. I'm the head scientist doctor in Valort and I—...I am your biological father, Penelope."

The words hit me immediately, pressing down on me, suffocating me. I could feel my heart skipping a beat, my breath hitching at the terror. "No," I whisper, the word barely audible. "No, that can't be... you're lying."

But he didn't flinch. Instead, his gaze softened just slightly, and he stepped closer to the glass before kneeling down so we are head to head. It was as if he was reaching out through the barrier that separated us.
"I know it's hard to believe," He starts. "But I've studied you these past two days, and you are in fact my daughter. You have the exact abilities we experimented on your mother."

"You're lying!" I repeated, this time louder, with more conviction. "I am a normal evol user, not some experiment! You don't get to say who I am."

He sighs as he stands up once more, his gaze on me never wavering as his voice was still calm. "You'll accept it eventually. You are a Valortorian weapon we Fray's created centuries ago. And history won't stop repeating."

...

I watched as doctor Fray turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the sterile silence of the entire room. My body felt numb, my mind whirling in a thousand directions. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I just sat there, staring into nothing, my eyes blank as I counted the seconds that passed—one, two, three. Each tick of the clock turning me insane.

Liar. They're all liars. I mumbled the words under my breath, over and over, as If repeating them would somehow make the truth go away. But It wouldn't. It wouldn't, because every word he said rang with the horrible, undeniable weight of it. My life, my identity—everything I thought I knew was now nothing but a lie..

The collar around my neck felt heavier, the pressure seeping into my thoughts, suffocating me, as If it were a constant reminder of everything I couldn't control. My vision blurred, but I didn't wipe away the tears. There was no point. I just counted. One. two. three. Each number a fragile thread holding me to reality, even though that reality was crumbling.

And then, through the thin, soundproof glass walls, I heard voices—voices I hadn't expected.
Doctor Fray's voice came first, low and steady, speaking to someone outside the room. "Inform commander Richard, that the Dorothea project is back in action," He said, his words cold and precise.

I froze. The name Richard sliced through my thoughts like a shard of glass. My heart skipped a beat as a cold shiver ran down my spine. There was only one Richard I knew. Richard Hudson. My mind snapped at the memory of him, standing beside, Gabriella, my best friend. Her boyfriend.

Richard—her Richard—was tied to this. Tied to everything I had just learned. It all made sense, the words echo in my head, over and over. Dorothea project. Their break up. The fighting. Commander Richard. A sickening wave crashed over me. Was Gabriella part of this too? Was she lying to me all along? Had she known? Or worse—had she been part of this plan, part of this nightmare I was trapped in?

Tears welled up again, but they felt different now. But they were no longer just for myself. They were for her, for the friendship I thought I could trust. Was she lying too? Had all of it been a lie?
It started first with Mr. Laurens and Blake—the people I saw as family, trusted as my own blood. Now the other two, Richard and Gabby working for the Valortorian Council. The thoughts were gripping me tighter than the collar around my neck.

How many more lies am I surrounded by?