The Skylar Experiment : Dead Ending (second draft)

Prologue

CONCEALED BEHIND EVERGREENS and blending with the night, her eyes trailed the two figures wrestling on the porch. An eyebrow curved up in curiosity. 

She detailed the way he struggled to immobilize the girl. The sound of his laughter made her twitch. He slid on a knitted beanie over the girl's head and calmed her down, using her shoulders as a support for his elbows. 

She leaned forward on her branch, a conflicted smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. 

The New Year had just arrived. Her brother should be at the family gathering, but instead he was here with Harris' daughter—or assignment. It didn't matter. She'd stopped dead in her tracks and quickly withdrew out of sight. They seemed on the verge of leaving for something—the gathering? Luc was bringing her there? 

She maintained her balance stealthily, wondering how much longer this would drag on. But while she wanted them gone, she was unable to look away even for a second. 

Luc pulled out a jewelry case, and surprise crashed over the speechless girl. 

Her own hand unconsciously moved to the base of her neck but didn't find the old necklace. A gust of wind murmured among the branches as snowflakes swirled over her face. 

Some memories flooded her mind as she conveyed her gaze to the ground, to the trees, to the road and to any encompassing parcel. But they were like smoke. Hovering. Thick. Impossible to grasp. It felt as if the land was haunted with remnants. This was supposed to be home, but the memories... 

Life had moved on in her absence. Being here, she felt like a trespasser. 

Long after her brother's car cruised away, she leaped off the perch. Shaking the snow off her coat, she crossed the road with the hood over her head. She rang the doorbell and waited a beat. Footsteps echoed beyond the door, and it opened on a fit, middle-aged man with greying hair. 

"Forgot something, Ri—"

His expression deteriorated the second his stare settled over a pair of blazing green eyes. Slowly, she pried a finger to her lips. The man stepped back in shock as she pushed the hood off. For a moment, they stood there, evaluating one another mutely. Lauren stretched out her open palm, showing off words penned into her skin. 

I have come in peace. Let me disable the mic. 

Harris nodded stiffly and—not without a suspicious look—let her come in. She walked into the hall, her feet light and soundless. 

"Stay here, kiddo. I'll go get your scarf," he said in a clear voice and pointed at a lamp in the living room. 

Her eyes glinted and she ambled towards the lamp. She searched under the shade for a moment, and plucked a tiny device from underneath, holding it between her fingers. Lauren turned to him with a relaxed posture. 

"As long as I touch it, they won't hear anything. I'll return it afterward." She assessed the way Harris tensed, keeping his distance. "Sending your daughter out because you knew I was coming? I didn't think you'd be so preventing."

"What do you want with me?" he uttered, folding his arms. "How do you know me?" 

"Please, let's sit down and talk. We'll go over all the reasons at your leisure, and you can ask me all the questions you want." Lauren fell into a chair and hooked one knee over the other, oddly passive. 

Harris was dumbfounded at the sight in his living room. They've never met, and he'd pictured her to be more... frightening. Based on the terror she inspired in those who encountered her, Lauren was manipulative and unyielding, stopping at nothing to prove a point. Yet, she eyed him without an ounce of aggression.