Chapter 28: The Woman in the Photograph

I stared at the photograph.

The woman standing behind my father was barely visible.

But the ring...

That snake eating its own tail...

I knew it.

I'd seen it before.

"Who is she?" I asked again.

My mother wouldn't look at me.

"Please, Mum."

Nothing.

I turned towards the woman in black.

"You know her."

She smiled.

"Of course I do."

"Then tell me."

"Your mother should be the one to do that."

My mother finally looked at me.

Her eyes were filled with fear.

"Her name is Evelyn."

The woman in black smiled.

"I haven't heard that name in years."

My heart pounded.

"Who is Evelyn?"

My mother took a shaky breath.

"She was my closest friend."

I looked at the woman.

"But she's standing right there."

My mother shook her head.

"That's not Evelyn."

The woman laughed.

"Still protecting the lie."

"What lie?"

My mother looked at her.

"You died."

The woman's smile disappeared.

"Yes."

Everyone went silent.

I looked between them.

"You knew she was dead?"

"Twenty years ago," Mum said.

"We were part of the original Echo team. Evelyn was one of our researchers."

"What happened?"

My mother swallowed.

"She discovered that Echo was being used to monitor people without their knowledge."

"She wanted to expose it."

"And?"

"They tried to silence her."

My eyes widened.

"Who?"

My mother looked towards the woman.

"Victor."

The woman shook her head.

"Victor didn't kill me."

"Then who did?"

She looked directly at me.

"Your father."

I froze.

"What?"

My mother stepped forward.

"Don't listen to her."

"But you said she was your friend!"

"She was."

"Then why would Dad try to kill her?"

The woman smiled sadly.

"Because I found something your father didn't want anyone to know."

"What?"

She reached into her coat and pulled out a small photograph.

She held it towards me.

It showed my father.

Standing beside a group of men.

At the centre of them was the snake symbol.

But what frightened me most was the date.

It was taken two years before Project Echo officially existed.

I looked at my mother.

"How is that possible?"

She didn't answer.

The woman stepped closer.

"Because your father didn't create Project Echo."

She looked at me.

"He inherited it."

My stomach dropped.

"From whom?"

She smiled.

"His father."

My breath caught.

"My grandfather?"

She nodded.

"And that's where the real story begins."

Suddenly, Samuel shouted:

"Everyone down!"

A bullet ripped through the photograph in my hands.

The woman in black ducked.

Michael pulled me behind the car.

Daniel grabbed Lily.

And somewhere in the darkness...

someone laughed.

A familiar voice.

"You're asking the wrong questions, Maya."

I froze.

I knew that voice.

It belonged to Professor Elias.