9 Chapter 9

"Alive? What do you mean? How?" I questioned, pacing around the room.

"I found a folder of documents in my fathers quarters. There were photos of your parents, dated last month. There was a note on the file... they were scouting the compound perimeter." He replied, concern forming on his features. "They were labeled as hostile scouts."

My heart was racing, and my fingers started to shake as I processed the information. It was impossible. The head instructor claims that they ran away ages ago, so why would they be back now, or had they come back to bring me with them? Were they plotting against the colony? Maybe the Head Instructor was hiding more sinister secrets that I ever imagined. Ideas flowed through my head like river rapids, and my mouth suddenly felt like sandpaper.

"Cia," Soren breathed, eyes widening. "Come look."

He was leaning on the window ledge, looking at something in the grass below. Thoughts, denial, and confusion still rotating in my brain, I found my way to the windowsill to get a closer look. Soren pointed at a shadowy figure walking across the compound, and I studied the figure, trying to see if it was someone I knew. The figure was heading towards the information building - the same building where security footage, information about outside threats, and anything else regarding the colonies safety was stored. It normally wouldn't be so strange to see someone out and about in the middle of the night, but that building required very high clearance, and only a select few people were given that.

I squinted my eyes, trying to identify the hooded figure that was about to enter the building. As he approached the door, the bracelet on his wrist granted him access to the building. He turned his head to check behind him before entering, and I saw the last person I was expecting. If anyone could recognize the face that the figure belonged to, it was me. After checking behind him, Caeden slipped inside the building. My heart dropped, and reality came in full force. Whether or not Caeden was who I thought he was, he was still the love of my life. Knowing that he had kept any secret from me shattered me, no matter how big the secret was.

I exchanged glances with Soren, but I didn't know what this meant. Did this mean that Caeden knew about my parents? If the information Soren gave me was true, did Caeden have access to it? If he had clearance into the building alone, it would make sense that he would merely deliver the files without reading them. Even so, my trust for him seemed to falter, and I suddenly felt the same doubts that Soren expressed to me earlier. Did I really know Caeden at all, or did I just know the outer image? Was he truly just a puppet of the Head Instructor, or was he partaking in the action? Maybe I was just drunk. I was overthinking things, and when I talked to Caeden tomorrow - there would be a very logical reason for his midnight trip.

My eyes suddenly became blurry, and my head throbbed. I'd had enough. I stumbled back through the party, and my feet found their way to my dorm. As soon as I met the safety of my own bed, I melted into the covers and let the tears flow. I was so confused, and so torn. I no longer felt safe in my own home, let alone my own bed. A bed I shared with a potential liar, maybe even a traitor.

As my consciousness finally abandoned me, I was greeted by my mother.

"I'll see you soon," she whispered.