The hours following her arrival at the new safe house passed in a haze. Ada couldn't sleep. Her thoughts swirled, her mind racing with the implications of her father's last message. "The truth is in your blood." What did that mean? Her heart thudded as she replayed the words over and over again.
There were no answers here—only more questions. The man in the suit had left her alone in the dimly lit room, promising to return soon, but the silence was oppressive, more suffocating than the noise of the city. Ada felt like a prisoner, a pawn in someone else's game, but she couldn't ignore the nagging pull to find out what her father had hidden.
She stood up from the bed, her eyes falling once again on the envelope that had delivered her father's warning. The piece of paper inside was simple, but its contents had sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't know who to trust anymore—everyone had their own hidden agenda, and the more she discovered, the more she realized just how deep the lies went.
Suddenly, a sharp knock at the door broke her thoughts. Ada's heart skipped a beat, her instincts on high alert. She wasn't sure who it could be—was it someone who would finally answer her questions, or was it another face in the growing list of enemies she had made?
She moved toward the door slowly, taking a deep breath before she cracked it open. The man in the suit stood there, his face unreadable as usual, but there was something new in his eyes—something almost like concern.
"We need to talk," he said in a low voice.
Ada didn't hesitate. She stepped aside and allowed him into the room, her eyes narrowing. "What is it this time?"
He closed the door behind him and took a seat at the small desk, his posture rigid. "You've been here long enough, Ada. We're not safe here anymore. The people we're hiding from—they're not just looking for you. They're looking for something else. Something that's connected to your family. To your bloodline."
Ada frowned. "What do you mean, my bloodline?"
The man's jaw tightened, and for a moment, Ada thought she saw a flicker of doubt cross his face. But he didn't elaborate immediately. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, worn notebook. It looked like something her father would have carried—a journal, maybe. The leather was scuffed and faded, but there was no mistaking the familiar handwriting that filled the pages.
"This was your father's," the man said, handing it to her. "He kept it hidden, but it's important. It contains information you need to understand everything."
Ada's hands shook as she took the notebook from him. It felt heavy in her palms, as if it carried the weight of years of secrets and lies. She opened the cover, her eyes scanning the first few pages. They were filled with notes, cryptic phrases, and symbols she didn't recognize. Her father had been writing about something—something hidden within the very core of their family's legacy.
But the words were unclear. She didn't understand them.
"What is this?" Ada asked, looking up at the man, frustration lacing her voice.
"You don't understand it yet," he said, his voice tight. "But you will. Your father left you this for a reason. There's a power in your bloodline, Ada. A power that has been hidden for generations. And now, the people who are after you—after us—are determined to use it for their own gain."
Ada's mind raced. Power in her bloodline? She had no idea what he was talking about. She wasn't special—she was just a normal woman trying to piece together the fragments of her shattered life. But the more she thought about her father's warning, the more the words began to resonate with her.
Her father had known all of this. He had left her with a legacy, a burden she hadn't asked for.
And now, she was being dragged into something much bigger than herself.
"I don't want this," Ada said, her voice cracking with emotion. She felt the tears welling up, but she refused to let them fall. "I didn't ask for any of this. I just want answers. I just want to know what happened to my father."
The man's expression softened, just for a moment. "I know you didn't ask for this. No one does. But you don't have a choice anymore. The truth is already inside of you, Ada. You have to decide whether to fight for it… or to let them take everything from you."
Ada's chest tightened as the weight of his words hit her. There was no going back now. She had to find the truth—whatever it cost.
The man stood up and moved toward the door. "You should rest. Tomorrow, we'll begin the next part of the journey. There's no more time to waste."
Ada nodded, her mind reeling. The man stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her in the silence once again. She stared at the notebook in her hands, feeling like it was the key to something monumental, something that could change everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
She couldn't let it slip away.
But as the weight of her father's legacy pressed down on her, Ada wondered: Was she strong enough to carry it?
And who, in the end, would she have to become in order to survive?