?"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit at your table?"

  ?Cristy spun around, almost knocking over the heavy volume she was consulting. She was so immersed in the section describing the mansion's original foundations—looking for tunnels, old drains, any non-digital escape route—that the voice caught her off guard.

  The speaker was a petite girl, almost transparently pale, with dark hair gathered in an artistic bun held together by two red lacquered sticks.

  "Sure," Cristy replied, trying to mask her nervousness. "Go ahead."

  ?She immediately went back to reading. She had little time. She didn't know how long before the checks started or when the tutors would return from that "Code Black."

  A few moments passed, but the words on the page began to blur. Cristy felt a weight on her.

  She looked up.

  The girl was staring at her. She wasn't blinking; her large dark eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that was unsettling.

  ?"Do you... need something?" Cristy asked.

  "My name is Cindy," the girl said, without looking away.

  "Nice to meet you, I'm Cristy," she replied, forcing a polite smile.

  ?Cindy nodded, as if she had just confirmed a data point.

  "Everyone is talking about you, you know? Since you arrived."

  "Oh really?"

  Cindy gave a solemn nod. "They say you're dangerous. They say you were about to reveal the Secret to the humans and that because of you, security has been compromised."

  ?Cristy sighed, slightly closing the book.

  "We didn't do anything. We didn't even know we were Resonants until two days ago. We just wanted... to go home."

  ?Cindy tilted her head to the side, studying her.

  "I don't think like the others. You're very pretty. And you seem nice."

  "Thanks," Cristy replied, taken aback by the sudden shift.

  ?Cindy pointed to the open tome. "What are you reading?"

  "The history of this building. I didn't know it was so ancient."

  "It existed long before it was cloaked," Cindy said, with the wisdom of someone repeating stories heard a thousand times. "Before the Barrier... and before the Hunger... all Resonants lived free. My parents told me they had learned to feed on humans without killing them. It took very little, a light touch. They coexisted."

  The girl's face darkened.

  "Then He arrived. And everything changed. I was born when my parents were already in here, hiding."

  ?Cristy frowned. "Who is He?"

  Cindy looked around, then lowered her voice until it was a breath.

  "The Man Who Never Dies."

  ?Cristy felt a shiver. It was the same name she had heard in Silas's office.

  "Who is he? Do you know where he is now?"

  Cindy shook her head frantically, terrified. "No one knows. But he's still here. I heard my parents whispering... they say some humans are disappearing in the city. Not to feed us. They just vanish. They think it was Him."

  ?Cristy's thoughts flew immediately to Charlotte. And to all the others who had disappeared into thin air.

  "That's terrible," she murmured.

  ?Cindy shrugged, trying to shake off the fear.

  "That's why I'm training a lot. I want to learn to defend myself. I'm only thirteen, but I already know how to use my frequency."

  The girl's eyes lit up with childish curiosity.

  "And you? What's yours?"

  ?Cristy hesitated. She didn't trust anyone yet, but this girl seemed like the only honest person in there.

  "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But... last night I managed to get inside a man's head. I commanded him. Like he was my own body."

  ?"Wow!" Cindy yelled.

  The sound echoed in the silent library. Several Resonants at nearby tables turned to glare at them.

  Cindy covered her mouth with her hand, giggling, then leaned toward Cristy and whispered, eyes shining with conspiracy.

  "That's so cool. I have a mental frequency too."

  She paused for dramatic effect.

  "I manipulate memories. I can erase them, or change them. I can make you believe your favorite color is green, or that you never had a dog."

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  ?Cristy was stunned.

  She looked at this petite, pale, fragile-looking girl.

  Thirteen years old. And she had the power to rewrite a person's mind, to erase entire lives with a thought. She was a terrifying weapon hidden in a child's body.

  ?Cristy looked at the antique clock on the wall. Time had flown.

  "I have to go," she said, standing up. "I have to put the book back before the tutors return."

  ?Cindy nodded, a bit disappointed, but smiled at her.

  "If you need me, tell me. You can always find me here in the afternoons, in the History sector."

  "Thanks, Cindy. Really."

  ?They shook hands. Cindy's was cold and small, but her grip was surprisingly firm.

  Cristy went to place the volume on shelf A17 and walked quickly toward the entrance, heart beating fast not from the escape, but from what she had just discovered.

  ?Alex was pacing back and forth in front of the library's entrance arch, biting his nails nervously. When he saw Cristy's figure emerge from the shelves, he almost ran to her.

  "Where's Tony?" he asked immediately, looking behind her.

  "He's not back yet," Cristy replied, voice thin.

  "Shit," Alex cursed. "If the tutors come back and he's not here... they'll grill us. They'll become unbearable."

  Cristy nodded, checking her watch. "We have to hope that 'Code Black' keeps them busy a little longer."

  ?"What did you find?" Alex asked, trying to push away the anxiety.

  Cristy looked around to make sure she wasn't being overheard, then lowered her voice.

  "Tower Beta. The one in the steeple. It's the one generating the cloaking barrier and keeping it stable."

  She took a breath.

  "I read the specs. The Tower is calibrated to detect individual spikes, isolate autonomous anomalies, and track distinct sources. But..." she paused significantly, "it can't read a stable composite signal."

  ?Alex frowned. "What does that mean?"

  "It means if we try to cross it individually, it detects us as anomalous spikes. They catch us before we can say 'we're free.' The problem is our frequencies aren't stable."

  ?Alex's mood changed instantly. His eyes lit up, fear giving way to feverish excitement.

  "Cristy..." he whispered, grabbing her arm. "In my research on the Resonant Union... I found the key."

  "Meaning?"

  "It's called 'unified phase resonance'."

  Cristy looked at him confused. "Speak English, Alex."

  ?He started gesturing, excited.

  "Simply put: when we unite, we temporarily merge our frequencies into a single coherent oscillation. If we are perfectly synchronized, Tower Beta doesn't read three distinct spikes. It reads us as background noise. Or as an energy fluctuation already present in the system."

  ?Alex smiled, a wide and hopeful smile.

  "No spikes. No logs. We don't pass through the barrier, Cristy. We let ourselves be carried by it."

  He made a fluid gesture with his hand.

  "Like a boat in the current."

  ?Cristy's eyes widened. "Alex... you're a genius."

  "We're going home!" he exclaimed, almost bouncing.

  ?"What's all this happiness about?"

  The voice came from behind them, but it wasn't normal. It was strangled, hoarse.

  ?Tony was there. He had emerged from the shadows of Section L, but looked like he had lost ten years of his life in ten minutes. He was ashen, pupils dilated, hands trembling visibly at his sides.

  "Guys..." Tony whispered, eyes wide like someone who had just seen hell. "We need to talk. I read... you can't imagine what..."

  ?"Tony!" Alex interrupted him, not noticing his friend's terror, too caught up in the euphoria of discovery. "Wait! We found a way out. Listen, it's brilliant!"

  "No, Alex, listen to me, it's serious, I..." Tony tried to insist, taking an unstable step forward.

  "Forget the books for a second!" Cristy silenced him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "We have the plan. Listen!"

  ?Tony froze, overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. The secret he had just discovered burned in his throat, but he nodded weakly, unable to snuff out their hope.

  They quickly explained the theory: Tower Beta, the composite signal, the boat in the current.

  Tony listened in silence, but his gaze was elsewhere, lost in the void.

  When they finished, he nodded slowly, like an automaton.

  "Good," he said, voice flat. "So at least 80% of the plan is done."

  "Only 80%?" Alex asked, dimming his smile.

  "Yes," Tony replied, looking toward the exit with empty eyes. "The physical problem remains. We have to figure out how to evade the guards and cameras to reach the barrier's edge without getting shot."

  ?They didn't have time to elaborate further.

  The library door snapped open.

  Abby marched in.

  She was alone, but she looked worse than before. She had a dark look, tense as a violin string ready to snap. She stopped in front of them, scrutinizing them one by one with a mix of anger and frustration.

  ?"I have a message from Director Silas," she began, without preamble. Her voice was metallic. "The external situation is compromised. We cannot provide cover for your absence."

  "What does that mean?" Cristy asked, feeling a knot in her stomach.

  "It means a formal missing persons report has been filed," Abby replied, icy. "The police are involved. Local media are talking about it. We can't invent a school trip excuse."

  ?"Then let us go!" Tony burst out, a spark of life returning to his dull eyes. "If our parents know we're missing..."

  ?"The containment order has not been revoked," Abby interrupted him, raising her voice. "In fact, it has been strengthened. You are a security threat. If you went home now, TerraCore would intercept you. They would trace Headquarters through you. You would put the existence of all Resonants at risk."

  She looked at them harshly.

  "You will remain here. Indefinitely."

  ?"You can't do this to us!" Alex yelled, face red. "We're prisoners!"

  "We're hostages!" Cristy added.

  "Silence!"

  Abby's shout echoed in the library. She took a step forward, menacing.

  "Orders are not up for discussion. Either you behave like recruits, or I will enforce the rules by force. Don't make me take you to the isolation cells."

  ?The three teenagers fell silent. They exchanged a quick glance. The anger was there, burning, but Tony gave an imperceptible nod. Calm. We have a plan.

  They lowered their gazes, feigning resignation.

  "Fine," Abby said, adjusting her uniform with a nervous gesture. "Now follow me. I'm taking you back to quarters."

  ?She turned and headed for the door. The kids followed her single file, ready to go back in the cage to plan their escape.

  But as Abby was about to cross the threshold, she stopped abruptly.

  She froze like a robot whose plug had been pulled.

  She remained motionless for three, four interminable seconds. Hand in mid-air, gaze lost in the void.

  ?In the same instant, Tony stumbled.

  He brought a hand to his temple, emitting a stifled groan.

  "Tony?" Alex supported him by the arm. "What's wrong?"

  "My head is spinning," Tony murmured, squinting as if a sudden light had blinded him. "I feel... I feel a pressure. Something cold."

  ?In front of them, Abby turned slowly.

  Her dark, tense look was gone, replaced by a vacant, bewildered expression. She blinked several times, looking around as if she didn't recognize the corridor.

  "I... I forgot something," she murmured. Her voice was uncertain, stripped of authority.

  She touched her forehead, confused.

  "Something extremely important. But... I don't remember what."

  Tony swallowed hard, feeling the exact same sensation of loss, as if something had slipped away without leaving a trace.

  ?Alex looked at Cristy, whose mouth was open. Tony looked up at Abby, pale, massaging his temples which still throbbed with that phantom pain.

  ?Abby shook her head, as if to clear an invisible fog.

  "Maybe... maybe I was supposed to go to Silas. Yes. The report."

  She looked at the kids one last time, but she didn't seem to really see them. She seemed to have forgotten they were there to be escorted.

  "I have to go to Silas," she repeated.

  ?She crossed the door and walked briskly down the corridor, leaving the three teenagers alone, free, and incredulous on the library threshold.

  Author’s Note ??