The World's End | ONC 2024 ✔

ੈ✩‧₊˚ |𝟭𝟲| 𝗔𝘅𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

It wasn't. Instead, it was Cyprus.

Cyprus nodded, confirming my suspicion. "Yes, the alleyway. I knew it would be the perfect spot. Worked like a charm," he picked up the cup of tea in front of him. "If y'all didn't hit me in the head, I'd have explained it all to you."

Keira's eyes narrowed, "You told them to detain us so obviously, we'd try and escape."

"They would've detained Axelle and Wylan, not you. I'd have taken you to see your brother."

Wylan scoffed, suspicion evident in his gaze. "So, what? You just want to save us from Madame Henderson and my father? Why should we believe you?"

"Because we know a way out of Veridonia."

At this, the room fell into a stunned silence. We didn't know what to say, our voices still caught in our throats. It was something we had suspected. Maybe...there was a way out of here. There was a world where everything was better.

"A way out of Veridonia?" Keira repeated, her voice hoarse. "How?"

"It's there but it's impossible." Cyprus sighed, his expression pained. "There's only one person in Veridonia that can tell us that information.

He turned his head dramatically to face me, his expression faltering for a moment. I knew who knew this information now, of course.

"Melissa Henderson."

As Cyprus uttered those words, my heart skipped a beat. Mama is the enigmatic figure who seems to hold the key to so many secrets, including the possibility of escape from Veridonia. The thought of asking her scared me, but I knew that if there was any chance of finding a way out, we had to take it.

Even if we had to manipulate her. Or threaten her.

Keira's eyes widened in surprise, her expression a mix of hope and apprehension. "Madame Henderson?" she echoed.

Wylan sighed. "Who's Caity?"

At that name, Cyprus jerked forward and choked on his tea. His cough rang throughout the entire room. I figured from his reaction that Caity was an important figure indeed.

"Caity?" he repeated. "How do you...did your father tell you?"

Wylan crossed his arms. "No. We found her name in a diary entry to Madame Henderson."

"Caity. Caity Stirling was a tour-de-force. The top of the class. She was friends with Melissa but she studied Materials Science Engineering. She did her thesis on the air and the sky, sending rockets up into the atmosphere."

Cyprus stopped there, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "She was in love with Kaz Henderson."

And there it was—a classic retelling of a love story gone wrong. Caity loved Papa, Papa loved Mama. Mama saw Papa as an opportunity to get into the Council.

As we got the clues, the questions still lingered. What happened to Caity? Why was her name hidden away in Madame Henderson's diary? And did it have anything to do with escaping Veridonia?

Cyprus seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant as memories flooded back. "Caity's disappearance was mysterious," he murmured. "No one knows what happened to her. One day she was there...releasing her rocket into the sky and the next day, she was gone. Everyone in her family disappeared."

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. We all understood one thing —a person could disappear without a trace but how could an entire family do that? The more likely scenario was that her family was killed.

Wylan hesitated, opening his mouth and closing it again. A second later, I watched his expression shift as he asked Cyprus, "What's Vancouver?"

"Vancouver?"

"Yes, Caity mentions it in a letter she wrote to Madame Henderson," Wylan added.

Cyprus nodded to one of the fake Verids who were intently listening to this conversation. "When did Caity write this letter?"

"Just before Madame Henderson was elected to the Council," Wylan stated, "Why?"

Cyprus looked up at us, astonished. "I don't think Vancouver's a thing," he said, his face solemn. "I think it's a place. A place not in Veridonia. A place in the outside world."

Keira gasped, "And that means...Madame Henderson got Caity and her family out of Veridonia. Madame Henderson was the only person that Caity contacted."

Wylan turned to me, his hands flicking through one of Mama's older journals. "I think your mother knows more than we think."

The question remained glued to my mind. I picked up Baby Alissa from the kitchen countertop where she managed to climb and held her close to me.

Mama was more dangerous than I thought. 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟷𝟹𝟸𝟹 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂

𝚃𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟸𝟾𝟾𝟻𝟽 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂