“Dario and the Professor kidnapped Kelsey?” An unexpected development. Or was Myra going insane over the loss of her sister, just throwing accusations at anyone? I said, “I thought you’re supposed to be the good guys?”

“Good guys,” Myra pensively mumbled. “At the risk of sounding philosophical, are any of us actually on the side of good? I can’t even justify a morally grey side because there’s an objective good in our society. We are vigilantes, and what does the law say on that, Erind?”

“Vigilantism is not legally justified—”

“Using this artificial Core inside of us makes it even worse. It’s the product of a government project, but that doesn’t make it any less illegal. This was made through human experimentation, not to mention using a stolen Origin Core from the Corebrings. Convincing anyone we’re the good guys just because we fight Adumbrae is a long stretch.”

“Okay, not the good guys. But Dario and the Professor…aren’t you at least on the same side? Or am I missing something here?”

“Same team. I can’t say we’re all on the same side; I don’t even know what our side is supposed to be. Dario told us we’re helping a lone BID scientist defeat an Adumbrae conspiracy ring embedded in the government. But other than that, we don’t know anything else about this Professor guy. None of us have met, or even talked to him. Johann and I suspect something way bigger than just a single scientist is behind Dario.”

“He’s working for some secret organization?” I said, reading between the lines. Was she hesitant saying it outright for fear I’d back out of helping her? “What made you think this? Did you discover something? I dunno, some concrete evidence?”

“Decide for yourself if this is concrete evidence,” Myra answered. “A couple of days after our Eve mission, Johann visited my apartment.” She explained what she learned from him about the BID taking jurisdiction of the investigation, deputizing the city police—one of their powers under the Panderton Act—and using the additional manpower to review the massive amounts of leads coming in. “The BID turned the huge parking lot of the LEPD headquarters into their base of operations, like a mini tent city. Johann took every opportunity he had, making up all kinds of excuses, just to hang out at that place and gather info from his friends and other people he knew.”

“And he found something out,” I said. “Evidence connected to us.”

Myra raised a brow, surprised. “How did you know? Or you’re guessing?”

“A gnawing feeling I had since our Eve mission.” A lie. I hadn’t thought about this at all. The truth was I had other things on my mind such as all the fun and excitement I had at Eve, meeting new friends and killing them, and the whole thing with Bianca too. Hey, I deserved a couple of days of relaxation after going through that shit.

“Unfortunately, you’re right on that one.”

“It’s to be expected. It was a massive BID operation.” I kept my voice neutral, hiding my annoyance at myself for being so carefree. I just offhandedly assumed the explosion wiped our tracks. Apparently, it didn’t. I ticked off my fingers, enumerating possible evidence I thought of only now—stuff I should’ve already considered after escaping Eve. “They’d have surveillance videos of the comings and goings at the club before the raid; that should include when we arrived. There should be files from the security cameras of the Eve itself, recording me and Deen inside, assuming those survived the explosion—probably not. And I guess there are witnesses who survived. What did I miss?”

“The agents inside the club,” Myra said. “Johann found out they were transmitting in real-time everything they saw to the BID command overseeing the raid.”

“So, we’re…” I was going to say ‘fucked’ but that was uncharacteristic of me. “So, they know about us? How come they haven’t arrested us yet? Did Johann manage to delete all the evidence? He’s very reliable, he helped me through my tests too. He must’ve—”

“You’re right on the evidence going missing part, but Johann didn’t do anything.”

“What?”

“Everything connected to us were deleted by someone else.”

“Huh?! I don’t…what?”

“After Johann discovered the evidence, that was late Sunday night, he informed Dario, who told him to stand down, assuring him the police won’t notice us. There were tons of other people there anyway. Since Johann helped you with your tests, you must know the type of guy he is. He couldn’t just leave it up to chance and decided to find a way to wipe our tracks the next day. But...they were no longer there.”

“Could it be just some error?” I said. “Or it might be the 2Ms. Yeah, it must be them. They’re trying to hide—"

“I also thought of that, but it’s not possible. For example, there was a video from the surveillance team watching the entrance of Eve. Johann said when he saw it, it was a long one which included us posing as Bianca’s crew. But the next time he checked it, the part with us was gone, just cut out somewhere in the middle. The same thing happened with the recordings of three other cameras pointed at Eve’s entrance. These are too specific to be computer errors. And if it was the 2Ms, they’d want to destroy all the evidence. Why delete just the parts with us? It’s like someone was—”

“—protecting us,” I finished her statement. What do I make of this?

I had to admit—just to myself, of course—it was a huge fucking oversight not to think of the consequences of the Eve mission. I should’ve immediately gone into hiding, assuming the worst. Stupid bitch, Erind, I mentally berated myself. This shouldn’t happen again.

Oh well, I was still walking around, free as an Adumbrae could be.

No harm done.

Thanks to this mysterious person…or people who cleaned our tracks.

However, I still wasn’t sure if I was going to buy this secret organization story Myra was selling even if she was going to put it on sale with a fifty-percent discount. Maybe it was all Johann’s work and she was just twisting the truth to convince me to help her find her sister—presenting a fake scary enemy to make me side with her rather than Dario.

Myra recounted a couple more missions from before Deen and I joined them where they had been certain the police were going to find them, but nothing happened.

If all of these were true, then I had to concede she was right that some deeper shit was going on here. And I was beginning to see Johann couldn’t have possibly done this on his own. Hiding this much evidence would need people in high places, at least that was what I learned from some cases I studied in law school. I let the turmoil in my mind show on my face as I knotted my brows.

“It sounds insane,” Myra said. “I get you. I know you’re not going to be convinced this easily because I could be making all of this up and there’s no way you could check. How about when you were kidnapped by the 2Ms?” I held my breath and exaggeratedly tensed my body, faking trauma from that experience. “I-I’m sorry," she hastily said. "What I’m referring to was the police investigation that followed.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head as if to chase away bad memories. “Just stuff I want to forget…what was that about the investigation? The police looking for Ramello’s attackers? They never did find out about me.”

She intently looked at me. “Why do you think the police didn't know about you?”

“Because Dario—”

“Ramello doesn’t remember you, but his statement can’t be the only evidence. During the time he was unconscious at the hospital, the police should’ve traced his route for the day. Normal policework. Plenty of security cameras and witnesses, especially at the train station. In fact, Johann can't find any progress reports on Ramello's case.”

I had to give it to her that the thing with Ramello didn’t add up. And I never thought about it before. Another example of my complacency that should be squashed if I wanted to continue living as a human in society.

“He’s also a student from our school,” Myra said. “Frickin’ Eloyce Federal University! A law student to boot. And isn’t he pretty famous? Like some prodigy?”

“No, he’s famous for coming from a very poor family and being accepted to Cresthorne Law, and also for his various advocacies. He has all sorts of awards and stuff.”

“Then that’s even more newsworthy, isn’t it? But there’s nothing about his attack on TV…in the papers. There’s no further investigation? Come on, someone is covering for us. I don’t know why, but I’m sure they’re there.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” I paced around the dusty floor. Everything sounded insane but also it all made sense. Myra already had me half convinced, but I wasn’t about to admit it just yet. “Let’s say for now I believe you there’s a secret organization or something. How do you know they took Kelsey?” I didn’t care about Kelsey’s well-being; my only concern was if these mysterious people were a threat to me. However, if they really kidnapped Kelsey, it should be because she was an Adumbrae. Guess what? I was an Adumbrae too. Fuck.

“Deen told me in detail about what happened to Kelsey when you guys met her.” Myra closed her eyes. “Tha-that…she scratched her face, deeply wounding herself. Her bones cracked loudly. Her body contorted. She was shrieking…yelling she wanted to die a human. I knew she was losing control of herself.” Her shoulders shuddered, her fists tightly balled up on her lap.

“Myra…” I really, really hated to comfort others. What should I—then a light bulb suddenly lit up in my head. “You said you joined Dario’s team because they were giving you supply of the Suppressor for Kelsey,” I said, finally seeing everything come together.

“Yes, that’s right.” Myra’s eyes lit up as she realized I understood what happened. “The Professor even developed a special type of Suppressor for her that lasts for twelve hours at a time, an extra concentrated version. She took the Suppressor every day, including the day she disappeared. I made sure of it before I left the house first for my 7:00 A.M. class.”

“But she lost control of herself,” I said. “Someone administered the Diluter to her…or not? What if—”

“The Suppressor was just a bad batch or something?” Myra said. I nodded. “That’s just like saying all the police computers had an error and wiped all evidence of us.”

“You’re right,” I said. Unlike totally not caring about the aftermath of the Eve mission, I decided to dedicate brainpower to analyze the implications of this. If I wanted to survive in this cruel world as a monster everyone would just love to burn at the stake, I should start to be more prudent.

“Since we’re already talking about the Suppressor,” said Myra, “just think about what it is. A chemical that can momentarily turn an Adumbrae back into a human? In our case, artificial Corebrings. But it also worked for you.”

“Yes, I understand what you’re getting at. It’s not a cure, but close to one. Closer than anyone has gotten.”

“A chemical like this can change the world! But we haven’t heard about it, so it must be top secret. A cure for Adumbrae…this should be the most heavily guarded item in a BID base.”

“But the Professor is giving it to us like…like…”

“Like free candy samples at the mall.” Myra stood up on the debris she used as a chair. “The Professor can’t be stealing all of this. They’re intentionally giving it to us—that’s the only explanation.”

For all we know…we’re also being experimented on. I gritted my teeth at the thought. Someone bothering me…Not just bothering, more like controlling me. I already had SpookyErind inside my head, thank you very much, I had enough people trying to control me.

Myra also shared that Dario provided them with weapons. Guns, grenades, he even had magni-field mines. “He’s not a normal person,” she said. “Someone is arming and sending us off to fight the 2Ms and the Adumbrae.”

I was listening to her with only one ear. This secret organization could've had something to do with me becoming an Adumbrae. And even if they didn’t, they’d certainly want to capture me like they did Kelsey. So far, they hadn’t openly done anything to me except protect me behind the scenes.

What do I do?

“That’s why I’m looking for allies,” Myra said. She jumped down from the rock and approached me. “Just…anyone…anyone who can help me. Right now, I only have Johann, and as much as he wants to help, he’s just a normal human. I have powers myself, but I know it won’t amount to much if Dario and the Professor are actually backed by a secret organization.”

“How about Reo and Everett?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

“They have their reasons accepting the artificial Core and joining Dario—mostly boils down to revenge against Adumbrae. We’ve all fought together, got through so many life-or-death situations, and I trust the two of them. I am also a hundred percent sure they’ll never join me rescuing Kelsey if they ever discover the truth about her. Somewhere down the line…those guys are bound to know.”

“Or Dario might reveal it to them.”

“That one too.” Myra looked at the ceiling in deep thought. “Actually, even if Dario doesn’t say anything, Reo and Everett don’t have a reason to trust me over him. I don’t have anything concrete. Just, um…what do you call that in law? Something that’s not direct evidence?”

“Circumstantial evidence?”

“Yeah…only circumstantial.”

“Circumstantial evidence is enough for a conviction,” I said. But Myra reminded me she’d still be saving an Adumbrae. “Maybe we could convince them or something…” I added, lamely trailing off. I already hinted I might join her, but I wanted to drag it out and make her work for it.

“Not a chance they’ll change their minds. If someone close to them became an Adumbrae, then it'll be different. Maybe Deen could be…” She shook her head. “This is why I tried looking for an Adumbrae to help me. Real Adumbrae. The only one I know is Red Hood.” I raised a brow at her. She awkwardly grinned, and said, “Red Hood…you know? Your transformation. There was a video of you at Serenade Bazaar and a lot of people are calling you Red Hood because you have a hood that’s colored red.”

“I get that," I said chuckling. “I’ve settled on the name Blanchette, by the way. I don’t like ‘Red Hood’.”

“Blanchette?”

“A long story. So, why look for me—? Oh, right, you didn’t know it was me yet; why look for the Adumbrae that bit you, is what I meant.”

“I…I just don’t know who else could help me. I assumed Red Hood is an Adumbrae helping new Adumbrae who couldn’t control their powers yet, like you, for example. And then—"

“What did you just say?” I cut in with an enraged voice. Let’s focus back to Myra. At this point, I honestly didn’t care she lied again, but a face was a face. “You already knew I was an Adumbrae?!” Not what I expected, but I could see what was going on here. Actually, I should’ve expected this from her. Either way…all systems engage for drama session number two or one-point-five, just a tiny bit for now.

“Uh…I-I, wait—”

“You knew and you still played dumb?” I turned my back to her, a classic move I haven’t used for this scene.

“Not knew, more of suspect—"

“I was wrong when I thought you were hoping I’m not an Adumbrae,” I said in a deathly whisper. “You were just hoping you’re not the one who caused me to turn into one.”

“I…yes,” she said softly.

“So, what was that about Johann checking—”

“That was after you told me the truth the night we saved you from your condo,” she said.

I sighed, exaggeratedly slumping down. That should be enough. I was supposed to be meek and timid Erind after all. Being forgiving would also allow me to hold more of her strings to pluck later. “I understand. There’s your sister, and now me. I can see why you wanted the truth to be that way.” Okay, just that poke. I had to go back to information gathering because this was getting interesting. Before she could process that I was trying to guilt trip her, I said, “How did you know I am an Adumbrae?”

“Ah, that’s Johann again. While snooping through the files of the Eve raid, he found something about a wolf monster. And he also heard there was a lookout advisory for an Adumbrae giant werewolf in this city circulated among the police. We have seen a wolf monster before.”

“At the docks,” I said.

“Yes. Two-and-two together…um, not really. Johann and I just assumed that it’s too much of a coincidence that both of you were at the same place at the same time. What was that again? Circumstantial evidence. Very flimsy circumstantial evidence.”

“And you thought Red Hood was helping me like survive or something?”

“Something like that. Besides your story that she helped you, Johann also found a witness statement from one of the customers at Eve that they saw someone that looked like Red Hood—”

“Blanchette.”

“Blanchette, erm yeah. Sorry. One more thing. Johann also scoured the files of your misadventures at Serenade Bazaar. That case was left to the city police because it is so much smaller compared to the Eve case, so Johann had an easier time hacking the police system to get to the records. A security camera footage from a bookstore captured you. You as in Erind. We thought that you guys were meeting. Turns out you're the same person.”

I groaned. “I remember that one. The serpent-looking Adumbrae went inside the store.” Fuck. When I was inside there, I told myself to destroy the security camera recordings afterwards. I just kind of forgot after I fled from the police. “Oh, did this video mysteriously disappear too?”

“Johann was the one who wiped it, that’s why the police never came to visit you even if you did encounter an Adumbrae.”

“Huh? If this secret organization didn’t delete the video, then that means—”

“They don’t know you’re an Adumbrae, that you're Blanchette.”

“Right. Otherwise, they would’ve acted.” This changed a lot of my assumptions. Just what the fucking hell is going on here?

“That’s why I’m asking you now for help,” Myra said. “They…whoever they may be…they don’t know your secret. It can be our trump card. I know this might be too much to ask for your help. I haven’t made up for trying to kill you and turning you into an Adumbrae, and now I’m asking for a favor. A really huge favor. I…It’s okay if you don’t want—”

“I’ll help.”

“You will? Really?”

“I don’t have much to do anyway. I’m already an Adumbrae. I don’t believe in heaven or anything like that. I just want to do good deeds before the Adumbrae completely takes over me.” Just one last guilt tripping stab, I couldn’t help myself.

“We’ll find a cure—”

“Myra, the cure is with our enemy. I’m not sure how we’ll get that.” And I don’t think I want to be cured. She fumbled her words, trying to think of a way to repay me. I said, “I also have a favor to ask of you.”

“Sure! Anything.”

I extended my hand to her. “Teach me how to fight, how to use my strength, my powers. Help me get stronger and I’ll help you find Kelsey.”

Myra shook my hand. "Deal."