Colin sat in his bed, searching the files SCNG had sent him on The Shade. He'd decided, first and foremost, that The Shade would be his primary research target. He, at least, was more interesting than Everly Lopez.
Opening another file, Colin looked at the only piece of solid evidence the security team had sent him. Even though there was an entire team working on The Shade's identity, Atticus still felt Colin might have the best shot at discovering The Shade's true identity. Or, at least, he wanted to waste his nephew's time.
On the file, there was a crisp photo a pendant, smudged with dirt. The investigators had found it at the base of where The Shade had leapt from the building. Scans and searches had already concluded that the pendant was ancient, and old trinket from the Inca Civilization. How The Shade had come to carry it though, Colin had no idea. He squinted at the picture again. He knew he'd seen that pendant somewhere. It was small enough to not be noticeable, but he still knew he'd seen it. Somewhere- but where?
Suddenly, a cold feeling washed over. He knew where he'd seen that pendant. He'd seen it this evening, in a lower-class, fading brick house. Splitting the screen, Colin brought up the pictures he had found Everly Lopez. He zoomed in on a recent one, one of her arm slung across a little girl's shoulders, whose red-cat eye glasses enlarged her already large eyes. The picture was grainy and pixelated, but Colin could still make out the details.
There. There it was.
Drawing in a breath, Colin stared at the pendant, worn around a chain on Eva's neck. He looked back at the photo. Yes, it had to be the same pendant. What was the chance The Shade and Eva would have the same one?
Unless, of course, The Shade was Eva. Or, more correctly, Eva was The Shade.
Colin felt like he'd been hit between the eyes with a mallet. This information could change everything. If he was right...
If.
Just that one simple word sprouted a seed of doubt in Colin's mind, making him reconsider. Should he tell Atticus? What if he was wrong, and convicting Eva of a crime she wasn't guilty of? Besides, he doubted Eva was The Shade, really. What were the chances?
Sitting back, Colin switched to another tab, pushing the thought from his mind.
YOU ARE READING
Altered
Science FictionEverly Rosa Lopez was never meant to be a normal girl. At the young age of 9 months, her father, a famous geneticist and bio-engineer, mixed Everly's DNA with that of wild animals technology. He transformed an average girl into something... unnatura...
