Chapter 3 - The Broken Thread
By sunrise, the rain had stopped, leaving the morning fog thick over the vast lawns of the Vance estate. Clara sat by her bedroom window, her fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of tea she barely touched.
For the first time in four years, she wasn't staring listlessly at the horizon. Her eyes were fixed on the garden terrace below, where Eli was sitting on a stone bench, eating a warm meal provided by the kitchen staff under Arthur's strict orders.
A soft knock sounded at her door, and Arthur stepped inside. He looked haggard, having spent the entire night reviewing medical records and old flood damage reports.
"How are you feeling, Clara?" he asked, pulling up a chair beside her.
"My legs ache," she whispered, a faint smile touching her lips. "Papa... they ache. I haven't felt pain there in years. It feels like coming back to life after being frozen."
Arthur took her hand, his throat tight with emotion. "The doctors are coming this afternoon. I want them to run a full scan—"
"No," Clara interrupted, turning to him with an intensity that startled him. "The doctors only tell me what I can't do. Eli didn't use machines, Papa. He just held my hand and told me to look past the wall in my mind."
Down in the garden, Eli suddenly stood up, his posture stiffening. He looked toward the wrought-iron gates at the edge of the estate.
Moments later, three black SUVs rolled up the winding driveway, pulling to a halt near the main entrance. Men in sleek grey suits stepped out, led by a tall woman with sharp, angular features and severe silver hair. Dr. Evelyn Thorne, the chief director of Aether Dynamics—the neural-tech firm Marcus was pressing Arthur to acquire.
Arthur stood up, his eyes narrowing. "They weren't scheduled to arrive until noon."
Clara watched from the window as Dr. Thorne approached Eli on the terrace. Even from the second floor, Clara could see Eli step back, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"Papa, don't let them touch him," Clara pleaded, her voice rising in panic. "They're the ones from my bad dreams."
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Arthur looked at his daughter, shocked. "What dreams?"
"Before I lost my legs... when I was in the hospital after the crash... those people came to my room when you were asleep," Clara whispered, her eyes wide with remembered terror. "They put needles in my spine, Papa. They said they were making me better."
