Sienna opened the first box. On the top lay a manila folder, crumpled slightly on the edges and with a few age stains. Whatever was in here, it was something that her mom had kept hidden away for a long time. She lifted out the folder, and a letter slid from inside. It was still sealed, but the envelope glue was giving away at points along the crinkly sealed edge. She turned it over. No stamp, but there was her name, carefully printed on the front in her mom’s familiar handwriting. She took a deep breath, then slid her finger into the envelope’s seam. Her fingers felt clumsy, messy, and it dropped from her hands. She rubbed at her eyes, but then felt a warmth on her back. Jace’s hand. He was still sitting right next to her, and was leisurely running his hand across her back. The touch was firm, comforting, but at the same time gentle, and Sienna gave him a half smile. It was about all she could manage. “Okay, here goes nothing.”

Pulling the flap open, she reached inside and pulled out several pieces of also aged, also crinkled paper. The letter must have been locked away inside the walls of her home almost since they’d moved there, hidden away behind the walls of her favorite hiding place. Still, there was no mistaking her mother’s handwriting.

Dear Sienna,

Tears formed in her eyes, one running over and sliding down her face. Jace’s hand moved from her back to gripping her tightly to him. “Just remember, no matter what’s in there, I’m still here.” Her breath hitched and she let out a shaky exhalation. He didn’t move. Sienna’s eyes turned back to the paper.

Dear Sienna,

I know you’re heartbroken right now, but you have to survive. That’s what matters now. That’s all that matters now. If you’re reading this, then I’ve sacrificed everything to keep you safe, and my baby girl, it was worth it. It pains me to think you’re now in the same position I was, but I know you’ll make it. You’re strong. I made sure of that, at least.

Now for the hard part.. Your entire life, you’ve thought of me as Laura Bradley. My real name is Maggie Halstead. I changed it to keep us safe, and to keep you hidden. There are people that are going to try to hunt you down. Powerful people. They will be armed and trained, and they will find you. I’m so sorry, but I’m the reason why.

Before you were born, I worked for a company called Thirty-Four Tech. They don’t exist anymore, at least not in public. We had a military contract, one that gave us the funding for a large-scale genetic-manipulation experiment. Based largely on the early work of the two company founders, we were able to isolate the gene that switches on certain abilities. Years later again and it was my own breakthrough that gave us the ability to activate the gene in humans. To this day, that is my biggest regret. It is the activation of these genes that make you so special, but it is also what has put you in incredible danger.

The experiments were failures, at first. You see, the government wanted males. Each experiment was a failure, producing only normal babies, and in some cases, with problems. Funding was stretched and the pressure was on. That’s when Claudia made the decision that would change all our lives. Claudia Zuleca was the owner of the company, and the one of the most intelligent women I have ever known. She was always so focused, but then she lost her child in a tragic accident. I believe the grief she felt for her daughter consumed her, became overwhelming, until she could see no other way. She experimented on herself; implanting a genetically modified fetus into her own womb. But this time, a girl, to replace the daughter she lost.

Sienna, that child scared the living daylights out of me. She still does. Grief can twist a person, and as the child grew, Claudia became more and more obsessed. She talked of politics, of genetic purity. She didn’t stop at her child. That was when I broke into her computer systems and stole her research. When I saw what she’d programmed her child to do, I knew I had to act. May God forgive me, but I created you. You—with the same powers and abilities—so that along with any others that might manage to escape, you could give the country, hell the world, a fighting chance.

I’ve always been there to guide you, to shield you, but I can’t do that anymore. I can only hope the abilities I gave you will shield you now. Your life depends on it. It will come down, in the end, to you or her. That’s the only way you’re going to survive. It’s Isobel or you. God willing, you’ll survive.

I’m sorry. I love you forever,

Maggie.

Sienna stared at the letter. Her hands tingled and she felt slightly lightheaded. If she was honest with herself, she’d known. Hell, she’d even had other psychics literally dragging her to their secret hideout. Her brain had known, but her heart hadn’t. Not until that moment.

God, Mom. What the hell did you do?

Was she just an experiment, a cause? Images from her childhood flashed through her mind. No. Maybe her life had started out differently, maybe she’d even been just an experiment in the beginning, but her mom loved her. She was sure of that much. Another flash—this time of the body lying on the floor. Sienna clenched her jaw, the papers shaking in her hands. Her mom had been hiding an entire life from her, but she was still her mom. She’d given her life for Sienna, and she wasn’t going to let her down. If only she could figure out what the hell the rest of it meant.

She stood, pacing. “Sienna?” Who the hell was that? She looked over to the sound. Jace was still sitting on the bed, his face heavy with concern.

“Go ahead, read it. I don’t think I can say the words right now, anyway.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re sure?”

She laughed, short and sharp. “Sure as I can be about fucking anything right now.” Sienna went back to pacing as Jace picked up the letter. Her feet moved rapidly, but she didn’t take her eyes off his face. First his eyes widened, then his mouth dropped open. Seconds later, he shut it again, his lips forming a firm line. Then he dropped the papers and walked swiftly toward her, his large strides eating up the space. Stopping her pacing without pausing, he wrapped her in his arms.

“I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry, Sienna.”

She let herself sink into his arms, into the comfort. “Don’t be. At least I know I’m not losing my mind.”

His arms tightened. “And I’d still be here, even if you were.”

Sienna pressed her head against his chest. She’d love to stay there all day. The rest of the world—and the rest of the damn boxes—didn’t seem to exist here. Here it was only Sienna and Jace. She didn’t have to worry about anything else.

She didn’t stop at her child . . .

Fuck. Emily. Keila. Payton. Lainey. They weren’t simply like her, they were exactly like her. They’d all been a part of Claudia’s insane experiments. They had to be. Then who was the blonde woman who had captured Payton, hunted Keila?

Isobel.

“We have to go, Jace. We have to tell the others. Right now.”