She Found Her Grandmother’s Diary in the Attic — Then Discovered Her Name Among 15 Missing Children
CHAPTER 10
Maya’s grandfather had not died.
He had disappeared.
Evelyn had told everyone he was dead because he had become the person hunting them.
His name was Richard Bennett.
He had founded the company behind the research project.
And he had never stopped searching for Maya.
Daniel traced him to Nevada.
They found an abandoned research facility in the desert.
Inside were hundreds of files.
Most were destroyed.
One remained.
PROJECT SIXTEEN.
Maya opened it.
The first page contained her photograph.
The second contained her medical records.
The third contained a single sentence:
Subject 16 demonstrates neurological markers unlike any previous subject.
Maya’s hands shook.
Then she found the final report.
Subject 16 was never intended to be a child.
Daniel looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
Maya kept reading.
The project had been designed to identify children whose genetic profiles could predict neurological disorders.
But Maya’s profile contained something unexpected.
A mutation capable of detecting certain diseases years before symptoms appeared.
If commercialized, it could be worth billions.
The children had been hidden because the company wanted exclusive control.
Maya wasn’t merely evidence.
She was the intellectual property.
Then they heard a vehicle outside.
Daniel looked through the window.
Three black SUVs.
“They found us.”
Maya closed the file.
“Then we make sure they don’t lose us again.”
