The Echoes of Obsidian Ridge
CHAPTER 5:
Maya approached the desk, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The file was labeled simply: SUBJECT 84 – ORIGIN.
She opened the cover. The first page was a yellowed medical report from a private, unlisted clinic in upstate New York, dated twenty-seven years ago. It detailed the birth of a baby girl. Attached to the corner with a rusty paperclip was a newborn photograph alongside a legal transfer decree issued by an entity called The Citadel Consortium.
Maya’s breath caught in her throat. The birth certificate listed two biological parents whose names had been heavily redacted with thick black marker. Below them, in the adoptive legal guardian section, were the signatures of Arthur and Evelyn Sterling.
“Maya? What is it?” Julian asked, stepping beside her and wrapping an arm around her waist as he noticed her sudden paleness.
“I’m not their biological daughter, Julian,” she choked out, tears finally spilling over her lashes. “Look at the dates. My biological parents were whistleblowers who attempted to expose The Citadel in 1999. They were killed in a staged car accident three weeks after I was born.”
Julian read the document over her shoulder, his jaw tightening. “Arthur and Evelyn didn’t just adopt you… they took you in to keep you alive.”
“No,” Maya said, her voice shaking as she turned the page to reveal a signed directive from Marcus Vance. “They took me as collateral. My father kept these blackmail files so The Citadel wouldn’t kill me, and The Citadel let my parents live as long as they managed the archive. My whole life… my family, my identity… was built on a hostage negotiation.”
