赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Axel took care of the convoy arrangements, giving Galen and Bell the rest of the day together.

Meanwhile, Ashleigh met with Nessa and Clara about any updates on retrieving the information from the flash drive. Unfortunately, there was nothing new for them to report. But Nessa, apparently having no fear of repeating the past, suggested a questionable source of information.

Ashleigh took a deep breath before she knocked on the door.

The expression on Alice’s face was a combination of suspicion and amusement.

“Not who I was expecting,” she said.

“Are you expecting someone?” Ashleigh asked.

“No,” Alice smiled. “But of all the people I was not expecting… you’re the last.”

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

“Can I come in?”

Alice stepped aside to let Ashleigh into the room.

“To what do I owe the honor of your presence, Luna Ashleigh?” Alice asked.

Ashleigh hesitated to answer.

It wasn’t that she had the same concerns or reservations about trusting Alice. She didn’t trust her, not entirely. Alice was a wild card.

Ashleigh did not believe she would ever follow all the rules or be entirely upfront about her motives, but there was one thing that she did not doubt about Alice. She would never betray Axel.

This may not have been the most reassuring quality to most people, but for Ashleigh, it was important. Axel valued family and pack above all else. So, in this sense, if Alice betrayed Ashleigh, she would betray Axel.

“I have something I think you might be able to help me with,” Ashleigh said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the USB device Nessa had been working on.

Alice took it and turned it over in her hand.

“I’m guessing you’ve already had Nessa take a peek?” she asked.

“She has been working on trying to crack it for a while,” Ashleigh replied. “She recommended I ask you.”

Alice glanced at Ashleigh.

“I’m curious,” she said. “What are you hoping to find on this?”

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

“If you open it, maybe you’ll find out.”

Alice laughed.

“Cute,” she said. “But if you don’t give me a hint, I might not be motivated to try my hardest.”

Ashleigh sighed and crossed her arms.

“It belonged to Alpha Cain,” she said.

Alice’s eyes widened, and she looked at the USB again.

“We don’t know what exactly we will find on it, but we suspect it will relate to the fae.”

“You want me to discover the files I was initially sent to hack Summer for?” Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Seems that way,” Ashleigh sighed.

Alice let out a hearty laugh.

“That is too good to pass up,” she replied joyfully.

She immediately took the device to the laptop she had borrowed from Galen.

Ashleigh tried to watch for a few minutes, but screen after screen kept popping up. None of which she could understand. But it seemed like progress.

After half an hour, Ashleigh took another look. There was only one screen, and Alice was typing row after row of seemingly random characters.

“Are you getting anywhere with this? Or is this just an attempt to get into the drive?” Ashleigh asked.

“Little of A, little of B…” Alice replied casually as she continued typing away.

Another half hour passed; Ashleigh sat on the couch while Alice continued to type away.

“I have a question for you,” Alice said.

Ashleigh jumped. The only sound in the room for the past half hour had been the clacking of the keys as Alice typed.

“What’s that?”

Alice looked up from the screen at Ashleigh.

“Are you sure you can trust me with this?” she asked.

Ashleigh swallowed.

***

Caleb sat at his desk in a state of shock and confusion.

After leaving Bell and Galen to their own devices in the conference room, Ashleigh took him back to their room. While he was hoping to continue their interrupted morning, she had something else in mind.

Ashleigh gave him his father’s last journal. She explained what it was and where it had been found. At first, he wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew his father had kept journals of his experiments and travels, but this was the last. In this book were his final days.

She had left him alone to read it while she checked in with Nessa. Caleb was grateful but also nervous. He wasn’t sure why the thought of reading this journal filled him with anxiety. But it did.

He took the journal to his office, feeling more in control of himself.

After two hours, he had read every page and looked at every sketch.

He had forgotten about the sketches. His father always loved to add them to his notes. He said it helped him remember the details of his research better. Seeing it in his mind and then repeating the image on the paper was a way of relearning the whole thing from start to finish.

Caleb sighed.

Fae and Werewolf… the same? He didn’t understand how it was possible. But his father was convinced, and somehow Caleb had helped him prove it.

He wasn’t sure how to feel about that or any of it.

Caleb sighed.

This was his father’s last journal, but he had lived for a few weeks still after this. The USB drive must have been the final piece of his research. Whatever Cain had learned, he suspected that Spring and Autumn were already on his trail.

Based on the things that had happened in the past year, Caleb had to assume they had either caught up or were about to.

It was more imperative than ever that they open those files. They needed to know what Cain knew before it was too late.

***

“Can I?” Ashleigh asked.

Alice gave a playful grin.

“I asked you first.”

Ashleigh sighed.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t feel the same way I did about you before; I don’t think you are trying to sabotage our lives anymore. But I also don’t know you very well. So, do I trust that you are completely on my side? No. Do I believe you will never betray me? I’m not sure. Do I think you are my best shot at solving this puzzle?”

Ashleigh paused, she looked at Alice, who watched her attentively.

“Yea, I do.”

Alice laughed.

“You are being honest again,” she smiled. “It’s a good look on you. Holding back isn’t right for you.”

“Thanks…. I think.”

“Mmhmm,” Alice nodded and then looked back to the screen. “As for this, you are correct.”

“About what?”

“I am the best shot at solving this puzzle,” Alice smiled, turning the laptop screen to face Ashleigh. “Since I already did.”