Chapter 102

The Child That Knows

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The Look

They named her Kaia.

It meant restoration in an old dialect Rhea once heard in the lab, years ago—back when she was still Muri.

At first, Kaia was like any baby—curious, warm, alert. But by week five, everyone noticed something unusual.

She didn't cry.

She stared.

Deeply. Quietly.

As if she could hear what others couldn't.

Micah joked, "She's always watching."

But Sky said nothing.

He'd seen her do something once—when Lex walked past, distracted and irritable. The baby turned her head, locked eyes with Lex, and suddenly began to tremble—not in fear, but in cold awareness.

Like she recognized something that didn't belong inside him.

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The Whispering Mirror

That night, Lex took Kaia into his arms.

He was humming an old tune—something Rhea had once sung, though neither of them remembered teaching it to Kaia.

She stared up at him… and her body went still.

Her eyes widened.

And for a brief, terrifying moment—her voice whispered a word. One that no child her age could speak.

> "Nine."

Lex froze. "What…?"

But Kaia had already gone back to sleep.

Behind him, the hallway mirror shivered.

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Her First Memory

Rhea watched Kaia sleep. She'd begun keeping detailed notes—just as the scientists once had about her.

Kaia recognized her mother, responded to sounds, smiled early—but there was something more.

One morning, Kaia reached for a necklace around Rhea's neck—a charm Muri had once worn during her time in the lab.

Her tiny fingers closed around it.

And her eyes… glowed faintly blue for half a second.

Just like the chip's activation light.

Rhea gasped.

She clutched Kaia close, heart racing. "No. I destroyed it... I destroyed everything..."

But Kaia opened her eyes again and looked at her—not afraid. Not confused.

Just... knowing.

The Baby Who Remembers

Micah brought over old security footage the next day—hacked from the Cartwright database after the Vienna breach.

He showed it to Rhea. One frame had been flagged:

> A still image of Lex carrying Kaia down the corridor… and Kaia's eyes fixed on the security camera lens.

She was staring directly into it.

As if she knew someone was watching.

As if she was watching back.

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Twist Ending of the Arc:

Late that night, Rhea walked past the nursery.

Kaia had been unusually quiet all evening.

She peeked in.

Kaia was awake. Silent. Staring at the wall where a mirror used to hang.

And scrawled in crayon on the floor—no one knew how it got there—was a single word:

> "He's not Dad."