(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

Epilogue

About a week and a half ago...

SHE CUT HER MOTOR off in the parking garage, plunging the underground structure in an eerie silence. Her eyes darted over the gray concrete and yellow tape around the pillars. 

Funny how a place so insignificant can bring back so many memories.

She straddled the bike and took off her helmet. Finding her way easily to the metal stairs and accessing the door to the main floor, she greeted the slack-jawed security guards and moved on. The girl fluidly ambled through the stream of employees. Janice, the secretary at the desk, spotted her and blinked twice.

"He's finishing a meeting, Miss..."

The girl merely smiled. "I'll wait for him there, thank you. I'm not in a hurry."

She pivoted on her heels and picked the stairs to avoid the overcrowded elevator. As the girl trod on the upper floor, meandering through the corridors, she came across the meeting room as the glass doors opened. The group of board members sauntered out, exchanging firm handshakes.

Micheal saw her first and suspended his movements as he held the door. His face blanched. The board caught sight of the girl and entertained the same reaction.

She inhaled lightly, arching a brow. "My, you all look like you've just seen a ghost."

Everybody stared her down like they witnessed a dead rising from their grave. She bottled up a sardonic grin.

There had been a time where she admired each member of this group and aspired to be like them—to grow up and sit alongside them. She fit the profile and it had seemingly always been her future to take the lead. They used to smile down at her with hope and pride. Now, they feared her. She wondered if that marked a greater achievement than what she'd strived for her entire life.

Micheal cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Lauren," he uttered, and she almost twitched at the sound of her name in his mouth. "It is good to see you."

She eyed the group critically. 

"I want to speak with Micheal."

An older woman with platinum blonde hair tipped her head. Ivana. "And why is that?"

"Because I have business to discuss and, as you can surely tell, it does not concern you or else I would have addressed you instead." Her voice hardened a notch.  

For a lapse of time, the group stared at each other, hesitating, weighing what she could possibly want from them at this time. They hadn't seen or gotten news of her in months, and deep down, it seemed that they'd never hear from her again. Now, she was standing in front of them across the hall, confronting glare trained on the committee. 

Several members attempted to make Micheal refuse her demand, thinking nothing good ought to come out of that, and that they should instead warn Caldwell that their missing sheep had shown up. But Micheal didn't believe it was the right thing to do. 

He needed to understand what brought her to Freecore after months without giving a sign of life. He reluctantly accepted and followed Lauren to his own office, passing by the security guards and closing the door behind. The girl flipped her hair and leaned against a bureau. Green eyes lifted to him with a quest in them.

"You have something I need."

Micheal studied the girl and her new, dry mannerisms. She may be a force to be reckoned with, but that did not frighten him. He'd hurdled through countless obstacles. He'd handled this child's parents—and they had also been steadfast.

But in this moment, she resembled one member of her family more than any other.

"You're worse than your brother," he said without humor.

Lauren folded her arms indifferently. "I didn't come here to discuss family."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"A property. You have several of those nobody uses. I'm asking for the one next to Oakwood. I also want material. Mainly receivers. Communication cables."

Micheal stroked his chin. She asked for it like she asked for a new notebook.

"Why would I give you a property and material, Lauren? Don't take this the wrong way, but you came out of nowhere, you startled the entire board, you don't say hi and now you're demanding a house and supplies? Without even letting me know what you intend to do with those?"

"I don't need to," she drawled, jutting her chin out. "The less you know the better. You have so many secrets to keep from everybody already, I wouldn't dare burden you with mine."

Her eyes glinted and then she gave a broad smile.

"Unless you'd rather I... help lighten that load."

Even if the abrasive confidence in her voice assured him that she'd move forth with the threat, and that he should react accordingly, he couldn't bring himself to deal with her like with others. She'd been like his daughter for most of her life—the daughter he never had. He'd loved her dearly and seen such tremendous potential in this child. 

Micheal nearly stuck a hand to his heart after hearing her say it. To see her threaten him was appalling, and yet he couldn't find it in him to ever harm her.  

Lauren was waiting for a response, unaware in appearance of her dismaying words.

"Well? Can you make that possible?"

Micheal fidgeted with his wristwatch, thinking, pondering. "What are you trying to do...?"

"Something that really does not require your opinion."

They both challenged each other in silence. Finally, Micheal shook his head with an unnerved stiffness.

"I'll set you up, but that's because you matter to me. You always have. Anything else?"

"In fact, yes." Lauren's head did a subtle nod which oddly felt like a gesture of gratitude. He wasn't sure if he decoded her right. She used to be vocal and open about her emotions, smiling all the time. "Do not tell anyone about me, in case you hit your head and decided to do that. That includes my brother. Also, if something ever happens to me... send a volunteer to speak with Harris Addison."

He recognized that last name.

"Riley's father?"

For once, she did not expect that. "You know that girl?"

"Lucas brought her here a few days ago. It's a strange case. Her abilities never developed until now and her father is a human..."

"I know, she's peculiar." Her nod was an impatient one, this time. He scanned her, unable to grasp how she knew that and what lead to her being here. How does one even escape NIO and not speak about it? She acted like it was nothing. "Just why exactly did she come here with my brother?"

His face darkened. "They found that barn, Lauren. The same one you did and came to me about it. The information came from an encrypted source."

Her head reared in some kind of understanding, though question marks continued to light her bright gaze. Her eyebrows screwed together.

"Interesting..."

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Slipped that in the chapters. Thoughts on my homie Lauren? I didn't spend two freaking books foreshadowing about this character to make nothing out of it 😂 Frl, I liked her a lot, psychotic or not. I think I like her more on the psycho side, tho. She's super interesting.