Chapter 17 - The Child in the Newsreel
Amelia accused Victor.
Victor accused Amelia.
Nora said nothing.
Rebecca led them into the sealed medical wing, where old equipment stood beneath plastic covers. She had lived there under guard, maintaining the Registry’s identity system.
Malcolm could not kill her because she was the only person who understood its original architecture.
Rebecca opened a cabinet containing reels of film.
“The clinic fire did not destroy the records,” she explained. “It was staged so Malcolm could take control of them.”
She loaded one reel into a projector.
The footage showed three small girls inside a white room. Elise recognized herself by the chipped front tooth she had until age eight.
Nora sat beside her.
Amelia stood near a window.
A younger Rebecca entered and placed three objects on a table: a wooden bird, a red ribbon and a brass bell.
Each child chose one.
Elise had kept a wooden bird in her jewelry box her entire life.
Nora removed a faded red ribbon from her pocket.
Everyone looked at Amelia.
She did not produce the bell.
Rebecca stopped the film.
“The real Amelia chose the brass bell.”
Amelia’s expression remained calm.
“People lose childhood objects.”
“They do,” Rebecca replied. “But they do not lose scars.”
In the footage, Amelia had a burn mark along her left wrist.
The woman standing with them had no scar.
Victor moved between her and Elise.
The false Amelia reached inside her coat.
Nora struck her arm against the table. A small transmitter fell to the floor.
Malcolm’s voice emerged from it.
“End the call, Cross.”
The woman smiled.
“My name was never Amelia.”
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She pressed a button on her watch.
The sealed medical wing began filling with smoke.
