Chapter 17
The memory projection advanced to show another crucial moment from the past
â Letâs
etâs try escaping again , Odessa â Elysiaâs words dropped into the quiet room like stones in still water
Odessaâs handsstilled on her weaving â Really ? Hope and disbelief warred in her voice
Over all these years , Elysia had almost never been the one to suggest flight .
It was always , Odessa â planning escape after countless failed attempts .
And every time , it was Odessaâs small mistakes that earned Elysia the beatings .
you didnât wa
â The village is emptier now , with Ethan at school .
We might make it this time .
â Odessa hesitated .
I thought ⦠you want to go home .
Maybe youâd forgotten about your family .
â
In the studio , present â day Odessa turned to address the viewers , her voice tight with old pain .
â She never spoke of missing
asked .
â
[ Cold â hearted witch .
Her brothers loved her , yet she never spared them a thought .
]
[ The traffickers poisoned her soul .
No wonder theâs cruel now .
[ Stop making excuses .
Elysia was never good to begin with â sheâs evil to the core .
Life in prison is too lenient for her ]
horne .
Thatâs why I
The harsh comments seemed to echo in the studio as Odessa watched , her expression a complex mix of emotions .
Part of her wanted to defend Elysia , but memories of betrayal held her back .
Back in the memory scene , time had frozen on a pivotal moment .
The basket slipped from young Elysiaâs fingers as the question about her family caught her completely off guard , her face blank with shock .
She had never forgotten her family .
Her mom , dad , her brothers their faces were branded on her soul , permanent marks on her heart .
A decade of suppressed longing burst free .
Her thoughts carried away .
Was her puppet still waiting by her bed ! Had dust claimed her momâs gift dress ! Did her brothers remember their promises of games and stories ?
1- Pain choked the words as tears carved paths down Elysiaâs checks
Even the most aggressive haters fell silent , the mood suddenly heavy in the chat .
The stream of comments slowed to a trickle as the screen became increasingly blurry .
It wasnât the video quality it was Elysiaâs tears , welling up and spilling down her cheeks before falling silently onto the cold floor .
பà®
Odessa , on the screen , rushed to wipe Elysiaâs sears .
â Donât cry ! Come live with us .
Dach could adept you â weâll be sisters forever ! Sheâd never seen Elysia lirenk like this , not even during the worst beatings .
Fresh tears fell , but gratitude replaced grief inside of Ely .
No one had offered such a promise
before .
â Thank you â Elysia managed .
â But I have parents and brothers who love me .
I miss them so much .
Even if we live apart , weâll always be sisters Youâre family too ! â
In the studio , Fenwickâs heart tested unexpectedly at the words â miss them .
â The raw emotion flooding through the VR system caught him off guard .
He cursed inwardly , trying to blame the forced emotion â sharing feature for this unwanted moment of empathy .
[ Did you see how devastated Elysia got when Odessa mentioned forgetting family ! I only had my sensitivity set to 50 % and I could still feel how crushed she was Thatâs not someone who doesnât care .
]
The feelingâs shifted â somehow warmer now .
Sheâs just moved by empty
promises .
]
[ Empty ? She threw away her chance with betrayal .
]
[ Excly â couldâve had the good life with Miss Merri if she hadnât turned snatch .
]
The scene moved forward through daily routines â cooking , cleaning , feeding chickens .
In one poignant moment , Elysia hunched over a first â grade textbook , stealing light through a crack in the wall .
Even basic education was a forbidden luxury as thirteen
Darkness fell .
A lock clicked .
â It worked ! â Elysiaâs whisper carried triumph .
â You got the key Odessaâs excitement bubbled .
â Quick , while sheâs taking Ethan to school ! â
10:49 AM
Chapter 17
Then another voice froze them both .
â Dimn , forgot my keys .
Ethan , letâs head back .
Canât let those girls escape â there goes your house and bride .
â Lyn said
â Donât want house .
Want Elysia for bride .
Ethan protested .
â Silly boy â Lyraâs voice faded .
Elysia grabbed Odessaâs hand , pulling her into pre â dawn gray .
That way , â she pointed .
â Twenty minutes to the road .
Follow the sunrise .
Donât stop .
â
â Okay ! â Odessa nodded eagerly , taking several immediate steps before realizing she was alone .
She stopped , turning to see Elysia still rooted in place .
â Why arenât you coming ?
Elysia remained still , offering a gentle , reassuring smile .
Take another route .
If we split up running , at least one of us will make it out .
Remember âyou must call the police .
Please remember ! â
Present â day Odessa frowned as she watched the memory unfold .
Those words that had seemed so normal them now struck her differently , stirring an unexpected ripple of unease .
Her fingers clenched unconscioudy as she reconsidered that final emphasis
[ Here comes the reveal â Elysu heard them coming back and showed her true face
[ Why do I feel sick ? Did I set my sensitivity too high â I
[ What are the 100 % users feeling ]
Just look at Fenwick and Chellan I
In the studio , the impact of the VR systemâs emotional sharing was clearly visible .
The Drayton brothers foreheads glistened with involuntary sweat as they experienced Elysiaâs raw emotions firsthand â the tension , despair , and heartache she had masked behind her smule .
The memory continued to unfold with growing urgency .
â Dawnâs breaking â go .
Odessa ! Now ! Elysiaâs voice carried both fear and determination as approaching footsteps grew louder .
She anxiously waved Odessa away before taking stumbling steps in the opposite direction
Within moments , a plump figure emerged ahead .
The viewers watched in stunned silence .
[ What the hell is wrong with Elysia ! Running straight at the witch â Sheâs clearly setting Odessa up !
[West isnât this exactly how she saved Tarin â ]
[ Are you kidding me ? Odessa heard her leaking info to the traffickers with her own ears .
A rescue ? Yeah right- eat my shoes if this turns out to be a rescue altringi .
III
[ Such a snake .
Makes me sick I
In the studio , present â day Odessaâs eyes remained fixed on the memory scene .
Her voice turned bitter as she shared her thoughts from that time .
â I hadnât expected her to betray me so quickly .
Iâd even considered that maybe she had given me up under threat of another beating â
Her voice cut like steel .
â Her eval runs bone â deep .
I canât believe I once clung to that foolish hope , even se clearly â she absolutely doesnât deserve it â
en entertained thoughts of forgiveness .
Now I
Her words ignited the viewers fury , comments flooding the screen like wildfire .
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