+15 Bohus
Their move
Amber POV
What we feared happened the very next morning.
I was halfway through reviewing security reports inside my office when my private emergency line vibrated.
Not my phone.
My watch.
Only four people had access to that number.
Jason.
Alex.
Alice.
And the emergency relay system connected to the fairy house.
The moment I saw Alex’s name flash across the screen, every instinct in my body sharpened instantly.
I accepted the call immediately.
“Alex?”
His voice came through low and controlled, eerily calm for a six-year-old child calling from school. 1
“Mom Amber,” he whispered quietly. “I think something is wrong.”
Ice slid down my spine.
“Tell me.”
“I heard Ms. Green talking to the principal,” he said carefully. “They’re preparing the school for shareholders.”
A pause.
“They arrive in four hours.”
I straightened immediately in my chair.
“Shareholders?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“One of the Vincents is on the school board.”
Everything inside me went still.
Alex continued before I could respond.
“They said they were coming to inspect the facilities…”
His voice lowered even more.
1/5
“And to make sure the students were up to standards.”
one horrifying second, I couldn’t breathe.
The Vincents were making their move.
Not openly.
Never openly.
An elite school inspection.
Board members.
Standards evaluations.
Perfectly legal.
Perfectly harmless on paper.
Except Iris was there.
Rose too.
And if the Vincents had even the slightest suspicion that Iris Stuart survived-
“Alex,” I said calmly, forcing every ounce of panic out of my voice. “Listen to me carefully.”
“I know.” 1
Of course he did.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Six years old.
And already understanding danger like this.
“I need you to tell your teacher that you feel itchy.”
Alex paused.
“…Itchy?”
“Yes.”
I stood immediately, already reaching for my bag and secure phone simultaneously.
“Say your skin feels strange and ask to go to the infirmary.”
Another pause.
Then Alex understood.
“You’re getting us out.”
“Yes.”
I grabbed my keys while opening the secured family communication channel at the same time.
+15 Bonus
2/5
“Take Alice with you.”
And Iris and Rose?”
My chest tightened painfully,
“All of you.”
Alex lowered his voice even further.
“Okay.”
Then, softly-
“Mom Amber?”
“Yes?”
“I knew you’d answer.”
The line disconnected immediately afterward.
For half a second, I simply stood there gripping my phone too tightly.
Then everything exploded into motion.
I activated the emergency family protocol directly through the Cronos-secured system Jason built.
Every hidden security operative attached to the children received alerts simultaneously.
Jason called less than ten seconds later.
“You got the call.”
Not a question.
“Yes.”
His voice had already changed.
Cold. Focused. Dangerous.
“I’m on my way to the school now.”
“No,” I interrupted immediately. “If both of us arrive visibly, we confirm there’s a reason to panic.”
Silence.
Then-
“You think they’re testing reactions.”
“Yes.”
A beat.
“And if they realize Iris is important enough to trigger visible panic…”
“They’ll know she’s alive.”
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