Hunting Lila

‘No.’
‘Lila, I don’t think you have fully understood what your life will look like if you run from this. You will spend the rest of your days hunted. You will not be able to go home. You will not be able to see your father. You will not be able to settle in one place for longer than a few days. You will always be looking over your shoulder, wondering if they’ve caught up with you. They won’t leave you alone. You know too much and, genetically, you’re too valuable. They will find you. They will kill Alex and Jack, like they killed your mother, and they will contain you.’ He paused. ‘Am I making myself clear?’
Crystal, I thought. I sat there, unable to move, my head whirring through the options. Could we run? Would we have a chance?

The mirror was not kind. I looked a mess. I eased off Alex’s shirt and my dress, catching sight of the fading, green-tinted bruise on my thigh. For a few seconds I stood there experiencing déjà vu, reliving the exact moment that had set in motion this whole chain of events. I’d been standing in a bathroom then too, in a pretty similar state. Though in retrospect that situation was a kids’ ride compared to the roller coaster I was now on.