Read The Eve (The Eden Trilogy) for Free Online

their families.  Once I returned with news the Bane threat had been neutralized, they must have been allowed to return to their homes.
    Their activities and lives seemed so normal—yet our lives were about to change once more.
    I turned to see Graye heading back for the armory and jogged to catch up with him.
    “Hey,” I called as he stepped inside the room.  “Have you seen West?”
    “Probably at dinner,” he said as he set to cleaning his weapon.
    “Thanks.”  I started to turn when I noticed he was using Elijah’s prized assault rifle.  “I assume you’re in charge now, since Elijah is out of commission?”
    Graye grunted in confirmation, not once looking up.
    Unsure of what else to say, I turned and started for the dining room.
    A low hum sounded ahead of me, and I found the dining room full.  Scanning the room, I spotted West in one corner, sitting on his own.  I was about to start toward him, when Royce, Dr. Beeson, Addie, and a few of the other scientists stepped up to the counter to get their trays.
    I changed course and made a beeline for Dr. Beeson.
    “We need to talk,” I said from behind him as he grabbed a plate of steaming potatoes.
    Dr. Beeson glanced back at me, and then looked over at Royce, as if hoping Royce would say he had more important things to attend to and that it would have to wait.
    “This is your messy past, not mine,” Royce said, shaking his head as he forked some kind of meat onto his plate.  “Go deal with it and then we’ll get back to work.  You owe her that much.”
    I hoped appreciation reflected on my face as I looked over at Royce.  He placed a solid hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  I covered his hand with mine for a brief moment. 
    He gave a wink before walking away.  Maybe I was forgiven after all.
    “I’d like a word with you and West if you don’t mind.”
    His tray fully loaded, Dr. Beeson nodded, his eyes dark.
    We made our way through the crowded room.  When West spotted us, his still slightly blackened eyes widened and he sat back in his chair as if preparing for another blow.
    “I don’t think I’m going to hit you this time,” I said as I sank into the seat across from him.  “But I do want to talk.  It’s time for the truth.  All of it.”
    As Dr. Beeson sat in the other chair, West’s eyes were hesitant.  He’d spun such a complicated web of shaded-truths and all out lies, could he dare untangle them all?
    “This isn’t a choice, West,” I said, fixing my eyes with his.  “I can’t imagine there is much left to hide—well, there better not be.  This all ends, now.”
    “What more do you want to know?” he finally asked.
    “First,” I said, turning to Dr. Beeson.  “You knew I had a sister.  You never said anything either.  How did you not spill the beans?”
    Dr. Beeson set down the fork he’d picked up and had yet to use.  “The first time I saw you, you were with West.  When Royce wanted to test you with the CDU?”
    I remembered.  That was when our team had first arrived in New Eden, a mission to simply see if there was actually anyone alive in the city.  Royce ordered everyone to be tested for infection.  Everyone had gone into panic mode when he insisted that I was no exception for testing.  Until Dr. Beeson stepped in the room and confirmed I couldn’t spread TorBane.
    “From the look on West’s face the moment our eyes met, I knew there was something he didn’t want said, so I said as little as possible in those first few minutes.  He came to find me an hour or so later and told me about keeping your sister a secret.  I didn’t have a hard time agreeing to keep it all buried either.  I screwed up big time before; not spotting the mole that took you and tampered with all your other programming and hardware.  All this time I thought it was my fault you were dead.  So, it seemed easier to just not say anything.”
    “Like you were going to let the past stay dead,” I said, looking