Chapter 51: A Fragile Friendship

Agent Talia Reed walked through the pristine white corridors of the Academy with a measured pace, her black boots making soft, controlled clicks on the tiled floor. She had spent most of her day monitoring the newest batch of recruits and preparing reports for Jonas Keene. But now, with a small window of time to herself, she found her feet leading her to a familiar door—a door she found herself standing in front of more often than not.

Kali Woods.

She had grown attached to the girl in a way she hadn’t anticipated. At first, Kali had been just another subject, another person the Academy wanted to keep a close eye on. But over time, Talia had found herself visiting more and more, drawn by the girl’s infectious energy and her wide-eyed innocence about the world.

Talia pressed the button next to the door, and after a soft beep, it slid open, revealing the bright and well-kept room where Kali spent most of her time.

“Agent Reed!” Kali’s voice burst out the moment she saw her, lighting up the room with a grin. Her fiery red hair framed her face, making her look like a wild, untamed force of nature despite her youthful appearance. She rushed over, her excitement palpable as always. “I thought you weren’t coming today!”

Talia offered a small, restrained smile, the kind she always gave. She stepped inside, the door hissing shut behind her. “I had some free time,” she said, her voice steady. “Thought I’d check in.”

Kali’s eyes sparkled with delight as she bounced over to the small couch in the corner of the room, her energy always larger than the space she was confined to. She plopped down, patting the seat next to her. “You should sit! I’ve been reading this book about the outside world—the way cities are built, the way people live. It’s so… different from here.”

Talia paused for a moment before walking over to join her, sitting carefully beside Kali. The girl had always been fascinated with the outside world, constantly asking questions, reading every book the Academy provided—books that, of course, were heavily curated. Kali didn’t know what she was missing, not really. But Talia certainly did. And that knowledge gnawed at her, a quiet guilt she carried with her each time she visited.

“What’s it about this time?” Talia asked, her tone controlled but warm enough to invite conversation. She had gotten good at maintaining the balance—just enough kindness to be a friend, but never too much to raise suspicion.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Kali beamed and flipped through the pages of the book on her lap. “This one’s about the architecture in big cities! Did you know some buildings are so tall, they look like they could touch the sky? I’ve never seen anything like it.” Her voice was full of awe, and it made Talia’s chest tighten.

Kali had never left the Academy. Born and raised in its cold, sterile walls, her understanding of the world was shaped entirely by what they chose to tell her. And yet, her curiosity was boundless.

“Skyscrapers,” Talia said, her voice soft as she let the word hang between them. “Yeah, they’re pretty common in most big cities.”

Kali’s eyes widened, her enthusiasm bubbling over. “You’ve actually seen them, right? What’s it like? What’s it like to stand at the top and look down on everything?”

Talia paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to lie, but what choice did she have? She forced a small smile. “It’s… breathtaking. The view is something you don’t forget. You can see the whole city laid out below you, like a map.”

Kali’s face lit up, her imagination running wild with the image Talia had painted. “I wish I could see it someday,” she said wistfully, her voice quieter now, as if speaking the thought aloud made her realize how impossible it was.

Talia looked away for a moment, letting Kali’s words settle in the air. She had to remind herself why the Academy kept her here—why they told Kali the things they did, why they lied. But in moments like this, it felt wrong. So wrong. The Academy wasn’t truly protecting Kali; they were keeping her in a cage. A well-decorated cage, but a cage nonetheless.

“That would be nice,” Talia said after a moment, her voice betraying nothing of the conflict inside her. She couldn’t afford to show it. Not here.

Kali shifted on the couch, leaning closer to Talia, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Do you think they’ll ever let me see it?”

Talia turned her head to look at the girl, her wide, hopeful eyes searching for an answer she didn’t want to give. Talia’s lips parted, but the words caught in her throat. How could she tell her the truth? That the Academy had no intention of letting her see the outside world? That this was most likely all she would ever know?

“I don’t know,” Talia finally said, her voice gentle but firm. “Maybe one day.”

Kali sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly before she perked up again, as if shaking off the disappointment. She smiled brightly, a spark of defiance in her eyes. “Well, if they do, I want you to be there with me! We’ll go together. Promise?”

Talia blinked, the sudden sincerity in Kali’s voice catching her off guard. The girl was looking at her with such trust, such innocent belief that the world could be something better than what it was.

“Promise,” Talia said softly, the word slipping out before she could stop it.

Kali’s smile widened, her fiery personality bubbling back to the surface. “Good! Because you’re one of the only people here I like spending time with.”

Talia’s heart tightened again at those words. She had to swallow the guilt, the shame, the weight of her role in all of this. To Kali, she was a friend, a protector. But in reality, Talia knew she was part of the machine keeping Kali imprisoned, feeding her carefully constructed lies. Every visit, every conversation, it was all part of the act.

But Kali didn’t know that. She couldn’t know that.

“Let me show you this picture of a city in the book!” Kali said excitedly, flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She pointed to a sprawling cityscape, her finger tracing the lines of the towering buildings. “Look at that! Doesn’t it look amazing?”

Talia looked at the image, her throat tightening again as she nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

As Kali continued to gush about the book, Talia leaned back slightly, letting the girl’s voice wash over her. She couldn’t shake the heaviness in her chest, the growing weight of the lies that kept Kali so blissfully unaware.

Kali didn’t know. But Talia did.

And that knowledge, that pure guilt—it was getting harder to ignore.