I gave her a small sad smile to thank her for her intervention, followed by a nod to tell her to let it go. Charles didn't want to share his secrets with me, fine. Nothing very surprising about that, and even if it was still annoying, arguing with him wouldn't change that. On the other hand, I may have a chance to learn more from Carla and maybe even from Jude. I glanced at him and although his posture had not changed, his expression was completely different. The brief look he gave Carla made me realize that I had been right. Clearly, they had plenty of theories. Either these were not to Charles' liking, or Charles had lied to me once again. I gave Jude an interrogating look. He simply held my gaze for a few seconds before resuming his imperturbable appearance. No help coming from him, then. I decided to act as if I hadn't noticed anything and asked the question that hadn't left my mind since I discovered Cassie's disappearance.

- 'Sure... you don't know,' I said, without completely obliterating my scepticism. 'But can you at least enlighten me as to why they would have wanted to take Cassie? It doesn't make sense. What could be the connection between you and her?'

- 'The connection, my dear, is obvious to me... It's you.'

His condescending tone made me angry.

- 'No. We've already thought about it and it still doesn't make sense. If anyone wanted to blackmail me, they'd already have done it!'

Frustrated and totally lost, I started pacing around the room to try to contain the panic and disbelief that I felt inside me.

- 'Not if they didn't know where to find you. You have been with us for three days and have therefore disappeared from the world,' he replied, taking a step forward.

- 'It didn't stop them from kidnapping your people,' I said meanly. 'Anyway, they could have reached me on my phone and I didn't receive any unusual messages.'

- 'What if they got it wrong?'

Jude's question brought a sudden attention to him as he stared at me, a flash of clarity in my eyes.

- 'What if they came to take you away, that would explain everything,' he continued. 'Hannah's arrival probably forced them to flee before you arrived.'

- 'Hannah came in after me,' I replied distractedly as I reflected on his theory.

- 'No. You didn't realize she was there until later, but she was already there,' he grinned. 'Now you'd notice.'

There was a hint of pride in his voice, or it could just be wishful thinking.

- 'It still doesn't make sense, because if the two cases are linked, they know you and this "community"! So they must know where I am.'

- 'Knowing and being able to reach you are two different things,' Charles said smugly.

- 'So how did they get to your people then?'

- 'Waiting for them to come out of the protective spell that surrounds the hamlet. You must have caught them off guard when you left so early. They did not expect it and must not have been ready.'

- 'You keep saying "they" as if you knew them,' I raged. 'Now, stop playing. Either you tell me what it's all about, or I'll go away and take my chances on my own,' I said in a firm voice as I watched them each in turn.

- 'We don't know anything precisely. We just have some solid assumptions. We think it's...'

- 'Carla...,' Charles stopped her with a loud growl that scared the hell out of me.

He had only said her name, but the way he said it hovered like an almost physical threat in the room and made me shiver. I saw Carla briefly crumble before her husband's icy eyes, then she straightened up and faced him.

- 'No, Charles, she's right! We cannot ask for her help and leave her in the dark, especially now that her friend is in danger. Anyway, they're just speculation, nothing more. What could she do with it?'

He did not answer immediately and simply stared at her, with the obvious aim of imposing his will on her with his implacable gaze.

- 'Fine... But if there is a problem, it is you and you alone who will bear the consequences,' he said in a voice full of threats when he saw that she would not give in.

- 'All right,' she said in an icy tone, as she turned to me again. 'We think they are people who know about our existence and have decided either to study us like guinea pigs or to force us to reveal our existence in the open. In any case, they are organized and clearly have the means to carry out their plans. Our only chance now is to find out who they are exactly and where they are hiding so we can stop this disaster before it is too late.'

I was speechless for a while. If they were right and their assumptions proved to be true, what could I do to prevent that? A great weariness overwhelmed me and I suddenly felt insignificant and completely useless. I let myself fall to the nearest chair and, discouraged, took my head in my hands. I felt completely lost, I felt like I was drowning. They needed an army and not a... a what exactly? I didn't know who I was or even what I was. Everything I had just learned in such a short time was getting mixed up in my head and the whole thing was starting to confuse my brain. If I didn't pull myself together quickly, I was good for the local asylum.

- 'These are just hypotheses, nothing more!'

Carla tried to reassure me with her soft voice, but I felt that my somewhat disproportionate reaction had surprised her. All this news had simply taken me by surprise.

- 'We have no time to waste with your childishness,' Charles intervened as courteously and warmly as ever. 'You wanted to know, you know. Now we have better things to do than wait for you to pull yourself together.'

These harsh and unsympathetic words at least had the benefit of putting things into perspective. I didn't like him, but he was right about one thing: I was behaving like a child. I had every right to break down, but not now. I looked up and held Charles' gaze, while the news I had learned in the infirmary suddenly came to my mind.

- 'There's been a new kidnapping?'

- 'Yes, Adam. He had just turned sixteen,' Carla replied.

Her voice broke and she began to cry in silence. With Charles as a companion, emotional demonstrations must not be encouraged. I felt the irritation rising inside me and got up.

- 'Don't talk about him in the past already,' I said nicely. 'Even if Martha's trail didn't work, not everything is lost.'

I started to pace, feeling I needed to do something with myself.

- 'This is ridiculous, we're sailing blind! We don't even know what we're looking for. It can't go on like this. Perhaps it would be best if I went to the police,' I said, aware of the response they would give to my suggestion.

A great silence echoed in the crowd. They all looked at me as if I'd just grown a second head. Charles spoke quietly, probably considering me a decerebrate idiot, as he approached me with a calculated step.

- 'You know that's impossible. There is a good chance that this is exactly what they are hoping for, and we cannot afford it.'

- 'It's just a statement to the police station, not a DNA test,' I said, irritated.

- 'Precisely! A missing persons statement of individuals unknown to anyone?' he exclaimed. 'Some of us enter the system and live normally within the human community. But here, for most of us, that's not the case. That would trigger too many unwelcome questions.'

- 'Very well. But there's nothing stopping me from reporting Cassie's disappearance. Being only a "simple human" who reports the disappearance of another "simple human", it should not arouse suspicion,' I snorted. 'Hopefully, the police will find a lead, something. And all this without you taking any risks, isn't it wonderful?'

I could not soften the acidity of my tone and the murderous look I gave them each. Their condescension was wearing me down.

- 'But not without risk for you,' Jude said. 'If I'm right and their primary objective is you, you'll make a perfect target as soon as you get back into town.'

- 'And so what! Then you'll finally be rid of me,' I brutally told him as I turned around and looked him in the eye.

I don't know why I told him that, or what reaction my unconscious was hoping to get, but it was at his expense.

- 'Anyway, we have no choice,' I continued a little more calmly.

- 'No, we do. We can try again like for Martha. But following Adam's trail this time,' Jude told me, clearly on the defensive.

- 'Oh yes, it worked very well for us the first time! We almost ended up pulverized in an explosion, then buried under tons of rubble. Strangely enough, I don't want to relive the experience. Whoever these men are, they are dangerous and determined. We need help. I need help... I'm not up for this,' I admitted, with a weary voice, discouraged.

- 'And what if we tried both options?' Carla suggested in a soft and conciliatory voice. 'You report your friend's disappearance to the police and at the same time you continue to follow the tracks. Please, you can't abandon us.'

My first reaction was: "Yes I can, you did it, why not me! ». Then I realized that it was childish and that I could never forgive myself.

- 'Okay,' I sighed as I walked towards the exit. 'I'm going to the police now, and if it doesn't work, I'll try the other option.'

- 'Wait, I'll come with you.'

Jude, of course.

- 'I thought you weren't in the "system",' I mocked.

- 'I am, and I never said I'd go into the police station with you. Come on, let's go.'

He passed me by with a resolute walk and all I could do was follow him to my car, fulminating over men and their big strides.