Chapter 15: Dawn
The morning sun broke over the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of gold and violet. Celeste stood on the porch of the Virginia beach house, a steaming mug of tea in her hand.
Inside the house, she could hear the soft sounds of life. Her mother, Elizabeth, was humming a tune in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Daniel was on the couch, reviewing case files for their new Task Force, occasionally muttering to himself when a piece of evidence didn't align.
It was an ordinary morning. A boring, safe, entirely ordinary morning.
Celeste walked down the wooden steps, her bare feet sinking into the cool, damp sand. She walked until the water rushed up to meet her toes. She closed her eyes, listening to the roar of the ocean.
For years, the sound of the sea had brought back memories of twisting metal, suffocating smoke, and the heavy burden of survival. It had been a graveyard of her friends, a reminder of her failures.
But as the warm morning sun hit her face, the ocean sounded different. It sounded vast. It sounded open.
"Hey."
She opened her eyes to see Daniel standing a few feet away, holding two jackets. He tossed one to her.
"Cold out here," he said, zipping his up. "Your mother says breakfast is ready. And we have a briefing at Quantico at 0900."
Celeste pulled the jacket over her shoulders, feeling the comforting weight of it. She looked back at the house, at the warm light spilling from the kitchen windows, and then back to the endless horizon of the sea.
May you like
The timer in her head—the relentless countdown that had driven her every waking moment—was finally silent.
"Let's go," Celeste said, turning her back to the ocean and walking toward the light. "We've got work to do."
