Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Their daughter was born with Asperger's syndrome, but they never complained. In fact, they went out of their way to encourage her talents and abilities, making sure she shone brightly in the areas where she excelled.

What did they do to deserve this?

Was their daughter's mistake being too brilliant? Did her brilliance make her a target?

Leaning against the wall, I stiffened, then turned and walked back to my room, looking at Robin. "The girl who jumped, Leo's daughter, what was her special talent?"

"They say she had an extraordinary knack for numbers, spatial visualization a hundred times better than the average person. She could overlook the city, count every manhole cover, and recreate the entire urban landscape and its underground infrastructure on paper with uncanny accuracy."

Like computer-generated...

"What about the person they caught this time? Did his child go missing too?" I asked Robin anxiously.

Robin nodded. "It's a boy, born with autism, but he's obsessed with all sorts of insects and poisonous plants. He seems to have an innate interest in them, a sort of biology prodigy. He once slipped a toxin extracted from a toad into the water bottle of a bully, causing them to hallucinate and strip down to urinate in front of the whole class..."

I massaged my temples. "Toads?"

Colin clarified in a hushed tone. "They can secrete a sticky venom or release toxins from their skin. One is bufotenin, another is 5-MeO-DMT. These substances can cause intense hallucinations and can be quite harmful to humans..."

"Geniuses," I muttered under my breath.

"Both are standout savants with Asperger's syndrome. I suspect they're still alive... at least, until the value they possess is fully exploited. Could it be that someone's deliberately targeting these gifted children, trafficking them, or even..." There could be a more sinister plot.

Robin nodded, clearly sharing the suspicion.

"Do these two kids have anything in common?" I asked Robin.

"Both disappeared five years ago and had both participated in a Genius Contest," Robin said with a shrug. "I've been looking into that contest. It was run by a group that vanished after just two events. They offered a hefty prize, so it was well-known at the time. After the teens disappeared, so did the people who organized the contest."

"I'm investigating the organization behind that contest," Robin murmured.

But with his current lack of official power, his investigation was limited; he needed Finn's help.

I bit my fingernail in frustration.

It seemed that the disappearance of these young geniuses, the murder and disposal of their parents —victims used as pawns—pointed to a larger conspiracy.

"Phoebe, you should go back and rest. You look terrible," Stella said, concern etched in her voice.

"There's another commonality..." Robin paused for a long while before continuing. "And that's Phoebe."

"Before the tragedy struck, the parents of the victims had sought a private tutor for their children. This tutor was Phoebe, the winner of the first Genius Contest," Robin took a deep breath. "I thought

I got it wrong, or it was a case of mistaken identity, but no... it was indeed Phoebe."

I stood frozen, staring at Robin.

Finn had mentioned it too that the disappearance of the two teens was linked to 'Phoebe.'

I didn't believe it.

But now Robin was saying it.

I stepped back weakly and bumped into Colin's arms. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

He wrapped an arm around me, speaking softly. "Phoebe..."

My voice was hoarse as I looked up at Colin. He must know whether this was true or false. "Tell me, is it true? Was Phoebe really the winner of the first Genius Contest?"

Could it be that I knew so little about myself?

"How could that be..." Stella murmured in shock.

Colin looked down, silent for a long while before finally speaking. "Yes..."