Free Fly: A PORTAL Chronicles Novel (The PORTAL Chronicles) by Melissa Aden

only during the day while Evyatar was away, stowing her supplies and cleaning any evidence of her hobby long before he returned at the end of the day.
    Sometimes, the paintings were bright and beautiful: large landscapes with rolling fields and flowers or vibrant skylines. But in these rare, unguarded moments, she also showed a side of herself she kept private from the rest of the world, painting the dark, abstract feelings of depression that I so readily related to, perfectly portraying the emotions that, like her paintings, she carefully hid away.
    Growing up, Mom often called me “a deep well.” It seemed the same with Sophie. She was multidimensional, having many layers that she hid from the world, showing me we had something in common.
    I’d stay up at night wondering what type of person she’d fully reveal herself to. What sort of person would she trust enough to show that she wasn’t totally healed from the tragedy in her life, wasn’t all sunshine and butterflies like she expertly portrayed?
    Every evening, Sophie would make dinner and set the table before Evyatar got home. Like in the mornings, they would talk and eat and laugh, later clearing the table for a game of cards or retiring to the TV room.
    Watching this was bittersweet for me, reminding me of my family and how we were before we lost Benson. Memories would play in my head like long lost movies: laughing over inside jokes and stories at the dinner table, long card games with Benson where our competitive nature would take over, watching our favorite movies together in the large theater room Dad had concocted while reciting our favorite lines and laughing at all the same parts. It was little things like these that I missed, the little moments in time that had been stripped from me and my family.
    Though, I found hope in seeing that Sophie and Evyatar enjoyed life despite the loss they’d endured, making me think, Maybe we can be that way again. Maybe we can be some semblance of the family we used to be. Though I knew things would never be the same again, I gained a newfound confidence that my family could be — no, would be — whole again.
    We would one day laugh again, find joy again, and enjoy life again. The question was just a matter of when. How long would it take for us to heal? What would it take for us to finally get there?
    The summer quickly passed, and my time with Sophie came to its dreaded end. I packed my things, flew back to Minnesota, and presented my final report to Agency Director Emmanuel Salvatore, known to me as Sal, and his board of twelve officials. Praised for the thoroughness of my research and my superior performance, they felt I was ready for more responsibility.
    Death threats had been made on Sophie’s life, initially alerting us to her status as a target for Divaldo and resulting in my placement in Portland. Now, the threats were coming frequently, more sinister than before.
    Divaldo’s operatives were closing in. Like so many times before, they had figured out where Sophie lived and were planning to assassinate her. In order to throw off the enemy, the decision was made to separate Sophie from Evyatar, relocating them to different places in an attempt to save both their lives. It was my job to inform Evyatar of our plans that very week.
    I called him at his office and, using the guise of a student, told him I was transferring to his department from another school. He was excited to talk shop with me and scheduled lunch at a bistro near campus the very next day. I flew back to Portland and arrived at our appointment right on time.
    A dedicated professor, Evyatar jumped right in, animatedly telling me about the fascinating Nuclear Physics program he oversaw. I eventually cut him off, regretting to tell him the bad news that was sure to shatter his world.
    I revealed who I was and was surprised when he didn’t seem shocked. He then explained he and his wife had once worked for the agency, and that he’d been in cahoots