Blaine

The Siberian wind howled outside the window of the old house. Blaine watched Yakov and little Mitya when his attention was drawn to a girl in a balaclava and tactical gear. There was something achingly familiar in her gait and her cold, mismatched eyes. “Sylis...” he whispered, feeling an icy cold inside.

Five years ago, during a chaotic retreat, Sylis fell into a pit and lost consciousness. Blaine saw it, but obeying the order to leave, he turned and abandoned her, leaving her to die. This betrayal haunted him every night.

Soon, Blaine, Bobby, Lena, and Cassie emerged outside. Yakov flatly refused to accompany them and claimed Chase was dead, but the boys didn't believe him. Lena and Cassie learned of the letter from Yakov's ex-wife, which they had been hiding from him. The blackmail worked: grumbling, the old man agreed to drive them to the station in his all-terrain vehicle.

As they drove through the taiga, the girl in the balaclava, taking her gear, followed them on a parallel course. Two hours into the journey, Yakov suddenly stopped the car: "We need to wait out the peak of the storm. We'll take shelter in the crevice nearby."

As soon as the boys stepped outside, the engine roared and the all-terrain vehicle disappeared into a white haze.

"You lied to us, you little son of a bitch!" Bobby shouted. They were left alone in the icy hell. But soon, like a ghost, the same girl emerged from the wall of snow. “I knew he would leave you here,” her hoarse voice rang out. "Who the hell are you?!" Bobby said indignantly.

Blaine froze, his lips numb. — The voice is familiar... It reminds me of Sylvie's voice... "Who is this?" Lena asked. "She's Chase's sister," Blaine replied hoarsely. "I, like a total bitch, abandoned her to die on a mission. Chase and I didn't tell you about it because it was too much of a tragedy for him."