Novels by ZOE HALE

“Kira, I’m serious. You need to hear this,” Elara said, leaning closer, her voice barely above a whisper.They were sitting in their favorite cafe, tucked into a quiet booth at the back. The hum of people around them provided a comforting layer of noise, but Elara’s words still felt dangerously loud to her.Kira sipped her coffee, raising an eyebrow. “Elara, you’ve been intense about this LifeNet stuff lately. What’s going on?”“It’s more than just LifeNet,” Elara replied, gripping her cup tightly. “I’m starting to think it’s… much bigger than we realized. I mean, have you ever felt like LifeNet is always there, even when you don’t want it to be?”Kira chuckled lightly, brushing it off. “Oh, come on, Elara. LifeNet is a social platform, not some shadowy figure lurking in the background. It’s just there when we want it, like any other app.”“No, Kira, it’s not,” Elara insisted. “I mean, really think about it. All of our data, all of our thoughts, our interactions—it’s all there, record

“Hi there! I’ve been having some trouble with my device lately,” Elara said, smiling a bit nervously as she approached the front desk of the LifeNet service center. “It keeps freezing, and then sometimes it… just kind of restarts out of nowhere?”The technician behind the counter looked at her with polite indifference. He was young, probably a few years younger than her, with a quick, routine smile. “Sure, let’s take a look. Could be a software glitch. We’ll need to run a few diagnostics, but it should be quick.”“Thanks,” Elara replied, sliding her device across the counter. She glanced around, subtly taking in her surroundings. The room was bright, sterile, and slightly claustrophobic, with rows of service pods lining one side of the room, each with a technician working away in front of a glowing screen.The technician looked at her device, then at his screen, typing rapidly. “Looks like the OS is current. Have you had any trouble connecting to LifeNet lately?”“No, it connects just

“Are you really going to do this?” Nyx’s voice crackled softly over the line.Elara looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection calm but her eyes betraying a simmering determination. She adjusted her collar, trying to shake off the nervous energy.“Yes,” she replied. “If there’s anyone who might know about the glitches, it’ll be someone inside LifeNet. I need to get close enough to one of the technicians to ask the right questions.”Nyx sighed on the other end. “Just be careful, alright? Don’t go mentioning anything too specific. These people are… well, let’s just say they’re experts at keeping secrets.”Elara forced a small smile. “Relax, Nyx. I know what I’m doing. It’ll just be small talk.”“If you say so,” he replied, though she could hear the concern in his voice. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m just a message away.”Elara ended the call, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the bustling city evening. The event she was headed to was held at a sleek, minimalist

“Elara, are you still up?”Nyx’s message popped onto her screen, startling her out of her thoughts. She’d been staring at her terminal for what felt like ages, trying to make sense of the odd encounters from the past few days.She sighed, typing back quickly, “Yeah, still up. Been thinking about all this… whatever this is. It’s too much.”A few seconds later, his response flashed back. “I get it. Just… don’t dive too deep alone, okay?”She smiled to herself, finding comfort in his words. “I’ll be fine. I’m just… looking through some of my mom’s old journals. Hoping there’s something here.”“Your mom’s journals?” he replied, adding a thoughtful pause. “Do you think she knew something back then?”Elara stared at the message, her thoughts swirling. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I can’t shake the feeling that she might’ve had some idea about LifeNet’s real agenda.”Nyx sent back a simple, “Good luck,” and then signed off, leaving her alone with the journal that lay open on her desk.Elara t

“Elara, did you hear me?”The voice jolted her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Kira standing by her desk, giving her a strange look.“Oh, sorry. Got lost in my head for a second. What were you saying?” Elara replied, shaking herself out of the daze.Kira rolled her eyes, smirking. “I was asking if you wanted to grab a coffee break. You’ve been at it for hours.”Elara nodded, getting up from her chair. “Yeah, coffee sounds good.”They made their way to the break room, and Elara tried to brush off the lingering unease from last night’s warning message. But the words kept creeping back, “You won’t receive another notice.”“So, what’s up with you today?” Kira asked, pouring herself a coffee. “You look like you saw a ghost.”Elara forced a laugh, shaking her head. “Didn’t sleep well, that’s all.” She busied herself with her cup, trying to keep her face neutral.“Join the club,” Kira said with a chuckle. “Liam’s been ranting about his dog’s birthday for, like, the fifth time this wee

Chapter 5. The Warning"Alright, Elara, time to call it a night," she muttered to herself, rubbing her temples and leaning back in her chair. The screen in front of her was filled with files, data logs, and cryptic notes she’d gathered on LifeNet.Hours had slipped by in a blur, her focus so sharp she’d barely registered the passing time. Each new detail she uncovered only seemed to raise more questions, making the mystery feel like a black hole, pulling her deeper with every moment.Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft chime on her terminal, a single ping that echoed in the quiet room. Elara frowned. The message wasn’t from any of her usual contacts, nor from the encrypted channels she sometimes used for research. It was just a blank notification with a blinking icon on her screen.“Huh… That’s strange,” she mumbled, hesitating before clicking on it.The screen flickered once, then the message loaded:“Stay out of this. Your life depends on it.”Elara felt a chill creep down her sp