Alexander's notebook was still where he had kept it all those years ago. It lay tucked away on a hidden shelf in his office. Just entering his office again made me sick to my stomach. But I'm glad I did it because no matter how painful it was to read his twisted words, it was worth it. I could use this. I needed proof, proof of the evil that had happened here. But out of the pages and pages of madness, I found three entries particularly important.

  July 23

  I am as excited by my latest experiment as I am frustrated. I haven’t been able to do much work over the past few days thanks to it. My attempt to transplant Tiffany’s Adamantine into me went far worse than I ever could have imagined. The surgery itself was successful--dangerous as it is to place an Adamantine so close to the heart. That part went smoothly. It was only once it was fully attached that things began to spiral out of control.

  I began to feel pain; more pain than I had ever felt before in all my life. I couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard I tried. It was as if I had forgotten how to control my own body. Yet that wasn't the worst part! I began to see things, see myself. It took me a little while to understand what was happening, but I was seeing through Tiffany's eyes! It was amazing! It was exactly what I had always wanted. For those few minutes while I was awake, I was her, and it was pure agony.

  When I came to, the Adamantine had been removed. But I could still remember how it felt to have it with me, if only for a moment. Now I'm lying in bed. I'm tired and hardly able to breathe. I just finished a discussion with the doctors. They explained exactly what happened. It knew the Adamantine sensed it was in the wrong person, and it attacked. But unlike any other defense I have ever seen before, it attacked with such power. I almost died. Even now, breathing and talking are a struggle. It becomes painful to move my hands, to move my lips, to even think, but it's okay. Because I have made a discovery. I have discovered the world's deadliest thing. If I can find a way to use this power, it can become a weapon unlike anything we have ever seen before.

  I don’t have much time. I need to get to work as soon as possible. I just can’t wait for a full recovery. They need to see results. Results I do not have, but I will find a way to do something with this, I just need to run a few more studies. I can’t write much longer, and I do not know when I’ll write again. But I’m sure once this is over, I will have much to write about. I feel as if a crushing weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I have results. My work has finally gotten me somewhere. I have found that if you liquefy Adamantine once it is removed from the body it will live longer than if it were implanted into another body. But if you consume this liquid, it could be the death of you.

  Once more the Adamantine will sense that it is in the wrong person and will fight. You can also turn the liquid into the air and breathe in the toxic fumes. Both the liquid and the fumes hold a beautiful color, it's a deep violet color. The fumes will also cause you to see things, see things through the eyes of the people who once had the Adamantine. It is an experience like no other. It is as painful as it is wonderful. Every day when I look in the mirror, I see a face that is not my own. I am becoming closer to what I want to be, but it’s killing me. But I can’t stop; they need more. More answers, more results! I can’t stop now. I must find a way to put these fumes to the test! This, this is why I joined S.T.O.N.E. in the first place. I’m getting closer and closer to my dream every day. But will I survive it? If I’m unsuccessful, then what will they do to me?

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  August 12

  I am about to take the riskiest step I have ever taken for the sake of an experiment. I have yet to tell my higher-ups about it, and I’m not sure if I plan to. This is going to either be the greatest discovery that I have ever made, or the disaster of a lifetime. But I am prepared for that. I just needed, needed to find a way to test the Adamantine fumes on someone who wasn’t me. On a normal person who hasn’t lived in such a dark place surrounded by the horrifically wonderful stuff. It’s dangerous, but I think I know what to do. To the north lies a small village. It is tiny with about a population of twenty-five.

  If something were to happen to those twenty-five, nobody would know. Nobody would care. I could simply release the Adamantine toxin into the air and that would be enough. I tried this once before. I hadn’t fully perfected the formula for the toxin. The second it hit open air, the fumes seemed to expand; they seemed to engulf everything. The wind took hold of them and swept them down to Pines City. But now that I have Tiffany, now that I have her Adamantine and a proper plan, things will be different. At worst, the world would have lost a mere twenty-five people in the name of science. But if it goes well, those twenty-five would have become immortal.

  August 28

  I wish I had never joined S.T.O.N.E. I wish that I had killed Tiffany Walker when she was still a child, then none of this would have happened. Just a matter of weeks before my experiment was planned to take place, she escaped. The one thing I needed most escaped. I have no clue where Tiffany has gone. I doubt that she had a real plan. Her sister, the one who nearly scratched my eye out, is still here. I’ve left her in a room, exposed to the purest of the fumes. She can be the experiment. It doesn’t matter if she dies now, I just needed her when Tiffany was here. Either she’ll die, or she’ll live and forget who she is. Or she’ll become immortal.

  I don’t know which one and I don’t care anymore. Even if it is successful, I have lost Tiffany. I won’t be able to recreate these pure fumes for myself. They know of course. S.T.O.N.E. knows. I was ready to lose my job, my life, but I have lost much more than that. If Tiffany Walker is found, I may never see her again. They’d just take her away from me. No, they need me for this. I made her what she is today! She wouldn’t be anything without my work! I can’t let them have her! She is my project, and I will find her! And when I find her, I’ll make her pay for doing this to me.

  "Tiffany?" Tyla's voice pulled me back to reality. Right, I was safe. Alexander was gone. He couldn't hurt me anymore. So why were my eyes filled with tears? Why were anger and fear pulsing through my body? I knew why. S.T.O.N.E. What did it mean? Who were they? A problem. Alexander had been a problem, but it sounded like he was far from the last problem that I would have to deal with.

  "I-I'm okay. I-I'm just thinking, planning," I reassured her. S.T.O.N.E. I would find out what that was, and I would end it. I made this vow quietly. No matter what, I would tear down this evil. Yes, I now had a new mission.