I look at Elena in disbelief, “i-is this RTU thing new or. .”

“I dunno, but apparently they’re after Curio and people associated with them.” Elena explains solemnly as she fiddles with her wavy, black hair.

“But the old man never got involved with the Labs,” I relapse my memories of the father figure.

“Maybe a goonie heard him being worried about your safety and thought it was something else, I honestly have no clue.” Elena shrugs, her normal, hospitable mannerisms seeming to be cast aside.

“Well, is he alive at least?” I ask, Fareed avoided the question like wildfire but I need to know.

He may not be my biological dad, but he still cared for me without minding the consequences.

Elena’s eyes begin to water before she silently rises and insists I follow. We walk out of the inn, silently making our way towards an unlabelled building. She opens the door and walks into the place, where there were rows and rows of bodies. On the first row, a slightly wrinkled faced corpse caught my eye. Though only the shoulders and above were seen, I recognize it as Eldric.

I walk over, feeling my throat constrict and my lip quiver slightly as I look down on his unnaturally peaceful face. Silence fell on the room for a few moments.

“So that’s why you didn’t tell me,” a single, silent tear falls.

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“Okay, we have a general location and address,” I explain to the fellow members of this ragtag quartet. “We could either skim through the outskirts of town to try and pick out any suspicious notions, or go to the address of Cana’s relative near the older parts of town and ask them about it. Since their house is right up close to the outskirts.”

Cana’s hand springs up, “I vote relative! I wanna meet my born family sooner than later.”

Jyrasck sets his elbow up onto the table, “I second the motion.”

Mist, who’s mind just resurfaced from her fantasy world, simply shrugs in agreement.

“Okay, Cana, you can go scheme up your entrance while I put a comb through the details,” I smile weakly. This relative, according to Titus’ analysis, is probably Cana’s mother. And randomly finding out your child has reunited with you after at least thirteen years or so would shock the tar out of me (if I was in her shoes).

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I sweep over to my room, door open in case of emergencies — or anyone needing me — and start going through the marked files of “Amara Soliel”.

After a while, I came to the additional notes that Titus — somehow — got of her background. I sift through them curiously.

Nineteen years ago, Brady Soliel, Amara’s spouse, was jailed for domestic violence and alcohol abuse. The child was an infant, under a year old, when officers detained Brady and questioned his wife. The same day, the child went “missing” and was never found.

I click my tongue, “missing” my ass. How concerning are the Lab’s methods that the ones who made and funded them have to lie in official street officer reports?

Going through it further, there are no other incidents or problems from then on. She attends nearly none of the events in town and never leaves home at any sight of Curio.

I glance over to the window of my room to see the setting sun cast orange and purple hues across the sky. Alright, let’s schedule a visit tomorrow then, I think to myself as I fix up the files and tuck them into a desk drawer before crashing onto the cool bed.

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“I’m so excited!” I’m practically jumping with joy as we walk. Imma meet my family! And soon! Jyrasck quickly grabs my shirt and pulls me back in the right direction for the fourth time.

Ross has his nose stuck in his notebook, looking up now and then to point in the correct direction or glance around. “This was a little further…”

Mist is walking curtly behind Ross, hands tucked somewhat into her jean short pockets and cat-ears flattened down to her hair with “bobbie pins”. After Jyrasck alters my trajectory for the fifth time this trip, he bats my hair playfully and tucks his hands into his jean jacket (though I don’t understand why he has a jacket, it’s not that cold!)

Ross stops and does a triple take before nodding, “okay. This is the place so—”

I dart up to the door and rap on it, knok, kn-knok knok, “hello? Is anyone home..?”

Jyrasck yanks me back quickly, “give it a minute you goof!” He laughs.

Some movement occurred in the window before the door cracked open somewhat, “what do you need for me?”

Ross walks up, glancing to and from his notebook, “are you Amara Soliel by chance?”

“So what if I am?”

“We have something you’d might like to see—”

“What? By hell, what?”

“Could we talk inside?”

“Not unless you explain, sir!”

Ross goes silent for a moment, “it’s about the recent Parol Inciden— no wai— and she’s gone okay…”

Jyrasck raps on the door once again, “this is also about an incident a decade or two ago-”

The door opens a second time, “what do you know of nineteen years ago?”

“We have hope in its finest form, ma’am.”

“Whadda’ you mean?”

“We can’t show you here miss, it’ll cause trouble with the… Curi-os agai—” The door quickly shuts before swinging open.

“Get inside.”