Volume 1: The Story Of Their Life

Chapter 4: An Untold Story...

I flinched a bit and turned around, a sigh escaping my mouth as soon as my eyes landed on her. Laura... That's her name. Laura Hendrix. The COO of one of the biggest medical conglomerates, Ziva Hospitals, and a descendant of the Castelinos. She also happens to be the Chief Oncologist in its flagship branch. But most importantly, on top of all that, she's my mom. Sure has a lot on her plate but she's never failed to do what needs to be done. Incredibly compassionate and can never turn away someone in need; one of the many things I've always looked up to her for.

I got back inside, closing the door behind me while Mom placed her bag on the couch right beside it. "Hey mom," I mouthed, noticing that she was in a call.

"Ray, I'll talk to you later..." She said, disconnecting her earpiece as she turned back to face me. "Lexi, you okay?"

"Yeah Mom, just zoned out..." I replied. "How was your day?"

"It was okay... Yours? Considering that you won the captaincy for the third time in a row, I'm assuming it went well." She pulled me in for a warm hug, a genuine smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you, honey..."

"Aww, thanks, Mom."

"But how?" She teased.

I paused for a moment and patted her gently on the back. "You know mom... I really didn't wanna ruin the moment but since you beat me to it..." I began, pulling away while trying to hide my grin.

She glanced down at her wet clothes and smiled. Taking off her coat, she added, "But let's be real, it would've been a shocker if you didn't make it as the captain. You guys were born for it."

"Well..." I began hesitantly. "Dheeran didn't make it."

She halted and looked at me in disbelief. "What...? Why?"

"The faculty is not exactly in his favor... You know after the whole cafeteria thing. The boys were detained from the OTC too."

"Oh, that's rough... I hope he's taking it well."

"You could say that. We didn't have much time to talk in person because of this... thing with the new captain. It was kinda messy. But he seemed fine when we spoke on the phone. Kinda unlike him if you'd ask. He was pretty serious about it."

"He's taking it in stride, I guess. Good for him." She remarked, filling her glass with water. "Oh, by the way... it looks like the conference has been postponed. I don't think they will be back anytime soon."

I nodded, feeling a tad let down. "Yeah, dad texted me about it. They really deserve a break, though."

"I get it, but it's probably for the best. It'll help take his mind off for a while. This month has always been a tough one to get through," I didn't realize it then, but her tone suddenly grew somber when she said that. She sighed. "Go change. I'll get you something to eat."

I nodded and headed back to my room to change into my loungewear. My phone died on me soon after while I was drying my hair. I placed it in its dock to resurrect it when my eyes fell on my hoverboard seated on the side. "Great. You're dead too." I muttered, digging through my bag to find its retractable dock. That's when it hit me— I had left it in my locker, back at school. A sigh of despair escaped my mouth. I dropped the bag aside and peeked out of my room.

"Moooooooooooommm," I called, awaiting an answer but was met with silence. I walked over to the stairs, and shouted again, "Mooooooooommmm..."

"I'm not deaf. Don't shout." I heard her say.

I sighed. "Do we have a spare HB dock? I think I left mine at school."

"I... am not sure but I think I saw it somewhere in our room the other day."

I quietly opened the door to my parents' room and stepped inside, and as I did, the lights gradually lit up the space. The bed was nicely made, and everything was arranged with such precision that it looked untouched as if no one had ever used it. It had been over a week since my dad left Sanbrix for the international conference, and since then, my mom practically lived at the hospital. The only reason she went into their room was to use her makeshift office. Days like those were pretty rare in my family considering that we're almost always together. Well, most of us.

I raided the room thoroughly and after quite a long quest, discovered the dock tucked away on one of the corner shelves. I walked out, the lights turning off the moment I stepped out of the room. But right before I sealed the door shut, a rim of bluish radiance caught my eye, peeking through the gap. I stopped momentarily, wondering what it was before sliding it back open.

Clutching the dock with my right hand, I made my way to the office within the room, realizing that the light was reflecting from the AR files inside it that were left on. "Mom, are you working on these files or can I shut it down?" I shouted, but there was no response. I didn't want to disrupt anything. But I couldn't help but notice the word, "abduction" from a file buried deep under. I swiped the other files aside to bring it into view and zoomed in on what appeared to be a feature... an old one, dating back to 2027.

"The story behind the abduction of Arcadia's four prominent teenage celebrities."

I read softly. "Interesting."

Curious, I wondered about the reason behind my mom's sudden interest in an obscure crime feature released more than twenty years ago. But little did I know that within those seemingly inconsequential pages laid an untold secret that was neither obscure nor about strangers.
For it wasn't just any story; it was her story. Or rather... their story.