[Flashback]

  The board meeting ended with little fanfare, the investors were happy and Lumos Inc. was raking in record profits for a newly established game company. Victor chuckled, he should have known.

  Anastasia had always had good ideas, it was just a shame she did not live to see her work come to fruition.

  There was still hope for David, somehow if they could just…

  His thoughts were disrupted by his phone buzzing, lighting up, and wiggling across the table as it rang. Victor frowned, who would be calling him so late?

  He relaxed in his chair before picking up the phone. He read the contact flashing across the screen as Aya, his niece. Without hesitation, he picked up.

  “Hello?” he said nervously.

  “Uh, hi…” Aya replied just as nervously. Victor heard the shuffling of fabric over the phone and surmised she was probably settling into her bed or a couch.

  “My phone died before we could really get a chance to talk.” Aya said. There was a long pause over the phone as both didn’t know what to say to the other.

  “How are you? Fred told me he met you at a junk shop in Axen.” Victor said starting the conversation. What did people her age even do, he spent just as much time holed up in his office as Fred. What did Aya do for fun other than play his game?

  “Oh yeah, I’m leaving Axen actually. I was saying goodbye to my friends. I’ll still visit occasionally but we all agree it’s for the best I leave such a terrible place. Don’t you think?” Aya gave a short laugh, Victor’s heart clenched, it sounded so similar to Anastasia's carefree laugh.

  “Honestly, that city’s no good. You know your father, mother and I were all from there. But we left.”

  “To Evangels?”

  “Mericross first.”

  “That’s where I’m going, following the family's footsteps huh?” There was another pause, Victor hung on her word, waiting for her to ask what they both knew was coming. “How come you never found me? Didn’t you know about me? I know you said you looked but...”

  “I did! I knew Anastasia had changed your name and your grandmother wanted to raise you herself, but after a few years we lost contact, something happened you went missing one night. And I forgot it all, your new name, your address, my memory was in complete disarray.” Victor took a breath and continued.

  “Then someone contacted me, telling me they knew where you were but it was a trap, Aya.”

  He slammed his fist unto the table in anger before he could control himself, he hoped he had not scared her with his temper.

  “The blackmail.” Victor’s eyes widened, how had she known? Was it possible she knew who was committing such a crime?

  “You know?

  “And I know who’s blackmailing you. My mother had a sister, Lydia and my grandmother had a friend Fido. Those two are conspiring to keep extorting you but I’m determined to put a stop to it.” Aya said in determination.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “A sister, Aya your mother was an only child!”

  “What?!” Aya asked in alarm. Victor could imagine her sitting up in shock. Victor nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see him. Indeed, Anastasia never had any siblings, Mira raised her by her lonesome on the outskirts of Mericross.

  “Lydia, if I recall correctly was a woman who would come over to help your grandmother sometimes, they were introduced to each other by none other than Fido.” Victor said.

  “That rat bastard! Sorry.” Aya said apologizing for her cursing.

  “No, I agree especially since I gave him a job at Lumos Inc. as a favor to your grandmother. He told me you went missing as soon as you turned 17, just disappeared in the middle of the night.”

  “He dumped me at this apartment with Lydia and told me it was my grandmother’s wish that she should take care of me! I knew it! I knew there was no way that hag could have been my aunt. She was too cruel, I should have known.”

  “There was no way you would have.” Victor said softly, even with the anger bubbling in his heart he contained himself for Aya’s sake. “We were both tricked, to think I helped Fido to pay Mira back for looking after you and this is how he chose to reward all the kindness I’ve shown him.”

  That Fido had masterminded this blackmail all along cut Victor deeply. He had never looked down on the man, seeing him as someone who had fallen on hard times and chose to help him. They both grieved the loss of Mira Brown or so he thought. Victor’s head throbbed as he began thinking.

  “Aya I have an idea, it might be a little risky but if it works those two will end up behind bars, possibly for the rest of their lives.”

  “Of course, I’m in.”

  [Flashback Ends]

  “And the rest is history!” Aya said, leaning back in her seat. She scanned Mars’s face but was unable to read the other girl’s expression. Mars had her lips curved in contemplation, she folded her arms at the end of Aya’s tale.

  “I’m just glad it worked out and I’m even happier that Lydia and Fido were exposed for their crimes. I mean forging identity is one thing but kidnapping? What the hell is wrong with those two? I don’t even know who’s worse!”

  “It’s no contest if you want my opinion.” Fred said. He had listened carefully to the story Aya told. While he was glad it worked out, it was insane to think the unassuming man he had seen every so often was actually under their radar this whole time.

  There had to be more to it. Fred shook his head.

  ‘There’s no way those two are connected.’ Fred thought, his past linking him to the infamous hacking group could not in any way be connected to Aya’s situation. He looked into the review mirror watching Mars and Aya bicker as friends would.

  He had quickly grown fond of the girl in the few interactions they'd had. Maybe his proximity to her mother caused him to look upon her favorably, but he just wanted her to be alright. Being taken advantage of for so long was bound to cause her problems in the long run.

  ‘Luckily it seems she has a good friend by her side.’ Fred thought as they pulled into the parking lot of the train station.

  “Okay, we’re here.” Fred said, unbuckling his seat belt.

  The Axen Metro station was a large building with its central focus being its igloo-like dome and the several pillars surrounding it.

  Aya got out of the car, gazing around the white and cream building in awe. She had been expecting something old and poorly maintained like most buildings were in Axen but the beauty of the area shocked her silent.

  “Beautiful isn’t it?” Fred asked, handing his keys off to a uniformed man. At the girls’ questioning gazes he replied “It was a rental, I’m taking the train back to Evangels.”

  “Oh, we’ll meet again right?” Aya asked hopefully.

  “Unless I die or something we will.” Fred chuckled. At Aya’s alarmed face, he sobered up. “Of course, we’ll meet again. Remember to call your uncle when you board the train. Here, I’ll help you take your bags and find your train.”

  Aya and Mars nodded, taking out their duffle bags and backpacks. It would be a long trip to Mericross so it would be good to get there early.

  “Alright, let’s get going.”