Adie's Loyal Love #3

Part 24

CHAPTER 24: Meeting Kahn

I struggled keeping my nutrition up. Dad wouldn't allow even Jeremiah over, let alone Olsen or any of the others. I messaged each of them, but it wasn't anywhere near as effective or soothing as being able to hug them, or at least stay close with Jeremiah. He called every night, and every morning, he said there hadn't been any noticeable feud arguments between both groups because they were all just...numbed. No one felt the need to argue, because there is a bigger threat out there and what shocked me was when Jeremiah told me that Kahn did some digging.

The teacher at the school.

The professors who always picked on me in class.

His name...Maven Northern.

I didn't recognise the name. I didn't understand it. All I knew is that they held a grudge against my family, and the boy who cut the side of my cheek, wasn't even a student at the school, or the son of the professor, but an employee of some sorts for Northern, and for Celestial. Jeremiah told me Kahn found signage of some sort of Collective, a type of brand within the Celestial units that had been rumoured to have gone dark when Celestial merged with Parker.

Celestial dissolved in brand, but not by blood.

I still had so many questions, but staring at my desk...I needed more unquestioned answers in order to know which questions were the right ones to ask. And to do that...I couldn't be locked up in my room for days, not able to move around to find anything, or receive any more letters. Though, when I spoke to Nora over the phone just last Friday, she said no letter, no note, no nothing has came up since I've been gone. It's been three weeks since I'd been to school. My assignments were all extended a month's due, and the others didn't seem to speak much about the games at school. But Olsen could never lie to me, and neither could Philip. I missed the ball altogether. I missed my last prom, one I wanted to go to just to dance with Jeremiah, considering I've seen him dance, but this time, I hadn't wanted it to be so business like or simply friendly.

I wanted him to hold me.

Really hold me.

None of that happened.

I was under quarantine.

With seven other siblings, a cat who won't leave from my mattress now that I'm here every day...and parents who cancelled all their trips, now the maids are stricter, the guards had doubled, rotations were now randomised and enhanced security under the technological aspects of the placed were significant. Cars were changed whenever we needed food from the local supermarket, whereas I really just wanted to go out.

So, I'm cleanly surprised when my door opens to my right, I made it look as though I was busy watching a teen series, when Dad steps in with Mom behind him. I pause the movie, Mom reaches for me, rubbing my shoulders as she takes a seat behind me, she runs her fingers through my hair, "I did some tracking." Mom starts with.

I close my eyes, "I hoped you weren't still doing that." I mumble.

Dad raises an eyebrow in front of me, "Still?" He questions.

I shrug, "Grandmother said Mom was actually quite good with the hacking stuff when she held most of the districts. Can we talk about what you promised we'd talk about now?" I ask Dad.

Mom looks between us, "About what?" She asks, gently, still massaging my shoulders.

"Oswald Creed."

Mom tenses behind me, sitting up slowly as she studies Dad, before standing and reaching for his hand, "Edmund, you don't have to." Mom says to him, a worrisome crease lining her forehead. Dad studies me closely.