Maybe

Chapter 29 The locker key

27-year-old Nina lounged on the couch, yawning as she read a book. Already bored, she got up and began wandering around her house, hoping to find something more interesting to do.

She entered a room dominated by shelves of books, with a fancy table in the corner. She rolled her eyes.

"Mom and her fancy stuff," she muttered.

So many things about Nina had changed lately—her dress sense, her way of speaking, practically everything.

"Who knew reading 'War and Peace' would turn me into a mini-aristocrat?" she chuckled, glancing at the book she had abandoned.

While strolling around and inspecting that supposedly fancy room, she suddenly collided with a so-called fancy table that appeared out of nowhere, causing her to lose her balance. Grabbing the bookshelf to steady herself, she noticed something odd.

The book she touched moved slightly, but not in the way an average book would. It felt like she was touching wood or something else entirely—it definitely didn't feel like normal paper or a regular book.

Curious, she moved the book again, and a sudden noise startled her. She quickly stepped back, watching in amazement as the bookshelf made a faint, yet distinct sound. The bookshelf split apart, revealing a hidden door that opened by itself. Though, to be honest, it looked more like a window pretending to be a door.

"Great, first I lose a fight with a table, and now I'm dealing with a secret passage. This day just keeps getting better," she muttered to herself.

There should have been a code, but somehow, someone left it open. Opening the tiny door, she found some old books, a few files, and a box.

"I recognize this box," she mumbled.

She tried to take out the box, but suddenly a prompt appeared: "Enter Code..." As she searched for the code, she found a piece of paper with a name written on it.

Aiden

"Oh, that's... Ethan's elder brother? How funny, I didn't even notice him at his sister's wedding," she muttered to herself.

She tried entering the name, but it didn't work. "What is it then?" she grumbled. Despite the box's age, its lock was digital. "Maybe it's a mix of numbers and letters?" She began typing, hoping her categorized approach would crack the code.

"Aiden."

'Incorrect code.'

"A8d3n."

'Incorrect code.'

"Aid3n."

'Incorrect code.'

"Ugh! What about an extra letter?"

"A8039A."

'Unlocked.'

"Finally!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Who knew I'd need a degree in cryptography to open a box?"

"Finally," she sighed. The more she dived in, the more curious she became. She opened the box to find letters, business papers, and a key.

The key had a serial number and didn't look old. Suddenly, she heard a sound. "Shoot," she muttered as she realized someone had come home. It was none other than her mom. Hastily, she put everything back in place but kept the key and locked the box.

She made it look like nothing had happened, quickly grabbing a book and pretending to read.

"Hey, daughter, what are you doing here?" her mom's panicked voice echoed. Nina played it cool. "Oh, just found a book I haven't read yet. Why?" she replied, acting as if everything was perfectly normal. Her mom glanced at the shelf a few times, clearly suspicious.