Arcade's Dungeon

Hunter Hero 18: Odd Day

"She says she doesn't remember anything."

     "It's common for that to happen after experiences like that. And if she was really so sick, then there must be not that much to remember."

     "I know, but-"

     "It's Cade. Not Reed, Aurelia, not your clients, not anybody else. Think of who you're talking about."

     "She's just so strange in general that I don't know where to apply normal concepts sometimes. But if it's her, I would've thought she'd have known where all of this is coming from."

     "That would be suggesting that our daughter is up to no good and that she's involved in things that could get her kidnapped, or worse, on purpose."

     "No, that's not what I'm suggesting. I just thought...well, it's Cade. But I guess even she's normal sometimes too."

     Thanks, Mom.

     I pressed my head further down into the pillows and stared up at my ceiling. [Ear to the Wall] was really trying its hardest for me in that moment because I really didn't want to listen to their conversation. It was an honest bid on my part to get some sleep that Sunday night and try not to think about things.

     "But just - just think about this with me here."

     "I'm not a detective. The extent of my job is rallying all of the hooligans and sticking them in the back of either a camper van if they're awakened or my car if they're not."

     "Then think a little bit with your head instead of your badge for me and our daughter for a moment, will you? She was fine in her sixth period but falls ill suddenly in seventh period. She faints and gets brought to the office. Rather than notifying us as the primary numbers on her emergency card, for some reason, they let her sit in the nurse's office until a mysterious man - a man they didn't even call, because apparently the attendance secretary didn't call anyone - shows up claiming to be Aurelia's fiance. He calls Aurelia before she can and she 'talks' to Aurelia."

     "And Aurelia has no recollection of this."

     "None. She wasn't the one that even answered it since she didn't know Cade was sick until I asked her about her supposed fiance's whereabouts."

     "So some man claiming to be Peter came to pick up Cade."

     "Yes. But he didn't use Peter's name, he used a different one."

     "Which is?"

     "The attendance secretary apparently does not recall."

     "Please, if you're going to file a complaint to the school district, at least warn me ahead of time-"

     "Honey, I plan to do so much more than just file a simple complaint. Don't worry about anything."

     "Okay, okay, little Italy," Dad finally sighed and turned over in bed. Probably, towards her, because he got quieter. "Back to the sequence of events."

     "So the mysterious man shows up to the office, unprompted, and calls 'Aurelia' and the attendance secretary talks with her. 'Aurelia' gives the okay and he takes her from the office. The attendance secretary has given up my daughter to a pedophile-"

     "We don't know if he's a pedophile, but yes, continue."

     "-and miraculously, thank God Cade decided to be normal and get a boyfriend out of the bluest skies this summer, Ed happens to be moving his truck from one parking lot to another and he sees his girlfriend being shoved into a silver sedan. He manages to convince the man to give Cade to him, and he gets in his truck, goes to pick up his cousin, and they drive away. They're followed on the back roads for two hours until the vehicle tailing them, leaves, and they go to Nita's house to take care of Cade."