Wildfire And Rain

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lying once can be forgiven, although Kai thinks getting caught in a lie makes you beyond stupid. Lying twice and getting caught twice makes you not stupid, but suspicious.

Kai thinks it's strange. He's lied many times, but he is bad, so it checks out. Mr. Harrison lied twice, and he is supposed to be good. That does not check out.

So, either he's back like Kai is, or Kai is missing something important.

He stops on the side of a gas station; unsticking his phone from its holder. There are not a lot of records of his mom or dad on any social platform, mostly because his father was against it and his mother passed before any of the relevant platforms were created.

He does find an account to his mother's name on the deleted platform Six Degrees. It takes him a while to find the right serve since the platform is no longer running. He breaks through some internet walls until he finds her profile.

It is evident that she was on the platform only briefly since there are 2 photos uploaded in total. There are many comments, though.

His mother was popular, he knows that much.

The comments are different than those you find in today's social media, short and to the point. Mostly compliments but nothing else.

Then, he stumbles across a comment that catches his eye. Under a picture of his mother hugging her two friends; Yui is there too.

Let me hold you it reads.

Not pretty or your hair looks amazing XX

Let me hold you. No emoticons, no XX. Just a dot at the end, signing the sentence on a serious note.

Kai clicks on the profile; it has no name or photo. Just numbers.

They have no photos on their wall too. He wonders if he can track the IP of the address where the comment was sent. The internet server is too old, but it might work, and "might" is just about good enough for Kai. He fetches his computer from the trunk and begins tracking.

He has to try multiple times on multiple sites, and it eats his data but when he finally gets an IP location it's worth the wait.

He enters it in his GPS and it sends him on an hour's drive in the very opposite direction of his house, but he's more than willing to drive for even 20 hours.

....................

When he gets to his destination it's pouring rain outside. He embraces himself and gets out of the car, immediately hit by striking raindrops.

He pulls his coat from behind him and brushes the water off; it does nothing to help him look more put together.

The house is small, more like a big cabin, really. It's on the woodside surrounded by trees. It was a hassle to navigate through the bumpy road there, but he made it safely.

By the flourishing garden in front of the cabin and the lights coming from the window, he assumes it's lived in, and the person who does is home.

He knocks on the door; his hair dripping with water following his every movement. His slippers sink in the mud, dirtying his socks; it reminds him he left without proper shoes.

An old lady opens the door.

"Hello." Kai bows his head slightly. He thinks there is no plausible way this lady ever sent a comment under his mother's post, especially not a comment like that. He knows asking will raise questions. "I'm looking for the previous owners," he says. "Do you know anything about them? Names? Whereabouts?"