Chapter 1: Prologue

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[New York City - Earth-31102007]

The rain pounded on the roof of a lots of cars and a blue Chevrolet like an angry drummer, each drop seeming to echo Jay Lacey's growing frustation. The wipers swished back and forth with a steady rhythm, trying in vain to keep up with the downpour, but the fog clinging to the city only made things worse. New York never slept, they said. But tonight, the streets were a sluggish, congested mess, every honk, and brake light a testament to Jay's rising irritation.

"Goddamn traffic," Jay muttered under his breath, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Why's everyone out tonight? Ain't nobody got a home to go?"

In the passenger seat, his lovely wife, Caroline Lacey-née Conceição-sighed, her voice calm but laced with that particular brand of irritation that only came from being right. "I told you we should've taken the Chinatown route, Jay. But nooo, you wanted to take the expressway. 'Expressway,' my ass."

Jay shot her a sideways glance, a mixture of frustration and reluctant acknowledgment on his face. "Yeah, well, hindsight's 20/20, right? I didn't know every damn car in the city would be out here."

From the backseat, a soft sound of eletronic beeps filled the air as their son, Matthew, hunched over his tablet, utterly absorbed in whatever game he was playing. Jay turned back, half shouting, "Hey, Matt! You still doing okay back there, little man?"

Matthew didn't look up, his focus entirely on the screen. "Yeah, Pa," he mubled, his small fingers dancing across the tablet.

Jay exhaled, trying to swallow the growl building in his throat. The rain was only getting worse, and the traffic hadn't moved an inch. "Jesus," he muttered. "Why do I always end up in these messes?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a smirk. "You know, if you'd just listened to-"

"I heard you, Caro," Jay snapped, cutting her off. "I just... damn it, I thought it'd be quicker, a'ight? Can't we just let it go?"

Instead of pressing the point, Caroline did what she often did when Jay was in one of his moods: she let him stew in his frustration. With a small, knowing smile, she reached for her phone to dial a number. The faint sound of the dial filtered through the car before a voice on the other end picked up.

"Oi, mana (Hi, Sis)," Caroline said, her voice slipping into the smooth, lyrical tones of her native Portuguese. The warmth in her voice contrasted sharply with Jay's grumbling beside her.

Jay glanced over, already feeling lost as the words rolled off Caroline's tongue in a language that, despite years of marriage, he could barely understand.
He knew enough to pick out a few basic phrases, but when she and her sister got going, it was like listening to a symphony he had no sheet music for.

"HA! Quem disse que o Jay sabe dirigir direito? Estamos presos no trânsito há uma eternidade, (HA! Who said it that Jay can drive? We're stuck in this traffic in a eternity)" Caroline said, her voice carrying a light, teasing lilt.

Jay frowned, suspicion knitting his brow. He couldn't tell exactly what she was saying, but he knew that tone. "I heard my name in there," he muttered.
"You tellin' her I can't drive or something?"

Caroline glanced at him, her smile widening. "Nothing like that, amor," she said sweetly, though the mischievous glint in her eyes suggested otherwise.
"Just...making conversation."

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