The Missing Raven

Day 0

Hey everyone. This story has been in the works for a few weeks now, and I figured when better to post this than my birthday (a little birthday present to myself).

Side note: I'm taking a creative liberty to add an extra week before the planned earthquake, and with the additional time, I'll try to add some elements of the original Greenhouse because I just loved how much more stretched out and relaxed it was compared to the English version.

I hope you guys enjoy reading this. See you in the next chapter.

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"Hayley?" She hears the confusion in his voice before she sees him, and it takes her a few seconds to register who he's talking too... Since when did he mingle with the Ravens? What more Ryan Woods' daughter?

She steps back towards the tunnel, making sure he can't see her.

"Uh, it's my mom's phone, I think."

Her heart stops for a moment, a thousand different thoughts assaulting her all at once. He's talking to her using her phone, her burner phone, which he shouldn't know about - no one but Ryan knows about it. How did he get a hold of it, but more importantly, how did she get the number?

The swish of the bucket in her hands breaks her out of her thoughts, and she realises she has to put a pin in it. Whether he's faking it or not, Daniel and his health is always her number one priority.

"I got the ice!" She announces with a smile, stepping out from the shadows.

"I have to hang up." His mumbles seemingly echoes throughout the gym, reaching her ears seconds before he empties her bag onto the gym floor.

"I'll just get this in the..." She eyes the mess, setting the bucket down with the cloth, feigning ignorance on what she heard. "Oh. What happened here?"

He sighs. "I knocked over your bag. I... I'll put everything back in." Reaching for it, he props it up beside him, already dropping the little knick knacks into it despite knowing the mess would irk her.

Shaking her head, she crouches down next to him, ice bucket sitting abandoned by her side. "Okay. There we go. Bam, bam. Okay."

She breathes, hoping he would ask the burning question.

And he does.

"So, uh, what is that?"

"This? It's a make-up compact." She turns it over in her hand, playing it off as if he were asking about it any other day. "You know, this doesn't just happen by magic." Waving the device in her hand, she sends him a smile before dropping it back in her bag and tending to his ankle.

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"Marcus." She barges into the cave, setting her bag down on the table. "We have a little complication, namely Miss Hayley Woods."

"What..." He blinks, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, wondering how the girl could have posed any sort of problems to their project. She had no connection whatsoever to Judy, even her knowledge of her mom's mission was minimal so "How?"

"I need you to access her Louie. Show me the latest messages and calls." She commands. "And you're going to help me fix this mess."

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He rolls the Louie in his hands, tapping it against his thigh as he waits anxiously. Flicking it open for a second, he notes the time before slamming it shut. From what Alex said - because he was grumbling about his sister taking too long to come back - she'd be here at 8, and it's already 9. He knows there may have been a jam but she could've at least called him.