Missing Zodiac

Chapter 1

It was a cold winter night and it was beginning to snow, the fluffy white snow was starting to stick to the ground and frost covered the windows. It was a normal winter in Boston, or so Victor thought.

He woke up early to the sound of his father playing the piano. It usually doesn't bother him, but it did this time because it was five in the morning. He stomped down the stairs and there his father was; sitting at the polished black grand piano a bottle of scotch sitting on the top, next to a picture of his mother. His father, Caleb, was a composer and conductor in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He used to play the piano professionally as well but stopped when Victor's mother died five years ago.

"A bit too early, don't you think?" Victor asked.

His father looked at him, his dark eyes full of sadness. He let out a loud yawn and stretched, almost knocking the bottle over.

"Got carried away," his father replied sleepily.

"Dad," Victor said.

"Go to bed,"

As usual, it was up to Victor to be the adult, whenever his father was in one of his grieving spells. His father sighed and slowly got up. While he was getting up, Victor noticed his father's sleeve riding up and he caught a glimpse of a strange symbol on his father's forearm. Could be a tattoo, but Victoer was too tired to ask.

Before his father left to go to his bedroom, he patted Victor gently on his shoulder.

"Good night,"

"It's technically morning," Victor corrected, stifling a yawn.

"Not until the sun rises,"

Victor woke up to the sound of music...again. This time, it wasn't from his father's piano playing. It was the sound of jazz music pouring out from a speaker downstairs. Honestly, can't he just enjoy his fifteen minutes of sleep before he wakes up for school? With a loud groan, Victor dragged himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes and trying to shake off the drowsiness.

He shuffled downstairs, expecting to find his father asleep on the couch or sprawled across the armchair with a record left spinning. Instead, he found the living room empty, sunlight peeking through frosted windows. The jazz tune playing softly in the background was from one of his father's old records, the ones his mother used to dance to before... well, before she was gone.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted from the kitchen, warm and rich, wrapping around Victor like a familiar comfort. Maybe his father was finally up, trying to pull himself together. For a fleeting moment, Victor pictured his dad standing by the coffee maker, wearing that frayed gray sweater his mother used to tease him about, looking a little less haunted than he had last night.

Victor stepped into the kitchen, and he was right. He found his father pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looked exhausted and his glasses knocked slightly askew.

Victor's father looked up as he entered, his gaze softening with a tired smile.

"Mornin' kiddo,"

He adjusted his glasses, pushing them back up his nose, and took a long sip from his mug.

"Couldn't sleep?" Victor asked, trying to keep his tone light but concerned.

"Morning," Victor muttered.

"Sleep well?" He asked as he grabbed another coffee mug from the cabinet, pouring Victor a cup.

"Did until you started playing your music loudly," Victor grumbled.

"Sorry, I was just—"

"Thinking of mom?" Victor asked as he accepted the cup of coffee. He took a slow sip and made a face. He reached for the jar of sugar and poured a good amount of it into his mug, not stirring it at all.