The Sebana Heir

Chapter 17

Another day at the cafeteria, Ria was walking towards the trash bins when she heard someone call out towards her direction.

"Hey, trash-gir- I mean.... Excuse me!" one of the guys who was sitting at Alesia's lunch table, called out from the other end of the cafeteria. They began to chuckle among themselves after what he had just said. Ria turned her head around to find him waving at her. She slowly walked over to them, wondering what they might want. She stood before them with her unruly hair hiding her puzzled face while the guy held his tray up at her.

"I need my tray disposed in the trash, please," he said giving Alesia a smirk.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, I'm not-" Ria tried to say.

"Oh and, mine too," Bianca quickly added as she gave hers and Alesia's lunch trays.

"And mine," Stella said as she kept looking into her phone.

"Hey, tray collector's here," one of the school rugby jocks said to another unintentionally, after seeing Ria with all the trays being forcefully placed into her hands. Some other boys came by, along with Hayne, to see her standing there. Ria couldn't figure out what to say at that moment. She just stood there, with the dirty trays piled up on her hands.

"Uh.......why are you still standing there?" Bianca asked.

"I'm not some trash collector," Ria replied.

"Oh well.........you almost looked like one while you were near the trash bins," Bianca said.

"Couldn't out guys just take it yourselves?" Ria spoke calmly.

"Listen. Do us all a favor and be an angel, the trash bins are right over there," Alesia snapped with a glare.

"Besides, you're the closest one to the trash!" Bianca stated rudely, and those around the table giggled out in laughter. "To almost looking like it..." Ria didn't want to say anything any further. She just decided to turn around and head to the bin with the trays and get away from them.

"So petty," Alesia rolled her eyes as she tucked the side of her lovely dark hair behind her ear. Then she looked up and saw Hayne pass by. She quickly got on her feet to greet him with a kiss across the lips.

"Missed you!" she smiled.

"Yea," Hayne replied, "Uh, what was that about?"

"Pardon?" Alesia asked, while Hayne referred to Ria's presence at their table a few seconds ago. "Oh that. Uh, it was nothing. Let's talk about our date the other night. Why'd you wanna go home so early?"

"Oh, uh........I had to plan and take care of some Student Council agendas," Hayne lied.

"Okay, how 'bout we-"

"Uhm, I gotta go, can I see ya later. At class?" Hayne said. And before Alesia could answer, he was already walking away.

••••

"You want me to study through every fire case across the country?" Lynn asked Mr. Harber when she met him in his office. "That could take me months, Mr. Harber."

"No, I just want you to look through the ones that took place between, fifteen to sixteen years ago," Mr. Harber replied, "Try to find something that connects to Ria. Like-"

"Seeing if there was any four year old girl involved?" Lynn completed.

"You got it, Lynn," Mr. Harber replied. "Can I trust you this?" Lynn nodded her head before walking out of the office.

••••

At 1am in the morning, Ria was just heading up the stairs from the kitchen; in her sweatpants and fitting shirt. She was taking slow steps upon each stair, when she heard the front door open. Turning back, she saw Hayne coming in.