THE CODE THAT LINKS US ©

Chapter Eight

MADISON

When we get out from the school it surprises me to find my mother's black Audi right in front of the entrance, "this couldn't get worse," I say to him and think of running but I wouldn't get that far.

"Mrs. Wrestler," Levy politely greets my mother.

"Hello Levy, how are your parents?" asks my mother while I only stare at the floor.

"They are pretty well ma'am," replies Levy and she only nods forcing a cordial smile leaving us in awkward silence. "See you soon, good luck Maddie," he finally interrupts and leaves.

"Suddenly you have time for me... how strange," I say walking to the car and she stops me from my arms.

"Madison, you need to hear what we have to say... or at least hear me," she says taking my face and I just look serious at her gray eyes, shinning for the tears fighting to get out.

"I'm just going to the car," I reply serious getting to let me go and continue my way to it.

Once I am in the car, I force myself to resist the impulse of crying, concentrating on the road and the classical music that tries to relieve the tension. We pass by our house. I look at my mother who just focuses on the road to wherever we are going.

Ten minutes later, we park outside McDonald's and she gets out of the car. I don't know where's she trying to get with all of this but I force myself to get out too and follow her inside the restaurant. "Get a table, I am joining you in a minute," she says like if it's necessary. The place is completely empty.

I sit on one of the tables by the window and wait for my mother. Five minutes later, she gets to the table with two orders of fries and sodas. She sets the tray right in the center of the table and then sits down taking one of the fries and a soda. I rest my back on the back of the plastic couch and cross my arms just watching her eat.

"What are we doing here?!" I ask once I have lost my patience after watching her eat five fries.

"I believe you deserve an explanation about all of this and I am willing to give it to you if you are willing to listen," she says chewing and I want to laugh for imagining the face my father would have had for watching her talk mouthful.

"I want to know everything, from the early beginning," I reply after thinking of it for a minute and she nods. "Without lies" I make myself clear and she nods again.

"When we were younger, I met your father. We studied in the same university. I was studying Medicine and your father Biological Sciences, he was older. Right there, your father met Wen too, they became best friends and they do everything together; they studied the same thing, but Wen had contacts and resources your father didn't have on that time, so it was a big advantage being friends with him. When your dad met me, he was the most passionate man I ever met. He used to talk about his career and his future like it was the most incredible thing in the world. What he used to tell me about everything he was going to do, was unbelievable for me. Years went by and your father graduated with his friend. Wen had enough money to be independent of his parents and get to get in charge of his own lab, he was very stubborn. So, he got an enormous lot and built a house to save appearances about what the place really was. It was a tip from the Control Centre which is somewhere in England."

"Control Centre?" I interrupt and she nods.

"Its full name is The Global Investigation Centre, they were the first ones that started these kinds of experiments that then extended worldwide. They own all the laboratories that exist nowadays, without them none of these could exist. They give the permissions and keep an eye on all of them to make sure everything works as it is supposed to," she explains and I nod. "Since Wen is the one in charge of the lab here in San Francisco, he needed to travel constantly to England to hand in the progress and receive new orders which make it hard for him to handle everything at the same time, so he decided to give the house to your father. He was of his full trust and knew he would lead it exceptionally and he did. A year later, they created their first child. He was beautiful, unfortunately, it didn't go as they planned and they lost Jaison when he was two. They reviewed what went out wrong with him and decided to try again. This time on a girl. By that moment, I graduated from college and was deeply in love with your father. We got married and I moved with him to that beautiful and giant house. It was then when I began to be part of everything.