"But— they... no, they aren't— they're in Australia! How do you know what they are or aren't doing? They don't even care about us!" Corey said, following Aspen subconsciously.
Aspen rolled her eyes. "You don't know anything, Corey."
"Wh— yes I do!" Corey scoffed.
Did he?
"Really?" Aspen said sarcastically. "Okay, then, Bill Nye. Let's take a pop quiz. Where did mom and dad work?"
Corey's heartbeat picked up speed. He adjusted his backpack straps. "Umm... they worked for... the... the government! They worked for the government!" he exclaimed, thanking whatever guardian angel watching over him that he had remembered.
"Great. Random question: did mom have glasses?" she asked.
"No," Corey snorted. Aspen laughed.
"Wrong! She wore contacts. What was dad's favorite color?"
"Uh... he liked— orange?"
Aspen shook her head. "You see, Corey? You don't know anything about mom and dad. So, don't pretend you do, okay?"
Corey pursed his lips. "Fine. But... what happened? Why do they need our help?"
Aspen stopped walking in front of the orphanage. She turned around, looking Corey dead in the eye. "They got into big trouble. With the government. Something happened in the lab... but I don't know the specifics. I'm getting more information tonight. I just know that they need us."
Corey took in a sharp breath. "Tonight? Where? Let me come with you—"
"Corey, no. You need to stay here. You need to stay safe, do you hear me?" Aspen said, more of a statement than a question. "I'll meet you at the street market tomorrow. Go there as soon as you get out of school. The cantaloupe stand. You'll see me."
"But— Aspen, please, let me go with you," Corey pleaded. Aspen shook her head.
"It won't be safe."
And she was gone.
-
Corey's first thoughts were 'I am absolutely not going to do this.' Aspen, his mom, and his dad had all left him. They had no idea how much it had hurt him. His anxiety became harder to deal with and he had no one to talk to. He refused to talk to anyone at the orphanage, and everyone in high school were jerks. It was almost as if he was mute.
Corey stayed up all throughout that night, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't going to help Aspen, that was for sure. He had no reason to do so. But there was a part of his brain that made him want to figure out what happened.
By the end of the night, he decided that he would meet Aspen at the cantaloupe stand to learn about what his parents did.
That's it.
