The First Wielder

Chapter seventeen: There's No Way

SEVENTEEN

"Black" was her mother's maiden name.

The girl knew that very well.

Every third Sunday of April, she and her parents would visit her grandparents from her mother's side to celebrate her mom's birthday. That would be one of the times where she meets her relatives of the other half of the family, be it uncles and aunts, grandparents, niece and nephews, and cousins.

Other than that, she knew nothing of her relatives' well being.

She thought her family was normal.

Unfortunately, all families have secrets of their own.

Abigail lying down on the roof of the Hargeeves mansion, her back against the cold metal roof as her right leg was propped up by the other folded one. Her sling bag acted as her pillow as her hands were situated on her stomach, one of them holding a white paper. Her eyes gazed at the night sky as she basked in the silence around her. It was the middle of the night, after all. Almost everyone was asleep.

She couldn't sleep. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts and questions she wanted answers to. Puzzle pieces of her life she didn't know were blank were piecing themselves together and she would be lying if she said she wasn't overwhelmed by it.

Who knew her family was also messed up?

Abigail sat up, feeling her head hurt a bit after pulling herself up abruptly. She massaged her temple before sitting cross-legged.

She raised her right hand, flipping the white paper. It was another photograph she stole from one of her suspected cousin's belongings. One she chose not to show her friends.

She didn't want to risk a manhunt.

It was a group photo of five researchers wearing white lab coats inside a laboratory consisting of three men and two women. Their postures showed poise and their faces revealed success. It looked like a victory photo, but the reason for their happiness was a mystery.

There only two people she recognized, the rest being complete strangers in her eyes.

The first person was the same man on the photo she showed a few hours ago, her dead uncle. He looked younger and more aloof than the previous photo. He was standing on one end, an arm wrapped around his shoulder by another male researcher with a goofy smile on his face.

Her eyes moved to the second familiar researcher, a man she knew all too well.

It was her father, standing in the middle with a serene smile on his face. He also looked younger and probably more handsome than the last time she remembered her dad. It looked like he was the leader of the group, a research group she didn't know her parent had or joined.

Was this the group that researched the existence of supernatural abilities?

No, the manuscript only had her father's name as the author. There wasn't a co-author written on any page.

So then the other researchers?

She just wished the other people in the photo were dead.

Abigail sighed as placed the photo down beside her. She leaned back, her arms stretched behind her to keep her up. Her eyes stared at the stars twinkling their 'hello's before closing them.

She felt the time around her stop.

Her eyes snapped open.

A cough was heard behind her.