Dreams and secrets

{Mia}

~saturday~

I woke up early in the morning to the sound of birds chirping happily. " Good morning Scarlett" I said smiling happily.

"Good morning Mia . " She replied cheerfully. "What's got you so happy so early in the morning?" She asked curiously.

I smiled ." I had the best dream ever !" I replied.

"Right , it's always something with you " she replied nonchalantly her tone dripping with amusement.

Then a thought struck me , and I asked seriously." Did you find out anything about the photo ?"

"Negative."

"How long will it take ?"

"I'm not sure , it may take more than a few months"

A sigh escaped my lips .

" Don't worry , we will find out eventually. "

I mustered my best smile and hopped out of bed .

"Scarlett?" I asked questioningly.

" Do you think it's possible to set up cameras inside the room ? "

"Negative "

" Access cameras please ."

The computer next to me turned on the soft light ,seeming to calm my nerves a bit . I sat down and looked at the screen. Everything was in place , everyone asleep. I calmed down . " Scarlett, could you do a background check on Emma Scott , please ?"

" There are 10 results of Emma Scott at your school . Which one are you looking for ?"

" Just give me the pictures and I'll tell you ."

Suddenly pictures started flooding on my computer desktop and my eyes widened in shock . " Scarlett?" I asked my voice trembling with fear . " Please pull up the pictures of the file named targets ."

My fingers trembled as I clicked through the images. Why were they in the file? My chest tightened with every new revelation, and a knot of dread settled in my stomach. This wasn't random it couldn't be.

As soon as the pictures popped up on my screen I stood there dumfounded, unable to breathe, my heart rate spiked up and my head felt woozy .

"Mia, your pulse is elevated. Are you okay? Should I call for assistance?" Scarlett asked, her usually playful tone replaced by concern.

" No I'm fine "I replied." Scan the pictures and find any resemblances with the pictures of all the Emma Scotts at my school please. "

" The pictures you selected and the pictures of 4 of the Emma Scotts at your school are 100 percent similar "

" Access the school yearbook "

" Run them all through the file "

"Only two other students are found in the file. One named 'Xander Quinn ' and the other one his brother , 'Walter Quinn' "

These weren't just random coincidences. Someone had chosen these names deliberately, and I needed to find out why before it was too late.

" Find all necessary information about all of them and report to me immediately."

"Mia," Scarlett interjected, "if these names are in the file, someone is keeping track of them. You may be putting yourself at risk by digging into this."

" I don't care. I need to know what my parents are hiding. You'll keep me safe, won't you?"

"I'll keep you safe," Scarlett replied. "But you might want to stop shouting my name every time you need something. It's not very covert."

" Now please, could you check it out for me ?"

" But what about the task about the photo ?"

"Can you multitask ?" I asked angrily.

Why would Xander and Walter Quinn be in the file? And Emma… Could this be connected to the fact that my parents chose this school for me to attend ?

I stiffened at the sound of footsteps approaching my bedroom. My heart raced as I slammed the laptop shut. "Scarlett," I whispered, "mute everything!" The door creaked open, and I braced myself, feigning sleep as my mom stepped inside.

She looked at me went towards the curtains and said . " Rise and shine, sleepyhead." She said pulling the blanket off of me .

I groaned. " Five more minutes mom . PLEASE " I asked with a pleading tone .

" It's 9:30 cmon wake up already "

" But it's Saturday , can't I sleep ? "

" Nope ! Get up , and get ready for breakfast"

Before I could protest she quickly walked out of the room and shut the door leaving no room for debate.

Suddenly I heard a clapping sound . " And the oscar for best actress goes tooooo MIAAAAAA "

I laughed out loud unable to stop ." Seriously Scarlett ? You're unbelievable " I said amusement dripping from my voice .

" Seriously you could've fooled me , I actually thought you were asleep " she said as a matter of factly .

I couldn't resist the urge of rolling my eyes . I got out of bed and got ready for breakfast.

Before I stepped out I said " Scarlett please don't forget to do your research"

I stepped out of my room and couldn't resist the heavenly smell of another delicious breakfast made by my mom .

I walked to the breakfast table and looked around . "Hey guys good morning." I said smiling.

I hugged my parents and sister, but as I sat down, I caught Mom glancing at Dad, a silent exchange passing between them. I couldn't place it, but it felt… odd, like they knew something I didn't.

As I reached for the pancakes, a thought lingered in the back of my mind: what else were my parents hiding? And how much longer before I found out?

The pancakes tasted as good as they smelled, but I couldn't focus. My parents' laughter felt too easy, their smiles too perfect, like they were hiding something beneath the surface.