Something Smells Bad

Finally, they arrived at Adia's house. They repeated the same procedure: being scanned by the dragons and other security measures. Once inside, they noticed that all the lights were off. They closed the door carefully, but someone startled them from behind. It was Adia who scolded them for arriving so late. Then, laughing softly, she said:

"Of course, if I were your mother, you'd already be grounded, young man."

After their souls returned to their bodies—so to speak—Adia asked the boy how his first date had gone. Aiden replied that everything had been wonderful until an incident occurred, and the girl had to leave. Adia, who normally wasn't nosy and didn't care much about details, simply remarked that it was fine for a first date and that there would be another chance.

"Tomorrow is another day," she said calmly.

Aiden first denied that it had been a date, somewhat flustered, but then added:

"Yes, you're right, tomorrow is another day."

She told them:

"Well, go to sleep."

The boy and the canine obeyed, heading upstairs to their room. Exhausted from everything they had done that day, Aiden began changing while lost in thought, reflecting on what had happened. He lay down on the bed and, after mentally reviewing the situation, fell peacefully asleep. Podbe and Reia were also deep in thought, but sleep overtook the canine, who did the same as Aiden: he climbed onto the bed, settled at the boy's feet, and also drifted off. The only one who remained awake was Reia, who continued analyzing what to do if a threat arose and preparing contingencies for any eventuality.

Adia entered Aiden's room wearing her red pajamas. Upon seeing the tender scene, she decided to cover them with blankets and turned off the light, closing the door slowly before returning to her own room. Although Adia didn't want to interrogate the boy, she felt a certain unease; she wanted to know what was troubling him. She got into bed, took a book from the nightstand, and, unable to fall asleep, began to read.

At the Sisters of the Sun Orphanage (author's note: in chapter eleven, I mentioned "Brothers of the Sun," my mistake—it's "Sisters." A thousand apologies), a black van pulled up in front of the building. Two young people stepped out: Lidia and Rino. Lidia had straight red hair that reached her shoulders and yellow eyes that matched the nail polish on her fingers. According to her, she wasn't the kind of beauty who could win Miss World, but she could certainly stand out in a state-level pageant. Her companion since school, Rino, had short blue hair with a small tuft in the front and bright green eyes. Always attentive to action, his friendliness sometimes made him seem a bit overbearing. Both wore sunglasses that gave them the full appearance of government agents, like in the movies.

They knocked on the door of the orphanage. The gatekeeper, an elderly man, came out to greet them and asked what they wanted. Rino approached the man and explained that they were there about the case of a missing child. The elderly man, somewhat hard of hearing, didn't quite understand, so Rino repeated the question—this time shouting. The gatekeeper interrupted him:

"I'm not deaf, young man. There's no need to yell."

Once the purpose of their visit was understood and after showing their identification, the gatekeeper, Jon, called the Mother Superior on the intercom and informed her that there were people interested in the boy's case. The Mother, surprised because she had contacted the sheriff without receiving any results, thought the case had escalated and that special agents were now searching for the child. She told Jon to let them in and have them wait in her office.

Jon, after finally understanding the instructions after they were repeated several times, allowed the visitors to enter. From the window, the children watched as a large, black-tinted van entered the residence. They thought someone had come to adopt one of them, but all the orphans wondered, since several days had passed since the official adoption day, what this unexpected visit meant. On that day, twenty percent of the children had found homes.

The two young agents entered the building and were led by Sister Elsa, who introduced herself and instructed them to follow her. Billy and Maria, who were nearby along with other children, were curious to know the reason for the visit. They didn't look like parents ready to adopt; rather, their appearance suggested they were investigators.

When they entered the Mother Superior's office, she thanked them for responding to her pleas to find the boy. However, she asked:

"Aren't you a bit young to be part of the investigative police?"

Rino responded firmly:

"No."

Lidia silenced her partner and asked the Mother Superior how it was possible that the boy had escaped under her care. The Mother explained that she had no idea why he had run away. While Lidia pretended to take notes on her tablet, she asked if anyone had seen him recently. The Mother confirmed that someone had, and Lidia requested that she call that person.

As they spoke, Elsa noticed that Billy and Maria were eavesdropping behind the door. She caught them and, though she reminded them it was wrong to listen in on others' conversations, added:

"It's good you're here, Billy. The Mother Superior is looking for you."

Elsa, known for her sharp hearing, was the eyes and ears of the orphanage. She guided the children into the office and asked Billy:

"The boy they're looking for, Aiden, as stated in the missing notice—is he your friend?"

Billy nodded. Then, Elsa asked him if he knew why Aiden had left and whether he knew of any place where he might be. The sister warned him to tell the truth, or his punishment days would increase. Frightened, Billy explained that Aiden had simply left because he didn't fit in there and wanted to explore the world. As for possible destinations, Maria interrupted:

"Where could we even go? We're in an orphanage; we don't leave to go anywhere, as you can see."

"Silence, young lady," Elsa retorted.

The Mother Superior turned back to Billy and asked him to respond. He admitted that, although Aiden had been in several foster homes, he didn't have a special place in mind. However, if he were in Aiden's shoes, he would leave on a mode of transportation that didn't require documents or means of questions. The Mother replied:

"Are you telling me he might have gotten on a train?"

She paused to reflect, then added:

"The only train that can do that is the Great Train."

But Elsa interjected:

"Remember the news—the Great Train derailed. I hope nothing has happened to the boy."

The Mother grew sad.

"Let's hope not, though they're still searching through the debris."

Lidia took note of all this and signaled to Rino that it was time to leave. Both agents thanked them for the information and prepared to depart, not before receiving the Mother's gratitude for their support and her hope that they would find the boy alive. Elsa told Billy and Maria that they could leave as well.

Soon, Billy and Maria leave the office before the agents. Billy confessed to Maria:

"If something happened to Aiden, I'd never forgive myself."

María tried to reassure him:

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

Immediately, she enlisted the help of some children, promising to give them her shiniest marbles if they helped delay the two individuals leaving the Mother Superior's office for a while. The children agreed and surrounded the agents, bombarding them with questions to block their path. Maria signaled to Billy that this was their chance. They slipped out of the courtyard, approached the vehicle, and noticed that the rear door of the van was unlocked. She quickly climbed in and pulled Billy inside, closing the door behind them.

Rino began shouting at the children to stop blocking their way, to which Lidia responded sarcastically:

"You'd be brother of the year."

And he shot back:

"You know I'm an only child."

Finally, they managed to clear a path, got into the vehicle, and drove away from the location.

Inside the car, Lidia remarked:

"Poor kid, I hope nothing bad has happened to him."

Rino replied:

"It's always because of you that we get into these messes. You only enjoy playing detective."

Lidia countered:

"I can't help my desire to always help. Let's head to where the train derailed."

"But Lidia, you're always the voice of reason," Rino argued. "Because of your stubbornness and not following what Marie told us, they could kick us out of the agency, and we'll never become agents. What's my father going to say about this?"

To which she responded:

"Relax; nothing bad is going to happen."

In the back of the van, hidden under a blanket, Maria whispered to Billy:

"Something smells fishy."