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Chapter 6 – Questions in the Dark
Vic Firth couldn't shake the image of the boy.
The way he stood—calm, almost unnervingly so.
The way his eyes didn't wander like most kids' did, but looked through things.
And the way something about him… didn't fit.
He sat in his dimly lit apartment, a coffee cooling at his elbow, scrolling through the school district's online records. He had access—old orphanage work had its perks—and he started with the Waterson family.
Saki Waterson. Born in the city hospital, 14 years ago.
Gami Waterson. Born in the same place, 12 years ago.
Wong Lu Waterson…
Vic frowned.
No birth record. No adoption papers. Just a single entry, dated three weeks ago, enrolling him in the fourth grade. No medical history. No guardianship certificate. Nothing.
He leaned back, drumming his fingers on the desk. Who are you, kid?
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The next day at school, the universe answered for him.
It was gym class, a simple game of dodgeball, but when one of the boys threw the ball toward Wong Lu, it… stopped.
Not slowed—stopped. Mid-air.
It hung there for several seconds, spinning lazily, before falling straight down to the floor with a sound that echoed louder than it should have.
The other kids just laughed nervously, chalking it up to "weird air" or a trick of the wind inside the gym. The teacher shrugged.
But Vic wasn't laughing—he'd been dropping off more books for the principal, and he'd seen the whole thing through the gym doors.
His gaze narrowed. That was no trick.
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That evening, he parked across from the Watersons' house, the engine off, lights down. He watched as the family returned home—Elizabeth and Nail chatting at the door, the girls running inside, Wong Lu following last.
For just a moment, the boy paused on the porch, head turning slowly toward Vic's car.
Their eyes met across the street.
And Vic felt a sharp, impossible pressure behind his temples, as though the boy was… in his head.
Then Wong Lu simply walked inside.
Vic started the car and drove away, his pulse pounding.
He didn't know what he was chasing yet.
But now he was certain—
Wong Lu was not just another orphan.
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Chapter 7 – The Man in the Car
The evening light spilled through the curtains in long, golden streaks, dust motes drifting lazily in the air.
Wong Lu stepped in from the porch, his expression calm but his eyes sharper than usual. He walked straight to the living room, where Nail sat on the couch scrolling through his phone. Saki and Gami were sprawled on the carpet, trading jokes, while the faint clatter of pans came from the kitchen where Elizabeth was preparing dinner.
"Dad," Wong Lu began, his voice even, "who was the guy that wanted to shake my hand when we went out yesterday?"
Nail's brow furrowed. He put his phone down.
"Why? Did something happen?"
Wong Lu's gaze didn't waver.
"He was just outside. A few meters from the house. In his car. Watching. Like he was studying something… or someone… in here. But he left."
Saki froze mid-laugh. Gami's eyes flicked toward the front window as though she expected to see headlights still there. A thin silence settled over the room, charged and uneasy.
Then Elizabeth's voice cut through from the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready!"
Nail stood abruptly, jaw tightening. "Stay here," he told the kids, already pulling his phone from his pocket. He scrolled to Vic Firth's number and hit dial, pacing toward the hallway with his voice low and hard.
Elizabeth, sensing his mood, wiped her hands on a towel and followed.
"What is it? What's going on?"
Nail pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the ring. His voice was a growl when the line clicked open.
"Vic. What were you doing outside my house?"
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Back in the living room, Saki and Gami sat cross-legged, watching Wong Lu. Both wore the same tight, uncertain smile—half fear, half trying to pretend everything was fine.
Wong Lu tilted his head, reading them easily. "You look like someone told you there's a ghost in the room," he said lightly. "What game should we play before dinner? Hide-and-seek? Chess? Cards?"
The girls exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or worry.
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In the hallway, Nail's voice sharpened.
"Don't play dumb, Vic. My son says you were outside. Why?"
Vic's tone was calm—too calm. "Just passing through the neighborhood. You know me, Nail. Can't a guy say hello?"
"You already said hello yesterday. And you tried to shake his hand."
There was a pause on the line. When Vic spoke again, there was a strange note in his voice.
"He's… different, isn't he?"
Nail's hand tightened around the phone.
"Stay away from my family, Vic. Whatever you think you saw—it's nothing."
Elizabeth glanced between her husband's face and the phone, anxiety tightening her own features.
When Nail hung up, she asked, "Did you tell him anything?"
"No," Nail said, shoving the phone into his pocket. But there was something in his eyes—worry, and the knowledge that Vic Firth wasn't the type to let things go.
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