The glow from Sael's success had been a warm, proud light in the Hardcox apartment These days. But as of lately, a chill had begun to creep in around the edges. The digital world, which had once been a place of celebration, was now begun showing its fangs. Cathy sat on the living room sofa, her phone feeling heavy in her hand. Nadia was beside her, a comforting presence, while Vera paced slowly nearby. On the large wall-screen TV, a news anchor with a perfectly serious expression was discussing the latest development.
{"...and following a wave of public concern,".} the anchor intoned, {"the New America Games and Entertainment Committee, the AGEC, has concluded its preliminary investigation into the game Silent Hill: First Fear."}
All three women held their breath. This was it, the moment that they were all worried about, the government had actually stepped in.
The anchor looked down at his notes. {"The committee's report, released this hour, states that after a thorough review, they found no evidence that Meteor Studios or its product has breached any existing laws or content regulations… The game has been deemed legally compliant."}
"See? I told you, malysh. They have nothing.". A collective sigh of relief filled the room. Nadia patted Cathy's knee.
But Cathy's relief was short-lived. The news segment didn't end with the exoneration. It continued, with the anchor adding, {"However, the AGEC has noted the 'unprecedented volume of concerned citizen reports' and will be 'monitoring the situation closely for any further developments.'"}
The victory felt hollow. The fact that an official government body had felt the need to investigate at all had already planted a seed of doubt in the public mind. The headline wouldn't be 'Game Cleared of Wrongdoing'; it would be 'Government Investigates Controversial Horror Game.'
Cathy slumped back against the cushions, setting her phone down on the coffee table with a soft click. "Every time I open my feed now," she sighed, the weariness evident in her voice, "I see someone else bashing my baby's game… They're calling it a menace, A Menace! …Even after the government just said it was fine!".
Vera stopped her pacing and nodded, her expression grim. "Sí… The diner today was the same too, every other conversation was about the game… People arguing, some customers refused to even talk about it, said it was 'evil.'" She ran a hand through her dark hair. "It's so, exhausting…. It's just tick me off,".
Later that evening, the two women sought refuge in their usual routine. A small, quiet café a block from their apartment building was their sanctuary. It was a place for them to be just Cathy and Vera, not moms or the family providers, just two women sharing a coffee and decompressing from the world. They sat at their usual corner table, the steam from their black coffee rising between them. The low hum of other conversations was a comfortable blanket.
"I just don't understand it," Cathy murmured, stirring her tea absently. "He worked so hard… He created something beautiful and terrifying and… and important… And they just want to tear it down… it's a horror game… he made it a horror game… why are everyone these days just want to see it fail?". Cathy frustrated, as she circles her finger at the rims of the cup.
"Lo sé, hermana," Vera replied, her voice soft. "I know... They are… envidiosos… Like so jealous, the hatred just felt too much for me...".
They lapsed into a comfortable, frustrated silence, each lost in their thoughts about protecting their boy. As the hate seems to just bloated to big and far too quickly.
"For once I never see you both concerned about something else, other than Sael's antics… this is new,".
The silence was broken by a new voice, crisp, clear, and carrying a distinct British accent that cut through the café's murmur.
Cathy and Vera looked up. Standing by their table was a vision of severe elegance. Katherin Beck—Kate to her friends—their neighbor from across the hall. Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a flawless, tight bun that emphasized her sharp cheekbones and intelligent eyes. She wore a tailored, charcoal-gray pantsuit that screamed expensive professionalism, and over her shoulder was a heavy, well-worn leather sling bag bulging with files and a tablet. She looked like she'd just come from winning a case in court.
"Hey, ladies,". Kate said, a small, tired smile touching her lips. "Mind if I join you? My brain needs something stronger than coffee, but for now, coffee will have to do…."
"Kate! You're here! Of course, sit, sit.". Vera's face broke into a genuine smile for the first time that evening.
"We were just… venting.". Cathy scooted over to make room in the booth.
"I can see that," Kate said, sliding in beside Cathy and letting her heavy bag drop to the floor with a soft thud of contained power.
"So, talk to me,". Kate said, her voice a low, melodic contrast to the café's gentle jazz. She flagged down a waiter and ordered a black English Breakfast tea, her movements efficient and precise.
"What's got my favorite warriors looking so defeated? It can't just be the usual Sael drama... That would usually makes you both sad, This…" She gestured with a perfectly manicured hand at both of them. "…this looks like anger. And fear."
Cathy and Vera exchanged a look. It was a silent conversation born of two decades of shared struggle. They had cried on Kate's shoulder through every hardship—through failed relationships, money problems, and the long, painful years of the "old Sael's" cruel rejection. Kate had been their rock; she was the one who'd helped Cathy understand the legal paperwork after her husband died. She was the one who'd helped Vera navigate the brutal divorce from her abusive ex. Their friendship was more, a sisterhood that was built on unconditional trust.
Cathy took a deep breath. "It's Sael," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it too loud might make it more real. "But… not in the way you're used to…".
Vera leaned forward, her voice joining Cathy's in a hushed, urgent duet. "He's changed, Kate... Dios mío, he has changed so much these few days, it's like a light switched on inside him.".
"He's… confident and kind like he used to before," Cathy said, a proud, wondering smile breaking through her worry. "He talks to us, hugs us, He's even working out now, and also started eating more… he's becoming a man… A good and proper man.".
"That's right, And apparently…he's a genius," Vera cut in, her dark eyes blazing with a fierce, protective pride. "A true genius. Mi hermana, you know that game that everyone is talking about… Silent Hill… don't tell anyone about this, okay,".
"You, know me, I am not gonna blabber around about that boy… what is it?". Kate's eyebrow arched slightly. She'd heard of it, of course, who hasn't, it was impossible not to.
Cathy nodded, her voice dropping even further. "He made it, Kate… In his bedroom, By himself… and the company, Meteor Studios… it's just him.".
The revelation hung in the air. Kate, who had seen every high and low of this family, who had consoled them through the worst of Sael's effeminate, reclusive phase, simply stared. Her professional composure flickered for a microsecond, replaced by pure, unvarnished shock. She slowly set her teacup down without taking a sip.
"Alright….Sael," she repeated, the name sounding foreign with this new context. "Our Sael…. Is Meteor Studios…." It wasn't a question. It was her brilliant legal mind processing an impossible fact and accepting it because it came from these two women she trusted implicitly.
"Sí," Vera whispered.
"And now…" Cathy's voice trembled, the worry rushing back in. "Now that he's a massive success, everyone is trying to tear him down. The news… the articles… they're saying such horrible things about it…. They're making it sound like he's some kind of monster, preying on people's minds.".