CHAPTER 1

Lisa walked out of the office a completely tired and confused woman. She'd felt skeptical about starting the day when she'd gotten out of bed that morning; she didn’t know why, but there had been a gloomy fog hovering over her when she got out of bed. But she'd checked her horoscope for the day and it had promised her positivity and bliss, so she waved the emotions aside. Now she knew why she'd sensed doom that morning. She doubled her pace when she got to the parking lot of the firm where she worked, put her files in the basket attached to the front of her electric scooter, and sealed the basket to prevent the wind from blowing her files out into the street.

She started the scooter and began her journey home. She prayed earnestly that the scooter would not break down on the way home even though she'd insisted on riding it to work that morning despite prior warnings from her mechanic, who had not yet finished working on it. As she drove on, her boss's words rang in her head: “I know you’ve been a hard-working and dedicated employee, but evidence suggests that you’ve been selling company secrets to contractors and criminals for your own personal gain. Three fraudulent organizations are now posing as us, and the evidence points to you as culprit…I’m sorry, Ms. Elisabeth, but we’ll have to let you go until the investigation is complete and you’ve been cleared of these accusations. Please do not attempt to travel or…” his voice faded in her head as she approached the roadside diner and brought her scooter to a stop.

Her boss, Mr. Romero, was a broad, antisocial man of Cornish descent. She'd worked with him for ten years, and that speech had been the most words she'd heard him speak at one time. He barely responded when anyone greeted him or informed him of new developments; everyone just spoke to him and kept it moving because they knew he'd heard and that was the most important thing. He gave feedback only when necessary, but Lisa regarded him as a nice man because he was soft spoken and respectful to everyone, even if his face lacked a smile most of the time. He was easy going and never abused his position in the company. When he had informed Lisa of her suspension, she'd felt numb. She had listened to all Mr. Romero had to say and had signed all the papers as required by the investigating officers without even reading them because she had been so shocked by the accusation. She had then been forced to leave with only her personal belongings and documents. Her office had been locked, and the key had been taken from her. She hadn't yet come to terms with the recent developments, and she was trying very hard to ignore them.

“Hey Lisa!” a husky male voice called to her excitedly as she stepped into the diner.

“Antonio,” she replied reluctantly, her voice barely a whisper.

“What’s wrong? You look terrible.” He pouted as he spoke to her with his typical gusto.

“Biscuits, gravy, and a milkshake please,” she requested politely, ignoring his question as she took her seat.

“Coming up,” he replied with a smile.

As she sat there patiently waiting for Antonio to get her meal, fear enveloped her body and dove straight into her soul. She felt her mind enter a dark and hollow cave. It was a fear she was used to. One that had made her body and soul its home. She'd made it a habit to stop at the diner every day on her way home from work so she could fight her fear before returning home. Her fingers trembled beneath the table, and she felt her thighs become warm and wet as sweat began to form in her pores. Her breaths became deep and slow, her shoulders hunched, and tears welled up in her large grey eyes.

“Here you go,” Antonio’s soothing voice brought her back to reality.

“Thank you,” she replied with a forced and weary smile.

“I know there’s something wrong, Lisa. That smile doesn't deceive me, and you know it. I know you like I know my spicy pasta and roasted lamb,” he said as he hurried away to see to another customer.

That made Lisa laugh a little, and this time, it was real. Antonio was one of the few friends she had in this small town. She had been eating at the diner every day for the past four years, a habit she'd picked up after the disappearance of her son, Umber. She'd met Antonio at the lowest point of her life, and he'd tried to bring light into it ever since, but this was way bigger than him. Sometimes, she wondered if there was anything that could make Antonio sad, for she had never seen him downcast, nor a single a frown on his face. At first, she'd thought that life must have been fair to him and that it had something to do with his astrological sign and temperament (she had concluded he was sanguine), but in the long run, she'd realized it wasn’t that. Antonio had an undaunted spirit. He just would not let life ruin his mood. She'd been convinced of this when she learned his story. He had been abandoned as a child and taken in by foster parents. They had loved him earnestly, but he lost them in a fire when he was twelve years old. He was then taken to the orphanage, and she could only imagine how hard it must have been for him. Nobody would pick Antonio for adoption in the next six years, and in the month he was to turn eighteen, the orphanage suffered a severe case of food poisoning that claimed the lives of eight of the twenty children and left the remaining twelve in need of urgent medical care. After a long battle with the town council, the orphanage was closed, and Antonio, being the eldest, was sent to a military school for boys his age. It was there that he met the owner of the diner where he now worked. She was the wife of one of the military school teachers, and she didn’t think he fit into the military lifestyle. She pressured her husband until Antonio, with permission from the other supervisors, was allowed to go work at the diner with her. He learned to make many different meals, everything from desserts to starters. And he had been in charge of the diner ever since. No one really knew why or how, but no one ever saw his boss again.

She smacked her lips lightly as she swallowed the last morsel. She had enjoyed her meal, just like always, but her heart was heavy, just like always. She didn’t realize her plate was empty until she looked at the plate in front of her. She grabbed her jacket and got up feebly.

“How much did my meal cost?” she asked, searching her purse for some money while trying to put her disheveled hair back in order.

“It’s on the house,” Antonio replied with a wink.

“Stop playing,” she added, trying to force a smile as he approached her, his apron already soiled with sauce and oil.

“It’s on the house. I mean it. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee sometime, chat about how you've been faring lately and catch up on some things?” he said with a bright smile on his face.

“What! I don’t know if I have the time,” she responded, but she was pleasantly surprised and trying not to blush.

“Think about it, see if you can fit it into your schedule. Have a lovely day, Lisa.” His voice faded as he hurried towards another customer.

“Typical Antonio, always trying so hard to be caring,” she muttered under her breath as she dragged herself towards the entrance and to her scooter. She was not surprised by his gesture, but Antonio had never asked her out on a date before. She was trying not to think about it too much so she wouldn't make any incorrect assumptions. She did not remember him shooting her flirty looks or saying anything inappropriate, except maybe when he winked at her. He probably just genuinely cared about her wellbeing. She hissed and snapped herself out of her thoughts.

As she approached her house, which was located up a hill at the end of town, she saw someone standing at her door in a red jacket. She couldn’t tell who it was precisely, but he seemed familiar. She knew that pose. She distracted herself again, focusing on the wind, how it felt on her pale skin and how it tickled her nostrils when she inhaled. She clutched the throttle harder and closed her eyes for a second, rediscovering herself, the song of the breeze around her serving as meditation for her soul. Riding her scooter had taught her vulnerability, freedom, and balance, and every time she rode towards the low hill that led to her home, nothing else mattered in that moment. It was true that four wheels moved your body but two wheels moved your soul. As she came to the front of the mansion that stood atop the low hill, she released the throttle slowly and squeezed the brakes, bringing the scooter gently to a halt just beside the garden that brightened up her house.

“Thank you, Triller,” she whispered, tapping the scooter in satisfaction. She grabbed her purse and papers from the basket, took her shoes off, and picked them up. Then she began to walk casually towards the man.

“You could have given me a call rather than wait outside my house like some dangerous stranger. Anyone could have called the cops on you, and you would have been in big trouble,” she said, rather unimpressed with the whole situation. She unlocked the door, and they both walked into the house. She held the door for him and shut it behind him.

“What do you want, Linn?” she asked as she turned to face him.

“You and your husband bought a house at the dead end of town. No one is here to see me standing in front of it, so it's very unlikely that any cops will be called. Also, do I have to want something in order to visit?”

“You always want something, Linn,” she retorted, “and I don’t have anything to offer you. Go back to Mum and cry on her shoulders.”

“Here we go again, the same things you’ve been saying for the past four years,” Linn said defensively.

“You keeping score now?” Lisa asked disappointedly, taking off her jacket as she walked hastily towards the kitchen. Linn trailed behind her like a hungry puppy. He watched as she opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“No. It’s just…you’re my sister, Lisa. You can’t keep kicking me out and treating me like I'm not family. I know I've made some mistakes…”

“Mistakes? Like taking my ex-husband’s side during the divorce? You stood in court and testified against me for Chrissakes!” she interrupted in a fit of rage.

“That was eight years ago,” Linn defended.

“What does that matter?” she replied coldly, looking away and trying to control her anger.

“I’m saying, don’t you think it’s time you forgave me so we can move on like the family that we are, the family we once were? You won that case after all. You got to keep this house, including the garden you never really cared about. And the beach condo too! But even after all this time, you're still acting like you lost the world…”

“I did lose the world! I lost my child!!” she screamed as tears ran down her cheeks. She began to sob uncontrollably, holding her abdomen to suppress the hurt, hate, and agony she felt. She had had such a long day, and this was the last conversation she wanted to have.

The disappearance of Umber, Lisa’s child, was something Lisa had not yet mentally come to terms with. She had been to see two therapists on the second year of his disappearance, but in all her sessions, she was never able to express how she truly felt. All the sessions she'd had with the first therapist failed, and so she was referred to a specialist, but the results were the same. She just didn’t know what to say. She would remain quiet throughout each session, either silently crying or lost in thoughts she couldn't express in words. It was a pain that had no description.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Linn said as he approached her and held her close to stop her from crying.

“No, you’re not. You have never been sorry,” she replied lowly but firmly as she quietly broke free from his embrace and walked to the sitting room to sink her tired body into a sofa. Again, Linn followed behind her earnestly, wondering what he could do to help.

“Why do you hate me so much?” he asked, looking at her intensely as she settled herself on the sofa.

“I should be asking you that question. All you've ever been after is my ex-husband’s wealth. You wanted the beach condo and luxury car. Isn’t that why you defended him in court during the divorce? He told you he no longer needed them and that you could keep them after the divorce. He promised you heaven and earth, didn’t he?” she replied, asking her questions soberly with exhaustion in her voice while her fingers trembled.

“T-that’s not entirely true…” he stammered.

“It is true, Linn!” Her voice was growing louder now. “You thought I wouldn’t find out about all those times you both traveled together so you could help him sell properties and meet with prospective clients?”

“I was working with him; he was my business partner,” he retorted.

“No, Linn, you wanted what he had. You saw the cars, the mansions, and all the money and thought you could hang around long enough to get some. You are lazy and unintelligent. You wanted wealth to just drop in your lap, and you thought all you had to do was kiss his feet and pretend to be something you're not.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “That’s why you abandoned me and defended him during the divorce: you wanted to be on the winning side,” she concluded in a low but proud tone.

“I know I wronged you. That’s why I've been seeking your forgiveness ever since the divorce,” Linn pleaded softly, trying hard to convince her.

“No, you've been seeking forgiveness so you can gain access to my newly acquired properties. You tried to convince me to sell the beach condo after the divorce, even after I told you I wanted Umber to have it when he came of age. You've even tried to sell it on your own, countless times. You’re back now because you think Umber is out of the way and obtaining his properties will be easy,” she concluded with a smile as she stood and walked towards the door.

“You keep judging me for my past behavior. That’s the problem. I know I've made a lot of mistakes, but I was childish, desperate, and ignorant. I know better now, and I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to make it up to you, Lily, to be the brother you've never had,” he pleaded, tears in his eyes.

“You disappeared after the divorce only to return when Umber disappeared. So much for being there for me.” She chuckled as she opened the door and stood behind it while holding the handle. “I forgive you, Linn, but I don’t want you near or around me. Please leave my house. The next time you show up uninvited, I am calling the cops and getting a restraining order,” she concluded firmly with a determined expression.

Linn knew his sister. If she said it, she meant it; she was not a woman to mince words. He walked slowly and reluctantly out the door and then turned to face her.

“Lily, please,” he muttered, gathering his hope and courage. But the door shut in his face with a loud thud, causing wind to blow against his face. The silence that followed made his thoughts seem loud and scattered. He stood there for a minute, upset and embarrassed, then he turned to leave.

Lisa gulped down the orange juice she'd poured earlier and heaved a sigh of satisfaction when she was done.

“Good riddance,” she said.