After her run-in with Special Agent Montreal and Special Agent Martinez, Ares took a stroll around the hospital's garden. Compared to when she's outside, whenever she's indoors her chest begins to tighten, and she feels suffocated. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
Maybe it was because she was held captive in a basement for as long as she could remember. But one thing she knows for sure is that she doesn't like being indoors. Ever since the first time Maya brought her out of her room to roam around the hospital she barely stayed inside her room.
She always heads to the garden whenever she gets a chance, and Maya and her husband quietly follow along, standing not too far behind her.
The couple still hasn't made progress with Ares. Surprisingly, she knows how to sign. So, they brought someone to try to talk(sign) to her to respond. But in the end, it didn't work. She didn't sign back like how she did with Alexandra.
"Sigh!" Maya exhaled.
"What's wrong?" Detective Cross asked, voice filled with worry.
"We've tried everything we can think of and she still hasn't said a word since the last time she spoke. She can sign AND speak. She just doesn't want either of them. I don't know what else to do."
Detective Cross stared at his wife with a bitter smile. He, too, was unsure about what to do next. His commanding officer has been on his back for days about handing Ares over to the Child Protective Services, but he kept delaying the matter. He didn't want to give up on her even if it takes years to get her to talk to them.
His thoughts went back to the scene of Ares comforting Alexandra. From what he remembers, the people that were in contact with her were mostly adults and Alexandra was the first kid she interacted with. All of a sudden, an idea popped into his head.
"There's one more thing we haven't tried yet," Detective Cross said with a brilliant smile directed at Maya. With that idea in mind, he had a good feeling that it just might work.
The next day in the afternoon, Ares stayed in her room. She laid in bed on her side staring outside the window as usual. The life of being a patient was uneventful. Every day she either goes for a walk in the hospital's garden or stays in her room, staring at the space.
When she thought that today would be the same, she heard a knock coming from the door. Her ears perked up at the sounds of footsteps, but she didn't once turn around to look.
At that moment, Maya and Detective Cross entered the room but there was someone else with them. If Ares turned to face him, she would've recognized him in seconds because she's seen him in both Maya and Detective Cross's [life]. He was Maya's and Detective Cross's 16-year-old son, Elias Cross.
Elias was a spitting image of both of his parent's best qualities. He had dark black hair like his father and baby blue eyes from her mother. He had his father's genes, so he was pretty tall for a sophomore in high school. He was only 4-inches taller than Ares and was 2-inches shorter than his dad.
He walked in from behind his parents and went forward, looking at Ares's figure. Her back was still facing him. His parents already explained to him about the situation so naturally, they told him everything about Ares.
At first, he almost didn't believe a word his parents told him. Like, where in the world can you find a 9-year-old that's 5'8" with silver hair?! It was impossible to find a 9-year-old anywhere in the world. However, that one in a billion case was right in front of him and he didn't know what to say.
He looked at Maya and Detective Cross. His eyes said, "What now?"
Although it was the weekend, it was his winter break from school so he didn't have classes.
Sigh! What was the use of them bringing him when he's so clueless? Again, they came today with a bag in their hand. Only this time it wasn't food. Maya went to the other side of the bed, blocking Ares's view outside the window. She lowered herself and was facing her. But Ares's focus was not on her.
Maya didn't mind at all and said, "Hey there! So, James and I noticed how much you like going outside and thought we could take somewhere outside of the hospital. Would you like to go outside with us?"
When she heard Maya mention going outside her body jerked and she turned to face her. Her expression remained the same, but her eyes betrayed her. Because Maya can see, as clear as day, a smidge of interest and excitement in them.
Ares was very honest with her feelings and knew exactly what she wanted and didn't want. So, she nodded her head in response as she sat up with her feet touching the ground.
Maya looked at her with a doting gaze and warm smile when she saw Ares's eagerness to go outside. Without a second to lose, Maya glanced at her husband and son, saying, "You guys can go wait for us in the car. We'll only take a few minutes."
Elias passed the bag he has been holding since they entered the room and left with Detective Cross, his dad. With them out of the way, Maya handed Ares the bag.
"There's a change of clothes for you in it. I hope they'll fit you. I sort of eyed it," she said, nervously scratching her cheek.
Ares took the bag from her before entering the bathroom, leaving Maya by herself.
Alone in the bathroom, Ares was familiar with the small room. On her right was the toilet and in front of her was the sink with a wide mirror. She stared at the mirror reflection of herself. Although she already knew what she looked like, her face was no better than a stranger's to her.
Ares quickly stripped the hospital gown off her body. The feeling of the fabric dropped to her feet. She stood in front of the sink bare from top to bottom, staring at her mirror image.
With her clothes out of the way, she finally saw what her body looked like.
Both her arms have identical cuts that run down from her inner biceps to her mid-forearm. A deep diagonal cut covered most of her back while her abdomen had a small diagonal cut run past above her navel.
These scars were from the very first test trial for Serum 1 for Project Aja. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. They had inflicted her with 3-inch lacerations, but the wound took longer to heal because it was their first test trial, and they left a scar.
But as they progressed, all the wounds they inflicted on her healed, leaving no scars compared to the first test trial.
After a good look at the scars, Ares started feeling uncomfortable and quickly checked the clothes Maya handed to her. The clothes were simple and comfortable. It was light blue ripped jeans, a black wool sweater, a burgundy wrap-around scarf along with undergarments, and at the bottom of the bag were black biker boots.
Actually, Maya was pretty certain of Ares's size because she held her last time.
So, when she and her husband were planning the day out, she had almost forgotten that Ares didn't have clothes aside from what she's wearing. The thought of shopping for clothes for Ares excited Maya. It felt like she was shopping for her daughter's clothes. She went all out when she was shopping. It took her almost three hours to find the perfect outfit for Ares.
In fact, Maya bought exactly ten outfits, including the one she gave Ares. But she didn't bring them because she was worried it might overwhelm her. Instead, she left them in the car just in case there came a time she needed them.
It only took Ares a few minutes to put on the clothes. She left the bathroom with the bag that had her hospital clothes. The clothes were a perfect fit. They hugged her figure as if they were made especially for her.
At the sight of Ares in the clothes she picked out, Maya was pleased with herself. Ares looked magical, like a character straight out of a fairy tale. Now with her clothes changed all that's left was her hair.
"Do you mind if I fix your hair for you?" Maya asked, anxiously waiting for her answer.
Ares wasn't hesitant and shook her head in reply. Since she had Ares's permission, Maya quickly pulled up a chair in front of her, "Sit."
Ares sat down with her back to Maya. She sat up straight unsure of what to make of the situation. She has never allowed anyone to get close to her until now. She sat still as Maya brushed her hair lightly.
Maya felt content when she brushed Ares's hair. The feeling of her trailing silky hair running past her fingertips was quite nice. Up close, she can see how glossy Ares's hair was. Even with it being silver, Maya was in love with her hair and wanted to fix it for her every day.
Although the length of her hair was almost the same as her height, it didn't take too long for Maya to thoroughly brush Ares's hair because of how silky it was. Maya didn't overstyled her hair and just simply put her hair up in a high ponytail.
"Done!" Maya said proudly, admiring her handiwork. Even when Maya placed her hair up in a high ponytail, it still reached past her waist.
"How can you be so beautiful!" Maya encircled her, glancing at her from all angles. But no matter from which angle she observes, Ares was still beautiful.
Ares looked at Maya. She knew better than anyone that her appearance was not like normal people. Even actresses and rich heiresses don't look as beautiful as she. But she still felt awkward hearing it from Maya.
"Should we go now?"
Ares didn't answer and nodded her head as usual. They left the room, going to meet Detective Cross and Elias. On the way, Ares felt the gazes of people around her. Their whispers were faint but, to her, they were loud and clear.
"Who's that?"
"I don't know. But f*ck she's hot."
"I agree. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so beautiful."
"Look at her hair. It's silver."
"I'm sure it's hair dye. Her eyes too must be fake. They're contacts."
"What an attention wh*re!"
Some comments were amorous, and others were made in jealousy. However, she didn't care about them because they were just random insignificant strangers.
Maya led her to where a black SUV was parked.
As they got closer, Detective Cross's and Elias's eyes were glued on Ares. Detective Cross was speechless. He didn't know if it was because of the clothes. But he noticed something different about her. Her eyes looked livelier than they'd ever been since he met her.
Elias, on the other hand, was astonished. He had only seen her from behind and didn't know what she looked like. But now that she was facing him, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
She's 9-years-old? Were his parents telling him the truth? Could they have lied to him? Elias didn't believe that Ares was nine years old, but he also didn't believe that his parents would ever lie to him.
So, if Ares was nine years old, how did she become to look like how she does now? And just how confused was she?
Elias was overwhelmed with pity for Ares and felt an intense desire to protect. He silently vowed that, no matter what, he would never let anything happen to her.
"Why are you two staring at her look?" Maya said when she saw their gaze on Ares. "Stop it. You'll make her feel uncomfortable. Now come on, let's go. We're behind schedule as it is. Chop, chop!"
Maya called shotgun, leaving Ares and Elias to sit together in the back while Detective Cross drove. The two of them kept to themselves and didn't speak a word to each other.
Ares watched as they drove away from the hospital. She marveled at the change of scenery. It was a weekend, so traffic wasn't too busy, but the streets were littered with people going about their appointments.
While Ares was captivated by the view of a busy city, Maya and Elias were watching her with a knowing smile. They were quiet the entire ride. Be that as it may, it was also comfortable.
After a half an hour drive, they finally arrived at their destination. They drove into a packed parking lot and parked at the only available parking in front of the diner.
It was an old-fashioned diner that was well known for its mouthwatering menu.
But Jack's Diner was famous for their apple pie. Tourists come all over just to get a taste of the famous apple pie.
The Cross family led her into the bustling diner. Ares closely followed them from behind and kept her head down, avoiding people's gaze as she closely followed.
"Elias, my boy!" A woman in her 60's walked out from behind the counter to welcome Elias, embracing him in her arms with a pleasant smile.
"Grandma," Elias said weakly with a resigned grin.
"You've gotten bigger! I remember how adorably small you were when you were still a kid," Elias's grandma said, reminiscing the times she spent with Elias when he was still a child.
"Grandma!" Elias was embarrassed but couldn't refute. She was right. When he was young, he was smaller than most kids his age. It was only when he turned 13 did he have his growth spurt.
"Okay, mom. Stop embarrassing your grandson," Detective Cross spoke up for Elias and planted a kiss on her cheek.
His mother, Ellen Cross, was a strong and stubborn woman. She raised him as a single mother after his father passed away when he was 5 years old, so he didn't have any memories of him. Being a single mother wasn't easy, but she did it. She brought up a perfect son and ran a successful diner. Jack's Diner is solely owned by her, named after her deceased husband, Jack Cross.
"Hahaha, alright. Now, it's not that I don't like the surprise visit but what brings you guys here? I thought you were busy with work" Ellen questioned her son.
"I can never be too busy to bring the family for the weekends to see my beautiful mother."
Ellen eyed her son warily before shifting her gaze to Maya, saying, "Maya darling, it seems that this son of mine is planning something again. Would you care to explain to me what it is?"
"It's nothing much. We wanted to take Ares out for some fresh air and thought we could bring her here for a bite of your famous apple pie."
"Ares?" Only then did Ellen notice that another person was standing beside Maya.