Jaden's mum stepped out of her car, closing the door behind her with a satisfying thunk. She pressed the lock button on the car key in her hand, and the car beeped twice, followed by the sound of the locks clicking shut. She walked away from the car, her heels clicking against the pavement with every step. She wore a suit with a white collared shirt inside, and her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail.
As she approached the entrance of the skyscraper, the transparent door slid open automatically, sensing her presence. She stepped into the bustling lobby filled with people moving about and admiring the various artifacts and exhibits on display. Some were ancient weaponry, paintings, and equipment with strange carvings on them. People stood around, either talking to each other about the exhibitions or taking pictures of them.
Jaden's mum walked to the far end of the building and stopped in front of an elevator. She clicked the button, and the elevator opened almost immediately, revealing a young man dressed in a black t-shirt and gray pants who was just exiting. He smiled at her, and she returned the gesture.
"Hello Mrs. Craig," he greeted her warmly.
"Hi, Dominic," she replied with a smile.
"You look more beautiful today," he teased.
"Thank you," she responded, feeling a slight blush rise to her cheeks.
The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Lilian spoke up. "I'm just gonna head up."
"Yeah, yeah," Dominic responded, quickly walking away.
Lilian stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 13th floor. The mechanical sounds of the elevator could be heard along with a few beeps. Moments later, the doors opened, revealing a quiet floor with a long hallway. She walked through the hallway, her heels clicking against the tiled floor.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind her, wrapping its arms around her neck. Lilian smiled as she recognized her friend's voice.
"Your figure is always a beautiful sight to look at," the woman said with a broad smile. She wore a purple corporate shirt, tucked into black pants.
Lilian chuckled softly. "Oh, stop it, Angel."
"I had the artifacts taken into the lab for analysis," Angel said.
Moments later, they arrived at the entrance of a laboratory. It was a neat setup, with different equipment properly arranged in different parts of the lab. Lilian walked towards her workbench, which had different tools on it. She walked into the changing room just behind her workstation and emerged a few moments later in a lab coat. She made her way to her workbench, which had different artifacts on it. Most were wooden, with some looking like oddly carved heads, while a few were just strange-looking metals.
"These were brought in by Wale and his team earlier today from their archaeological expedition in Africa," Angel informed her.
"Apparently, most of these are hundreds of years old," she added, gesturing towards the artifacts.
Lilian nodded, her eyes glued to the pieces on her table. She stretched her hand, picking up a microscope and placing it over each item as she inspected them. She would pick an artifact up, turning its sides over while she inspected them for a while, before placing it back down.
"These artifacts are okay and original," Lilian responded, picking up a tablet and documenting some information down.
"Oh, yeah!" Angel exclaimed, moving towards the side, she brought out a small black box from a shelf at the side before proceeding to hand it over to Lilian.
"Please give this to Jaden. It's my apology gift since I'm going to be missing his awakening ceremony tomorrow," she said apologetically.
"What's that?" Lilian asked suspiciously.
"Check it out." Angel responded.
Lilian opened the little box revealing a bracelet with hard golden stones intricate carvings running through it. She noticed an unusual feature that caught her eye. Sporadically, the bracelet would light up with a strange hue, emitting a soft ethereal glow that seemed to emanate from within. She couldn't quite make the color of the light—it seemed to shift and change every time it appeared.
"I can sense an energy within it." Lilian said with a slightly confused expression.
"Yeah, it seems to work just like a core, since one can basically channel energy through it." Angel explained.
"It should give Jaden a significant boost when he finally awakens." Angel added.
"Wow! Where did you get this?" Lilian asked with her eyes wide in amazement.
"It was a treasure that Wale brought back from Africa. I convinced him to give it to me," Lisa replied.
"Wow, this is something" she replied, still surveying the features of the bracelet.
"But why would he hand something so precious to you?" Lilian asked in suspicion.
Angel's lips curved up into a creepy smile.
"Just charmed him a little" she replied in self adoration.
Lilian gave her a knowing smile. "I hope when he comes for that thing you'd be willing then" Lilian said, gesturing towards her nether region.
"We'll see about that." Angel scoffed.
"Alright, he'll get it. Thanks." Lilian responded as she put the item in her purse.
They continue to work even as they converse with each other.
___
Jaden and Alex walked out of school, the sun was setting in the distance, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. They strolled leisurely down the walkway, chatting and laughing as they went. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls of the school as they made their way towards the school gate.
Jaden's phone suddenly rang, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket. "Hey, mum," he answered, putting the phone to his ear. His expression quickly changed from one of happiness to one of confusion. "Now?" he repeated, his eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, I'll be there," he said before ending the call.
Alex noticed the change in Jaden's expression and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"
Jaden nodded, "Yeah. Apparently, my mum wants to have dinner out today, so she asked me to meet her at The Diners."
Alex understood and said, "Fine, you should go ahead. I'll head home."
"Alright man, take care," Jaden said, stretching out his fist. Alex gave him a bump.
"Tomorrow's going to be a big day, so you better be well-rested," Alex warned.
"I know, man," Jaden chuckled before turning and walking away. Alex watched him go before heading in the opposite direction towards his house.
Jaden arrived at The Diners, a cozy restaurant with soft lighting and a warm ambiance. He spotted his mum sitting at a table by the window, and made his way over to her.
"Hey mum," he greeted her, giving her a hug.
"Hey honey, how was school?" she asked, smiling at him.
"It was good, nothing special," Jaden responded as they took their seats.
After they placed their orders, Lilian remembered the gift from Angel.
"Oh, by the way, Angel wanted me to give you something," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out the small black box.
Jaden opened the box and was surprised to see the beautiful artifact.
"Wow, this is beautiful. Where did she get this?" Jaden asked in awe, putting the bracelet on.
Lilian explained the story behind the gift, and they continued to enjoy their meal, chatting about their day and plans for the upcoming weekend.
As they sat at their table eating their food, occasionally there would talk to each other with a smile.
There was silence between them for a while before it was broken by Lilian.
"Jaden, I was in your room yesterday." She said, looking at Jaden.
"Okay, So?" Jaden responded slightly confused.
"You're still on your father's case" She said with sadness evident in her voice.
Jaden let out a painful sigh as he looked at his mum.
"Mum, you understand I'm not crazy, right?" He asked.
"And I know deep in your heart you know it. You know mum!" He said painfully.
"I know Jaden, but inasmuch as I would like to know the cause of your father's death, I also want him to rest. And you still doing all this research it's not helping."
Jaden stared at his mum for a while, conflicted, he resumed eating.
Lilian stared at her son for a while, understanding the pain he was going through.
'This is just your way of mourning Jaden' she thought.
Jaden took another bite of his food, but his mind was no longer focused on the taste. Glancing up, he noticed a girl sitting at a table across from them. Her eyes were striking—a bright, vibrant brown that seemed to catch the light and reflect it back. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her red lips seemed to pull at him, drawing him in. He felt his body tremble for a moment as he took in her appearance.
The girl had short, bobbed red hair and was wearing a short red dress with sleeveless arms that left her smooth skin on display. Jaden's eyes traveled down her legs to the straps of her heels. She held a mug in one hand and her phone in the other, occasionally taking sips and smiling as she looked at the screen.
As the girl raised her head, her eyes met Jaden's. For a moment, he was lost in her gaze, unable to look away.
"Jaden!" His mother's voice snapped him back to reality, and he quickly averted his gaze.
"Are you okay?" she asked, turning to see where he was looking. She had apparently been watching him for a while.
"It's nothing, Mom," Jaden said, feeling embarrassed.
"You should go talk to her," his mother suggested, digging into her food with a nonchalant attitude.
'This could help him' she thought, happy at the idea
"Why would I do that?" Jaden asked in irritation.
"Well, a few moments ago, you were practically drooling all over her," she replied with a smirk.
Jaden rolled his eyes, looking back down at his food before glancing back up at the girl. This time, she was looking at him, and she smiled. Jaden couldn't help but return the gesture.
"Let's just go home if you won't talk to her," his mother's voice interrupted his thoughts once again.
Moments later, Jaden and his mother left The Diners.
***