(Disclaimer: A warning to those who continue.  This is a sequel to a previous story.  Both of these were written in the mid-1990’s.  While the first one was slightly edited and vanity press published, this one has not been touched in over 20 years.  I figure I should do something with it and people may get a laugh or fright from how I used to be.  Every author comes from somewhere, so this is part of my origin.  To that end, I am deeply sorry for whatever nightmares I will inflict on the literary world and the American English language.  Enjoy?)

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The house was like every other house on the block.  Blue siding and a flower garden in front of the porch.  A concrete walkway goes from the driveway to the front porch.  The front door has been recently painted creamy white and the number has been painted gold above an eyehole.

Adriana is standing on the front step for a few minutes before someone opens the door.  She has changed into a dark red dress suit and she carries a leather briefcase in her right hand.  Her hair has been tied up and a pair of thin glasses is on her face.  A police badge and identification are in her.  Both of these items she stole from a cop in one of the mall’s she visited.

“Can I help you?” asks the small woman that answers the door.  Behind her is a stern looking man with dark black hair on his head and chin.

“Yes.  My name is Jennifer Haley.  I’m an investigator for the local police.  A few people at the local high school have been wondering about your son.  He has been missing for a very long time.  I was sent to ask you and your husband some questions.  Do you mind if I come in?” asks Adriana in a serious tone.

“Not at all.  Please come in.  Edward has been gone for over a year.  Why are you investigating his disappearance now?”

Adriana takes a seat at the dining room table and fixes her skirt.  “The department has been kept busy searching for the Mandervale child.  They have a lot of pull with the community, so we have been unable to get any other missing people investigations done until recently.  You and your husband have also been making up excuses for the disappearance that have put many people at ease.  Am I correct?”

“Yes.  For awhile, we thought Edward had just run away or was pulling another of his pranks.  That boy can be such a handful with his antics.  We were told that he had run away from several families beforehand,” explains Mr. Slane.  He sits across from Adriana and crosses his arms on the table.

“Then, why did you not report it sooner?”

Mrs. Slane clears her throat before replying, “Edward tended to disappear for days before this last time.  He was old enough to take care of himself, so we couldn’t do anything to stop him.  My husband and I have a lot of faith in the fact that he can take care of himself.  Besides, it isn’t like we are his real parents.  There’s only so much influence we can have on him.”

Adriana takes off her glasses and puts them in a jacket pocket.  “So, he isn’t your natural child.  Can you tell me anything about his parents?  He could have gone back to his old home or gone off in search of them.”

“I’m sorry we can’t be much help there.  We adopted him from an orphanage outside of New York City.  I don’t remember the name offhand because it was so long ago.  They would know more about the parents than we do,” says Mrs. Slane.  Adriana pulls out a pad and starts to write some notes on it.

“Is Edward in any trouble?”  The question catches Adriana off-guard and she stops for a brief second.

“I’m not sure.  I have only been asked to investigate his disappearance and try to locate him.  I can’t tell if he would be in trouble or not.  Would he be in some kind of trouble?  They told me very little about him before I came out here.  Does he have any problems with drugs or does he have a record?”

Mrs. Slane walks out of the room before she starts to break down, but her husband stays at the table.  “I’m sorry.  She grew very attached to Edward while he was with us.  He was a troublemaker and had been caught for shoplifting and trespassing.  I doubt he was into any type of drugs.  Can I just say something about all this?”

“Go ahead.”

“I think you and your department should just leave him alone.  It’s been over a year and the police had problems finding Edward in the past.  Since he doesn’t want to be found, you should let him stay lost.  He is always welcome in this house and I will not turn him away.  But he’s had a tough life, so he deserves to be left alone,” mentions Mr. Slane.

“We have all had tough lives at some point,” says Adriana.

“Not like him.  His father has been dead since he was brought to a hospital at the age of five.  Most of the families that he lived with just wanted the money that came with him.  He’s been abused and neglected for a very long time, which is why it is nearly impossible to control him.  That is why I think you and your department should leave him alone.  He’s been through enough already,” explains Mr. Slane.

“Thank you for that insight, Mr. Slane.  But I have a job to do and I have to see it through to the end.  Have a nice day, sir,” says Adriana.  She picks up her stuff and sees herself outside.  Without looking back, she goes across the street and makes her way to the local park.  When she finds a secluded spot, Adriana pulls her regular clothing out of the briefcase and changes into them.

“Did you discover anything?” ask Tegam as he appears next to her.  She jumps back and takes a fighting stance before she realizes who it is.

“Geez.  Don’t do that to me, jester.  I’m on edge enough as it is with two crazy guardians in the same galaxy.  But I didn’t really discover anything new.  Fate was adopted and was more of a delinquent than a hero.  I did get the distinct feeling that those two were hiding something.  It was like they didn’t want anyone to find Fate, but I don’t know why,” explains Adriana as she sits on the ground.  A spider lands on her shoulder and she let’s in wander around until it touches her hair.  Then he flicks the thing off and sends it sailing across the park.

“Maybe they know the truth,” says Tegam.

“What truth?” asks Adriana.  Her voice has a tinge of nervousness behind it, but she quickly covers it up with a cough.

“He could have come to them after our first meeting and told them about him being an immortal.  They might know everything about us and that is why they were protecting him.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Tegam.  They wouldn’t know everything about us even if Fate had told them about the guardians.  We don’t have time to figure out if that is true or not.  I hope you got some information while walking around the house.  Did you get an address?” asks Adriana as she gets up.

“I couldn’t take the paper, but I know where to go.  Follow me,” says Tegam as he turns invisible.  Adriana just stands there with her arms crossed.

“I should have taken Cybro with me.  At least I can turn him off when he does something stupid,” she mutters.