"Layla! Laya, over here!" Ava call out, waving her hand, seeing a familiar figure in the crowd as she stood with her dad and the rest of the Martins by the parking lot while her cousins were still trying to find their cars, as cars were trying to squeeze out of the parking spaces all at once, horns were honking, and people were shouting instructions. It was a real mess. Everyone was in a bit of a scramble as the valet services could not cater to them all.
A slender woman with short, wavy dark hair, wearing a tight black suit, walked through the crowd. She stopped in front of Ava, who had red hair tied in her signature messy pony tail. "Hey, little Martin," she said. "It's good to see you're okay. Mrs. Matthews sent me to check on you all."
Before Ava could even say hello, Ava's dad, asked the young woman in her late twenties, "Layla, what are you doing here? My wife said, now that the storm is over, everyone's going to Treasure Lake, since that's where the most damage is."
"Everyone is going there, sir. However, I had some tasks to complete in town, so I came to check on you all first," Layla explained, giving Ava a brief hug. Ava looked up at her with admiration, knowing Layla was one of the secret agents who worked for her mother. Apart from Mr. Martin, no one in either the Martin or Matthews family – including Ava – knew the true nature of her mother's profession. They believed she was a high-ranking officer in a confidential government agency, a subject they knew better than to inquire about.
Layla had been Ava's babysitter since she could remember, and the reason for Ava's admiration was simple: Layla had become a secret agent at the remarkably young age of eighteen. Ava yearned to follow in her footsteps. However, her mother had explained that Layla's path was unique. Layla had earned a degree from an Ivy League university at just sixteen and was subsequently recruited by her mother's agency. There, she underwent two years of rigorous training before officially joining their ranks as a secret agent. Though gifted with strength, Ava wasn't as bright when it came to academics so she never brought it up.
Leaving Layla's embrace Ava spotted another familiar figure in the crowd: Ace. He was being escorted by an officer, his family trailing behind him. The judging eyes of the surrounding crowd did not spare them as they made their way through the throng, together they endured the walk of shame as a family.
A tremor of surprise ran through Ava. She tugged on Layla's sleeve, her brow furrowed in question. "Why is that officer escorting Ace to his patrol car?"
Layla followed Ava's gaze, her expression softening slightly. A sigh escaped her lips as she began, "Have you perhaps developed an crush on yet another miscreant—?" Her words trailed off as a wave of police cruisers entered the school grounds, turning the already chaotic scene more chaotic. She then noticed that there were uniformed cops methodically combing through the crowd, their gazes fixed on their mobile devices, as if engaged in a targeted search.
"Ace? What's he done now?" Principal Martin asked, frowning. He connected Ace's apprehension with the sudden increase in police vigilance.
"Mr. Martin, Ava, I should go see what's happening. It looks like there's trouble," Layla said, excusing herself. As a member of the C.I.B., it was her duty to check if the situation had anything to do with 'World of Curses.'
But before Layla could go, Ava grabbed her wrist and urgently requested, "Help him."
"Don't worry, if he is innocent, he has nothing to worry about—" Layla began, intending to dismiss Ava's request, but Ava's grip on her wrist tightened. Her wide eyes glistened with an emotion she couldn't quite name as she pleaded, "Please, help him. He is not like the others."
Layla glanced over at the boy, her brow furrowing as she listened to Ava's insistence that he was different. This wasn't the first time Ava had been smitten by a delinquent. With years of experience cleaning up after Ava's messes, Layla knew it wouldn't be the last. Sooner or later, the boys Ava liked always ended up fearing her.
"Okay," Layla sighed, her voice softening as she relented. She couldn't say no to the feisty redhead, who was like a sister to her. Patting Ava's hand briefly for reassurance, she turned and strode toward the officer, determined to find out what was going on.
Ace was grateful to Officer Lan for refraining from using handcuffs. The officer demonstrated remarkable judgment and professionalism, despite clearly dealing with his own personal crisis. However, the stares and murmurs of the surrounding crowd stung, no matter how hard Ace tried to ignore them. If he felt this overwhelmed, he could scarcely imagine how his father, mother, and the rest of his family must be feeling.
Lola's sudden disappearance had complicated everything. His family didn't know how to cope—they could only try to support him while staying out of the way of the ongoing search for her.
What surprised Ace most was Mandy's decisiveness. She immediately followed the officer to provide Lola's most recent photo, ensuring they had every possible tool to aid the search. Ace had no complaints about her actions. Despite being in custody himself, he wasn't in a life-or-death situation—but Lola was. Mandy's decision, was the only logical one.
Turning to his family, Ace urged, his voice steady despite the chaos around them, "Dad, Uncle Dan, I'll be fine. You guys go help with the search for Lola." His gaze lingered on their worried faces, his clenched fists the only sign of the turmoil he felt. Deep down, he knew they wouldn't be able to find her, but on the off chance that his assumption was wrong, he wanted the two people he trusted most to look for his friend—yes, he had began to consider her his friend. Since he was clearly in no position to join the search himself, this was the only thing he could do.
Dan and Alwin exchanged glances, their jaws tightening as they prepared to argue. Before they could, the rumble of approaching vehicles stole everyone's attention. An armada of police cars poured into the school premises, their flashing lights cutting through the tense atmosphere. They came to an abrupt stop near Officer Lan's duty vehicle, nearly blocking the entrance.