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Chapter 10 – The Confrontation
The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the tension at the Waterson residence was a storm in its own right.
Nail opened the door, his expression instantly hardening.
Vic Firth stood there with an all-too-confident smirk, flanked by two uniformed police officers.
Elizabeth, sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere, stepped forward.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
Vic's smirk widened. "Stop pretending, Nail. Let's talk about the boy."
His tone was teasing, but there was an edge beneath it—sharp enough to cut.
One of the senior officers stepped forward. "We'd like to take a look inside… see the boy for ourselves."
Inside, Saki and Gami sat frozen at the dining table, their faces pale.
They had never seen their father like this—his jaw clenched, his knuckles white as he gripped the doorframe, his voice a low rumble as he spoke to Vic outside.
Elizabeth moved quickly, forcing a smile for the girls. "It's alright," she said softly, kneeling beside them. "Everything will be fine."
But the reassurance didn't reach their eyes.
They could feel it—something was about to happen.
One of the officers finally spotted Wong Lu, quietly seated in the dining room. His eyes were distant, as though he were lost in another world.
"Son," the officer said, stepping closer. "We just have a few questions."
Before Wong Lu could respond, Elizabeth moved between them, her hand gripping the boy's shoulder protectively.
"Don't try to force the answer out of him," she warned, her tone firm.
And that was when it happened.
Wong Lu's calm, steady gaze lifted to meet the officer's eyes.
There was no fear—only a quiet certainty, like a mountain staring down a passing storm.
The boy's lips moved slightly, forming words that no one quite heard… but everyone felt.
The clock on the wall stopped ticking.
The drizzle outside froze midair, raindrops hanging motionless like tiny crystals suspended in space.
The warm kitchen light flickered once, then dimmed—not into darkness, but into something… other.
Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat.
The officers blinked in confusion, their voices dying before they could form another question.
Wong Lu, still seated, tilted his head just slightly.
"You shouldn't be here," he said softly.
And somehow… they weren't.
In the blink of an eye, the officers were standing outside on the porch, their brows furrowed, unable to remember why they had entered in the first place.
Inside, Elizabeth's hands trembled as she held the boy tighter.
She didn't understand what had just happened… but she knew—deep down—that this was only the beginning.
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