They locked eyes.
All three of them.
Aiden stared them down for a minute.
Which was harder for him, because he was trying to meet the eyes of two people at once, and it was starting to hurt his brain.
They must have stood there for a good thirty seconds before Selene shook his shoulder.
"A-Aiden," she asked, "do you know them?"
Aiden snapped back to reality.
Will was still laughing about the earlier comment.
The twins seemed to snap back as well.
Then they began looking Aiden over with curious expressions.
Aiden spun slightly, trying to keep both of them in his view as they started walking around him like they were searching for something.
After a moment, the girl asked, "So are you here to guide us or not?"
"Uh," Aiden said, "not really. I think there was a mistake with the names."
He looked to the innkeeper.
The old man gave him an apologetic look.
The boy grabbed at his hair and let out a frustrated groan.
"At this rate, we're going to miss the whole thing," he complained. "When will someone take the stupid quest?"
At the mention of a quest, Selene perked up.
Before Aiden could stop her, she asked, "W-What quest are you talking about?"
Aiden groaned internally.
Will caused a small pain to shoot through the back of his head.
"Quit your griping, dude," Will said. "They might have a clue where Grandpa went."
Before Aiden could think back a reply, the girl reached into her bag, pulled out a small page, and presented it.
Hallowcreek Heir Escort (D)
The children of Hallowcreek Aquatech, Abel and Canna, require a protected ride to reunite with their parents at the Grand Plate Games.
High-profile rivals and kidnappers may target them en route.
Depart quietly from the designated waystation, maintain a low profile, and deliver both children unharmed and on time to the VIP Gate of the Plate grounds.
Avoid teleport gates, crowds, and press.
At least one escort must remain awake at all times.
The children must never be more than 30 feet from an escort.
Reward:
3,000 Gold + Hallowcreek Hydrobubble Charm
Failure:
1,800 Gold penalty for delay, breach of security, or public incident.
Contract black mark with Hallowcreek vendors for 30 days.
Staring down at the quest, Aiden felt something strange.
Something he had thought was gone.
A painful mix of hope and hate swirled inside him.
On one side, there was hope.
He could finally see his mom and dad again.
On the other, hate gnawed at him.
Why had they never come back?
When had they planned to let him know he had siblings?
Canna and Abel led Selene over to a nearby table.
They sat down, and Selene began asking them questions about the quest.
Aiden took that moment to walk to the door and step outside.
Just to breathe.
As he did, he let himself sink inward.
His awareness drifted back from the view of his eyes, and he found himself standing with Will in his mind.
"Well," Will said, crossing his arms as he glanced toward the window that showed what Aiden's unfocused eyes could see, "that's a hell of a shocker."
Out of the corner of that mental window, Aiden could see the twins talking with Selene.
"No," Aiden said, crossing his arms. "Which part?"
The space around them began to stew with a purple vapor, like his own grumbling made manifest.
"The part where I'm an older brother, or the part where my parents moved on from me so much they had another set of kids?"
Will looked around at the purple vapor for a moment.
Then he turned back.
"Well," Will said, "this isn't without its benefits. At least we know where they are."
Aiden turned to Will with a raised eyebrow.
Before he could even say anything, Will gave him a pointed look.
"Look," Will said, "I'm not exactly happy about it either. But like it or not, Grandpa set out to find them."
His expression softened a little.
"And I'd like to think they maybe know where he went next."
Will shrugged.
"Or hell, maybe they can use that massive pile of wealth they own to help you look. Compensation for abandonment and all that."
Aiden wanted to retort.
Before he could, he was snapped back to his body.
Someone was shaking him.
Jax and Beatris were there now.
Jax had one paw on Aiden's shoulder.
"Aiden," Jax said.
Shake.
"AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEEENNNNN."
Shake.
Aiden blinked at him.
Then he moved Jax's paw away and crossed his arms, a silent question on his face.
Jax looked toward the window.
Then back at Aiden.
"So," Jax asked, "when exactly were you planning to mention that you have siblings? Because they smell just like you."
Beatris followed Jax's gaze to the window, where Selene was inside talking with Canna and Abel.
Aiden crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.
"The boy's name is Abel," Aiden said. "The girl's name is Canna. They apparently are headed for the games and need an escort to meet our parents there."
He glanced toward the window.
"As for the sibling thing, I was an only child until I met them a few minutes ago."
Beatris gave him a puzzled look.
Jax's eyes widened.
He walked closer so people on the street would not overhear.
"So not only did your parents leave you with your grandpa to run off and do their own thing," Jax said carefully, "but they even had more kids?"
Beatris's expression shifted into bewilderment.
Jax glanced toward the window again.
"What kind of reaction did they have to meeting their long-lost older brother?"
A dark scowl fell over Aiden's face.
When he spoke, his voice carried more venom than he intended.
"They didn't," Aiden said. "From what I can tell, they just think I look like Dad."
He looked away.
"It seems my loving, absent parents made a whole new chapter."
His jaw tightened.
"One that excluded mentioning their oldest child."
Jax and Beatris both stopped.
Beatris seemed to stop more because Jax had stopped.
Jax turned back to Aiden with genuine sympathy in his eyes.
"Hey, man," Jax said. "We don't need to do this quest. We can take other quests, especially if this is going to be a sore spot for you."
Aiden shook his head and headed for the door.
"It's already rubbed me wrong," he said. "But it's not like it's their fault."
He paused with one hand near the handle.
"Though I do have a request of you."
Jax straightened.
"Name it, man."
Aiden looked back.
"Don't tell them we're related," he said. "They might have a way to contact our parents."
His expression hardened.
"And I'm not giving them a chance to run again."