Chapter 3

Aeden’s head throbbed so it took time before he could respond. “OK, just who the heck are you and why are you stalking me?” he asked in an agitated voice. “And what have you done to me to make me feel like this?”

“Feel like what?” replied the stunning brunette sitting next to him in the back seat. “If you recall, you fell and hit your head, resulting in a concussion, which is probably why you’re having some strange sensations. Now, just relax while we drive you to the clinic to get checked out. It’s the most advanced medical facility in this world or any other. I’m here to take care of you,” she said soothingly. She reached over and softly grabbed his hand causing all his anxiety and tension to release from his body. Clinging to her voice as if his life depended on it, he slowly descended into unconsciousness, but was never able to make out her name, nor did she say it.

Aeden saw those three points of light again. He was drifting through space and time when he began to gravitate toward the middle star. It was a system with a blue giant sun and six planets in orbit. As he passed by the fifth planet, he saw ruins of what appeared to have once been a great civilization. The people there were suffering and then some faint voices pulled him out of the dream. They were low in volume which meant they were probably not meant to be heard. He slowly became more conscious, but remained still so whoever was there would think he was still asleep so he could eavesdrop and try and understand his situation.

There were three voices ... one was an older man, the second was an older woman, and the brunette who suspiciously showed up at his match. From the way they talked, they knew each other very well. The man said: “He appears to have a mild concussion along with some strained neck muscles but should be fine. A normal human athlete would be out two to three weeks, but his advanced physiology will have him up and about within a day provided he avoids overly difficult competition for three days. The thing I’m wondering about is his DNA. His genetic signature is not what I was expecting to see.” “Is it possible his mother made a last minute breakthrough or changed her mind?” “There’s no telling. That woman was so smart, the rest of us couldn’t keep up with her half the time. Whatever it is she did, I’m sure it’s for the best.”

The woman spoke up: “Pavlina, what does he know?” “He doesn’t have a clue as to who or what he really is. That Russian shouldn’t have been able to do what he did, which indicates something was off, as father said. It’s a good thing I was there to intercept him before he ended up in a real clinic!” replied Pavlina. Niklaus nodded in agreement, “Extor was always extraordinarily protective of Aeden and Veronika when it came to medical facilities. He made us agree that should anything ever happen in our neck of the woods, we would intercept and redirect him to one of our clinics. He always had the most interesting ways of saying things, must be a regional thing.” By now, Aeden had pieced together that this was a family with advanced medical or scientific training and somehow knew his uncle ‘E’. As he wondered about what some of the comments meant, his listening became more focused.

“Extor really has his hands full now that Aeden and Veronika are both playing on the USA national teams since he can’t be two places at once. It’s a good thing the tournament was here this time,” said the woman. The man put his hand up to his chin with a thoughtful look on his face then leaned back against a counter and turned to Pavlina “‘Lina ... Sweetie, Spend some time with Aeden this week. Get to know him. Go back to the States with him if you must.” “FATHER! I already know everything about him. He was born in 1979, which makes him 24 years old, he went to Midland Lee High School in Midland Texas, besides; I have responsibilities-” “I’m not finished...” he admonished her, “You know facts, but you have not the interpersonal experience you should have by now. You’ve watched him from afar since he was in middle school, but that is no substitute for interacting with him. Anyways, it’s about time he and his sister are told who they are and the lurking dangers. We let them run wild for too long when you and your sister should’ve been interacting with them. He got a taste of it back in Dublin ten years ago when he was a freshman, but had no idea what was really happening. His parents disappeared immediately after Veronika was born, which has negatively impacted the project. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing he doesn’t know his parents. They were quite odd.” “Father, I swear I won’t let him out of my sight. I promise!” Pavlina replied.

As the family began to disperse, Aeden could no longer stay quiet and sat up in bed, yelling, “Tell me what???? You know my parents? My sister? Yet, I don’t have a clue about you people!!! Why am I not in a hospital? I need to know what is going on!” As Aeden flipped his sheet off and started to get out of the bed, Niklaus took a threatening step towards him and raised his hand. Pavlina jumped forward to grab her father’s hand. “Now isn’t a good time for that, Father.”

She turned to Aeden, “Please, you’ll get your answers. Just lay back down and rest for a bit. I’ll get you something to eat. I will explain while you are eating. Promise me you’ll stay in bed and not do anything stupid or impulsive!!” She gave him her best puppy dog eyes and finished it with a little pout. “Pretty pleeeeeeease????” She knew this was one of his weaknesses from watching his previous interactions with other girls.

“OK,” was all he could mutter as he felt resigned to go along with her. What else could he do? At the moment, he was alone and in a vulnerable position. “By the way, my name is Pavlina in case you’re wondering.” As she walked off, all he could do was watch her perfectly shaped ass sway side to side in the leggings she was wearing as she glided out the door. “Well, at least the scenery is top-notch here,” he chuckled to himself as his eyes remained riveted on her until she disappeared from sight.

With Pavlina out of the room, the man approached him with his arm out ready to shake hands. “I apologize for my previous behavior. Perhaps some introductions are in order ... My name is Niklaus Heikkenin, Pavlina’s father. This is Nea, my wife.”

“Pleased to meet you ... So, that is the Pavlina everyone is making a fuss about these days?” Aeden said as he reluctantly shook hands with Niklaus. He had no clue who she was and was fishing for more information. He wasn’t really pleased to meet them, and he hoped they couldn’t see through his charade.

Niklaus nodded briefly and answered “Unfortunately, yes. She is the same.” “So, you knew my parents?” Aeden asked with a lump in his throat. “Yes. We grew up with them and were very close ... Like family!” “Do you know why they disappeared? Our uncle ‘E’ tried to raise us himself, but it didn’t work out and we were essentially put into a foster home.” “I’m sorry, nobody knows what happened or if they are still alive. I suspect it was planned based on the trust fund they left you and your sister. It’s possible it could be related to their line of work, but that is speculation on my part.” “Just what did he do? There’s all kinds of secure hangars at our ranch in New Mexico and the security system seems pretty advanced.” “He was a defense contractor for the US government and was very good at what he did. Very good! One might say too good. One possibility is he was put into some kind of identity relocation to keep him safe. Extor was supposed to raise you, but for whatever reason, he put you and Veronika into ‘foster care’ in another state, but that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.” “Wait. No one knows why we were put into foster care?” “Well, it wasn’t really foster care, but that is the only term that can be used to describe it without generating a lot of questions. Your foster mom was really an employee of your father’s company. There’s no way they’d turn you over to the state.” “I’m really feeling the love, anyways; I overheard you talking about my recovery, but the DNA comments were a little confusing.”