SUPREME VISION SYSTEM

With the recent children getting kidnapped from their locality cases, she did not feel right. She felt like what if..what if they caught her son in their trap too?

It was all her fault...she thought as a soft sob left her mouth. She tried to muffle it but no use, Rafael already heard it.

He sighed and got closer to her. He opened the buttons of his warm coat and placed it over her shoulder. She crouched feeling a little shock.

"You will not listen to me and get inside anytime soon. This coat will keep you warm."

Rafael said as he steadied the coat around her petite frame. Ivory could not help but turn around then and look up at the kind man who had done nothing but kept comforting her even when she had nothing to offer him.

She sometimes wished..wished that Cole's father was still here with them. All these things would never have had happened. Cole would not have grown up to be an isolated boy, with his mind and body growing to hate his father.

She knew that her son was hurt as a little boy and he was hurting now too and she could not do anything to help lessen the pain. What kind of a mother she was?

"I know you are back to thinking it is your fault but please drop that thought, Ivory. Cole already told you, you are the best mother. Why are you doubting your own son's words?"

Rafael asserted as he voiced it out. He knew so because those past few hours she only had been mouthing out how it was her fault and how much if a failure she was as a parent...as a mother.

But he knew that it was not so for he saw how hard she was working to provide for herself and her son. He did know about the fact that her ex-husband had stopped sending the money, the price of child support now too. So she was all by herself.

"It is almost going to be dawn, Rafael. I m so much more worried now. I just do not know what to do. He is not even picking his cell phone up. ..."

Ivory grunted out, with tears flowing down her eyes freely at this point. Rafael was hesitant at first but then he pulled the poor woman in for a hug and she hugged him back, seeking warmth and support.

"I m so scared...I m afraid..afraid that something might happen to him..."

She whispered it against his chest as Rafael contained to rub her back. She was a crying mess at this point.

"Nothing..nothing will happen to him."

"How do you know?"

She asked, looking up at him, resting her head on his chest. He just smiled and rubbed her tears away. It was no doubt by now that they both liked each other.

"I know because you are brave and so is your son. Cole is a brave young man, Ivory. You raised him well."

Ivory did not say anything anymore and tried to calm her nerves down but when she thought that maybe...maybe she was overthinking...

Perhaps her son was indeed safe and sound wherever he was at the moment and just trying to calm down his anger. Trying to come back brave and work together with her to solve their problems.

But when she heard that he was not in Vin's house either or with him, she panicked. She still could not kick away the uneasy feeling.

'God, please watch over him!'

She prayed inside her beating heart.

It was very late in the evening and still, there were no signs of Cole.

"Should..should we inform this to the police, Rafael? "

Ivory asked resting her glass of water on the dining table, worried for the nth time. She had thought that he would be back at least before dusk but there was no sign of him still and it was already eight past in the evening.

"Let's wait for a while. I do not think something happened to Cole. And it will be just useless going to the police but out of cautiousness, I had asked some of my friends to look around for him so do not worry. Ok? "

Rafael said coming closer to where she was sitting after hanging up the call he was having a while ago.

He had friends that worked and lived around here so he called them to look out for the young boy. He had sent them a picture of Cole too. They were very informative so he trusted them.

Informing the police would not matter anyway as they would ask to first note and register the missing case before they actually begin the search of Cole so it was basically useless.

And they would not take the case seriously until the person had gone missing for the past twenty-four hours and it only had been a few hours since Cole had not arrived home.

They would argue as he was a grown-up boy who must have gone away for a while. Would ask them to check-in the contacts of his school friends and all that even when they would tell them they already did it. They would just ask them to recheck it again.

"I m just so much worried and scared right now. I do not know where is he, how is he, what is he doing? "

Ivory muttered to herself. She looked up at Rafael who eyed her with concern and just nodded his head stating that he understood all her worries and anxieties.

It was then all of a sudden they heard some rustlings in the front door entrance. Ivory eyed Rafael thinking it must be Cole. He was finally here....finally home.

Ivory hurriedly stood up and ran towards the front entrance to open the door only to see Vincent standing there. 

Ivory looked down, disappointment evident in her grey eyes as she thought of how once again she was proved wrong. It was not Cole.

"I...I heard about Cole. Is he not home yet?"

Vin questioned, breathing high indicating the poor guy must have had run here right after he heard the news. Ivory moved aside to allow the young man to enter. Vin walked inside, slipping his furry coat off and hanging it on the door stand.

"You..you must be Mr. Evans? "

Vin implored, half away inside the house. Ivory turned to look at Rafael shaking his head positive to the boy's question.

"And you must be Vincent?"

Rafael implored, coming forward to shake hands with the young man. Vin nodded his head and accepted the handshake warmly. Ivory walked past them inside the kitchen.

They clearly could see how distress the woman was. She was not showing how disturbed and worried she was for her son instead of trying to hang in there believing and expecting that he might show up at anytime then.

"Have a seat Vin. I will make a warm cup of coffee.  "

Ivory let out from inside the kitchen. Rafael let him inside the living room. Vin looked around noticing the slight darkness of the walls. He suspected it occurred from the burning. The oven blast that Cole told him about.

"Thank you, Miss Sullivan. "

Vin muttered loud enough for Ivory to hear. He took a seat on the sofa and so did Mr. Evans eyeing him curiously.

"Will you like one too, Rafael?"

Ivory offered to Mr. Evans who just greed and soon later, Ivory came inside the living room holding a tray with three coffee mugs on it. After serving them, she took a seat too.

"Where did you hear about Cole?"

Rafael asked sipping his coffee. It soothed his throat.

"I...I sent him a text asking if Cole was with him." Ivory said.

"Yes...I was with my family so I could not check the text right away but as soon as I saw it, I came here. I m sorry it took me this long. " Vin murmured.

Ivory shook her in negative," It is alright. I know that it was silly of me to keep bothering you with the whereabouts of Cole."

"No..no Miss Sullivan. I do not get bothered at all. You can ask me anytime. I saw Cole the past time in school before he left with you for the hospital checkup. "

Vin spoke out placing his coffee mug on the table after finishing it. He told me that he knew about Cole's problem as he told him about it before leaving with his mother.

He skipped the part about the gaming experience they had. It was useless to mention but he could not lie to himself and say he was not afraid as his mind kept linking Cole going missing if he did get missing with the game.

Everything was just not the same after they returned to the real world from inside the virtual reality of the game.

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