I supported my mum onto the sofa in the living room. She just stared blankly, no life in her eyes. I had never seen her like this before. Why this again? Why Warp? I thought, gritting my teeth.
Then suddenly, she stood up and said,
"Fred, can you help me clean up the mess I made while I make you another breakfast?"
I knew something was wrong.
"Mom, are you—"
"Please, Frederick," she cut me short before I could say another word.
I had to let it go. I came home to see my mom smile; there was no reason to make her cry. Besides, it could just be fake news, you know?
"The Warp fiasco—it might not even be real," I muttered, almost as if saying it aloud could bend reality into my favor.
I tried to brush my head clear of the news. This was not how I envisioned my weekend. I had imagined eating my mom's delicacies, watching the sequel and prequel of Batman and Justice League, and—most importantly—playing a ton of video games. I had plans, and a past incident was not going to stop them.
I cleaned up the mess, then sat down to eat, forcing myself to enjoy the food. Hopefully, this would be the last unwanted surprise of the week.
---
Back to the present…
"Woah, we've been reading this for a while now, haven't we?" Peter stretched his arms, joints cracking from the strain. His voice was casual, but the room felt heavier than before.
Mia, however, just kept staring into nothing—as if her eyes were searching for something only she could see.
"Mia?" Peter called, his tone now laced with worry.
"Hey Peter… do you think this Warp is real?" she asked softly, almost as though the words themselves carried weight.
"Uhhhn, why do you ask?" Peter shifted in his seat, uneasy. "I haven't heard of it before, so it could probably just be an old man rambling. Based on the date, it would have been… what, twenty-five years ago? So I don't think there's anything to worry about."
Mia suddenly bolted downstairs without a word, her footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. Peter groaned, rubbing his temples. Moments later, she came back up clutching her mom's phone.
"What the hell are you doing with that?" Peter hissed. "Dad said no phones! You don't want him to get mad…"
"Oh, come on, don't be a wimp, brother. I just want to check about W-A-R-P." Mia was already typing.
Peter leaned closer, watching nervously as the screen glowed in the dim room.
"Let's see… Warp, Warp, War…" she murmured, scrolling. "I'm seeing results, but none of them relate to the drug."
"Maybe it never existed to begin with. Probably just some scribbling…" Peter shrugged.
"Or maybe," Mia whispered, her eyes narrowing, "it was erased. Forgotten by the government."
"Oh, come on, Mia. Don't start this again." Peter rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean?" she shot back.
"I mean, you're going to take this too far—again. You'll start digging, investigating, and either it'll lead to nothing… or it'll get us both in trouble."
Mia leaned back, smirking faintly. "Don't tell me you don't want to know what this drug is. Don't you want to satisfy your curiosity, even just a little?"
Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know I'll regret this, and I also know I can't stop you. So here's my idea: let's wait. Let's keep reading the journal, see what more we can gather about this Warp thing, before we do something reckless."
"Lighten up, brother," Mia teased, though her eyes were still sharp. "You're overthinking again. But fine—I agree with you. Let's wait. For now."
She glanced back at the screen, scrolling slowly. The glow lit up her face, sharp and tense.
"Still," she whispered, "let's see more about Warp…"