NovelStartChapter 825 Tarquin furrowed his brows, a hint of urgency in his voice. "What's the scoop?" The person on the other end of the line was nearly bursting with excitement, "We've tracked down Aiden's neighbor's details. He's currently in Jindale City. If anyone knows what happened to Aiden, it's him!" After days of dead ends, they finally had a lead. The past few days had been a grueling marathon of frustration. Upon arriving at Sky City, they learned that the school where Elizabeth had once taught was long gone.
The village Soren had mentioned had vanished off the map. Locals recounted a devastating fire from over two decades ago that had consumed the elementary school and nearly half the village. The survivors had gradually abandoned the place, leaving it to ruin.
Years of heavy rains, landslides, and other natural calamities had erased any remnant of the village. Now, not even a brick remained.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTheir extensive inquiries around the area initially turned up nothing. Mention of Aiden drew blank stares.
It felt like they were chasing ghosts until an elderly local finally shed slight.
"Aiden? Oh, I remember him. Poor yet fortunate kid from the next village over. His parents were no good, always beating him black and blue. Such a tiny thing, always covered in bruises.
He wasn't born Aiden; we all used to call him 'the mute' because he never spoke. We all thought he was actually mute.
That changed when a beautiful teacher arrived. Someone heard her talking to him, and that's when we realized 'the mute' could speak after all.
It was she who named him Aiden. But old habits die hard, and he remained 'the mute' to most of us. If you'd asked about 'the mute,' you'd have had your answers sooner." That explained why their queries about Aiden had led nowhere. Before, he was known simply as 'the mute.' "Was the teacher's last nGonzalez?" they asked.
"I can't recall her last name, but she was as pretty as a picture and just as kind-hearted. She taught the kids to read, write, and draw, all for free. Told them stories of the world beyond these hills. Even made them backpacks and toys with her own two hands.
She was especially kind to Aiden, probably took pity on him. Heard she even had a falling-out with his folks over him. Imagine, such a gentle soul pushed to her limits by those people. Tells you all you need to know about Aiden's parents.
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Later, word was she adopted Aiden. Her boyfriend showed up, paid the parents a heap of cash, and took Alden away." "Are you sure they took Aiden with them?" Tarquin's associate pressed.
"Well, I can't say for sure; I'm from a different village. But after the teacher left, Aiden vanished too. Where else would a little boy go, if not with her? As for his parents, rumor has it they sold him and moved to the city with the money. Heartless, the lot of them. They'll get theirs in the end." "Do you know Aiden's full name?"
"Never knew it. His dad's last nwas Miller. Everyone called the boy the mute, only the teacher called him Alden." They showed the elderly man a photo of Elizabeth and Keith, asking, "Are these the teacher and Aiden?" Squinting, the old man took his time, his vision not what it used to be.
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