Hidden Mysteries

Found in the Files

AN: Content warning for talking about cults/religious groups!
Things start to get a little intense after this point, it isn't enough to warrant any sort of mature rating at all, but I'll be putting things that I think might be triggering/make people uncomfortable at the start of each chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Uh, not to complain, but...where are we going, exactly?" Balloon asks timidly, as Fan leads the two of us through one of the neighborhoods closer to the high school, one that was fairly unfamiliar to me and Balloon.

"Over to my place," Fan explains. "You remember last night, with the hooded guys, right? Well, that's where we can—" He stops in his tracks, staring ahead. "Shit."

"Huh?" I look where Fan is staring, noticing a minivan in the driveway.  "Oh, whose van is that?"

"Cabby's. She's Test Tube's mom. Also technically me and my sister's foster mother." Fan fiddles with his sleeve. "I didn't think she'd be here, I thought she'd be working in the office tonight."

"Oh, is that a problem?" Balloon tilts his head.

"Well, she doesn't exactly know that I know you guys, so she'd obviously get suspicious if I just brought a couple of middle schoolers that she didn't know over for no reason," Fan explains. "But I have a plan. Just follow my lead, and act natural."

"O-Okay. We can do that, right Suitcase?"

I nod quietly, and Fan walks up to his house and opens the door. There's a little kid zooming around the living room excitedly at top speed, almost knocking things over. He comes to a sudden halt once he sees the three of us, staring with his big, blue eyes.

"Uh, hi there!" I wave to the little boy, smiling softly.

"Mommy! Mommy! Fan brought his playdates, too!" The boy shouts, bouncing up and down on his toes.

"Huh?" A woman with periwinkle hair tied in a messy bun and large glasses on her face comes from the other room, a large purse slung over her shoulder. "Oh, Fan, welcome home! Who are these two?"

"Hey, Cabby! This is Suitcase and Balloon. Guys, my foster mom, Cabby," Fan says, acting as if he was telling us about her for the first time. "I've been tutoring them a couple days a week for my required volunteer hours. They're working on a history project right now, actually, and the library didn't quite have what they were looking for, so I figured you'd have something in your study that could help them."

"Very nice to meet you two!" Cabby smiles at Balloon and I, shaking our hands. "And of course you can use my study! Like I said, any of you are allowed to take a look at my research as long as you ask!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Cabby," I thank her timidly.

"Oh, no need to act all formal with me, dear! You can just—"

"Mom! I'm gonna be late!" A girl with green hair tied in pigtails tied with butterfly hair clips came from behind Cabby, wearing some sort of scout uniform.

"Oh, that's right! Sorry, I can't stay long, I have to take Clover to her Butterfly Scout meeting, and then I'm taking Goo to his playdate with Bow. I should be home by five-thirty, there's some snack packs in the pantry in case you three get hungry, just call if you need anything else." Cabby grabs a pair of keys from her purse. "Come on, Goo, let's go."

"Bye, Fan! Bye, Fan's friends!" Goo waves to us as he bounced after Cabby and the girl who was apparently Clover, Fan waving back as he shut the door behind them.

"They seem nice!" Balloon says, glancing at them through the window.

"Yeah, Tube's got a nice family. Cabby can be pretty strict sometimes, though." Fan hangs his school bag over a chair. "C'mon, I'll show you guys her study, it's this way."