Lost

Chapter 19: Clever Plans

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Asim woke up early the next morning. They were supposed to get briefed about Salma's accident and he was feeling rather sick with worry. He picked up his phone. It was exploding with unread texts from James. Asim had thought of blocking his number, but then for some reason, he decided against it.

His mum and Anne were seated on the couch while William stood by the window with his hands stuffed into his pockets. All of their expressions mirrored the dread Asim felt for the briefing that day.

"Mum, you ready?" Asim asked.

Alley turned to her son, her red rimmed eyes were surrounded by dark circles. There was no sign of the lively twinkle in those dark irises anymore. Her usually radiant skin was dull, lacking the healthy tinge of pink. Asim's heart sank. It was hard to see her like this. It was like Salma was the life and light of the house, and with her gone, everything else just followed.

"Yeah, let's go," she muttered anxiously.

Stuffing his feet into his shoes, Asim snatched his keys off the rack and headed outside after everyone else. The ride to the university was quiet. Everyone was mulling over the various possibilities Salma's fall could have resulted in. Asim's stomach was churning with discomfort not knowing what to expect from the search team.

He parked his car in the administration block. Everyone made their way to the building with heavy steps. They were shown to a conference room down the hall, in which a heavy, polished, wooden table was placed in the middle, and a multimedia projector was set up at one end for the briefing.

Some seats around the table were already occupied. Asim saw Clair, Professor R.K. and Zayn's close friend, Niall. Claire and Niall gave Asim small smiles and nodded their heads in acknowledgment when their eyes met.Seated next to Claire, was a bespectacled, old man with greying hair and kind brown eyes. Asim did not recognize the man, but judging from his pale face, dull eyes and solemn expressions, he figured the old man was here for Zayn.

Asim heard William gasp behind him.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing!" William replied hastily, looking away from people seated across the table before muttering, "Just that . . . Is that Steven Walter?"

"Who?" Asim frowned in confusion, staring at the old man with brown eyes. The name sounded familiar but he could not put a finger on it.

"Steve Walter," he replied quietly, "The LA Galaxy's manager. What is he doing here?"

Asim shrugged. He was only mildly aware of LA Galaxy being a soccer team in the MLS (Major Soccer League). He was not into soccer and neither was anyone else in the city. The people around were massively into basketball, and some followed NFL - the American football league. Soccer on the other hand, was not popular.

However, Asim vaguely recalled James, a soccer freak himself, mentioning the name Steven Walter a couple of times.

"He's the only manager in MLS that I respect!" James had announced one day,"This man is a pure genius, but then again, it comes with the British blood in his veins."

William's suspicion was proven correct when the man introduced himself as Steve Walter. However, he seemed to turn rather stiff and looked disinterested when Mr. Walter added 'Zayn's grandfather.'

"He's got a devil for a grandson," William muttered.

Asim turned to him in surprise but did not press the matter as they took their seats.