Reunited

chapter 4

"what's on your mind Ares" Jess asked her son when she saw he looked troubled.

Ares didn't know how to respond. He couldn't tell his mum yet, he didn't want to believe it to be true, surely his parents would tell him if he had a cousin out there.
She looked exactly like him. He had to find out the truth. "Nothing just school" Ares replied. Jess nodded knowing she wouldn't get a anwser from him.

Ares had to know and he knew his dad would be the perfect person to ask. He was only a lawyer but that didn't mean he didn't know how to investigate crime.

He didn't want to approach his parents though because if they knew he could never forgive them for not telling him or trying to get the girl to live with them. Of she was a cousin, his parents would have taken her in. But what if they didn't know she existed?

What if it was a coincidence she looked like him.
What if she was just another student....his enemy.

But if she was related some how.....

He couldn't stop thinking about her even when he was called down to dinner his mind was elsewhere.

"You're very quiet this evening Ares" his father stated, he was the only one talking.

And that's when he got the idea.

"Just thinking. School is so hard recently I was wondering if I could take a day off. Before you say no I can come to work with you and so it won't be a day of me messing around rather learning and looking at career options" he explained.

"You don't want to come with me" his mum joked. His mum ran a fashion line with multiple shops. Of course Ares wasn't interested in that.

"No I'm good" Ares said smiling so he didn't upset her.

"He probably only want to read a few law books so he can get a better idea of what he can get away with" Xander muttered.

"Actually no, I am interested in the law" Ares replied.

"Very well. Any messing around and you will be grounded for several weeks, no phone, no games. Nothing" his dad warned.

"Ok that's fine" Ares said knowing he wasn't going to mess around.

"No Ethan" he added.

Ares and Ethan were practically brothers so they both visited each others houses alot. They had known each other since they were children.

"Okay" Ares agreed.

His dad was satisfied with this and told him he could come tommorow.

The next day.

Ares was eager to go with his dad,  his dad was very surprised by it. His eldest sons were well educated, one being a businessman and one becoming a doctor. He had no idea about his youngest sons though. Xander was in his final year and hadn't expressed any desire of what he wanted to do after he finished. At a guess their dad figured Xander would do sports. He had to admit his son was extremely good. But Ares, he had no idea.

When they got to work that day, Ares took an interest in everything his dad showed him. His dad owned the company so when he had to leave to go meet clients, Ares took it on himself to explore in the library

He looked in several books about family law. He couldn't find anything useful. He searched up her name online, she didn't have social media. He wanted to check any adoption records but he realised her adoption could have been sealed.
He really didn't know how to proceed. His initial plan was to see if he could access records but he realised his dad would see and it was most likely a closed adoption.

He put everything away not wanting to explain himself. He was annoyed that he didn't find anything. Maybe there was nothing to find? Maybe she truly was just a random girl.

She wasn't a random girl. Luke was annoyed and although he kept his word about not telling their parents, it didn't stop Aria from getting a beating by her dad and unlike every time when Aria thought it was over. Luke decided he would hurt her too. She was an embarrassment to the family. Of she had listened.

And so school the next day was painful, she was suprised to see her locker wasn't damaged further.
She had been allowed scraps of food this morning. Her parents saw she was close to passing out and didn't want the school to grow suspicious if she passed out at school.

But her whole body still ached from the amount of pain. She was used to the pain though. It was painful but she had no choice but to tolerate it and act like it wasn't there.