Spaces:
Running
Chapter 3: The Journalist's Instinct
Seraphina “Sera” Vance thrived in the controlled chaos of the newsroom. Phones rang incessantly, keyboards clacked like a frantic percussion section, and the air crackled with the nervous energy of deadlines looming. At 23, she was one of the youngest reporters at the Oakhaven City Gazette, but her ambition and tenacity more than made up for her lack of years.
Today’s headline screamed about a mayoral scandal, but Sera’s attention was elsewhere. Tucked away in a corner cubicle, amidst stacks of papers and half-empty coffee cups, she scrolled through a digital archive of local news reports. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
For the past few weeks, Sera had been chasing whispers – strange occurrences that didn’t quite fit the usual narrative of crime or accident. A sudden gust of wind that overturned a fruit stand on a perfectly still day. Security footage showing objects inexplicably floating in an empty warehouse. Eyewitness accounts of a car stopping mid-collision as if hitting an invisible barrier. Individually, they were dismissed as anomalies, quirks of the city. But collectively, they piqued Sera’s journalistic instincts. There was a pattern here, a thread that someone, or something, was trying to conceal.
Her editor, a gruff man named Mr. Henderson, had initially brushed off her inquiries. “Ghost stories, Vance? We’re a serious newspaper.” But Sera was persistent. She’d spent her evenings interviewing witnesses, poring over police reports, and piecing together the fragmented puzzle.
She clicked on a report from two weeks ago: “Runaway Vehicle Miraculously Avoids Pedestrian.” The article described a delivery van whose brakes had failed on a busy street, seemingly on a direct collision course with an elderly woman crossing the road. According to multiple witnesses, the van had abruptly stopped just inches from the woman, as if an invisible hand had intervened. The driver claimed he had no explanation, and the police investigation had concluded with a shrug and a note about possible mechanical malfunction, despite the driver’s insistence that the brakes had completely failed.
Sera leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her lips. The details were vague, the explanations flimsy. It was the kind of story that usually faded into obscurity, another urban legend. But something about it resonated with the other incidents she’d been tracking. The “miraculous” element, the lack of a logical explanation.
She pulled up a map of the city, marking the locations of each unexplained event she had documented. A pattern began to emerge – the incidents seemed to cluster in the older, less populated districts. And there was one area, a quiet neighborhood near the river, where several of the more significant events had occurred.
A new idea sparked in her mind. What if these weren’t random occurrences? What if they were connected to a person? Someone with… abilities? The thought felt outlandish, almost comical in the sterile environment of the newsroom. But the more she considered it, the more plausible it seemed.
She remembered a hushed conversation she’d overheard in the breakroom a few days ago. Two older reporters were talking about a local myth, a story that had circulated years ago about a boy with strange powers who had disappeared after a tragic incident. She hadn’t paid much attention at the time, dismissing it as folklore. But now…
Sera quickly searched the Gazette’s archives for any mention of this local myth. After several fruitless searches, she tried different keywords: “psychic,” “telekinetic,” “unexplained tragedy.” Finally, she found a small, archived article from nearly fifteen years ago. The headline was sensational: “Local Boy Survives Mysterious Lab Fire, Vanishes Without a Trace.”
Her heart quickened as she clicked on the article. It detailed a fire at a small, privately funded research facility on the outskirts of the city. The facility, known as the “Kestrel Institute,” had reportedly been involved in experimental research on human potential. The only survivor of the fire was a ten-year-old boy named Kaelen, who had been found unharmed amidst the wreckage. The article mentioned rumors of unusual occurrences surrounding the boy, whispers of him moving objects with his mind. After the fire, Kaelen had disappeared, taken into the custody of an unnamed guardian, and the story had quickly faded from public attention.
Sera stared at the name: Kaelen. It was a common enough name, but the timing, the rumors of abilities… it felt like a significant lead. Could this be the same person responsible for the recent unexplained events? Had he resurfaced after all these years?
A thrill of excitement, mixed with a sense of unease, coursed through her. This wasn’t just a series of strange incidents; this could be a major story. A human-interest piece, a mystery, maybe even something bigger.
She printed out the old article, her mind already racing with possibilities. She needed to find this Kaelen. He would be around 25 years old now. Where would he be? What had happened to him after the fire?
Sera grabbed her notebook and a fresh cup of coffee. Mr. Henderson could wait for the mayoral scandal follow-up. She had a new lead, a ghost from the past, and she had a feeling it was about to lead her down a very interesting, and potentially dangerous, path. The city of Oakhaven held its secrets close, Sera knew that much. Finding someone who had vanished fifteen years ago, especially someone with a past shrouded in rumors and a possible connection to a secretive research facility, wouldn’t be easy.
She reread the old article, searching for any detail she might have overlooked. The Kestrel Institute was described as being on the outskirts of the city, but the exact location wasn't mentioned. The article also didn't provide the name of the "unnamed guardian" who had taken Kaelen after the fire. This lack of information presented an immediate hurdle.
Sera tapped her pen against the printed article, her mind working through the possibilities. Fifteen years was a long time. Kaelen could be anywhere, living under a different name, trying to keep his past buried. But the recent events… they suggested he was still in Oakhaven, or had recently returned.
Her first instinct was to try and locate the site of the Kestrel Institute. Even after all this time, there might be some remnants, some clue. She searched online directories and old city maps, cross-referencing the vague description in the article. After a few frustrating dead ends, she found a mention of a property on the outskirts of the city that had been the subject of an insurance claim around the time of the fire. The address was listed as being in a relatively isolated, industrial area near the river – the same area where several of the recent unexplained events had clustered.
That felt like a solid starting point. She marked the location on her city map. A visit to the old site might not yield much after all these years, but it was worth a shot.
Next, she considered the "unnamed guardian." Could there be any record of who this person was? She thought about reaching out to the author of the old article, if she could track them down. The byline was for a reporter who no longer seemed to be with the Gazette. It would be a long shot, but she added it to her list of possibilities.
She also considered checking public records – birth certificates, school records, anything that might link a 25-year-old with the name Kaelen to the city or the timeframe of the fire. She knew this would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, but she was determined.
Sera glanced at the clock. Her deadline for the mayoral scandal follow-up was fast approaching, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this Kaelen story was far more significant. She quickly typed a brief email to Mr. Henderson, explaining that she was pursuing a promising new lead and might need a little more time on the mayoral piece.
With that done, she grabbed her coat and her city map. The afternoon sun was starting to dip towards the horizon. She decided to head out to the location of the former Kestrel Institute. Even if the building was long gone, the surrounding area might offer some clues, some lingering whispers of the past.
As she left the newsroom and stepped out onto the bustling city street, Sera felt a familiar thrill of anticipation. The chase was on. The city of Oakhaven had just become a little more mysterious, and she, Seraphina Vance, was ready to uncover its secrets, one forgotten story at a time.