"Lucy."

Iris stated, increasing the tension in the room. They both looked at each other as if they've known one another for a long time at the same time, it feels as if they're meeting for the first time.

"Iris, nice to see you. How have you been? How's everyone at home?"

Lucy smirked, unlike the former who looked like she was not in a good mood, she was happy to see Iris.

At Lucy's questions, Ella and Luke turned to look at Lucy. Both curious about why or how does Lucy knows about Iris. Ella now finally understood why Logan told her it would be alright to bring Iris here.

"I'm fine. Everyone's good. What am I doing here?"

She responded, pressing her temples. Her forehead was still aching.

"Yes, please tell. What is she doing here?"

Lucy gave the widest smile, one could give. Her eyes glared at the other three people in the room, in contrast to her sweet tone. They all averted their gaze, due to guilt. But finally, Logan spoke up and told her everything. Lucy was a bit annoyed but she was calm. She wasn't angry, her face showed feeling of relief, seeing Iris made her feel at peace.

"Umm...How do you two know each other?"

Ella inquired, pointing at Iris and Lucy.

"I don't know her. Just met her at my dad's funeral once."

Iris replied in a serious tone.

"Oh, but I know you very well. Well at least your parents. Ella and Luke, do you know who her parents are?"

Lucy questioned looking at the clueless two. She didn't ask Logan because he already knew everything.

"Her dad died years ago, while her mom has a café. I've known Iris and her family since childhood."

Ella replied with confidence. She and Iris shared everything with each other and her parents treated her as one of her own. Her boss's question surprised her.

"I suppose you think you do...well you may know them a bit, but not truly. Standing here in front of you is Iris Ray, or as you all know her as Iris Taylor. She is the youngest daughter of Nicholas and Victoria Ray. Nicholas was my former boss and is a very famous name among The Mercurial. At the start because of all the work he did, plus he is a former board member. While Victoria was a very famous hacker, you might have heard of the name KEIRA, I presume. Well, that was her hacker name. Both were legends at their time....until...."

She glanced toward's Iris, who looked back without averting her gaze.

"Until Nicholas became a traitor, stole something and then ran away. While Victoria quit her job."

She smiled after finishing her sentence.

Luke and Ella's eyes went round due to this information. Ella looked at her friend, whom she knew everything about or at least she thought she did, and spoke in a hoarse tone,

"Is...this true?"

Iris took a quick glance at the girl who questioned her and slightly nodded. She did feel slightly guilt for hiding this from her for so many years, but she knew that Ella knew better than to blame her for this especially how after she hid from her about being part of The Mercurial. After all, everyone have some secrets of their own.

Turning her gaze towards Lucy, she glared. 

"My dad is not a traitor..."

She hissed, her eyes flickered with anger.

"I know he isn't but that's just what they all say."

Lucy shrugged, making it difficult to understand if she did actually believed what she just said.

"Okay, since all the secrets are out.....for now.." She added after a pause and then continued, "I have some questions for you. So, tell me, did someone tried to contact you in terms of your father? Did you see anyone suspicious? Has someone been following you around?"

"Why are you asking me all of this?"

Iris raised her brow, replacing it with a frown afterwards.

"Just you know, casual talk."

Lucy grinned in return, making it harder for Iris to trust her answer. But she still replies to all her questions because she does have an idea of why she was asking all this. After her dad went into hiding, the rest of them started looking for him and they contacted them many times. That is why they had to move and change their last name. People close to them only knows that the name changing was after their father's death, but that was not the case. Usually she would be suspicious if anyone from The Mercurial contacted or talked to her. She would pretend to not know anything, but there was something about these people who made her want to trust them, perhaps it was because of Ella being a part of them or maybe it was because she met Lucy at her dad's funeral and she told her to trust her because she will protect them all and make things better again. At that time, Iris completely ignored her even though she was happy to hear those words. Or maybe the real reason behind her trusting them was because of what her father said the night he disappeared.....Logan and Lucy.....the two names she heard a lot about from her father. The two people her father trusted the most in the world. That is why despite not meeting Logan before, she felt as if she had known him for a long time.

"....no. No one contacted us, I didn't see anyone."

She finally answered after a long pause.

"That's good to hear. Now then, I think its time we should all leave. Others will be here soon and we don't want anyone seeing her."

Lucy said, looking at her wrist watch.

"umm...I'll go with Iris. Come on, let's go."

Ella stated walking towards the door and opening it. Iris follows after her, looking at everyone while thinking about something.

Before leaving, she stopped, turned around. She opened her mouth to say something....but something stopped her from doing so. She then sadly looks down, that's when Lucy beams and says,

"See you soon."

This comment bothered Iris. What did she mean by see you soon? They are probably never going to see each other again. So why does she feel this uneasy with her comment?

While walking back, Ella and Iris talked about various things. Ella told her about how Luke was in her class during the summer swim classes she took. He invited her to join because of Lucy's orders. She said she didn't want to keep it a secret and how it was killing her from inside by keeping it from her.

Iris then told her about her family. She said that she knew about her father being the board member of The Mercurial and she always wanted to be a part of them just like her father. Her father was the one who taught her how to fight. He would often talk about a kid whom he was also personally training which is Logan. That is why she asked him if she knew him from before. He would always tell her about Lucy too who used to be so lazy and clumsy. She said everything was going smoothly but when she was eighteen, one day her father found out about the dark side of The Mercurials. He found all the secrets that were not meant to be found. When the people behind those secrets found out about this, they decided to kill him. Which is why her dad went into hiding. But a year after that, they got news of a fire in a building where it is said her father was also there and he died. She gritted her teeth and added that because of all this she hates The Mercurial.

That evening they both talk and when they eventually go home, they find her mother with police. Iris lives in this compact, comfortable complex, where there is a cafe downstairs and upstairs is their three bed apartment where she and her mother lived with her Aunt Julia, mother's sister. Her own elder sister lived with her fiancé in some other apartment.

"Mom! What happened? What's going on?"

Iris rushed to her mother, whose face was full of worry. Upon seeing her daughter, she went and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you are here."

She spoke softly, despite her tone being soft, worry still emitted from it.

"What is the police doing here?"

Ella inquired, she and Iris were becoming tense more by the minute. They didn't want to be kept in the dark anymore, they wanted to know what was going on.

"Julia is missing. She went looking for you since you were taking a lot of time coming back with the brownies but she hasn't come back. I'm getting so worried. I wouldn't have called for this if it weren't for this note hanging from the shop's door. I don't even know when someone put it here. We checked the CCTV cameras and some guy whose face we can't make out, pasted it about half n hour ago."

Victoria explained handing out the crumbled paper to Iris who straightens it to read the note printed on it.

TELL US WHERE IT IS OR WHERE HE IS OR YOU WILL GET CHOPPED UP PIECES OF YOUR DEAR SISTER. THE CHOICE IS YOUR. I KNOW YOU ARE A SMART WOMAN VIC, OR SHOULD I SAY KEIRA. YOU WILL DO THE RIGHT THING. I'LL CONTACT YOU IN TWO DAYS. WAIT PATIENTLY TILL THEN.

"Mom, do you know this man? Who is he?"

Iris inquired, anger taking over her tone. While Ella read the note, gasping.

"....he is not of importance. Anyhow, I hacked into the surrounding cameras, and I could only follow-up till this corner...."

She avoided answering her daughter's question while sitting down on her laptop chair and showed Ella and Iris the place she spoke about.

"That guy went into a blind spot and then disappeared.....there must be others helping him. He can't just disappear out of nowhere."

Iris remarked, moving closer to see the footage, using the mouse she kept playing it on repeat to try to find a clue. She didn't ignore how her mother avoided her question. She knows that's just how it has always been. After their father's disappearance, her mother tried her best to keep them away from anything remotely connected to The Mercurial. She knew her youngest daughter has always been interested in it but to protect her, she would never talk about them.

"The police are about to leave, they are asking for you."

Ella said to Victoria who got up and went to talk to them.

"This place, isn't this the corner where there is SECOND COURSE?"

She added, pointing towards the screen.

"Yes, it is. That's what I have also thought about. But this isn't what's bothering me....there is something else that I need to know first...."

Iris looked at her mother, her lashes lowering while she watched her mother converse with the officers.