The first hint

 

It had been three days. Three days since Daniel had found that pendrive in Rose’s house.

The entire thing, of course, was a huge surprise to him.

He had contacted some of his IT friends to open that pen-drive, most of them turned out to be unsuccessful in cracking open the file.

His last hope, last resort was Sam, his colleague from one of his jobs. He was just as good as Vic and Daniel hoped that he could be the missing key to the puzzle.

The puzzle was more complex than he had anticipated; more excruciating and just as confusing.

There were so many questions running through his mind for the past three days.

Why would someone break into her house? Why did they not steal anything? Why did Rose had a secret box in her house? And most importantly, what was in the pen-drive if it had been safekept like such.

The answers were hidden in the pen-drive and he was going to solve them no matter what.

On the other hand, Sophia had been more and more intrigued behind Claire. She was surely hiding something.

Claire, who had been Amelia’s devoted follower since Sophia had known her, was now ready to fight with her over trivial issues.

Amelia was fighting with Claire. It seemed really fishy to be just an accident that being happening just after Rose was found to be in such a critical condition.

Daniel was losing hope. He was losing hope to get closer to Rose’s past, to know what she had been hiding, what she had been dealing with.

The paper that he had been keeping close with him since he had found it was now on his desk. The drawings weren’t fun anymore, just another chore that he had to complete.

He remembered the few moments of weakness in which she had confessed her past to him. Just a few ideas that she had expressed to him. He wanted to hear all of those.

And just a conversation brought him back to reality.

She once mentioned a foster home that she lived in till she was allowed to be left alone.

He knew that place; he hadn’t wanted to swoop in but he had just passed the place a few months ago and just happened to remember it.

There the flicker the hope ignited.

He left all the work that he had been doing and rushed towards his car with just the hope that he might find something related to Rose; something that would make him feel closer to her.

The drive was filled with anticipation and anxiety. The pretty green trees that he had always loved to pass by were no longer interesting to him. The poignant music playing in the background no longer seemed soothing to him. He was excited to say the least.

There are moments in which you are unsure at what you want the outcome to be. While tossing a coin you never know what the outcome is going to be, do you want it to be a heads or tails or do you want it to coincide with what you’ve said it to be? It’s always the latter, isn’t it?

Daniel was in the similar dilemma, he wanted answers but he didn’t want to know the reasons behind it. What if Rose was in some trouble? What if she was doing some illegal business? What if the pen-drive was planted evidence against her in something? He might be getting a tad bit dramatic but that was just his anxiety coming out. He always feared the ‘what-if’s.

After a while of driving, he was in front of the foster house that he had never seen completely. He had always remembered the place from the highway but he was never really curious enough to see it’s inside.

Now he was finally here.

The house was a red brick cottage meant for around twelve to fifteen kids. The architecture of the place was older than he would’ve thought. He saw a few kids running behind a single kid. This was where Rose must’ve grown up in.

He entered the home with a heart full of hope.

On knocking, an old woman with crinkled eyes and wrinkled skin opened the door. Her eyes were warm and radiated comfortable vibes. A kind smile was plastered on her face as she asked his name.

“Daniel, I am here to ask about someone who lived here previously,” he said.

She welcomed him in slowly closing the door as her age permitted. “Who do you ask about, dear?” she asked.

“Rose, Rose Whistleberry,” he replied.

The older woman furrowed her brows in question and had a look on her face that wasn’t going to bear him a very positive news.

“I am sorry, young guy, I don’t remember if someone with that name ever stayed here.”

“What if…” he started, “what if someone else might know about her?”

“Dear child, I have been here since this foster house had been started. I assure you, there has never been anyone with such a pretty name. Trust me, I’d have remembered that name,” she said.

“Oh,” he said in a disappointed tone. Did she lie to him about this?

“Alright,” he started again with a tight-lipped smile, “I am sorry for wasting your time.”

And as he was leaving, a message popped up on his phone turning on the lockscreen of his phone. A photo of him and Rose from the Halloween party. He smiled on remembering the memory.

“Wait,” he heard a voice say from behind, “that’s our Bree!”

“I’m sorry, what?” Daniel asked in a confused state.

“That girl, the one in your phone, that is our Bree!” she exclaimed happily.

“Bree?”

“Oh god, yes, Bree. How many times should I say that? She is our Bree, Aubrey Matthews.”

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The first truth is out. So, her name isn't Rose, it's Aubrey. Who would've guessed it?

 What do you think is the reason behind this? Why did she lie about her name?

Let me know in the comment section!

I'll see you next Thursday with another hint out! Cheers till then!!