HERNAN AND GABRIELA BOOK 1

CHAPTER 50

Back at the mental institution, John is strolling, through the garden. Again, he gets familiar flashbacks, of the young, children and their father. He then says my children and continues walking.

At the end of the day, Martin, Hector, and Gina meet. Martin, says he knows both of them well and is sure Gina designed the card and Hector took care of the logistics of the plan. He then asks them why they did it. Gina says that they just wanted a little bit of revenge against Helena after what she did to them and their father and that it was just a harmless prank. Hector says that they were just rattling her feathers a bit, given how much harm Helena caused them. Martin, says he understands them, but this issue affected not just them but their sister as well. He asks them, how they think, Aranza would feel after what they have done. He adds that what they did was very reckless.

Meanwhile, Adrianna and Emma are sitting near Emma's and Gina's desks. Emma notices, that Adrianna is a little bit quiet, and asks her about it. Adrianna, says that it's just that as much she loves Hector, she cannot shake off the feeling of extreme uncomfortableness, about whatever it is he is hiding. Emma, says that she understands her because she has a feeling that, Gina and Martin, are in on it, and it probably involves Gina and Hector. She adds that she has a feeling that the meeting, they are having right now, probably has to do with it.

Meanwhile, Gina asks Martin, if he will tell their grandparents, his mother, aunt, or uncle, about their little trick. Martin says he won't, but they will probably find out. Martin adds that the two of them (Hector and Gina) are on their own on this one because he cannot support such madness.

At night, Antonio briefs Helena and his father, on what he found out from the cyber. He adds that the email used was not the senders' official email, from the way it was structured and because no one is stupid enough to use their official email. He further points out that the place being a public area, and because several days have passed and several people have accessed the table and computer, the DNA has been contaminated, thus complicating the tracing of the people.

Helena says she understands, but she wants the case taken to the police anyway. Both Carlos and Antonio are shocked. Carlos asks her if it is necessary, because no one was hurt, and it was only a prank. Helena replies and says that it was in bad taste, and was played with evil intentions.

Meanwhile, Aranza knocks on Adrianna's door and enters. Adrianna who was sitting at her desk looks up and smiles at her. Aranza sits on the bed, near her, and stares at Adrianna quizzically. Adrianna smiles, she knows it's her cousin's I want to ask you question(s) face. Adrianna asks Aranza what is bothering her. Aranza gets up prances around and after a dramatic pause, tells Adrianna that she is not a baby or daft and knows that something is going on. Adrianna asks her what she is talking about. Aranza rolls her eyes, then says that Carlos, Helena (she stopped calling Helena, mum, after the situation with Mauricio) and Antonio are in a meeting, and Antonio was not at work.

Adrianna remembers Martin's comment about how Aranza might react, and is unsure, about telling her. Aranza says that Adrianna's reaction tells it all. She then pouts and says that she is almost eighteen, and doesn't like it when she (Adrianna) and Antonio, treat her like a child and try to overprotect her by keeping things from her. She says that she can handle it. Adrianna is still unsure, but Aranza is insistent. Adrianna eventually relents and tells her about the prank someone pulled on her mother, and how Helena sent Antonio, to trace the email, and how he ended up at the cyber.

Elsewhere, Antonio adds that it might be difficult to trace the people because it was very clear from the video that they went to a lot of trouble to hide their identities, but if she is sure, she wants to turn it into a police case, she should go ahead.

Meanwhile, Aranza is shocked. Adrianna puts her arms around her, and asks her, how she feels about it. Aranza says she's not quite sure, at the moment. She says, on one hand, she is happy someone had the guts to play with Helena, but she doesn't like that they used her late brother and sister's memory to do so because it is disrespectful.

Thursday dawns bright and early. Back at the cyber, police investigators; come in to see the CCTV footage, as part of their investigations.

Meanwhile, at the university, Aranza is sitting in an empty classroom, thinking back to what happened. Though she has always felt loved by Adrianna and Antonio, she would have loved to grow up with her father and older siblings. Even though she did not know, either of them, she still feels a loss at the tragic events, that wiped off, most of her family. Aranza feels someone come near her, and place their hands on her. She looks up at them. On seeing that it is Mauricio, she gets away, glares at him, and tells him to get away from her. Mauricio ignores her and continues talking.

He asks her, why she looks so sad, and where that little boy, she is dating is. Aranza glares at him. She says that her sadness or happiness is none of his business. Aranza walks off, but still, Mauricio follows her. She turns, glares at him, moves back a bit, and then removes something from her bag. It is her taser. Mauricio is momentarily caught off guard when he sees the tasers. He tells her to be careful with how she handles such things. Aranza looks at him with pure disgust. Mauricio starts to say that he knows that she is a good girl, who would not dare hurt him, when Aranza, without blinking twice, tasers him. Just then Aurelio comes into the classroom (Aranza's). He is of course shocked.

Meanwhile, at the mental hospital, John is sitting in the garden, going through some old newspapers, when he reaches the story of Hernan and Gabriela's unexplained disappearance sixteen years ago. He looks at their pictures and feels some immense sadness and pain. A nurse comes and asks him how he is. He shows her the newspaper, and points at the children. She nods her head and says what happened to the children and their father is so sad. He asks her what happened to them, and she is hesitant to tell him, because she is afraid that it might be too much information for him to process, in his current condition, but he seems so eager to hear, so she decides to tell him.

Back at the university, Aurelio and Aranza are now in a different place, near the graduation square. He asks Aranza if Mauricio hurt her. She assures him that he did not. She adds that she was just tired of him always harassing her. He looks at her again and asks her if she is okay. Aranza insists she is. He asks her, why she looks so rattled. She says she is okay and it has nothing to do with Mauricio. Aurelio looks at her like he does not believe a word she says. He makes her face him and reminds her that he loves her, and will always be there for her regardless of whatever it is, that is going on in her life. Aranza begins to tell him about the email sent to her mother.