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Chapter 31: Aftermath

Hunter received text messages from Keanu that he was going to the cafeteria with Xavier. He texted back that they would soon join up with them after finishing his workout. Sol and Topher tagged along as they were starving for some sloppy joes.

"And I said to Kalvin if he was really a virgin, and he responded by taking off his pants and showed me his butt and shook it. He said, 'You can start anytime~,'" said Topher as he followed the wolf and the leopard on the campus. "Then I realized he was drunk!"

Hunter and Sol laughed as the automatic doors opened for them. "You should hear Xerxes' drunken stories sometimes," said Sol. "They're the best!"

Hunter looked around the tables, he expected Keanu and Xavier to lunch together at one table but found the parrot sitting there alone and dumbfounded. The green parrot was rubbing his temples in distress.

"Xavier?" Hunter asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Xavier swiftly turned at him and spoke. "Hunter, you got to help me!"

"What happened? And where's Keanu? You were supposed to keep him company until I come here."

"I know and he went outside all upset. I think I said something that offended him, and I don't know what it is, and he made me question my life choice of career."

"Where did he go?"

"He went outside to eat alone, I think..." Xavier turned around and could not find the white wolf anywhere. The parrot's voice faltered. "Wh-where did he go?"

Hunter saw what he didn't want to see, the ferret was half-stomping through the outdoor section of the cafeteria, and off he went to someplace else with fury on his face.

Shortly after, he heard his phone ringing. It was Xerxes. Hunter answered. "Hello? Xerxes?" Hunter answered hastily.

"Hey, where are you? This is an emergency."

"I'm in the cafeteria right now? What is it?"

"Uh, Keanu was confronted by Terrence, and he's all shaken up."

Hunter's stomach boiled but panicked. "What? What did he do?"

"Calm down, I'm on my way! I'm bringing Keanu over."

"No, I'm coming over!" Hunter hung up and ran out of the other exit door of the cafeteria to the outdoor tables.

He ran to where Terrence came from and not too far, he saw Xerxes near some palm trees with Keanu in his embrace. He dashed towards them. He stopped and kneeled, panting for breath as he faced his lover.

"Keanu, are you okay?"

Keanu turned to see him, he looked pale and shaken. The fur on his face was matted with tears all over. He was struggling to catch some breath from all the bawling he endured.

It hurt Hunter to see him all devastated. "Come here." He opened his arms and let Keanu embrace him and let out another muffle of wail on his shoulder. Hunter rubbed his back and soothed him calmly. "It's okay, it's okay."

Sol, Topher, and Xavier walked to where they saw Hunter heading and saw the depressing sight.

Sol was silent and had no words to describe this. Topher had very little of what just happened but could not dare to ask and felt pity for the wolf. Xavier felt he really messed up his task to keep him safe. Just how did all of this happen?

A short while later, Hunter took him to the restroom in the cafeteria and let Keanu clean himself up. He had calmed himself down, but his breathing was weak. He splashed his face with cold water multiple times and rubbed his fur thoroughly. Hunter had a cleaned, unused towel and gave it to him to dry his face. But then Keanu found a few light scratches and bits of blood from Terrence's claws on his wrist and cleaned them up with hand soap.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Hunter asked.

Keanu weakly nodded.

Hunter picked up his backpack and Keanu's and together they left the campus for home. He told his friends that he was leaving and taking Keanu home. The walk and the ride on the tram were dead quiet, but Keanu leaned on him close for comfort with the hood of his purple jacket covering his head. The tram stopped at their home station and Hunter escorted him to the eighth floor of Keanu's apartment.

"Uh-oh..." Keanu finally spoke for the first time.

"What is it?"

"I forgot to bring the keys, Hunter." Keanu softly spoke. "They're inside. I need to go downstairs to the doorman to open the door for us, he has the master key."

Hunter held his stomach as it growled. He realized he hadn't eaten anything yet.

"So, when will your father comes back from work?"

"Late..."

Hunter sighed as he starved. "I... let's go to that burger joint nearby. I didn't eat anything. We can go for the doorman later, okay?"

"Sure, uh, sorry for..."

"It's okay, I'll buy you an ice cream sundae, how about it?" Hunter smiled, trying to cheer him up.

Keanu nodded quietly.

The wolves left the Starlight Plaza and made for the fast-food restaurant nearby. Hunter missed his lunch after the whole ordeal that kept him fed with distraction. Keanu had lunch, so a dessert would suffice him and cheer him up. Hunter ordered his meal and an ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup. Keanu loved chocolate as he remembered.

The company on the table on the far corner was quiet, a part of Hunter told him to ask about what happened today, but he refrained to do so as it was too fresh in Keanu's mind. The other was to cheer him up and brighten him up a little bit and decided to go with the latter, but Keanu was quietly and slowly eating his ice cream sundae.

"You should call your father, you know," said Hunter.

"Okay, but... will you stay with me until he comes back home? Please?"

Hunter thought, he knew he needed to be by his side. "Sure, I'll keep you company. Do you want me to tell him what happened?"

"Sure, he'll understand like last time."

Hunter then decided to pry him, speaking in a soft voice. "Do you think you can tell me what happened?"

Keanu hung his head and shut his eyes uncomfortably and shook his head.

"Alright, no pressure." He stretched his arm to pat him on the shoulder. "I'm here for you, okay?" Keanu again nodded.

Hunter finished his meal and Keanu carried his little half-melted sundae cup. They walked inside the lobby of the apartment. The doorman was lounging with his feet on his desk, reading a magazine. Keanu tapped the little bell once for attention.

Keanu explained his situation, the doorman nodded and brought his master key with him to the eighth floor.

"Here we go, have a good afternoon. And please, be careful next time," said the doorman.

"I will, thank you," Keanu said.

After the doorman left, Keanu went straight to the kitchen and placed his ice cream cup in the freezer. Hunter followed after closing the door and locking it. Keanu came back awkwardly around the living room. Hunter dropped both their backpacks near the coat hanger on the wall by the main door and met with Keanu in the living room.

Hunter walked up to him to check on him. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"I'm... I'm fine, maybe I need a nap." Keanu said without looking at him.

"I'll stay here until your father comes, okay?"

"Sure." It came out flat and ignorant as he walked through the corridor and opened a door and closed it.

Hunter was left alone in the living room, wishing he could do something other than comfort his lover. He was worried, he looked and behaved differently.

Hunter turned around and opened the sliding doors of the balcony. He closed it and grabbed his phone to call Xerxes. It was early afternoon, so maybe he could freely talk with Xerxes at this time.

The dragon answered, "Hey, Hunter, how's it going?"

"Just fine, Keanu has calmed down. I'm at his home apartment. He's taking a nap. Xerxes, I need to know, what happened there? Keanu is too shaken to talk about it."

"Oh, that, well, let's see... Uh, I was hanging out with Terrence and Julio for lunch. Julio went to the bathroom, and I went to order their food while Terrence was saving a table for us. When I came back with the food trays, Terrence wasn't there, then I heard Keanu screaming for help and I ran toward him and stopped Terrence what he was doing him. I thought he was going to bully him, but he was more of demanding questions about Keanu."

"What questions?"

"Terrence claims Keanu was on that plane crash over a year ago."

"What?" Hunter was puzzled. "That's crazy!"

"I know, right? He said that his old girlfriend was sitting next to him or something like that at that time. And Keanu was screaming and denying everything he said. Hey, didn't Xavier say that the only survivor is an arctic fox or something?"

"Yeah, I remember. So that's the only reason he was after Keanu? To ask him personal questions?"

"I don't know, maybe Terrence confused him for a different species, but I corrected him that one time at the computer room in the library. Oh, wait..." Xerxes trailed off and sighed_. "Look, this is all confusing, Hunter, I'd seen Terrence doing this shitty research about the plane and playing detective on the computer a few weeks back, but I didn't know he was so obsessed about it._"

Hunter growled. "Do me a favor, Xerxes, keep that ferret away from Keanu, or I swear I will make him regret it."

"Roger that, Hunter, I already told Coach about it, but I'm afraid that we may have lost our best quarterback and we need a new one after this."

"Yeah, sorry about that but he had it coming if he didn't behave."

"I know, that's what I've been trying to do all these months. The death of his old girlfriend really affected him. It's really sad, man, and I tried to be by his side, he is a good friend, Hunter, I know him more than you do, even if he has some issues."

"Is it even worth it? He has changed so much that he cannot admit he has a problem?"

Xerxes sighed. "I guess this is over..."

"Yeah, thanks for answering me. I'm calling Xavier now. Bye." Hunter hung up and dialed Xavier's phone number.

Xavier answered his phone quickly. "Hunter? Hello?"

"I need to talk to you; you better tell me everything that happened at the cafeteria."

Xavier's voice sounded a bit uneasy. "Hah, good thing I rehearsed, I was preparing myself to call you before I get devoured by you. I really want to apologize to Keanu for anything I said to him."

"I have all the time you need. Talk to me."

"Sure, uh, Keanu and I were chatting at the cafeteria, and I asked if he finished his exams. And he said he did, and he asked me what I'm majoring in, and I said that I'm studying tourism and then after that, I'll join the flight academy. Then he questioned my career choice being dangerous and I said to him that flying is much safer than riding in a car and that we're more likely to be in a car accident--"

"Oh, you idiot!!!" Hunter cried.

"What? What is it?" Xavier's voice was shaken.

Hunter calmed down and sighed. "Of course, you don't know. Listen, Keanu's mom died in a car accident."

"..."

There was a silence that dominated the busy noises of the hustling and bustling city of Rexville.

"Xavier?"

Xavier shouted, "Que pendejo soy!" What an idiot he was. He exasperated a sigh. "I didn't mean it that way. I was talking it as a matter-of-factly."

"I know, calm down, I'll let Keanu that you feel sorry."

"You have no idea how much I like your boyfriend, Hunter. I really needed a friend who doesn't tease me like Sol, Broderick, and Xerxes! I just cannot believe he questioned my goals like that. And another thing! I have made mistakes in the past and I made amends with a girl who regretted bulling me since middle school, and I learned so much this semester that I'm not gonna let another conflict fall back into my hands, Hunter!"

"Okay, calm down, I guess Keanu owes you an apology."

Xavier's voice was breathing heavily. "Y-you're not mad at me, right? I neglectfully left him alone when he shouldn't have! I was just stunned by what he said to me."

"Yeah, I saw that, you looked like you saw a ghost. And I'm not mad, just disappointed."

"Okay, but please, let me make it up to him, I feel like shit right now! I want to apologize to him for incidentally offending his mother."

"Sure, do whatever you want, but I have a question. I think this is something you should know about."

"What is it?"

"I called Xerxes about what happened, he told me that Terrence was after Keanu for questioning if he were the survivor of flight 8085."

"Huh...?" Xavier sounded confused. "Keanu's a wolf, not a fox."

"I don't know what either specie is, Xavier, but apparently Terrence confused him when he approached him. Listen here, Terrence seemed obsessed over his dead girlfriend after the disaster and did some research of his own. Could you do some of your research like you do--?"

"I beg your pardon?" Xavier sounded back to himself. "Wasn't your father the leading investigator of flight 8085? Hunter, you have better information from him than I do on the internet. I bet he could give you a final report of the accident from his reach."

Hunter realized he could do such a thing. Just that it never occurred to him as this was a very rare occasion.

"Right, right, you're right, Xavier. Sorry."

"I can still do my own research if you want. But I'm sure your father is the brain of all your questions, so enjoy this little father and son bonding. All you must do is find the manifest, it shows names, ages, and species, and all our doubts will be off our shoulders. Man, there's so much to cover here since this was the first aviation accident in Rexville's history."

"Yeah, we'll talk about it soon--"

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Is Keanu okay?" Xavier asked worriedly.

"Yeah, he's okay, he's taking a nap now from this mess."

"Did that ferret hurt him?"

"No, not a single scratch. I'm too afraid to ask him what happened, so that is why I'm calling you guys to see your point of view."

"Right, smart thinking. Oh, I think Milagros wants to know what happened, she woke up with a cold yesterday morning and she has been missing a lot lately. I'll see you on Monday, Hunter."

"Yeah, take care." Hunter hung up and sighed.

Hunter finally noticed the view from the eighth floor. He could see other smaller buildings closed to him and ahead was the bright sky and sea. The sun had already passed its zenith. It looked so beautiful. His home building had a view of the mountains and bigger towers. He never liked it.

Hunter was thinking deeply. There was too much coincidental information about Keanu's situation. Why did he question Xavier's career choice? And how Xerxes recalled how Keanu was denying everything Terrence said. And... didn't he say he hated flying? And... the way how he reacted to that plane that flew over the campus at low altitude...? And... how did he respond when he talked about his father's workplace when investigating a crash site and the smell of burnt corpses?

Was Keanu on that plane crash? Hunter was more confused. If he were, did his mother was actually on that flight? No, Keanu said he lost his mother when he was ten. That crash happened last year, and Keanu looked in good health. But didn't he mention he had an accident by falling off the stairs when he was sixteen and made a fine recovery? He mentally calculated Keanu's age, he was now eighteen last September, so last year he turned seventeen and the accident happened during spring break, so that meant Keanu would have been sixteen then. Didn't Xavier say the sole survivor was also sixteen years old?

Something was not right, and he could not tell who was telling the truth now. All this information was clashing badly with one another without clear thought.

Honestly, Hunter wished this whole thing was just a misunderstanding, but these hints just could not be ignored. If he asked, Keanu would profusely deny it and that scared him to confirm it as Xerxes described and he didn't want to pressure him no matter how gently he wanted to ask.

From now on, this weekend, Keanu needed all the emotional support from him and his whole family until everything was settled.

Hunter left the balcony and went back inside the living room to look for Keanu's bedroom. Remembering where from the last time he visited, he picked the first door on the left.

Hunter knocked. "Can I come in?"

He heard a faint reply. "Sure."

Hunter opened the door, his bedroom was the same as he remembered, cleaned and neat. And found Keanu laying on the bed in his blue t-shirt and loose-fit red boxers, curling his body like a white ball of snow and his tail tucked under his legs. He looked peaceful like that. He could see his right hand lying close to his snout and appreciate the cute pink pads of his palm. Hunter kneeled close to him on the edge of the bed, Keanu's gray eyes gazed at him as he moved closer.

Hunter smiled at him, holding his hand. "How you're feeling?"

"Just fine..." he softly said.

"He didn't hurt you, right?" Hunter wanted to be sure. He could see the light scratches on Keanu's right wrist.

"I'm okay, it was just a scratch, it stings though, but I cleaned it."

Hunter caressed his palm, it was soft with a gentle grip, and when he wanted to look at his palm, he saw a curious line. It was a scar that was easy to miss if the visibility was right, but upon closer look, Keanu had an injury cut that crossed from the base of the index finger to the bottom part of the thumb.

Keanu saw Hunter's curious face. Hunter asked, "What's this little scar?"

"I..." Keanu spoke, somewhat dryly. "I was cleaning the dishes, I was holding a kitchen knife covered in soap, and it slipped off from my hands and cut myself, but... it's healed now."

"I see." Hunter could not help but wonder about his genuineness about the knife mishap but went along with it. "Heh, when I was little, I was barefoot at home, and I stepped on a broken glass cup that my mom accidentally broke. I think she missed a shard when she was cleaning it. Now I got an inch-long scar under my foot, but over time as I grew, it looks smaller than I remember, you can hardly see it."

"That must have been painful..."

"Yeah..." He caressed his palm again. "I can hardly see it."

"Well, yeah, it's been over a year now."

_Hmm, over a year now, huh?_Hunter thought.

Keanu took a deep breath and moved to sit on the bed, rubbing his eyes and sighing. "I'm going to take a shower, Hunter. You can play some video games in the living room if you want. I'll join up with you soon."

"Sure, anything to clear your mind."

The time passed and the wolves hung out in the living room. Keanu was calmed but half-cheered up as they played some videos games together. Keanu was in the mood for more quiet games like golf simulator and minigolf, the music's environment was nice for the soul.

It was four-thirty of the afternoon and Hunter knew that dinner would be a little after five at his home.

"Hunter, would you like to stay for dinner?" Keanu asked.

"Uh, I would love to, but... I need to let my parents know, okay?"

"Sure," that made Keanu's tail wag a little.

Hunter picked up his phone and called his mother. He went back to the balcony for a better signal.

His mother answered. "Hello, Hunter. Are you heading back home?"

His mother sounded in a good mood. "Hi, Mom, uh, I'm at Keanu's place and he is not feeling feel."

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's doing fine, he wants me to stay over for dinner, so... I hope you don't mind if I... you know."

"It's alright, Hunter, I guess that's okay with you, and good thing you call sooner before I start to make dinner."

"Sure, and it's possible that I'm spending the night here. I don't think Keanu's father will come back home until late at night."

"I see, well if you're staying over, might as well bring some extra clothes with you and your toothbrush."

"Oh, right." Hunter had some workout clothes in his backpack but was already used and smelled of sweaty musk. "I'll come around later, okay, Mom?"

"Sure, and how were your exams this week?"

"Oh, it was great, Keanu helped me with History and all."

"That was nice of him. He sounds like a good boy."

After chatting with his mother which ended up a bit longer in conversation and Hunter had to endure it until she finished it or let her know that Hunter wanted to hang up.

Hunter hung up and went back to the living room with Keanu who was waiting for him to continue playing.

"How was it?" Keanu asked.

"I can stay here for dinner, and if your father won't come back home, I can spend the night with you."

"Don't worry, my dad just texted me and he's coming home soon."

"Ah, that's great."

"You... want to spend the night with me, Hunter?"

"I just didn't want you to leave you alone in the house."

"It's okay, I spent my weekends alone before. Dad is busy out there, and I do still see him coming back home. Even Aunt Sophia comes by to check on me."

"Right, I remember meeting her that one time."

"Uh-huh, so... you want pizza?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Keanu went to the kitchen and pulled the bottom drawer of the freezer. He came back with two boxes of frozen pizzas. "Which one do you want? I have pepperoni and supreme deluxe."

"Wait, you're not gonna order?"

"No, Dad bought them last week, and don't worry, these are a good quality brand."

"Sure, and what's the supreme one?"

"Uh, it has pepperoni, sausage, green and red peppers, bits of onions, black olives, bacon, and other few more toppings..."

"Whoa, didn't know you have good taste."

"Dad loves it, and so do I. I kind of had some by default because I came back home a day early from my uncles' home and my parents were having pizza and I don't usually eat that kind of toppings they like, but I was so hungry that I didn't think much about it, but it was very good. So, which one do you like? Dad won't mind if I didn't pick his favorite."

The mood was growing nicely good. Hunter answered his question. "I'll have the regular pepperoni. The supreme is not really my kind of pizza."

"Sure, I'll start making it soon. Uh, you don't like the Hawaiian, do you?"

"No, not a big fan of pineapples on pizza."

"I don't know what's the big drama, it tasted good when I had some."

"It's just a weird combination. Come on, let's see if I can beat you." Hunter challenged.

Another round of gaming brought joy and excitement between the wolves and the games changed from calming golf simulators to thrilling racing games. Keanu started to make the pizza in the oven. It would be ready in twenty-five minutes after preheating the oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit.

Then Hunter and Keanu heard the main door unlocking. There came in a wolf-man in a police uniform who looked very tired and brought a small box of doughnuts.

"Keanu, I'm home," said Officer Winters. "I bought some doughnuts."

There was a sense of relief that lifted off Keanu's and Hunter's shoulders. Like a soldier who came back home from deployment.

Keanu sat up from the couch and walked up to him. "Hi, Dad, you came back home early."

Kendall heartily chuckled. "That's because starting today, I have my week-off. I can spend some time with you and others for Thanksgiving."

"That's nice..."

"Here, I brought some doughnuts. Are you making dinner as I told you?"

"Oh, yeah." Keanu picked up the small box and placed it on the dining table and hugged his father suddenly.

Kendall didn't think much but chuckled warmly. "Hey, I wasn't that absent that long..." he ruffled his son's head. "Do you really miss me that much?"

"I..." Keanu separated the hug, "maybe a little, I had a rough day today."

"What happened?"

Hunter walked up to the two. "Mr. Winters, can I talk to you in private?"

Once again, Hunter went back to the balcony with Kendall for a private talk. Hunter explained what happened at the university at noon. From Terrence's aggressive confrontation to his questions about Keanu being on a crashed airplane, Xerxes' point of view on what Terrence was up to, and Keanu's questioning about Xavier's career choice.

Kendall was quiet as he listened but held the balcony railing with a tensed grip that could bend the handrail.

"Did you all do something about it?" Kendall said calmly but Hunter caught his subtle growling.

"Yes, my friend Xerxes reported it to his coach. I think they're going to suspend him one more time or..." Hunter wasn't sure about the punishment sentence. "They may kick him out from his football club or possibly expel him for his actions."

Kendall sighed. "Is Keanu okay?"

"Yes, he's doing well, that's why I'm keeping him company until you came back home."

"I see, thank you for the help, Hunter. If that's what makes him happy and comfortable, I'm very glad that you are here when he needs it."

"Thank you, and... about that plane crash, Mr. Winters..."

Kendall frowned sadly. "I'm... not the right person to talk about it, Hunter."

"So, it is true, was Keanu on that plane?"

Kendall nodded. "Yes, but this is a very sensitive subject, Hunter, and I'm in no position to talk about it."

Hunter sighed in defeat but was satisfied to easily confirm it. "Might as well talk to my father about it since he investigated the crash."

The older wolf raised an eyebrow. "Your father works for the NTSB?"

"Yeah, he led the investigation over a year ago."

"What's your last name, Hunter?"

"It's Montana."

Kendall stood there thinking heavily and his eyes twinkled. "I think I met your father at the hospital."

"Really? What was he doing there?"

"He came to interview Keanu at the hospital a week after the accident, but I told him not to do so and I told him my point of view instead. I... saw the whole thing..." Kendall grimaced uncomfortably, looking away.

Hunter's ears fell. "I'm sorry you went through that, Mr. Winters."

"It's okay, Hunter, it's not easy to lose a loved one, but another? That's just too much."

"Keanu told me about his mother last month."

"Really? I assumed you asked him nicely about it."

"I guess, the conversation went from one thing to another. He teared a little but kept talking about it. Maybe because the way how Terrence forced him to speak up about it scared him away."

"That makes sense, the death of his mother and the crash is different in comparison. You should be now aware that Keanu has PTSD from his ordeal. Now, it may not seem like it, but Keanu is doing well so far, right? When he met you, I saw Keanu getting happier than ever every time I came back home, and so Aunt Sophia, to check on him. I cannot thank you enough. Just do what you think is best, okay? You have been a great help, Hunter."

"Thank you." Hunter nodded.

Kendall and Hunter heard the door sliding open and Keanu appeared through the gap. "Pizza's ready."

Keanu had placed the cooked pizza on the table and sliced it into six pieces. The pepperoni pizza was good. It had the rising crust on the edges like soft bread. The cheese and pepperonis tasted like were freshly made. Keanu wasn't kidding about this good-quality brand. The company was nice like Hunter would have wished back home and Keanu had settled down for the past hours since the incident for the time being.

Hunter openly chatted with Kendall about himself as this was the first time Hunter would dine with them. It was nice to get to know him as Hunter saw him as a very kind man, it was hard to imagine him now while wearing his uniform. They all posed that serious and strict voice and tensed looks. But Hunter assumed that was what all policemen should act during their duties.

When Hunter asked Kendall if working in the police ran in the family, Kendall had a different answer.

"Not really, Hunter, I was the first one in the family to join the force. My father is a baker and runs a bakery shop in Little Lake. I was interested in becoming a police officer and I joined the academy after high school."

"You didn't go to college?"

"I thought about it at first, but my parents could only provide money for two, and because I couldn't get into a scholarship, I convinced them to invest it in my brothers Derrick and Klaus to go to college instead. Now Derrick runs a coffee shop and Klaus is a doctorated dentist."

"Cool. It all worked out well."

After eating the pizza, Keanu fetched the box of doughnuts for dessert.

Hunter chuckled. "You know, this is, like, the best stereotype of being a police officer."

"The most delicious one," Keanu said, smiling, "I didn't think of it much when I was younger, but I was enjoying a little treat every time dad came back home."

Kendall chuckled. "Once I said to myself that I will never become those police officers that movies and cartoons always portray, and I still do, but the coffee and doughnuts will never go away."

The wolves laughed, enjoying the company tonight and Hunter saw the time that it was time to go.

"Keanu, you're doing alright now?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, thank you for staying with me. Are you going back home?"

"Yeah, I need to go." Hunter picked up his backpack below the coat hanger. "Thanks for the dinner, Keanu, it was delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," Keanu walked up to him and hugged him. Hunter felt a little embarrassed that Keanu did it in front of his father, but he was smiling kindly. Hunter hugged back with a few pats on his back.

"I hope you feel better tomorrow, okay?"

"I will."

They split the hug and Keanu opened the door for him. Once again, Hunter said, "Take care, Keanu." And kissed him on the cheek. "Night."

"Goodnight."

Hunter came back home and greeted his parents in the living room, having some quality time together while their children were playing in their rooms. Hunter only talked about his dinner with the Winters and said he had fun with them, saving the other serious talk for later. He had all weekend to chat with his father later.

In his bedroom with River, Hunter immediately picked up his phone and texted Xavier.

"No need to look further. I talked with Keanu's father, and he confirmed to me that Keanu was indeed onboard flight 8085."

Xavier texted. "Keanu was in a plane crash? Holy shit, Hunter! Is he okay?"

That wasn't Xavier... that was... Sol? Hunter texted him, "Sorry, this was for Xavier."

"Oh, ok, but still... OMG, Hunter! Is this for real?"

Hunter sent the same text message to Xavier this time and continued with the accidental conversation with Sol. "I'll explain everything to you later, okay? Everything is still all fuzzy to clear up."

Sol said, "Ok."

Hunter checked Xavier's text. "I see... So, the media messed up with the species, huh?"

"Yeah, an accidental cover-up."

"This stuff happens all the time. I don't blame them when they want to be the first to show it to the public."

Xavier then decided to call him. Hunter answered. "Listen, uh, while I talked to his father, he didn't want to talk about it."

"Not even Keanu?"

"No, I'm not sure, but I don't want to pry him."

"That's alright, Hunter, this is common for sole survivors. Some have told their tales, and some haven't. Does Keanu have PTSD?"

"I think so, we all saw how Terrence mistreated him, but Keanu is better now. I stayed with him all day to the evening."

"That's very nice of you, and a good sign that he is doing well too after one year after the accident. And... I think you should know about another thing about being a sole survivor, Hunter."

"What is it?"

"There's something called survivor's guilt, but it's generally just PTSD. It's often associated with people who survived deadly disasters. They feel guilty for surviving and wished they could have done something about it, some fear being judged for their actions, and they feel that they did something wrong because others did not survive."

"But Keanu did nothing wrong, he was a passenger."

"Exactly, if that's not the case, then he was just traumatized from the ordeal. I'm sure he had the needed therapy. Hey, when did his mother die?"

"Uh, about eight years ago, he was ten when it happened."

"Huh, so, do you think he had therapy to cope with the death of his mother?"

"Uh, y-yeah, yes, he did tell me he and his father had therapy before."

"Okay, I'm not making a conclusion here, but it seemed like they went into a bit of mental training if they were going through a situation like that again. You know the whole 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?'"

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean, but Keanu didn't die, this was a close call."

"Yeah, but even close calls can be life-changing. Also, Hunter, you should be careful when talking to Keanu if you want to know about his ordeal. This is a very sensitive subject. If Keanu talked to you about his mother at ease, then this event really marked him more than what his childhood trauma could."

"Then I'll do my best to be by his side when he's ready."

"Sure, and, if his mother wasn't on the plane, then why Keanu was flying alone on a flight from Denver to Rexville? I just finally found the manifest, and it says here that he was flying solo."

Hunter didn't have an answer to that. "Hah, I don't have the context behind Keanu's trip." Hunter suddenly remembered that Keanu went on a trip to Denver with his uncles that one time during the last soccer match. "W-wait! I think I know!"

"You do?"

"Yeah, Keanu told me he went to a football match in Denver with his uncles and cousins."

"But if he was traveling with his family, why was he alone on the return flight?"

Now Hunter found a confusing dead end. "I don't know, I'll have to ask them. This is harder than I thought. I don't want to pressure Keanu, but this whole thing is now killing me."

"I know you mean well about his wellbeing, Hunter. I'm sure this whole thing will come to light."

"Yeah, sure, I'll deal with it later. I'll see you on Monday, Xavier."

"Good night, Hunter."

Hunter hung up and realized that his little brother was listening. He had an unsettled and worried look.

"Is Keanu okay, Hunter?"

Hunter placed his phone on the nightstand. "Sorry, River, I'm tired and I'm going to sleep. I'll talk about it some another time." Hunter settled down on the bed and turned off the lamp.

River followed and rested on the inflatable mattress. He was concerned and weirded out to hear this kind of conversation.