Devil's Triangle - 3D Presence 8.4
To say he was shocked after receiving a phone call from his nephew would be a gross understatement. Thomas was dumbfounded. He had expected Tamm on the line. When Shawn’s hesitant voice drifted down the line to ask for tutoring, pride and excitement filled his heart. Not once had he imagined his nephew would willingly ask for help with his studies.Bursting with enthusiasm, it took Thomas the rest of his shift to study up on Chemistry and Biology. For the first time, the lack of activity at the police station was a blessing. He pored over online texts and pulled up old homework he had done from the dusty confines of his cloud drive. By the time he reached Tamm’s doorstep, he was half-confident he could help Shawn with anything the teen threw at him.When the door opened to reveal his sister with bed hair, the radiance in her aura must have matched his own. Her disheveled clothes did nothing to hide the smile plastered on her face.“Why, if it isn’t my kid brother,” she teased. “Come in, Thomas.”Grinning, he followed her into her house. As he slipped his uniform boots off, he tucked the file of papers he had compiled under his arm. “This is a real surprise, Tamm. Shawn calling me about homework.”“Yeah, it sure is,” she chuckled as she leaned against the metal staircase railing. “I thought he was joking at first.”Thomas straightened and pointed a finger towards the kitchen. “Mind if I get a glass of water?”“Sure, let me get it for you.” Tamm strode down the hall, Thomas trailing her.The kitchen was in a mess. All sorts of vegetables and meats covered the island table. Plates, bowls, and pots took up the other counter surfaces. The tantalizing smell of different spices wafted up to his nose, stimulating his empty stomach. Thomas pushed aside a bowl filled with garlic, making enough room for him to place his hands on the table.“Food preparation for tomorrow?” His gaze scoured the ingredients and half-made dishes.Tamm hummed in reply as she rummaged in the cupboard for a glass. “A bit of experimentation too. I need a new dish for the upcoming festival.”“Oh right, that’s coming up soon.” Spying a plate of freshly breaded chicken, Thomas snuck a piece into his mouth.With her back to him, Tamm warned, “Don’t eat too much, or else I’ll have you clean up the place as punishment.”“Shit,” Thomas mumbled. He swore his sister had eyes implanted in the back of her head.Tamm turned around and placed a glass of warm water in front of him. “And yes, I do have eyes everywhere.”When Thomas’s eyes bulged in surprise, she gave him a conspiratorial wink. “Now get your ass up there and help Shawn out. I trust you brushed up on your knowledge.”He eyed her with suspicion, still wondering how she could read his mind. “Yeah don’t worry, I read up.” He patted the file in his hand. “By the way.” He scooped up the glass of water in one hand. “Any idea what made Shawn reach out to me?”Tamm’s shoulders rolled in a shrug. “Nope. No idea at all.”“At this point, I don’t really care,” she added with a grin.Thomas laughed and lifted his glass in a toast. “I can roll with that.”“You do what you were doing.” He gestured with a tilt of his head. “I’ll go up and see Shawn.”“Go ahead,” she called out as he backed out of the kitchen. ~ ~ ~Thomas turned on his heels and walked down the hallway. Behind him, the sound of Tamm’s merry whistling filled the house with a cheeriness that warmed his heart. If only this atmosphere could be permanent instead of the stifling tension between mother and son. The problem was that Shawn spent too much time on his phone or in school activities when he should be focusing on his studies instead. The teen insisted that what he did - networking and information gathering - was important. The younger generation boggled Thomas's mind.As he climbed the staircase to the second floor, he heard a loud thumping sound. Guessing it must be Shawn, he skipped up the last few steps. The second-floor landing was spacious but empty. Attached to the wall at the back was a small basketball net. To the right was Tamm’s bedroom and a bathroom, to the left was Shawn’s bedroom and study room.The thumping sound continued. It was louder, clearer, and definitely emanating from Shawn’s study room. He headed for the door, knocking below the sign that said “Enter at your own risk”.“Shawn?” he called out. “It’s me, Thomas.”The sound stopped. “Come in!”Thomas opened the door and stepped in, elbowing the door shut. Shawn stared up at him from his swivel chair, one hand rubbing the red spot on his forehead. He sighed despondently, “Hey Uncle Thomas. Have a seat.”Thomas poked around the clutter of books, crumpled clothes, and gaming CDs. He found the stool sandwiched near the unmade bed. Hooking a leg under the stool, he pulled it up beside Shawn. He placed his file and glass of water down on the computer table. “How’s my favorite nephew doing?” He ruffled Shawn’s mop of hair.The teen’s shoulders slumped. He swiveled to face the computer screen. “Not good,” he groaned. “I’m still stuck.”“Where did that come from?” Thomas pointed to the red mark tainting Shawn’s forehead.Shawn rubbed the little bump that was forming. “Banging my head on the desk to make something click.”Having found the source of the sound from before, Thomas chuckled. “That won’t help. I tried before.”“Great minds think alike, huh.” His nephew managed a thin smile.Thomas clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Alright, then. Show me the problem.”The teen nodded. Pointing to the computer screen, Shawn explained the assignment question to Thomas. After listening attentively to his nephew, Thomas summoned all his knowledge to talk through the solution. A soft tinkle from Shawn’s phone stole the teen’s attention away from Thomas for a few seconds. Choosing to ignore his nephew’s distracted antics, Thomas continued on. By the third ping, Thomas had enough.“Shawn.” He kept his voice even with a hint of authority. “I can’t help you if you keep checking your phone.”The teen’s head jerked up, his eyes wide. A shade of pink tinted his cheeks. “Sorry, force of habit.”“I’ll turn it to silent mode,” he added. With a few flicks of his finger, the phone buzzed in response. He set it down on the table and pushed it out of sight.Satisfied, Thomas’s lips crinkled into a smile. “Great. Now let’s figure this out.”~ ~ ~Without any further distractions, the two guys huddled together, writing down equations and crossing some out. They inched closer and closer to a solution until half an hour later when Thomas cried out triumphantly. Thomas looked at Shawn who was grinning ear-to-ear and felt a sense of accomplishment bloom in his chest. “Quick. Key it in and see if we’re right,” he urged the teen with a thump on his back.Shawn nodded vigorously. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed in the solution they had arrived at. One press of the “Enter” button had both guys holding their breath as the server verified their answer. Seconds later, a green tick appeared on the screen. Shawn whooped, Thomas pumped his fist in the air, and the two shared a painful high-five. As they slumped back down in their seats, happy and exhausted, Thomas glanced over at Shawn. “That was great, wasn’t it?”“Yeah. That was awesome, Uncle Thomas!” Shawn laughed.Seizing the opportunity to change his nephew’s habits, Thomas said in a light tone, “Studying is this fun when you put your mind to it and do it with other people.”Shawn picked up on Thomas’s badly veiled attempt and rolled his eyes. “I see what you’re doing there, you know.”“Okay, okay. Guilty.” Grimacing, Thomas lifted his hands up in mock surrender. “But really, wasn’t that fun?”The teen was silent for a moment. “It’s not like I don’t want to study properly, you know. It’s just,” he paused for thought. “I can’t stop being distracted by stuff.”Thomas pondered over his nephew’s words. “Maybe you need someone to hold you accountable, like what I did. Someone who makes sure you don’t reach for your phone or computer.”“Probably not your mum,” he added as an afterthought.Shawn nodded in agreement. His eyebrows furrowed as he ran through a list of people. “Maybe Valerie?”At the mention of the girl’s name, Thomas recalled the slander incident with Sandra. He frowned, uncomfortable with her influence over Shawn. Trying to be gentle, he said, “Anyone else you could try?”Shawn’s expression dropped in disappointment. “I know you don’t like her, Uncle Thomas. But you know, she was the one who egged me on to ask you for help.”Without any further distractions from Shawn's phone, both uncle and nephew huddled together. Thomas wrote down equations, crossing some out when Shawn pointed out the errors. Closer and closer, they inched to a solution. Half an hour later, Thomas cried out triumphantly. He looked at Shawn who was grinning ear-to-ear. A sense of accomplishment bloomed in his chest. “Quick. Key it in and see if we’re right,” he urged the teen with a thump on his back.Shawn nodded vigorously. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed in the solution they had arrived at. One press of the “Enter” button had both guys holding their breath as the server verified their answer. Seconds later, a green tick appeared on the screen. Shawn whooped, Thomas pumped his fist in the air, and the two shared a painful high-five. As they slumped back down in their seats, happy and exhausted, Thomas glanced over at Shawn. “That was great, wasn’t it?”“Yeah. That was awesome, Uncle Thomas!” Shawn laughed.Seeing the teen so excited made him see a glimpse of hope. Maybe even a tiny possibility for change. He seized the opportunity. Trying to sound casual, he said, “Studying is fun when you put your mind to it with other people.”Shawn picked up on Thomas’s badly veiled attempt in a second. He rolled his eyes. “I see what you’re doing there, you know.”“Okay, okay. Guilty.” Grimacing, Thomas lifted his hands up in mock surrender. “But be honest. Wasn’t that fun?”The teen was silent for a moment. “It’s not like I don’t want to study properly, you know. It’s just,” he paused for thought. “I can’t stop being distracted by stuff.”Thomas pondered over his nephew’s words. “Maybe you need someone to hold you accountable, like what I did. Someone who makes sure you don’t reach for your phone or computer.”“Not your mum,” he added as an afterthought.Shawn nodded in agreement. His eyebrows furrowed as he ran through a list of people. “Maybe Valerie?”At the mention of the girl’s name, Thomas recalled the slander incident with Sandra. He frowned, uncomfortable with her influence over Shawn. He hummed in thought. “Anyone else you could try?”Shawn’s expression dropped. Disappointment twisted his lips. “I know you don’t like her, Uncle Thomas. But you know, she was the one who egged me on to ask you for help.”Thomas quirked an eyebrow. “Valerie did that? Why?”“I was ranting to her about how Mum’s stupid colleagues always get on her case because of my exam results.” Embarrassed, the teen looked away and cleared his throat. “I felt it was my fault but didn’t know what to do. So she suggested asking you.”Shawn’s confession surprised him on many levels. For a long time, Tamm's pleas were always met with indifference from the teen. That must have been an outward display to seem cool. Shawn seemed genuinely affected. Plagued by guilt and the inability to improve his studies, the burden on his shoulders must be stifling. Thomas felt a wrench of pity for his nephew. If he had known what the teen was thinking, he could have helped him out earlier. To that point, Valerie was another surprising young one. He never expected the rebellious girl to have so much sense. Maybe behind the bitchy aura that she exuded lay a kind, mature woman. A smile split his lips. He chuckled. “Get Valerie’s help then, if you think it’ll work out.”“You're okay with it?” Shawn grinned, his cheeks flushing red. “Cool!”The joy reflected in Shawn’s expression had Thomas’s heart bursting with love. His chest rumbled with laughter as he ruffled his nephew’s hair. This time, Shawn broke into a wide smile, the cloud over his head now lifted.Thomas got up and stretched his arms. “Well then! I guess it’s time for a break.”~ ~ ~After stretching part of his unused brain muscles for an extended period of time, Thomas needed a short rest. He picked up the empty glass, having drained the water long ago. “I’m going to grab some water. You need anything from the kitchen?”“Nah.” Shawn grabbed the can of soda by the side of his computer and shook it. “Still got some left.”“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Thomas winked.“Take your time,” Shawn called out in a sing-song voice as Thomas left the room.The moment the door closed, Shawn snatched his phone off the table. Eager fingers swiped through the various apps he kept open. Minutes may have passed in the real world but thousands of information tidbits would have flown through the cyber world. His greedy eyes glinted with excitement as he scrolled through his feed. Photos of his friends and schoolmates flashed past. Nothing interesting to take note of. He spared only a few seconds of his attention to the videos and gifs. Half-way through the long scrollbar, he noticed an intriguing link.www.timestoday.com/server-leak-throws-doubt-on-politician-affair.htmlHis brow furrowed as he skimmed through the article. He didn’t trust the reported information at face value. Too many things on the Internet could be fake. His nimble fingers danced across the small screen as he pulled up different links. With discerning eyes, he scanned the text for telltale signs of fabricated information. The final link he landed on was a mirror site for a reputable server that published news leaks and classified media.Shawn studied the content. He noted the writing style, language, timestamp, and edits. As his mind reached the conclusion that the information was accurate, his heart sank. He gulped hard. His eyes flitted over the screen as he re-read the article again.His grip on the phone tightened. If this published email was indeed sent by Sandra, if the photos were not faked…His mind raced as he tried to figure out how to handle this new piece of information. What bothered him the most was how Uncle Thomas would react. Sandra meant nothing to him but she was important to his uncle. Despite his belief that the information was not fake, there was still a possibility that it was a ploy by the politician’s enemies. So what was the point in telling Uncle Thomas and making him worry?“Hey, I brought you some snacks.” Thomas’s buoyant voice cut through his thoughts.Shawn flicked the article away and threw his phone to one side as if it were a ticking bomb.Chuckling, Thomas shook his head. “It’s okay. You can use your phone during breaks.”A sigh of relief escaped Shawn’s lips. He forced a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. This wasn’t the time to tell his uncle yet. Not until he found concrete evidence.
WindMeister8
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