Chapter 107: The Question About Her Father

Chris was surprised by the sudden change of subject, but he nodded. “Yes. You told me he disappeared years ago and nobody knew what happened to him.” Sara looked down at her hands before answering, “That’s right. But there’s something I didn’t tell you yesterday.”

She hesitated for a moment, and Gwen noticed the change in her expression. Sara rarely spoke about her father, even with her closest friends. Gwen knew how much his disappearance had affected her, so she didn’t interrupt.

Sara eventually continued, “Before he disappeared, the doctors diagnosed him with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. FOP. It’s a rare genetic disorder.” Chris looked at her with surprise. He’d known that her father had disappeared, but this was the first time he’d heard anything about his medical condition.

“The doctors explained that it could cause muscles and other soft tissues to gradually turn into bone,” Sara continued. “I was young when all of that happened, so I didn’t understand everything they were saying. But I remember how worried everyone was, especially Mom.”

She stopped for a moment before adding, “Not long after that, he disappeared. We never heard from him again. No calls, no letters, nothing. And now you’re telling me that there are people who look for anyone with unusual mutations.”

Chris understood why she’d brought up her father. However, he had no way of knowing whether the man’s disappearance had anything to do with mutants. Before he could respond, Sara looked directly at him.

“Chris, I want you to answer something honestly. Does my mutation have anything to do with bones?” Chris remained quiet for a moment. Until now, he’d been trying to avoid telling her about her powers because he was worried that the stress might cause them to awaken. But after hearing about her father’s condition, he realized that keeping the information from her might only make things worse.

“Yes,” he finally answered. “Your ability is related to your skeletal system. Once your powers awaken and you learn how to control them, you’ll be able to manipulate your bone structure and density.”

Sara stared at him without speaking. Her eyes gradually widened as she considered what he’d just told her. Emily looked between them before asking, “Wait, does that mean Sara’s father might have had the same ability?”

Chris nodded slowly. “It’s possible. If what the doctors diagnosed as FOP was actually connected to his X-Gene, that would explain why Sara inherited a similar mutation.” He looked toward Sara before adding, “But I can’t confirm anything about your father without examining him. I don’t know what actually happened.”

Sara barely seemed to hear the last part. She lowered her gaze and remained quiet for several seconds before asking, “So I might have gotten it from him?” Chris nodded. “Yes, that’s possible.”

She looked toward him again. “Then do you think those people you mentioned could’ve taken him?” Chris hesitated before answering, “I don’t know, Sara. It’s possible, but I don’t want to tell you something that might not be true. His disappearance could have been connected to his mutation, or it could have been something else entirely.”

Sara nodded, although she didn’t look particularly reassured. For years, she’d wondered why her father had disappeared without leaving any explanation. There had been times when she’d been angry with him, and other times when she’d worried that something terrible had happened. Now, for the first time in years, she had another possibility to consider.

After remaining quiet for a while, she looked toward Chris again. “How long have you known about my powers?” Chris answered, “I noticed your X-Gene yesterday. When I was massaging your feet, I had a chance to check more closely and confirm the mutation. I only worked out what your ability might be afterward.”

Sara looked down for a moment before asking, “So that’s why you were massaging my feet?” Chris shook his head. “No. Your feet were hurting, and I wanted to help. I’d already noticed something unusual about you before that. The massage just gave me a chance to confirm it.”

Sara nodded but didn’t ask anything else. She was still trying to understand what she’d learned about herself, and now she couldn’t stop thinking about her father. Her eyes began turning red, although she tried to hide it by looking down. She had spent years trying to accept that she might never see her father again, but now she was finding it difficult to hold back everything she’d felt during those years.

Helen had been watching her quietly throughout the conversation. Seeing Sara struggling to control her emotions, she finally stood up and approached her. “Sara, sweetheart, come here.” Sara looked toward her, and before she could say anything, Helen gently pulled her into a hug.

That was enough to break the little control Sara had left. She wrapped her arms around Helen and began crying against her shoulder. Helen held her close, gently rubbing her back without trying to make her stop. “It’s all right, sweetheart. You don’t have to hold it in.”

Sara tried to answer, but her voice broke before she could finish. She tightened her arms around Helen and continued crying. Helen didn’t ask her to explain anything. She simply held her, allowing Sara to let out the emotions she’d been struggling to contain.

After a while, Helen looked toward Emily and gestured for her to come closer. Emily immediately stood up and joined them, wrapping her arms around Sara from the side. Seeing her friend crying made it difficult for Emily to control her own emotions, and soon tears began running down her cheeks as well.

Helen then looked toward Gwen, who had remained beside the couch. Gwen understood what her mother wanted and walked over to join them. She wrapped her arms around Sara and Emily, holding them close. Unlike when Gwen had broken down in Chris’s arms after discovering her own powers, she didn’t cry this time. But she understood how frightening it was to learn something about yourself that you weren’t prepared for, especially when it involved someone you’d already lost.

Chris watched them quietly. He’d expected Sara to be frightened or angry when she learned about her mutation, which was why he’d been so careful about revealing her abilities. What he hadn’t expected was to learn that her father had suffered from a condition so closely connected to those powers.

He still didn’t know what had happened to the man, but looking at Sara crying in Helen’s arms, he couldn’t help wondering whether her father’s disappearance had something to do with his mutation. If that was the case, there might still be a way to find out what really happened to him.