Elinqua stood in the dimly lit living room, his gaze shifting from one framed portrait to the next, tracing the lineage of his ancestors. His eyes settled on one in particular—his great-grandmother, Lois.

  Then, something struck him.

  “Wait… wow.” He leaned in, brows knitting together. “She’s looking in the direction she’s stretching her hands toward…”

  He tilted his head, examining the pose again.

  "Must be some kind of fashion statement," he mused. "Well, I should ask Mum about it. She might know something that’ll help."

  With that thought, he stepped outside.

  His mother, Rachael, was seated by the gate, as she always did, breathing in what she called “the best air—fresh air.” She had earlier invited him to sit with her, but knowing her son’s usual reluctance, she eventually left him indoors and went outside alone.

  As Elinqua walked toward her, he thought, I need to act casual. She shouldn’t suspect anything. I just want to know about that body posture, right?

  “Hello, Mama,” he greeted as he approached.

  His mother glanced at him with mild surprise. “Oh? What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you finally came out to receive—”

  “Fresh air,” he finished for her with a knowing grin.

  Rachael chuckled. “To my utmost surprise, no and yes!” he added, playfully beating her to her own words.

  She raised a brow. “Why no?”

  “I just have a quick question about fashion poses,” he said, feigning nonchalance.

  Rachael blinked. “Fashion poses? Now that’s an unusual thing for you to ask.”

  “So… are you going to tell me or not?” He grinned, his tone teasing.

  Rachael sighed, shaking her head with an amused smile. “Alright, alright. You see, we pose differently in pictures because maintaining the same stance limits creative expression in fashion photography.”

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  Elinqua nodded. “That makes sense, but… why did Great-Grandma Lois always choose that pose?”

  “She had her own style,” Rachael explained. “She favored the princess pose over others—like the ‘over-the-shoulder’ stance that most women prefer. That’s the pose you’ve been seeing in the living room for the past nine years.”

  “Huh,” Elinqua murmured, nodding thoughtfully. “Maybe I should look into pageantry. Could be interesting to learn more about this stuff.”

  Just as he spoke, the power in the house flickered back on.

  "What a coincidence" Elinqua whispered to himself silently

  “Oh, great!” he said. “Mum, I gotta go— First off, i need to recharge some Electrical appliances low on battery and second I need to start reading.”

  Rachael narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait… you haven’t read today?”

  “Just been unusually busy,” he replied, quickly making his way back inside as the sky darkened.

  Rachael’s laughter followed him. “Don’t forget to charge my phone! It’s under the drawer in my room,” she called out, still enjoying the evening air.

  “Got it, Mum!” he responded.

  Inside, Elinqua closed the door and exhaled. “Mmm… the princess pose.”

  His curiosity nagged at him. He picked up his mother’s phone, unlocked it, and checked the battery—37%. Enough time. He glanced back toward the doorway. No sign of his mother.

  Quickly, he opened the search bar in Google Chrome and typed: Over-the-shoulder pose

  The results loaded instantly.

  His breath caught. These pictures match! They’re just like Mum’s and Great-Grandma Lois’s pose in the portraits!

  He kept scrolling for some while, then suddenly—

  There it was.

  A photograph almost perfectly identical to Lois’s portrait. A woman dressed in blue, extending her hand in the direction she was looking.

  Elinqua’s heart pounded. “It’s real… it’s literally the princess pose!” he whispered, before realizing his mistake. His hand shot up to his mouth.

  He turned sharply—Rachael was nearing the corridor.

  In a panic, he exited the browser, locked the phone, plugged it in to charge, and sprang to his feet just as the door opened.

  “What's up, Mum? I thought you were enjoying your fresh air outside?” he said, forcing a casual tone.

  “And I thought you should have started reading?” Rachael countered, giving him a knowing look.

  He chuckled. “Just stretching my muscles a little. You know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

  “Oh? So you’re Jack now?” she teased.

  “Figuratively,” he replied with a smirk.

  “Well, well, well. Just make sure you actually read after all this ‘stretching,’ Mr. Jack.” She ruffled his hair playfully. “Did you charge my phone?”

  “Yes, Mum.”

  "What of the other rechargeable electrical appliances?"

  "Charging them too ma" Elinqua replied even though within him, he knew that was a lie.

  “Good. I’m going inside to make dinner. Set the table when you're done with your little charade.”

  “Will do,” Elinqua said, watching her go.

  Once she was out of sight, he let out a long breath. “Calm down, Elinqua… you weren’t caught,” he muttered to himself as he went in to right after her, sneaked out back with the electrical appliances to the living room and charged them.

  Later that night, long after dinner was over, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn’t come. His mind raced with thoughts, piecing together his discovery.

  The princess pose…

  Something about it felt more significant than he had originally thought.

  And he was determined to find out why.