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The Illusion of Secrecy	By : Khaleesi-Of-Dragons Category: S through Z > Thirteen Ghosts Views: 1994 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from 13 Ghosts and I make no profit from this story

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
When I was told we were going on another field trip by Dennis that night, my thoughts turned back to when we captured the Harold and his mother; it was definitely not a pleasant memory, but it was better than when we trapped Ryan. At least that time the only damage done was to my outfit when Harold puked on it. I pull on a pair of light blue distressed jeans and my Hogwarts hoodie followed by a pair of black boots with lace detailing on the sides. Cyrus knocks on the bathroom door, with his cane judging from the sound of it. "Hurry up, Elizabeth, you don't have to look nice you just have to do your job!" I stick my tongue out at the door, knowing that if I did that to his face I would be hit. After putting my thick hair in a ponytail, I open the door and run outside to where Cyrus's crew were waiting.
"Where are we going," I ask as Dennis, Cyrus, and I get in the car. Cyrus ignores me and Dennis gives me a shrug of his shoulders; if Dennis doesn't know, then Cyrus must be worried about him bolting before we could find the ghost. With a sigh, I pop in my ear buds and drown the rest of the world out as Metallica begins to play, bobbing my head along to the music with my eyes closed and my wall in place. I am down to twenty-seven now and Dennis is at one hundred and fifty-seven bricks. He's slowly being able to control his ability instead of it controlling him. It takes us two hours to get to a junkyard, the big rig in front of us mowing down the gates and the yellow police tape that was fixed to it. Looking out the window, I see more police tape on the cars that are stacked up around us. This doesn't look good. Dennis and I share nervous glances when the cars all come to a stop and we get out. It's been raining off and on all day so the men wear clear parkas over their clothing; all except Cyrus and I, he's wearing his usual tailored suit while I'm warm enough with just my hoodie and jeans. I look at Dennis, grinning at the bright orange pants he has on. "You remind me of Shaggy when you wear those."
"I look nothing like Shaggy," he denies with a shake of his head and a smile.
"Oh no, honey, you would make a perfect Shaggy." His smile turns into a groan of pain, his hand clutching at his head and making me remember how serious this is.
I slip on the special glasses, my hands shaking slightly as I force my wall to tumble down and let my Telekinesis loose. The speakers for the containment spells have already been set up and Joseph, an older man that's been a protector of sorts, gives me a nervous smile. "Is it bad tonight," Cyrus asks as Dennis collapses in the mud beside him. Dennis gives him a look that I figure was a silent way of saying go fuck yourself. I can't blame him, this ghost hunting shit sucks.
"Bad," Dennis asks sarcastically," that's one way to describe it. Insane seems a little more appropriate." He rubs to top of his head, something he's started doing when he begins to let his wall down to do his job. I reach out and squeeze his shoulder, using my power rather than my hand; that last thing I needed Dennis to know about was my frequent sessions with Ben. I doubt he wants to know about them anyway considering he thinks of me as the little sister he never had. "It feels like he's breathing down my neck, man." So Dennis does know who we're after, he just doesn't want to tell me. That's the least comforting thing to happen so far. Dennis tells me everything, but to withhold something in this line of work could mean certain death. "And it is my professional opinion we should get the hell out of here. Now."
"Noted." Cyrus straightens up and grabs a picture of the junkyard from one of his men, not bothering to thank him. "Clean this place up and then locate our guests." I chew on some gum, needing to calm my mind if I was going to get anything done tonight. Dennis shares my thoughts as he pulls out a prescription bottle, the pills inside used to control his seizures, but they'll do him no good tonight as Cyrus uses his cane to knock the bottle out of Dennis's hands, the pills flying in all directions.
"Ahh! I just need to take the edge off!"
"You know the routine. I need you clear-headed." He grabs the front of Dennis's turtleneck and hauls him to his feet, forcing him in front of the car—the picture is held out in front of my friend and Cyrus gives him an expectant look. I look on in sympathy, turning my back to the display and walking over to where Joseph was handing out wireless mics for us all to keep in contact with each other. The old man smiles at me, helping me with mine and turning it on.
"That should do, sweetie," he smiles. I smile back, worried that he might not be here after tonight. This was a massive job from how the others talked and looked around; I've never seen them really worried before, but now they jump at every little noise. "You, uh, you be careful tonight; I might not be there to watch over ya."
"I know, Joseph," I reply softly, wrapping my arms around myself as I look around. The junkyard has an eerie feel to it that I don't like, maybe it's because of all the cars that could come crashing down at any time, or maybe it's the fact that a ghost is here, watching a waiting for the best time to strike. Now would actually be best, while we're separating to set up equipment and the cube. As it is, the cube is being lowered to the ground by several cables and a crane. "You be careful, too, Joey." He waves me off with a chuckle, giving me two more mics for Cyrus and Dennis.
"...What is he, like a truck driver," Dennis asks, taking the mic from me and putting it on while Cyrus put his in his pocket.
"Folklore," Cyrus answers," the locals exorcising their demons. Or maybe it's because he broke his victims into as many pieces as possible."
"That's doesn't sound ominous in the slightest," I quip, stuffing my hands in my jeans pockets. As if the junkyard itself was enraged, one of the cars at the very top falls in front of the three of us; it would have crushed us had I not acted quickly and pushed it away. I look up at the pile just in time to see a giant flicker from view. "Fucking asshole," I scream where he had been moments before, my heart rate speeding up.
"I hate being rushed."
"Do you hate it as much as you hate your receding hairline?" I take on an innocent look at his glare, looking pointedly at the top of his head where there hair had begun to disappear. "Don't blame me because you got the shit end of the genetic gene pool."
"This one's different," Dennis states, diverting Cyrus's attention before he could smack me with his cane.
"Then you'll get a bonus," Cyrus shrugs.
Dennis looks disbelieving. "You don't have that kind of money." There's no arguing that fact, Cyrus was going broke really quick and my frequent shopping doesn't help. Why should I care if the old bastard goes broke? I still have my trust fund that my Uncle Jace set up for me before my dad killed him.
"After tonight you might be surprised, now get to work." Dennis reaches out a hand, looking determined yet scared of what might happen, and places it firmly on Cyrus's shoulder. Cyrus smacks his hand away, looking like a Cobra ready to strike. "Careful, Dennis, don't get too curious." Their staring match is interrupted when four of our men drag a man and a woman over to us—one man, Damon, cursing the entire time while the woman struggles. I roll my eyes upon seeing the two "spirit liberators" at the site. They've been hounding us for months. "I'll give you this, Damon, you are persistent." Cyrus looks amused, Dennis looks annoyed, and I'm bored. "And what about you, Kalina? Still carrying around those ridiculous quick-silver flares." He pokes at the satchel she's wearing with his cane. "Still have that quaint little magical book?"
"These aren't animals you're capturing," Kalina yells," they're human beings!"
"Yeah, dead human beings," Dennis scoffs. "Maybe you should join Green Peace and throw blood on old ladies furs." Cyrus chuckles at the jibe, the first positive emotion I've seen him use in months. I step forward between Cyrus and Dennis when Kalina spits on Cyrus's shoes.
"Who are you to play God?" Cyrus's amused expression turns into a pissed one as he steps forward to get in the bitch's face.
"Playing's for children."
"You'll never pull it off," Damon says confidently," not without the right spells, that and the thirteenth ghost!" With an annoyed groan I take another step forward and focus on the pair of idiots that think that violent killer ghosts would leave them alone as long as they freed them. After a second Kalina and Damon are tossed away, being drug through the mud until I focused hard enough and lifted them.
"Fuck off," I yell as Cyrus and Dennis walk off again. I make sure they're out of my line of sight before I release my hold, stumbling a little as a dizzy spell hits me. I haven't gotten enough sleep lately and to do something like that drained me.
"What bait?!" I turn at Dennis's shout, finding him looking around frantically. "We've never needed bait before!" The big rig that lead the way in here starts up, making Dennis and I spin around. It moves down the path towards us, blood spewing out of its sides and onto the cars and ground. "A truck full of blood? You gotta be shittin' me." Dennis turns on his heal and jogs back a few feet until he's behind the cube and the truck has stopped.
"Power up the cube," Cyrus demands in the mic, one of the men obeying quickly. The doors to the cube slide open, the lights inside flickering on thanks to the power surging into by the cables connected to the doors and the truck. "Start transmitting." The Latin spells begin to blare from the speakers, all of us looking for the ghost anxiously. The sign on the doors is for the Juggernaut, so I guess that's what place he'll take. He doesn't take long to appear, beginning to tear the men apart. I stay beside the cube, desperately trying to keep up with everything, but unable to. In blind panic, one of the men runs right into the cube with the Juggernaut right behind him, the doors sliding shut and trapping them both. Inside, the poor man is beaten and killed. I stare at the Juggernaut in horror; he's a giant of a man with disfigured looks and riddled with bullet holes, he still wore the torn and bloody outfit that he did when he worked in the junkyard.
Feeling nauseous, I turn and walk away, taking off the glasses and putting them in my jeans pockets. Lying on the ground a few feet away is Joseph, torn in two with a look of terror on his face, and a few feet further away is Cyrus, metal from a car lodged in his throat. "Son of a bitch," I scream, tired of all the death and gore.
/*/Meeting new Family/*/
I tie the ties to my skirt tightly to make sure it stayed in place, the skirt stopping mid-thigh like most of the skirts I wore. The tank top I put on is equally revealing, the under part stopping just before my skirt and the lace over it stopping a little under that; my heels match my skirt, red and black with a silver design in the back. Ben liked the outfit, saying he couldn't wait to take it off later. I smack his shoulder with a smile, taking a thermos of coffee from him to occupy me on the long drive to Arthur Kriticos's apartment. Apparently Cyrus had a nephew that he was going to leave the house to, hopefully my cousin would be generous and allow me to stay there until I could find a place of my own. "Why do I have to go again," I ask after we've been in the car for an hour.
"Because you should get to know the people you'll be staying with for the next few days," he answers, not taking his eyes off the road. "Plus, it'd be a long drive without some sulky teenager to entertain me." I scoff, looking out the window at the scenery. "Jesus, what has you so pissed off?"
"The fact that I get nothing after living with that asshole for a year has me pissed off. I worked for him and he didn't even give me the key to the damn liquor cabinet!" Ben rolls his eyes, digging around in his coat pocket before tossing me a little silver key. "Is this what I think it is?"
"That's the key for your liquid courage, yes." I stare down at the key for a moment, thinking of what all Cyrus might have stashed in there when he was alive; money, jewelry, something else worth a lot that I could sell on eBay. With a grin, I stick the key in my bra for safekeeping, there was no way I was letting anybody take it from me now that I finally have it. "Do I not get a thank you for that little present?" He raises his eyebrows expectantly. I knew what kind of thank you he wanted, and I would happily give it to him, but not if it risked us crashing and dying.
"I'll blow you when we get back to your office."
"I've heard that before," he mumbles with a frown, tightening his hold on the steering wheel. I roll my eyes skyward, praying that he wouldn't drive off the road into a tree or something before readjusting in the seat. I kick off my heels so I can put my feet in the seat and lay comfortably enough that I wouldn't get a cramp while giving Ben his thank you present. He sighs when I pull out his erection, trying to keep his face neutral in case a cop passed us. I give him a devious look, moving my hand up and down, squeezing every now and again. "Don't tease, Libby." His voice is a low growl and sends pleasant shivers down my spine. In response I twirl my tongue around the tip, the salty taste of precum making me wince. He didn't want to wait and he's making me worried, so I get to tease as much as I like, thank you very much. I take just his head in my mouth, sucking and licking to see if I could make him react.
His face doesn't change, but he bucks his hips, pushing more of his length in my mouth. I can't help my laugh, it's not often that I can get away with this and I fully intend to enjoy it. He teases me all the time and now it's my turn to return the favor. I take more of him in, gagging slightly when he bucks up again. With the hand that wasn't holding him, I squeeze his balls, feeling him tense. He was about to cum and I was ready for it; pulling back slightly, I continue to squeeze until he finishes with a grunt, catching the mess in a baby wipe. "You're welcome." He grins, using one hand to fix his pants while I cleaned myself up with a new baby wipe.

The apartment looks a bit run down, the hallway dark and musty. I wrinkle my nose in disgust, I've been in some pretty nasty foster homes, but this place makes them look like vacation homes! Ben notices my look and shrugs a shoulder, continuing down the hall to the last door on the right where my cousin and his family lived. "Are you sure this is the right place," I whisper after he knocks on the door, pulling nervously at the bottom of my skirt. He nods, giving me a confidant smile. I have no doubts that the man who opens the door is Arthur—he shares Cyrus's thick, dark brown hair, dark eyes, and prominent nose. There are differences with the similarities though, Arthur's hair is curly and his eyes are kind. The shirt he has on has a large spill stain on it, by the smell I'd say it was coffee.
"Mister Kriticos," Ben asks.
"That's right," Arthur nods," you're uh..." Obviously the man was busy as Ben had introduced himself over the phone two days ago.
"Ben Moss, how do you do?" The two men shake hands and then Arthur's gaze is on me. "This is Elizabeth, your uncle adopted her last year." Arthur shakes my hand with a warm, somewhat confused, smile on his face.
"Please, come in." Arthur steps aside, but Ben stays out in the hall, looking pointedly at Arthur's shirt.
"Is now a good time?" Arthur laughs, shaking off Ben's judging expression.
"As good a time as any. Please, um, just give me one minute to change." I follow Ben into the apartment, toys and clothing strewn all over the place. It reminds me of my own room, except mine was papers and clothing rather than toys. In the kitchen is a girl that looks to be around my age with the same good looks as Diana, a little boy with spiky brown hair, and a black woman with curlers in her hair. I grin at the little boy, recognizing him as one of the kids in the class I aided for when I went to Davenport. He recognizes me, too, jumping from his chair and launching himself into my arms.
"Hey, kiddo," I laugh, hugging him tightly. Bobby was one of the more well-behaved children, one that I enjoyed to be around. "You been tormenting your sister?" He grins, throwing the teen a devious look over his shoulder. The teen lets out an air raspberry, crossing her arms over her full chest. She's lucky, my boobs are only a B-cup at the most, plus, her skin is really clear. She's really pretty and she knew it too. The black woman is taller than me, wearing a black spaghetti strap shirt, sweats, and a jacket. She's thinner than I am, making me feel self-conscious. I look down at my own body, my belly poking out more than I liked; most people would say I'm short and fat.
"Tell Kathy that I pay enough attention in class," he demands, looking at his older sister stubbornly.
"He's always been one of the best kids when I was there." Kathy gives me a disbelieving look, taking a bite out of something that looked like road kill and smelled like three day old skunk. Ben raises an eyebrow at me when I wrap one arm protectively around Bobby's shoulders, looking as though he liked the idea of me with a little boy. The woman notices the look, but says nothing, going back to her cereal. "I'm Elizabeth, Ben's sidekick for the day." Kathy smiles at me, both her and the other woman shaking my hand.
"I'm Kathy and this is Maggie." Ben nods in greeting to them, looking around the small kitchen with a slight sneer. Arthur walks into the kitchen again, sporting a new shirt and pulling on a suit jacket while Ben sets Cyrus's laptop up on the kitchen table. Everyone crowds around to see what was going on, myself included even though I was the one that recorded the video they were about to watch. Maybe Cyrus added something, like me getting an inheritance so I can fix up the car Dennis got me three weeks ago for my birthday.
Ben sits down at the table so everyone can see without his big head getting in the way. "I represent the estate of your Uncle Cyrus Kriticos." Ben nods at the computer and I lean over his shoulder to type in Cyrus's password. Ben smirks, getting a good view of my cleavage as I did so.
"We have an Uncle Cyrus," Kathy asks.
"Uh, had," Arthur nods," I, uh, only met him a handful of times as a kid, he wasn't too popular. My dad said he squandered the family fortune." Those last words had barely passed his lips when Kathy perks up, her brown eyes lit with excitement.
"We have a family fortune?"
"Well, no, Cyrus squandered it."
Maggie leans over and pats Bobby with a smile. "Hey, Bobby, isn't that great? You have a late Uncle," she tells him, watching as he tilts his head to the side in confusion.
"What's he late for?"
"His next birthday," Kathy quips, looking disappointed that there was no family fortune after all.
"You mean he's dead?!"
"Now we get his attention." Ben lances at the seven-year-old in shock while I simply smile, and Arthur pats his shoulder, telling him to pipe down. Bobby's been interested in death since he was little, or so his teacher told me last year, and I was used to the morbid excitement.
"Cyrus recorded this message six weeks ago," Ben continues," he asked that it be played for you in the event of his death." He paused slightly before saying death, looking down at Bobby. Bobby has a smile on his face as Ben presses the space bar and the video begins playing.
A small video screen pops up, showing Cyrus lighting one of his expensive cigarettes that triggered my allergies; I rub my nose out of instinct. "Arthur," Cyrus greets in his deep voice," it's good to talk to you. Sadly, if you're watching this now, it means I'm no longer among the living. Happily, that makes you and your family my sole beneficiaries. I've instructed my lawyer Mister Moss to deliver the essential elements in my last will and testament. Give it to them, Ben." Ben pulls a weird key out of his pocket, it had Latin symbols on it and looked misshapen—it's the key to the front door of my house. "Don't give such a sour look, Elizabeth, I've left you your inheritance in your room; clean it and you'll find it." Well, that he added by himself, you can tell by the brief time lapse in the video. Ben hands the key to Kathy, who hands it to Arthur.
"A key to what," Arthur asks, looking down at it.
"A key to your new house." That wasn't creepy in the slightest. The video box shifts to the bottom right corner while three other videos pop up around it, changing every now and then to show different rooms in the house, including mine. "This house is the fruit of my life's work." When the videos shift again to reveal bathrooms, Kathy practically begins to vibrate with excitement.
"Bathrooms, bathrooms; everyone gets their own bathrooms," she says excitedly.
"Is this for real," Arthur asks Ben in a whisper.
"It is a one-of-a-kind home," Cyrus cuts in," it's my home, actually. My home. I have no complaints—I've lead an interesting life, I have seen some amazing things." All the videos disappear for a split second and then Cyrus's reappears in the very center. "But the only regret I have is that I never really got to know my nephew Arthur, nor appreciate the love of a family like you have. Elizabeth has only shared my home for a year, not nearly enough time for us to truly have that father-daughter bond that you share with Kathy." Kathy and Arthur share a look, their eyes shining in anticipation. "This house is my attempt to make up for that. The only request I make of you is that you let Elizabeth continue to live there until she can find a place of her own. Enjoy." The video disappears again, reaching the end and when I left his study to do a little studying of my own for a history test. Then the clip popped back up, clearly he had done this just to show that he didn't really need my help with any of it. "Perhaps we'll meet again...In another life."
Ben shuts the laptop, sending a smug look in my direction.
"Wow," Bobby exclaims, looking up at his dad.
"When can we see it," Kathy asks.
"The house is yours whenever you'd like," Ben replies. "Actually, Elizabeth and I are heading up there after work; if you want, you, your wife, and your kids—"
Maggie quickly interrupts, holding up one hand in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Maggie says loudly," time-out! I am not the Mrs. here."
"Uh," Arthur says, looking pained," my—my wife, uh...M-my wife is..."
"Our mom got burned to death in a fire," Bobby supplies.
"Bobby," Kathy scolds.
"What, it's true."
"That's enough, Robert," Arthur says sadly. "Mister Moss, uh, just exactly where is this place?"
"Just a couple of hours drive from here," Ben tells him as he puts the laptop back into his briefcase," in a town called Willow Grove, just up the Parkway. It's in a gorgeous area, but I have to warn you, your uncle liked his privacy. There isn't a neighbor for hours."
/*/Heading to the Glass House/*/
Ben rearranges the back of my dress, the black underlay getting tangled with the sheer gray overlay. I roll my eyes, knowing I should have chosen a different dress to wear to work, but I also knew that if I moved in with Arthur this might be my last time to get laid for a while. "How the hell does this happen," he scowls, meeting my eyes in the mirror of his personal bathroom. I don't answer, giving him a pointed look that said he knew exactly how it happened. He got too impatient and now we were both paying for it. A knock at the door makes both of us jump, Ben quickly covering my mouth with his hand. "Yes?"
"The Kriticos family is here for you Ben," Hanna says," maybe you should get your secretary back from her lunch break to do her job." Hannah's voice is annoyingly high-pitched and made most men run for the hills. "I have them waiting just outside your office." Ben waits until he can no longer hear the click of Hannah's heels against the wood floor before releasing me, quickly straightening his clothing. I give a huff of irritation, reaching up the back of my dress as best as I can and untangling it, the material stopping a little above my knees. As Ben runs his hands through his hair I pull on my shoes, black heels with a velvet bow on the front, and open-toed. They're my favorites, but I didn't wear them that often because they were a pain to keep clean.
"Are you ready?" I nod, walking out of the bathroom behind him and waiting for him to get situated at his desk before opening his office door and ushering the family inside. "Libby, why don't you go grab some dinner and I'll pick you up when we're ready to leave here."
"Sounds good to me." I give Bobby a hug before walking out to my car, tossing my purse into the passenger's seat. I sit there for a minute, fixing my hair and reapplying my makeup before starting the car and driving to Dennis's house. Dennis is already expecting me for dinner, though Ben thought I was meeting Diana. My friend's house is a small one with chipped yellow paint and red flowers poking out of the ground on either side of the driveway. He meets me outside, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face.
"Hey, Libby, you got someone here that wants to see you." A little girl runs out of the house and nearly tackles me to the ground the second I was out of the car, little Amelia giggling the entire time. The two year old is Dennis's from a previous marriage and got to spend three hours with her dad every other Wednesday. Cindy walks outside next, dressed in Gucci sweats and an oversized shirt to hide her rounding belly. "So, I, uh, guess I'll see you both next Wednesday unless the little guy decides to come early." Cindy nods, carefully walking down the porch steps with one hand on the railing and the other supporting her lower back.
"Libby," she greets breathlessly, taking Amelia's hand and leading her to the minivan. "Dennis, could you..." But he was already on his way, helping the toddler into her car seat and buckling her in. "Thanks, I had a good day today and I know Millie did, too." Dennis nods, giving his ex a kiss on her cheek before leading me into the house and shutting the front door behind us. Cindy and Dennis were the rare divorcees that stayed friends afterward, though Dennis and Cindy's new husband were mortal enemies of each other.
"Your bacon cheeseburger's in the kitchen." I nod, following him into the light blue room and sitting down at the kitchen table, pulling the Braums bag to me. "I thought you hated fast food."
"I've wanted it for the past couple of days, but I've been too busy to grab some." He nods, sitting next to me and taking a sip from my chocolate shake. "Anyway, we're heading to the house in a couple of hours, do you still have that, uh, power company jumpsuit that you used to get us into the Angry Princess's old job?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Because that's how you're gonna get inside and find your money."

"That's strange," Ben says as we get out of the car, staring at the power company truck parked in the driveway in front of us. The others get out of the station wagon and follow Ben and me to the house.
"Whoa, Dad, it's beautiful," Kathy exclaims with a grin.
"Oh my God, I've never seen anything like it," Arthur says, shutting his car door. Bobby and Maggie hop out next, Bobby holding a large recorder and a Razor scooter. That kid never went anywhere without them, I discovered that when I tripped over the scooter the first day I aided for their class.
"Cool," he grins," so futuroic!" Ben ignores everyone, walking over to a man dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and a white hard hat, clearing his throat to get the man's attention. I have to hide a smile when Dennis turns around.
"Oh, hey," he nods," it's about time somebody showed up." Dennis holds up his flashlight, shining it in Ben's eyes just in case he was recognized. "Is this your place?" Arthur's family moves to look through the windows, letting Ben handle Dennis.
"Mm, who are you," Ben asks, pushing the flashlight out of the way so he could see Dennis's face.
"I'm the power guy." Ben lifts the ID. badge clipped to Dennis's outfit, but his hand is slapped away promptly. "Ah, don't touch! Look, you probably don't know this, but your house is knocking out the power of the whole tri-quad area. I need to get inside and check the breakers." He has the flashlight held up again, shining it Ben's eyes every second or so to make sure there was no way he'd get a close look. I doubt Ben recognized him, they only met that one time.
"Could you come back tomorrow, is that maybe a possibility?" He's slipped into his I'm-better-than-you voice and I can't help but roll my eyes.
"Oh, tomorrow? Let's see." Dennis holds up his clipboard, pretending to read from it. "Oh, there's about 5, 570 houses right now without power; my bosses kind of frown on that, so..." The flashlight shines in Ben's eyes again and I can tell he's beginning to get irritated.
"Right, well, that isn't really our problem, is it?" He slaps the flashlight away to get it out of his face, shooting me a look that said to keep quiet. I shrug, moving to stand next to Bobby and tell him about the pool I convinced Cyrus to install in one of the rooms. It was a late birthday present, one I only got because he knew if he didn't do it that I would keep bugging him.
"Look, buddy, I've been doing this job for about three weeks, is there any way you can give me a bit of a break here?"
"Sure," Arthur nods," no problem." Dennis turns to look at him for a second before facing Ben again, the flashlight back in his eyes.
"Thank you," he says loudly in Ben's face. He turns to face Arthur again and continues in his regular tone," Mister..."
"Kriticos, Arthur Kriticos."
"It's quite a place you got."
"Yeah," Kathy agrees, playfully smacking Ben's shoulder," we're moving in."
"One step at a time," Arthur says, holding up the key. He turns, inserting the key in to the locking mechanism that held the first two doors closed; the key slides out of Arthur's fingers and further into the lock, appearing to anyone who didn't know any better that it had broken.
"Dad," Bobby whines," you broke it!" I pat his shoulder, shaking my head and nodding towards the house again.
"Just wait for it," I whisper in his ear. He faces the house again in time to see all the lights turning on, the switch inside the lock doing its job.
"Wow, you can see right through it!"
"What," Dennis asks sarcastically," you guys couldn't afford any walls?"
"Guess Uncle Cyrus wasn't too keen on privacy," Arthur adds, with a sideways glance in Ben's direction. With a whirling click, the two glass doors in front of us part, allowing us inside. Once all of us are inside the small room, Ben closes the doors so that the next set would slide outward and allow us into the living room. The living room was decorated to Cyrus's taste, the first thing you see upon entering is a Samurai suit complete with a katana. I follow the others inside without any of the awe that I used to have. The living room is boring when compared to some of the other rooms, this one dedicated to random things like manuscripts, swords, and old telescopes. "It's Latin." Arthur runs a hand over the wall with an eagerness I hadn't expected to see from someone his age.
I pull out a piece of Red Hot gum and put it in my mouth without realizing it, chewing while I watched the family in boredom.
"Oh Cyrus, you crazy son of a bitch, what did you do?" I turn at Dennis's voice, wrapping my arms around myself. I must have forgot to turn off the heater before I left because it's kind of toasty in the house. In the center of the floor are twelve circles, each one growing larger the more there was, and the center one spinning. "Are you ready," Dennis asks in a low voice, laying his hat down on a chair. I bite my lip nervously, nodding my head. If we were caught Ben might do something bad. He had a short fuse on his temper and little things could set him off. Dennis gives me a nervous look before striding over to Ben. "As soon as you show me where you hid the basement, the sooner I can get my ass out of here."
"I'll show him," I pipe up, walking over to the pair. "You know, make sure he doesn't take things that don't belong to him."
"Fine," Ben agrees before facing Dennis. "Listen to me carefully though, you make one move to touch her and I'll have your ass; I don't like sharing my toys." His voice is low, so only Dennis and I heard him and the look Ben sends Dennis says he wouldn't mind shoving the flashlight up Dennis's ass. "Understood?" Dennis nods hurriedly, gesturing for me to take the lead. Once far enough away that we knew we wouldn't be overheard, Dennis makes me stop.
"Does he always talk to you like that?"
"No," I state, furrowing my eyebrows," that was a first. Now, let's sneak upstairs and change, then we can get to finding that freakin' money."
- 3
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The Illusion of Secrecy