Marty says, 'A brand new adventure... and it isn't a good one.'

Claudine had been right when she'd said I would be back to top shape in no time. With Mom forcing food down my throat every six hours, and making sure I took a nap immediately afterward, I was perfectly healthy two days later. Healthy enough to be sent to scrub the kitchen sink. Iliara had stipulated that I only needed to wash off the surface dirt, but Mom had insisted I leave it sparkling clean. That entailed scratching off the rust from the metal, scooping as much debris as possible from the drain pipe, and sponging it with bleached water till it shone like silver.

I loved my mother to death, but this level of cruelty was uncalled for. Couldn't she see I was deeply sorry for the trouble I'd caused? I'd even promised never to do it again. Yet, she'd declared that I would never learn my lesson till I paid the price. That was lack of trust right there.

My lips curved downward, I turned to the other side of the room, where Mom sat with Iliara, enjoying a lively chat. I narrowed my eyes. There she was, my birth giver, completely negligent of my suffering. She'd explicitly stated that the reason she'd followed me into the kitchen was to ensure I didn't slack off. I watched as she laughed at something Iliara had said.

Yup. She definitely doesn't trust me.

"I'll have to go cutlery shopping soon with the way things are. I barely have any spoons and forks left. The house's demon has been working overtime. Even my chef knife disappeared a few weeks ago." Iliara grumbled, oddly seriously.

Mom waved off her speculations with a hand. "I'm sure it's just the twins being careless."

A memory of a certain knife shattering on the back of a certain troll flashed in my head. Quickly looking away, I scrubbed harder, determined that Iliara didn't realize the demon she sought was just across the room. Physically emersed in the task, it allowed my mind to drift. I thought of the aftermath of the auction night, or rather, the absence of it.

Aside from the conversations between Mom and Claudine, there had been no mention of my valiant escape to Monarchy Hotel. That was indeed strange, as I had expected to be thoroughly interrogated. It was as though Uncle Gerald and I had reached an unspoken agreement that as long as I didn't ask of his quest for the Algorax Chain, he wouldn't bring up my deviancy. Due to my unstable condition the past few days, I'd skipped most of the week at school. That couldn't be good for my already bad grades.

Nevertheless, the recent uneventfulness was unsettling. The Vrhanian Coven was still out there, and we were yet to uncover their plans or motives. And then there was Laura. This all felt like the calm before the storm -I hated it.

Shrill chimes resonated through the halls and I jumped from where I crouched. "I'll get it!" I yelled, running towards the main door. Here was a chance to take a break from my chore, and I certainly wasn't missing it. My fingers ached!

Grabbing its knob, I pulled the door open, all relaxed and perky, but that changed once I saw who was on the porch. Fabian stood before me in a jacket and jeans, his shoulder-length hair uncharacteristically haggard. As I gazed tongue-tied at him, I sensed my body stiffen. I hadn't exactly gotten around to deciding how I would handle seeing him again, mostly because I hadn't expected to be confronted this soon. Since I hadn't planned on any reaction, my subconscious opted for no reaction at all, for I couldn't speak, move, or breathe.

"Marty dear, who is it?" Iliara's call was exactly the awakening I needed.

"A schoolmate! He's just stopping by! I'll be quick!"

Turning back to Fabian, I looked at him. Really looked at him. He was deathly pale, not a drop of color in his skin. His face was quite sullen. Coupled with the dark circles around his eyes, it vaguely reminded me of the black clouds prior to a downpour. Usually, the white of his eyes was as spotless as snow, but today, it was stained by a smoky red. Had he been crying?

"Fabian..." I called softly. "Are you okay?"

He didn't reply, but faced his back to me, at last sitting at the head of the porch's stairs. That place wasn't very clean. Mom had scheduled for me to sweep it later in the day, but Fabian didn't seem to mind. Smoothing my baggy shorts, I sat beside him. We stayed that way for a while, a while where I couldn't stop twitching and squirming. I was nervous, but I concluded it wasn't because of the truth I now knew about him.

Regardless of his motive, Fabian had been a good friend. He'd looked after me, both in the hallways of our school and through my various life-or-death situations. It would be unfair to strick out his rights because of his wrongs. Sure, I'd been shocked to find out he'd been keeping tabs on me all along, but that shock had had its time to die down. I was ready to move on, I suppose.

"My father was murdered." Fabian finally announced. He said it calmly, like he was declaring something as unspectacular as the color of the sky. I, on the other than, couldn't reflect his composure.

My jaw fell, as every muscle in my face constricted into a frown. Fabian's father was dead? The fact seemed unreal to me. The man who had glared at me only nights ago, the man who I'd played a prank on, was no more? I had a thousand questions to ask, and even more I didn't think I should ask. Taking a glimpse at Fabian, I took in his serene look, as he stared absentmindedly into space. It was a wonder he was this collected.

No matter, it was probably for the best that I did nothing to change that. Better this than his sorrow. "How-How did it happen?" I picked my next words carefully.

Fabian shrugged, rather nonchalantly. "I don't know. I haven't been home since-" He glanced at me. "-that night. We had a big fight, didn't want to face him. Turns out I never will. Returned home this morning to find him in his office, a slit on his throat. His body stank, so he'd been dead for a while."

To that, I had no idea what to say. Neither did I have any idea what to make of it. Didn't important people have access to high-level security systems and guards? Oh, and Fabian's father was important -like president-of-Guardian-Corp kind of important. Was it possible for people with such status -and magic- to be assassinated in their own homes?

"I'm sorry for bothering you," Fabian said, dragging me away from my jumbled thoughts. "It's just... After I reported the murder, guardians swarmed the house and..." He shrugged again. "You were the first person I thought of."

I saw his pain then. His calmness, his bland speech; they were all a front. Beneath the surface, Fabian was deeply hurting. I recalled the moment he had told me of losing his mother at a very young age. He'd lost his father as well, before he'd even reached the legal age, in the worst way imaginable. He was all alone now -an orphan.

"You're not bothering me. We're friends." Placing my hand on his shoulder, I gazed up at him with the most reassuring expression I could muster. The contact felt alien, as though I had no business touching him, but as he didn't pull away, neither did I.

"I always knew my dad was keeping secrets, he didn't hide that bit from me. And someone finally killed him for it. He used to say -a lot- that when he was gone, I would find my purpose." Fabian let out a dry chuckle. "Nah, that has to be the only thing he was ever wrong about. He's gone, but I still feel so darn lost. I do know what I want to do in the meantime, though. Find his killers.. and return the favor."

I wasn't so sure murdering the murderers was the best approach to grieving, but we would discuss that when we got there. He was right about one thing, however, the killers needed to be apprehended. Shifting my attention to my tattered flip-flops, I wished that I could help with more than a pat on the shoulder. But I was no detective. I wasn't observant enough to spot the clues, and I certainly wasn't smart enough to make meaning out of it. That was Claudine's lane... and I was more of the loyal sidekick.

A lightbulb lit in my head. Excusing myself, I raced into the house. Up the stairs I went, swift and driven with purpose, bursting into my room. I then ran straight to my desk, picked up my backpack, and began frantically searching through it.

Please be in here.

In the excitement of the auction, I had forgotten to request Claudine's phone number or address. I still had no means to contact her, but I had the number of someone who could. Smiling triumphantly, I held the small sheet of paper to my face. Step 1 -executed. Although the house's landline was just a skip to the end of the downstairs hallway, I couldn't get to it fast enough. Hurriedly imputing the digits I read off the paper, I put the telephone to my ear.

The line picked up almost immediately. "Hello?"

"Hey, Stanley. It's me, Marty."

"Martina Rowekk?"

"Uh-huh. Please can you give me Claudine's address? I can't explain now, but it's an emergency."

There was a pause at the other end before a reply came through. "Um... Uh... Yah. I don't really have her address, but I know where the house is. I'll tell you what... Come over to my place and I'll lead you there. My address is-"

"Hold right there!" Dropping the phone, I rushed back to my room. It'd skipped my mind to bring along a pen and paper. Of course, I could have memorized the location, but I wasn't very confident in my retentive memory. Better to not take any chances.

Less than a minute later, I was armed with the necessary jotting equipment. "Okay, I'm ready now."

Between listening to Fabian and speaking with Stanley, I must have wasted a lot of time, because, on my way back outside, Mom stepped out of the kitchen, fixing me with a threatening glare. "What in the world are you up to now?" I'd forgotten I had a mother to placate.

Steeling my resolve, I took in a deep breath and let it out. "Mom, I know I'm not allowed to go outside. And I know I deserve it. But please let me this one time. There's something really important I have to take care of. My friend..." I wondered just how much I should reveal. "He really needs me. I swear, after this, I'll stay home and do all the chores you want. Please, Mom."

The seconds between my plea and Mom's response were the longest of my life. Or not. But it certainly seemed longer than it actually was. I waited, praying that she would be lenient, just this once. I couldn't leave the house without her permission. At long last, she rolled her eyes.

"Kids and their obsessions. Fine, but -"

Too overjoyed to let her finish her sentence, I roughly embraced my mother, evidently startling her in the process.

"Oh my!" She gasped. "Okay. Be back before dinner, alright?"

"Alright, Mom."

That was that. The paper containing Stanley's home address safely tucked in my shorts pocket, I rejoined Fabian on the porch. We were set to meet up with Claudine and together, get to the bottom of this.

A/N:
Announcement!!! Announcement!!! Announcement!!! From now on, there will be no set date for updating. I'll update whenever I finish a chapter. Don't worry, I promise to post at least once a week, maybe twice. Thanks for all the support. Love you guys <3 ♥

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