I wake up to the concerned face of Odeo. His eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are pulled into a tight line.
He relaxes when I open my eyes, but he's still so near me and quite stiff.
"What?" I ask, tilting my head.
He shakes his head. "It all happened so fast."
I chuckle. "You got that right."
I sit up and he helps me.
"Where's Gabby and Carlos?"
"Downstairs. Carlos found himself bored and started hacking into the Villa's house while we were talking and he found some stuff we should see. Not much though." Odeo says, standing up. He holds an arm out for me and I take it.
We walk down the stairs gently. "So hacking and stuff. This is all okay?"
He sighs. "I honestly get confused too. Like, we're doing this for good right? But what about their side? Is this good for them?" He stops and we pause on the stairs. "I guess we'll just have to see where this leads us."
Gabby looks up as we enter the living room.
"Thank goodness you're okay." She says, her eyes relaxing and her body slouching from her firm posture. "You need to see this."
She gets up to firmly shut the windows and pull the curtains close.
Carlos pulls out a big screen and soon a picture of my face as well as information about me, surrounds us.
"Serene. No last name still." I read. I walk closer to the screen. "Car accident. Hit by a car on her tail."
I look at Gabby. "A car on my tail?"
She nods. "It was chasing you."
I turn back to the screen.
"Injuries. Bruises. Deep gash on her head. Scratches on her arms and legs. Time spent in hospital. One month." I read. "We already know that. What's new?"
Carlos types something and the information changes.
"Fernand. Use this opportunity to finish your task." I read aloud. What?
"What task?"
Gabby shrugs. "My guess is that Fernand knows to erase your memory. But he doesn't really know the motives behind it all. Like he's working for someone. But just as most employees, they're kept in the dark from their employer."
"Oh. That makes sense. But his wife sure acted like he knew something." I say.
"I think they just need you back to monitor you and be sure what they did worked. They should also finish whatever task they need. And you did run away." Gabby explains. "Or, they have new information and need to do some more experiments with you."
"So what now?" I ask quietly, not very fond of the word experiments.
"We continue searching. There's got to be a way to find a good clue that'll lead us somewhere with Serene." Odeo answers.
Gabby sighs. "Well, if Mrs. Villa won't help us and if this is all that Carlos can hack into, we have to move again. Mr. Villa should be with his assistant doctor, Doctor Herce. Doctor Herce is part of the Frill and lives in the mountains. However, due to the other data Carlos collected from messages, the so-called business trip these doctors are on, happens to be in Streak. They're probably meeting with their boss and maybe Serene is part of the agenda."
"And how did you infer all this?" Odeo asks, raising an eyebrow. It's getting obvious that he's desperate to get a good lead and solve these two big quests. Especially since we don't really have a lead on the other quest about the mystery girl.
"Give me information and I give my opinions and perspective on things. Simple." She says with a smirk.
Odeo shrugs. "Okay then. So, Streak?"
Carlos turns off the screen. "If you guys are going to Streak, you need to rest here first. I'll check up with Gabe for the rest of the day and you all chill. I'll prepare things you guys might need. You never know what could happen within these next few weeks."
We agree with Carlos and decide to take a nap in our rooms.
***
I wake up just in time for the sunset and stand at the biggest window in the living room. I decide to open the doors and step out into the little balcony. I breathe in the fresh air and take in the view.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
I don't need to look to my side to know he's comfortably positioned on a wooden chair beside me.
"Very." I reply.
"We have so much to do but little to go on." He says, sadly.
I look over at him and smile the best I can. But I know it's not very encouraging.
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I want to get this over with, you know? Sometimes the longer it takes, the worse my patience gets. And that includes my attitude while waiting."
I chuckle. "I agree. Do you think God is helping us?"
He looks at me and tilts his head, the last rays of sun reflecting in his eyes.
"He's always there. And He's always doing things for us. Just not in the ways we always want Him to do." He replies.
I nod my head and scan the horizon.
"Streak. We're just following little clues that might get us nowhere." I say softly.
I feel him nearer, and when I look to my side, he's standing a few inches away from me.
He looks out at the setting sun.
"Do you suggest we go back to her?" He asks, still not looking at me.
I stare at the colors blending in and now hiding behind the dark cover of night.
"She shot me with a tranquilizer. We don't even know if it really did something to me or just knocked me out." I tell him. "But I'm willing to go back. Give it another chance. We can't just leave when we just got here. I like this treehouse too."
Odeo's smile is a tired one. Tired in the way that he's afraid to expect and maybe even hope that something good might finally come out of this.
"You guys can stay here." I suggest, with a shrug.
He shakes his head.
"Odeo, Gabby can come. But you stay here. Maybe two girls is not so threatening. Although Gabby can be a threat on her own." I pause, and see his smile lift a little. "Besides, you can come rescue us if things go wrong.
Mrs. Villa wants me, I think. So I'll go."
Odeo can't really protest because I've made up my mind. And I think he understands that.
***
It's 10pm on the clock and I'm staring at the dark blue house across from me. It looks darker in the night and by that I mean it literally blends into the black of night. The flowers seem to have been drained of color too.
I take a deep breath. "I'll go in first."
"You sure about this?" Gabby asks, cleaning off a smudge on her gun. The weapon glistens when the lamppost's light touches it.
"Yes. And I didn't actually think you carried a gun around." I answer in a hushed tone, now walking across the street.
Gabby chuckles softly. "We have our own choice of weapons when we get out into the field and they don't take them back. So yes, I have my own gun."
I'm standing about two feet from the door.
"Barge in, stealthily find a way in, or knock?" I ask.
Gabby shrugs. "Do you want to get hit with a tranquilizer?"
I shake my head and smile. Gotta love Gabby.
We walk around to the back of the house and see a white fence surrounding the backyard.
"Do you think they're smart enough to have a booby trap system or what-not in their backyard?" I whisper.
Gabby tries to hold in a laugh. "Most likely not. And they're smart, Serene. Mr. Villa is a doctor." She pauses. "They could be complaisant, but not dumb."
We open the little gate to enter the backyard and walk softly to the back door.
"What're we looking for again?" Gabby asks.
"Anything that can help us." I reply.
She nods. Carlos gave us gloves and I use my right gloved hand to open the back door.
It's already open. And no alarms trip.
I look back at Gabby and she gives me a quick nod as she takes up position on the other side of the doorway.
I walk inside and find myself in the kitchen. There's a weird looking jar on the counter and I walk towards it. I take the paper attached it.
Serene darling,
Take this jar. You'll need this information. And if you want Mrs. Villa to live, you have five minutes before it's too late.
-GL
I run back to Gabby, hand her the jar and note and run upstairs.
I look through all the rooms and find Mrs. Villa in the last one.
She's tied to a chair and bound in ropes.
I rush to help her and she tries to talk to me through the cloth in her mouth. Her eyes are frantic and she utters things in a panicked way.
"Hold still, would you?" I mutter under my breath.
She relaxes a bit but her frantic state still continues.
I finally free her from the ropes and when she gets up, she removes the cloth from her mouth and says, "Behind you."