Aekea Chronicles vol. 3

[Ellen Roth]

Chapter 7

Phoenix glanced at Reiley, not being able to decide whether to console her or keep up his uncaring façade. Was it a façade or is he a genuine douche? Even he did not know. The line between real and fake had become blurred after years of wearing different masks. He is relatively certain that he does not like Reiley and he knows she likes him, but how is he supposed to handle that? The predator is being preyed on and it's quite strange. He isn't used to being liked. “I wonder how Ellen and Neon are doing? I hope they can get in to the mansion.” Ugh. Of course he would mention Ellen after what just happened. Doesn't he know that Reiley is jealous of her? Sure, they aren't dating or anything. But the point is Phoenix likes her and not Reiley. That was a problem.

Rezia had been slaving in front of her computer, surfing the internet and sifting through public records to find out where the Burwin estate was. One of the perks of being a librarian is the unbridled access to certain government records. All of the expensive properties in the city have their security measures on file with the police since they are more likely to have robbery attempts made on them than the average house. It helps the police know what sort of security breach has occurred before they even arrive at the scene, but coincidentally it also helps young people who are trying to solve a kidnapping break into an estate. “Have you found anything yet?” said Neon, his voice painted with a tinge of urgency. He was not known for being impatient, but he was also not known for taking any longer than necessary on a certain task. He was getting nervous from the amount of time it was taking. Was Rezia going to be able to find anything? If not, the search could end right here. Justice would not be served and Neon would not stand for that.

Rezia spoke up as soon as she finished exhausting all of her electronic resources. “I got the address! And some other information that may prove useful. Check it out: I’ve got the address of course but also the password to open the gate and a list of all of the different security measures he has. I don’t know how to disarm them but at least you can know what to avoid. Good luck. Keep your commlink on and I’ll tell you any more information as I find it.”

Neon overrode the autopilot on his car so he could park it a block away from his destination and the two of them could walk. “Hmm... let's see. Camera? Check. Flashlights? Check. Lock picks? Check. I think we have everything. Are you ready? I'm going to go in first but once we get in stay close to me.” That was perhaps the easiest rule Ellen had ever heard in her entire life.

“Ok, Pookie. I'll make sure I stay as close to you as I can. You should probably hold my hand so I don't wander off,” Ellen said in the sweetest voice she could muster. Since he was either ignoring or not noticing the subtleties, she decided to be as forward as possible without being creepy. There's nothing to lose, right? Either he likes her and something will happen now or he doesn't like her and he'll say so. His reaction was not quite what she expected:

“I don't really like it when you call me Pookie. Could you think of a better nickname, Eleanor?” Said Neon with that super cute grin that says “Yes, I’m fully aware that I did something I should not have done. But I’m too charismatic for you to stay mad at me and I’m going to use that to my full advantage”.

“Ugh! I HATE being called that. It's not even my real name! I don't understand why people assume 'Ellen' is derived from 'Eleanor'. It's not! It's its own name. Pure and simple. Grahh!! You know what? You've gotten me all hot and bothered now. This jacket is coming off. I don't want to get it dirty anyway; the mansion is probably very dusty.” Underneath her purple jacket that she had been wearing all day was a deep purple camisole with sequins near the seam of the bust. The way the jacket fell off of her body and slowly revealed her naked shoulders was enough to make anyone blush. Except for Neon.

“I'm keeping my jacket on. The mansion might be cold,” was all the response he gave her. It did not seem to be a very forced response though; there was no sign of disapproval in his voice or demeanor. He simply did not notice her blatant attempts at being noticed or he did not care. There was absolutely no reaction. He was sort of like Phoenix in that way and she did not like it.