CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE GREENS (Draft 1)

"Are you sure your parents are fine with me sleeping over?" 

Flame and Gio made their way down the street towards the apartment building he lived in. 

Gio shrugged, "Don't worry Flame, it's not like they really care about anything I do..." 

Flame frowned, "What do you mean?" 

Gio shook his head, "It's nothing." 

With that, he began walking faster, leaving Flame to wonder what really goes on in the Green household. 

 

"What's going on?" Tim asked, "What are you doing HERE Uncle Vic? I thought you were staying with us." 

Victor smiled, "I'll explain that later Timothy." 

Alexandra took a deep breath, "What do you want to know about my sister?" 

"Everything," Silver responded gruffly. 

Victor chuckled at his niece's determination, "You heard her Alex. Tell her everything." 

Alexandra scowled at him before turning back to the four siblings, "Fine. I'll tell you everything I know about my sister." 

Silver nodded as Alexandra took a deep breath and began explaining, "My sister and I never got along. We were both extremely gifted, top of our classes. Nevertheless, she despised me. I don't know why, but she did. And because of that, she behaved terribly. She was rude to our peers and teachers. She was cruel to our parents and me. And she was quite selfish. When she was 13, she used to get caught for pick-pocketing, shop-lifting, and so on. She'd constantly be in detention and hanging out with bad crowds. When I left for college, I didn't hear much about her. But when I came back, I found out she'd ran away. I tried looking for her, the police tried looking for her-" 

"Didn't you try looking for her?" Silver asked her uncle. 

Victor shrugged, "I was hired for the job, but it was your parents who did most of the work." 

Alexandra nodded, "I was the one who hired the three of them." 

"But why?" Tim questioned, "Our parents weren't detectives." 

Victor grinned, "Not necessarily." 

Alexandra frowned and continued, "Sometime after I came back, rumours were going around. Rumours about a gang of criminals who rob you blind. I had a feeling my sister might have had something to do with it. I hired your uncle and parents because I wanted to get proof, a shred of evidence, anything that could give me a reason to doubt her in the first place." 

Victor sighed, "The gang called themselves The Shadows. Over time, their group grew in size, until, eventually, it turned into a criminal empire." 

"They robbed banks, homes, businesses. They even resorted to kidnapping – sometimes even murder – in order to satisfy their hunger for wealth and power," Alexandra continued, "And I wasn't completely sure my sister was behind it. Well, not until that night." 

"What night?" Cherry inquired. 

"The night she came back and disappeared," Alexandra explained, "I met her in the bathroom, and we got into a fight. I didn't know what she was doing there or what she wanted. She wore the same dress as me, the same hairstyle and jewelry. We looked almost the same. She knocked me out and fled the scene. When I woke up, I noticed my necklace was missing. It was a family heirloom which contained a priceless red diamond. Our parents initially wanted to take the gems out and split it into bracelets between the both of us, but after she ran away, they simply gave me the necklace. I was furious and ran back to the party, only to find chaos. Her minions had invaded the Bankers' mansion and began taking away expensive jewelry, wallets, and even the funds we'd received that night for the charities. George and Vanessa had found out who she was, but it was too late. I ran after her until we drove to the edge of the cliff. You've prolly have read about what she said in the file, but the file doesn't describe the conversation we had before the police arrived." 

"What was it?" James asked. 

Alexandra took a deep breath, "I don't remember much, but I know this. She asked if I would take care of a 'him' and told me she'd be back for what rightfully belongs to her." 

"Him?" Silver echoed. 

Alexandra nodded, "At the time, I didn't know she had a son. When I came home and went to check on Blaze, I found she was not alone in her crib. Flame was there too, with his birth certificate, all his details and a note from her. I was his legal guardian, since she was legally dead. But I wasn't sure if she really was dead since they never found a body. And after the fire, the one that left your parents dead, I was sure." 

"So, she's really alive?" Cherry gasped. 

Victor sighed, "We believe she is, Cherylynne. And we believe she's after something." 

"But what?" Tim muttered. 

"Either the necklace or Flame," Alexandra answered, "But we're not sure." 

Silver made a face, "Now, what ARE you doing here Uncle Vic? And how are our parents involved in this? What do you know about the G.C.F.S.? Why was the flash drive behind your painting? Why-"  

"I'll answer all your questions, Silver," he cut in, "First, you must be patient." 

 

Gio took a deep breath and opened the door to his home. Flame noticed the apartment building was a little run down and old, but he didn't point it out. As they walked in, the strong scent of chemicals choked him and made him start to cough. 

A man and woman stood near their experiments, wearing lab coats and safety goggles, which was set where the kitchen was supposed to be. The walls behind the lab were also oddly built, which made Flame wonder if there was something behind them. They both turned in the boys' direction and smiled eerily, "Giovanni, you have a friend?" 

They spoke in a robotic manner and tilted their heads in unison. It sent shivers down Flame's spine – there was something strange going on with the Greens.