Its time for the final screenshot thread! Show us what ya got here!
Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Writings On The Wall Season 1...Season 2 Chapters are now being added
King4510411
Posts: 2,056 Member
Chapter 1
Dai arrived at her new home in Twinbrook. It was in the middle of the swamp. She loved it! She enjoyed the peace and quiet she would get from this experience. Far away from the city and far away from her family. Not that she didn't love her family. She did. She just didn't like the fact of feeling smothered by her parents. She remembers the day she told them she was moving to Twinbrook. Her father told her it wasn't a safe town. He had heard a lot of bad things about Twinbrook. Her mother cried and pleaded for her not to go. When that didn't work she actually forbade her to go. Her father agreed with Debbie, but somehow Dai had convinced them. They weren't happy by any means, but Dai knew the right pout to use on daddy. Her mom had shown her and her sisters a long time ago. Mom now regretted it. Debbie was very upset Rei was letting her go, but some how Rei had calmed her down. So now here she was. Her own place! She was excited. Okay. Yes. It was in the middle of the swamp.
There was only one other house near her, but it looked empty and it was far enough away that nothing would disturb her. Many of her siblings had asked why she wanted to move away. She simply explained “I need peace and quiet to write my novels.” They just sighed and walked away. This was something she was passionate about and she would do whatever it took to get it. Twinbrook looked very promising to her. It was full of mystery waiting for her to write it all down.
She put her stuff down and decided to go to some places around town to get some inspiration. She had bought a bike at a yard sale and decided to use that to get around for now.
She noticed some interesting places for her to explore on another day. She was just trying to get a feel for the place. She decided she would find some locals to talk to. Maybe they could give her some history of the town. There were some rundown areas, nothing you would ever see back home, and some very nice areas with huge mansions.
One of the locals she had spoken to had told her the town was overrun with evil spirits. She wasn't sure who they were or where they came from, but the town had to actually hire a ghost hunter to get rid of them. Dai of course wasn't scared of ghosts. She came from the bloodlines of something far more terrifying than any ghosts. Of course she wasn't about to start that rumor.
It was getting late so she decided to head home. When she got to the house not far from hers she looked at it again. It looked kind of rundown and very empty.
She almost talked herself into going inside to check it out when her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and noticed it was her father.
“Hey dad.”
“Hey Dai. How are you?”
“Um...I'm okay.”
“That doesn't sound too convincing to me. Maybe I better come down there.”
“No daddy! Everything is fine really. You just caught me in the middle of something.”
“Oh. Well if you're sure...”
“I am. Look dad, I have to go. My dinner is burning.”
“I told you not to take cooking lessons from your mother.”
She could hear her mom slapping his arm playfully in the background.
“Yeah right dad. I'll call you tomorrow.”
Dai hung up the phone and went home. When she got to her steps she turned and looked. What she saw made her gasp. There was a light on at the porch now.
Not only that, but there was a man standing there in the yard staring at her.
As she stood there, feeling almost hypnotized, she could have sworn she heard him growl. She snapped out of her daze and looked again. The lights were off and the man was gone.
“This is a very intriguing town after all” Dai thought as she walked inside.
Dai arrived at her new home in Twinbrook. It was in the middle of the swamp. She loved it! She enjoyed the peace and quiet she would get from this experience. Far away from the city and far away from her family. Not that she didn't love her family. She did. She just didn't like the fact of feeling smothered by her parents. She remembers the day she told them she was moving to Twinbrook. Her father told her it wasn't a safe town. He had heard a lot of bad things about Twinbrook. Her mother cried and pleaded for her not to go. When that didn't work she actually forbade her to go. Her father agreed with Debbie, but somehow Dai had convinced them. They weren't happy by any means, but Dai knew the right pout to use on daddy. Her mom had shown her and her sisters a long time ago. Mom now regretted it. Debbie was very upset Rei was letting her go, but some how Rei had calmed her down. So now here she was. Her own place! She was excited. Okay. Yes. It was in the middle of the swamp.
There was only one other house near her, but it looked empty and it was far enough away that nothing would disturb her. Many of her siblings had asked why she wanted to move away. She simply explained “I need peace and quiet to write my novels.” They just sighed and walked away. This was something she was passionate about and she would do whatever it took to get it. Twinbrook looked very promising to her. It was full of mystery waiting for her to write it all down.
She put her stuff down and decided to go to some places around town to get some inspiration. She had bought a bike at a yard sale and decided to use that to get around for now.
She noticed some interesting places for her to explore on another day. She was just trying to get a feel for the place. She decided she would find some locals to talk to. Maybe they could give her some history of the town. There were some rundown areas, nothing you would ever see back home, and some very nice areas with huge mansions.
One of the locals she had spoken to had told her the town was overrun with evil spirits. She wasn't sure who they were or where they came from, but the town had to actually hire a ghost hunter to get rid of them. Dai of course wasn't scared of ghosts. She came from the bloodlines of something far more terrifying than any ghosts. Of course she wasn't about to start that rumor.
It was getting late so she decided to head home. When she got to the house not far from hers she looked at it again. It looked kind of rundown and very empty.
She almost talked herself into going inside to check it out when her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and noticed it was her father.
“Hey dad.”
“Hey Dai. How are you?”
“Um...I'm okay.”
“That doesn't sound too convincing to me. Maybe I better come down there.”
“No daddy! Everything is fine really. You just caught me in the middle of something.”
“Oh. Well if you're sure...”
“I am. Look dad, I have to go. My dinner is burning.”
“I told you not to take cooking lessons from your mother.”
She could hear her mom slapping his arm playfully in the background.
“Yeah right dad. I'll call you tomorrow.”
Dai hung up the phone and went home. When she got to her steps she turned and looked. What she saw made her gasp. There was a light on at the porch now.
Not only that, but there was a man standing there in the yard staring at her.
As she stood there, feeling almost hypnotized, she could have sworn she heard him growl. She snapped out of her daze and looked again. The lights were off and the man was gone.
“This is a very intriguing town after all” Dai thought as she walked inside.
0
Comments
The dream was very vivid. So vivid in fact that Dai woke up in a sweat. She got out of bed and walked outside and looked at the house across the swamp. She wondered if she was imagining seeing anyone there after all. The house was dark now. She must have dreamt it. She walked back inside and fixed herself some cereal. As she was eating she decided to ask around town and see what she could find out. She finished breakfast, brushed her teeth, got dressed and headed into town.
Dai talked to several people, but they all said the same thing. That house has been empty for years and to their knowledge still was.
She just couldn't understand it. She knew she saw someone there. She got back home and decided to do some research on the house. Maybe she could find something there.
"Oh wow!" said Dai as she read the article. Suddenly the phone rang. She looked at the caller id and noticed it was her sister Kei.
"Hey there sis! How's life in the swamp?"
"It's fine. Actually I've run across something pretty interesting here."
"Really? What is it?"
"Well there's a house just up the road. I can actually see it from my lower porch. Anyway, the first few times I went by it the house looked empty and abandoned. But when I got home last night there were lights on and a guy standing outside. When I looked back a few seconds later the lights were off and the guy was gone!"
"Come on Dai! Maybe he went inside and went to bed."
"Well I thought that too. So I went to town this morning to ask around and everyone said it's been empty for years and still was."
"Okay. That's a little strange. Maybe nobody knew that someone had moved in."
"Kei the whole town knew when I moved in. But that's not all! I came home and did some research on that house and it said that the people that used to live there was brutally murdered by their own son! The son was never found."
"Dai it doesn't sound very safe there. Maybe mom was right. You should come home."
"Please! Why should I do that? There's so much exciting stuff going on here. Kei, I'm going to go over there and snoop."
"Dai don't you dare! What if you get caught? Dad will be upset if you do that."
"Dad's not going to find out. I'll be perfectly safe."
"I don't know Dai."
"Listen, I'm going to go. It's almost nightfall and I want to check it out. I'll call you in the morning."
"Why don't you wait? Let me come down first. That way I'll be there to help you."
"I don't want to wait. I'll be fine Kei."
"Well if I don't hear from you in the morning I'm going to tell dad."
"Fine. I'll talk to you in the morning Kei."
Dai hung up the phone and walked outside. She looked over towards the house up the road. All the lights were off and it was completely dark. Now was as good a time as any to go looking around. As she was walking over she started thinking about what Kei had said. She stopped dead in her tracks.
"Maybe I should wait" she thought, "No! It's just your nerves talking dai! You have nothing to worry about."
She walked up to the door of the house and looked around. She didn't see anyone. She made her way inside to look around. It was very modestly furnished in the living room and kitchen.
She walked back towards the bedroom. When she walked in she couldn't believe what she saw. The walls were covered in writing. She took out her camera and took a picture of one of the walls.
"Wow this is creepy. What does this say?"
Dai was about to read it when she heard a noise outside.
"Oh well I have it on my camera" she thought and decided to get out of there. Once she was outside she ran all the way home. When she got there she noticed there was a car in her driveway.
"Who could be here visiting at this hour?"
Dai approached the lower porch quietly and looked around. When she didn't see anyone she headed up the stairs.
"Hmm...front door is unlocked. I know I locked it." When she stepped inside her heart jumped in her throat.
"He made me bring him Dai. I'm sorry."
"Who made you bring him? What are you talking about Kei?" as Dai sat beside her on the sofa.
Just as the words came out of Dai's mouth the bathroom door opened.
"Dai, dad would flip!" said her brother Scot. "What were you thinking?"
"Kei! How could you? You promised!"
"No, I promised not to tell dad. Scot isn't dad."
Dai stared at Kei then at Scot.
"Look Dai, I overheard her on the phone. I forced her to tell me."
"And where exactly does mom and dad think the two of you are?"
"Umm...well, we told them we were paying our little sis a visit." Kei smiled at Dai.
"What? Didn't they wonder why you both all of a sudden wanted to come visit at the last minute?"
"Well you wouldn't believe the art museum they have here and Kei wanted to come and I volunteered to travel with her to keep an eye on her and of course to check up on you."
"Oh! By the way Dai, you told me about the museum" said Kei smiling.
Dai couldn't stay angry with Kei or Scot. She was glad to have them here anyway to share her information with them.
"Okay. Well you're here now so I might as well show you what I found."
Scot and Kei sat there looking at the research Dai had done.
"What does this prove Dai?"
"Well I just got back from snooping in his house. There was this wall that had all kinds of writing on it. I took a picture of it." Dai showed Scot an Kei the photo on her digital camera.
"Are you sure you saw someone there? Maybe it's just because you are in a strange place."
"Scot I saw him. I even think I heard him growl."
"What? Growl? Come on Dai!" Kei said.
Dai sighed and looked at her siblings. "Come outside with me. I want to show you both something."
The three of them walked outside and downstairs to the lower porch. They all three faced the neighboring house.
"Is that someone staring out of the window?" Scot asked.
"Yes it is. I wonder if he knows I was in there?"
Suddenly Dai could have sworn someone whispered in her ear "Yes I know!" A chill ran down her spine.
"Let's go back in. Tomorrow is a new day" Dai said.
As they were walking back towards the stairs Dai looked back at the neighboring house. He was standing there in his front yard staring back at her.
Dai woke up the next morning and said goodbye to her brother and sister. She couldn't get the voice out of her head. Where was it coming from and why was she the only one hearing it? She sat down at her computer thinking about what she was going to do when her doorbell rang. She looked out of the window and there stood a very handsome man. Dai opened the door and thought he looked even better close up.
"Are you Dai Sakaue?"
"Um...oh...yes. Yes I am. And you are?"
"Craig" he said simply.
"Oh. Okay...Craig. What can you do for me? Erm...what can I do for you?"
Craig looked at her curiously and laughed to himself.
"Hmm...I like your first question much better Miss Sakaue."
"It's Dai. And what makes you think I'm not a Mrs."
"Well if I were your husband you wouldn't be living here."
"Is there something you wanted?" Dai asked. She was getting tired of the lame come-ons.
"Lunch. A picnic in the park perhaps?"
"Why would I have a picnic with you? I don't know you."
"I have some information you might like to hear."
"So tell me here and skip the picnic. I don't lunch with strange men."
"Strange men? Are you saying I'm strange?" Craig chuckled.
"Yes I am" said Dai matter of factly.
"Okay no picnic then. How about a nice restaurant? There will be plenty of people around to protect you."
"I don't need protecting, and I'm not hungry. How did you find me anyway?"
""Not too hard to find a beautiful blonde in this town."
Dai blushed a little. "Well thank you Craig. I guess I can make you something to eat and we can talk."
"Sounds good."
Craig walked in and Dai shut the door.
Meanwhile...
"Scot what are you doing?"
"Kei I am trying to protect Dai. I don't know. I have a feeling there's going to be trouble ahead for her. Something's not right."
"How are you going to explain this to mom and dad? Or Dai? She will be angry."
"Well I'll tell them I fell in love with the quaintness of the town. I'll be far enough away from Dai where she won't know for a while."
"Well maybe I should stay too. You know, to keep an eye on you."
"Stay if you want, but I will be the one keeping an eye out."
"Fine. We will stay here together. I just hope that Dai doesn't run into us and mom and dad believe your lies."
"Let me worry about that stuff Kei. I will tell them that you found a new job here too as a stylist. It will be fine. Don't worry."
"What if mom and dad ask Dai what she thinks about us living here in the same town?"
"Oh...I didn't think about that. I can't tell them not to mention it to her."
"See? Flawed plan."
"I'll just tell them we decided to stay a little while longer then."
"Sounds good. Make the call" Kei said.
Back at Dai's...
She couldn't help but stare at this handsome stranger. He seemed oddly familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"So you said you had some information for me Craig?"
"Oh yes. I heard you were asking around about the Hunter place."
"Yes as a matter of fact I was. Do you know something?"
"Maybe. This is a great salad by the way."
"Thank you. Now quit stalling."
"Oh fine then. I'm sure you've heard the stories about the place?"
"Mmm...yes. Family murdered. Son never found. People say the son did it."
"Really? Do you believe that?"
"I don't know yet. I'm planning on reading the old police reports on the crime scene this week."
"Why are you so interested in this? I think you should leave well enough alone."
"Why would I do that? I'm going to write a book about it. Fiction of course. It will be based on that story line though."
"Hmmm...still...I think you should write about something else less...dangerous."
"Dangerous? Why is it dangerous?"
"Look at the time. I have to be going. Thanks for the food. Maybe I'll see you again?"
"Yeah. Maybe you will at that."
Craig walked out the door and Dai immediately wondered who exactly this Craig was and why he was so interested in her story.
"Maybe I need to poke around, follow him maybe. See what's up with him."
Dai went to the window and looked out at the house across the swamp.
"Something weird is going on there and I'm going to find out what it is."
She turned back around and went to her computer.
"I think I'll just call my friends and have them tell me if he shows up anywhere."
As Craig was walking away from Dai's house he started thinks about things. He knew she would keep asking questions. He also knew that everyone that did that ended up dead. He didn't know any other way to warn her without telling her the truth, but that was something he just wasn't ready to do at the moment. He would keep her attention on him and then it would give him time to get his nerve up and tell her the truth about the Hunter family and himself.
He hated spying on her, but he felt it was his duty to do so. Of course his parents didn't believe his excuse, but they let it go amazingly enough. Maybe because he was there to watch her now. They told Kei she needed to come home, but she refuse. She knew how protective Scot was. She needed to be there to calm him down and she knew he would eventually need it. Oh well he was stuck with her being there. When Dai's lights turned off Scot decided to go home. He had some research to do.
"Hey you!" Scot looked around for the voice he was hearing. Then he saw where it was coming from.
"Can I help you?"
"What do you think you're doing buddy? Think you can just spy on someone?"
"Look you got it wrong. I don't know who you think you are, but you need to back off!"
The noise was apparently louder than both men realized because suddenly Dai was standing there glaring at them as only she could glare.
"What the hell is going on here? Scot why are you here? And you too Craig!" Dai added that last part when she saw Craig smirk at Scot.
"Well? Craig?"
"Why does he get to go first?" Asked Scot.
"Because I don't know him well enough to beat the answer out of him and if he sees me beat it out of you then he may run before I get his answer."
Craig stood there looking at Dai. "I think I'm nervous to tell you even now!"
"Tell me before I lose my temper!"
"I caught this 🐸🐸🐸🐸 spying on you!"
Dai and Scot looked at each other and started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"This 🐸🐸🐸🐸 is my brother."
"Oh."
"Scot why are you here?"
Scot sighed. "Keeping an eye on you. Trying to protect you." Scot glared at Craig.
"I don't need protecting Scot."
She turned to look at Craig. "That goes for you too! And where did you come from? Where's your house?"
"Well I was just driving by and saw him so I stopped."
"I don't see a car" Dai said.
"Yeah, Craig is it? Who's the 🐸🐸🐸🐸 now?"
"Okay! Enough! Both of you!" Scot and Craig both stopped. "Scot go home! Craig go home wherever that is."
Both men sighed and parted ways while Dai walked back inside to get some sleep. She did know one thing was for sure. Craig had some explaining to do and it had better be good!
When Scot came home and slammed the front door, Kei knew it was bad news. She walked out of her room to find Scot. He was standing in the living room cursing to himself.
"Scot what's wrong with you?"
"Well this strange guy came up to me and called me a 🐸🐸🐸🐸 because he thought I was a peeping tom."
"Maybe a concerned neighbor?"
"She has no neighbors Kei. And he lied about how he got there. We were arguing and Dai heard us."
"Was she mad?"
"Well she wasn't happy. I need to find out who this Craig guy is."
"Who?"
"The guy who yelled at me."
"Oh."
"He's up to something. I can tell."
"How do you know that?"
"I can just tell. Why was he there? Where did he come from? I'll talk to Dai about it tomorrow."
"Well just be careful Scot. He may be dangerous!"
As Scot and Kei were talking the doorbell rang.
"It's awfully late for visitors" Kei said as she went to the door.
"Well...Hello there" Kei said.
"Hello. I'm Craig."
"Scot it's for you...unfortunately."
Scot walked to the door and saw Craig standing there.
"Do me a favor Scot and find out if he has a brother."
"Go to bed Kei."
Kei walked away and went to her room.
"What are you doing here?"
"The same thing you are. Protecting Dai. She's about to get involved in something that could get her killed and we need to stop her."
"Please come in."
Craig walked in and Scot closed the door.
"You want some coffee?"
"Sure thanks. Look I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know Dai had siblings."
"She as a lot of siblings actually. I'm just one of many as well as Kei."
"How many siblings does she have?"
"17 siblings. We are a very protective family. Dai's the baby. Well 1/2 anyway. She has a twin...Anzu. When you come from parents like we have...well most of us don't like strangers very much."
"What do you mean "parents like you have"?"
"Have you talked to Dai? How much do you know about our family?"
Well we talked, but not about her. We talked about the danger she's getting herself into."
"What danger? You mean with the house up the road from her? The one she sneaked into?"
"She did what?!"
"What's going on? You need to tell me now."
Craig let out a sigh. "The Hunter house is something Dai needs to stay away from. You need to get her to move out of that house she's in. Now that she's been inside the Hunter Cabin she's in even more danger."
"How would anyone know? It was empty."
"I can guarantee you it was not. Did she see the writings on the wall?"
"Yes. She showed us a picture. What are they?"
"What do you know about that house Scot?"
"Nothing really. She told us the family that lived there, this Hunter family, was brutally murdered and that the their son was never found. Some say that the son is the one that did it."
"Let me fully introduce myself . I'm Craig Hunter. The son of that family."
"Well I'll be 🐸🐸🐸🐸!" Scot said.
All of a sudden Craig's back stiffened.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing I guess." But Craig was lying. Somewhere in the distance he heard a scream, but he couldn't explain that to Scot or anyone else. He knew who the scream belonged to and he knew it was time for him to leave.
It was hard for him to explain to people about his special gifts especially when he didn't understand it himself. He didn't even remember how, why or when it started. Well that wasn't exactly true. He knew when. It had helped him escape with his life. It didn't however help save his parents. That's the guilt he has to bear. That's why he decided to do everything in his power to save Dai. She was walking straight into danger and he had to protect her. He knew the killer was here and he was looking for him, but would take Dai too. He knew everyone thought it was him, the son, but his family had many secrets. This would have to be another one. For now anyway.
Dai woke up the next morning and was still angry. "The nerve of those two!" thought Dai. Well Scot she could kind of understand. He was her brother after all. He had a reason to feel protective, but Craig! The nerve! Who did he think he was anyway? He had no right to spy on her. She walked to the computer and sat down.
"Now how am I going to go about finding out who you are? I only have a first name. That won't get me anywhere."
As she sat there thinking she heard a knock at her door. She looked out and saw Scot standing there. She opened the door and scowled at him.
"I hope you are here with an explanation for last night."
"I'll do you one better than that sis! I have info on your new friend Craig."
"What info? What are you talking about?"
"Craig's last name is Hunter! Does that name ring a bell?"
"He's the son?"
"Yep. He's the son!"
"How do you know all of this?"
"He told me last night when he showed up on my doorstep."
"He came to your house? Why?"
"To apologize and tell me about our shared interest."
"And what would that be?"
"You and your hard head!"
"I don't have a hard head!"
"Yes you do! Not only do you look like our mother, but you have inherited her reckless sense of adventure."
"And she's still alive and unharmed! Well sort of anyway."
"Just be careful sis. Maybe you should take Craig's advice and drop it."
"No! I will not drop it! This is my next new book and Craig is going to be the star of it!"
"But at the cost of your own life?"
"My life will be fine. Do you think Craig did this?"
"No I don't but..."
"So this will clear his name!" Dai interrupted. "I'm sure he would want that."
"I don't think he cares about what people think about him."
"Well regardless I'm not stopping my research and snooping."
"And what happens when you get hurt Dai?"
Dai let out a deep sigh. She was tired of everyone trying to run her life for her. She turned to Scot with a look of determination.
"I am a grown woman Scot! I can take care of myself. So if you aren't going to support me then you can just leave!"
"Fine Dai! I will support you on one condition."
"What?"
"Leave this house. Move somewhere else."
"No. I'm not leaving my house. You can forget it!"
"Fine I'll move in with you."
"No you won't! Scot just go home now! Come back when you can treat me like an adult!"
As Scot turned to leave he said "When you talk to Craig don't tell him I told you anything."
"I won't Scot. I will let him tell me himself."
As Scot opened the door to leave there stood Craig.
"Craig! Nice to see you again."
"Likewise Scot. Is your sister home?"
"Right in there being stubborn and hardheaded as usual."
Craig laughed and walked inside. He saw Dai standing there foot tapping, hand on her hip. "God she's beautiful" he thought. He knew he had to protect her.
"Well? Do you have something to say to me? Like "I'm sorry I was an *** Dai."?"
"I'm sorry I was an *** Dai."
"Fine. Forgiven."
"You know you're way too beautiful to be scowling all the time."
"Flirting will get you nowhere with me!"
"Hmm...It seemed to be working for a second there. You know of course you are in this mess way too deep now right? You're life is going to be in danger."
Dai let out a sigh. "Regardless. You have some explaining to do."
"You're right. I do. Sit down and I'll tell you everything."
Scot arrived home and called for Kei. He needed her to do some research. He walked in and found her at the computer.
"Hey Kei. You busy?"
"Nope. Just browsing the web. Why?"
"I need you to do some research for me."
"On?"
"Craig Hunter. Who else?"
"I thought you liked Craig."
"I do, but I want to know what happened with him and his family. There's a connection somewhere that we are missing."
Just then Scot's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Stay away from Craig Hunter or you'll be in the same position as your sister Dai."
"What? Who is this and how did you get my phone number?"
"You've had your warning. That's more than I usually do."
The phone went silent. Kei could see the look of panic on Scot's face.
"Scot? What's going on?"
"Call Dai! Get her out of her house now! I've got to run!"
"Scot...."
"Don't ask questions! Just do it!"
?
As Craig was just beginning his story Dai's phone rang.
"Excuse me for a second Craig."
Dai stood up and looked down at her cell phone. Kei. Dai let out a sigh. "I'm not going to answer it. Go on with your story Craig."
Craig had stood up and looked over at Dai. "You need to get out of here. Now! That was Kei warning you to leave. Scot is on his way here."
"Scot won't hurt me."
"No, but the one he's chasing here will kill all of us."
"I'm not leaving!"
"Wanna bet?" Craig grabbed Dai up and in his arms and was out the door and to his car in a flash.
"Give me your cell Dai."
Dai handed him her cell and watched as he looked through her address book.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for Scot's number. There it is. Scot? She's out. Turn around now!"
"No. I'm going to catch this creep!" yelled Scot.
"No! Now turn around! I'll meet you at your house. You can't handle what's coming."
"Fine." Scot sighed.
They both hung up and Craig and Dai drove in silence to Scot's house.
"Not that I'm not enjoying the silence, but could you say something?" asked Craig.
"I have nothing to say to you right now."
"That's a shocker! Let me call Guiness Book of World Records! Dai has nothing to say!"
"Just shut up Craig!"
"Look I'm doing you a favor here!"
"Well who asked for your favors? Why do you even care?"
"Because I happen to have very strong feelings for you!"
Dai looked at Craig in shock.
"Stop the car!"
Craig stopped the car and Dai got out. Craig soon followed suit.
"What are you saying Craig?"
"I...look just forget it."
"No! Tell me! Are you having romantic feelings for me?"
"Look maybe I shouldn't have..."
Dai held her finger up to Craig's lips.
"It's okay. I've been having the same feelings. I guess that's why I get so angry with you. You make me have...feelings. I don't really care for feelings. There are such..."
"Can you just shut up for 5 seconds Dai?"
Craig grabbed Dai and kissed her.
"Well if that's how you plan on shutting me up...then no. I think I want more of those. You know statistically..."
"****** woman!" Shut up!"
He kissed her again. When they pulled away Dai began to speak, but Craig shushed her.
"You know if you want a kiss you just have to ask me."
Dai smiled. "Okay. Give me another one."
"We have to get to Scot's, but what the hell?! One more."
Scot arrived home and Dai and Craig weren't there yet.
"Where are they? They should have been here by now!"
"Calm down! You know how Dai is. He's probably still fighting to get her in the car."
"Yeah that's true" Scot laughed.
"What happened Scot? Who was on the phone?"
Just then Craig and Dai walked in.
"What took you so long?"
"Okay Scot look at who I had to bring. You had it easy. Just turn around and come back here. I had to deal with constant yelling!"
"You found a way to shut me up though!"
"Yes. Yes I did!"
"What did you do?"
"Oh it won't work for you Scot."
Scot stared at Dai and Craig when realization hit. Kei seemed to still be behind.
"How do you know it wouldn't work for Scot?"
"Kei?"
"Yes Scot?"
"He kissed her."
"Oh...Ooh!"
"So Craig we need answers now. I got a phone call."
"Yes I know. You and your family apparently know who this is."
There was a knock at the door. Scot looked at Craig.
"It's safe, but you're in trouble."
"What?"
"Go ahead and answer it."
Scot walked to the window and looked out.
"Why are you here?" Scot said to himself. He opened the door to let in his parents. He could tell his dad was furious. His mom was worse. She was so mad she couldn't even scowl at them.
"What have you kids gotten yourselves into? I knew it was a mistake to let you kids move here."
Rei and Debbie walked into the living room and looked at Craig. Rei was less than happy that he was there and holding his daughter's hand no less.
"Why are you here?"
"Dad! He is helping me."
"Isn't he the reason you are in this mess?"
"No Mr. Sakaue. It's actually her hardhead that's got her in this mess. I tried to get her to move and to stay away, but she wouldn't."
"Well I can believe that I guess. I am married to her mother. Paloma speaks highly of you and so does Jeeves."
"Yes sir they both helped me once."
"And you and my daughter?"
"We have professed our feelings for one another sir."
"Make sure it's all you profess!"
"Rei darling, please stop. Now is not the time for this. Trouble is here and we need to stop it before anyone else dies."
"What are we up against dad?" asked Dai.
"Craig you didn't tell them?"
"Didn't get a chance to sir."
"Well it's about time you told them then. They need to know the history and why he is now after my daughter. Well I guess that's as much my fault as it is yours."
"Dad who is it?" asked Kei.
Rei looked at Debbie and sighed. Debbie stepped up and spoke.
"First you need to know the story."
They all sat down waiting to hear the story. Debbie looked at Craig and he said, "Fine Mrs. Sakaue. I will start. When I was 10 years old we moved here to this town. My parents never told me why only that we could no longer stay where we were because it was no longer safe. My dad was a scientist you see. He had been working on a secret project for quite some time and I guess it worked. As i was growing up I knew I was different from other people. I could hear thoughts and see things happen before they happened. I never told my parents any of this. Apparently though my parents knew because my dad was working on a cure. He found one, but there were other people out there that wanted to it kept secret. You see they were using the people with this...affliction for their own gain.
"One summer afternoon I was out fishing. I...I saw it was going to happen, but I couldn't get there in time. When I finally made it there it looked like a slaughter house. My parents were dead. I was 13 and now alone. As I lay there crying I looked up and saw a very bright light forming in the room. It was Paloma and Jeeves. I was scared at first because Jeeves was a ghost and Paloma a Vampire.
"Who are you?" I had asked them both.
Jeeves spoke first. "We are here to save you my boy."
"Why? Why do I need saving? Who did this to my parents?"
"You are very special Craig. There are few others that have your abilities. If you are left unprotected you could fall into the wrong hands. There are "things" or "beings" out there that will use you for their own gains, but before we get too deep into that let us tell you who we are. My name is Paloma and this is Jeeves. We can protect you from the one that did this and teach you how to use and control your powers."
"Who did this and why?"
"The who isn't important right now. The why? Well...Jeeves?"
"The why my son is because your father found a cure...well not really a cure. You can't cure what you have, but a way to mask it from others. The one that did this to your family wanted to keep it from getting out."
"They went on about my powers and how to use them. They took me in, well Jeeves did, and taught me everything I needed to know. Jeeves was an expert in this and Paloma was helping "to right some wrongs" she had said.
"Once I reached manhood and was an expert in what I had learned they left. They had an emergency of some sort. Something about a kidnapping. I've been on my own since, but I saw you coming Dai and I had to come back to save you."
Scot, Kei and Dai sat in stunned silence.
"Wow! That's an amazing story! So mom and dad how do you know him?" asked Scot.
Rei looked at his children. "He's someone I've had a rivalry with for a long time. When he found out Dai was involved he decided to punish me."
"What did you do to him dad?" asked Dai.
"I took someone that belonged to him. He decided to take someone that belonged to me."
"Who did you take? Was it mom?"
"No. It was your Aunt Maya. It was many many centuries before I met your mother."
"So mom where do you fit in?"
"I have similar powers as Craig."
"He never tried to take you? Why?"
"He was scared of your father at the time, but now, after all of these centuries, he's no longer afraid. Oh he tried to help others in taking me, but they never succeeded of course."
All of a sudden Craig stood up. He looked at Debbie.
"Yes Craig I know. Rei?"
"He's here. At Dai's house."
"He'll find her soon" Craig said.
"We are well prepared Craig. Don't worry."
He stood in front of Dai's house. Something was wrong. He looked around smelling the air. He smelled fear, but no Dai. He made his way up to the house and saw it was empty.
"🐸🐸🐸🐸! Why does he keep trying to stop the inevitable? I'm going to get her sooner or later. She will be my bride."
"I don't think so!"
He turned around to face the voice he heard. When he saw who was standing there he couldn't help but laugh.
"They sent you? What are you going to do to me?"
"Oh! I'm sorry. I thought you knew! I'm going to kill you!"
"Dad are you sure mom will be okay?"
"Yes she'll be fine. I'm going there now. The element of surprise you know!"
And with that Rei was gone.
"This is all my fault!" cried Dai.
"No it's not. This would have happened anyway. He's been watching you for some time now. Don't worry Dai" said Craig as he held her close.
Scot stood up. "I'm going to go help!"
"No Scot! You can't win against him. Stay here with your sisters. I'll be back shortly."
Craig disappeared and left Scot, Dai and Kei there to worry.
"Don't worry Dai. It will be over soon. She heard Craig tell her. It made her relax a little to know that he was there in her head to comfort her.
He was surrounded now. Oh he could get out of it if he wanted to, but he wanted to have some fun.
"So this is how it's going to be? Okay we can play this game. I will kill her parents and her boyfriend. Then I can go back and kill Scot and Kei. I will still get what I want and get to have some fun in the process."
"You aren't going to touch Dai!" Rei said.
Argus laughed. "I will get her. You and your little band of thugs can't stop me. I do however find it very funny...no wait! Not Funny...endearing...yes that's the word."
"You talk too much Argus!" Debbie said and pounced on Argus before Rei or Craig could stop her.
"Debbie wait!" yelled Rei.
Back at Scot and Kei's house....
"I can't just sit here and do nothing" said Dai.
"You need to stay put!" Scot said.
Dai looked at Scot. She started to yell at him, but stopped herself. "You're right Scot."
"Huh? Did you just say I was right?"
"Yes I did. Why are you so shocked?"
"I didn't know you could say that!"
"Ha ha! Very funny! I think I'm going to go take a nap."
"Okay sis. We'll let you know if we hear anything."
"Sure okay." Dai said as she walked away towards the bedroom.
"Now how to sneak out of here" Dai thought to herself. She tried the windows but they wouldn't budge. She walked to the bedroom door and peeked out. Scot and Kei weren't in the living room. She opened the door and stepped out looking around. She made her way to the front door and stepped outside.
"Now where to go?"
She suddenly heard a voice tell her where she needed to be.
Debbie stepped back and looked at Argus.
"You people are crazy if you think you can stop me!"
"I don't think we can. I know we can!" said Debbie.
Argus looked down at his watch. "Oh my! Look at the time! Gotta Fly!"
He was gone. "Debbie? Can you see where he went?" asked Craig.
"No Craig. Can you?"
"No. Let's check Scot's."
When they got back to Scot and Kei's house they found Scot and Kei sitting in the living room.
"Where's Dai?" asked Rei.
"She's laying down daddy." said Kei.
Craig suddenly sighed heavily. "You two have been duped. She's gone."
Scot stood up. "No way! The windows don't open and we've been here the whole time."
"Um Scot? We did step outside for a minute remember?"
"No! She couldn't have left." Scot walked to the bedroom to look in. Rei was already there.
Rei exploded at Scot. "You had one job to do! To keep an eye on your sister! Now she's gone!"
Debbie looked at Rei. "Stop it now! This is not helping! Rei you know how Dai is. Do you honestly believe she would have listened anyway? If she wants to find a way to go she will find it no matter what! Now apologize to your son!"
"You're right as always. Scot I am sorry. Dai is stubborn and hardheaded just like your mother. It's not your fault."
"It's okay dad. We're all on edge right now. Let's just find Dai."
"🐸🐸🐸🐸!" said Craig. "Argus is blocking me out. I can't see or hear her."
"What are we going to do daddy?" asked Kei.
"We're going to call in the troops. No choice but to do so."
"We can only get one of them Rei." said Debbie.
"Then do it. And quick."
Dai stood there in the dark. "Well I'm here! Where are you?"
"Here."
Dai turned and saw him.
"You know they will find me here. It's only a matter of time."
Argus laughed. "My dear, sweet Dai. They won't find you if I don't want them to. I'm blocking you from them. I've been searching for you for a long time now."
"Look I know the story. My father took Maya from you and now, for revenge, you want to kill me."
"Silly girl! Yes, your father did steal Maya away from me. Yes it did anger me, but I'm not going to kill you Dai. No I have a much better revenge planned. It will help me get my revenge on several people at one time."
"What are you going to do with me then?"
"Just this." He looked at Dai, said some words and she was gone.
"Now they can come find me. No. Better yet I will go to them."
"Rei I can't get through to anyone. He's got me totally blocked."
"Yes I do. Were you looking for Dai? Wait. Never mind. Of course you were. You'll never find her of course. If you do it will be too late of course. She will be mine...oh and a Vampire as well."
Craig lunged at Argus, but Rei stopped him.
"We will never find her if you do that!"
Argus was laughing. "Silly human. Do you honestly think you can beat me?"
"If I wanted to yes!"
"Your father couldn't. Did you know that your mother begged for her life? I made her watch while I killed your father. I made her believe that I would spare her pitiful life if she did. Humans are so accommodating. So worthless and pointless."
Craig went to lunge again and again Rei stopped him.
"Craig he's trying to provoke you! Don't let him."
Argus looked at Craig. "Would you die for her Craig? Give your last breath to ensure her safety?"
"Craig! No!" cried Debbie.
Argus looked at Debbie and growled. "Mind your own business! Nobody asked you!"
Debbie stepped between Argus and Craig.
Craig stepped back clearly shaken up.
"What happened?"
"He was trying to get you to do something stupid. Debbie just saved your life."
"She saved his life temporarily! We all know he will be stupid eventually. Love makes people do stupid things. Well folks this has been fun, but I gotta fly! My new bride awaits. I would invite you to the wedding, but I know you'll object. Can't have that. Oh and Craig? You will eventually die by my hands. You will do something stupid for Dai just as she just did something stupid for you. How do you think I got her to meet me?"
"Not if I get you first!"
Argus laughed and disappeared.
"Well what do we do now?"
"Well now I can get to my contact at least. Maybe he can help."
Debbie sat down but couldn't get through still. She looked at Craig.
"Craig? I need your help here."
"I should have given my life for her."
Debbie stood up. "Craig do you really think that would have spared her? He would have killed you and still kept her. You are too important for us to lose now."
"Yes Craig. It seems my daughter is in love with you. That makes you important to this family."
Craig looked at the Sakaue family. "Okay then, let's get to work. I'll do anything to help."
This ends Season 1. I will begin Season 2 Shortly. Thanks for reading. I hope you have enjoyed this season.
They all stood in the living room while Craig and Debbie located Argus and Dai.
Once they found them Craig stood up.
"Okay. I will go and get her now."
"Craig you can't go by yourself!" Debbie said.
"Yes I can. I'll be fine. I'll let you know when she's safe."
Craig left and headed to where Argus had Dai.
Argus stood there looking at the room he had Dai in and smiled to himself. She was very naive and stubborn. That would change soon though.
"Are you going to behave now Dai?"
"Go to Hades!"
"Now, now! Is that any way to talk to your fiance?"
"I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth! You are insignificant!"
"Maybe. But here you are! With me. Mr. Insignificant."
"And how did you get me here? You had to trick me!"
"Okay so I tricked you a little. What does it matter? You will be my wife soon."
"No I won't. I don't love you! I love Craig."
"Yes I know. It was very ingenious of me to disguise myself as Craig to get you to meet me. I knew you'd come running to save him."
Argus walked over to Dai and touched her cheek. "We will be very happy together. I promise you."
"Get your hand off of me!" Dai Growled.
Argus took a step back. "Such fire! I will have fun taming you my dear."
Dai glared at Argus. As Argus turned to walk away Dai spat at him. Argus laughed. "You can eat when you learn to behave. Until then...bed, toliet."
"No shower?"
Argus pointed to a table.
"Shower in a can?"
"Have fun" Argus said as he shut the door and locked it behind him.
Craig knew he needed to get to Dai fast. He wished he could tell her he was on the way, but he knew Argus would be listening. He continued up the winding road and saw the house up ahead. He parked the car and sighed.
"Well Craig" he said to himself "It's now or never. Rescue your woman!" He approached the house and rang the bell. Argus answered the door and invited him in.
"Craig! How nice to see you! Did you come to wish the happy couple well?"
"No. I've come to kill you actually."
"Wow! You know what? I'm really scared!" Argus said sarcastically.
"You should be."
"Okay. Say we fight to the death. Then what? I will kill you and then I have to deal with her family."
"You don't need to worry about that. You will be the one dying tonight my friend."
"Okay. Just let me tell Dai you are here and to start planning your funeral."
"I'm coming with you. I want to see her and have a moment alone if you don't mind."
"Nope. Fine with me. I get an eternity with her."
"Craig!" She gave him a big hug.
Dai gave Craig a kiss and started to say something, but Craig sushed her. He pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to Dai. Dai read the paper and looked at Craig with fear in her eyes. Craig touched her cheek and mouthed 5 words to her. "I love you. Trust me."
Dai nodded and hugged Craig. Craig walked over to the fireplace and dropped something between the wood. He heard the knob rattling and quickly walked away.
"Time's up! Come take your death like a man now!"
"Okay, but before you kill me I have one last request."
"Hmm...Okay. And that is?"
"Dai is cold. Can you light a fire for her please?"
"Okay...sure. I can do that for my future wife."
Argus walked over and lit the fireplace. Suddenly there was a small explosion of flames. Argus was standing too close and before he knew what was happening he was on fire. Craig and Dai stood back in the corner watching as Argus screamed in agony as the flames engulfed him.
It wasn't long before Argus was gone and Dai was a free woman. She looked at Craig.
"Let's go outside Dai."
Dai followed Craig outside and turned to him and asked "How did you do that?"
"Jeeves taught me that trick a long time ago. Never thought I would have to use it though." He looked at Dai and kissed her gently. "So you ready to go home?"
"No. I'm tired of Twinbrook. I think I want to stay here in Barnacle Bay." Dai turned and looked at Craig. "Will you stay with me?"
"There's nowhere else I would rather be Dai. Besides someone has to stay here to keep you out of trouble."
"Craig! How dare you think..."
"Do I need to shut you up again?" Craig interrupted.
"Yes I think so"
Craig kissed Dai knowing they would have many more adventures waiting for them.
Dai for some reason wanted to stay in Argus' house. Craig quit trying to figure Dai out a long time ago. He told her he didn't think it was a good idea, but Dai insisted. Craig eventually gave up, but told Dai that he would be staying with her.
Dai decided to spend her day exploring. She searched for Craig to see if he would like to come with her. She found him in the study looking like he was deep in thought.
"Craig? You okay?"
"Dai! Hey. You're extra sneaky today." Craig let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm fine. Was just thinking about some thinigs."
"Oh? Is something going on Craig?"
"Nope. Nothing. What's up with you? Did you need me for something?"
"I was going to go for a walk and wondered if you wanted to join me. I want to see what's going on in this town."
"What are you trying to get into now?"
"Well I am writing a book. I need to find material."
"And your recent near death experience wasn't enough?"
"Oh please! That was nothing!"
"No Dai! It wasn't nothing. It was something. And the fact that you think it was nothing is the problem. Nothing scares you and it should. It's going to get you in trouble one day."
"You worry about me too much. I can take..."
Craig cut her off by placing a finger over her lips.
"Okay. Just hush. Let's go for that walk."
They walked all around town talking to people and trying to see what was going on in this little town, but found nothing of any real interest. Craig was relieved, but could tell Dai was very upset by it.
They made their way to the beach. The water was beautiful. The sun was just setting on top of the water and casting a beautiful light on it and the entire beach. Craig looked over at Dai and noticed the way the lighting glistened in her eyes. He reached for her hand and pulled her towards him. Dai looked at Craig and noticed a sadness on his face and in his eyes.
"Craig? What's wrong?"
Craig took a deep breath and looked at Dai again.
"The sunset. It was making me think about how close I came to losing you forever. If I hadn't found you in time..."
Dai cut him off "But you did. There's nothing to worry about. I'm here and I'm safe thanks to you."
"Dai as long as you live your life recklessly I will worry. What if next time I'm too late? And you wanting to stay in Argus' old house...well it's asking for trouble."
"Craig Argus is dead. I'm sure nobody knew Argus lived there."
"Regardless Dai, we should move."
Dai could see how upset Craig was. She hated seeing him this way. She gave Craig a kiss and touched his cheek.
"Okay Craig. Tomorrow we will find somewhere else to live."
"Thank you."
"I only want to see you smile Craig."
"Then no more reckless behavior."
"Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll make a compromise with you."
"Really? What's that?"
"Any reckless behavior will be done with you by my side. I promise no running off on my own."
"Hmm...okay, but if I think it's too dangerous we don't go."
"Deal."
"Okay. Let's go home."
As Dai and Craig left the beach a shadowy figure stepped out onto the beach. "Well. Looks like I found someone that can help me."
When Dai and Craig got back to the house, Dai walked to her room and turned to look at Craig.
"Thank you Craig."
"For what Dai?"
"Caring for my well being."
"Mmm...well that's what you do when you love someone. Plus it gives me something to do. Watching out for you is a full time job you know." Craig winked at Dai and cracked a smile.
Dai smiled back and said "I love you too Craig."
"Then why do we have separate rooms?"
"Because as much as I love you I'm not ready for that stage yet. We're just getting to know each other. We need to give it some time still."
Craig walked over to Dai and Kissed her goodnight. "I understand Dai. If you change your mind though I'm just down the hall."
Dai giggled "I'll remember that."
The next morning Craig was up before Dai. He walked to the front entrance to get the morning newspaper and noticed an folder on the floor in front of the door. Someone had slipped it under the door sometime during the course of the night. Craig bent down to pick up the folder and noticed it was open and there were some pictures and notes inside.
Craig sighed and looked at Dai's bedroom door. He didn't know if he should look through it now or wait for Dai to wake up and look at it together. He knew whatever was in this folder was bad news. If looked at it now he could decide if he should tell Dai or not, but on the other hand if he doesn't tell her and she finds out she would be mad. He decided he would wait for Dai to wake up.
Craig paced the room for what seemed to him to be an hour when Dai finally walked out of her room.
"Finally!" Craig said.
Dai chuckled. "Finally what?"
Craig showed her the folder.
"Looks ominous. Why didn't you just look at it Craig?"
"Because I couldn't promise myself that if it was bad that I would show it to you."
"Oh. Okay." Dai took the folder and opened it. She pulled out a small piece of paper and a snapshot. Her eyes widened as she looked at the picture.
"What is it Dai?"
She handed him the picture and piece of paper.
"I don't know about this Dai."
He saw her look of determination and sighed.
"Get dressed and we'll go."
Dai smiled and kissed him on the cheek and ran off to get dressed. He looked at the picture and note again. Maybe he could find a way to talk Dai out of going on this one. He would have to try even though he knew deep down that it would do no good.
When Dai came out he looked at her and said "Dai this looks dangerous. Maybe we should stay out of this one."
Dai looked at him, turned and walked towards the door.
"This can't be good. Here we go again" Craig said shaking his head and followed her out to the car.
As Dai was walking across the porch with Craig close behind her, she stopped. The stop was so sudden Craig almost ran into her.
"What's wrong Dai? Why'd you stop?"
"I'm not going."
"Finally! You agree with me!"
"No. If they went to the trouble to drop this off they can come to me! Once we hear the story we will decide the danger level."
"Okay fine!"
The both walked back inside and waited.
"Dai, what if they don't come here? The note said to meet them."
"They will Craig. Don't worry."
While they waited Dai did some research to prepare herself and Craig searched for a new home. About an hour later The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Craig yelled up to Dai. When he opened the door his mouth dropped open.
"Hello Craig."
"You need to leave. Dai isn't here."
"What are you doing here Craig?"
"I live here with Dai."
"Did she get my folder?"
"I found it and showed it to her. So yes."
"Hmm...I bet you did. I need to see her and I know she's home."
"You need to leave now!" Craig yelled.
"Fine. I'll see her when you aren't around."
"You know what? It was pretty stupid to put both of our names on it."
"Well I had no idea that you lived here. I wasn't counting on you finding it, but it's okay. The truth will come out eventually."
The girl turned and walked away.
Dai came down as Craig shut the door. "Who was that Craig?"
"Oh! Girl Scout. Wanted me to buy cookies."
"You yell at Girl Scouts Craig?"
"Well...she was being really pushy Dai."
Dai looked at Craig bewildered. She had never known him to act that way before and she found it very odd. Craig walked away to the study. Dai picked up her phone and made a call.
"Hey. This is Dai. Umm...I need some help. Craig is acting weird. Give me a call back when you can. Thanks"
Dai put her phone down and suddenly had an idea for her book.
"Craig? I'll be upstairs writing if you need me."
"Yeah. Okay Dai."
Craig looked around the corner to make sure Dai had gone upstairs. He reached for her phone and hit redial.
"🐸🐸🐸🐸! That's all I need!" He picked up his own phone and dialed. "We are beginning to have a complication or two."
"We can't have that Craig! I thought you had everything under control there."
"I thought I did! We need to talk."
They decided on a meeting place and time and Craig hung up. As he was walking out of the room Dai's phone rang. Craig walked back over and looked at the caller id.
"Hello? Dai's phone."
"Craig! Dai called and she sounded upset. What's going on?"
"Oh! Nothing Paloma. She said if you called to say it was a misunderstanding. Everything is just fine. I'll tell her you called her back though."
"Okay Craig. Glad everything is good there. Bye."
Craig hung up and went to recent incoming calls and deleted it.
"Dai? I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
"Okay. I'll see you later."
Craig left for his meeting and Dai was working hard on her book when the doorbell rang.
"🐸🐸🐸🐸! What a time for the doorbell!"
She saved her place and walked downstairs. When she opened the door she saw a young lady standing in the doorway.
"Hello. May I help you?"
"Are you Dai Sakaue?"
"Yes I am. And you are?"
"Oh! I'm sorry. My name is Trinity Eden. Um...are you alone Dai?"
"Umm...what did you want?"
"I put a folder under your door this morning. I was here earlier, but I was sent away."
"What? When were you here?"
"About an hour ago. I was told you weren't home. So are you alone?"
"Yes I am. Come in please."
Trinity walked in and Dai showed her to the living room.
"Let me get your folder Trinity. I'll be right back." Dai walked out and left Trinity there. She came back a few moments later with Trinity's folder. She led Trinity to the couch and opened the folder on the table.
"Now let's talk start with these pictures." Dai looked over at Trinity and noticed a confused look on her face. "Are you okay?" Dai asked.
"Actually no I'm not."
"What's wrong?"
"This isn't the folder that I left for you."
"What?" Dai let out a nervous laugh. "This is what Craig showed me."
"Craig! Figures!. I had no idea that he stayed here when I left the folder. Look Dai we need to talk, but not here and not now. Can you meet me later at the beach? Alone?"
"Yes. Sure. Around 9pm?"
"Great! And Dai?"
"Yes?"
"Please don't tell Craig I was here this afternoon."
"Sure. Okay. I won't say anything."
After Trinity left Dai noticed her phone was on the end table. She picked it up to see if Paloma had returned her call. When she saw that she hadn't Dai called her again. This time Paloma answered.
"Hey Paloma. Did you get my message from earlier?"
"Yes Dai. I called back and Craig answered. He said that it was a misunderstanding and everything was fine. He said he would tell you that I returned your call."
"Well he didn't and that's not all! Strange things are going on with him. Believe it or not, but I'm worried. Can we get together and talk tomorrow?"
"We can get together tonight if you want."
"I would, but I've got something planned for this evening. So is tomorrow okay?"
"Yes Dai, but don't mention it to Craig. I agree with you. Something is wrong there."
"I have to go. He's home. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye."
Dai hung up just as the front door opened.
"Hey! Welcome home Craig. Did you get everything taken care of?"
"Almost. What are you doing?"
"Oh! I noticed I had left my phone down here and was just checking to see if I missed any calls."
"Oh okay. It didn't ring when I was here. Are you expecting a call?"
"No. I'm just used to having it with me all of the time."
"Hmm...okay then. I'm tired. Going to go lay down for a bit."
As Craig was walking upstairs he noticed the folder laying open on the table. He walked back down to talk to Dai.
"Did the owner of the folder stop by?"
"Nope. I was just looking it over to see if I was missing something important. Have a good nap. I'm going to write some more."
"Okay Dai. Have fun writing." Craig was walking upstairs and turned back to look at Dai. "Dai if the owner of the folder comes by make sure and wake me up ok?"
"Sure Craig. I will."
When Craig finally made it upstairs Dai's stomach turned over several times. She knew something was seriously wrong. He was lying to her and she wondered why. She hoped Trinity or Paloma could tell her something...and soon.
Dai was working on her book when her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey Dai this is Trinity."
"Hey what's up?"
"Can we meet at my house at 8pm instead of 9pm?"
"Sure. Not a problem. Just give me your address. Okay great! Got it. I'll see you then."
Dai hung up and realized she hadn't eaten and walked downstairs to the kitchen. As she got to the bottom of the stairs Craig peered around the corner and walked in her room. He looked on her desk and saw the name and address.
He picked up his phone to make the call he dreaded having to make.
Craig paused in mid dial and was remembering how it all started. He couldn't afford for Dai to find out his connection with Trinity. That would be bad.
"🐸🐸🐸🐸!" screamed Craig. "Why was Trinity so nosey anyway? This is what caused our problems in the beginning."
Craig sighed and finished dialing.
He hated to do this but there was too much at stake for her to screw things up for him. He almost let it happen once. He had sent her away once before. Now it was a different game and trinity wasn't ready or willing to play by his rules. She wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. The ringing of the phone on the other end was putting Craig into a thought trance. He remembered when he first met Trinity. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. They met in High School and continued dating right through college. They moved in together shortly after graduation. She didn't know about his past at the time so when he received the phone call he knew he couldn't tell. She must have suspected something though because she followed him. He knew he had to get rid of her, but couldn't bare the thought of killing her. He decided to send her on a dream vacation to Paris. He told her he had some things to take care of, but he would meet her there in a few day. When she left he packed his things and moved. She finally found him, but he didn't know how. Of course this left him with no choice. Her fate had been sealed.
Dai was looking at the clock. It was almost time to meet Trinity. She had no idea what she had to tell her, but maybe it would shed some light on a few things. She gathered her things and left. She wanted to leave before Craig got home. When she arrived at Trinity's house it was dark inside.
She looked in the window and didn't see anyone inside.
She hoped Trinity had remembered their appointment. She walked up to the door and found a note there:
"Dai,
I know we had an appointment, but something has come up and I will need to reschedule with you. I'll give you a call later in the week.
Trinity"
Dai read over the note several times. Something wasn't right. Why would she cancel when she was so adamant about meeting with her? Dai let out a sigh. She put the note in her pocket and headed home. When she got home there was a note from Craig on the coffee table.
"Dai,
I had to go out for a bit. I will be back soon.
Love,
Craig"
Dai put the letter down and started to walk up the stairs. She was still thinking about Trinity when she stopped dead in her tracks. She pulled Trinity's letter out of her pocket and looked at it again. She walked over to the table and picked up Craig's letter. Her eyes widened in horror at what she was seeing. She couldn't believe it could be possible. Had she really been a fool this whole time? Had everything that had been told to her been a lie? She stood there holding the 2 letters in her hands, her head hung in defeat.
She was so engrossed in the letters she didn't hear her front door open or the footsteps coming up behind her.
She felt the cold hand touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw him standing there. She let out what she believed to be a scream, then the room went dark.
"Scream all you want Dai. Nobody can hear you."
"Where the hell am I?" Dai wondered. She looked around the room. There was a high fence with no gate and a wall beyond that with no door. She saw 2 beds, a small kitchen and a bathroom. There was one little room to the side of the bathroom.
"Well then, this can't be good! I'll call Craig." She reached for her cell phone. "🐸🐸🐸🐸! They took my phone."
She sat in the chair at the small table not sure what she should do or why she was even there. Dai kept looking at the door leading to the room by the bathroom.
"Hmm..what's behind door #1?" She tried the knob, but the door was locked.
"You don't need to see what's in there. Hence the locked door."
Dai turned around, startled. "Who are you and why am I here?"
"Who I am is not important. As to why you're here...because you were brought here."
"I don't care for the sarcasm!"
"I was told you'd be a handful and that you've got quite a mouth on you. I see they were right."
"Listen here 🐸🐸🐸🐸! I don't think you know who you're messing with! I'll be more than happy to show you though!"
The man laughed. "Maybe some other time spitfire. I just wanted to drop by and welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Don't bother! I won't be staying long."
"Hmm...we shall see. In the meantime, make yourself at home. If you're a good girl I'll bring you a radio tomorrow."
Dai scowled at the man and he just laughed at her. "What a spitfire!" and he vanished out of the room.
"Come back here! I'm not done talking to you mister! Take your beating like a man!"
Exasperated Dai let out a scream. Not because she was scared, but because she was angry and frustrated. She wanted answers and she meant to get them. Craig would come looking for her and when he got here mister no-neck with an attitude would get a beat down he wouldn't soon forget. But until then she would have to wait and be patient, which wasn't an easy task for her at all.
"What to do? Hmm...guess I'll do some meditating." Dai sat down and began meditating.
She suddenly stopped what she was doing. Her brother looked at her and said "Kei? What's wrong?"
Kei turned to Scot with fear in her eyes. "Call the Three Sisters. Tell them we need them now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Scot? When am I wrong?" She looked at Scot and saw the smile. "Don't answer that!"
"The Three Sisters it is." Scot said as he turned and walked to the phone.
Nishi, Nao and Nami were the triplets of the Sakaue family. They were known as The Three Sisters. This being because they had a special bond that nobody could explain. They could connect as a whole to any member of the family. No other members of the family had this ability. They would choose who the messenger would be, connect to the family member and the messenger would find them. It wouldn't be the actual triplet though. Their body stayed behind, but all 3 could hear what was happening and being said.
The 3 of them were sitting at the table drinking coffee when Nishi's phone rang. As she walked away from the table her sisters stared at her. They listened intently to the conversation.
"Okay" said Nishi. "We'll be there. Yes. We will leave now. Okay. Bye."
Nao looked at Nishi. "She's in trouble again" sighed Nao.
"Yep. We need to go see Scot and Kei right away."
"When will she learn?" asked Nami.
The Three Sisters shook their heads in unison, packed up their supplies and headed out to Scot and Kei's.
Dai had a restless sleep and awoke with a headache the next morning. She got out of bed and noticed there was a radio there as promised.
At least she would have some music to listen to. She walked into the bathroom and went to take a bath.
"Great! Just great! No hot water!"
She took a cold bath cursing the whole time. She walked out and fixed some cereal. At least she was getting food. She kept thinking about the locked door. Curiosity always got the better of her, and she knew that usually led to trouble, but she couldn't help herself. She went over and examined the lock on the door. She really wished Jeeves was here.
"He could just walk right through the door" she thought.
After examining the lock she decided that maybe a knife would work. She started going through drawers looking for one. Preferably a sharp one.
"Sorry. No knives."
"Gah! I hate when you do that! Ever think of wearing a bell?" Dai yelled. "What is it with you and sneaking up on me?"
"My apologies, but seeing as there is no door I can hardly knock. Why are you concerning yourself with that door?"
"Because! I'm an inquisitive girl."
"Ha ha! Believe me, if you ever find out what's behind that door it will only mean we have no further use for you."
Dai just looked at him. "What did you want?"
"Just checking on you. I want to make sure you're comfortable."
"There's no hot water!"
"Hmm...Baths will be quick then won't they? Anything else?"
"Yes! Go to hell!"
The man smiled in response and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Dai looked over at the door again. She then noticed there was a small space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
"Don't tell me I can't see what's in here. If there is a will there is a way."
She got down on the ground and peered under the door. It was hard to see underneath though. She stood up and looked around the kitchen area and found matches to light the gas stove with. She lit one and got back down on the floor and peered under.
"Oh my God! No!"
Kei and Scot waited anxiously for The Three Sisters. Kei knew Dai was in danger, but she wondered why Craig hadn't called.
"Maybe he's out of town Kei" said Scot.
"Maybe he is Scot. I don't know. I just want to find Dai."
The doorbell rang and Kei jumped to her feet and ran to the door.
"Hey! Glad you're here! Come in." Kei stepped back and allowed The Three Sisters to come in. Kei gave each of them a hug and then led them to the living room where Scot was waiting.
"Hello Scot" said Nami. "It's great to see you again."
"Hey Nami, Nishi, and Nao. I sure hope you can help us."
"Well we will definitely try" said Nami.
"Now, where is Craig?" asked Nishi.
"Umm...we haven't called him."
"Well he needs to be here. He is the closest to her. They do live together still, right?"
"Yes" said Scot.
"Call him and get him here immediately. We need information from him so we can prepare."
Kei looked nervously at Scot and the back at The Sisters.
"What's wrong Kei?"
"Well we were just wondering why Craig hasn't called us to tell us that Dai is missing. It seems to me he would have."
"If he has anything to hide we will know."
Kei and Scot nodded in agreement.
"Okay" Scot said. "I will give him a call"
Scot got up and picked up the phone and dialed Craig's number.
"Hello?"
"Craig? This is Scot."
"Hey Scot. What's up? Is Dai with you?"
"No she's not. We believe that she is missing."
"What? I've been out of town. Just got back this morning."
"Come over to my house Craig. We have some ideas."
"Okay. I'll head over now."
They hung up and Scot went and joined Kei and The Sisters. "He's on his way. He said he just got back into town this morning."
"Likely story" mumbled Kei.
"Kei! Enough already. We know you don't like Craig" said Scot.
"Sorry. I'll try and behave."
Nami smiled at Kei. She loved her little sister but knew she could be dramatic at times and very outspoken.
"Did you tell him we were here?" Nami asked.
"No. I said nothing."
"Good. If he's involved somehow or lying Nishi will know and see it. I know he knows of us because of his background. If he knew we were here he could prepare himself for our questioning. This way he will be honest and have no time to hide his lies if there are any. We don't need any hindrance before we are ready."
Craig wondered what was going on. He picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Yes?" asked the voice on the other end.
"Dai's brother and Scot called me. He wants me to meet with him and Kei."
"Does he know anything?"
"Not sure. I told him I just got back into town this morning and was wondering if Dai was with him."
"Okay. Go visit them. See what they know and call me when you get home."
Craig hung up the phone and walked out the door.
Scot answered the door when Craig arrived.
"Glad you could make it" said Scot.
"Hope I can be of help. You know how much Dai means to me."
"Yes, that we do Craig" Scot said as he led him in the living room. Craig's mouth almost hit the floor when he saw The Three Sisters sitting there.
"Why are The Three Sisters here?"
Kei looked at Craig and smirked. "They are here to help us."
"I thought they only helped family members. Outsiders on the rare occasion."
"Ah! So you have heard of us have you?" asked Nao.
"Well of course I have! I just don't understand why you are here."
Nami stood and said "Then please let me explain. Dai is our sister."
Craig's eyes widen. He looked at Kei, Scot and then back to Nami.
"Is there something wrong Craig?" asked Nishi.
"No! No not at all. I'm just surprised. I had no idea that Dai was related to The Three Sisters."
"Well, she doesn't spread our business. If people knew who we were related to it could cause all kinds of problems for us and them. So we keep it private. Including any problems our family members may have" Nishi said. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you Craig?"
"Of course. It will go no further than this room. I promise" said Craig.
"Fine then" said Nami. "Let's get started shall we?"
They all sat down in the living room.
"Now...Craig tell us what happened."
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Well...we know she was working on something. What was it?"
"We received a folder for a job. I told her that I thought it was too dangerous and we should turn it down, but you know Dai."
"Yes that we do. What was the case about?"
"It was about a man that had been missing for quite some time now. We were going to go and meet this person, but Dai decided to wait for them to come to her. I guess they did."
"Hmm...okay. I think we have what we need from you for now Craig. We will call you if we need anything else."
"How long does this process take?"
"We need a day to collect information. A day to prepare. The third day we will be ready."
"Ready for what? What is it that you do exactly?"
"We can't tell you that Craig. I'm sorry" said Nami.
"Why exactly are you asking Craig?" asked Nishi.
"Oh no reason. I've heard the stories and was just wondering if they were true."
"Well I guess you will never know will you?" asked Nao. "We are alone when we do what it is that we do. Even family members aren't allowed to be in the same room."
"Oh! Well okay then. I'll say good luck to you then."
They all just stared at Craig.
"Okay. Well good to know. Let me know if you need anything else from me."
As Craig walked out Nishi stood and scowled.
"Well! He sure had all the answers. Too bad he's lying."
Scot looked at Nishi. "How do you know that?"
"His aura was black the whole time. From the moment he first saw us here. He's a liar!"
Nao looked at Nishi. "He was also asking a lot of questions. He obviously wants to tell someone about us and what we do. He needs to be watched."
"Yes, but first we need to see what he does" said Nami.
"Well? What now?" asked Kei.
Nishi looked thoughtful. "We need to give him a visit. He won't see us of course. I'll be the one to go."
"Nishi if he's involved I don't think it's safe" said Scot.
"I've already decided. I'll be perfectly safe. Trust me Scot. I won't be alone anyway and he won't be able to see me much less hurt me. Now where can we go that's quiet and we can be uninterrupted?"
"You can use my bedroom" said Kei.
Nami, Nao and Nishi walked into Kei's bedroom and took their positions. It was time to get things started. They just hoped they had enough time.