The Kings of Case Port: Ch.s 3-4

3
         That afternoon, the four friends found themselves relaxing at their favorite table in Teo's family restaurant, The Case Port Inn. Mar and Huge were finishing off Teo's lunch while he tried to think of a way out of waiter duty, and Kira was staring dreamily at a beautiful, black haired, brown eyed, voluptuous girl taking orders at a nearby table.
         "Dammit Huge! I wanted the last biscuit!" Mar complained as Huge popped a steaming piece of bread into his mouth.
         "Too bad," Huge replied.
         "You guys aren't helping." Teo was on verge of crawling under the table, his eyes following the same girl as Kira, but with a much more fearful look. "If my sister sees me, I'll be stuck waiting on morons hand and foot all day! How am I gonna get out of here without being noticed?"
         "Chill, Teo," Mar replied, waving the problem away nonchalantly, "We'll think of something. I mean, we got you in here didn't we? If I were you I'd be more concerned about never coming home last night and then ditching school today."
         "Yeah, waiting tables isn't so bad," Huge yawned. "And you get paid right? Hell, I'd take the job if I wasn't supposed to be helping my dad right now." Huge's dad owned a sporting goods store near the edge of town. As hard as he tried to get Huge involved in it, Huge had no intention of taking over the shop.
         "Yeah, and Sever even works here at night." Mar added. "That's all the free food you can eat right there."
         "You don't get it!" Teo snapped, slumping even lower in his chair. "I hate waiting tables! I only did it the one time because my mom really needed the help, but now she wants me to make it a permanent job. Diez can handle it by herself and she actually wants to! For me it's hours of being buried under heavy trays while trying to scribble down all the minute details of people's orders and then getting hundreds of complaints because the chefs read the scribbles wrong! I can't stand it!" Teo ducked his head completely under the table as Diez walked over to them.
         "Hey, is there anything else you guys want, or are you just loitering now?" she smiled, slipping some bills in her apron. "And tell my idiot brother to stop hiding under the table-I've known he was here for at least an hour."
         Teo reluctantly pulled himself back into his chair. "You're not gonna turn me in, are you? I mean, come on! What are twins for if they don't stick up for each other?"
         "If I haven't turned you in for the past hour, what makes you think I'm going to now?" Diez rolled her eyes. "But don't come begging me for money when you're broke ‘cause it's your loss Teo."
         "A loss I can take." Teo visibly relaxed in his seat.
         "So Diez," Kira said, looking out the window, "You want to go out tonight?"
         "No."
         "Oh, come on! Please?"
         "No."
         Mar sighed and stuck his hand over Kira's mouth before he could talk again. "Give it up, man. Today just isn't the day."
         "Thanks Mar," Diez leaned over and kissed his cheek before going back to work.
         "I'm not stopping until you say ‘yes!'" Kira shouted as she walked away. "Dammit! Why did she kiss you!?"
         "It was a friend kiss; stop making a scene. You'll make me look like a bad mother." Mar stood up and motioned toward the door. "Let's go." The others followed suit, Kira somewhat reluctantly, and only after leaving an extremely large tip on the table.
         "Hey!" Diez shouted as they walked out the door. "What about your bill, huh?"
         "Put it on our tab!" Mar called back. "We'll pay it later!"
         "Yeah, right," Diez muttered, picking up a tray.

         "Hey, did any of you guys notice back at the restaurant," Mar asked quietly as the four of boys wound through the park, "There was one blonde girl at the back who kept staring at us. She was wearing a hat, so I couldn't see her face, and she ordered a ton of food, but didn't touch any of it."
         "I didn't see anyone strange," Teo answered.
         "Neither did I," Kira added.
         "Well you were hiding under the table and you were busy ogling Diez!" Mar glared at the two of them. "What about you, Huge?" Huge just shrugged his large shoulders.
         "Yeah, I saw the chick. But when I looked, she was stuffing her face like a starved animal. I never saw her staring."
         "Fine. Just forget it then." Mar lifted himself up on the side of the Dividing Bridge and watched a pair of kids chase each other through the trees. "I'm just being-Look!" Mar pointed at a clump of trees behind his house. "There's someone there! I just saw them!"
         "Mar, this is starting to get old. What's up with you?" Kira sighed, shaking his head. Mar jumped down off the bridge and took off running through the park. "Mar! Get back here!"
         "I'm getting to the bottom of this!"
         Kira swore and ran after, quickly followed by Teo and Huge. Mar sprinted down to the trees where he saw the hiding figure and slid to a stop, Kira panting behind him. There was no one there.
         "See, Mar? Nothing," Kira sighed. "Now what's with you lately? First the docks, then the restaurant, now this? You're being paranoid!" Mar knelt down on the ground as Teo and Huge came running up.
         "Maybe it's his time of the month," Huge wheezed, resting against a tree.
         "Maybe Sever slipped something in his food," Teo suggested.
         "I'm not losing it!" Mar snapped. "Look! Footprints!" Sure enough, there in the dirt and leaves, they could clearly see the fresh marks of boots all over the ground where Mar pointed them out.
         "Holy shit," Kira said, walking around Mar for a better look, "There was really someone here. Right there you can see they were standing behind that tree, facing us."
         "From the look of the prints, a female, about five feet, four inches in height, who's either dirt poor or has a horrible sense of fashion because no one in their right mind would willingly wear these beat up old boots from the eighties," Teo spouted off, kneeling in the dirt beside Mar. Kira turned around and stared at him incredulously.
         "Okay, first of all, since when did you turn into Nancy Drew? And second, who the hell are you to be talking about fashion, Mr. Bargain Bin? You're not gonna start thinking this is Mar's alleged ‘blonde girl' from the restaurant, are you? I mean, even if it was, how do we know she was looking at us? She could have been bird watching, or stalking some ex, or a million other things."
         "Bird watching?" Huge smirked. "Hey guys, I think we just found out what Kira's secret hobby is."
         "Oh, shut up! That's not the point!" Kira snapped. "I'm trying to say that we have no way of knowing what this girl was doing here, so we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions!"
         "But you're forgetting, Mr. Bird Watcher,"
         "Shut up Huge!"
         "If she wasn't watching us, why'd she run away when Mar spotted her?"
         "I'd run too if I saw a deranged smurf sprinting after me!"
         Mar stood up, brushing off his jeans. "Huge is right, Kira. If she wasn't spying on us, she wouldn't have taken off like that. Don't frown at me," he smiled, seeing Kira's faced go from annoyed to angry, "You know I'm right. You just don't like being proven wrong by a smurf, right carrot-top?"
         "Oh, now you're just trying to piss me off," Kira grumbled, crossing his arms and plopping down on the ground stubbornly. "Fine, go on with your stupid little detective game. I'll just sit right here in the dirt and sprout grass out of my head like the frickin' vegetable I am! Have fun eating me when I'm ripe!"
         "So. Ignoring carrot-top,"
         "Cut it out already!"
         "We've gotta see if we can find this girl," Mar said. "You know, catch her in the act. For that we need a plan, Teo."
         "Hold it, hold it, hold it!" Kira jumped up and marched over to stand in the circle the others had formed. "I'm the one who comes up with the plans! Teo's the one who forges signatures, picks locks and comes up with ingenious ways to cover our asses so we only ever face the minimum consequences of whatever delinquent scheme we concoct and inevitably get caught doing! You can't go and replace me just because of one overly dramatic, pointless outburst meant to preserve my honor and that of my gorgeous crimson locks, got that?"
         "We got it, gorgeous." Mar chuckled.
         "Good, ‘cause this is what we're gonna do. We send Mar out wandering the streets at night, the rest of us follow him, and if we see anybody else doing the same, we jump them. Simple as that."
         "Brilliant. No one other than you could have possibly come up with that." Huge smirked. "Staying up all night watching Mar act as bait for what you think is nothing but paranoia. You are truly Einstein's intellectual heir."
         "Why does it feel like today is stomp on Kira's face day?  Oh, I know, because Huge won't shut up! I don't see any of you coming up with anything better, so just go with it! We're going to need a camera and flashlights. Let's go back to my place and stock up. "
         Kira led the way through the park and past the maze of the city's streets and alleys back to the little yellow house shoved on the corner of Elm Street and Border Drive like an afterthought. Yumi was stretched out on a beach chair outside, tanning in a pink bikini and sunglasses while Ellie played hop-scotch on the driveway. She only moved enough to tell Kira to stop blocking her sun when the boys surrounded her.
         "Where's the video camera?" Kira asked, positioning himself so that his shadow completely covered her and trying to ignore Ellie pulling on his pant leg to get him to play with her.
         "I don't know, somewhere in the hall closet. What do you even need it for? You're grounded for getting suspended."
         "Since when?"
         "Since yesterday, when I found out about it."
         "No, since when do I care if I'm grounded? It's not like you even care. You're such a great role model for parental authority that way."
         "Just shut up and get out of my light, kiddo. And I have to work late tomorrow, so you are taking care of Ellie." Yumi sat up and took off her sunglasses so she could better glare at Kira and emphasis her point. "That does not mean locking her in a closet with juice, cookies and crayons and then going off to play poker in Huge's basement! You understand me?"
         "Yeah, yeah. Ellie's dumping dirt in your Coke super-mom." With that sentiment Kira, Huge, Teo and Mar headed inside and crammed themselves in the tiny hallway, bumping hanging pictures and trying not to suffocate against the horrible wallpaper and the person next to them. Kira wrenched open the closet. Inside were numerable childish drawings, a mostly empty box of stale chocolate chip cookies, and a large pile of empty apple juice boxes.
         "Sheesh, Ellie really needs to clean her room, eh Kira?" Huge joked.
         "Yeah, we're gonna have to take a quick detour to go buy some more cookies and juice before tomorrow." Kira reached up and pulled down a large, ancient camera from the top shelf in the closet.
         Mar shook his head, grinning. "You're a really horrible brother, you know?"
         "Correction," Kira replied, "I am not related to Ellie in the slightest way and therefore cannot be called her brother. She's just the annoying little demon who sleeps in the room next to mine. Besides, it's not my fault Yumi thought she was so cute she had to take her home. Why should I have to play nanny all day long?"
         "All day? It's for an hour. Hour and a half at most." Mar took the camera from Kira's hands and hauled it into the kitchen, setting it on the table. "Anyway, what do we need the camera for?"
         "Because," Kira said, fishing three flashlights out of a cupboard over the stove, "if we can catch this most likely non-existent stalker on tape, we might be able to see who they are or if they really were following you. Plus we need a way to prove you wrong when you say you saw someone that none of us did."
         "Just say it Kira," Huge yawned, stretching back in a chair, "You're excited about our first little adventure of the summer, aren't you?"
         "No! What's so adventurous about filming Mar being an idiot? Here, just for that you get the pink flashlight with the bunny on it. Teo, you can take your pick." Teo grabbed a green light and flicked it on and off once before stuffing it in his pants pocket.
         "You liar, Kira," Huge smiled as he picked up his light. "Well this is sickeningly adorable. Why is the rabbit wearing a tutu?"
         "Okay, we have everything we need." Mar said, going over to the fridge, "Let's eat and work out some details before we go to work."
         As the boys fought over what they wanted to eat, Yumi came in with Ellie in tow and offered to make something herself. They all gathered around the table and talked, laughed and argued until the sun started sinking in the sky to the west. While Yumi was putting a yawning Ellie into bed, the boys gathered up their stuff and trudged down to the docks. A few vendors were still out, trying desperately to sell a few more items, but the streets beside the ocean were mostly empty by the time they arrived. As Mar walked openly down the road, heading towards the Case Port Inn, the others followed close after, hiding behind crates, boxes and buildings looking everywhere for a shadow, other than themselves, in the night.

4

         Chelsea and Jake stood at rapt attention in front of their father, Nathan, making every effort to remain motionless as they waited for Lady Rida to arrive. The already dark look on Nathan's face darkened even more when Jason entered the parlor with Nicole in tow. He shoved the small blonde girl into line next to the others and stood next to Nathan, perfectly at ease.
         "You must be excited," Jason smiled mockingly, "You finally have a chance to redeem yourself to the head of the family after the rather, scandalous betrayal of your wife. Not to mention, you can finally see whether or not that oaf son of yours is worth anything at all." Nathan could do nothing but glare at the man he both despised and envied more than anyone else. "Me," Jason continued, ignoring the heat from his cousin's stare, "I'm just glad I can put this little one to use. Hopefully by the end of next week I can say I'm proud to be a father, but seeing as she's so much like my brother Torry, I highly doubt that. Oh well," he sighed, "I suppose if she fails too miserably, I can deny that she's mine and put her burden on Torry's shoulders. After all, he is Rida's husband. I'm only a lover. But the whole family already knows that, minus the few exceptions, right my little bastard girl?"
         He ruffled Nicole's hair forcefully, knocking her off her feet. "Dammit girl! Can't you even show an ounce of class!? Get up before you disgrace your mother!"
         Nicole quickly stood up and resumed her position next to Chelsea, standing almost two heads shorter than the tall brunette.
         The three children straightened visibly as the door opened again and a tall, black haired woman with piercing green eyes and bright red lipstick walked in, followed by a small trail of guards. She carried herself with the air of iron fisted authority that came naturally that demanded respect and absolute obedience. Her long hair fell to her waist, only slightly hiding the diamond and emeralds hanging from her ears. She wore ruby and sapphire rings on her fingers and silver bracelets clinked on her wrists. She stopped in front of the large windows overlooking a huge courtyard edged with forests and smiled venomously at the children. Her eyes glittered even in shadow with a menace that made Nathan's blood run cold. He could never get used to those eyes, no matter how many times he saw them. It was as if they pulled all of your deepest secrets from your soul, all of your inadequacies, all of your fears. 
         "Hello everyone," Lady Rida said, her voice bordered with boredom and disdain, "I hope we are all prepared for the task I've set upon you. If not, leave now, and do not disgust this family with your presence ever again. I and the rest of the family are trusting you to do your duty without question and without fail. Should you return to us without success, you will all pay dearly. Do you understand?"
         "Yes my lady," was the immediate reply.
         "I expected no less. The three of you will now be sent to three separate locations:the northern town of Greensborough, the seaside town of Case Port, and the rural Lilac. In one of these towns is a great mansion that once belonged to our family's greatest traitor. It is that mansion that my sister and your brother, Nathan, ran off to when they as well decided to throw away our precious blood. While they have vanished, their children still remain there. We need you to find them, and the location of that mansion. Do not let yourselves be known to them in the process of acquisition. When you have found them, come back return and report directly to me. That is all you need to know. Now go and bring pride to your names."
         Rida motioned towards the door and the guards sheparded the children out of the room. Nathan followed behind them; only Jason stayed where he was. He smiled slightly and walked across the room to lean against one of the huge windows, at Rida's side.
         "Are you angry that Ella's kids are the ones bearing the prophetic names of the head line?"
         "Hold your tongue before you wind up dead. You have no right to address me in such an informal manner."
         "I'll take that as a yes."
         Rida spat on the floor away from Jason's shoes and snarled angrily. "Born at the same moment yet opposite in nature, it's logical in such an insane sense you can do nothing but accept it. My sister left Bella's Fields, our ancestral home, fourteen years ago. I still remember that day, we were only fourteen, and I caught her slipping out her window in the middle of the night with a bag full of necessities, a letter of goodbye left on her bed. I tried to pull her back inside, but she shook me off. I remember what she said as if the witch still stood next to me. She said she left because she was ashamed of us, our family, our glorious heritage. But I know better. She was hiding something. Something important. Something I still intend to find out. And we need to work quickly. I have it on good account that a meddler has already begun to stick his nose where it doesn't belong."
         "Sounds like things are going to get interesting," Jason drawled. "But why so serious about it? What's really going on here?"
         Rida turned towards him and smiled coldly.
"The children of Uzziel nevermore
Will escape the pain of internal war,

And all of their sons and all of their babes,
Will never know joy at the end of their days."