Len's home is a two-storey house with a small garage, an attic and basement. Just like every other house on the street. Len had told his father to buy the house here when he was eight. It didn't attract too much attention, it looks normal and no one would ever know that one of the police's legend and the kid who has the highest IQ is living is this place.
His mother loved his idea, and after that, they bought the place and lived here. They were like a normal family; his father would always complain about work, his mother would do the house works and threaten Len and his father to help her while Len would try his best to be like an ordinary student.
Happy family, Len thought.
He took a quick glance at the house, a car was parked in the garage and his father's shoes were thrown on the ground, meaning his father has got back home and he was probably in a hurry to get in. Since the sun's already setting, there's a possibility that Len's mother has already started cooking.
Just thinking about mother's cooking made Len shuddered with fear.
Len walked up to the front door and opened it.
"I'm home!" He shouted, a habit he has had for six years.
And then all hell broke loose.
"No, you are not getting my son anywhere!" Len heard a woman's sound…her mother.
"He's also my son!" His father shouted from somewhere.
"He was in my belly for nine months, not yours!" His mother shouted.
"Whatever!"
Len didn't understand, for a kid with an IQ of 225, how he had such childish loving parents will remain a mystery for eternity.
Leon Strife, 35 years old, father of Len Strife. Current job is being a police, once a man who took over the case of the Phantom Thief, Lily. The man who has seen Lily the most and the one that had almost caught her, almost, of course. Lola Valenza, 34 years old, mother of Len Strife. No job. Worst cooking skill in the neighborhood, there were rumors that her cooking could kill rats.
Then Len saw his father and mother running down the stairs, pushing each other. Just looking at their hair colors reminded Len of a golden retriever and a husky.
Focus, Len, something's going on, your parent are not dogs, that would make you a dog too, he said quietly to himself.
Leon rushed ahead of Lola and tried to grab Len, but Lola pulled him back and tugged at his hair, shouting, "Don't even think about it!"
"I spent at least ten minutes on it! Stop touching my hair! Stop! No touchy, no touchy!" His father shouted.
"What exactly are you two doing?" Len finally asked them.
"I'm fighting for your freedom and your rights to be a normal student!" His mother shouted, while trying to throw his father to the ground.
His father tried to protest, "I just need him to help me with-"
"Your police work, and the last time you needed him to help, it involved negotiating with terrorist. I am not putting my son into any danger and you won't too!" Mother shouted, and then suddenly smiled warmly at Len, "Dinner's ready at the table, we've got spaghetti tonight."
"I'll…skip…I just ate." Len rather starve than eat his mom's cooking.
"You ate?" His father suddenly asked, "You went out to eat? How could you? Leaving me alone with this…this…"
"One more word and you'll be getting double servings tonight." Lola smiled at Leon, "And Len, why were you so late? Shouldn't you be back like…three hours ago?"
"I was out eating with my friend," Len answered, trying to avoid anything that could make his mother think that-
"Was it a girl?" Lola asked," Please tell me she's a girl; my boy needs a girlfriend, seriously."
"Yes, my friend's a girl and-"
"Oh my god!" Len's mother squeaked, "You have to tell me-"
"So, what did you want me to do, father?" Len quickly changed the subject.
"No, young man, you are so not getting away." Lola said.
Before Len had the time to allow his mother to make another comment, he did what he had to do.
He grabbed his father and run.
"Father, you know quarrelling with mother would lead to tragic dinners for you. And shouldn't you be able to suppress mother easily?" Len asked while running.
"I would never hit your mother, Len." Leon smiled, "Never."
"Whatever, father." Len sighed at his dad, "So, what exactly did you want me to do?"
"I just need your brains for ten minutes."
There's a possibility that it involves police works, like what Len's mother mentioned, and it could be bad. And needing Len's brains? That is definitely not good. And according to how his father was in a rush to get him…
It's going to get worse.
"Just…a little longer, I'll get you out of here okay?"
Inside a room, a girl was talking to a silver-haired kid. The little kid stayed quietly and looked at the girl, like he just wanted to look at her face for another second. He had no intention to talk, just sitting there and looking at her, like she's his only friend.
He didn't talk.
He couldn't talk.
"Just a little longer, please." The girl holds his hands, "Wait for me."
"Time's up, missy," A man appeared at the door.
The girl obeyed and stood up. The kid looked at her as she left, knowing it'll be at least another three days before she could come visit him.
"I'll get the money fast, okay?" The girl smiled, "Just wait."
And she left.
The man walked behind the girl, "So, how are you going to get the money?"
"You already knew how." The girl sighed, "Why ask?"
"Because I'm curious." The man said, "Because if you are going to do it like what I think you're going to do, then you've got a lot of guts. And I don't need people with a lot of guts here; they tend to start a riot against me."
"Trust me, I won't." The girl said confidently, "I've already sent the invitation to them, after that, I'll steal the diamond according to the date on it."
"But you sent a riddle," The man asked, "You think they'll understand anything?"
"They will," The girl suddenly smiled, "You won't have to worry about that. I'm pretty sure they'll solve it, 'he' will solve it."
"Oh, who's 'he'?" The man asked.
"Just…a friend I met today." She smiled.
"Friends…are useless, remember that," The man warned, "They'll get you into troubles and dangers, and I wouldn't want anyone hurting my girl, now, would I?"
"The only danger here is you, and I'm not your girl, I'm just your money maker that becomes useless when I stop working, is it?"
"Whatever you say," The man smiled, "But you really remind me of Lily when she was small. So stubborn, so useful, so beautiful and clever."
"…I do not need you to remind me of her now." The girl stopped in her tracks and stared back.
"Yes, yes, you need a change of topic, right?" The man asked, "Can you let me see the riddle? I'll see if I can use any of my brain juice tonight."
"Your brain wouldn't even come close to solving it." The little girl said it with a hint of disdain. "But here it is." She handed out a paper.
"You're telling me to figure out what it's saying. Right?" Len asked his father.
"Exactly, I have to know, I need to know, it's important." Leon said.
"Why? Because of Lily?" Len asked. "Sounds like something she'll write, at least that's what you told me."
His father stayed quiet for about thirteen seconds, then said, "She's being missing for nine years, we almost thought that she might be dead, but this…this might be a hint of her being alive, or maybe that she's back."
"It could be a piece of paper a kid randomly wrote to you." Len commented.
"And the piece of paper was sent to every police officer in America, China, Russia, Japan, England and Taiwan, and it was written in different languages, no name, no address, but a lily, a Calla Lily to be precise." Father said, "Are you sure?"
"Plus," He continued, "I know her, I was like her rival since I was fourteen. Knowing her being back just lets me…feel excited. This must be her, I just knew it."
Fourteen…the same age as Len is now…
"I'll try…" Len sighed.
After the three Atlantis sank, Pandora would be taken.
To the Sun and the Moon, where the cursed Flora stays hidden.
The scent of it, brings delusion and illusion,
Let Janus guide you, to conclusion or confusion.
Anyone who can solve this?