Disclaimer: I do not own any characters o organizations from Black Cat nor the cities mentioned in this, or previous chapters, nor IHOP.

A/N:If anyone has tips to improve my writing (not the plot) please let me know. I plan on entering a writing contest that is coming up soon (with a different story, of course) so any feedback or criticism is welcome. (*cries in a corner of the room* "Why is my vocabulary so small? Why?")

Chapter 8

"Our parents were international lawyers. You might have heard of them – Richard and Yuki Daniels." The surprise was plain on Sven's face, as expected of anyone who had experience in the legal world. He looked like he wanted to interrupt, but I didn't give him a chance. "One night, a man came to them under..strange circumstances. He wanted them to take on his case but it was clear that he had no money to offer. His clothes were tattered and ragged and he smelled like he hadn't bathed in at least a week. We could barely understand what he was saying through his thick Russian accent, though he spoke fluent English.

"His story, however, caught our parents' attention. He wanted them to sue a company he used to work for that he was absolutely sure had been responsible for abusing his family, and he claimed that he could provide most of the evidence they'd need to win the case. " The familiar glint of curiosity had come into our parents' eyes as they listened to the man as his rain-soaked clothes dripped on the wooden floor of the foyer. I could already tell, then, that they would take on the case, especially after hearing the man's plight. "He was bent on keeping the police out of the investigation, repeating countless times that 'They were in on it. They'll stop at nothing to stop us.' Nevertheless, our parents agreed to help him. Together, the three of them began researching and gathering evidence to present to the jury for the next six months.

"The whole thing was crazy. They had to juggle their schedules at their office and at barely had time to sit down between frequent visits to the library, appointments, and phone call after phone call with companies from all over. It was a relief for them and us when they were finally able to present the case to the district court. But...right before they were supposed to head to court, they found a document that their client had been searching for for months. Once they read its contents, they realized how significant the case was to the world...and to their family's lives." A flashback of the night before the trial came to mind.

The door to the study was open a crack as our parents shouted on the other side. I dared to peek inside, wanting to know what had sparked the rare rage in our parents. "You knew how much danger we'd be in if we took your case! Why didn't you tell us? WHY? Did you want to put our faces on hit lists worldwide? DID YOU?" Mom waved the file in her hand violently in front of the man's face, as if she was ready to decapitate him with it. The man simply stood there, quivering in fear. "I was afraid you wouldn't help me if you knew," he whimpered. Even Dad was furious as he glared at him from behind. "We could send you straight to the police and drop this case, right here," he shouted. From the look on his face, it was obvious he meant every word. The man got down on his knees and clasped his hands in front of him, sobbing. "Please forgive me! I'm sorry, I truly am! But I couldn't just leave my family at their mercy. I couldn't! Surely you understand. Imagine if your children were being tortured and you couldn't do anything. Please! This was the only way I could see my daughter again! And my wife!" Dad's face softened as he pitied the man in his desperation. Mom, though, didn't yield. "We can't risk our children's lives as well. Richard, we have to end this here." She looked at Dad, but, after a moment's pause he slowly shook his head. "Yuki, if what's in that file is true...it wouldn't matter if we stopped the case. It's too late."

"They wanted to abandon the man's case right then and there, but they were already in over their heads. So they went to court, and used their evidence, including the file." I caught a glimpse of the file as our mother took it with her in front of the jury. Embossed on the file's manila cover, the haunting picture sparkled as the light reflected off of it. BASILIA was spelled in royal blue underneath the oh so familiar symbol. The emerald-scaled basilisk entangling itself around the dagger, decorated by drops of scarlet rolling down its blade, all encased within a silver circle.

"They shocked the jury, the judge, even the defendants' lawyers with the information they presented. It turned out the organization they were up against, Basilia, had investments from companies and organizations around the world, not excluding several nations' governments. Under the guise of a loans union, Basilia utilized blackmail and bribery to gain influence in the corporate and criminal world. The trial was so controversial that the trial was taken to Supreme Court and then in front of the U.N. In the end, though, our parents won the jury's vote by a landslide. Hundreds of corporate executives were taken into custody and a few world leaders were even impeached. The man was able to see his family again and move with them back to Russia.

"Yet, after all the commotion of the big success, Mom and Dad still seemed worried. They became overprotective of us, limiting our time with our friends, keeping us inside with them whenever they could. At one point, they stopped Ryan from riding the bus. They wouldn't tell us why they were so high-strung, though. Ever since the 'big case', they were more secretive, keeping things from us, despite how much we'd ask." It wasn't like that before. They'd talk to us about everything.

"I'd heard the argument they'd had the night before the trial, but I didn't have any idea how serious the whole thing truly was, not even after the trial. I didn't imagine that our parents would be killed because of it. And the whole time, nothing suspicious happened. We didn't get any strange phone calls. Our family and friends were happy and better than ever...I guess we let our guards down too soon.

"The night Mom and Dad were murdered, one of the assassins sent after our family had a tattoo on the back of his neck of the same serpent and dagger. That was the symbol of the infamous Basilia organization that was supposedly closed down by the government after the trial. Ryan and I went to the authorities to report what happened, but once they heard who we were and what we saw, they seemed to lose interest completely." The police commissioner's eyes glazed over in the dark room as I described the men who had broken into our home. He held up a hand to stop me from saying any more."That is quite enough Ms. Daniels. With this information, we will be able to track down the criminals immediately." Even my little brother, with his crude lie-detecting skills, knew that was all the help we'd get from the police. "So after the whole family feud over Ryan, we went to live in the busiest part of Downtown Houston. And...here we are."

I sighed and leaned back into my chair, relieved to get that all off my chest. Sven stared at me through his mirror, speechless for a moment. Then he said what he'd been dying to ask at the beginning. "Your parents were Richard and Yuki Daniels. As in the heads of the R.Y.D. International Law Firm?" I nodded as Train looked curiously at Sven. "You've heard of them?" Sven gave Train an "Are you kidding me?" look. "The Daniels' were world renown lawyers. They were both exceptional at their work, ranging from writing treaties to taking on international criminal trials." He glanced back at me. "Their children were no less gifted. Luna here was known for her expertise in psychology and the arts." He looked back at Ryan a bit skeptically. "Their boy, Ryan, was supposedly an extremely talented athlete." Ryan seemed a little insulted. "What do you mean 'supposedly'?"

Eve looked at us as if we'd become different people entirely. Train, however, was still confused. "If they're so famous, how come you didn't recognize who they were before?" Sven looked at me suspiciously. "I would have, if they weren't reported dead two years ago." Ryan shrugged and, thankfully, took over the explaining. "With our life savings, we were able to bribe a few magazines and websites into publishing a story that we were discovered dead a week after our parents were killed." He smiled darkly at the thought. "They ate the story up like it was pure gold. Even though they were just gossip chains, the news spread like wildfire. Nothing makes better publicity than death, after all."

Train nodded in understanding, satisfied with the explanation. Eve looked at me with curiosity. "If everyone thinks you two were dead all this time, then how did Basilia figure out you were staying with us?" I shook my head. "They could have appeared out of a magic lamp for all I know." Sven pondered over what Eve had said. "If this Basilia is resourceful as the man had claimed, they would have found and killed you and your brother years ago...unless, of course, they decided to let you guys go." I went pale at the idea; I hadn't thought about it before, but Sven was probably right. Immediately after our parents were killed, they could have tracked us down easily through police records, court records, plane tickets, social security numbers. "I think the question here isn't how they found you, but why they chose last night to do it." I pinched the bridge of my nose. A slight headache was starting to build up behind it as it became clear how vulnerable we really were. Sven looked at me sympathetically, but continued thinking aloud. "The men sent to kill your parents, were they looking for anything? Like a file or some kind of document." Ryan froze at the question. "Yeah," he answered stiffly. "They were tearing open drawers and flipping tables over in our parents' room..They probably did the same to the rest of the house."

Ryan had had a clear view of what they did to Dad in their room that night. I could barely stand having to see it again in my dream, but I couldn't imagine how difficult it was for him to try and recall it by will. These were memories that both of us had been trying to block out for the past two years. Having them resurface now was painful at best. Before Sven asked another question I quickly butt in. "We don't know if they found whatever they were searching for. The house was burned down before the police got there." Sven heard the almost desperate tone in my voice as I said that and glanced at Ryan's expression. My brother's brows were furrowed slightly as he tried to focus his attention on a bug on the windshield. Tension and unease were clear both our faces. Sven then nodded. "Okay, we'll talk about it later, then."

We drove on in silence through the desert, and then through Sonora. I stared out the window as the small city zoomed past us. Empty land became ranches, ranches became small towns, and small towns left nothing but land again. A couple of hours went by in the sweltering heat. Our clothes began to stick to us with sweat, and to make matters worse, the A/C decided to stop working. We stared in horror as it sputtered its last few puffs of cool, ventilated air. "NOOO!" Train cried. "Shouting isn't going to fix the damn thing! Quiet down!" Sven was especially irritable at this point. He'd even taken off his hat, revealing his spiky green hair. "Is there anything to drink?" Train asked. Sven sighed and tried to contain his annoyance. "Train..the cooler is just as empty as it was five minutes ago." "It wouldn't be if we stopped over in Sonora!" I closed my eyes to all the noise. The headache was getting worse with the heat and commotion of the car.

Maybe I should take another nap. My head slowly fell to my chest as I tried to give in to exhaustion. Suddenly, my head shot up to the cool sensation of water on my face. Eve was smiling at my expression. "Looked like you needed something to drink." I blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Thanks, I needed that." "Hey, aren't you going to share with us?" All three boys were staring hungrily at the bottled water in Eve's hand. She handed it over to me. "I've already had my drink." She glared at the three of them. "Whatever happened to ladies first?" Sven was ready to explode. "The gentleman's code is no to be abused to your advantage!" I laughed again. "Don't worry. We'll leave some for you guys."

I unscrewed the cap and water-falled a bit of the drink into my open mouth. Then, wiping my mouth, I passed the container to Ryan. "What about me?" Train whined next to me. I gave him a questioning look. "Somehow, I doubt that you'll leave enough for everyone else." Train looked almost heartbroken when I said that. "I just saved your life twice! Doesn't that count for anything?" Ryan skied a sip and passed the water to Sven. "Just wait your turn Train," I said calmly and leaned into my seat. The water had helped the headache, though the throbbing hadn't ceased completely.

Eve noticed and looked at me worriedly as Train grabbed for the drink from Sven. "Are you feeling okay?" I nodded. "I'm fine.""You don't look fine." Ryan turned to face the back hearing our conversation. "You okay, Sis?" I gave them both a small smile. "I'm okay, honest. My head's just hurting a bit." Ryan frowned, knowing my habit of hiding my troubles. Sven spoke up. "You probably just need a decent meal. We should be passing through Fort Stockton in a few minutes. I'll make a stop there. Besides, I think. It's about time you and Ryan changed into your wardrobes." I raised an eyebrow at how he'd said the last bit. "'Wardrobes'?" Train made a goofy grin, having finished the last of the water. "Since you'll be traveling with us and trying to hide from whats-its-name. We figured you'd need to get a new look for the rest of the trip. We've got a whole new set of outfits for you two." He winked reassuringly at me. "Don't worry about it though. We're experts at disguise." That didn't quite put me at ease. I didn't like not being able to pick my own clothes.

A few minutes passed before we any sign of civilization turned up. Fort Stockton was a small town, an almost perfect picture of the cliché most people that came to mind when they imagined Texas. The streets were empty this early in the morning, giving the town an ominous feel as we exited the highway. This, however, didn't affect Train's enthusiasm when we parked in front of an IHOP by the side of the road. "FINALLY!" he shouted as he ran towards the air-conditioned building. Sven opened his door and walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk, pulling out two shopping bags, one white and one black. Eve and I climbed out of the back seat and Ryan made for the IHOP after Train. I looked at the bags, wondering what kind of clothes could possibly be inside. Sven waited patiently for me to looked up. "Shall we?" he asked, indicating to the door of the restaurant. I nodded, not wanting to stand in the heat all day. "Yes, we shall." We followed Sven to the door and Eve held it open for the man. Chills went up my spine as I heard the chime of a bell. That sound.

I looked around for the source of the sound, half-thinking I was going back to that place in my dream. I caught a glimpse of the bell above the door. A dull silver, it hung above the door, giving an effervescent tinkling whenever a customer walked through the door. Eve stared at me in my antics as she waited for me to walk through. "Luna...are you coming?" I looked over at her and nodded quickly. "Yeah..yeah, I'm coming." I rubbed my forehead again, the headache seeming to intensify the closer I got to the door. What the heck is this? I stepped over the threshold and into the shade of the building, silently gasped. Once I set foot in the building, the pain ceased as if the headache never existed. Eve followed after me. "Let's find a place to sit." I could tell she was concerned with how I was acting now, and I didn't protest.

The restaurant was empty except for us and one other customer. He sat at the breakfast bar up front, reading the local newspaper. He glanced up at our arrival. "What brings you city-slickers 'round here?" The man had a slight Texan accent as he spoke. He looked to be in his late thirties or early forties. His hair was salt-and pepper blonde, with spots of dark brown sprinkled here and there. He had on a wrinkled thin red button-up over a set of worn jeans and brown boots. I smiled politely. "We're just passing through, sir. Where is everyone? This place looks like a ghost town." He scoffed a bit and folded up his paper. "There haven't been many customers 'round here lately. Someone started talk that there was some kind of spirit here last night." Eve looked skeptically at the man. "Why would they think that?" "Was a full moon last night. One of the cooks heard some mysterious creature talking in the back when he was closing up shop." He stretched his tires legs and looked Eve in the eye. "You youngins wouldn't think nothing of it, the know-it-alls you are. Now, you two go on and join your friends. I'm sure you have more important things to do than listen to some silly gossip." He indicated towards the back of the room.

In a booth next to the window, Sven waved our way. Eve walked towards the booth as I turned to the man."Sorry if we disturbed you, sir." I bowed my head slightly. He smiled. "No worries. Travelers are welcome, what with business this slow. Besides, it's a pleasure speaking to such fine young ladies." He smiled and stood up to walk to the entrance of the kitchen. "I'll go tell the boys to fire up the oil. You and your friends ring me up when you're ready, ya' hear?" "Sure thing," I called back as he disappeared to the back of the restaurant. I reached the booth and sat myself down. "So you met Buck. Nice guy, huh?" I nodded. "Is he a friend of yours?" Sven leaned back and lit himself a long awaited cigarette. "We go back. He and I worked together a few times for the IBI." Ryan perked up. "You were part of the IBI?" It had been his dream as a little kid to work for the FBI and bring in bad guys. You could see Sven's pride as it puffed up. "Why yes, and I was one of the best in my field." I shook my head. Typical boys.

I glanced around the room as Sven recounted the perils of working as an investigator. "Where's Train?" I asked, not checking or caring if I'd interrupted the two of them. Sven pointed his thumb towards the back of the room where an open doorway led to a refrigerated section.

Train was already attacking the refrigerators in the back, picking as many jugs of milk as he could off of the shelf. "Oh, and before I forget." He grabbed Ryan by the collar. "I told Train to wait there while Eve and I got you two dressed up." He started for the restroom door. "Us first, then you girls, got it?" Ryan tried to gouge his nails into the table. "Wait! I don't want to change my look. I like my look. Can't we think this through first?" Ryan, though, stood no chance to Sven's experience. "Kid, no clothes, no food. Now..Come..On!" Ryan's hands slipped from the table and they stumbled into the room with Train. "So, the bathroom's that way, I presume?" I asked Eve. She shrugged. "I guess so." "Those two never change." Buck chuckled from behind the counter as he dried a glass with a dish towel.

Sven stepped out of the restroom after a good thirty minutes. In the meantime, Eve and I had ordered a platter of fish and chips. Sven rubbed his hands together. "We came just in time to eat." "'We?'" I asked. Leaning back to check behind Sven. "Where's Ryan?" He glanced back toward the restroom. "What's taking him so long?" He went out of the room and knocked on the door, hard. "Hey kid, you done yet?" he called inside. "I'm not coming out!" Ryan shouted back. Why doesn't he want to come out? Sven rapped against the door again. "Ryan, come on. We don't have time for this." "I said I'm not coming. Not in these clothes!" I headed towards the back room.. "Sven..what's he talking about?" Sven ignored me as he continued to knock furiously against the door.

Ryan finally opened the door a crack and peeked out. "Promise you won't laugh," he said in a small voice. I swear, this kid was impossible. "Promise." I put a hand over my heart to try and persuade him out.

Convinced, he swung the door open and inched himself out. My jaw dropped once I laid eyes on him. Last night, he'd looked..well, like Ryan. Jeans, blue printed T-shirt, unkempt hair and an old grey duffel bag hanging over his shoulders. But in front of me stood a neat, groomed, and, dare I say it, hot version of my little brother. He wore a plain light blue tee under a green button-up with jeans ripped at the bottom edges. His hair was cut shorter and spiked up in the front. Two small pieces of silver glinted off his left ear – a small hoop hung from his ear lobe and a little bit behind it was a cuff earring with a metal feather dangling from it. I was speechless, shocked at Ryan's complete transformation.

Ryan shrank back once he saw my expression, though Sven blocked him from going back into the bathroom. Eve came up from behind me and looked him head to toe, assessing his new getup. "It'll do," she concluded. "It looks different enough from his usual appearance." Sven looked at me expectantly. "So what do you think?" Ryan's eyes watered in desperation as he looked longingly at his hiding place. I sighed. "Well, it doesn't look bad," I finally answered.

Sven looked at the three of us. "Eve, help Luna change out of her clothes." He handed her the single black bag that remained. I would have protested, had my clothes not still been covered in garbage stains from the dumpster. I sighed resignedly. "Fine." "Glad to see you'll cooperate. I was afraid you'd put up a fight, too." "I know how to pick my fights," I replied. "Save some food for when we get back." Sven nodded before hurrying for the booth.

Eve looked over at me and smiled again as Ryan walked up to us. "You really don't think it looks bad?" he asked me. He looked uncertain of what I would say, knowing my habit for teasing him. I winked at him. "It really does suit you," I said. "I just can't believe you put on earrings, again." He reached up to feel his ear and grimaced. "I didn't think I'd be using these holes in my ear for a while." Eve looked at him surprised. "You had your ears pierced before?" I chuckled as he nodded slowly and regrettably. "Hurt like hell, too," he muttered."It's a long story," I told her, patting her on the shoulder. Eve was still confused, but she left it at that.

She lifted the bag that Sven had given her. "You want to see what Rinslet chose for you?" she asked. "Is 'Rinslet' the one who chose Ryan's clothes?" Eve nodded. I glanced at the bag warily, scared of what I might find inside. Even if Ryan's new clothes looked nice, it was way out of his comfort zone. I had a feeling my outfit wouldn't be much different. "Well..let's get this over with quickly," I said. Eve took me by the hand and led me to the restroom. "What about me?" Ryan asked. He didn't like the idea of waiting at the table alone with Sven. As if out of no where, Train put his arm around Ryan's shoulders. "You can hang out with me," he said with a goofy grin.

I'd forgotten he was even there. I checked the back shelves where I'd last seen him. A dozen milk bottles lay strewn in front of it. "How much milk can you drink?" I asked as Eve sweat dropped when she saw the pile. "Just enough to keep me healthy," he replied cheekily. He looked at Ryan and pulled a deck of playing cards out of his pocket. "Up for a game of Joker?" he asked enthusiastically. "Umm..sure," Ryan answered, stunned at this guy's sudden appearance behind him. "Aren't you going to wait with Sven?" I asked curiously. "Nah." He winked at me. "I'm curious to see what Rinslet picked out for you."

I instantly knocked him upside his head, still a bit unsettled from waking up on his lap. "OW! What was that for?" "No weird thoughts about me, ya' hear?" Ryan and Eve sweat dropped. "Train, you have no skills with girls whatsoever," Eve muttered. Train looked at us, frustrated. "I wasn't having any weird thoughts! I'm just curious! What's with you women and jumping to the wrong conclusions?" I lifted my knee and crushed his toes, hard. "That was for insulting women," I said as Train hopped on his good foot. "Why do I have a feeling you're going to make a habit out of this?" Ryan asked as he watched Train's dance around the small store. "I'm simply establishing my position as a liberal feminist," I justified myself before heading over to the bathroom. "Now let me change so we can eat."Eve followed after me, bag in hand. The room was small, holding a single toilet, but it would work as a changing room. I heard a 'swish' and looked behind me. "So," Eve started as she lifted the blades at the ends of her hair. "What kind of hairstyle do you prefer, short or long?"

After about fifteen minutes, Eve walked out of the bathroom. "Luna's done," she said to the three boys playing cards on the ground. Buck had joined their game, not having much else to do. Eve turned around as I followed after her out of the dim bathroom. As I stepped into the light of the room, Ryan and Train were stunned. Buck whistled. "There's a keeper," he commented. I blushed under their gazes. "Can I kill the woman that chose these clothes?" I mumbled.

I had never been into the mainstream craze over skinny jeans or tight clothes. Good old boot-cuts suited me fine. But this outfit was the exact opposite. Ridiculously tight, it hugged my body like a second skin and felt as if it was sucking the life out of me. I wore a strap-less, sky blue tank top, that was an uncomfortable two inches from being too low at the neck, under a tiny half jacket that reached right above the small of my back. Its right side was made of a soft black fabric, the left a white reflection. From my hips down, black skinny jeans molded out the curves of my legs with a black, silver-buckled belt pulled around it. Over the jeans, high-heeled leather boots covered to just a few inches below my knees. My hair was now a little below shoulder length, layered and curling a bit from being tied in a braid for so long. Adorning my neck hung a dog-tag, complimenting the tiny silver crescent studs at my ears.

"You look fine," Eve said smiling, proud of the work she'd done on my hair. Ryan nodded in agreement. "It suits you." Train remained silent. "You don't have anything to say?" Eve asked. Train looked at her with a deadpan expression. "If I insult her, she'll try to kill me, and if I compliment her, she'll hit me. So, what am I supposed to say?" He glared at me, still sore about getting his toe stepped on. I smiled at him cheerily. "Glad we have a mutual understanding." I looked at the others. "Now, let's eat!" Eve nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go pick a drink. Do you want anything?" I glanced at the fridges. "I guess I'll get...the watermelon juice." Train scrunched up his nose in disgust as we made our purchase.. "Watermelon?" Ryan shrugged. "It's been her favorite since we were kids. I don't get it either." "Hey, watermelon is awesome!" I said defensively. "Healthy, sweet, juicy...I don't get why you guys don't like it." Train looked at me skeptically. "Milk is better than watermelon juice any day." Ryan looked at me warily. "Sis, don't start – " "Says who?" I was not going to take an insult to watermelon silently. "Says me. What good is watermelon juice? It doesn't build strong bones or muscles like dairy can." "Yeah, and milk is able to keep you from getting a heart attack. And I don't see any vitamin C in milk!" Eve and Ryan watched hopelessly as we continued to argue.

"Are they really fighting over which drink is better?" Eve asked. "Yup." "Should we just leave them like that?" "Yup." She turned to look at Ryan, then back at the two of us. "You three are very similar." Ryan thought about that. "I guess you're right, huh?" He was quiet for a second more, then laughed. Eve cocked her head. "What's so funny?" He smiled at her. "If we're so much like Train, imagine what the rest of this trip is going to be like." She contemplated over it. "Well, it'll certainly be interesting." Ryan laughed again. We continued like until we got to the table. Then we started fighting over the fish.