Author's note: Before I say anything else, let me at least wish you all a Happy New Year and many thanks for supporting me this far. A bit late I know, but better late than never.
Ok, now that's out the way, let's get down to business. I will admit it has been at least a few months since I updated. Sometimes my creativity just won't play along and I end up getting lazy and unmotivated. Let me put it this way, I would rather write something good that takes me a long time to finish instead of writing a half baked chapter that took me only a few hours to complete but is utterly terrible. Sometimes its quality that counts, not quantity. Besides that, my computer crashed recently and I was forced to reinstall my operating system, and after that was over I still had reinstall all my applications and programs, plus set up my e-mail and Internet accounts…I think you get the picture. Anyway who's been through this will know what I'm talking about.
One last thing, I've threatened to do this since the first chapter but I never got around to it. What am I talking about? Why, the introduction of a new character of course. Actually, this character is old but we all this person really well. Who is it? Just read on to find out. With that in mind, here's chapter eight, enjoy!
The Girl Next Door
Part 8
Rosette wasted no time in telling Joshua what she had seen and heard. As soon as she was done talking to Aunt Kathy, she went looking for him.
"He's not gonna believe any of this."
Her assumption was correct.
"I just can't believe it, sis. Something just doesn't add up here."
"I'm telling you, that's what I saw with my own two eyes. He was playing the guitar and singing. I wouldn't make up something like this."
"But, I mean, look at the guy, and then you tell me if it looks like he's capable of playing a guitar in the first place."
"You saying I'm lying?"
"Of course not, sis. But all sounds too bizarre to be true."
"You should have come with me. You would've seen for yourself if you weren't so scared for nothing."
"Not scared, just careful", Joshua corrected his sister.
"Call it what you want, it still amounts to the same thing."
"Look, I'm not gonna spend the night arguing with you, sis. Let's just agree to disagree."
"Fine. Have it your way."
Just then, Aion happened to be passing by. That gave Rosette an idea. If anyone could shed some light on Chrono's character, his brother would be the best place to start.
"Come on, Joshua. I'm gonna prove to you what I saw was real. Hey, Aion."
Aion turned around to identify the person who just addressed him. "Oh…sorry for what I did before. I don't know what came over me. If Rizelle hadn't shown up-"
"That's okay. Just promise never to do that to me again and we're cool."
"Thanks for understanding. So, is there something I can help you with?"
"Yeah. What can you tell us about Chrono?"
Aion frowned a bit. He didn't exactly hear this kind of request every day.
"I'll tell you what I can, but don't expect any personal stuff or anything like that. As much as we argue, he's still my brother and some things should stay between siblings. I'm sure you can understand that since you have a brother too."
"I do. So, how long has he been playing the guitar?"
"How'd you know about that?"
"I kinda saw him down in the basement playing. I also heard him sing."
"Man, he would be really pissed if he knew you saw him."
"He already knows. Long story."
"You're lucky you're a girl. If you were a guy, you wouldn't have a single tooth left in your mouth, or a single bone in your body unbroken."
"So how long has he been playing the guitar?"
"Since before we came to live here. He's got real talent, but he just sits in that stuffy basement and hides it from everyone. Some days I feel like giving him a kick under the ass so he'd actually do something with the talent he's been given. But it wouldn't help anyway. He'd just rebel against it and we'd be back where we started."
"Ha, in your face, Joshua! I told you so!"
"Seeing is believing, sis. I still have to see it for myself."
Rosette's feeling of victory was soon replaced with defeat. "Man, what is wrong with you? You've just heard an eyewitness testimony and you still won't believe?"
"Nothing personal, sis."
"Oh ye of little faith. Fine, be that way."
Aion couldn't help but crack a smile at these two. He'd never seen any siblings act the way they did, and he doubted he'd ever see it again in anyone else. No, they were two of a kind.
"So…has Chrono always been the way he is now?"
"I don't know if you'll believe it, but no, he hasn't always been like this. There was a time when he was a normal kid like everyone else. But things changed when our parents started having problems in their marriage. He wasn't exactly the most popular kid at school either. Then, he got involved with the wrong kind of people. Eventually, he changed so much it was like he was a completely different person. He wasn't the brother I knew anymore. Then people he thought he could trust betrayed him and…Look, I'm not saying any more. He had me promise not to tell anyone about his past. Sorry, but a promise is a promise, and he is my brother after all. He'd do the same for me."
"Are you really sure you can't tell us anything else? Not even a little bit?"
"Sorry, these lips are sealed."
"Okay. Thanks anyway."
Meanwhile, in the basement…
"She's got some guts coming down here. I'm gonna have to lock the door next time."
Chrono wasn't exactly thrilled that Rosette had discovered him doing the one thing he didn't want anyone else seeing him do. So shocked and surprised was he that she found him he couldn't focus on playing anymore.
"I just hope she has the damn sense to keep this to herself."
Yeah, right. As if Rosette wouldn't use this to her advantage…
Just then, he heard the door opening and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. His brother appeared from around the corner soon after.
"Hey bro."
"Hey Aion."
"Uncle Ryan told me to tell you that dinner's almost ready."
"Okay, I'll be up in a minute."
"Just try to be nice to them, just this once."
"Can't promise anything, Aion, especially if that nosey chick gets in my way again."
"Hey, you can't be angry at her forever. She was just curious. You can't blame her for that."
"How'd you know she came down here?"
"She told me. Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything she wasn't supposed to hear. Your secrets are safe with me."
"For your sake, I hope not. Tell Uncle Ryan I'll be there in a moment."
"Just one last thing before I go: How much longer are you gonna sit here and let your talents go to waste?"
"Aion, we've talked about this. You're just wasting your breath. I've told you a million times, there is no way I'm ever going on a stage again."
"But that one time-"
"Was the first and the last time, Aion. Not gonna happen again. Just drop it."
"Someday Chrono, I'll get through to you."
"Don't hold your breath."
A few minutes later…
"And here we have brother number 2, Chrono."
Uncle Ryan was introducing Chrono to Rosette's parents just before they sat down for dinner. Since Chrono never talked much to people he didn't know, he didn't make much eye contact.
"Aren't you a handsome one" Rosette's mother commented. "I bet the girls at school don't leave you alone for a minute, do they?"
"Not…really, ma'am", Chrono answered, feeling awkward at all the attention he was getting.
"Don't be so modest. You know, my Rosette is single at the moment," Rosette's father added, winking at Chrono.
"Never in a million years, old man."
Rosette was having similar thoughts.
"In your dreams, dad."
Soon, everyone was seated at the table, enjoying their food. Everyone, except for Chrono and Rosette, who just happened to be seated across from each other, occasionally exchanging glances with each other. The adults were talking about the usual everyday things adults did. That was, until Rosette's parents started asking Chrono a few questions about his life.
"So Chrono, have you decided what university or college you want attend after you've graduated?"
"No, not yet ma'am."
"But you have decided on a career, right?"
"Not yet, ma'am."
"Well, you should do that as soon as possible. Knowing what career you want to follow will help you decide which college or university to attend."
"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."
"Oh brother. Is that all he's gonna say all night?"
That's when Rosette got an idea. She smiled to herself; this was going to be good.
"Sometimes I amaze even myself. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It's payback time buddy. Time to sweat a little."
"By the way, mom, dad, did you know Chrono plays the guitar?"
Chrono nearly choked on the food he was chewing when Rosette uttered those words. His eyes seemed to enlarge so much from the shock it seemed they couldn't fit in their sockets anymore. He quickly grabbed the glass of water next to his plate to try and wash the food down with before he choked completely.
"Chrono, are you okay?", his aunt asked sounding concerned.
"I'm…fine…just something…that got stuck…in my throat, that's all", he managed to mutter as soon as he could resume normal breathing.
Rosette was enjoying this immensely. This was just too good an opportunity to pass up, and she was making sure she was making full use of it.
"Not only that, he sings too."
Both Aion and Joshua were thinking the same thing: here comes trouble with a capital T.
"Is that true, Chrono?", Rosette's mother asked.
"Uh…sort of, ma'am."
"Well, that's just wonderful. Are you in a band or the school choir?"
"Uh…no, ma'am."
"That's a shame. You shouldn't waste your talents."
Chrono tried to salvage what he could before the whole thing got out of hand. This was the last thing he wanted to become public knowledge.
"I'm not really that good. I'm sure there are guys out there that are better than me."
Rosette decided now was the time to turn up the heat. "Oh, he's just being modest, mom. He's really good. I should know, I saw him playing and singing myself."
Chrono only had one thing on his mind: complete and utter revenge.
"This time she's gone too far. I'm taking her down for good."
Rosette knew Chrono was livid, but she just kept up the innocent act. She was enjoying this too much to back out now. Aion and Joshua, silent observers to what had happened, were thinking the same thing: Rosette had just awoken a sleeping giant. Now, Chrono would never lay hands on a lady, but there was more than one way to get ice-cold revenge without using your fists, you just had to be smarter…
Monday, Eden High, Music Class…
So far, Rosette had kept quiet about what she saw in the basement, which suited Chrono perfectly. He just had to get through the rest of the day, and everything would be fine. Her silence was all he was hoping for. That wasn't asking much, was it?
Yeah, right. He had forgotten one thing-hell has no fury like a woman scorned…
So it was that Chrono found himself in Mr. Steiner's music class alongside Rosette and the rest of his classmates. He never really participated: when everyone sang, he only made like he was singing. Who would be any wiser? Besides, half the class was tone-deaf anyway. It was the perfect excuse for him not to have to sing for real. He had a rep to protect.
Poor old Mr.Steiner. Even after all the time he spent teaching at Eden High, he still hadn't found the "one", the one student who would be the next big thing and make all of this worthwhile. But he couldn't even so much as get anyone to volunteer when he asked for someone to be brave enough to come to the front of the class for a solo part in the next song.
Speaking of Mr. Steiner, he turned to the class and asked the infamous words, "So, who wants to volunteer for the solo part in the next song?"
Utter silence.
"Your enthusiasm is underwhelming. Come on, don't be shy now. Who wants to try? Anyone?"
The room was so quiet the sound of a pin dropping would have been deafening. After almost a whole minute of silence, Mr. Steiner sighed, shaking his head afterwards. "Okay then, looks like I'll just have to pick someone at random. Let's see…Okay, Amy, you have the honor of coming to the front and dazzling us with your vocal abilities."
Poor Amy. Her singing wasn't exactly going to make an owner of a record company sit up straight and pay attention. Still, she nervously went to the front and prepared herself for what was coming.
"Oh, yes. One more thing: I suppose the chances are highly unlikely, but one of you wouldn't know how to play a guitar, would you? The song I have in mind would sound so much better with a guitar instead of a piano. Well? Anyone?"
Rosette couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Her brain was kicking into overdrive at the sound of those words. It was just too perfect, too good to miss. An evil little smile appeared on her face. This was going to be so good.
Quick as a flash, Rosette raised her hand, catching Mr. Steiner's attention. "Yes, Rosette? Would you like to try your hand at the guitar?"
"No, Mr. Steiner, but I know someone who wouldn't mind."
Chrono knew something was up. Something about all of this didn't seem right to him.
"Where is she going with this? Hmm...Wait! She wouldn't!"
"Oh? And who might that be?"
"Oh, it's someone we all know. This person is really good, really talented. All this person needs is some encouragement."
"Dammit, don't do it! So help me, I swear you'll regret this until the day you die!"
Too late. That's when Rosette dropped the bomb.
"Isn't that right, Chrono?"
Boom!
For Chrono it literally felt like the metaphorical bomb had dropped and rocked his world to the very core. He felt the stares of everyone in the room, like it would penetrate him.
"Damn, I feel exposed now. How am I gonna get myself out of this one?"
Mr. Steiner interrupted his train of thought. "Why Chrono, I didn't know you played an instrument. You never said anything before."
"Uh…it's not that big a deal. I'm not that good at all. The best I can do is to play a few notes and that's it."
"Nah, he's just being shy, Mr. Steiner. I saw him play myself. He can definitely do more than just a few notes", Rosette said, adding fuel to the fire that was Chrono's anger for her at that moment.
"Well then, Chrono, why don't you grab that guitar over there and show us what you can do?", Mr. Steiner invited him.
Chrono was cornered now. He wanted to think of more reasons why he couldn't go to the front, but all his options were exhausted. By now, the whole class was cheering him on, chanting, "Chrono, Chrono, Chrono!", the whole time.
What else could he do but get the guitar and go to the front? The chanting died down as soon as he stood in front of his "audience", guitar in hand. Mr. Steiner was seated behind the piano while Amy nervously looked on.
"Alright class, as soon as we reach the choir part, you all join in. Now, let's begin."
But Chrono had a plan.
"If I play my cards right, I can get out of this relatively fast. I just hope my acting skills are up to scratch."
The song began as Amy nervously began singing her part. Chrono just stood there, feeling a bit sheepish with everyone looking at him expecting him to start playing. But it was all part of his plan. Two minutes into the song, Mr. Steiner asked Amy to stop, then he turned to Chrono, frowning and asking, "Uhm…you can start any time, Chrono. We're all waiting."
"Yes! Time to put on an Oscar winning performance!"
Chrono couldn't have planned it better. This was his chance to get himself out of this dilemma. "Uhm…Sir, perhaps I forgot to mention this, but…"
"Yes, Chrono? What is it?"
"I…Man, your all gonna laugh at this, but the truth is…for as long as I can remember, I've been suffering from stage fright."
Like Chrono had thought, it wasn't long before the whole class burst out laughing. And who could blame them? The toughest guy in school just admitted to suffering from stage fright. This wasn't something you see everyday. A few even commented on the situation through the laughter.
"Man, I can't believe this! He's supposed to be so tough! Look at him now!"
"Yeah! Nice going, Rosette! Next time, get your facts straight!"
Rosette, ignoring them for now, was absolutely dumbfounded by how her plan had failed so miserably. She knew something was up. Chrono wasn't looking angry at all. In fact, he looked quite calm, like he was expecting this, as if he had hoped for this to happen…
"Damn, he saw right through my plan! Man, these people are naïve. I can't believe their actually buying this BS."
Mr. Steiner made his way to the front to calm everyone down. "Now class, not everyone is comfortable in front a crowd, let's not forget that. It takes real bravery to perform in front of an audience, even for experienced artists. Its okay, Chrono. Be proud that you actually had the courage to come to the front. You too, Amy. If you feel you're not up to it, then you can give me the guitar and go sit down."
"Thanks, Mr. Steiner", Chrono said as he handed him the guitar, trying to look as relieved as his acting skills would allow him. Now Rosette was really questioning the intelligence of those around her.
"Come on, give me a break. What's going on here? I can understand all these other idiots, but the teacher? Man, that just aint right!"
When Chrono passed by Rosette, their eyes met for a moment. Chrono was basking in his victory, and his eyes reflected what he was feeling. Yet at the same time, there was something else too. He had the look of someone who was preparing to deal a crushing blow their enemy. A kind of "payback-time" look.
As to what was going on, that's simple to explain. Chrono put on the stage fright act because he knew it was a hit his rep could take. He was even prepared to take the ridicule and laughing. Anything was better than having the truth come out, something he wanted to prevent at all costs. Besides, the way things went in the rumor mill, everyone would have forgotten about it by the end of next week if he was lucky. He was willing to take that chance.
After class was over, Mr. Steiner kept Rosette behind and lectured her on the finer arts of getting her facts straight before she opened her mouth...Needless to say, she was not in the best of moods after that, a fact Joshua noted, automatically telling him to avoid her at all costs if he still wanted to live a long life.
Wednesday night, Chrono's house…
Chrono was in the habit of getting his homework done early. Because of this, he was trying out some of the hacking techniques Gus had taught him. But what he really wanted to try out was a handy little program Gus had so graciously provided him.
"Okay Gus, lets see if the hours you spent teaching me the finer arts of hacking actually paid off."
Chrono didn't really make a habit of talking to himself, but sometimes it just slipped out when he wasn't paying attention, or when he was concentrating on something important, like he was doing now.
Chrono was fortunate that his computer was in his room, away from the prying eyes of family members who would not approve of his little "hobby." He was also fortunate that he had a connection to the Internet, without which his hobby wouldn't be possible.
He excitedly slipped the disk with the program on it into his computers CD-ROM drive, then went through the procedure of installing it and setting it up. "I owe you one, Gus. With this little program, no computer in the neighborhood will be safe from me."
The program Chrono had installed actually allowed him to scan for any computers in the immediate area that had an open connection to the Internet. Once he had the location of a computer in his area, it was a simple matter of slipping in. Chrono was feeling lucky tonight, so after he had performed a scan, the program presented a list of possible targets. He picked the first one on the list without thinking about it twice.
"Okay, time to see what we got here. Hope this guy has something worth while to look at."
He opened up another program that would allow him to slip in to his unfortunate target's computer. Remembering what Gus had taught, he managed to get through to the other side with no incidents and the person on the other end was none the wiser.
"Geez, dude, next time give me a challenge. That firewall was too damn easy to get through. If this is all you got, it'll be like taking candy from a baby. Hmm…basic operating system, default settings…just an average home computer."
He dug a little deeper since he wanted to make this worthwhile. He didn't go through all this for nothing. "Got to be something in here worth seeing."
That's when he came across something he didn't notice before. "What? Multiple user profiles? Wait a minute…This profile's name is…Vincent Christopher? Isn't that…? No, can't be. What? Angela Christopher? Okay, this is bizarre. Joshua Christopher? What are all these Christopher's doing in the same place...unless…"
Chrono realized he had literally struck gold. He had actually managed to get inside the computer of the one person who had been a literal thorn in his side the last few weeks. "Man, I am such an idiot! I should have known when I saw "Christopher" it couldn't have been anyone else! How many people do I know with the last name "Christopher"?"
His mind was kicking it into high gear. A million ways of getting revenge on her for the stunt she tried to pull on him was racing through his head. An evil smile formed on his face. "I think I'll go take a look at what little Miss Christopher has in her personal files. Time for a little payback of my own."
Rifling through her user profile revealed a few interesting things. "Looks like she has all her assignments saved in this folder. Hmm…isn't this the book report we had to do for English class? And this looks like the research we had to do for biology class. And this…this is the report we had to do for social studies. And what do you know? If memory serves, they're all due this week. Tomorrow in fact. That gives me an idea."
A few minutes later, Chrono sat back and admired his handiwork. "She's in for a hell of a surprise. Sometimes, I amaze even myself. Oh yeah, I am a genius, a friggin' genius."
That same night, the Christopher house…
"Ok Joshua, get of the computer, it's my turn now."
"But I've been waiting all week to for a chance to talk to my friends on Myspace. Come on sis, have a heart."
"Are you so pathetic that you have to make friends online?"
"Now that's not fair, sis."
"Listen to yourself. You're probably never gonna meet these people in real life anyway, so quit whining and get off the computer so I can put the finishing touches on my assignments."
"Fine, but next time I get a longer turn."
"Whatever. Now come on, get out of here."
After Joshua had left for his room, Rosette sat down to fine-tune her reports before she printed them out. "Ok, just have put in this and this…edit this a little bit…there, all done. Now to print it out."
Chrono's little surprise was about to hit her where it would do the most damage…
The moment she wanted to print out her assignments, the computer suddenly stopped responding to her input. "Huh? What's going on? Come on, you stupid machine, work already!"
Her frustration got worse when out of the blue, the computer displayed an error message.
"What the…error encountered? Please reset your computer? OK, then, whatever you say."
Big mistake. When the computer had restarted and she was logged in again, she went to print out her assignments only to find that every single one had mysteriously disappeared. She found herself frowning and wondering where it had all gone. "This can't be right. It was all here before. It couldn't just disappear without a trace. Gotta be somewhere around here."
Her search was all in vain, no matter where she looked her assignments were nowhere to be found. Her level of panic was slowly rising as she searched and searched but still wound up with nothing. "NO! This can't be happening! Those assignments are due tomorrow! It took me weeks to do the research! Dammit, what am I gonna do now?"
She thought of possible suspects, anyone with enough of a motive to do something like this. The only one she could think of was her brother. "Yeah, he's definitely got motive to do it. He knows a lot more about computers than I do. Who else would it be? Right, that little punk is gonna pay for this!"
Joshua had no idea what was coming. He was still in his room minding his own business when Rosette nearly kicked his door down. Joshua thought his heart would jump out of his chest from the shock. "Friggin' hell sis, don't ever do that to me again! What's the big idea anyway?"
"Spill it, you little punk! I know you sabotaged the computer!"
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't know anything about any sabotage."
"You're a poor liar, Joshua, always have been and always will be. Now talk or I'll be forced to get nasty on your ass!"
While all this was going on, Joshua found himself backed into a corner. Any chance for escape had been eliminated. He had no idea what could've made his sister so mad at him, but somehow she thought he was responsible for it. "Sis, calm down already! I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You're only making it worse for yourself, you little rat! Now I'm not gonna say this again! Talk or else!"
Joshua almost thought he saw his life flashing by in front of him. There was no way out. This was it…
"Sis, just listen to me! I had nothing to do with any sabotage!"
"You asked for it. Prepare to die!"
Joshua closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. Just then, a familiar voice came to his rescue. "What's going on here, you two?"
Joshua slowly opened his eyes and for a moment, he thought he saw an angel coming to take him away.
"Am I…dead? Damn, that was fast! Rosette must been really mad to get it over with that quick."
What he actually saw was his mother standing in the doorway, looking at them with a frown on her face. He snapped back to reality and saw his sister's fist was merely inches from his face. He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if his mother hadn't shown up when she did. "Mom, I am so glad to see you! Please, you gotta talk to Rosette. She thinks I sabotaged the computer or something. I don't know anything about it, but she won't listen to me."
"Stop lying, Joshua! You're the only one who could've done it! No one in this house knows as much about computers as you do!"
"Now listen here, you two! Calm down! Rosette, get off your brother and explain what's going on", Rosette's mother demanded. As soon as Rosette let go and Joshua was free, they took turns explaining.
"Rosette, you can't just blame your brother if you don't have proof. If he says he didn't do it, then I believe him and so should you."
"But mom, it took me weeks to do the research for those projects. I didn't come this far to have some stupid prank ruin it all."
"I can understand your point, dear, but accusing Joshua of something he didn't do wasn't the right way to approach the situation."
"But who else could've have done it, mom?"
"I don't know. My knowledge of computers isn't that good either."
Amidst the discussion, Rosette's father showed up in the doorway. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, not really. We were just trying to clear up a misunderstanding, that's all, dear."
"Well, after you're done with the kids, Rosette should come to the computer. I just checked our e-mail and there's a message for her."
"OK, I'll be down in a minute, Dad."
A few minutes later, after the whole misunderstanding had been cleared up, Rosette checked the message her father said she received. "Strange, it doesn't say who it's from… "Open this file for a surprise?" What's up with this? I know Joshua said I shouldn't open stuff in e-mails…but I just have to know what this is about…Here I go...huh?"
What she saw in front of her was a picture of a snake bearing its fangs, ready to strike and underneath was writing that said, "Mess with the viper and you get the fangs."
She didn't know what to make of this. "OK, this scores a 10 on the weirdness scale. What kind of a sick person would send me this? I don't even like snakes. Unless…the person who sent me this…is also the one responsible for making my projects disappear…DAMMIT, MY PROJECTS! They're all due tomorrow! There's no way I redo it all in one night! It took me this long to get if finished. If I ever get my hands on the slimy S.O.B who did this to me, he'll wish he was never born after I'm done with him!"
If only she knew…
The next day, Eden High…
No matter how Rosette tried to explain about her assignments, none of the teachers who had assigned them the assignments in the first place would listen to her pleas. Every single one of them always asked, "You did remember to backup your files, right?"
To which she had to answer, "No."
The result was that she had enough detention to last her until Friday. Her anger for the person who caused her all this pain and agony didn't make the situation easier. Chrono, on the other hand, was smiling all the way. He would finally have some peace and quiet every afternoon until Friday instead of having Rosette follow him home every time.
"Oh yeah, I am a genius, a friggin' genius."
Later that day at their lockers, Rosette's foul mood was evident to all. Any one walking by might think they had entered the Twilight Zone or something since the whole picture was wrong: Rosette was in a bad mood and Chrono was actually smiling for once. Some severe role reversal was going on here.
Rosette had noticed Chrono's pleasant disposition and wondered how he could be smiling when she was so pissed off. "What are you smiling about?", she asked out of the blue. She tried to close her locker but instead in her anger she slammed the locker door so hard it nearly fell of its hinges.
"What, I can't smile for once?", Chrono responded, acting as innocently as he could.
"I never said you couldn't, but you wouldn't be smiling for nothing. Something's up. Just remember, I'm watching you."
"As if I could forget. Come on, chill out. It's a beautiful day."
"Don't start with me. I'm a girl on the edge."
"Whatever. Be that way if you want."
Her mind was still occupied with the mysterious person who erased her assignments and the freaky e-mail afterwards. If it wasn't her brother, who was it then? Who else had motive beside Joshua? And just why was Chrono so out of character all of a sudden? Call it a hunch, but something didn't add up here.
"But…what if it was…yeah, it's a possibility. He's got a computer and motive. Knowing him, he would try to get revenge on me for the stunt I pulled in music class. Yeah…it's all making sense now! It has to be him!"
Chrono was about to finish with his business at his locker when Rosette turned to him, staring angrily. "I know it was you."
"Huh? What are you talking about? What did I do this time?"
"Do the words,"Mess with the viper and you get the fangs," mean anything to you?"
"Nope. What's this about anyway?"
"Admit it, you're the one who sabotaged my assignments. Oh yeah, it's written all over your face!"
"Then I suggest you yourself glasses or something, 'cause your seeing wrong."
"Stop lying! I know you have a computer and you have a motive!"
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know that much about computers anyway, I would even know where to start."
"Oh no, you're getting out of this one that easy!"
"Ask yourself this: can you prove it was me? What evidence do you have that points me out as the guilty party?"
"Well…I don't… have anything solid…"
"If you can't prove it was me, then this discussion is over. Have a nice time in detention."
With that, he locked his locker and went on his way, leaving Rosette behind even more confused. But he had a point too: nothing was going to erase the fact that she had two days worth of detention.
Needless to say, Chrono had peace and quiet that afternoon as he walked home, smiling all the way and congratulating himself on his own brilliance.
Friday, late afternoon, the old gym at Eden High…
The old gym had always been used for events like school dances, and this time was no exception. Looking at it from the inside and how it was decorated you'd never think it was ever a gym. People were starting to arrive and a party mood was in the air. Among those who had arrived was Rosette and Joshua. This was to be their first dance at the new school.
"So when's your girlfriend getting here?"
"Azmaria will be here. She might run a little late, that's all. And for the last time, we're only good friends, sis!"
"Coulda fooled me."
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Nothing, bro. Just chill out. Geez, can't even joke around with you anymore."
"You don't see me laughing, do you?"
"Whatever."
Unlike most dances where evening dress was the dress code, the theme for this dance was casual wear. The actual aim of the dance was to welcome all the new students since Rosette and Joshua were not the only new students to arrive that semester.
Rosette really wasn't one for dancing but she came nonetheless since the student body went to all the trouble of arranging everything in the first place.
Meanwhile, at Gus's apartment…
Gus and Chrono were gearing up for Operation D.D.T.A.A, which stood for Dance Destruction through Audio Assault. However, they both agreed it was too clumsy, so they shortened it to D.D, or double D.
They made sure they had everything they needed before Chrono went on his mission. That was about half an hour ago.
By now he was already at the school, sneaking around like a makeshift spy, armed with Gus's laptop and one half of the walkie-talkies they would use for communication. Gus's apartment was only two blocks away from the school so they would have no problem with reception.
Chrono's target was the gym that just happened to be the one being used for the dance, thus necessitating his stealthy manner. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted on his way to the scene of the crime even if no crime had been committed yet.
What he didn't know was that Rosette stepped outside the gym to take in some fresh air. The atmosphere was getting a bit heavy inside. Nothing was wrong with the music or anything, but she still had a sneaking suspicion that a certain red-eyed, violet haired teen was the one responsible for the situation she found herself in two days ago.
"The problem is, I don't have any proof so I can't exactly accuse him of something I can't prove he may or may not have done. Whoever did it was a real pro. He sure put a lot of effort into covering his tracks. But why would a hacker even bother with a normal home computer when there are bigger targets out there? And why would an average hacker bother with my files and leave everything else intact? Oh man, my head's hurting from all this thinking. I'll just go back inside."
She turned around to go back inside when she though her eyes were playing tricks on her. She could've sworn she saw Chrono of all people disappear around the corner of the gym.
"Couldn't be. If I know him like I think I do, he'd never show up here. He'd rather commit suicide than show himself here. OK, that's it, no more late nights for me."
Thinking nothing else of it, she went back inside, but in the back of her mind she still wondered…
For Chrono, that was too much of a close call. He reprimanded himself for nearly being seen by the last person he wanted to be seen by.
"Next time, keep your damn eyes open! Charging in is just gonna get you caught!"
His walkie-talkie came to life suddenly. Gus was on the other end, curious as to Chrono's progress so far. "This is Papa Bear to Crouching Tiger, come in Crouching Tiger, over."
"Yeah, this is Chrono. I thought we talked about the whole spy thing and the codenames, Gus."
"Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes. So, how're you doing out there?"
"I'm close to the target. Not much longer now. I'll keep you updated as I go along."
"Roger that, Papa Bear out."
Chrono shook his head; if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Gus would never change. Chrono liked that in a person. The more predictable a person is, the more you can trust him not to turn his back on you. That was Chrono's philosophy, whether it was true or not didn't matter to him.
Chrono stuffed everything he had in his hands into his backpack and started climbing the ladder that led to the roof. What he was looking for was up there…
Meanwhile, inside the gym…
The dance was already in full swing, party music filled the air, and people were gathering on the floor to show off their moves. Even Joshua and Azmaria, who had finally arrived, were enjoying themselves. Rosette, however, was content with being a wallflower tonight. None of the single guys really interested her. Not that she was shy or anything, she just didn't feel like dancing tonight. I think by now we all know what was bothering her…
The music changed to a more slower paced, yet suggestive one. Even Rosette had to admit she wasn't exactly fond of this kind of music. The couples on the floor didn't seem to mind, though.
As if it had been planned that way, suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway, making its way into the gym. Every male teen turned to look, and consequently more than a few jaws were dropping. The figure belonged to a tall red-head with some very well-endowed "assets", to put it that way. She was wearing a top with a low neckline and a skirt that barely managed to cover the essentials. Oh yeah, this girl was hot stuff and she knew it. She made her way to the punch table and, flashing a seductive smile, asked, "Isn't anyone going to offer me a drink?"
Every teen male within earshot literally fell over themselves to be the first one to get this rarest of beauties a drink and earn her favor in the process. A few of them were so eager that they left their dates high and dry. Now doubt they'd be single before the night was over if their dates had anything to say about it.
Rosette was observing it all with utter disgust. "Typical males. This doesn't help anything to disprove that guys don't just think about one thing all the time. And who does she think she is? Sure, she looks like a supermodel, but does she have to wear that? She's not helping the image of women at all. Man, the whole thing just makes me sick."
Joshua and Azmaria had just come of the floor to take a break so they joined Rosette. Joshua was one of the very few who wasn't wowed by the red-head's charms but he was still curious to know who she was. He noticed Rosette was looking like she had swallowed rotten milk or something. "What's up with the face, sis?"
She pointed her head in the direction of the punch table and merely said, "Check that out."
"Oh, that. So Azmaria, are you gonna enlighten me or am I gonna have to guess who she is?"
"You mean you don't know? Are you serious?"
"Uh, yeah. So don't leave me hanging, who is she?"
"She the one and only Satella Havenheit, heir to the Havenheit business empire and part-time fashion model. You really mean you didn't know?"
"Havenheit? Isn't that the name of the company who has that manufacturing plant outside town that practically provides the whole town with jobs?"
"The one and the same. She's the richest and most popular girl in school, and also a senior. Her father is the current president of Havenheit Industries, and believe me, they don't know the end of their riches. I think her grandfather started the company after he emigrated from Germany to the U.S after the Second World War."
"Then if she's so rich, why's she attending a normal high school? I thought these rich types have tutors or something like that."
"I don't know. Maybe she wanted to see what average high school life was all about. I suppose she had her reasons, and it's obvious she had no problem fitting in here."
"But if she's a student here, why haven't I seen her around that much?"
"Because she's been modeling the latest fashions in Milan since about two weeks ago."
"A real globetrotter, huh?"
"She's been about everywhere her money could take her. But don't let the pretty face fool you, she's smart, really smart. She's not one of those little rich princesses with a major in daddy's money and a minor in everything else. Since she got here, she's been at the top of her class. She's got her head screwed on right, which is a good thing if she wants to run one of the largest companies in the world one day. Even when she's been away from school, modeling some famous designers' fashions, she keeps her grades up. If you ask me, she's destined for great things."
"Yeah right", Rosette muttered after being quite for so long.
"You say something, sis?"
"Nah, it's nothing. I think I'm gonna head to the girl's locker room. I can't stand being in here. Must be all the hormones stinking up the air."
After Rosette had left, Azmaria turned to Joshua and asked, slightly baffled, "What's up with your sister?"
"Oh, ignore her. She's been like this since yesterday. Long story."
"Oh well. Hey, you wanna go dance again?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
As they walked to the dance floor, Joshua found himself holding hands with the young Azmaria, and he had to admit, he liked it.
"I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship."
In the meantime, Rosette was facing her reflection in one the mirrors in the girl's locker room. What she was seeing being reflected back was the grumpy look she had all night. Her reflection was also perfect for venting her frustration on, so she let rip with everything she had.
"Man, can you believe her? That red-headed bimbo, that…what was her name again? Oh yeah, Satella. Coming in here all dressed up like that. Wouldn't surprise me if one of her ex-boyfriends got lucky one time. She's practically wearing a slut's uniform, for crying out loud! She gives women everywhere a bad name. Makes me sick all over again."
She was still carrying on her rant when a female voice interrupted her, asking, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
Without even bothering to look up, Rosette responded, "Sure, come on in."
The person made herself comfortable at the sink next to Rosette's. "Some party, eh?"
"As if. I mean, did you check out that red-head bimbo? I can't stand her kind!"
"Oh? Why not?"
"Did you see what she was wearing? I'm surprised that something hasn't popped out yet. And she'd better not bend over with that skirt she's wearing. It barely manages to cover anything up. And don't get me started on how the guys are all going nuts over her. They're all after one thing, and it doesn't take rocket science to figure out what that is. And another thing-"
She turned her head to face the other person but the moment she did she was unable to finish that sentence. It turned out the person she was talking to was none other than Satella herself!
There was silence for a second or two, then Satella finished her business at the sink, turned to face Rosette, then said, "If you have a problem with me, blondie, then at least have the guts to say it to my face instead of talking to a mirror."
Rosette didn't have to be told twice. She came up with a response soon enough. She was looking for a fight and this was her opportunity to vent her feelings on someone real instead of a reflection that couldn't talk back.
"You bet I have a problem! Look at you! No wonder the world doesn't take women seriously yet! What are they supposed to think of us when there are women like you living up to their perverted fantasies?"
"I happen to be comfortable like this, and just because I dress a certain way doesn't mean I am a certain way. Get over your insecurities before it comes back to bite you. If I want to dress like this, who are you to tell me I can't? Get to know me before you judge me, and if you don't like what I wear, then to hell with you! Now, if you'll excuse me."
Satella, having said her piece, spun around and walked out. Rosette, however, hadn't quite finished yet, and shouted, "You too, you German witch!"
She had to admit however, that having the fight with Satella didn't really help erase the fact that she was just having a bad week. Now she even went so far as to make an enemy out of the richest girl in school.
"Huh? What's that sound? Sounds like its coming from the roof."
The locker room was significantly quieter than the rest of the building, so she definitely thought she heard something. It sounded like footsteps, as if someone was walking around on the roof of the building. (The roof happened to made of several plates of steel combined together, so any sound coming from there could be easily heard if it was quiet enough.)
Rosette however, had enough. As soon as she could get Joshua out of there, they were
going home. Speaking of the roof…
Present time, on the roof of the gym…
Chrono had found his target and was busy setting up everything he needed. While he was doing this, he was talking with Gus. "Okay Gus, I'm at the target. Just give me a few more minutes and we're all set to go."
"Man, I have to commend you for coming up with this, me amigo. Finding out about the antenna on the roof was a stroke of genius. It'll make things a lot easier than the way we used to do it."
"Especially if that antenna is a wireless access point that I can use to get inside the network while all these other idiots are enjoying themselves. If everything goes to plan, they won't be doing that for much longer. Good thing your laptop has the capability to communicate wirelessly. And Gus, for the love of Mike, turn of the Mission Impossible music in the background!"
"Man, I can't even get into the spirit of things with you breaking me down."
"Gus, this is hardly something worthy of a real spy's attention. This is just a simple job, in and out. Now back me up here, G-man, I'm goin' in. Time to crash this party."
Chrono's fingers literally flew over the keyboard as he did what was nearly second nature to him now, thanks to Gus's extensive training.
"Same old firewall, same old security, same way of getting past both. These guys are gluttons for punishment, they never learn. How many more times am I gonna have to crack their system before they get the hint?"
He soon found himself at the center of the network, from where he could go anywhere he wanted. His destination was the computer being used for the dance so he could begin his work of interrupting the flow of this particular party.
"Gotcha. The music is still in the same folder like last time. Now for a few substitutions. They won't now what hit them."
Everyone was still dancing and enjoying themselves when the music suddenly stopped out of the blue. As a result, voices were raised in protest.
"Hey, what's goin' on? Where'd the music go?"
"I was still dancing here! What happened to the song?"
"What kind of an idiot DJ are we dealing with here? Bring back the tunes, man!"
What they were expecting was the music they had been listening to. What they got, however, shattered their expectations when a distorted voice started speaking over the speakers, which was actually a recording Gus and Chrono had made especially for this occasion.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman," the mysterious voice spoke, "Now I understand you were expecting some of your good old pop-rock or whatever the trash is you all listen to. Allow me to take you to new musical frontiers that will speak to your soul and open your mind to new possibilities. Allow me to take you to my world. Enter if you dare. Now, sit back and enjoy."
The "voice" finished with some maniacal laughter before the little surprise Chrono had arranged pounced on the ears of the unsuspecting partygoers. Soon the gym was filled with some of the heaviest heavy metal and death metal Gus and Chrono could find. For added effect, Chrono cranked up the volume to make it even worse.
On the roof, Chrono was still observing and relaying what he saw to Gus.
"So? Is it working?"
"Oh yeah, believe me, it's working alright. You should've been here to see it. A few of them are even bolting out of here like frightened rabbits. This might be the best hack we've ever pulled, Gus."
"Don't hang around too long, though. You don't want to get caught after coming this far. Let me know as soon as you get out of there."
"Sure thing, Gus. Chrono out."
Meanwhile, in the gym…
Confusion was at the order of the day as people left the dance to escape the noise. So much for the student body's careful planning. Everyone who went to complain to the DJ got the same answer: he couldn't do anything because he'd been locked out of the computer from the outside. Soon the rumor went around that the "phantom" had struck yet again, and what made it all the more stranger was that he never had a voice before. But today, he spoke for the first time.
Rosette wasn't yet clued up about what was going in so as soon as she found her, she asked Azmaria what the hell was happening. "This happens every time the school has a dance. Someone or something manages to spoil everything every time. Rumors are going around that some or other "phantom" is causing the disturbance every time, like there's a curse or something. I don't believe any of it personally, but no proof has been found connecting anyone to any of this yet."
Rosette thought back a bit and remembered seeing Chrono skulking around just before the dance began. Or was it her imagination? Be that as it may, there were also the footsteps on the roof she couldn't explain. She suddenly had a hunch she couldn't explain…
"Joshua, you'd better phone dad and ask him to come pick us up. Here, here use my phone. There's something I have to go check out, so get going."
"But sis, where are you going? What's so important that you have to check it now?"
"Look, don't worry about me. Now get out of here, I'll catch up to you."
She followed her hunch and looked for a way that someone could use to gain access to the roof of the building. She found the ladder on the other end of the building and started climbing it, hoping she would find something up there, or at least someone.
Chrono was unaware of anyone coming up the ladder. He was packing up his gear since most of the people who had come to the dance had left already.
"Okay, Gus, I'll be back at your place in ten minutes, I think. I'm packing up 'cause nobody's left here anyway, they all ran."
"Okay, see you back here in ten. Just remember, don't take any chances and stay out of sight."
"Will do. Chrono out."
The static from the walkie-talkie died as soon Gus was done talking. He stuffed it into his backpack, made sure he had everything, then walked to the ladder like he didn't have a care in the world.
Halfway to the ladder he stopped dead in his tracks. He saw someone climbing on the roof via the ladder. He felt the sweat forming on his face; his only escape had been cut off. There was no other way out. What made it worse was that he made out the person who was on the roof with him.
"DAMMIT! It's her! What gave her the idea to come up here, anyway!? Never mind that, I gotta find a way out of this before the jig is up! If she identifies me, she'll go tell Principal Valentine come Monday and it'll be all over for me!"
By now Rosette was on the roof proper and spotted the other person, however she couldn't identify him or her since they were too far away. "Hey you, stay right there! Don't move an inch!"
Chrono wasn't just going to let himself be caught that easily. "Like hell I will."
He turned around and ran in the other direction with Rosette hot on the pursuit.
"Whoever it is, they won't get far. It's a straight drop down where they're headed."
Which was quite true. Chrono's sprint came to a screeching halt since he had run out of roof to run on. He looked over the edge and was greeted by the hard ground staring back at him.
"NO! It won't end like this! There has to be a way out. Think, Chrono, think."
He didn't have a lot of time to think; Rosette was getting closer by the second. "Hey you, hold it right there!"
Then Chrono did the craziest thing he had ever done: he jumped.
Rosette couldn't believe her eyes. Who in the world would be crazy enough to jump from this height? We're talking about a possible broken neck here or worse!
She leaned over the edge, and to add to her amazement, the suspect had literally disappeared into thin air! "That's impossible! How did…what the…I…I…"
Chrono was fortunate the dumpsters were there and that they were filled with enough trash bags to break his fall. If they hadn't been there, his career as an underground hacker would've over before it even had a chance to really take off. He climbed out of the dumpster he fell in just in time to make it out of there before Rosette could see who he was. Now he was on his way to Gus's place, hoping against hope that Gus's laptop had survived the fall.
Later that night, the Christopher house…
Rosette was contemplating the events of a few hours before, trying to remember any distinguishing feature of the suspect that could be used to identify him or her. She remembered the suspect having long hair but that could be any number of people. She also thought the suspect had violet hair but she couldn't be sure. Eventually, she gave up and went to bed. The whole ordeal had tired her out. She would solve this mystery another day.
Chrono informed Gus of what had transpired, and Gus was none too happy to hear Chrono nearly got caught. However, this was only the first time and he promised Gus it would be the last. After that, he went home and headed for his bed, just as tired as Rosette was.
Monday would bring its own set of challenges and obstacles…
I hope you all enjoyed this 'cause it took me long enough to get this chapter done as it is. Something I want to clear up, I didn't mean to offend any users of It was never my aim or objective. It just popped into my head so I used it. It sounded good at the time.
Anyway, I haven't really got much to say this time around. You'll probably notice the lack of music, but I still hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Also, any ideas you have for future chapters would be welcome. None of this would be possible without your support.
So, you know what to do if you want to see this fic continue.
Until then, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off and wishing you a Happy New Year once again…
