"We are going to need to go shopping later." Zach said as we walked hand in hand towards Mrs Roan's house. I cold almost feel his eyes burning through my clothes. "You need some nice clothes. Not clothes imitating as nice clothes."
"Thank you for the horrible comment on my fashion attire… I am so flattered."
A couple a few years older than us walked in the opposite direction out of our teachers drive way. "I think you look sexy, however, Brendan is into chicks in expensive clothing." His typical grin sprung to life on his face, knowing it would drive me up the wall.
The garden path was over grown and almost claustrophobic, we had to walk single file pausing and squishing ourselves into the leaves when another couple with a young child left the open house. Zach led the way, holding tight onto my hand, making less and less snide remarks the closer we got to the house, by the time we were through the door he was showering me with compliments and gushing over the house.
The realtor greeted us with a faker smile than the one I was giving, "Welcome, welcome, please help yourself to the nibbles and if you have any questions please as me." Her voice joined her smile on the fake-o-metre.
"Darling," I said, placing a hand in the centre of his chest and pushing my body close to his, "Can we check out the rest of the house now?"
"After you sweet pea." I giggled. I hate giggling, with a passion. Why must I always play the incredibly stupid rich girl who giggles a lot and lives off her parents. Why? Are they trying to punish me? Push me out of my comfort zone?
Oh wait, of course they were, obviously.
Zach led me into the study, he had examined the blue prints of the house, more than likely while driving, and knew his way around. We separated immediately, scrupulously searching the room for any indication of whatever the hell was going on with Roan. Zach opened the desk drawers and riffled through the papers he found. He stopped suddenly and looked around the room, searing for something hard to see. Cameras. How could we forget again?
"Zoe, in your bag." The mechanical screener in my handbag detected any trace of electronic devices. I switched it on and strolled around the room. I only heard the detector as I meandered past the computer trying to appear to be looking at the furnishings. Zach smiled when I had scoped the whole room and began to rifle again.
While Zach worked, I studied the room, trying to find any sign of, well, anything. I noticed the corner of the rug turned over underneath the chair on the opposite side of the desk. It was an odd place to find a turned over rug, unless…
"Brendan, help me with this." I pointed at the chair. His eyebrows furrowed into a confused expression. "Just do it will you."
He picked up one side of the armchair and I the other, together we lifted it off the carpet completely. His confused expression defused and he noticed the turned over corner. I lifted the rug and exposed a trapdoor in the centre of the room. Only a padlock held it closed. I smiled. A padlock? I was about eight when I first cracked one of those.
I ferreted around in my handbag again, searching for my lock pick. Within seconds I heard it click and the lock snapped open. "I hope they give us a harder test next time." I whispered.
"Let me go down first." Without another thought, I let Zach climb down the ladder first with me in toe and closing the door behind me. "I am so glad you wore that skirt."
When we landed on the ground, I hit him harder than I had this morning.
I turned around and found a light switch hanging from the ceiling. After yanking the string, we were graced with light, and a view of exactly what we had been looking for. A desk sat in the corner with a hi-tech computer and several telephones. Stuck on the walls were pieces of paper with scribbles and words that seemed to mean nothing. There were shelves of weapons and gadgets. Zach wandered over to the desk, taking a pair of leather gloves out of his back pocket and turning on the computer. He studied the wall of papers while he waited for computer to finish loading.
"You know what," Zach said, "Roan is an incredibly secretive man. Why is there no security?"
"Maybe he doesn't think anyone will look for a trapdoor under some carpet. Maybe he thinks he is safe?" I asked.
"Maybe they are testing us, did you ever think of that? Maybe he was asked to join the faculty so that they could give us a special assignment?"
Neither of us answered the others questions, but a shred of doubt in what we were doing had been planted.
Sorry its been so long, there is a long list of reasons I could give that include graduating, working, schoolies, christmas, new years, results, working, and several other things. Writers block also, thinking of what to do with Zach and Cammie.
Anyway, enjoy.