I took the girls inside the room once I debugged it and died in a cloud of dust. Ash and Mel marveled at the small place.
"When did you?"
"When I was practicing on the roof, I came down and made a wrong turn and found this neat place. Cool am I right?" They nodded. Mel walked over to the boxes on top of the piano. She looked at me as if asking if I had looked through them. I shook my head and she cautiously tried to pick one but she was too short to reach it so I came over and gave her a hand. Ash got one too so I followed their lead. We all had our own box and we sat down on the stone floor.
Mel opened up her's and it was full of random parts, we saw wires and metal pieces I didn't understand but Mel looked super excited. She dug through the box a bit more and pulled out a strange fully done device. It looked like a box but it obviously didn't open up like one. We sat closer to her and suddenly it blinked to life when I touched it. It opened up automatically and beeped something none of us understood.
It revealed a book, like the one Momma gave me but it wasn't as dusty and ripped by the corners. Sure this one looked old but not super old. Ash and Mel didn't want to grab it so I did it. Once I got the book out it beeped once more before closing and turning back into a box. We blinked and I turned the book over in my hands and on the back, it had the words in Momma's messy writing:
Katherine C.
I didn't know if I should read it but curiosity got the better of me. I opened it and I let my hands brush the paper. The date was a year before the other book. This time it wasn't half finished. It was filled to the last page and she wrote a bit on the inside of the cover on the back since she ran out room. I didn't dare read it. Instead, I turned my attention back to the box. I felt around every side till I tapped the top and it opened up making the same series of beeps as when I first opened it. It popped open like before and I paced the book in.
It must have felt the book or something because it closed up again. I looked over at Ash and Mel who looked about as confused as I felt. They shrugged at me when I raised a brow.
"Well guys, like it's been 8 minutes and we've already found a new mystery." Mel and Ash looked at each other super psyched to have a new mystery. Mel whipped out a very fancy looking(what is that) pen thingy and suddenly with one click on the top, it turned into a phone looking thingy. She tapped up here and there and did this random series of numbers(28 numbers) and it unlocked. She then went to this app and Lex and Ash's faces were there next to a series of numbers(47 numbers each).
Mel clicked on Lexie's face and punched in a new sires of numbers(47). Suddenly she was taken to chat and wrote what just happened exactly in a text. Well it was more of an essay but suddenly this little icon popped up with an exact time saying:
Read by Lexington
I raised a brow.
"Lexington?" Mel shrugged. "It wouldn't except Lexie or Lex so we changed her name to Lexington." I laughed. Gods above that's hilarious. "I'm so going to call her that from now on!" Ash rolled her eyes and sighed. She turned back to the box in her hands as Lexington texted us back.
You guys seriously couldn't wait till I was at least on the plain to tell me this?
I looked at her message. "Wait why the plane?" Mel sighed.
"Lexie's been dying for a chance to jump out of an airplane like in the movies." I nodded. That's a good one, maybe I'll try it if I ever get on an airplane. Ash didn't even look at me as she opened the box and said. "If you dare try that I will not hug you for five minutes straight. I will have Mel and Lexie lock me up on the roof if they have to."
I pouted. "But it'd be so cool." Ashe pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kana please no."
"Kana yes!" I shouted and opened the box I held. I tore the top off and I looked inside. It had a very dusty top about an inch thick. I walked over to our 'window' and blew on it. Dust flew up and at me then out the window. I coughed and headed back. Ash and Mel sat closer to see better as I lifted the object out. Textbooks, and there was a bunch of them. Mel snatched them out of my hands and begun to read them till Ash and I shared a startled look.
Mel, our tiny smol bean, our tiny arachnophobia smol bean had a spider the size of a poker chip. She hummed to herself silently before looking up at us. "Guys-" I tackled her to the ground and blurted the first thing that came to my mind. "Uh, tickle fight!" Mel shook her head in horror and Ash joined in too trying to make it look natural. I swatted the spider(mutant) thing of my smol bean and glared at it as Ash 'accidentally' stomped on it. That's right, mess with the smol bean, I f*cking dare you.
Mel was wheezing and laughing by the time we were done with our tickle fight cover and she smiled at us. "Guys, you know I'm ticklish." She giggled and I smiled at her. "But it was fun," I smirked and she laughed. "It was." She shook her head and continued to read the books silently and I made a small sweep of the area around us for spiders. I saw Ash doing the same thing. Ash opened her box at last and there was an old picture frame inside with a lot of bubble-wrap.
I reached in quickly and pulled it out.
"Bubble-wrap!" I squealed. I love this stuff. People always threw it away and I'd play with it whenever I found some. I snorted as it made the funny popping nose.
Ash and Mel just watched as Kana, Gallagher's infamous trouble marker, the best of the best, is playing with god damn bubble-wrap. She could literally take a grown man down and she was laughing and snorting at the popping sound of plastic bubbles...bless the creator of bubble-wrap. Mel smiled as she watched this 16-year-old(who has in fact according to her mother, fought a doctor at 1 and gained her chin scar that way) play with the bubbles as Ash took out the picture. Mel leaned over to look at it and they heard the popping stops.
They looked up and saw something they didn't want to believe but it was right there before their very own eyes. Kana had goofed off and done the unthinkable. She got wrapped up in the bubble-wrap and now she was squirming on the floor. They watched her in silence as Kana tried and failed to wiggle her way out of the wrap.
Mel said nothing as she took a photo and sent it immediately to Ash, Lexie, and pretty much Kana's whole family(The headmasters and Ms. Corduroy along with the Townsend family). Ash couldn't tear her eyes away from her sister as Kana still tried to wiggle free. Suddenly Kana flopped on the floor popping a lot of bubbles. They all remained silent and didn't move an inch. Kana then flopped around on the floor happily as Ms. Corduroy suddenly came in.
I ran in as soon as I got Mel's message and I opened the door to the old room that I used to store old junk. I then watched as Sheridan flopped on the floor like a fish out of water covered in bubble-wrap. MG Jr. and Liz mini were there too just watching her. Sheridan smiled happily laughing and I sighed. I sat down and Sheridan looked up and when she saw me she smiled brighter. "Hey, Momma." She chirped and wiggled free of the bubble-wrap. She came over and gave me a big old hug and I smiled.
Good lord John looks like one good thing came out of our marriage. Jack would have made that one a two but you just couldn't resist. I did my best not to sigh. How was I going to tell Kana? 'Oh hey Kana, you know how you already have a very complicated family? Well, guess what? You have a twin brother whom your quote on quote father took away to raise as the devil's spawn. I don't know if he's alive or not but hey, one more family member you can add to that confusing family tree!' Sheridan smiled and gestured to the room. "You know the place?" I nodded. She obviously figured out that I knew about the room since I got here so quick. My little smart cookie.
She looked around and then her eyes looked at the piano and Lizzie mini plus MG Jr. walked to the door. "Kana we'll be right back." Lizzie mini called and MG nodded. Sheridan smiled at them cheeks still flushed from the all the laughing. She then turned to me a sparkle in those golden-brown eyes that we shared. We got up and I smiled to myself looking around at the old room.
"So you found this place?" She nodded. "I was going back down from the roof and I stumbled upon this place, more literally than I like actually." She said and let out a small laugh rubbing the back of her neck. I laughed, I guess being accident prone runs in our family. "You know I used to come here all the time," I started and I looked over at my little Bean Poll. She looked around the room in awe now. She mouthed out 'wow'.
"Way back when I was your age." I passed by the piano and let my fingers linger on the keys just a second longer. I smiled remembering it all, I could piratically see my younger-self coming in for the first time. My confused face as I walked around. Spotting the piano and checking it out. "Yep. This was like my little hangout, till I got to my Junior year that is. I stopped coming and completely forgot everything that I left here. Guess it's been gathering dust." I turned back to Sheridan and she nodded. "There was about an inch of dust Momma, you should have seen the cloud it made." She made an explosion sound and waved her arms around like a windmill.
I laughed and ruffled her spiked hair. She gave me your smirk John, the same confident smirk you gave me every time I nearly caught you. Whenever I thought I finally caught you and when I thought what we had was love. But her smirk was different, it showed me everything unlike you. It showed mischief and love, confidence and joy. She's a lot like you bastard. She has your smile, your hair, your bull-headed ways, she's reckless like you. The way she looks down on herself, I guess that's from me.
She laughed and shook her head, pushing her round glasses up more. I'd get her contacts but I think she might poke her eyes by accident so I'm not taking that risk. I've already taken too many. I looked around and saw the old bench for the piano. I walked over and picked it up taking it back to its rightful place next to the keys. Sheridan sat down next to me and I cracked my knuckles. "I used to be good at playing, wanna see if your old Momma still got it?" She nodded excited and her eyes we glued to the piano. I smiled and played a small song.
Sheridan smiled and listened along not saying anything when I clearly messed up and when the song was over she smiled at me. "Yep, still got it, Momma." Good lord, I love it when she calls me that. Normally 16-year-old's call their parents by their names or just say mom and dad, Momma makes me feel like I'm still apart of her life. I smiled, her words melted my heart to a puddle of happy soup. She then turned to the piano and tested the keys a bit.
I waved my hand at her. "Yeah, right bean poll. I totally messed up." She rolled her eyes. "You said that you haven't played in a long time right?" I nodded." Well, you just play right now, no sheet music and you did amazing!" I blushed. "Shucks skinny bean, ya making me blush." She giggled and gave me a big old hug. Her tinny skinny arms wrapped around me like rope and I hugged her back sinking into the hug. She did the same.
I smiled at her knowing she wanted to give the song a shot. "Go ahead bean poll, it doesn't bite." I joke and she laughed and then rolled her shoulders the way you used to and then played better than I could have ever dreamed.
She moved around a bit and you could tell she was really into it. Her playing was perfect. It was like she saw how I played and took my mistakes and turned them into the right keys. Her fingers tapped on the keys like she played this song a million times before and not just now. She smiled and started to hum. She had mom's voice.
The music brought me back to way back when. I could still remember the last good memory I had of that farm. Mom was in the kitchen and I was reading a book waiting for lunch to be ready. I had already set up the table beforehand so I could finish my book. It was just getting good. Suddenly the radio was turned on and dad was out. Dad was obviously busy with the barn like usual. Both mum and dad were retired agents of a secret organization and I wanted to be just like them. I had asked them if I could enroll for Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women in America and now all we were doing was waiting for a response.
They knew what kind of school it really was and had allowed me to apply for it anyways. Mum hummed along to the radio before starting to sing. I peeked over the top of the couch and saw her dancing. Mum loved to sing and dance, it was her passion. There was an old open mic place just down the road an' in town we'd go to every Saturday to watch her o her thing. Dad was a singer or a dancer but more of an instrument man. He taught me piano and many more.
Mum danced along to the music and sang along. I could sing too, or so others have told me, but I didn't like to sing. I didn't like the spotlight. I just wanted a lone adventure, a story of my own with just me facing the harsh struggles of life. I looked back at my book expecting my mum to continue making lunch till suddenly mum's hands grabbed mine from behind and pulled me off the couch. I shook my head but she ignored me and picked me right off the floor and over the couch and pressed me against her as she sang loud and proud swinging me around like a dancing partner.
"Mum you know I don't dance-" She cut me off by singing louder. She paused her singing then laughed.
"Oh come on Serafina! Dance with me!" I sighed. "You know I can't dance." I crossed my arms and mum pouted. "But you sure can try." I sighed and did the dance. Mum laughed and clapped her hands to the beat. I sighed and sat down and mum sang and I smiled and sang along with her. I didn't notice dad come in till I heard a fiddle being played. I laughed and I wished we could have stayed like that. We would have, but you just had to ruin it all didn't you?
John, if you can hear me I just want to know what was your problem with me, did you just want to make a fool out of me? What did you have against my family? Kana and Jack, mum, dad, what did they ever do to you? Sheridan finished her song and smiled to herself like she was proud of what she did. I smiled at her. "Now who's the amazing one?" Sheridan blushed lightly and giggled. "Still you." She chirped and hugged me. Suddenly she pulled away like she was electrocuted. A bright smile on her lips.
"Oh, I have a surprise for you!" I raised a brow. "What is it?" She laughed, like the sound of bells, musical and sweet. "I'm not telling you just yet silly." She said and tapped the tip of my nose with her index finger. I smiled, this kid.
"Okay, so we're doing a mystery surprise. Can I ask what is it?" Sheridan shook her head making her hair point out in different directions here and there. "Nope, you're the best spy I know so if I even give you a single hint you'd figure it out. Then it won't be a surprise if you know." I felt so...boss. I'm the best spy she knows?! Yo the CIA can fight me 'cause I'm slaying right now! I feel like I could take on the whole world and come out unscratched. I puffed out my chest pride and joy swirling in me like a whirlpool. "Well, I wouldn't say the best spy you know. You're still young." Sheridan shook her head. "Don't doubt yourself, Momma, I could meet the whole CIA, FBI, and MI6 and you'd still be the best." I blushed.
Good lord this kid is the reason my ego is still growing.
I saw Momma blush a bit and I smiled at her. She's the only spy I know who can really tell what's under my smile. She's always been there guessing the exact emotion I was feeling whether I showed it or not. That and sometimes whether I like it or not I can't detect her most of the time. She could be following me every step I take and I would have never noticed.
"Well, what can I know?" She asked a goofy happy smile on her face. I thought about it for a sec. What can I tell her that she won't figure out quickly? I snapped my figures figuring it out. "You can know this, Thanksgiving." She blinked and nit her brows together. "What does that mean-" I put my finger on her lips. "That's all you get." She sighed, her warm breath tickled my finger and I took it back and smiled at her. "Just follow the one I call sister." Boom best clue ever. Nailed it. Momma gave me a smirk. "You gave me two clues bean poll." I nodded.
"I know."
She ruffled my hair one last time before heading out the door and I was left alone in the big room full of Momma's things. I smiled and looked back at the piano. Momma used to play this very piano. She used to come here like it was a second home. I looked around the stuff more and I noticed that one half of the room had boxes filled with Momma's old stuff while there was a whole other half covered in sheets. The plain white sheets with moth holes and stains seemed to call me more than the boxes. Ash and Mel came back in and Mel held a box full of smaller boxes.
She placed them on the floor and smiled. I raised a brow confused. "What's that for?" She smiled. "Well, I asked your mom on her way out just as we were coming in if I could use the old parts and she said yes." Ash rolled her eyes. "In other words, we're going to have a bunch of new experiments to be genie-pigs for." Mel shrugged and I laughed.
I walked over to the smallest sheet and pulled it off with one weak tug. Dust flew everywhere and we coughed and hacked. I heard someone open the door and cough and a fan turned on. I blinked back tears that the dust caused and looked at whoever it was. "Hey, Dad," I said between coughs. Dad covered his mouth as he coughed some more and I saw Mel with a fan. "What in the world?" Dad said as he looked around the place. I checked my watch when I looked out the window seeing the sun getting closer to the horizon. Shoot!
I smiled at Dad. "Yo Pop?" He looked at me confused and I smiled at him. "I got a surprise for you and Mom if you guys can make it just follow Ash and Mel." He was about to say something but I didn't have time. I ran a hand through my hair coughing as dust fell from it. Shoot, now I have to shower. I ran to our room as fast as my legs could take me. I passed by Mom at a hall and she frowned. "Kana no-"
"Emergency!" I yelled running by her. It kinda was. I didn't want to let Tristan down by being a no-show.