Little White Lies

The next day, the team headed for Boot Hill. Jessica was trying to think of a plan to get inside the house to see her friend. She well remembered that Virginia's aunt and uncle didn't like her and the others who visited from Doria too much. It was an argument over tradition; both sides having different traditions on how to observe a funeral. In the end, thanks to the fact that the Guardian of Death was on the side of the people of Doria and had witched the coffin to move at the right time, the Shamanic traditions won out.

So when she knocked on the door of the largest house in Boot Hill, her plan would be all ready. If Virginia came to the door, she was in the clear and could simply get inside with the others. However, if either Tesla or Shalte answered it, she would put into motion an excuse for talking with Virginia in private.

"Ok now," Jessica muttered, "Time to find out the information for Vincent and I." She knocked on the door. It wasn't long before Ginny's Aunt Shalte answered. She looked like she had just finished her cleaning for the day, or she was in the middle of it. For her clothes were covered in dust and her hair was a mess. "Hello there, I am here to conduct a survey of young adults ages 18 to 30. I believe there is a girl named Virginia living in this house. May I be permitted to ask her some questions?" inquired Jessica.

Shalte replied, "She's not home. She left here to become a Drifter. I'm sorry that she can't be of any more help to you. But if it is something that I can answer for her, I will be glad to oblige you instead." She motioned for them to come in and sit down at the table. There, laid out before them, was a feast of cookies and candies. The four sat around the table and waited to be told that they could taste some.

After receiving an encouraging nod from Shalte, they each took some cookies and ate them. So what if it wasn't even lunch. Any Drifter who turns down free food is bound to be called insane. But it wasn't long before Jessica turned to their host. "Well, first of all, we need to know the full name of the person who we are surveying. It's a bit of a population thing. We are trying to find out about the size of families of these young adults. But we can't write a thorough study without discovering the full name."

"Well, as you have guessed, her first name is Virginia," Shalte informed them, "Her middle name is Cecilia; her parents agreed that her first name would be the one her father liked and her middle name the one her mother liked so they wouldn't fight over it. Finally, her last name is Maxwell. She's eighteen years of age. Her height is five foot four inches and I'm not telling her weight out of common decency. She has brown hair and blue eyes. Is there anything else you would like to know about my young niece?"

"Just her relatives. Who are her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, and any other close relatives she might have," a startled Jessica responded. If this was the Maxwell residence and her friend Virginia was the same age as Vincent, she might be his twin sister.

Shalte told her, "Her father, Werner, vanished ten years ago. We don't know if he ran out or he was killed at work. He was a scientist. But he would always write if he had to stay longer than necessary. One day, he went there with the intention of staying for a week. However, he never came home again. But science is a dangerous field so the adults always feared the worst. Her mother, Ekatrina, died a few months later. It was such a tragedy. She came down with pneumonia and just faded away. Those who knew her well all believe she felt that her life ended when her husband vanished. Sadly, she died right before Virginia turned eight years old. That's one of the reasons Ginny left to become a Drifter. She discovered half of an old photograph of Werner and his colleagues. It might hold a clue for her to find out what happened to him. Well, back on topic, my husband, Tesla, is Werner's brother. His parents aren't alive anymore; they died when he was younger. But she does have a grandfather on her mother's side of the family. We haven't seen him since Ekatrina's funeral; there were some disagreements between us. So we don't even know if he's still alive. His name is Edwin. And she has no siblings or cousins either."

Jessica got up and bowed to them in a show of Dorian politeness. "Thank you for your time. Do you happen to know the Enduro family? They have a son in the same age group so we would like to interview him. But our darn office is being very picky about what information they give us to use."

"The only Enduro we know is Elliot," Shalte said, "He was a friend of Werner's. We only met him a few times when Tesla and I went to some party at Werner's job or when he came over for tea. But he and his son were with Werner at the lab when he disappeared. So we can't give you anything on them."

"No wonder the office wasn't giving us anything. They have all the names on record but they didn't bother to change the addresses. I'll have to give my supervisor a complaint about this when we finish the survey. Thank you again Mrs. Maxwell. I hope your niece can get back from her journey safely. And I hope she finds out what happened to her father. Whether or not he is alive, knowing the truth can bring some closure to a person who has experienced tragedy. My mother lost my father in an accident before I was born and she still suffers because she has no knowledge of what happened," she stated.

With that, the four relieved Drifters left the house. Everyone had Jessica do all the talking since she was good at these little white lies. Lyla couldn't lie if she tried; she was too innocent. Laura's lies were so easy to see through. And Vincent would let his emotions take over when he heard where he was and that the man he believed to be his birth father was missing while his supposed birth mother was dead. But Jessica had this skilled knowledge on how to manipulate the situation to throw it in her favor. Like Virginia, she was skilled at debating. In addition, she kept a face up that a lie appeared to be the truth.

Vincent whispered, "My mother…dead. Ironic, isn't it? She thought I was dead all these years and I was alive yet unable to come back to her. I finally get the knowledge and the means to come back home only to find my parents dead. This has to be where I originate; what other Maxwell would have the connection and proximity to anger Leehalt in such a way?" He wiped a tear from his eyes and walked off in the direction of Boot Hill's graveyard. The boy couldn't find peace until he saw where she was buried.

Lyla looked at him with sorrow. "Vincent, you shouldn't let yourself be caught in the pain. Free your soul. I'll come with you." With that, she followed him in order to give him some moral support.

Teefa's Last Words...

Well, the next chapter will be shown in the graveyard. Then Jessica will tell Vincent the funeral story. Again, it was more of two groups butting heads over tradition and the will being ignored. Also, the final childhood exploits of Virginia, Emily, and Jessica.