Chapter 19, Beyond the Beef

Fuck. Ok. I need to sit down and piece this together. I take a seat on the bench across from me.

I've dealt with things like this before all the way back in D.C. But nothing on the level like this with such a time crunch of just a few hours and no help whatsoever. The best thing to do is to take the man's advice and find Marjorie. Then get access to the White Glove Society and expose Mortimer by faking the actual meal for a fake one that tastes like human meat. Then Mortimer will be taken down and end his kidnappings. Yeah that's the best step. Follow his plan and put an end to the kidnappings.

I got up off the bench and walked to the pool room. Everyone was looking at me with shock and concern.

"Go about your business. Or leave. I'll find someone to clean this up but right now, I have a dinner date to handle," I announced.

I continued to the pool exit and made my way back up to the Gourmand. Once inside, I approached the desk and talked with Marjorie again.

"I want to join the White Glove Society. I was told I'd need a sponsor."

"Why yes, of course. The White Glove Society is the most exclusive club in all of New Vegas. Perhaps the entire world. It's only natural that you'd need a sponsor from within the club who can vouch for your good name. Originally we didn't allow anyone else in, you see. Founding members only. We thought exclusivity would make us the envy of everyone who's anyone. And it has. But then I had the idea to allow honorary members. Lower in status, naturally, but it just makes people want to be us even more. And the right people could certainly do wonders for our image. Celebrities, philanthropists. We want only the very best. And you most definitely fit the bill. Given your deeds on the Strip alone, I can safely say that you would be a prized addition to our honorary ranks."

Well that was easy. Guess my reputation precedes me even more than I originally thought.

She reaches under the desk, hands me a key, and some formal attire, "You have my full support, and you are welcome to join us at our nightly banquets in our special section of the Gourmand. I hope to see you there."

I take the attire and walk out. I notice a bathroom on the other side for men and quickly make my way there. I walk into the stall and start to take off my armor and put on the formal attire. It looks like it's the same attire that every White Glove Member wears here. I even noticed there was a mask that looked exactly like theirs. Perfect to disguise my identity. Once I put everything on, I put my armor in the bag and put it back on. I walked out of the bathroom and saw the kitchen door. I walked towards it and made an attempt to try to open it. It was locked. No surprise there. I scanned the room and saw that no one was around or watching me, which gave me the perfect opportunity to pick lock it open. I dug into my bag, brought out a screw driver and a bobby pin. Then I got to work. I was never fully good at this. This would be more up Elizabeth's alley. I finally picked the door open and headed inside. I opened the door slowly and quietly before heading in. I walked down the dimly lit corridor, and saw at the end, a fire lighting up the hallway. As I entered the room, I was met with two White Glove Members roasting what I believe to be pigs flesh with Flamethrowers. Interesting way to handle meat I guess.

Regardless, I make a right and continue down the stairs. Eventually, I walked into a dimly lit red area that gave off a creepy vibe. In the distance, I saw a faint silhouette of a White Glove Member walking towards me.

"You! What do you think you're doing," he demands.

"Mortimer sent me to move the kid. Thinks one of his own might betray him," I respond.

Nice quick thinking I do say so myself.

"First he's too trusting, now he doesn't trust any of us. It addles the senses. I suppose caution is the desirable course at this point. It's all of our necks if something goes afoul."

He walks past me and continues on his own way, while I continue down the hallway. Eventually, I find a door to my right labeled, "Kitchen". I push the door open and walk in. Black and white tiles lined the place with refrigerators and storage containers littered throughout it. I walked down an archway and saw what I believe to be Philippe, cooking away. Surprisingly, he isn't wearing a mask, but still wearing the same attire as the rest of the members here.

I approached him and he turned to face me, with quite the angry look on his face. He had thin brown hair and gray eyes that reminded me of the gray cloudy sky.

"Why are you standing still? Do you think that the world waits for you while you stand there drooling? Get back out there and get to work!" he states with a snobby voice.

"I think you may have confused me with someone else," I replied.

He gives me a snobby look, "Oh really? So despite your potentially filthy face and your vacant expression under that mask and your complete lack of human dignity, you're telling me you're not a server?"

"I'm a new honorary member of the White Glove Society."

"Well what do you want? I'm very busy here," he demands.

"I'm also here to talk about business. Interested in putting out a cookbook?"

He gets a big smile of delight on his face and lowers his tone, "What, me? The supreme ruler of the Nevada dining scene? Teach lowlife half-wits to make food that doesn't smell like burning excrement? Do you think it would sell?"

"Yes. We're a major publisher. But as a sign of good faith I'll need recipes," I lied.

"All right. Don't get me wrong, I love my job here, but they don't pay me what I'm worth. Too many people skimming off the top."

He goes into a drawer and brings out a pile of papers, "Take these. Should be plenty for a book in there. That's all I'm giving. Don't expect me to write some fancy introduction."

I take the ingredients out of his hand. I shuffle through them to take a look. Looks like this is a stack of hand-written recipes, no doubt experimental, with many sections crossed out and notes scribbled in the margins. I took notice and saw that one that seems to have gone through the most revision is called "Sweet Veal," however the notes indicate a desire to make it taste more like human flesh. Gross but this will work.

I noticed that the pantry door was open and an idea hatched in my head.

"I think I saw a radroach in the pantry. You should check it out," I pointed out.

"No! It'll ruin my ingredients," he exclaimed and wastes no time in running into the pantry.

Once he walked to the end of the pantry, I closed the door and locked it behind him.

"What the- ? You son of a- ! Goddamn motherf- ! Ugh! Let me out," he screamed, banging on the door."

"Sorry. I can't hear you well. I guess you'll have to stay there," I remarked.

"You mother fucker. Let me out before I carve that stupid look off your inbred face!"

I turned on the radio on my Pipboy and it started to play Lone Star. I turned up the audio to mask his banging on the door and made my way back to the kitchen counter.

I took out his recipe called Sweet Veal and started to read.

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

½ pound ground brahmin

½ pound ground radscorpion

(Or 1 whole pound of human flesh when we get there)

½ cup chopped onion

clove garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon mustard powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried sage

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt (kosher)

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup water

1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts

Do this four times for everyone!

Looks somewhat easy to make, but I was never the cook kind of person. But I got about two hours to do this and many mouths to feed. So let's do this.

I walked over to the sink, took off my gloves, and washed my hands. Once they were dried, I put on an apron and went through the cupboards and refrigerator to gather the required ingredients, minus the human meat.

I then pulled up the recipe again and propped it up for me to see.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450 425 degrees F.

I turned the dial of the stove to 425 degrees and let that preheat while I do the other stuff.

Step 2

Place potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes 5 minutes. Drain, mash, and set aside. DO NOT MASH TOO HARD!

Thanks for the tip Philippe. I brought out the potato and placed it in a saucepan nearby, filling it up with water and waiting for it to boil. Eventually it would after 5 minutes and I drained the potato and mashed it. Setting it aside, I read the next step.

Step 3

Meanwhile, crumble brahmin and radscorpion into a large saucepan. Add paprika onion, garlic, mustard powder, thyme, sage, garlic cloves, (kosher not REGULAR) salt, and black pepper. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until meat is evenly browned.

Alright. I grabbed the brahmin and pork, then crumbled it in the saucepan. Then added the right measurements of the onion, garlic, mustard powder, thyme, sage, cloves, kosher salt, and black pepper. Next was stirring in the water and cooking over medium heat until it browned. Eventually, it would and I could smell all the spices together filling the air. It smelled good, but if this is what human meat almost tastes like, I'm scared that I find it pleasant.

Step 4

Remove from the heat and mix in mashed potato.

I turned off the heat and grabbed the mashed potato to put in. Hot water splashed on my hand, burning it slightly.

"Shit," I exclaimed, grabbing my hand.

Step 5

Ease one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Fill with meat (or human whenever we get there) mixture, then top with the remaining pie crust. Trim any excess dough, then crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Prick top crust a few times with a knife to vent steam. Cover the edges of the crust with baking sheet aluminum foil.

Easy enough. I followed the steps closely and was met with an almost finished meat pie. Now it's a matter of baking it.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is browned, about 40 minutes 25 minutes.

I placed the meat pie in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes. While it was cooking, I started getting the other meat pies ready to be baked.

After getting the other three meat pies ready, the oven dinged, letting me know it was finished. I grabbed oven mitts and slowly took out meat pie and was met with an elegant smell. The spices seemed to work in masking the brahmin and pork and giving off a very pungent aroma. It smelled nice, and could pace off as human meat, but I better not get comfortable with it. I'd hate to become Mortimer down the road.

I then grabbed the other meat pies and put them in, one at a time to prevent them from being burned too much for the rest of the time.

With all that meat pies cooked, I walked over to an intercom nearby and pushed on the button.

"How may I assist," I hear his voice ask.

"Time to serve the meal. Philippe had to step out and asked me to step in," I responded.

"At once."

After a minute, he comes around the corner and walks in. He picks up the tray with all the meatpies and walks out.

Now it's finding Ted Gunderson. I noticed on the counter there was a key that had the insignia, "Freezer" I mean that's a good place to put someone to hide out of sight. I grabbed the key and walked towards the freezer that had a terminal next to it. I inserted the key in and opened the door. I was met with a cold blast of air that hit me through my mask and to my face. I walked in and saw a man hunched over, trying to keep warm. He had a straw hat on a light brown, short sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He stood up and approached me, his fists ready.

"My daddy's gonna kill all you bastards once he finds out what you done to me," he states in an accent similar to his father.

I removed the mask, "Calm down. I've come to get you out of here."

"My daddy sent you? Goddamn it, I almost died in here! What the hell took you so long? It's just one damn hotel. Who did this to me, anyway? They hit me over the head before I got a look at 'em."

"Some members of the White Glove Society. They were going to eat you," I replied.

"What in the sam hell? Eat me? What kind of sick bastards would eat a person? I'll tell you what. Soon as I'm out of here and my daddy knows the story, you can bet there ain't gonna be no White Hat Society no more."

"The White Glove Society isn't to blame. Just Mortimer and a few others."

"To hell with that. You've seen those freaks. They dress the same, talk the same. You can bet they all eat the same, too. They deserve what my daddy's gonna have coming for them."

"I could always leave you here if you aren't going to listen," I sarcastically remarked.

"All right, all right. But there's gonna be some justice one way or another. I'll see to that."

"Let's go then. We don't have much time."

We quickly made our way out of the kitchen and back into the dimly red light hallway. I realized we can't go out of the Gourmand. We don't know who else aligns with Mortimer and they might attack if they see us. It would be safe once Mortimer is exposed to everyone.

I motioned Ted to crouch down and we slowly crept down the hallway until to my right I saw a staircase leading up, much more brightly lit. Might take us to the White Glove Society Lounge. We made our way up and entered a locker room with lockers aligned along the walls. I turned the corner to check if the cost was clear and saw a White Glove Society Poster at the end. I motioned Ted that it was clear and we walked down the corridor to be met by a door. I slowly opened the door and could hear disembodied voices of people clamoring with each other. I motioned Ted to crouch again and we got behind the counter. I heard a glass being hit by silverware and the whole crowd went to silence. I took a peak over the counter to see a giant, long brown ivory wood table with a dozen or so people seated around it. I couldn't see Mortimer, but no doubt he had gotten their attention.

Mortimer cleared his throat, "I know I'm not the scheduled speaker, but I have a few words, if I was a time not so long ago when we were bound together not as members but as family. As a clan. And when Mr. House came to us with his proposal, we accepted, knowing we stood to gain much. Little did we know how much we'd lose in the process. As a society, we've endeavored to sample the finest food and drink the world has to offer. But we are living a lie. There is a meat sweeter than the most corn fed livestock. Most of you have tasted it. All of you have coveted it. Among us, it is a crime to discuss a return to the old ways that unified our , that all changes. The taboo ends."

"Mortimer," I hear Marjorie speak, "Where is this going?"

"Let me finish, Marjorie. You don't know it yet, but you are all now guilty of a greater crime. One that ordinarily bears the harshest of that you are all guilty warrants not only universal amnesty but also a renewed discussion. For our society to be truly elite, we must dine on the most delicious, the most exclusive food known to us. And tonight, for the first time as a society, you are sampling that very dish, the meat we are forbidden to taste, the way it was meant to be eaten! Fellow members of the White Glove Society, bon appetit!"

I could hear gasps, cries, and shouting begin. I stand up behind the counter and confront Mortimer.

"What the- ? Who is this trespasser," he demands.

"Bad news, Mortimer. No one's eating the boy you kidnapped tonight," I shouted.

Mortimer looks at me confused, "What are you-?"

Before he could continue, he noticed Ted right behind me.

Shock appeared on Mortimer's face, "Why is he there? Who are we eating right now?"

"Sorry, Mortimer. Secret recipe. It isn't human, though, I can tell you that."

Mortimer starts to panic, "No! These are lies! I never kidnapped anyone. And even if I did, there's no harm done. He's alive, after all."

I laughed, "Too late, Mortimer. You already said too much."

Mortimers look of shock fades to anger, "You're all hypocrites! How can you claim to be connoisseurs yet deny yourselves the greatest of all meats? I am ashamed to have once called everyone here family. This isn't over, though. I'll begin anew. The White Glove Society will never achieve the greatness of my new order. You'll all hear from me again."

"No you won't. You all heard his confession! The punishment for cannibalism is death!"

Before I could draw my gun, he pushed me out of the way and made a run for it. He wouldn't get far until the other White Glove Members got up and chased after him. Someone tackled him to the floor with many drawing their canes and started to whack on him. I couldn't see what was going on, but I could hear the screams of Mortimer filling the room and echoing around me as they hit him with their canes more.

"Come on. Let's go. I can't stand to hear this," I hear Ted behind me.

He runs around them and I follow him out of the White Glove Society Lobby and back to the main atrium where his father was.

"Oh my god! Ted! Are you alright," he expressed with his arms stretched out.

He accepts the hug from his father, "Yes. I'm fine."

Heck turns his attention to me, "You got me my boy back. I got no words. Now... I hope you didn't do no harm to whoever's responsible for this. I wanna skin their hides myself."

"It was Mortimer, one of the White Gloves, who had Ted taken. He was a cannibal," I stated.

Heck's face expressed his anger at what he heard, "Well that does it! None of them maniacs will ever do business with Heck Gunderson long as they live. Hell, I'll put me together a damn blockade. Hit 'em where it hurts. They control the food? Well there ain't gonna be no food. Not for anybody in this whole damn town. It's a goddamned monument to inhumanity. Let 'em starve. Biggest favor anyone's ever done this hellhole."

I raised my hands, "Let's not be hasty. You don't have to punish the entire Strip."

"The heck I don't! It's their support that gives these bastards power. They all oughtta suffer for what they done. I just won't be satisfied with anything less. Wouldn't be enough."My mind's made up on this. I'm cutting off the food supply to the Strip. They gotta learn their lesson the hard way, looks like."

"That's just what they'd want. You'd be driving the city to eat each other.'

He sighed, "I don't like this place. Whole Strip, really. Ever since I got here, the stink of it... it's flooded my nostrils. But you got a point. They're already hell-bent on depravity here. All I'd be doing is helping them along."

He grabs a small bag on the counter and hands it to me, "All right. Well, I promised you I'd make it worth your while, so here you are. 500 caps. Try not to lose it all at the same casino."

Heck and Ted walk off while I inspect the bag. I opened it and saw that it had more or less that amount. Nice to finally get another paycheck after so long.

I put the bag in my backpack and made my way to the nearest bathroom to change back into my armor. I then went to the entrance to pick up my helmet. Once he handed me it, I put it back on and opened the door back to the outside world.

I'm glad this is over. Talk about one of if not the most fucked up thing I've been apart of. Cannibals and wanting to convert a whole group of people to be one too is not something I'd ever thought I would ever be a part of. Definitely up there as the most messed up thing I have been a part of. But I'm glad it's over.

I walked out of the Ultra Luxe and walked down the illuminated stairs. I started to make my way back to the Lucky 38 when I heard two familiar British voices near a bench. Taking a quick look, I saw it was the same twins as before, still wearing the same attire.

"Funny how things turn out," I hear the woman say.

"Yes, I wasn't expecting to get in again," he replies.

"Yet here we are now," she retorts.

"As if it was planned," he remarks.

"To the minute detail."

Well there they are. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum In the flesh. Time to ask about the package.

I walked towards them, "Ok, who are you? And did you leave that package for me?"

"Funny how life changing a simple package can be to someone," she responded.

"Yes it can change them drastically," he replied.

And how they respond to the world around them," she continued.

"In time."

"But that's all it is about isn't it? Time."

"And we have had plenty. "

Well I'm assuming I got my answer. They did deliver it. But why me? Why am I so significant?

"Ok. Why me? What makes me so special? What is the goal of all this?"

"What's more important? Your part in the play or the play itself," she inquired.

"That is the true goal of it all," he continued.

"A bit of widening your perspective can help you see."

"That there is more than meets the eye."

Is this about Elizabeth? Is she their relative? If that's the case, why are they not being so blunt? What's up with this chicanery? I feel like I have more questions than answers right now.

I sighed, "This is about Elizabeth. Right? Are you a distant relative of her? Or are you studying her like a rat?"

"Been there," he replied.

"Done that," she finished.

"What's more important is prosperity," he declared.

"And life in a second chance."

"Or is it technically third?"

"I suppose it is when you put it together."

Wait what the hell does that mean? What is this her third time being brought back to life? Bullshit. That ain't possible. Is it? Is Elizabeth keeping something else from me on top of the pile of things from her past? Something I should know?

I groaned, "Ugh. All I'm getting here is riddles and open ended answers. Can you please tell me who you are and why are you following me and Elizabeth? What do you want from her?"

"In time, more will be answered. Though in different ways," he starts.

"For now it is best to tread lightly and cautiously. Not only for your sake," she retorted.

"But for hers."

I looked down and rubbed my head. I'm getting a headache from all this. And it's driving me nuts. What is the damn point in all this? What are they fortune tellers? Time travelers? Or very knowledgeable people? And these riddles. Do they like screwing with people?

I looked up and saw they were gone. I scanned around to see where they went and nothing. Like they were Ghosts disappearing in the wind.

"Where did you go," I shouted.

Nothing. Just the normal sounds of the Strip behind me only adding to my confusion further.

I sat down on the bench. That last part they said. In time more will be answered and in different ways. In what ways? Like dreams? Like the one I had last night with someone who looked like Elizabeth. But again that doesn't make sense. Elizabeth can't create portals and she still has a pinky. So, it was just a stupid dream. Didn't teach me anything at all.

I rubbed my head and stood up. I'll just have to play along in the metaphorical play until all is revealed. To what extent it is, I don't know.

I kept walking back to the Lucky 38 and took the elevator back up to the Penthouse. The doors opened and I walked down the stairs to greet Mr. House, hopefully for the last time for a while.

"What do you have to report about the Omertas," he inquired, his voice filling the room as always.

"The Omertas who were conspiring against you are dead," I replied.

"Well done. They won't be causing any trouble, then. What about the White Glove Society?"

I took a big breath, "Did you know some of the White Gloves are... eating people again?"

Mr. House paused for a moment, "No, I was not aware of this. Is it really so hard not to engage in cannibalism? My goodness...It's a violation of their contract. I authorize you to deal with them in any way you see fit."

"Well I handled it. Mortimer was the one behind it and he's been eliminated. The rest are innocent."

"If some of them broke that stricture, they deserved whatever punishment you dealt them. On a more, elevating note, that is everything I needed done. Both you and Elizabeth have done a fantastic job at handling this for New Vegas' future. I will send you both a weekly paycheck to make up for this. And if I ever need your assistance, I will let you know. I must get back to work."

"Ok. Just let either of us know," I stated.

"One more thing. If you happen to come across any snow globes in your travels, I am more than willing to pay handsomely for them. "

I felt the look of confusion come across my face. Snow Globes? I never thought of him to be one to collect them.

"I never took you for the snowglobe type of person," I responded.

"What of it? I enjoy them. There's something about a little diorama set inside a glass dome that I...find pleasing. If you run across any out in the wastes, turn them into Jane. She'll compensate you."

I nodded in acknowledgement. I'll keep an eye open for them then. I went back into the elevator and pushed the button to take me back to the Presidential Suite. Once the elevator let me know I arrived, I walked out and was met with some old timey music being played. Not like the music on the radio from Mr. New Vegas, but more like the music on the classical radio. I walked into Elizabeth's room and saw she was reading a book while smoking a cigarette. I never knew she was a smoker. Maybe it's not a daily thing.

"I never took you for a smoker," I remarked.

She took notice of me and closed the book, turned off the radio, put the cigarette out in a nearby tray, and stood up, "I only smoke to keep the nerves calm. Not really a regular smoker."

"Ah. So what's making you nervous?"

"Well I was wondering whenever you were coming back. I was expecting it wouldn't have taken long," she states as she comes towards me and gives me a hug.

I put my arms around her, "Let's just say it went into an interesting situation."

"In what way?"

I pull away from her, "Well… you might want to sit down."

"Why? Did you meet space aliens? Did they try to probe you?"

I tried to crack a smile, but knowing what happened at the Ultra Luxe, I couldn't bring myself to.

"No. Something far worse," I say as I take a seat.

Elizabeth sits on her bed, "Alright, what was it?"

"Well…cannibals," I stated.

Elizabeth's face immediately displayed shock, "Cannibals?!"

"Yeah. And they almost got away with grinding up a man to serve at a meal tonight. Thankfully, I was able to intervene," I remarked.

"Jesus. What the hell is wrong with them? Did they try to eat you?"

"No thank god. And it ended up being exposed to the White Glove Society and it's no longer an issue," I replied.

"That's a relief. Why didn't you come get me? I could have helped."

"Well I wasn't able to. The guy who was behind it all tried to have men kill me and failed. Not only that, he was in the main area so if he saw me trying to leave, he could have killed the man they were holding hostage."

Elizabeth sighed, "Well we need to find a way to communicate with each other if we get separated. Do you have another one of those Pipboys? I saw you communicate with Mother Pearl that one time with it."

"Unfortunately, no. They are really hard to come by. But we can keep an eye open for them," I assured her.

"Ok,"she replied, "Is there something else? You look like there is another thing."

"Well. I forgot to tell you that they emailed me back. The Courier Office."

"What did they say," she expressed.

"They didn't deliver it. Someone else did and used their office as an identity cover up."

She paused, "Huh. Do you know who might have dropped it off?"

"Actually I found out. You know those two British people at the strip entrance from a while ago?"

"Yeah? It was them?"

"Yes. I ran into them after I left the Ultra Luxe and they were pulling the same riddle game they've been pulling every time I've seen them the last few times."

"You've been seeing them more?"

"Yeah and they finish each other's sentences almost perfectly. It honestly gives me a headache."

"Yeah," she replied, almost as if she knew what I meant, "What did they say?"

"Well they didn't bluntly tell me it was them, but they strongly hinted at it. And they clearly know you somehow. I never got an answer as to how but my theory is either relatives or they find out about Rapture and you somehow."

Elizabeth stared at the floor blankly, while I continued.

"Then they went on treading lightly not only for my sake but for yours. No idea what they meant by that but that's really it. I find the whole thing bullshit considering they said you were brought back a third time. No idea at all what that means but it's not possible. This is only your second chance at life."

Elizabeth didn't respond, still staring at the floor.

"Elizabeth? You there," I asked.

No response. As if she was in a deep trance of some sort. This must have triggered something in her head.

"You know them don't you," I remarked.

She started to fidget with her right pinky again and raise her head up, but her focus was not on me at all, but rather the ceiling.

"Elizabeth. Who are they? And how can they disappear out of nowhere? Are they ghosts? Or something else?"

"I… don't…know," she softly responded, still not looking at me.

I'm starting to get annoyed with this. She is covering something up. And for who knows how long. Probably from the beginning. When she told me her story of her time in Rapture, I always felt something was off. Like she was hiding details. Why, I don't know and I'm sure she has her reasons. But these two people tie into it somehow. And I deserve to know. I don't know these two's intentions and if it's bad, I need to know and be ready for it.

I cleared my throat, "Elizabeth. You need to be straight with me right now. I don't know their intentions and if they are bad, I need to know. You got to give me something."

She looked at the wall to her left and after a minute, finally took a breath, "I don't know how I can explain who they are if it is them. It's complicated and might sound crazy."

"Ok. Are they worth worrying about? Can you give me that at least?"

"No. They aren't bad, but are not purely good."

Guess this is as close as I'm going to get on this for now.

"So, I shouldn't lose sleep over this?"

"No."

"When will you tell me the truth about them and who they are?"

She wiped her face and met my eyes, "Look just give me some time to figure out how to explain this. Ok? It's so complicated and running it through my head, I sound crazy or I sound like I was on drugs."

"You sure I can't get anything now?"

"No," she firmly states, before giving me an annoyed face.

I raised my hands, "Ok. Well, I'll let you have the rest of the evening to yourself."

"If you want anything to eat, there's something in the fridge I left."

"Thank you. But I'm gonna pass. Lost my appetite to the cannibals."

I walked to my room and sat on the bed to take a moment. I wasn't expecting that. But I'll take her word for it on not worrying about them. I guess I'm going to have to trust her when she tells me the truth about them. Whenever that is going to be. I'm just annoyed by this. I wish she would just be straight with me. I deserve that at least. But it's more waiting for her to reveal the truth. I can't force her to tell me. But I'm hoping it's soon. I care about her and if this is something bad or whatever it is, I want to help protect her. After all, I might be the only family she has.

I got myself ready for bed, following the same steps I always do before and got under the covers before shutting the light off on my lamp. I stared at the ceiling fan, still thinking about what the possibilities are as to the truth on all of this. Eventually, I felt myself get tired and I drifted off to sleep.