Cairo:
The website was for advertising land and properties for rent around the world; I remembered the homepage on Dom's laptop when we were all still too short to reach the light switches and he said that if he would find a way out for all of us if something went wrong. He mentioned getting a vineyard in Spain or a ranch in Nebraska or a penthouse in Tokyo. He said that if our safety was something he could buy, he'd write a cheque, sell his mansion, his yachts, his soul, he would.
Maddie had figured out the idea. We'd use it if we ever got separated and we would never leave the others in the dark.
And so I typed up the web address and scanned the page. Four notices that wouldn't mean anything to anybody else, but to me meant the world.
Leprechaun Industries:
Twenty acres, lots of ponds.
Excellent for frogs.
Along with a phone number. I translated for Will.
Leprechaun Industries - Belle.
Twenty acres - Two adolescents
...lots of ponds... - they were in the states
Excellent for frogs - Paris is fine.
I dialled the number from a disposable phone Will had picked up last night.
It was Belle's voice on the message.
"Hi everyone. Frog and I are fine. We're in a safe house we heard about. We wont use this number again and you should probably destroy your phone. We love you all. And Will..." her voice faltered slightly. "Take care of my sister."
Ozzy's Outputs:
Mozart Music Centre
Heating needs work.
And another phone number.
Ozzy's Outputs - Sydney
Mozart Music Centre - Vienna
Heating needs work - its cold where they are.
Vienna had left the message in German:
"Wir sind in Ordnung und wir werden sehen, Sie bald. Ozzy und ich sind nach Verbündeten im Norden suchen und Anhalten in Ruhestand auf Freunde im Netz. Schauen Sie nach euch, oder ich werde dich töten."
"Sweet as ever..." I muttered. Will clearly wasn't as educated in languages. "Their heading north and staying in old safe houses with retired members on the net. Vi said she'd kill us if we got hurt."
Taurus Gladiators
Thirty acres,
By a River
Airport to the South
Taurus Gladiators - Maddie and Rome
Thirty acres - Three adolescents
By a River - Rio's still with them
Airport to the south - They took the jet south, most likely to Egypt to see the twins's dad.
There was a message from Rome on the other end in Portuguese:
"Não se preocupe. Pai nos encontrou no aeroporto. Nós estamos indo para a terra então não venha nos procurar. Apenas no caso de não vemos outra vez ... nós te amamos ... Maddie está me dando olhares sujos agora, eu tenho que ir."
"They're with Dom. They'll be safest with him. Rome said they were going to ground... maybe forever." I frowned, taking a deep breath and found the message from the ones we worried about most.
Lion & Sphinx Properties
Twenty square kilometres
Private dock and strip
Nice views
I had to read it a few times before I truly understood it.
Lion & Sphinx Properties - London and Egypt
Twenty square kilometres - two scared kids
Private dock and strip - They were alone
Nice views - she could see us coming
"Do you know where they are?" Will asked desperately.
"We can check..." And he dialled the number the way I'd shown him and we both looked expectantly at the phone.
"Hey..." it was London's voice and Will looked so happy at just that. "Sphinx is sleeping, we're both okay. Ozzy, try Slush-puppie Stef. Take care of yourselves, please, and Sphinx misses his Pharaoh, I'm sure you'll find us soon enough. We'll be at the place everyday at noon. I love you Will, look after my brother."
Will replayed the message. And then again. And again. And again until I snatched it up and fried the circuits. "They might trace it."
"I know." he said and dropped his head in his hands. "Who's slush-puppie Stef?"
"Vi's Uncle. Lives up in the alps. Make's ice sculptures."
"Is he a savant?"
"Yeah. Used to work for the net, now he's just a cantankerous old loner who sits in a mountain cabin carving swans out of ice. They are quite nice to look at... not that he is... Loves Vi though, his one and only niece..."
"Niece. Nice views... Nice views..." Will murmured, eyes glassy as he lost himself in hope. "Private dock and strip. Private dock, sand strip..."
"Nice, France. The coast is filled with Super-Yacht docks and beaches." I nodded.
We took the bus to Nice, France. The sun shone down and the Mediterranean washed against the coast. Monaco was on our left and Cannes on our right. We shed our sweaters and stuffed them inside our rucksacks; we wore t-shirts and shorts instead, trying to look the part of tourists. I lead the way down to the dock where Dom kept a twenty-foot yacht, trying to look like I belonged. And I might have done, I might have looked like I should have been there; but there was no disguising the fact that something else that should have belonged, something bloody enormous, just wasn't there.
The yacht was gone.
"It should be here."
"So is that a clue or a cryptic message?" Will asked dryly.
"They said noon, right?" I looked at my watch, we were fifteen minutes early.
"Do you think they'll come here?"
"I don't know."
But then the clock tower chimed up at the top of the cliff, the wind picked up and the weather vane on top of the tower spun, glinting in the sunlight. I raised a hand to guard my eyes and looked up at the bluff. "There."
Once we'd found London and Egypt, waiting in the hilltop gardens, both looking very tanned, they didn't make any move towards us. But instead, sent a telepathic message, Follow in fifteen seconds. They both started down the steps at th other end of the lawns, slipping put of our sight again.
We did as we were told and climbed into the back of the bread van waiting on the side street with a dark haired driver and a young delivery boy with dark skin. "Nice touch, Baker." Will said dryly. London drove away as soon as the doors slammed shut, muttering, "This wig itches like hell."
Will shrugged, "I think it looks kinda hot."
She shot him a grin in the rear-view mirror. "Thanks."
I hugged Egypt tight, so happy to see him again. "God, I've missed you."
"Really? I've barely noticed your absence." He quipped. I shoved his shoulder.
Will climbed into Egypt's vacated seat in the front and kissed London's temple. "It's good to see you. I was beginning to forget what you looked like."
"Impossible, I bet you have a photograph of me hidden under your pillow." She grinned, "Oh, and I hope you remember I can look better than this. I haven't slept in days."
"You're beautiful, you've got nothing to worry about."
London beamed. "Your mother did a fantastic job at raising you."
"I'll tell her you said that."
"If we live to meet her." Egypt put in.
"If we do, can we fill the role of best man at your wedding?"
"Yeah, you can do the speech and I can lose the rings."
"Who's gonna walk you down the aisle Lonnie? It would have to be a wide one if you want 'your dad' to do it."
"We're not even engaged and you're already asking this?" London laughed.
"Belle would kill us if we don't use this time for preparation." I said smoothly.
"So, Will, best man gig, yes or no?"
Paris:
It had been two weeks since we arrived in America, six days since we'd taken residence at Xav and Crystal's flat and three hours since Belle had reposted our message on the website. The city was chilling in the cold climate of winter drawing in. I missed the hot kitchen in Amsterdam. I missed the uniform and the routine and the set seating plans of private school. I missed the sound of Belle practising the violin at three o'clock in the morning. I missed the way Cairo and Egypt liked to mess with the electrical circuits when Maddie was using the internet, and the way she'd glower at them before doing that really adorable thing where she pushes her glasses back up her nose. I missed the odd occasions where we had to drink soup from mugs because London had crafted all the spoons into a metal hat. I missed seeing Syd's loafers by the coat rack in the hallway, a sure sign he was home. I missed Rome's cooking and fighting with Vienna over breakfast. And I missed Rio's mad hair and eternal optimism. I'd forgotten how much she made me happy, I was having some serious withdrawal symptoms from it, I kept thinking about mum and how she wasn't around any more. I hadn't thought about that properly in years, and now I'm back to waking up with tear tracks on my face. Man, I missed Rio.
Trying to take my mind off my little sister's whereabouts and safety - in a somewhat selfish way as well as the customary older-brother-overprotective-nonsense (Rio was a strong and independent young lady who could order a coffee in six languages and charm the cafe to give it to her for free; however she was also nine-and-three-quarter-years old - as she liked to remind us all - and she still couldn't open jam jars or reach the fresh towels on the airing rack in the upstairs bathroom; so yes, I worried) - I tried to pay more attention to the conversation at hand.
"I think we should." Xav argued for the eighteenth time (I know, my subconscious had been counting).
"No." Belle snapped.
"Why not? You said yourself that it isn't safe staying in one place for too long."
"We are not flying."
"Why?"
"Airports mean security, security means cameras, cameras mean. We. Get. Caught."
"It's a hell of a long drive."
"Well it's that or staying here."
"Fine!" He threw his hands up. "We'll set of tomorrow."
"Why not tonight?"
"Because he'd feel more comfortable driving two fugitives across the country in daylight." Crystal intoned as she sketched a dress design onto the back of a pink flyer.
"I can drive." Belle said.
"Do you have a license?" Xav, being raised in law enforcement would obviously remember that detail.
"A real one?"
He gave her a withering look. "Have you passed your test?"
"Yes."
He looked to me as if to check. "First time pass. Manual." I mumbled.
Belle beamed at me. "So can we go?"
He sighed, "Yes. We'll get packed and go."
Belle and I had already packed, as we did every night before we went to bed and then every morning just incase.
I slept most of the way, Xav drove first through New Jersey, Crystal and I thumb-wrestled for the better part of Pennsylvania state and played hangman in gel pens through Ohio. We got coffee a lot, filled up with gas twice and stayed in a motel in Indiana. Belle drove across Illinois, Xav sang too loud to Katy Perry and Vampire Weekend from end to end of Iowa and Crystal drew a moustache on him as he slept through Nebraska. Xav finished the drive to Colorado, considering he knew the roads best and it had started to snow.
It was late afternoon when Belle shook me awake. My cheek pressed against the cold window of the jeep. A larger model was parked beside it, darker paint, snow chains on the tyres.
All of Will and Xav's brothers had come home for Thanksgiving, and while it was obvious they were brothers, they were all different. Zed, the youngest and the tallest, had the brooding eyes and sharp jaw. Yves, brother number six, had rounder features and wore a cardigan and wire framed glasses. Will's closest elder, Victor, had the cold, calculating looks, heavier brows and long hair. Uriel had the gold-shot spikes and sensible style that I would have used to describe Syd on a serious day. Trace, while still tall, was shorter and stockier with dark curls and intense eyes.
Crystal's older sister Diamond, Trace's soulfinder, showed more of their Egyptian heritage. She didn't have the same eerie look the twins had due to their milky eyes, but the dark hair and olive skin, less striking than Crystal, a muted beauty. Cool girl Cleo, Uriel's soulfinder, had hair like Rio's but with rich dark chocolate skin, fine fingers and pale palms. She was the tallest of the girls, but she wasn't intimidating in that she was calm and collected — suiting Uriel's sensibility. Phoenix had Maddie's colouring and height (or lack thereof) and like Maddie, I got the feeling she wasn't to be underestimated. Her thoughts were reading mine and it gave an optical illusion of infinity, like when two mirrors face each other. Sky, the tiniest of the soulfinders, had curly blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes; for a moment I thought I'd seen Vienna, but this girl appeared kinder, closer with her softer side. However, she gave me the same feeling as Phoenix. If Maddie were here she would have given me a scientific term for the sensation, in Latin or ancient greek, but she wasn't, so I decided it was a side effect of having five sisters.
Even though I was used to a big family, the Benedicts were more imposing somehow. I could take one at a time, but all at once, I hadn't psychologically prepared myself for that when I woke up this morning. Or yesterday morning, whenever it was when we set off in New York.
"Who are they?" Victor asked Crystal shortly. Not trusting us one bit.
("What's that on your face?" Zed asked Xav, smirking)
"But this is insulting, Victor," Belle said, "it wasn't that long ago that we met."
(Xav - having examined himself in the wing mirror - muttered, "I hate you." to Crystal)
"Belle and Paris Baker," I said, "We interrogated you in Italy last year."
Victor nodded, recognition dawning on his face.
("No, you don't." Crystal grinned cheekily at her soulfinder)
"We're on the run. Will's with London and two of our brothers, somewhere near Monaco." Belle added brightly.
Victor and Trace wanted to question us on everything we knew about their brother's whereabouts, safety and current health. Immediately.
Karla wanted us to eat a proper meal first.
After a staring match and a telepathic argument, we sat down and ate lasagne.
While it wasn't as good as Rome's, (but Rome makes it all from scratch with extra roux sauce and more oregano… God, I miss his cooking…) it was still nice in the way that reheated lasagne always is. Always tasting better the day after. Then we told them everything that had happened, Crystal and Xav clarified the parts they were present and Belle was thinking about the garlic bread I usually made when Rome cooked Italian. Between them ideas flew around in planning and slowly but surely, we were being made sit out. We were the kids, we should let the adults take it from here…
Belle didn't like it either.
They have no idea who they're dealing with… she intoned to me.
Well, I'd be happy to dictate a lecture on conducting a proper extraction mission, but I doubt they'd listen. I replied, she rolled her eyes.
Zed turned to Belle, "So what do the guys after you want?"
She shrugged, "Money, Power…"
"… Our fingernails to put in a jar…" I interjected dryly.
"… Secrecy…"
"… Our blood to write letters to the rest of the family…"
"… International chaos…"
"… Posted first class with a toe or an eyeball…"
"… They're terrorists really."
"But what do they want with you?"
"Our mum got half of their families locked away for life." Belle told them.
"She's a cop?" Trace asked.
Belle and I shared a look, "It's a grey area."
"Or at least was a grey area." I murmured involuntarily. Immediately I clammed up and slammed shutters down on that part of my memory. I didn't need to think about that. Not now.
"Was?" Karla asked softly.
I glanced at Belle, who hesitated before saying, "She died four years ago."
"I see." she nodded. "And your father?"
Belle puffed out her cheeks. "I haven't seen mine face to face in… what?" she considered, "Two years?"
"Sounds about right."
"And yours we saw in June, at the summer house."
"So you're half siblings?"
We nodded.
"And London?"
"Half-sister. Her dad left when she was six, after he found his soulfinder in Tokyo on a business trip." Belle explained. "Then mum moved to Ireland and had me, that's why I'm called Belfast. Then she met Miguel and we travelled to Italy… his soulfinder had recently been killed in a house fire in Dublin or something. We didn't stay there long after Rome was born, we didn't stay too long anywhere really.
"Our Dads were nearly all old friends from the savant net, so she found Jacque in France and Paris was born… A year or so after, we moved to Cairo to live with her old friend Benjamin, the twins were born and we stayed there for eighteen months, give or take. After that we were in Austria—"
"No, we were in Switzerland for a month or two in between Egypt and Austria." I said, remembering that bit of information, almost randomly.
"Right yeah, anyway, she met up with Niklaus and his uncle Stefan. Niki was Vienna's father, he was killed during a raid three months later."
"Was Niki a cop?"
"I think it was Interpol, but again, that's a grey area. Stefan retreated to a safe house in the Alps, he makes pretty ice sculptures. Called slush-puppie Stef."
"And then?"
"Spain. Where she discovered Gabriel was hiding. And then Maddie was born. Thing was, Gabe was very deep in the grey area. He was actually a former member of the CNI's research and development group."
"CNI?"
"Centro Nacional de Intelligencia. Spain's CIA and MI6. It was scary, the things he could do with a laptop. And he didn't think it was very safe to have nine kids around, so he called his best friend, Dominic, the Brazilian billionaire. He was going to ask him to find a safe house for us all, but Dom turn out to be our mother's soulfinder and so we lived with him in South America. They had Rio after two years but then when Rio was five, mum died and so Dom enrolled us at one of the best private schools in Europe. London and Sydney had already moved out there for work and other things; they traded their flat for the house and became temporary guardians."
I let out an involuntary yawn and immediately Karla's mothering nature caught me. I'd forgotten how attentive mothers could be. I swore, but she didn't catch it because it was in French.
"Bed! Paris, you can share with Zed. Belle, you can take Will's room."
"Thank you." Belle answered and smacked my arm, hard.
"Ow. Qu'est ce que c'était pour?"
"Vous savez exactement ce que c'était pour."
"Vous savez, un de ces jours, tu vas me faire du mal, et vous allez vous sentir vraiment, vraiment mal à ce sujet."
"Aujourd'hui n'est pas ce jour-là."
"Oh, très drôle, très drôle."
"Was that french?" Trace muttered to his brother.
Uriel nodded. "Oui."
It was in the early hours of the morning that Belle rose, as if sleepwalking, from Will's bed and then down the stairs to the kitchen, where she saw Paris rolling a piece of dough on the counter.
"Paris," she moaned, "it's three o'clock in the morning. Why in the world are you making bread dough?"
"Croissant."
"What?"
"Croissant dough. I'm making croissants." He held up the rolling pin and began to stretch the dough into a long rectangle.
"Why now?"
"The dough needs to chill for at least six hours." He said.
Belle sighed, moved forwards and wrapped her arms around Paris's waist. "You are so much like Rome."
"Belle, that's offensive."
She shook with silent laughter, "Who would you rather be compared to?"
"I'd rather not be compared."
"Now you sound like London." Belle murmured, moving to lean against the counter by the sink.
Paris was quiet for a moment. Then: "Whatever."
He seemed to be finished with whatever he was doing and so wrapped the dough in cling film then put it into the fridge. They both walked to the living room and Paris rested his head on Belle's lap, letting her run her delicate fingers over the soft shell of his ear, as he pressed his cheek against her flannel pyjamas. "You want to talk about why you couldn't sleep?" Belle asked her brother.
"No." Paris sighed. In a voice Belle hadn't heard him use in years, he asked, "Will you sing la vie en rose? Like mum used to?"
"Do you see a ukelele anywhere?" she asked, half joking.
He shook his head, "You sound like mum when you sing. I only need to hear that."
Belle felt her eyes fill with tears. She swallowed hard. "In french?"
"Either way is fine."
"Quand vous me prend dans vos bras
Vous me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Vous me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tout les jours
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Vous est entré dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est lui pour moi
Moi pour ta dans la vie
Vous me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie
Et, des que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat
Des nuits d'amour a plus en finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Les enuis, les chagrins, s'effacent
Heureux, heureux à mourir
Quand vos me prend dans vos bras
vous me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Vous me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tout les jours
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Vous est entré dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est toi pour moi
Moi pour tout ta dans la vie
vous me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie
Et, des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat…"
And when she stopped, Paris's breathing was slow and deep and even. He'd fallen asleep to her lullaby.