Here's a high-five to AlienGhostWizard14, ceeceerocks2000, LRW, Lady Cougar-Trombone, Dirtkid123, humanusscriptor (yes, I definitely did!), and EmeraldTulip for answering correctly! The girl's name was Danielle.

Thanks to Labgirl2001 and ereader12 for your reviews!

Okay, real quick, just want to let you guys know that this might be a confusing entry. The key is remembering who is who in it. This is inspired by the Lizzie McGuire episode Clue Less, and if you have seen that episode (one of my favorites) then you'll understand the mechanics of the game.

More notes at the end. This entry turned out to be a favorite, too. Please enjoy.

Episode Tag to: [Open Tag]

Chronicle #068

"Knave"

01/24/16

1:09 PM

It occurred to me that it had been a while since I got to really hang out with my friends, so what better way to spend time with them by playing a mystery game with them. I don't just mean Clue board game mystery type. I mean a get-assigned-a-role, in-an-old-estate-that-makes-your-skin-crawl, one-hundred-fifty-bucks-for-a-group-of-nine mystery game. I found it online while looking around for things to do. The small business is owned by a guy named Harbinger. The estate where the game would take place was given to him as an inheritance, and he decided to turn it into a business that focused on what he loved, which is solving puzzles. I figured it would be fun and signed us up for a Friday night run.

I told all eight of them about it after Big D gave us permission, and they were ecstatic. The night before we went to the estate, I told them what they needed to know as explained to me by the guy I talked to on the phone.

"So, we really have to dress up?" Era asked as I shook the bag that contained our roles for the night.

"Yeah. It makes it all the more exciting. It really puts us into the game," I said.

"And we have to be there before 7:00?" Miles asked. "Isn't that kind of late?"

I shrugged. "It's a Friday night anyways. We don't have anything scheduled for the next day. We have the freedom to sleep in."

"I don't think I'd be of much help, Leo," Taylor said. "The game will require us to look for clues and…" she pointed to her glasses.

"I explained everything to the guys, and they said there are still plenty of things for you to engage in," I assured her. "Plus, your other senses are heightened, and that's gonna be good. Oh, by the way, no using your bionics in this. These people have no idea about you guys having abilities." I got mixed reactions, but bottom line was that they agreed. I opened the bag so they could start picking out their roles, starting with Storm. "Alright. This will have the names of the characters, and the envelopes here on this table contain your role. They told me that there's a second card in there that tells you the things you have to do tomorrow night, but you can't share it with others."

"Can't guarantee I can keep a secret," Logan said after he drew his character card out, and Miller nodded.

"Try at least," I said. Once they finished, I put the bag aside and opened the 'invitation' the guys told me to read to the group. "Okay, so this says: 'To our dearest family and friends, Please join us on Friday, the twenty-fourth of January, 1941, at seven o'clock in the evening for a small Welcome Home dinner. Our family would like to have your company as we welcome back our beloved son, Richard. Sincerely, William and Eleanor Roberts.'"

"Sounds like it's gonna be nice," Amaranth said with a nod.

"Until it's not," Era said with a conniving grin.

I chuckled. "Okay. Call out your roles. I'll give you your character…whatever these things are so you can read it back to us."

I can't really remember every detail about the characters, but here is the breakdown of who ended up as who:

Storm was Charlotte Caraway, a successful stage actress who was Richard's childhood friend;

Era was Lucinda Schultz, William and Eleanor's 'friend' who they introduce as the wife of the family lawyer but who's actually the lawyer;

Amaranth was Millicent Fitzgerald, William's widowed younger sister who was impoverished due to the loss of her husband;

Rocket was Martin Cast, a friend of Millicent's from New York who has quite an axe to grind with John after John's unreasonably negative review of his first novel caused the failure of his career;

Miles was Eleanor Roberts, the soft-spoken (ironically) wife of William, mother of Richard and John, and older sister of Christina;

Logan was Henry Brown, the Roberts' butler who silently holds a grudge against William;

Miller was Richard Roberts, William and Eleanor's oldest son and John's brother who had just come home after being lost in the Amazon for a year after his expedition trip went south – no pun intended;

Taylor was Christina Mancini, Eleanor's younger sister who will come to support her and to speak to William about an 'important matter';

and, finally, I was John Roberts, the youngest son of the Roberts household who is rather rude and mean, especially to his older brother Richard.

On the extra card that I had, it said that John has always had a rivalry with his older brother which I was supposed to bring up constantly throughout the night. The only ones I was supposed to be nice to were Christina and Henry the butler. I'd have problems with Richard and Martin, which I thought would be weird since Miller and Rocket are my best guy friends.

Still, it was really exciting. It only got much better after we all saw each other in costume the following day. It was cool. It was like we stepped into another time period and became other people.

As per the company's/business' request, we got there fifteen minutes early so they could tell us about the ground rules at the estate and what to expect. Mr. Harbinger was the one who talked to us. He said that many of the things inside were antique and were passed down to him, so he asked us to be very careful even if they had already 'visitor-proofed' everything. As the invitation indicated, the setting would be in an evening dinner, and as part of the package there was a modest but sufficient amount of food and drinks inside that we could snack on throughout the night. He also encouraged us to really get into our characters – but not get too much into it. He said a fight broke out once because the visitors forgot to differentiate between roleplaying and real life.

Lastly, he also told us that there were cameras everywhere, so they could see everything. He assured us that his team would be controlling and watching whatever would happen. They would be happy to help if something unexpected came up.

He asked if we have any questions, and Rocket asked if we will be timed. With a smile, Mr. Harbinger said that he couldn't say because it would ruin everything.

After one or two more questions from Logan and Miller, Mr. Harbinger opened the door and said, "I'm gonna let the Roberts and Henry come in with me first, and after five minutes they can welcome their guests."

Miles, Miller, Logan and I came in, and we were a little taken aback by the interior of the house. It was already beautiful and timeless outside, but inside it was very…I don't even know how to describe it. I guess old, but in a pretty kind of way. Almost everything was wooden with glossy varnish, and the furniture looked very expensive and antique. I was worried about the likelihood of one of us breaking anything in there because I seriously did not have the dough to replace anything.

"You guys know what you have to do, right?" Mr. Harbinger asked us after closing the front door. After we nodded, he said, "If you guys need us, just call. As I've said, we'll be listening and watching throughout. If you need directions for certain rooms in the house, like the restrooms or things like that, there are signs on the walls. There's also a detailed map on the coffee table in the living room. Now, you four are the main characters in this game, so try your best to stick as close to your roles as possible because whatever you do influences the others coming in. Do you guys have any questions?"

We shook our heads.

He smiled. "Okay, you kids have a great night. See you later," he said before vanishing down the hall.

Once he was gone, the four of us only stared at each other. Then, Logan stood up straighter and asked Miles, "Will there be anything else you need, Lady Roberts?"

Miles smiled. She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner then responded, "Please let our guests in at seven. Other than that, there is nothing else. Thank you, Henry."

Logan nodded and then went on his way towards the dining room.

"You look exhausted, dear," Miles told Miller. "Maybe it's best if you go back upstairs to your room and rest a while before our guests come in."

The attentive expression on Miller's face went away when he realized we were all getting into character. Appearing sad and tired, he said, "Alright."

I only raised my brows and started to act like all the spoiled, jerky heirs I've ever seen and met before. Better yet, I started acting like good ol' Clayton Harrington. I scoffed. "How wonderful. We're back at this again," I told them both disdainfully. Before turning around and walking off to find Logan, I told Miller, "Welcome home, brother."

"Psst!" Miller. "Dude, you're not, like, for real mad at me, right?" he asked worriedly in a whisper.

I frowned and shook my head quickly.

Miller nodded with a grin, relieved. "Alright, good," he said. He took a deep breath then sighed. After that, he was back to being Richard again.

A few minutes after, Logan came back to open the door. I stayed in the living room, standing by the big fireplace where it was warm, and left the welcoming to my 'mother' and the emo butler. Taylor was the first to come in, and I was very nice to her as the card told me to be. I even gave her a hug. She asked Mother/Miles where her husband was, and she said that he had been very sick. He was currently resting in their room at the other wing of the estate. "He should be glad he's sick," Taylor said. "If he hadn't been, I would be giving him a piece of my mind."

Era came in next, and Miles introduced her to me. "Another prospective bride for me, Mother?" I asked. "A consolation prize of sorts so I wouldn't feel like a loser to Richard again after he takes everything that would have already belonged to me?"

Miles looked down, pretending to be embarrassed and saddened.

Era, on the other hand, looked surprised and actually quite offended. She told me later on that it was because she wasn't expecting me to be that mean. "I'm already married," she told me – or John, really - defensively.

"Well if it isn't the self-centered heir of the Roberts estate," Rocket said as he entered into the living room with Amaranth and Storm, surprising everyone with the scornful way he addressed me. Well, everyone except me, because the night before we already talked about how we would be talking to each other. "Or should I say self-centered, could've-been heir?"

I just turned my back on him. "Careful with your words, Cast. You might just fool us into believing that you're not a failure of an author."

"You would know about it, wouldn't you?" he said angrily. "Just admit it. You shot me down because you feel threatened, you low, downright dirty scound—"

"Rocket! I mean, Martin!" Amaranth said, frustrated and somewhat confused.

"Why are you here, Cast?" I asked coolly.

"Why else? I'm here to watch you fall flat on your face," he said. "How could I refuse a front seat?"

"I invited him," Amaranth said apologetically after I turned around. "He's a friend of mine. I didn't know. I'm sorry, John."

I only scoffed, shook my head, and then took my exit. I headed to the dining room to find Logan, not only because it made sense for John to look for Henry after all that drama, but also because I, as Leo, knew there would be food there. Leo was starving, and Leo needed to get something to eat.

Taylor, as Aunt Christina, stopped me then. She told John not to be so harsh with his mother, especially since he knew of her mental condition. I, as John, told her then that I was aware of my mother's instability. I had known it since childhood, especially since she made it clear that Richard was the one who made her happy and I was the one who made her feel like a failure.

"Grudges will get you nowhere, John," she said. "It will only cause more grief. You shouldn't take after your father. And do not let money be the driving force in the decisions you make or how you treat people. Don't be like Anthony."

"Anthony?" I asked, because I couldn't remember who that was from the little character map we were given.

"Millicent's son. Have you forgotten that he ran away after he learned that he and his mother will inherit nothing after his father died five years ago?" Taylor shook her head in disappointment. "He caused his poor mother so much sadness. Pity. He and Richard may look so much alike, but unlike your brother he's rotten to the core."

I thought that information was really interesting. From the chart, I knew there was a cousin that would not be present, just like how William Roberts wouldn't be, but I didn't know he ran away out of hatred for his family. Or, more precisely, out of his hatred for their lot in life.

The night went on after that conversation. We ate, the others talked some more. I continued being a sour patch, which wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be because people didn't want to talk to me. It did give me a chance, though, to listen carefully to other conversations, and it was helpful because something didn't sit right with me.

I started wondering about a few things, like why Eleanor Roberts poured herself into taking care of her husband, William. From the bits and pieces of information I got, William was an abusive husband to her. He wasn't in the beginning, but once John was born (which was also the same time William lost a lot of money on a business-venture gone wrong), his love for Eleanor and both of their children cooled off. Eleanor seemed like a good woman even if she was conflicted. She didn't seem like she loved her husband anymore, though, so why would she be so keen on taking care of an old sickly guy who practically hated her?

Another thing was that lawyer. Lucinda may have just been there to welcome Richard back like the other guests, but she didn't even seem close to him, not even to Eleanor. I mean, yeah, they spoke throughout the night, but it always seemed like those were conversations of a business nature. Lucinda was only ever friendly and relaxed when she talked to the other guests like Martin Cast and Charlotte Caraway.

There was something off about Richard, too. The character card that I had said that even though John treated Richard as a rival, Richard still loved his brother, which from time to time earned him John's respect. I guess you could say the brothers were frenemies. At least to John they were. Given, Richard supposedly spent months in isolation as he tried to make it out of the Amazon, but why was he staying away from John that night like he was scared of him? He knew John was his brother and though the guy was not very friendly, there was no reason for him to feel like he had to hide from him.

Unless…

"The Amazon has many beautiful spots in it even if it was dangerous," I overheard Miller/Richard tell Taylor/Aunt Christina and Storm/Charlotte. "There was even a river there with white water streaming in. It smelled of sulfur, but it was gorgeous."

From that, I figured out what was happening.

But before I could brilliantly and very dramatically call him out on his lie, Logan told me that there was a phone call for me. I just frowned then checked my phone, but he told me that he meant there was a phone call for John, and the telephone was in the library.

I was a little confused why there would be a phone call, but I went and took it anyways, thinking that it may be from Mr. Harbinger.

The library was pretty big, but it wasn't hard to locate the phone. I picked it up from the table, answered—but the other line was dead. It was really strange. I hung up.

Before I left the library, though, I saw an envelope on the table with 'John' written on it. Curious, I picked it up to investigate. There was a plain white card inside. 'Come meet me at the Rose Garden,' it said. It didn't seem threatening to me. I thought it was just one of the Roberts' relatives trying to get John to come outside to talk to them. I even suspected that it was from Charlotte because it appeared to me that she was also suspicious of "Richard". So, even if it was really dark and cold outside, I went, the envelope and a map to the estate grounds on one hand and my phone in the other.

I wasn't scared, but I did get creeped out by how the Rose Garden looked at that time of the day. There was fog over the small pond in the middle of the gigantic yard, and it floated over the grounds. It looked like something you'd see out of horror movies. It didn't take long for me to decide that staying out there was not the best idea.

Before I could turn around to walk back, though, someone suddenly placed a bag over my head and then started to carry me off.

Of course my first instinct was to struggle. Thanks to Krane, I can say that I had been kidnapped before, and though I wasn't taken in that manner, I still knew that it would be no bueno if I didn't fight. Plus, training had prepared me in scenarios like that. Getting away wasn't easy, though, because the person holding onto me was strong. It didn't make it any easier that he or she had an accomplice who held onto my feet to restrain me.

I was going to tell them to let me go, but the person told me that it'd be easier if I stopped fighting them.

From the voice, I recognized who it was, so I just stopped struggling altogether and let them carry me to wherever they were going to take me.

Once they'd gotten me secured and 'tied' to a chair, they lifted up the bag from my head, revealing who they were and where I was. I gave them an unimpressed look. "Seriously? I had everything figured out, and you're gonna kidnap me," I told them.

"You knew too much," one of them said with a smile.

"Yeah. Plus, the card told us to," the other said.

"It told you to?" I asked. "So, the game technically hasn't started yet?"

They shook their heads. "It begins once the first ransom note is sent," one of them said.

"Great. Then this means I don't get to play," I said.

"You'll get to watch us have fun, though."

I glanced at the columns of small televisions ahead when the person gestured at it. "But I don't want to just watch. I want to participate," I said.

"Sorry, buddy. You're the victim in this story."

Aren't I always.

"You really did figure it all out?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. I smirked at them. "And I here I was starting to think that I was the bad one in this."

One of the culprits smiled. "You may have been rude, but you're not as ruthless as…" the person pointed at the other person.

I grinned. "Anthony. Yeah," I said.

"Okay. Enjoy captivity, bro. You can do whatever you'd like to do for the next hour or so. Just don't leave the room."

"So I really have no chance of getting rescued, huh?" I asked.

"If someone figures it out in time, you can get out. Although, with how mean you've been, I doubt they'd want to rescue you."

"Hey, I was just doing what the card told me to do. You know I love you guys," I said with a grin.

"We know. We love you, too."

"Have fun being the bad guys, you two. Don't forget me," I said as they exited the room.

"We won't."

After that, they were gone.

As I expected, being held hostage was so boring compared to being in the game. I spent the first ten minutes just watching the others realize that I had gone missing. It was funny when Era noticed that I was gone. She broke character (again) and asked Amaranth where I was, and the panic kind of spread from that point onward. Once they understood, though, that I wasn't for real missing, then they began searching for me/John. Five minutes after they start, Storm found the first ransom note pinned on a bathroom wall by an antique dagger. Basically, it told them that they only have an hour to find me or I'll be gone forever.

"Who would want to hurt John?" Taylor asked.

"Who wouldn't?" I caught Era muttering to Rocket.

They were looking for more clues for a while, but twenty minutes into the allotted time, they received another note. This time, it was pinned on "Richard's" corpse. Miles, of course, pretended to be so devastated by the death of her favorite child, and everybody was so shocked. But I knew better. Richard only 'died' because people were starting to suspect him. I mean, how can you blame a guy for kidnapping his own brother if he's dead, right?

And I was right. Once everyone left the room, Richard sprang back to life. Dude was faking it the whole time.

After that 'death,' things started to get interesting. People started pointing fingers at other people, and secrets after secrets came out. Seriously, it was like the season finale of Morning Light. I wanted to be bored and hate being held hostage, but I just couldn't because of what I get to watch.

Almost everyone left in the game had a motive to kidnap John and get rid of Richard. As it turned out, Charlotte and Richard had eloped before he left and were thus married. Her family was struggling financially, so if she got rid of the brothers, as Richard's benefactor, the Roberts fortune all goes to her. Martin and Millicent would have also had a reason. Millicent was going to marry Martin to get her out of her money problems. William and Millicent's parents stated in their will that in the case William or his sons die, everything goes to Millicent, given that she was married.

For Martin, getting a chance to get rid of the guy who ruined his life was only a plus.

Christina wasn't so much of a suspect, but she was in trouble because of the remark she had made about William. After she found out that her sister was getting physically abused, she threateningly told Eleanor that she would make her brother-in-law regret what he had done. So, in the case that William unexpectedly dies, she would be the main suspect in that.

Henry the butler would also be a suspect in that because William's recklessness years ago caused the death of his only son. He hated William and Eleanor because of it. He only tolerated Richard. John was the only one he was close to because he practically raised the guy. He took John in because Henry saw that the dude's parents couldn't care less about him.

I mean, besides the awkwardness of siblings getting paired up as characters that were supposed to be married, it was crazy good! The website really wasn't lying when it promised an outstanding mystery game experience. It was worth every penny of the one hundred fifty dollars I spent for it.

Three minutes before the time was up, the person who I suspected would first figure everything out did figure it out. Rocket listed the evidences they found and how that gave away the identity of the perpetrator. When asked who the guilty person was, he pointed at Miles.

"Eleanor?" Amaranth asked, surprised. "But, how? She was with us the whole time. How could she kidnap John and then get rid of Richard while she was with us?"

"She wasn't with us the whole time," Rocket said. "Remember, John left to take a phone call. She was with us for a period of time, but then Richard started to feel sick. She volunteered to help him go back to his room, and for some fifteen minutes they were gone."

"So you're saying that Eleanor took Richard back to his room, and then left to kidnap her other son?" Taylor asked.

Rocket shook his head. "Richard didn't go to his room. He was never sick to begin with."

"So Eleanor and Richard kidnapped John together?" Amaranth asked. When Rocket nodded, she said, "But why? They don't need the money. Richard is already in line to inherit everything, and Eleanor isn't a materialistic woman. Why would they try to hurt John when he doesn't have much in comparison to what they have?"

"Yeah. Plus, Eleanor loved Richard. Richard's her favorite child," Taylor said. "Why would she kill him?"

"Oh, she's guilty of taking John, but she didn't kill Richard."

"Well, if it wasn't her, then who killed him?"

"Nobody."

"What?" Taylor said. "How is that possible? It's obvious with how you guys found him that there was foul play. He couldn't have done it himself."

"Of course he can, especially since the death is fake," Rocket said. "I have a feeling that if we all go up there now, we won't find his body."

"Why would Richard do this? It doesn't sound like him."

"You're right. It doesn't," Storm said as she finally got the confirmation to her earlier suspicion, "because it isn't him."

"What?"

"Alright, I'm so lost," Era said. "What exactly happened and why did it happen?"

The widespread confusion seemed to have jostled Rock man's confidence since he probably felt like nobody could understand anything he was saying. Having that much pressure on him also had him kind of switch back from Martin Cast the outspoken novelist to Rocket the shy teenager. Still, even if he was a little frustrated, he explained, "Okay, so – so the call that John received was a way to lure him out. It wasn't, um, from the outside. In houses like these, it's possible for the phones to be able to connect to each other. Like, Eleanor could lift up the phone in the living room and have it connect to the one in the library where Logan – or, I mean, Henry – said that he last saw John. Earlier, while we were at the dining room socializing, Eleanor probably slipped away to fake a phone call while Henry was upstairs. When he answered after it rang, she probably told him that there was a person on another line who wants to speak with John in a more private setting. She knew Henry would pick the library, so she set something there. Henry said he noticed an envelope addressed to John. That was probably how she got him to go to a place where they could easily take him.

"As I said, when Eleanor and Richard left, they went to take John. When they came back, they set up everything for when, when they make it look like Richard had been offed in case we get suspicious, which we did.

"Amar—no, uh, Millicent is right. There was no reason for Eleanor to do all of these things, but someone did put the idea in her head that she should. She was manipulated into doing it."

"By who? Richard?" Amaranth asked.

"No. Anthony."

"Anthony?"

"How could that be? Anthony's been gone for a long time," Amaranth said. "And how could he have talked his aunt into doing all of these? Couldn't she tell that he wasn't her child?"

"No. Actually, she wouldn't have been able to." Era nodded as she understood. She looked at her siblings then said, "Remember? Eleanor and Millicent said that at times they couldn't tell Richard and Anthony apart because they have similar features. With all of that beard on his face, how could we be positive that that's not Anthony pretending to be Richard?"

"And I think that's exactly what he was afraid John would figure out. That's one of the reasons John was taken, so he wouldn't tell anybody," Rocket said.

"Anthony had the intention of taking John out of the picture," Taylor said as she understood.

"That was why I was called here," Era said. "William had redrafted his last will and testament to give the majority of his belongings to his only living son. Anthony was probably using Eleanor's love for Richard to get her to convince William to change it again so he, as Richard, could have the money."

"If that's the case, then why did they hold John hostage instead of getting rid of him altogether?" Logan asked.

"That's what Anthony wanted to do, but Eleanor doesn't want that," Rocket said, "because even if John repeatedly insists that she doesn't care about him, she does. She loves her youngest son, and she doesn't want him to get hurt."

"What about the real Richard? Where is he?"

"The boat that he was in sank. That's what the newspaper sitting in the living room said. There were no survivors, so he's gone," Rocket said. After a pause, he looked up at Miles. "Did – did I get everything right?"

Miles smiled and then nodded. "Great job, Rocket," she told him.

"So the game's over?" Logan asked.

"Yep."

Logan breathed out in relief. "Oh, that's great! I was getting tired standing like a statue and talking proper all the time," he said. "No disrespect to the 40's, but man I didn't like that."

Everyone agreed with that. Later, after Era and Amaranth asked where I was, Miles came and got me. When I joined them again, I saw that Rocket had received a gift box that contained various things as a prize. That was good, because the Rock man needs winning moments like that. His other siblings outside of our group don't let him have enough of it.

Friday night really ended up in a high note. Not only did we each receive assessments of how we did during the game as far as staying in character and being creative, but Mr. Harbinger also gave us cupcakes to take home. They were delicious. We took pictures (of course), and then after that we went back to the Academy, tired but very happy.

As I think over that night, it's starting to come to me that maybe I shouldn't be so caught up in the job of being a mentor. I would miss the fun and insanity that only my friends can bring if I keep doing that. I also owe it to them to be a good friend because that's what they had always been to me. That's only fair, right?

Maybe we'll do something again next weekend. Miller and I had been wanting to visit this tiny island some miles away from the Academy. We can probably sneak into Big D's powerboat Wednesday night, check the place out, and take the rest of our group there if it's safe. That should be cool.

Signed,

Leo Francis Dooley

01/26/16

9:01 PM

The Adam Chronicles

What episode is Clayton Harrington from? (Hint: Joey Logano guest starred in it) Reviews and answers welcome!

Short addendum to what's been written above: Apologies for any mistakes you'd find in these entries 'til the last. I'm really set onto making it to the deadline! I'll fix the errors later.