Chapter Six

I checked the rearview mirror every few seconds to see if the black Harley was tailing me, but it wasn't. To make sure the asshole wasn't, I ended up driving around the neighbourhood a few times to throw off any trails. I fished out the phone from my pocket after I was certain I had covered up my tracks and saw the missed call from Helen.

At the speed I had been driving around the neighbourhood -making sure to avoid the street Blade lived on- I reached the house not long after and returned the Beetle to the garage in case those idiots drove around searching for the car.

It was completely dark out at this point and I hurried into the empty house dashing up the stairs two at a time. That was close. I hadn't expected those three morons to be back so soon. I could have easily given them the slip if that blonde-haired doofus hadn't been outside the door. I should have kicked him in the groin a second time just for being there.

I headed to my bedroom and opened the door and it slammed behind me, and I flicked the lights on. The evening hadn't gone to plan. I crossed the space over to the bed and flung myself onto it scowling.

I was so fricking close to getting the payback I had been envisioning all day.

It took a couple of minutes of grouchiness before I noticed the door was repaired. I sat up in bed eyeing the pale peach coloured bedroom from wall to wall, nothing was missing - well nothing obvious anyway. Everything looked to be in place so that meant the old perverted hairy bastard didn't rummage around going through my stuff and discovered anything highly incriminating.

The mac and cheese from earlier was beginning to make me feel queasy and my stomach to turn. The front door downstairs opened and Victor's voice came booming up the stairs and a minute later Helen's voice joined his.

"Adam?! Secret?!" she calls and I scoffed.

I pulled the earphones from my pocket and stuffed the earbuds into my ear before scrolling through the endless list of songs on my cellphone. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody came blasting through the earbuds in my ears and I hummed along long enough before my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

                                                              👑

The starting of an engine was enough to wake me from my slumber. I opened my eyes feeling just as groggy as I had before I had drifted off to sleep. I had slept across the bed and I was still fully dressed in the jeans, jacket and boots I had been wearing the day before. A bit of music flowed from the earbuds and I picked the cellphone up and pushed the power key. It was already 7:40 AM. I had slept through the alarm and Helen hadn't come to wake me, leaving me with under an hour and twenty minutes to get to John Wickerman High. My first day at a new school and I was already going to be late.

Great. Just great.

The little battery symbol at the top right-hand corner of the cellphone screen flashed eight per cent. I had fallen asleep with the music playing and awakened to an almost dead battery. I pulled my tired limp body from the bed and stretched lazily, yawning. Outside was already buzzing as the neighbours were getting ready for work like the model citizens they were. I opened the window curtains, and early morning light flooded the room causing me to squint. The curtains at the window in Emmett's room was widely open exposing the scantily furnished messy bedroom of the teenage boy.

He was pacing around his room and I looked down at the cellphone that was still in my grasp. With this low battery percentage, the stupid thing wouldn't allow me to use the camera. Emmett's eyes flickered over his shoulder sensing he was being watched just as my eyes flickered from the cellphone back to his room. From what I could see of him, he was wearing only a pair of black basketball shorts that were hanging a bit too low. Even with bed hair, he was still sexy.

Something shifted in the bed in his room which caught my attention. I couldn't see most of his bedroom clearly from my room, but the bit that I could glimpse was enough to know that he wasn't alone. A long slender leg stuck out from the sheets on the bed. Whoever it was must have only just awakened because only seconds later, tiny feminine hands stretched out in a yawn. From my bedroom window, I spotted the bedsheets hanging around her body like a toga, which meant she was probably stark naked underneath.

Emmett approached the window slowly, and without making eye contact he closed the window curtains. It took me a few second to realize what had just happened and I turned and walked away from the window grumpily. I put the cellphone to charge before going to the bathroom to take a shower. I grimaced at my bedridden appearance in the mirror and stripped out of the clothes and got into the shower.

The clock in the kitchen flashed 8:30 after I got dressed and headed downstairs. A sticky note with my name sloppily written on it was left on the refrigerator door and I got closer to read the fine print properly as it was scribbled hastily.

Secret,

money in the jar to get breakfast.

- Helen

Helen had already left without so much as a damn goodbye, or even an, enjoy your first day at your new hell.

Some parent she was.

I retrieved the dollar notes from the jar on the counter and left the kitchen; then headed back up the stairs to grab the satchel and cellphone that was now passed the halfway mark, before heading out to the garage to get the Beetle. I opened the door and got inside and started the vehicle; as soon as I had successfully exited the garage, I closed the garage door and climbed back inside. The high school was only fifteen minutes away by estimation which left me with absolutely no time to spare. A sticky note was stuck to the windshield which I had not noticed the first time and I stared at the back of the thing trying to read what was written on it.

School begins at 9. Don't be late.

- Victor

"I hope this doesn't turn out to be a treasure hunt," I mumbled softly, "because if it does then I'm definitely going to be late."

I thought about doubling back around the house in case there were more sticky notes left in less obvious places. The Beetle backed out of the driveway and out onto the street. I was heading in the same direction I had been to and from the last two days. There weren't many other cars around at this time and I drove along at a moderate pace. The clock on the dashboard read 8:50 AM just as I got close to Blade's house. The windows were rolled all the way up and the Beetle cruised along, as I kept my eyes trained on the modern two-storey dwelling I had broken into the night before.

His Harley was parked in the driveway again but the SUV wasn't there. The Beetle slowed and I pulled over onto the sidewalk just as I had done the day before. No one came from the house for about a minute. The garage of the house which I was parked in front of was open and I started the car and pulled into their driveway and rolled the Beetle into their empty garage.

There were all sorts of toolboxes just lying around even with the garage door open. The car engine died and I opened the car door and got out and walked slowly around the sides eyeing the strange people's garage. Whoever owned the house must have not had any young kids, because the tools weren't even secured. I kicked at a toolbox with my shoe and it rattled causing the nuts and bolts inside to clunk.

Vroom!

The motorcycle revving startled me and I ducked in front of the car hoping he hadn't glimpsed me when he came out of the house. The Harley roared mildly this time and I glanced out from in front of the car to see what was happening.

It was him alright. That son of a bitch.

The motorcycle rode out slowly onto the street and I couldn't see beyond his black helmet. Instead of speeding away the motorcycle slowed before it came to a stop. Blade's focus was suddenly turned to the blue house across the street from his. The asshole had noticed the Beetle in the garage and I thought the idiot wouldn't have realized but he does come with a few surprises. I peeked out from the car to see what was happening again and the motorcycle purred and he rode the Harley over to the sidewalk and cut the engine before getting off.

His heavy boots moved slowly coming up the driveway. I reached my hand out and grasped the tool closest to me. I glanced at what I was holding before clutching it with both hands. I clenched the crowbar that had been lying nearby on the floor and peered out from my hiding spot again. His footsteps got closer and closer to the garage and I tightened my grip on the crowbar counting the seconds until he got close enough.

"Blade?!" A shaky, aged voice calls.

His footsteps came to a halt and there was no way I could risk peeking out again and give away my hiding spot. Not at this moment.

"Morning, Mrs Wesley," he calls back to the elderly woman.

"What are you doing?" The nosey neighbour queries.

"Just thought I saw something," He called back and my palms became sweatier.

I hissed under my breath. "Quit the chit chat and come closer you asshole."

He started moving again and I held a firmer grip to the piece of tool with my sweaty hands and waited for him to come closer.

"He was supposed to be close by now," I hiss again.

I peeked out from in front of the car risking getting caught. His footsteps weren't getting closer, they were moving away back down the driveway. Blade reached his Harley and pulled on his helmet then got back onto the motorcycle.

The neighbour seemed to shout a farewell but Blade only started the Harley and rode off without a reply. I lowered the crowbar back to the floor and stood slowly from where I had been crouching in front of the Beetle.

I watched his house to see if anyone else would be coming out, so far no one did. This was probably my only chance at getting back at the piece of shit. I pulled the zipper on my Darth Vader mask hoodie up to my neck and pulled the hoodie over my head but left my face bare. I didn't want to draw too much attention from any unsuspecting neighbours by using the mask, plus I hated the stupid eye holes that came with it.

I sauntered out of the garage trying to act as normal as possible, walking down the driveway and across the street with both hands tucked into my pockets. I didn't look around to see if anyone was watching, to avoid making any form of eye contact while I marched up the driveway to Blade's house. The garage was empty and the SUV wasn't in sight.

I crept along the side of the house slowly listening and peering around for any sign that someone was probably home. The house appeared pretty empty from the outside, and I checked the doors if they were unlocked but found them to be bolted from the inside. I stepped down from the back porch and walked along the sides slowly peering around before checking the side windows that I was tall enough to reach or see-through anyways, but those too were closed. I made my way quietly back to the front of the house and up the porch to check the final door around the front which turned out closed like all the rest.

Shit!

"There must be something around here that would come in handy." I frown.

My eyes did a full 360 of the empty porch and a rock on the lawn where the flowers were caught my attention. I made my way back down the porch and over to the rock and pried it from its mount of earth. I still needed to get to the back door without drawing any further attention to myself.

Why couldn't they hide a spare key under the mat like most people?

A clay jar that I hadn't noticed before caught my attention. It was the only jar surrounded by a bunch of flower pots which made it look slightly out of place. I dropped the rock back to the earth and walked over to check it out. It had a small lid and looked like the perfect place to stash anything. I lifted the jar and it made a soft rattling sound in my hand. I shook it again and there were more rattles. I set it back to where it was and removed the moulded clay jar lid and shoved my hand into the opening and felt around on the inside. Something cold and metal hit my finger and I removed my hand and looked down at what was etched between my fingers.

Bingo.

I grinned at the sight of the little silver key dangling from my index finger. This was going to be easier than I thought it would have been.

I glanced over my shoulder to check the surroundings again and an elderly silver-haired woman wearing hair curlers sat on her front porch with a knitting kit in hand. She rocked back and forth on her rocker paying absolutely zero attention to me in the Collins' front yard and I gripped the little silver key in my hand and walked back to the porch.

The key fitted easily in the keyhole and I turned it slowly which was then followed by the soft clicking sound of the door unlocking. My fingers fumbled with the keys and I shoved them in the pocket of my hoodie and turned the doorknob slowly. Once again the door opened effortlessly, and I peered over my shoulder one last time before taking a step forward and letting myself in.