Chapter Ten : Recalling First Kiss

He closes the driver's door.

Lynn looks around the little house carefully and walks through the driveway, entering his hands into his pockets. He's not sure if this guy still lives here, but if anyone could help him to take the Feingold Brothers down, this guy would be one of them. But also, time changes people. 

Lynn rings the bell twice.

After a while, footsteps approaches. A pale looking, red haired woman opens the door slightly, looking at him suspiciously. 

"What do you want?" she asks coldly. 

"Er__does Ray Jenkins live here?"

"Who are you?" she frowns.

"My name is Lynn, an old friend of Ray. Is he here?" Lynn replies patiently. 

"Oh, he's here." The woman raises her eyebrows. "But I don't think you're gonna meet him."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You work for that secret society, don't you? Which screwed up his whole life, our life," she speaks harshly. "I don't know why you're here, but I don't believe you and you're not seeing my husband."

"Madonna, I understand. But I need his help."

"You know me? But I don't care. Leave now."

"Come on, Maddie." A deep, male voice speaks behind her, pulling her inside. Madonna hesitates for a second, then step aside from the door, looking angry.

"Tell him to go," she demands. 

"Ray," tells Lynn.

"Lynn," he stares at him unblinking.

Both of them look into each other's eyes. 

Ray suddenly steps ahead, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you, buddy."

"I missed you too," he laughs, hugging him back.

• • • • • • 

Samlin Greenham

I press the phone over my ear. 

"What's your plan? Are we going somewhere?"

"Nope. Just come to my house."

"Okay. Don't do any weird prank, Em."

"Duh. It was a long time ago. Anyway, maybe I should invite Maria, too. What do you say?"

"Of course__" 

"Really?" she sounds surprised. 

"Not." I finish the sentence.

"Fine," she laughs. "Come over quickly."

"Coming." I end the call.

    I walk through the driveway, thinking of running. Though, it'd be a little difficult because it's night and there's not enough light post in this area. I might bump into someone or something. 

I take a deep breath and start to stretch my legs slowly. The road is a straightaway. I'm thinking of the road as a sprinting track.

And I start running. 

I don't stop until I reach her house, slightly panting. I've just run 1.5 kilometers.

I press the ring bell. 

A while later, Emilia's one year younger brother, Charlie, opens the door. He's normally cute, but now he's looking awfully different. 

"God, your hair looks weird." I say.

"I changed the hairstyle," he says coldly.

"I can see two earrings on your left ear." 

"I got them pierced," he says in the same tone.

"You have so many rubber bracelets in your wrists."

"They were cheap. I liked them."

I sigh. "Now, dear Charlie, do you think you can move out from the door? Let me in?"

He tilts his hand and moves aside, "Maybe."

I enter and find Emilia in the leaving room. She's eating popcorn, her eyes glued to the television, lying on the sofa. 

"Hey, blonde," I sit on her legs. "What are you watching?"

"Ouch!" she shrieks. "That hurts! You have to understand my legs can't take your fifty-five kg weighed butt." She glances at the clock.

"Actually, it's fifty-two."

"Anyway, it was fast. Did you run from home?"

"I did." I lean at the sofa, then look at the TV. "You're watching 'Game of thrones'? You said it was nasty, over sexual, bloody."

"Not just that. There's so much cruelty," she drops a popcorn in her mouth. "But I kinda like it now. Ha ha."

"Anyway, what's up with Charlie?"

"He didn't tell you? He got dumped. Pretty amazing though," she laughs.

"Shut up," Charlie frowns. "Sam, come upstairs in my room. I need to talk with you."

"About what? You guys don't dare to think of pulling any prank on me, okay?" Em warns us. 

"Don't worry, Jackie lover," he mimics her.

I enter into his room, then turn to him.

"What did you find out about the phone number I gave you?" I directly ask him.

Charlie sits on a chair and pick up a notebook from the table. "Okay. I tracked the number and found out that the owner of the number is Martha Stewart. She was a crime reporter in the SF Examiner."

"Was?" I sit at the edge of his bed.

"Yeah. She got fired after writing a column about a suicide of a man at Pacific Heights, well, she said it was a murder." He holds out a paper cutting to me.

I take it, then look at the caption.

"Murder of a drug addict, attempting to show like a suicide." It was almost a year ago, the day before Halloween.

"Here's her address." He hands me a small page.

I look up at him, folding the page. "Charlie, thank you for your help. Now I need to find this Martha, she must know something about where my father is."

"Um, I also did some digging," he hesitates.

"What else?" I ask.

He inhales deeply. "Martha was a member of a secret society, in our country of course, the name is The Conditorem."

"Say no more." I stand up briskly.

"I found something else."

"What?" I snap.

"Someone we used to know was a member of that society, too. Or maybe still is."

I stare at him.

"Lynn Vandestine," he says quietly. 

What?

Well, what's new about it?

"Doesn't matter." I turn to leave the room. 

"Sam, I don't know what are you doing with all of this, but I do know you're hurt, because your father is missing," he speaks from behind. "And you're desperately trying to find him and your long-gone ex boyfriend is somehow connected with this freaking society. I just want you know that I believe police or FBI will find your dad and you shouldn't search about this people, put yourself in danger. Please, Sam."

I turn to him. I walk to him and stop inches from his face, looking into his black gray eyes steadily. 

"But I don't believe that, Charlie."

"Why not?" He whispers, breathing out.

Because you don't know how dangerous they could be. They took away my father, they tried to take away my memories and God knows what else they have done.

"Charlie, listen to me. I appreciate the help you did for me, but please stop asking questions," I say and cup his face, brushing his cheeks gently. "I know you're worried about me and want me to be careful. I promise I will be. Just don't search about them, don't tell Emilia about it, unless you want me to tell your parents that you've access to the dark net."

"Oh, you won't," he frowns.

"As long as you don't," I smile at him.

He suddenly presses his lips to mine.

I press back hesitantly, gripping his shoulders, feeling his warm breath. His hands slide down my waist, causing shivers.

I part my lips open, touching his.

What is happening?

I push him lightly on the shoulder, slightly perplexed. He steps behind quickly, away from me, seeming apologetic. 

"Sorry. I just remembered I was your first kiss."

"Ha ha, you're funny," I shake my head.

He sighs and sits in his chair. "Sam, well...you were my first, too."

I remember, Charlie. A month before I met Lynn, I was thirteen then. Seems a long time ago. The kiss happened. And it was kind of an accident. 

He covers his face with his hands.

"Come on, it's not a big deal. You got dumped and you're thinking about your girl and you're sad and you miss her, " I say. "By the way, what's her name?"

"Marsia," he sighs.

"Marsia Cheung? Sophomore porcelain doll?"

"Yeah, she is," he nods. "Aren't you angry that I just kissed you?" 

"No. Forget about it."

"Really?" 

"Really. Like I said, as long as you don't do your investigation, we're cool."

"Okay, cool." He looks relaxed.

Then I lean down and press a light kiss on his cheek, "Consider it recalling our first kiss."

I leave and walk downstairs. 

• • • • •

A while later, Emilia leads me to the kitchen. 

"I thought we were gonna watch a movie or.....something like that." I say slowly and gaze at the bowls and ingredients.

Cooking?

"Let's bake cookies." She smiles brightly. 

"Are you short of them? I can buy you some." I say quickly. Oh God, help me, I don't wanna bake small cute cute cookies right now. All I wanna do is find this Martha woman. 

"C'mon. You've been so lazy recently. Fetch some eggs from fridge and start to mix with sugar and vanilla."

"What will you do?" I groan. 

She narrows her eyes at me.

Maybe I really have to do this. I mumble quietly and open the door of fridge and take the tray of eggs. Then I break four eggs into a bowl and put two cup sugar, vanilla, butter in it and start mixing with a hand beater.

"Are we making a huge amount?" I ask her.

"No....thirty maybe." She replies, mixing whisk flour and chocolate chips and other ingredients for the cookie dough. 

"Is your boyfriend coming?" I smile teasingly. 

She blushes a bit, then shakes her head no.

"Are you guys going serious? Have you slept together yet? Tell me!"

"I don't know."

I stop mixing, "Em. You don't know?" 

She sighs. "I really....don't know."

"But what's wrong?"

"Jake and I have been knowing each other for two years. It took two years for him to ask me out. It's normal and easy to guess that he.....liked someone before." She doesn't look at me, putting wax paper on a baking pan and applies cooking spray. 

I watch her blending the mixture forcefully. I honestly don't want her to think who Jake liked before. She looks....sad.

"It was in the past. He likes you now. It's all matters now, isn't it?" I say slowly. 

"Perhaps."

I don't say anything more. Actually I don't know what to say when it's about relationship, since I've never liked someone seriously before. I dated some guys in last few years, kinda testing them. You can say it's strange and a bit cruel, but it never happened to something serious.

Except Lynn.

Maybe someday I'll fall in love again. I don't know how it does feel when you like someone from your heart. Maybe I'm a bit heartless. A quarter of it is gone. Gone by hurt.

Well....Jake is Em's first boyfriend. 

We two roll the dough into small ball shape cookies. She remains silent. 

"Where's Uncle and Aunt?" I ask suddenly.

"They went to a marriage ceremony in LA. Of a distant cousin.....I didn't ask much."

I smile mischievously. "Put cookies in the oven quickly."

She raises an eyebrow. "What are you smiling about, huh?"

"Nothing." I secretly take some flour in my hand, planning how to throw it to her. Then I look at behind her and shout, "Hi, Jack!"

Emilia spins, "What___"

And I throw the flour to her, laughing and I sprint to upstairs. 

"SAMLIN! You're dead meat!"