The Mysterious Benedict Society Meets the Mysterious Miss F

Chapter 19

How Grady knew where Joseph lived, Constance didn't know. But she jumped at the chance, grasped the crystal tightly in her fists. "I... I think I have to do this alone." She said to the group.

According to Grady Ruewen, the crystal led straight to Joseph Contraire's house in Colmar, France. It was hard to believe, but Constance knew for a fact that Grady was not lying. The odd look on his face and the tone of his voice made that much obvious.

"I want to come, too." Edaline said, surprising everyone in the room. She glanced at Grady who looked pretty ticked off. "If there's any chance..."

"Edaline, no." Grady said sternly, "I can't risk you... getting hurt." He looked like he wanted to say more but not in front of everyone.

"Grady." Edaline said strongly, forcing his gaze. "I can take care of myself." She let out a deep breath, "Besides... he's been long gone from that place."

"It's worth a try though." Bex said, jumping to the idea. "And I think I should come too. Even if it's abandoned, we could still find clues to where he went. And... I think Constance is going to need a friend."

"Alright, so Bex, Edaline, and I will go to France." Constance finalized. Marella, Dex, and Grady did not look too happy about this, but Constance didn't want all of them coming. They couldn't scare off Joseph Contraire... if he was still there at all.

"But... we want to come, too." Dex pouted as Marella nodded.

"I think it's best to let the three of them go. Three is a lucky number, at least in some worlds, after all." Mr. Forkle said, finally speaking back up. He looked... oddly relaxed. Satisfied.

"Ever heard the term 'safer in numbers'?" Marella asked, waving her hands as she talked. "Because that's the opposite of this."

"That's why they'll be three of them." Grady countered. "But... you really should be going. The sun'll be down soon. At least here it will be. I'm not sure what time it will be in France."

"True." Bex agreed. "Lets go. Constance?" She looked pointedly at the telepath.

Constance held on to Bex, who grasped Edaline's hand, and pointed the crystal pendent to the light.

...

"This is it." Constance said, pointing to a small but nice house made from white-washed bricks. "This is where it led us. Lets see if Grady was right."

Constance, Bex, and Edaline walked along the house's cobblestone pathway, heading towards the front door painted red. Constance's heart beat rapidly in her chest. This was the moment of truth... she might be meeting her dad, right here, right now.

The odd trio stood at the door, just staring at it. "Constance," Edaline said softly, "Are you going to knock?"

Constance didn't say anything. She reached for the rustic door, but stopped her fingers from touching it. Her hand hovering in the cold night air before it, Constance found it harder to breathe. Harder to focus. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She knocked.

Tap.

Nothing happened. No one showed up. Constance felt herself slowly caving in on herself. She shook herself out of it and knocked again.

Tap.

Still no one answered. "I didn't come here for nothing." She muttered, stirring the conviction within her. No, she didn't come here to be ignored, turned away, misled.

TAP!

This time the door creaked open, ever so slightly. Constance felt her heart jump even wilder than before. With a spurt of confidence, Constance yanked the door all the way open.

A man stood in the doorway. He was average height with muted, flat, brown hair. He was wearing a green vest, a white and black plaid shirt hidden underneath. His mouth was neither frowning nor smiling. His look wasn't confused, it was more... odd. The skin around his eyes was crinkly with age, but he didn't look too old.

But the most startling thing, the feature that confirmed her parentage, was his eyes. They were a pale, watery blue; Constance's eyes.

He must have noticed something was off. "Can I help you?" He asked politely but warily, addressing Edaline but not looking at her.

"I... are you Joseph Contraire?" Edaline trailed off, hoping Constance would continue. The man nodded hesitantly at the name.

"Yes, you can." Bex said, marching into his house. "Come on." She gestured to her friends. Edaline and Constance followed suit.

Joseph Contraire looked a bit flustered at their intrusion, but let them come in nevertheless.

When they sat down on an old sofa, Constance noticed the wide stare he was giving Edaline, as he finally took her in for the first time. Before Edaline could notice, his eyes flicked to Bex without recognition. Finally they settled on Constance. Constance met them back. Joseph was looking at her very curiously, as if he should know who she was but couldn't figure it out.

"I'll be right back-" Joseph hurried away from the room, seeming anxious to get away from them, pointedly not looking at the elves.

"How come you ran away?" Edaline asked abruptly, standing up and facing Joseph before he could leave. Her voice was calm but filled with melancholy. The way she spoke made Constance shiver, as if Constance had disappointed her somehow.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Joseph gave off a nervous laugh, his eyes flicking over to Constance and Bex.

"You know exactly what I mean." Edaline said in that eerie voice of hers. "Every time I came by. Every time I tried to find you. You were never here. You were never... anywhere."

"Edaline-" Joseph began.

"How do you know her name?" Bex asked softly. But the adults seemed not to hear her.

"You just left. You left... everything behind." Edaline was whispering now, as if blinking back tears. "You could have told me. I would've understood. I would've helped you find safety. Instead, you got yourself thrown in Exile."

"You don't know what I've been through." Joseph said, his gaze no longer nervous. He was clenching his fists at his sides. "As you sat, day by day, going about your daily life, I had to hide myself away. I had to bury my soul and come back as someone else. I had a price on my head, even though elves don't even need any more money!"

"Do you know what you did to her?" Edaline asked, her eyes sad but stony at the same time. Defiant. "She came home, her eyes puffy and her face... I asked her what was wrong. She said that someone she loved was not who she thought they were. I thought she was talking about her fiance. Her fiance, who killed her shortly after."

Constance and Bex were listening intently now, not daring to speak. Constance didn't want to break the tension, didn't want the conversation to stop. Even though she didn't understand most of it, Constance knew it was vital.

Joseph continued to stare at Edaline, unwavering. Edaline met his gaze. "You're so cold hearted, you don't even care that the love of your life is dead." She didn't say it sarcastically; she sounded hurt, like a wounded animal.

"You don't know me." Was Joseph's answer.

"Let me know you, then! What about you grabbed my daughter's attention? Why did she choose you over Brant? Why did you run away, leaving Grady and I to care for a psychopathic murderer? Did she even mean anything to you in the first place?!"

It was the first time Constance heard Edaline yell. It didn't seem possible, yet here she was, holding her breath for Joseph's answer.

"Jolie means the world to me."