Agent Reptilian: Exploiting Gold|editing

Chapter twenty one: "They're going to kill us if they see that."

"I can't, Nix, I really can't. You go without me." I groaned and buried my head in my hands. My brain, behaving as my own enemy, tortured me by replaying that moment in my head, again and again, of seeing Kaleb hand back that paper and looking as pale as a ghost no doubt from what he had seen on it.

I wasn't normally a careless person.  With the little training that we had received in sophomore year for the beginner detective's course, it had taught me to be very careful and aware. To keep my eyes open and my ears out for anything suspicious. Details were always important, memorizing people's clothes, hair colour, names. However with everything going on, I think I was on too edge lately. I couldn't think sharply. There was a blanket of fog in my mind, inhibiting me from seeing and thinking clearly.

Nix sighed aloud, exhausted from reassuring me, "Nothing is going to happen Al. Look, I saw them earlier as I was heading to the library and they looked fine to me. Though, if I do think about it now, Kaleb did seem...a little concerned." She confessed and I started arguing with her again.

"Why do you even need me? It's not like I'm going to be that much help." I whined and stomped on the ground the way a child would.

Nix looked at me in annoyance. "You're coming Al, whether you like it or not. We'll leave early if things get too...tense but they won't. Just come up with an excuse to tell Kaleb, then he won't think you're weird." I looked her up and down, as if she had gone mad.

"Nix!" My voice came out a little louder that intended. I looked around the suburb, noticing how peaceful it was in contrast to our noisy neighborhood, but made sure no was in earshot before facing her again, "He saw names of dead scientists and Andrew's name written in letters as big as a billboard sign!" I hissed. "How am I supposed to make an excuse for that?" Granted, he probably didn't even recognize one of the names on the paper but I did write mine and Nixs' name under 'Victims' and he could search them up if he remembered.

I moaned as she ignored me and dragged me by the arm towards Dhruv's house.

The cookie cutter houses all had the same red roofs and neatly trimmed lawns. Each had a small mailbox located at the front and the smooth dark coloured roads looked recently renovated. The only difference was the presence of Christmas decorations outside some of the houses. One house in particular had a huge santa inflatable and a sleigh of reindeers. It was weird seeing the sun shining and the warm temperatures in December. In New York, it probably would've started snowing by now. Somehow I didn't feel completely depressed by the idea of missing the first snow fall. Miami's temperatures were doing wonders for my body. I hadn't felt this free and loose in a long time.

We neared Dhruv's house, stepping onto the fancy brick pathway, which curved its way towards the entrance, lined with bright candy canes lights. Nix rung the doorbell and at that moment, I contemplated using camouflage to vanish and flee.

It was as if she read my thoughts because she pulled me close to her and grabbed me by the bandana, causing some of my hair pieces to fall out around the sides of my face.

"Don't even think about it. That will get you into actual trouble." She hissed and I crossed my arms in annoyance. She flicked my forehead and let go of me. I was about to retaliate when the one of the double oak doors opened and Dhruv's face popped out with a big smile.

"Hey, come in. Kaleb's already here, just at the dining table." We nodded as we entered the house. I was wearing a pair of green army pants that I was beginning to worry belonged to an actual veteran and a kid size black coloured ninja turtle T-shirt that was a little too suffocating for my liking. My hands kept either pulling my pants up or yanking my shirt down.