THE ELITE AGENT

17. WHAT'S 2+2?

Elena's POV:

I walk out of the bathroom with a towel in my hand, wiping my hair dry. A good long shower did help me relax a little. I walk out of my room to check what everyone were doing.

The room next to me was locked. The kiddo seems not to like having anyone disturb her. I walk a little further to hear Ben's voice as he read a fairytale for the twins.

How sweet of my brother! Who thought Ben would be fatherly towards these kids? I am really proud of how he's taking an effort to put the kids to sleep. I smile and walk towards the door and open it slightly. The room is dimly lit. Both the twins hear to what Ben's saying and I also notice Gwen had her head ducked down on Mike's bed as she snores.

"-twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins," Ben reads through the book. My eyes narrow when I hear his words.

Tribute? Death? Twelve districts? What in the world?!

I temporarily feel paralyzed when I notice the cover of the book. Is he out of his mind?

"Ben?"

He pauses and looks at me. The twins who were engrossed in the story also turned their eyes towards me.

"Did you take my book from my bag?"

"Yeah."

"Could it perhaps be The Hunger Games?"

"Yes, it is."

"And you're reading that book for the kids?"

"Yeah, why?"

I glare at him with my arms crossed. He needs to get his head checked. Who in the right mind would read hunger games to toddlers as bedtime stories?

"Maybe you didn't know but let me enlighten you. Hunger games deals with killing youngsters. Don't you think it's not the best book to read before the bed for kids?"

"But they seem to like it a lot."

I shift my gaze to the twins to see them nod their head happily. These kids are messed up just like my brother.

"Yes, I want to know who stays alive in the end," Mike said, punching the air.

"I wish Gale dies. He's annoying," Maria says, flipping her hair back.

I shift my eyes a little when I hear Mila crying from the other side. God, the way she cries, she is gonna wake the whole neighborhood up.

I quickly walk towards Ben and rip my book out of his hand and grab a book from the stack on the shelf. And unlucky them, they got Cinderella.

I pass the book to Ben and he immediately makes a face like he is disgusted.

"Cinderella?! Of all the books, you got Cinderella?"

"The odds are in your favor," I say and ignore the whining kids including my brother and shut the door. I hear Mila's cries and hasten my steps.

What happened to that kid?

Is the monster under the bed is actually true and is now in front of mila trying to terrify her? I start half jogging towards the adjacent room but pause. Did I just believe in monsters living under the bed for a second?

I need to see a doc as quick as possible. I am definitely losing brain cells. These thoughts are so unlike me.

I reach the door and didn't have to open it since it was already left ajar. I slowly push it open to see Alex holding Mila.