The Grand Constellation

Chapter-11

The door opened and Ethel entered with two guards.

"Oh, my god!! I can't believe this. We have a newborn baby!" smiled Ethel. "How cute. This will definitely become famous when people hear it how I helped with everything"

"You!" said Caleb angrily and went towards Ethel to attack and the two guards standing beside her reloaded their rifles and pointed it at him which made him stop and his both hands shot up.

"How long are you going to keep us here?" I asked. "Just send us back home. We will do anything you say. Just send us back home safe"

"You think I will believe a word that comes out your mouth?" Ethel laughed. "People who are in danger will say anything to get out of it"

"What do you want us to do then?" I asked.

"You all will come with me" Ethel replied. "On my pod which is also safe because I am going to be in it and you will not be allowed to speak to a single soul, not even to any of your family members about the incidents that happened here until I say so. You will have no phone in your hands or any type of electronic device which will be thoroughly checked by my guards every six hours. After you tell everything in the courtroom, you are free to do anything"

"Basically, you want us to be your prisoners?" I asked.

"You're gonna live in the most expensive rooms with beach view and 24-hours-food" Ethel replied, smiling. "I can hardly call that being prisoners"

"Why us?" asked Caleb.

"Because of this woman" Ethel replied, looking at me. "Every guest that came here was specially selected. As you may know, you all have been given physical exams because you're traveling in space and my eyes caught her. She was a curious person which made me inquisitive"

"I'm no one" I said.

"Exactly," she said. "How could no one catch my eyes; I have no idea. I sort of connected with you"

"That's because you both are related," someone said from the entrance.

We all looked and saw Oleander standing with a gun in his hand, pointing directly at Ethel.

"What?" I asked, shocked. "I don't even know who she is"

"Oh, trust me" he smiled as he walked close to Ethel. "You are"

Ethel was not even a single bit shocked by his entry.

"Hello, Oleander" smiled Ethel as she kissed his both cheeks. "And yes, that's why I wanted to know about you. I did everything so you would understand me and help me with everything. But you chose your way. So, now you gotta do in my way"

"What is happening here? Who is that?" asked Caleb to me.

"You said...you said...that...you said she cheated you and took all your ideas," I said, confused and shocked.

"Oh, I did" smiled Ethel. "I asked him not to keep repeating that. What to say, he likes to brag that he created this hotel"

"You're right" smiled Oleander. "I do like to brag. This is one of the best things I ever created. No one in this world could have even thought of something like this. I'm a genius"

"That's enough," said Ethel. "We have exactly ten minutes before we go to rescue half the families and escape in the pods. We should go because, in exactly twenty minutes, this whole place will blow"

"What!?" asked Caleb.

"Oh, keep up you dumb man!" snapped Ethel.

"Can you tell me how we are related?" I asked.