Disappearance of Roselei Hawthorne

Chapter Three

Once again Kallen and Lillia were standing in the Grand Hall watching people pass them by. But this time, there was hope. No longer would they be mindlessly searching for someone to help them, for they had already found all the help they needed. Unfortunately, the 'help' was late.

    "He said he'd be here around noon, didn't he?" Kallen was tapping his foot against the cold linoleum flooring.

    "You've asked that twice now." Lillia sighed. "But yes, he did. Just be patient Kallen, he'll be here eventually. He probably got caught up with his father, or some other kind of family business."

    "I thought he hated his family."

    "Doesn't mean he can't get wrapped up in their business." Lillia pointed out.

    "When he gets here, he better apologize for making us wait." Kallen furrowed his eyebrows and huffed.

    "Wow. Demanding an apology from the heir to the After-Frost family. I guess its true that Hawthorne blood flows through your veins." Lillia chuckled. "You sound just like your mother."

    "Are you implying I have no respect for the After-Frost family?"

    "Well, yes."

    "I guess you're technically not wrong." Kallen couldn't help but laugh. "You know, the longer Gideon makes us wait, the less respect for him and his family I have."

    "What's this about not respecting me?" It was Gideon.

    "W-what? Gideon! How long have you been standing there?" Kallen was startled.

    "I just arrived." Gideon eyed the clock hanging on a wall not too far away from them. "Apologies for the wait. My father called for a 'family meeting'. It look much longer than I had hoped."

    "See? I told you so." Lillia smirked.

    "Anyways, shall we get to business?" Gideon gestured to the stairs leading up to the second story. Before Kallen or Lillia had the chance to answer him, Gideon began heading that direction.

    Kallen and Lillia hurried after him, and followed Gideon back upstairs to the room they had been sitting in just the other day. As they all took their seats around the table, Gideon reached into his side bag and pulled out a stack of papers, as well as a small silver and blue box.

    "What are those for?" Lillia asked.

    "Well, I'll tell you about these later." Gideon pushed the stack of papers to the side. "First, I'd like to tell you about this." He pushed the box towards the center of the table.

    "What is it?" Kallen reached out and grabbed the box so he could examine it closer.

    "Why don't you open it and see?" Gideon said with a sly smile. Kallen, all the while hoping that it wasn't secretly some sort of bomb, opened the lid to the box. A small figure of a ballerina spun around slowly in a circle while a melodic tune played.

    "A music box?" Kallen asked rhetorically.

    "I got it from one of the storage closets in the manor's basement. I figured that since it wasn't out for display then it would be fine if we weren't able to return it." Gideon explained. "It's likely that this was a gift given to one of my relatives on their birthday. My family has never really been the type for sentiment."

    "Is this what we'll be betting?" Kallen asked as he handed the music box over to Lillia so she could look at it.

    "That is correct." Gideon nodded.