Beautiful Wilting Flowers

Get Down To Business

Liana POV:

Greigh shoots me a text that they're ready to head down to the breakfast , and so I respond with a thumbs up emoji, and report to Ina that they're ready.

We make our way towards the elevator, and Ina reaches her arm forward to click the lobby level button. A hand shoots forward to keep the electrical doors from closing, and I look up to see Vek.

"Oh- sorry!" Ina clicks the opening door button, and holds it to let him slide through. "Are the boys with you?" She peers her head outside of the elevator for a moment.

"No," Vek shakes his head, smirking at Ina's slight disappointment. "I have my own hotel room. They said they would meet us in the lobby. I just volunteered to go and find you guys."

"Oh." Ina nods. "Okay; lets go and find them, and then we can all go to get breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan." He nods, and clicks the close button.

I don't mean to be hard on him or anything, but it's just suspicious how Vek appeared right where we were and got close with Heyden. I mean, even if he was looking for us, it's still creepy how coincidental that it is. Same flight, same seats, same switch over flights, same switch over flight seats, same hotel, same hotel floor, it's all too coincidental.

He's got something off about him, I can just feel it. It feels cold and hollow. I don't even know a frick about him, and he really doesn't seem interested in sharing much.

"What do you think, Liana?" Ina's voice pulls me back into the conversation just as the elevator comes to a stomach wrenching stop.

"Uh- what do I think of...?" I stutter, and Vek fills me in.

"We were thinking of starting at the libraries, and trying some old reel tapes, or news articles, just some light stuff to maybe lead us to where the real lab, or where she kept the serums, is." Ina explains.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good." I nod, "Just libraries? Or do you guys want to split up around the city to see if anyone knows anything."

"Hmm," Ina nods. "Well, someone could go with your brother to ask around, because he's the only one around here who knows Japanese."

Vek and I drop to the floor with a finger on our noses.

"Not it!" We exclaim, and laugh as we both had the same thought.

"It's fine, I'm sure Heyden or Dean will go with him." Ina laughs, shrugging. I think she's starting to warm up to us. I hope so, at least. At first I wasn't sure she ever would, but now that were starting to work together as a team, I think she appreciates our cooperation with her leadership skills.

The elevator stops abruptly at the reception counter level, and we all step off to see the boys waiting for us at the other end of the room, which also happens to be the entrance to the buffet.

"Hey, guys." Greigh waves. "Ready to get something to eat?"

We head into the buffet room, and the smell of breakfast eggs and bacon waft in the air, making me groan in delight. There's also healthier options like fruit and bread, a mini drink bar (I will definitely be visiting that), and a dessert bar that I know Heyden and Dean will be making seconds to.

For the first time in his life, Dean is actually speechless, his infatuation for food through the roof. 

"You got a little drool there," Heyden laughs at Dean's wide eyed, smiling face as if he was a little boy on his birthday.

"This is awesome." He finally snaps out of it and pulls himself together. "Should we find a table?"

We find two tables near each other that seat three each, so we go three by three; Ina, Heyden, and I at one, and Greigh, Dean, and Vek seated at the other.

We go to grab trays and plates, start to load up on food, and when everybody has their share, we meet back at the tables. We make light conversation, but everyone is more interested in their food than each other, so when we finish, were all stuffed with food. This trip is going to make me gain fifty pounds, I swear. So. Worth. It.

We put our plates, utensils, and trays in the cleaning bin, and walk out with food between our teeth and five hundred extra calories into the lobby. I swear, a guy in the buffet looked at us with so much disgust by our pig like eating, I tried to be a little more civilized after that. Sitting with the rest of the group though, it was impossible, so I just ignored the looks of disgust like the others and ate to my heart's content.

"Okay," Greigh sighed, even a health nut like himself having been unable to stop himself from having thirds. "How should we do this?" He motioned to Ina, recognizing her 'Don't worry; I have a plan' face.

"Alright." Ina nods. "Who wants to go with Greigh to ask around the neighborhood? Liana and Vek already opted out, but-"

Dean and Heyden drop to the floor with their index fingers on their noses, and just as Vek and I did earlier, exclaim, "Not it!"

A silence ensues, so Ina blinks.

"Okay, I'll go to ask around with Greigh, then, and then, umm..." She surveys us. "Vek, assuming you can speak Japanese since you've lived here-"

"Yep." He nods.

"Then you go with Heyden to any suspicious looking places that you can find on the internet, maps, anywhere that seems kind of suspicious or shady. Or even, if that doesn't work, try to track down the Turners. But if you find them, don't interact with them, or anything until were all together; we need all of the help we can get to even coming close to... well, you know." Ina nods.

"Wait." Dean asks. "What do we do with the Turners once we catch them?"

"Really?" Ina gives him a look.

"What." He has a blank stare.

"We put them down." She gives him a wide eyed 'duh' look.

"Huh?" Dean isn't getting it.

"We kill them, you dimwit." Vek throws up his arms.

"What?!" Greigh looks alarmed, and I can sense it with the twin intuition too. Not to mention I'm feeling alarmed myself, which makes the feeling a lot stronger.

"Okay, and then the remaining two, Liana, Dean, you two go search the libraries, okay, go go go." Ina speed talks, then grabs my brother's wrist and drags him out the front door.

"Okay, lets get down to business," Vek rubs his hands together.