His Golden Ticket

Chapter Five

"Your assignment for this month is a big one." Professor Watson explains. "Therefore, I am being very courteous and giving you an entire month to complete it. I want each of you to write a 7,000 word essay elaborating on the history of Brooklyn. By the end of this assignment, I certainly would hope that you all have a newfound appreciation for the very place you live in." 

His speech earns a few groans from various students, but he simply ignores it. I hadn't even started planning the topic for my paper, and I'm already dreading it. I glance over at Peter, who is surprisingly already staring right back at me. Shooting a smile in his direction, he playfully rolls his eyes and sticks his tongue out at me.

'How mature.' I think to myself, stifling a giggle. 

The bell finally rings as I let out a deep sigh, quickly gathering my stuff. Footsteps nearing towards me brush my contemplations under the rug, as the cologne I've grown to recognize suddenly becomes stronger.

"Yes, Peter?" I turn around, only to attempt to hide my blush at the close proximity of our faces. 

"You have no idea what to write about for this paper, do you?" He asks, a smirk playing on his lips.

I laugh bitterly. "No, but I suppose you don't, either." 

Peter pouts his lips, feigning sadness. "And to think that I approached you to offer some help, only to be belittled."

I reach down to grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder lazily. "Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty sure I can figure it out myself."

As I turn to leave, he gently grabs my wrist. "What if I told you that I have some of the juiciest information out there?"

---

Warm air instantly engulfs me like a warm blanket as we walk into the mansion, the very place Peter lives in. He takes my hand, guiding me to where the owners were. Supposedly, they had a lot of information about Brooklyn. I kept wondering why he had been so eager to help me. How elaborate is the history of this place?

He takes my hand to guide me upstairs, and I can't help but blush furiously. Finally, once stopping in front of a wide door, he knocks in a strange pattern. Peter is such a peculiar person. 

A tired looking man opens the door, a weary smile on his face. 

"Ah, Peter, what brings you-"

His eyes land on me, and the smile is wiped right off of his face.

"Who is this?" His tone of voice suddenly becomes cold and distant.

"This is my friend, Desiree. I brought her here hoping you and Dana could teach her about the secrets of Brooklyn. We both have an assignment on it." Peter says smoothly, a smirk on his face.

"The secrets of Brooklyn?" He replies confusedly. "I can assure you that we know nothing of the sort."

Peter leans in slightly, lowering his voice. "Just historically speaking. Nothing else."

The man's eyes dart between us two before silently inviting us to enter his room. The walls were covered in maps, multiple x's marked on some of them, others covered in thumbtacks. The entire room was dark except for his desk, illuminated by a desk lamp, papers and manilla envelopes scattered everywhere. I don't fail to notice the strange stamp that was on them, either. It was a strange looking sun, the rays curvy. Half of the sun was white, the other black. 

"-the mess." The man uttered, although I was not paying attention. I simply smiled and nodded, earning a confused look from Peter. 

"So, shall we begin?" He asks, looking at me and Peter.