Macky Mason

Chapter 2

2.

So how about a little bit of background? You got it. My mom died of cancer very shortly after I was born, and I live with a family of boys. My dad and his friends are in a special unit of the San Francisco that solves more high profile crimes called California Crime Control. They work closely with the police, and even government officials themselves! Dad and his colleagues have solved crimes that have taken them around the world, but they tended to stay mainly in the state. Right now, he was on a case of stolen metals, well, that's what he says. Dad can't tell me too much, for pretty obvious reasons. He and his partners were down in LA working on the case. My brothers Steve, Kevin, Rick, and Tim helped out when needed. Even though they were in high school, they were part of the unit. I wasn't considered part of the agency, but I longed and hoped to be. My dad said I could join when I graduated from middle school, which I was starting next year. 3 more years until I could join the CCC! What a wait!

We originally lived in Miami where my dad was a cop. After my mom died, it was hard for my brothers--they were only toddlers at the time--and my dad to cope. Dad especially took the hardest hit. It got to the point where everything he saw in some way reminded him of her. My brothers were the same way. Eventually, he realized he needed to get out of Miami if he was ever going to recover. So when word spread that San Francisco was putting together the CCC and they needed a leader, Dad was the first in line, and a month later, it was California or bust.

Two members of the CCC live with us, Kai and Analu Kealoha. They are from Hawaii. Analu is like a brother to us, someone my brothers--especially Steve--could look up to. He and Kai taught my brothers karate and are now teaching me. He's also the best when it comes to anything with computers. Dad honestly believes he could fix anything that has buttons and wires and hack into the CIA if he wanted to. Kai has a similar relationship; she's like an older sister to us and the only one I can complain to when it's that time of the month. She taught me how to braid my hair, swim (she was a competitive surfer when she was in high school), and everything in between. Kai and Analu are cousins, and there's very little I remember about my life before they came. Analu was sworn in when I was three, and Kai was sworn in a little later. While my brothers distinctly remember when they came into the picture, they've almost always been a part of mine.

Speaking about brothers, I have four: Steve, Kevin, Rick, and Tim. Steve and Kevin are identical twins. They'll be juniors in high school. Steve is the oldest (and he makes sure everyone knows it). He's the tallest and is a freaking carbon copy of Dad on the outside and inside. Steve's very all around when it comes to sports. He plays basketball, football, and even boxed a little bit a few years ago. We call him the drill sergeant because when Dad's not there to lead, Steve will gladly take his place. Steve, like Analu, is very skilled with computers. Even though Analu taught him everything he knows, Steve just has a knack for it. He discovered how to do things way before my other brothers were halfway there.

Kevin is a few minutes younger than Steve. Unlike Steve, he's more of a follower than a leader even though he's probably more qualified considering he's better at looking before he leaps. He's an avid soccer player, and I believe him when he says he can play it in his sleep. Although he's several inches shorter than Steve (which, again, Steve makes sure everyone knows it), his GPA is higher than Wiz Khalifa. He's always been a straight-A student, which may be why my other brothers get annoyed with him the most.

Rick and Tim are fraternal twins. The oldest is Rick by eight minutes. He may be the quietest, but he's the biggest and the strongest out of all of us. Rick also shares many similarities with Steve including football and computers. But like Kevin, he is very practical and thinks things through. He was one of those guys who if he won the lottery, he'd save it for something versus blowing it on something stupid. Now, you're probably thinking, "Oh, he and Kevin are the party poopers of the family." They were also the guys who put a toilet on the roof of their school. With somebody's, well, you-know-what, in it. Another story for another time.

And then there's Tim. Skinny, speedy, lady charming Tim. That could pretty much explain him, but I know if I stick with that, I'll get multiple letters of complaint. And I kind of have a lot on my plate now. Tim is the youngest Mason boy. He's by far the most hyper of the four, and, according to his classmates, the best looking. His hair sweeps over his forehead and is jet black--no idea where he got the pigment from considering my dad and brothers all are brunettes. Tim is the runner and the baseball player in the family and holds school and even some district records in both sports. And although he'll never admit it to anyone outside of the family, he's the most avid reader and best cook in the family, while Rick struggles with dyslexia and has been the cause of many kitchen disasters.

Now I suppose you're wondering who this chick telling you all of this is. So I suppose I kind of have to tell you now. My name is Mackenzie. Mackenzie Mason, preferably Macky. My dad called me that when I was little and it stuck, lucky for me considering I hate my real name. I just turned 11 about a week ago. I grew up with a family of guys, obviously. So it's no surprise when I tell you I'm not very girly. I mean, I brush my hair and wear bras and stuff like that. But I'd rather go to a football game than go get my nails done. And I guess the other thing you need to know about me is I look nothing like the rest of my family. Picture a girl who's been predicted to never be five feet tall with hair redder than a fire truck, covered with freckles nearly everywhere on her body, and having bright blue-green eyes (no one really knows what color they are, not even me) standing next to tall, dark haired, dark eyed guys. Well you can probably guess which one is me. And while Kevin, Rick, and my dad are cool-headed and never make a decision without giving it some thought, there's nothing I'm worse at, which is probably why I was at a crime scene instead of at home with my friends.

When I arrived back at the scene of crime, I was told that the bank was robbed of 5.6 million dollars in cash. I told the police everything I remembered from the time I was spying on the crooks. The police took fingerprints on everything, the ladder, the bank vault door, every place they could think of. After I was questioned, Steve told me we should probably get back to the huose. It had been a long night. I reluctantly followed him out the door with my friends behind me. Steve, Kevin, Rick, and Tim discussed the case like pros. They said they would go there to scope out the place in the morning.

When we were back home, the rest of the guys had put in another movie. Kevin told me it was The Excorcist. It was probably rated R and probably something on my dad's no-watch list, but I was no snitch. My friends and I went up to my room and plopped down on the beds, exhausted. It was now 1:00 in the morning. I told my friends everything that happened while I was at the bank.

"Wow," breathed Sierra. "I should have cooked more popcorn." Everyone else was stunned as well.

Suddenly, Claire screamed. Something was hurtling towards the window! My friends who were all sitting on my bed were directly in the path of the UFO! I was sitting in a chair was out of the pathway. I sprang from my chair and pushed all of my friends on the floor. Whatever it was flew through the window, shattering it to bits. My friends had crawled in the corner so I was battling whatever this weapon was alone. I didn't have to wait long. There was suddenly a huge explosion.

"Tear gas!" I yelled. "Get out!" My friends didn't have to be told twice; they were already flying out the door. I, however, was blinded by the sudden stream of tear gas in my room. I felt someone grab my wrist, yank me out of the room, and shut the door.

"Macky, you alright?" Kevin asked. I heard Steve on the phone with the police somewhere to my right. I still couldn't see. My eyes burned and stung horribly. A string of colorful words slid out of my mouth. I'd never been hit with tear gas before. Rick had told me I should have been glad I hadn't. Now I truly understood.

When I finally was able to open my eyes again cops were swarming the place. I was amazed at quickly they'd arrived. Tim came up to me with a Coke. Cokes are always a good calm down tool. Then he asked me what happened. I told him what I knew--which wasn't much--with other cops listening as well. Rick wrote everything I said down in his notebook.

While I was being questioned, I noticed a note on the edge of my bed. The handwriting wasn't mine or my brothers', and I couldn't imagine it belonging to one if my friends. I picked it up. Steve came over to see what I had found. We both stared dismayed at this message:

Macky, you and your snooping has gone too far. Leave 10 million dollars in the hollow tree 100 paces south of Metson Lake in 2 weeks if you ever wanna see your dad again

a/n how's that for a cliffhanger? not much but it's something. chapter 3 will hopefully be up tomorrow. i'm going to try to post one chapter a day, two if i have enough time. comment what you think so far and hope you guys will like how the book turns out :)