The Mysterious Benedict Society | "Normal" Life

The Perfect Night

When Kate and Constance came back from the picnic, they went to find the boys. Finding Reynie and Sticky out in the backyard playing chess, Kate suggested they go have a meeting.
"We haven't had one in a while," she straitened her ponytail. "We have a lot to talk about."

So, the four gathered their things and went up to a small room they had found upstairs, and entered the trapdoor, which was one of the three exits (the other two being the vent and the window). The room had an old white carpet, with a blue rug. A small light hung from the low ceiling, and a two lamps sat in opposite corners of the room to help light the room up a bit more. The window, they discovered, had been painted over, so the only way to get light that way was to open up to the outside, but that would reveal their hidden location.

However, the most prominent feature were the walls. They were plastered with photos, newspaper articles, scrap poems, riddles and answers, paper and pencil games they occasionally played for fun, the running scores of games for each person, the occasional leaf, and notes. The years in which the children had grown together had not been boring. The walls represented their time as a family by the research, evidence, games, and "creative elements" as Constance called them. Every time they came here, the no-longer-quite-children felt safe. Secure. And happy. Here there were no adults. It was just the four of them.

Once they got in, Kate stretched across the side of the room while the rest sat criss-cross around the room. Constance popped some gum in her mouth and offered it to the rest. Reynie accepted, having recently found out that the mint flavor and constant chewing helped him think better.

Reynie sat facing the wall, in his particular corner filled with research and ideas. He tried to make it seem like he was studying an article on Kurdistan, but was actually looking at a hidden list he, Sticky, and Constance had come up with. It was a list on ways to ask out Kate.

Reynie's hands shook as he traced his plan on a map of Stonewall. It had to be the perfect outing. The others had assured him that Kate would say yes, for sure, but how could he be sure? And would it ruin their friendship? Would it ruin the group dynamic?

"So... any recent news on the Italian nuclear threat?" Kate asked.
"Milligan said his friends over in Europe took care of it" Sticky answered.
"That's swell," Constance murmured as she strummed a quiet tune on a ukelele. She had recently taken to it, and had turned several of her poems into songs. At first, everyone had been irritated by the squeaks and off-key tones. But Constance had quickly gotten better, and now was actually quite decent.
"So! We're still going on that adventure tonight?" Kate queried, practicing a knot on a strand of yarn.
"Yes!" Reynie enthusiastically nodded his head. His gaze met Kate's, and they grinned. Their "love" wasn't an awkward kind. They were friends who wanted to do a bit more than platonically hug.
"Right so, where are we going again?" Constance began strumming "Ugly Heart" by G.R.L. on her ukelele.
"First a walk in the city, then that Italian restaurant, and then the pier. And then... who knows what!" Sticky winked at no one in particular, not wanting to reveal anything, but making it seem like he had a severe twitch in his eye.
"Well, let's get to it!" Kate sprang up and clambered out the trapdoor, eager to start their evening adventure.

Once she had left, Reynie sighed heavily, and grinned. Tonight would be a night to remember!