Aunt Candy and the Mysteries

Nine.

I find nothing in the Studio other than books, books, and the surprising sock hidden behind one of the pillows in a corner seat. I go down the spiral stairs to the first floor where I find my brother examining the wall art, apparently having not found anything. "Aren't these just beautiful?" He asks me when he realizes I'm there. "Yeah, they're re-"

"She's just perfect, isn't she." He says, tracing his fingers along one of the many colorful swirls the bricks display.

"Who?" I ask, those moments with Katchina earlier returning to my mind. But then why would he be admiring the wall art if it was Katchina he's referring to?

"Brooke!" He says, quickly turning around to face me. His eyes showing with admiration. "She's not only beautiful, but she's talented and kind as well!"

"Well I don't disagree." I say, not exactly sure how to contribute to this conversation. "But what about Kat?" I'm still curious about those glances from her earlier. "What do you think of her?"

"Oh, well... She's nice too, and a fantastic dancer, but..." He says, turning away from me.

"You just don't feel that way about her." I finish for him. He nods slowly, then faces the door.

"We should probably go meet everyone." He suggests, making it my turn to nod.

We do just that, walking into the now artificially lit kitchen/living room where everyone waits, looking a bit anxious. "Find anything?" Aunt Candy asks us as we take a seat at the island. Hopefulness hidden in her irises. Peter shakes his head as I tell her no. The hope retreats further back. As soon as I get situated, I can feel the hairs on my skin raised by someone's gaze. I look at the couches to see Cedar watching me. That same expression of observation on his face from earlier, when he told me he wanted to... I quickly look away. I will not think of him. It's crazy how much can happen in only a few days of being here. "Cedar, is there anywhere else it might have gone?" Aunt Candy asks, a slight fear creeping in that's barely visible. He shakes his head, lowering it a bit as he does. "Then I guess we'll have to keep looking." She decides, "But not tonight. It's getting late, everyone head upstairs and get ready for bed." She then makes her way to her own bedroom as we all head upstairs (with the acception of Brooke, who slips out the back door).

I head straight to my room and change into a fresh pair of pajamas: a white camisole and plaid pajama pants, before pulling my hair out of a ponytail, freeing it from it's day long confinement. Collapsing onto my bed, I stare at the ceiling, thinking.

"Are you busy?" A voice asks from the doorway. I sit up and see Katchina looking at me hopefully.

"Yeah, of course! Come on in." I say, tapping the bed next to me, signalling for her to take a seat. Which she does. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you about..." She starts, biting her lip nervously. I look at her, telling her to go on. "About your brother." she takes a quick breath, as if accepting that she actually just said that. I smile at her playfully.

"What do you want to know?" I ask, standing up to close the door.

"Basically everything: Favorite food, color, song, whatever." She says with a smile, seeing that I'm not going to laugh in her face. I would never do that.

"Well for starters, his favorite color, last I checked, was this kind of shade of royal blue. His favorite food is spaghetti, and song... I have absolutely no idea." I admit. She smiles, eating it all up with a gleeful expression. There's no doubt in my mind that every word I'm saying is deepening her crush... Oh no...

My face falls as I remember the conversation I had with my brother earlier in the studio. "What is it?" Katchina asks me, now worried.

"Oh, nothing." I say "Just, don't be too disappointed if he doesn't feel the same way, Kat."

She sighs and looks at the bedsheets. "Brooke."

I nod. That's what that glare was for earlier I realize. She realized my brother's crush on her.

"It's always Brooke." She continues. "Beautiful, artistic Brooke. Getting all the numbers, all the smiles, of course he likes Brooke." She falls onto her back, making the mattress shake a bit.

"I'm sorry Kat." I say genuinely. "I can talk to him if you'd like."

She sits up again, her hope partially restored. "I'm not sure it will do much, but I'd appreciate it." She gives me a small smile then stands up and heads for the door.

"Thanks for talking with me though." She says, partially out the door.

"Anytime." I say, giving her a small smile in return. She exits my room and I let out a sigh. No time like the present.

I slide into my slippers and slip through my doorway, shuffling my way to my brother's door. On the other side, I can hear music playing loudly. I knock, wondering what on earth I'm going to say when I get in there. "Come in!" He practically shouts. I enter, and immediately place my hands over my ears. "TURN IT OFF!" I yell "WHAT!?" He shouts back. I walk over to the speaker, and quickly press the power button. "I said, turn it off." He rolls his eyes at me. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure." He asks. I close the door behind me. This is a sensitive topic meant for selective ears. "I um, wanted to ask you about Katchina again." I say, taking a seat next to him on the bed, and finding myself sitting on a discarded hoodie. His room is a bit darker than mine. He has a twin size bed covered in white bed sheets to contrast the dark, wood, beframe. The same wood used in his desk and dresser, which all lay covered in a thick layer of clothing I was only partially surprised to find already scattered about the room. The walls are painted a dark grey, with objects such as books and headphones painted in white on two opposing walls. It's a nice room, though it has no window seat or yellow, making me prideful for my room. Focus Etta! We're on a mission! "What about her?" He asks in reply.

"How exactly do you feel about her?"

"Like I said earlier: She's a nice girl who's very talented, and apparently supernatural, but she's nothing more than a friend." He tells me, still not meeting my gaze as he says it.

"And why's that again?"

"I don't know... It's just, nothing really clicked."

"But it did with Brooke?"

"I don't know- Why do you need to know?" He asks, a bit of hidden anger showing as he stands up.

"No reason..." I say, holding my hands up defensively and debating whether or not to tell him about my conversation with her.

"Well it's obviously some reason, you don't just come up with these questions out of the blue." He reasons, taking a seat on his t-shirt covered desk chair. "Agh!" He says, moments after his bum touches the wooden seat.

"What?" I ask, not really phased. He probably just sat on something he left in a pocket of some sort.

"I don't know. I just sat on something pointy I guess?" I sort of asks as he reaches a hand under the shirts covering the seat of the chair. "Here it is... Oh gosh."

What he holds out makes my eyes grow wide. Peter holds it out for a second longer, then quickly drops it onto the carpet, causing it to pop open. We both bend over to look at it, still scared and surprised. Neither of us wants to touch it.

"How on earth did this get here?" He asks me.

"I-I don't know."

"And what's this?" He asks, pointing to a piece of paper that was previously concealed within.

"I don't know. But it can't be any good." I stand up and walk towards the door. I open it with too much force, causing it to hit the wall behind it but I don't care. That's not our biggest concern right now.

"AUNT CANDY!" I yell. "WE FOUND CEDAR'S COMPASS!"