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~~~~~ (*****^-^*****) ~~~~~
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The manager led them through the casino and into an elevator, politely holding the door for them. The elevator had a button for each of the building's five floors above them, but once the doors were shut the manager pressed several at once, as if he were entering a secret code. When he finished, the elevator took Bree by surprise-it started traveling down to an unmarked level.
"Are you enjoying Monte Carlo?" the manager asked casually as the elevator descended.
"Yup," Conner peeped nervously then looked to Bree. She looked back at him with terrified eyes, which seemed to catch Conner off guard. ^Had he never seen someone scared? Or was she overreacting and had put on her overly scared face? Probably the latter of the two.^
Finally the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. "Right this way," the manager said, and escorted them out of the elevator.
To her amazement, Bree found herself at the top level of a gigantic underground courtyard. It was like she was looking at a four-story cell block beneath them, but instead of cells, the walls were lined with rows of vaults.
"So this is where her vault is!" Conner said, looking around with the same amazed face as Bree.
"This isn't really a casino, it's a secret bank," Bree said as an affirmative.
"Oh no, it's still one of Monte Carlo's finest casinos," the manager reassured them. "But before it was a casino it was one of the world's greatest private storage facilities for hundreds of years. The building was bought in the early 1900's on the condition that it remain a working storage facility. The vaults are not rented or leased but purchased in perpetuity, like cemetery plots."
"So there are things inside these vaults that will never be seen again?" Conner asked.
"Usually the vaults and their possessions are inherited, but occasionally we have clients who pass on before naming a benefactor." the manager explained.
"And those people's valuables will just be locked away for the rest of time?"
"Yes," the manager said. "But typically when people lock away something in an underground vault, it's because they don't wish t share it with the world."
Conner and Bree gulped in unison. The thought of what might be behind some of those metal doors gave Bree chills.
"Now, please follow me and I'll show you to your grandmother's vault," the manager said.
They followed him down two flights of stairs to the third-highest level.
"Here we are, vault 317," the manager said and stood to the side of the vault door.
"Wait, how do you know for sure this is our vault?" Conner asked. ^Good, now you're thinking with your smart brain Conner. Just use that more often.^
"Each chip contains a small number on its side, and I examined yours before bringing you down here," the manager explained. "Each chip also acts as a key. The sides are not ridged like normal chips but have several unique grooves and dents. When you place the correct chip into the center of the vault's locks and spin the handles, the vault will open. Place the incorrect chip into a lock and the chip will be destroyed when you spin the handles."
Bree thought for a moment about what he had said when a nagging question appeared in her mind. "But how do you know that we are the proper beneficiaries?" she asked. "How do you know that we didn't steal the chip?"
YOU ARE READING
The Mind Behind The Beanie || ✔
Fanfiction"Oh, Conner- I forgot I had something I was going to ask you," Bree said. His answer surprised her. "Ask me anything," he responded. This sudden confidence surprised her but she continued as planned. "Do you have a crush on me or something?" Bree...
