Code Lyoko: Revolutions and Evolutions

Chapter 35

It was a different time. The house was beautiful and ornate, its cupboards and refrigerators well stocked. She remembered the many people gathered at the house. Her father's many friends from work; her Uncle Paulie and his wife, Irena. She remembered how wonderful it all was. The beautiful sight of so many well-dressed people and the smell of all kinds of fantastic food from the kitchen brought back memories of that day. As pleasant as it was, Sylvia knew it was the prelude, the prelude to that horror that would happen just a couple of hours later.

Cousin Richard had just told a hilarious joke, and she was sitting with Uncle Paulie as he was busting Richie's balls as he was his habit of doing. Sylvia never understood precisely why Paulie liked to do things that way, but it was how it was. As Sylvia sat on the couch watching all the people, she remembered Terrance heading to the door to open it as he'd seen an additional car pull up. He stood there watching the car, and then he headed out. What happened next, she remembered very distinctly. There was a loud shouting match outside between a man and a woman, and then the next thing she knew, there were four loud pops.

Paulie moved as fast as lightning, taking her and handing her off to Richie, "Take care of little Sylvie! Take her to the basement and don't come out till' I say!"

Richie took her in his arms and moved quickly to the basement. He put her down at the back wall and removing a brick; he pulled a section of the wall to the side, revealing her father's wine cellar. He took Sylvia gently and put her inside.

"Richie, don't go!" Sylvia said.

Richie sighed and took out something from under his leg. It was the first time that Sylvia had seen a pistol outside of the gangster movies she had watched with her father.

"I don't want it, Richie." She said.

"Girl, take it!" he yelled, "You've got six shots. I don't come back in twenty minutes, you go out the door back there," he pointed at a small green door, "If that happens to go to Pastor David Lynch at First Presbyterian and you tell him what's happened. Repeat what I just said."

"In twenty minutes, if you don't come back, go to Pastor Lynch as Presby and tell him what happened."

"Good girl." He headed out the main door to the cellar and closed it.

Sylvia waited for a period, which seemed an age she observed her shadow go from the center of the floor to the left side. But she dared not move. Sylvia had to wait twenty minutes, and it had only been fifteen. All the while outside, she could hear something that sounded more and more like firecrackers. Sylvia desperately wanted to join the fun. She checked her Minnie-mouse watch, three minutes left. Then the last firework went off. Admittedly she was a bit sad that she had missed the fun that was happening outside. Suddenly she heard hurried running above her. Maybe it was Richie coming to let her out.

"Are you sure she's here?" A voice said from outside.

"Yes. She's got to be. The entrance to the cellar is somewhere." It was the voice she recognized as Aunt Anthea's.

"If it's here, we'll find it. Jacobson, Brant, Galloway, down here!" the man yelled.

Sylvia immediately called out, "Aunt Anthea! I'm here!"

She heard Anthea's voice on the other side of the door, "Sylvia, sweetie, how did you get in there?"

"Cousin Richie put me in here when the fireworks started! Please let me out, I'm scared!"

"Sweetheart, where's the handle to the cellar?"

"Cousin Richie pulled a handle behind a brick. It's in the wall."