The Oddities of Grand Marquis - Book 3: Elegant Armageddon 🪼✔️

Twenty-Fifth

MAX

"What?"

"I need your help. It's about Mars."

"Why, what's wrong with him? You are aware that he ditched me as a friend forever, right?"

"That's because Thomas made him do it. I told him that we already went through all of this before, but he didn't care. He didn't want him to be around you."

"So then why did you take me in?"

"For a lot of reasons. One is because I need your help regarding Mars and a certain other matter. Another is because I have seen the way your parents have treated you and it breaks my heart."

"Oh wow, so you've taken pity on me. That's rich..." I said sarcastically.

"I know we haven't exactly been on good terms with each other but as a mother, if what had happened to Mars had happened to you, I wouldn't care if you were real or not, I would have run down to that hospital and held you so tight that you couldn't breathe. I would have kissed you and told you how much I loved you... What your parents are doing to you is wrong."

I looked away and out the window. "You don't know anything."

"Actually, I do. Before Geneva went to see you, she came by here to ask my opinion. I told her what I would have done but it looks like she didn't take my advice. Your parents are in a constant circle of hope and despair. They each flip emotions like a coin toss and it's never at the same time; one will be in doubt and the other will have hope. It doesn't help them together or individually and it damn well doesn't help you. It's a constant turmoil..."

I didn't realize there were tears trailing my face until I sniffled and wiped them away. She was right... for once.

"Until your parents get their asses straight, I decided that I wanted you to come and live with us... until this all happened with Mars... I just want you to know that everything that I am going to tell you has nothing to do with me wanting you to come live with us. It's quite the opposite really and is all an unfortunate coincidence."

"Okay...?"

"I will tell you more when we get home."

I don't know what's going on but I have a bad feeling about this.

**************************

Once we got to the Holts' house, we walked inside to an empty home. I made a face and looked over at Mrs. Holt.

"Where's Mars?"

She didn't answer me and went into the kitchen, turning the light on and grabbing some things. I looked around the house with trepidation, having not been here since right before I got abducted originally. It was odd to be awkward in this house when before it was so normal...

"Come sit here with me."

I followed her to the dining room table and sat in the seat beside the head of the table. She sat there and pulled out a binder.

"You know how my husband is always gone? Always at some sort of class or learning aid?"

"Yeah. He's getting his degree or something, right?"

"Well, that's what we were told... Apparently, we were greatly misled." She opened the binder and it looked like government documents and stuff you'd see in the movies. "Meet Agent Thomas Holt, my husband."

"Wait, your husband was a government agent this whole time?"

"Yup." She said angrily. "Apparently. He works in what he called the "Oddities Department" aka: basically the X Files. He does exactly the same thing that that show does."