"Are you sure of this?" a voice echoes from behind a desk in what seemed to be a home office.
Standing at the bookshelf behind the desk, was an elegant looking young man in his late 30s. Wearing a dark-green velvet coat, neatly pressed trousers and leather gloves. He had well-triymmed brown hair, the kind that makes you wonder how he gets it so perfect. His well-trimmed beard complemented his features and emphasized his manly, muscular look. Standing in the corner of that same room, another young man wearing all black and a hood.
His face was almost completely covered but his eyes could be seen and below his left eye, tattooed below his left eye was the number 19.
"Yes master Reynold" his voice could be heard from across the room.
"Shades 18 and 7 saw him highlight from the train. They tried following him but it seems they weren't unnoticed"
"why is he back… after all these years?"
"Chase, can you please not tell mother about this?" He said, looking over to the hooded man in the corner of the room.
"I would, Master Reynold but the other shades report directly to the Mistress.
Rey slams the table angrily as he pushes down the objects on top of it picks up his car keys from the table and walks out. Chase follows along.
**** **** ****
"No!" Ben groaned dramatically, staring at the refrigerator.
"What?"
"The fridge's empty" says Ben as he closes the fridge looking sadder than a lost puppy.
"Awwn too bad" Ares said, looking over his shoulder from the couch in the living room, waving a can of bear provocatively.
Ben gives him a jealous glare as he walks back to the kitchen.
"How can you just have one beer?" Ben murmurs.
"Well, because I'm just one person!" Ares replies sarcastically, placing his legs on the table in front of him.
For a moment the room was filled with the aroma of fried fish and spices until Ares caught a whiff of something burning.
"Ben! What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?"
"Umm making dinner?" Ben replied, stirring a pot
"Doesn't smell like it" Ares replied
"Wait till you taste it. This is what normal people call a real dish but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Ben says walking to the living room with two plates in his hand.
Ares takes his legs off the table and looks down at the meal before him.
"Okay… what have we got here? Sticky rice with whatever this is. Grass? I hope it's not grass though. Half-cooked and half-burnt fish. Wow, you truly are legendary, it takes skills out of this world to attain this level of shit cooki-"
"Hey, slow down champ!" Ares says, noticing how Ben inhaled his plate without an atom of composure.
"Don't they feed you enough on the farm?" Ares says as he laughs.
"Ha ha, very funny" Ben says wryly, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Ares laughs. "I've been thinking, do you think it's possible your family already knows you're here?"
"They definitely know I'm here"
"And you're sure because…?"
"Well, I spotted some shades following me on my way here. I managed to get them off my trail but it's a matter of time before they find me."
"You know, I've always wondered why you guys are called shades. I mean aside from the fact that y'all are shadow beings 'n all… But, something like 'the hoodz' or 'the black caps' is much better right? Considering you all wear hoodies"
"Is this really what's on your mind right now?"
"Just saying, it's left me puzzled" Ben said as he continued to devour his plate.
"And I'm not a shade anymore so stop calling me that."
"I mean… you still are, even though you don't work for my family but it's literally like your whole existence."
Ares glares at Ben.
"Can we go back to the actual discussion now?"
"Okay, okay" says Ben as he sits upright and leans his back against the chair.
"I already know how this is going to play out. The shades are going to tell your brothers that they saw you, that's right after they tell your crazy step mum or should I say 'Mistress Annalise' that her favourite step son is back"
"I'm not her favourite"
"I disagree; she does seem to like you a lot"
"Yeah, that's why she has tried to kill me a lot"
"People manifest emotions differently"
"Uh huh…."
Ares smiles weirdly as he looks down to the ground while rocking his chair back and forth. There is silence for a while.
"We need to act fast with whatever we intend to do I just don't know where to start"
"What do you mean by you don't know where to start, you mean you currently don't have a plan?"
"Yeah, I never did actually"
"Oh my God! You mean you just took a leap of faith, hopped on a train and arrived here with no plan in mind?"
"Well… it's not. I have a plan, okay? It's just not fully formed"
"Let me guess, it involves sneaking past the guards and breaking into the house to confirm if the missing girl is locked up in the basement or something?"
"Also, this question isn't rhetorical; you are free to confirm or deny it" Ares continues as he looks at Ben with his eyebrow raised.
"That's part of the plan but not all of it. The rest is gonna come to me eventually"
"Wow… you think they're just going to sit around and let us come up with a plan?" Ares says as he stands up from the chair and takes both his and Ben's dishes to the kitchen.
Ben leans back in his chair with his hand over his face seemingly overwhelmed by the situation.
Ares notices.
Sigh*
"You know, you don't need to figure it all out right now. Maybe get some rest and we can discuss it tomorrow"
"Yeah... you're right." Ben says, getting out of his chair and walking to the bedroom.
"Ahem" Ares deliberately coughs, pointing to the dishes with his eyes but Ben ignores him.
Ares steps back into the shadow behind him and exits through another in front of Ben, blocking his path.
"And who exactly are you leaving the dishes for?" Ares asks.
"I need rest! you said it yourself" Ben says claiming innocence.
"Urgh Fine! just don't ever do whatever that was again".
"Thank you" Ben said, nodding with a cheeky smile on his face.