4 CHAPTER 3

Wally111: Are you there?

Saiyan02: Yes. And just so you know that is a really stupid codename.

Wally111: So? It's all I could think of. And it's way better than yours Ms- Saiyan02.

Saiyan02: You know what- ugh I'm not even going to entertain you on this anymore. Let's get back to the 'thing.'

Wally111: I told you that the codename for that 'thing' as you so nicely put it is called, Vendetta.

Saiyan02: Why would you pick that as a name?

Wally111: "Remember, remember, the 5th of November, the gunfire...." Need I say more?

Saiyan02: Remind me why I'm working with you again.

Wally111: I'm going to ignore that. Did you succeed with your part of the mission?

Saiyan02: You know me, of course I did.

Wally111: How long ago did you escape?

Saiyan02: "About a week ago..."

Wally111: Did you just quote a song? You know what, don't answer that. Anyway Hulk came out a month ago so if you played your part right she'll be thrown off track.

Saiyan02: Her codename is Hulk?

Wally111: Yes, now stay focused. Won't people be looking for you if you escaped from there? They don't exactly let their 'clients' go that easily. Speaking of which, why'd you go there in the first place?

Saiyan02: To answer your first question: No, they won't be looking for me because I always have a backup plan. BTW you're not the only one who has contacts you know. And to your second question: If I was their 'client' then people would think I was done for. Literally.

Wally111: Good, we can't afford to have anyone tailing us or becoming suspicious. Do you have your fake passport yet?

Saiyan02: Yes, where are we going?

Wally111: Somewhere no-one will find us.

***

Piercing green eyes stared intently at a white ceiling, ink black hair messily splayed on the pillow with a mind lost in thought. A tennis ball in his right hand, Zac leisurely threw it into his left hand. To and fro, left and right. The ball was sort of lulling and calming as Zac was passing it from one hand into the other. He was deep in thought, wondering...Crash!

Zac bolted up, only to realise that he accidently threw the ball against his lamp that was situated on his desk; near the window. Sighing, Zac sat up and went to retrieve the ball. As he bent down to pick the ball up he noticed a white envelope with his name printed on it. Confusion was etched on his face as he picked the note up from the floor, went back to his bed, sat down and tore the envelope open. The envelope contained a lengthy letter that said:

Dearest Zac,

You may not know who I am, but I certainly know who you are. I am an 'acquaintance' of your mother and an active villain in the eyes of your aunt. I met your mother a few years back but she - apparently - cannot remember anything, even me. Now I don't know about you, but I believe that that is utter crap. She remembers her dark past, but I think that she prefers to keep it in what it is: the past. Your mom isn't as oblivious as she seems. Haven't you ever wondered where she goes to all the time? Surely she can't have modelling sessions ALL the time. So as her 'acquaintance' I will help her out. I will help you find out just who your mother is and just who I am. But I put it in the form of popular, old poems.

Figure it out, don't figure it out, it's up to you. I'd suggest you read on since, you know, it's way past the time that your mother was supposed to meet you. Each clue has a hidden story, either about me or Diaan, either about what will happen or what did happen. Let's test your determination to uncover the truth about your mother.

*Clue 1:

When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free." But I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, "The heart out of the bosom Was never given in vain: 'Tis paid with sighs a plenty and sold for endless rue." And I am two-and-twenty, And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

*Clue 2

"Everything is plundered, betrayed, sold, Death's great black wing scrapes the air, Misery gnaws the bone. Why then do we not despair?

By day, from the surrounding woods, cherries blew summer into town; at night the deep transparent skies glitter with new galaxies.

And miraculous comes so close To the ruined, dirty houses- Something not known to anyone at all, but wild in our breast for centuries."

*Clue 3

"The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimeters and the diameter of its effective range is about seven meters with four dead and eleven wounded. And around these, in a large circle of pain and time, two hospitals are scattered and one graveyard. But the young woman who was buried in the city she came from, at a distance of more than a hundred kilometers, Enlarges the circle considerably, And the solitary man mourning her death at the distant shores of a country far across the sea-"

Hickory dickory dock. The snake went up the clock. The clock struck two. The snake went down. Hickory...Dickory...Dock!

So Zac, you might want to decipher these cryptic messages quickly. Remember: Not everything is as it seems. And lastly, an inspirational quote to get you motivated: Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

See you soon.

The 'Hulk'

**

By the time Zac was finished reading, he was even more confused. The only thing he got from the message was that not everything is as it seems and that his mother wasn't telling him something.

Zac's eyes were narrowed and there was sweat on his brow, but for the past 2 hours he drew a blank. "That's it! I'm going to aunt Kailey and digging information out of her." Zac said to himself, tucking the letter underneath his mattress and seeking out his aunt.

© Crimson B

Poems in this chapter:

1. When I was One-and-Twenty - A. E. Housman

2. Everything is Plundered, Betrayed, Sold – Anna Akhmatova

3. The Diameter of the Bomb – Yehuda Amichai

The rhyme used in this chapter is Hickory Dickory Dock by Super Simple Learning.