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[sub][color=crimson]LOCATION[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Grant Household [Home][/color]
[color=crimson]TIME[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Late Afternoon[/color]
[color=crimson]INTERACTING WITH[/color] ⤑ Alone
[color=crimson]FEELING[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Zzz...[/color]
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Waving to Terrance as he drove off, Helene let out a small sigh of disappointment. Shoot, he really knew how to charm a girl, she didn't even get a chance to ask what was going on. He was very careful, remembering to hide his phone as he read the incoming message. Oh well, it wasn't any of her business, and at least he was kind enough to leave her at her place. Or at least, her home away from home. She wasn't going to subject him to a good hour and a half of driving, though she had everything she needed right here. Approaching the small house, she dug around her purse to find the key. It was a good minute before she found it, and as she entered, she realized how warm it was inside. Going over to the wall, she turned on the central air conditioning, breathing out relief as the cool air hit her. A small green light blinked at her from the security panel, and she entered a code into it, leaving the light solid. Evan must have been looking for her. Right on cue, her phone rang, showing the name Evan Astre, and she picked it up. "[color=lightsalmon]Bonjour, mon frère préféré~[/color]" She sang into the phone, throwing her purse onto the couch as she walked through the living room. "[color=lightsalmon]How are you?[/color]"

"[color=darkorange]Hello, Helene. Where were you last night?[/color]" He asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "[color=darkorange]Your sister was looking for you.[/color]"

Ah, so it was her older sister, was it? "[color=lightsalmon]If [i]Ariadne[/i] is looking for me, she has my cell phone number. She could, you know, call like normal people do and not have to play telephone through other people.[/color]"

"[color=darkorange]I'm pretty sure she's driving right now. She's on her way to you,[/color]" He said, surprising Helene. "[color=darkorange]She thinks Bastien's found you, so she's going to conduct a sweep of the city and wants you to come back home.[/color]"

Great, an unexpected visit from her annoying sister. Just what she needed. "[color=lightsalmon]I came here to [i]avoid[/i] attention, not to bring it to myself. If I up and leave for no reason, people are going to question it,[/color]" She stated as she walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. "[color=lightsalmon]Has she verified that he's in town? Or did she see something scary on television and decide to drop in?[/color]"

"[color=darkorange]I said the same thing, but you know how she gets...[/color]" He sighed. "[color=darkorange]Where's your bodyguard?[/color]"

Crap, he meant Gigi, didn't he? "[color=lightsalmon]She's...looking for my car. I let one of my friends borrow it,[/color]" She admitted rather sheepishly.

"[color=darkorange]And then you wonder why we check up on you so often,[/color]" Evan didn't seem the least bit surprised. "[color=darkorange]Come on, Helene...[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]I was trying to be responsible and making sure my friends had a way home![/color]"

"[color=darkorange]Or maybe you got super drunk and decided to sleep at a guy's house instead.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Same difference.[/color]"

"[color=darkorange]I'll call Ariadne off if--hmm, hold on, I'm getting a message from Giselle,[/color]" He said, putting her on hold. As he did, her own phone buzzed. That can't have been a good sign. "[color=darkorange]She's on your way to you, she found your friend and car and apparently ran into some trouble.[/color]"

Oh no. "[color=lightsalmon]Is Alyssa okay?[/color]" She asked nervously.

"[color=darkorange]I don't see any police reports or ambulances matching the time of the incident, so I'm pretty sure her people got it covered. T-minus twelve minutes...Ariadne's not going to turn around. Maybe I should check in, too...[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Evan! No! God--okay, listen to me, if Ariadne shows up with her guys [i]and[/i] you come with yours, you're going to get unwanted attention![/color]"

"[color=darkorange]If I'm being honest...I'm already on my way. I'll try to make sure she keeps a low profile, I'm coming on my own. If anything I'm sure he's just sending guys around the area, but better safe than sorry. See you soon.[/color]"

Before she could protest, the call had ended. Awesome. She sure loved having her extremely overprotective siblings over, just as much as she loved getting root canals. How the fuck was she going to explain what was going on to Alyssa? Wait, the text! Going through her phone, Gigi's message mimicked the information that Evan gave her, with an added: [i][color=orangered]Jacob and Alyssa spoke. We need to find out how much they know.[/color][/i] Letting out a groan, Helene threw her phone on the bed in frustration. How did everything start going wrong over the course of a day? Peeling off her dress, she took a shower, the water refreshing her. She could still feel the places were Terrance's hands were, and she lamented that they had to part. Stupid texts. Stupid Alyssa for stealing her car. Stupid Ariadne. Stupid Evan! Stupid Helene for slipping up! And she had been warned so many times! No, she needed to keep calm. Things weren't completely out of control yet, but the fact that Jacob and Alyssa spoke again worried her. What if Alyssa started suspecting her as well? She figured making friends with Robert Brady's daughter would've helped her fly under the radar, but now...

[hr]

The ride had been relatively silent, with Gigi driving and Alyssa in the passenger seat. Not that she minded, Gigi preferred silence, and she didn't think an interrogation in a moving vehicle would go well. Once in a while she glanced Alyssa's way, though she wasn't sure why. She hadn't moved at all, looking entirely defeated. She didn't want to make assumptions but she was willing to bet money that Jacob had inadvertantly spilled the Patrone family's secrets--and of all the people to tell, he had put his faith in one of the worst people. Robert Brady was a little too well known in the underground, having uncovered and exposed too many people to count. But he was untouchable--countless families have tried to silence or outright eliminate him, only to fail. His daughter wasn't public knowledge, he had somehow kept her under wraps. But even those that knew couldn't get their hands on her either. She wasn't entirely sure how he did it, though she figured it was likely because he used the age old 'hidden in plain sight' tactic. Simple, but effective. Last she heard, though, his relationship with his family was pretty distant. And how else would it be, with him being in such a position?

She wondered what Helene would want to do next. And a pit in her stomach formed as she thought of the 'best' solution: getting rid of the problem. But Helene was the soft, pampered princess whose popularity got her way too much attention, and she got attached to both Alyssa and Evangeline despite Gigi's warnings. Unfortunately, Gigi was in the same boat. She liked them both, and would likely struggle if she was told she had to get rid of them. No, the worst part was that her heartless nature would let her carry out the heavy deed, but it'd haunt her for life. As the car came to a stop, she watched a man riding her motorcylce pull up next to them, an extra helmet in hand. Putting the car in park, she had to prod Alyssa to follow her. Gigi and the man switched keys without exchanging a word; he was going to get rid of the now noticed car. Climbing onto the bike, she gestured for Alyssa to get on as well. She did as instructed silently, and they were off again. Alyssa leaned on Gigi's back, her arms around her waist, and for just a second, Gigi felt terrible.

As they neared Helene's house, Gigi fumbled in her pocket for the garage clicker, and she rode straight into it once the door was open. "[color=orangered]We're here,[/color]" She told Alyssa, taking off her helmet as the garage door closed behind them.

Alyssa popped off her own helmet, looking slightly flushed. "[color=orange]I don't know how you can do that in this weather,[/color]" She said as she followed Gigi into the house. "[color=orange][i]This[/i] is Helene's place?[/color]" She asked as she looked around.

The furniture's high quality was obvious even to someone who knew nothing of the sort. Decorated with several shades of gray and blue, it looked more like a house that was on sale as opposed to someone actually living there. The place was completely spotless, the carpeting super soft to the touch with an impressingly expensive television in the living room. There was no dining room, though she assumed that Helene ate in the kitchen. She could hear the sound of water turning off, and sure enough Helene herself stepped into the hallway, not looking too surprised at her visitors. From what Alyssa could see of the bathroom, it was massive. Helene gestured towards the couches, and Gigi motioned for Alyssa to sit, though she remained standing.

"[color=orangered]Did you get my message?[/color]" Gigi asked as Helene walked into the bedroom.

"[color=lightsalmon]Yeah. My siblings are on their way,[/color]" She sighed as she got dressed. "[color=lightsalmon]Let me guess, you took care of them?[/color]"

"[color=orangered]Two out of three. I prioritized Alyssa's safety.[/color]"

For Alyssa, this was completely jarring. The two were speaking casually enough, but not as friends, more like an employee speaking to her boss. Helene came out and took a seat one one of the armchairs, draping herself on it. Her red hair clashed with the blue color of it, but she didn't seem to care. "[color=lightsalmon]Are you okay?[/color]" She asked Alyssa.

"[color=orange]Yeah.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]What did you talk to Jacob about?[/color]"

"[color=orange]I can't tell you.[/color]"

Helene and Gigi looked at one another for a moment, a silent exchange of thoughts between the pair. But Gigi knew Helene well, and she simply crossed her arms and looked out the window, making sure no one was around. Helene sat up, letting out a sigh. "[color=lightsalmon]Aly, this is going to sound bad, but...whatever it is that Jacob told you, he's unintentionally opened up the road for something serious. It's good that you don't want to tell anyone, but--[/color]"

"[color=orangered]We need to know what caused Jacob to leave the car,[/color]" Gigi cut her off, impatient.

Helene threw a glare at her. "[color=lightsalmon]I was getting to that![/color]"

"[color=orangered]We need to know what we're dealing with here. If they send someone after her, we need to take preventative measures, establish security.[/color]"

What? For some reason that seemed to snap Alyssa out of her funk. "[color=orange]What are you talking about? Jacob would never do that![/color]" She found herself yelling. "[color=orange]He made a mistake, but he wouldn't...he'd never...I was just honest with him about what my dad did, and that's all I'm saying about that. I'm not going to betray him to anyone, not even to you guys.[/color]"

Helene got off her seat, kneeling down in front of Alyssa. "[color=lightsalmon]We don't know that,[/color]" She told her. "[color=lightsalmon]I really want to believe that, too, but we can't ignore the other possibilities as a result of his actions.[/color]"

"[color=orange]And I'm telling you what I [i]do[/i] know,[/color]" Alyssa stood up, with Helene following suit. "[color=orange]But now I want to know how the hell [i]you guys[/i] know so much about all this.[/color]"

The redhead hesitated. "[color=lightsalmon]It's...complicated...but I promise it's not what you think,[/color]" She said slowly.

"[color=orange]I need the truth, Helene. If he was able to give it to me, then so can you![/color]" Alyssa pointed out.

Gigi shook her head, glancing at Helene, who seemed unsure. "[color=orangered]Considering your father, that's a [i]very[/i] dangerous route to take,[/color]" She stated, crossing her arms.

Helene seemed to disagree. "[color=lightsalmon]It's not that, it's just...keeping you in the dark is for your own safety. I need you to understand that,[/color]" She tried to reason with her. "[color=lightsalmon]You're innocent, you have nothing to do with any of this. Those guys that got you int he parking lot weren't going for you, they were looking for me. They probably wouldn't have done anything to you, but...[/color]"

"[color=orange]They pulled me out of your car and slammed me against it, if Gigi hadn't--I just--[/color]" Taking in a breath to calm herself down, she stared at Helene for a moment. "[color=orange]It's like I don't know any of you at all. What am I supposed to believe?[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you,[/color]" Helene said, already hearing Gigi groaning. "[color=lightsalmon]The reason those guys attacked you was because they want their hands on me--I think the common term used is 'mafia princess' in English. My father's family runs Le Milieu--sorry, the underground back in my home country. After it started to get a little bloody, I was sent here specifically for my own safety and assigned Gigi as my bodyguard while I attended school and the like.[/color]" She dropped the bomb rather casually, watching Alyssa's surprise. "[color=lightsalmon]So you see, Jacob and I have a few things in common. And if his family is anything like mine, they'll want to make sure their secrets stay hidden.[/color]"

The brunette looked like she was going to faint, looking at Gigi for confirmation. The dark haired girl sighed. "[color=orangered]I'm more of a hired mercenary, but...bodyguard sounds better, I guess,[/color]" She shrugged.

Holy shit. "[color=orange]Does...does Eva know?[/color]" She asked nervously.

Helene's eyes widened. "[color=lightsalmon]Are you crazy? [i]No one[/i] knows! And I'm not about to tell our friend with health issues, the shock alone might actually kill her![/color]" She waved away Alyssa's question. "[color=lightsalmon]You and Eva--I didn't mean for it to get this far, I swear. I need you to believe me.[/color]"

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