Half an hour later, Jerry and Dennis are flying over a densely forested, mountainous countryside enveloped by a layer of thick fog, the sky has turned from a mild orange to gray, and the helicopter is dropping altitude. Jerry still has not answered Dennis' question, he only said, 'I don't know the entire ploy either.'
The helicopter stops in midair above a clearing in the forest, and begins to lower itself towards the landing pad below marked only by a circle of white, obscure paint thirty meters in diameter. It's a miracle the pilot manages to see the landing site midst all the gray and fog of the site. Steadily, it touches ground and the propellers stop.
Jerry and Dennis gets off the helicopter and Jerry walks without looking back, the helicopter takes off again and is soon consumed by the fog. Dennis sees the helicopter off and follows Jerry.
Not far from the landing pad there is a log cabin constructed of dark woods, it stands aged but well maintained in contrast to the wild surroundings, and has gotten a new coat of paint recently. Jerry climbs up to the porch and opens the wooden front door with a horizontal kick to the handle. 'I forgot to ask Raymond for the keys.' He says, and goes in without hesitation.
Dennis has no time to express his opinion on the peculiarity of this situation, he simply follows Jerry into the cabin.
The interior, from Dennis' point of view, is a cool, shaded place. All the furniture are the same color as the walls that made the cabin; there is no dust. Jerry opens the blinds of a window in the small living room, letting in a slight beam of colorless brightness, diluting the cabin's darkness. He does nothing else to better the condition of the cabin.
Jerry sits back on a lawn chair, and says, 'You know, there's a strong possibility that we're related.'
'How so?' Dennis asks, unsure whether he should agree or disagree.
'For instance, we both have dark hair, and Addy too, I think we three ought to be siblings.'
'I'm not surprised.' Dennis says, he takes a seat opposite Jerry.
'How so?' Jerry repeats Dennis' earlier question.
'My mother told me a few times that I have at least one other sibling, but she wasn't very sure of that either.'
'There you go! Another similarity between us two.' Jerry leans in closer, 'Here's the question, have you ever felt a lack of feeling?'
'You mean a lack of feeling towards other people?' Dennis asks.
'Towards even the most intimate of your relations.'
'Yes, I think so.' Dennis is thinking back on the many times he's been sent to the principal's office at a number of schools for lacking friendliness and companionship, apparently it is viewed by the teachers as a form of hostility. He finds that very amusing.
'Then we are definitely related, and since we are, we ought to acquaint each other with the peculiar story of our lives, here's the deal, you will tell me your history, and I will exchange with mine, and shed some light on the Wyatt family. Though that will not directly answer the question 'what's going on?', alright?' Jerry looks to be positioning himself for an interrogation.
'I guess there isn't an option two anyways.' Dennis says to himself.
This is the history of Dennis Raveley (according to him):
Dennis was born on a cold October morning, he has no memories of his childhood other than being alone for prolonged periods of time during his youth. Without the company of any toys, he was taught to read plenty instead. Dennis' mother is named Irene, who married his father, named Harold Raveley, and as far as Dennis can remember, Harold was never there. Growing up, Dennis was cared for by a nanny, often for weeks on end, because he was told that both his mother and father held important positions in a large business corporation, and had no time for him. This explanation was satisfactory for Dennis, who never needed much caring for. When he was seven years old, his mother quit her job rather suddenly and took up another of less ambition, so she could be closer to him. This change lasted for two years, when Irene became ill and passed away. Before she died, Irene told Dennis that his father Harold will one day appear and explain everything to him when he could understand, and that he should wait for the day when a car will pick him up and take him to somewhere far away; that will be the day. Dennis thought it was a fairly good fairytale at the time, so he committed it to memory. Irene also told him that he wasn't the 'only one', so the thought of having a sibling or two was also something to look forward to that day when Harold comes (though he did not know how it was possible). Dennis was left in the care of social services, because reportedly he had no relatives. All this time, Harold did not show up. The next six years of his life were spent in several foster homes, and that was that, until the fairytale came true...sort of.
Jerry does not ask for elaborations during this narration other than to tell Dennis to continue when he stops to expect a question that does not come. Next, he tells his story:
Jerry had always been identified as a member of the Wyatt, a rich 'bedrock' family spanning several generations. He is the fifth of seven siblings in this order; Brian, Isla, Chelsea, Raymond, Jerry, Kenny, and Addy. They are the children of Karen and Gregory Wyatt, who has since divorced the family and is believed to be remarried. Karen Wyatt went missing when Jerry was eight years of age, and a competitor of the Wyatt family, the McMurphy family was believed to have taken part in the disappearance. Jerry rarely sees his eldest brother and sister (the twins), who are always abroad and busy managing the family's fortunes. Early on in his life, Jerry understood that because his family are powerful people, they have many enemies and are frequent targets of assassination attempts, such as the one by which Addy became paralyzed. Jerry does not go into detail about the precise trade of his family, though he does say it is not entirely legal in international law, nor is it moral by standards of humanity. Jerry grew up as part of the younger five of the seven Wyatt siblings, learning self-defense and methods of fighting along with Chelsea and Raymond as training for events of assassinations, and discovered their shared musicality thanks to Raymond. Soon, the Nuts Strings Quintet was formed. The assassination attempt today, Jerry explains, is the first that's happened while the siblings are in disguise, which is a sign that certain secrets are being leaked, and certain enemies are on the offense.
'You did answer the 'what's going on?' question,' Dennis points out, 'Addy told me as I arrived at your mansion that my father works for your family. Your family must run a huge corporation, if assassins are worth it.' Jerry nods.
'Further questions?' Jerry raises an eyebrow.
'Did my father Harold send for me to be picked up?'
'No actually, Addy did.'
No comments:
Post a Comment