Ventures Chapter 26

Instructions

Chapter 26 I Meet My Crush’s “Legal Guardian” ----- “Hello-?” A boy, around 19 years old, answers the door. Jacob clears his throat, and the brown-haired boy opens the door wider. He seems a bit disheveled. “Oh, hey.” “Hey. Can we come in?” I am so confused right now. The older male glances around slightly and then nods, letting us in. Jacob leads me and my half-brother in, then closes the door behind us. Jacob then grabs the boy’s black hoodie sleeve, mutters something to him, and drags him into a room. /What the actual Hades is going on here?/ Aternus and I glance around the small apartment when Jacob and… ‘the male’ talk. I glance around, taking in the surroundings of the small apartment. There’s lots of potted plants. Plants everywhere. On the tv, table, windowsill… It’s a bit disturbing, but also nice. They make the room seem a bit… Cozier, I guess. A few more moments slowly go by, and I wonder what is taking Jacob so long. Then, he walks out, looking greatly satisfied with himself. “What took you so long?” “You’ll see. I’ve just got our ticket back to Havi,” he says, smugly, and I stare at him. “Okay… What is it?” “I already said, you’ll see.” I follow him into a small kitchen, and he opens the refrigerator, and digs until he finds an apple. As he walks over to the sink like he owns the place, I say, “Maybe we shouldn’t eat this random guy’s food, Jacob.” Jacob finishes, and takes a bite out of it, saying, “He’s not a random guy.” I roll my eyes. “Okay, then who is he?” “My step-brother. I live here, okay?” I just blink at him. “You’re confused.” “I- What?” “You’re confused. That’s what your face looks like.” I gape at him. “What does that supposed to mean?” Jacob shrugs, leaning against the counter, after moving a plant aside. “Nothing. Just that you’re not very good at hiding your confusion.” I groan and start to walk away, until Jacob grabs me by my arm. I freeze, and my face heats up slightly. “I want to show you something, Abby.” I blink at him and he leads me out of the kitchen and down a hall, and into a room at the end of it, on the left. Jacob, still holding my arm, kicks open the door, and I cringe. When he finally lets go, we're very simple, except for the small desk with a full set of computers, and… Cameras? “Welcome, to my abode,” he says, spinning slightly, until he lands on his bed, which has about five t-shirts on it, by the way. “This is where I do my best plotting.” I stare at the boy who just dragged me across half a state and an apartment like it was a normal thing to do on a Thursday. “I- Wait, plotting?” Jacob nods solemnly. “Yes, Abby. Plotting. My favorite past-time.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think you could plot, thought you were just a little too…” I make a hand motion at my head. Jacob makes an insulted expression. “Well, at least I’m cute?” I roll my eyes. “Sure, bud.” /More than cute!/ "Hey! Are you guys going to stand in that room flirting all day, or are we going to fix this?" The older voice breaks the tension. Jacob's step-brother is leaning against the doorframe, holding a heavily watered fern in one hand and looking completely exhausted by us. Jacob winks at me, tossing his half-eaten apple into a small trash can by his desk. I feel my eye twitch slightly. "Relax, big bro. We're getting to work." He turns back to me, his smug grin returning. "Sit tight, Abby. I'll show you exactly how a son of Hephaestus pulls off a heist."