Smoke And Steel

• Thirty Three - Pandora's Box •

Ebony

"I just need to run in here and then we can go to where I'm taking you."

"This is a supermarket. Why do you need to go to a supermarket?"

"Because reasons," he said, giving me a sly smile and hopping out with his walking stick in tow. "Just wait here."

While he went in I text my dad to tell him I probably won't be home until later because I was out with Avery. He told me to have fun, which I guessed I would be having. These days he had stopped hiding in his office more and the other night he actually cooked dinner with even asking. Yeah, it was only tuna pasta but I'd been cooking ever since mom left, so it was better than nothing.

When Ave returned he was holding a full, brown paper bag under his arm which he deposited onto the back seat before sliding into the seat next to me.

"I'm not even going to ask what's in there, so where to now?"

He fidgeted with his hands. "Now we're going to... My house."

I was shocked but obliged. "I think I remember the way."

"Just head for the big ugly house on the hill." He joked. "No way you can miss it."

We made it there without a problem but it was the getting onto the property that was the biggest mission. The only time I'd been here the gates had been open, but now the big ornate metal gates were closed and locked.

"Do you know the code?"

"Yeah."

"Hey," I said, grabbing his hand. "What's wrong?" He looked so tense.

"It's just hard to remind myself that he's not here. I'm hardly ever here and when I am, well, you know that bad things happen."

"It's empty, Ave. Nothing but ghosts and memories."

"Thanks. I'll go do the code."

Ave went and typed something into the keypad, making the large gates groan as they slid back of their own accord.

"All done," he said, joining me again.

It took a couple minutes to drive down the large driveway and up to the house because of the sheer size of the property, and it seemed like a totally different place when you could actually see the way and weren't totally over run with nerves like the last time I was here.

The house loomed over us as if it were asking us why we were here, what right we had to even think about entering. If anything it reminded me of the matrons at Silver Cross - strict and scary.

"Come on, Princess, let's go in." Ave said, standing outside my car door with his walking stick and bag of groceries. I could see a tomato poking out of the top of the bag and wondered what on Earth he had planned. Tomato fight?

"Do you have a key?" I asked as we stood outside the front door.

"Shit. I knew I'd forgotten something."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm not, honey. My key chain's in my left pants pocket, can you get it out?" He motioned to his full hands and I obliged, reaching into his pocket and grasping the key ring with my finger. Due to the fact that he liked to wear tight pants, I could only get my index finger in there.

"Here you go, honey." I said sarcastically, presenting him with the simple key ring that held three normal sized keys and a miniature one too. I wondered what the last one was for.

"I was just trialling out a new endearing term, you know, something a little different from Princess."

I scrunched my nose up, "well honey is not the one."