The House of Izhar

Chapter 16 - Set Sail

A long series of events began to unfold and I don't think I was mentally present for most of it. The day was long, I was tired. One thing that was undeniably evident was that West repeatedly calls Alex Connally a 'scumbag' and the normally kind-spoken Avery then calls him a 'coward'.

It was as if the moment when West had said the word, 'deal' that Alex understood it entirely. He began to call up St. John's, arranging transport to fetch Brooke and Jordan.

Judy, however, was kept in the dark. She frequently made efforts to try and comprehend their situation but was often brushed off with, "All explained in due time."

Something must have happened that made the Izhar's relationship with the Connally's really rocky. Huh, then it wasn't just Rock and I who faced difficulties with these brats. That is somehow the most comforting thing I've heard in a long while. I foggily remembered asking the triplets if they had any detail on what the 'deal' was. Birdie told me that it must've happened when they were very young because they also didn't have a clue.

The 'deal' must have been something significant. I hate being kept in the dark. I'll figure this 'deal' out... after I get my much-needed sleep.

Luckily for us, the Connally's were kind enough to lend us one of their dozen guest rooms. The Connally's fear us. I could feel it in the air. Refreshing. Not sure I'll enjoy it in the long run... to be feared... but if it's from the Connally's, the very people who had caused Rock and I our hardships, I think I'll accept this as compensation.

Days had passed, absolute silence. There were very few exchanges between the Izhar's and Connally's. We just co-existed together and talked when need. No one left the house. No one dared to.

We used this time to recoup and recharge. Some of us needed a fresh new bandage. Some cuts here and there from Alicia and the Burnt brothers. Nothing too serious.

The instructions given by West were, the moment Brooke and Jordan arrived, they would gather all their baggage, hop onto their yacht, ( yes, they have a yacht) and sail away.

'Ding dong!' rang the bell. Alex peered through the narrow slits of the door. When he saw his children, he opened them swiftly, dragging the two inside. He thanked one of the goons father who had been in the area and was able to safely escort the Brooke and Connally back home. He paid the man a handsome sum of money before shutting the door.

"Alright kids," he said. "Gather all your belongings, we're going to go on a very much needed family vacation!" The last part was a lie. We were indeed going to run away... but they didn't need to know that.

"Why so sudden?" Brooke asked. "Prom is in a few days. We're going to miss the highlight of the year."

Judy piped in, "Just do as your father asks. We're leaving in half an hour."

The Connally siblings began to whine but stopped abruptly when... you guessed it; they saw us emerging from the kitchen with the very little belongings we had.

"Darkie!" Brooke snared the moment his eyes locked onto us. He bared his teeth and his eyes narrowed into slits. Jordan just stood there wide-eyed. Stunned. My relationship with Jordan wasn't as patchy as mine with her brother but ours's weren't exactly smooth either. We still disliked each other.

"Come on," Alex said cheerily, "Our guests are ready to leave with us. It'll be rude to keep them waiting."

"They're coming with us??!" Brooke yelled. "Na-ah, no way!"

"Brooke!" their mother warned. "Be nice!"

"To them?! No way in the entire world! I am not going to skip my prom to be on vacation with these slaves! Not to mention these murderer's" he spat. "You people killed my friend! If you think we'll submit to your demands..." He looked towards his father then at West and then towards his mother. When neither budged, he trudged himself up to his room to gather his things.

Jordan looked me up and down once before trotting after her brother.

We boarded their yacht an hour later. Our journey to the unknown had begun. Brooke and Jordan, still sour (mostly Brooke) sat in one corner with his 'portable radio' or what I like to call the talking box, messing around with the dials and frequencies.

In the captain's deck, Sorian, the eldest Izhar girl and boy are busy having some sort of conversation with Alex Connally. Judy Connally, visibly uncomfortable joined her children. Mat and Birdie were busy sparing Harry. Whereas Rock and I were busy figuring out the best possible movement to propel the metal card to the desired target.

Alex Connally had paid the captain a huge sum of money to sail the boat to an unknown destination. I guess... not exactly unknown, West and Avery probably have a plan. Or...in the process of coming up with one. The brave captain is Captain Jackal. A man in his mid-40s with no family nor plan for the future. Interestingly enough, he didn't sign up for this venture for the money but to give his life some purpose. A direction perhaps. The money was only an added bonus.

We sailed for hours and hours. Night had fallen. We ate... as far away from the other family as humanly possible. The Izhar's took the outside deck while the Connally's dine indoors. As per instruction, West and Avery had made sure that Judy pack enough food to last them for weeks (if rationed well).

"When are you three going to tell me why The Order is after the Connally's and why are we trying to protect them?" I asked West, Avery and Sorian.

"Yea! What in the world is going on?" Harry asked with his squirrel stuffed mouth while his twin nodded along.

"It's complicated," Avery answered, not batting an eye at either of us. West just stood there silently eating.

Birdie could no longer keep her curiosity in and bursted, "Oh, come on. Everything is complicated. We're a team! We all ought to know."

Everyone looked up to her in shock. The Mini Av rarely ever defies what Avery says. Birdie stood up flustered in protest. "You three always keep everything to yourselves. How are we supposed to help you all if none of us can understand the full scope of our situation? Are we just going to be kept in the dark? Follow your orders blindly? We aren't some machines or animals. We have minds!"

Nobody spoke. Nobody knew what to say. For she had stated a very crucial fact. She was right. We are a team. Then West decided to break the silence, "Enough! None of you will ever understand the entire scope of this! It'll be better for all of you if you don't know! That way you'll all be safe!"

Birdie's face reddened even more as she sank back down in her seat. Becoming submissive to the elders again. The twins slung their arms over their sister's shoulders protectively. "What do you mean by safe, West?!" one of the twin said.

"Yea! We're the Izhar's. We live in constant danger. Danger makes us who we are. Never once were we safe!" the other supported.

"They're right, West. They ought to know. At least some part of it," Sorian spoke up.

West took in a long breath before he breathed, "Ok, but I can only tell you why the Connally's are targets and nothing more. What I tell you must not leave this place. Am I understood?"

When we all nodded in agreement, he began...