The Adventures Of Ivory Arrow & Jackson Bale

Chapter IV

"Speaking of, we've got a pretty interesting case, a stolen artifact in... France?" I looked at Jackson who looked at me with another mischievous smile.
"Paris? Okay. Here we come." We hopped in the Jeep and rode to the airport where we met a trusted friend, Jose. He was our travel agent and aid in getting us everything we needed if we were out of the country. He was here to help us get to Paris to meet with an apparently huge business executive.
We always had to travel on a private plane, because we normally take our weapons with us. But this particular case doesn't require them, so Jose has booked us two tickets, first class, to the city of love and lights. "What could happen to us if we do or say something wrong in this meeting? People talking say this business man used to work in the underground network." Jackson was telling me, when the stewardesses came over to flirt with him.
"Would you like some peanuts sir?" Her annoying helium voice was saying. Her body leaned over with a slightly unbuttoned top and her hands fidgeted between her thighs. I rolled my eyes and stared out the window. The next thing I knew, I hear a glass shatter and when I turned around I saw her on the isle floor, crying?
"Sorry Miss, I told you no. And I don't prefer strange, dirty women climbing all over me. It's disgusting." Another Stewardess came over, frantically apologizing and scolding the flirt. What a flight, this is why I prefer private planes. But, Jackson is dressed rather rich, I guess that's the reason for that ladies' outburst. It also surprised me that he had pushed her down but he explained later that he simply removed her hands and she had toppled.
"Remind me again why you decided on wasting money on that suit?" I asked, examining the white soft material. He placed a rose in it's pocket and one in my hair.
"I liked it. Besides we are going to meet a business man dealing with thugs. I think he'd appreciate the chivalrous change of company." I liked his answer, so I didn't tell him to put something else on instead. But even more feminine eyes were on him while in the process of leaving the airport. Jose was waiting outside leaning against his black rich-looking car. "Ready to interrogate and investigate this perp?" Jose chuckled to himself when holding the car door open for me.
"Jose, we are only here seeing if he knows a certain someone. And if he can tell us where to find them. HE didn't do anything, that we know of, yet. This is only an interrogation, not an investigation." Jackson reasoned. The path we took was smaller than the main roads, and only gravel. So it was bumpy and unpleasant. I looked out the window in peaceful silence, until a loud heavy metal song blasted on the radio, just before the car ran off the road and flipped into a creek. Jackson shook me awake, but Jose wasn't in the vehicle. Our exit from the car was far from graceful, tripping over shrapnel and evading broken glass from the windshield. "What happened?!" Jackson examined our vehicle carefully, his hypothesis was scattered.
"Well?" I didn't want to seem impatient, but I thought it would be better if we were to just leave the car and go in search of our driver. Did he intentionally throw us into the creek? Or is he hurt somewhere looking for help? We need to find him, not scrounge about. "How long were we out?"
Jackson stared up at the sun. "Umm~ about an hour and a half. But breaks are busted. And now that I see it, so is the wheel and the pedals. Someone went sabotage crazy on this poor mobile. But I don't think it was Jose who did this." I looked at him with questions spinning in my head. He quickly pointed at the blood stains on the front seats and the dashboard. I couldn't walk toowell, due to a stabbing pain in my thigh. Later figuring out that I had a shard of glass stuck in my leg, how perfect. At first Jackson was freaking out about the glass, he bent down to me and yanked the shard out. He carried me on his back, until we were a decent distance from our car, following the trails of blood left by our friendly associate. I tried for cell service, but we were dead center of the forest the locals call, 'Dead Man's Hole.' Nothing works here. Even flashlights, which was why we had to act with haste before nightfall.
"Let's take a breather, you need to rest." Jackson sat beside me on the trunk of a fallen oak tree. He let out a shaky breath. "What's going to happen to us out here? It's already getting fairly dark here and the trees are starting to look more and more unfriendly, as if they want to start chucking apples at us at any second." I almost chuckled, but stifled it when I caught wind of a pungent, sour odor. My nose scrunched at its foul smell.
"Blood." I hissed, covering my nose. "Why is it so strong though." Jackson helped me up, and we went looking around finding a clearing lit by thousands of tiny lights, like fireflies. But in the middle of this clearing, was Jose. Crucified. I turned away, tossing a bit of my cookies while I was at it.
"Oh My God," Jackson ran up beside Jose's body and grabbed his arm. Jose was hanging limply on two wooden stakes stuck in the ground forming an X shape. "He's alive. You can relax." Jackson advised. I scowled at the darkness of the surrounding nature.
"Not until you show yourselves!" I yelled into the forest. Jackson was alarmed by this and stood up next to me, scanning the dark abyss for the eyes that I saw through the glimmer of the candle light. Many different colors of eyes, but the only pair that came were a sea foam color. The came forwards into the light. It was a girl, but her ears were pointed and she wore a black leather cloak over a short, white, gold trimmed, dress.
"I never believed in fairies like this. Who are you? And what have you done to him?" Jackson's voice was fragile, it would snap if she didn't give the right answer. That she didn't do this to Jose.
"He left you to die. And you still see him as a friend? We do not reward cowards, we evict them of the crimes that we thought befell you. Death." She said that, and the other eyes around us bobbed as they all laughed.
"Well, you did a fine job. Now, what are you, and who are you?" I put my fists on my hips and stood tall to seem a bit more intimidating than our adversaries. They stifled their chuckles and became remarkably still and silent.
"We are the Human Elves. Protectors of this forest and anyone or anything that is inside. So we naturally dealt with this being, after we saw him leave you two. We intervened when he entered our woods." The girl was joined by a blue haired, pointy eared male. He walked over to us, watching us, he came over to me and rested his arm on my shoulder and leaned on me a bit. I got aggravated enough to brush off his limb.
"So we understand now that they are people like us. No supernatural beings in this enchanted forest," Jackson and I huddled away from the strangers. "But they're acting weird, like they're cosplaying." He turned around to face the crowd. "We are happy to have met you all. But we need to get to the city, I believe it's just beyond your forest." Jackson waited for an answer, but was only stared at. A smaller, darker blue haired boy came from some bushes and smiled.
"Very well, but come to our camp for a refuel. We will help you get to the city at first light." The child took my hand happily and led me deeper into the trees. Jackson was following us, and the others followed him, carrying Jose.
"Why did we get mixed up in this? I mean, interrogation isn't even in our job resume. So why were we even sent on this job? We're treasure hunters, not police men." I cried, slowly, tiredly dragging my feet. But it was all worth it, when a large tree came into view. It was huge, resembles the tree from that movie, Avatar. A light shown through a hole, we crawled into it and was met with billions on lights hanging over a grand dinning room. I gasped at it's magnificence. There were two staircases along the walls that led into blackholes. I stared up at the gigantic crystal chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling. "Wow." I said in awe.
"Quite Awe-Inspiring, isn't it Miss. Arrow?" The small navy haired boy asked up to me. I smiled at him. The night went by in a blink, and we ended up heading out of the woods at the crack of dawn. The first thing we thought to do was drop Jose off at the hospital in the area. And then we traveled to the tallest building in the city, it had a large Z on the front of it. The lobby was decorated in tie dye and rainbow designs. And a man came out of nowhere while we admired the room.
"Miss. Arrow and Mr. Bale I presume." The rich looking man walked up to us, judging our attire and stance. "M'Lady has been expecting you." His statement confused us.
"You must be mistaken. We are here to see K." I didn't know his name, but he is a business man so I suppose everyone should know his initial.
"Yes, Ms. Kielor had been known to be more masculine than herself. But she is a female, I assure you. Now let's get to her office, you're already a day late." He turned around and headed for the elevators. I wouldn't hold it against him if he was offended. I surly thought we were going to meet a Mr. K." A few knocks on the dark oak door, and a lady's voice told us to enter. The butler ushered us in and shut the door behind us. The lady was sitting in a tall wine red leather chair, it made her similar colored hair blend in, making her look bald. But she walked over to us and I could clearly see that she wasn't.
"What took you two so long. It's been several hours since I phoned for you and nothing came of you." Her strong French accent made it difficult to understand what she said, but I will record her in an easier to understand fashion. "Well, no matter. I am Mrs. Lucky Kielor, co owner of this fine company. And I wonder why you decided to visit me at all, yet alone take a day from my busy schedule just to blow me off." She turned her back on us and stared out her magnificent window behind her towering desk. The lady stood far above our heads and her curly hair bounced when she walked.
"We came to ask you about a man." I answered, not expecting her to scoff in my direction. Her head turned for her to glare at Jackson and I.
"When are people not. I expected something better of famous treasure hunters such as yourselves. But one to many scandals seemed to have passed by the wrong people. Now I have investigative journalists on my hands, and bounty hunters. Tell me, what price was giving to you if you found which ever man you speak of?"
"Ma'am. We don't have time to hear about your short comings. We are here to ask you about a man that goes by the name, of Nickolas Prince. He was a proud contribution to your company, correct? So you must know what happened to him, he disappeared off the face of the earth." Jackson reasoned. We sat in two tiny leather couches that seemed like doll furniture compared to her.
"Hmm~ yes, I knew him well. We were... as you Americans say, childhood sweethearts. I still loved him. But he ran off with some pute! And I haven't seen him since. But, if you're looking to lock him up for some reason, I know of a man who may know where to find him."
I stared at the slip of paper while we walked the late streets of Paris. Jackson was fidgeting with a stress ball that the company gave out for free. "Who is this gal really? I mean, she loved him, but wants him locked up? That's just wrong, great that she's helping, but wrong." Jackson nodded in agreement, he tossed the ball on the ground and caught it when it came down from the sky.
"I just want to know who her partner is. This company, I looked it up while we were on the plane. It's an amazing, self sustained organization that specializes in everything. They have a string of restaurants, a movie producing license, and they manufacture almost everything you can think of. It's crazy. But that lady in there didn't seem like the idea factory." Right as he said that, a big black ORV drove passed us. It had the company's logo on the back and tinted windows.
"Speak of the devil." I whispered. We crouched behind a few bags of trash just to get a look at the Co owner. Three man in suits and sunglasses stepped out of the car, followed by a girl. Her pale white hair was down to her knees in three braids, and she seemed to have been glowing. "Whow. Who's that do you think?" I looked at Jackson who, first took a picture, than started to type on his phone. "What are you doing?"
"Her name is Zoë blanche. And she's the real deal. Made the company herself in the eighth grade. She has made every public appearance that she needed to be at, never has anyone seen Ms. Kielor. Zoë is a very hard working lady with twins, but no spouse or partner of any kind." Jackson concluded with a state of respect at the girl dressed in white standing at the doors of her building. The strangest thing, was that she wasn't wearing shoes, and had bells around her ankles. She seemed like a very outstanding person.
"You know. You can come closer, I won't bite." She chuckled from across the street. We stood up and walked over to her. Jackson bowed at her feet. He's always admired people who've made well for themselves. "And you mustn't do that." She laughed, pulling Jackson up by the arm. "I guess you know who I am. So who are you?" She asked us. I was still as a statue. She somehow seemed like she couldn't be trusted. "Oh wait, you're the two bounty hunters that was meeting Lucky today. Right. About Princey right?" She shifted, uncomfortable under my stare.
"We are, Miss." Jackson elbowed me in the ribs so I'd stop. "And does that mean you know him too?" She nodded.
"I can't remember much about him, except his pink hair. I loved it. Lucky hates it though, so he bleached it white, we looked like siblings," She laughed. "He was kind for the most part, but dealt in the blackmarket, so I had to let him go. His brother stayed at my hotel, I think he's still there if you'd like to check that out." She slipped into the building, the men followed her.
"Her hotel?" I wondered which one, it was a tourist's city, there were half a million hotels in the area, yet alone in the city.
"Yeah, the Queenly Quart." He said in a duh tone. He led the way, to a golden framed glass building.
"What is with rich people and windows?" I said accidentally out loud, a posh male voice scoffed behind me. "And what is it with rich people and acting like snobs." I turned around to confront him and saw someone I hoped I would never see again. "Dakota." I growled at him. He chuckled.
"Sorry cuz, I go by Nickolas now. And you don't belong here." His voice was dripping with fake adoration. I didn't like him one bit, and my distaste of him drifted to Jackson who stood up taller than he was, and kept direct eye contact.
"Sorry, but does that mean you're Nickolas Prince?" Jackson smirked at Nicky's surprised expression. Guessing he didn't think anyone actually knew his name. But he flipped his hair and I could have sworn he glowed for a second.
"Well, so I'm famous already. Yes I am the baby faced prince. I'll gladly give you an autograph sweet little boy." Jackson got in Nickolas's face, standing a good inch over my cousin. Jackson grabbed him around the neck and yanked him outside and down a darkened alleyway.
"Listen Little Boy!" Jackson flung him to the ground against a black, mucky, brick wall. "You are an accessory for murder. I don't think You should act all high and mighty at this point. We were hired by an enemy of yours to bring you in. So here we go, you're coming with us." Nickolas's face went from arrogance to pale fear in an instant. I relished seeing it.
"Alright. But tell me the name of my captor. I know little arrow here, but who are you?" Nickolas was slowly standing up. I stood behind Jackson a little, and motioned for him to be quite and don't answer any of his questions. He would only twist the answers or twist your mind. He's been good at that for as long as I've known him. We dragged him to a cab, which took us to the airport.
"I'll leave a message to Jose about what happened, and tell him that we're going home. So he'll know what to do once he recovers." I said distantly, staring out the window at the passing lights that were only colorful blurs. The airport wasn't happy that we had a handcuffed prisoner with us, and we still tried for a public flight. We still made it, with the company of Paris's airport security. Our client was the one and only Uncle Ogalthorpe, he wanted his son home, however we were not made aware that the murder was a fake story. Shocking right? We went back to our treehouse and sat in our living room silently. That case wrapped up quickly and quietly, it was very fast. So we were in half a daze when our next intriguing client walked in.