"I wonder how he's going to explain the renovation?" Louis wondered aloud. He was on his own as he strolled through the forest. Around him, there were only trees.
Trees make good listeners, he thought. If they could talk, they'd probably offer some very sound advice. They've been around for a while, seen and done it all.
Louis wanted to be in nature for a while, anyway, and the sudden interruption of Alex's parents gave him just that excuse. Besides, it felt awkward being around your friend's parents. While you were staying at one of their houses. Louis liked the bedroom Alex had given him. What if they made him move out of it?
Louis found himself thinking of Ken Stokes. The doddering old multimedia personality who weirdly enjoyed spending time with Louis. The guy always had a project going on, and Louis was a little bit jealous of him.
To top it off, Louis knew when he wasn't wanted. The second he had seen Gideon and Flora Ambrose standing in the hallway, he knew that it was time to book it for a little while. Alex would need the time alone to explain everything to his parents.
While Alex entertained his parents, Louis took a nice long stroll through the woods. It was a lovely day. Bright blue sky, no clouds, no super soldiers trying to kill him. All in all, a nice day for a stroll in the woods while your close friend was ambushed by his parents.
Louis paused in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by a ring of trees and a handful of wildflowers. All the greenery leant him a sense of ease that could not compare to anything in the world. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale of fresh woodland air.
[SFX: rustling leaves, twig snapping]
Louis immediately fell into a defensive martial arts stance, facing the source of the noise. His mind flashed back to the super soldiers, and he mentally steeled himself, preparing for one to jump out of the bushes. To his relief, and joy, Ken Stokes stepped out from within the trees, his warm, fatherly smile lighting up the clearing.
"It's you!" Louis said, releasing the stance. "I thought you were gone!"
"Inspiration never goes away," said Ken as he stepped over a bush and several small rocks. "The crew are all camping nearby."
"Sweet," said Louis, clapping Ken on the shoulder. "It's great to see you again! Any new faces?"
Ken thought for a moment. "A fair few," he said. "A couple made it to Hollywood this week!"
Louis's face lit up. "That's so cool!" he gushed.
"I know," Ken said proudly. "I can't wait to see how their careers progress. Anyway, we're here because I had an incredible idea for a documentary!"
"Awesome!" said Louis. "What is it? Can I help in any way?"
Ken smiled broadly, then put an arm around Louis's shoulders.
"Kid," he said, "you were the exact person I was looking for." He pulled away and started walking into the woods. "Walk with me. Let's talk!"
Louis hurried to catch up, and soon fell into a nice walking rhythm with Ken.
"How much do you know about underground martial arts rings?" Ken asked. As they walked, the shadows of the trees passed across them. Ken was tenting his fingers, absorbed by his own idea.
"Quite a bit, I'd say," said Louis. "Although maybe not so much the underground of it all. I run a martial arts group called the Demon Sect."
"Dramatic name," Ken commented. "I love it!"
Louis laughed. "Thanks! So is that what you needed me for?"
"Louis, kid," Ken said, pausing mid-stride to admire the woods. "I need access to martial arts groups. Not all of them, but I want you front and center when I make my documentary. What do you say?"
Louis's heart skipped a beat. Ken Stokes wanted to make a documentary about martial arts. With him. This was the single coolest thing that had happened to Louis in a very long time, and he was about to burst with excitement.
"What do I say?" Louis asked, breathless. "Of course! Come on, let's get out of the woods and into a car. Grab your team, too! Oh, boy, do I have some places to show you!"
********
The only thing worse than this, Alex thought as his parents talked over him, would be if Justin turned up, out of the blue, with Debbie on his arm.
Alex loved his parents, but them dropping by so suddenly was something of an inconvenience. They had spent the better part of an hour reworking the sleeping arrangements. He had also introduced them to SCOT, the artificial intelligence program he had created to safeguard the house and instructed them in how to use it. Gideon had simply looked at the corresponding SCOT app Alex had installed on his watch.
"I don't know, Alex," Giden had said. "When will I ever use this?"
Alex had sighed and rubbed the spot between his eyes. "The whole point of SCOT is that you shouldn't need him," Alex had explained for the fiftieth time. "You just use the app if you need to check the cameras, or if you need put the house in lockdown or something."
At the word "lockdown", Flora's eyes had widened.
"Why would we ever need such a thing?" She had said, clutching at the neckline of her dress. "Alex Ambrose, I demand that you remove that feature immediately!"
"Mom," Alex had said, exasperated. "It's just a security feature. If you would just let me explain what's been happening-"
That part of the conversation had lasted for several minutes. Eventually, Flora agreed to let Alex keep SCOT's lockdown feature. On the condition that it never be used. Alex didn't have it in him to explain, yet again, that the purpose was to keep them safe, and that the hope was that they would never need it.
Then, they had sat down, had some coffee, and Flora and Gideon began telling Alex all about their time in Italy.
The conversation switched several times during the couple hours since Gideon and Flora's initial arrival. Alex wasn't sure if he preferred it, or if he hated it. While his mother pulled out trinkets and souvenirs they had brought him from across the world, Alex's mind raced.
What is Lincoln doing? He thought, panicking. He could be on his way, or he could be plotting something. Why won't they listen to me?
Alex turned his mind back to the conversation. He crossed his legsand sat back, trying to pay attention to what his father was saying.
"There are some good fishing spots here," Gideon said. "How long has it been since we went fishing?"
Alex shrugged. "I don't know. Years, probably?"
Gideon smiled. "Crack of dawn, tomorrow. We put on our waders, grab a boat and cooler, and catch tomorrow's dinner."
"Sounds like a plan, Dad!"
What if Lincoln tries to kill me and Dad while we're fishing? Alex thought, suddenly alarmed. He shocked himself with how extreme it was, but there was no telling what Lincoln would do.
Gideon pulled out a piece of paper and set it on the coffee table.
Flora leant him a pen, and he started making a list of everything they would need for their impromptu fishing trip. Alex's eyes immediately went to the handkerchief, which displayed the gold embroidered "L" prominently. Alex took a deep breath and tried to think about everything a fishing trip would require, but he couldn't do it.
"Why aren't you listening to me?" Alex blurted, jumping to his feet. "Grandpa Lincoln is up to something! You haven't seen what's going on
because you went tech-free, and you haven't given me a chance to explain. Something is very, very wrong here. There were damn super soldiers trashing Baltimore a few weeks ago! Riley Naysmith led a smear campaign against me! Debbie and I broke up, probably for good this time! And I think Grandpa Lincoln is behind it all!"
Both of his parents looked at him, their mouths hanging open with surprise. Gideon held the pen an inch above the paper. He dropped it on the table and sighed.
"I thought we were done with this conversation," he said, sounding disappointed. He turned to Flora. "This is why we went tech-free. All the nonsense the news spouts." He turned to Alex. "Super soldiers aren't real. Grandpa Lincoln isn't trying to kill you. Debbie-" Gideon's eyes went wide. "Wait a second. Debbie broke up with you?"
Alex fell back into his chair. Of course that was the thing Gideon would latch onto.
"Oh, my poor boy!" Flora rushed to Alex's side and once again hugged him. "What did I say, Gideon? Debbie was no good. Our little boy is far too good for someone like Debbie. Alex deserves the world, and Debbie did not deserve him in the slightest. In fact, I never liked her. I'm glad she's out of Alex's life, and he can find someone who actually deserves him!"
His parents continued to fuss over him, and this time there was no easy escape.
I'm in a nightmare, Alex groaned. An actual nightmare
[SFX: urgent knocking]
The urgent knocking saved Alex from his parents' love. He pushed himself to his feet yelling, "I'll get it!" as he dashed to the door.
I don't care who's at the door, he thought. They just saved me a lot of pain and smothering.
He stood in the hallway to take a breather. Whoever it was, they knocked again, sounding even more urgent this time.
"Just a minute!" Alex called through the door.
He checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable. His hair was sticking up at odd ends from the multitude of hugs and hair tussling his parents had given him, and there was a giant spot of pink lipstick on his cheek where Flora had kissed him. Frustrated, Alex grabbed a tissue from the side table and moistened it between his lips, then scrubbed the pink lipstick away.
The knocking came again.
"Alex?" Gideon called. "Is everything alright? That's the third time they've knocked!"
"I'm fine, Dad," Alex called to the living room. "Just straightening myself up." Then, he called through the door. "I'm coming!"
He took a moment to compose himself, checking his hair and face to make sure he looked presentable. He wasn't expecting any company, it was probably just Louis, having forgotten his keys. However, when he opened the door, he got the surprise of his life.
There stood his younger brother, Justin Ambrose, dressed in a red t-shirt, and wearing a pair of designer sunglasses.
"Hey Alex," he said. "I hear you're trying to end the world."