Tom peered into the dining room. He was supposed to be taking a trip to the bathroom, but a mysterious figure poking through Alex's belongings distracted him.
And that mysterious figure was Justin.
Hunched over a stained wooden cabinet, Justin rummaged through a box he found, grunting as he did. He put down the box and continued to close and open drawers.
Tom kept quiet. He figured the best course of action was to follow Justin rather than confront him. He knew Alex's brother was nothing but trouble, and he wanted to find out why he was going through Alex's things. If he asked him now, he would never discover the truth.
After a few minutes, Justin slammed the drawers of the cabinet. "Nothing in here. Where are you hiding everything, Alex?"
Tom scratched his head. Hiding? What does he think Alex is hiding? He thought.
Justin pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
Tom stepped to the side, doing his best to make himself invisible as he eavesdropped.
Justin cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm looking around here, but I can't find anything."
As Justin paused, Tom couldn't make out who was speaking on the other end. I wish I could get closer. He thought.
Justin scoffed. "Of course, I checked the bedroom. I ripped everything apart. All I found were Debbie's designer clothes and a few of her love notes that he was hoarding." He glanced at the door in the corner of the room. "I'm going to have to go to the basement."
Tom tried his best not to gasp. Why would Justin need to go into the basement?
Justin nodded his head. "Absolutely. I'll call you the second I find out what's going on."
Tom watched as he hung up the phone.
The younger brother trudged away, toward the basement door.
This can't be good, Tom thought.
He silently lurked behind Justin, following him down to Alex's tech and control center. There isn't any reason he needs to come down here, Tom thought. Justin is definitely up to something. How am I going to put a stop to this?
Justin sat in front of Alex's array of high-tech monitors. He tried but failed, to sign into Alex's computer. "Let's see. What would that idiot make his password? Let's try his 'Debbie-Clifton.'"
A message popped up on the screen. "WRONG PASSWORD. TRY AGAIN."
Justin groaned. He tapped his fingers on the side of the keyboard. "I don't know what his password is. What's that other chick's name? Devon? We'll try Devon."
Again, the message appeared. "WRONG PASSWORD. TRY AGAIN."
Justin rested his head in his hand. "What does Alex like? I don't know. I don't think that loser has any hobbies. I don't even think I've ever seen him eat. All he does is work. Hey, maybe that's it. I'm going to try 'I-love-pharmacy.'"
The screen flashed. "WRONG PASSWORD. ONE ATTEMPT LEFT."
Justin let out a disappointed sigh. "Seriously?" He didn't want to make another failed attempt. Lost in thought, he tapped his finger to his chin. "Well, I could hack into his computer, but that would take a lot of work. I can think of at least one easier way."
After clearing his throat, Justin did a pitch-perfect impression of Alex. It was something that he had been mastering since he was a little kid. "SCOT, please turn on the computer and sign me into my bank account."
Tom was shocked. He brought his hand to his mouth. Justin sounded exactly like Alex. How did he do that? He thought.
He waited with bated breath to see if Justin's impression worked. Everything remained silent for a moment.
Justin leaned in. "Come on."
SCOT switched on. His cybernetic face appeared on the monitors. "Mr. Ambrose, is that you?"
In an attempt to conceal his face, Justin tilted his head down. Still, the younger brother managed to maintain his composure. "Yes, SCOT. It's me."
After a few seconds, SCOT replied. "Of course, Mr. Ambrose. Sorry for the delay." And with that, the artificial intelligence obeyed Justin. He successfully fooled SCOT. All of Alex's banking information appeared on the screen, and it wasn't just for one account. No, SCOT showed Justin every single account that Alex had.
So that's what he's after, Tom thought. He wants Alex's money. Who was he on the phone with? I'm sure that person is involved in this scheme too.
Justin's lips twisted into a wicked grin. He hit the jackpot. "No way! Well, that was easier than I thought." He inserted a flash drive into the computer system and downloaded all of Alex's banking details. "Gramps is going to be happy with this, and I'm going to become a very rich man."
Tom furrowed his brow. Gramps? Could he have been talking to their grandfather?
Justin watched as all of Alex's banking information transformed onto his hard drive. It was almost as if he were committing the details to memory as he watched them flash by. "This is excellent. This is exactly what I wanted."
He ejected the flash drive and shoved it in his pocket. He laughed to himself. "Looks like it's time to update your ancient AI, Ambrose. It can't even tell the difference between you and your brother."
However, Justin's fun ended when his chair was kicked forward. "What? Who's there? What's going on?"
Instantly, he stood up and turned around. When he did, he came face to face with Tom Sawyer. He whipped the chair to the side.
Justin was a brutal man. He was quick to start and finish a fight. Within a second, he pinned Tom against the wall. "You little shit, what did you see?"
Although Tom was strong, he was no match for Justin, especially in such a weak state. He struggled, but he couldn't break free. "I saw everything, you traitor. I never trusted you."
A flash of temper lit Justin's eyes. "Boo-hoo. I hope I can sleep at night without your trust."
As Justin tightened his grip on Tom, Tom refused to give up. "What are you going to do, kill me? Go ahead. Try me."
Fuming, Justin clenched his jaw. "I can't kill you right now. Alex will be on my ass in seconds. How about this? We make a deal. If you tell Alex anything, I'll put you back into a coma, and I won't go as easy as the super soldiers. You understand?"
Tom was not giving in. "Fat chance."
In a furious rage, Justin punched him across the face. The blow made stars appear in Tom's field of vision. His brain was cut open and stitched back together. He was too weak to keep up. There was no way he could fight Justin. He didn't have a choice. "Okay, okay. Fine. I won't tell him."
After his surrender, Justin dropped Tom from the wall. "Good. For once, you made a smart decision."
Tom rolled his eyes. "You're lucky that I was just in a coma. You're picking on a weak man. That makes you a coward."
Justin scoffed. "Do you think I can about you and your morals?" He snapped his fingers. "Here's the plan. We're going to walk upstairs, and you're not leaving my side. You keep your mouth shut. You act as if nothing happened. If you don't, I'll flatten you right then and there, and if I were you, I wouldn't test my limits."
Tom brushed off his shoulders. He hated having to submit to Justin, but there wasn't much he could do. "Alright, fine."
Justin grabbed Tom by the shoulder and pushed him upstairs. He shoved him toward the living room, and once they were in the presence of the others, Justin let go of Tom.
Alex shot the two a confused look when they entered the living room. "What took so long, Tom? Did you two stop for a quickie in the bathroom?"
The younger Ambrose rolled his eyes. "Ugh, please. Get your mind out of the gutter, Brother."
After that, Justin pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Lincoln to tell him he was able to retrieve the information for all of Alex's accounts. However, he didn't realize that Tom was looking over his shoulder, watching his every move, and reading every word he typed out.
I have to figure out a way to tell Alex, Tom thought. There has to be a moment where I get him alone. I have to warn him.
Alex gestured toward his friend. "Tom, why don't you take a seat? You just had brain surgery. You should be taking it easy."
Justin shot Tom a glare. Tom understood the silent command. He had to play it cool. "Sure, Alex. You're right. I could use a seat."
Tom lowered himself into the recliner. And as he did, Justin sat right on the arm of the chair.
It was clear. He wasn't letting Tom out of his sight.
***
Debbie ran through the forest. It was pitch black outside. She could barely spot the trees as she passed them. However, she could see a yellow brick road in front of her. She followed the path faithfully.
There were super soldiers. Each one would reach out toward her, but they would never catch her. She ran too fast.
However, the forest didn't go on forever. When she reached the edge of the woods, she came face to face with Lincoln. He was dressed in a sparkly green suit.
He wiped his face with his handkerchief, which was also green. "Debbie Clifton, Baltimore's Sweetheart. If only everyone knew, Alex didn't even love her. He never did. She was just easy."
Debbie stepped away from the man. "That's not true."
Mocking the woman, Lincoln pouted. "Aw, poor girl. No one wants Debbie Clifton. Not even the only people in the world who are supposed to love her, her mother and father."
Enraged, Debbie furrowed her eyebrows. "That's not true!"
As Lincoln smiled at Debbie, it appeared as if his eyes were bright red. "You are nothing. Just Alex's girlfriend, and you're not even that anymore."
Tears streamed down Debbie's cheeks. "It isn't true. Stop!"
Just then, Lincoln disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
Debbie rubbed her eyes. What am I looking at? She thought.
When she pulled her hands away from her face, Alex stood in front of her. "Debbie, I'm so sorry."
Debbie was relieved. "Oh, Alex. Thank god."
With a loving gaze in his eyes, he reached out to her. "Come to me, Debbie. Then click your ruby red bottom heels together, and we'll go home."
Before she could touch Alex's hands, her eyes flickered open.
She jolted forward, quickly returning to reality. Alex wasn't there. Neither was Lincoln. She was never in the forest. It was all a dream.
When she opened her eyes, one thing was clear. She wasn't in Kansas anymore.