The first time, I couldn't go to sleep that night. It seems I sleep too much now, since Fortune and I agreed to find one of the CDs, I only sleep three hours a night these last few months. Fortune made me rewatch CD #3 at least ten more times in the past thirteen weeks. He said I would never push through the other videos puking constantly like I still did. It was the children and the very first scene that got me every time. My mother would be working all night tonight, so I invited Fortune over. Well, he invited himself over but I graciously accepted his command. As class ended and the bell rang, I began to walk out of the school building. Fortune took the bus, but clearly he was walking home with me today. I saw him looking around in a panic for me at the front of the school.
I called him, "Fortune!"
He darted my way with his eyes and smiled.
"I know," Fortune stated.
After that the conversation I tried to initiate dropped. It was a very awkward atmosphere and I was afraid that talking more would eventually lead to being told to shut up. So we walked all the way home in silence. Even as I turned my key into the lock it was silent. It wasn't until I shut the door that Fortune spoke immediately.
"The MoMA."
"What?" I questioned.
"The Museum of Modern Art," he snapped.
I thought for a while as I was not familiar with, per say, landmarks, "Ah... In New York, it is..." before I could ask the question I knew the answer.
"Yes, the seventh CD is inside Vincent Van Gogh's painting, The Starry Night," Fortune explained.
I walked over to my living room and sat on the couch, which Fortune did the same. "Are you trying to say we need to," he interrupted me to finish my sentence, "sneak into MoMA and destroy the painting? Yes."
"Worst case scenario, is that it's inside the Mona Lisa and not The Starry Night and we destroy a historical painting for no reason just to later destroy another historical painting. We are most definitely going to be on the run if our faces are seen but that's why we're not planning to! We will take the bus to New York in two days. However, grabbing a hotel will cause suspicion on the authorities radar. Therefore, we're planning to stay with my old friend who moved to Manhattan recently. His name is Viola. I'll buy our outfits, so don't worry," Fortune said dignifiedly.
I sighed at the amount of information that was given to me and glanced at Fortune as I was not looking at him this entire time.
"We have school," I declared.
Fortune blinked slowly at me, "You're a senior, it doesn't matter, you're graduating aren't you?"
"Well yes, but what about you? You're only a freshman," I replied.
"I'm graduating early and we're going to be coming back Sunday night," Fortune sighed and stood on his feet, pacing back and forth.
"Breaking and stealing The Starry Night isn't that big of a crime, it's not a felony if we get caught right?" I asked.
"It's grand larceny and it is a felony, plus we'd also would have to pay the amount it cost if the MoMA doesn't have insurance on it but what were gonna do to it there's no need for insurance as I'm going to incinerate it if CD #7 is in there," Fortune talked calmly, more calm than someone should be when it comes to committing a crime.
"And if it isn't?" I felt my voice rising.
"We go to Paris," he asserted.
I wanted to say so many things, but I didn't say anything. How did Fortune always know where the next CD was? Who was Fortune Laurent, really?
"We're committing literal crimes, not petty crimes, not misdemeanors, not the classic teenage vandalism charge, a felony. A prison worth felony." I put my head in my hands and laughed manically to myself, "You're insane."
"I am not insane," he responded. "I'm curious."
"Ever heard curiosity killed the cat?" I looked up at him with distress in my eyes.
"Cats have nine lives," he smiled.
I lost the argument. I could feel the sweat from my armpits drip down to the sides of my stomach, I was nervous. I could technically report Fortune to the authorities and get special protection but then I wouldn't be able to see my brother. My brother was more important than my own life. Today was Thursday, tomorrow was Friday and we left that evening. Stealing and destroying The Starry Night was Saturday and we left Sunday evening. I wish he would tell me the actual plan for us doing this. The more Fortune talked, the more I became interested in the tapes. What was in this seventh one? Would it be worse or slightly better than the Khmer Rouge?
I glanced up and Fortune handed me a dog whistle. I thought he was trying to be funny and make fun of my dog that died a couple months ago. Of course I'm not assuming he's a bad person automatically, when I had told him my dog died he laughed in my face. I didn't get angry I found it interesting that someone could laugh when death was mentioned.
"Why are you giving me this?" I asked.
"That is our signal," he grinned.
I furrowed my eyebrows with confusion, "What?"
"You have two days to learn to hear a dog whistle or you will get caught at MoMA, alone," he said impatiently.
"Huh?" I shouted. "You can't learn to hear a sound at a frequency that's impossible!"
"It is not impossible, I can hear it perfectly well only because I trained myself it's honestly not that hard you're just a little slow in the head," he provoked. "Maybe I'll give you a lobotomy!"
"That isn't funny!" I barked.
"Well clearly I'm laughing," he laughed.
I blew as hard as possible on the dog whistle and Fortune did indeed react. He quit talking and stared at me for just a moment before lashing out. The whole night was me getting bullied and being told details on how I should kill myself. It was definitely something else, but it was the most fun I've had in a while. My only friends used to be Tabris and Roman but they always picked on me. Fortune picked on me but with him it's different, I enjoy it, it makes my heart flutter and the corner of my lips smile. We could have serious talks but also talk about how much we hate a certain teacher. Fortune tried his best to eat a gallon of ice cream, we challenged each other. I finished the gallon while he only ate half before he said he was about to puke.
I told him, "Not on the carpet! Go to the bathroom!"
"I'm not going to," he paused and gagged over the red and white carpet.
I looked away and sighed. He puked all over my mothers favorite carpet. I looked back and he was grinning like a psychopath.
"Let's go to the mattress store, I've seen the same rug there," he shrugged.
"My mom bought that for five hundred dollars I don't have that type of money," I scoffed.
Fortune walked around the puke and rolled up the carpet, "Well I do."
"Also it's closed, it's one a.m. there's no way they're open," I stretched tiredness.
"I can pick locks, how do you think you lost your game controller in the gym?" he asked.
I gasped, "You stole that? I had to come out of my own pocket and buy a new one..."
"You'll be fine," he shrugged. "Let's go pick the lock."
He threw an all black ski mask at me and I looked at it, on the inside read my name, "Treasure Q." I said out loud.
"You already had these ready just for this?" I pondered.
Fortune hesitated, "What? No, for the MoMA."
"Oh," I sighed. "Let me see your name in yours."
"No, no, we have to get going because their cameras turn off for only an hour interval throughout the day from one a.m. to two a.m. because their cameras are old and terrible," he laughed and put his ski mask on as soon as possible.
I put on mine too and grabbed my house keys to put in my pocket, we left through the door and I locked it. Fortune opened my garage and looked inside, "Grab your bike, lets go."
"I can't peddle with someone on the back, my mom just bought those pegs..." I stammered.
I knew Fortune was smiling at this even if I couldn't see it, "I could tell just by looking at your calf muscle."
I sighed and Fortune sat on the back with me on the pegs behind him. He peddled insanely fast, I was terrified. I wasn't a heavy person but I also wasn't light so how could he peddle as if I were air.
"Fortune," I said.
"Hm?"
"You're a great friend and I appreciate you for treating me like one too, those nine lives you said you had I hope to be in each one. We can be cats together, curious together. I want to be curious with you. The past year with you has been the most fun I've had ever, you made my last year of highschool truly a curious adventure. From the first time we met because you were doing a test on how long you could hold your breath underwater at a lake full of alligators and to now. Fortune, I will help you find those fourteen disks just like you helped me find my purpose," I panted from how much I was talking.
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, is the entire quote," he yelled. "I forgot your name, but I am not a cat, I believe the saying, Jack of all trades, master of none fits me better or bite the bullet. My favorite although is fortune favors the bold."
"My name is Treasure Quinn!"