How It Started: Part 3

The problem with secrets is that, sooner or later, they slip through your fingers. The harder you grasp for them, the more forcefully they begin to float away...

It's a lesson that Jebidiah was learning the hard way. Life was good, and he was being bumped up the ranks of thievery faster than anyone else in the Company. So fast, in fact, that Mimi Brown, his boss -- ex-boss now, in fact -- was beginning to get a little jealous, and things hadn't been sitting to well with her at work. Still, it was hardly enough to get Jeb's spirits down. Mimi was almost unfit to be employed by the agency, let alone have her complaints even reach the head office. Nothing could bring Jeb down, not when he was behind that mask...

But, yet again, Jeb had become careless. Such as all criminals that become too cocky, simple mistakes can lead to dire disasters... But this mistake would be, to him, the 'pinnacle' of all his previous, and later, mishaps.

I would notice something awry, too.

Oh, if only he'd remembered to flip the switch behind him... But no, it was late at night, and who was he to expect his mother to dip into the cellar for some nectar so late into the evening?

Well, no surprise, Farah cautiously dipped down the stairs, more curious than anything, at that point.

Until she reached the bottom, that is.

Before her laid a scene she'd never imagined: a room full of locked up jewels, paintings, statues, and there, her son, sitting on a computer in full criminal regalia, typing away into what it wouldn't take a genius to see -- even though, for the sake of argument, she is -- was the police departments records.

It took her a few moments to actually react. How Jebidiah did not hear her, even  he continues to wonder, but it made no difference one way or another: things quickly became heated, and what was a testy relationship before became an even more tense one after that.

Jebidiah did have one card up his sleeve, though: once she threatened to turn him into the police, he quickly began to taunt her. 'Of course you won't', he'd said. Why? Because as much contempt as she may have had that her son was a criminal, she would feel even worse once he leaked that not only had she conceived a child with an insane pizza delivery man, but that the reason for her dead mentor's heart attack was that she was having an affair with him, and now, she was longing after her co-worker's husband (who she'd also had an affair with)!

Well, Farah had her reputation to think about. She could think of at least a half dozen other things Jebidiah would love to leak to the press with her name in the title, and the thought of which simply made her ill. With an uneasy truce -- though a dire hit to their relationship -- she resolved to keep his secret... For now. However, keeping the ruckus a secret from Meredith became the most difficult part of this endeavor; still arguing in the morning, Meredith had entered, ready to engage in talk about the upcoming wedding... At least they were both quick to throw on a smile, but poor Meredith is probably the only person to not see through the fake smiles. I mean, really. A child could tell those are fake!

It was decided that, Meredith never having had the opportunity to travel, she would be heading to France to buy her wedding dress, as she also had been paid significantly by the local diner for some photographs of Champ Le Sims; she did so indeed, but insisted that she travel alone. (It was obvious, the girl needed a bit of independence, and maybe she was smart enough to see that her family-to-be needed a little room to "work things out".)

After filling up her portfolio for the diner, Meredith was thrilled to help out the locals and do some exploring. Most of her days were spent at the museum, but finally near the end, she did pick out a dress, and quickly headed home to finish their arrangements.

Several days after Meredith had returned home, their wedding day arrived. There was some commotion early in the morning, though, as a burglar had tripped their alarm, and the police had skittered up onto the front lawn. Unfortunately, the burglar somehow managed to escape, but while this troubled Farah, Meredith didn't think much of it; they didn't steal anything, right? So what's the problem?

Only hours later, they were walking up the aisle and exchanging rings... But both Farah and Tana, Meredith's sister, seemed a little uneasy through the rest of the reception.

Could this be why? ...

Or maybe this?

One way or another, the knot had been tied, and neither Farah nor Tana could do anything to change that. It was for Meredith they were concerned... Did she realize what she was getting into, or had she been blinded by love? Apparently both were too afraid to ask... Even Tana was afraid of dampening her sister's spirits. But behind the scenes, Tana decided that it meant it was time to keep a closer eye on her little sister... And her husband.

Soon after the wedding, Jebidiah and Meredith decided that, as convenient as it was to live with Farah, the home lacked the expansion needed for raising a family, and they needed a place of their own. After a few days of house-hunting, the pair settled into a residence across town, next to the Martial Arts Academy.

They both began inviting over their friends and family to see the new place, but what Jebidiah didn't count on was, when his childhood friend Chandra arrived, she was in tears over something. Apparently she'd been dumped -- again. He did his best to comfort her and cheer her up -- a bit of dancing always helps -- but... Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.

Before he could even try to figure out what was going on in her mind, she rushed out the door to her job, leaving him hanging and confused. 

"Ach, women."

Read more...

How It Started: Part 2

She called herself Mimi. In hindsight, this amused Jeb, because it should've been an unmistakable clue about how terrible a criminal she was -- and not in a good sense of the term -- but at the time, her proposal was so enticing that he likely would not have turned it down even if he'd known she was only a bottom-rung thug in Riverview.

He was told to meet her at the riverside warehouse, the broken down office building connected to the river's shipping yard. As far as he'd known, the warehouse was just one more business, a place for the self-employed to set up shop, or the shipping business to keep boats moving up and down the river in an orderly manner. He was right, for the most part.. Until he, upon meeting Mimi at the back, was led into a concealed entrance leading down into the basement.

 Thus began his professional career as a criminal. Led to the darkened office of "the Leader", he was told he had great -- if amusing -- potential, but that he'd have to prove himself before being given any of the more important Jobs. It was enough to get Jebidiah feeling motivated again... excited again. After he got home, he rushed to tell Meredith the news -- but was careful to conceal his career under the disguise his new employers told him he'd be expected to maintain.

He waited patiently for his first assignment, but he didn't have to wait long -- it came rather abruptly over the phone the next evening. Someone had contacted the agency with information regarding some high profile goods, and someone needed to go to the storage building to pick up the lead and pay the informant. They'd be waiting at the storage building at midnight.


After he arrived, he made contact... And man, if it wasn't the hottest contact in town. Kiki Diaz, town bike; she'd broken up quite a few marriages, but it looks like she was trying to do a little bit more breaking than that. Still, he had to see if the lead was good, if she was actually worth the money.

Apparently one of her "victims" had disclosed to her, in his attempts to woo her, that he had made quite a bit of wealth in Egypt, particularly of finding some notable artifacts that he was planning to sell for high price on the Simolean market. Kiki knew the day it was planning to be moved, by whom, and where -- all she wanted was the taste of revenge, and a small percentage of the profit.

Done deal.

When he brought the information back to Company, they decided to give Jeb a runner's job; go to Egypt, meet with a contact, and bring the artifact back to Riverview. Apparently some local operatives would be paid off to do the initial stealing, and then hand it off to Jeb for transport.

With all the arrangements for travel made, Jeb said his goodbyes to Meredith and left for Al Simhara. He had to come up with a good cover story, but still being a bit of a rookie at this, had to convince her that he was going there to train some locals on computer construction. Not being the most brilliant cookie, Meredith didn't ask many questions, and wished him a fond farewell.

Navigating Egypt was a breeze, but the scorching sun was not. Still, the payoff of earning the respect of his colleagues was enough to risk a mild sunburn, so he traversed into the desert, speaking to several of the locals on the way, until he finally found, near the shoreline, a woman waiting with The Package. Right on schedule.

With all the to-do over with, and plenty of time to spare, Jebidiah decided to do some tomb diving. However, it didn't exactly have the greatest results; he got caught in a firetrap and was badly singed, enough so that he had to spend the rest of his "vacation" recooperating so that Meredith would believe that it was really just a 'bad sunburn'.

The extra time also proved in handy, as he was able to do some jewel scavenging on local dig-sites, and finally found the perfect gift for his red-headed lover. With that in hand, he travelled home... But naturally, stopped off at the warehouse first to drop off the Package. Were they pleased? Naturally. He was given an instant promotion, and found himself quickly rising in the respected ranks of the Riverview criminal agency.

But another thing that his family didn't know is that he'd done a little digging into the history of their house... And discovered a hidden basement, what he assumed was for hiding goods of some kind long before the Kanes had made their way into the home. Naturally, he'd kept it a secret, and converted it into a secret cellar of his own, and began work crafting Meredith's perfect gift...

After several weeks, it was finally ready -- and so was he. Ready to seal the deal, to tie the knot, to jump the bridge... He only hoped that she was, too.

Maybe love can be bought.

Read more...

How It Started: Part 1

Jebidiah's life was, in short, easy. When you're the son of a world-famous surgeon, anything you want in life falls in your lap: money can buy anything, his mother always used to say. Farah Kane was a smart woman, well motivated and well respected, but it was easy enough for her son to see that she wasn't happy. He realized, quite early on, that money can not buy you happiness... And even moreso, money cannot buy you love.

As he watched his mother pine over the man she had left for "better things", Jebidiah resolved to find the woman he loved, and make her his -- forever. Though a loner and computer nerd, he was at least smart enough to understand the necessity of companionship, and -- to the best of his ability -- sought her out. The Girl, that is.

Young as he was, a small boy-ish crush led him towards a girl named Meredith, older than him but also cute, shy... You know, stuff boys like. Well, flirt with her he did... In the way that little boys flirt: teasing and taunting.

But as the years floated by, Jebidiah's crush led to grander things. Sure, he did stalk her to find out what she liked, and sure, he almost had to beat up her older sister Tana to get at her, but he finally managed to woo her in with nerdy charm. While his mother watched the man she loved marry another woman, Jeb somehow ended up dating the girl he knew he would love forever.

Yeah yeah yeah, enough with the sap already.

What Jeb didn't realize is that love... money... none of it seemed to make him all that happy. The sense of fulfillment he thought he would find just wasn't there, and as he neared adulthood, he started to think that perhaps more would make him fulfilled. It was only the tip of the iceberg, but the ways of obtaining "more" he travelled finally led him to something that, for the first time, brought him true enjoyment: the thrill of theivery.

Oh, what a dark road he was taking, but the darker it became, the better he felt; as his birthday approached when he finally would become a "man", he finally had a sense of what he wanted to do with his life... But it was a dream he shared with no one, not even the idyllic girlfriend who wandered at his side, completely oblivious. In fact, the only one who even had the slightest knowledge of his grandeur aspirations (and his little side "hobby") was his best friend, Chandra.

Since grade school, Jeb and Chandra had been 'best friends forever'; until high school, the two barely left each other's side. It was the memory from when she was small, between Jeb and her father, that gave her some insight into her friend's future -- her father, the criminal head of the town at the time, had talked a bit too much to Jeb of what his future could be like, but Chandra did well to never speak up about what she overheard. To her, it was a way to prove how much she cared for him. But when Meredith came along, things changed... All her hopes of someday making Jeb her own boyfriend and soulmate were dashed away. Needless to say, Chandra was not a happy camper.

But, there was no stopping it. Jeb's resolve to make Meredith the one woman of his life never wavered for a moment, and eventually, Chandra would come to grips with that fact. Once both were adults, he asked Meredith to move in, away from her warring and distraught family (both her parents had recently died, and her "foster" parents were not the most enjoyable folk), and life seemed to go on a smooth path.

As it stood though, neither he nor Meredith had a job. While this wasn't necessarily a problem -- his mother's income could probably feed the whole town -- he began to grow uneasy... bored. Soon enough, under the alias "Blackjack", Jeb began hacking into more and more secure mainframes, and then made his way into the most heavily firewalled system that he could find: the Crime Syndicate mainframe.

As unexplained funds began transferring into their account (funds that Farah didn't think to consider or question, as a few extra dollars here and there barely made a difference), Jebidiah's pride began to get the better of him. He began to not only transfer funds, but spread viruses into the political elections, the police databases; he even tampered with the crime lord's email, sending out goofy messages to his friend's and coworkers -- under his own alias, of course.

To him, life finally seemed perfect. He'd finally achieved the measure he'd set, and no other goal in his spotlight seemed worthy. He got cocky. He got lazy.

And that's when he got the call that changed everything.

Read more...

The Devil You Don't Know

How do you know your lover is who he says he is? Your friends, your family, even your children... Everyone keeps secrets -- how do you know that theirs aren't the ones you see on television and read about in books? Perhaps you're lucky, and everything you were told is the truth. ... Perhaps. But are you sure you really know?

Well... It might be time to dig a little deeper, before the little white lie turns out to be the secret that swallows you, and everything you ever knew, whole...

---

This is Jedidiah Kane.

He's the father of two children, husband, a diligent worker. Like all other families lining the block, he has a daily routine that most can count on the dot: he can be seen at the gym at precisely 8:05, teaches karate lessons at noon, eats dinner with his family at 5, and spends his evenings working as a microchip engineer at the  riverside warehouse until the lights go out at 1 in the morning. This netted him enough money to pay for their comfy house, a large rental in France, and enough in savings that his wife need never work again.

There was never any need to question his integrity, either; the name 'Kane' was certainly not the most notable in the town of Riverview, but it had no sour ends. Yes, there were some prestigious names in the family line, but no one cared to remember: Kaylee Kane, his grandmother, a noted explorer who had offered many contributions to the Riverview County Museum; Karamel Kane, his great-aunt, who had published a line of romance novels featuring her sister's exploits in Egyptian lands. Even his own mother, Farah, was a well respected surgeon among the community, if her snobbery was begrudgingly ignored on account of her genius talent.

But who were the Kanes, really? Few can remember when Kaylee and Karamel first moved into town, Farah still a babe and Simon -- Karamel's son -- barely into grade school. They settled quietly into a house in the country, very discreet about their vast wealth, but especially discreet about the reasons of their arrival. The twin sisters quickly made friends within the town, but an aura of mystery surrounded their past life. Where had they come from? Why did they leave it so abruptly, arriving only with a mound of cash and not a personal possession in sight?

In fact, were a great historian to stumble upon the records of the Kane family line, they'd likely be stumped be a series of moves every few generations, when for no reason, they would suddenly uproot and plant themselves into a new town: the most recently of which Sunset Valley, and then Riverview.

However, luckily for the Kanes, those mysteries are both forgotten and irrelevent -- now, they are only known as upstanding citizens, guarding family secrets that even they can no longer remember. Yes -- upstanding citizens, friendly neighbors, pleasant residents...

 Or are they?

Read more...