Entry # 40: Unexpected Connections And Familial Discussions

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"Jerry?"

"Hmm?"

"You haven't answered my question."

Gerard glanced at Justin and sighed, knowing full well that there's no escaping the talk this time.

Just an hour and thirty minutes ago, they arrived at a pair of almost identical houses shaped like ghosts. The one on the left is swathed in blueish grey, and the other on the right is painted in hot pink. Mettablook led them inside the latter, stating that the former belongs to his cousin. Afterwards, their host offered to wash and sew their grimy outfits, giving them temporary clothes to wear (Saturn quickly snatched an azure jacket with a cloud-like hood and yellow sleeves, hissing defiantly at anyone who dared to question her preferences. The rest of the kids just decided to keep their mouths shut and let her have it). Jaede and Alice volunteered to help him, but Mettablook declined.

". . . you're my guests. . . i can also tell that you're tired. . ." The ghost had said. ". . . leave it to me. . ." With that, he disappeared into the next room with their clothing in hand.

Henceforth, the children ended up lying in the living room after a quick shower, forming a less than perfect circle on the wooden floor.

Henceforth, the children ended up lying in the living room after a quick shower, forming a less than perfect circle on the wooden floor

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No one uttered a word, waiting for Gerard to speak. After what seemed to be an eternity of suffocating stillness, the orange head opened his mouth.

"The place you saw was one of Sanctum's facilities." He started. Alice whipped her head towards him so swiftly it would've flown off her neck if she went any faster.

"Sanctum?" Jaede echoed. That name sounded familiar. A vague image of her parents surfaced from the depths of her psyche, debating in hushed whispers under the dim glow of the kitchen lamplight.

Justin gaped at his older adoptive brother. "Sanctum!?" Apparently the name struck a chord in his memory lane as well, though in a much more distinct manner compared to his twin sister's.

Gerard blinked at his reaction. "You sound like you've heard of that syndicate before."

Before Justin can reply, Chara beat him to it. "Now hold on a second. You were a member of a criminal organization in the past?" The red eyed boy spoke in an incredulous tone.

"Hey, it's not like I volunteered to be trained into a cold-blooded assassin." Gerard huffed, crossing his arms.

"No one in their right mind would." Justin intervened. "The Sanctum is a criminal empire sitting on the very top of our country's underworld. They perpetrated countless illegal activities and organized crimes that plagued the Boreas continent for decades." Then the brunette bit his bottom lip. "But, they were never caught red-handed. Too good in covering their dirty tracks."

"And how did you gain knowledge of such valuable information?" Alice queried.

When the JUSTICE boy remained tight-lipped, Jaede answered for him. "Momma and papa were high ranking officers in the Forneus military. They were assigned to investigate Sanctum's connection to the serial kidnappings." The green eyed girl added with a disappointed mumur. "The case went cold though." And so did our parents.

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