The Pyramid Chronicles: Tyche Point (#1) [MOVING JUNE 30]

Chapter Eighteen: The Healer

There was no shortage of car collections around Los Angeles. But there was one Raveena was already familiar with, one that belonged to a man who was rarely home.

It seemed like a waste, owning such a big house when you were hardly ever around to enjoy it. And as far as Raveena knew, the Director had no family to share the place with. It was just him and his cars and his lab equipment and the massive, empty swimming pool.

At least, she hoped it was all still his. She and the other altered had only been to his home a couple of times, and that was so long ago.

Raveena wandered the semi-familiar neighborhood outside LA, doing her best to remember the roads that led to the Director's house, trying to recall any significant landmarks that stuck out to her. There had been a few occasions when Scorpion's headquarters had been targeted by enemies and they'd been forced to move abruptly. Sometimes, while they waited for their new base to be prepared, Claudia took the kids to stay in spare rooms at the Director's house.

In fact, they'd probably gone to the Director's after leaving Raveena behind at the old lab facility. While she was on the verge of bleeding out, they were all living in luxury.

It took nearly a full day to track the house down, but she managed it. It wasn't much different from how she remembered. Landscaping had changed, but only in her favor. There were more trees and shrubbery to take cover in as she crept up to the house.

Raveena waited for the sun to go down, and then she waited a few more hours before making a move. Lights came on inside the house, but she knew they were automatic, working on timers. She also knew that the Director had security cameras. He'd find out soon enough that someone had broken in, and there was a chance he'd recognize her.

He'd probably find out she was alive eventually, anyway, but Raveena wanted to keep her advantage as long as she could. She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, lifted her mask to hide her face, and slid on her sunglasses.

There was another point in her favor: the last thing the Director wanted was police poking around his house. He had too many secrets. If he got a notification that his house had been broken into, it would take some time for him to deal with it. No way would he have the police contacted automatically.

Still, it would be best to move quickly. Raveena also had to make it all the way to Tyche Point with a stolen car.

She circled the house to the backyard and assessed the distance between her and the third-floor balcony. One of the trees on either side would be her way up. She picked one and started climbing. It was easy enough to get to the same level as the balcony, after all her years of running and climbing around LA.

Raveena pulled herself over the railing. Her feet thudded against the balcony as she crossed it to take a look at the door. Locked, but this door was much less secure than the ground floor. She dug her makeshift lock picking tools from the bottom of her bag and, after fiddling with the lock for a couple of minutes, got it open.

She took a deep breath to steel herself and took her first step inside.

Silence greeted her. Raveena pulled the door closed behind her and moved forward. Memories clawed at her as she passed through familiar rooms. She could practically hear the other altereds' voices and Claudia lecturing them to get back to training. And Raveena always sat alone, watching the others throw around fire and water and lightning.

Her fists tightened. Now was not the time. She turned a corner and found the staircase she was looking for. She took it to the first floor and passed into the entry room next to the garage.

Meals at the dining table. The TV blaring late into the night, despite Claudia's disapproval. That time a pyro accidentally set a couch on fire. Maybe no one had ever died here, but Raveena was sure it was haunted by memory. She half expected someone to walk in and tell her the Director needed another blood sample.