n. a moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a strange new era of your life-set in motion not by a series of jolting epiphanies but by tiny imperceptible differences between one ordinary day and the next, until...
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"Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas cordially invite you to a gala." Diego reads.
"Whoa, wait." stops Elliott, the man Five is staying with. "Hoyt Hillenkoetter? Are you serious?" Elliott asks, having a very big fanboy moment.
"You know him?" Five asks.
Lila, the girl Diego escaped the psych ward with suddenly gasped. "We should go. Says there's gonna be a seafood tower."
"No, Hillenkoetter is... is one of the majestic twelve." Elliott states.
"What is that? Like a popular boy band or something?" I ask, sipping some more of Five's coffee, earning me a slap to my arm.
"The hell is the majestic twelve?" Diego asks, everyone ignoring what I had asked.
"What?" Elliott asks, not understanding how we don't know who they are. "It's a...a secret committee. Uh, scientists, military, uh, deep state. No one knows what they really do."
"Wait, so they're government?" Diego asks, not understanding Elliott.
"Shadow government." Elliott points out. "Yeah, Kennedy was the first president to try to push em into the light, but these guys are not to be trifled with. Oh..." Elliott goes behind me and Five and grabs a photo, handing it to Five. I lean over him to see the photo. "Oh, here we go. Ah, right here. This, uh...oh, right here. That's Hoyt, right there."
"Huh." hums Five, handing the photo off to Diego and Lila.
Diego sighs as Lila gasps softly. "I only count 11." states Lila.
"Well, that's because they've only identified 11 so far." Elliott mutters.
"Who's the twelfth?" Diego asks.
Me, Diego, and Five all share a look, knowing exactly who would be involved with this group. We all silently share what were thinking of, that the twelfth member is our nefarious father.
Five and Diego went off looking for suits for the gala this evening, well Diego did, Five is just going to be wearing his school boy suit.
Lila insisted that we go shopping together, though I'd much rather lick a cheese grater.
"So, where are we going first?" Lila asks, following me out of Elliott's.
"To a bakery. Then me and my friends are going dress shopping." I state, walking towards Ella's french bakery.
"Okay. So what store first then?" she asked.
I ignore Lila as we make it to Ella's bakery. Walking inside, I hear the familiar ting of the bell, I smile at my friends behind the counter.
"Mar, what are you doing here?" Sawyer asks.
"I need you girls to go dress shopping with me." I say, going behind the counter to make myself a coffee and grab a pastry.
"Why? Did Five ask you to go somewhere or something?" Sawyer asks.
"We're going to a gala." I say, taking a sip of the coffee. "To find our father."
"And who's your friend?" Ella asks, while serving a customer.
"Not my friend." I grumble. "She's Diego's girlfriend, I think."
"Which one's Diego?" both Saw and Ella ask at the same time Lila says. "Girlfriend?"
"Psych ward. And yes, your boyfriend." I answer both questions. "So, will you help me or not?"
"Yeah, I'll help." Saw answers, turning towards Ella who nods her head.
Twenty minutes later we exit the shop and head to a popular boutique to find our dresses.
We look for thirty minutes before me and miss prissy find our dresses. Lila grabs a teal blue dress that's slightly off the shoulder, and has a pink belt on. I find a pink plaid dress, that has a tear drop cut-out at the top. It synched at my waist, flowing out into a skirt that goes just past my knees.
We make it back to Elliott's after stopping off at Stadler's for a quick lunch. I go to Elliott's room to change into my dress. I grab a pair of pale pink heels, and a white scarf to tie up in my hair. Walking out of the room, I see Five, Diego, and Lila all standing around waiting for me.
"What took so long princess?" Diego asks, teasing me about my privileged from our father.
"Beauty takes time and effort. But you wouldn't know, would you?" I reply, smirking.
Me and Five laugh as he grabs my hand and we walk away. We walk to the car and wait for crazy and crazier to come out of Elliott's.
Once Diego and Lila are in the car, we drive to the gala.
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We park the car once we reach the house the gala is being held at. I walk to Marah's side and open her door, holding out a hand for her. She smiles, grabbing my hand as I close the door behind her.
As we walk to a wall to jump over to get in, I can't help but stare at how good Marah looks in a dress.
Her new tattoos are on full display, her left arm sleeve is easily seen, while the ones on her backs and right shoulder are slightly covered. The pink in her dress brings out the color in the tattoos, making them seem newer and more vibrant.
I stop staring once we reach the wall, hoping over after Marah, Lila, and Diego, we crouch behind a car.
"Right this way, sir." a man says in the distance.
We all take cover behind the car just outside the gala. "So, what's the plan?" Lila asks, causing both me and Marah to roll our eyes without her seeing.
"We infiltrate, we identify, we extract. Double time." Diego says softly. Lila turns around to me and Rosie with a confused look on her face, as if she thought Diego was crazy.
'They met in a mental hospital, she already knew he was crazy.' I thought to myself.
"What the hell's he talking about?" Lila asks.
"Find the old man and get out fast." I mutter, leaning closer towards Marah.
"That's what I said." Diego whispers.
"No, you were talking like Luther on a mission. Five was talking in English." Marah mutters, sticking her tongue out at Diego when he flips her off.
"On me." Diego says, moving behind another car.
Lila stops in front of me, Marah moving past her but still looking back, suspicious of Lila and her actions.
"After you." mutters Lila, facing towards me. I sneer at her. "What, I can't be polite?"
"Cut the crap." I seethe. "All right? My dimwitted brother might buy your bullshit, but I don't trust you for a second."
"O ye of little face." Lila mocks in her British accent.
"Stick it up your ass." I sigh, moving past her and to behind Marah and Diego.
Once Lila makes it to our side, we all sneak our way inside the gala, searching for Reginald Hargreeves.
