Graffiti Boy

Chapter 12 - The Ninja Incident

I didn't know how long we'd been waiting -after all, Eli had destroyed my phone so I didn't know what time it was.

It felt like we had been on Eli's bed for a good two or three hours before we finally saw the headlights of Xavier's car make it's way to the big black gates surrounding the mansion. We watched from the window, making sure to keep the lights off so that we wouldn't receive unwanted attention.

Eli explained that Xavier was almost always exhausted when he got home and would be ready to pass out. We waited another two hours or so to make sure that Xavier had in fact gone to sleep.

Eli told me that the dungeons were located on the lowest of the three floors, and we were on the highest one. We would have to walk down two flights of stairs in order to reach Dad. My heart started to hammer against my ribcage, I wasn't sure if it was from the fear of getting caught or the excitement of getting my dad out of this place.

Still dressed in our ninja-like outfits, Eli opened the door of his room and peeked outside. He signalled that the coast was clear. And so began the journey to the dungeon. Eli led me down a staircase, looking wildly around, making sure that there was no one in sight. I was surprised to find that the stairs didn't creak even the slightest bit. Back at home, I was never able to sneak out of the house because the minute I stepped out of my room, Dad would hear it.

One of the many perks of being filthy rich: creak-free staircases.

I swear, the way we were sneaking around, dressed head to toe in black, it must have looked like we were two ninjas heading out to complete a mission. It was starting to get really hot. My hair had escaped the beanie and was pooling around my shoulders, only adding to the heat.

Before we knew it we had managed to reach the final floor without bumping into anyone.

It was dark. So dark that I tripped on my own feet and was about to meet my friend the floor again, only Eli magically appeared and steadied my stance. He then decided that turning on his phone's flashlight wouldn't be such a bad idea. We turned left down a dark hallway and the only sounds we could hear were our own soft footsteps against the wooden floor.

Eli's phone illuminated the hall and that was where the aesthetical pleasantness of the mansion ended. The hall was grey, muddy and extremely gloomy. It did a good job serving as a dungeon. Soon enough, on either side of us, there were prison-like cells lining the walls. They were empty. I looked around anxiously trying to find which one my dad was in. Then I saw him.

I tried to pull open the door but realized that it was -obviously- locked. The lock looked pretty old and I was sure if I had the right tools I would have been able to pick it. Almost as if he had read my mind, Eli crouched beside the cell door and pulled out a bobby pin from his hair. Why he had one, I would never know. He used the bobby pin and the tip of one of his many blades to pick the lock of the cell.

"What are you? A ninja in disguise?" I joked.

"Oh, Princess, I'm a ninja and much more," Eli smirked, continuing to jiggle the lock.

Once the lock finally gave in and opened, Eli pulled the door open and I barged into the cell. I headed towards my dad and Eli stayed on the outside in order to keep guard.

Dad was sat on the floor, his hands tied with rope. I quickly cut them loose using the dagger strapped to my calve and shook him gently, "Dad, it's Val! Please say something."

He didn't reply. His head hung and I couldn't see his face.

"Dad," I whispered, lifting his head up.

He blinked his eyes rapidly looking around wildly.

"Val? What the hell are you doing here?" His voice was quiet and croaked.