" 'Perhaps some accident has befallen him,' said the king, and the next day he sent out two more huntsmen who were to search for him."
"The Klaustreich... I came in contact with was aggressive... Predatory... And... A real ass. I can't write that. What's the word? Mean? No. Catty? Big no" Dad says
"Sadistic and treacherous" I say as I continue to read my book and Dad smiles at me and then writes down those words
"Hm I have to go with Hank" Dad says
"Yeah I'll be fine here, I have my bike" I say
"Lizzie" Dad says
"Oh come on, I'm here in a trailer with a bunch of weapons and different potions where if you mix them together they make acid...don't ask me how I know that" I say and Dad laughs
"Okay, just call if you need anything" Dad says
"Okay bye love you" I say
"Love you too" Dad says and he leaves the trailer and I lay back down on the couch and continue to read
After a few hours I got tired so I went out the trailer and rode back home on my bike.
When I got there Mom was on the couch watching tv.
"Oh hey, where have you been?" Mom asks as I set my back down
"Library" I say and Mom smiles lightly
"No wonder your grades have been improving" Mom says
As if, I'm smart but I'm just lazy.
"You hungry?" Mom asks
"Starving" I say
"Good, I got Voodoo donuts. But after dinner, it's on the stove" Mom says
"You're the best" I say and I hear Mom laugh as I walk into the kitchen.
I pour some food onto a plate and I sit down next to Mom on the couch as we both eat and watch whatever show she had on.
In the morning I got dressed and went downstairs grabbing my bag off the floor.
"Where are you going?" Dad asks and I turn around to see him and Uncle Hank looking at me
"The library" I say and I put my bag over my shoulders
"Nerd" Hank says and I chuckle
"Look who's talking" I say and Hank smiles at me
"Alright, be careful" Dad says and he looks at me, already knowing where I'm going
I walk outside and I grab my bike and take off.
I turned around the block and I saw Junior outside with some kids, they saw me and the adults there went up to their kids and dragged them inside.
I roll my eyes and continue to keep pedaling, I suddenly remember that I need to go to Rosalie's shop so I started heading towards her shop.
When I got there I knocked on the door and Monroe opened it.
"Go away" Monroe says
"Jesus, I haven't even said anything mean. And I'm not here for you, I'm here for you're girlfriend" I say
"Why?" Monroe
"That's for me to know and for you to dot dot dot" I say smirking and Monroe looks around behind me then he drags me in the shop
I look down on the ground then I look up at Monroe who just locked the door.
"Okay who are you hiding?" I ask
"Rosalie!" Monroe says and Rosalie comes out from the back
"Right, Lizzie. I've got the things, just let me get them and you can leave" Rosalie says and I narrow my eyes at her
"What are you two morons, no offense Rosalie, doing?" I ask
"Hey!" Monroe says
"Nothing, just take these and go" Rosalie says
"I get that I'm a kid still, so you guys think I can't handle the big grown up shit. But I'm smarter than most adults" I say as I walk towards her
"And more annoying" I hear Monroe mumble
"It has something to do with the Verrat and Resistance, it's dangerous" Rosalie says and I bring my bag off my shoulders and I grab the three bottles and quickly put them in my bag
"Yeah I'm out, I'm not going anywhere near a Hundjager" I say
"You've been reading" Rosalie says and I nod
"And now I'm leaving" I say
"Wait no, we could use your help actually" Monroe says
"Nope! You wanted me gone, so I'm leaving good luck" I say and the back door opens
I look at the man who's has a sling on his right arm and he looks at me saying "So this is the girl?"
"You told him about me?" I say and then I look back at Monroe
"Technically I'm supposed to be at the trailer, not here" I say
"You don't back down when a Hexenbiest is in your face but the moment you hear Hundjager you wanna run and leave" Monroe questions
"Yes, because this isn't just a Hundjager. It's the Verrat!" I say
"She's right" The man says
"Thank you. Now if you just get the hell out of my way I can go to the trailer and I can continue my research" I say
"Nick is coming right now" Monroe says
"Even more of a reason for me to leave, I'm a kid remember" I say
"But you can handle the big grown up shit, remember?" Monroe says and I take a deep breath
"If you don't move in the next ten seconds I will drop kick you, I've done it before and I can do it again" I say
"Okay" Monroe says quickly and he moves out of my way making me smile
"Now was that so hard? Thank you Rosalie, and nice meeting you future dead guy" I say and he scoffs lightly at my words
"You're so positive Lizzie" Monroe says
"I know, it's a struggle" I say and he makes an annoyed face at me before I leave
I walk over to my bike and I see Captain Renard with his fancy ass car driving past me.
He stops and he rolls down the window making me give him a confused look.
"What are you doing out here?" He asks
"I'm grabbing tea packets. I like the ones here, makes my acne go away" I say smirking and I can hear him sigh
"There's a shooter out here, you should go home now" Captain says
"Yes sir" I say and he drives off making me roll my eyes
"I swear there's something off about him" I mumble and I get on my bike and drive towards the Reginald Camera shop
I recently saved enough money for a camera and films, well I spent most of it on clothes and junk food but I have just enough for a camera.
And maybe films.
I drop my bike off the sidewalk and I tie it to a pole using a chain, then I walk in the store.
"Hello, what can I help you with?" The man says and I smile at him
"How much are the cameras and films?" I ask
"Together it would be $60, it's $50 for the camera and $10 for films" Reginald says and I smile
"Perfect. Can I have both of them?" I ask and he nods and goes to the back
I pull out the money and another guy walks in, blond older man wearing all black with a blue scarf.
"I like your scarf" I say and he smiles
"Thank you, I like your bag" He says and I smile
"Here you go" Reginald says and I give him the money and he takes it as I put the camera around my neck and the films into my bag.
"Have a good day" Reginald says
"You too, nice meeting you" I tell the scarf man and he smiles lightly
Then I notice him sniff and when I look in front of me I see him turn into a Hundjager in the glass window. Thankfully I'm already out out of the store and I quickly take off the chain and I get on my bike and I start pedaling as fast as I could.
I speed down the street and when I get to Rosalie's, I drop my bike off the ground and I start banging on the door.
I continue to bang on the door and I look around me and I calm down when I don't see that man.
"Jesus" Monroe says as he opens the door and I push through and I carry my bike inside
"Hundjager!" I say as I drop my bike towards the wall and I lock the door before Monroe could
"I wasn't followed, but I decided that I should spend the rest of my money on a camera which I did and that's when I saw him" I say and I open the back door to see Rosalie and Dead guy talking
"Lizzie" Rosalie says
"I saw the Hundjager" I say
"How did he look?" The future dead man asks me
"Blond, blue eyes, wearing all black except the blue scarf. And I don't know he looks like every German guy I've seen on Tv" I say
"That's him" The guy says and I start looking all around me
"I was leaving the shop and I heard him sniff so I was wondering if I smelled or something, so when I looked forward I saw him turn in the glass window" I say
"Did he see you?" Rosalie asks
"I don't think so, I kept looking forward" I say and Monroe goes outside after looking at his phone making me calm down a bit since Dad's probably close by
"He has your scent" The guy says
"No, he smelt your bag. Do you still have the stuff I gave you in there?" Rosalie asks and I nod
"So I'm good?" I ask
"For now" The guy says and I see Rosalie give him a look
"What's your name?" I ask
"Ian Harmon" Ian says and I nod
"Lizzie Burkhardt" I say
The door opens and I see Dad and I run at him and hug him.
"Aren't you supposed to be at the trailer?" Dad asks and he wraps his arms around me then he slowly pulls me off of him as he looks down at me
"What's wrong?"
Suddenly I'm pulled back behind him as he pulls a gun on Ian and says "Don't move"
"Nick wait!" Rosalie says
"This man is wanted for murder" Dad says
"Well I guess he's just trying to do the right thing" Ian says
"I've found his passport next to the bartender that he shot" Dad says
"Ian lost his bag when he was shot. That's how the guy who shot him got his passport" Rosalie says
"That's what he told you?" Dad questions
"When was this bartender shot?" Rosalie asks
"Four hours ago" Dad says
"Then it can't be him, Nick. We've been with him for longer than that" Monroe says
"Ian's been here since I opened the shop this morning" Rosalie says
"It's true, I came here around that time and they were all here" I say
"Clearly he wants you to find me because he can't. That's why he shot this bartender. If you arrest me right now, then he'll know exactly where I am" Ian says
"Did you check him for weapons?" Dad asks
"He doesn't have any. He came here because my brother was supposed to help him" Rosalie says and Dad finally puts his gun down
"Well, Nick Burkhardt, meet Ian Harmon. Ian, Nick" Monroe says
"A pleasure" Ian says
"The man who's trying to kill you, what's his name? Edgar waltz. He's an enforcer for the Verrat" Ian says
"Verrat? I thought they only operated in Europe" Dad says
"Their influence is spreading. They occupy positions of power everywhere...Politics, industry, organized crime. Anything that is corruptible is susceptible to their influence. Even law enforcement" Ian says
"Nick, these guys make the Spanish inquisition look like the SPCA. And Ian's resistance group... The Lauffer...Is the only thing that stands in their way" Monroe says
"This world is on the brink of war. The turmoil in the middle east, the crises in Europe, the Arab spring...All of it is tied together. Agents of the Verrat, working for the seven houses, have infiltrated the highest levels of all governments" Ian says
"The seven houses?" Dad questions
"The seven royal families" I say and they all look at me
"What? I read" I say
"This is not a new struggle. It's been going on for centuries. With this struggle, the royal families recognize opportunities to gain more control. People, driven by fear, choose stability over freedom, when their neighbors start to die" Ian says
"My parents were part of the resistance and my grandparents, my brother. I never wanted to be involved. It always seemed so far away" Rosalie says
"Your people changed the balance of power when they decided to work for the royal families" Ian says
"I don't know what you're talking about" Dad says
"Grimms. Evidently you don't even know how valuable you are to the royals" Ian says
"Look...I don't mean to be insensitive, but right now I'm trying to find a murderer, not get a Wesen history lesson" Dad says
"Nick, Ian needs your help. We have to get him out of here before waltz finds him. The only reason he's not dead, is because the bullet went through his pack first" Rosalie says
"But he lost his papers. And without them, he can't leave" Monroe says
"Are you talking about getting false documents to get him out of the country?" Dad questions
"I'm sorry" Monroe says
"This just keeps getting better and better" Dad says
"Rosalee's brother was the last stop for Wesen trying to get out of the country. He was going to help me" Ian says
"All right, look, if all of this is true, then the most important thing for me to do is to find Edgar waltz. I can't promise anything else yet" Dad says
"Okay, yeah. Fair enough" Ian says and he looks at me
"I saw him, like 10 minutes ago" I say and Dad's mouth drops a little
"Did he hurt you?" Dad asks
"No! No, I got a camera and he was there. I know what he looks like" I say
"Does waltz know about Freddy?" Dad asks
"No. If he did, I would be dead by now. And so would they" Ian says
"Okay, stay here for now" Dad says
"Do you know where you can get him new papers?" Dad asks Rosalie
"I think so. We were looking through the shop
and found a bunch of fake passports of my brother's. I know that man who did them. His name is-" Rosalie says and Dad cuts her off
"Don't tell me anymore, okay? I'll call you when I get something" Dad says
"Thanks, Nick" Monroe says and Dad grabs onto my arm and we leave the shop
"My bike" I say
"We'll get it later" Dad says and I get in the passenger seat and put my bag in the back along with my camera
~•~•~•~
"After being told of their arrest I was able to get close enough with my camera, for the first time, to the place where they took the men. The Verrat enforcers executed farmers associated with the Spanish Republic. These enforcers infiltrated the highest ranks of the monarchists and Franco's army. They exacted Verrat law, across the land, with impunity. Accused of stealing, these innocent Wesen were executed without trial. Their true crime was marrying outside their own breed. The Verrat enforcers were identified as Hundjager, from a race so tenacious and vicious that it is said they are birthed by consuming their own mothers from inside the womb. Edvard Grimm, Madrid, 1936"
The tape stopped and I flinched when Dad's phone started ringing.
"Yeah. Burkhardt" Dad says and he sits down and I look back down on my book and start reading again
"Where are you?" Dad says and I look up to see him being worried
Dad gets up and grabs a sticky note and a pen and writes down something as he says "Uh, yeah"
"And how will I know you?" Dad asks and then he pulls the phone away from his ear and he looks at the phone
"What?" I ask
"It was Waltz" Dad says and he goes back on his phone then he puts it on the table and it starts ringing
Monroe picks up and Dad tells him what just happened and asks what is a Freidenreden
"Yeah, you're on speaker with me and Ian" Monroe says
"Who asked you about a Freidenreden?" Ian asks
"Waltz called me" Dad says
"Does he know you found me?" Ian asks
"No, I don't think so. He wants me to meet him at 10:00 P.M. He asked me if I knew what a Freidenreden was. I said I did, but I don't" Dad says
"It's a truce...A white-flag meeting" I say and I hear Ian hum
"You both come unarmed and you both leave of your own accord" Ian says and I nod
"Dude, you can't seriously be thinking of meeting this guy unarmed" Monroe says
"He will honor it. They have a great belief in the sanctity of rules. Nick, one more thing. Once the truce is over...The minute you walk away...Anything goes. So watch your back" Ian says and Monroe hangs up
"Bring your gun with you, most Hundjager's don't follow the rules" I say and Dad nods
"Stay here, lock the door. You know how to use the gun up there, if you have to...use it" Dad says and I nod
Dad leaves and I look up the shelf and I see the gun there.
I walk over to the door and I lock it.
I sigh and put on my jacket and I go watch another tape.
"I was able to get close to a Hexenbiest, this one was different. She was able to use her powers without changing her physical form. The only thing that changed was her eyes it glowed a yellow color, she was more powerful than the other witches. This is her making a potion, I was able to catch her off guard and kill her by severing her head off. These type of Hexenbiest have to be killed, with the right knowledge and with enough time they can be hard to kill. Maria Grimm, Pennsylvania, 1985"
The tape shut off and I stopped spinning the lever. I take out the tape and I put it down.
I sit back on the couch and continue reading until Dad came back to the trailer to pick me up.
Ian was able to leave Portland and that guy Waltz is dead, Ian killed him and Monroe took care of the body.
I felt a lot better knowing that Hundjager was gone, I know that more will come but that's a problem for later.
I hope to God that later doesn't come so quickly.