The alley was silent. There was an empty garbage container and a trash can, but other than that, there wasn't anything else except for what looked to be some sort of wooden shack not far away, and then some bushes along the alley wall. The only sign that the shack was there was the graffiti on the side of it.
"You sent the new kid and the shaky one to their room, I see," Evangeline said, walking down the alley behind the hotel with her phone in hand. Everett and Finn were there, standing behind Zeth. They all looked stressed, "Blackfox has videos from all the cameras in the hotel where our blonde suspect is the star, even those from the gym when Alex was there. Our criminal genius wanted to be seen. She introduced herself as Vanessa Helsee.”
"I don't consider someone a criminal genius if they've given us a face," Zeth said, taking Evangeline's mobile phone from her hand.
“You also think she did it on purpose?" She put her hands on her hips.
“She is not alone,” Zeth replied, “But she is acting as if she were.”
"So you think more Hunters are coming to kill us?" Finn asked, looking at the phone over Zeth's shoulder, “Do you think she wants us dead?"
"If she wanted to, she would have carried a rifle during a concert like the hunter in Paris during last year’s world tour," Evangeline said.
"Draco was paranoid! He flew over city all night!” Everett said. "People thought he was gargoyle."
“That’s why I told the Animaniac to go to the suite.” Zeth replied, his eyes still on the phone, staring at the evidence from the cameras all over the hotel, “I don’t want him to get paranoid.”
"Why do you think sexy blonde want us to look at her?" Everett asked Zeth as he handed the phone back to Evie.
"Vanessa Helsee, that's not a very subtle fake name," Zeth replied, crossing his arms. "I think she was trying to give us a hint."
"Last year she mentioned that she was looking for Jade, that she was only going to scare her, but she already had her own plans in motion," Evie commented, and although she tried to hide it, Zeth heard some stress in her voice, “Blackfox also told me that the hunters at the tour shows were interested in putting you guys to sleep with darts."
“You didn’t tell us we were in danger, and who is Blackfox?" Finn cocked his head.
"It sounds like video game," Everett said.
"It doesn't matter who Blackfox is," Zeth replied, "Someone is interested in kidnapping us," Zeth made a pause, "Vanessa Helsee... Why use that alias?"
“We all know who that crazy bitch was," Evie said with a low grunt.
“Except for Jade,” Everett replied, “And me.”
"I don't know who Vanessa is either," Finn raised a hand like a child in school.
"Last year this blonde girl let you live and left without scaring Jade? She doesn't sound much like a hunter. She sounds like, if not an ally, at least not an enemy," Zeth said. Evie opened her mouth to say something but closed it again without uttering a word. They all fell silent and stared at each other. "Well? Do we know where she is?”
"She was trying to get into your suite but stopped when she saw a camera," Evie said. Zeth snorted and rolled his eyes, “This Vanessa girl just moved the handle, there was no lock-picking this time."
"That confirms my theory, she wants us to see her," Zeth put a finger on his chin, "She wants us to know where she is all the time. When we have no information, we do what King Ptahrek did," Zeth said.
"Build road that connects all kingdoms?" Everett asked.
"No! We ask people what they want, we visit each kingdom and...” Zeth was left with the word stuck in his throat and turned to look at Everett doubtfully, “Wait, how do you know about the Road of Ptahrek if you are a Yeti from Nepal?"
"I'm Yeti, not uneducated," Everett said, "And Road of Ptahrek is as famous as Times Square."
"I'd never heard of that road," Finn said.
"Because you're ignorant," Everett replied.
“Zeth, if you want to go and play twenty questions with her, I'll give you her room number, but don't get overconfident. She has no scruples and she's pretty dangerous... But you're almost immortal so, whatever," Evie said, opening her private conversation with Blackfox.
"Faced worse than her during my early and mid-twenties,” Zeth said and crossed his arms, looking up at the sky, grunting, "This girl wouldn't last a day in Evalon. There, you lost your tongue for saying that the king was the puppet of Draco's father, or for making Draco's snotty nephew angry, you can ask the Alfaros and they will tell you. I'm not overconfident, but I don't want collateral damage, so... Where's Jade?" Zeth asked and Evie froze for a moment, "Wait... With Frank?"
"Let them enjoy their first time, it wasn't easy. It took her two tries."
"I don't understand why," Everett cocked his head, "Sex is easy, just takes one try.”
"Everett, maybe there were complications," Finn said and Zeth laughed.
"I bet you don't want your first time to be like that, Finn!” Zeth winked and Finn widened his eyes
“He doesn't," Everett replied, pointing a finger at Zeth, "Because he wants it to be you and not Frank. I read Finn's diary."
"Shut up!" Finn blushed and Evie chuckled slightly. Zeth shook his head and smiled, but it was a sexy smile.
"Do you have a diary?" Zeth wiggled his eyebrows and bit his lip, "Any fantasy you've written about me on some page?"
"No." Finn snapped, blushing even more, and Zeth laughed softly.
"Don't be shy, Finn. Did you write something like 'Oh, I had a great day today. Zeth looked radiant and I want him to make me his' or something like 'I love Zeth's abs and want to lick them' maybe?"
"If you're done feeling aroused about yourself, I can give you the girl's room," Evie held up the phone, "That's the one."
"Fine. I'll go alone," Zeth said, starting to walk.
"Wait!" Evangeline exclaimed and Zeth stopped dead in his tracks, "Wouldn't it be better to have her come to us?"
"Why and how will we do that?" Zeth looked over his shoulder, his eyes proved he knew she was hiding something.
"We use Jade as bait, without using Jade as bait," Evangeline replied, a little nervous.
It was so strange to see her nervous.
"And then you'll let me crush sexy blonde's skull?" Everett asked, slamming his fists together, "Because I was dying to break necks in restaurant!"
"We already told you that, in case of hunters, you should only protect and not fight!" Finn put his fingers on his nose and shook his head, "Murder is illegal here! And you're not the type to hold back!"
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with your past?" Zeth asked Evangeline, "With a blonde girl who was your stepsister?"
"I... Don't know what you are talking about."
"Evie, we have been here for five minutes and you're getting anxious," Zeth walked back and leaned against the brick wall next to the trash can, "You're not telling us something."
"I'm not hiding anything from you guys," Evangeline crossed her arms.
"Zeth, can we all go to the girl's room with you?" Finn raised a hand again, "Maybe we can ambush her, together!"
"That won't be necessary," said Zeth with a finger on his chin, "Evie is hiding something, and it must be important so we will follow her plan. What do we do, girl?"
"We'll upload a photo," said Evangeline, "I'll go get the clothes Jade wore during the show, you and I will pose here in the alley, but don't let my head be seen."
“Do you want to be beheaded?" Everett cocked his head, "I don't understand."
"And you think it will work?" Finn asked.
"It will work if Zeth puts a caption that says he's here with his girlfriend who doesn't like photos," Evangeline winked, "You and Everett hide, and make sure he doesn’t come out yelling ‘Death Match!’ as usual."
“And where the hell am I going to hide a six foot tall giant like him?!" Finn threw up his hands.
“You are my right-hand, Finn," Zeth winked, "And if you do, I promise to reward you at home, greatly."
Zeth wiggled his eyebrows seductively, and Finn froze, his cheeks turning red.
How cute!
“Everett, put your ass inside that container,” Finn ordered, not even blinking, not even hesitating.