I sat in the living room with the television on and the blinds open. There wasn’t anything interesting on, just the afternoon news. That wasn’t why I was there. Every five minutes I peeked out the widow, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t looking. The mailman passed our letter box. I jumped up like I had been electrocuted, and immediately regretted it.
‘Are you alright sweetie?’ asked my mum, looking at me with a hint of concern.
‘Yeah fine. I think I saw my friend Lilly outside. Mind if I go look?’
‘Sure,’ She said, turning back to the television.
I walked out the door in what I hoped was a casual manner. Once outside, I made straight for the letterbox. Opening it eagerly, I grabbed the contents and ducked out of view behind a nearby hedge. Today was the first Thursday of the month. On this day every month, I noticed my parents got a letter. A few months ago, when I had asked what it was, they looked strange. Almost guilty. I’ve tried to get my hands on this letter ever since, discretely of course. This is the first time I had managed it.
I found the letter. It was your ordinary envelope, with the transparent plastic sleeve, the kind that bills come in. I ripped open the letter excitedly. I wasn’t prepared for what it said.
In it was a check with the government stamp for $10,000. The memo line read: Custodians of #238993. I flipped it over. There was nothing else with it.
I stared at it for a moment. What could this mean? The front door to our house opened, and out came my dad.
‘Tori!’ He exclaimed, seeing me huddled near the bush. ‘What on earth do you think you are doing?’ I clutched the envelope in my hand. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I was a bit shell shocked.
‘Dad, what is this?’ I whispered. He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. Slamming the door, he sat me down on the couch. My mum stood up, and he and dad looked at each other.
‘Does she know?’ my mum asked him.
‘No, but she saw the envelope. They keep a close eye on her, and will be here soon probably. Damn! I had hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. I thought you were going to get it!’ He said, tearing his hair in frustration.
‘What is going on!’ I demanded.
At that moment, the door was kicked in. A swarm of men and women in black gear holding rifles stormed in, yelling. All three of us threw our hands into the air. Behind them, walked in a huge Polynesian man, with tattoos covering his face. He wore a black tank, army cargo pants and boots. The muscles in his arms bulged.
‘Good evening #238993 and custodians.’ He said. ‘We need to talk.’
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