“The Rise of Zeus – Chapter VIII (Pt 6)”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

BASIL (cont.)

“Wait, you live here? And you’re expecting me to live here too?”

“Yeah. If you want to really make a difference in this world, you’re going to have to dedicate your whole life to it. We all have, and none of us have ever had any regrets.”

Her hand suddenly snaps out to grab my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I look forward again to see that I would’ve crashed into Silas if Harper hadn’t stopped me.

“We’re here,” Silas says, turning around to face me. He does a double take when he sees how close I am to him. I mumble an apology and take a step back.

“This is our conference room,” he says, gesturing behind him at the large double doors. “If you ever need to call a meeting, just press this button.” He presses a large red button beside the door that could’ve been mistaken for a doorbell if it weren’t inside. As soon as the button is pushed, an alarm rings out through the rest of the house. “The alarm will only stop once everyone in the house is in the conference room,” Silas shouts, pushing open the doors and corralling us in. “Hurry now.”

I step inside the conference room, which is honestly just a normal office conference room. The doors close behind me and the alarm stops.

“Wait, but how does the alarm know when everyone is here?” I ask, turning to Silas.

“The house knows all,” Kellan says, giving me a wink.

“Sensors in the walls detect how many people are in the house at any given time,” Silas says. “And sensors on the door track how many people enter the room.”

“So… the house is spying on us?” I ask, feeling a bit queasy.

“Not spying on us,” Silas says with a frown. “Spying for us.”

That doesn’t make me feel better.

Final Comments: The walls have eyes… and ears… and sensors apparently.

Overall Rating: 😛