I inserted a toe filler inside my bunny slippers as I slid my feet into the house slippers and walked downstairs towards the coffeehouse and sat down, facing Aunt Inara and Grandma. With the Children of Balance Bible in her hands, my aunt gaped at me. "Could you explain to me again about this group?" she asked. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrjeDG0RVq
"The Children of Balance is a doomsday cult," I reiterated. "Where they believe that their 'messiah', Nathanel Roth would bring balance to the world."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmeStiL1AT
"That sounds ridiculous," Aunt Inara snorted. "This Nathanel guy is just a con man."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQx34HGt1t
"Exactly," I agreed with my aunt's statement. "But his followers just believed him like a bunch of sheep."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSaDkmcDpq
"Idiots. I bet they give up all their money to Nathanel."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ407o6hPCZQ
"Nathanel even persuaded his followers to commit murder."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaheZmSzVI
"Is it true?" gasped Grandma. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZ5pNcVkUW
"It's true, Grandma," I nodded. "I was at the cult meeting."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzmtY3cMQW
"First, what are you even doing at the commune anyways?" questioned Aunt Inara. "You could have gotten yourselves killed."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG40LOrlcW2
"Well, I encountered the Children of Balance on Naomi's birthday at an abandoned cabin."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMAyLI6uR3
"An abandoned cabin?" she raised her voice. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcAx0Bkdag
"Calm down, Ina," Grandma placed her hand on Aunt Inara's shoulder. "Bugsy, what did you hear at the meeting?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQcQqu0xpW
"They planned to wipe out the vermin that caused the imbalance on Earth," I recalled. "Then, we offered a drop of blood on the fountain."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2A0mX2d94Q
"What else did you saw?" Grandma held my hands. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbEU5poiYE
"They all wear white hoods and chanted on how Nathanel Roth was our saviour and the Chosen One. I almost got caught but Ferdinand, Naomi and Lisa managed to save me."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpPrykl7I4
"Thank God," Aunt Inara sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you're safe."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqUowh15fB
"Aunt Inara," I looked at her. "I know they were responsible for Malcolm's death 29 years ago."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqJFjSqWVZ
"The police might not believe you, but maybe they'll believe David."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUo1ByTxXX
I raised my eyebrows as Aunt Inara put on a beige coat. "Who's David?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7p97fGTZ6e
"The mayor," answered Aunt Inara. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyHVV1yl2R
"You mean Mayor Yearns?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlf0l4HUfjd
"Yes, Bugsy," she waved as she left the Little Owl Coffeehouse. I stood up and walked towards the kitchen, pouring two cups of warm water. I walked towards our seat and placed our warm water on the coffee table. Grandma thanked me as she sipped her warm water. "Grandma, did you know Malcolm Nguyen?" 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bup6U9mZF
"I knew his parents, Eric Nguyen and Martha Trans. Eric worked as a clerk for the town council. Whenever they came to this coffeehouse, little Malcolm would always jump about."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CC7t3vXfz
"That's sad. What happened to their parents?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXWLNgiWhI
"I don't know," Grandma sighed. "I never saw them since the boy's death."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePJ3PGM0Gv
"Do you know anyone else in town who disappeared or killed?" I sipped. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lni14b4pP
"Do you remember Jessie?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrEqwpYYa4
"I do," I let out another sniffle. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdOW9iUMx4
"Her parents, Mr Khan and Mrs Abbasi disappeared after her funeral, never to be seen again."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNGuaBfcYe
"I always thought they moved to the city," I stared in disbelief. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiwcdxyEQU
"Most of the people I've known personally disappeared, Bugsy. Amara, Zuko, Ezra...."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6WWkSEXuO
I stood up and put on my blue jacket and a white beret as I opened the front door, letting in a breeze of snow inside the store. "I'll be at the archives, Grandma," I assured her. "Be back in a few hours."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwCcyeoegt
"Wait," Grandma stopped me at the front door. "I'm coming with you."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99E9ZchmsC
"But it's too dangerous," I protested. "You might slip on the icy pavements and break your bones."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCAmOTuHPC
"I'll be fine, Bugsy," she insisted. "Besides, the more the merrier."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqu9sLkrng
I sighed as I watched her putting on layers of woolly cardigan around her and walked outside of our townhouse. I closed the door behind me and held her hands as we strolled along the pavements together, admiring the crimson lanterns hanging above us. "Lunar New Year's in another 3 weeks," noted Grandma. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjfPZCDfpC
"I know, Grandma," I chuckled. "Can't wait."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEjzeP2l6T
"We should get new clothes for you," she gazed at the store mannequin, clad in rose- red cheongsam with flowery motifs. "You're out sizing some of your clothes."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcMb3UsAGa
We passed the clothing store and headed inside the archives building, only to notice Ferdinand seated on a table in the middle, studying. I snickered as I tiptoed towards him and poked both his waist, causing him to jump from his seat. "Good god, Bugsy," he freaked. "You scare me."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQr3ohFrg5
"But it was funny," I amused. "Your reaction is priceless."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0cf4c81V8
"Whatever, Bugsy," he rolled his eye. "I'm currently studying cults."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnSRYu4dw1
We sat down, facing him. "Did you find anything about the Children of Balance?" I asked. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1Z3NJwrvb
"Unfortunately, no," Ferdinand shook his head. "All I could find was The People's Temple, Heaven's Gate and the Manson Family."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYmnUTnMyc
"Keep searching, Ferdinand, while I'll search for the missing and murdered people in Slaborough."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShjel9sSCe
I walked towards the counter and rang the bell, prompting Miss Yves to put down her newspaper and look at me. "Morning, Bugsy," she greeted with a smile. "What can I do for you today?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjU4iczgx6
"I need reports of missing and murdered people in Slaborough from 1969 to present," I specified. Yves got up and walked through rows of shelves while I got back to my seat and grabbed an article Ferdinand was going through.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wQ7igSSZD
"SIGNS YOU'RE IN A CULT", I read. "By Amara Onyo."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVneDlgRrF
This must be interesting, I thought as I took out a triple five notebook and a pen. "Absolute authoritarianism, no tolerance for questions," I listed down. "The leader's always right, fear of the outside world, no financial disclosure."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrniWFCctIU
As I read another article, Yves approached our table and placed a pile of newspaper clippings next to me. "These are the one I could find," Yves wiped her sweat with her handkerchief.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmdaYt0Efo
I thanked her as I unearthed each newspaper clippings and filled up the entire table, making Ferdinand remove his articles away. With the dates of the clippings following the chronological timeline, I counted all the people of Slaborough missing or murdered. "There are 35 of them," I stated. 'Ferdinand, could you look at articles about Malcolm?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGIesfrAyf
Ferdinand took out his magnifying glass and analyzed Malcolm's article. "According to the article, Malcolm was found dead on January 20 approximately at 10.43 a.m," Ferdinand read. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPH9my20Df
"Grandma," I called her. "Do you recognize anyone here who you suspect was taken or killed by the Children of Balance?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeEHPaEqEg
Grandma put on her spectacles and scanned the clippings, placing them on top of each other, making a mini mountain. "I could be wrong," Grandma doubted. "But I think these were the ones taken by the Children of Balance."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXa8hsxyYNM
Ferdinand pushed the remaining clippings to the side and spread them out on the table, filling three-quarters of the table. "29," I counted. "29 was the number of years Malcolm was found dead."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvTwXxY4IQ
With his magnifying glass, Ferdinand read the second article and jotted down the date on his glitter notebook. "January 20." 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9oamHUnPG
He goes through the next one, and the next, and the next, until he reaches the last one. "January 20," he repeated throughout the whole time. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJf7FMTWQg
"All the murder and kidnapping that the Children of Balance had committed were done on January 20," I noticed. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLojn5MiiyG
"But why the same date?" Ferdinand questioned. "If they wanted secrecy, they could've committed those things randomly."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmMlTO9PUK
"Good question, Ferdinand. The police would've noticed this pattern by now but yet no actions were taken."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtylGFggss
"And how did they get the guns?" 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXD02LLFKk
"What do you mean by guns?" Grandma raised her eyebrows, her hands trembling.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCpryTGx4u
"The other day when we were in an abandoned cabin, we encountered the Children of Balance. They threatened us at gunpoint."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0R5JCv74f
"But we can't have guns," Grandma expressed her surprise. "How did they get those rifles?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sJ7SsEYR5
"That is the questions we couldn't answer," I lifted my shoulders. Grandma took one of the newspaper clippings on the table and stared at a picture of a dark-skinned woman, with frizzy hair and a grin on her face. "Who is that, Grandma?" I asked. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVgPncgsAu
"Amara Onyo. She was always carrying a notebook everywhere."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgsBq5zD6d
Amara Onyo. Now that sounds familiar to me.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNZTlmw2hD
"So now what?" Ferdinand wondered.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0bnPXFjiP
We sat at the waiting room just outside the mayor's office, feeling slightly warm, with the sound of the secretary typing on a computer as background noise. Then, we heard the door swung opened, revealing Aunt Inara and Mayor Yearns.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdALHDIafs
"Thank you for making time with me, David," said Aunt Inara, in a warm tone when she turned around and noticed us. "Mom, Ferdinand, Bugsy," her jaws dropped. "What are you all doing here?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZce5XoXAH
I stood up, hugging my notebook. "I have something extremely important about the Children of Balance," I spoke. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMChWCAqlsk
"Alright," Mayor Yearns answered. "We'll discuss this in my office."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B0KuO2jSf
I faced Mayor Yearns as he sat down. I slipped a notebook on his desk and opened it, showing and explaining all we've found in the archives. "So you're saying that the Children of Balance kidnapped and murdered 29 people each year on January 20?" he guessed his conclusion. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyrzsUtLLm
"It's true, Mayor Yearns."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxaRNPi6uh
"If that's so, then why didn't the police noticed this pattern from 29 years?" he placed his clasped hands on his desk. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WEusZLdkf
"That's what I wondered as well."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHkxEOvMbu
"And they have guns as well," Grandma pointed out. "Isn't it illegal?"610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKRy2HjnMm
Mayor Yearns opened his drawer and flipped the pages of his law book, and showed us the page for reference. "According to the firearm's law," lectured Mayor Yearns. "It is legal for a citizen to bear arms, but they must go through various tests. After they successfully obtained a gun, their guns would be in an ammunition centre. And if they want to use it for practice, the gun owner must inform the police or else face a fine or suspension of gun license."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LucTuFL6i
I pouted my lips. "That sounds difficult."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAm80kAIvDV
"It is," said Mayor Yearns. "Which is why I'm making a police report based on the evidence provided by a witness of the crime."610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0MfXdxVgB
"That's great," Ferdinand gleamed. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3W28swyX7o
"Now all of you just go home and rest while the police would take care of this."
"Yes, sir."
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