Chapter 184

"It's not like you to miss practice," Casey commented as she fastened her seatbelt.
I choked on my own spit, not expecting her to know that I was skipping practice. Casey looked over at me, surprised. She started patting my back as I continued to cough.
I cleared my throat after a few seconds of coughing.
"How did you know that we have practice today?" I asked her as I took off the car's parking brake and checked my mirrors to appear busy.
Casey gave out an airy laugh. "Was it that surprising for me to know your practice schedule? I mean it's not even that hard to figure out that you have practice every Fridays. Have you forgotten that I'm your sister or something?"
I let Casey talk as I drove the car out of the parking lot and into the streets.
"Just feeling under the weather is all," I answered as casually as I could.
I looked at my sister through the corner of my eyes.
Casey regarded me with a weird look. "You?"
I looked at her with raised eyebrows, "What? Am I not human? Can't I get sick too?"
Casey stared at me, "You never get sick." She inched towards me in her seat, laying her hand on my forehead to check my temperature.
I swatted it away quickly. "Hands off before we crash," I quickly said.
Casey laid her hand on her own forehead with a frown. "I don't think you have a fever."
"What are your symptoms?" She asked, looking at me in worry.
I smiled at her choice of words. "Symptoms? What are you, a doctor?"
"I can be one if I want to," She answered confidently, puffing out her chest and causing both of us to burst out in laughter.
"Yeah right, you're too clumsy to become a doctor, you might give the wrong medication to your patients and end up killing them instead of healing them." I snorted.
Casey feigned a hurt look, laying her hand over her chest. "Are you sure you're my brother? Am I adopted?"
I laughed at her.
Casey turned her attention to the radio and started turning the knob to find a station to listen to.
I mentally breathed out in relief. I was lucky to have a sister who's so easy to distract. I couldn't tell her that I was skipping practice to pull an all-nighter. I always feel drained after practice and end up sleeping the second my head hits the pillow until the next morning.
Casey started singing along to the song on the radio and I forced myself to join her. I didn't want to raise unnecessary suspicions in her that would cause her to sleep with an eye open tonight. I need her to sleep like a rock, just as she always has, more than ever tonight.
When we reached our house, I parked the car and Casey jogged to our doorstep where a parcel sat in front of our door.
"I think it's from Mom and Dad." Casey said as she looked at the mailing details.
"Really?" I asked, locking the car and walking towards where she was standing to check the parcel too.
Casey started shaking it but I quickly stopped her, taking the parcel out of her hands.
"Dumb-head, what if it's something fragile and you end up breaking it." I flicked her forehead.
Casey glared at me, rubbing the spot on her forehead that was turning red by the second.
"Open the door, let's open the parcel." I instructed her, nodding towards the door.
Casey grumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'asshole' but complied, unlocking the door and holding it for me.
I smiled at her as I walked past, giving her an exaggerated sweet 'thank you', batting my lashes.
I walked over to the living room and set the parcel on the coffee table. I tore the brown wrapping paper open and let it fall to the floor.
On top of the box was a taped letter. I took the letter off first and opened it.
"We're sorry we couldn't make it home this month, kids. Work has been hectic and we don't know if we can come home before next month comes around. We got you a small something from Paris. We'll try to come home as soon as possible. Be good and stay healthy. We love you and miss you. – Mom and Dad." I read the letter out loud for Casey to hear as she fiddled with the box, trying to figure out how to open it.
Well, at least I won't have to worry about having to sneak out of the house when my parents aren't around.
Casey finally got the box to open and inside was a medium-sized miniature of the Eiffel Tower, wrapped with bubble wraps and newspapers.
Thanks to the way it was packed, the miniature didn't get damaged from Casey's assault.
It was typical of Mom to wrap it so thoroughly like this. Maybe she had a mother's foresight of what her daughter would do after receiving the parcel.
I smiled to myself at that thought as I watched Casey admire the miniature.
"Do you think the real thing looks exactly like this?" She asked, eyes full of wonder as she observed the details on the miniature.
I looked at the object she held in her hands and slowly nodded. "Probably."
"Do you think we'll ever get to see the real thing?" Casey asked, placing the miniature on the coffee table. She sat on the floor and folded her arms on the table beside the miniature and then laid her head on her arms to stare at the mini Eiffel Tower.
I smiled at her question. "We've seen it before, silly."
Casey looked at me, confused. "No, we haven't."
"We have. But I guess you were too young to remember." I shrugged.
"That's not fair!" Casey huffed, pouting as she looked at the miniature again.
She unfolded one of her arms that was under her head and started tracing the miniature's silhouette.
"Is it big?" She asked.
I nodded, "It's huge."
"Did I like it?" She asked again.
I smiled, remembering her younger self stare at the towering Eiffel Tower with wide eyes.
"You had the same look on your face."
Casey frowned, pouting again. "This is so not fair. How come you get to remember and I don't."
I chuckled at her tantrum. "You can always go there and see it again, idiot."
It was like a lightbulb lighting up above her head. Her entire face lit up and she straightened up.
"Oh my God! You're right! Why didn't I think of that?!" She exclaimed as she jumped to her feet only to throw herself on the couch beside me.
"We can always go again and see it when we're older. I mean we're probably going to inherit the business and have some errands to tend to there, right?" Casey asked me with eyes shining with excitement.
I raised my eyebrows, my heads tilting from side to side as if I was contemplating the idea.
"Don't give me that! We have to go! We'll go together once we inherit the business and be the invincible Johnson duo that takes over the business world like a tycoon. We'll travel the world like Mom and Dad are doing right now and go see the Eiffel Tower again." She rambled, taking my hand and shaking it.
She was channelling all her excitement into the handshake she was giving me and it felt like my hand was going to get ripped out of its socket soon.
But all I could do was laugh and share her excitement.
"怎么开心吗? (Are you that happy?)" I asked her, amused.
"当然啊! (Of course!)" She turned to me with an ear-to-ear grin. "Just imagine what it'd be like to travel the world. We can eat all sorts of food and visit famous places."
She throws her head back and let out a squeal. "I can't wait to grow up and start working."
I chuckled. "You do realize that a lot of people that has started to work actually wishes to go back to the time that they were in school?"
Casey waved me off, keeping her eyes closed, her grin unfaltering. "I'll burn that bridge when I get to it."
Her expression basically screamed 'Ignorance is bliss'.
"I'll let you live in your fantasy," I allowed, patting her shoulder and standing up to my feet.
"Where are you going?" Casey asked after me.
"Shower!" I answered over my shoulder, continuing to walk towards the stairs.
"What about this mess?" Casey shouted; her tone incredulous.
I grinned, waving my hand goodbye as I ran up the stairs to leave her to clean up the mess.
During dinner, I made sure to put a lot of food on Casey's plate until she's stuffed. Whenever Casey feels too full, she always complains about being sleepy afterwards. It was the surest way I could think of to make sure that she goes to bed early tonight. Having her sleep early tonight would save me a lot of trouble. I won't have to think of an excuse to leave at midnight or deal with her interrogations.
Sneaking out without letting Casey know is impossible if she's not asleep. It was a habit that she nurtured since she had nightmares when she was younger. She would not sleep unless she sees me on my bed across from her.
So I sat on my bed, pretending to do some school work on my laptop as she slowly falls asleep.
When midnight came around, I shut my laptop down and made sure Casey was still fast asleep before slipping out of the bedroom.
I made a quick stop to my empty bedroom to grab a black hoodie before grabbing the keys to my bike and my wallet.
I took the bike out of the garage and led it out of the gates. When I was far enough from the house to be sure that Casey won't hear the sound of the engine go off, I got on my bike and turned on the engine.
I rode to the address that Jax had texted me and I arrived there a few minutes before the clock struck 1 a.m.
I looked around the empty road that was surrounded by trees, feeling the hair on the back of my neck rise from how abandoned the road was.
If anything were to happen to me here, I was as good as dead.
It wasn't like I didn't expect the scenario to be this way. I would be surprised if they chose a location in the middle of the town with eyes watching who were coming in and out of the place.
At the end of the road, there was a warehouse that looked unkempt and abandoned.
I parked my bike by the warehouse and walked towards it only to find that it's locked.
I looked around the dark area once again. I took out my phone, turned on the flashlight and dialled emergency services, my finger hovering over the call button.
I walked around the perimeter and finally took notice of the huge truck that was sitting on the other side of the warehouse.
I walked closer to it, directing my flashlight to the truck.
A note was left on its windshield, wedged under the windshield.
I opened up the note and it had an unfamiliar address written on it with instructions under the address.
"Drive the truck to this address. Keys are inside. Drop the truck off there. There'll be a bike waiting for you in that place. Use it to come back to this warehouse."
I walked around the truck, to the back of the container sitting on it.
The doors to the container was locked with three locks and there was no indication of what could possibly be inside.
I stood there, looking at the three locks that were staring back at me as I contemplated my options.
I unlocked my phone and typed in the address on the note left for me.
It was a 3-hour drive away and it looked like the destination was a pier.
That's a total of 6 hours to get there and come back here again.
It's an hour drive home from this warehouse, which means that I'll be home by 8 tomorrow if everything goes as planned.
Tomorrow's a Saturday so Casey wouldn't be awake until 9 a.m.
I have time.
But I have to move now.
I took another look at the 3 locks that were mocking me.
I really hope it isn't drugs that are sitting inside this container.
I shoved the note into my pocket and jogged to the driver's side of the truck.
I pulled the door open and climbed into the driver's seat to settle myself behind the wheel.
Okay, I've never driven a truck before but this shouldn't be too different from driving a car right?
No?
Well, there should always be a first time for everything.
I turned on my google maps and placed my phone on the seat beside me.
The key was already in the ignition, so I simply turned it and the engine sputtered before coming to life.
"Here goes nothing." I said to nobody in particular as I gripped onto the wheel that was probably twice the size of a normal car.
I shifted the gear and stepped on the gas pedal to start my trip.
God help me.