Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter 35

Chapter 33 ~ Another Plot.

But Theon, despite this secretive and sneaky meeting, the kind which he enjoyed, was not happy. It had been three days now since the incident in the library when Stefan had politely and ever so bitingly told him to leave Maxine alone. Theon's anger returned as his mind wandered back to that moment and he gritted his teeth in anger. After Stefan had pushed him away that day, the boy had gone even further to keep Stefan out of Maxine's sympathetic view. No, Maxine hadn't ignored Theon, she'd been deprived of the sight of him. Because every time Theon appeared, Stefan would whisk Maxine out of the room with a parting glare at the boy.

Theon clenched his fists and tried to control his rage. The plan couldn't fail, it couldn't. But by the looks of it, they'd have to find another way round. Dispose of the boy. Yes...Theon smiled to himself as a shaft of moonlight shone between the roots from the outside. That sounded like fun.

But the smile was wiped off his face as he reached the entrance to the shack and entered from below. As soon as he opened the trapdoor, Avery grabbed his arm and hauled him up, waiting only a second before he demanded:

"Well? What's happened? What was that message all about?"

Theon grimaced and moved to sit on a dusty old chair, running one hand through his short dark hair. Early that day he had snuck a message to the twins in class, careful not to be caught by Stefan, who seemed to have been watching him closely since the incident in which he had halted their plans. Avery and Ava had at once arranged a meeting and now, here they were , Ava and Avery scowling at him expectantly from where they stood edgily, side by side, infant of him. An interrogation was in store.

"Theon! Answer him, what happened?" Ava raised her voice and sent a biting order towards him. He looked up and lifted his hands in despair.

"It's all gone wrong, Ava." He said hopelessly. "She doesn't even know I exist any more."

Avery frowned. "That can't be right." He stared at his friend. "She was all over you in Herbology. What happened?"

Ava followed up on her twin, staring at Theon with hard eyes. "What did you do, Theon?" Her voice was venomous and loaded with warning as she glared suspiciously at him through the dim light.

"It wasn't my fault!" He retorted angrily, looking up at them with both indignant and anger. "It was the bloody friend of hers, Stefan. The mad boy. He won't let me go near her." He looked up at them seriously. "He know's something up."

Of all the reactions, Theon did not expect Ava to smile. He was watching her - he always watched her when plotting with the twins; she was the clever one with all the plans and emotional twists for their victims. The smile she wore was not pleasant, but it was certainly a genuine golden girl smile. Ava had a plan and she was pleased. 

Meanwhile, however, Avery was angry. The less quick of the pair, he was more aggressive than intelligent, though academically brilliant. "What! How could you let a coward get in your way! For god's sake, Theon, you-"

"Calm down, brother of mine, calm down." Ava placed a perfectly manicured and claw like hand upon her twin's shoulder. "Don't you see? We can manipulate this situation to fit the new developments."

"New developments?" Theon looked from one twin to the other. "What 'new developments'?"

Ava shifted her hard, snake-like brown eyes onto him. "We've received more news." She informed him, taking her hand off Avery's shoulder and advancing in a business-like manner. "We need both of them."

"Both of them?" Theon creased his brow in confusion. "You mean - Lestrange and Burkhardt?"

Ava nodded. "It seems both the little darlings are quite special."

"But Ave, how are we going to work this out to help? If Theon's daunted by Burkhardt then he's trouble." Avery cut in, then paused to look at Theon maliciously. "Unless our dear little Theon is a coward."

Theon flushed with anger. "I am not-"

"Shush, shush." Ava held up both hands and claimed silence. "I'm thinking. Now shut up."

Theon looked back at Avery, who returned the questioning look. Neither of them had any idea what Ava was going to come up with. One thing for sure, however, was that it would be good. Ava knew how people felt at just a glance; she was clever and cunning and could toy with their emotions like a cat with cotton. She knew what to do with Maxine and Stefan. 

Twenty seconds later, she lifted her head, opened her eyes and spoke, a smile dawning slowly as she revealed her plans. "Ooh, I've got a juicy one." She said, turning her head to look at Theon. "Only you've got to stay with me, even though you may be disgusted."

"What? Hang on-" Theon began but never finished. Avery scowled at him and cut across, replacing his expression with a smile as he regarded  his sister.

"What've you got, Sis?"

Ava smiled maliciously. "Well, you know how I love a good soap opera. And here we'll introduce a little pathetic romance into the fray. Theon-" She turned her satisfied eyes onto the boy "-Is going to harmlessly and innocently seduce Lestrange."

Theon gaped. "What the-"

"Shut up, Theon." Avery cut his friend short again. "Let my sister speak, for god's sake."

Ava smiled again and went on. "You'll weave a pathetic web and make her feel sorry for you and then reform. Become a brave little boy with her help. And then, you'll start 'falling in love!' with her and lead her to our place of kidnap." Ava inflicted high tones of sarcasm into her sentence, looking at Theon with pleasure. "Won't you enjoy it, darling?"

"It's disgusting." Theon spat. "You mean I'll have to pretend to 'like' Lestrange? That ugly cow?"

"Don't fuss, Theon. You're a brilliant actor as it is, you can do it." Said Avery, with less encouragement and more order in his tone. "And think of the money."

At this point, Theon took a moment to smile. Then it was back to Ava, with a determined look on his thin face. "Ok. I'll do it. Only we have one problem, and that's Stefan."

Ava laughed cruelly. "You're so slow, Theon. You'll be seducing Lestrange and Burkhardt'll be going mad. Don't you see?"

Theon creased his brow. "But-"

"Haven't you seen the way he looks at her? It's so obvious. But of course she won't notice." Ava continued to smile, as if inwardly examining her plan. Her twin, the same psychotic grin on his face, was also pleased, and proud of his sister. But Theon, just cottoning on, wanted more. 

"Ok, but if I'm becoming his worst enemy, how will we et him to follow us when the time comes? And furthermore, how am I going to build up the feeling with the hag?"

Ava laughed slightly and brightened her smile, leaning her elbows on the table and fiddling with her wand as she fixed her large, cat-like eyes on her two followers. "Well that-" She spoke in a low, satisfied voice "Is the best part."