Chapter 10

 'Who's Kenny, if I can ask?' Dennis asked Raymond as Raymond led him, limping, down a wing of the mansion he had yet to enter.
'He's my youngest brother, sixth in the family.' Raymond said, hobbling as he talked, 'He's a film bluff, quite a hardcore one too. Unless you are of his rank in movie knowledge, I strongly urge you not to bring up the topic of films in conversation with him, he will talk you to near-death and then some.'
'Was he the one who booby-trapped the theater?' Dennis asked.
'That's him, I tried to tamper with the locks once, got the deadliest electrocution experience any man has probably ever lived through to tell the tale.' Raymond replied with an ironically sentimental expression across his face.
They went up a flight of stairs and Raymond opened the doors into what appeared to be a sun room. The room seemed to be in between the first and second floors of the mansion, at level with the middle staircase landing. The chamber had a tiled glass ceiling and two walls made out of glass panels also, resembling a greenhouse.
'This was originally an indoor greenhouse,' Raymond explained, 'My grandmother was a good botanist, so I was told, and she kept this whole room worth of rare plants. They all died along with her. Since the rest of my family had been and are extremely non-gifted at raising greens, especially my little sister and that hot-headed cousin of ours, they're the leading plant killers in this family, did you see what The Storm did to those rosebushes outside? It's a good thing Mr. Quincy knows a few things about gardening, or else there wouldn't be any plants in this house, not even the cat grass. Quite lifeless this home is, as a matter of fact.'
The former greenhouse was laden with many musical instruments, including every one that can be found in an orchestra in the western hemisphere. The instruments were hung and rested on three large shelves, some gathering dust, and others were strewn on the floors. Dennis could not name the names of half the instruments in the room. In addition were many folded chairs, music stands, and stools. Nearest the entrance, on a rack hung what appears to be the most frequently used four of the many violins. Beside the rack was a stack of sheet music with the thickness of three library dictionaries and cases for the stringed fiddles.
Raymond picked up a violin that was lying on the cement floor and took a bow hanging from a music stand and began to fiddle absently with it as he sat down on a stool. He began to play a speedy tune.
'Do you know this song?' Raymond asked while his arms carried on playing without interruption.
'It's the song they air on the radio every Christmas.' Dennis said.
'Pachelbel's Canon, my personal favorite.' Raymond said, 'Have you fully acknowledged my supreme skill in musicality?'
Dennis realized that Raymond was carrying on a conversation as he fiddled the tune, it was as if Raymond's arms and mouth are being directed by two separate minds each concentrating on their own tasks. He nodded, fully amazed.
'You know,' Raymond said, still fiddling rapidly at twice the tempo Pachelbel's Canon was written for, 'I didn't know that very few musicians can talk and play at the same time, I only found out when I started teaching Addy.'
'Wow.' Dennis said.
'Wow indeed, if it wasn't for me none of my siblings would have become half as good as I am in this stuff. I mastered it first, the others followed in my footsteps...well, except for the twins, they are of a separate league.' Raymond paused in his speaking but the music continued, he was now replaying the piece from the start and from memory. 'Name any of the instruments in this room and I can show you a few moves with it.'
Dennis pointed to an erhu in the far corner, 'Where did you learn to play that?'
'That? Easy, once I figured out one stringed instrument, I figured them all out. More proof of my prodigal nature.' Raymond stopped playing abruptly and told Dennis to retrieve the erhu for him. Dennis brought the two-stringed fiddle and the bow to him and Raymond tuned it.
'With this one I had a bit of trouble, you see,' Raymond said, 'Barely anyone on this side of the world knew how to play the thing, and I had to learn Chinese to find a tutor. Believe me, I'm not one for languages.'
'You speak Chinese?' Dennis exclaimed.
'Enough to bargain in the markets.' Raymond said and laughed. He performed a short mellow tune on the erhu, and he said, 'This is a depressing instrument, that's what I think. I prefer the livelier fiddles.'
Raymond set the erhu aside and stood up on his good foot, he shoot his other foot and wiggled it, and then stood upright on both feet. 'I think I can stop pretending now.' He cleared his throat.
Dennis was so taken aback he moved back some steps and struck a gong.
'That's right, music and drama, my specialties.' Raymond bowed signaling the end of his broken foot performance, 'I learn from bone-shattering mistakes, that's why I wear steel-toed shoes now, they help my leg muscles get buff too, where ever I walk to.'
'You were very convincing.' Dennis said, straightening himself up.
'Oh you're flattering me, it's causing a man to blush, but indeed, I am.' Raymond smiled with self-assured dignity, 'Just don't tell Addy and The Storm, she'll come after me with a chainsaw if she found out.'
'Okay,' Dennis said, 'I never tell.'
'Great, I knew I could count on a little brother.' Raymond said, 'By the way, I'd like to show you something else, come this way please.' Mimicking a maitre d', he opened the door for Dennis and extended an arm in exit motion.
Raymond led Dennis up to the third floor and they entered the ball room. Two stories high and illuminated by three chandeliers, the spacious hall had two double-doors on opposite walls, and all across the walls large portraits were draped by brown tablecloth. More portrait frames were stacked along the walls and on the carpet, all of it covered by cloth.
Two life-sized portraits hung on the tall white walls were not covered. One of them was of a slightly younger looking Raymond in a tuxedo, standing with a wide grin, a hand wrapped around the fingerboard of a violin, the bow resting in his other hand on one end and the back of his neck on the other end, held like a whip.
The other portrait beside Raymond's was of Addy, also looking a few years younger, wearing a black dress top and holding a violin across her chest. Dennis realized that the portrait was only of her upper body, and on closer inspection he saw that the lower half of the painting had been severed along with the frame that held it. The canvas had been cut neatly across the width in a straight line, taking off the part of the painting that must have been Addy's legs. In the painting, she was smiling subtly, her black hair was longer, and her face seemed less pale. Dennis regarded the two paintings, despite their size, the dark room seemed too large for only two portraits.
Dennis heard Raymond's voice, 'We hope you can get us siblings united again, and then we can hang up the other portraits, and you'll be up there with us too, you bet.'

Chapter 9

The rain continued to fall heavily in the misty outdoors, and pools of water gathered in puddles in the pebbled driveway of the Wyatt Mansion. A black car made shiny by the rain was driving shakily up to the front entrance, it narrowly missed the cement fountain, and stopped just short of flattening a patch of bushes lining the wall of the house. By then Raymond had ran full speed to the doors to meet this new arrival, shouting, 'The storm is coming! The storm cometh! Oh! The Horror!' He was putting up a very convincing act, and Dennis speculated that Raymond might foam in his mouth in the next moment.
Addy asked Dennis to wheel her to the main entrance too, following Raymond. She looked excited, as if a long-anticipated guest had finally arrived.
'Oh, the horror! Run, hide, take shelter by any means! The terrible storm cometh!' Raymond was outside, frolicking madly in the rain, kicking up stones from the ground, running aimlessly in circles. He was at the top of his dramatic form, and excitement was coursing through his veins with vigor.
Dennis did not understand Raymond's act, he stayed inside the double doors and peered out from the glass panels as Addy too went out by herself to join Raymond and gestured for him to stop his mad raving. Addy unsheathed an umbrella for the new arrival, one that Dennis did not notice her picking up earlier.
The single occupant of the black vehicle - the driver - exited after some time spent turning off the ignition and closing the headlights. She was dressed in black down to her boots, matching her straight black hair and beret. She had with her a satchel on which were decorated with homemade buttons. She looked to be about Dennis' age. Dennis pushed through the doors to get a better look at her.
Seeing that Dennis had come out of the mansion, Raymond threw his arms wide and said, 'Aye, the storm has come! You've not taken my warnings to heart and sought shelter? It is now too late, Simone the Storm cometh in all her glorious terrors!' Raymond bowed.
'Oh shut up, Raymond!' The girl shouted. She signed to Addy, who signed back, and then noticed Dennis for the first time. She signed to Addy, pointing at Dennis occasionally, who replied without verbal translation, and then she concentrated her stare on Dennis alone. She assessed him suspiciously.
'So just who are you?' She demanded in a questioning tone.
'This, my little cousin, is Dennis, the right honorable Dennis Raveley.' Raymond said, putting an arm around Dennis' shoulders. Dennis looked at him, put before he could correct Raymond that he did not hold the title of right honorable, the girl had spoken.
'Raveley? What kind of a name is that?' The girl said, she crossed her arms.
'Good question!' Raymond held his hand up to stroke his chin, 'What indeed is the origin of this unusual name? I've never thought of it.'
'Of course you've never thought of that, I'm surprised an inept, stupid moron such as yourself even addressed this concern.' The girl said.
'Objection, inept and stupid are incorrect adjectives to describe yours truly.' Raymond said.
'As if, I can come up with ten better ones right now, let's try senseless, imprudent, ridiculous, half-witted-' She advanced upon Raymond and punched his arm. Raymond's face contorted into an actor's agonized face, and he fell back onto the ground, swooning.
He's a good actor, Dennis thought of Raymond. The girl captured his attention again.
'So, I've learned of your name through that neanderthal, and I've wasted enough time here in the rain, I'm Karla, Karla Simone, by the way of French descent. We shall see once inside whether I am pleased to have met you.' She did not shake Dennis' hand and Dennis did not offer his hand for shake. Karla went over to Addy and wheeled her in through the front doors. Raymond got up from the ground then and escorted a rather stupefied Dennis back under the shelter of the mansion.
Once in the front hall, Karla turned once again to Dennis and said, 'You've yet to answered my question, now, about the origin of your name, if you please.' Raymond had gone off to fetch his bazooka to show Karla, and Addy stayed to observe.
'I'm not sure,' Dennis said, 'I think it's a portmanteau.'
'A portmanteau, of what?'
'I don't know, maybe of Raven and Hedley, they form Rave-ley.' Dennis replied with a shrug.
'Hum, disappointing. I'd thought someone with such sophistication in appearance would be equally intelligent.' Karla exhaled, 'You're not meeting my gaze, what's troubling you?'
'Nothing,' Dennis looked up and into Karla's eyes, they were brown.
'You have very strange eyes.' Karla said.
'They're different.' Dennis said.
'They're...just-why are your eyes like that?'
'I don't know, I never read any books that could explain it.'
'You're a queer boy.' Karla said.
Dennis didn't say anything, he shifted his gaze a bit and then nodded slightly.
Karla signed to Addy, who pointed towards the hall leading to the kitchen, where Raymond was just returning with the bazooka in his arms.
'What in the world?' Karla exclaimed.
'Ha! Impressed, eh? I found this in the basement, why don't you examine it closely?' Raymond walked up to Karla and in a heave thrusts the weapon at her, who caught it in both arms and almost collapsed from the weight. 'It will do you good to strengthen up.' Raymond grinned at his little high-risk stunt.
While Raymond gloated to himself and others, Karla stepped forward and dropped the bazooka on Raymond's outstretched foot.
'YEAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!' Raymond howled in pain and fell sideways like a toppled stack of stones. He writhed on the carpet and rolled on his side. Karla flashed a satisfied smile and Addy rolled her chair to her and they high-fived each other. Addy smiled too.
Dennis winced.
'One more thing,' Karla turned to Dennis and stared into his eyes, 'You seem lacking somewhat, are you aware of that?'
'Nope, lacking in what?' He asked.
'In crucial human qualities.' Karla replied and strolled away with Addy.
'In crucial human qualities,' Dennis repeated to himself, 'what's that mean?' He asked himself.
'Come on, my friend Dennis, help me up, I still need to show you my musicality.' Raymond reached and pulled at the collar of Dennis' pants, he bent down to support Raymond.