"Who do you see in that photo?" Artemis asked. "Um . . . I'm guessing Aunt Lina, when she was very much of age." Alak said. "This is her graduation picture. She looks sort of the same from some years back." Aeo said.

They each exchanged and looked at others. "Ugh! This is taking us no where," Artemis said. "Wait, check this out. It's a picture of some lady . . ."

"Bro, that's not going to take us anywhere. I mean surely we didn't get our powers from a photo," Artemis said. Aeo let him talk on but he still took the picture with him.

"Guys, what we really need is some rest," Alak said.

"Speak for yourself," Artemis retorted. "Come on guys, these powers are not so bad."

"Again, speak for yourself." Artemis answered.

"Your powers are not in the least possible way destructive, compared to ours," Aeo pointed out. They all dispersed to their former searching areas but Aeo joined Artemis in the bathroom.

"Guys over here," Alak called them over at Aunt Lina's table.

"What are you munching on?" Artemis asked. "Gummy bears. Want some?" Alak asked.

"Nope, I'd rather have a granola from the fridge than eat last year's remnants of Halloween candy," Aeo said, making Alak spit every last bit of gummy bears in his mouth.

"Did you really have to eat that?" Artemis said, looking sort of confused.

"What? I was hungry."

________________  

"Ugh! We've practically searched the whole room and nothing's in here," Aeo muttered. "Did you check under the bed?" Aeo asked his elder brother.

"Sure."

"What did you find?" "Nothing, just some more pictures and before you ask . . . I didn't bother looking at them. Cos they looked pretty !ugh the same," Alak said, coming in from the balcony.

Aeo knelt down and reached under the bed the grab a picture. He saw another one of Aunt Lina's graduation pictures and said, "Yeah, it's the same thin . . . "

He kept silent when he didn't recognise a woman and a man in a kind of game arena.

He turned to the back of the picture and it read Presilda and . . . And the rest was faded out. "Um, guys . . . Did you know any friend of Aunt Lina's called Pre-" he asked before being called.

"Sorry guys a little help in here," Artemis called from the ceiling.

Aeo put the picture in his pocket and went over to the help for help.

"What the hell are you doing in the ceiling?" Alak asked. "I found something in here. So you grab it, while I come down cos I'm not taking any chances with the lady," Artemis said.

"Who's the lady?" Aeo said.

"Aunt Lina, obviously," Artemis said, rolling his eyes. "So what did you find?" Alak said, trying to see inside the ceiling.

Artemis pushed a vintage looking box and said, "This." Alak helped him bring it down and he followed.
"Don't know what that is but it's gotta be something important cos it was far away from where the eyes can see it," Artemis said, dusting off the sand and spider webs on his hair and clothes.

The weird looking box proved impossible to open mainly because, without the password, it wouldn't open.

"Who's got an idea?" Alak asked. "I suggest we use our powers. I could zap it open with just the right level of electricity."

He held out his palm and zapped it but didn't even leave a black burn mark.

"Its not use guys, it won't open without the password . . . But maybe we could all guess," Artemis suggested again.

They took turns in trying their birthdays, holidays and important days, but none opened the box.

"Now what do we do?" Aeo asked sadly.

"Do not give up, that's for sure," Alak answered. "I'm really on fire guys, I got another idea. How about we just ask Aunt Lina . . . Maybe trick her into telling us," Artemis suggested yet again.

"Like that's gonna work," Aeo said, rolling his eyes.

"You know, saying it like that makes me think it's actually going to work," Alak agreed.
"This whole investigation thing has made me hungry," Aeo said soon after.

There was a fumble in the atmosphere and they looked around, confused. "What was that?" Aeo asked in a direly low tone.

"Sorry, that was me. I think I had too much gummy . . . Ooo, bears, " Alak said, holding his stomach and ran out to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna have that granola bar now. We'll come back to all this later."

On a spaceship . . .

"So, agent, have you gotten anything about those strange transmission from . . ." "Its from a different location now sir. And it's an unknown foreign energy and it's very dangerous to the atmosphere of the earth," she said.

The man held his forehead and brushed his hand through his hair, worriedly.

"Where exactly is this foreign transmission from?" "Earth, sector 4693. It's very close to youth life." She turned around from a large screen and said; "The League of Presidents would not approve of this."

"We should be prepared for anything now . . . We don't know what danger that the energy is going to bring, but we'll be ready."

"I like your optimism."

________________

Corey had made sure to silence the volume of Aunt Lina's phone, so when it rang, he swiped it off the table and excused himself. "Umm, Aunt Lina, I nee-" Alak said before being cut off.

"Uh, sorry but Lina's not here right now . . . She's currently in the long line for the ladies room so," Corey lied.

"That should be nasty. But anyway, an you tell her to call right after, please," Alak said, trying to hide his annoyance. "Sure I wil," Corey said, hanging up.

"Soor, I wiw," Alak mimicked irritated, after hanging up.

Since he couldn't speak with Aunt Lina right then, he felt his best way to relax was to watch basketball cos it didn't matter if his team lost or not . . . It was just basketball.

That was his best way to relax.

Upstairs, Alak's phone rang and Aeo answered, as Alak wasn't there. "Hello, Auntie. Alak's not here, this is Aeo speaking," Aeo said.

"Are you guys fine? Alak called before. Where's Artemis, and Alak?" She said. Aeo handed the phone over to Artemis and went to fetch Alak.

Artemis smiled and winked at Aeo, probably trying to tell him that he'll hold her up for some time. "Hello Auntie L, how's Corey doing?"

"Oh, he's fine and fight here. Do you wanna speak with him?" Aunt Lina asked.

"Hell no, uh . . . I mean, no, no, just tell him I said hi," Artemis stuttered.

On getting downstairs, Aeo found Alak watching tv. "You do realize we are trying to figure things out, and you're here-" Aeo said, trying to catch his breath and getting some juice from the fridge.

He noticed he got no reply, till he found out that Alak actually sleeping. "Awwn. I guess he really needed his rest. ALAK!!! AIN'T LINA WANTS TO ASK TO YOU, but get up first," Aeo screamed.

Alak fell off the couch and stared angrily at Aeo.

"I wasn't sleeping," Alak said.

"Mmm hnm. Why does everyone lie about not sleeping when their caught in the act," Aeo said. They both hurried upstairs and saw Artemis still talking endlessly but showed signs that he needed to end the call.

No! Don't try that. Alak mouthed.

Artemis covered the phone and said, "Easy for you to say." "He's got a point," Aeo supported. "Could you be less annoying and help us figure out what we're doing," Alak said in a low tone.

Aeo jotted his idea on a piece of paper and handed Artemis his lines. "Go now." Aeo ordered.

"Uh, you see Aunt Lina, we kinda, sorta need some help," Artemis said, then hung up immediately. "Why did you do that?" Aeo asked.

"Cos he has nothing to say. She's gonna get so suspicious," Alak said.

"She's gonna call back soon, we need to come up with something," Artemis said. "And remember it's to unlock the box," Alak added. Aeo didn't know how they were going to pull this off but they had to try.

"Maybe we should try something different with our powers or something," Alak said.

No sooner had Alak suggested his thoughts did Artemis and Aeo chorus: "you have mind control!"

"I knew that. So what's the point?" He asked. "Thiiiiink," Aeo said.

"Yes, exactly I can try to control Aunt Lina to tell us the password for the vintage box. But there's one tiny little detail that could drive everything south," Alak pointed out.

"What?" They responded uniformly.

"I don't think I can mind control someone far away. I mean I've tried it on people who are close by, but not on people far away and we don't even know where she is."

"Calm down, we're gonna figure it out," Artemis said in order to restore Alak's self confidence. "Why don't you try to mind control Corey. You know, so he won't get suspicious if we control Aunt Lina."

"Wow, You are really on fire with these ideas bro," Aeo commented.

"I guess I could try-" Alak said. "She's calling back," Artemis said. "Don't keep your hopes up . . . Fingers crossed this works."

Artemis is really on fire . . . Even Aeo approves.

Do you?