Chapter 7

Craig arrived home and Argus was waiting for him.

“Things are getting out of hand Craig. You said you had things under control.”

“I had no idea she was related to The Three. It was a complete shock to me.”

“Yes. It would be. The Three are very secretive. Especially about their powers.”

“Well sooner or later they are going to figure out we have Dai” Craig said.

“Yes I know. What exactly did they say to you?”

“Not much actually. Just that it would take them a few days to prepare.”

“Prepare?”

“That's what they said.”

“Well then that gives us some time.

“Hmm...I wonder?” thought Craig.

“What?”

“Well I don't know much about The Three, but...” Craig stopped to gather his thoughts. “What if there were only 2?”

“Well now! That's an idea. Good thinking Craig. Now which one? We need to find out who is the more powerful of the 3 of them.”

“Yes. I wonder which one...”

Argus held up his hand “Wait! I do believe we have a spy among us.”

“What? Where?”

“Quiet!” yelled Argus. “I know you're here. Show yourself. Don't be such a coward!” Argus looked around waiting, but nobody appeared.

“They must have left already. I wonder which one it was.”

“I don't think we'll ever know Argus.”

“Yes we will” Argus said as he disappeared.

“Nishi! Get back here now!” yelled Nao.

Nishi sat there staring at her sisters. “That was close. Argus has more power than what we thought” she said.

“Well at least we know he has Dai and Craig is in on it” said Nami, “but we still don't know where he has her.”

“I know what we have to do” said Nishi.

“No! Absolutely not! It's too dangerous.”

“We have no choice Nami.”

“How are we going to get you out? We need 3.”

“You'll have to call mom.”

“No. there has to be another way.”

“Well what then? Argus and Craig know we are here. They will be watching their steps. We need to know where they have her or we can't get her out of there.”

“Is there any way we can connect with her?”

“Not without knowing where she is.”

“Then let's make them think we were unsuccessful then. Make them believe we need to go home and do more research. Maybe they will let their guard down then” said Nao.

“No” Nishi said. “My way is the only way we can do this. I will know where you are so I will still be able to connect with you if there is a problem.”

“I don't know. I really don't want to get mom involved and we will still need 3 to get you and Dai out.”

“Then maybe Kei can help.”

“We don't even know what abilities she has if any Nishi.”

“Then it's time we found out isn't it?”

“Fine, but Kei and Scot can't know any details. They need to believe that it was all unplanned” said Nami.

“Agreed” said Nishi and Nao.

Dai couldn't believe what she had just seen. She was shocked and horrified and motionless.

“Well, well! See what happens when you put your nose where it doesn't belong?”

Startled Dai jumped. “You really need to wear a bell! What the hell is going on here?”

“You will see in due time. Until then make yourself at home. You're going to be here for a while.”

“Don't count on it!”

Her captor turned to leave. On his way out he started laughing and turned and looked at Dai. “By the way Dai you have a visitor.”

“I do? And who would that be?”

“Hello Dai” said a voice behind her.

Dai turned to see who was behind her. The anger spread across her face.

“What do you want? I knew your death was too good to be true!”

“Well yes. Thanks to Craig I'm alive and well. Okay not alive exactly, but you know what I meant.”

“Craig? No! You're lying!”

Argus chuckled “Oh I wish I was. Do you think you met him by chance? I've been watching you for quite some time Dai.”

“How does Craig fit into all of this?”

“Now Dai don't concern yourself with those matters. Soon we will be married and none of it will matter.”

“What makes you think I would ever marry you?”

“Because you are going to have my child.”

“Like hell I am!”

Argus laughed. “You won't have a choice my dear.”

“I will never sleep with you! The thought of that makes me sick!”

Argus laughed at Dai's anger. “You are so cute when you're mad. You will change your mind.”

Dai scowled at Argus. “Over my dead body! You make me sick!”

Argus smiled “It's been lovely chatting with you Dai. Just like old times. Now if you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to.”

“Go to hell!” yelled Dai.

“I vacation there quite often thank you” Argus smiled and then was gone.

Craig got home and Argus was waiting.

“What did you find out?”

“They are still here. They are at Kei and Scot's house.”

“We need to get one of them here.”

“Well I could call and tell them I have thought of something that could be of help. They will come right over. We can nab one of them then.”

“Yes, but which one?”

“Does it really matter? Granted there isn't much on them other than legend, but it has repeated they always have 3. I don't think it matters which one we nab.”

“Okay. Sounds good. Get working on that. I need to find out how to do a spell for an immaculate pregnancy.”

“What? I've got a better idea, but it has to be done before we get one of The Three.”

“That would be good except I told Dai that you helped me. She would never let you touch her.”

“What? Why did you do that? Argus that was stupid!”

“What yourself Craig! Don't think I will not retaliate against you.”

“Sorry Argus. It won't happen again.”

“See that it doesn't.” Argus started pacing. “Wait! She didn't really believe me. Maybe you can maker her think I was trying to turn her against you.”

“I am good at smooth talking” laughed Craig.

“Good! Let's do this then” said Argus with an evil smile.

Kei and Scot were waiting rather impatiently for Nao, Nami and Nishi to come down.

“What's taking so long?”

“Calm down Kei. They know what they are doing.”

The Three came down the stairs and Kei and Scot stood up.

“Well? What happened?” asked Scot.

“Well we found out a few things, but not where Dai is.”

“Now what?” asked Scot.

Nishi looked at Kei and Scot. “Scot we need to talk to Kei alone. Will you give us a minute please?”

“What's going on?”

“We aren't sure yet Scot, but when we are done with Kei we'll let you know what we found out.”

“Ok. I'll be in my room if you need me.”

“Ok Scot” Nishi smiled as her brother walked away.

“Kei, please have a seat. We have some questions for you.”

Dai woke up with a jolt.

“What was that thudding noise?”

She got out of bed and looked towards the center of the room.

“Well I don't believe this! What the hell are you doing here?”

Chapter 6

Kei and Scot waited anxiously for The Three Sisters. Kei knew Dai was in danger, but she wondered why Craig hadn't called.
"Maybe he's out of town Kei" said Scot.
"Maybe he is Scot. I don't  know. I just want to find Dai."

The doorbell rang and Kei jumped to her feet and ran to the door.
"Hey! Glad you're here! Come in." Kei stepped back and allowed The Three Sisters to come in. Kei gave each of them a hug and then led them to the living room where Scot was waiting.

"Hello Scot" said Nami. "It's great to see you again."
"Hey Nami, Nishi, and Nao. I sure hope you can help us."
"Well we will definitely try" said Nami.
"Now, where is Craig?" asked Nishi.
"Umm...we haven't called him."
"Well he needs to be here. He is the closest to her. They do live together still, right?"
"Yes" said Scot.
"Call him and get him here immediately. We need information from him so we can prepare."
Kei looked nervously at Scot and then back at The Sisters.
"What's wrong Kei?"
"Well we were just wondering why Craig hasn't called us to tell us that Dai is missing. It seems to me he would have."
"If he has anything to hide we will know."
Kei and Scot nodded in agreement.

"Okay" Scot said. "I will give him a call"
Scot got up and picked up the phone and dialed Craig's number.
"Hello?"
"Craig? This is Scot."
"Hey Scot. What's up? Is Dai with you?"
"No she's not. We believe that she is missing."
"What? I've been out of town. Just got back this morning."
"Come over to my house Craig. We have some ideas."
"Okay. I'll head over now."

They hung up and Scot went and joined Kei and The Sisters. "He's on his way. He said he just got back into town this morning."
"Likely story" mumbled Kei.
"Kei! Enough already. We know you don't like Craig" said Scot.
"Sorry. I'll try and behave."
Nami smiled at Kei. She loved her little sister but knew she could be dramatic at times and very outspoken.
"Did you tell him we were here?" Nami asked.
"No. I said nothing."
"Good. If he's involved somehow or lying Nishi will know and see it. I know he knows of us because of his background. If he knew we were here he could prepare himself for our questioning. This way he will be honest and have no time to hide his lies if there are any. We don't need any hindrance  before we are ready."

Craig wondered what was going on. He picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Yes?" asked the voice on the other end.
"Dai's brother Scot called me. He wants me to meet with him and Kei."
"Does he know anything?"
"Not sure. I told him I just got back into town this morning and was wondering if Dai was with him."
"Okay. Go visit them. See what they know and call me when you get home."
Craig hung up the phone and walked out the door.

Scot answered the door when Craig arrived.
"Glad you could make it" said Scot.
"Hope I can be of help. You know how much Dai means to me."

"Yes, that we do Craig" Scot said as he led him in the living room. Craig's mouth almost hit the floor when he saw The Three Sisters sitting there.
"Why are The Three Sisters here?"
Kei looked at Craig and smirked. "They are here to help us."
"I thought they only helped family members. Outsiders on the rare occasion."
"Ah! So you have heard of us have you?" asked Nao.
"Well of course I have! I just don't understand why you are here."
Nami stood and said "Then please let me explain. Dai is our sister."
Craig's eyes widen. He looked at Kei, Scot and then back to Nami.
"Is there something wrong Craig?" asked Nishi.
"No! No not at all. I'm just surprised. I had no idea that Dai was related to The Three Sisters."
"Well, she doesn't spread our business. If people knew who we were related to it could cause all kinds of problems for us and them. So we keep it private. Including any problems our family members may have" Nishi said. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you Craig?"
"Of course. It will go no further than this room. I promise" said Craig.
"Fine then" said Nami. "Let's get started shall we?"
They all sat down in the living room.
"Now...Craig tell us what happened."
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Well...we know she was working on something. What was it?"
"We received a folder for a job. I told her that I thought it was too dangerous and we should turn it down, but you know Dai."
"Yes that we do. What was the case about?"
"It was about a man that had been missing for quite some time now. We were going to go and meet this person, but Dai decided to wait for them to come to her. I guess they did."

"Hmm...okay. I think we have what we need from you for now Craig. We will call you if we need anything else."
"How long does this process take?"
"We need a day to collect information. A day to prepare. The third day we will be ready."
"Ready for what? What is it that you do exactly?"
"We can't tell you that Craig. I'm sorry" said Nami.
"Why exactly are you asking Craig?" asked Nishi.
"Oh no reason. I've heard the stories and was just wondering if they were true."
"Well I guess you will never know will you?" asked Nao. "We are alone when we do what it is that we do. Even family members aren't allowed to be in the same room."
"Oh! Well okay then. I'll say good luck to you then."
They all just stared at Craig.
"Okay. Well good to know. Let me know if you need anything else from me."

As Craig walked out Nishi stood and scowled.
"Well! He sure had all the answers. Too bad he's lying."
Scot looked at Nishi. "How do you know that?"
"His aura was black the whole time. From the moment he first saw us here. He's a liar!"

Nao looked at Nishi. "He was also asking a lot of questions. He obviously wants to tell someone about us and what we do. He needs to be watched."
"Yes, but first we need to see what he does" said Nami.
"Well? What now?" asked Kei.
Nishi looked thoughtful. "We need to give him a visit. He won't see us of course. I'll be the one to go."
"Nishi if he's involved I don't think it's safe" said Scot.
"I've already decided. I'll be perfectly safe. Trust me Scot. I won't be alone anyway and he won't be able to see me much less hurt me. Now where can we go that's quiet and we can be uninterrupted?"
"You can use my bedroom" said Kei.

Nami, Nao and Nishi walked into Kei's bedroom and took their positions. It was time to get things started. They just hoped they had enough time.

Chapter 5

"Where the hell am I?" Dai wondered. She looked around the room. There was a high fence with no gate and a wall beyond that with no door. She saw 2 beds, a small kitchen and a bathroom. There was one little room to the side of the bathroom.

"Well then, this can't be good! I'll call Craig." She reached for her cell phone. "Damn! They took my phone."
She sat in the chair at the small table not sure what she should do or why she was even there. Dai kept looking at the door leading to the room by the bathroom.
"Hmm..what's behind door #1?" She tried the knob, but the door was locked.

"You don't need to see what's in there. Hence the locked door."

Dai turned around, startled. "Who are you and why am I here?"
"Who I am is not important. As to why you're here...because you were brought here."
"I don't care for the sarcasm!"
"I was told you'd be a handful and that you've got quite a mouth on you. I see they were right."
"Listen here smartass! I don't think you know who you're messing with! I'll be more than happy to show you though!"
The man laughed. "Maybe some other time spitfire. I just wanted to drop by and welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Don't bother! I won't be staying long."
"Hmm...we shall see. In the meantime, make yourself at home. If you're a good girl I'll bring you a radio tomorrow."

Dai scowled at the man and he just laughed at her. "What a spitfire!" and he vanished out of the room.
"Come back here! I'm not done talking to you mister! Take your beating like a man!"
Exasperated Dai let out a scream. Not because she was scared, but because she was angry and frustrated. She wanted answers and she meant to get them. Craig would come looking for her and when he got here mister no-neck with an attitude would get a beat down he wouldn't soon forget. But until then she would have to wait and be patient, which wasn't an easy task for her at all.
"What to do? Hmm...guess I'll do some meditating." Dai sat down and began meditating.

She suddenly stopped what she was doing. Her brother looked at her and said "Kei? What's wrong?"

Kei turned to Scot with fear in her eyes. "Call the Three Sisters. Tell them we need them now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Scot? When am I wrong?" She looked at Scot and saw the smile. "Don't answer that!"
"The Three Sisters it is." Scot said as he turned and walked to the phone.

Nishi, Nao and Nami were the triplets of the Sakaue family. They were known as The Three Sisters. This being because they had a special bond that nobody could explain. They could connect as a whole to any member of the family. No other members of the family had this ability. They would choose who the messenger would be, connect to the family member and the messenger would find them. It wouldn't be the actual triplet though. Their body stayed behind, but all 3 could hear what was happening and being said.
The 3 of them were sitting at the table drinking coffee when Nishi's phone rang. As she walked away from the table her sisters stared at her. They listened intently to the conversation.
"Okay" said Nishi. "We'll be there. Yes. We will leave now. Okay. Bye."

Nao looked at Nishi. "She's in trouble again" sighed Nao.
"Yep. We need to go see Scot and Kei right away."
"When will she learn?" asked Nami.
The Three Sisters shook their heads in unison, packed up their supplies and headed out to Scot and Kei's.

Dai had a restless sleep and awoke with a headache the next morning. She got out of bed and noticed there was a radio there as promised.

 At least she would have some music to listen to. She walked into the bathroom and went to take a bath.

"Great! Just great! No hot water!"

She took a cold bath cursing the whole time. She walked out and fixed some cereal. At least she was getting food. She kept thinking about the locked door. Curiosity always got the better of her, and she knew that usually led to trouble, but she couldn't help herself. She went over and examined the lock on the door. She really wished Jeeves was here.
"He could just walk right through the door" she thought.

After examining the lock she decided that maybe a knife would work. She started going through drawers looking for one. Preferably a sharp one.
"Sorry. No knives."

"Gah! I hate when you do that! Ever think of wearing a bell?" Dai yelled. "What is it with you and sneaking up on me?"
"My apologies, but seeing as there is no door I can hardly knock. Why are you concerning yourself with that door?"
"Because! I'm an inquisitive girl."
"Ha ha! Believe me, if you ever find out what's behind that door it will only mean we have no further use for you."
Dai just looked at him. "What did you want?"
"Just checking on you. I want to make sure you're comfortable."
"There's no hot water!"
"Hmm...Baths will be quick then won't they? Anything else?"
"Yes! Go to hell!"

The man smiled in response and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Dai looked over at the door again. She then noticed there was a small space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
"Don't tell me I can't see what's in here. If there is a will there is a way."
She got down on the ground and peered under the door. It was hard to see underneath though. She stood up and looked around the kitchen area and found matches to light the gas stove with. She lit one and got back down on the floor and peered under.
"Oh my God! No!"