Knock!
The sound resounded through the room filled with papers and other various odds and ends. Pete looked up from his swiveling chair and shut off the news.
“Terror sturck Thursday when the Accom…” the reporter said before being shut off.
“Come in,” Pete said, flipping on his computer.
The door slowly creaked open and his client stepped in casually as if he had done it a thousand times before.
“Think you can keep quiet for a little longer on me?” His client asked flashing a $100 in Pete’s face. “It would be most appreciated.”
Pete looked at the money in his hand and took it, rolling it up in his pocket. “You bet, but why?”
Kento stepped further into the light. “No reason for you to know Pete, now do your job and keep quiet.”
Kento pivoted on the balls of his feet and slowly walked toward the door.
“So what were you and Gene doing at 11:00 last night at the Butterfly café?” Pete asked with a smirk on his face.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well it’s an odd occurrence that the Café would stay open later than usual.” Pete suddenly frowned. “My intelligence also says that you flashed him something… A piece of paper according to the report.”
“It was nothing!” Kento laughed. “ Just a late assignment that I had him look over. That’s all.”
“Oh,” Pete blushed. “My intelligence should have said something about that.”
“It’s no problem,” Kento said. “Now you just keep me a secret from Gene for a little longer.”
He took his time getting to the door and peered at many of Pete’s CD’s and sheet music.
“Easiest $100 I’ve ever made.” Pete grinned when Kento was out of earshot.
                                                                  ………                 
I woke up in a daze and quickly brought my hand to my head… a little too quickly and hit myself in the face. I grunted and looked at my clock. It flashed 10:00 and Kento’s door shut. I wonder where he went.
I got up and looked at my nightstand a letter rested there. Same one as last night. I rubbed my aching head and tried to recall last night’s events at the Butterfly café.
I remember meeting him at the same time that he had specified me to be there. When we strolled into the café the owner was about to close up shop, but open the sight of Kento he kept it open for a little longer. There was a new waitress there but I couldn’t recall her name to memory with my throbbing head.
“Good to see you’re doing better Gene,” Kento began, smiling his all so famous smile. “I’m glad to see that you didn’t have any trouble getting here. Glad those donuts helped.”
“Yeah, thanks for those,” I had replied, leaving out the part that they were on my floor. But he had probably seen that when he broke in. “ so why’d you call me here when I’m sick?”
“Just thought it’d be nice,” Kento said. “Besides I gotta give something to you.
“Well thank you,” I said. I sipped at my tea, it was too hot to drink.
“All right,” He said after a long pause. “Now to the real business.”
He withdrew a piece of paper from his jeacket and flashed it to me. It was an invitation to a formal party. A laughing circular mask with a lightning bolt through the middle of it was at the bottom.
“This,” he said, switching it to his right hand. “Is an invitation to a party that is going to be commemorating an event for me. And no it’s not my birthday.”
“Well then,” I pondered. “What is the occasion?”
“I’m getting a promotion where I work!” He shouted, while standing up and knocking over his chair. The owner appeared from the kitchen but Kento waved him away. “I’m allowed to invite one person and I would like you to be that one person. So will you come?”
I looked back at the invitation. He slipped it over to me. Could it be a trap? Another waitress came over and Kento and her started talking, she congratulated him, and the two sparked up. I wonder if they knew each other. Most likely.
“So will you?” He begged again.
Now was my chance to find out more about Reitoons and what they really are. Hopefully his award and the Reitoons were connected but maybe I could find out more about him at the party.
“Sure,” I said acting all happy even though he broke into my room.
“All right!” He yelled once again stirring up the owner who was now peeved at us. “It’s tomorrow at seven like the invitation says. See ya there!”
                                                 ……..                       ……
I folded back up the invitation. Must be a fancy party. I need to go get a tux for it. But first things first. I can’t miss Mr. Trep’s class without telling him again. I called him up and was met by his grumpy voice.
“Gene! Where were you yesterday?” He said. Man had he gone senile already? “Naw just kidding. You feeling any better?”
“I’m doing bad actually,” I lied. “So I’m gonna miss class tonight. But I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Well don’t push yourself.” He said. “You still have to worry about yourself once in a while.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You need to worry about yourself as well.”
“I’m not that old yet!” He laughed.
I hung up and searched for my tuxedo. It was buried underneath a lot of my old clothes and smelled awful. So I spent the rest of the day in the laundry room until it smelled good. (Which took a while!) But in the end I was up and ready by 6:45 for the party. I arrived at the address at 6:00 and just hung around outside in my car till I saw more people go in. luckily it was a fancy dress party, but I tucked my Marauders uniform underneath my clothes just in case something bad popped up and I needed to hide in the clothes.
When I got inside there was a huge banner saying “Congrats Kento!” and people were socializing all over the place and like a party each one had a cup of beer in their hand. “Great,” I thought, sarcastically. “Looks like booze is involved. Just what I want to be forced to do.” All of them looked pretty much over the legal drinking age so it was just me and Kento that were under. I was shocked about that, where were Kento’s friends?
My phone rang and I picked it up after fumbling around in my pocket for it.
“Hey! Gene! You’re in the wrong room!” Kento laughed. “Were in the one next to it!”
I looked up at the banner. It clearly said: “Congrats Kento” but I wasn’t going to argue. It was his party after all.
I stepped into the room and there were three other people in the room. Kento and a girl and a guy. They were both looking at me and watching me as I stepped in. Creepy.
“So this is him,” Said the girl. “He doesn’t seem like much. Are you sure.”
“Of course I am,” Kento said, taking somethingelse out of his jacket. “This proves it.”
He was holding my Portoon hand book on various techniques. Well I guess I didn’t take everything.
“I think I can take him,” said the guy with a somewhat French accent. “HE will be gone in no time.”
“Well, now Peri,” Kento grinned and lowered his head. “Don’t kill him too fast. Make sure he suffers.”
Umm… were they talking about my own demise right in front of me? Peri the French guy took one step toward me when a drunken man stepped into the huge room.
“Oh, sorry.” He said and flicked off the lights on his way out.
“Perfect!” I thought and took off my tuxedo and flipped on my mask.
“Gene!” Came a voice behind me. “You only have so long to beat us all. Do you think you can do it? If you do then no one will ever know that you are a Portoon and you can keep on living your life the way you want to.” There was laughter in his voice. “Come on Lauren, let’s go.” And with that footsteps echoed through the large room.
“Well now,” Peri said in the dark. “It’s about time for you to die. There is no way you can get by me.”
“And why’s that?” I asked  searching for the light switch. “You gonna slap me? It sure doesn’t look like you have a sword like Kento.”
“Who needs a sword?” Peri said as I found the switch and flicked it.
He stood in the center of the factory still and Kento and ‘Lauren’ had left the building.
“So what’s your ace of spades?” Peri asked, reaching into his pocket. “You got some special talent?”
“How about you go first Mr. All-High-And-Mighty.” I said. Bracing myself for anything.
He smirked. “Well all right then.”
He quickly withdrew his hand from his pocket and