Chapter 10

I do not own Race To Witch Mountain.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Yeah I am, actually. It's nice that you're aware."

"About what? I lied to you because I thought I was protecting you."

Eliza looked at Justin, Seth had told her that if Sara trusts him, he's to be trusted since, well, she can read minds. Justin doesn't know that though. He doesn't know that they're aliens and that the world is in danger.

"How old are you? What's your real name? Am I..? I don't even know what to ask. Are you a legal U.S. Citizen?" Eliza rambled.

Justin chuckled. "You're the daughter of the biggest crime boss in Nevada and you're concerned about whether or not I'm legal?"

Jack glanced at Eliza through the rear view mirror.

Eliza cleared her throat nervously. "Let's not talk about me because I'm the one mad at you remember?"

Justin shook his head at Eliza. "My real name is Ino."

"That's a stupid name."

"My grandfather is half-Japanese."

"I knew you weren't American."

"Elle."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"I'm 18. My dad worked for your dad and my grandpa worked for your grandpa. My grandpa was an illegal immigrant so he couldn't work a legal job. He hid out here in Nevada and had my dad with a local.

My dad was legal since my grandma was a citizen, but he loved the illegal. He used to have a job at the garage near our house but, he had a gambling addiction, he spent twice what he earned. He went in to work for your dad when your dad took over the empire. He had a lot of debts to your dad because of his gambling. Until he got sick and couldn't work anymore.

My older brother went in to work for him so that we could pay off the debt. He couldn't pay it off working normal jobs, everyone knows that money is faster when it isn't legal."

Jack shifted in the driver's seat.

"But my brother didn't like the way things worked in the underground, he wanted to quit. The thing is if you get into the illegal, unless they kick you out, you can't opt out. You know too much already, you're a risk. You become a liability.

They told my brother if he quit they'd do something bad. He didn't listen, he said he'd leave. You know crime bosses these days they don't kill you if you mess with them, that'd be too easy. They like to play little mind tricks now, they like to ruin your life."

Eliza looked over to Jack and saw that he was listening very intently.

She looked over at the alien twins, who were both sleeping. Seth was beside Eliza, leaning on the window and Sara took up most of the space in the back. Ino was still beside her though, they hadn't stopped over yet and he needed to check her wound now and then.

"What happened?" Eliza was afraid to find out. She knew her dad was a monster.

"They had our mother declared insane. It ruined her, she couldn't find a job, she couldn't apply for a license, no nothing. The state took me away from her because I was just a little kid. My brother didn't know what else to do. He killed himself."

Eliza was shocked. Her father had completely ruined an entire family's life. She knew that he was heartless, but she didn't know to what extent.

"I'm sorry." Eliza says quietly. Ino continues, undeterred.

"I became a ward of the state the moment they took me away from my mom. I have no files on me, nothing in the system, I bascially don't exist. I couldn't do anything to help my mother. She didn't have a job, my father was in the hospital, my brother was dead. But Wolfe made me an offer."

He paused and looked out the window, his jaw was stiff and he was shaking his head.

"He said that if I worked for them, he'd be the one to provide everything for my family, he'd pay for our house, he'd provide our food, he'd be the one to take care of my dad's hospital bills. My mother told me I shouldn't accept it and that I should just continue studying. Wolfe said that she was crazy and that I shouldn't listen to her. He said it was a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'."

Ino looked away from the window and looked at Jack, Jack was already looking at him. There was a look of understanding there between the two boys.

"Anyway I was a kid, I'd believe anything he told me. Hell he was rich and he ruled Las Vegas, I was just a 10-year-old kid with a crazy mom and a sick dad. I couldn't waste time on school because it was a long way before I could graduate, then what? I'd have a mediocre job and my family would still be struggling?

I said yes to his offer. He took me in, I was too young to do anything, so I was a rat. No one would suspect a little kid, right? That was my job until he took you and Emma out of home-schooling, starting then it was my job to look out for you. They made up an identity for me, they enrolled me in the same school and put me in all the same classes as you."

Eliza was surprised. "But why? I have... I have an entire entourage with me at school, why would I need extra protection?"

"I was still a rat, Shawn and the others, their job was to protect you, nothing else, my job was to find out if anyone had anything against you. I had to make sure no teachers, students, or faculty were to harm you."

"Students? That's ridiculous." Eliza scoffed.

"You remember that casino heiress?"

Eliza nodded. "Tatiana Wilson." They both said at the same time.

"Yeah, well Tatiana Wilson's dad wanted her to befriend you so that they could have you kidnapped."

"Why?"

"Your dad rules the streets of Nevada, Wilson wanted to have something over him. Your dad wouldn't allow that of course. So when winter break came, Tatiana had a... skiing accident." Ino said, shrugging slightly.

Eliza gasped and reached over the seat to hit Ino in the shoulder. "Was that you?!" Ino nodded. "She broke so many bones in her body that she had to be pulled out of school!"

Seth stirred beside her and she clamped her hand over her mouth until she was sure that he was asleep again.

"I can't believe you!" She said in a stage whisper.

"The message had to be clear. No one messes with a Wolfe."

Eliza was silent. Why did it seem like her dad cared for her? Not that she didn't want him to, but it just wasn't like him. Maybe because she was a liability like Ino had said about those who knew about the illegal.

"You... You killed all those men back there without even blinking, I thought you were a rat not a... A killer."

"I'd be useless if I didn't know how to be violent. It's like having a gun without bullets." Ino grimaced. "Which was exactly what your dad told me when I turned 13."

Eliza was silent; ashamed.

"I'd hate to intrude, but we're going to have to ditch this car soon." Jack spoke up.

They had outrun the cops nearly an hour ago. Jack was actually a very excellent driver. He weaved the huge black car in between streets and cars effortlessly making their get away very easy. Eliza had a feeling that was why her father wanted him.

"Jack's right. We're going to have to go. I already took out all the tracking devices out of this thing but we can never be too sure." Ino had started moving, readying bags, counting supplies, checking maps. He moved carefully though, careful not to wake the blond beauty beside him.

Jack parked the car in a deserted lot. "Wake the twins up." He said.

"Seth, we have to get going." Eliza said, shaking Seth slightly. He didn't even stir. "Seth? Seth! We have to go." Nothing.

Eliza knew of one way that would certainly wake him up but she was also sure that he'd certainly hate her for it. "Seth! We're here! We found your ship!"

Seth's eyes snapped open and he immediately exited the car, not even bothering to use the door, he just went through it. He looked around frantically for his ship but stopped when he realized that they were in an empty lot and that there was no ship.

Eliza had opened the car door and was looking out at Seth, her lips pressed into a thin line to keep herself from laughing. She was scared now. One, because it was a mean joke, it wasn't something she should have joked about. Two, because she knew he'd be mad at her.

"This is not something that we should be making jokes out of." He said seriously. Eliza dropped her eyes and felt ashamed. She had almost forgotten that they were now sort of responsible for saving the earth, they couldn't horse around.

Sara had also woken up when she had heard "ship" and she woke up just in time to see Seth phase through the door and Ino turn pale white beside her.

Oh no.

"Ino." She called out calmly.

He turned to her, jaw tight. She couldn't see his hands, but she could see in his thoughts that they were behind him, at his belt, where he kept his knife.

Sara felt nervous. "Please, we mean no harm, there is no need for you to take out a weapon."

His eyes widened at what Sara said. How did she know?

"Oh, Sara's already awake." Eliza told Jack. She looked back at Eliza, she seemed tense, she was staring intently into Ino's eyes. She looked at Ino, his entire posture was stiff and his hands were behind him.

This made Eliza very nervous. If Ino was equipped the same way that her other guards were, she knew for a fact that he had a knife or maybe even a gun behind him.

"Ino." Eliza made a face as she said his name, it sounded weird and she's known him as Justin for years.

Eliza folded the seat that Seth was previously sitting on, making a path from the back row to the door. "Sara, you should go to Seth."

Sara complied, but when she was about to lean up from sitting, she felt a sharp pain at her side and she keeled over, hands on her wound.

Ino's hands left his belt and he immediately went to assist Sara. "Easy." He said.

"Please, let me explain." Sara said, still clutching her side.

Ino shook his head, "I live in Vegas. I... I've seen a lot of weird things. You can explain later, but for now, we have to go."

Ino helped Sara get down from the car, Eliza watched them. "I'm kind of scared how he'll take it, I've never seen him afraid or surprised or anything, but he looked pretty terrified back there." She told Jack, who was still seated in the driver's seat.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, all the crap this kid's dealt with, how hard is it to find out that aliens exist and that they're trying to take over the earth?" Jack said, looking for something in the glove compartment.

"What are you doing?" Eliza asked, leaning over the passenger seat to see Jack more clearly.

"I'm looking for something." Jack paused. "Well, I've found it now. Go join the others."

Eliza stepped out of the car and was waiting for Jack with the others when the car suddenly took off.

With Jack in it.

While they were left in the middle of nowhere.

Oops.

I think y'all be hating on me now. Hahaha.

I'll be updating soon, don't worry, you'll find out what'll happen in maybe a couple of days. Or maybe tomorrow! I already have the next chapter typed out, just haven't finished it yet.

Also, yes, Ino's real name is stupid. Eliza and I completely agree. While I was writing this I asked my sister for the first Japanese-ish sounding name that she could think of and she could think of and she said Ino and since I couldn't think of anything else, it's what I wrote, thinking that I could think up of another name later. I couldn't. So, any suggestions?

I love you all. Xx