Chapter 3: The Scheme

Elisa stayed in her room for nearly thirty minutes, still exhausted from last night's party. She passed the time mostly by reading through a few of her favourite books, and taking a small nap. She ate a few granola bars she'd hidden in her room to make up for not finishing her breakfast. The Rogers open their doors to visitors at about 10:30 am. Since Elisa had woken up at 9:00, about an hour later than usual, she had over an hour before her mother called her down to deliver the dishes back to the Rogers. That gave her some time to calm down and think.

First there was Harry. Even if he doesn't tell her, he would still pester her to keep the promise she made last night. And the more pestering he did, the more of a pest he becomes. It also meant that mother would get involved, and since Harry is a terrible liar, she could easily get the truth out of him. And then Elisa would really be in trouble, the kind that her grandparents can't save her from.

She got up from her bed and walked to the middle of the room to do some stretches, and to think more clearly. Her mother is already suspicious of her because of her behaviour at breakfast. She even threatened to call grandma and grandpa, although Elisa knew they would never tell her about the party. Still, she could very easily pick up on any hints or clues that they would accidentally drop. Assuming she's already called them, which is unlikely due to how quick she reacted to her argument with Harry, as well as the fact that she has to clear the breakfast things and clean the house. She would then take a break from all the work she completed during the morning. Although, this wouldn't be necessary if she just got a maid to do all the work for her, as Elisa and her grandparents continuously pointed out. But nooo, everytime the subject gets brought up, her mother quickly shuts it down, saying they didn't need a maid, that it would be a waste of money, that they could do it better themselves, blah blah blah!

Elisa shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She began to walk around the room, looking at her things, her left arm crossing her chest and supporting her right arm, which held her chin. She discovered a few years ago that she could think more clearly while she was moving around. Holding her chin with her index finger and thumb was a habit she picked up while mimicking cartoon characters, however, it was also helpful to her thinking.

After nearly ten minutes of nonstop walking, she sat down on her bad, a mischievous smile forming on her face. Reaching over to her bedside table, she grabbed her smartphone. Elisa had just formed a plan, but in order for it to work, she had to take care of a few things first. Activating her phone, she started texting her grandpa, asking her questions about the party and whether or not her mother called. She also sent a set of instructions, advising her grandpa how to act depending on what scenarios play out.

After that, she laid her phone back on the table and went to her dresser to collect a few things. After a minute of searching through the drawers, she finally found what she was looking for. Taking a step back, she laid the four items she found on top of the dresser and looked over them, assessing how they could help her with her plan.

The first item was a bracelet made out of thin fabric, paper and drinking straws, a present from a member of the Rogers family. She had to hide it ever since she got it, since her grandparents didn't really approve of the Rogers family. Her mother knew, however, but never said anything, as she didn't share their views. 

The second item was what looked like a whipped cream dispensing can, although what it actually dispensed was an unidentifiable thick substance that was deep brown in colour.

The third item is what people called a "stink spray". An aerosol can that, as the name suggests, sprays a smelly mist. Anything sprayed on by this will smell like sewage and rotten eggs.

The final item she needed for her plan is a small voice recorder shaped like a pen. Elisa got this item from the party, along with items two and three. She had only recorded three sounds in it; explosions, a dog barking, and something her grandpa said. This item is the key component in her plan to cover up the truth from her mother. If it works, she'll never find out about last night's party.

Suddenly her phone vibrates, alerting her to a notification. Walking back to her bedside table, Elisa picks up her phone and checks out what notifications she received. 

A text from grandpa! she thought. It said that her mother hadn't called yet, but was likely to soon. Another text arrives, saying that they couldn't follow through with her instructions. 

Elisa had expected this, so she had kept something up her sleeve, something she got last night. 

She texted back saying she was coming over in about an hour's time and to be ready for her. With that, she started getting ready, setting the pieces in place. 

.....

At 10:31 am, Elisa came downstairs from her room and went to her mother's bedroom on the ground floor. She went straight to the door and knocked on it twice. "Just a moment." her mother called through the door. After a few seconds, she opened the door and walked out, holding a neat stack of small dishes. "Here you go, Elisa. Take these straight to the Rogers, no distractions. I have a few things to clear up before I go clean up the garden." Mrs O'Sullivan said all of this in a rush. She was clearly in a hurry.

Elisa took the dishes from her mother, moving one eyebrow up questioningly, a skill she practiced for months when she was nine. "Clean up the garden?" She asked innocently. Her mother grimaced. "Yes", she said grumpily, "some dog managed to get into the garden and made a big mess. It's going to take a while to clean it all up." As Mrs O'Sullivan walked away to get her cleaning supplies, Elisa smiled to herself. The 'mongrel scheme' as she called it was working. Everything was going according to plan. 

Elisa took the dishes and went out of the house, wearing the bracelet and her purse (violet and square-shaped with a black cord strap). She was still a bit grumpy that she had to do this, going all the way to the Rogers' house, but it was all going to be worth it in the end. She called back to her mother, who was at the back of the house, saying she wouldn't be back for another fifteen minutes. Mrs O'Sullivan called back a reply, saying it was okay. Elisa grinned, then set off to the Rogers' house, which was just next door. Despite being almost right next to her house, she always found it a hassle to walk there. However, despite that, she did look forward to it because of one particular member of the Rogers family, who she was NOT allowed to associate with or even think about, by the order of her grandparents.

She strolled right up to her neighbours' door and rang the bell. She waited patiently, knowing they would take a while. Sure enough, ten seconds after she rang the bell, a voice called out from inside the house, before another voice shouted, "Just a second! I'll be right there!". Hearing that second voice, Elisa slowly started to smile, unable to contain herself. She was starting to get a little jumpy, but her self control held her excitement down.

A few seconds later, the door opened. Before her stood Joseph Rogers, youngest member of the Rogers family, being only twelve years old. He has two older brothers and one older sister. They lived with their father and uncle, ever since their mother passed away. 

Joseph Rogers is just a bit short for his age, but he more than made up for that with his artistic personality, can-do attitude and freaky chocolate-brown hair. His skin is fair, his eyes are like blue marbles, and he has the most gentle, delicate hands. He was like a dream boy, if dream boys could look wild and full of energy, with a bit of glue stuck to their fingers.

He is Elisa's (unofficial) best friend and (secret) crush. Of course, the feelings of friendship were mutual (but not love). Still, he looked just as excited to see her as she was to see him. "Elisa! Hi, welcome! It's good to see you! You're just in time, please come in, come in!", he said enthusiastically, opening the door wider and gesturing her to come inside, a big smile on his face.

Elisa smiled back, almost shyly, before saying, "It's good to see you too, Joseph." With that, she entered the house, talking to the boy she wasn't even supposed to think about (because of her grandparents).