There are many ways an individual is a genius - photographic memory of Newumann, imaginative genius of Einstein, and perseverance of Michelangelo.

Eve has a way of her own, too. Pattern recognition. She can recognize a pattern even in the most chaotic forms, with remarkable ease.

What Eve is looking at, if it were to appear in a cop TV show, it would be considered as a small time bomb - messy, colorful wiring that covers almost the entire surface, and an LED screen with running numbers. No wonder Mason couldn't figure it out, Eve thinks.

In real life when someone is patient enough to make an explosive they'll make it as little disorderly as possible, leaving less chance of accidental set offs.

The "Machine" as Mason kept calling is not much of a device at all, Eve thinks. To her the chaotic wiring makes sense instantly.

"I think it's a puzzle box," she says, taking a closer look.

Mason's head tilts. He doesn't see it. Eve draws a circle in the air above the box. "It's the wiring. The arrangement is wrong. I should rewire it."

"You sure?" Mason says, sounding a little concerned.

"Why? You think it's going to blow or something?"

"No," he says, "I had my cousin scan it. It's safe. But I don't want anything inside to be destroyed. I don't know what my uncle had done to the box."

"It's your call," Eve says.

Mason nods. He trusts Eve. "Do it."

Eve takes off her backpack and takes out the small toolset she always has on her. She uses the mini tools to disconnect and remove the wires, before rearranging them.

Then she starts to reconnect the newly organized wires. With each connection one of the running digits on the LED stops, like a lock clicking out of place part by part with each correct turn of its dial.

After the last connection, all the numbers have stopped. The top of the box springs open. Mason comes over to Eve's side and bends down over her shoulder.

Inside the red velvet lined box is an old brass key with twisted shank and a ring bow. Its bit is an intricate lattice. Mason reaches his hand out and takes it. Eve turns her head his way and realizes his face is very close. She leans back. "You know what it opens?" She says.

"A house," he says, turning the key over in his hand, not moving away from her. Eve looks at the box again. "What's that?" She says, pointing her finger at the back of the box's lid.

Mason looks. There's an embedded symbol on the lining. An octagon with a rectangular pyramid inside. This is the first time he has seen it. "I don't know," Mason says.

Eve takes a photo of the symbol with her phone. She moves away from under the still leaning over Mason and takes out her laptop. She transfers the photo and starts an image search.

After a minute she closes the laptop shut. "No luck."

"I'll have my cousin Ashton look into it. He's good with computers," Mason says, coming into the room with two cups of coffee.

Eve didn't realize he was gone. She takes her cup, leans back on the couch and takes a sip of the most delicious coffee she has ever had in her life.

"You're going to search the house the key belongs to?" Eve says.

Mason puts his cup down and says, "I'm hoping you will come with me."

Eve shrugs. "Sure, I don't mind. The puzzle box was easy anyway. I've time to kill."

Mason smiles.

"Is the house nearby? I can't go if I can't return by the end of the school time," Eve says.

"It's a bit far, and I'll pay you a thousand for the trip," Mason says.

Eve's mouth opens as she lowers her cup. "A thousand?" She asks.

"It's an overseas trip," Mason says.

"Oh," Eve says. "I can't go then."

"I'm willing to double the pay, Eve. I could really use your help."

Eve is stunned by the offer. "I- I- I can't. I've never even gone out of Washington. I can't travel abroad."

"You've a passport?"

"Yes, but that j-"

"That's all you need. I'll take care of the rest. It'll be quick and easy. You'll be back before you know it," Mason says.

"I- I have things to take care of."

"I can make the arrangements needed. You just let me know what you need to get done."

Eve swallows. What started off as a one day of skipping school is turning out to be something else. "Mason, I-"

"Why don't you take a day or two to think about it? I know it's not an easy decision for you to make. I understand. But, like I said, I could really use your help, Eve. You're the smartest person I know. All you'll have to do is just look around the house and see if anything catches your eyes that might help us track Nathan. That's all. I won't ask anything else of you."

Eve puts down her cup. "I'll think about it."

"Thank you."

Mason drives Eve to her home. As his car pulls around Ward 8, Eve realizes how out of place his Tesla must be looking in her neighborhood.

"Here," she says when they reach the front of a small faded house with chain fence. Mason gets out and takes down Eve's bicycle from his car. "You ride a long way on the cycle to school," he says.

"I'm used to it," Eve says not meeting his eyes and taking the cycle from him.

"Get back to me as soon as you can," Mason says, "In the mean time I will have everything ready for the trip. And as I said before, money is not an issue. I'll pay whatever you ask."

Eve nods.

After Mason leaves, Eve parks and locks her cycle near the entrance, and gets in. There's no one to welcome her. Her dad's usually at the construction site until late night. Her grandmother is at the hospital.

A couple of weeks ago Eve's grandmother had to go through surgery for her hips. All of Eve's and her father's savings have been used up to pay for the bills. Eve's dad had also borrowed some money from people at his work.

Eve fills a pan with water at the tap and heats it over the stove. She could really use the money, she thinks. But her dad can't look after her grandma because of work. Which makes it difficult for Eve to travel.

Eve lost her mother when she was too young to remember. She grew up with her dad and dad's mother. Her dad is a labor worker at a construction company. He's gone each day before the first light and returns after it's dark. At times, he travels out of town, wherever the next project takes him, and Eve doesn't see him for months.

Eve rinses out the rice and slowly dumps it into the boiling water. She's making porridge for her grandma who never asks for any other meal.

Her grandma always says it's because of the recovery that she wants to eat porridge, but Eve wonders if it's because her grandma doesn't want her family to spend money on good food for her.

On the other hand, the porridge Eve makes is not that bad either. It's her grandmother's recipe after all.

After the porridge is done, Eve lets it cool for a moment before pouring it into a hot case. She grabs her things and heads out and climbs over her cycle to leave for the hospital when her phone rings.

It's the hospital.

End of chapter