A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Grounded. For a month. A groan left him, and he tapped his fingers repeatedly on the windowsill. He couldn't even sneak out the window again since his window now was attached to an alarm system. Annoyingly, his parents had the code, which made frustrating sense, and he had tried to find it so that he could sneak out again.

Even if the alarm was absent or if he had found the four-digit number, he still wouldn't be safe. Conveniently, his father was working on the yard directly below his window. His father hadn't done yard work for over a month, yet he just so happened to choose the present day to get back to it. Right. Because, that wasn't planned at all.

Still, he couldn't just wait the day out. He needed to meet the others at Carnation Hills; he didn't have time for this dilemma. Another groan parted from him, and he pushed himself away from his window. Somehow, he had to find a way out. Leaving his room quietly, he listened for where his mother was. Downstairs. Vacuuming. Perfect.

Despite the vacuum, he kept his steps as silent as he could make them, and he sneaked towards his parents' room. He cracked open the door, and his eyes narrowed. They had installed an alarm on their window too. Leaning back into the hall, he checked the window at the end. There was one on it too. Apparently, their trust in him was presently very low. It was irritating, but he had been the one to leave through his window at night.

"Just great," he muttered before he looked back to their room. He could search for the code again, but that might take too long, and he couldn't afford that. That meant riskier behavior. Closing the door, he made his footsteps as soft as he could and headed towards the stairs. He peeked over the railing and into the living room. His mother was dancing to whatever song was playing in her ear buds as she continued to clean the area.

Directing his gaze away from her and towards the kitchen, his eyes landed on the backdoor. There was an alarm too on it. His brown optics shifted back to the living room, then to the front door. It was unlocked since his father was outside. Maybe when his mother turned to face the right angle, he could sneak past her and out the front door.

Heading down the stairs and hiding behind the railing in the process, which wasn't that great of a cover but it was the best he had, he managed to reach the bottom and peek around the end of the railing. His mother faced the television now as the vacuum swept underneath the television stand. Quietly, he tip-toed across the floor and practically dove behind the couch when his mother turned around his way. The vacuum didn't switch off, and he barely could hear her hum over the sound of the vacuum. He hadn't been seen.

Moving along the back of the couch, Oliver directed his gaze over the armrest. Her eyes were towards the kitchen. Not wasting any time, he left his hiding place and opened the front door. She didn't notice. Oliver left his home and gently closed the door after him. Swiftly, he switched his attention over to his father. The older male continued about his work and checked up towards his son's window in the process. With a roll of his eyes, Oliver crept down the stairs carefully so as not to slip and darted over to the nearest tree he could.

Momentarily, he peered around it. His father didn't spot him, so he moved to the next tree. He continued this process until he was well away from his home. Like before, he headed for the trees and hid himself among them as he made his way to the funeral home. Admittedly, it was foolish to travel into the woods with the creature around, but it was either that or get caught by his parents, and he didn't want to blow his shot with the paranormal investigator group. Sure, he couldn't do that if he was dead, but he wouldn't be able to if today went wrong with them either. Either way, he had to succeed in meeting the group's plan. Not showing wasn't an option in his opinion.

Once he was far enough from home, he picked up his pace and raced towards the funeral home. As he approached, he heard voices up ahead. "It's almost eleven," whined Terry. "Why can't you just explore her old room, Gretchen? It's a one person job."

"Cool it. I want to see what Oli's got." Her optics gleamed with curiosity and amusement. "Today's his day to prove himself. And, he has one more minute to get here."

Terry still released a groan. "Uhh!"

"You need to quiet down, Terry," Leon pointed out, shaking his head some and earning a glare from her. He chuckled and held up his hands mockingly. "Like Gretchen said, cool it." That only caused her glare to grow, but he didn't mind. "Seriously, we know you want info on your future toy, but relax. You'll get it soon." He patted her on her head and her light purple curls bounced a little.

A slight grin met her lips. "You think?" Hope glittered in her eyes. He patted her head more and smirked. That was all she needed before she squealed a little. "It'll be all mine."

"And, it's ..." Gretchen stopped as she saw Oliver hurrying out from the woods. He stopped near them and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Once he did, he adjusted his grey scarf, not going to make the mistake of wearing red again. A smirk met Gretchen's lips. "Right on time." Oliver returned her smirk with a small relieved smile.

Gretchen's brown optics shifted over to Terry and Leon. Her thin lips stretched into a somewhat unnerving smile. "Alright, you two get going. We'll sneak inside and see if we can find anything." Terry let out another squeal and jumped up a little before she latched her arms around Leon's left arm. The three all shared a look that read of trouble and greed before Leon and Terry went over to Terry's great great uncle's grave.

Watching Terry practically cuddle more into Leon's arm as they walked off, Oliver couldn't help but ask, "Are they ..."

Quirking a brow, Gretchen shook her head. "No, they're not dating. Terry's too obsessed with the idea of being with the creature. And, Leon just enjoys the attention." She shrugged and chuckled. "He's enjoying it while he can." Another chuckle left her. "Besides once he has samples of the creature, his attention will be solely on that." With the wave of her right arm, she signaled him to follow her. "Come on. We got work, Oli."

Nodding, he followed her lead as they crept towards the entrance. Hopefully, the (l/n)s were out on the grounds and not in their home. Thankfully, no one noticed them, and Terry was performing well as she related the story of how her great great uncle passed. Whether it was true or not, he didn't know, but it was convincing. He hoped that the (l/n)s didn't remember the cause of the man's death. Otherwise, her story might fall to pieces.

Steadily, Gretchen opened the door and checked inside. "Clear," she whispered back to him before she headed into the building. Oliver was right behind her and shut the door softly. No voices or movement greeted their ears; however, the sound of running water from the bathroom downstairs hit their ears. Quickly and quietly, they stepped up the stairs. They reached the top as a door opened down below. Gretchen grabbed Oliver's right hand and tugged him behind the wall.

Both of them heard steps downstairs before the movement of a chair followed. They relaxed, and Gretchen released her grip on him and continued towards (f/n)'s room. Their footsteps were careful, and they stopped whenever the slightest of movements downstairs hit their ears.

Finally, they reached her room and managed to get inside. They closed the door. Gretchen let go of the doorknob and smirked. "It does seem like they cleaned it," she whispered. She took a step farther in. "It's too clean, though. Check her closet; I'll check the rest of her room."

Posing no argument, Oliver headed over to the closet and slid one of the doors open. Curious, though, he inquired, "Hey, Gretchen." She hummed as she searched the desk. "If we catch ..."

"We will." Her voice was firm but remained quiet, and she gave him a sharp gaze that shone of authority that refused to be challenged.

"Right. When we catch the creature, then what?" Her gaze averted back to the desk, but she motioned him to continue. He adjusted his thick, blue jacket in nervousness some since he felt like an idiot for asking such a question, but he explained further still. "Well if Terry has the creature, Leon his samples and such, and you your glory of catching him, will you all still want to investigate the paranormal world."

An entertained chuckle escaped her. "Obviously." She brushed back some of her short red curls. "But, we'll have to keep a close watch on the creature. Terry and Leon probably will do most of the work there." Oliver faced her completely and seemed somewhat confused, which caused her to laugh more. "Well, we're not turning the creature in. Terry wouldn't get her toy, and Leon wouldn't get to keep his research. We'll be taking ownership of the creature." Gretchen shrugged. "It's simple. And, the two of us will research more paranormal entities and sites. We'll do that using money from the pictures we turn in, which are still worth a lot." A grin met her lips, and her confidence in the success of the plan was frightening. "It'll meet all of our wants."