Chapter 6: The House
Friday Evening, April 27, 2018 - Ethan's Mansion
Three cars pulled up to the gate. I watched through the security camera as Lucy's expression went from confused to shocked.
"Holy shit," her voice came through the intercom. "Mercer, is this the right address?"
"Yeah. Come on up."
The gate swung open. They drove through slowly, taking in the circular driveway, the fountain, the actual honest-to-god mansion that had been built in the twenties by some silent film star.
I met them at the front door. Jackson climbed out of his car, mouth open.
"You live HERE?"
"My parents had money." The words came out defensive. "I don't really... it's not..."
Nolan, ever the diplomat, smiled. "It's okay, man. It's just a house."
Lucy circled the fountain, touching the marble. "A house with a FOUNTAIN. In the front yard. With koi in it."
"They're very low maintenance—"
"Mercer." Jackson's voice was flat. "There are PEACOCKS."
"They came with the property! I didn't buy peacocks!"
Lucy burst out laughing. The sound echoed off the facade, and suddenly everyone was laughing. The tension broke.
"Come on," I said. "Let me show you around before you judge me too much."
Lucy Chen's POV
The interior was somehow worse and better than expected. Marble floors, paintings that looked expensive, a chandelier that could've come from Versailles. But also—
"Is that a velvet Elvis?" I pointed at the painting by the stairs.
Mercer flushed. "My mom had a phase where she thought she was Italian. Bought everything Italian. She was not Italian. She was from Ohio."
"That's Elvis."
"She thought he looked Italian in that one."
Jackson snorted. Nolan tried to hide his grin.
"The chandelier," Mercer continued, gesturing up, "is from some castle in Tuscany. Cost more than most people's cars. I've thought about taking it down but I don't know how and I'm afraid it'll crash through the floor."
"You're apologizing for being rich," I said.
"I'm apologizing for this being ridiculous."
"It is ridiculous." I walked into what appeared to be a ballroom. An actual ballroom. "But also kind of awesome?"
"There's a pool out back," Nolan said, peering through glass doors. "Olympic-sized."
"And a home theater in the basement," Jackson called from somewhere deeper in the house. "Guys. GUYS. This is a full theater. Like, actual theater seats."
Mercer rubbed his face. "We're having movie nights here."
"Yes we are," Jackson confirmed, popping back into view.
Ethan's POV
They explored like kids in a museum. Opening doors, exclaiming over room after room. The wine cellar got gasps. The library got reverent silence from Nolan. The game room—pool table, vintage arcade machines—occupied Lucy for fifteen minutes.
I'd been terrified they'd see the wealth and pull away. Create distance. But instead, they were treating it like discovered treasure.
"Beer's in the kitchen," I said. "Help yourselves."
The kitchen was the one room my mother hadn't destroyed with her Italian phase—modern, professional-grade, barely used. We grabbed drinks and migrated to the pool area.
"Okay," Lucy said, settling into a lounge chair. "Question: Why are you a cop?"
"Lucy," Nolan warned.
"No, it's fair." I leaned against the pool edge. "You all have reasons. Nolan's starting over. Jackson's honoring family legacy. Lucy, you're proving something to your parents." I paused. "I have enough money that I never have to work. So why choose the hardest job I could find?"
Silence. They waited.
"My parents died when I was sixteen. Plane crash. Left me everything. I spent a decade not knowing what to do with it. Coasting. Being useless." The words came easier than expected. Maybe because they'd already seen the house, already seen the ridiculous wealth. "This money should mean something. Should do something. So I figured I'd try to do some good with the time I have."
"And the job?" Jackson asked quietly.
"It's the first real thing I've had in a long time. The first thing that's mine, not inherited or given. You all? This?" I gestured at the group. "First real friends I've had since my parents died."
The vulnerability hung in the air.
"Well," Lucy said finally, "we're definitely having movie nights here."
The tension broke. Everyone laughed.
A car pulled up—Lopez's sedan. She walked through the open gate, surveyed the mansion, shook her head.
"Heard there was a party," she said. "Rookies only?"
"You're always invited," Nolan said immediately.
Lopez accepted a beer, settled in. "Mercer. Nice place."
"Thanks."
"This is why you don't need the job." She studied me over her bottle. "So why are you really here?"
The same question Lucy had asked, phrased different. Lopez wanted the truth under the deflection.
"Because I can do some good," I said. Met her eyes. "And because I don't have anyone anymore. Parents are gone. Aunt and uncle are great but distant. This job? You all? It's the first real thing I've had in a long time."
Lopez held my gaze for a long moment. Then nodded. "Fair enough."
Saturday, Early Morning, April 28, 2018
They left around midnight. Jackson made me promise to host again. Lucy already had a list of movies. Nolan hugged me—full, earnest Nolan hug—and said, "Thanks for trusting us with this."
I stood in the entryway after everyone left. The chandelier sparkled overhead. The marble echoed with silence.
But it felt different now. The house had been a museum before. A mausoleum for someone else's life.
Tonight, it had been full of laughter. Full of friendship. Full of life.
My phone buzzed. Text from Nolan: Thanks for hosting. We'll do it again soon, neighbor.
Another from Jackson: Movie night next Friday. I'm picking the film.
Lucy: Your house is ridiculous and I love it.
Even Lopez: Good night, boot. See you Monday.
I climbed the stairs to a bedroom that had never felt like mine. But maybe it could be. Maybe this whole life could be, if I let it.
Two weeks down. Jackson saved. House opened. Team becoming real.
The powers were still developing. The dangers were still coming. But for the first time since transmigrating, I felt like I might actually belong here.
The house wasn't empty anymore.
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