Whispers of The Illuminati

The sun began its descent. The golden hues painted the front of Bright Minds Academy. Children, out of school for the summer, flooded the gates, their shouts and laughter filling the air. Candy leaned against the school's brick fence, distractedly watching the crowd as she tidily adjusted her backpack straps, waiting for Chris and Ruby.

Finally, a flash of bright red curls bounced into view, trailed by Chris’ more subdued presence. Ruby ran forward, waving energetically, while Chris ambled behind, a typical easygoing grin on his face.

"Candy! Guess what," Ruby said as she skidded to a stop, almost bumping into her.

"We have breaking news. And by breaking news, I mean breaking news to you!"

Candy laughed and said, "Okay, you’re being cryptic again. What happened?"

"Ruby means Mom said we’re allowed to stay over at your house for dinner," Chris said calmly.

"Hopefully, you’re ready for our endless appetites."

"Endless and bottomless," Ruby said with a grin.

Candy claps her hands together.

"No way! That's awesome! You guys are going to love what Mom’s making. She even let me help cook this time, but only the easy stuff."

"Easy stuff," Ruby said with a mocking, suspicious tone.

She then narrows her eyes as they start walking.

"Define 'easy'. Are we talking about peeling potatoes or... putting sprinkles on dessert?"

Candy laughs nervously and says, "Umm... buttering bread?"

Ruby says with a playfully dramatic tone, "Buttering bread?! A culinary masterpiece! They’ll be writing books about you, Candy. The Art of the Butter Knife."

Chris chuckles.

"Easy, Ruby. I think we can survive a bread-buttering incident."

"Only if there’s dessert," Ruby adds cheerfully.

The trio starts walking through the neighborhood streets, their conversation shifting as the school fades behind them.

After a pause, Ruby curiously asks, "So Candy, how’d your parents get into living mathematics, anyway? Was it, like, some secret meeting with guys in robes chanting equations or what?"

Candy giggles, then shakes her head.

"Not quite. They don’t tell me everything—like, not the deep stuff. It’s mostly surface-level. They’ve mentioned things like meritocracy and how it’s an ideal system if we want a fairer world. And then there’s this... well, kind of creepy part, actually, about a small group of 6,000 men who control the world behind the scenes."

"Oh?" Chris says with a raised eyebrow.

Candy lowers her voice to a whisper before speaking the next sentence.

"My parents say these men are mostly old banking dynasties and high-ranking Masons—not the regular ones, but the 32nd and 33rd-degree kind."

Ruby widens her eyes in exaggerated bewilderment.

"Oh. My. Gosh. The 33rd-degree type?! That's the boss level Masons! Anything less than 32nd degree and you’re stuck drinking punch at meetings, I bet."

"It’s kind of scary to think about," Candy says, as she cracks an uneasy smile.

"My parents said the minds behind meritocracy and living mathematics—the real good guys—are actually the ones being scapegoated by this group."

Chris now speaks with a serious tone.

"That’s exactly what’s happening. They twist everything, applying the Illuminati name to themselves. That way, when people stumble onto the real Illuminati—the Pythagorean Illuminati—they’re automatically suspicious and assume they’re the evil ones. It’s a deliberate bait-and-switch."

Ruby nods eagerly and then says, "That’s why it’s super-important to call them the Old World Order! It makes it crystal clear they’re the bad guys. None of that confusion nonsense."

Candy hesitates briefly, then speaks.

"But isn’t that just... conspiracy stuff? Every crank on the internet says a secret group runs everything."

Chris responded calmly, but assertively.

"Most of them are wrong, and they’re wrong the same way every time. They pick a people and blame them—a religion, a race, whatever’s closest. That’s not analysis. That’s an old habit wearing a new hat."

He shrugged.

"We’re not saying a people runs the world. We’re saying a class does. Men who inherited a seat instead of earning one, and who’ve spent three hundred years making sure those seats stay in the family. Anyone can be born into that. Nobody earns it. That’s the part that matters."

Ruby added, "Plus, the Masons in the Old World Order aren’t your average Joes. They’re the elite, 32nd and 33rd degree, like we already said."

Ruby mocked, then continues, "Imagine inviting Mason Joe from Third-Degree Club to their secret meetings. Oh, no, my generic handshake-loving friend, you don’t get past the velvet curtain!"

"That’s wild," Candy said with a laugh.

"My parents also told me that Freemasonry was originally started by the Pythagorean Illuminati, but it’s not like that anymore. The Old World Order took over and twisted it into just another puppet... like the Bilderberg Group."

Ruby threw her arms wide for dramatic emphasis.

"Freemasonry: From Cool Geometry Nerds to Global Puppets™. That could be the tagline."

Candy shook her head and laughs.

"You’re so weird, Ruby."

"I prefer 'unique'," Ruby said cheerfully.

They reached Candy’s street, the smell of flowers drifting from her yard as they saw her mother, Linda, crouched by her vibrant garden.

"Mom! We’re here," Candy said with high energy.

She then gestured to Chris and Ruby.

"And guess who’s coming for dinner?"

Linda stood up, brushed the dirt off her hands.

"Chris and Ruby Parsons, right?" She smiles warmly at the siblings.

"Welcome, you two!"

Candy excitedly said, "Mom, they know so much about the Pythagorean Illuminati and living mathematics. It’s kind of amazing!"

Linda raised an impressed eyebrow.

"Really? That’s not the kind of thing most young people know about. Especially with Ruby being closer to your age, Candy."

Ruby said with a grin, "Oh, we’re nerds. The best kind of nerds—conspiracy nerds!"

Chris adds with a teasing tone, "Yeah, Ruby drags me down all her rabbit holes. But it’s fun."

Linda laughs and gestures to the siblings, "Well, come on in. Snacks first, dinner later."

They all head inside. Chris and Ruby quickly spot the bookshelves in the living room, their eyes widening as they scan the titles.

Chris stood in awe of the Zimmermans' collection of Pythagorean Illuminati books.

"Wow! You have all of their books. You even have all thirty-two of Mike Hockney's God Series books, and all seventeen of Dr. Thomas Stark's Truth Series books. It’s like... a treasure trove of forbidden knowledge."

Ruby tilted her head.

"Forbidden knowledge?! Okay, now we’re DEFINITELY staying for dessert."

The TV in the background suddenly blares with a Breaking News alert, catching everyone’s attention. Diane Carter’s voice fills the air.

Channel 7 news anchor Diane Carter appears on TV.

“This just in: Colonel Zeke Haywood and Major Amma Enki, two former Pentagon officers, have been arrested for treason and insubordination. They will face a military tribunal for their alleged actions.”

The room grows quiet. Linda stands frozen, her brow furrowed in thought. Candy tilts her head, concerned.

"What could they have done to get tried for treason?"

Ruby says without missing a beat, "Easy. The Old World Order set them up. I’d bet on it. That’s their whole playbook—ruin anyone who gets in their way."

"That’s a bold claim, Ruby," Linda says cautiously.

"And one which you have no proof of".

"Intuitively, though... it lines up," Chris replies.

"Does anyone here honestly believe it’s just a coincidence?"

They all exchanged silent, knowing looks. They all agreed on the possibility of the two former Pentagon officers being setup by the Old World Order.

Candy says softly, "If only there was a way to know for sure."

Ruby snapped her fingers.

"Wait! There might be. We’ve got to call Uncle Peter. This is his bread and butter—well, that and bad dad jokes."

Chris grinned and added, "And he’s awesome."

"Who’s he?" Candy asks.

Ruby said playfully, "Oh, he is a lot of things; our conspiracy hotline, our mentor in all things Pythagorean Illuminati—and, most importantly, he's our favorite uncle. He's friggin' awesome!"

Chris smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Let’s call him after dinner. This is going to get interesting!"