No school means lots of time to get typing done. No school makes Sadie very happy. And later I get to chill with lots of friends, so it's going to be a good day. As of right now, I need some lunch.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. More glimpses of the plot appear, hurrah! But some of it is still a secretive secret that is so secretly secret that it's . . . secret.
Yes.
Dedicated to my lovely reviewers who are so incredibly kind and make me want to hug them and squeeze them and pet them and call them George. But I wouldn't do that. Because it's a little creepy.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Codename: Kids Next Door. But I do own Thatcher and Nikki. Isn't Thatcher a rad name?
Right. Anyway. Please enjoy!
Love, Sadie
--
The streets were bursting with activity that hadn't been present an hour before. It was an ordinary day in the city; with hustlers on the corners making their rounds through the innocent bystanders and pedestrians that thought that the sidewalk was theirs alone. It was a scene that would have offended a person who was new to the area, but for those who had lived there for some time, it was just that kind of place. And it was easy to learn what streets to avoid, if you were smart.
Truly, the gang that was strutting down the street was enjoying the spectacle. All around them, people hastened to keep their appointments while evading any trouble. It was such a contrast from how the streets were in the early hours of the morning. And this side of the contrast was much more entertaining.
Besides, it served their purposes. They were a small group, a band of three people. Normally they were more, but for now they only needed three. In the crowds, they looked innocent enough, no more extravagant than anyone else. It would have taken someone who had great observational skills to notice the dangerous edge that seemed to radiate from their tanned skin.
Despite the differences in their appearances, they all carried the same aura about them. The leader was a male with an emotionless face, one that would have seemed a mask for all the feelings that showed on it during the hours of the day. He was sleek and purposeful, with a determination in whatever mission he was carrying out.
The one behind him was entirely female, and it showed in her body and the way she walked as though she was well aware of it. Her honey-colored locks were in a single braid down her back, swinging out like a whip behind her. Unlike the other two, she was dressed with a splash of color, with a scarlet jacket draped across her shoulders.
The one in the rear was clothed entirely in dark shades like the leader, with a smirk that held on his lips like it belonged there. His hair fell roughly around his head in a vague bowl-cut, long enough to hide his eyes from view. He walked with a strong confidence, for he was lanky and tall, with muscles in his arms that were only vaguely noticeable under the tight web of his skin.
They turned down the street toward the park, where children were playing delightedly. It was much easier during the school year, when these loud annoyances would have been locked away in school and force to do written work. But for now, they were set free during the brisk summer mornings. And this was a problem for the group.
The leader scoped out the children with an eye that was well-suited for the job. Some of them were playing innocently on the colorful contraptions of the playground, but some of the children seemed to have other intentions that it was easy for them to notice. And it only took their leader a few moments to recognize a group of such children.
Within minutes, they had the group surrounded, and the children looked up with startled expressions that quickly turned to disgust. Without warning, they sprang onto their feet and settled into a battle formation that would have been cute to the unit around them if it hadn't seemed so childish. The leader of the kid's sector barked out, "Leave us alone, teenagers."
The older man only laughed. "Let's see if we can remember. You're Tony, right? And this is your sector, with Molly, Laurie, Jackson, and Daniel." He pointed to each of the children by name with a smile that suggested that it was not a good thing that he could name each one. Daniel scowled, pulling out a contraption and pointing it up.
"You're not scaring us, Thatcher. You and your stupid Investigative Unit can't stop us. We're going to get shorter school hours if you like it or not."
"Oh," Thatcher mocked, "you're so threatening. What do you think, Nikki?"
The girl beside him grinned, showing her teeth. "I think you kiddies are in way over your little heads."
"Kids Next Door, attack!" Daniel gestured forward, and suddenly each of the children had a weapon in their hands. It was entertaining for the I.U. to see the weapons that were balanced so unthreateningly in their hands, and it was only a smooth motion for Thatcher to kick the weapon out of Laurie's tiny fingers and catch it, pointing it back at her.
"Jerk!" The spunky freckled girl, Molly, kicked him in the shin, wrinkling her speckled nose as her braids danced around her face. She was brave, certainly, and it amused the I.U. greatly. As quickly as she had kicked him, the third member of the I.U. and picked her up and tossed her aside.
"Look." Thatcher bent down and grinned in Daniel's face, who only pointed the muzzle of the weapon in the middle of his forehead. "We're not causing you trouble today, got it, kid? We're just making sure to pass on a message. Don't try to shorten your school days. We'll just stop you."
Daniel snorted and gestured at the other members of his sector. Without warning, rockets burst out of their backpacks and they shot into the sky, away from the unit below, who only shook their heads at the hasty exits of the children.
"I sort of liked that little girl," Nikki laughed as they started their way back. "The one that kicked you. She's got spirit."
Thatcher grinned and nodded. "Their sector is going to be interesting to face, isn't it? This should be fun." Over his shoulder, he grinned at the third member. "You're quiet. Don't you agree, Wally?"
The male nodded, smirking. "Can't wait."
--
The air was scented with ice cream.
It must be another dream, Kuki thought, because she couldn't recall such a scent on the streets in any of her years living there. Besides, she didn't recognize the scene, although it was a pleasant place that was entirely green and floral.
She surveyed the area for a while and took it all in. She wanted to memorize every detail of this dream, to cling to what might be another memory. This dream had the same feeling as the last one; a happy feeling that seemed to come from inside and outside.
A voice called her name, and then she stopped having control over her own actions. Her dream-self turned to meet the source of the voice. Kuki was excited to glimpse a piece of her past, a figure that might explain where the memories were coming from.
But she didn't recognize him. He was a boy, dressed in a hoodie that threatened to overwhelm his small frame. The blonde hair almost completely swept over his emerald eyes, which were alight with the sunlight that poured through the leaves onto them.
"Numbuh Four!" Kuki didn't know why her dream-self was calling him by number, but he didn't respond to it, so he must have been called that regularly. He sat down beside her with an exasperated look and a roll of his eyes.
"I'm so cruddy bored. What are you doing out here?" He leaned back on the palms of his hands and looked at her curiously, examining her as though in search of something. Any stuffed animals, her dream-self recognized. But for once, she was sitting alone, enjoying the view from the tree branch that they were seated on.
"Nothing much. It's just pretty out here." She gestured a sleeve-covered hand to the area down below.
A faint blush covered his cheeks, one that her dream-self was unaware of but that Kuki immediately noticed. Why was the boy blushing? "I. . . guess. Yeah." He fell quiet, looking out at the town and searching for his own house.
Her dream-self was pleased with the serenity of the moment. "I like have you out here with me, Numbuh Four."
Kuki was not pleased when she rolled over and woke up from the dream. Grumbling at the interruption, she sat up and blew away a few strands of hair that were sticking to her lips. Who was that boy and was he an actual part of her past? How did she know him?
"Abby!" she whispered, not caring about what time it was. "Abby, I've had another one!"
"Nn?" The girl waved a hand at her in the dim light, trying to convey to her that Abby wanted her to shut up and go back to bed. It was a fair request, but Kuki ignored it and called her name again. Finally, Abby sat up, stretching her words out in a tiny whine. "Wha-at?"
"I had another dream, from my childhood. It felt real, Abby! But there was a boy that I don't recognize."
"Ya probably just forgot 'im." In her weary state, Abby had started to slur her words slightly. "Or it was just a dream, Kuki."
"He was blonde, with a bowl-shaped haircut. And he had green eyes. And this big orange hoodie." Kuki pressed forward, trying to spark anything in Abby's memory. "Do you know anyone like that?" When the girl on the other bed tiredly shook her head, Kuki felt disappointed. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Abby let her head fall back on her pillow. "Can Abby go back to bed now?"
Kuki didn't respond, resting her head on her knees. It had felt so entirely real, the entire scene. All the details had pricked at some part of her memory, as though she had been there and she was certain of it. But the boy. . . he didn't register.
Why had she called him Number Four? Had she had a number, too? He had referred to her by name, but she hadn't responded in like, so maybe not. Maybe that was actually his name.
She felt frustrated, scowling at nothing in particular in the darkness. In the dream, she had been so utterly content with the happenings around her - the place, the time, and the boy. Especially the boy. Even she had heard the warmth in her voice as she had spoken to him. It was apparent that they knew each other, possibly very well. So who was he?
Irritated, she put her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, she could see his face, grinning at her in the dim light of the sunset. She could hear him calling to her in the echoing voice that he had used in her dream.
But when she opened her eyes, he still wasn't there. Not there, not anywhere.
Hugging her blanket to her, she sighed softly into its warm fabric.
Maybe it was just a dream.
