They decided to start from the beginning.
The very first display had both black on dark red on it, meaning it belonged to both Bruce and David. It was a college of pictures, starting with two women. One was a rather tall brunette while the other was short and blonde. Both women were wearing a cap and gown and held a diploma. "Right, our moms knew each other since college," David muttered to himself as his eyes went to the rest of the pictures. Pictures of David and Bruce as babies, both of them playing together as toddlers, and their first day of kindergarten.
"So you guys have known each other for a long time, huh?" Ashley said.
"Practically all our lives," Bruce replied.
"And yet," Lenny said, walking up to the next display, which was black and blue, "you met me by hitting me with a frisbee."
"I thought you were playing our game," Bruce said, sporting an amused grin.
Lenny was unconvinced. "You hit me in the back of the head," he said.
"Oops?"
Next, there was a blue and red display. On it was basketball. "Aha!" Ashley exclaimed, clearly remembering the memory that came with it. "When I met Lenny, I beat him in a game of one on one in second grade."
Summer was nearing in Oregon, which meant the intensity of school (at least for elementary school kids) was toning down. Ashley, who had moved to the Trails Elementary area a few days prior, was on the basketball court, shooting baskets alone. Everyone had their friends that they always stuck with and they weren't really too keen on letting a new member in so soon.
"Hey, you're the new kid," an African American boy named Lenny said as he walked up to her.
"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out," she said, turning to him while dribbling the basketball. "Don't you have your own little friend group you're always with, anyways?"
"Yeah, but they were all sent on a… You know what, I think they all just decided to stay home today," he replied. She doesn't know about the KND, he reminded himself. He watched as she made another basket. "You know you're pretty good at basketball."
"Thanks," she said, chest-passing the basketball to him, which to her surprise he caught. "You know, you have pretty good reflexes."
"Yeah, guess I do," he answered. "Since my friends aren't here, wanna play one on one?"
"Sure," she said. "Each basket is one point. First to seven wins."
"You know that's not how actual basketball works, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I know. I just thought I'd let you have somewhat of a fair chance." Ashley flashes Lenny a smirk.
By the end of recess that day, the game was over, as Ashley had won 7-2. As all the students were walking back inside the building, Lenny asked, "Hey, do you want to use your skills somewhere else?"
"What do you mean?"
"You see, I'm apart of this organization -" he lowered his voice "- the Kids Next Door. We stop adults from being controlling to kids. We could really use someone like you in our sector."
"Wait… what? What do you mean 'we'?" she asked.
"Oh, me and my friends. Me, Bruce, David, and Constance form a sector called Sector Z. Sectors are teams that kids from certain areas form… Anyways, I can ask to have you in training this summer."
"Training? There's training for this thing?"
"Well, yeah. They have to know you're capable to join. They're not just going to take my word for it."
Ashley thought for a minute. Just before the two separated to go into their different classrooms, she simply just said, "I'm in."
"You didn't beat me by that much," Lenny stated, hardly even glancing at the basketball.
"I beat you by five points," Ashley said. "Fair and square."
"Whatever, let's just move on. . . ," Lenny muttered. He led his sector to the next display.
The display had all five of the colors on it. On it was a another picture collage. The first picture showed Lenny and Constance, both about six, next to an older operative who looked about eleven. In the next picture, the older operative was gone and replaced by Bruce. After that, David was added in the picture as well. The last picture was taped together with see-through tape, for it had been lost and torn. It was the first picture of the current Sector Z, taken when they were all in the third grade. They were all lined up according to their numbuh… Bruce was first, and still the shortest, followed by David, who was still the tallest. Next was Ashley, and then Lenny, and then lastly, Constance. They were all genuinely smiling like someone had just told a hilarious joke.
"I thought the fact that Bruce and David's baby pictures in here was weird, but this… this is not right," Constance said, narrowing her eyes and the badly fixed photograph. "I know we lost that right before our delightfulization… How could it be in here?!"
"She's right, this is all strange," Bruce agreed. "Who could've possibly found all this stuff to put in the tree house?"
There was a silence. No one knew the answer. They simply just stared at the repaired picture. Someone had to find all these objects and put them in this room.
Someone had to know everything about them.
