A.N.- Here is chapter 8 finally XD. Enjoy! (This chapter mayn't be the best, but next chapter hopefully will be MUCH more interesting ;D lol)
Chapter 8: Señor Marcos
(Alejandro's POV)
Okay, Alejandro, you can do this. It's just climbing a tree. There's nothing scary about that. I look up once more at the treehouse and gulp. Nope nothing scary about this at all. Especially not the possible two and a half story drop if I fall. I take a deep breath. Then I get an idea. I smile. I grab a pair of sunglasses out of my backpack. "Wait! Why should I even go up there? It only takes one of us to interrogate someone, and there's already four of us up there. So..." I mumble to myself. I put on the sunglasses and lay down leaning against the tree. "I'll just wait here for them."
(Nobody's POV)
The four female penguins finish their climb up the tree and stand on the treehouse porch for a few minutes. "Okay, girls, and Alejan—Wait, where's Alejandro?" Skippsy says. Marissa shrugs.
"He said that he'd be right up after me." Marissa says. Skippsy looks over the edge of the porch. She can barely discern something that resembles a penguin. Skippsy frowns.
"Well, Marissa, I think that he was just pulling your leg. That's him sitting at the bottom of the tree right there." The other three look down. "Okay, since it seems that he's not coming, let's go head inside and find this Sr. Marcos." The other three nod and Skippsy knocks on the door. It is opened by a somewhat old looking monkey. He is rather small and has fur that resembles a white mustache (he's an emperor tamerin).
"Hola?" asks the monkey with a surprisingly young sounding voice.
"Hello, are you Sr. Marcos?" The monkey nods.
"That would be me." Skippsy nods.
"Alright then, would you mind if we ask you a few questions?"
"About what?"
"About the strange sightings that you alerted headquarters about." He nods.
"Ah, sí, sí! Please, come inside." He steps aside and Skippsy, Trixy, Marissa, and Rachel enter the treehouse.
(Skippsy's POV)
The living room is fairly basic but comfortable. Sr. Marcos motions us all to some chairs. "Siéntense, por favor." (Please, sit down.) he says. We nod and take a seat. He also sits down.
"Alright, Sr. Marcos, please tell us everything you saw that night." I say.
"Why tell you, when I can show you?"
"Huh?" He grins and retrieves some photographs. He gives them to me. I lift the first image and look at it.
"That is of the weird lights I saw." I pick up the next picture. I freeze upon looking at it.
"That is the shadow I saw that night in the forest when I went to more closely investigate the strange lights." Trixy, it seems, notices my solemn look at the second picture. She tilts her head.
"Does the shadow look familiar to you, Skippsy?" she asks. I do not reply; I continue to examine the photo. In the image there is a shadow. A familiar shadow. A puffin shadow. Even though it is just a shadow, the puffin in the image appears to have a mocking grin, as if to say 'You thought you could imprison me, Skippsy? Well, you thought wrong.' I set the pictures down. "Skippsy?"
"Huh?" I ask no longer lost in thought. "What?"
"I asked if the shadow looked familiar to you, Skippsy." I nod.
"Yes, Trixy. I would know this shadow anywhere."
"Whose is it?" Marissa asks.
"My frenemy Harriet."
"What could Harriet possibly be doing here in South America? Denmark, the United States, and Sweden I could understand. But Brazil?" I nod.
"She must be planning something big."
"Um, Skippsy, isn't she always planning something big?" Trixy asks.
"Yes, but this time it must be bigger than big. I can feel it in my gut."
"So we are making accusations based on the feelings of your digestive tract?" Marissa says. I frown and look at her.
"Gut instinct." I say lowering my voice. Marissa throws up her flippers in defeat.
"Fine, we are making accusations based on your gut instinct? "
"Of course." I see Marissa sigh. I return my attention to Sr. Marcos. "May we keep these photographs for evidence?" he nods.
"Sí! Please, feel free to take them." he says smiling.
"Thank you."
"De nada." (You're welcome (literally: it's nothing.))
(Nobody's POV)
Skippsy nods and the penguins head to the door. "Once again, thank you, Sr. Marcos. Good bye." she says. Sr. Marcos waves and closes the door behind them. The girls then begin to climb down the tree. When they get to the bottom Alejandro is still sitting against the tree.
"Alejandro? Why didn't you go up there with us?" Rachel asks. Alejandro takes off the sunglasses.
"Well, I figured that since it only takes one to interrogate and the four of you had already went up, there was no need for me to waste the energy to climb up there too. So, I figured that instead I'd take una siesta pequiña ( a small nap). Alejandro says matter-of-factly. Skippsy sighs.
"Special agents, they must all be the laziest segment of penguin military." Skippsy mutters. "Come on everyone, let's go to Peru now."
"Wait! What you find out from that Sr. Marcos?"
"Well, first of all, we found out that according to Skippsy's..."Marissa starts. She glances at Skippsy before continuing. "Gut instinct, that the culprit behind all of the strange lights must be Harriet."
"Well how can that be? How could she be in three countries at once?" Marissa opens her beak to reply and then shuts it.
"That's a very good question... She must have accomplices! Well, who could they be?" Marissa says. She takes out her clipboard and examines all of the evidence that they had so far. Skippsy shrugs.
"No clue...hmmm, we need more information. Alright, let's hurry on to Peru." Skippsy says.
"YAY! Peru!" exclaims Rachel clapping her flippers. The others look at her and she stops, blushing a bit from embarrassment. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go already!"
"Well, you all heard our impatient weapons specialist. Let's go!" Skippsy chuckles. They then slide back into the jungle.
