Author's Note:
Miyoreos: Sorry this is late...even though it IS summer. I've been working as a summer camp counselor and believe me, these kids wear you out!
Stphne:...
Miyoreos: WHAT?
Stphne: Miyoreos' procrastination aside, please read and review and enjoy chapter 21! :]
Chapter 21: The Crime Scene
Landing gently outside my door, I quickly retrieved my key from my bag and unlocked it.
"I'm home!" I called, pushing open the door and walking in. The house remained silent, meaning that the Professor was still in his lab and Bubbles was on her way home. I glanced down at my watch; Bubbles still had five minutes until the Ruffs got here.
Flying up to my room, I quickly deposited my bag on my desk chair. Glancing out my window, I looked for a familiar streak of blue, but to my dismay, found none. I sighed, hoping that maybe Bubbles was already here. My ears perked when I heard the doorbell ring. Flying down the stairs, I headed to the door with a relieved sigh.
"There you…Brick? Boomer?" My voice faltered as I realized my mistake.
"You asked us to come over for a meeting?" Brick answered, rolling his eyes. I blushed; of course I knew what they were doing here, it just surprised me because I was expecting Bubbles. Opening the door wider, I beckoned the boys in.
"Bubbles is right behind us," Boomer supplied, as I took one last glance at the sky before shutting the door.
"Oh, in that case, we can wait for her in the living room," I answered decisively. Brick silently stared at the room, his eyes calculating, before sauntering over to the couch and sitting down. Boomer quickly followed.
"So…how was your day?" I asked nervously, clasping my hands in front of me.
"Interesting," Boomer replied with a smile, his eyes trained on the door.
"What's it to you Pink? I'm only here for this meeting." Brick scoffed, refusing to answer my question.
Well this is slightly awkward. I thought as I occupied one chair, while Boomer and Brick occupied the couch. Boomer fidgeted in his seat, absentmindedly stroking the edge of the couch, while occasionally shooting furtive looks at the front door. Brick, on the other hand, was leaning back on the couch, a look of utter boredom on his face. I glanced at my watch and groaned internally. Bubbles was late. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but I really needed her right now. The minutes passed like hours, slowing ticking away…
"Didn't you say Bubbles was right behind us?" Brick asked, turning to face Boomer and breaking the agonizing silence. I propelled myself out of my seat and stalked over to the window, praying for a sky blue streak, only to be disappointed yet again. Unable to return to my awkward perch, I continued to walk, pacing from the window to the chair and back again.
Boomer straightened and gulped. "Uh, well, I mean, I..." he stuttered, his gaze shifting from Brick's face to mine. As he tried to answer, the door clicked open.
"Hey guys," my blonde sister chirped, skipping into the room, "sorry I'm late..."
"Where have you been?" I interrupted, spinning to face her, hands firmly planted on my hips.
Bubbles looked around the room, glancing at Brick and Boomer before facing me. "Um...school? You know we go there everyday?" She desperately joked before letting out a nervous giggle. I couldn't believe she was trying to joke at a time like this. Did she want me to look like an irresponsible leader who had no control?
I rolled my eyes, "Brick and Boomer got here a few minutes before you did and Boomer told me that you were right behind him," I fumed, gesturing toward the Ruffs. Bubbles glanced away her smile wavering, but I couldn't stop the torrent of words falling from my lips.
"You're so selfish sometimes Bubbles, I said twenty-five minutes, but you come in thirty. Is it really that hard to keep track of the time?" I continued Bubbles frowned and shot another look at the Ruffs.
"Bubbles? Bubbles! Are you even listening?" I asked, exasperated. Why was she so distracted? I could tell that she was trying to tune me out.
"Look, I'm sorry I'm late, its just Gina and I…" she started to explain.
"Typical, always coming up with childish excuses," I interrupted, rolling my eyes heavenward. Why did she have to be so vacuous? She should learn to keep her appointments and not waste time with worthless gossip.
"Well I'm sorry I actually have better things to do than to keep track of time as obsessively as you do!" She retorted, her eyes narrowed angrily. I stepped back in shock, my eyes wide and surprised. Bubbles hadn't lashed out like this since she was five, and that was when she managed to defeat Mojo all by herself.
"I'm only five minutes late and we can't even have this 'meeting'," I winced as she stressed the word meeting with air quotations, "without Buttercup and Butch! So what if I'm late? They're not even going to be here for another thirty minutes, meaning that we'll just end up sitting here in an awkward silence until then!" she finished, her chest heaving. I remained mute, praying that Bubbles didn't do anything rash.
After a few seconds, Bubbles took a few deep breaths to compose herself before primly adding, "Now I'm going upstairs to drop off my bag, I'm sure you can wait for another minute or so." She turned slowly, controlling her anger and made her way quietly up the stairs.
"I'll be right back," I whispered apologetically at the Ruffs, carefully noting Boomer's uncomfortable visage and Brick's delighted one.
Following Bubbles up to her room, I sighed when she shut the door in my face.
"Why are you being such a child? You didn't even greet the Ruffs!" I cried, pushing open her door and striding into her room.
Bubbles dropped her bag with a thud, "First of all I am not a child, and second, I was going too, but wait! You started yelling at me the minute I walked in!" She responded. I groaned. Sinking onto her bed, I cradled my head between my hands. It was so childish of Bubbles to be such a drama queen at a time like this.
"You can be such a baby sometimes," I muttered under her breath. Bubbles froze and then spun to face me. For once, I regretted my word choice. Bubbles' eyes were narrowed dangerously and I could see faint blue sparks dancing along her knuckles, something that never happened before.
"I'm the baby?" she asked, her voice chilling, "at least I tried to apologize for being late, whereas you, you just scolded me before I even had the chance!"
"You were late!" I cried exasperated, trying to appeal to her logic.
"At least you could wait until after the meeting to scold me about it. I bet you didn't even notice how uncomfortable the Ruffs were!" She retorted.
I bit my lip. Bubbles' did have a point there. "Of course I noticed, but then you had to have your little tantrum…" I trailed off.
"I wouldn't have had my so-called tantrum if you hadn't scolded me like some overprotective mother hen," she responded, crossing her arms over her chest. I rolled her eyes.
"But you were late, I asked you to be back home in twenty-five minutes, but you came in thirty, therefore you were late." I repeated, realizing how redundant I was being.
"By five minutes," Bubbles countered, "and you're starting to sound like Mojo," she added with a small smile. I guess Bubbles caught on, I thought before letting a smile creep across my face.
"I guess I did sound a bit redundant," I mused, before I remembered the Ruffs.
"Oh no! We left the Ruffs just sitting there on the couch and it's been five minutes and twenty six seconds!" I gasped.
Bubbles burst out into laughter, "Like I said before, you are so obsessed with time!"
"I am not!" I burst out defensively, "I'm just…" I blushed, realizing that my little outburst had included the time to the very second. I racked my brains for a plausible argument, but came up with a blank. "Oh forget it," I muttered, as Bubbles continued to giggle. At least she wasn't angry anymore. Rolling my eyes, I stood up, pulled at the hem of my shirt and walked briskly over to the door.
Pulling it opened, I rolled my eyes, "Bubbles! Stop giggling!" I commanded, trying to keep my tone serious. Bubbles followed, trying to smother her giggles, but clearly failing.
She bounced past me and into the living room, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" she chirped, beaming at the Ruffs as they stared confusedly up at her. Walking into the room, I headed straight for the armchair and perched awkwardly on the edge. The silence continued, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. I could feel Bubbles' gaze shift toward me as I stared resolutely into my lap.
"Well I'm parched; does anyone want anything to drink? Water? Juice? Soda?" she inquired, finally breaking the silence. She was always good with small talk. I glanced down at my watch. It would be another ten minutes or so until Butch and Buttercup returned from practice, allowing me to start the meeting.
"Uh sure, do you have a vitamin water?" Boomer asked.
"I'll take a Dr. Pepper," Brick answered. I smiled, after seeing the kind of drinks that Mojo had procured from the drink contest, I was able to deduce what each Ruff preferred and had stocked the kitchen accordingly. Bubbles glanced questioningly back at me, but I simply shook my head. I didn't feel like drinking anything at the moment.
"Okay, I'll be right back!" she chirped, my eyes followed her as she skipped into the kitchen. The door swung shut and the silence returned. Fiddling with the hem of my white jean skirt, I glanced at the other occupants in the room. Brick seemed to be surveying the room and Boomer was gazing at the kitchen door, a bemused expression on his face. I crossed my legs and tucked a lock of my red hair behind my ear. Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth, trying to think of something to say to break the never-ending silence. I snapped my mouth shut as my mind came up with a blank. Suddenly, Brick's red eyes seemed to be boring into mine. Feeling my face heat up, I tore my eyes from his gaze and quickly glanced back toward the kitchen, praying that Bubbles would hurry. My mind flooded with past memories. It was the first day of middle school, during lunch period.
"Hey! You girls are new here aren't you?" Bubbles asked, smiling sweetly to two girls hesitantly standing by the cafeteria doors.
"Yeah," The brunette answered.
"Well do you want to sit with us?" Bubbles asked, gesturing at the two empty seats.
"That would be great!" The Asian girl replied, smiling with relief and making her way to the table.
"I'm Bubbles. They're my sisters, Buttercup and Blossom," Bubbles chirped as she introduced us in turn.
"I'm Gina and this is my step sister, Tina," Gina introduced. Pretty soon, Bubbles and Gina started talking about classes and comparing schedules, squealing with excitement when they realized that they had some classes together.
"So do you like sports?" Tina asked, her hazel eyes questioning as she glanced up at me.
"You have no idea," Buttercup intercepted with a smirk. The two began a fervent conversation about sports.
"So who's interested in Newton's law of physics?" I asked, hoping that maybe I could be part of the conversation.
"Sorry, you're on your own there," Buttercup answered with a laugh, before returning to debate with Tina about whether Brazil's soccer team was better than Spain's.
Gina shrugged her shoulders and smiled apologetically, "I'm taking astrology this year," she responded and turned back to Bubbles to continue gossiping about which boys were cute or not.
That was the first day that we met Tina and Gina. It felt like a glass wall had separated me from the girls. Although we were all friends, Tina was more of Buttercup's friend and Gina was Bubbles' friend. I couldn't join any of their conversations, any gossip I had was either old news or just plain uninteresting, and talking about the velocity and the power of a single soccer kick simply confused Buttercup and Tina.
Bubbles has always managed to make new friends with her personality and her benevolence. And even Buttercup, despite her feisty attitude, has her own ways of making friends. Sometimes, when Buttercup was out with her sports team, celebrating a victory, Bubbles would be at a cast party, and I would be left to watch movies alone. Of course I tried to make friends, but I just didn't seem to have the right things to say.
My mind flashed back to a day in middle school. We were practicing for the Townsville annual Matheletes competition. I had been invited to eat a celebratory dinner with my teammates. Although I had accepted, I couldn't quite enter the conversations that they had. I had never played strategic online computer games, nor did I understand anything they talked about. I had remained silent, smiling and nodding when they asked me a question.
Later that evening, as we were heading out, I overheard a boy ask why I wasn't so talkative. A girl butted in, "Blossom just thinks she's too good for us. I mean she's a superhero. We're just nobodies to her. It's obvious she only came with us out of pity." She scoffed, looking over her shoulder and giving me a pointed look. I had tried to ignore her snide comments, but everytime I tried to talk to them they simply smiled and said, "It would only bore you."
The sound of clinking glass penetrated the room and the door swung open, interrupting my brief yet painful trip down memory lane. I sighed, relieved, as Bubbles quickly crossed the room carrying a tray with four glasses of ice, two water bottles, a vitamin water, and a Dr. Pepper.
Placing the tray on the table, Bubbles cleared her throat, "So…we've got a few minutes before Buttercup and Butch finish their practice. Is there anything you guys want to ask us before they get here?" I relaxed into my chair. Bubbles always seemed to know how to keep the silence away.
"Well, have fun!" The Professor remarked, looking satisfied before marching back down the stairs to his lab.
I glanced at Buttercup's horrified face and Bubbles' enthusiastic one before breaking the silence, "Well you heard what the Professor said. Let's 'bond'," I sighed, emphasizing the word bond with air quotes.
Buttercup snapped her mouth shut, whirling around she stomped outside muttering, "What the fuck? I'm outta here!" a smirking Butch following in her wake. I hoped that Buttercup and Butch didn't end up killing each other out there.
"I guess Boomer and I can go to the kitchen. C'mon Boomer!" Bubbles chirped, bouncing up from her seat and heading back toward the door.
Boomer grabbed his vitamin water and turned to Brick with a smile, "Later," he said before punching Brick's shoulder lightly and following Bubbles. Brick's eyes were trained on his brother's retreating back, a slight look of panic on his face, which caught me by surprise. Did he abhor the thought of being left alone with me that much? As the door swung shut behind our siblings, I heard Bubbles cheerily ask if Boomer wanted something to eat.
Silently, I crossed over to the couch and sat awkwardly next to Brick. He glanced at me in surprise, before hurriedly scooting away from me. I bit my lip and stared down at my skirt, my fingers tugging nervously at the frayed material. This is going to be awkward.
"So…what's your favorite…color?" Brick asked. I quickly looked up, only to see Brick's red eyes boring into my startled pink ones. Although he had scooted away, I couldn't help but think that we were a bit too close. Feeling my cheeks heat up, I turned my head, hoping that he didn't notice.
First he panics when he's left alone with me, then he scoots away from me and now he wants to talk to me? That boy needs to make up his mind. Besides, what kind of a question is that anyway?
"Well obviously it's pink…that is my signature color," I answered sharply, gesturing toward my pink shirt and refusing to look at him. I wore pink everyday, what other color would I like?
"Uh…yeah of course," Brick muttered, flushing and staring down at his hands. The silence in the room was so excruciating it was almost ear shattering. I stole a glance at Brick, only to see that he was staring back at me. Blushing for the second time, I averted my gaze. From the kitchen, I could hear muffled sounds of Bubbles and Boomer's conversation. It sounded like they were getting along perfectly. I couldn't help but wish that we were all in the same room.
"So…what's your favorite...food?" Brick tried again, turning his upper body so he was now facing me. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. Was he really going to ask me these questions? He kept staring at me expectantly. I glanced down at my hands, yanking a loose strand from my skirt. To my horror, it simply freed more strands. I frantically tried to tuck them out of sight, while trying to think of a food that I really enjoyed. Strawberry frosting is delectable, but then again I also really liked…
"What? But you help protect the city!" My head shot up as Boomer's voice penetrated the silence and interrupted my musings. What were Bubbles and Boomer talking about? I glanced confusedly at the kitchen door as their voices lowered to a quiet murmur. Cocking my head, I tried to catch the rest of Boomer's outburst, but only succeeded in making out "depends on" and "save the day." What was going on in there? Part of me wanted to burst into the kitchen and demand what was going on, I half rose from my chair when Brick shot out his hand and kept me from standing up.
"Blossom? Bubbles and Boomer's interesting conversation aside, you still haven't answered my question." He prompted.
"Look, I'm only bonding with you because the Professor told me to. And what's up with your supposedly 'bonding' questions? We're not in the second grade Brick," I replied, rolling my eyes and snatching my arm out of his grasp.
"Fine," he answered coldly, his red eyes narrowed, "Let's just go over the facts and solve this mystery as soon as possible," Brick's tone had lost its hesitating cordialness and had turned entirely serious and business-like. I swallowed; there really wasn't much to tell him. Was he even listening to the meeting?
"Well the potion is a very strong liquid love, and the morning the Professor made it, it was stolen. We've had suspects, but they all seem to be innocent. We know that it isn't Mojo, Him, or Fuzzy. We do know that this thief would have to be very good with computers or security systems because as Boomer said, our lab is extremely hard to break into and he was quite stealthy because nothing else was moved or touched." I counted out the facts on my fingers.
"What about us?" Brick asked.
"Well we can't really say that we don't suspect you. I mean why else would Boomer know that our lab is the most secure lab in the area," I replied cautiously. Anger flashed in Brick's eyes and his fists clenched.
"But then again, I didn't say that we think you're 100% guilty," I added hurriedly, flashing him a smile. I didn't want to get Brick angry. The anger subsided and I saw him relax his fists.
"Well I guess we'll just have to prove our innocence," Brick muttered.
"I guess you do," I said, sighing in relief.
Brick nodded his head thoughtfully, "Did you check the lab for any clues?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Of course we did! That's how we found the…" I flushed, as my voice trailed off. Brick continued to look at me. The truth was, I found the hair in the vacuum, not the lab. We were so caught up in coming up with logical clues that we didn't even think to look of real clues.
"Found the?" Brick prompted.
"Actually, we didn't check the lab for clues…we were too wrapped up in the logical ones," I replied honestly, waiting for a scathing reply or scoff from Brick. Surprisingly none came.
"Well then, let's go look for clues," Brick simply said, rising from the couch and offering me his hand. Ignoring the hand, I stood up and raised a questioning eyebrow at Brick.
"I was just going to help you up," muttered Brick defensively, stuffing his hand into his pocket, "Just...lead the way." He added, glancing around the room.
I led the way to the lab door, quite hidden if you didn't really look for it, and typed in the entrance code. I swiftly placed my hand on the hand scanner and my eye to the retina scanner.
"Uh Blossom, is this normal?" Brick nervously asked. I turned back to see a small red dot trained to the center of Brick's forehead.
"Oh! Oh one second!" I cried, hurriedly typing in another security code, "Sorry. There's a system that scans the area around the door, and if there is an unidentifiable person, it raises the alarm," I explained.
"That is some security," Brick breathed in relief as the laser disappeared and the door swung silently open. I glanced down the staircase.
"Professor?" I called, my voice echoing eerily through the lab. The clink of a beaker being set down and the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs notified us that the Professor was coming up. Within a few minutes, he appeared in front of us. His lab coat had several scorch marks, his hair stood on end and his face was covered in soot.
"Oh Blossom, what brings you to my lab? I thought you were bonding with the Ruffs." He asked, scratching his head and peering down at me.
"Brick and I are coming down to investigate some clues. Is that okay?" I asked sweetly, smiling up at the Professor.
"Oh! Of course, of course! Just don't touch anything on the lab table against the wall. That's where I'm working on the antidote." The Professor replied, gesturing with his hand toward the bottom of the stairs, "I think I'm going to take a little break. I could use some coffee. Excuse me." He apologized as he sidled past Brick and headed for the kitchen.
"Well then, after you," Brick nudged the small of my back. I glanced at him questioningly before my lips quirked into a small smile and floated down the stairs.
"So…this is the lab?" Brick asked bending over to inspect several beakers filled with colorful chemicals.
I shivered slightly, the Professor kept the temperature in the lab quite low to preserve the different chemicals and to keep them from denaturing.
"No it's actually the kitchen," I replied sarcastically, "Of course this is the lab!" Brick rolled his eyes in response.
I watched as Brick moved from table to table, inspecting first the Essence of Light, then the bottle of Chemical X. It was so quiet; I could practically hear the ingredients of the Professor's new antidote reacting with each other.
"So, what's new with student council?" I asked, hesitatingly, scanning floor for possible footprints.
Brick, placed a microscope back onto the table before turning toward me, "I thought we weren't asking stupid bonding questions," he replied shortly.
I groaned. "Yeah, but the silence is really making me uncomfortable." I admitted. Brick simply shrugged and continued to poke around with the Professor's equipment.
"Just don't talk to me." He muttered.
"Oh I wouldn't…" I warned just as Brick leaned over the containment ray. I winced as a flash of orange shot out.
"What the?" Brick tapped against the ray, looking bewildered and slightly angry.
"I tried to warn you, but then you told me not to talk to you," I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Brick looking so helpless.
"Just let me out of here!" Brick growled, starting to pound against the ray.
"Okay…okay…just…be…patient," I choked between laughs as I made my way over to the containment ray and pressed the release button. Brick fell to the ground with a thud, landing face first on the tiles. Before I could blink, he sprang up and dusted himself off.
"I'm not going near that…thing…again," he muttered, backing away from the ray.
"It's called a containment ray. The Professor repaired it a while ago. I'm surprised you didn't remember it," I replied.
"Why would I remember that?" Brick spluttered.
"Do you remember when Bubbles fooled you guys into thinking she was Boomer? And she brought you guys over to the lab and then got all three of you stuck in the containment ray?" I prompted, grinning at the memory.
Realization flooded into Brick's face and he grinned, "That was a pretty good plan of yours…for a five-year old. I still can't believe she ate that cockroach."
I laughed. "This is where the Professor left his potion." I gestured toward a cluttered desk, "Nothing seems out of place though," I mused, scanning the desk and searching for a hair or a knocked over test tube.
"Wait, what's this?" Brick squatted down to get a closer look at the tiles near the lab table. I leaned down to glimpse a small puddle.
"Is that water?" I asked, as Brick poked it with his finger.
"No," h answered, "it's kind of sticky…maybe the Professor spilled the potion." He brought his finger cautiously to his nose and sniffed it hesitantly.
"What does it smell like?" I prompted.
"I don't know. It smells familiar, but it doesn't have a certain scent," Brick cocked his head and lifted his hand toward my face. I leaned closer and took a whiff.
"Hair gel," I confirmed, and it smelled awfully familiar too.
"Does the Professor use hair gel?" Brick inquired.
"No he uses wax, and he never styles his hair in his lab," I responded.
"Which villain uses hair gel?" Brick muttered.
I quickly tried to recall any villain that used hair gel, but all I could come up with was Bubbles' slimy ex-boyfriend, Jacques, who used some ridiculously expensive hair gel from who knows where. Then it hit me. Of course! The one villain whose power comes from her hair gel!
"Sedusa," I whispered, clenching my fists. It made sense that Sedusa would use a love potion to try to take over the world. She had seduced the Professor so she could keep us girls in bed while she committed crimes. Then she had seduced the Gangreen Gang to have them steal for her. She used gel to keep her hair powerful. My mind flashed to the time she kidnapped Ms. Bellum. Ms. Bellum had been able to defeat Sedusa, but only because they tumbled into the pool and Sedusa's hair got wet.
"Excuse me?" Brick asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Sedusa! She needs hair gel for her powers and she has seduced guys to do her dirty work or to get what she wants." I explained, "This hair gel must have been hers."
"Well then, I see we have a new suspect." Brick smirked.
"Let's go tell the others," I tossed over my shoulder as I floated back up the stairs.