I spent the entire night and day thinking non-stop about Betty Jetty's words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ended up writing predictions instead of taking notes for my maths test. My math teacher wasn't very happy.
As soon as the lunchtime bell rang, I went straight to the library, accessing one of its computers. The bright screen illuminated my face. I quickly opened Google Chrome and clicked on Poptropica. I was about to log in as Fierce Fox, when I hesitated.
Maybe she's not the best to use right now, I decided.
Instead, I pressed 'new player' and made a random, new account. It was then I began to wonder what happened to new Poptropicans when they didn't make an account. I almost didn't want to know.
Why am I doing this…? I thought. No. I have to find out. Surely it's just us. Right?
My new little Poptropican poofed onto Home Island, where she was greeted by Amelia. I skipped over most of the dialogue; I knew it all already. Then I climbed into my blimp and flew straight to Super Power Island.
I completed the island again, which felt surprisingly odd. I was back behind a screen again, as the player. I was watching the danger rather than experiencing it.
At the end, with the chase against Betty Jetty, I was convinced everything was totally normal.
She must've been just saying things…
But right at the very end, when Betty Jetty was captured, something dropped out of her pocket. I couldn't pick it up for an unidentified reason. However, I saw two words:
Capture Alice.
I paled. No. I must be seeing thi-
"Hey, is that Poptropica?"
I jumped, turning around. There was a boy standing behind me. He had olive skin with mild acne, and curly, light brown hair. He wore a blue shirt covered in hearts, and a white top hat with a unicorn horn and wings. He was somewhat large but had a friendly smile.
"Um… yeah?" I said.
"Wow," he laughed. "I used to play that when I was in elementary school. It's still around?"
"Uh, yep…" I replied.
"Niceee," he sat next to me. "Didn't know you were into that stuff. Can you show me some gameplay or somethin'?"
I shrugged. "Uh... sure?"
I flew my new Poptropican around the island with my powers. Marcus raised his brow.
"Awesome," he commented. "Man, I've forgotten most things about Poptropica. But I don't remember being able to fly…"
"It's only on this island," I told him.
"Ha, I see," he chuckled. "You really know your stuff about this game." He held out a hand. "My name's Marcus, by the way. Marcus Fisher."
"Alice," I shook his hand.
"So, Alice…" he leaned forward. "Ever heard of MLP?"
Judging by the look in his eyes, I got the feeling I'd be there for quite a while…
Fierce Fox and I arrived on Spy Island, via her blimp. Spy Island was a modern-looking island, with many metal buildings and whirring machines. Up above was a clear night sky, while the ground was thick metal.
Fierce Fox and I landed on a semi-sphere shaped hairdresser's, where we slipped off a lamp post. I led the two of us to a headquarters, which was a gigantic metal building.
Inside was completely silver, like the Men In Black headquarters. Metal platforms were everywhere, connected with wires and futuristic gadgets. I peered upwards, knowing that we would have to jump up there. A lot of my fear for jumping had been conquered… though some was still there.
… But it wasn't really all for the jumping. It was for what was up there.
"Up there is Director D," I explained to Fierce Fox. "Believe or not, he's actually the main antagonist for this island. He's just pretending to be good. And he has a little secret - he's bald. He wants to make everyone else bald so they feel his 'pain'."
"Should we attack him?" Fierce Fox asked, making a fist.
I shook my head. "Not yet. We need to talk to him and he'll give us spy information. Then we need to go and complete the island. We need to act like a spy to take down a spy."
I bent my knees, my legs leaving the shiny floor. Fierce Fox followed behind me as we leaped up the top, where Director D was. He was standing in front of a large computer screen, showing images of diagrams. His eyes would not leave me as we stood in front of him. A little smirk appeared on his face.
"I'm Director D," he offered a hand. "Head of the Secret Operations."
"Do you have anything for us?" I asked, cutting right to the chase.
"You'll need this decoder kit to decode messages from other agents." Director D answered, handing me a decoding kit. The smile on his face was still there, as we bidded a brief goodbye. Creepy.
"Let's go," I said to Fierce Fox, as we exited the headquarters. A nervous chill rushed up my spine. I was getting some really bad feelings...
I was so apprehensive that I almost smashed my face right into the Spyglass Eyewear store. Conveniently, it was the store we needed to enter. It had cream bricks, with a sign of a big moustache and glasses out the front.
"It's bigger inside." I pointed out.
Just like I pointed out, it was certainly bigger on the inside. The wallpaper was the same moustache and glasses design, as well as many mannequins with glasses. A man with glasses was at the desk, with a pole gripped in his hand. He glowered at me.
"Now," I spoke up, staring at Fierce Fox. "Go and do the eye test with him. When he points to one, do the opposite one facing it. So if he points to a 3, you point to E. Same with M and W. Once he does that, go outside and jump up to the building above this. The guy in there will give you the chameleon suit, which allows you to blend in with your surroundings."
I gasped. Wait… what if there's only one suit?!
As if she had read my thoughts, Fierce Fox asked, "What about you?"
I bit my lip. "Well… we'll see. I'm not sure if we're going to be able to do this one together. I'll be back soon."
I gestured to the man, and headed outside.
Well, it is a stealth mission… the less people the better, right? Besides, she's Fierce Fox… she's good at everything… I'd probably hold her back on this one. Oh god but I want to be use-
"Ahem." someone cleared their throat. A pair of glowing eyes in the dark startled me.
The eyes moved, revealing a Poptropican body.
"Fierce Fox!" I almost jumped out of my skin.
"That guy told me he's suspicious of you so he doesn't want to give you a Chameleon suit," she told me.
"What?" I asked. "Suspicious… of me?"
"Said a lot of bad things about you," Fierce Fox grumbled. "But whatever. I'll do this mission alone if I have to. Tell me what to do."
So after explaining how to sneak into B.A.D's HQ to save a spy, I snuck off the opposite direction to the B.A.D Bistro on Balding Avenue, note the foreshadowing.
The B.A.D Bistro looked surprisingly innocent for a villain restaurant, with a large bowl of spaghetti on the roof and glowing windows. Plus, me, a good guy, was totally allowed inside.
Inside had a similar appearance to a normal restaurant; pictures, checkered floor and tasty smells. I rushed past the wooden tables and the quad of villains, trying not to shiver.
I headed straight into the kitchen, where the chef roamed around, carrying a wooden spoon. The kitchen was very normal too: boiling pots; foods; a white layout.
"I'd like to apply for the job." I told the chef.
"Excellent!" he clapped. "There's just one test you'll need to pass. A good chef must have a good memory." He pointed to a little table, which had a selection of cooking staples. "Watch carefully and remember the order of the ingredients."
Using his spoon, he pointed to each cooking staple, in a particular order. I watched intensely, straining my memory. Once he was finished, I replayed the scene in my head, pointing at the staples.
The chef started again, nudging each one gently with his spoon. I copied his exact movements, feeling awfully proud of my memory.
The chef did his final memory round, and I completed that successfully. He grinned.
"Very good!" he said, placing a chef hat on my head. "You're hired!"
I realised I was grinning again. And then my grin vanished when I realized what table I had to go to.
Reluctantly, I headed outside to the villains' table, where they were laughing and chatting. One of them looked up at me, with a stern expression.
"Ah, chef," he ordered. "Fill up my glass." He handed me a wine glass with his fingerprint. I left before they could ask me anything else.
I returned to the kitchen, although that wasn't the place I needed to be in. The place I needed to be in was the vents, so that was where I hopped up to. I shoved my way through the dusty vents, surprisingly making no noise.
I climbed out of the vents, then hopped from hanging light to hanging light. I jumped to the last one, but I accidentally fell off, crashing in front of the exit. Conveniently, the villains noticed me.
"Where are you going?" the one who asked me to fill his drink asked, scowling. I felt a shiver up my spine. He got up and glared at me.
Then, strangely, his expression softened. He whispered something to his associates, and they went back to doing whatever they were doing. I rushed out before they changed their mind and decided to come after me.
What just happened… ?
Before I left to find Fierce Fox, I headed up the sloped pathway to a spy hiding near some public plants. He was wearing camo gear. I tapped him on the shoulder; he stood straight up.
"I think this letter contains a hidden message, but I can't decode it." he explained, handing me File X. I nodded at him, then I turned the other way; I needed to get Fierce Fox.
I found Fierce Fox at the B.A.D's dock. She was still wearing the chameleon suit, her large, rather spooky eyes blinking.
"You don't need to wear that anymore," I laughed. The outfit disappeared off her body, going back to her original outfit.
"Did you get all the items?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Great!" I grinned. "Now we've got a bit of running to do."
The two of us ran through Spy Island, until we arrived at Toupee Terrace (yet again, notice the foreshadowing). There was an old, red-brick house with dark glass windows. Yellow lasers are shining down on some platforms, hot as the sun. I bolted straight up to the house's first wall, then leaped up onto a little stone ledge.
Fierce Fox followed me. I gazed upwards at a window ledge, where a yellow laser was flashing down like a fan. I waited until it disappeared, then I leaped.
The one in front of me was flashing, and soon it stopped. I jumped to that one, waiting for the next one to stop.
"Whoa!" Fierce Fox cried. She jumped behind me, trying to keep up. Suddenly, she was hit by a laser. I reached out my hand, grabbing hers and pulling her up. She then continued to follow me as we avoided the rest of the lasers.
Finally, we achieved our goal and stood at the top. A little attic was in front of us, with jail bars, the bright moon in the background.
I turned to Fierce Fox.
"Can you get out the laser pen?" I asked.
She listened and bought out the little metal tool. I fearfully turned it on, the red colour appearing awfully similar to blood.
Facing the jail bars, with the tool equipped, I began to slice away like a knife. The jail bars simply melted away like chocolate, revealing the attic's dark interior.
I climbed inside, avoiding all the dusty cobwebs and creaky wooden floorboards. A man was in the corner, tied up in ropes. I rushed over and simply touched the rope as if I had superpowers. The man was instantly free, and he got to his feet.
"Free at last!" he exclaimed. "I have something that will help you on your mission."
He held out a grappling bowtie, which Fierce Fox grabbed.
"And do you happen to have two of those?" I asked, not feeling very hopeful.
"Well, the Director did briefly mention that you had an acquaintance," he answered. "Though, I only have the one bow-tie on me."
"Is there something that can... help me get into the air?" I asked, hopefully.
"Not that I know of," he said. "All our jetpacks are being used. Oh, and you'll need these." He quickly handed me some satellite clues. He rushed off before I could say another word. I sighed.
"Follow me," I said to Fierce Fox once I climbed back outside.
She followed me all the way through the town, until we stopped in Balding Avenue, near the spy wearing camo gear. I pointed up at a pale pink building, knowing that was where we needed the bowtie. I bowed my head, ever so slightly, debating with myself what to do.
"Well… once again, only one of us can complete this part." I held out the grappling bowtie. "You'll need this, and the chameleon costume."
Fierce Fox waved a hand. "I can give you the-"
"No," I interrupted, holding up my hands. "Look, I got the superpower last time. This time, you get the 'superpower'."
I placed the grappling bowtie in her hands.
"Then... what are you going to do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"... I'm going to figure out how to stop Director D," I told her.
After explaining to Fierce Fox what to do and bidding her good luck, I found the agent dressed in camo gear again, laying down on his stomach. I breathed out.
"Excuse me," I asked him. "Has Director D said anything about… about a girl called Alice Manchester?"
"Uh..." the agent tilted his head. "Well, I think one of his papers says something about a girl called 'Alice'... I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't know too much."
"Oh.." I said, bowing my head. "Do any of the other agents know anything?"
"Well, the guy who works in Spyglass Eyewear might," the agent answered, with a shrug.
Oh, great, I groaned. The guy who thinks I'm suspicious.
So, of course, I asked the guy in the Spyglass Eyewear shop.
"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked.
"... because I am Alice Manchester," I told him, "and I have to know."
The man chuckled. "That only makes you more suspicious. But I'll tell you what. Director D certainly is planning something to do with you."
"What's he planning?" I asked him.
The man looked away and started typing things on his computer, eyes glued to the screen. I sighed and left the shop.
I re-met with Fierce Fox underneath the pink building, who was wearing green, swirly goggles to detect hidden lasers. I gave her a nod of approval.
"Come," I instructed. "We have some more travelling to do."
Again, we rushed through the town, non-stop, until we passed by the red-brick house. In front of us was a dirt hill, with patches of grass. A wire fence was planted on top of it, with a hole ripped right in the middle. We climbed through, arriving in a new area. I turned to my partner.
"Mind if I borrow those?" I pointed to her goggles. She took them off her head and handed them to me. I slapped them around my own eyes, lasers suddenly visible everywhere I stared.
"Follow me and be quick." I instructed.
A straight, red beam was directly in front of my face. I grasped Fierce Fox's wrist, just as it disappeared. I bolted underneath it, not loosening my grip. We performed the same strategy with the next laser, and the laser following it.
The hill we were running on sloped downwards, getting closer to Director D's headquarters. We were quite literally on the side of the building, as we dodged more red-hot lasers. Fierce Fox's head almost got hit, but luckily I managed to grab her just in time.
Finally, the laser part finished and it was time for some platform jumping. Wonderful. Ahead of us were many huge, metal structures, also embedded with yellow technology. A platform was right above us, which we couldn't reach.
"Put the grappling tie on," I ordered Fierce Fox. The bowtie soon popped onto her collar.
I gestured upwards at the platform, then gripped her arm. "Take us up."
Her bowtie extended to the higher platform, taking us with it. I leaped onto the first platform, Fierce Fox right behind me. It gently slithered along, before meeting with another moving platform. We both jumped onto that one, and it moved upwards.
The last platform had a large, metal, bolted door. I gripped the little wine cup in my hands and waved it over the scanner. The door opened with a beep.
Inside had even more lasers and platforms than before. Yellow technology was connected into the walls, as well as glowing wires. We rushed up to a metal platform with a glowing, yellow top. Me in front, we hopped up onto it, avoiding the lasers.
We leaped to the one diagonal, then to the one diagonal after that. Above us was a computer, full of whirring buttons.
"That," I explained, once we got up, "is how Director D will come to us. And then we take him down."
Suddenly, a button near me flashed, capturing Fierce Fox in jail bars.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" she glowered at me.
"I-I don't-" I stammered. "I didn't press anything!"
Director D, just as I expected, appeared in front of us.
"It's a good thing I made it here too!" he cried cheerfully, with a grin. "Now, let's see if we can get those teleporters working."
"Did you trap her?" I asked, pointing at my imprisoned poptropican.
"Well... only one Poptropican can come with me," he said, nicely avoiding the question. "And you're already free, so…"
"Let her go!" I told him, pointing at Fierce Fox.
"Just get the teleporter working and she'll be free!" he replied, laughing nervously.
I sighed and whipped around to the computer, typing in the three passcodes: LASER, HAIR, REMOVAL. The computer buzzed, telling me 'the teleporter is online'.
"It's working at last!" Director D cackled. "BWAHAHAHAHA!" He glanced at me. "Ladies first?"
"What?" I questioned, shaking my head at the sudden confusion. Was I part of the plan? "What's going on?"
"Shouldn't you know that, Miss Manchester?" Director D replied, with a wicked smirk. I gasped.
No...
"Get me out of here!" Fierce Fox shouted.
"Or do you still have questions?" Director D chuckled, leaning towards me. "Because who knows, I might have answers…"
Sorry, Fierce Fox…
Director D leaped into the teleporter. Heart racing, I followed after him.
I found Director D standing in front of an oddly shaped piece of technology. He grinned darkly and chucked his toupee off, pressing his hand against his machine.
"How do you know my name?!" I demanded. "Tell me!"
"That would ruin the surprise, little miss!" Director D cackled. "All I'll say is you may or may not know them. And since they told me about you, I've been dying to meet you! You know everything about what's going to happen, right? And apparently I'm going to be defeated, yes?"
I stepped back.
"Well, not today!" Director D cackled. "I'm changing things, ALICE!" He rushed off. Usually this was when a horde of mini-bots would come out and try to zap me. But by the way the ground rumbled beneath my feet, I could tell it was going to be different.
A ginormous group of mini-bolts mashed together, their eyes glowing red. Their little sparkling antennas stuck out, as they formed a great creature. It reminded me of Godzilla.
The creature had shocking, electric claws, a glowing, dirty yellow body and dark red eyes. Director D was inside those eyes, controlling the monster.
"Prepare to suffer!" he screamed, as the creature lifted its great foot. With my breath caught in my throat, I leaped out of the way, trembling.
The creature tried to smash me with its claws, though I rolled out of the way.
There has to be a way...
I bent my knees and spiralled into the air, the lack of gravity allowing me to jump a little higher (we were in space, after all). The creature attempted to reach out for me again with its deadly claws. However, I just kept jumping out of the way, like prey running from the predator.
"Stay still!" Director D growled from the head.
Suddenly I got an idea. I floated back down to the ground, knees shaking. I rushed forward, the creature racing after me.
I neared the wall, then suddenly back flipped away from it, as the creature smashed into it with a mighty roar of pain. There was a noisy beeping sound coming from the monster, like a computer voice.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Director D screamed, as suddenly the monster began to split.
"There's too much pressure from all the robots pushed together!" I answered, thanking myself for paying attention in science. I heard another scream from the villain, when suddenly the whole robot exploded, covering my vision with pure white.
Is this… death?
Not quite yet. Director D was locked up, back in the Headquarters. An agent kindly freed Fierce Fox, who was rather grumpy. She wasn't so grumpy when the Poptropicans congratulated her - and me - and made us both official secret agents.
"Thanks for saving us... and our hair!" laughed one of the agents, as he handed Fierce Fox the medallion. I grinned at her.
"Sorry for running off on you," I apologized, as my world started to brighten.
Fierce Fox held up her fist. "You-"
I sweat-beaded. "Well, I've got to go now. See you later!"
"DAMN YOU, ALICE MANCHESTER!" I heard Director D's voice. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
My view fully became white, and I returned back home.
My thrill rush began to die down as I heard the cry of the morning birds. It was replaced with fear. Fear for the future.
The villains were after me.