The Case of the Black Lion--Chapter 5
by HA
The Knight family lived on the outskirts of Redington. Their residence was what most people would call a mansion, but in comparison to other mansions, it was simpler. It lacked an elaborate quality. There were no marble statues, no fancy water fountain, no family crest, nor a large driveway. Although it evoked a sense of largeness, it also showed a sense of utilitarianism in its use of space. The car garage located on the side held all the cars the Knights owned, and unlike most rich people, they didn't spend a lot on the latest models unless they needed replacements. Although the house contained several bedrooms, the extras were used as guest rooms, and the Knights were willing to house anyone in need.
With her scarf around her neck, Lucy stood outside the main door. She checked her watch. "Almost time," she said, briefly adjusting her glasses. As she looked forward into the distance, her thoughts drifted to when she was four years younger.
It was at the Redington airport, and Lucy was part of a Knight Foundation Scholar field trip to the small country of Bashtarlle. "When are we going to get on the plane?" she asked the person seated next to her left. "Everyone's getting impatient."
Nick Knight sighed as he looked at the group of kids before him. Some were playing on their Game Boys. Some were talking amongst themselves. Some were falling asleep in their seats. "Our boarding time's in about a half-hour, sweetie," he said with a smile.
"Uncle Nick..." Lucy said with a frown as she fixed her scarf.
"I know, I know," the spiky blond said, smiling as he played with Lucy's ponytail. "Don't call you 'sweetie.'"
Lucy nodded as she smiled back. "I'm a big girl now." She adjusted her scarf again. Her mom had given it to her as a birthday present. She had told her it was a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Mom had her promise to take care of it, and she was going to keep that promise.
"Well, you're only ten," a boy with glasses said from her right.
"So are you, Arthur!" Lucy answered loudly, getting a grin from her cousin.
"A valid point," he said, returning his attention to the copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology in his hands. His cousin noticed the girl with blonde hair reading over Arthur's shoulder. "Enjoying yourself so far, Sara?" he asked.
The girl froze and blushed. "A little, Arthur," she answered meekly.
Lucy leaned sideways and propped her head on her hand as her elbow laid on the armrest. "I thought school was boring."
"The price of being a genius," Arthur said as he turned a page to read more about Theseus. He looked briefly at the green umbrella leaning against his seat.
Lucy looked around and saw Rika and a girl with blond Shirley Temple curls talking across from her. Rika's grandfather was on the board for the Knight Foundation, and Rika and Lucy liked to talk to each other a lot. As for the other girl, she recalled she was the daughter of her dad's chief of security. Like her mother, Collette dressed and acted stiffly, yet she talked with Rika in an animated manner. She noticed a boy next to them reading a comic book. His hair was spiky with the sides shaved. She remembered his name was Marcus, and his parents ran a restaurant. Her parents loved to take her and Arthur there, and the food was delicious. Now and then, Marcus would talk to them when he wasn't helping out in the kitchen.
However, she noticed a lone boy sitting at the end of the row. While the rest of the group conversed amongst itself, he seemed to be keeping aloof of the others. His blue T-shirt and black jacket contrasted greatly with the rest of the group, and it made his blond hair stand out more. His arms were crossed, and his mouth formed a frown as he sat in his seat.
Lucy tapped her uncle on his arm. "Uncle Nick, who's that boy?" she said, pointing at the person in question. "I've never seen him before."
Uncle Nick looked in the direction of Lucy's finger. "Oh, that's C.D. Morgan. He's new here."
"Where's he from?" she asked.
"The States," he answered. "California, to be more specific."
"Oh." Lucy watched as C.D. continued to scowl. "No wonder he looks unhappy."
"Believe me, he has a lot of reasons to be unhappy." Nick rubbed his chin as he looked upward. "His uncle signed him up for the program. He thought it'd help him out."
"Why?" Lucy asked wide-eyed.
"Can't tell you, Lucy," Uncle Nick said firmly.
"Fine, then." Lucy rose from her seat. "I'll find out myself."
Before Uncle Nick could stop her, Lucy marched up to the brooding boy. From what she could tell, he looked a little older than her. She estimated at least a two-year difference. After clearing her throat, she said, "Hi there, C.D."
C.D. looked away, and his frown became more pronounced. He kept his gaze away from her.
Lucy moved in front of him and leaned towards his face. "Hello, C.D." she said.
C.D. looked at her through half-open eyes. "You're cheerfully persistent," he said blandly.
"Well, we are going to another country," Lucy said.
"Whoop-dee-do," C.D. said, twirling his finger in the air.
"You're from the States, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, so?" C.D. said.
"My mom's from there, too," Lucy said.
"That's nice," C.D. said. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with the scarf?"
Lucy fingered her scarf. "Oh, this? Mom gave it to me for my birthday. It's a family heirloom." She looked at C.D.'s jacket. "Where'd you get that?"
"It's my dad's," C.D. answered without looking at her.
"Your dad?" Lucy rubbed her chin. "I thought you lived with your uncle."
C.D. crossed his arms and looked at the floor. "I don't want to talk about it."
Lucy sat in the empty seat next to him. "Why not?"
"Because," C.D. said, glancing sideways at Lucy, "you're too young."
"I'm ten," Lucy said, glaring at him while adjusting her glasses.
"I'm twelve," C.D. answered.
Lucy smiled at how accurate her guess was. "Look at that."
"What?" C.D. said.
"I learned something about you," Lucy said. "You're twelve years old."
"Hmph." C.D. looked directly at her. "Want to know something else?"
"Sure," Lucy said.
C.D. leaned towards Lucy. "I wish I was dead," he whispered, his eyes firmly fixed on her.
Lucy's eyes widened behind her glasses. "What?"
"You heard me," C.D. said, looking away from her again. "In fact, my uncle had to stop me from jumping out of my window."
"Why would you do that?" Lucy asked.
C.D. looked upward for a moment. "Because I'm alone, and I don't deserve to live."
"Why say that?" Lucy asked. "You're young. You still have time." She adjusted her glasses. "Are you dying?"
C.D. sighed and looked downward. "Every day."
Lucy stared at the boy. "Something happened to you." She got closer to him. "You want to talk about it?"
C.D. looked at her. "You ask a lot of questions."
Lucy smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "My parents tell me the same thing. They say it's in my nature."
"I'll say." C.D. cracked a grin. "So, what's up with the glasses? Why do they look like goggles?"
"I made them myself," Lucy said. "Well, I designed them, really." She took them off and handed them to C.D. "Feel them." He did. "They're tough, and they don't scratch. Dad wants to make more of them for people."
"Hmmmm..." C.D. tested their weight with his hand, and then he looked at Lucy's face.
Lucy blinked. "What?"
"Your eyes," C.D. said.
"What about them?" Lucy asked.
C.D. gulped. "Well...I think..." His voice trembled as he continued, and a little red appeared on his cheeks. "They're kind of...pretty."
Lucy blushed as well. "Really?"
C.D. nodded, and he replaced the glasses on her nose. "Your glasses dull the color of your eyes," he said. "Keep them on all the time so no one else can see how pretty your eyes are."
Lucy smiled with red cheeks. "You're a nice boy."
C.D. looked at the floor. "I guess I am."
Lucy looked at him. "Oh, I'm curious. What do your initials stand for?"
C.D. looked at her. "Cody Donovan." He sighed. "Donovan was my father's name."
"Does everyone call you C.D.?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah," C.D. answered.
"So..." Lucy looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. "Can I call you Cody?"
C.D. stared at her for a moment. Then, he smiled. "Sure, why not?"
The airport speaker announced that the flight to Bashtarlle was ready for boarding. Everyone got up. Lucy and C.D. followed suit. "All right," Uncle Nick said. "Let's get going, gang." He looked at his niece. "Lucy, Arthur, make sure everyone sticks together, okay?"
"Right, Uncle Nick," Lucy said at the same time as her cousin.
C.D. stared at her. "Whoa." He kept his gaze on her. "You know, you never told me your name."
Lucy smiled at him. "Oh, I'm Lucy Knight."
"Knight? Like as in the Knight Foundation?" C.D. still stared at her.
Lucy nodded, and she held out her hand. "Come on. We've got a flight to catch."
C.D. looked at the hand she offered. "Why?"
Lucy smiled. "So you don't have to be alone."
C.D. stared at her hand for a moment. Finally, he took it.
A smile crossed Lucy's lips. Then, a loud honk brought her back to the present. A blue Beetle waited in front of her. "Hey, Lucy!" its driver shouted, and she recognized C.D. as he waved at her.
Smiling, she walked to the passenger side. "Right on time," she said as she entered and took her seat. "Thanks for taking me to Sussex Academy."
"No problem," C.D. said as he began to drive away from the mansion. "Did Damian say why he took the van?"
"Didn't give a reason, but I have a good feeling why," Lucy said. She looked forward as the car continued on its way.
"What's wrong?" C.D. asked.
"I just can't believe it," Lucy answered, shaking her head. "After all these years..."
"Hey, we'll make history repeat itself," C.D. said, smiling. "Think Shirley knows why ENIGMA's here?"
"Definitely," Lucy answered.
The drive continued. "Ya know, what were you doing before I picked you up?" C.D. asked.
"Oh, I was just remembering something," Lucy said, smiling at him.
C.D. blushed and kept his eyes on the road.
As usual, the student body of Sussex Academy rejoiced silently as the final bell rang. Students poured out of the hallowed halls of education with plans to study or hang out with friends. Chatter spread around small groups of them as they made their way towards the dormitory or their parents' waiting cars.
"Parker, stop following me!" Alicia yelled without looking at the redheaded boy tailing her.
"But I must make sure you stay out of harm's way," Parker declared as he kept up with her despite his bulging backpack.
Alicia groaned and looked skyward. "Give me strength," she pleaded with open hands as she walked towards the dorms with a quickened pace.
"Wait for me!" Parker yelled. A nearby Stink followed them, and he kept an eye on Alicia.
Shirley, Bo, and Blake exited the school building. "All right, on to Chang's, I guess," Bo said with his hands in his pockets as he watched Shirley and Blake in front of him.
"Yet another case to crack," Blake said cheerfully.
Shirley said nothing, but she kept her eyes on Blake. Bo felt his hands ball up into fists inside his pockets.
Then, Shirley's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her blazer pocket. "Hello?"
Blake looked behind him and saw Bo glaring at him. He stepped away from Shirley as she talked on her phone. "Sorry about that," he whispered to Bo.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Bo whispered back.
Shirley hung up. "That was Lucy. She's on her way to take us to Chang's. It might take a while depending on traffic."
"Well, we're okay," Bo said, nodding towards the boys' bikes. "Guess we'll follow you, then."
Rolling their bikes, the boys followed Shirley to the rendezvous Lucy told her to go to, a place close to the woods next to the school. "Okay, why did Lucy pick this place again?" Bo said as he stepped on several twigs.
"Didn't want to be seen, I guess." Shirley looked at Blake, who had placed his backpack next to his feet, and her stomach churned a little. "Blake, can I talk to you for a moment?" She looked at Bo. "Alone?"
Bo felt his handlebars slip from his grip. He stared at his friends. "I'll be over there if you need me," he said, pointing to a group of trees far away from their current location. Leaving his bike on the ground, he walked toward it, and when he was almost there, he stooped to look at them. His eyes lingered on Shirley, but when she looked back, he turned around, reached his destination, and slipped behind the tress.
Blake faced Shirley. "So, what'd you want to talk about?" he asked.
Shirley kept her gaze on him. "Basically, us."
Blake's jaw almost fell to the ground while his bike did. "Um, come again?"
Shirley breathed deeply. "Blake, are you interested in Molly?"
"Huh?" Blake stared at Shirley wide-eyed. "Where'd you get that idea?"
Shirley stared pacing around Blake. "Well, you haven't been the same since she made you go on that date." Her blue eyes shot a burning gaze at him. "Are you attracted to her?"
Blake gasped. "What?"
"Are you attracted to Molly?" Shirley asked firmly, yet she trembled when she spoke.
"No," Blake answered. "I just want to be her friend, that's all."
Shirley stared at Blake incredulously. "After all she put you through, you want to be her friend?"
"Shirley..." Blake waved his fingers. "I just feel sorry for her, that's all."
Shirley stepped forward and stood face to face with Blake. "I admit I pity her a little, but she's dangerous." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So you've been acting strangely not because of her?"
Blake blinked. "I've been acting strangely?"
Shirley spun on her heel and faced a nearby tree. "When we first met, we..." She made a circular wave with her hand, and her cheeks blushed. "We...clicked, so to speak."
"Yeah," Blake said, looking at her back.
"I've enjoyed the times we went out," Shirley continued. "However, after that date with Molly, you changed."
"How?" Blake said.
"You used to be affectionate with me." Shirley threw out her arms. "Now you treat me like I'm only a friend."
"Shirley, you are my friend," Blake said unkindly.
"I know, but..." Shirley turned around and faced him. "You treated me like I was more than that." She took a deep breath. "What happened to you, then?"
Blake shifted his foot back and forth. "Something came up."
"Don't you mean someone?" Shirley said.
Blake didn't meet her gaze. "Shirley, I've got a lot to sort through, and I think we should stay friends."
Shirley kept a straight face, but inside, her feelings fought to surface. "Blake, who is she?"
Blake let out a sigh. "You remind me a lot of her," he said with a smile.
"Who?" Shirley pressed on.
Blake gulped. "Ever thought about your relationship with Bo?"
From his hiding place, Bo froze. While his friends were talking, he had quietly moved to a new tree wide enough to hide him. He had been listening in, although he kept telling himself silently it was for Shirley's good. The idea he was doing what Shirley normally did to others didn't escape him.
"Bo?" Shirley looked at Blake. "What about him?"
"Well..." Blake made a circular motion in the air with his hand. "Have you ever considered being more than friends with him?"
Shirley's eyes almost shot out of their sockets. Bo's also did the same thing, and the grip he had on the tree tightened.
"Come again?" Shirley said, but her cheeks were red.
"Considering how long you two've been hanging out with each other, I'm surprised you two aren't dating," Blake said.
"We're...we're...just friends," Shirley said, but the blush on her face never left.
His face red hot, Bo peeked out. What are you doing, Blake? he thought anxiously.
"Besides, I don't think he's interested in me that way," Shirley said.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "Maybe he's too shy to admit it," he said gently, looking towards Bo's tree.
Bo narrowed his eyes at Blake. He felt the bark under his fingernails a little too much.
"Stop changing the subject!" Shirley said. Her hands balled up into fists. "Who is she, Blake?"
Blake sighed loudly. "So much like her..." He looked Shirley straight in the eye. "She's a childhood friend of mine."
Shirley crossed her arms. "Her name?"
Blake opened his lips, but nothing came out except a gasp. Shirley thought she heard something rip. She caught her friend as he fell forward.
"Are you okay?" she asked, holding him tightly.
Blake groaned as he lifted himself off Shirley's shoulders. "I'm fine." He noticed the worry in Shirley's eyes. "Really, I am."
Without a word, Shirley threw her arms around Blake. From his tree, Bo growled, but he started looking for whoever or whatever did whatever happened a few seconds ago.
"Your blazer's been slashed," Shirley said as she felt Blake's back.
"What?" Blake felt Shirley's fingertips touch his shirt through the slashes.
"No blood," Shirley reported. "I don't feel any."
"Be thankful I wasn't going for the kill, or your friend would be nothing but little pieces littering the ground," a female voice said.
Shirley, Blake, and Bo from his tree looked towards the speaker's direction. All beheld the back of a person dressed in red military fatigues. They saw the red beret sitting on top of short blond hair. They noticed especially the figure's raised gloved hand, which had slender fingers tipped with long, sharp claws.
by HA
The Knight family lived on the outskirts of Redington. Their residence was what most people would call a mansion, but in comparison to other mansions, it was simpler. It lacked an elaborate quality. There were no marble statues, no fancy water fountain, no family crest, nor a large driveway. Although it evoked a sense of largeness, it also showed a sense of utilitarianism in its use of space. The car garage located on the side held all the cars the Knights owned, and unlike most rich people, they didn't spend a lot on the latest models unless they needed replacements. Although the house contained several bedrooms, the extras were used as guest rooms, and the Knights were willing to house anyone in need.
With her scarf around her neck, Lucy stood outside the main door. She checked her watch. "Almost time," she said, briefly adjusting her glasses. As she looked forward into the distance, her thoughts drifted to when she was four years younger.
It was at the Redington airport, and Lucy was part of a Knight Foundation Scholar field trip to the small country of Bashtarlle. "When are we going to get on the plane?" she asked the person seated next to her left. "Everyone's getting impatient."
Nick Knight sighed as he looked at the group of kids before him. Some were playing on their Game Boys. Some were talking amongst themselves. Some were falling asleep in their seats. "Our boarding time's in about a half-hour, sweetie," he said with a smile.
"Uncle Nick..." Lucy said with a frown as she fixed her scarf.
"I know, I know," the spiky blond said, smiling as he played with Lucy's ponytail. "Don't call you 'sweetie.'"
Lucy nodded as she smiled back. "I'm a big girl now." She adjusted her scarf again. Her mom had given it to her as a birthday present. She had told her it was a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Mom had her promise to take care of it, and she was going to keep that promise.
"Well, you're only ten," a boy with glasses said from her right.
"So are you, Arthur!" Lucy answered loudly, getting a grin from her cousin.
"A valid point," he said, returning his attention to the copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology in his hands. His cousin noticed the girl with blonde hair reading over Arthur's shoulder. "Enjoying yourself so far, Sara?" he asked.
The girl froze and blushed. "A little, Arthur," she answered meekly.
Lucy leaned sideways and propped her head on her hand as her elbow laid on the armrest. "I thought school was boring."
"The price of being a genius," Arthur said as he turned a page to read more about Theseus. He looked briefly at the green umbrella leaning against his seat.
Lucy looked around and saw Rika and a girl with blond Shirley Temple curls talking across from her. Rika's grandfather was on the board for the Knight Foundation, and Rika and Lucy liked to talk to each other a lot. As for the other girl, she recalled she was the daughter of her dad's chief of security. Like her mother, Collette dressed and acted stiffly, yet she talked with Rika in an animated manner. She noticed a boy next to them reading a comic book. His hair was spiky with the sides shaved. She remembered his name was Marcus, and his parents ran a restaurant. Her parents loved to take her and Arthur there, and the food was delicious. Now and then, Marcus would talk to them when he wasn't helping out in the kitchen.
However, she noticed a lone boy sitting at the end of the row. While the rest of the group conversed amongst itself, he seemed to be keeping aloof of the others. His blue T-shirt and black jacket contrasted greatly with the rest of the group, and it made his blond hair stand out more. His arms were crossed, and his mouth formed a frown as he sat in his seat.
Lucy tapped her uncle on his arm. "Uncle Nick, who's that boy?" she said, pointing at the person in question. "I've never seen him before."
Uncle Nick looked in the direction of Lucy's finger. "Oh, that's C.D. Morgan. He's new here."
"Where's he from?" she asked.
"The States," he answered. "California, to be more specific."
"Oh." Lucy watched as C.D. continued to scowl. "No wonder he looks unhappy."
"Believe me, he has a lot of reasons to be unhappy." Nick rubbed his chin as he looked upward. "His uncle signed him up for the program. He thought it'd help him out."
"Why?" Lucy asked wide-eyed.
"Can't tell you, Lucy," Uncle Nick said firmly.
"Fine, then." Lucy rose from her seat. "I'll find out myself."
Before Uncle Nick could stop her, Lucy marched up to the brooding boy. From what she could tell, he looked a little older than her. She estimated at least a two-year difference. After clearing her throat, she said, "Hi there, C.D."
C.D. looked away, and his frown became more pronounced. He kept his gaze away from her.
Lucy moved in front of him and leaned towards his face. "Hello, C.D." she said.
C.D. looked at her through half-open eyes. "You're cheerfully persistent," he said blandly.
"Well, we are going to another country," Lucy said.
"Whoop-dee-do," C.D. said, twirling his finger in the air.
"You're from the States, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, so?" C.D. said.
"My mom's from there, too," Lucy said.
"That's nice," C.D. said. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with the scarf?"
Lucy fingered her scarf. "Oh, this? Mom gave it to me for my birthday. It's a family heirloom." She looked at C.D.'s jacket. "Where'd you get that?"
"It's my dad's," C.D. answered without looking at her.
"Your dad?" Lucy rubbed her chin. "I thought you lived with your uncle."
C.D. crossed his arms and looked at the floor. "I don't want to talk about it."
Lucy sat in the empty seat next to him. "Why not?"
"Because," C.D. said, glancing sideways at Lucy, "you're too young."
"I'm ten," Lucy said, glaring at him while adjusting her glasses.
"I'm twelve," C.D. answered.
Lucy smiled at how accurate her guess was. "Look at that."
"What?" C.D. said.
"I learned something about you," Lucy said. "You're twelve years old."
"Hmph." C.D. looked directly at her. "Want to know something else?"
"Sure," Lucy said.
C.D. leaned towards Lucy. "I wish I was dead," he whispered, his eyes firmly fixed on her.
Lucy's eyes widened behind her glasses. "What?"
"You heard me," C.D. said, looking away from her again. "In fact, my uncle had to stop me from jumping out of my window."
"Why would you do that?" Lucy asked.
C.D. looked upward for a moment. "Because I'm alone, and I don't deserve to live."
"Why say that?" Lucy asked. "You're young. You still have time." She adjusted her glasses. "Are you dying?"
C.D. sighed and looked downward. "Every day."
Lucy stared at the boy. "Something happened to you." She got closer to him. "You want to talk about it?"
C.D. looked at her. "You ask a lot of questions."
Lucy smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "My parents tell me the same thing. They say it's in my nature."
"I'll say." C.D. cracked a grin. "So, what's up with the glasses? Why do they look like goggles?"
"I made them myself," Lucy said. "Well, I designed them, really." She took them off and handed them to C.D. "Feel them." He did. "They're tough, and they don't scratch. Dad wants to make more of them for people."
"Hmmmm..." C.D. tested their weight with his hand, and then he looked at Lucy's face.
Lucy blinked. "What?"
"Your eyes," C.D. said.
"What about them?" Lucy asked.
C.D. gulped. "Well...I think..." His voice trembled as he continued, and a little red appeared on his cheeks. "They're kind of...pretty."
Lucy blushed as well. "Really?"
C.D. nodded, and he replaced the glasses on her nose. "Your glasses dull the color of your eyes," he said. "Keep them on all the time so no one else can see how pretty your eyes are."
Lucy smiled with red cheeks. "You're a nice boy."
C.D. looked at the floor. "I guess I am."
Lucy looked at him. "Oh, I'm curious. What do your initials stand for?"
C.D. looked at her. "Cody Donovan." He sighed. "Donovan was my father's name."
"Does everyone call you C.D.?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah," C.D. answered.
"So..." Lucy looked at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. "Can I call you Cody?"
C.D. stared at her for a moment. Then, he smiled. "Sure, why not?"
The airport speaker announced that the flight to Bashtarlle was ready for boarding. Everyone got up. Lucy and C.D. followed suit. "All right," Uncle Nick said. "Let's get going, gang." He looked at his niece. "Lucy, Arthur, make sure everyone sticks together, okay?"
"Right, Uncle Nick," Lucy said at the same time as her cousin.
C.D. stared at her. "Whoa." He kept his gaze on her. "You know, you never told me your name."
Lucy smiled at him. "Oh, I'm Lucy Knight."
"Knight? Like as in the Knight Foundation?" C.D. still stared at her.
Lucy nodded, and she held out her hand. "Come on. We've got a flight to catch."
C.D. looked at the hand she offered. "Why?"
Lucy smiled. "So you don't have to be alone."
C.D. stared at her hand for a moment. Finally, he took it.
A smile crossed Lucy's lips. Then, a loud honk brought her back to the present. A blue Beetle waited in front of her. "Hey, Lucy!" its driver shouted, and she recognized C.D. as he waved at her.
Smiling, she walked to the passenger side. "Right on time," she said as she entered and took her seat. "Thanks for taking me to Sussex Academy."
"No problem," C.D. said as he began to drive away from the mansion. "Did Damian say why he took the van?"
"Didn't give a reason, but I have a good feeling why," Lucy said. She looked forward as the car continued on its way.
"What's wrong?" C.D. asked.
"I just can't believe it," Lucy answered, shaking her head. "After all these years..."
"Hey, we'll make history repeat itself," C.D. said, smiling. "Think Shirley knows why ENIGMA's here?"
"Definitely," Lucy answered.
The drive continued. "Ya know, what were you doing before I picked you up?" C.D. asked.
"Oh, I was just remembering something," Lucy said, smiling at him.
C.D. blushed and kept his eyes on the road.
As usual, the student body of Sussex Academy rejoiced silently as the final bell rang. Students poured out of the hallowed halls of education with plans to study or hang out with friends. Chatter spread around small groups of them as they made their way towards the dormitory or their parents' waiting cars.
"Parker, stop following me!" Alicia yelled without looking at the redheaded boy tailing her.
"But I must make sure you stay out of harm's way," Parker declared as he kept up with her despite his bulging backpack.
Alicia groaned and looked skyward. "Give me strength," she pleaded with open hands as she walked towards the dorms with a quickened pace.
"Wait for me!" Parker yelled. A nearby Stink followed them, and he kept an eye on Alicia.
Shirley, Bo, and Blake exited the school building. "All right, on to Chang's, I guess," Bo said with his hands in his pockets as he watched Shirley and Blake in front of him.
"Yet another case to crack," Blake said cheerfully.
Shirley said nothing, but she kept her eyes on Blake. Bo felt his hands ball up into fists inside his pockets.
Then, Shirley's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her blazer pocket. "Hello?"
Blake looked behind him and saw Bo glaring at him. He stepped away from Shirley as she talked on her phone. "Sorry about that," he whispered to Bo.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Bo whispered back.
Shirley hung up. "That was Lucy. She's on her way to take us to Chang's. It might take a while depending on traffic."
"Well, we're okay," Bo said, nodding towards the boys' bikes. "Guess we'll follow you, then."
Rolling their bikes, the boys followed Shirley to the rendezvous Lucy told her to go to, a place close to the woods next to the school. "Okay, why did Lucy pick this place again?" Bo said as he stepped on several twigs.
"Didn't want to be seen, I guess." Shirley looked at Blake, who had placed his backpack next to his feet, and her stomach churned a little. "Blake, can I talk to you for a moment?" She looked at Bo. "Alone?"
Bo felt his handlebars slip from his grip. He stared at his friends. "I'll be over there if you need me," he said, pointing to a group of trees far away from their current location. Leaving his bike on the ground, he walked toward it, and when he was almost there, he stooped to look at them. His eyes lingered on Shirley, but when she looked back, he turned around, reached his destination, and slipped behind the tress.
Blake faced Shirley. "So, what'd you want to talk about?" he asked.
Shirley kept her gaze on him. "Basically, us."
Blake's jaw almost fell to the ground while his bike did. "Um, come again?"
Shirley breathed deeply. "Blake, are you interested in Molly?"
"Huh?" Blake stared at Shirley wide-eyed. "Where'd you get that idea?"
Shirley stared pacing around Blake. "Well, you haven't been the same since she made you go on that date." Her blue eyes shot a burning gaze at him. "Are you attracted to her?"
Blake gasped. "What?"
"Are you attracted to Molly?" Shirley asked firmly, yet she trembled when she spoke.
"No," Blake answered. "I just want to be her friend, that's all."
Shirley stared at Blake incredulously. "After all she put you through, you want to be her friend?"
"Shirley..." Blake waved his fingers. "I just feel sorry for her, that's all."
Shirley stepped forward and stood face to face with Blake. "I admit I pity her a little, but she's dangerous." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So you've been acting strangely not because of her?"
Blake blinked. "I've been acting strangely?"
Shirley spun on her heel and faced a nearby tree. "When we first met, we..." She made a circular wave with her hand, and her cheeks blushed. "We...clicked, so to speak."
"Yeah," Blake said, looking at her back.
"I've enjoyed the times we went out," Shirley continued. "However, after that date with Molly, you changed."
"How?" Blake said.
"You used to be affectionate with me." Shirley threw out her arms. "Now you treat me like I'm only a friend."
"Shirley, you are my friend," Blake said unkindly.
"I know, but..." Shirley turned around and faced him. "You treated me like I was more than that." She took a deep breath. "What happened to you, then?"
Blake shifted his foot back and forth. "Something came up."
"Don't you mean someone?" Shirley said.
Blake didn't meet her gaze. "Shirley, I've got a lot to sort through, and I think we should stay friends."
Shirley kept a straight face, but inside, her feelings fought to surface. "Blake, who is she?"
Blake let out a sigh. "You remind me a lot of her," he said with a smile.
"Who?" Shirley pressed on.
Blake gulped. "Ever thought about your relationship with Bo?"
From his hiding place, Bo froze. While his friends were talking, he had quietly moved to a new tree wide enough to hide him. He had been listening in, although he kept telling himself silently it was for Shirley's good. The idea he was doing what Shirley normally did to others didn't escape him.
"Bo?" Shirley looked at Blake. "What about him?"
"Well..." Blake made a circular motion in the air with his hand. "Have you ever considered being more than friends with him?"
Shirley's eyes almost shot out of their sockets. Bo's also did the same thing, and the grip he had on the tree tightened.
"Come again?" Shirley said, but her cheeks were red.
"Considering how long you two've been hanging out with each other, I'm surprised you two aren't dating," Blake said.
"We're...we're...just friends," Shirley said, but the blush on her face never left.
His face red hot, Bo peeked out. What are you doing, Blake? he thought anxiously.
"Besides, I don't think he's interested in me that way," Shirley said.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "Maybe he's too shy to admit it," he said gently, looking towards Bo's tree.
Bo narrowed his eyes at Blake. He felt the bark under his fingernails a little too much.
"Stop changing the subject!" Shirley said. Her hands balled up into fists. "Who is she, Blake?"
Blake sighed loudly. "So much like her..." He looked Shirley straight in the eye. "She's a childhood friend of mine."
Shirley crossed her arms. "Her name?"
Blake opened his lips, but nothing came out except a gasp. Shirley thought she heard something rip. She caught her friend as he fell forward.
"Are you okay?" she asked, holding him tightly.
Blake groaned as he lifted himself off Shirley's shoulders. "I'm fine." He noticed the worry in Shirley's eyes. "Really, I am."
Without a word, Shirley threw her arms around Blake. From his tree, Bo growled, but he started looking for whoever or whatever did whatever happened a few seconds ago.
"Your blazer's been slashed," Shirley said as she felt Blake's back.
"What?" Blake felt Shirley's fingertips touch his shirt through the slashes.
"No blood," Shirley reported. "I don't feel any."
"Be thankful I wasn't going for the kill, or your friend would be nothing but little pieces littering the ground," a female voice said.
Shirley, Blake, and Bo from his tree looked towards the speaker's direction. All beheld the back of a person dressed in red military fatigues. They saw the red beret sitting on top of short blond hair. They noticed especially the figure's raised gloved hand, which had slender fingers tipped with long, sharp claws.