"Find anything, Ivy?"

"Not really," Ivy sighed, glancing at her brother who was searching under the couch, "You know, maybe we should check her room,"

"Why?"

"Maybe we can find clues to the person who's trying to kill her,"

"Good idea," Zack agreed.

The apartment was a crime scene, swimming with local police. Police that wanted to go over it with a fine-toothed comb. It took over an hour for them to leave the teen detectives be. It felt invasive to enter Melissa's bedroom but it had to be done. A tiny tube TV sat on a stand across from her twin-sized bed. Her closet was still open, clothes strewn haphazardly on their hangers.

The boxes. Stacks and stacks of boxes. They had to look through all of them.

This was going to take a while.

…...

"-I, much to the shock of all my classmates, was hired on the spot and I can still hear Mr. Gilligan's indignant sputtering to this day," Melissa finished her story; a small yet noticeable smile on her face.

Seeing Melissa smile made Carmen smile, "and now, I have a story for you, Avalon,"

Melissa bit her tongue to keep from correcting Carmen again. She watched as Carmen stood moving to the closet before returning with a photo album.

"This is you," Carmen pointed to an ultrasound picture, "I was so happy to learn I was pregnant," she sighed turning the page.

Page after page, picture after picture. All of Carmen, smiling and happy. Eyes glowing.

"Even your father seemed happy,"

There was something she couldn't picture.

"If-if I had known what he was planning I would've stopped him," Carmen said, tears welling in her eyes, "I can't believe it took me so long to find you but you're here now and I never want to lose you again,"

Blinking, Melissa found herself wrapped in Carmen's arms. Even though physical touch made her uneasy and she wanted to untangle herself and scoot a foot away she forced herself to stay still because Carmen, the near-invincible master thief was sobbing overcome with guilt and grief. This was when Oreo chose to make his entrance, sliding out of his carrier and worming his way onto Melissa's lap, burrowing his head in her side. Realizing she wasn't the one who was upset, Oreo turned to Carmen and he caught her attention with his inquisitive bark.

Straightening up, Carmen released Melissa.

Finally, Melissa inwardly cheered.

"I'm sorry, Avalon," she sniffled, "I just-I just missed you so much,"

"I understand,"

That seemed like the right thing to say. Truthfully, Melissa had no idea how to act in the situation. It's not like this was something covered by the phalanx of mental health professionals she'd been forced to see over the years. Her mind was still jumping hurdles trying to process the day she'd had.

"I've got work to do but don't stay in here all day, okay? Go explore,"

Melissa nodded numbly.

"I love you, Avalon,"

and she was gone shutting the door behind her.

…...

"How many boxes does she have?" Zack questioned wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow.

"Two to three for every school year," Chief declared, running the numbers.

"It will take hours to go through all of these," Ivy added, "Did Melissa have computer backups?"

"If she did we can't get to them, she took her laptop with her so she could work,"

The siblings groaned, "Let's start here," Ivy lifted a box marked Daycare Days.

Opening the box, they coughed on the dust that filled the air before picking up the thick manila folder inside.

The shaky line drawings inside were ghastly. Done in red crayon there were repeated pictures of a stick figure oozing blood while a much taller stick figure hit it. Then there were photos from the CPS investigation showing a beaten, bloodied Melissa, all skin and bones. Near the bottom of the box, under a stack of legal documents there was a spiral-bound hello kitty notebook with a note scrawled inside the front cover:

For My best buddy, Carmen, even though you can't read yet. I'll teach you, don't worry.

Tracy P.

"Carmen?!"

…...

Chance was still fuming. Angrily stalking from one end of the manor to the other. Two attempts thwarted and with Avalon now under the same roof that meant he couldn't try anything else. His mother had cameras everywhere. Everywhere. Another thing to hold against Avalon. It was because of her. All because of her! He went to the library in hopes of fooling his mother into thinking he was catching up on schoolwork only to encounter Avalon herself.

She didn't see him, her head was bent over a diagram.

"She start training you already?" he snipped.

Avalon startled, shuffling her papers, "Excuse me?"

"You're just like her," he plowed on, "Always working. I bet you think you're so perfect, people pleaser,"

"What is your problem?" she challenged, crushing her work in her hands, with an arched eyebrow.

"Like you don't know," he crossed his arms.

"No, I don't know," she replied icily, "And I'd like to finish this paperwork in peace,"

His glare persisted, making her angrier and angrier until she could focus no more, shoving the papers into the file folder which had been tucked beside her, she met the glare head-on.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, by leaving,"

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling while her hands curled into fists that were itching to punch the stranger who watched her with malice. She might have hit him too if Carmen hadn't come looking for Chance. Ironically so she could introduce the siblings.

"Chance Apollo Sandiego!" she said icily, stepping between them, "What are you doing?"

"Just talking, Mother,"

"Don't try to fool me, I heard the entire exchange,"

"I'm sorry," Melissa said calmly as she could, "He's my-"

"I'm the throwaway, the back-up!"

"Chance you know that's not true!"

"Isn't it?" Chance fought back, "Avalon this, Avalon that. 'You can't go in there that's Avalon's room'. 'when I bring Avalon home' blah blah blah" Chance pushed past Carmen and slapped Melissa so hard it drew blood. He spun and stomped away with no regard for his mother's cries of you're grounded.

Melissa clutched her face with short gasping breaths,

no one had struck her in years.

Carmen sunk to her knees in front of her, "Let me see,"

slowly, with a hiss of pain, she let her hands fall away from her cheek.

"It's just the top layer of skin," Carmen declared, grabbing Melissa's wrist, "Let's get you fixed up,"

"Was Chance really the-"

"No, never. He's just angry with me because he isn't ready for training. He's been asking since he was thirteen and I keep telling him he had to show interest in school first but he's never done that, not even in Kindergarten and while it's true I always talked about bringing you home Chance fails to understand why. As long as you were missing my family was incomplete"

"So, now?"

"It's whole again"