"CHIKO!" called a girl. "CHIKO!"
"What're you doing, Cam?" asked another girl.
"Jamie, I can't find Chiko," Cam grabbed Jamie on the shoulders and shook her silly.
"Where-ere-ere di-id you-ou see im last?" Jamie said through the shaking.
"Uhhhhh"
"You don't remember, do you?"
Cam shook her head while managing to look clueless, worried, and happy all at the same time. Jamie sighed. "Did you check the closet?"
"Yep."
"Did you check the bathroom?"
"Yep."
"The TV?"
"Yep."
"Backyard?"
Cam thought for a moment, and then nodded her head.
"How about up you're nose?"
"Huh?"
"Eh, nevermind. Okay, why don't you close your eyes and THINK?"
About five minutes passed.
"NOW I REMEMBER!"
"Good job"
"To the kitchen!" Cam dragged Jamie along.
They found the kitchen in shambles. The chairs were either broken or upturned, the table reduced to splinters, a few of the cupboard doors were barely hanging on their hinges, and the refrigerator was wide open with food all around. Drawers were pulled from their slots and seemly had been flung on the floor, knives and forks stuck to the wall, dishes were shattered and carpeted the floor, but there wasn't a single living, breathing thing in the room.
Jamie stared at the disarray, and turned to Cam, who had her mouth hanging open, "Do you know what this means?"
"That Chiko's dead or hurt badly?" Cam replied at the verge of tears.
"Well, yeah. But that's not it!" Jamie said crossly. "Now we have to clean up!" She immediately got the cleaning supplies out of the closet and began the process of cleaning up.
Meanwhile, Cam stepped over dishes and broken remains and searched high and low while calling softly, "Chiko! Come ere little buddy!"
"Hey, Cam! I found something here." Jamie cried with a piece of paper in her hand.
" What's it say?"
The note read:
If you want Chiko back, go to Hawaii and buy a dozen pineapples, coconuts, and bananas. Then go to the address that follows:
154 HIYA Ave., CA 4782
Be there at midnight at any day. We'll be waiting. Don't forget the fruit.
Signed,
W.I.C.K.E.D.
After they both read the note, they stood there. Speechless.
"Soum-" Cam began, but was interrupted by Jamie's outburst.
"WHAT'D YA' MEAN buy a dozen pineapples, coconuts, and bananas'? ARE THESE PEOPLE SOME KINDA FREAKY FRUIT FREAKS?"
"What do we do, Jamie? We gotta save Chiko!"
"The first part of the ransom note is just silly. I'll just stop by the grocery store and get those fruits, and then go to this address. Who could tell the difference? They're probably from Hawaii anyway."
All of a sudden, an arrow with a paper rolled around it came whizzing in through a smashed window, almost pinning Jamie's nose to the wall. Cam shuffled over to the arrow and yanked it out of the wall, and read the note outloud, "If you don't-" Jamie's shrieks interrupted with complaints about her nose and filthy words "Hawaii" more of Jamie's filthy words "we won't be at the address."
"So, what did it say?" Jamie asked as she recovered.
"If we don't do go to Hawaii personally to get the fruit, they won't be at the address on the paper."
Jamie sighed. "I suppose we're being watched right now, and they must be able to here us too. Don't bother looking for them out the window." Cam stopped walking toward the window. "They're not going to be there-ACK!"
This time a shirikan with another note spun into the place where Jamie's hand had been a moment ago.
On the note was written:
That's right, little lady. We're watching your every move, and listening to your every word.
"Okay"began Cam. "Maybe we should go now."
"Alright," grumbled Jamie. "But the first thing we do is-"
"No time to clean the kitchen! Who knows what they're going to do with Chiko! We got to hurry up!"
"Can I clean up a little bit?" Jamie pleaded. "OUCH! DON'T WHACK ME!"
"NO! Now get packed and let's get the next flight to Hawaii!"
