Tasha gnawed on her gag angrily, and pulled on the ropes that held her prisoner. Stupid, stupid, she chided herself. Very stupid of you, to actually OPEN THE DOOR to see who was KNOCKING! She had kicked herself many times for that foolish mistake. She wondered if Zenon and Yvonne were okay. Probably not. Still, she could only hope that if they were free, they wouldn't come for her. They had to save the Spay-Stay, before the stupid Russians got to it.
- - -
Kaniela sat on the front steps of the mansion, just waiting for the twins to come. He grinned, and finished his leftover huli huli from the party. Kilikina had come by and asked if the girls had been trapped yet. He had replied no, but if she wanted to go down and see Ahi Hulu, she was welcome. Kilikina had declined, but left promising to return with a Polaroid.
- - -
"You got it?" Zenon whispered to Yvonne. Yvonne nodded, her hands shaking. "Okay," Zenon said. "On the count of three, ready?" Yvonne nodded once more. "One…two…three!"
The girls leaped out of the bushes and tackled Kaniela to the ground. He landed on the concrete with an "Oof!" and a pained groan. Zenon wrenched his hair so he would look at her, and then gave him a punch he would never forget. He curled up in the fetal position, crying with anguish, "My nose is broken! My nose is broken!"
"I wish I could break his jaw!" Yvonne said. "Get the rope!" Zenon directed. Yvonne grabbed the rope, and they quickly tied him up and locked him in a closet inside the mansion after taking a ring of keys from him.
"Good job, Evie!" Zenon congratulated her accomplice in crime with a high-five. "Yeah," Yvonne said breathlessly, a little shaken. "Now, where is Tasha?" "Well, there are four floors," Zenon said. "And they could have hidden her in a secret compartment, perhaps."
"Oh, perfect!" Yvonne exploded. "We'll never find her!" Zenon looked around, and saw some sharp knives lying on a counter in the room they were in: the kitchen. She grabbed them. "Here, take this," she said, shoving one at Yvonne. "If Kaniela somehow breaks free, or someone else comes in, use it. Aim for their face or chest. Got it?" "Yeah, I guess," Yvonne said, reluctantly taking the knife. "You take the second floor, and I'll take this one," Zenon said. "Okay," Yvonne said, and ran up to the next floor.
Zenon shoved her knife into her pocket, careful to not rip it, and started searching for a door to a basement, or a secret compartment somewhere.
A half-hour later, Yvonne came down. "Anything?" Zenon asked. "No, nothing," Yvonne answered. "You?" "Not yet," Zenon said, feeling a little discouraged. She leaned against the wall.
"Where have we not looked?" she wondered. Suddenly, she felt the wall give a little. She leaped up, and turned to face it. "Look!" she said, excited. "There's a little bump in the wall!" "So?" Yvonne asked dully.
"So, it could be like a knob or something!" Zenon pushed against the knobby thing, and the wall opened. The girls peered in. "Vega omega," Zenon breathed. "It's dark," Yvonne said. "I'll get a flashlight." Zenon didn't answer, so Yvonne quickly went and got one. As soon as she came back, they flipped it on and started inside. It was, apparently, the cellar door. Zenon supposed that it had been painted over so no one would realize.
The stairs were dusty, but in the dust there were footprints. Apparently it had been used quite recently.
As they got down, they stopped, and Zenon said, "You wait here. If anyone comes, let me know." "Fine," Yvonne answered, and Zenon continued alone, leaving Yvonne halfway up the stairs with enough light from outside so that she could see.
Zenon shoved open a door, and gasped. Tasha was lying motionless on the floor, a gag in her mouth and her hands tied to the walls with ropes. "Tash!" she cried out, and ran over to her. Tasha blinked her eyes opened, and immediately started shouting into her gag.
Zenon quickly untied the gag, and Tasha immediately hissed, "What the heck are you doing here? Why aren't you at the airport?" "We have…" Zenon checked her watch. "We have half an hour. We can still make it."
"You idiots!" Tasha cried softly as Zenon sliced through her bonds with the knife. "We'll probably miss the flight!" "No, we won't," Zenon answered. "We're on Lolo Street: the airport is only fifteen minutes away, but first we have to get to the coffee shop. Nebula has our tickets."
"Well, let's go, then!" Tasha scrambled up, and they ran to the door. Yvonne looked very relieved to see them, and they quickly got out of the mansion, leaving Kaniela in the broom closet-which, they laughed, was where he deserved to be.
They leaped over the gates, and ran down Lolo Street. "Think we can make it?" Tasha yelled up to Zenon, who was leading them. Zenon glanced back and slowed a bit. "I hope so!" she answered.
They ran for about ten minutes before they reached the coffee shop, and there they collapsed in chairs, breathing hard. Nebula was just coming back from the bathroom, and her eyes widened in disbelief and relief.
"Oh, thank heavens," she cried. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it!" Zenon tried to say something, but the heavy pain in her side wouldn't allow her. "Here are your tickets," Nebula said, shoving them at the trio. "Hurry! Your flight leaves in twenty minutes, but you have to be on the ship in ten!"
Grabbing some water from the water fountain and praying that the pains in their stomachs and lungs would ease, the girls continued to jog, holding their tickets tightly in their palms. Five minutes later, they arrived at the airport, breathing heavily, and red and sweaty.
"Tickets, please," the woman said pleasantly. They presented them with a sigh of relief, and she rang them in. "Hurry!" she said. "You're about to miss your plane!" They would have sighed in frustration, but the lack of air in their lungs wouldn't let them, so they didn't say a word as they ran to the plane.
They got into the ship just before the doors swung shut. They leaned against the cool walls and fought for breath. There were two classes on the spaceship. Upper and lower. As Zenon scanned the lower class, she realized that the two Russian assassins weren't in this level, and there were several empty seats.
She urged her friends to take a few more steps. They made it to the backseats, where they took deep breaths and closed their eyes. "I think…" Yvonne wheezed, "I'm…going to…have a heart attack." Zenon and Tasha didn't answer.
"We have to…be the first…ones off the ship when we dock," Zenon said to them. "That's why we're in the backseats of lower class. That and…because the Russians are in the upper class."
They all sighed with relief as the ship took off. "The worst is over," Tasha breathed with relief. But Zenon knew it wasn't so.
- - -
Kaniela sat on the front steps of the mansion, just waiting for the twins to come. He grinned, and finished his leftover huli huli from the party. Kilikina had come by and asked if the girls had been trapped yet. He had replied no, but if she wanted to go down and see Ahi Hulu, she was welcome. Kilikina had declined, but left promising to return with a Polaroid.
- - -
"You got it?" Zenon whispered to Yvonne. Yvonne nodded, her hands shaking. "Okay," Zenon said. "On the count of three, ready?" Yvonne nodded once more. "One…two…three!"
The girls leaped out of the bushes and tackled Kaniela to the ground. He landed on the concrete with an "Oof!" and a pained groan. Zenon wrenched his hair so he would look at her, and then gave him a punch he would never forget. He curled up in the fetal position, crying with anguish, "My nose is broken! My nose is broken!"
"I wish I could break his jaw!" Yvonne said. "Get the rope!" Zenon directed. Yvonne grabbed the rope, and they quickly tied him up and locked him in a closet inside the mansion after taking a ring of keys from him.
"Good job, Evie!" Zenon congratulated her accomplice in crime with a high-five. "Yeah," Yvonne said breathlessly, a little shaken. "Now, where is Tasha?" "Well, there are four floors," Zenon said. "And they could have hidden her in a secret compartment, perhaps."
"Oh, perfect!" Yvonne exploded. "We'll never find her!" Zenon looked around, and saw some sharp knives lying on a counter in the room they were in: the kitchen. She grabbed them. "Here, take this," she said, shoving one at Yvonne. "If Kaniela somehow breaks free, or someone else comes in, use it. Aim for their face or chest. Got it?" "Yeah, I guess," Yvonne said, reluctantly taking the knife. "You take the second floor, and I'll take this one," Zenon said. "Okay," Yvonne said, and ran up to the next floor.
Zenon shoved her knife into her pocket, careful to not rip it, and started searching for a door to a basement, or a secret compartment somewhere.
A half-hour later, Yvonne came down. "Anything?" Zenon asked. "No, nothing," Yvonne answered. "You?" "Not yet," Zenon said, feeling a little discouraged. She leaned against the wall.
"Where have we not looked?" she wondered. Suddenly, she felt the wall give a little. She leaped up, and turned to face it. "Look!" she said, excited. "There's a little bump in the wall!" "So?" Yvonne asked dully.
"So, it could be like a knob or something!" Zenon pushed against the knobby thing, and the wall opened. The girls peered in. "Vega omega," Zenon breathed. "It's dark," Yvonne said. "I'll get a flashlight." Zenon didn't answer, so Yvonne quickly went and got one. As soon as she came back, they flipped it on and started inside. It was, apparently, the cellar door. Zenon supposed that it had been painted over so no one would realize.
The stairs were dusty, but in the dust there were footprints. Apparently it had been used quite recently.
As they got down, they stopped, and Zenon said, "You wait here. If anyone comes, let me know." "Fine," Yvonne answered, and Zenon continued alone, leaving Yvonne halfway up the stairs with enough light from outside so that she could see.
Zenon shoved open a door, and gasped. Tasha was lying motionless on the floor, a gag in her mouth and her hands tied to the walls with ropes. "Tash!" she cried out, and ran over to her. Tasha blinked her eyes opened, and immediately started shouting into her gag.
Zenon quickly untied the gag, and Tasha immediately hissed, "What the heck are you doing here? Why aren't you at the airport?" "We have…" Zenon checked her watch. "We have half an hour. We can still make it."
"You idiots!" Tasha cried softly as Zenon sliced through her bonds with the knife. "We'll probably miss the flight!" "No, we won't," Zenon answered. "We're on Lolo Street: the airport is only fifteen minutes away, but first we have to get to the coffee shop. Nebula has our tickets."
"Well, let's go, then!" Tasha scrambled up, and they ran to the door. Yvonne looked very relieved to see them, and they quickly got out of the mansion, leaving Kaniela in the broom closet-which, they laughed, was where he deserved to be.
They leaped over the gates, and ran down Lolo Street. "Think we can make it?" Tasha yelled up to Zenon, who was leading them. Zenon glanced back and slowed a bit. "I hope so!" she answered.
They ran for about ten minutes before they reached the coffee shop, and there they collapsed in chairs, breathing hard. Nebula was just coming back from the bathroom, and her eyes widened in disbelief and relief.
"Oh, thank heavens," she cried. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it!" Zenon tried to say something, but the heavy pain in her side wouldn't allow her. "Here are your tickets," Nebula said, shoving them at the trio. "Hurry! Your flight leaves in twenty minutes, but you have to be on the ship in ten!"
Grabbing some water from the water fountain and praying that the pains in their stomachs and lungs would ease, the girls continued to jog, holding their tickets tightly in their palms. Five minutes later, they arrived at the airport, breathing heavily, and red and sweaty.
"Tickets, please," the woman said pleasantly. They presented them with a sigh of relief, and she rang them in. "Hurry!" she said. "You're about to miss your plane!" They would have sighed in frustration, but the lack of air in their lungs wouldn't let them, so they didn't say a word as they ran to the plane.
They got into the ship just before the doors swung shut. They leaned against the cool walls and fought for breath. There were two classes on the spaceship. Upper and lower. As Zenon scanned the lower class, she realized that the two Russian assassins weren't in this level, and there were several empty seats.
She urged her friends to take a few more steps. They made it to the backseats, where they took deep breaths and closed their eyes. "I think…" Yvonne wheezed, "I'm…going to…have a heart attack." Zenon and Tasha didn't answer.
"We have to…be the first…ones off the ship when we dock," Zenon said to them. "That's why we're in the backseats of lower class. That and…because the Russians are in the upper class."
They all sighed with relief as the ship took off. "The worst is over," Tasha breathed with relief. But Zenon knew it wasn't so.