Chapter 15
Sportacus changed out of his above-average hero costume and put on some regular clothes. He laughed to himself as he thought, How ironic. I'm going into disguise to trick Robbie. Then he snuck back into LazyTown.
Stephanie had half of her body out the window when Robbie asked her what was taking so long. She promised to be out soon. Then she squeezed her other leg out of the window. Now sitting on the window sill, Stephanie realized how high up she was. I can't turn back now. I have to jump. With that she jumped down out of the window.
Sportacus had already searched most of the town by noon. The only places he hadn't checked were Robbie's lair and the woods on the outskirts of town. He headed to Robbie's lair and hoped that he wasn't too late. Sportacus didn't want to think what Robbie was capable of. At times he seemed not much of a threat but at other times he was just downright evil.
Stephanie landed hard on the ground. She got up and tried to run. Her right ankle hurt but she ignored it and disappeared into the woods. Robbie was sick of waiting and announced he was coming in. When he got no response he burst into the room. He saw the screen next to the toilet and the open window. Quickly Robbie went outside and looked around. Stephanie was gone.
Sportacus found Robbie's lair empty. The only thing left to do was search the woods. As the day drew on Sportacus began to fear that Robbie had actually outsmarted him. Then he spotted a cottage in a clearing up ahead. Slowly he crept toward it and recognized a figure in the window.
Robbie had been out looking for Stephanie but hadn't found her. He cursed himself for believing her. Now he sat in the cottage trying to figure out what to do.
Sportacus looked in the window and couldn't see Stephanie. He thought that maybe he should make an entrance and scare Robbie into telling him where she was. But then he realized that if Robbie was hiding Stephanie somewhere else he couldn't risk leaving Robbie alone. Quietly he felt for his crystal. It didn't beep so it was safe to say Stephanie wasn't there. Then he saw movement inside the house.
Robbie stood up and went outside. Sportacus dove into a nearby bush to avoid detection. He could hear what Robbie was saying.
"I shouldn't have believed her. Now she is gone and I can't find her. My plan was perfect. What happened?" That was all Sportacus needed to hear. Stephanie was somewhere in the woods.
Stephanie stopped running. She didn't know where she was but at least she was away from Robbie. It was starting to get dark as the sun set. Soon she would not be able to find her way around. Stephanie wished she could be in Sportacus' arms. Her ankle hurt but she could not stop moving. She had been running for what seemed forever. Stephanie had run from the cottage in the opposite direction, or at least the direction she thought was the right one, but she was beginning to doubt her own judgment. Standing up she began to hobble along until the pain in her ankle was too much. The sun had now set and she was alone in the darkness.
Sportacus went around the cottage and caught sight of footprints. They had taken off deeper into the woods. He also noticed that one seemed deeper than the other. Stephanie must be hurt. Then he heard a soft noise. His crystal was going off in his pocket. Sportacus walked deeper into the forest, following the footprints until it was too dark to go any further. But he couldn't give up Stephanie needed him. So he pulled out his crystal from his pocket and let it light his way.
To Be Continued…
