Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Mystery in Paris:
Spring had arrived at Mouseford Academy. The air was warm and fragrant, blowing the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass into the classrooms. Spring fever had broken out across campus. The students had a two-week vacation and the air was abuzz with excitement.
Seba and the Thea Sisters (Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina and Violet) had their bags packed and plane tickets ready. For once, they weren't leaving to solve a mystery somewhere in the world. They were going on a nice, long vacation to Paris.
Colette was their host. She was famous for overpacking, but this time she was the only one without luggage. She carried a heart-shaped purse and nothing else. Why?
Because the mouselings and human were headed straight for her house and she was looking forwards to visiting her overflowing closests. And Colette was determined to head out on a shopping marathon once they arrived in Paris!
Seba had a feeling that this might be a headache-inducing trip.
The stairway of the academy's dorm was filled with happy chattering. The students were chatting about their vacation plans.
Even Octavius de Mousus, the headmaster, was beaming. He said goodbye to his students with a broad smile. "Enjoy your vacation!"
The Whale Island port was crowded. Everyone was boarding the ferry bound for Mouse Island, including Seba and the Thea Sisters.
As the ferry was sailing off, Mercury Whale and his brothers broke into a verse of Whale Island's traditional farewell, "Hymn for a Happy Return."
As Whale Island gradually became smaller on the horizon, the five mouselings and one human felt their excitement grow and grow.
Pamela, Nicky and Paulina had never been to Paris and were longing to see it.
Seba had always drew pictures of Paris's landmarks through the memory of photographs, yet he had never been there before. This was his chance.
Violet had been there as a little mouseling with her parents and it had stayed in her heart. Going back with her closest friends was a dream come true.
As for Colette, Paris was her city! She couldn't wait to play tour guide for her friends.
When they reached Mouse Island, the six friends made their way to the airport. After check-in, they got a snack at the cafe and waited cheerfully for their flight to be called. It was so nice not to be rushing around like their previous trips! For once, there was no anxiety or worrying. For the first time ever, Seba and the Thea Sisters were enjoying a totally relaxing trip together!
That is, an almost totally relaxing trip. As soon as the plane took off, it hit a fierce storm and the plane began to bounce up and down.
"Argh!" Seba yelled frustratingly. "It's like gambling with nature!"
"I feel like I'm riding on the back of a kangaroo," cried Nicky, who was from Australia.
Pam nodded in agreement. "But not in a good way!"
"It is okay, just stay calm. Find a happy place, find a happy place..." Colette repeated to herself. She had turned as pale as a slice of mozzarella.
"Are you okay, Colette?" asked Violet.
"No, I am not okay! Nothing is okay!" Colette burst out, startling the almost-asleep Seba. She was on a verge of tears. "I do not have an umbrella, all my clothes will get wet, my hair will frizz from the humidity and Paris will seem so ugly in the rain!"
Violet smiled and hugged her friend. "After some shampoo, your hair will be gorgeous. And after the rain, Paris will be more beautiful than ever!"
As it turned out, Violet was a hundred percent correct in her predictions!
Just as the plan began to descend, the clouds broke and the sun shone like a spotlight on the city. The rows of buildings seemed to sparkle from the rain and a beautiful rainbow framed the whole scene.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Pamela. Her eyes were glued to the city that stretched out before them.
"Now that's what I call a welcome sign!" cried Paulina, pointing to the rainbow.
"It's fabumouse!" cried Nicky.
"Ain't that a piece of art." muttered Seba.
Colette smiled happily. "You see? Paris is just like me. It loves making a dramatic entrance!"
Colette guided her friends from Paris-Orly Airport to the center of the city. First they boarded a bus, which took theme to the subway station of Denfert-Rochereau. Then they went down to the Metro, that is subway, and crossed the entire downtown area of Paris, arriving at Place des Abbesses.
As they climbed the stairs of the metro and peeked out into the luminous open square, the mouselings and human were a little disoriented. But Colette didn't give them a minute to get their bearings.
"Backpacks on, mouselings and human! Let us go! Move those tails!" she instructed her friends with a smile.
Colette's parents didn't live in Paris. In fact, Colette had grown up in the town of Arles in Provence. But when Colette was in high school, she and her older cousin Julie moved to Paris together while Colette's parents were traveling. Julie and Colette shared a small apartment. That was where Seba and the Thea Sisters would be "living it up" (Colette's words! Much to Seba's annoyance.) during their vacation.
They scampered up a very narrow, very steep road. Then they climbed up a stairway and then another.
"Where are you taking us? To the top of the Himalayas?" Pamela asked, panting.
"More like Kinabalu!" Seba exclaimed, wheezing as he could feel his legs shaking.
"We are at the Butte Montmartre," explained Colette. "In French, butte means 'hill'. It is the highest point in all of Paris!"
The mouselings and human spotted the white dome of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica high above them.
At last, they arrived at Colette's building. It was tall and narrow, with an old-fashioned feel to it. On the top floor, there was a balcony filled with multicolored roses.
"Colette!" shouted a clear squeak above their heads. It was Julie. She was waving her paws so they would see her. Her blonde bobbed hair peeped between the roses.
Inside the building, another steep staircase awaited the guests. Colette's apartment was on the top floor.
Colette opened the door to the apartment and ushered her friends in.
Julie ran to greet them. "Welcome!" She squeezed Colette tightly in her arms and rushed to grab Paulina's bag. "Did you have a good trip? You must be exhausted, poor things! And hungry too! The cheese on those airplanes is always moldy. You must be starving!"
Julie spoke very quickly. She was a small mouse, but she seemed to have boundless energy. She kissed each guest on the cheek, then led them into the living room.
Pamela, Violet, Nicky, Paulina and Seba were too exhausted to be polite. They collapsed onto two comfy couches and one recliner, sighing with relief.
Julie and Colette disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few moments later with a tray of cold drinks and cheese crackers.
"Snacks? Juice?" Julie offered. "Do not be shy. Have something to eat, then you can rest. Please make yourselves at home. Colette and I will prepare lunch!"
The apartment was very comfortable and full of light. There wasn't much furniture, it what made it up were a lot of pictures and a wonderful arrangement of roses at the center of the table.
"This place is lovely!" said Pam.
"And probably homely than what I usually see." added Seba.
"I would never have imagined that a modern apartment like this would be inside such an old building," commented Paulina.
"My grandmother always said that appearances can be deceiving," said Violet, "and this is proof that old proverbs are always right!"
Colette peeked out of the kitchen. "Do you think you can make it up another flight of stairs?" she asked teasingly.
With that, she pushed a button on the wall. A panel on the ceiling, which no one had noticed before, slid open silently. A wooden stairway unfolded down toward them.
"You have an attic?" Seba wondered.
"Wow!" exclaimed Nicky in admiration. "What other tricks do you have in this place?"
"No more tricks!" answered Colette, inviting them to climb up. "My room is up here. The folding staircase makes the rooms much more spacious!"
"What a wonderful discovery!" said Paulina as she walked up the stairs. She was very curious.
'I bet the room is painted in pink!' she thought.
When she emerged at the top, Paulina was speechless. Nicky, Pam, Violet and Seba, who had followed her, were too.
"Well? Do you have anything to say?" asked Colette.
"We..." Pamela began before she sighed. "...are breathless."
"And not just because of the stairs!" Nicky said, laughing.
"I've got nothing to say." Seba muttered.
Colette's room was enchanting! It had once been an attic,with a sloping ceiling and exposed ceiling beams. The wallpaper was pale pink with fuchsia stripes. The canopy bed had light curtains that were a little brighter than the walls. The blanket that covered the bed was dark blue with tiny pink designs.
But the really extraordinary thing was the view from the window: a sea of rooftops and chimneys as far as the eye could see, and above them all was the dome of Sacre-Coeur!
From above, Paris was even more magical.
Right after lunch, Julie had to leave her new friends and head off to Ratizon's Fashion Academy. She was studying there to become a fashion designer! Unlike Colette and her friends, Julie wasn't on vacation. At her school, it was tradition for mice who were about to graduate to present their clothing collections at the end of the school year. That year, the final fashion show would be held under the Eiffel Tower!
In those last few days before the show, all the students were frantically putting the finishing touches on their collections. The fashion show would be viewed by some of the most famous designers in the world!
In the meantime, Seba and the Thea Sisters had a full afternoon planned.
"I can't wait to see Paris!" exclaimed Paulina. She reached out and squeezed Colette's paw. "And it's going to be just fabumouse to have you as our tour guide!"
Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, Violet and Seba headed towards the city center on the Metro. "The River Seine runs through the middle of Paris," Colette explained. "The two sides of the city are called the Right Bank and the Left Bank. Let us start off on the Left Bank!"
"Why?" asked Violet.
Colette laughed. "Why? That's easy. The Left Bank has all the most fabumouse, up-to date fashions!"
Seba's pupils had shrunk. "Oh, god."
Colette had a wicked glint in her eye. Before Seba could run off, she grabbed him by the foot.
"Lemme go! I'm not your servant!" Seba exclaimed, trying to claw his way out on the floor.
"Come on, mouselings! Let us go shopping!" Colette cheerfully exclaimed, ignoring Seba's cries of help as she dragged him by foot.
The Thea Sisters could only sweatdrop at the scene.
Everything was gorgeous. And though Violet would have preferred to be at a museum, she had a lot of fun trying on the latest styles.
"You're right, Colette," Paulina sighed. "Paris really is the fashion capital of the world!"
"Well..." Seba crossed his arms as he turned away. "The clothes here are pretty cool." he begrudgingly admitted.
After a few hours, Nicky looked at her watch. "Uh-oh, mouselings, look at the time! We promised Julie we'd meet her at the academy!"
"You are right!" said Colette, jumping up in alarm. She looked around anxiously. Then she spotted a bus stop. "Come on! We will be there faster than you can say 'toasted Brie on baguettes!'"
Finding the academy was easy. But once they got inside, finding Julie became very complicated.
The mouselings and human were immediately caught up in the comings and goings of all the stressed-out students. Everyone knew Julie, but no one knew where she was.
Violet saw two Asian mouselings who were identical twins. They had strangely cut hair: short on one side and long on the other, half orange and and half blue. She asked them if they knew where Julie was.
"Julie?" one of them asked. "She went to see the director!"
"Yeah, she is always complaining about somethiiiing..." the other twin trailed off in a direction.
"Mei, what is it?" her twin asked as she also looked in her direction...
...only to stare as well.
There was someone who was not a mouse, but some strange creature. He wore what looked like a punk goth ensemble with black and white clothing. Whoever or whatever it was, they needed to talk to them.
From a distance, Seba had a really strange feeling that he was being watched. That feeling was washed away when he noticed someone.
"Isn't that Julie?" he asked, pointing at a direction.
"Julie!" called Colette, noticing her cousin emerge from an elevator.
Julie was talking to a professor. She had a tense look on her snout. The teacher had a paw on her shoulder and was speaking to her very gently.
"You are one of the best students in the academy, Julie. It is only natural that some of the students are jealous of you. You are talented! But this is the fashion world: It is cut or be cut." The professor smiled and left.
"What happened, Julie?" asked Colette. "Who was that rodent?"
"That was Professor Hugo Le Blanc. He teaches the history of fashion," Julie answered. "He was trying to lift my spirits."
"What's wrong?" asked Pam.
Julie rubbed her snout sadly. "Someone snuck into my studio and went through everything. And it was not the first time!" she finished, turning red.
Seba gently rubbed her back to calm her down while Colette held her cousin's paw.
"Did they steal anything?" Pam wanted to know.
"No," said Julie. "At least, I do not think anything is missing. But it is not really about stealing my belongings, it is my ideas that are valuable! Luckily, I left my laptop at home. That is where all my notes and designs are."
Seba felt uneasy. This was going to be another mystery to solve.
"Mouselings and human, the stress of this fashion show is making my head spin!" Julie said with a sigh. "I need to relax."
"Good for you, Julie!" said Colette approvingly. "How about we go shopping?"
Violet shook her head. "Oh no, a cup of green tea would be better, with some jasmine. That's what Julie needs."
"What are you crazy rodents squeaking about?" Pamela burst out. "Shopping? Tea? Uh-uh. It's time to eat! You need some pizza in your stomach, Julie! Some delicious melted Parmesan is just what you need to perk you up."
Seba looked at her. "We're in France, not Italy."
Julie giggled and smiled. "Still, you're right, Pam! I'm hungry. Dinner is just what we needed!"
So, together, the six mouselings and one human left the Fashion Academy. Outside, the sunset colored the rooftops pink. Paris was even more spectacular at twilight.
They arrived in front of a restaurant that was covered in flowers. There were flowers everywhere!
Pamela thought that Julie was playing a joke on them. "You're not going to make us eat flowers, are you Julie?" she asked, laughing. Seba noticed that there was a tinge of nervousness in that laugh.
"Mais oui! Of course!" Julie answered. "Cooking with flowers is in style in Paris!"
Pamela was speechless. Was Julie kidding?
Pam, Nicky, Paulina, Violet and Seba gathered around the menu posted on the door.
Pamela read the menu carefully, but she still couldn't believe it.
"I bet there's some sort of play on words here that I don't understand," she whispered to Nicky. "There's no way they can make rice with roses!"
Nicky shrugged. "I've eaten stranger things at home in Australia, so I'm game."
Seba moved in between them. "Besides, what's not to like a little vegetarian?"
Inside, the little group found a table. After a few minutes, the waiter brought them a plate covered in red petals. Pamela was seriously tempted to scamper out and go find a good old-fashioned pizza.
"The Brie must've slipped off the chef's baguette." she murmured.
But her friends seemed to be enjoying the food and she didn't want Julie to think she was rude. So she closed her eyes and took a tiny bite of rice with a petal on top.
"It's delicious!" yelled Pam in surprise. "Who knew flowers could be so tasty?"
The evening was warm and the air smelled sweet. Julie was feeling much better after a good dinner and pep talk from her friends. It was enchanting to take a nice stroll along the Seine. The water from the river reflected the lights of the city, looking like a silk ribbon studded with paillettes.
"Look! It's the Eiffel Tower!" cried Nicky. She was thrilled to see it up close. The famous tower was lit up for the evening and it seemed to sparkle against the night sky.
Julie nodded. "That is where our fashion show is going to be held."
"Fabumouse!" exclaimed Colette.
"Ratastic!" Nicky echoed.
"And you will present your designs?" Paulina wanted to know.
"Not just me," explained Julie. "All the students who will graduate this year from the academy will show their collections. It is part of our final exam."
"How thrilling!" exclaimed Violet.
"What's your collection?" Seba inquired.
"I am calling my collection 'Treasure Hunt'," said Julie. "Each collection is supposed to have a theme. I was inspired by an old map that I stumbled on."
"And that's why you called the whole collection Treasure Hunt!" Pamela said. "What a stylish idea! I would definitely buy a jacket with that name on it."
Julie smiled. Then she took a package out of her backpack and gave it to Colette. "I wish I had a gift for all of you, but I ran out of time! This is a present for Colette. I designed it with her in mind."
"For me?" exclaimed Colette, looking surprised and pleased. She began opening the package and pulled out a soft pink silk shawl.
"It's just gorgeous!" she said admiringly, pulling it across her shoulders.
"Hey, it's really a map!" exclaimed Pamela, observing the design on the fabric.
"What does it mean?" asked Violet curiously.
"I do not know," answered Julie. "I found this old map in a book, and I just loved it. So I thought I would use it to design my fabrics for the end of the year fashion show!"
"What a great idea, " said Paulina. "It's tres chic!"
"Try not to use the same piece of land," Seba joked. "It can get repetitive."
The next morning, Julie left early for the Fashion Academy. Seba and the Thea Sisters sat down to a breakfast of cheese croissants and discussed their plans for the day.
"There are so many incredible mouseums we need to visit!" Violet cried. "The Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay..."
Nicky shook her head. "Uh-uh. Oh, no. We spent all day yesterday inside. I need some fresh air! Let's go to a park."
Colette looked stunned. "What do you mean? We still have all the boutiques on the Right Bank to visit!"
She turned to Pam and Paulina.
"No way," said Pam. "My paws are destroyed after all that scampering around we did yesterday."
Paulina nodded. "And I've already spent all the money I put aside for shopping."
Everyone turned to Seba, who was looking outside the window.
"I wonder how much a moped costs." Seba muttered.
"The mopeds are very expensive, Seba." Colette said.
"Even when you rent?" he asked in disbelief.
Before the bickering could continue, the phone rang.
Colette scurried to answer it. "Allo? Oh, hi Julie..."
"WHAT?!"
Colette started speaking in French so rapidly that the others were able to understand only one word: vole.
"Vole means 'stolen', right?" Paulina asked.
Violet nodded while Seba stood up.
Finally, Colette hung up. "Someone stole Julie's collection! Last night, someone broke into the academy and took all of her clothes for the fashion show!"
"All of them?" Pamela, Nicky and Paulina asked in unison.
"And only hers? What about the other students' work?" asked Violet in shock.
"All of them. And only Julie's clothes!" confirmed Colette. "Here is the interesting part: whoever it was did not have to break open the door or windows to get in!"
Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They turned to see Seba, who was completely changed into his casual clothes.
"It looks like the plans have changed. We've gotta find Julie." With that, the human sprinted out of the apartment.
"Wait for us!" Nicky yelled out.
Seba had already left the apartment in a quick time. Colette led the way for the Thea Sisters. When they reached the academy, they met with all the hustle and bustle they had encountered the previous day. Violet spotted the twins and asked them to take the Thea Sisters to Julie's studio right away.
Julie was hugging Seba crying in his chest as he comforted her. Unbeknownst to her, there was fury in his eyes despite that calm visage. Her studio was crowded with fabric, sketches of her designs, books on fashion and spools of thread and ribbon. But all the hangers on which her collection had hung were empty.
"Where are the police?" Colette demanded.
Julia let go of Seba as she wiped a tear from her snout. "The officers asked a few questions, then they left. They were only here for a few minutes."
"That's it?" Pamela was dumbfounded.
"They promised they would look into it," Julie explained. "It's just some clothes made by a student, not exactly a priceless treasure. The police do not care that much about something so unimportant!"
"What?" Colette blurted out. "So they left without questioning witnesses? Without taking pawprints? They did not check everyone's alibi?"
Julie smiled sadly. "Everyone's? Do you know how many rodents there are in the academy? More than two hundred! Plus, the police think the case is already solved. They say that it is just a ratfight. 'Jealousy among students,' they told me."
"The police here are too damn lazy to do anything." Seba growled as he clenched his fist. He could understand Interpol and GIGN's priorities, but the local police? A shame.
"I have an idea!" Violet interrupted. "I saw a tearoom right next door. Let's go there and plan our next move."
Julie was puzzled. "Our next move? I do not understand."
"If the police can't do anything, we'll have to take matters into our own paws!" Paulina explained.
"Leave it to us! We'll get your collection back!" Pamela declared.
"And if we don't do it in time for the fashion show..." Nicky began.
"Then we aren't the Thea Sisters!" all five mouselings said together.
Seba gave a determined nod as he slammed a fist into his palm. He would punish those who would take someone's dream away.
The sweet smell of jasmine tea helped calm poor Julie's nerves.
"Let us start with the most obvious clue," Colette began. "The thief did not have to force the door or the windows open to get in."
"So he or she must have had a copy of the keys. And he must have known the code to deactivate the academy's alarm system." Pamela continued.
Julie nodded. "That is what the police said, too. They said that it had to be someone inside the academy."
"Of course!" agreed Violet. "Everyone's a suspect. We shouldn't count anyone out."
"The other students have a motive: jealousy. But what about the teachers and the rest of the staff?" asked Nicky.
"Many things. Bribery, time. Anything to do with the show. But we're not sure." Seba guessed.
"It is so frustrating!" Colette said. "We do not know if the other rodents had motives or not because they were not questioned!"
"But you have a plan to question them, right?" asked Violet with a sly grin.
Colette winked. "Leave everything in my paws, Julie!"
She turned to Seba, who noticed the similar gleam in her eyes.
"Not again..." he muttered.
Colette, Nicky and Pamela had disguised themselves to infiltrate the academy. Colette as a journalist to ask the students questions with Nicky and Pamela as cleaners to gain access without any suspicions.
Violet, Paulina and Seba had offered to distract Julie during the investigation to lift her spirits up. They had asked her to be their guide along the streets of Paris. They tried to steer her far away from clothing stores and anyplace else that might remind Julie of her missing collection.
But when they passed a book stand along the Seine, Julie's eyes filled with tears.
"What's the matter, Julie?" asked Paulina, alarmed.
"I am sorry!" said Julie. "I am being silly, I know. It is just that this place reminds me of my collection."
Seba went to rub her back to calm her down. "There, there. I had a collection of VHS tapes once. Every time I walk into the cinema, I'm always reminded of my favorite old movies."
Julie had cheered up a bit, a small smile on her face.
"But why does this place remind you of your collection?" asked Violet, looking puzzled.
"This is where I found the map," Julie explained. "The one that gave me the idea for my treasure hunt collection. You see, I came here one morning looking for inspiration. These old books are really fascinating to me. I said to myself, 'Who knows! Maybe I will find something that will inspire an original idea!"
"And you did!" said Paulina.
Julie nodded. "Yes, I did, almost right away. I came across a book about theatrical costumes. I do not even know what drew me to it, but when I started leafing through it, I became fascinated. The costumes were so gorgeous!"
"And inside you found the map?" asked Violet.
"Yes! It was a real stroke of luck! But I did not realize it right off. In fact, once I bought the book, I went back home to look through it. I sat down immediately and started turning the pages. Only at that point did I notice a page had fallen out. I grabbed it and saw that it had a strange design on top. It did not take me long to realize that I was looking at a map!"
"It's amazing how you an find inspiration in even the most everyday things," Paulina said.
Julie nodded in agreement.
"I once found inspiration in Paris once and made it even more gothic and melancholic for my comic book." Seba said as he looked out to the environment.
"What comic is that?" Julie asked.
"Black Wings."
Julie's jaw dropped. "You are Sebastian Silverstone?! Mon dieu, that is unbelievable!"
Violet and Paulina smiled as Julie's outburst had seemed to lift her spirits up.
"You know my work?" Seba asked, looking bewildered at this new information.
"Know it? Mice have been requesting international translations from around the world!" Julie exclaimed. "You have to tell me what happens to Camila when she was held at gunpoint by her lover! They were such a good couple!"
Seba shook his finger with a smile. "Ah ah. Spoilers. Besides, I'm still trying to fill out the plotholes with each character now."
Violet took her by the paw. "Come on, mouselings and Seba. Let's move those paws! There's still loads I want to see."
Julie smiled and wiped her snout. "Yes, let us shake a tail!"
Everyone had agreed to meet for lunch in the enormous Bois de Boulogne (Boulogne Woods) park. They wanted to compare notes about what they had learned from their investigations. Seba had to give credit to the fashion students. They're actually expanding their creativity.
The afternoon was so hot that it already felt like summer. So they decided to have a picnic next to the lake. They packed, cheese, bread, fruit and omelettes for the human. It was a feast!
Julie, Violet, Paulina and Seba were eager about hearing what their friends had discovered.
Unfortunately, the news wasn't good: No one had turned up anything interesting.
"It could have been any one of your classmates," said Colette. "Everyone seemed jealous of someone and no one has an alibi worth its cheddar!"
"And the other students' collections are still in one piece," Nicky added.
"When there are too many suspects, it's like not having any." sighed Paulina, shaking her head.
"You might as well be counting grains of rice while you're at it!" Seba remarked as he took a bite of an omelette.
"So basically, we haven't gotten anywhere." concluded Pam sadly.
Strangely, Julie seemed less disappointed than her friends were. "It is too nice a day to talk about such depressing things," she declared. "Let us enjoy our picnic! After we have eaten, we can brainstorm a new plan."
So Pamela rented a rowboat and dragged Violet and Paulina on a trip around the lake. Nicky made friends with a group of rodents who were horseback riding around the park, joining them in the activity.
As for Julie, Colette and Seba, they stretched out on the grass and chatted in the sun. The old friends reminisced about being little mouselings in school together and a thousand other funny adventures they'd been though. At one point, Julie decided to tickle Seba's nose with a tiny flower while it looked like he was taking a nap. The human mock pouted at such a prank, which made the two mouselings giggle. The human hid a small smile, seeing Julie brightened up.
However, Seba felt like someone was watching them, but eventually shrugged it off as he wanted to relax.
After their afternoon in the park, the mouselings and human stopped at a pizzeria (which was Pam's suggestion) for some dinner. By the time they got home, it was already dark.
There was an ugly surprise waiting for them.
As soon as they opened the door, they noticed the window was open and the glass was shattered. Julie's laptop was missing!
Before they could react...
CRASH!
The noise made them jump.
"The thief!" screamed Colette, running to the window. When she looked out at the street, she was a shadowy figure dashing up the stairs.
"My computer!" shouted Julie. Her laptop lay in fragments on the street below.
"He must have let it slip from his paws while he was getting away!" exclaimed Paulina.
Seba was the first to react as he leaped off the balcony and landed on the ground safely from the small apartment's two story drop. Everyone ran out to the street to recover what was left of the computer.
"Moldy mozzarella!" blurted Pamela. "Wasn't it enough for that slimy sewer rat to steal your clothes? Why did he have to steal your laptop too?"
Julie couldn't answer as she felt as broken as her laptop.
Seba looked at her in sorrow. What was once an elated mouseling from the afternoon had turned into a depressed mess in the evening. He could feel anger rising inside him. Anger that the rat ruining someone's hardwork.
"Forget the police. When we find this piece of trash, he's going to need the paramedics!" Seba growled as he cracked his knuckles.
"It is fine, Seba." Julie assured him as she placed a paw on his shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to any violence. The human wasn't convinced.
As they headed back into the house, Violet began, "At least we have a new clue. The thief stole Julie's collection, but he wasn't really looking for the clothes. He was looking for something else that's linked to them! But what?"
"Yes, what could it be?" Colette echoed thoughtfully.
Violet was lost in thought for a minute. Then her eyes lit up.
"Why didn't I realize it sooner?!" she exclaimed, smiling. "The map!"
"The map?" the mouselings and human repeated together.
"Violet is right!" cried Julie. "The thief must be after the map!"
Seba looked at her.
"I have got it!" continued Julie, who began to connect all the pieces. "First the thief broke into my studio to look for the map. He did not find it and instead steal my collection in order to put the map together by putting the clothing together."
"So why did the thief want to steal your computer, too?" asked Pamela.
"When he couldn't find the real map, he probably hoped to find an electronic scan on your computer!" Violet said. "When he tried to reconstruct the map with Julie's clothing, it wasn't complete! The last piece was missing."
A map? Seba looked at Colette, then back at Julie. "Can someone bring Colette's shawl here? I think I know what he was looking for." he requested.
Julie nodded as she retrieved the shawl. "Of course! This was what he was looking for! Without the last piece, the collection was useless. The thief is missing the last piece of the map!"
"So he hoped Julie had saved a copy on her computer." Paulina concluded.
"That must be it," Julie said, nodding again. "Unfortunately, now my computer is in a thousand pieces."
"Isn't there a backup?" Paulina asked in disbelief.
Julie shrugged. "Nope, sorry. No copies."
"And the original map?" asked Violet, holding on to the last shred of hope.
"It's gone forever. I spilled a cup of hot cheese on it when I was up late working on my collection, and it was completely destroyed."
Seba groaned before he looked at Pamela. "Pam, do you think you can fix up her computer?"
She shook her head. "With the amount of bits and pieces scattered from such a smashed state, I won't be able to finish repairing it before the Paris show."
The human kicked the dust of the floor. "Well, isn't that convenient!" he said in annoyance.
Colette spread the shawl on the table as everyone gathered around.
"What does it represent?" asked Nicky.
"I do not have any idea." Julie replied.
"Look at all these scattered letters!" Colette said, pointing each one out. "If we put them in the right order, perhaps they will spell something!"
Seba had written down all the possible words. With each guess, they crossed out the ones that didn't make sense.
All of the sudden, Julie jumped to her feet. "Hold on, Seba. Do not cross out 'garnier' yet!"
Seba stopped and looked at her, bemused. "Garnier? What's that mean?"
Julie explained to them. "The Palais Garnier is the Paris Opera. It must be a map of the opera house!"
She ran to get the book in which she had found the map. The title was Opera: Two Centuries of Costumes.
Julie opened the book. It was an old volume, with precious reproductions of stage clothing from the 1800s.
"It is a collection of costumes from the most famouse opera productions!" Julie said.
Seba went over to see some of the illustrations. "This is really good costume design."
Paulina was sitting on the couch with her MousePhone. Her eyes had changed slightly before she got up.
"Julie, do you you think I could use your printer?" she asked.
"Sure." Julie answered, but looked curious.
"What have you found?" asked Pamela.
"You'll see!" Paulina answered cryptically as she plugged her phone into the printer. A moment later, a sheet of paper came out. She took it and laid it out on the table.
"This is the floor plan of the opera house," she explained. "If the map is really a reproduction of this building, we should be able to find the part on the floor plan that corresponds to Colette's shawl!"
Everyone gazed back and forth between the floor plan and the shawl for a few minutes. There was something identical to both items.
Finally, Violet pointed her finger. "I've got it! This is the grand staircase. This is definitely it! Check it out."
Everyone peered back and forth between the two maps, Colette's shawl and the printout of the opera house's floor plan. Of course! Colette's shawl was a copy of the grand staircase of the opera house!
"But what does it mean?" asked Nicky, looking puzzled. "Why would the thief be so desperate to learn about the opera house? Couldn't he just download the floor plan, like Paulina did?"
"Of course he could." said Colette, nodding.
"Like you said, he was desperate," Seba continued. "He probably didn't have time to think about that. Something tells me that he's rushing."
"There must be something special about this staircase," Violet said thoughtfully. "Maybe something's hidden there."
"That is it!" cried Colette. "It is like the name of your collection, Julie! It must be a treasure of some kind!"
Pamela's eyes grew wide. "I think you're onto something, Colette. And if this map is so important to the thief, the treasure must be really big!"
"You might be right," said Nicky, nodding. "But one thing's for sure: The thief won't be able to find it until he has the entire map."
"So what happens if the thief finds out that Colette's shawl is the last piece of the puzzle?" Violet asked slowly.
Colette stared at Violet. She knew what her friend was thinking. "Oh no. Uh-uh! Do not even think about it!" she shouted, clutching her shawl. "I do not know what your plan is, Vi, but you cannot touch this!"
Seba walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Colette, Julie's collection has been stolen. I can't let a thief get away with ruining someone's hard work. We all want to catch the jerk before he tries to mess with her even further. I mean, look at what happened to her laptop."
She glared at Seba, but as she did, she caught a glimpse of Julie's sad face and began to soften. "Wh-what if the thief stole my shawl? I do not even want to think about it!"
"We'll get them with a tracker!" Paulina declared. "It's a good plan, Vi."
"We have a tracker?" Pam asked. Paulina nodded.
Colette was starting to look interested in the plan. "So? Then what?"
"So if we put a tracker on the shawl and make sure the thief steals it, we would be able to find out where he is and follow the signal on my MousePhone!" Paulina said.
"Then we can follow him and find out what he's done with Julie's collection," Violet concluded.
"If he's there, I can give him a free knuckle sandwich." Seba declared, slamming his fist into his palm.
"And the thief would not know?" asked Colette.
"If the track is really, really small, I can sew it into the hem of the shawl!" interjected Julie.
"Definitely!" Paulina agreed. Then she looked at Colette. "Is that alright with you, Colette? Are you willing to sacrifice your shawl to catch the thief?"
Colette looked at Julie and smiled. "Of coursse! For Julie, I would do this and more. There are only a few days until the fashion show, and we absolutely must find Julie's collection!"
Seba grinned. "Operation Tracker is a go!"
Their plan was set! Colette was parading inside the academy with her shawl on. Julie, Seba and the rest of the Thea Sisters were waiting in front of the academy with their snouts and faces pressed against the window.
"Who knew that she could make a convincing scene there?" Nicky commented.
"My sentiments exactly. She managed to stall me real good when you guys took my cigarette packs." Seba replied.
Julie giggled. "She was in the drama club in middle school."
When they saw Colette strut out, they looked at one another in wonder.
A small crowd peered out the door of the fashion school. They followed Colette with their eyes as she strode away.
"Give me five, Jules!" exclaimed Pam enthusiastically, slapping her paw against Julie's. "Next stop, Hollywood! Out Colette is a born actress!"
"Now for phase two." Seba said.
Violet nodded calmly. "The trap is set. We've got to keep our eyes on Colette. Let's see if the thief takes the bait."
At this point, Colette had to improvise.
The mouselings and Seba had no way of knowing if, when, or where the thief would strike. It was up to her to make sure the thief had the right opportunity to steal the shawl. The tricky part was that the thief could absolutely not realize that it was a trap!
A chill went down Colette's tail. Where should she go? She decided to follow her instincts. And her instincts told her to head toward the closest department store. A large crowd would be there: It seemed like an ideal place to steal. Or rather, let things be stolen!
Pam couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Colette go into one of Paris's biggest department stores. "What is she doing? She's going into department store? It's so crowded, we'll lose er for sure!"
"No, not if we keep our eyes open," replied Violet.
"The thief is bound to blend in with the crowd. Look out for any shady characters." Seba said.
Meanwhile, Colette had gone up the escalator. With all the shoppers milling around, it was impossible to tell if anyone was following her.
Julie, Nicky, Pam, Paulina, Violet and Seba started after her.
"She's going to the junior rodents department!" noted Paulina.
"How strange! I was sure Colette would head straight for the hardware department!" joked Pamela.
Seba facepalmed.
Despite her stress, Colette couldn't help look in awe at some of the season's newest arrivals. 'What a dream!' she thought when she spotted a cute top.
Then she remembered that she was there to have the shawl stolen. 'Of course!' she thought. The best thing to do was pretend to go shopping! She had found the perfect solution.
Colette was sure that her friends were nearby. So she grabbed a few tops to try on, slipped into a dressing room and hung the shawl over the door. That way, whoever was outside could take it.
She didn't need to wait long. One second the shawl was there, and the next it had vanished!
Seba and the Thea Sisters saw a rodent with a trench coat, big dark glasses and a hat run away with a bag in his paws.
He or she was completely unrecognizable.
They started following the sneaky mouse. Everyone rushed out of the department store, but the thief was faster than they thought.
"He's going towards the Seine!" Violet cried.
"The Pont Alexandre III is nearby," Julie panted. "Maybe he is headed towards the other bank!"
Seba began to go full sprint, catching up towards the thief.
The streets were so crowded it was hard to keep track of the thief. For a moment, they thought that they had lost sight of him. The chase was a real tail-twister! Fortunately, the tracker had given them help.
They scurried along and found themselves in an open square with very few houses. It seemed like the thief had vanished into thin air. He hadn't crossed the bridge, which was right in front of them. But they didn't see anyone on the street in either direction.
"The ladders!" shouted Colette, pointing to two ladders on the ends of the bridge. They led to the banks of the Seine.
Nicky peered over the river's edge. "Holey cheese! There! There he goes!"
She'd spotted the thief jumping on board a motorboat and zooming away at full speed.
"We've lost him!" groaned Paulina. "The tracker can't cover long distances."
But Colette and Seba were not ready to give up. In fact, both of them were already scampering along the riverbank.
"Look down there!" Colette pointed out. "It is a boat-rental shop! There is still hope!"
Julie and the other mouselings had never seen Colette and Seba so determined! They could understand Colette's reason since she was Julie's best friend. But why was Seba this determined?
'I can't let a thief get away with ruining someone's hard work.'
Their eyes widened as they remembered those words. There must have been history with this sort of situation that he was involved with. Nevertheless, they ran faster.
Within moments, they had rented a motorboat and were hot on the thief's trail. Colette was at the prow of the boat, pointing the way.
Viole was next to Colette, shouting directions. "Careful of the barge on your right!"
Meanwhile, the thief had passed the Pont de l'Alma.
"Where do you think he, or she (it could be a female rodent) is headed?" Pamela asked Julie.
"I do not have the slightest idea!" she answered. She hadn't went through here before!
Pont de l'Alma, Passerelle Debilly, Pont d'Iéna, they passed by bridge after bridge, but still the distance between the two boats had not changed. At the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a long and narrow island split the Seine into two canals.
Colette slowed down. She had to choose one canal. After a moment's hesitation, she chose the one on the right.
Soon an unexpected sight appeared before them.
"What is the Statue of Liberty doing here?!" cried Paulina in surprise.
"Maybe the thief is Carmen Sandiego." Seba remarked.
Violet pointed towards a direction. "Turn left! The thief is turning back!"
"He must have spotted us! He is trying to shake us!" exclaimed Colette.
She started to turn around but had to pause to let a pontoon pass.
"Au revoir, shawl!" sighed Nicky.
"Don't say that yet!" said Paulina as she got out her MousePhone. "Let's see if my tracker works. We just have to stay close."
On the tiny screen, a piece of the Seine appeared, and on it a red dot was bouncing along quickly.
"Got it!" said Paulina with satisfaction.
The red dot stopped suddenly.
"The thief has stepped off his boat." said Paulina.
"But where?" asked Colettte.
"On the Right Bank!" cried Paulina. "Head towards Concorde Square!"
Colette steered the motorboat sharply towards the Right Banks. Everyone ducked to avoid being splashed.
"I'm getting a little sick of this cat-and-mouse game." Nicky sighed, wiping off the water from her snout.
"You're lucky that you didn't bring your hat." Seba said, digging his ears to get the water out.
As soon as Colette had tied up the boat, all six mouselings and one human scurried out and started to run after the thief.
"He's on rue Royale!" yelled Paulina, not taking her eyes off the MousePhone.
"He must be trying to lose us by getting lost among the tourists!" said Nicky.
"Not on our watch!" Seba exclaimed as he began full sprint.
"He's turned right," Paulina announced. "He's on Madeleine Boulevard."
"The Opera!" Julie gasped, trying to catch her breath.
"So it is true!" Colette exclaimed. "The thief is going to the opera house! Just like the map!"
"Greasy cat guts, we were right!" said Pamela. "The treasure is hidden in the theater!"
"I'm gonna look forward to making this thief sing falsetto!" Seba growled.
The thief must have figured that his pursuers had given up by now. There was no way they would have been able to keep up for so long. So he stopped running.
Seba, Julie and the Thea Sisters arrived at the Opera House just in time to see a shadowy figure turn down an alley and slip through a side entrance of the theater, The figure slammed the door behind him.
Without pausing to form a plan, they followed him inside.
The chase continued!
The mouselings and human found themselves in a storage room filled with set designs and equipment. There were costumes, scenery, ropes, stage furniture, suits of armor and curtains all around them.
"I'm starting to wonder why I don't do backstage duty in drama." Seba remarked. He was offered to assist in writing scripts for a couple of Mouseford Academy's plays. However, he would actually skip out on watching the critically acclaimed shows due to his schedules.
In the darkness, Colette didn't realize that there was a box full of props right next to her. She accidentally stuck her paw into it and stumbled, spiling the box's contents to the ground loudly.
CRASH!
"Camembert croustillant avec des croûtons sur le dessus!" she cried in frustration as she clutched onto her foot.
"Colette, are you okay?" asked Violet, she and Seba helping her up.
"No, I am not okay. Nothing is okay!" Colette said under her breath, holding back tears. "I twisted my ankle! Ouch!"
"Okay, sit down for a minute," Seba said. "I'm going to try and relocate your ankle. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, okay? This might sting a little. Violet, I need you to hold Colette's paw."
Colette looked hesitant, but nodded as she did what she was advised. Seba held onto Colette's foot while Violet held onto her paw. The human gently rubbed the part to find the pain. When he saw her wince, Seba had found it. Colette trusted him. Maybe this wasn't so bad. He probably knew what he was doing-
CRACK!
"YEOOOOW!" Colette howled in pain, tears streaming down her face. Violet's eye twitched as she could feel her paw being crushed.
"Try move your ankle around now." Seba said as he let go. She did. It didn't hurt as much, but she could move her foot freely.
"I feel better now," Colette said as she got up and hugged Seba. "Thanks."
When she let go of the hug, she smacked his arm.
"Hey! What's that for?" Seba asked, indignant.
"That is for not telling me that you were going to do that!" Colette exclaimed as she gave the human an earful. Violet was still rubbing her paw from such a bone-crushing squeeze and glaring at Seba. He could have told her!
Meanwhile, Paulina was frantically tinkering with her MousePhone. The red dot had disappeared from the screen. "I don't know where the thief went!" she whispered.
"Let's try this door," said Nicky. "It looks like the only way out, other than the way we came in."
They left the room and entered a dimly lit corridor, which led to a wooden staircase. From there, they found themselves onstage, behind the curtains. Seba and the mouselings grabbed one another's paws and held on tightly, with the human holding onto Julie's.
"Here it is! It's come back!" exclaimed Paulina, pointing to the red dot, which had reappeared on the MousePhone.
"We're back on track." Seba declared.
"Do you know where the thief is?" asked Colette.
Paulina was having a hard time figuring it out. The theater's floor plan was very complex, with all its hallways, passages, twisting stairs and storage areas.
However something was off. They were almost in the exact spot they were standing in.
"I'm not sure, but it seems like..." she said as her eyes squinted. "Maybe..." she trailed off. "Well, I think he's right underneath us!"
Seba looked down at his feet. "Shit."
CRACK!
At that moment, a trapdoor burst open under their paws. Everyone fell.
"HELLLLLLLP!" the mouselings yelled at the top of their lungs.
"AAAAAARGH!" Seba screamed as he covered his eyes.
They all landed on top of a pile of fabric, blankets and mattresses.
"Well, that was lucky." Pam said.
"You call that lucky?" Nicky questioned, rubbing her sore tail. "Squeak for yourself! This thief is making me madder than a cat with a bad case of fleas!"
Seba slowly got up and looked up at the hole. "There was a ladder the entire time." True to his word, a ladder was standing next to the hole like it had been already there.
Everyone scowled.
After they'd recovered from the shock of their fall, they untangled themselves from the scraps of fabric that had cushioned them.
The mouselings and human waited until their eyes grew accustomed to the dark room around them, then began to search for a way out.
"I swear, we should've brought flashlights. Two dark rooms is not enough to deal with this adventure." Seba grumbled, still feeling the after effect of that fall.
After a moment, Pamela found a door.
She jiggled the handle. "It's locked. Does anyone have any idea how to open it?"
Seba placed his foot on the door and gave a bang.
"It's tight," Seba remarked. "We're gonna need more than just raw strength."
Everyone looked around. The room was filled with a lot of equipment.
Nicky grabbed an iron rod. "Maybe we can use this to bust open the door. It doesn't seem very thick."
It was harder than they'd thought. But after a few minutes of pushing, Nicky, Pam, Violet and Seba managed to break the lock.
The door opened onto the same dimly lit hallway they had been in before.
"Damn it!" Seba growled. "We're back where we started!"
"Wait!" cried Paulina suddenly, holding them back. "The red dot is back! I couldn't get a signal in the storage room, but out here I can track the thief again."
"Where is the thief exactly?" Colette asked Paulina.
"Hes climbing the stairs!" she answered.
Julie nodded. "Yes! There is a staircase that leads to the costume storage room! I've been there before. Professor Le Blanc took us to see it on a field trip. Come on, it is this way!"
They climbed up the spiral staircase as quietly as possible.
There was a sudden noise from above. They stopped short.
"Those must be the pawsteps of the thief!" Colette whispered.
"He's due for a buttkicking!" Seba snarled, rolling up his sleeves.
Julie had reached the landing. The door at the top stood slightly ajar, and the room on the side side was lit up.
Julie peeked inside, opening the door slowly so as not to be seen. However, who she saw had shocked her.
"Professor Le Blanc!" she shouted in surprise.
It was really him, her kindest professor, the one who had tried to encourage her during the most difficult moments of the past few days!
In one paw, he held Colette's shawl. In the other, he was holding a strange patchwork quilt. It was made of many pieces of fabric all sewn together.
Seba shivered. 'If those pieces of fabric were made of skin, this would be one of the most creepiest things I've ever seen in my entire life.' He towards Julie and frowned.
She was frozen in the doorway. She couldn't believe her eyes.
The professor didn't even try to defend himself. He just lowered his gaze and turned red with shame.
"I am sorry, Julie!" he said. "I have been terrible. I ruined your work!"
"Oh, nooooo!" groaned Colette.
The professor didn't have a patchwork quilt in his paws. He was holding Julie's collection! It was cut into pieces and patched together to create a treasure map!
Seba's eyes grew with rage. Before he could storm towards the professor, Julie placed a paw on his shoulder. He looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. Sighing, he dropped it for now.
"I should pound you really bad for breaking your student's trust. But let's hear your side of the story." Seba said as he folded his arms.
"I am so ashamed!" the professor said, hanging his snout. "For years, I have searched for that map; it had become an obsession."
"But why?" asked Julie in a high voice. "Why is that map so important?"
Professor Le Blanc didn't have the courage to look Julie in the eye. "Do you remember my lecture about Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon?"
"Who's he?" asked Pamela.
"He was a great fashion designer from the nineteenth century," Julie explained.
"The greatest!" Professor Le Blanc excalimed, correction her. "He was a true genius!"
Talking about his obsession seemed to revive the professor. He launched into a history of Pierre-Mouseon Fabricons career.
"For years, I have studied Fabricon's sketches, trying to discover the secret of his spectacular and sophisticated clothing!" said Professor Le Blanc. "Fabricon was a genius. He created the most gorgeous gowns for the divas of the opera. And he also created special looms on which he could weave uniquely light fabrics to create pieces that became legendary for their beauty!"
The professor lowered his voice. "But here is the terrible thing: Nothing that Fabricon made still exists. Nothing!"
Seba and the Thea Sisters stared at him in bewilderment. They were still angry, but they were starting to feel curious too.
"Why?" asked Pam. "Were his gowns destroyed somehow?"
"They were hidden!" the professor said. "They are hidden here, in this theater, but no one knows where!"
"But now you know, right professor?" said Violet, pointing to the multicolored map made from Julie's clothes. "Now you have the treasure map you've been searching for!"
Professor Le Blanc spread the patchwork cloth across the table. One piece was still missing: Colette's shawl.
"Fabricon created extraordinary evening gowns and stage costumes," the professor said. "The greatest singers in the world turned to him. He only made one-of-a-kind pieces, from precious materials and fabrics that he wove himself! He was very protective of his work. He had a workshop here, in this theater. No one was allowed in. That is how he protected his creations.
"I'll bet Fabricon did not leave anything behind," Pam said. "So his work disappeared with him, right?"
The professor nodded. "Yes, his work disappeared with him. But he left a map."
"Julie's map!" exclaimed Paulina.
"A map that could be used to find his works. I have searched for it for so long!" the professor lamented. He turned to Julie. "That day at the used-book stand, I was there, too. I had just found the right book, with the map inside it. I had my eye on it when you came along and took it away! Of course, you had no idea of its significance. But at that moment, it was like seeing years of my research go up in smoke."
A silence fell over the costume storage room. Everyone's eyes were glued to the multicolored fabric that extended across the table: a strange map made of cut-up fabrics that led to a treasure of clothing.
"We came this far..." Seba remarked, gently touching the fabric.
"So what are we waiting for?" Pamela blurted out. She couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing. "Let's look for the secret room!"
With that, Julie grabbed Colette's shawl and spread it out so that it matched up with the design on the map.
"Now it is complete!" she said, examining it carefully.
The professor ran his paws along the fabric, recognizing the rooms and corridors of the theater. "The foyer, the stage, the rehearsal room, the dressing rooms..." he murmured.
"Excuse me, but why don't we try doing this with the actual floor plan?" Paulina suggested, holding up her MousePhone.
"I do not think we will need it," said Colette.
"I think the floor plan you have is based on the modern version of the opera house." Seba added.
"Besides," Colette continued as she pointed to a strange symbol on the map. "Look at this. It is mixed in with all the other notes on the map, but it is not a door or a room."
"What is it?" asked Nicky. She was on the other side of the table, so she could see the symbol only upside down.
"It looks like initials," said Colette.
"Yeah, they're both in capital letters." Seba observed.
"A P and an F put together!" said Julie.
"Those are Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon's initials!" the professor exclaimed.
"That must mean that his workshop is there." Seba concluded.
The professor knew the theater well. He led the little group to a long and narrow room with a very high ceiling. It was the storage room for old backdrops and plaster statues.
A dusty light filtered in from a dormer window. There were no doors other than the one they had used to enter.
"It is a dead end!" said Julie, disappointed.
At that moment, Pam let out a high-pitch squeak.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
She had seen a spider on the ground. Pam was terrified of bugs of all kinds.
Her scream made everyone jump in fright, including the spider. Before Seba could react, the insectophobiac jumped into his arms once again, shaking in terror.
"Is this gonna be Mystery Inc. version 2 all over again?" Seba grumbled.
The small, scared arthropod hid behind a huge plaster sphinx leaning against one wall.
Professor Le Blanc checked the map. "The treasure, or rather, Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon's secret room, should be hidden here, right behind the plaster sphinx!"
The professor rolled up his sleeves and began pushing the statue. But it seemed to be nailed to the ground.
Nicky and Paulina came to his aid, as did everyone else. Who knew how long it had been since the sphinx had been moved!
"Cheesecake! This thing is heavier than a boulder covered with moldy cheese!" cried Nicky.
Very slowly, the statue began to budge. As it did, the spider disappeared into a crack between the wall and the floor. A stream of light came from below.
The wall was made of wood, and it was hiding a closed door with a rusty lock.
"Almost there..." Seba said in a strained voice.
With one more determined shove, the door burst open.
CRACK!
Concealed behind a thick curtain of spiderwebs, a vast two-story room lay before them. In the middle was a long table with two paper patterns lying open, ready to be used. On the side was a big loom, and around it were small mannequins dressed in different types of costumes. A thick layer of dust covered everything.
Was this the treasure Professor Le Blanc had been looking for?
Seba had a bad feeling. Taking out his phone, he began to take pictures of the outfits.
Professor Le Blanc couldn't believe his eyes: In front of him was the treasure he had been chasing for many years. He hesitated for a moment, then approached a mannequin. He recognized the costume instantly: It was from the Semiramide! There wasn't a single book about the history of fashion that didn't mention it! "Light as the wings of a butterfly, sparkling with silk and strings of gold laced together." That was how newspapers of the day had described it.
Professor Le Blanc extended his paw to wipe some dust off the sleeve. But as soon as his giners touched the fabric, the delicate lace began to crumble.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" cried the professor.
More than a century of neglect had yellowed the fabric, faded the colors, corroded the stitching and deprived the lavish dressed in the room of their splendor.
Julie examined the loom Frabricon had used to create his precious fabrics. The equipment seemed to be in good shape.
But Seba and the Thea Sisters looked around in despair. Everyone's thoughts could be summed up in three words: What a disappointment!
Pamela didn't want to believe it. She ran up some stairs that led to a loft. There were closets up there. Surely they must hold some precious objects.
She opened the first one and...
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
She was overwhelmed by a cloud of moths. The closets had been invaded by the insects! Whatever clothing or fabric they had once held had long been destroyed.
"It is all lost! Lost!" lamented the professor.
Colette lost her patience. "Easy for you to squeak!" she said, wagging a finger at him. "Fabricon's clothes were destroyed by moths, but Julie's clothes were destroyed by you!"
The professor staggered under the weight of her accusation as she began to rant in French.
It was Julie who consoled him. "It is okay, Professor. It does not matter! Discovering Fabricon's workshop is still an important milestone in the history of fashion. And the loom is still intact."
Colette and Seba, however, were not as forgiving.
"It is not enough! Your professor is a thief! He ruined your fashion show!" Colette yelled.
"But Colette..." Julie began.
Seba cut in, though had his temper cooled down. "She's right. Your professor not only broke your trust, but he's ruined your collection. The very same one you've put your sweat and tears into."
Professor Le Blanc stepped forward. "Both of them are right. I behaved terribly. And I am most ashamed at having betrayed your trust, Julie."
"That is more like it!" Colette declared. "But I do not think the police are interested in your betrayal of trust! Being sorry is important, but Julie cannot send an apology down the ratwalk!"
"Like you said, any industry can be very harsh and unforgiving." Seba said, a smirk grew on his face. "But I think I know how you could really make it up to her."
"What do you suggest?" asked Pam, who was still trying to shake the moths from her fur.
"Well, time is short, but I am certain that the professor is a great tailor, and probably a really fast one!" exclaimed Colette with a sly smile. "So let us start the treasure hunt back up! What do you say, professor? Do you not want to help?"
The professor nodded slowly. They could tell that he was heartbroken with disappointment, but it was clear he wanted to make up for the problems he had caused Julie.
"Alright, then!" declared Colette. "Let us scurry back to the academy. We have got lots to do. Let us make it work, mouselings!"
"Ahem." Seba muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"And human."
Said human nodded.
A few days later, the night of the fashion show arrived. The sky was calm, but the atmosphere was electric! The space under the Eiffel Tower had been transformed by a catwalk, spotlights, flowers, carpets, steps, chairs for the guests and reserved areas for the workers. Journalists and photographers from the most famous fashion magazines had come to see the new designers' work.
Julie's name appeared in the program, next to the name of her collection: Treasure Hunt. But no onw hS AWWN HWE eeicw.
One after the other, the new graduates presented their creations.
Wei and Mei's paper clothes sparked a lot of curiosity. but Fernando's metallic designs got more applause. Leon Paella's sparkly robots were beginning their strut down the catwalk when there was a fuss behind the curtains.
A small truck sped to the backstage area and out stepped...
"Julie?!" exclaimed Wanda in disbelief.
Julie looked pale and tense, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep in a while. Her classmates gathered around her and bombarded her with questions.
"Did they catch the thief?"
"Will you be showing your work?"
"Did you get your clothes back?"
"Not exactly," Julie replied to the last one. "But I am ready to show my stuff tonight!"
The other students in her class gathered around and hugged her.
"Good for you, Julie!"
"You are so brave!"
"Break a paw!""
They hadn't stopped cheering her on when her name was called on the catwalk.
Soon all the spotlights were on Julie.
Nervously, Julie took her place behind the microphone.
"My collection is called Treasure Hunt," she began. As she spoke, the music began to play. Surprise, Pamela appeared on the catwalk!
"Pamela is wearing a piece called Africa," Julie continued. "Traditional jewelry completes her look."
Pamela walked a little awkwardly, but she had a huge smile on her snout. Then it was Nicky's turn.
"Nicky is wearing Australia, with top a top and gloves made of chiffon," Julie anounced. "While Paulina..."
At that moment, Paulina emerged from behind the curtains.
"...is wearing a number called South America, with a high collar made of taffeta."
Then it was Violet's turn. "Violet is wearing Asia, a silk dress with a rhinestone belt around her hips."
Then came in Seba. "My special guest model, Sebastian Silverstone himself, is wearing North America, a suit made from cashmere along with a necktie and fedora." The human's name had caught the attention of the journalists. They didn't expect that the author of Black Wings to appear on the catwalk. Not only did the classy-looking suit not only gain looks of awe, but Seba had exuded an untapped aura of confidence that the Thea Sisters haven't seen before.
"And finally, we have Europe, also known as 'Paris Nights'..." Julie continued.
Colette came out. She was dressed in pink from snout to paw. And she was stunning!
The crowd gave Julie's collection a standing ovation. They rose to their paws, clapping as hard as they could.
Professor Le Blanc, who was watching from the front row, smiled at Julie. He had ruined her collection, but it was thanks to his help that Julie was able to sew new clothes. And they were even more beautiful than the originals!
Julie had used scraps from the first collection, but the fabric and the printed designs were different. Each piece represented a map of the continent where both Seba and each of the Thea Sisters were born.
Julie concluded her presentation. "I called this collection Treasure Hunt because it contains the most precious treasure of all: Friendship! These six come from six different continents and they love each other like siblings! Friendship is the most valuable treasure, because it can unite people from all over the world!"
At that point, the audience burst into applause again. Even Julie's classmates joined in, moved by her speech.
Julie ran to hug her friends. "Thanks, Colette! Thanks, Seba! Thanks, mouselings! I do not know what I would have done without you!"
"Friends together! Mice forever!" Nicky cried.
"Or friendship is magic! Because our friendships are what make this night magical." Seba added. All of them nodded in agreement.
Professor Le Blanc approached Julie, embarrassed. "I wanted you to know that I am turning myself to the police. What I did was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?"
Julie smiled and squeezed the professor's paw. "All is forgiven! Plus look! My collection is even more amazing than before, because it was made with love!"
There was no doubt: Julie was the true winner of the fashion show!