Chapter 4: Yikes!
"Marlene? Is that you?" Private asked the otter that had him tied up in bailer twine.
The dark otter just looked down at him with her glowing emerald green eyes. She had brought Private to a hole in a tree outside of the zoo. Private was scared.
"Marlene?" the small penguin asked once again.
"I'm not your little friend," the otter responded, "I am very unlike my goody-two-shoes sister."
"WH-who are you?" Private asked shaking. This otter was very mean, almost as mean as Dr. Blowhole.
"Who am I?" the otter repeated, "I am Mindy, Marlene's evil twin sister!"
Private cried out in terror at her loud words as they replayed in his mind. He wished the others were there. He was at the mercy of Mindy, who held a grudge against her sister.
"B-but, what do you want with me? I didn't do anything to you!" Private said, trying to get Mindy to release him. No such luck.
"Oh, I have orders from a powerful ally of mine that you should know." Mindy replied coldly.
"Ally?" Private sat there and wondered aloud.
"You know that weirdo dolphin. He rides this little blue scooter or whatever and loves laughing. Dr… Bluenose?" She looked at him with a stare, not showing that she cared at the least. In which, she didn't.
"Dr. Blowhole!" Private exclaimed in a surprised whisper.
"Yeah, him," Mindy responded. She was using a sharp claw, and was carving out a figure. It looked like a penguin to him.
"What's that?" he hesitated to ask but had to know.
Mindy was very focused on her project and finally looked up at the poor little penguin boy.
"I like to keep carvings of my victims." she growled. Mindy had a glare a lot like Marlene's but it was darker. Then she moved her gaze back onto her carving of Private.
Maybe if I be very nice to her, she'll let me go! Private thought.
"That's a smashing good carving," He schmoozed.
"Sure, now be quiet, I'm waiting for Blowhole." Mindy growled again, now showing her razor sharp teeth.
She was grouchy, even more so than Skipper. Private whimpered at her sharp words, closing his eyes wishing the predicament never happened. A small tear dripped from his eye, rolled down his cheek, and splattered on the floor. Just when he was about to cry, Mindy snapped at him.
"Stop your whining or I'll knock the stuffing out of you!" she hissed.
"I-I…" Private was too scared to speak. Finally, a voice from outside startled him and he felt his heart scream with hope.
"Skippah! I'm in here! In this tree!" he cried breaking the five minute silence between the two.
Suddenly, a red lobster came into the tree. Private's bright smiling face changed instantly, seeing that it was not his rescue party.
"The doc needs to see you and the prisoner." The lobster smirked.
"Sure, but tell him I'll come when I want to come." Mindy said, standing up and putting a paw on her hip.
"Just hurry up, or I'm in hot water." The lobster urged.
Back with our heroes…
Everyone looked at Marlene who was rubbing her paw on her arm. She stared at the concrete surface of the fake island in the penguin habitat.
"Where in the world could Private be?" Skipper waved his flippers in the air, pointing his question at Marlene.
No response. Marlene's stomach was queasy, feeling she had gotten her best friends stuck in her family matters.
"Marlene, where are they?" Skipper repeated annoyed when he got no answer.
"Huh? What? O-oh right. Well, she'd probably hide in a tree outside of the zoo, she hates captivity." Marlene said.
"So, think opposite of you?" Kowalski confirmed.
"That's what she said, Kowalski! Do you need a visual?" Skipper said very grouchy. He didn't like it when his men were missing.
"Alright, we move out… NOW!" Skipper barked.
Soon the penguins, minus one, were out of the zoo and belly-sliding. Soon they came to a the tree that belonged to their friend, Fred the Squirrel.
"Can I help you?" Fred stuck his head out of the hole in the tree.
"Have you seen an otter about this tall, black fur, very mean looking?" Kowalski asked.
"Is black a letter?" Fred asked very stupidly.
"I knew we shouldn't have asked him." Skipper regretted.
Rico wasn't paying attention. He was watching a monarch butterfly when he spotted something. It was a red dot in the distance. He finally noticed what it was. It was a lobster with two black in white things behind it. Rico started waving his arms at Skipper and yelling at him.
"Rico? What's gotten into you?" Skipper demanded.
Rico pointed, but the animals in the distance had left. Skipper turned back to talk to Fred. Rico stood and stared where the three animals used to be. He was confused. Was he seeing things?
Can you guess what will happen to Private? Will Skipper save him, or will Blowhole do something super bad to him? See what happens in Chapter 5! :D!