So Topaz and I followed Dad and Axel into the museum. We ran in silently and hid behind a statue.

We saw Dad and Axel look about in confusion.

"He's not here," Dad said. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Sure, I'm sure," Axel replied.

I knew who they were waiting for. Topaz knew too. But was he going to show up?

Right on cue, a figure appeared out of the shadows.

He was a green frog with a mole on one side of his face. His mouth curved into a disapproving snarl.

He looked started when he first saw Dad and Axel, but then he smirked.

"Well, well," his Russian-accented voice hissed. "I wasn't expecting company tonight."

"Constantine," Dad said and I whispered it too at the same time.

Before I knew what I was doing, I clutched Topaz's hand tight.

"Alright," Constantine said. "What's the deal? Come to try and stop my genius plan? Because I can't imagine that would end very well."

"Oh, no," Dad said. "Quite frankly I couldn't care less about your thieving habits. I'm just worried about your boy."

"Topaz?" Constantine said.

"Yes, your boy and my girl have been getting a little too close for comfort."

"That boy's been associating with good guys? I'll whip him within an inch of his life."

I felt Topaz tense beside me, his grip tighten.

"I don't care what you do to your boy," Dad said. "But you're not going to hurt my girl. No way."

I was impressed. The face that Dad was risking his neck for me filled me with pride.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Constantine snarled. "If you're not careful, it won't be your girl who gets into trouble. It will be you."

Constantine produced a gun.

"Dad!" Axel called in a panic.

Dad looked pretty terrified too.

"And the boy too!" Constantine threatened.

"Axel, you'd better get out of here," Dad said.

"But-"

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

That did it.

I wrenched away from Topaz and darted out into the open.

"Who's there?"

"Jasmine?"

"Oh, Jas, what have you done now?"

The gun didn't go off, I hadn't saved anyone.

I found myself at gunpoint.

"Well, well. It's Jasmine isn't it?" Constantine said. "I don't believe we've met. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm the guy who's going to cause a lot of trouble if what you say doesn't please me."

I was trembling all over, more terrified than I had ever been in my life.

"P-please C-Constantine," I squeaked. "I-I don't mean any harm, I'm j-just a little f-frog. I j-jumped out on impulse because I d-didn't want my d-dad to get sh-shot."

"Ah yes, your father is Kermit, is he not?"

"Y-yes, he is."

Constantine shot Dad a look. "The nosey frog should keep out of other people's business."

Dad said nothing. He was trembling as well, eyes wide with fear.

"However," Constantine continued. "I am not concerned about the likes of your father. I am more bothered about you."

"M-me?"

"Yes, you and what you've been doing with my son.

Oh shoot.

When I made friends with Topaz, I never expected this to happen.

"Don't be afraid, Jasmine," Constantine said in a voice that made me even more terrified. "I just want to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"O-OK."

"You are what's known as a good guy, yes?"

"Y-yes."

"And I am I bad guy, no?"

"Y-yes."

"Well what do you think Topaz is? A good guy? Or a bad guy?"

"I-I don't know."

"Oh really? Wouldn't you consider a homeless street-boy with a criminal father a bad guy? After all, he was breaking the law when you met him."

True. OK, I decided to go along with what Constantine was saying. I might've hurt Topaz's feelings, but I'd much rather upset him than a guy with a gun.

"O-OK, he's a bad guy."

I heard a sigh come from where the statue was.

I had upset Topaz. Great.

"Now answer me another question. Are you trying to turn Topaz into a good guy?"

This sounded scarily threatening.

"N-no."

"Oh really? Then may I ask what you are doing being such close friends with a bad guy?"

"Oh, I can't watch!" Axel whimpered burying his face in Dad's chest.

"Answer the question, Jasmine," Constantine said firmly.

"W-well, I thought that T-Topaz n-needed a f-friend. H-he was all a-alone."

"And the fact that I'm his father didn't put you off?"

"N-not much."

"I see. Well you want to help Topaz don't you?"

"Yes…" I said uncertainly.

"Well maybe there's something you can do."

"What is it?"

"Get out of his life."

"I-I don't know if I can."

There was a silence. Constantine looked like I'd just slapped him.

"What?"

"I…I won't! Topaz's the best friend I've ever had! And I'm not going to let you tear us apart!"

"That is the most ludicrous, ridiculous, stupid, nonsensical-"

"It's true, though, isn't it?"

"Topaz?" Constantine said. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Topaz snapped. "I'm tired of you controlling everything I do, Papa. I don't want to be evil!"

At first Constantine said nothing. He seethed silently, looking daggers at Topaz.

Finally, he said. "I'll make you pay, boy."

He turned to me, loaded up his gun and pointed it straight at me.

"Any last words, frog?"

"No, Papa, please!" Topaz begged.

I looked at Dad and Axel. Axel was sobbing bitterly. Dad was crying too, silent tears sliding down his face. I didn't know which was worse.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said.

Then I covered my eyes and waited.

All of a sudden, there was a tremendous BANG!

I heard a yell, and someone shouted 'NO!'

And although I couldn't see much, through the gap between my fingers, I caught a glimpse of green.

I felt nothing.

After the commotion was over, I slowly opened my eyes and gave a great shriek.

Topaz.

Topaz was the reason I hadn't felt anything.

Topaz was the reason I was still alive.

Topaz had saved my life.

Topaz was dying before my eyes.

I dropped to my knees.

"Topaz? Topaz!"

I clutched his hand.

"Please, Topaz."

Suddenly, he twitched, and his eyes darted to look up at me.

"Jas-Jasmine," he murmured. "Are you hurt?"

My heart wrenched. Topaz may have only had minutes left, but he still cared about me.

"No," I said. "But…you…Oh, Topaz, what have you done?"

"I had to," Topaz insisted. "You had everything going for you. Your family, your home. No-one would miss a little street-kid."

"I will," I said as a tear ran down my cheek.

"I'm sorry," Topaz said quietly. "Jas, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Did you really mean it earlier when you said I was a bad guy?"

I shook my head. "Of course not," I insisted. "You saved my life, you're a hero."

"A hero," Topaz repeated. He smiled at me, though there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Jas."

But before I could return the comment, I felt him go limp and I knew I'd lost him.

"No, Topie!" I cried harder, throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest, not caring a jot if I got blood on my face. "It's not meant to end like this!"

I wept for a while, overcome by the pain of my heart breaking. I gently stroked the T-shaped scar on his cheek, tracing the shape, but that made me think of something.

I looked up at Dad, then at Axel, and then at him.

Constantine.

Constantine was the one who had caused all of this.

Constantine was the guy with the gun.

Constantine had killed Topaz.

I leapt to my feet.

"You!" I roared. "This is all your fault!"

I tried to lunge towards him, but suddenly, I felt someone's arms tight around me, pulling me back.

"Get off me!" I yelled. "Constantine's a murderer, I need to avenge Topaz!"

"No, you don't. You're my sister and you need to stay out of trouble. I don't want to lose you."

It was Axel.

Axel had seen sense when I had failed to reason.

Axel had stopped me from clobbering the world's most dangerous frog.

Axel had, in a way, saved my life.

"It's not fair, Axie," I whimpered.

"I know it's not," he replied. "Come on, we'd better go."

I seemed to shrink back into a little girl as Axel picked me up and carried me out of the museum.

Behind me though, I could her voices. I turned and saw Dad confronting Constantine.

Dad took Constantine's gun, and threw it to the ground with a clatter. Then, he gave him a hard shove and said: "Why don't you just shove off back to the Gulag where you belong?"