Chapter 15: A Chase and an Unexpected Reunion

Sam

Sam had been waiting for the train to stop. He was almost there. Then he needed to find Cami. Sam knew Cami wasn't going to be there, but he had no idea where she would be. Well, Sam had an idea, but he needed proof before he even entertained it. He kept looking out the windows at the darkening sky. Sam was thoroughly convinced that this train was slower than any other he had ever been on. He wished he had a watch. Sam pulled out the shock pistol. He was going to have to be ready to use it, if anyone unpleasant came around. It was very likely that someone was there looking for him and Cami.

Sam felt the train slow down. He jumped up and unlocked the door again. He jumped off the train onto a small grassy area. Sam started running as soon as he got to his feet. He didn't want anyone to see him anywhere near the train. He ran into the city, but kept to the alleys and side streets. Sam kept looking over his shoulder and kept a hand on the shock pistol. Every time he saw someone, he hid until they were gone.

Sam crept passed the Contessa's real estate agency and the park. He saw the rundown place he and Cami used as headquarters. The stars were now visible in the sky. The streetlights were on, but they weren't bright enough to reach the rundown building. The only thing someone would see if they were to look this way was a shadowy figure that darted into a rundown building.

Sam slipped in through the basement window and retraced the area where he and Cami had discussed their plans.

"Cam! Cami!" Sam called as loud as he dared. "Are you here?"

Sam was waiting to hear Cami call out teasingly 'No!' but there was no one here. Sam found his and Cami's backpacks. Sam opened them and looked through the contents. Cami or someone must have removed the file, money, pictures, and everything important. Sam found only clothes and two cell phones. Sam briefly remembered a conversation with his parents about police tracking people through cell phones. Sam dropped the phones in the bags and looked around the hideout. He strained his eyes to make out any messages that Cami had left him.

Sam shifted rubble and tried to remember Cami commenting on a good hiding place. Sometimes she did that, foreshadowing something she will want him to find later, but Sam couldn't find anything or remember anything that Cami had talked about.

Sam shoved the bags under a pile of rubble and crawled out the window. His eyes suddenly caught a little glowing white thing. Sam reached for it. It was a paper. Sam's heart leapt; it might be a note from Cami!

Sam ran under a streetlight and read the note.

See you at the place you found, partner.

Sam knew that was Cami's handwriting. The place he found. Sam looked at his orange fur-covered hand and flexed his fingers. His idea was right: Cami went to where Dimitri was. She went to find their parents, or at least try.

"Okay, kid. Now turn around and give me that note." Sam knew that voice. He jerked around to see the eagle that had chased him down here yesterday.

"You." Sam breathed. A gun was trained on Sam.

"Me, now hand me that note." The eagle signaled for someone. The dog and boar from yesterday moved forward with guns trained on Sam. Two lizards came out into the light with guns as well.

"Kid, just give it to me. It will be less painful." The eagle was holding out his wing for the note.

Sam crumpled the note and stuck it into his pocket. "No. Besides, I'm pretty confident that you will hurt me regardless of giving you the note. I might as well make it fun and make you work to get it." Sam sounded much more confident than he felt.

"Fine, but you're going to pay." The eagle smirked. He seemed confident that Sam couldn't escape.

"Really?" Sam had been rapidly calculating an escape route. He smiled. "What makes you think that you will get the chance?"

"I thought you would be able to count, it's one against five and we have guns." The eagle smirked.

"Yes, that's true, but I'm a Cooper." Sam then ran towards the eagle. Bullets were fired at Sam but he zigzagged to avoid them. He jumped over the eagle and pulled his shock pistol and twisted in mid-air to fire at the lizards. Sam landed lightly on his feet. Two heavy thumps told Sam that he had hit his targets. Sam didn't even stop moving to look back at his victory. He acted instinctively and climbed up a pipe on top of the nearest building.

"What?" Sam heard the eagle screech.

Sam didn't stay to hear the rest of the conversation or even wonder how the heck he climbed that pipe when he never managed to climb the rope in Physical Education. Sam just jumped down to the other side of the building and crawled under the dumpster behind it. Sam held his breath, because the dumpster smelled and because he didn't want anyone to hear him.

Sam heart hammered as he listened for them. His reasoning for hiding here was that they would believe Sam would try to get as far away as possible and then hide. They never would think he would hide this close, or so Sam hoped. He lay there listening for a long time. He heard voices and footsteps, but none came near him. Sam lay against the grimy ground for a long time. He was under there so long that he stopped noticing the smell of the dumpster.

Sam didn't get out until he heart was back to its normal speed. He crawled out and looked carefully around. Sam knew it was very likely someone was watching the train station so he couldn't get out of town that way. Sam needed to walk to the next town and then catch a train there.

Sam looked up at the top of the buildings. It might be safer for him to travel up there. Sam peeked around the corner at the pipe that he had scampered up to get away. He was unsure how he gotten up the pipe, he had never been able to do that. It also might not be smart for him to travel over the rooftops. People were looking for him and they expected him to cross over rooftops. Sam decided to travel on the ground and keep to the shadows.

Sam took a deep breath and sprinted across the lit street. He stayed in the alleyways and didn't cross any lighted areas unless he had to. Sam's heart hammered in his chest and fear made all of his senses unnaturally acute as he listened for pursuers. A few times Sam heard footsteps and he ducked into any hiding place he could find: under a dumpster, under a car, behind a building, or any place. He only continued on his way when he was 400% sure they were gone.

A couple times Sam saw normal people who just happened to be out late. Sam envied them.

Sam kept walking and did not stop for anything until the sky was pinkish-red. The sun had come up and Sam nearly collapsed on a bench. He rubbed his eyes and head. His eyes felt heavy and his legs ached. Sam's clothes were covered in grit and muck from hiding. Sam acutely felt the fact that he hadn't showered since this fiasco had begun.

Sam sat there for as long as he could. He got up when he started to fall asleep. Sam couldn't afford to sleep. His stomach growled at him. Sam rubbed his head and decided to find a safe place to sleep. Then he'd worry about everything else.

Cami

Cami had been ferrying food and pretty much everything else up to the top floor. She had been trying to get out of it for the past hour, but every time someone dragged her back into it. Cami eavesdropped on people, trying to find out everything she could, but she found out nothing useful and still no one noticed she was female. That astounded Cami.

"Boy!" Cami had grown used to being addressed as such. "Get over here!"

The cat chef from earlier gestured for Cami to come over. "You're going to help cater the party."

"But sir, I'm a busboy. I-" Cami started.

The chef cut her off. "I don't care if you're a maid or a janitor. I need you to cater. Get dressed in that." The chef pointed to a uniform on a table. "You're doing this with two others. It's a small party. Go!" The chef cat shoved the uniform into Cami's hands and walked away.

Cami stuck her tongue out at the chef's retreating back and went into the bathroom to change. When Cami had finished changing, she pulled the shirt down to cover the shock pistol. Cami looked into the mirror as she was washing her hands. Cami stopped and touched the raccoon mask that looked so much like her father's. It was a dead giveaway to who she was, but no one seemed to notice it. The waiter's uniform was white and simple with an apron. Cami's hair fell over her shoulders. She was keenly aware that she hadn't showered since before her parents went missing. Cami rubbed water into her face with some hand soap. Cami tried to brush her hair with her fingers, but it didn't work out. Regardless, it felt good to be relatively clean.

Cami walked back into the party room, but she jumped behind a wall. The two other caterers that were supposed to be here were being ushered out by Dimitri. He shut the door behind them and locked it.

"Well, bros, we've got a party to ourselves! And it's all on Dimitri!" Dimitri said. Cami got a good look at him: he was a tall, purple salamander with a shirt with an open front showing his bare chest. Cami could tell he was about the same age as her father, maybe older. Cami silently gagged. Dimitri had reached a point where he shouldn't show off his bare chest.

"Great Dimitri! It's been awhile and almost the whole gang's here!" Cami couldn't see the speaker, but Cami could tell the speaker was male and his voice sounded quite nasally.

"I KNOW! IT'S AWESOME!" This speaker was also male and quite loud. He sounded very enthusiastic.

"Calm down, Murray!" This voice was female. Another voice spoke in a strange language, but somewhere in the back of Cami's mind, she understood it.

"All right, Master, Penelope. I'll calm down." The happy voice said quieter.

"Still it is good to all of you." The nasally voice said again.

"Is Cooper coming?" This voice was low and male. It was strong and it rumbled.

"No, Panda King. We haven't been able to reach him." The nasally voice said. "But don't worry about it. Sly has always been one to show up fashionably late to a party." The nasally voiced man laughed along with everyone else.

Cami held her breath. These people were talking about her father. They sounded as though they were friends with her father. Should she risk it? Maybe they could help her find her parents. Before Cami could decide, she took a step backwards and hit her foot against a little decorative plant. Everyone stopped talking and laughing abruptly. Cami froze. She heard the scraping noise of chairs being pushed back.

Cami did the first thing that came to mind: She bolted to the door. Something hit her in the back and caused her to trip. Cami tried to push herself up, but all her strength was leaving her. She had time before she blacked out for one more thought: sleep dart.

"Nice shot, Little Buddy!" Murray exclaimed. Bentley had managed to shoot the eavesdropper in the back before she had gotten away.

"Yeah. Come let's see who this is." Bentley wheeled himself over to the unconscious form. The rest of the gang followed him.

"Is that who I think it is?" Penelope asked. She and everyone else had spotted the ringed-tail.

"No, it can't be. She's female." Bentley said. "Murray, turn her over."

Murray pulled the dart out of the girl's back and flipped her over. Everyone in the room gasped. This girl looked almost exactly like Sly.

"How long have you been out of touch with Sly?" Penelope asked Bentley. She was staring at the raccoon-girl, shocked.

"About seventeen years." Bentley said. "Do you think?" He looked to the rest of the gang.

"It's possible." Panda King said. His expression was unreadable.

"Whoa, Bentley, she's got a shock pistol!" Murray pointed to the raccoon-girl's side. The tip of a holster peaked out from under her shirt.

"Dimitri, I think we need to cut this party short." Bentley looked up at the tall salamander. Dimitri merely nodded. He seemed speechless. First time for everything, Bentley thought.

"We need to get some answers from this girl. Murray, can you move her over to the couch? I also recommend we lock all the doors in case she decides to try to run. My sleep darts work for about five to ten minutes, depending on the size of the target. I think she'll be out for nine or ten minutes, she's small." Bentley said. He was still shocked at the appearance of this girl.

"Got it, Bentley!" Penelope said. She locked one of the doors while Panda King, Dimitri, and Guru all locked the other doors. Murray moved the unconscious raccoon-girl onto the couch that was farthest away from any of the doors, just in case. Each member of the Cooper Gang returned and looked down at the raccoon-girl. They waited in silence.