Chapter 3: Sky's wild life
Marlene introduced me to the inhabitants of the habitat, penguins. I should have known the place reeked of molted feathers mixed with the smell of raw fish. I wrinkled my nose once or twice, quickly of coarse I never was one to set off a bad impression. Marlene chatted with what I assumed to be male penguins as she called each one as a he, I looked around at the secretiy of the place. Marlene played her cards right about no one ever seeing me here in this seluded face, I smiled gleefully as I saw a flinch that Marlene gave.
" She could be useful though, you know for undercover missions" The short stubby penguin looked like he was going to maul her. Instead he covered his face in his flipper and moaned.
" No way Marlene, there is no way that a human" I gritted my teeth when he empihazed the word, " Could possibly help us on our missions" Marlene tensed up as I saw her cross her arms. I stood up straight and walked closer towards the penguin colony, each of the stiffened up as I aproched.
" Well I don't mean to introde but if I'm not a vauble assest to the missions that you offer, may I stay here and I don't know be your maid or something?" If theres one thing I learned from dad, offer something when the time is nessarcy. They looked up at me, unsure and hopefully taking the offer in, slowly of coarse.
" How so?" His words tempting but on the verge of breaking, I smiled while my tongue was in my cheek, I walked towards the bedraggled table, picked up the cards placed them neatly on the table, took the fish bones and tossed them into the trash can. I walked back to them and smiled in spite of myself, the short penguin which glared at me did seem to be falling for this, however he seemed as if awakened by reality.
" I can also cook meals if you'd like" I gave my all on this last one, one penguin nearly growled and startled me as I stared at the one with a mohawk and a scar. I stepped back just in case.
" Negatory Miss, Rico is our only cook we'll ever have" I must have looked terrible, my only option to get into this house or whatever it was called, was declined. Marlene turned towards me however not in defeat.
" You don't understand Skipper, you see Sky here has no house to return too, and she needs a place to stay" Marlene tried to explain, unfortunely Skipper I believe what is his name is, didn't seem to be buying it.
" Why doesn't she stay with you? She is a girl and mammal after all she'd be perfect for you after the whole Rhonda incident" Marlene flinched a bit at the words to which I narrowed my eyes in confusion at her. Skipper smiled coyly.
" Yes do you still want to braid hair and swim? How do we not know she's a spy" I stared as they all stared at me, untrusting. I felt sweat start to dance down my neck at this point.
" She's not a spy" Marlene excalmed hastly. Skipper crossed his flippers.
" Famous last words Marlene" Skipper said cooly.
" By the way Skippa how can she hear us?" The smallest penguin eyed me supiciouly to which the tallest one looked at me throughly.
" I can explain" as I saw Marlene's mouth putter at his words. I walked closer and sat down, squishing my backpack in the process, I smiled kindly and crossed my legs.
" I was born with a condition that allows me to understand animals, it later occured when I was 5ish I could talk with my pet dog Gill" I explained, they all had different expressions painted on their faces. Rico looked like a dog, his tongue sticking out, The youngest seemed to have a look of rue, while Skipper and the talest glared with uneasy eyes.
" My Grandmother passed the curse to me I'm afraid, she used to have a pet parrot named Polliena she could talk too, I remember Hannah never wondered who she was talking too but I could hear and Polliena speaking." The tallest was writing stuff on his notebook and looking at me shyly, hopefully full of remorse. I cracked a smile as I hoped this would break their hearts.
" A curse eh?" Skipper asked thoughfully.
" My word it is a curse I can understand animals" I crossed my heart, it wasn't a lie and even if it was there was no way I could guess acturely about what they said to me.
" It is a true conditon Skipper, Its ultra rare one out of 1,000,000 get diagonsed with it" Tallest said while showing a picture of a million people with one person shaded out of the bunch.
" What is it benefits?" Skipper asked asecticly, Tallest kept scribbling down notes and stopped abruptly with tap on the paper.
" It's benefits she can communicate with animals, plus she could prove useful for distracting Alice with fruitless contention" I looked at him puzzled, how could he speak more english then I could? I had no idea what he even said either.
" Well maybe just maybe..." Skipper eyed me causiouly.
" What is your name again cadet?" My ears perked up at the word cadet, I tried not to show content on my face.
" Sky sir Sky Bell" I announced. My hands jiggled with excitement.
" Well Bell we welcome you to our HQ on one condition though," He paused waiting for my consent of coarse.
" State your terms" I was having too much fun playing with my tone.
" You can not abslouely cannot! speak of any of our operations or act upon them unless we ask you too, also you can be surrogate chef for Rico" Rico clapped joyfully and grunted, I couldn't help but smile either.
I guess you could say we played ice breaker games, a game of Texas holdem was played that night. I learned all their names Skipper,Rico,Private and Kowalski, Marlene joined in the game as well. I had fun even though I had no intencions of what to do, however thanks to Kowalski who showed me what to play, but was coyish of playing even after seeing my hand, let me win against him until me and Skipper were in the finals.
I made it to 21 and threw my hand in Skipper's face, I hoped I wasn't bragging but upon Marlene's chiding laughter and Skipper's abhorrent expression, I guess I was. At 12:00 at night I pulled out my backpack and grabbed a bag of my favorite thing, Tositos corn chips. I ate a bunch of them while Rico made some fish dip for me to try, I dismissed the object I wasn't too keen on fish just yet.
Private was the first to go to bed, grabbed the bottom chunk in the wall which Skipper referred to as berrings, I looked around to find where I could sleep, I called dibs on the red recliner in the corner. After Marlene left we all decided to call it a night, Rico and Kowalski went to bed while Skipper stayed up to clean the replusive looking coffee table. I climbed to the chair and pulled the lever, I placed my feet on the attached ottoman and let my head hit the chair, as soon as I felt my head hit the leather texture my eyes dropped.
I reopened my eyes when I heard wind peering through a crack in the place, the whissling was getting on my nerves as I saw the open door. I walked over on my tip toes, the wind froze the floors not literally but it should have. As I walked towards the door I heard voices inside of the room.
" She's a kind girl Skippa maybe we should make a room for her?" I heard Private's voice peep up.
" Well we do have that old storage room we don't use anymore" Skipper replied.
" Yes but my calcutions tell me that it is broken due to Rico's Explosive flu incident" I heard Rico laugh coyly. " And there is very many broken fragments of various objects in that room it may take a while to refubish" Kowalski explained.
" Alright Kowalski options for Operation: Renovation" I smiled to myself as I walked quietly back to my chair, it seems like I'd fit in here well.