Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.

Another update! Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Riddle

The tears stopped and everyone could only stare at where the cloud had once been. They didn't move, not wanting to poke another cloud in case another sad flashback appeared. All they wanted to do was leave, but they didn't know how. Anne-Marie had trapped them in there for what they expected was all eternity. Interfering in her plans was the second thing on their list right now; they needed to get over the death was the first.

"We need to find a way out of here," stated Harry.

Melissa rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah, but how?"

"I have no idea." Harry skimmed his eyes across the newly formed circle and was met with the same confused expressions he was sure he had on his face. "Well, there was an entrance, there must be an exit."

"Yeah, but it's with Anne-Marie, isn't it?" Everyone fixed their eyes on Celeste. "Think about it for a second. She has the box, she has the entrance, and she has the exit. Simple enough, right?"

"We can't get the box from in here, Numbuh 58," Thomas pointed out.

Celeste rolled her eyes. "I know that. What I mean is I think she somehow locked us in here so we would want to get out. She, or whoever made this, programmed it so we could get out. They want us to go to them. When we get out of here, we'll come out of the box. Anne-Marie will probably still have that box, so we'll end up where she is."

"Your point?" Thomas was growing impatient with the explanation.

"It's a trap."

The team, minus Celeste, thought about the circumstances. From experience in the Kids Next Door, they had learned not to underestimate their enemies. They considered what had happened and they all had to agree that Celeste's logic sounded correct. After all, she was the sector's spy.

A menacing cackle came from an unknown source. "Correct, Celeste. So, how can the little spy get out now with us waiting by to trap you?"

"Don't speak to Celeste like that!" Harry yelled. His head was facing the sky and turning aggressively, trying to find which direction the voice came from.

Anne-Marie ignored Harry and continued her maniacal laugh before saying, "You'll have to answer a few simple riddles to get out of here! Okay, what can be eaten but not digested? Good luck!"

"Why would we want to leave if you're just going to trap us?" Kellie questioned.

Anne-Marie only resumed chortling until the laughter faded away, leaving an awkward silence. Everyone was thinking about the riddle and what the answer could be. Everything they had eaten could be digested – no, none of them had kept down the apple pie Melissa's grandmother had made for them a few months ago. The only problem with that was Anne-Marie had never eaten the pie, so how could she have known? There was the obvious solution: broccoli, spinach and every other vegetable they could imagine, but that would be too obvious.

"Have you guys ever heard of the phrase, "Eat your words"?" Truman asked, his eyes on the ground in front of him. He looked up to see everyone staring at him and blushed. "I mean, I heard my English teacher say it in class the other day..."

"Good work, traitor!" Everybody's heart lurched at the high-pitched voice. "That was your one way ticket out of here!"

A sucking sound that reminded them of a vacuum cleaner drowned out Anne-Marie's laughter. A giant gust of wind blew their hair and clothing and they had to close their eyes tightly to stop them from watering. Protecting their eyes, they never spotted the hole overhead that pulled Truman upwards. He screamed loudly and the others opened their eyes just in time to see his legs disappear into the hole. The circle closed and the powerful breeze stopped.

"One down, five to go. What's the worst one, best two and golden three?"

Silence filled the air once again as they all began to think. The first thing they thought of was Numbuhs 1, 2 and 3, but they decided against it. Everyone knew that even though Numbuh 2 was the best two, Numbuh 1 was definitely not the worst and Numbuh 3 certainly had nothing golden about her. Could it be the times of the day? No...

"Wait, remember when we were in second grade and when we were lining up for class we'd say that thing?" Thomas paused, but the others only stared at him blankly. "First the worst, second the best, third the one with the golden dress!"

Without warning, the wind and strange sound started again. They all closed their eyes again just as Thomas was being lifted out of the hole. Kellie, being next to him and feeling his arm brush against her, reopened her eyes and tried to grab onto his leg. It was no use; most of him had been hauled up and her fingers only touched the bottom of his shoe. The blowing ceased and she let out a frustrated screech.

"Sorry, did I take your boyfriend away? Anne-Marie giggled hysterically. The scary face Kellie had inherited from Kuki made her laugh even harder. "Stop getting angry, you're all going to meet in hell anyway. Next one! I waddle, slip and swim. What am I?"

"A penguin. That was kind of obvious." Celeste folded her arms, smirking at the invisible girl.

"Correct! Up you go!"

Celeste's smile dropped as she rose into the air. The wind was more forced than before and anyone could conclude that Anne-Marie had a strong dislike for Celeste. The spy screamed as one of her plaits smacked her in the face and the other came undone. She attempted to reach for the hair elastic that flew into the air, but was swallowed by the hole before she could. Harry caught the elastic and carefully placed it in his pocket, telling himself he'd give it to her later.

"Next! What can follow you, face you, and stand beside you?"

By now, the remaining operatives were wondering whether they wanted to leave or not. They wanted to see if their teammates were safe, but they were also worried about the trap. It made them think of the riddle set before them. Their friends could follow, face and stand beside them. Thinking of the other riddles, however, they deducted that there must be another answer.

Kellie beamed and her eyes lit up. "A shadow! Depending on the way you and the sun are facing, your shadow can be behind, in front or beside you!"

They waited for Anne-Marie to speak, but she never did. Instead, the now familiar sensation of blustery weather came over them and Kellie was pushed into the air. She let out a shriek and held her short skirt down with one hand and her long, curly hair with the other. She didn't show any signs of wanting to get down, but Harry and Melissa weren't bothered by this. They waved as the happy-go-lucky operative disappeared into the hole.

"Four down, two to go! A plane crashed right in the middle of the border of two countries. Which one would be responsible for burying the survivors?"

This wasn't a riddle, this was something to do with adult law and the type of thing the Kids Next Door kept well away from. They wished their parents were there with them to tell them all the answers they needed. This thought made Melissa tear up again as she remembered the last flashback she watched. There was something very strange about this riddle, yet so obvious it was staring at them from right under their nose.

Melissa clicked her fingers. "They can't bury them because they survived!"

"Good! I was wondering if you'd actually get that one!"

Neither of the two left cared when the breeze picked up again and Melissa zoomed through the circle. Even when the hole closed up, Harry kept gazing at it, hoping to join them later. The crazy laugh was the only thing that distracted him from it.

"Just you and me now Harry..." Anne-Marie stretched out his name like she did back in school, the only difference being that it now made him sick every time he heard it. "What's here, now and forever? My love for you!"

"What?" shouted Harry.

Anne-Marie still liked him after all this time? He didn't have time to think it over, though, because he was thrown upwards. The only sound he heard was the nonstop giggling that eventually became inaudible to his ears the higher he went.

Sorry for the crappy riddles, it was all I could think of. Anyway, review and I'll see you next time!