Three awoke on her third day in jail with a yawn. Jail wasn't as bad as her parents had told her, but she had a feeling they would be royally upset if they found out.
A glance at the clock outside her cell told her it was 9 in the morning- Marie would be coming to pick her up in an hour. She twiddled her thumbs while sitting on her bed, watching the minutes go by.
After about fifteen minutes, a guard approached her cell and unlocked the door. "Since you're being released today," he began. "You get to sit in the front office until your ride arrives. Good luck, stay out of trouble, and I hope to not see you again."
Three hopped up from her bed and began the walk to the office. She kept her eyes straight, trying to ignore the glares from the few other inmates. When she arrived at the office, she took a seat in a corner of the room, patiently waiting for Marie.
Marie ended up arriving earlier than expected; she entered the office in her typical agent outfit, with a mask and hat to conceal her identity. The receptionist was hesitant to let the young agent go with her, but obliged nonetheless.
"So, how was jail, Three?" Marie asked once they got into her car.
"It was alright. I just stayed in my cell, mostly." Three shrugged. "It was kinda lonely without all of you, though."
"Well, you'll be back now, but Captain is probably going to say you lost all of your skill while in jail, and will subsequently have you train for 16 straight hours."
Three groaned. "I'd rather go back to jail."
The rest of the car ride was quiet as the car sputtered up the hill to the Squidbeak's headquarters. Callie and Eight were waiting outside the front door, waving their hands at the incoming duo. After Marie parked the car in the driveway, Three exited the car and walked towards the two girls.
"Welcome back, Three!" Eight squealed in excitement. "We missed you!"
"Glad to be back," Three answered with a smile as she stepped out of the car. "What's changed?"
"Not much, besides the fact that we've eaten nothing but fish for the past three days."
All of the girls laughed at Eight's comment.
The Captain stepped outside, wearing her usual outfit. "Oh, good, you're back," she said, looking in Three's direction. "Get to training. You're gonna need it."
Three groaned as she shuffled into the house. The other girls followed suit, dispersing to their separate activities. As soon as Marie closed the door, a letter fell through the slot and onto the floor. She quickly reopened the door, but there was nobody there.
With nobody around, she took a quick glance at the envelope. There was no writing on it, which was synonymous with the previous letters from Four. She hastily put the letter into her pocket and walked to her bedroom. Locking the door behind her, she removed the letter from her pocket and opened it.
"Dear Squidbeak,
I bet the Captain misses me. How much does she miss my charming, charismatic, and handsome self?
Sincerely, Four."
Marie cupped a hand over mouth to prevent her from laughing. 'How on Earth could Four say something like that? Captain will kill him!' She thought.
A voice from the hallway interrupted her thoughts. The voice belonged to the Captain.
"I'm going to run a few errands. I'll be back in a couple hours." she announced to the Squidbeak. "You guys better not do anything stupid while I'm out!"
As soon as Marie heard the door close, she left her room and stepped out into the hallway. "Callie! Three! Eight! I have something to show you!" She called out to the rest of the girls.
The three agents ditched their activities and scampered towards Marie, intrigued by what she had to show them. They gathered in the kitchen, sitting around the table while Marie sauntered towards them. Her hands were behind her back as she approached.
"What is it!? What is it!?" Eight asked excitedly.
Marie moved her hands back in front of her and revealed the letter. "Four sent another message." She said with a grin.
The three girls squealed in excitement.
"Did you already read it?" Callie asked.
"Yes, I did-"
A chorus of boos was heard from the other girls.
"I know, I know, I had to make sure Captain wouldn't see this one."
"Why?" Eight asked. "Is it something horrendous?"
"See for yourself."
Marie handed the letter over to Eight, who unfolded it. She quickly scanned the page before cracking a slight smile and began reading aloud.
"Dear Squidbeak,
I bet the Captain misses me. How much does she miss my charming, charismatic, and handsome self?
Sincerely, Four."
Silence filled the room. Callie and Three's mouths were agape in shock. Marie stifled a laugh by putting her hand over her mouth.
"There's no way Four actually wrote that," Callie sputtered in amazement. "There's actually just no way."
"Gimme that!" Three demanded. She tore the letter from Eight's hands and scanned it quickly. "He actually wrote that in a letter. Wow."
"Surely now would be a good time to retrieve him from his mission, right?" Marie asked. "Falling in love with the Captain has got to be code for something."
"WHO'S FALLING IN LOVE WITH ME?" A voice from behind the Squidbeak yelled.
All four girls looked towards the front door. The Captain was standing in the doorframe, glaring at the girls. Three stealthily pocketed the letter.
"Uh, just some random person in Inkopolis jail, Cap." Three piped up.
"How would this person know what I look like?" Captain demanded.
"Not a clue. He was in jail, so maybe something related to that."
Captain raised her eyebrow in suspicion at Three's comment. "I'm not going to bother," she exasperated. She reached for her trademark hat, which was on a hat rack next to the door. "I'm going to go out and finish my errands. Stay out of trouble."
"Yes, Captain." The Squidbeak chorused as she closed the door behind her.
They waited until she was out of sight of the house before cracking up again. Fists clamored against the table as laughter ensued. The Squidbeak couldn't get enough of the letter.
"When Four gets back, we have to make sure he doesn't actually say that to Captain." Callie said as the laughter died down.
"Oh, absolutely," Marie added, chuckling. "Captain would kill him!"