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Cheerleader Tryouts in Ten

While the Fifteenth Graders had since graduated, they had been replaced. Their replacements were not brutish individuals who had failed to graduate however, instead they were a trio of bored girls doing a victory lap, a thirteenth grade. What did they do when they were bored? Whatever they wanted.

The trio consisted of Elizabeth Walsman, Liliane Heller and Vanessa Weston.

Elizabeth Walsman was a stocky black girl with a hooked nose. Wearing a pink blouse and a pair of denim jeans, she looked rather innocent, but looks could be deceiving. She had done everything from cheerleading to being a mathlete to being one of her generation's Glamazons, but the fact was that eventually boredom set in and she moved onto something else. That was the same with Liliane and Vanessa. Had going for a victory lap been a bad idea? Probably, but the fact was they wanted to conquer their boredom and while they could accept that they were not quite ready for college or university, they were nowhere near to admitting they had made a mistake.

Taking hold of Kiki by the back of her shirt, Elizabeth snarled: "What are you doing snooping around here, new girl?" She could be friendly if she wanted to, she could even put on a nice face, unfortunately, Elizabeth did not like people snooping around, especially not around the spot her and her friends hung around.

Sighing, Kiki held up what she had found and said: "I'm investigating the principal's stolen duck."

"So Principal Cyclops' duck Front General Gooseworth or whatever it's called was stolen, what does it concern some ninth grader like you?"

"Oh, you know, I love a mystery even a small one." Kiki replied.

"Kid detective?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically. "Sounds like you're a wannabe Lee Ping."

Smiling, Kiki cheerily chirped: "Thank you!"

Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth then inquired: "So, why are you here?"

"I heard someone mention something being hidden here, I am here to investigate if it is the duck. All I found was this." Kiki held up the piece of paper she had found. To her dismay, Elizabeth snatched it from her and ripped it in two.

"Random junk. Some Lee Ping wannabe you are."

Random junk? Elizabeth had not even read it! Was she somehow involved in this?

Staring Elizabeth in the eye, Kiki said: "My name is Kiki Hu-Hagen."

"And I'm Elizabeth Walsman. Don't get on my bad side or you'll regret it."

Don't get on her bad side? Kiki had only just met Elizabeth and doubted she had a good side. If this wasn't her bad side then what was?

Continuing to stare into Elizabeth's eyes, Kiki wished she could read what was going on in the older girl's mind… Or at least, better read what was going on. The most Kiki could read was irritation, but she supposed it was better than nothing. As a little girl, Kiki had once met a man whose eyes had been… dull and empty… like an animal's… He had shown emotion, but ever did his eyes remain that way. It had been somewhat frightening and Kiki now realized that if Elizabeth had such eyes, then trying to read what was going on would be impossible.

"Is that it or may I leave?" Kiki inquired.

Laughing, Elizabeth replied: "No, you have to be punished for snooping around our hangout." Slowly, she began to open a locker and coldly uttered: "Liliane, Vanessa… hold her please!"

After that, Kiki found herself stuffed inside the locker. She could not imagine such a thing having ever happened to Lee Ping, but the fact was, such a thing had happened to him.

Sighing, Kiki proceeded to struggle against the locker door, trying to force it open. It was easier said than done. The door may have been bent in such a way it was a little bit open at the bottom left corner, but unless one was a snake or a rat, one was not getting out that way.

What was she going to do? Thinking for a moment, Kiki texted Hana. "I need help. I'm stuck in a locker."

Immediately, Hana replied with a text of her own: "Where?"

"A dark hallway that looks like some monster would crawl out of."

"Be right there."

Letting out an annoyed huff, Kiki rested her head against the door of the locker. Well, some detective she was proving to be. She may have been interested in mysteries, but did that mean she should have gone about trying to solve them?

Still, what did this note talking about a council and reptiles mean? What council? Student council? And what did it mean by reptiles? Was there some gang called "the Reptiles?" If only she knew Lee Ping or one of the others who had been in on the previous mystery, Kiki just felt like she was out of the loop.

Wait, what was that other council she'd heard mentioned a few times? The Parents Council? Could that have been who the note was referring to?

If it was, then who were these reptiles? Some weird clique that worshipped the Tazelwurm? Maybe, that seemed like a possibility, but she was not exactly sure. There was no way they were some shapeshifting snake-men like in those stories by that American author Howard. That would just be absurd… But then again, wouldn't some people find a cyborg military man as a principal absurd?

What was absurd and what was not? That was a good question. Life was strange and no doubt Lee Ping never expected his life would have gotten as strange as it did, so why was Kiki looking for hers to become just as strange?

Maybe it was because she wanted it to be.

Why? Kiki wasn't sure. Was her life really that boring that she wanted to go through what Lee Ping, Tina Kwee and the rest did? Life was pretty good, why did she want to go through some torture? How old even was that note? It might have been something left over from Lee Ping's days at A. Nigma. He probably had solved it already… But what if it wasn't? What if Lee Ping didn't even know about it?

She did… She was the one who had to solve it… But first she had to figure out where Barrage's wooden duck was and before that she had to be let out of this locker.

Looking at her phone once again, Kiki wondered when Hana was going to arrive when she suddenly heard her friend's voice inquiring: "Kikki? Where you at, girl?"

"Here, Hana!" Kiki poked a foot out of the small hole in the locker.

"Alright, give me a moment! I can get that locker door open… Oh, by the way, the cheerleader tryouts are in ten."

"WHAT?!" Kiki immediately forced her shoulder against the locker door and it jammed open. "What do you mean they're in ten? Shouldn't there have been some sort of announcement?"

Giving a small smile, Hana said: "There was from Carlotta on the news. We'd better go quickly if we're going to make it!"

"You too, Hana?"

Hana only smiled. Having a friend trying out would be great!