I never knew my father. I spent my childhood making up stories about him, though most would call them excuses. That he was a soldier, off fighting some war. Or a spy, uncovering secrets to save his country. He was always the hero, which is how I reckon I ended up here. Maybe I'm trying to become the man I wish he'd been.

It hasn't been easy. This badge we wear, it goes over your heart for a reason. You wear it as a shield to keep out the darkness we wade through. But it doesn't matter how strong you are, or how thick that armor is. Something will always break through.

I remember this one case a few weeks back. I caught a seventh-grader stealing the metal off of the ceiling sprinkler heads. I figured that he was going to sell the steel; just another kid valuing money over life. That I could understand. I don't like or respect it, but I can wrap my head around it. He told me that he wanted to watch the school burn. He might be too scared to light the match, but he was patient enough to wait.

It gets to you, knowing those are the kinds of people you're up against. Truth is, I'm tired. But how can you sleep if all you see when you close your eyes is a kid hoping for the world to go up in flames?

"Bennett," Yen said as she and her partner headed down the main hallway. "Are you okay?"

Bennett cast her a sideways glance. "Sure. Just thinking."

Yen waited a few seconds, then said, "Are you really going to make me ask?"

"I was remembering that interview I did with Courtney."

"The one that she cut out because it gave the test audience an existential crisis?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Why's that on your mind?"

Bennett admitted, "This just isn't how I pictured our last day here."

"Really? You didn't figure stopping a supervillain was in the cards?"

"I knew it could be. I just hoped it wouldn't. I guess I wished…" Bennett chewed his cheek and admitted, "I wished we'd just have a calm day for once. And just hang out."

"Awwww," Yen beamed while wrapping herself around Bennett's right arm. Her eyes lit up as he stiffened in shock. "Well if it's any consolation, despite the madness all around us and nearly getting sacrificed by the Dark Brotherhood, I'm still having fun with you."

"Really?"

"I always do," she promised. "And this is not our last day here. We're gonna catch the Grade Snatcher and save this place."

Bennett's slim smile faded. "It's just…" his voice trailed off as they approached the entrance to the R.M.S. post office. He swallowed hard and changed the subject. "Let's get this done." Bennett gripped the doorknob to the usurped teacher's lounge and gave a futile twist.

"It's locked?" Yen asked.

Bennett cocked his head. "Yeah. That's weird." He pounded on the door and said, "This is Captains Stone and Ito with the hall monitors. We need you to open up."

A few seconds passed. Yen and Bennett traded confused stares, then Yen pulled a master key from a pouch on her kit belt. With a twist of her wrist, they headed inside.

Bennett and Yen halted a few steps into the lobby, in between the walls filled with P.O. boxes. Dead ahead stood a long grey counter. Behind it rested a few tables covered in sorting bins, packages, and packing supplies. While Bennett took stock of the scene, Yen studied the post office live action role players' ill-fitting uniforms.

Bennett asked the workers, "Why was the door locked?"

The students stopped organizing packages and turned to their leader. The dark-skinned seventh-grader with a curly black mohawk explained, "In case you haven't noticed, the halls are a mess. We're trying to keep this place locked down until the rioting stops."

Yen said, "Didn't you hear us?"

The girl answered, "Look, anyone can say they're hall monitors. We're not taking any chances today. But since you're here, what do you need?"

Bennet approached the counter. "You all delivered a package to Snake Eyes last Friday. It's critical that we find out who sent it."

The girl shrugged while walking towards Bennett. "We're just package sorters. None of us know how to do that."

Yen asked, "Well where is someone who can help us?"

"Nearly everybody is out rioting. Only us and the postal inspectors showed up to work."

Bennett asked, "Well where are the inspectors?"

"Out on a case. They wouldn't tell us where."

Bennett mulled this over, then asked, "What's your name?"

The girl waited a beat longer than expected before answering, "Jamila."

"Look, Jamila," Bennett said while pointing at a computer behind the tables. "We really don't have time for this. Maybe I can figure out how to trace the sender. Can you just log me in?"

The girl shifted on her feet. "We, uh, don't know the password. You should just go find the P.I.s."

Yen said, "One of them is Roderick Ward. We've worked with him on a case before. He told us that every postal worker has to log into that system to punch in and out. So how do you not know the password?"

"It's been a stressful day!" a spectacled preteen shouted from the back. He ran a shaking hand through his black crew cut and said, "The code is just a random series of numbers and letters. None of us can memorize it. But we have it written in that storage room," he pointed at a nearby closet. "I'll go get it."

"No!" Jamila warned. She pointed at a nearby blonde. "Isabelle, you get it."

Yen's heart raced as she watched the spectacled kid's face fall. Her blood chilled as she noted the smudges of brown on Jamila's index finger. With one smooth motion, Yen ripped the plastic handcuffs off her kit belt, slammed them oto Jamila's wrist, and pulled her onto the counter that separated them.

"They're not postal workers!" Yen shouted while slamming her fist into the startled preteen's left eye.

"Dang it," Bennett groaned while grabbing the girl's collar and wrenching her onto the floor. He knelt on her back, clasped the dangling cuff around her free wrist, and spun back towards the counter. He had just enough time to watch a one-hole puncher spiral into his forehead.

"Agh," Bennett moaned while stumbling backwards and tripping over the immobilized girl. He crashed on top of her as blood gushed over his left eye.

"Bennett!" Yen screamed in horror while Isabelle leapt forwards and glided across the counter. She slammed the pistol-like packing tape dispenser onto Yen's right arm and spiraled around her before she could react.

"Take care of him!" Isabelle ordered her two partners while encasing Yen in the adhesive. The boy with glasses stayed rooted to the floor while a seventh-grader with a mullet sprinted around the counter.

Yen grit her teeth as her arms were quickly squeezed against her side. She awkwardly thrust her right hand into one of the pouches on her kit belt. She managed to withdraw a pair of scissors, angled them upwards, and sliced through the tape.

Isabelle reeled in shock as Yen burst free of her restraints. The girl threw a poorly aimed punch that Yen easily dodged and countered with a headbutt.

While Isabelle crashed to the floor, the boy with the mullet was surprisingly all business. He pounced on a dazed Bennett while he tried to stem the flow of blood down his face. Bennett grit his teeth, steadied his breathing, and watched as the boy aimed a haymaker at his nose.

At the perfect moment, Bennett swung his head to the side. His attacker's fist breezed just past his temple and slammed into the floor with a sickening crack. While his attacker clutched his broken knuckles, Bennett thrust a knee up into his groin.

Yen rubbed her throbbing forehead and glared at the last boy standing. The panicky sixth-grader raised a pair of trembling arms into the air. "Wait!" he pleaded. "I'm not with them!"

Yen studied his frantic face before warning, "Then don't move an inch." After the boy nodded, she risked a sideways glance at Bennett. While he wobbled to his feet, she ripped Tom's rope from her kit belt and cut it into thirds. Yen tossed two pieces Bennett's way and said, "Tie your two up."

Yen kept her eyes on the surrendering sixth-grader while she knelt down and hog-tied Isabelle. "What's your name?"

"Rick."

"Okay, Rick. Mind telling me what the heck you all are doing here?"

"Like I was saying, I'm not one of these people. They're-"

While Bennett began to tie up Jamila, she growled, "Not another word!"

Bennett noticed Rick recoil in fear. "Yen," he began to ask.

"On it," she assured him while hopping over the counter. She spotted a pile of empty mail carrier bags and said, "This will do." She quickly cut the leather straps off and leaped back into the lobby.

"Two for you," Yen said while tossing two straps towards Bennett. He immediately wrapped one tight around Jamila's mouth and muffled her increasingly furious swears. "And one for me," Yen said while gagging Isabelle.

While Bennett started tying up the boy with a fractured hand, Yen crossed her arms and glared at Rick. "Alright, kid. Start talking."

From across the room, Bennett warned, "And make it quick."

Rick gulped and explained, "This all started because I'm in the school band. I play a mean recorder. My solo won us a competition to perform at Arlington National Cemetery on the Fourth of July. The only problem was that after all the foam wars, Principal Clarke school couldn't afford our plane tickets out there. So we launched a fundraiser and tried to sell candy bars.

"No one would buy a single one. I had no idea why until I got hungry and tried one. It tasted like sad chalk. My brother Dale, he wants to be a baker. He came up with the idea of making our own version to sell. It worked like a charm, until the Candy Cartel caught on to us."

Bennett's face fell. He cinched the final knots around his prisoner and glanced at the restrained kids. "Wait, are these idiots Candy Cartel?"

Rick nodded. "Three days ago, Dale and I got a letter that warned us to stop what we were doing. I told Dale that we should listen, that the trip wasn't worth the risk. He didn't say anything for a long time, then grabbed his backpack and stormed out. I haven't seen him since."

Yen and Bennett shared a concerned glance. Yen asked, "You haven't seen your brother for three days?"

Rick cringed and nodded. "I figured that he must have kept selling our goods, so the cartel kidnapped him. I spent two days trying to find dealers who buy their product. I finally found one this morning, who put me in touch with her," he motioned at Jamila.

"She told me that if I wanted to get my brother back, I'd have to help them. Apparently they've been using the post office to deliver their goods. But most of the postal workers are out rioting, not delivering mail. With the school year ending and auditors coming, they needed to get their inventory back. If I helped them, they'd give me Dale."

Yen said, "Kidnapping someone for three days is a bit much, even for R.M.S. Why didn't you call the cops?"

Rick scoffed. "Do you have any idea what happens to people who cross the Candy Cartel? My cousin's brother's sister's cousin had an unpaid debt. His best friend in the world was a baby tarantula. Do you wanna guess what he found under his blanket the night after his score was due?"

"Not really," Yen admitted.

Rick turned away and scrunched his face to keep the tears at bay. "Eight furry legs and one missing cephalothorax. So no, I did not go to the police."

Bennett glanced at his watch. "And your parents haven't noticed that your brother's been missing for three days?"

Rick wavered, then admitted "No parents. Just my grandma. I've been able to fool her. You see Dale's not just my brother. He's my twin. I've been pretending to be both of us for seventy-two hours. I am so tired."

Yen asked, "So where's your brother and the rest of the cartel?"

"I don't know." Rick pointed at Jamila. "She said she'd tell me after we got their stuff back."

Bennett ungagged the girl. She gasped for breath and said, "Save it, dickwad. I don't know where they are. We operate in cells."

"And if I don't believe you?" Bennett asked.

Jamila rolled her eyes. "Then I'm guessing you'll waste a half hour torturing me before I come up with some nonsense answer to make you stop. Not good for either of us."

"Yen?" Bennett asked while facing his partner.

"Just gag her," she said before turning back to Rick. "Is there anything else that you can tell us?"

Rick jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the supply closet. "There was only one kid working here today. We locked him in there, then took the spare uniforms inside."

Yen ordered, "Get in there, free him, and change into your regular clothes. I'll take Bennett to the nurse's office, then we'll meet back here."

"No," Bennett protested. "Nurse Holt is overwhelmed and we're short on time."

Yen's voice grew stern. "Your head is a mess, Bennett."

Bennett touched his wound and pulled away a fresh slick of blood. "I feel fine." He turned to Rick and asked, "Is there a first aid kit back there?"

Rick said, "This is R.M.S., so probably." He looked under the counter and said, "Ah, got one." He tossed Yen a large box sporting a red cross.

Bennett asked Yen, "Can you help me bandage it?"

Yen grumbled, "Fine. But one more injury and I'm tapping you out." While Rick headed into the supply closet, Yen and Bennett walked towards the corner of the room near the entrance. She knelt on the floor, opened the first aid kit, and told Bennett, "Take a seat."

Bennett groaned while plopping down in front of her. She studied the inch-long gash over his left eye while ripping open a packet of alcohol swabs. Yen dumped them into her right palm and offered Bennett her left. "This is going to sting a lot. Do you want to hold my hand?"

He stared at her palm and quietly said, "I can handle it."

"But you don't have to," she assured him.

Bennett sighed and clasped her palm. As soon as the alcohol touched his skin a surge of fire rocketed behind his eye. He squeezed her palm as hard as he could and clenched his jaw.

"Sorry," Yen's voice broke.

"Don't be," Bennett answered through gritted teeth. Yen pulled away the swabs and quickly placed a stack of trauma pads over the wound. The fire in his skull was doused and Bennett found himself speaking easier. "Things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't figured out they were imposters."

Yen managed a smile while taking her hand back from Bennett. She grabbed an elastic bandage and wrapped it around his forehead. "Well, you leapt into action pretty quick. Thanks for trusting me."

"That's what partners do," he told her.

Yen finished her wrap and taped it in place. She sat down next to him and glanced at the supply closet; Rick was still inside. "Since we've got a minute, what were you going to say back in the hallway?"

Bennett huffed and shook his head. "Do you ever think that this school has gone completely off the rails?"

Yen considered the question for far too long. "Do you mean because a mafia kidnapped Rick's brother?"

"Yes, Yen. That's a very large part of it."

Yen said, "I guess when your baseline is a two and a half week foam war, it takes a lot to consider things absurd. But yeah, R.M.S. might be getting out of hand." She studied Bennett's solemn face and asked, "Are you saying we shouldn't save this place?"

"You were the one who told me that I should spend more time at our school. That I couldn't grow if I kept hiding out here."

"True," Yen agreed. "But just because you shouldn't use this place as a crutch doesn't mean you can't be here at all. Or that we let it die instead of fixing it."

Bennett wasn't sure what to say.

After a moment Yen went on, "I've been so proud of you the past couple months. I've loved seeing you open up to the R.O.T.C. kids."

Bennett glanced towards the nearby counter. He spotted Rick, now clothed in jeans and a T-shirt, step out with a postal worker behind him. He started to rise to his feet, stopped himself, and said, "Thanks for always being there."

Yen smiled as Bennett stood up and gently pulled her to her feet. They approached the counter at the same time as Rick and the boy he'd freed.

Bennett offered a nod to the petite sandy-haired kid who'd inadvertently delivered him a bomb months before. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the postal worker answered while rubbing his chafed wrists. "Since it was four on one, I didn't fight back. They just tied me up. I'm sure glad you showed up." He cast Rick an angry glance. "And that you had a change of heart."

Yen said, "It's a long story, but he's not cartel. We're going to save his brother, but we need your help with one thing first."

Bennett nodded and asked the postal worker, "Can you help us figure out who sent a package that was delivered to Snake Eyes?"

The boy shook his head. "Only postal inspectors know how to do that."

Bennett asked, "Can you log me into the computers so I can try?"

"I can give you access, but it won't do any good. The system's really complicated. Your best bet is to find P.I. Ward."

Yen said, "Fine. Where is he?"

"He'd heard rumors that the Candy Cartel has been using the mail to deliver their goods. He and his trainee Evi found out that they were holed up in the cooking lab. They were going to bust them there."

"That makes sense," Rick agreed. "The cartel must've kidnapped Dale so he would make them candy bars."

Yen said, "This is perfect. We save Dale, meet up with Roderick, then he tells us who sent that package."

Bennett nodded in agreement. "Let's all get moving. Rick, are you up for this?"

"Of course," the boy agreed.

"Wait," the postal worker urged. "I've always wanted to be a postal inspector. This is my chance to prove to P.I. Ward that I can handle the job. Can I come?"

Bennett looked to Yen, who said, "We could use the backup."

"Okay," Bennett agreed. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Corey," the boy eagerly answered.

"Welcome to the team, then," Bennett said. He unclipped the walkie-talkie from his kit belt and activated it.

"This is Captain Stone. We've got three hogtied members of the Candy Cartel inside of the post office. We need an urgent pickup to bring them to Clarke. Stone out."

While Bennett and Yen silently led the group down the halls, Rick leaned towards Corey. "Sorry I tied you up, by the way. I didn't have a choice; I'm just trying to save my brother."

Corey offered a huge smile. "Are you kidding? This is the best day of my life! Up to now I've just been a postman. Everyone else around here is always solving crimes, going undercover, or getting sacrificed by a cult. Thanks to you, now I'm facing off against the Candy Cartel and am on track to become a postal inspector."

Rick asked, "What do P.I.s do, anyway?"

Corey said, "They're like police, but so much cooler because they work for the post office. I like to think of mail as the blood that courses through civilization's veins."

Bennett glanced over his shoulder and said, "Let's keep it down. We don't need to draw any stray rioters' attention." He turned to Yen and quietly said, "So…"

Yen waited a moment, then asked, "So?"

"About the Reserve Officers Training Corps-"

"Oh my gosh," Yen laughed. "Are you the first person to ever use the full name?"

"Yen."

Rick said, "You guys are being louder than we were."

Yen ignored him and said, "It's just that this is R.M.S. All we do here is use acronyms."

Bennett spat out, "I'm trying to tell you that I'm going to join next year."

"Seriously?" Yen beamed. "I could not be more proud despite you picking the absolute lamest club at R.H.S. And we have a freaking geology society, Bennett."

Corey shook his head. "Geology is so lame. I like to think of rocks as the bones of civilization."

Rick agreed, "Bones are stupid."

Bennett ignored them and told Yen, "The thing is that on I.O.P. -"

"Hold that thought," Yen said. She stopped before a left turn at the end of the corridor. "We're nearly there."

Bennett sighed as he peeked around the corner. A few doors away rested their target - the cooking laboratory which had once housed Chez Chic. The group plastered themselves against the wall and dropped their voices.

Corey asked, "So what exactly is the plan?"

Bennett explained, "We'll need to get a sense of how many people are inside."

Yen lamented, "We could really use one of H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S.'s motion detectors."

"We'll make do," Bennett assured her. "I'll sidle up to the door and listen through-"

A paper airplane flew into his temple and interrupted his planning. The group stared in surprise as it fell to the ground.

"That's weird," Yen said while scooping up the paper. She unfolded it, realized it contained a note, and read it aloud. "Be quiet and look up."

Four heads craned towards the ceiling. Tiny motes of dust rained from gently rumbling ceiling tiles. The trail of fiberglass headed straight towards the group. They all watched as the tile directly above them pulled back to reveal two figures.

Roderick Ward dropped to the floor. He adjusted his charcoal suit jacket before helping his similarly garbed partner lower herself to the ground. Roderick offered the hall monitors a respectful nod and said, "Captain Stone, Captain Ito. Mind telling me what you're doing creeping up on my operation?"

Bennett explained, "We were trying to find you. We have to figure out who sent a package in order to catch the Grade Snatcher."

Yen motioned at the dark-haired boy beside her. "And we promised Rick that we'd help get his brother back. The Candy Cartel kidnapped him."

Bennett's partner patted down her blonde Dutch braids and said, "Man, these guys are ruthless." She turned to her mentor and said, "Glad we're finally taking them down."

Roderick simply nodded and turned to Corey. "Why aren't you at your post?"

The boy flashed a nervous smile. "Yen and Bennett, I mean the captains, said that they need my help."

"Need is a strong word," Bennett clarified.

Roderick raised his eyebrows but dropped the matter. He motioned at the girl beside him and said, "This is Evi. She's my partner in training. We tracked the Candy Cartel to the cooking lab and were scoping out the best way to ambush them."

Bennett asked, "You were going to take on the entire Candy Cartel by yourselves?"

Yen narrowed her eyes at Bennett. "Taking on an entire evil group without any backup isn't the brightest plan."

Evi said, "H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S. is looking for the Grade Snatcher, and the hall monitors are all busy dealing with rioters. It was take them on alone or let them go."

Rick suggested, "Well we're all here now and we're after the same thing. So why don't we team up to take them down?"

Evi looked to Roderick, who only took a second to consider the offer. "There's no reason not to."

"Great," Yen said. "But do you have any idea how many kids are in there?"

Evi said, "We haven't been here long, but we heard about a dozen voices."

Bennett said, "Yen and I can take at least three people each. Roderick, are you good for the same?"

The postal inspector nodded and said, "Evi's already finished her combat training. She can take a couple. Corey, you?"

The boy gulped and then plastered a smile onto his face. "I've never been in a real fight, but I managed to survive a couple days over winter break."

Rick said, "I'll do my best, but I got taken out right after Forrester's announcement. And I just hid when we heard about the Secret Foam War."

Bennett considered their odds. "We should be evenly matched. We can improve our chances by dropping down from the ceiling. That'll give us the element of surprise."

"No," Yen protested. "Everyone knows by now that ceilings are a weak point. The cartel will be prepared for that."

Bennett sincerely asked, "Do you have a better idea?"

Yen nodded. "Yep. But I'm going to need a pallet jack, giant box, packing peanuts, ketchup, rope, and for you to get out of your comfort zone."

Bennett warned, "Yen."

Yen coolly said, "Bennett."

Bennett narrowed his eyes.

Yen raised her eyebrows.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Bennett asked, "Will it work?"

"Yes. Trust me."

Bennett sighed and said, "Do everything she says."

Yen eagerly rubbed her hands together and barked orders. "Corey, go get the box and packing peanuts from the post office. Evi, grab a pallet jack in the loading docks. Roderick, take a giant tub of ketchup from the kitchen and buy all the butt posses you can afford. Rick, head outside and skirt around the school. I need you to watch the emergency exit in case any cartel members make a break for it. Bennett, you and I are going to get in character."

Bennett took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and rapped his knuckles against the cooking laboratory's door. "This is Bennett Stone and Yen Ito out here. We're hall monitors, but we're not here to arrest you. We just want to talk, and you're going to like what we have to say."

Hushed whispers could be heard beyond the door, then a gruff voice asked, "And what makes you think we'd trust a word that comes out of your mouth?"

Yen said, "Because we've got a special present for you. Just take a look and if you don't like it, we'll walk away."

More whispers, then the voice warned, "If we don't like it you won't ever walk again. Now stand against the wall behind you."

Yen and Bennett did as they were told.

The door opened a crack and a scowling eighth-grader with short brown hair peeked his head through. He narrowed his eyes at the hall monitors' offerings. Bennett held a rope leash that ended in Bennett's tied wrists. Yen gripped a pallet jack atop which sat an enormous cardboard box.

The cartel member growled, "What is this?"

Yen answered, "This postal inspector and his team came to us. He said that they had tracked the Candy Cartel down to the cooking lab and needed our help to take them down."

Bennett chimed in, "He warned us that some of us might not make it out. That got Yen and I thinking. We've spent the past six months getting our asses kicked while trying to save this school. And after all of that, what do we have to show for it? The auditors will be here in a little over an hour. This school is finished."

Yen added, "Everything we've been through was for nothing. So we figured it's time to try something new."

The cartel member stared at the pallet jack. "What's in the box?"

Yen flashed a devious grin. "Let us in and you'll see."

The cartel member retreated back inside. Yen and Bennett traded nervous stares, then the entrance swung open.

Yen grinned while maneuvering the pallet jack through the doorway. Bennett gripped Roderick's leash, followed her inside, and took a look around.

Chez Chic had long ago been dismantled. The former kitchen and prep area was largely intact, but the dining room had been reassembled into a standard classroom. Ten cartel members sporting scars and scowls sat on chairs and leaned against corners. A beady-eyed thirteen year-old with a horseshoe mustache sat at the teacher's desk. His prime location, white dress shirt, and two flanking bodyguards solidified his status as head honcho.

Deeper in the kitchen, a boy the spitting image of Rick stood over a melting pan of chocolate on the stove. A lone cartel member lazily watched him before they both turned towards the commotion in the classroom.

The boy escorting Bennett and Yen knelt before the don. "Sir, these two hall monitors want to talk to you."

The boss leaned back in his leather office chair while the cartel members formed a loose circle around Bennett and Yen. He grabbed a rocks glass off the desk, swirled the brown liquid inside, and took a slow sip. With a deep Yucatán accent, he said, "You may call me Sugar Devil. Now tell me, why should I believe anything you maderos have to say?"

Bennett answered, "Because we're sick of being the good guys and going through hell for nothing. When summer break is over, we want to help you and earn a piece of the pie you're cooking."

"It's actually chocolate," Dale distantly corrected.

The don flashed Dale the back of his hand. He told Yen, "An interesting proposal. Except this school will not exist next year."

Yen said, "You're right. But judging by that kickass mustache, you're an eighth-grader. That means come fall, you're not going to be on the top of the food chain anymore. You'll be a freshman who will need some powerful friends to help you sling your sugar."

Bennett added, "And if by some miracle the Interschool Outreach Program continues, maybe we'll try being hall monitors at another school. We can move your product there."

The Sugar Devil shifted in his seat and considered their proposal. "What you say…it is intriguing. But I only work with those I can trust."

One of his bodyguards spat a wad of gum onto Yen's shoe. "And we ain't never gonna trust no hall monitor."

Yen smirked. "That's why we brought these gifts. They'll change your tune." With the entire cartel's eyes on her, she rolled the pallet jack towards the teacher's desk.

Roderick tugged on his restraints and tried to reach the box. Bennett yanked on the rope and shoved the inspector down onto his knees. "We wanted to bring you his partners to do with as you please. But they weren't as easy to wrangle as this one." He smirked and said, "We hope you like what we did with them. When Yen is angry, she tends to get…creative."

Roderick's visceral screams were muffled by his gag. Tears rolled down his cheeks while the cartel members traded nervous glances. The don slowly rose from his chair. "What are you talking about? What did you do to them?"

"Every dark dream I ever had, I made real," Yen purred while maneuvering the pallet jack right against the desk. All the cartel members gave her a wide berth. "Every ounce of pain I was ever racked with, I made them feel. We can be part of your cartel. And this proves it!"

She opened the box.

The Sugar Devil stared into two pairs of vacant eyes. Splatters of red liquid framed the two slack-jawed heads peeking out of an ocean of styrofoam peanuts.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" the Sugar Devil screamed as one of his bodyguards projectile vomited into a cartel member's face.

The room fell to chaos as children retched, fainted, and screamed. The Sugar Devil grabbed a duffel bag of money at his feet and shoved his way towards the kitchen's emergency exit.

"NOW!" Yen screamed while Corey and Evi leapt out of their box. They each tackled a catatonic cartel member while Bennett grabbed his scissors out of his kit belt and slit Roderick's restraints. The postal inspector ripped his gag free and went after the don.

Bennett elbowed a hysterically sobbing gang member in the throat, kicked a second in the crotch, then drop kicked a girl wiping puke from her face.

The Sugar Devil sprinted through the kitchen while screaming, "El Diablo el Azucar no sobrevivirá en prisión. ¡Tiene demasiados enemigos!"

Roderick tackled him just before the don reached the fire door.

Dale watched the Sugar Devil bounce off the floor. The cartel member near him went to attack Roderick, but Dale shoved him aside and sprinted out the exit.

Rick hunched his shoulders against the rain and nervously gulped at the muffled sounds of bedlam. He made out approaching footsteps, steeled himself, and tackled a fleeing boy right as the fire door flew open.

"Where's my brother?" Rick shouted as they both rolled through the mud.

"Rick?" his twin asked in disbelief.

"Dale?" Rick said before sighing in relief. Still on the ground, he wrapped his brother in a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh, you're alive!" He quickly laughed and said, "Sorry about tackling you. I thought you were one of the cartel members."

Dale's instinctive embrace loosened. "I have to get out of here."

"It's okay," Rick assured him while getting to his feet. He offered his brother a hand and said, "They can't hurt you anymore."

Dale gulped and grabbed his brother's hand.

While the rest of his team tied up the defeated mafia members, Bennett frantically looked around for Rick's brother. After failing to find him, he stormed into the kitchen. Bennett knelt beside the Sugar Devil, who was pinned under Roderick's knee. While Roderick began to hogtie him, the hall monitor asked, "Where's Dale?"

The boss groaned while the knots around his wrists were cinched tight. "No sé," he spat. "He probably slinked away like the snake he is." He suddenly stared at Roderick with vigorous fervor. "Free me. If you keep me out of prison, I'll help catch him. I'll tell you all his secrets!"

Rick stumbled in shock as Dale yanked him towards the ground. His brother tried to let go of his hand while jumping to his feet, but Rick kept a firm hold. The two brothers tugged against each other; neither able to move.

"Dale, what's gotten into you?" Rick asked. "You're safe."

"No I'm not!" Dale shouted while pulling harder. He yanked free and ran just as the fire door flew open.

"He's cartel!" Bennett shouted while sprinting past Rick. Yen dashed outside and caught up just as Bennett leaped through the air and collided with Dale.

Both boys tumbled through the mud. Dale managed to slip out of Bennett's grasp but was shoved back to the ground by Yen.

Rick joined the commotion and asked "What are you two doing?"

"He's one of them," Yen said while Bennett clambered onto Dale's back and pinned him in place. Yen started hogtying him with her last piece of rope.

"No. No!" Rick shouted. "That's not possible."

Bennett explained, "Think, Rick. You never got a ransom note. You had to be the one to go find him."

Yen added, "He's been gone for three days. And as awful as the Candy Cartel is, they're not extreme enough to kidnap someone."

Rick pleaded, "Dale, tell them they're wrong." He wiped the rain from his eyes and begged, "Please. You wouldn't do this. Why would you?"

Dale looked away from his brother's desperate gaze. "The cartel would have come after us if we kept selling those candy bars. So I reached out to them. This was your chance, to make something of yourself, to have a better life. You needed to go to Arlington."

"No," Dale's voice quivered. He fell to his knees and hung his head. "I just needed my brother."

Bennett got off the restrained Dale's back. He whipped out his walkie-talkie and spoke into the receiver. "Dispatch, we need another prisoner pickup in the cooking lab. The entire Candy Cartel is secured. You may need to bring some teachers to help; there's a dozen of them."

Yen hooked two hands under Rick's shoulders and gently hoisted him up. "It'll be okay," she assured him. "It's his first offense and at least he had a reason for what he did. Clarke probably won't expel him. Now let's get him out of the rain."

Rick wouldn't meet his brother's eyes as he and Yen each grabbed a pair of restrained limbs. They passed Roderick while carrying the prisoner into the kitchen. The postal inspector walked towards Bennett while the hall monitor pocketed his radio.

"Thank you, Captain Stone," Roderick said while extending his palm. "There was no way Evi and I could have taken the cartel on by ourselves."

"Glad we could help," Bennett said while shaking Roderick's hand.

Roderick said, "Your partner's got great instincts. Her plan worked perfectly."

Bennett was about to agree when his radio crackled to life.

"This is Agent Pakovski," Butch's staticky voice rang out. "The Grade Snatcher sent the zip drive to the R.M.S.P.O.L.A.R.P. and had another package placed in PO box 48."

Bennett sucked in a deep breath while Butch reported that it was up to the hall monitors to save the school. He eyed Roderick with frightening intensity. "Now that the cartel's dealt with, we need to get back to catching the Grade Snatcher. It's imperative we find out who sent a package that was placed in PO box 48, picked up Friday morning, and delivered to Snake Eyes. Can you help us?"

Roderick nodded. "Of course. I can get you that information fast. Let's head back to the post office."

Bennett watched Yen peek her head outside of the fire door and smile at him. Bennett grit his teeth, steeled his nerves, and said, "I have to take care of something here. Can you just radio me on Channel 5 when you're done?"

"Sure thing," Roderick promised before turning around. He offered Yen a respectful nod before disappearing inside.

Once Roderick was gone, Yen asked, "Ready to head inside?"

Bennett motioned at the dry ground beneath the school's awning. "Can we talk first?"

"Sure," Yen agreed. They both plastered their backs against the cement wall. Yen said, "We really should have seen that coming with Dale, by the way. Twins are creepy." Bennett stayed quiet, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Bennett swallowed hard and nodded to himself. He looked into Yen's eyes and said, "There's something I've been thinking a lot about recently. It's a choice I have to make, about you and me, and I've been waffling on it for a while. After we were captured by the Dark Brotherhood, I finally made a decision."

"Oh," Yen whispered. She anxiously fumbled with her ponytail and said, "I've been waiting a while for you to say this."

Bennett cocked his head. "You have?"

Yen grinned and nodded. "I literally could not think of a way to make it more obvious. But it was worth the wait, so spill your guts. I'll let you say this your way."

Bennett straightened his back and said, "You were right. We are going to save R.M.S. But this is still going to be my last day here."

Yen's face scrunched in confused disbelief.

Bennett went on, "The Reserve…the ROTC does color guard on I.O.P. days. So I'm going to stay at our school from now on."

Yen pulled her hand away from her hair and clenched it into a fist. "Are you serious?"

"I'm not much of a jokester, Yen."

Yen glowered at Bennett for a long moment, opened her mouth, and felt her jaw quiver. She considered letting loose every furious and desperate thought that raced through her mind. Bennett watched in confusion until she closed her eyes as tight as she could and instead asked, "Why? You're the one who wanted to come here in the first place."

"I know," Bennett admitted. "Being here these past six months, working with you, it's helped me a lot." He studied the mud near his shoes and admitted, "It's meant everything to me."

Yen's scowl softened an iota.

Bennett shakily admitted, "But I'm exhausted. I'm tired of feeling like I'm one screwup away from destroying the school. Of you and me getting beat up once a month. Of seeing the worst humanity has to offer."

Bennett leaned his back against the wall and slid to the ground. Yen sighed and sat beside him. "We also get to see the best."

Bennett stared into her hazel eyes and confessed, "You're right. I do." He offered a tiny smile. "This place helped me. I needed it. But now I have to let it go." He watched as Yen didn't match his smile. "Are you mad?"

"Yes," Yen snapped. She sucked in a calming breath and said, "No." A moment went by, then she admitted, "A little. I don't want you to keep coming here if you're unhappy. It's just…this is where I met you. Where we spent those two weeks together. In Canterbury and every I.O.P. day since then, we've been surrounded by people. But to me, it always felt like it was just the two of us."

Yen leaned her head against Bennett's shoulder. "Like this place was ours."

Bennett stared down at her, considered wrapping his arm around her, and felt his hand begin to shake.

Yen curled tighter into herself and asked, "Do you want to hold me?"

"Yes."

"Then just do it."

Bennett nodded to himself and put his arm around her. He felt all of Yen's muscles loosen. "You really felt like this place belonged to us?"

"Yeah," Yen whispered. "I really did."

"Me too," Bennett agreed. He gulped and held her tighter. "Which is why I need to leave. I feel like if I don't, I'm going to start to hate this school. And I don't want that to ever happen."

Yen considered that. Bennett eventually went on, "I know we won't have any classes together. And we may not get the same lunch next year. But we still hang out a lot outside of school. We can do it even more. We'll stay best friends."

"That's not enough," Yen said. She pulled her head off of his shoulder. "Everyone has friends. You and I are partners. Promise me we stay that."

"I swear," Bennett immediately answered.

"You have to mean it."

"I always do."

Yen stared into his eyes, sniffled, and nodded. "Okay, then. You do what makes you happy."

She placed her head back on his shoulder. He savored the sensation for a long moment, then said, "I never understood something. Why do you like me so much? You're the coolest, funniest, bravest, prettiest, most loyal, and smartest person I've met. Why…me?"

Yen didn't hesitate to answer. "Because you had a list of nice things about me ready at a moment's notice." She curled against him and said, "You listen to me. You trust me. You respect me."

"Anyone can do that."

"No, Bennett. They really can't."

They sat in silence and listened to the rain. After a while, Yen said, "I'm not going to join the R.O.T.C. Mostly because it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of, but also because I like coming here."

"It always seemed like it," Bennett agreed. "But I could never tell if you were only coming to make me happy."

"At first," Yen admitted. "But I've realized I'm a pretty good detective. I'm considering doing it for real one day."

"You really should," Bennett assured her.

A smile flickered across Yen's lips, then she asked, "Do you think, maybe once a quarter or something, we could take an I.O.P. day just for us? Just go somewhere and sit like this?"

"Yes," Bennett immediately agreed.

Yen tilted her head and stared into Bennett's kind eyes as his walkie-talkie crackled. Yen sighed and gave Roderick's voice her focus.

"Captain Stone? I've looked into the package that was delivered to Snake Eyes and the one in that PO box. They were both delivered to our school last Thursday morning by the Retroville Post Office. I'm referring to the one outside the school run by adults. The package numbers was TT0320808 and TT0268397. That's all I can do. Good luck."

Bennett unclipped his radio and said, "Thanks, Roderick. We'll handle the rest." He watched as Yen pulled her head off his shoulder and cracked her neck.

She stood up and offered him a hand. "Ready to get back to work?"

Bennett nodded and let her hoist him up. He switched his walkie-talkie's channel and said, "This is Captain Stone. Yen and I have gotten more information about the grade snatcher. Meet us at H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S. headquarters and we'll fill you in."