The Mysterious Benedict Society Meets the Mysterious Miss F

Chapter 12

"Highly classified. Highly classified. Highly classified." Dex muttered, his feet pacing back and forth. His hand was buried over his mouth and his mind seemed to be whirling. "Highly classified.... How do I get to highly classified?"

"Can you stop saying highly classified and actually do something?!" Constance almost yelled, both impatient and overly eager.

"I'm trying to think." Dex said, "Aha!" He ran over to his desk again before Constance could reply. He hastily pulled out his drawers, emptying contents and tools Constance didn't recognize. "I used this to find other files a while back for Sophie."

"Why did she need files?"

"Now, this connects to all different intelligent species' records, plus humans." Dex continued, as if Constance hadn't said anything.

"Plus humans?!" Constance began angrily, "Humans aren't considered intelligent species to you?! You don't think I'm intelligent, but the stupid goblin who can't tell the difference from work and vacation is?!"

"I never said you weren't smart, Constance! And how do you think Sophie has survived all her near-death experiences? Let me tell you, if it wasn't for Sandor... anyway, he's very smart, just a bit protective of Sophie." Dex said back, slightly confused at Constance's remark.

"Never mind about the bodyguard. And you literally just said humans aren't intelligent! How am I not supposed to be offended?!" Constance huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, staring down at Dex angrily.

"Constance... you can read minds. Last time I checked, humans can't do that."

"I wasn't talking about me!" Constance cried, although she did include herself as human, but she was also thinking about some other very important people in her life. "I'm talking about my dad. And mostly, I'm talking about my friends. Do you think you and Sophie are the only ones with deathly experiences? Then think again. Because you have never seen my life where every since I was a baby, I've been hiding from the Ten Men and Mr. Curtain! And you fancy elves may have bodyguards, but the Mysterious Benedict Society has survived off our fast thinking, quick problem solving, and wit. And..." Her voice was throbbing with anger, "and 70 percent of that group is human."

Dex looked a little spooked at her sudden outburst, but quickly put back on a calm face. "Look-I" He let out a breath, "I didn't mean you or your friends weren't intelligent. In this society, they just aren't considered 'intelligent species' which basically means they aren't in on the Lost Cities and don't even know we exist. I actually think humans are very smart! I had a chance to study a piece of human technology called an 'I-pod' and it was very interesting! And besides, the Lost Cities definitely has its flaws. Are we good?"

No. "Fine." Constance said, her temper cooled off (for now). "But I don't approve of whoever made these decisions."

"Ha!" Dex said, sounding half sarcastic and half like he agreed. "You're not the only one."

"Anyway, so did you find the highly classified thing, or...?" Constance asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the beginning.

"Oh yes." Dex said, "Let me read it for you. Come over here. Also, you're definitely an elf because... well, can you read this?"

"Joseph Contraire. Age 32 when last seen four years ago." Constance recited the first two lines perfectly.

"Yeah, you're definitely not a human. You can read the enlightened language." Dex said.

"But I never learned it." Constance said, confusement burrowing in her mind. "And this guy is a human. Look." She pointed to the section that said Species: Human.

"Alright, let's keep reading, maybe something in here will help us piece this mystery together." Dex said and started to continue reading. "He grew up in France but moved to the United States after college. It also said he was one of the rare humans to be in contact with the elvin counsel!" Dex gasped, looking at Constance with wide eyes. "They told us there was no human connection! They... they said no human out there even knew we existed! Do you know what this means, Constance?!"

"It means these authorities of yours have been lying to the public for a while now."

"Well, we already knew that with the whole gnomish plague. But this specifically means there are humans out there, right now, who know about us! There are people out there at this moment who have meetings with the council!" Dex exclaimed. "We have to tell the Black Swan!"

"You are not telling anyone anything." Constance hissed, grabbing at his device again. "What else does this say... " Her eyes scanned the device, "Contraire was reported to have been working for a dangerous rebel group, whom at the moment is not very clear, from an anonymous source." Constance looked back at Dex. "Could that be the Neverseen?"

"It could be," Dex agreed, "But it could also be the Black Swan. Up until recently, they thought we had bad intentions."

"Ugh, this is so frustrating." Constance moaned. It was weird to think that her dad, if this was her biological father, could be part of the Black Swan... but it was even weirder to think he was part of the Neverseen.

"However," Dex continued to read, "After coming into contact with a young boy named Keefe Sencen..." Dex was very pale now.

"What?! What happened?!" Constance said worriedly.

"After coming into contact with Keefe Sencen and recieving a sealed envelope, Joseph Contraire was never seen again..."