Till We Meet Again

2. Trapped

When a child is punished for their honesty, they begin to lie

-Unknown

Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. Vivian's footsteps echoed across the clean marble floors. Her lips were pressed together, her hands clasped in front of her. She was going to the Faculty, to tell them about Carmen Sandiego being in their custody, about how helpless and pathetic she looked. 

But Carmen Sandiego didn't look pathetic. On the contrary, the Red Hat looked strong throughout. Except for the last few minutes, when Vivian told her about the orphanage. She pictured the scene again. Carmen Sandiego's eyes were wide, mouth dropped, and limbs limp in the chair. Of course, the less said about Vivian's appearance, the better. 

And, there it was. The huge, green double doors that led to VILE's Faculty Table. Vivian pushed, and the doors slowly swung open, creaking on the way. And there, in all of their glory, sat the Faculty. Coach Brunt, Professor Maelstrom, Countess Cleo, and Dr. Bellum. The last chair remained empty. 

Vivian had never met Shadowsan, but had heard stories from El Topo. Said he was as stealthy as an actual ninja. How Vivian wished to have been able to study under him. But he was a traitor, joined forces with Carmen Sandiego. And so she hated him.

Vivian's white heels clicked against the floor and her white fox ears twitched. Her tail gently swished from side to side. "Ah, Miss Vivian. Tell us, how does that nuisance look in our custody?" The Professor sat casually, with his elbows on the table and his hand clasped loosely in front of him and his eyes glittered with dark amusement. Vivian let a cocky smile play on her lips as she repeated the lines she rehearsed.

"She looks pathetic. Weak, and helpless. She begged me to let her go!" The Faculty broke out laughing, and Vivian laughed along. Oh, I wish. "And what of the bust?", Countess Cleo questioned once the laughter died out. "It is secured, Countess". A satisfied smile came upon Cleo's face. "Wonderful, Vivian. We all are very proud of you as our initiate. You managed to do what none have done. You cought the Red Thief" "And I see you're using your costume well!", Dr. Bellum added. This beautiful white fox costume was a gift from Bellum herself, with sensors for the tail, allowing it to move as Vivian wished without her having to touch it. Plus it was always a good pillow for overnight capers. 

Vivian took a curtsy and with a swish of her tail, she spun on her heels and click clacked her way out.

Meanwhile, Player was having the biggest of panic attacks in the boys toilet. Carmen was stuck in VILE, Zack and Ivy were laying low in Rome, and he was still trapped in school. And he had chemistry! And so there he was, crouched underneath a urinal, gritting his teeth. He ran a hand through his dark hair and tried to control his breathing. Carm is going to be fine! She escaped once, surly she'll be able to escape again! 

The bell rang from the speakers outside, and Player straightened up. Next was geography. There was no way he was gonna miss geography. He stood in front of the mirror for a moment, assessing whether he was presentable or not. His reflection mimicked him as he tilted his head to the side. He sighed and walked out.

He barely had sat down in his seat when the geography teacher swept into class. Ms Fiona, Player's geography teacher, was a young, bright woman with a love for geography. She was Player's favourite teacher. She had large circular glasses that often slipped down her nose. She had reed thin limbs, but made up for it by wearing flowy outfits everyday. Today, she wore a knee length red kaftaan. Below that, she wore a pair of blue palazzoes, that went beautifully with her top. Her hair was a dark brown, and complimented her light skin. A dazzling smile lit up her face as she walked into the class.

"Good morning students!", she said cheerily. No response. No one in Players class seemed to like Ms. Fiona. Player offered her a small smile to compensate. She sent a smile back as she sat down with flourish. "Alright class! Can anyone jog my memory about what we did last class?". Her eyes darted around the class, and Player slumped low in his seat. Of course, that meant he was chosen. 

He internally groaned as he sat straight again. "Miss, we did page 35 in the textbook, China and its geographic features". Ms. Fiona nodded in approval and Player dropped back into his seat. This was going to be a long day. 

16 hours. Or was it 18? Carmen was starting to lose it in the tiny little cell of hers. After Vivian left that morning, the cleaners moved her to a room three floors above the one she was before. Her stomach grumbled in hunger as she paced the room, thinking. 

Her holding cell was surprisingly comfortable. That is, when compared to other holding cells. There was a small bed pushed up to the wall, with a window right above it, from where little-to-no light seeped into the room. A small bathroom was attached, with a sink, toilet and small shower cubicle. Carmen had already taken the sink tap apart, due to sheer boredom. Then she used the gears to try and pick the lock to her room, but it didn't work out.

So she paced, thinking. Just as her legs began to ache, her cell door slid open, revealing Vivian holding a tray of... yikes. With a shudder, Carmen remembered the food of VILE, and found herself feeling slightly nauseus at the gloopy white lump that was piled on the tray. Even Vivian eyed it in distaste as she set it down on the floor. Before leaving, she smiled at Carmen. "Wouldn't want the famous Carmen Sandiego to die from starvation of all things, now would we?". Vivian paused on her way out, staring at Carmen with her stormy gray eyes. Carmen tilted her head at her, causing Vivian to scoff and shut the door with a bang behind her. There was a little rattling, and then silence.

It was suffocating.