The Abducted Scandal (An Aru Shah Fanfic)

Great Help

Mini couldn't believe what Brynne was saying.

Then again, she never really believed what someone was saying unless they were specialized in that area.

Brynne was just trying to trick her. Yeah. For sure.

"I'll call her right now. We can find out the truth that way," Brynne said, pressing the screen on her phone. "Hello?"

Mini listened closely. There was a soft voice that answered with a warbly, "Brynne?"

"Oh, hey Malini!" Brynne said, obviously faking her cheerfulness because Brynne never was very cheerful unless she perfected a recipe or she succesfully demolished someone. 

Mini moved closer to hear better although she was practically on the table by now.

"Oh, hi. What brings you to call me?" Malini asked.

"Um, well," Brynne hesistated. Mini shoved her and whispered, "Get to the point."

"Well, like you said previously, the police aren't doing anything," Brynne said.

"What?" Malini asked. Then there was some silence until she responded with an "Oh."

"Well, I was hoping you would join us to investigate ourselves!" Brynne answered. Then she added, "With Mini, too."

"I don't know," Malini said weakly, Mini had to strain her ears to hear that. "I'll think about it."

"Oh, okay. Call me when you make up your mind," Brynne said. Then she hung up.

"How was that proof that she used to be a 'gangster'?" Mini asked.

Brynne rolled her eyes and mimicked being on a call. "Oh hey, I heard you used to be a gangster and cracked people's necks with your knuckles. Could you help us?"

"That's such a violent wording!" Mini said. She couldn't even imagine losing her head off because of someone's knuckles.

"The group was violent!" Brynne said. "She told me how they go rob banks for fun and they practiced cooking chicken with humans!"

"What?!"

"Okay, maybe not the human part. Malini was kind of drunk then," Brynne answered.

"Wait, so she doesn't even know that she told you?" Mini asked.

Brynne nodded. "Now do you see why I can't just ask her if she was a gang member of some sort?"

Mini nodded. Then she turned toward Brynne. "Why was Malini drunk?"

"'Cause of Aiden," Brynne said. "I was actually working at a restaurant and I served Malini and had to take her home because of the state she was in."

The restaurant. Mini remembered it clearly. She once visited and Brynne was such a nuicance because she kept sending dishes back and making them herself so the customer could experience "heaven". Her boss fired her because of that.

"Oh," Mini simply said. Then they just looked at each other in akward silence.

"So, are you in on this idea?" Brynne asked.

Mini nodded. "You already told Malini that I was in on this in the first place, so why not?"

"Good," was all Brynne said before her phone rang. Brynne picked it up eagerly.

"It will help in finding Aiden, even if it's just his body, right?" Malini said as soon as Brynne picked her phone up.

"Yeah."

"Okay then. I suppose I could help you." Then Malini hung up.

Mini glanced at Brynne's face which looked a bit more brightened then usual.

"You do realize she hung up first," Mini said. Even though she was sort of excited, she tried calming herself down with those stupid dialouges.

Brynne just shrugged. "I don't really know how we're able to do this, though."

"Include more people?" Mini responded. "Like, maybe Aru?"

"No offense, but Aru's strikes to me as dumb," Brynne said.

"Your the one who failed all your tests," Mini answered.

"True."

Then came some more akward silence. Mini just waited for Brynne to say something.

"So, should we?" Brynne asked.

Mini shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?"

Mini pranced to the door while Brynne was taking her sweet time and taking a Haribo gummy packet and shoved her crocs on that had hot dogs charms all over them. Mini thought that was ridiculous but Brynne always argued with her about that.

Mini went out, walked over to Aru's house, and knocked on the door.

She listened carefully and heard a whole bunch of pots banging and something must've fell because there was a huge crash and she could sort of hear someone talking.

Mini waited while Aru slowly poked her head out of the door. Aru's face visibly relaxed and stepped outside and shut the door a little too quick.

"Hi," Brynne said, eating on her gummies.

"Can I have one?" Aru asked, holding out her hands.

Mini crinkled her nose at that. "You know how much sugar that has?"

"It won't kill you!" Aru said. 

"Yeah, what Aru said," Brynne agreed. Then she slapped Aru's hand instead of giving something to her. "I'm not giving you any, by the way."

Aru probably didn't hear because she was busy massaging her hand, holding in the pain.

Mini would've laughed but she really didn't feel like it. She felt sort of scared. What were the consequences? Would this kidnapper go after them too? Mini shoved them into the back of her head and faced Aru.

"So, we were wondering if you could help us somehow?" Mini asked.

"With what?" Aru said. Then she looked at Brynne's shoes. "Oh, by the way, nice crocs."

Brynne smiled with triumph.

"We decided to take Aiden's disappearance into our own hands."

"Who's Aiden?" Aru asked.

"The guy who got kidnapped," Brynne said. "Honestly, who doesn't know that? Looks like someone lacks of knowledge."

Mini gave Brynne a knock-it-off signal with her eyes.

"Why would I help you?" Aru said, suddenly sounding cold. Then in a little sweeter voice, "It's not like I know him."

"I'll give you a Haribo gummy," Brynne said, holding one out.

"Just one?"

"Fine, two," Brynne decided.

"I need more than two," Aru answered, looking in disgust with that tiny amount.

"It's better if one person gets some sort of heart problems than two," Mini answered, wacking all the gummies in Brynne's hand to Brynne's mouth. Too much sugar was dangerous. Mini was just being cautious. Plus, Brynne needed that much sugar considering the porportion with all the foods she ate.

"Hey!" Aru whined.

Brynne just shrugged and stuck out her tongue. "I could make you something else?"

Aru pondered that thought for a while. "Sure then."

"So you'll help us?"

Aru blinked and stared into the floor. "Sure then."

"Great!" Mini said. "I think you'll be great help."