|| Hana ||
The fact that Shane isn't all possibly guilty and that other people are framing him somehow makes me so happy that I almost scream in Mission Control. All the clues Alicia and the others were able to pick up so points to his innocence, which means... it's legal to fall for Shane. Right?
Everyone's eyes are glued to the main screen. First the cellphone shot. Then the time difference. Then the not black attire, and now the odd blood on his hands. It has to be!
"Let's file this for a later time," Nikki suggests, closing the window. Everyone blinks before snapping into reality. Alicia nods slowly. "Sure."
"Erin should be back in half an hour," Sara says, checking the clock. "I'll search 'Greeves' in our database before she does."
"Good idea," Nikki agrees. "We aren't sure whatever we may find in our sources is necessarily good."
**
|| Nikki ||
Sara grabs a chair next to Alicia and keys in GREEVES in our name database folder. The thing about our name database is that if we hadn't encountered that name before, it won't show up.
Ping! An event link appears under the search box. It reads:
Z. Greeves; 4.5.0X
"Greeves has a criminal record?" Hana whispers in disbelief. Her voice is shaking. "Sara, open it!"
"Right," she replies, and then taps the OPEN button. A news article pops up in place of the link, and she maximizes it with a slide of a finger.
----------------------------------------------------
Zachary Greeves Arrested For Attempted Theft
04/05/xx
36-year-old man, Zachary Greeves, was caught by the national police outside the NVP main building. The police had help from the all-time brave and fearsome Jessica Beckett (26 yrs old) in tracking this thief down, and just in time as well. When the cops pulled up outside NVP, Greeves was attempting escape. The chief of police, Chief Illinois, managed to handcuff him and return the loot--a bag full of jadeites, a very precious gem--to its vault.
"Truly a fearsome fighter, Beckett is," the chief said in police headquarters once the criminal was put safely behind bars. "Despite Greeves slashing her across the forehead, she pulled through long enough to capture him for my men and I to arrive."
----------------------------------------------------
"OMG, I cannot believe this," Sara utters, scanning the report again, "this crime was committed three years ago. This dude has to be Theo's dad."
"Jessica Beckett, the fearsome woman who helped capture Greeves, is the President!" I exclaim, covering my mouth with my hands. "That's how she got that scar, and how she sorta remembered Greeves, the name!"
"But is he still behind bars? I heard that jadeite is crazy expensive!" Hana adds. "Can we check the criminal database?"
"On it," Sara says, minimizing the window and opening another folder. After a while, she says, "Yeah, Z. Greeves is currently behind bars."
"Whew," Alica sighs in relief, and then stiffens again. "Is his son as guilty as he is?"
"I have no idea, but shouldn't we warn Erin?" Sara asks hesitantly.
"Oh, we shouldn't! Not until we have concrete proof!" Alicia insists. "Our techie sister has finally fell for someone, and is happy. We shouldn't end it all because of one or two hunches."
"Yeah, you're right," I agree thoughtfully. "We should investigate further before anything else."
**
|| Erin ||
"Finally!" Theo exclaims, pumping a fist into the air. "Wait, we're done, right?"
"Yep," I reply, unable to hide a grin. "You can go home now."
"How about you?" he asks, pushing his chair away and standing up. We're in the library, and the librarian is out at the moment. If she wasn't, I bet Theo and I would've been sent out thirty minutes ago.
"I...uh..." Unable to find an answer, I leave the statement unfinished.
"You didn't set a ride?" he asks in disbelief.
"I forgot about that. But no worries, I'll phone Sara and ask her to--"
"I'll walk you home," he offers immediately. "Just tell me your address."
"I don't think--"
"Aside from the Green Listener, people call me the Pro Navigator," he states proudly, as if I would consent readily. In truth, I really want him to walk me home, but I don't want him to stay out too late because of me. "Are you sure...?"
"Yep. Meet me outside the school in five minutes. I'll give this to Mr. Grayson first," he says, and then disappears out the doors.
I stash my pens into their case and clear the table of all books that we'd opened for reference. When the librarian comes back, everything is spotless and without a trace of usage.
**
"Took you long enough," Theo comments playfully, jabbing my arm.
"As if you were the one who waited outside for five minutes," I shoot back, rolling my eyes. He raises his arms in mock surrender and says, "Yeah, yeah fine. Let's just go."
We start walking down the street, the road pure black with an occasional glint of metal shards below us. It sorta reminds me of the night sky, or, in a less philosophical term, Theo's jacket, with its black material and its silver zippers.
It's the beginning of winter now, and the evening breeze is cold enough to make me shiver in my favorite blue sweater. No sooner than I'd thought it, I feel a weight settle on my shoulders. Cold metal makes my neck and collarbone tense, but the warmth of the leather makes my blood flow again. "Thanks, Theo."
He flashes me a quick smile and adjusts the front of the jacket to make it fit me better. "No problem."
It's only now that I notice how thin his frame is, and not just like-his-soccer-friends skinny. It's almost as if he's malnourished, but I don't bring it up. He surely can't be underfed. He must even be rich because of his demeanor, but his built says otherwise.
"Take a picture," he says suddenly. I can sense spite in his tone. "It lasts longer."
"Wha--no!" I exclaim, crossing my arms. "You really Iive up to your name, Green Listener."
On that note, we lapse into heated silence until I recognize the gentle pulsing streetlight outside my house. "This is it. Thanks for walking me home. It was really nice of you."
"Again, no problem," he replies, smiling. I return the smile and hug him quickly, and then run into my house.
That was... awkward, I think as I cower behind the door. Why did I have to hug him? OMG I do not want to be one of those bimbo girls, be it in Theo's opinion or not--
I realize that I'm still wearing his jacket. And he's already gone.
YOU ARE READING
The S.H.A.N.E. Game (editing)
Action[ highest ranking: #43 Action ] Sara Williams, Hana Minami, Alicia Denver, Nikki Connor and Erin West – can you guess their acronym? – are not as girly and gentle as their names give away. They are the Maroon Jackets. They are the equivale...
