Mystery's Breath

Chapter 6

Karen led the way up the stairs and to a large room at the end of a hallway. She turned the gold-colored knob and said, "Don't judge."

Skyler tried to look inside the room as the door opened, but she only got a glimpse of blue and gold before an female electronic voice said, "Name and job."

Karen cleared her throat and replied, "Karen, Secret Protector Deputy. Request to enter."

Skyler and Kimberly exchanged a glance as the electronic voice said, "Request granted."

Karen turned and told the others, "Welcome to the official Secret Protectors headquarters. No, don't sit," she said as Skyler tried to sit down on a red bubble chair, "each chair is programmed to a certain member of the team."

Skyler asked, "Who sits in each chair?"

Karen glared at Skyler. "Just because I let you into the headquarters doesn't mean you get to know everything about us."

Skyler replied, "Which one is your leader's chair?"

Karen sighed. "The red one that you almost sat in and the blue one next to it," she said.

"Which one is your chair?" Kimberly asked.

Karen sat down in a periwinkle chair as if to show that it was her chair. "I'm second-in-command, in case you didn't know," she said.

Kimberly asked, "Where can we sit?"

Karen pointed at two metal chairs that had chains wrapped around them. "You can sit there," she told them.

Skyler and Kimberly took a seat. Skyler asked, "Um, what are these chairs used for, exactly?"

Karen smiled. "That's where our unwelcomed guests sit," she said, laughing. Seeing the look of shock on their faces, Karen said, "Okay, that's not entirely true. Most of the time, they are used for guests."

Kimberly closed her eyes and asked, "Do I want to know what they are used for rest of the time?"

Karen's smile broadened. "Probably not," she said.

Skyler cleared her throat. "Can we talk about the Secret Protectors now?" she asked impatiently.

Karen shot an angry look at Skyler before saying, "What good would it do to reveal all our secrets?"

Skyler replied, "We received a note saying that they, meaning whoever took your friends, will kill one of them. The only way to save their life is to correctly guess which kid they're going to kill."

Karen shook her head. "Tell your boss to say Andrew. If they want information, they would threaten Andrew's life," she said in a raspy voice.

Kimberly asked, "Why Andrew?"

Karen lowered her gaze. "Because," she started, but paused before finishing, "Amber won't risk his life."

"So, Amber's the true leader," Skyler pressed, hoping to get more information out of Karen.

Karen looked at Skyler, tears threatening to pour down her face. "I didn't say there was a true leader. They worked together in harmony for two years."

Skyler inquired, "Do you know the reason why the team split?"

Karen said, "Yes, but it is the most closely guarded secret of the team. I will not betray the twins' trust."

"Please, Karen, their lives could depend on it," Kimberly told her, trying to get Karen to tell.

Karen quickly changed. Her eyes became guarded and the tears dried up. "Get out of the headquarters. You are no longer welcome here."

Realizing their mistake, Skyler and Kimberly left the room and walked down the stairs. Mrs. Maylen met them at the door. "Did you get everything you need?" she asked sweetly.

Kimberly stepped outside the house. "Yes. We'll be going now." Skyler followed her and they politely closed the door.

"Well," Skyler exclaimed, "I have never met a person with more secrets and mood swings than Karen!"

Kimberly nodded. "I know. Something's wrong with the whole situation."

Skyler sighed. "Should we tell Masie to say that it's Andrew?" she asked.

Kimberly said, "Yes. We don't know anything about the Secret Protectors. Karen does. After all, she is the second-in-command of the team."

"I guess we could tell her that," Skyler replied glumly. As they were walking away from Karen's house, Skyler saw a bush shiver. She stopped. "Kimberly, did you see that?" She said, pointing at the bush.

Kimberly peered at the bush. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked warily.

A pair of blue eyes stared at the two girls. Kimberly screamed, and a dark figure jumped out of the bush. The sun shone on the dark figure, revealing a tall girl with light brown hair and blue eyes.

"Amber?" Skyler asked in awe.

The girl looked at her, her eyes wide with fear. She took off running into the street and disappeared down a dark alleyway. Kimberly looked at Skyler. "Do you think that really was Amber or someone who looks similar?" she asked.

Skyler shook her head. "I think that was just someone who looks similar."

Kimberly started to nod in agreement but stopped short. "Look at that," she said, pointing at a trail of dark spots leading to the alleyway.

"Is that what I think it is?" Skyler asked, following Kimberly's finger.

Kimberly nodded. "The girl was bleeding."

Skyler said, "Then it had to be Amber. We need to tell Masie."

"We can tell her in the morning," Kimberly replied, "look at the sky." The sun was beginning to set.

Skyler sighed. "You're right." They parted ways and went home for the night.

Notes

Was that really Amber hiding in the bushes, and if so, why is she there? Why do you think the team split? Why did Karen say that they were going to kill Andrew? Is she right? Comment and vote below.

                                                                ~Aria~