Consequences

Chapter 17

Veronica grabbed Jughead's waist tightly as the trees zoomed by them. It was not often that she rode a motorcycle and this was one of the rare occasions that she was riding on one with Jughead. Cheryl, Fangs and Sweet Pea were not far behind on their motorcycles.

"Do you think these Ghoulies who kidnapped Toni burned down the trailer?" Veronica raised her voice against the roar of the engine and the whooshing of the warm summer wind.

"Most probably," Jughead replied. "Who else would want to burn down our trailer? They probably wanted to kill us in the fire."

Veronica nodded, even though Jughead could not see her nod. She mentally went through the instructions Jughead had given her. She was to lead the way in Lodge Lodge, to uncover any secret passage ways or doors.

The Serpents parked their motorcycles in some bushes near the big beech tree where they had seen the men.

Veronica pressed her hand against a certain spot in the tree and a secret door sprung open.

"No wonder this tree is so big," Fangs marvelled. "It's like a secret entrance."

"The Ghoulies do not know this though," Jughead observed. "That guy took the long way here."

"It's top secret," Veronica said as she took them down the passageway.

Dust rained down on them with every step they took in the dark tunnel. Even with their flashlights, it was hard to see the path in front of them.

"Jeez, you'd think with all the money your parents had, they'd build a better secret tunnel," Sweet Pea groaned as he had to bend his knees a bit to avoid his head from hitting the roof.

"It's a secret tunnel, it's not supposed to be luxurious," Veronica rolled her eyes. "Besides, nobody's used this since decades ago."

The group advanced in the long tunnel until Veronica told them to stop. Apparently, they had to climb a ladder, which would take them into the attic.

She stationed Sweet Pea and Fangs to observe movement in the cabin from the tunnel, where secret telescopes were built to spy on any intruders.

Jughead climbed up the ladder first, with Veronica following, then Cheryl. As Veronica took Jughead's outreached hand to hop onto the attic floor, Jughead felt worry for the petite raven haired princess. She was usually the one who came up with the schemes, not the one who fought in the frontlines. Jughead would have never dragged Veronica into this mess if it was not completely neccesary that they needed her to navigate.

"Alright, Cheryl's in the house," Cheryl confidently declared. "The Ghoulies will be sorry they ever laid hands on my Toni."

At that moment, Jughead made a decision he would probably regret, but he took Veronica's hand. "For safety. Now lead the way."

Surprisingly, Veronica made a decision she would probably regret as well, but she held on to his hand without protest.

Cheryl Blossom smirked as she secretly snapped a photo from behind. "Toni's gonna love this."

She was checking her photo when Jughead turned around. "Cheryl! What are you doing? We're on a mission."

"Oh my apologies, Jughead, my phone is just attracted to cute scenes," she replied brightly.

Veronica rolled her eyes again. "Why are we friends again?"