The Adventures of a Cosmic Girl: Vol. 1

Chapter 12: A Map

Almost running towards them was a lanky boy with brown hair.

"Vine!?" Betty yelped in surprise, momentarily forgetting about the few civilians mulling around the playground.

It was in fact their teammate. Relief seemed spread across his panicked frame as he was able to confirm their identities. In his eagerness to reach his team members Vine tripped on the concrete ledge of the pavilion, and fell to the hard ground.

Betty abounded her spot at the picnic table to help him up, happy to see a familiar face. Conor stayed where he was his eyes narrowing slightly.

As she helped him to his feet Vine blushed abashedly, murmuring apologies under his breath.

"Sorry Cosmic," he muttered.

"No need to apologize Vine," she replied flashing him a sympathetic smile.

As they both basked in the relief of being reunited Conor still remained at a distance, watching the two's exchange as an outsider. 

"Are you two both idiots or are you just trying to blow our cover?" Conor hissed out in a voice too low for others to over hear them.

Betty glanced around anxiously, but the other park patrains seemed oblivious to their less than covert reunion. Confident that they were in the clear Betty turned back to her partner.

"No need to be rude about it," she chided, annoyed by adverse attitude. Conor opened his mouth to respond, but then seemed to think better of it, choosing instead to shoot her a disapproving look. The less mature side of Betty wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but that was far beneath the dignity of a hero.

Betty gentilly led Vine to the table where he took a seat next to her. As she did she noticed the bruises that still dotted his skin from the attack and felt sympathy swell in her. Conor's eyes didn't leave him as he sat down, his frown deepening into a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" Conor asked bluntly, in a voice that clearly showed he wasn't overjoyed by the other boy's sudden appearance. 

Vine's blush deepened under his scrutiny. "I want to help you find the others. . ." He trailed off shrinking under Conor's intense gaze.

"And how exactly did you find us?" Conor asked suspiciously.

Vine shrugged "I left the base this morning to find you guys, they were so focused on you and the others they didn't even notice me leave. I had no clue what to do so I wondered around the city hoping to bump into you, and I did."

Conor seemed extremely skeptical of his story but Betty nodded her head, unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth. Vine looked around as if afraid someone might be watching them, once he seemed sure they were alone he reached for his pocket, Conor tenssed.

"I found something after you guys left that you need to see." Vine pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Betty. She took the paper eagerly while Conor kept his eyes trained warily on Vine.

Betty carefully unfolded the paper. It was about the size of a chess board once it was fully unfurled, and it was covered in what look to be a map of a. . .

"Is that a graveyard?" Betty asked, taken aback.

Vine nodded, his eyes nervously shifting from her to Conor.  The later let his eyes leave the newcomer to peer at the map. It was clearly a graveyard. Tombstone silhouettes littered the paper in no particular order. It had the look of a place that had at one point been carefully planned out, but over the years space had run out forcing them to squeeze in more plots. Over each grave hovered a number. Seeming to see something she didn't Conor's eyes stopped roaming to fix on a certain point. The map was so cluttered that it took Betty a few seconds to register what her teammates were staring at. In almost the exact center of the map, hovering above grave 35 was a large, red X.

"Where did you find this?" Conor asked in an almost accusatory voice, looking up from the map.

Vine slumped his shoulders, in that moment he reminded Betty of a turtle retreating into its shell.
"It was just lying on the floor of the base."

Conor raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me the same group of people that were able to pull of that kidnapping, just happened to drop what looks to be an important map?"

Vine was trembling under the other boys harsh scrutiny. Betty shot her partner a scathing look before standing up.

"Can I talk with you?" Not waiting for a response Betty grabbed at his elbow, forcing him to his feet. He shot her a perturb look but didn't protest as she dragged him a few feet away.

"What are you doing?" Conor snapped once they were out of hear shot.

Betty recoiled slightly affronted.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? He's our teammate not a murder suspect!" She snapped right back.

Conor rolled his eyes looking down on Betty as if he knew something she didn't.

"Think Micky. Don't you find it the least bit strange that he was the only one they didn't take?"

Betty paused for a minute to mull over his words, her eyes searching his face for any signs doubt.

"Well not really. . . He hid, remember?"

Conor shook his head. "In a closet. Not exactly a stellar hiding place."

Betty straightened her back to make herself seem taller. Her green eyes locked with his brown ones.

"So what? He's our teammate," she huffed, annoyed by his paranoia.

Conor rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean we should be so gung-ho about trusting him. After all we've only know the dude for a week."

"I could say the same thing about you!" She shot back.

For a second Betty could have sworn a look of hurt appeared on her partner's face, but as soon as she blinked it was gone.

"Look," he started, resigned. "I'm not saying we have to abandon him here just that things aren't adding up. First he escaped, then he found that weird map, and now he claims that he just randomly bumped into us. So can you please just remain vigilant?"

Betty was superseded by his pleading tone of voice. She cast her eyes back to their other teammate, he was sitting at the table fiddling nervously with his hands. Could Conor be right? She honestly wasn't sure, Vine didn't look like a traitor but Conor had some good points.

"I'll keep my eyes open," she promised, feeling the weight of their mission become heavier on her shoulders.