Criminal

Chapter 5

Lance was surprised to find Keith already back in their room when he and Hunk got there. "You!"

"Me," Keith agreed grimly as he continued to read a book, "More precisely, me with three weeks of detention. Thanks a lot."

"You broke my node!" Lance said angrily, still stuffed up, "The lead you could do id look ad me!" Keith didn't respond, and Lance threw himself on his bed, fuming. "You are the word roobade eber," he growled. Keith, predictably, said nothing. Lance took a quick look at the cover of the book he was reading. "Oh, thad's id!" The book was David Copperfield.

Lance stormed out the door. Hunk followed him. "Where are you going?"

"Allura! Id's aboud dime we god a roobade change."

"Yeah... he got you pretty good, huh?"

"I hade hib!" Lance burst out, "He's trouble!"

"Hey, I think you got two words out without any stuffiness!" Hunk encouraged.

"He's always gedding be in trouble!"

"Hey, wait," Hunk said gently, "I'm not taking his side—he popped you in the face, and he's been kind of awful, but you got in trouble because you followed him."

Lance ignored this fact.

Pidge rounded the corner, nearly running into them. "Hey! Guys! I have something to show you!"

"We're getting rid of Keith," Hunk told her, "Maybe some other time."

"Please?"

"Fine," Lance sighed, "I'b suffering anyway. I can waid a liddle longer."

Pidge brightened, and led them to the library, where she had a computer and all of the yearbooks. "Okay, so I've been looking through the yearbooks, noting who was here, and who disappeared between when photos were taken one year and then the next year—which amounts to nearly everyone, actually. No one ever actually makes it through senior year, here. Weird, huh?"

Hunk shrugged. "Lotor said that they graduate when they're fit members of society. Maybe just no one ever took that long to reform."

"Right, okay, but I was looking up all of the old school members, trying to find them, and some of them haven't been heard from since! Besides the fact that all of the ones still around have depressingly boring and normal lives, I can't find what they have in common..."

"Try blood dype," Lance offered, remembering the shadowy figure talking about someone being type AB.

Pidge eyed the computer. "I'd have to get onto school records... I suppose it's worth a shot. I haven't seen anything to connect them so far, so I guess it can't hurt."

"Kay. Gread. Be an' Hunk are gonna ged rid of Keith. Be back lader."

"Good luck."

They ran into Allura in the hallway. "Allura, I wad wondering—"

She started speaking at the same time, her big blue eyes worried. "Lance, Hunk, have you seen Lotor?"

Hunk frowned. "No. Should we have?"

"I don't know, but I can't find him anywhere. There's a student council meeting going on, and if he's gotten hurt somewhere, his father will have my head, which, frankly, is something I'd quite like to keep."

"Hid fader?" Lance questioned with a frown.

"Oh, yes, his father is the principal. I have to get going. I'll see you soon. Sorry about whatever you wanted to ask me, Lance, it'll have to wait. Missing students take priority I'm afraid."