Last Step Outside [Book 2]

Chapter 12 Playing with fire

Bianca hangs her head as she watches the disdainful looks of Heather and Lynn trudge back upstairs to their rooms. She feels sorry, she wanted to get Grant back, but she still had way too much weight hanging on her shoulder. Kind of like a wet towel. Many times, Bianca had snuck back down to visit Ivy, her old mentor, for any information about her family. Her mother and father, Tyler and Janae, have been not been located but are positively alive. Her oldest brother, Trey, had disappeared long ago. Supposedly escaped the slimy grasp of PAAIIN right after the attack. As of right now, (and which Bianca refused to share to the team) PAAIIN had expanded much of their company. Chief had shared with Bianca personally that somehow, they afforded a huge prison like structure.

Bianca wasn't sure why they needed something like that, or what they were planning with to do with it. They had also realized Bianca's youngest sibling, Tyler, had been brainwashed into being Tyler Smith (aka Smoke). Guilt clung to Bianca like a claw. She was just as determined as Kodi to getting everyone back and ridding PAAIIN, but nobody was sure how to do it.

"Bianca?" Kodi's warm and familiar voice snaps Bianca back to reality and out of her thoughts.

"What?" She stammers.

"Nothing, you just looked zoned out." Kodi shrugs and stares down at her feet. Her red tinted hair hanging over her face. Bianca sighs, "What do we do guys?"

"Evan would know." Retorts Taylor. Bianca feels her face darkening. "Thanks." She chokes. "Maybe we should listen to Lynn for once, or Heather."

"Oh right, because we never listen to Heather." Taylor sneers. Bianca glares at Taylor but doesn't reply. Kodi perks up.

"Perhaps so, they've gotten a lot of info."

"And a lot of trouble." Spyjoe points out from the booth. Everyone nods in agreement, remembering the pool incident.

"That's true, but they also have a different view on things." Bianca recalls. Kodi shrugs again. "HEATHER! LYNN!" Bianca hollers. Footsteps sounds from above then on the stairs. Heather and Lynn stagger into the kitchen.

"Good Heavens, is someone dying?" Lynn gasps. Heather says nothing but her face said it all. Bianca smiles softly.

"No, we just need ideas. We've decided, well, most of us, that you two have become valued members to the team.

"What about Renny?" Heather asks.

"I said two." Heather stares down at her feet. "Now listen up."

. . .

"Got it?" Bianca says breathlessly. The two young girls nod. "Good." The plan was simple: use Spyjoe as a distraction in the front (which includes tons of explosions) then the rest sneak into the back, find any captives and get them back out.

"Seems simple." Says Spyjoe with the biggest smile. "I like the part where I blow up stuff." He adds devilishly.

"I knew you would." Bianca says. "Now, shall we leave?" Hopefully without Sam.

"Wait, I just finished mission suits to help keep our identity hidden." Kodi beams and then dashes into the basement. The rest slowly follow her, still tired from pulling an all-nighter. As the team slips down into the basement, Kodi seems to be growing excited by the step. She turns the corner into the sparring mat and pushes a dark grey button on the wall. The wall opens in the middle and out extends a large closet, each with individual cubbies.

"Whoa." Breathes Taylor. The others were far too shocked to even try to speak. The cubbies have each of the teammate's names above them. Each cubby has an individual suit with own specified colors. Bianca's was gold, Heather's was a dark blue, Kodi: red, Spyjoe: purple. Only Lynn didn't have one.