Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

4. Mangos and secret documents

"You're Elites, aren't you?"

He stares back at me, seemingly unimpressed by my discovery. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? Did it actually take you that long to figure it out?"

This guy, who does he think he is, Mr. Perfecto?

Before I get to answer him with my own snide remark, the girl that searched Simon appears in the doorway.

"Hey, Kalen," her eyes widen at the scene in front of her.

I can't blame her. What a sight we must be.

Cass, with her miniature frame, standing defensively in front of me. Jerk face, who I guess must be Kalen, stuck against the wall doing a pretty good impression of a tapestry. And me, standing with my arms crossed over my chest, equal expressions of annoyance plastered on all our faces. The girl rolls her eyes and cocks her head to the side.

"Can I not leave you alone for one minute before you're getting yourself into trouble?"

"Don't look at me, they're the ones who started it." He glares at us and pointedly asks Cassie to release him, although it sounds more like a command than a question.

I think I know who is used to getting his way in that little Elite group.

Cass huffs before stuffing the doll back in her pocket, effectively relinquishing her control over Kalen, who pushes off the wall and dusts himself off like nothing happened, turning back to us with a face that means business.

I snort. Typical Elite.

"We have a problem," says the girl. I wish I knew her name so I could stop calling her the girl in my head.

"The files weren't on him. He must have dropped them or gotten rid of them somewhere."

Kalen's expression turns from smug to annoyed in a second, and I can't help but feel good at his confusion. Who's the clueless one now, huh? I'll let him worry about it for another minute or so before I tell him.

"What do you mean?" he snaps.

"He had them with him the whole time we were chasing him. He put them in his jacket when he--" The answer must come to him because he spins around to face me once again. Darn it, and I really wanted to rub it in his face too.

"He hid them somewhere in these crates," I say, pointing to the boxes of fruit all around us.

"He was rummaging around back here, that's why I came to investigate. He was crouched somewhere over there when I found him. That's why at first I thought he was trying to steal from us."

"What would he be stealing?" asks Kalen, already scanning the boxes for the documents. "A mango?" He points to the fruit with an amused glint in his eye.

I really want to throw that mango at his face right now.

The girl seems to sense my annoyance, because she turns to me and smiles, and I feel my anger evaporate just a little.

"I can help you search for the files if you like."

Kalen looks like he wants to deny the offer, lips pressed into a thin line and eyebrows drawn low, but before he can his friend nudges him with her elbow and beams at me.

"That would be great help, thank you. We are truly sorry about the trouble we caused you both. Are you alright?" she asks

I glance at Cassie, who is staring at the girl as if she were a rare piece of artwork hanging on some private collector's wall. How could she and Kalen be on the same team, yet she be an angel and he be a complete jerk?