Sʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ғᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴏᴅᴇɴ ᴄʜᴇsᴛ. Tʜᴇ ғᴏʟᴅᴇʀ sᴛɪʟʟ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴡ. Sᴜʀᴇ, ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ᴍᴀʀᴋs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴀss ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsᴛʀᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴘʀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ sᴛɪʟʟ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ. Sʜᴇ ᴏᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ. Iᴛ ʜᴀᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏɴɢ. Aғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴏғ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsᴛʀᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ, sʜᴇ'ᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴜᴘ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴏɴ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ. Sʜᴇ'ᴅ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʜᴇʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. Bᴜᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ, ᴡᴀs sʜᴇ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ. Sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, sᴏ, ᴡʜʏ ɴᴏᴛ?
Sʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsᴛʀᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ɪᴛ's ᴄᴀsᴇ. "I'ᴠᴇ ᴍɪssᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ." Sʜᴇ ᴡʜɪsᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ, ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴀss. "Hᴏᴘᴇғᴜʟʟʏ sᴏᴏɴ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs." Sʜᴇ sᴍɪʟᴇᴅ ʙʀɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴜʟʟ ʙʀᴀss.
Hᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ɢʟɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴋᴇʏs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ. Sʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇssᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ.
Hᴇʀᴇ ɢᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ. Sʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ.
"Bʟᴇᴇʀʀɢ!" Sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ʜɪᴛ ᴀ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇ. Sʜᴇ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ᴘᴜɴᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ɪᴛs ᴄᴀsᴇ. Sʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇɴᴛʟʏ ɢʟɪᴅᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ғɪɴɢᴇʀs ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴅɢᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏʟᴅᴇʀ. Oʜ ʜᴏᴡ sʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ. Sʜᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏʀ ᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ɪᴛ.
"TORA TORA TORA TORA TOOOOOOORRRRRAAAAA!!!" A ʏᴇʟʟ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴘ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀɪʀs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀsᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ. Iᴛ ᴡᴀs Nɪᴄᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.
Iᴍᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴛʟʏ, sʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴏᴅ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴏᴍᴘᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀɪʀs. Nᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ.
"Yᴇs, Nɪᴄᴋ? Wʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ Tʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ?" Sʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ᴀɢɢʀᴀᴠᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏɴᴇ.
"I ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ!" Hᴇ ᴡʜɪɴᴇᴅ. Oʜ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏʏ ᴡʜɪɴᴇᴅ. Hᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ. Bᴜᴛ Tᴏʀᴀ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ. Tʜɪs ʙᴏʏ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ʀᴀʏ ᴏғ sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ.
Sʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɪʀ ᴅᴏᴡɴsᴛᴀɪʀs. "I'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ." Sʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ. Sʜᴇ ɢʟɪᴅᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ғɪɴɢᴇʀs ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴀss ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ sʜᴜᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀsᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ɪᴛ sʜᴜᴛ. Sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴇᴘs ᴡʜᴇɴ sʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄʀᴀsʜ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴜᴘsᴛᴀɪʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ. Sʜᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴄᴇ, sᴘʀɪɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴜᴘsᴛᴀɪʀs.
