Funny seeing you here- A Carulia Fanfiction

An unexpected visit

Julia sighed and put her pen down. She was glad to be out of ACME, police work wasn't for her, but it was nearly midnight and she wasn't nearly done grading these papers.

A clatter and someone swearing softly caused Julia's ears to perk up. Was another teacher here this late? A student? Had something fallen on them- a bookshelf, perhaps? She's learned the hard way the ones in the hall weren't bolted to the wall.

Julia stood up, grateful for the break. She better go check. Stretching out the kinks in her back and arms, she adjusted her coat and stepped out into the hallway.

At first, Julia wasn't sure what she was looking at. It was dark in the hall, as though someone had turned the lights off. She checked her watch- they were supposed to stay on for a few hours, or until she left. And she was definitely still here.

Her eyes adjusted, aided by the soft glow from her own door, and Julia saw a figure, leaned against the wall, holding something heavy. A few heavy textbooks were scattered on the floor around her.

"Hello?" Julia's voice echoed in the quiet hallway.

The figure looked up, and Julia saw what was in their hand: a painting.

Julia's stomach clenched. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like the new painting the art teacher had bought.

"You shouldn't be here," they whispered. A girl's voice.

"I could say the same about you," Julia muttered. "Do you... go to school here?" she didn't she;d believe whatever answer this stranger gave her, but she'd learned from Carmen to give people the benefit of the doubt.

A hard lump formed in Julia's throat. She shouldn't think about Carmen. Julia had never realized how convert ACME was until she left, and the daily updates from Zari and chief slowed to a vague mention of a captured thief mysteriously disappearing- with a trusted british intelligence officer being arrested- and also vanishing- the same night.

The person looked up. They were wiry, with a bun that rose above their hairline. Julia still couldn't see their face.

"Can you keep a secret?" The voice was pinched, stressed, and Julia was surprised when she felt her head bob up and down. "I'm not."
Fear rooted Julia in place. What if this was a VILE operative, sent to steal that painting? Julia didn't think it was the original, but if it was...

The stranger saw Julia's hand snaking towards her phone before Julia did. "Please don't!" The sentence tumbled out as one word. "Just.. forget I was ever here." She was already walking backward, away, and conflicting feelings slammed into Julia like a tidal wave. As she turned around, Julia heard the girl mutter, "Carmen makes it look so easy."

Time slowed down. Julia made a noise in her throat, one that caused the girl to turn around. Julia didn;t say anything for what felt like an hour, frozen in place. When she did speak, her voice was reduced to a croak.

"Do you..." Julia coughed, trying to clear the rust from her throat, and tried again. "How do you know Carmen Sandiego?"