<< Part 5
Chapter 10 – The Surprise!
Uh, my head, what happened to it? It looks as if I had fallen from the stairs last night, stairs–no really did I say stairs? It feels as if I had fallen off from a ten-story building! Really did Cherry hit me for something? It never feels this bad when she hits. I started to take my hand up to my head, and feel what had really happened. But— I couldn’t move it. Is this a bad dream? I sniffed the air, that smell, it seems familiar, the plant poison! That’s when it hit me. I opened my eyes hurriedly, which was a VERY bad decision to take. Because as I opened them, everything swayed a bit, and then became dizzy, god! I closed them back. Who told that idiot guy to hit so badly? Where is Cherry? I again opened my eyes. Again hurriedly. AGAIN, everything swayed, but a bit less this time.
I looked left, right, uh… thank goodness, she was there, my vision was still a bit dizzy. But I could see that her head was tilted down. Was she still out?
Is she okay? –
“She is perfect, don’t worry.”
I AGAIN hurriedly looked at the front, and AGAIN that was a bad decision, because AGAIN everything swayed. But then my vision cleared. My stomach which was till now doing small jumping jacks, did a big somersault, as I took in the face right in front of me. CHLOE was standing in front of us and was smiling, Again like Christina, but in a superior kind of way.
“CHLOE!” I shouted, and then heard a small grunt beside me. My shout had waken Ray up. That lifted a bit of stress weight from me, and the next moment as my gaze moved to her back of head, a fresh jolt of stress entered. She was bleeding!
Cherry
Oh, aah…… my head. Uh! Why is Jess shouting. I opened my eyes, or at least tried to. It felt as if I was wearing those thick eyelashes of Jess’s. They are so thick and heavy, I don’t know how she is always able to wear it like always and never ever let her eye drop. The world is still swimming. What is this place. My hand, what!? Why are they tied? Tied? Wait, What? Oh! I looked around, and it felt as if my head was dipped in the water, and I was not able to come up. It was also a bit difficult to breath. Duh! That guy! Uh! Jess, where is she? I had to forcefully look sideways. She was okay, um…. no, she was staring at me as if I was, well a ghost? I asked,
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just that you are bleeding.” Someone said, and surprised me.
Was there anyone else in this room? I got my answer straight away. It all looked very dizzy, and I was not able to focus so nicely. But I could make out, Chloe standing in front of us, leaning to a bench. And there were many bottles, cups, plates, test tubes, large beakers, and what not. It totally looked a chemical lab. But it was a lot messy than our chemistry lab in school. Uh, I breathed in. My head. Okay, so what is she doing here? Huh, is this all a bad dream? Hm… uh… so what do we do now? Our thought was not totally wrong but partially. Christina and Chloe are working together. Great! How can this even be possible? Chloe? Uh……I couldn’t think very nicely now. As once I started to, my headache which was already worse, would worsen.
“Is… is this the room in your backyard? Chloe?” I asked with a lot of difficulty, as my voice was sort of shaking, and I didn’t want to sound weak. Plus, we needed time. As long as we can keep her talking the better it would be. At least till we get some way out of this mess. Chloe started to take a deep breath which meant that she had made her mind to talk. While she will talk and waste her time, I thought, let’s use it. I started fidgeting with my rope. I couldn’t see my hands, but I could make out. My watch. Hopefully they hadn’t removed it. Ah there it is. I felt it’s boundaries. As I loosened the ropes a bit. Great, I just need to get the small blade out, and then without her noticing, cut the ropes. Uh, hm….. there! Okay, now slowly without making any movements. Uh, what is this rope? It is so thick!
She started speaking, and my head slowly, very slowly stopped spinning. She said that how she was smuggling all the plant drugs and poisons, with the help of Christina. And how they found new poisons, from plant seeds, and its roots, leaves, etc. And then she said how Mr. Haffen had found out about it, and so he started running, as Chloe was aiming him with her gun. At this moment she bent down, opened the drawer, giving me the slightest chance to tell, I mean show Jess that I was trying to open the ropes. Just as she looked away, Jess’s face turned. And then she gave the slightest nod.
Which gave me the confirmation that she had noticed, what I wanted her to see, but her eyes were filled with concerned tears.
I was about to tell her that I was okay, which would have been the biggest lie, and also the first, because I wanted to just lay down. But luckily Chloe turned, and I noticed a black small gun. It was not big. But it had a tube, test tube type thing. In which a green liquid was filled. Ah! Yes, I tore the ropes. Right, but now I need the perfect moment to scare her, uh, no a slight knot is still left, uh…. my head has again started to spin.
Chloe, said further that how she had seen me interfering in that inner page. Okay first I didn’t know that it was her, and second, I didn’t know that she was good with computers. I mean, how can I not know about that. A hacker better than me, right in front of me, and I didn’t even know her. She said that how she forwarded me the fake date. A fake date of smuggling, yeah it now makes sense, how they knew about us. And how we totally fell into
it.
Finally, she said,
“So, I got you both!” Then she smiled. I smiled back,
she noticed me of course. And asked,
“What? You should be crying! You both are having your last night!”
And I replied her still smiling,
“Nope, you got it the other way around Chloe. We got you.”
And with that I leaped forward. She was totally surprised. I mean even more than I had imagined. After all she is just a teen. My first aim was to take away her gun, so that she could not cause any real harm. And I failed. However surprised she was, her surprise look was gone in a second. I heard the police sirens. Good, but I think I had forgotten about my weak status. My head! As soon as I got up my head gave a big jump, and I sort of fell, into Chloe, which was okay, as her gun flew from her hand. But she took a good grip of me, and gosh, her hand hurts. Really!
Meanwhile, I was surprised to see Jess leap for the gun. I thought that she was not wearing her watch. Ah! I was wrong! But she was late, and Chloe pushed me, very easily, as if I was a doll, and I went flying on top of Jessy. She grunted, and we both again dodged and went to the opposite sides, as we saw Chloe pick up her gun. She started firing, blindly! One of her bullet went down and it shot on Jess’s shoes, her designer shoes. She is going to be mad now. Just as I thought, she screamed, as if it was her face and not shoes. Chloe froze, for a moment which was all we needed. I leaped on Chloe, and we both went down like bricks. And Jessy kicked the fallen gun, so that it went straight at the bottom of the drawer thing. That’s when CapColl entered. He was holding a gun. And was looking very concerned. I
said,
“On control Captain!”
Jessy
“I am okay, what about Cherry? She is the one whom you should look, please.”
I said shrugging, and then getting up, I mean trying to get up, but Naira again pushed me down. She said, softly,
“How many times do I have to tell? I have already seen her. She is okay, and I have put a bandage also. Now I need to check you. So, stay put okay?” “Humm” I muttered. Whatever. I mean I wouldn’t have been in such a bad temper if Chloe hadn’t spilled that thing on my shoes! They were so expensive, and I can’t even tell mom and dad about this, they will ask what happened to it, and all. Uh…. and Ray was laughing from the very starting at me. I was looking ridiculous on those green and black shoes. So, I took it off. Hm…. I am going to kill her literally! Finally, Naira got up. She is the police nurse. And we know her too well. We have come here for a hundred times now. So, we don’t even need a police officer here with us. We can get in and out anytime we want.
“Now will you stop laughing and shaking? It will worsen your headache.” I said. I was so concerned about her, and that’s the reason I was not exploding with anger and irritation. First, she was bleeding and then when CapColl came in she just like collapsed. Thank goodness she was fine. Naira had bandaged her head. She was a bit pale in colour. But the way she was eating, she was like stuffing all the food in. Well we both were super hungry, when we entered here. And Naira said that Ray needed some food. So, we had been brought burgers. We were talking here and just passing our time. Here everyone knows us, and are all sort of friends. Anyways. Now it is time to go home. Naira once again checked on Ray, and then we went back to the cab and got in. Captain Collin said that we were to go home today on this. He didn’t even scold us for something. Anything. He wasn’t even angry because we didn’t tell him, that we thought that both the cases were related. I think because of Cherry. However angry he is. He is like a uncle to us.
We had informed the police about the smuggling date, and Christina, before we had left the house. You know just to be safe. And thank goodness we had told him. We could have overpowered Chloe and maybe Christina too, but not those big guys. Anyways. They all were arrested. And I had also thrown a very big smile on the guy who had given us these bruises.
We entered our house, and closed the door behind us. And said our nights. We planned to sleep now as fast as we could as dad and mom could come anytime now. And just before going to sleep. I gave her a very big hug.
Which she returned, with a smile. I love her.
*-*-*
CHAPTER 11 – A Happy End!
“No! You have to pay for it!” Ray shouted,
“No I don’t. By the way, you still have to give me the money of those shoes which you destroyed!” I shouted at her,
“They were just normal! Mine were designer!” Again, I shouted,
“Yeah you and your fashion! Nothing else is important!” She screamed,
“No it is not like that, but it also doesn’t mean that you will spoil those beauties!” I screamed back,
“Beauties from which angle?” She said,
“Shutu-” she cut through me,
“You shut you mou–” now mom shouted,
“ENOUGH! Girls. I will buy you both a new pair! Now get out, or you will be late!”
And we both fell quiet. We said our Good Bye. And then closed the door, took the turn, and then High Fived! Yes! we got the shoes!
“It worked! Told you it would!” I said,
“Yeah you and you lying skills” she started teasing me! No ways! That’s not fair! Uh!
I was just about to defend myself, when I saw Ray’s smile disappear from her face, and fear grow in.
“What’s it?” I asked breathlessly.
What had happened now? A new mystery? Or something worse?
“I-forgot-to-do-my-HOMEWORK!” She shouted.
And I gave her a slight push. It would have been a very bad one if she hadn’t had that bruised head.
“Silly forgetting idiot! Scared me again!” I said smiling,
“Tell me something new!” She replied sarcastically, and started running.
I followed her, she is not going to beat me to school!
*-* THE END *-*
<< Part 5
By Hiya Pahari, Mumbai, India
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