It felt like days since Cammie holed herself up in her motel room. In actuality, it had been less than a day, but for Cammie, it felt like a lifetime. A lifetime that had been taken from her in the blink of an eye. She cried and cried for hours, knowing her sweet love, Snipe, was dead. She didn't feel like eating. She didn't feel like drinking. She didn't feel like living anymore.
"Why!? Why!? WHY!?" She slammed her fist against the wall and yelled to no one in particular. Tear streamed down her face and she continued to punch the wall. Her somber cries of anguish echoed in the emptiness in her heart. She collapsed and slumped against the wall. Huddled into a fetal position, Cammie felt her pain and agony tear up inside her, growing stronger with every passing second.
It was then, as she lay on the ground, did something inside Cammie snap. She didn't understand the feeling that suddenly took hold of her, she just went with it. She didn't fight it and she didn't feel like it was a bad thing. In a dazed state, she stood up and stumbled around her room. She bumped into the bed and walls, feeling her way to the bathroom.
There, she placed her hands on the edge of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. When she looked, she no longer saw a proud woman, whose science was her most powerful asset and made her grow stronger. Instead, she was someone she had never seen before. Who was Cammie without Snipe? Cammie didn't want to answer that question; her mind was elsewhere.
Her hands rummaged through the drawers by the sink, fumbling as Cammie was stuck in her daze-like stage. She wasn't quite to certain what she was looking for, but she'd know it when she found it. Finally, her hands grasped onto something small and thin, made of stainless steel. With a twisted smile and a dazed look on her face, she pulled out a razor and held it up to the mirror, as if to inspect if it was real or not. She softly laughed, but there was no joy in her voice. She ran her finger across the blade and watched a line of blood form. She flipped it around in her hand, still stuck in her daze.
The razor found its way to millimeters before her neck. She planned to slit her throat and die, to be reunited with her love in the afterlife. It was there and the moment was ripe. She had nothing more to live for, but something was stopping her. Try as she might, she couldn't end it. It's as if there was some invisible force, preventing her from killing herself. What was holding her back?
The answer came in the form of Snipe, or rather, his ghost. He appeared in the mirror, replacing Cammie's image. He reached out, through the mirror, and held Cammie's hand that held the razor. Cammie's eyes widened, frozen in joy and fear.
"S-Snipe..." Cammie's voice came out almost like a whimper. Before her stood, or rather floated, her love who she had seen dead no less than 21 hours ago. She wanted to hug him, to hold him close and never let go, but she couldn't. She was almost perfectly frozen, being able to only breathe, talk, and look around.
"I can't believe you Cammie." Snipe spoke with a distorted tone in his voice. "I thought you were stronger than this. You disappoint me Cammie." Cammie felt her heart tear up and twist inside her. "Suicide...such a shame." Snipe turned his back to Cammie and put his hands behind his head.
"S-Snipe..." That was all Cammie was able to say. Her fear swelled inside her as her heart filled with longing and pain.
"Leaving before a job is done? That's the mark of a coward."
"Wh-what job? I came to find you Snipe dear!"
"Hmph, and look at me now. I'm dead." Cammie felt her tears running down her face. "But, that doesn't mean I'm not alive." Cammie blinked and looked at her love. "You still haven't figured it out, have you sweetie?"
"N-No..."
Snipe stared hard into Cammie's eyes, and Cammie was a fighting spirit within Snipe's eyes. "Cammie, would I honestly shoot myself in the head?" That's when it hit her. Cammie's eyes widened in shock and revelation. "Good girl, sweetie. You know what to do." With that, Snipe's ghost vanished and Cammie regained control of her body again. She dropped the razor and took a deep breath, her hands planted firmly on the edge of the sink.
She knew what she had to do. She knew the answer to the question she asked herself shortly ago. Who was Cammie without Snipe? Cammie stood up and looked at herself. She saw a proud woman, who was determined to find Snipe's killer, no matter what it took! Cammie ran, grabbed her cloaking device, and slammed her door wide open and proudly stood, her lab coat billowing in the breeze.
"Ey, yo, Cammie. I see you.." Yarren began to speak to Cammie whilst he was passing by her house, but fell asleep mid-sentence. Cammie leaned over and smacked him carefully on the back of the head. He snorted and shook his head. "Heh, sorry. Good to see you out of your room."
"Yeah, I just need some time to think about things. Do you know where Tyler or Mikayla are?" Cammie waited for a response, but saw Yarren had fallen asleep again. She sighed and hit him on the back of the head.
"Sorry Cammie. Heh heh, I think I last saw her heading to Tyler's Office. Just that way a little." He snorted as he woke and pointed towards the same way as Carlos and Catalina's diner. "Just a few minutes walk." With that, Yarren pushed his cart and moved on, only to fall asleep about a few feet away. Cammie chuckled and started walking. She waved hello to Yolanda, who gave a sleepy wave back before shutting herself in her office again.
It was only a 20 minute walk to Tyler's Office. His office was a large grey building that was about half a story tall. It wasn't much bigger than Mikayla's house, with larger windows, but only two on the front. There was a large yard that was well taken care of, some shrubs surrounded the building and a massive oak tree was visible in the back yard. Cammie walked up to the door and knocked on the door. The door creaked open and Cammie could hear Mikayla and Tyler talking somewhere in the building.
"Ugh, she makes me sick, Tyler."
"I know Mikayla, but what can we do?"
"I'd just love to punch her right square in the face! Right in her smug little face."
"Now you know you just can't do that"
"I know..Hey did you hear the door open?"
Cammie rushed into the room where Tyler and Mikayla were talking, who both stared at her in surprise.
"Oh, Cammie, it's good to see you." spoke Tyler in a calm and collected voice. "Lower your gun Mikayla." Tyler brushed his hand over Mikayla's gun, which she had raised at Cammie out of shock.
"S-Sorry Tyler." Mikayla blushed and returned her gun to her holster. She looked at Cammie and smiled. "It's really good to see you Cammie. I was getting worried. You just darted off from the scene and didn't show up today. Everything alright?"
Cammie nodded and looked at Tyler. "Everything is fine, I swear. However, Tyler, Mikayla, I have a formal request." Tyler and Mikayla looked at each other and nodded for Cammie to go on. "I want you to put me in charge as leader for the murder investigation."
Tyler and Mikayla looked at each other. Mikayla looked a little puzzled and Tyler had his usual stoic expression. "Funny, we never mentioned it was a murder. Just that we found a dead body." Tyler mentioned, but Cammie found herself prepared for that.
"Well, you two both investigated the body, and there was no gun directly near the body. If it was a suicide, then there would a gun. However, the closest weapon was found a good distance away. As far as I am certain, barring any...uh...special people, a gun shot to the head will cause instant death with no chance to throw a gun away." Cammie retorted. Tyler nodded and Mikayla smiled at her.
"Good, just testing your skills." Mikayla replied.
"Hardly a test, really."
"However," Tyler interrupted, "as much as I would like to make you head of the investigation, I cannot."
"W-Well, why not?" Cammie asked, a little worried.
"My sister is head of the investigation. In order for you to replace her and be legally involved, you'd have to get my brother's permission; and if I know my brother, and sadly I do, he won't replace her with you." Mikayla responded. Cammie twirled her hair, thinking about what to do. She couldn't just not be involved, but she couldn't legally do anything either. If she went to go investigate the crime scene, Magdalena would simply throw her out or get her arrested. If she did nothing, however, that wouldn't be doing justice for Snipe. "Sorry Cammie, there's nothing we can legally do."
"That's it! If we can't publicly do it legally, then we'll have to do our own secret investigation!" Cammie smiled wide, hoping to persuade Tyler and Mikayla, who both looked at each other.
"I'm not certain Cammie. If we get caught, we'd all be sent to FEDERAL jail. And that's nothing like the jail we have here. It's way worse." Mikayla stated nervously.
"But Mikayla, you said it yourself that there's nothing like catching a criminal. Well, someone out there killed that man and is one the loose, and we'll be the ones to bring them to justice." Cammie saw Mikayla ponder the idea. "And, if we do this, you'll finally be able to one-up your siblings!" That was it for Mikayla.
She gave Cammie a massive thumbs-up. "Alright, let's do this Cammie! We'll bring that criminal to cold hard justice!" She bolted out the door and ran past Cammie and outside. Cammie and Tyler both looked at each other for about a minute until Mikayla returned blushing. "Heh, heh...whoops. Forgot we need a lead." Cammie couldn't help but chuckle a little, however, she knew Mikayla was right. Without being able to examine the crime scene, they wouldn't be able to get very far in their investigation.
"Well...there's this." Tyler spoke up and pulled out a scrap piece of paper from his sling. "I got this off of the body when we were looking at it." He handed the paper to Cammie and she looked it over. It was a small piece of paper. It was purple colored and had, in bright yellow letters, "ER-EAR". Cammie looked at Mikayla, puzzled. Mikayla shrugged at the paper, not sure what it meant. "Well, you aren't going to find out here. Why don't you go look around town for any more clues. Maybe Harley or Carlos knows." With that, Tyler took a seat at his desk and started reviewing the paper work that Cammie filled out. Cammie and Mikayla exited to let Tyler work.
"So, I feel like I've seen this set of letters before, but I don't know where." Mikayla started, as she led Cammie aimlessly through the town. Cammie looked over the piece of paper multiple times, but found nothing new. "I know I've seen those letters before somewhere...." Mikayla mumbled to herself. Cammie looked around, but so far, she didn't see anything. finally, Cammie and Mikayla sat down on a park bench to rest. It had been three hours and they didn't find anything that related to the paper. Cammie reached into her lab coat and pulled out her journal and made a note about the paper. Mikayla leaned over so she could see what Cammie was writing. "You sure tend to write a lot in the journal of yours, Cammie. Got anything useful in there that could help us?"
"Hmm...sketch of you and Yarren, sketch of Catalina and Carlos's diner, sketch of the museum we passed by, sketch of the train car, sketch of my room in the Backfoot Motel. Nothing useful I see." Cammie flipped through her journal, skipping over the sketch of Yarren's cart. Mikayla looked as Cammie flipped, not seeing anything either. She sighed and stretched.
"Well, guess we better get a move on. Ugh, we've spent three hours searching and found nothing. It shouldn't be that hard." Mikayla began to walk off and Cammie followed.
"Well, I mean, it is a handy tool, and will be more handy during our investigation to take note of important things. Sadly, I haven't taken note of anything important yet." Cammie sighed and put her journal back in her lab coat. "I still feel like we missed something obvious." Mikayla shrugged and continued walking.
After about another hour, Mikayla and Cammie both decided to return back to Mikayla's office. Cammie had sketched a variety of buildings and places, but nothing related to the clue. Mikayla sighed and walked off to get a drink while Cammie returned to her office and sat down, relaxing. There had to be something they were missing, but she couldn't tell what it was. After about a few minutes, Mikayla walked into the room with Cammie to talk.
"I can't believe we haven't found anything related to the clue. I know this town like the back of my hand, and yet I can't tell what this is related to." She flopped down on a chair and sighed, drinking some water. Cammie sighed and closed her journal, leaning back into her chair. "You thirsty Cammie?" Cammie shook her head and sighed. What were they not seeing?
Mikayla drank the rest of her drink, then, she slammed her cup on the desk and stared, wide-eyed at Cammie. "Great Scarlet of Harlet! I got it! All I needed was a drink and it all fit together!" Cammie looked at Mikayla's cup, wondering just what she put in there. "Cammie, let me see your journal!" Mikayla extended her hand, hoping for Cammie to place the journal in her hand, but Cammie was reluctant. "Come on, please, I'm just going to point out something!" Cammie sighed, knowing keeping it from Mikayla would be suspicious. She handed it to Mikayla, hoping she would skip the sketch of Yarren's cart. Mikayla flipped through and opened up to the sketch of the museum they passed by earlier. "Look at the banner on the museum!" Mikayla pointed to the banner, which said "Relics of Yester-Earth." It was then that Cammie finally saw the correlation between the clue and the banner. Cammie pulled the clue that Tyler gave her out of her jacket and looked at both it and the sketch. The ER-EAR from the clue was from the words "Yester-Earth". "This is where we have to start Cammie! Let's go!" Mikayla thrust the journal back at Cammie and rushed off towards the museum.
"Hey! Wait up Mikayla!" Cammie yelled after Mikayla. She quickly stuffed the journal and clue into her jacket and dashed off after her. She finally, out of breath, caught up to Mikayla at the museum.
"Two entrances, Sheriff Pass." Mikayla told the ticket vendor, who promptly allowed Cammie and Mikayla to pass through. Cammie took a look around at all the artifacts in the museum, after she caught her breath. There were paintings that appeared to be salvaged from fires and crumbling buildings scattered around the walls. There were broken statues that were clearly mended together with second-rate repair methods. Glass boxes encased some other artifacts that seemed they would have been destroyed if anyone even touched them. It appeared to be a well developed museum, just poor exhibits, which was understandable. The massive nuclear wipe out must have made it incredibly hard to find intact artifacts. There were various remains of famous landmarks, such as Lady Liberty's tablet, or part of the Great Wall of China. Cammie was surprised that this small town managed to get some of these artifacts.
"Hello there!" shouted another exuberant voice. Cammie was so surprised by sudden enthusiasm in the person's voice that she lost her composure again. She quickly marked down in her journal that she lost her composure again due to a sudden, happy voice. Half-expecting to see Harley, she was surprised at who she saw. Approaching before them was a young, teenage guy. He was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt and had long blue pants. His reddish-brown hair was spiked up and he had a small demeanor. He only was about 3/4 of Cammie's height and was quite exuberant. On his name tag, on his chest, read the name "Zed". His right arm was covered completely with pale bandages, while he saluted with his left hand. "Good afternoon Sheriff Mikayla."
"Good afternoon, Zed." Mikayla replied.
"And who is this person accompanying you?"
"This is Cammie. She's my new assistant."
"Pleasure to meet you Cammie." Zed smiled and saluted again. Cammie cautiously saluted back. "Allow me to properly introduce myself," the boy said. "I am Zed Xerxas, and I will be your tour guide through the museum." Cammie could almost see the happiness and pride radiating from him. She looked at Mikayla, who gestured to let the boy have his fun.
"Alright Zed, lead the way."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Yeah, it's me...I did what you said..."
.....
"Of course I still have it.."
.....
"What do you want me to do with it?"
.....
"Alright..."
.....
"Yes, exactly like you instructed."
.....
"Don't worry, Blue, Green is watching her..."
.....
"Of course. Red, out."
"Why!? Why!? WHY!?" She slammed her fist against the wall and yelled to no one in particular. Tear streamed down her face and she continued to punch the wall. Her somber cries of anguish echoed in the emptiness in her heart. She collapsed and slumped against the wall. Huddled into a fetal position, Cammie felt her pain and agony tear up inside her, growing stronger with every passing second.
It was then, as she lay on the ground, did something inside Cammie snap. She didn't understand the feeling that suddenly took hold of her, she just went with it. She didn't fight it and she didn't feel like it was a bad thing. In a dazed state, she stood up and stumbled around her room. She bumped into the bed and walls, feeling her way to the bathroom.
There, she placed her hands on the edge of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. When she looked, she no longer saw a proud woman, whose science was her most powerful asset and made her grow stronger. Instead, she was someone she had never seen before. Who was Cammie without Snipe? Cammie didn't want to answer that question; her mind was elsewhere.
Her hands rummaged through the drawers by the sink, fumbling as Cammie was stuck in her daze-like stage. She wasn't quite to certain what she was looking for, but she'd know it when she found it. Finally, her hands grasped onto something small and thin, made of stainless steel. With a twisted smile and a dazed look on her face, she pulled out a razor and held it up to the mirror, as if to inspect if it was real or not. She softly laughed, but there was no joy in her voice. She ran her finger across the blade and watched a line of blood form. She flipped it around in her hand, still stuck in her daze.
The razor found its way to millimeters before her neck. She planned to slit her throat and die, to be reunited with her love in the afterlife. It was there and the moment was ripe. She had nothing more to live for, but something was stopping her. Try as she might, she couldn't end it. It's as if there was some invisible force, preventing her from killing herself. What was holding her back?
The answer came in the form of Snipe, or rather, his ghost. He appeared in the mirror, replacing Cammie's image. He reached out, through the mirror, and held Cammie's hand that held the razor. Cammie's eyes widened, frozen in joy and fear.
"S-Snipe..." Cammie's voice came out almost like a whimper. Before her stood, or rather floated, her love who she had seen dead no less than 21 hours ago. She wanted to hug him, to hold him close and never let go, but she couldn't. She was almost perfectly frozen, being able to only breathe, talk, and look around.
"I can't believe you Cammie." Snipe spoke with a distorted tone in his voice. "I thought you were stronger than this. You disappoint me Cammie." Cammie felt her heart tear up and twist inside her. "Suicide...such a shame." Snipe turned his back to Cammie and put his hands behind his head.
"S-Snipe..." That was all Cammie was able to say. Her fear swelled inside her as her heart filled with longing and pain.
"Leaving before a job is done? That's the mark of a coward."
"Wh-what job? I came to find you Snipe dear!"
"Hmph, and look at me now. I'm dead." Cammie felt her tears running down her face. "But, that doesn't mean I'm not alive." Cammie blinked and looked at her love. "You still haven't figured it out, have you sweetie?"
"N-No..."
Snipe stared hard into Cammie's eyes, and Cammie was a fighting spirit within Snipe's eyes. "Cammie, would I honestly shoot myself in the head?" That's when it hit her. Cammie's eyes widened in shock and revelation. "Good girl, sweetie. You know what to do." With that, Snipe's ghost vanished and Cammie regained control of her body again. She dropped the razor and took a deep breath, her hands planted firmly on the edge of the sink.
She knew what she had to do. She knew the answer to the question she asked herself shortly ago. Who was Cammie without Snipe? Cammie stood up and looked at herself. She saw a proud woman, who was determined to find Snipe's killer, no matter what it took! Cammie ran, grabbed her cloaking device, and slammed her door wide open and proudly stood, her lab coat billowing in the breeze.
"Ey, yo, Cammie. I see you.." Yarren began to speak to Cammie whilst he was passing by her house, but fell asleep mid-sentence. Cammie leaned over and smacked him carefully on the back of the head. He snorted and shook his head. "Heh, sorry. Good to see you out of your room."
"Yeah, I just need some time to think about things. Do you know where Tyler or Mikayla are?" Cammie waited for a response, but saw Yarren had fallen asleep again. She sighed and hit him on the back of the head.
"Sorry Cammie. Heh heh, I think I last saw her heading to Tyler's Office. Just that way a little." He snorted as he woke and pointed towards the same way as Carlos and Catalina's diner. "Just a few minutes walk." With that, Yarren pushed his cart and moved on, only to fall asleep about a few feet away. Cammie chuckled and started walking. She waved hello to Yolanda, who gave a sleepy wave back before shutting herself in her office again.
It was only a 20 minute walk to Tyler's Office. His office was a large grey building that was about half a story tall. It wasn't much bigger than Mikayla's house, with larger windows, but only two on the front. There was a large yard that was well taken care of, some shrubs surrounded the building and a massive oak tree was visible in the back yard. Cammie walked up to the door and knocked on the door. The door creaked open and Cammie could hear Mikayla and Tyler talking somewhere in the building.
"Ugh, she makes me sick, Tyler."
"I know Mikayla, but what can we do?"
"I'd just love to punch her right square in the face! Right in her smug little face."
"Now you know you just can't do that"
"I know..Hey did you hear the door open?"
Cammie rushed into the room where Tyler and Mikayla were talking, who both stared at her in surprise.
"Oh, Cammie, it's good to see you." spoke Tyler in a calm and collected voice. "Lower your gun Mikayla." Tyler brushed his hand over Mikayla's gun, which she had raised at Cammie out of shock.
"S-Sorry Tyler." Mikayla blushed and returned her gun to her holster. She looked at Cammie and smiled. "It's really good to see you Cammie. I was getting worried. You just darted off from the scene and didn't show up today. Everything alright?"
Cammie nodded and looked at Tyler. "Everything is fine, I swear. However, Tyler, Mikayla, I have a formal request." Tyler and Mikayla looked at each other and nodded for Cammie to go on. "I want you to put me in charge as leader for the murder investigation."
Tyler and Mikayla looked at each other. Mikayla looked a little puzzled and Tyler had his usual stoic expression. "Funny, we never mentioned it was a murder. Just that we found a dead body." Tyler mentioned, but Cammie found herself prepared for that.
"Well, you two both investigated the body, and there was no gun directly near the body. If it was a suicide, then there would a gun. However, the closest weapon was found a good distance away. As far as I am certain, barring any...uh...special people, a gun shot to the head will cause instant death with no chance to throw a gun away." Cammie retorted. Tyler nodded and Mikayla smiled at her.
"Good, just testing your skills." Mikayla replied.
"Hardly a test, really."
"However," Tyler interrupted, "as much as I would like to make you head of the investigation, I cannot."
"W-Well, why not?" Cammie asked, a little worried.
"My sister is head of the investigation. In order for you to replace her and be legally involved, you'd have to get my brother's permission; and if I know my brother, and sadly I do, he won't replace her with you." Mikayla responded. Cammie twirled her hair, thinking about what to do. She couldn't just not be involved, but she couldn't legally do anything either. If she went to go investigate the crime scene, Magdalena would simply throw her out or get her arrested. If she did nothing, however, that wouldn't be doing justice for Snipe. "Sorry Cammie, there's nothing we can legally do."
"That's it! If we can't publicly do it legally, then we'll have to do our own secret investigation!" Cammie smiled wide, hoping to persuade Tyler and Mikayla, who both looked at each other.
"I'm not certain Cammie. If we get caught, we'd all be sent to FEDERAL jail. And that's nothing like the jail we have here. It's way worse." Mikayla stated nervously.
"But Mikayla, you said it yourself that there's nothing like catching a criminal. Well, someone out there killed that man and is one the loose, and we'll be the ones to bring them to justice." Cammie saw Mikayla ponder the idea. "And, if we do this, you'll finally be able to one-up your siblings!" That was it for Mikayla.
She gave Cammie a massive thumbs-up. "Alright, let's do this Cammie! We'll bring that criminal to cold hard justice!" She bolted out the door and ran past Cammie and outside. Cammie and Tyler both looked at each other for about a minute until Mikayla returned blushing. "Heh, heh...whoops. Forgot we need a lead." Cammie couldn't help but chuckle a little, however, she knew Mikayla was right. Without being able to examine the crime scene, they wouldn't be able to get very far in their investigation.
"Well...there's this." Tyler spoke up and pulled out a scrap piece of paper from his sling. "I got this off of the body when we were looking at it." He handed the paper to Cammie and she looked it over. It was a small piece of paper. It was purple colored and had, in bright yellow letters, "ER-EAR". Cammie looked at Mikayla, puzzled. Mikayla shrugged at the paper, not sure what it meant. "Well, you aren't going to find out here. Why don't you go look around town for any more clues. Maybe Harley or Carlos knows." With that, Tyler took a seat at his desk and started reviewing the paper work that Cammie filled out. Cammie and Mikayla exited to let Tyler work.
"So, I feel like I've seen this set of letters before, but I don't know where." Mikayla started, as she led Cammie aimlessly through the town. Cammie looked over the piece of paper multiple times, but found nothing new. "I know I've seen those letters before somewhere...." Mikayla mumbled to herself. Cammie looked around, but so far, she didn't see anything. finally, Cammie and Mikayla sat down on a park bench to rest. It had been three hours and they didn't find anything that related to the paper. Cammie reached into her lab coat and pulled out her journal and made a note about the paper. Mikayla leaned over so she could see what Cammie was writing. "You sure tend to write a lot in the journal of yours, Cammie. Got anything useful in there that could help us?"
"Hmm...sketch of you and Yarren, sketch of Catalina and Carlos's diner, sketch of the museum we passed by, sketch of the train car, sketch of my room in the Backfoot Motel. Nothing useful I see." Cammie flipped through her journal, skipping over the sketch of Yarren's cart. Mikayla looked as Cammie flipped, not seeing anything either. She sighed and stretched.
"Well, guess we better get a move on. Ugh, we've spent three hours searching and found nothing. It shouldn't be that hard." Mikayla began to walk off and Cammie followed.
"Well, I mean, it is a handy tool, and will be more handy during our investigation to take note of important things. Sadly, I haven't taken note of anything important yet." Cammie sighed and put her journal back in her lab coat. "I still feel like we missed something obvious." Mikayla shrugged and continued walking.
After about another hour, Mikayla and Cammie both decided to return back to Mikayla's office. Cammie had sketched a variety of buildings and places, but nothing related to the clue. Mikayla sighed and walked off to get a drink while Cammie returned to her office and sat down, relaxing. There had to be something they were missing, but she couldn't tell what it was. After about a few minutes, Mikayla walked into the room with Cammie to talk.
"I can't believe we haven't found anything related to the clue. I know this town like the back of my hand, and yet I can't tell what this is related to." She flopped down on a chair and sighed, drinking some water. Cammie sighed and closed her journal, leaning back into her chair. "You thirsty Cammie?" Cammie shook her head and sighed. What were they not seeing?
Mikayla drank the rest of her drink, then, she slammed her cup on the desk and stared, wide-eyed at Cammie. "Great Scarlet of Harlet! I got it! All I needed was a drink and it all fit together!" Cammie looked at Mikayla's cup, wondering just what she put in there. "Cammie, let me see your journal!" Mikayla extended her hand, hoping for Cammie to place the journal in her hand, but Cammie was reluctant. "Come on, please, I'm just going to point out something!" Cammie sighed, knowing keeping it from Mikayla would be suspicious. She handed it to Mikayla, hoping she would skip the sketch of Yarren's cart. Mikayla flipped through and opened up to the sketch of the museum they passed by earlier. "Look at the banner on the museum!" Mikayla pointed to the banner, which said "Relics of Yester-Earth." It was then that Cammie finally saw the correlation between the clue and the banner. Cammie pulled the clue that Tyler gave her out of her jacket and looked at both it and the sketch. The ER-EAR from the clue was from the words "Yester-Earth". "This is where we have to start Cammie! Let's go!" Mikayla thrust the journal back at Cammie and rushed off towards the museum.
"Hey! Wait up Mikayla!" Cammie yelled after Mikayla. She quickly stuffed the journal and clue into her jacket and dashed off after her. She finally, out of breath, caught up to Mikayla at the museum.
"Two entrances, Sheriff Pass." Mikayla told the ticket vendor, who promptly allowed Cammie and Mikayla to pass through. Cammie took a look around at all the artifacts in the museum, after she caught her breath. There were paintings that appeared to be salvaged from fires and crumbling buildings scattered around the walls. There were broken statues that were clearly mended together with second-rate repair methods. Glass boxes encased some other artifacts that seemed they would have been destroyed if anyone even touched them. It appeared to be a well developed museum, just poor exhibits, which was understandable. The massive nuclear wipe out must have made it incredibly hard to find intact artifacts. There were various remains of famous landmarks, such as Lady Liberty's tablet, or part of the Great Wall of China. Cammie was surprised that this small town managed to get some of these artifacts.
"Hello there!" shouted another exuberant voice. Cammie was so surprised by sudden enthusiasm in the person's voice that she lost her composure again. She quickly marked down in her journal that she lost her composure again due to a sudden, happy voice. Half-expecting to see Harley, she was surprised at who she saw. Approaching before them was a young, teenage guy. He was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt and had long blue pants. His reddish-brown hair was spiked up and he had a small demeanor. He only was about 3/4 of Cammie's height and was quite exuberant. On his name tag, on his chest, read the name "Zed". His right arm was covered completely with pale bandages, while he saluted with his left hand. "Good afternoon Sheriff Mikayla."
"Good afternoon, Zed." Mikayla replied.
"And who is this person accompanying you?"
"This is Cammie. She's my new assistant."
"Pleasure to meet you Cammie." Zed smiled and saluted again. Cammie cautiously saluted back. "Allow me to properly introduce myself," the boy said. "I am Zed Xerxas, and I will be your tour guide through the museum." Cammie could almost see the happiness and pride radiating from him. She looked at Mikayla, who gestured to let the boy have his fun.
"Alright Zed, lead the way."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Yeah, it's me...I did what you said..."
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"Of course I still have it.."
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"What do you want me to do with it?"
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"Alright..."
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"Yes, exactly like you instructed."
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"Don't worry, Blue, Green is watching her..."
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"Of course. Red, out."