The Academy: Detective Stories - Part I

Chapter 4. Hens Matter

This task was a waste of time because they spent around fifteen minutes finding the room where their lesson was. And to their huge disappointment, when they finally found the room, it was empty. Jackie noticed a sheet of paper stapled to the board and read it. In confusion, she gave it to Urchin.

He took the paper and read it aloud. "If you are smart enough to go beyond the given rules, you have a chance. Keep thinking!"

"I don't understand," she said.

"Me neither." He crumpled the paper and threw it on the floor.

In the corridor, they walked to where the local performance hall was, asking each other questions that they couldn't answer yet.

"Don said 'use your Gifts', 'work as a team'! The hell it helped!" Urchin groaned.

"He said we went beyond the rules, then we did something right, didn't we?"

"We all read the letter, and it said I'm in the library!"

Jackie shook her head. "It's just torture!"

"Agreed." Urchin slowed down his steps and glanced at his time crystal. "But the good thing is - we have only 20 minutes of this torture left."

Then a noise from the performance hall made them stop.

Jackie pulled his elbow. "Urchin, the other group! It's them!"

"I see." He gave her a puzzled look. "But why are they searching for the victim there? I mean, on the opposite side of the building?!"

Jackie stood frozen. The wheels in her brain started moving faster. "I think now it's time to try your Gift."

He narrowed his eyes. "What? Should we glance at what the heck they are doing?"

"Sure!"

* * * * *

The Gift of invisibility appeared to be an interesting thing. Before, Jackie had only read about this Gift in the books, but now she could really be in these shoes - invisible. Urchin took her hand, and then he slowed his breath. The cloud of mist surrounded them like a giant bubble, and she stopped seeing her body. She still could feel it as usual, though. Urchin's invisible hand gently pulled her, and Jackie followed him to the hall.

They walked inside. Four male cadets stood in the middle of the stage, arguing and swinging their arms about. One of them was a tall red-haired young man who had questioned Elisa in the morning, and as she got from their conversation, his name was Theo. The folded envelope lay abandoned on the floor near his feet.

"Let's see what message they have," Urchin whispered over her ear.

His breath was hot, and good thing she was invisible because she blushed like a ruby rose. They slowly approached the cadets, and Urchin took the envelope. They were walking outside when one of the guys noticed them. Actually, he noticed how the piece of paper graciously flew to the exit.

It was the side effect of the Invisibility Gift - Urchin could make himself and things around disappear together with him, but not the things that he touched after his Gift was activated.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

Urchin put the paper in her hand and said just one word. "Run!"

Then he released her hand, and Jackie appeared in the middle of the hall. What a betrayer! She opened her mouth to shout at him, but she hardly moved her lips when two guys reached her and pushed her to the floor. She fell, a sharp pain piercing her right hip.