The Academy: Detective Stories - Part I

Chapter 5. At the Labyrinth of Fear

They reached a massive kitchen door where the rest of the group was waiting. Tim, the speedy guy was already here, which meant that the rest of the team would be here soon.

"One-minute warning!" Theo waved his time crystal in the air.

Riley's voice sounded from the stairs. "I told you we'd find her!"

Jackie smiled. Now they all were together, all three teams united by the same purpose. At this moment, when they were about to save Elisa, nothing else mattered - not their previous misunderstanding, not a desire to win. It didn't matter who was taller or smarter, and it did not matter what gender they were. Now, they all were the one complete team - The Guardians to be.

Theo pushed through the heavy door, and they walked inside.

Elisa lay on a table with her arms crossed, her eyes shut. Don stood nearby. He smiled and began clapping.

The cadets lined up along the wall.

"Congratulations!" Don said. "Now you have the privilege of solving Ghost's case as a detective." He stepped aside and pointed at Elisa. "You might not know, but by the time when the last victim was found, she was unconscious."

Elisa's eyelashes trembled.

"And she was rescued," Jackie said.

Don nodded. "Yes, but let's play a different situation now. The victim is still alive, but she lost too much blood, and she won't make it to the town. You know that the killer is one of the people in this room. It is the one whom you started to trust."

Jackie exchanged glances with Urchin. "In our group?"

"Exactly." Don grinned. "So, you are a guardian, and you know that this murderer might kill again very soon. And here is the question - what would you do to find a dangerous serial killer?"

"If someone can heal her -" Jackie suggested.

"You don't have a healer in your team." Don reminded her.

Urchin raised his hand. "One of us can read her thoughts."

Everyone looked at Jackie, so she had to step up. Remembering that she couldn't touch Elisa's hands, she stood over her head. Elisa's forehead was soft and warm.

Jackie raised her eyes at Don. "I don't have to read her for real, right?"

"You must read her," Don said. "No worries, she gave me her permission."

"No!"

"Why not?!"

Jackie sighed. "If I do so, she might... I mean, the weak victim would lose her last energy, and it might lead to her immediate death."

The murmur rolled across the room.

Don smiled. "You guys are smarter than I thought. Well, you're right."

She caressed Elisa's hair. "We'll wait for someone to heal her."

"If you wait, she will die anyway. And the other victims will follow. If you read her now, she would die an hour sooner, but we will know who the killer is!"

"This isn't fair! I won't let her die without trying to save her. Then, what's the purpose of this job?"

Don shifted his gaze to the male cadets. "Well, here is the greatest dilemma of being a guardian. How ethical is it - to let someone die so the others can live?"

A silence hung heavily in the room.

Jackie lowered her voice. "I would wait for help, anyways. Until the last moment, as long as there is hope."