A Friend For Ransom

Ate Ellie!

I zoomed to the front door and rang the doorbell. It then opened.

There stood a little boy wearing a white sando, a sleeveless shirt, decorated with Marvel superheros and light blue shorts

"Ate (big sister; pronounced A-teh) Ellie!"

"Oh no! Not you!"

"Look what I've got!" He waved a piece of paper, my name and the word "English" both written in my handwriting, in the air.

"You better give that back, Elliot, or so help me--"

"If you want it, come and get it!" He then slammed the door on my face.

I heard footsteps thumping on the flight of stairs.

"I plan to!" I tightened the strap of my helmet, grabbed my skateboard and zoomed to the back of the house.

"Ha-ha!" He laughed, waving the paper out of his bedroom window. "You're never gonna catch me from there! Ha, you finally failed!"

I then spotted a plank of wood on top of another near our little shed.

That's when an idea sparked in my head.

I tied the rope that we use to hang our clothes around a big, heavy rock and lifted it up on the shed. I then put the two planks of wood in position.

"La-dee-da!" Elliot chanted. "Just surrender, I'm about to sing my victory song!"

"Oh no!" The last time I heard his victory song, it made me wish my ears had "ear-lids".

I placed myself onto my skateboard on one side of the plank. I held the string that was tied around the rock.

"Ok, I'm gonna sing it..."

"Elliot!"

"What? Ready to give in?"

"Are the lights on in your room?"

"No, what's it to you?"

"Good!"

I quickly tugged on the string and the rock tumbled on the opposite side of the board. It sent me flying past the house.

"HA! Missed!"

"Think again!" I then landed and grinded on the utility line which made abit of a spark. I then bounced off the cord and flew towards the window.

"Woah!" Elliot said, ducking.

As I flew in, I grabbed the paper from his hand and landed on his bed.

"Who's singin' now?"

"Oh!" He groaned. "I was so close! It-it's not fair!"

"Better luck next time, lil' bro. I'm off to Margaret's"

"Again? Didn't you go there last Wednesday?"

"No, that was Hazel's. My last visit there was last Saturday."

"I never understood girls and their bonding time." He shouted as I closed the door behind me.

"And I never understood boys and their attitudes." I mumbled, going down the stairs.

I then glanced at the wall clock that hung over our couch.

Great! It's already 5:10! I wasted 35 minutes getting that paper from that little monster.

I quickly headed towards the door. As I grabbed the doorknob, a voice called.

"Ellie, where are you going?"

"Oh... mom." I turned around to find mom smiling.

"This is the first time I didn't see you arrive home just to fight with Elliot."

"Um... what makes you think that?"

"Can't you see? No furniture tipped over, no books or papers on the floor, no vases or glasses broken!"

"Oh yeah... we, you know, got along."

I almost puked after saying "got along". The time that would really happen, would be the time I've solved this Margaret case.

"Well, gotta go!"

"Where?"

"To Margaret's"

"Again? Didn't you go there last Wednesday?"

"Last Saturday, mom!" I corrected. "Last Saturday!"

"Ok, then. Have fun!"