The Stupidity Squad and the New Arrival

Chapter 28~A Great Escape

Note from the Author: Hey guys! I know you're upset about Marika and Louise basically disappearing from the story, but I had a good reason for it! Starting now, those two are officially... Back in the book! Also, I wanted to put this part in so you know they're not dead...yet

Marika's POV

"Hey Lulu!" I yelled from the other jail cell. "Do you have anything to get us out of here?"

"No..." She said blandly. "If I did I would have told you already." She started wearing away the cement between the dark red bricks with her fingernail.

"That's not going to work!" I said impatiently.

"Do you have a better idea, genius?" She may be salty, but she's got a good point. I sighed in aggravation.

"No." I admitted, staring longingly at the wall. "No, I don't"

"Well then," Louise said standing up, "I guess we're getting out of here." She pushed the bars on her jail cell and they fell to the floor with a loud clank. Oh my gosh! She must have been sawing away at those bars all night!

"H-How did you-" She held up a stick and pressed a button at the end of it. A giant metal sheet flung out, revealing its true identity. A Machete.

"That's great but what's with the noise?! We're going to get caught!" She rolled her eyes at me.

"Becca has some better things to do. The only person here is Stephanie."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "We're so screwed!" Louise once again denied my statement with an eye roll.

"She's the least of our worries..."

Louise's POV

I quietly made my way to the round room. It had loads of banners of all different colors, but they were the same in width, length, and shape. Each had a different symbol. An aware bunny, a flexible cat, a fierce narwhal, a sly fox, a lethal wolf, a sturdy pufferfish, and a patient panda. On the roof of this room, the words "the Stupidity Squad" was carefully inscribed in the center. There was also a marble table with 7 different pressure plates formed into it.

"This is disgraceful!" Marika whispered angrily. "Why would anyone call us that?!" I shrugged, looking at her with bored eyes. 'You know what else is disgraceful? Making me crawl on the ground even though there's no one here.' I thought to myself.

"You have to admit," I said to her tauntingly, "it's pretty catchy." She obviously wasn't happy about that remark...but it was so worth it. I stood up and lowered my eye lids half closed to show my distaste. I scanned the different banners and thought. "I got this." I stepped beside one of the banners hanging on the wall, and tore it off the railings holding it up. Then I placed the banner at the doorstep of the door behind it. I did the same to all the other banners and each had an exit door behind it. "Just as I suspected," I said triumphantly. Marika walked around, placing her hand on each of the doors with wonder.

"What do all of these things mean?" Marika inquired as she looked back at me in expectancy.

"Easy," I told her walking into the first room. Inside rested a well-polished table, and a glass case on top of that. The glass case protected a faded photograph of a girl and a boy sitting together on the bench...but one thing was not right. The girl's head had been torn out of the photograph. "...shoot."

Marika's POV

"What's taking you so long?" I whined as I peeked inside the open doorway. "Did you find any-"

"Yeah!" She replied shakily, turning around the room. She was smiling, but her eyes were fearful. What had happened? She walked out of the room with a piece of faded paper in her hand. "I-I guess we should check the next room." Louise studdered. She stepped into the next room, but hesitated and stepped out.

"What is it?" I asked. She didn't look at me.

"Maybe you should get the next one." I looked at her in utter confusion. Could a mere paper really frighten her that much? I walked into the room. It was dark and in the center was a table with a glass case. I hovered over the transparent shield and to my surprise, set my eyes on an old, petite, toy mouse that I never thought I would see again. "S-Shadow?"