I Spy

Chapter 10

I was extremely out of breath by the time I reached the park entrance, despite the fact that I ran so often at my apartment gym.  But two miles at a dead sprint was a long way, and I found myself plodding toward the nearest water fountain, cursing quietly, wishing I'd brought a bottle of water. But when I'd quenched the worst of my thirst, I began making my way toward the playground that had been my favorite as a small child.

The jungle-gym that I had spent so much time on as a child seemed to appear out of no where, but I no longer felt the inexplicable happiness that I had back then. All I wanted now was to find the next clue, so I could find my aunt and uncle, the only family I'd ever known. Ignoring the strange looks I was receiving from parents and children alike, I climbed up, and clambered awkwardly up, and there, in the peak of the tower, I saw a slip of paper taped, and with one step up, and a powerful leap, I had it in my hand, and dropped gracefully down to the grated plastic flooring of the playground. 

Before I had a chance to see what was written on the paper, there was a tug on the tight-fitting sleeve of my black jacket. I looked down to see what was pulling on me, and noticed a little girl with long, curly, light brown hair and big blue eyes. She looked up at me, adoringly, and asked, "Where'd yah learn to do cool stuff like that, Miss?" I smiled down at her, and knelt so that I was at her level. "What's your name, Honey?" She looked shy for a moment. "My name is Kaylee," she told me, matter-of-factly. "Well, Kaylee, my name is Thea, and I learned how to do that because I like to help people. And right now, I have to go find and help my parents." It wasn't a lie anymore, it was the truth to me, or I wouldn't have said it, for no matter how much training I had, I would never be able to lie to a small child.

Kaylee wrapped her little arms around my neck and hugged me tight. "Go help your mommy and daddy," She whispered in my ear. "Your secret is safe with me!" I felt tears springing into my ears from the sheer sweetness of it. "Thank you , Sweetie," I said, hurrying off the playground, the memory of the adorable child stored in my mind forever. A few moments later, I stopped, needing to read the clue before I continued. Aunt Ginny's handwriting looked messier than usual as I read it:

Blue has always been your favorite color.

Tiffany's. It had to be Tiffany's. I glanced down at the white gold band encircling my thumb, engraved withe the word "Always", and knew I was right. It had been my sixteenth birthday present from the Kingsley's, and I'd worn it everyday since. I decided to hail a  cab, and as soon as I reached the entrance, I began flagging. Immediately, a cab flew to the curb.  I couldn't help but think how strange that was, especially for New York City. 

I opened the door of the cab, and slid in. A thick German accent spoke, before I could even pull the door closed. "Where to, Miss Carter?" Miss Carter? Miss Carter?! This dude knew my name, and I knew I needed to get the hell out of there. I jumped out of the cab, and took off toward the nearest alley, with only one though in mind: Whoever was after my family, was coming after me next.

I dodged down side streets and alleys, thankful that I'd been brought up maneuvering like this, rather than by the main roads. A half an hour later, I walked through the door of Tiffany's and looked around, trying to think where on earth Uncle Kevin and Aunt Ginny would have hidden a clue. The others had been simple, but this one wouldn't be nearly so. I glanced down at my thumb again. It would more than likely be in the ring section, so that was where I headed. As I looked around, a girl about my age who had been standing behind the counter came up to me, a genuine smile on her face.

"Excuse me," she said, politely. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Thea, would it?" Alarms in the back of my mind, but I ignored them, and cautiously answered, "Yes?" The girl smiled again, and held up a small blue box. "This is for you!" She gushed. "Your parents were in here, and said you'd be coming in, and asked me to hold this until you did!" She was so sweet and genuinely happy, and as I took the box and thanked her, I couldn't help but be jealous about how she was able to live the normal life that I would never have.

I leaned against the outside of the building, and flipped the top of the box open to find a beautiful white gold ring with an amethyst stone in the shape of a heart. Engraved around the inside of the band were the words, "We Love You." I slipped it onto my left ring finger, and plucked the padding out of the box, where an address was written on the bottom of the box was written in Aunt Ginny's handwriting.

1525 Mountain Way

Porter, New York

10052

I made my way back to my apartment  to pack, then quickly went to the garage where the Kingsley's and I left our cars when they weren't needed. I threw everything I needed into the backseat, and started her up, nearly forgetting to look behind me before I backed out. Nerves didn't start hitting me until I saw the little white water tower that said "Welcome to Porter!" in big black lettering. What was I going to find when I got there?

I pulled into the driveway, following it around the house into a small alcove, where nothing was visible from the road. I sprinted to the door, not worried about my belongings, only concerned with seeing that my family was okay. I rang the door with the code, and it opened quickly, but the person who stood there wasn't who I expected, and a feeling of dread filled the pit of my stomach, even as each of my arms was grabbed.

"Hello, Thea," a deep voice said.

A cold chill shook my body as I replied, "Hello, Director."