CHILD'S PLAY, quentin beck

XV. THE TREE MUSKETEERS

When Josephine returned to the hotel lounge, she didn't notice how everyone aside from MJ and Ned had left, most likely to get some sleep. She stared at the device in her hands as she sat down and ignored the curious, but tired, looks on the two teenager's faces. They had both waited for their teacher to return, not just to make sure she was safe, but to find out what Mysterio wanted from her.

Kissing Quentin had caught him off guard. And while it was a part of his plan to get Josephine to fall for him, he had never expected her to initiate something like that. He never would have expected her to come up with a plan of her own.

'This is wrong, Quentin,' she had said, pulling away and taking a small step backwards. 'I have to go.' While he tried to think of something, anything, to say to get her to stay with him, she had already snuck his cell phone out of his pocket and slipped it into her own. He never even noticed.

MJ was the one to break the silence. 'So? What did he want?'

Josephine placed the cell phone on the small table in between them and smiled at the two teenagers in front of her. 'You're good with technology, right, Ned?' He looked at the device, a little confused at first but they both figured out what was going on in a matter of seconds. 'Think you can hack this?'

'Is that his phone?' MJ stared at her teacher in disbelief. 'You stole his phone, oh, you totally did.'

Ned laughed and picked up the phone from the table. 'That is so cool!' He was silent for a few seconds while he inspected the phone. 'And yeah, I think I can. But I'll need a laptop.'

Josephine nodded, knowing she had a laptop in her suitcase. 'Not a problem, come on.'

It was a short and silent walk to Josephine's hotel room. While Ned was most likely thinking about what they would find on Quentin's phone and MJ worried about Peter, Josephine's mind wandered to her kiss with Quentin. She was glad no one asked her how she got the phone, because she had no idea how she would answer that.

'Does this count as extra credit? Because I could really use that,' Ned jokingly asked as he sat down on the ground with the laptop on his lap and the phone next to him.

Josephine chuckled. 'No, it absolutely does not.'

'Just study like the rest of us,' MJ added.

Ned was quiet after MJ's comment as he continued typing away on the laptop, trying to get into the cell phone. They all knew Quentin was clever, he wouldn't have made it easy for anyone to gain access to the information on his phone. And by now he had probably already realized that his phone was gone.

Josephine wondered what he would do. The odds of him returning to the hotel and simply taking it were small, he wouldn't risk anyone else finding out that he was a fraud.

The two girls sat down on the ground as well and Josephine fished a small box of candy she had bought earlier out of her bag and put it in front of her and MJ. 'How's it going?' She looked at Ned curiously, hoping he was getting somewhere with the phone.

He shrugged in response. 'Not very well, yet. I'm guessing he really likes his privacy,' he said. 'But I can do this, trust me. It's just going to take a little longer than I thought.'

They all went back to being silent after Ned's update. It was a slightly awkward, but short-lived, silence before the ringing of a phone blasted through the hotel room.

'It's not me,' MJ said after checking her phone.

Josephine put hers back in her pocket when she noticed it wasn't her phone ringing either. 'Not me, either,' she said and both girls looked at Ned, who shook his head. It wasn't his phone.

They all stared at the fourth phone. Ned picked it up from the ground and read the caller ID. 'Unknown number,' he said, showing MJ and Josephine the screen.

'Pretty sure we all know who it is, anyways,' MJ commented. 'Do we pick up?'

Both teenagers stared at Josephine after MJ's question. Should they pick up the phone? Would that even be a good idea? She sighed and shook her head. 'No, we're not picking up,' she said. 'Keep trying to unlock it,' she said to Ned, knowing their efforts to hack their way into his phone would most likely be pointless. She saw him press the red button before she got up from the ground. 'I'll be right back.'

She had gone into the bathroom, leaving the two teenagers behind. 'Crap,' she mumbled under her breath before turning on the sink's tap, grabbing one of the cups in front of her and filling it with water. How had she managed to go from thinking about lesson activities to thinking about how to stop a fake superhero from potentially destroying London? 'This is so above my paygrade.'

Josephine soon returned and noticed how Ned had closed the laptop and put it away.

'It's not gonna work,' he explained, looking slightly defeated.

She nodded. 'Alright.' The three looked at the phone for a little while before Josephine spoke up again. 'It's okay, don't worry. Just get some sleep and we'll try to reach Peter again tomorrow.'

MJ and Ned had both gone to their own rooms after that, leaving Josephine with the phone in her possession. Just like them, she had no idea what to do with it. Sure, she was the one who took is from Quentin and giving it back just like that would probably be a little strange. It would also mean she would have to go to him, and that was the last thing she wanted at the moment. Josephine hadn't exactly thought this whole thing through. She hoped a good night's rest could give her a clear perspective, if the universe allowed her to get some sleep for once.

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once again, i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! also, a short announcement, while i already know how i'm going to end this book, i am also working on a plan for a potential sequel!