(wild applause) IT'S AMAZING!!!!!1 I CAN'T WAIT FOR PART THREE!!!!

This is amazing! I love it so much! You have such a talent with writing, that I don't have! I can't wait for part three!

Thank you for your time! 

Part Three

~

No one slept very well that night, and in the morning they all went to see Pancake in the castle’s infirmary. She looked very small and weak lying on the bed, her face almost as pale as the sheets. She was breathing deeply, and the nurse assured them all that she would make a full recovery in a few days.

“I feel terrible,” said Emekittycon, looking at Pancake. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Evergreen put a hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said softly. “She’ll be okay. Why don’t we stay with her for a while?” Em nodded.

“I’ll stay too,” said Gracia.

“Ditto,” agreed Dolphin. “Why doesn’t everyone else go to breakfast, and we’ll meet up with you later?” The CBers all agreed to this plan, and everyone who hadn’t offered to stay in the infirmary left, headed to the banquet hall.

Breakfast was a subdued affair. The kitchens served pancakes- which, plainly to say, just put everyone in a glum mood. Goldie bounced around the table, trying to put them all in a better mood, but it didn’t seem to be working. Once everyone was done eating, she stood at the head of the table and coughed to get their attention.

“Well, good morning, everyone!” she said. No response. “I know we had, well, a rough start to your stay,” she continued, “but I can assure you, Pancake will be fine. We have an admirable medical staff, and she will be well looked after. Now, the weather this morning is beautiful, why don’t you all go outside and explore the grounds a little?” The CBers all looked at one another and shrugged. They might as well- staying inside moping wasn’t going to help anything.

Goldie was right- the weather was beautiful. Once they were outside, Strawberri suggested they go take a look at the gardens.

“Good idea!” said Sirfire. “Do we have any idea where they are?”

“Ahem,” muttered Agent Winter. When they all looked at her, she pointed with a flourish at a wooden signed fixed on the side of the palace. It read ‘Gardens This Way’.

“This place is quite direct, isn’t it?” said Bluebell as they walked in the direction indicated by the sign. They soon found an archway covered in vines and flowers, and once they stepped through it, they found a magnificent garden sprawling before them. Rows of ripe vegetables and blooming flowers filled the space, and colorful butterflies flitted from plant to plant.

“It’s beautiful!” Holly exclaimed. Dolphin was eyeing a row of plump tomatoes near where they were standing.

“Do you think Goldie would mind if we borrowed some of her vegetables?” she asked. Alexandria laughed.

“We just ate breakfast!” she said. “Let’s leave them for now.”

They spent a while walking through the garden and examining the different plants. Strawberri and Alexandria chased after butterflies, attempting to sneak up on them and catch one.

“Be careful!” said Dusk after Alexandria almost knocked her into a rosebush.

“Hey, look!” squealed Strawberri excitedly. “I got one to land on my finger!” The other CBers crowded to look. As they gazed at the delicate butterfly, the ground began to shake. The butterfly flew away.

“What is that?” asked Agent Winter as the shaking intensified.

“An earthquake!” Sirfire cried.

Over the rumbling of the sudden, violent earthquake, Bluebell heard something peculiar. It sounded like… a scream? Yes, that was it. An agonizing scream that sent chills down her back.

The earthquake slowly tapered off, and the CBers stood in shock for a moment.

“That was insane,” said Dolphin. Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Did anyone else hear that?” Bluebell asked breathlessly.

“What, the earthquake?” said Alexandria incredulously.

“No, no,” said Bluebell, shaking her head. “It sounded like a… nevermind.” They were all looking at her like she was crazy.

“We should get back inside,” said Alice, looking shaken. There was a chorus of agreement, and they all started back the way they came. They walked to the doors of the palace, then inside it, where they came face to face with a disheveled-looking Goldie.

“Oh!” she said, wide-eyed. “It’s you. Is everyone alright?” They all nodded, and Goldie hurried away, looking distracted.

“Is she okay?” asked Holly.

“Probably,” Agent Winter shrugged. “Hey, we should go check on Pancake.” They ran in the direction of the infirmary, and before long, met up with the CBers who had stayed behind.

“There you are!” said Gracia. “We felt the earthquake and came to find you.”

“We’re all fine,” said Dolphin. “How’s Pancake?”

“No change,” said Evergreen, biting her lip.

They all went back to the infirmary together and stood around Pancake’s bed. She looked the same as when they’d left her. The nurse bustled past, looking sympathetically at them.

Dolphin gazed at Pancake, and something caught her eye. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something seemed off about the still figure in the bed. She seemed a bit too still…

Dolphin pushed forward to the side of Pancake’s bed and leaned down. She held her hand in front of Pancake’s face and waited a second.

“What are you doing?” asked Emekittycon. Dolphin stood up and called for the nurse, who hurried over.

“I don’t think she’s breathing,” Dolphin told her shakily. The nurse felt for a pulse in Pancake’s neck, and slowly turned to face the CBers.

“Pancake is dead,” she reported, grief etched on her face. There was a collective gasp.

“But… but you said she was going to be fine,” said Alexandria. The nurse picked up a glass of water sitting on the table next to the bed and sniffed it. Her face went white. 

“I’m afraid your friend has been poisoned,” she said, quietly.

Part Four

~

The funeral for Pancake was held at 8 am sharp the next morning, and it was a somber affair. The day itself was dreary, cold and drizzling, a perfect reflection of the mood. Pancake was buried out on the grounds, underneath a nice oak tree, and the CBers chose a nice stone for her from the garden, which they laid on the grave.

Once it was over, everyone trooped back up to the castle, soaking wet. After being provided by the staff with towels, they all convened in the Amethyst Room to talk.

“That was awful,” said Holly quietly, her towel wrapped around her shoulders.

“I know,” said Gracia, “but it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

“Are we sure?” asked Dolphin. “I mean, she was poisoned. That sounds like someone’s fault to me.”

“Maybe it was an accident?” Bluebell suggested weakly, but Agent Winter shook her head.

“I’m with Dolphin. The poison didn’t just spontaneously manifest itself inside of Pancake.” She turned to Emekittycon and Evergreen, who were sitting together. “Did either of you see anything? You were with her.”

“No, I- I didn’t see anything,” said Em, sniffing.

“Are you sure?” Agent Winter pressed. Em nodded, looking like she was about to cry.

“Let her be, Winter,” said Gracia. “Dolphin and I were both there too, and neither of us saw anything.”

“Sorry,” said Agent Winter, eyes downcast.

“It’s alright,” said Em. “I want to find out what happened, too.”

“How long were you away from her?” asked Sirfire.

“Maybe five minutes?” Evergreen answered. “When we went to find you guys, after the earthquake.”
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” said Gracia. “Dolphin and I went to the kitchen to get Em a glass of water, because she was crying.”

“Well, yeah, but Em and I were still there.”

“That’s true.” Gracia sighed. “I guess we’re no closer, are we?”

“Why don’t we go check out the infirmary?” Strawberri suggested. “Look for clues?” No one could think of anything better to do, so they all made their way back down to the infirmary.

The nurse greeted them with a sympathetic smile, and led them over to Pancake’s empty bed. It was a disheartening sight, and a few of them had to hold back tears.

“Let’s get to work,” said Sirfire, wiping her eyes. They broke up and began to search the infirmary- in the cabinets, in drawers, under tables, anywhere they could think to look.

“Over here!” said Evergreen, and the CBers all rushed to look. She was on all fours next to Pancakes bed, her arm reaching under it. “Look!” she said, pulling out her arm. She was holding a small empty vial that looked like it contained traces of liquid.

“Looks like poison to me,” said Dusk. “But how does this help us?”

“Let’s dust it for fingerprints!” exclaimed Alexandria.

“That… might actually work,” said Gracia. “Let’s give it a shot.”

Back in the Amethyst Room, Alexandria excitedly collected everyone’s fingerprint, using graphite dust from a pencil she’d borrowed from Holly and a roll of tape. Then she took the vial and her fingerprinting supplies to the corner of the room and began working on the vial. The rest of the CBers let her work, some sitting in silence and a few making light conversation.

A few minutes later, they heard a triumphant “aha!” from Alexandria’s corner of the room.

“I found fingerprints!” she said, holding up a dusty strip of tape.
“Whose?” asked Strawberri eagerly.

Alexandria raised a hand a pointed dramatically. “Evergreen’s!”

“Um… well, obviously, right?” Evergreen said, biting her lip. “I mean, I found it.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Alexandria, slightly crestfallen. “But…”

“Maybe they were wearing gloves?” said Dusk. “That would explain why there are only Evergreen’s fingerprints.”

“So… are we all in agreement, then, that it was one of us?” asked Bluebell.

“I guess so,” said Agent Winter. Everyone looked at one another, worried and distrustful. It was hard to believe anyone in the room could have murdered Pancake.

But one of them had. The murderer, sitting among the other CBers, smiled inwardly at the looks of distrust and betrayal on everyone’s faces. With everyone divided, their job would be much, much easier. 

Oh my goodness!!! This is crazy! I can't believe it!! I wonder what the murderer's motive is!

Part Five

~

The next day, the CBers were feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. The night before, they’d decided to take action to figure out who the murderer could be. Agent Winter was elected the leader of the operation, and she named Alexandria the clue-master, which Winter insisted was a very real and very official position.

“Awesome!” exclaimed Alexandria. “Ooh, does anyone have a magnifying glass I could use? Or a monocle?”

“I have a polaroid camera?” Holly offered.

“Excellent!” said Winter. “I decree that you’ll be our photographer and evidence documenter.”

“Where should we start?” Sirfire asked. “We’ve already searched the entire infirmary.”

“What about the rooms?” Bluebell suggested. “We could search everybody’s belongings, if people are okay with that.”

“Great idea!” Winter said. “And if anyone is opposed to that, they’re immediately moved to the top of the suspect list.”

No one had any objection to the search (or at least no one voiced any objections), so the sleuthing CBers started in the Amethyst Room. Agent Winter assigned two people to search each bed, along with any luggage that might be there. After a few minutes of quiet rummaging, Strawberri’s head popped out from underneath one of the beds.

Hey, Winter?” she said. “Um, what exactly are we looking for?”

“Anything that looks like poison or like it could have held poison,” Winter answered. “Right, clue-master?”

“Affirmative!” Alexandria said. They went on with the search, and found nothing in the Amethyst Room. They moved on to the Tanzanite Room, checking high and low- literally, due to the bunk beds- for any indication at all that poison had been in the room.

After a long while of searching, Agent Winter decided to admit defeat. “There’s nothing here, guys,” she said with a sigh. “Come on, let’s head down to brunch. Maybe afterwards we can check the kitchen or something.”

Frustrated and unsatisfied, the CBers began to leave the room.  

"I'm going to be a moment,” Alexandria called. “I want to see if I can find my Swiss Army Knife- it might come in handy.”

“Do you want someone to wait with you?” asked Agent Winter, pausing at the door.

“No, no, I’ll just be a minute, I’ll catch up with you.” 

The other CBers all left, leaving Alexandria alone in the room. She walked over to her bunk and began rummaging through her bag, looking for her knife. She looked up, startled, when she heard the door open again, but her face relaxed as she recognized the person who entered.

“Hey,” she said, “you didn’t have to wait for me, I won’t be long.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the other person said.

“Aha!” said Alexandria, holding up her knife. “Found it! Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are.” Alexandria started towards the door, but stopped when she saw something poking out from underneath a mattress.

“Hold on,” she said, walking over to it. She pulled it out, and saw that it was a crumpled piece of tissue paper. Nothing special, she thought, until she noticed traces of liquid dampening it. “Look at this! I bet this was used to wrap the vial of poison! Whoever was looking over here must have missed…” Alexandria trailed off as she turned around to see the other person in the room standing next to her. “Hey, what’s that in your hand? It looks li-” Her sentence this time was cut off abruptly as something wrapped around her neck, pulling tighter and tighter.

“Do me a favor, try not to scream,” whispered the murder. Try as she might, Alexandria couldn’t scream, she couldn’t get the air, she struggled against whatever was steadily tightening around her throat, but soon, her struggling ceased, and her body slid to the floor with a thud. The murder walked out of the room, smiling to themself, and ran to catch up with the other CBers before anyone noticed they were gone.

~~~~~~~

Today's part's a bit shorter, and a little late, my apoligies!

Dolphin, I am not Joan! 

THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!!!! PLEASE KEEP GOING!!!!!

Oh my gosh!!  This has got me on the edge of my chair!  It's so amazing!!  I can't wait for the next part!!