Part Ten

~ 

Another day, another funeral. The oak tree was becoming a melancholy place as they buried each person they lost. This time, however, after returning from the funeral, the CBers were feeling restless. No one wanted another day of moping around the palace, so they gathered once again in the Amethyst Room to work out a plan.

“Why don’t we just stick to our original plan?” suggested Dusk, once they were all situated.

Dolphin shook her head. “I don’t feel like going anywhere,” she said miserably, and Holly nodded in agreement.

“Then we’ll split up,” said Agent Winter. “Dolphin and Holly can stay here, and the rest of us will go for a walk.”

“We can’t leave them alone,” Sirfire pointed out, and Winter nodded.

“Who wants to stay with them?”

“I’ll stay!” said Em.

“I will too,” said Evergreen.

“Excellent,” Winter said. “So, why don’t we all meet outside in five minutes?”

Five minutes later, as agreed, the CBers (aside from Holly, Dolphin, Em, and Ever) stood outside the doors of the Golden Palace.

“Where should we go?” asked Strawberri, looking around.

“How about the woods?” said Winter, and there was a chorus of agreement. There was a lush forest that backed up to the palace, with a sign that said it had hiking trails. The CBers made their way around the palace and started down one such trail, twisting and turning and occasionally stumbling over roots. They talked easily among themselves as they went. The weather was lovely, and the woods were beautiful. Dusk stopped everyone at one point, when she saw a little spotted fawn a few yards away. Everyone who had a camera snapped a few pictures before it bounded away.

As they continued walking, Agent Winter cleared her throat. “I have an announcement!” she announced, and everyone quieted down to listen. “In light of… um… recent events, as the Lead Detective on the Golden Palace Murder Case-” (Winter was making this up off the top of her head, as none of these things had been officially named) “-I’d like to officially declare Gracia our new Clue Master!” There was a smattering of applause, and Gracia took a modest bow.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said, placing a hand on her chest. “It’s such an honor to be working with you all on the- what did you call it, Win?”

“Golden Palace Murder Case,” Winter supplied.

Gracia nodded. “Yeah, that.”

They walked on, and soon the path became much narrower, causing them to have to walk in a single file line. Sirfire led the way, and Dusk brought up the rear. The trail was just beginning to widen again when Sirfire heard someone cry out behind her. It was Strawberri, sprawled out on the side of the path and massaging her ankle.

“I tripped over that tree root,” she explained. She made to get up, but Bluebell stopped her.

“Don’t move!” she said, and Strawberri froze. “That plant there, next to your left arm, don’t touch it.” They all looked and saw the plant to which Bluebell was referring. It was a bright green vine with pointed leaves.

“Why? Is it poisonous?” Strawberri asked, shying away from it.

Bluebell nodded. “Yes, very. It’s called calamum vesperum.” Strawberri stood up and hurried away from the innocent-looking plant. “Stay away from that vine if you see it,” Bluebell warned, and everyone kept their eyes peeled as they continued down the trail.

After a while, they came across a few tall, sturdy-looking pine trees. Agent Winter called for the group to stop.

“What is it?” Dusk asked.

Winter grinned. “Can we please have a tree climbing contest?”

The contest rules were agreed on- Alice was to be the judge, since she didn’t want to participate. The others would climb the trees, three at a time. Whoever made it to the agreed branches halfway up the three trees would win. Then, the winners of the two groups would go head to head in the championship round.

The first group to go would be Agent Winter, Gracia, and Bluebell. They each stood at the bottom of their respective trees, waiting for the contest to begin.

“Ready?” Alice asked, and they nodded confirmation. “Alright. Ready, set… go!”

At Alice’s signal, the three contestants began to climb up the trees. Gracia had an early lead, with Winter right behind her. Bluebell’s shoe had gotten caught on a branch at the bottom, which cost her a few seconds. They raced up the tree, and as they grew nearer to the finish, Agent Winter began to overtake Gracia. It was only by a few seconds, but Winter touched the branch first and let out a triumphant shout.

“Agent Winter wins!” called Alice, and all three descended to the ground.

“Good game,” said Winter cheerily, and Gracia and Bluebell repeated the sentiment, neither one caring much that they had lost.

The next three contestants were Dusk, Strawberri, and Sirfire. They positioned themselves near the trees, and when Alice said go, began to race upwards. Strawberri and Dusk were neck and neck, with Sirfire a few feet behind. Dusk began to pull forward, then with a cry, missed the branch she was reaching for. She fell a few feet, but managed to catch herself on another branch. She signaled to the CBers on the ground that she was fine, then began to climb again, though now far behind the other two. Strawberri was still ahead of Sirfire as they neared the finish, but in the last few seconds, Sirfire overtook her and touched the branch first.

“I don’t believe it!” said Alice, putting on a voice like an announcer. “Sirfire wins!” They climbed down, and after shaking hands and making sure Dusk was alright, Agent Winter and Sirfire stood at the bottom of two trees, ready to race again.

“For the win,” said Alice, “ready, set, go!”

Winter and Sirfire flew up the trees, clambering from branch to branch. They were tied for the first half of the race, but slowly, Sirfire began to pull ahead. She touched the branch a few feet ahead of Winter, and the crowd cheered for her.

"Sirfire wins the championship!” shouted Alice, and both contestants returned to the ground. They shook hands.

“Congrats, good game!” said Winter, smiling.

“Thanks!” responded Sirfire. “I really thought you were gonna beat me for a minute, you’re a fast climber!”

Winter shrugged modestly. “I have my moments.” Everyone congratulated Sirfire, and Alice presented her with a large pinecone, declaring that it was the Official Tree Race Trophy.

Sirfire brought the Tree Race Trophy with her as they left the pine trees behind, heading back the way they’d come.

“We should get back and check on Holly and Dolphin,” Gracia said, and they all agreed.

Back at the palace, the four CBers who’d stayed were watching a movie. After sitting in the Amethyst Room for a while, they’d explored the palace and found a movie room on the first floor, complete with velvet seats and a popcorn maker. Em had set to making popcorn while Ever, Holly, and Dolphin had picked a movie. They eventually settled on the first Harry Potter movie, and found seats in the front row. Em brought over four bowls of popcorn, slightly burnt, and they watched the entirety of the movie. They were just starting The Chamber of Secrets when the other CBers returned from their hike. After filling them in on the events of their hike, and Sirfire proudly showing off the pinecone trophy, they all settled in to watch the movie together.

About halfway through the movie, the murderer left the room to use the bathroom- they did not, in fact, have to use the bathroom. They headed to a hallway of the palace to finish setting up their trap. They moved quickly, not wanting to be gone long enough to raise suspicion. Once the final component was in place, they crept away, slipping back into the movie room with the others. The trap was ready for it’s victim.

When the movie was over, it was just about time for bed. The CBers dispersed to collect their things and made their way back to their respective rooms. They bid one another goodnight, and the lights were turned out.

The murderer lay in their bed for half an hour after the lights were out, to be sure that everyone was asleep. Once they could hear the steady, even breathing of the other CBers, they quietly stood and left the room. They quickly made their was back to their trap, their stomach full of butterflies. Had it worked?

The murderer rounded the corner, and their mouth dropped open in shock. The trap had indeed worked, and there was an unmoving figure tangled in it. But the murderer’s face showed frustration as they turned the body over to reveal that it was Emekittycon, still and sedated. The trap had caught the wrong person.

~~~~~~~

We're at ten weeks! I want to thank you all for sticking with me this long, and hopefully for the rest of the ski lodge. It's going strong so far, and I hope you're all enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it!

OH MY GOSH!!!

You're so good at writing!!!  This is an amazing Ski Lodge!!!

I can't wait for the next update!

Thank you for your time! 

This is sooooooo good!!!!!! PLEASE KEEP GOING!!!!!

Hey guys, sorry for the wait! I've got lots going on right now, but the next part will be up tomorrow!

Part Eleven

~

When Em woke up, she found herself in a dark room. Still groggy, she shook her head and tried to rub her eyes, only to find that she couldn’t. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized she was seated in a wooden chair, her hands tied behind her back and her legs tied to the chair so that she couldn’t stand. There was a gag over her mouth to prevent her from making any noise. She tried to move, and gave a muffled cry as the rope dug into her wrists.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up.” A voice came from the darkness in front of her, a voice she recognized but couldn’t place in her slightly drowsy state. “Sorry about the… accommodations. I had to ensure no one would find you- that is, before I wanted you to be found.”

“Mph-mn-mpm?” Em asked through the gag, and the voice sighed irritatedly.

“That’ll get old fast. Don’t scream, alright? Or I’ll knock you out again.”

Em nodded quickly, and the other person moved around behind her so Em couldn’t see who it was. A moment later, the gag was off, and Em took a deep breath of musty air.

“Where- where am I? What happened? Who are you?”

“If you must know, we’re in the dungeon.”

“I didn’t know the Golden Palace had a dungeon.”

“Neither does anyone else- that’s why you’re down here. As for what happened, well, you fell into my trap.”

“Your trap? Then does that mean…” Comprehension dawned in Em’s eyes. “You’re the murderer.”

“Quite right,” the murderer confirmed, and they stepped in front of Em so she could see them. “Surprise.”

“You!” Em shouted, eyes wide.

“Do keep your voice down,” the murderer ordered, “or I’ll have to put the gag back on, and I don’t think you want that.”

Em swallowed all the things she’d been about to say, and instead settled on, “Why?”

The murderer laughed humorlessly. “Oh, I knew you’d say that. Unfortunately for you, it’s not time to reveal that yet. To be honest, if I were you, I wouldn’t expect to live that long.”

A shiver ran down Em’s spine. “Why me? Why did you set a trap for me?”

The murderer’s face darkened. “I didn’t. You were a mistake, if that makes you feel any better. My trap wasn’t meant for you, it was meant for someone else.”

“Who?” she asked, but the murderer shook their head.

“I think that’s enough questions for now. I have to get back before the others notice I’m gone.”

Just before the murderer replaced the gag, Em said, “They’re going to find me, you know.”

Once the gag was in place, the murderer smirked. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

In the Amethyst Room, the CBers were just waking up, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and getting ready for the day. No one noticed anything at all out of the ordinary until Gracia looked around the room, frowning. Something was off, she noticed, and did a quick head count. Six out of seven… someone was missing.

Across the room, Strawberri seemed to have come to the same conclusion. “Where’s Em?” she asked.

The next few moments were a flurry of panic, until Gracia shouted,

“Stop!” Everyone came to a halt, staring at her. “This isn’t going to do anything,” she continued. “Bluebell, can you go over to the Tanzanite Room and tell them to meet us in the library in ten minutes?” Bluebell nodded and left.

“What are we going to do?” Holly asked.

“Meet them in the library in ten minutes,” Dolphin said with a shrug, and Gracia nodded.

Indeed, ten minutes later, the CBers from both rooms were assembled in the library. The room was abuzz with chatter, and as soon as they were both there, Gracia pulled Agent Winter aside to whisper something. Winter looked shocked, then nodded. She jumped up on an armchair to address the CBers.

“Everyone!” she said, and the chatter died down. “We’ve got some bad news. It appears that Emekittycon is missing.” There was a surge of frightened, surprised, and concerned muttering, which ceased after a minute, allowing Winter to continue. “The most likely reason is that she was kidnapped by the murderer- who, of course, is one of you.” Her gaze swept the crowd suspiciously. “Gracia and I agree that we should send out search parties to try to find her this morning- the sooner the better.”

“What if she’s… you know…” said Sirfire, tailing off.

“Dead?” Winter supplied, and everyone flinched. “We don’t know, but until we have evidence otherwise, we’re going to assume that she’s alive and somewhere in the palace. I’ll assign you to your search parties. No one’s going anywhere in a group smaller than three.”

Winter assigned the parties: Gracia, Strawberri, Dusk, and Alice would search the grounds. Dolphin, Holly, and Ever would search the second floor of the palace. Bluebell, Sirfire, and Winter herself would search the first floor.

“Any questions?” Winter asked, and when there were none, she said, “Then go forth and search!” The groups each left the library, heading for their respective locations.

Dolphin, Hollyshock, and Evergreen climbed the stairs to get to the second level of the palace, then paused on the landing.

“Where should we look first?” Holly asked. “The bedrooms?”

“Well, we obviously know she’s not in there,” said Ever. “I mean, we’ve been there all night.”

“None of us were in the Tanzanite Room, though,” Dolphin pointed out.

“But the rest of the CBers were,” Holly protested. “Winter was in there, and she sent us all out to look.”

“But Winter could be the murderer,” Ever said. “We don’t know.”

“So we might as well check,” agreed Dolphin, and as Holly looked like she was about to say something, she added, “And it doesn’t mean we think one of them is the murderer, whoever the murderer is might have moved Em after we left the rooms.” Holly conceded to this point, but their search of the rooms turned up nothing.

They began moving down the hallways, opening each door they came across and scouring the room behind it. The three CBers found nothing until they came across a door set at the end of a long, otherwise doorless hallway near the back of the palace. The door resembled those of their rooms, but instead of a gemstone, there was a nugget of what looked like pure gold set into the door. The three exchanged glances, and Dolphin reached for the door handle. It swung open with ease, and they stepped inside.

The room looked like a cross between a bedroom and an office, split right down the middle. On the left side of the room was a four poster bed with a shimmery golden comforter and a soft yellow rug, and on the right side was a hardwood desk and a metal filing cabinet.

“What is this?” Ever asked, looking around. Dolphin shut the door behind them and saw a sign on the back of the door. It read, Goldie’s Bedffice, Do Not Enter.

“It’s apparently Goldie’s… bedffice,” she responded.

“It says do not enter,” said Holly worriedly. “And we’re entering. I think we should leave, guys.”

“What if Em’s in here?” Ever persisted. “If we leave, we’d never know.”

“You think Goldie kidnapped Em?” Holly asked.

“Well, no, but what better place to hide her than somewhere we aren’t supposed to go?”

While the two argued, Dolphin moved away and started examining the room. There didn’t appear to be anywhere you could hide a CBer, but she checked just in case. Once she’d determined that Em was most definitely not in the room, she looked at the items on Goldie’s desk, just out of curiosity. There was a mess of paperwork, most of it uncompleted, and several knick knacks scattered throughout it. Dolphin picked up one, a ripped photograph in a frame. It was Goldie with her arm around someone, but the person was torn out of the picture. Dolphin shrugged and set it back down. The only other thing of real interest on the desk was a glass cube containing a tarnished silver key. Dolphin reached for it, but stopped when Ever sighed behind her.

“Em isn’t here, we should go.”

“You’re right,” Dolphin said, turning away from the key. “Let’s get out of here.”

Later, back down in the dungeon, Em struggled fruitlessly against her bonds. She had no idea how long she’d been down there, and her faith that the other CBers would find her was slowly fading. She heard the door to the cell open and her heart leapt, only to sink again as the murderer entered.

“Hello, Em!” they said brightly, and Em gave them her best glare. “Aw, don’t be like that. I brought you food.” The murderer held up a water bottle and a paper plate with a sandwich, and at Em’s surprised expression, they chuckled. “Oh, come on, I wasn’t going to let you starve to death down here. I’m not a monster.” The murderer took off Em’s gag and untied her hands so she could eat. After wolfing down the sandwich, Em looked up.

“How long are you going to keep me down here?” she asked, her voice hoarse from too many hours without water.

The murderer shrugged. “I don’t know, as long as I need to.”

“What if they find me?”

“Oh, they won’t. They did make a good effort today- sent out search parties and everything, it was quite impressive. But no one found anything, and they obviously didn’t find you.”

The murderer retied Em’s hands and replaced the gag, making sure it was all secure.

“Mm-phm-nmn-hmum-nms,” said Em through the gag, which translated to ‘you won’t get away with this’.

The murderer seemed to understand what Em was trying to say, and they smiled. “Yes, I will.”

~~~~~

As promised! Does anyone have any theories? What's in the locked turret? Who was the trap really meant for?

Oh, man this is AWESOME!!!