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The next part hopefully will come out later today... 

Day Twelve, Part One

The CBers wasted no time in trying to figure out the clue. Cynthia’s life depended on it! Not to mention the CBers were getting a little nervous about what would happen to the mansion during the lunar eclipse…

After a good thirty minutes of thinking, Mary figured out the answer.

“OH MY GOSH! It’s my shadow. My shadow follows me everywhere, but I can’t catch it.”

“That’s right!” Cerinthe exclaimed.

And, from the deep shadows under the broken remains of the kitchen table, an especially dark blot of shadow wriggled and rose up.

The CBers stared at the shadow as it slowly took on the shape of a girl, with a long ponytail. She looked like the shadows themselves, and only in the slight differences of color gave her depth and a face.

She smiled, winked, and from her pocket she drew out a small piece of paper, which she dropped on the floor. With loud laughter her form dissolved until she was nothing but a black streak that dove into Mary’s shadow.

Silence, even the rain had stopped for this brief five seconds as the CBers stared at Mary’s shadow.

But nothing else happened. No creepy hands were waving from the dark, blot on the floor. And it wasn’t long before the more pressing matter of reading the next clue took over their thoughts. 

Sirfire walked over and read it aloud, to a rather anxious audience.

Beware the plant with leaves of three,

That winds its way up a tree.

This poisonous vine,

That looks so divine,

Is found only on the tallest sycamore tree.

~~~~~

Hmm… I wonder what this could be? Leave your guesses in the comments please!

Day Twelve, Part Two

The next clue stumped the CBers, what could this mysterious poem mean? After a while Moonshine finally figured it out.

“It’s poison ivy.” she said. “You know that little poem thingy, leaves of three, leave them be? Well, that’s what the poem is saying in the first verse! “Beware the plant with leaves of three”.”

“Hey, that’s right!” Sirfire exclaimed. “I guess it’s out to the garden now…”

The CBers sighed, looking out the library windows you can see nothing but sheets of rain pouring down.

But, they had no choice, Cynthia’s life depended on them finishing the scavenger hunt!

So, they made their way out into the rain, and out to the garden. But what they saw took their breath away. All the plants that used to be growing there were dead, they were faced with nothing but a field of brown and stone walkways.Looming over the garden, on the hill behind the mansion, were the same three trees that watched over the CBers during their stay. 

But what really caught the CBers’ attention was the giant sycamore tree that stood in the middle of the dead garden. And winding its way up the tree were thousands of poison ivy vines. The CBers crept along the path, holding raincoats tight against the howling wind. It took no time at all to reach the foot of the giant tree.

They stared up into its giant spreading branches, glad that it still had leaves on it to stop the rain from coming down. At the tallest branch there was a white, round ball, bouncing in the breeze. 

“How are we going to get up there!?” Cerinthe asked. 

“Someone is going to have to climb it.” Moonshine said grimly, as she grabbed hold of the tree.

“Wait!” Mary said. “Doesn’t that seem dangerous? That plant is poisonous remember…” 

“It doesn’t matter. One of us is going to have to do it.” Moonshine said. “It might as well be me.” 

And so, quiet, the CBers watch Moonshine make the long climb up to the white ball. They were anxious, what would happen to Moonshine? Would she survive the climb? What if she fell?!

She made it to the top OK though, and unhooked the ball from its perch in the trees. She looked at it and let it fall down, halfway down the tree a parachute opened and it floated gently to the ground. 

Moonshine didn’t make it. Like something from a horror movie the poison ivy started to writhe and wiggle. She scrambled down the tree as fast as she could, but it was too late. The poison ivy had caught hold of her and started to cover her face…

The CBers watched in horrified fascination as one of Moonshine’s shoes fell down… down… down… out of the tree.

Sirfire sighed and grabbed the white ball, opened it, and looked inside. Inside was a single piece of paper shaped like a fish.

I love to eat fish, but hate to get wet.

I love to be outdoors, but prefer a warm bed.

When I need attention I get in your face, but if you try to hug me I will escape.

What am I? 

~~~~~

RIP Moonshine, your sacrifice will be remembered. 

Any guesses as to what the riddle’s answer is?

COME ON! 

go up to the top... come on... maybe on Saterday a new post will come out.

Don't really mind the text put onto this post, just putting more substance on it to see if it'll help move the thread higher...

Yup, it's a cat! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this, Mary. I'm sorry I never got a new post out last Saterday, we had a super busy weekend. :(

I'm really going to try and get a new post out. I'm almost done with the ski lodge and I need to finish it so I can focus on school. XD

(Also, good luck for anyone out their who's struggling with school!)  

TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO TO THE TOP!

IF YOU HAVE TIME TO TOP THIS, PLEASE DO! 

I know it seems like i've abanded this, but it's only because we've been so very busy this week. A new post will be coming out momentarily.  

Day Twelve, Part Three

The CBers took the clue inside, out of the rain, and looked over at it. They were thinking, what could the answer be? As they stood in the ruined kitchen, water dripping over the floor, they tried to focus on the task at hand.

They tried to avoid thinking about what happened to Moonshine.

“Maybe… maybe it’s a cat?” Mary asked slowly.

Sirfire nodded, “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.”

“But where have we ever seen a cat?” Cerinthe asked. “I don’t remember seeing a cat room in the mansion.” 

Then, from somewhere deep in the mansion, they heard a meow. They looked at each other and nodded, before marching off into the gloomy mansion. They continued to follow the sounds of the cat’s meow, walking around furniture, and clambering up the stairs. 

They finally found the cat, sitting on the window seat at the end of the third floor hallway. It was the orange tabby with the blue eyes. Wrapped around its neck was a solid black bandana. 

“How’d you get here?” Cerinthe asked cautiously. 

The cat simply looked at them and blinked. And the CBers frowned… didn’t the cat have blue eyes before? But now it was looking at them with green eyes and it was smiling a tad at them. 

The cat leapt off the window seat and got up on its hindlegs and opened the window seat up. The CBers looked inside and saw stairs going down into the depths of the mansion.

“OK…” Sirfire said. “Here we go…” 

It didn’t take long for the CBers to go down the stairs, creep down the hallway, and finally into a large circular room.

Standing around the edges of the circular room were stone elephants, standing up on their hind legs. They were decorated with opal and moonstones, but the CBers were more interested in the large scroll standing atop a pillar. 

They approached cautiously. It seemed too easy. Where were the traps? Where was the danger?

“Who’s going to grab it?” Mary asked.

“I’ll do it!” Sirfire exclaimed.

And she did just that. She walked up to it and grabbed the scroll off the pillar. The CBers let out a sigh of relief as nothing happened. But they celebrated too soon. Clicks filled the air and the CBers watched with a horrified fascination as the stone elephants’ mouths opened. And released a herd of spiders.

“AAHAHHA” the CBers screamed, before taking off down the tunnel.

The spiders were in hot pursuit, jumping from wall to wall and sending their sticky webs after the CBers. One caught Cerinthe on the leg and she fell onto her face.

“Cerinthe!” Mary screamed.

Cerinthe broke the web and charged after them, but she was too slow. Cerinthe never made it up the stairs. 

~~~~~ 

Sirfire and Mary stood at the top of the window seat stairs, looking down into the dark depths. Waiting… where was Cerinthe? She was right behind them!

“...”

“... …” 

“...... I think the spiders got her.” Sirfire said sadly.

“Poor Cerinthe.” Mary said.

They opened up the scroll and read it together.

One final challenge faces you

Good luck.

“THAT WAS IT?!?” Sirfire shouted. “Come on! How is that supposed to help us?” 

“Wait, there’s more on the back.” Mary said.

The task is simple, wait and see. A game of chess is waiting for you in the library. Play and see who will win, the loser goes and the winner will get their award.

Mary and Sirfire looked at one another and nodded. To the library!

~~~~~

RIP Cerinthe, you were so close.