Title: Pieces of Blue - Chapter 3
By: Ashley Delfín
Notes: Finally, something is happening to the PoB characters! Many thanks to Kaie and Sabu for their feedback (I kept the Windows joke... I know it's overused, but it's a classic). Feedback is always appreciated, that's what the dreambook and my e-mail are for! ---

"The usual" meant doing a lot plotting so that their parents thought they were sleeping at someone's house while in fact they were out in the empty lot near the History Museum of the City of Verdeazul (or anywhere else they might be supposed to be meeting). Normally, the easiest thing to do was to plan a sleepover in Amaranth and Amis' house, since their side of the house was one kitchen short of being an isolated apartment.

Of course the issue was sneaking out without disturbing the parents - Which normally wasn't a problem. After going out through the back door (not the one that led to the white rose garden, but the one that was near the black rose one), they got into Amaranth's car, which he had conveniently "forgotten" outside.

"Matt, you're sitting on my hand," Amis complained as the blond jock sat on the back seat of the black VW Beetle.

"It's not my fault! Not like I see where my butt will land or something," Matt retorted and moved so Amis' hand could be freed.

"Coming in." Esper practically jumped onto the back seat.

"Esper," Amis said, "if my left hand weren't numb from Matt sitting on it and my right hand were capable of motion, you would be in great pain."

"I can help you with that, Amis, if Esper just comes a bit closer..." Cee Cee's words made Esper instantly shrink into his corner in the back seat. As it was, Amis was sitting behind Cee Cee, the copilot. Esper was sitting behind Amaranth, who, obviously, was driving, and Matt was dead center.

"Matt, lower your head, I can't see," Amaranth sighed.

"I still say I should always get to go in front," Matt said, leaning to rest his head in Esper's shoulder.

"I said the same thing," Amaranth responded, "but I lost the tickle fight with Cee Cee. If you wish to challenge her, be my guest."

"You're on, volleyball loser!"

"This is one fight you're losing, football drunkard!"

The dialogue was interrupted by Amaranth stepping on the gas.

"That reminds me," Matt said. "Did you bring the beer?"

"Three icy cold Coronas," Cee Cee said, pointing at the darkness by her feet.

"Sweet!"

"Just cross your fingers so you don't need to drink them," Amaranth said.

"Why? You know that's my superpower."

"Exactly, which means if you do need to use them we'd be in danger," explained Amaranth. "I just hope that nothing happens. We'll keep a lookout on the museum for a while and head back home."

"Amaranth, you're no fun." Amis rolled her eyes.

"That's why I'm in charge."

They parked a few blocks away from the history museum, near the park. They had planned it this way so that they could reach the museum via the empty lot that was behind it. After making sure there was no one around, they got out of the car. Matt was rubbing a sore spot on his neck while Amaranth and Cee Cee muttered a Quick Camouflage spell so the car became invisible, although not untouchable.

Walking to the bushes where they could see the museum without being seen took about fifteen minutes, which seemed longer since it had to be done in total silence.

"Esper, stop playing with that paper," Cee Cee whispered once they had arrived.

"It's not paper. It's Reginald, my origami fish," Esper explained.

"I didn't know you could make origami fish," Amis said.

"Neither did I, but this blue guy-"

"That's it! I will not talk about blue people while on a mission," Cee Cee complained.

"Okay," Amaranth whispered, motioning for everyone to get closer and be quiet. "We'll get as near as we can and we'll look for possible entrances. Amis and I will look for ways to get in undetected. Cee Cee, you'll be keeping an eye on the guard at the front. Matt and Esper, you guys will be backup."

"Yes, sir," Matt and Esper saluted in unison.

Minutes later, Amaranth and Amis were nearing the building. Amis had managed to get a hold of the museum's floor plan, and they had decided the best place to go in was through the boys' bathroom near the children's section.

"Not only does it have little security, we both should fit perfectly through the window. Provided you haven't pigged out like you did with your last crush," Amis teased her older brother.

"Oh, shut up," Amaranth said, annoyed.

"Seriously, though, how's your progress with that Leonard guy?" she asked.

Amaranth rolled his eyes. "That is none of your business."

"Yes it is, I am your sister," Amis said, matter-of-factly.

"Look, we are about to illegally enter a museum that has been closed to the public for a week after being robbed. If we get caught we'll probably get sent to jail, expelled from St. Marianne's, and grounded until we turn 40. I'm sorry if I'm not in the mood to discuss some random cute guy at school."

"Always the drama queen," Amis sighed, although she obviously got the point. They reached the building and Amis pointed at the window they were going through. It wasn't going to be easy.

Amaranth went in first. Once he was in and made sure the coast was clear, Amis followed.

"You guys okay?" Matt's voice came clear through the earphones both of them had on. Amis had just landed a tad too hard on the bathroom tiles and he had obviously heard the thud.

"Yeah, Amaranth's about to open the door," Amis whispered.

"How's he going to do that? I just remembered that door locks from the outside," Matt asked.

"I have some inside help," Amaranth responded as he walked closer to the door. He stopped right in front of it and closed his eyes. After a few moments, the faint sound of the door unlocking was heard. The door opened to the inside, so Amis and Amaranth stepped back. Right there in front of them stood a large brown teddy bear with a pair of glasses.

"Hello, Professor," whispered Amaranth with a faint smile. The smile quickly dissolved into a look of disbelief and hatred. "Nurse Panda told you about Leonard? Gods, is there some weird teddy bear information ring that just makes sure every stuffed animal in Verdeazul knows how to properly embarrass me?"

The Professor shook his head. He moved his arm as if trying to explain something. Amis just stared, knowing that the teddy bear was actually talking to Amaranth. "Oh, it's actually in the whole wide world... well, that's good to know."

Amis had to swallow back her laughter. Although it was difficult considering the image of Amaranth, a goth albino guy, arguing with a stuffed bear that came to life just because he was near it.

The stuffed bear made a few more signals and suddenly Amaranth's eyes grew wide with worry.

"We need to hide," he whispered to Amis.

"Where?"

Without replying, Amaranth took his sister's hand and pulled her into the room. She noticed that the corner where all the stuffed animals were kept was quite active. They were making room for them.

"Lie down," Amaranth instructed, and Amis obeyed. She quickly felt all the stuffed animals (mostly bears but there were quite a few hopping bunnies and a large hippo) settle on top of her, hiding her. She wondered where Amaranth was going to hide, but before she could say anything, she heard someone enter the room and saw the light of a flashlight.

"No one in here, Fred. I'm going back to my post," the museum guard said.

After a few moments, the stuffed animals began moving again. Amis looked for Amaranth. She noticed the professor standing up from under nearby bookcase and Amaranth appearing right behind him. She looked at him questioningly.

"Ummm... Sarah's favorite hide-and-seek spot..." he explained in a sheepish whisper. Amis rolled her eyes and smiled as Amaranth walked over to her. She took out her cell phone.

Amis' cell phone was no normal cell phone. Her special talent was the ability to make almost any technological device do whatever she wanted it to do. She could do anything from setting a VCR clock to making Windows refrain from doing stupid things. Making her cell phone into a tiny, portable PC had been a challenge, but she had managed to do it.

"According to the map I got from the museum's webpage and the position of the security cameras, they can't see us from this spot.

"It should be fairly easy to get to the room with the jewelry exhibition without being seen. Provided that, of course, we don't find any guards on our way there."

"Okay, then, let's-" Amaranth did not get the chance to say "go". At that precise moment, a crash was heard and the museum's alarm went off. A reddish light flooded the room and the shrieking of the alarm made the siblings almost jump out of their shoes.

"Something set off the alarm," Cee Cee's voice was heard through their earphones.

"No kidding," Amaranth whispered to himself without turning on his communicator so Cee Cee wouldn't take revenge on his sarcasm later.

"We can't move now, there's too much light, they will be sure to see us," Amis yelled to her brother over the sound of the alarm. Amaranth had to bite back his smart remark to that statement - which was good because he would've had to yell and the moment Amis had finished yelling the alarm went off. The electric hum that is usually heard inside a museum that comes from the AC and various other electronic devices running also died down.

"They're in gallery five!" they heard a voice yell. Then they saw two flashlights run by the entrance to the room they were in followed by two human-like figured they assumed were guards.

"Someone cut the power." Cee Cee's voice came again, on the communicator.

"Gallery five is the same gallery that was robbed last time," Amis whispered.

Amaranth said good bye to yet another sarcasm. This was not the time to compliment Cee Cee and Amis on their ability to tell him stuff he already knew or had deduced. Besides, angry girls were usually bad news and he had problems enough getting stupid Leonard to notice him at school without Cee Cee and Amis plotting to embarrass him at every step.

He did not just think that.

Yes, he did. But at least no one knew about it.

"Look, it's too dangerous for the two of us to be walking around the museum like this," Amaranth said. "Why don't you go back and wait for me with the others?"

"And let you get all the fun like last time. Think again," Amis replied.

Amaranth would've said to Amis that he did not consider it to be "fun" to be chased around Verdeazul's sewage system by a magicked crocodile who had decided he and Matt would make a good and wholesome breakfast. She, however, was already walking out of the children's area.

"We've got him surrounded," Amaranth and Amis heard one of the guards say, not too far ahead. They also felt a third person run right by them and something about him told them he was not a museum guard. It probably was the fact the he was running on the ceiling, had skin that looked purple, and apparently had a tail.

"What's your verdict?" Amis asked to Amaranth.

"On that thing that just ran by us on the ceiling? No idea what that is and I wouldn't mind not knowing, really. On the situation? Bad and probably getting worse soon."

"Holy sh-"

"What the-"

"Mary, Mother of-"

Three dull thuds were heard as three guards hit the floor. Amaranth couldn't see, but he was sure the ceiling crawling thing had had more than a little bit to do with the whole thing.

"Well, there's bound to be a few more guards in there, right?" Amis asked in a hopeful tone.

Amaranth didn't respond. Instead he pulled Amis so they were both standing against the wall. This way, the three screaming guards that were left standing and had been smart enough to run away could panic without finding them.

"Well, the two robbers should be in there, still," Amis said, still trying to sound cheerful.

Amaranth just pulled her down so they were sitting against the wall and the hand of the creature that was walking on the ceiling seconds ago slashed the wall right above their heads. Yes, not only could it walk on ceilings, it also had very sharp claws.

"I think the guards are going to need help," Amis said, taking bits of wall out of her hair.

Then a gunshot was heard. Amaranth had heard gunshots before, but he had never been in a dark hallway with no idea of who was shooting and what was being shot. He grabbed Amis hand and she squeezed his, both of them hoping the bullet would pass nowhere near them.

The next few moments were more chaotic. One of the creatures screamed, although it sounded more like a high pitched screech and made the glass of one of the nearby paintings break. The wounded creature fell and the other creature lunged at the guard. The guard shot again, but missed by a mile. The creature kicked his hand, making him lose his gun.

"Don't, I'm okay."

"I didn't do anything," Amaranth whispered to Amis.

"I didn't say anything," Amis whispered back.

They both looked at the creature that had been shot. "Come on!" it shouted and jumped towards another gallery. The second creature followed quickly and they both disappeared. The guard grabbed his walkie-talkie.

"They're in gallery three, the antique section. There's no way out from there," he said in a harsh tone.

"Dude," a voice crackled in the walkie-talkie, "Did you see the claws on that thing? I'm not going there."

"Fine, I am. Send back-up."

"Gary, you suck."

Gary picked up his gun and slowly walked towards the room. Amaranth was grateful for the fact that the hallway they were in had no windows and that the guy was centering all of his attention in the portal ahead. He turned to his sister, who seemed very worried. He pulled her shirt; and once he had her attention,he pointed towards the children's museum room. They could get out from there.

She shook her head. Amaranth looked at her questioningly.

"One of those poor things is injured, what if Gary shoots it again?" she asked, once Gary was inside gallery three.

"Those poor, ceiling-walking things with sharp claws can take care of themselves. We have to go before the power comes back on," Amaranth answered.

"The power isn't coming back on for a while," Cee Cee's voice was heard through the communicator. "One of those poor, ceiling walking things with claws made sure of it."

"So you saw it?" Amis asked.

"Nope, but Matt and I were trying to see what was up with the whole power going away since looking in on you is difficult when there is no light."

"You and Matt?" Amaranth asked, worried. "Where's Esper?"

"Oh, he was listening intently to what was going in there and fainted when he heard the gunshot," Matt said in a dismissive tone.

Amaranth rolled his eyes and Amis covered her mouth to hide a giggle. The guard's shadow reappeared from gallery three and he spoke into his walkie-talkie.

"They're not here."

"They broke out?"

"No, no windows smashed, nothing. But I've looked everywhere and they're not here."

"Keep looking, we'll go and help you."

"Sure, now that they're gone."

"They can't be."

"They are. I've looked everywhere. Under the Victorian bed, behind every piece of furniture; I even opened one of the armoires and almost died of a hear attack when a moth flew at me from in there."

"Well, it's your fault for being stupid."

Gary kept on arguing as he walked back into the room. Amaranth motioned for Amis to follow, and this time she did. After saying good-bye to the Professor, Amaranth and Amis sneaked out the same way they had come in. The rest of the team was right outside waiting for them.

"I did not faint, I only decided it was a good time to go to sleep and dream about otter wings," Esper said, still looking a little pale.

"At least you're okay," Cee Cee sighed. Then, trying to sound less worried she added, "Not that a wimpy shot could've done you in. Although who knows, you are sort of wimpy."

"Whatever," Amaranth said, half-smiling, "let's just go."