Chapter 19

David

Burglars! We were the burglars! The two attackers had ropes and knives, and I assumed they weren’t going to use them nicely. School security? Not likely. These men were covered in dirt and didn’t have much teeth or hair left.

    “We’ve got men everywhere.” One said in a gruff voice, “Don’t try to hide.” He lunged at me.

    “Who are you?” I tried to rip him off myself.

    “If you don’t give our property back soon we’ll become your worst nightmare.”

    I suddenly knew what he was talking about. I kicked and thrashed my arms about to scare him off. The attacker soon gave up and stood. Then to my horror he drew the blade. It shimmered like the moon and I felt a scream rising to my chest.  No, I told myself, stay cool.

    He brought the blade down to my heart, but I turned and rolled over. If it works for James Bond, it can work for me. The knife pierced into the floor instead. Sure enough, it sank far enough that the attacker couldn’t pull it out. Yes!

He grumbled some words that I’m not going to repeat. Then, he tried to hit me hard with the rope. I scrambled to my feet and dodged each one, though not perfectly. He may have been slow and clumsy, but he got my twice in my left arm and I had to duck under the vice principals desk. Maybe there was something in the desk I could use.

The man kept cursing and thrashing out with the whip. There! In the middle drawer way in the back was a little revolver tucked in a black case. I crawled under the desk chair where I had a straight shot at the mans chest. I cocked the gun but the man didn’t seem to notice.

I had shot in the practice range with a revolver many times. I always hit straight on without hesitation. But now, how could I truly fire this? Sure, he was planning on killing me anyway, but he was a wretched man. Would I become like that if I fired my first gun?

Now I had to.

I dug my knees into the ground and pulled the trigger. The bullet soared out and hit him in his left leg. He stumbled back yelping for pain and fell back into another file cabinet. He would be out for a long time. 

I heard rustling and whipped my head around to see the other burglar fastening a cloth over Josiphina’s head. When I pointed the gun at him, seeing what had happened to his friend, the second man fled, not even a word escaping his lips.

Jo. I ran over to her and untied the rope around her neck. She fell limply into my arms.

We had to get out of there, fast. I hoisted her up over my shoulder. First, I walked over to the man laying dead on the cabinet.  Around his neck was a necklace with and emblem of a cobra with poison seeping from its deadly fangs. I’d recognize it anywhere.

Chapter 20

Josiphina

I woke up looking into David’s blue eyes.

I was laying on a park bench a few blocks away from the school. David looked down to me and urged me to close my eyes again. I obeyed.

The next time I opened my eyes, David was pacing the grass.

“Why are we here?” I asked, startling him.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” he sighed and pulled me up. “I need to show you something.”

“Does it have anything to do with those burglars and the box I got shot over?” I needed to understand that.

“It’s the missing piece.”

I sighed and followed him over to an old metal slide that obviously hadn’t been used in a few years. He stuck his head under it and reached for a small box wrapped in “Happy Birthday” paper. I laughed.

“What’s this?”

“Unwrap it,” he instructed handing over the present. My birthday wasn’t for another 8 weeks, but I unwrapped it anyway. It was the small box I had delivered in community service.

“Open it.”

I obeyed. Inside was a stack of about ten golden tiles with artwork carved in. The first had a chinese character clearly visible on the front. The second carried a Chinese Dragon.

“What’s it mean…” I began.

“That’s part of a traveling display on it’s way to the MET. As in Metropolitan Museum of Art here in New York.”

I looked up, still not understanding him.

“Sit back down,” he sighed, “I’ll tell the whole story.

I sat back down on the bench, running my fingers over the tile of an emperor's face.

“So, um,” he began. (Not a very good start), “Yeah those guys, you know,” I nodded, “they want that box really bad. You probably know that… and so the reason is because those are priceless.” He pointed to the4 tiles, “They’re ancient Chinese tiles that were on their way to the MET.”

“I got that part.”

“Oh yeah sorry,” he said, and I could tell he was either reluctant to tell me, or just not good at speeches. “So these guys stole the traveling exhibit. This is only part of it.”

“So where’s the rest?” I asked.

“Its kind of,” He ran his hand through his hair, “... on its way to Brazil…”

“What!”

“These guys, who knows what they’re called, are smuggling famous artwork to the Neo Nazis in Brazil.” He looked straight into my eyes, “And we’re in they’re way.”

We were both silent for a moment. Then I looked down and said, “let’s go.”

It was too far and I was way to tired to walk back home.

“Do you know somewhere close we can stop and spend the night?” I  said.

He pondered for a second. “Yeah, I think so.”

    He took of in some random direction, but I hoped at least he knew where he was going.

    “We can stay at my building for tonight,” he looked at me and I eyed him, “the YBYS, of course.” David scowled.

    I looked back down and hobbled another block in my boot under the pressure of the dead silence and the cold night air. The birds and the squirrels scurried away seeing us stumble down Garter Lane as if we were evil spirits prowling the surface. Suddenly, like a blast of wind, the strangest mystery hit me and I turned to face David as if seeing him for the first time.

“Wait,” I backed away from him as he turned around, “before we go anywhere I need to know something.”

“What?”

“Well, how did you figure all that out,” I kept backing away, “are you” I whispered, “are you one of them?”

He didn’t answer for a while and I began to think my guess was true. How could he? I wanted to believe he wasn’t but something in the back of my mind kept saying he was. Stupid mind, of course not. But was he?