"Okay, you guys we'll not believe this," Jasmine said as she entered Mark's living room and sat down on the arm of the chair. The rest of the room looked over at her, watching her scroll on her phone to find whatever she was talking about. They were all sitting in Mark's living room for all but one reason and that was the fact that they had decided to have a favorite things white elephant party. It had been a rather odd idea, but everyone agreed so here they were, waiting to start before Jasmine interrupted them for whatever reason. Once she found what she was looking for, she turned her phone around to show the rest of the club. "Look at this! Like, what is this?" Mark took her phone and inspected what was on the screen that had Jasmine so worked up over. When he saw what it was, he laughed and passed the phone to the rest of the group in the room.
"Everyone loves our club. Are you surprised? He asked. Indeed, what was on Jasmine's phone was the results of the episode she'd posted not that long ago that featured them hunting down Cleopatra and Monet while she answered a few Q&A questions from her fans. The results were overwhelming positive and it had to be Jasmine's most viewed video on her channel yet, aside from the one where she had documented her first Miss B movie experience. But that had years to build up all those views. This had happened in just a few short days. On top of that, everyone wanted to see more of the club.
""Cleopatra is literally a mood. Sitting on the floor sewing while Monet works on her kicks? Lol. Wish I had that.' Wow, Cleo. You've got some fans," Kyra said, passing the phone off to Cleopatra. Cleopatra scoffed and took it, but it was more teasing than anything. Ever since homecoming, Cleopatra and Kyra were getting along slightly better. When they'd all came to the after party at the Warehouse, the two of them talked for what seemed to be hours, even if it really hadn't. Sure, they weren't best friends or anything, but they didn't dislike each other, finding out that they both had more in common than they'd first realized, which was a huge step to where they had been before. And then on Monday when they'd came back to school, Kyra had marched in during the Bathroom picnic holding a brown paper bag and demanded to know how Cleopatra had gotten into her locker to put some fake flowers in it, not that Cleopatra would admit that she had been the one to do it.
"I can't imagine why anyone would like me. That's literally all I did when we were videotaping... Ah, Sasha, this one's about you. 'Placing that black box over Sasha was amazing editing, Jas!' What black box are they talking about?" Cleopatra looked over at Sasha, who laughed and looked over at Jasmine.
"You actually did that?" She asked, to which Jasmine nodded and she only laughed more. "Okay, so, when Jasmine came in recording, she got mad that no one watched her channel and said that as punishment, everyone had to stay in the video and she wasn't going to edit them out."
"But Sasha watches Jasmine's channel so she got to be taken out," Leo finished, shaking his head at Jasmine, who giggled, and took the phone from Anthony. "I can't believe you actually did that, Jasmine. Exposing all of us like that." Jasmine leaned her arm against the couch and shrugged her shoulders.
"No one was exposed. It's not like I'm going to post it against your will or anything like that. It's not a big deal. Though, I did leave it on a cliffhanger because I didn't realize that I left in the part where Mark asked to talk to me and now everyone wants to know what it's about." She watched her phone get passed around the circle, now in Isa's hands.
"'Everyone in this group is great. You should make more videos with them, Jasmine.' Sounds like we were popular," Monet said, leaning over Isa's shoulder to read as well, since they were both on the floor together. Isa passed the phone off to her and Monet kept scrolling, looking for more comments. "Here's another one. 'Anthony be looking like a snack.'" The room let out a loud laugh and Anthony just sigh, like he wasn't too happy about that. "Or this one. Out of context, my friend couldn't decide if "I'll take you out if you want" was about going on a date or about being a hitman and she was so confused. Thanks for that, Jasmine Ender!'"
"Okay, but it looks like we're really popular now," Sebastian said, taking the phone from Monet to look at the stats. "It's basically trending or something. These numbers say it's more popular than your normal videos." Jasmine nodded her head and took her phone back.
"Yeah, which is weird because we didn't really do anything. I just answered a few questions and we chased each other around the school. That was it. It could just be because people like to look into my business and see what I'm up to as a human being, but like, it's pretty impressive nevertheless." She shut her phone off and put it in her pocket. "But if you end up getting recognized at the store, it's because of this video."
"The one titled 'My life in a nutshell'?" Sasha asked, taking her own phone out to check out Jasmine channel on her notifications. Jasmine hummed in agreement. "Okay, that explains a lot. I haven't had time to watch that one yet." After a second of talking about how weird it was, Sasha spoke up again. "Hey, what if we made another one? Just for fun. I mean, that last one was fun, right?"
"Do you really want to be posted onto my channel?" Jasmine asked with a laugh. The others shrugged their shoulders in response.
"Why not? It was fun last time, wasn't it?" Leo replied.
"You guys just chased us down. That was it," Cleopatra said with a small giggle.
"They didn't chase us. They looked for us. We weren't running anywhere." Monet shrugged her shoulders. "It'd be fun, I think, Jassy. Why not?"
"Sure, why not. You already posted one. What harm could it do?" Kyra said, leaning back on her hands.
"Okay, fine, let's do it." Isa sounded reluctant, but it didn't seem like she minded at all. Once everyone agreed, Jasmine squealed and clapped her hands together, jumping to her feet to get her camera from where it was plugged in on Mark's counter. Running back into the room, she opened up the side of it and turned it on. She'd been doing this for years, so it just became second nature to her.
"This is gonna be lots of fun, I swear," Jasmine replied before changing the camera to face her and pressing record. Waving with her free hand, she said "Hello, stars! And welcome back to my intro. I'm Jas and we're doing intro take two! Earlier today, I started filming. And when I talked to them about the video that I posted a few days ago, they decided they wanted to make another one and here we are!" She turned the camera around to the others and gave an awkward wave. "Anyway, so, today, we're going to be doing a favorite things white elephant gift exchange!"
()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Kyra got a call at twelve thirty in the middle of the night. It wasn't that big of a deal except it was from Cleopatra. While the were getting along much better, it wasn't like they were best friend or anything. Instead of hanging up, since it would be considered rude, Kyra just answered and the two of them talked about their days, from the school day to the favorite things party and the video they had made together at Mark's house. It was basic small talk, but Cleopatra didn't sound like her normal self. Her voice was quieter than usual and it had lost the snarky attitude that she normal had, which made her sound like an almost completely different person. If anyone had called at at midnight and wanted to just talk about their days, Kyra probably would have just told them to go to bed so that she could try to sleep, but since her nightmares wouldn't let her sleep and Cleopatra sounded so out of character, Kyra allowed it and didn't even complain about it.
Cleopatra made a small comment about killing someone off to the side, looking off the screen from their face time call, which wasn't that out of character for her, before telling Kyra that she had to go and wished her sweet dreams, like it was going to happen. Before Kyra could respond, Cleopatra ended the call. Is something wrong with her? Kyra thought to herself, setting her phone back down on the nightstand and turning on her side. She tried to shrug it off, but something didn't add up. Cleopatra wasn't one to sound so vulnerable like that, nor was she one to just randomly call at midnight, especially someone like Kyra who wasn't as good of friends with her like Monet was. These new thoughts prevents her from being able to sleep again. None of this was like her. Kyra's detective mind started to spin as she thought through everything that was happening. Was Cleopatra in danger? What was going on?
Before she could finish racking her brain for evidence as to why Cleopatra was acting like this, she got another call. Sighing, she sat up and answered it, placing the phone on speaker. She was expecting it to be Cleopatra again, since she was the one to call at midnight. However, it definitely wasn't Cleopatra.
"Kyra?" It was her grandfather, because of course it was. Instantly, Kyra sat up and swung her feet over the side of her bed. "I've got a case for you. I understand that it's late in the night, but I'm too busy to handle it. I've got a report of a sixteen-year-old girl going missing. Her name is Tia Young. Her parents just called and said that she went missing about ten minutes ago and they know she had been in the house before then. They were hoping that we could find her." Kyra froze for a second. Tia Young wasn't someone she had heard of before, so they must be on the border of the two schools, which would explain why they were getting the call at her grandfather's station. Still, that was where Cleopatra lived, wasn't it? She'd mentioned it over homecoming when they asked her why she wasn't at their middle school. Did she know the person who went missing? And if so, why was she so panicked about it? Was she hiding this person? Had she helped them sneak out? It seemed like something she would do. "Kyra, are you listening?"
"Yeah, sorry. I was just trying to figure out an explanation... Ten minutes... I'll check it out immediately. Can I have the address please, Grandfather?" She asked, standing up to start getting dressed. People were going to question why a fourteen-year-old was inspecting the case, but then again, if it weren't for her, then the Lockwood High murder case would have never been solved. Her grandfather rattled off the address, which she committed to memory instantly, and thanked him before ending the class and slipping her gloves back on over her hands. Then, she grabbed a bag, the one she used for most of her quick investigations like this, and left the house, heading off to the address.
The address wasn't that far from her home, so she decided that walking would probably be the best choice. Plus, that way, she could possibly look for this girl if she so happened to go this way. Still, the whole time, she tried calling Cleopatra again. It couldn't possibly just be a coincidence, Kyra didn't believe in those. Even if it had nothing to do with Cleopatra, she was still up to something or something was wrong with her. It'd be like killing two birds with one stone at this point.
Once Cleopatra picked up, Kyra made note of how it was audio only on her face time call, despite Kyra's who was on the camera. "What's going on with you, Cleopatra? Why are you acting so strange and not turning your camera on?" From the other side of the screen, she heard Cleopatra let out a small hum, like she didn't mind the other girl's harsh tone, causing Kyra to bit her lip.
"What do you think is up?" Was all she said. Kyra was going to kill her later.
"Aside from the fact that a girl named Tia Young is missing in your neighborhood, I'd say that you're definitely up to something. What is it?" Cleopatra sighed, but there wasn't much else she said. "Are you doing something illegal? Should I hunt you down as well?"
"Actually, no, for once, I'm not." That sounded like a lie.
"Are you lying to me?" Kyra's distress and annoyance was clear.
"I swear that I'm not. Just drop it Kyra. It's not a big deal."
"This is too coincidental for things to not be connected. So what's up?" She heard Cleopatra let out a loud sigh on the other side of the screen and Kyra stopped in front of the house that she was supposed to be going to for the investigation. Both of them stayed silent, daring the other to speak.
"It's not a big deal, okay Kyra? Just let it go. I'll see you on Monday, okay?" And with that, Cleopatra ended the call before they could get anything solved. Kyra groaned and shoved her phone into her bag pocket, along with her stylus, and headed up to the front door. Of all the stubborn people she could meet, it had to be Cleopatra. Knocking on the door, she was greeted by the people who had to be Tia's parents. They were confused, but she confirmed who she was by a phone call to her grandfather and they let her in.
She made her way up to the room they said was Tia's and opened the door. With a sigh, it looked too much like something that Cleopatra would have decorated. The possibility that she and Tia was the same person crossed her mind, but she had no evidence to prove that. At least not enough, but the black, red, and white color scheme and the Lolita dresses around the room looked too much like something she'd wear, not that she'd seen anything she had seen Cleopatra wear before. There was a table in the corner of the room and it was covered in different sewing projects, which was definitely something Cleopatra had done. Okay, so maybe there was some evidence, but nothing near enough to call it a fact.
That is, until she saw the photograph. She'd been drawn to them because of the very obvious gothic and poker designs on them, but there was one that was different. It was a picture of a two people, a boy and a girl, who looked all too familiar. It wasn't until she took the photo out of the frame too get a better look at it. When she saw the back, she got the proof she needed. A note written in black sharpie read; 'Hey Cleo! Found this picture when I was going through my room and it made me smile. Remember that trip? It was tons of fun! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know one more time that I think Cleopatra Blackheart is such a beautiful name for you. I can totally see you as the Egyptian queen of old. Lots of love, Chris.' Oh, Kyra was so going to kill Cleopatra for this.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Kyra arrived at Chris's apartment way later than she wanted too. It was was almost two in the morning now, but she knew that people were up because she could hear people moving around behind the door. She knocked on the door and waited. It didn't take Chris long to open the door.
"Oh, hi Kyra. Can I help you?" He asked. Kyra knew how confused he must be at the moment but she didn't really care anymore. Not when she was this mad at Cleopatra for sending her on this wild goose chase.
"Don't let her in, Chris," Cleopatra called boredly. However, Kyra held up a search warrant that she had picked up before coming. She had known that Cleopatra didn't want her to face her. Chris sighed and looked back at her as she let Kyra into the house.
"I don't really have a choice," He said, shutting the door behind Kyra. Cleopatra looked up from the book she was reading on the couch and it was clear that she had been crying at the very least. She looked exhausted and more than that, she looked like she had just given up on life. She didn't glare, like how she normally would, just gazed at Kyra like her presence bore her and she was just waiting for her to leave. It was no wonder that Kyra couldn't stand her.
"Who are you really?" Kyra asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Cleopatra sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. Kyra tapped her foot against the floor, waiting for a response from her. She knew something was up, ever since the phone call, and here Cleopatra was, looking as if this was just another day for her.
"You know me. I'm Cleopatra," She replied, looking back down at her book. After a minute, she realized that Kyra wasn't going to move until she got her response and, without looking up, continued speaking. "Legally, I'm known as Tia Young, yeah. But ever since I was about eleven, I have refused to associate with that name at all. Since then, I've become Cleopatra. So yes, I suppose I'm Cleopatra." Kyra sighed and walked over to stand right in front of her. Cleopatra looked up from her book to stare at her lazily.
"Why did you change your identity?" Kyra asked, but her voice was a little more gentle than she first intended it to be. Cleopatra always had a purpose for everything she did and so this had to be something. Maybe she'd gone and done something illegal, but maybe she had a different, darker reason than that. She wouldn't know if she never asked any questions.
"Because I refuse to associate myself with some weak, pathetic little girl who can't even stop her parents from selling her off to some horny fifty-year-old men, okay?" Cleopatra snapped, her temper getting the best of her and her normally calm composure slipping. Once she realized what she had said, her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth, like she had wanted to keep that part of her hidden deep down inside herself. Kyra stayed quiet, the shock of what she had just said setting in. Cleopatra was a victim, not the criminal. And she had probably ran away from home to keep herself safe. It made a whole lot more sense now that she had all the pieces.
Taking in a shaky breath, refusing to remove her hand from her mouth, she whispered, "Please don't tell on me. I'm afraid of what'll happen if you do." Kyra wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. She just figured out Cleopatra's deepest, darkest secret and she knew that she could do something about it. That was the purpose of being a detective. Finding the truth and bringing justice was her job. And here Cleopatra was, begging her to keep it a secret.
"Why?" She asked quietly. She wasn't sure how she should react to this. How did she move? What did she say. "I could pull strings, get them arrested in just a few minutes. I've only got to call my grandfather. The only thing you have to do is tell them that. That's all it takes." Cleopatra quickly shook her head, fear seeping into her eyes and a panicked look filling her expression.
"No... No, no, no... Please no. Please don't tell anyone. I don't wanna be known as that person... I don't want the police the do a background check... I don't want them involved. I can handle myself," Cleopatra whimpered, covering her face with her hands. She leaned back against the couch, pulled her knees up to her chest and curling up. Kyra wasn't sure of what she should do so she just knelt down and rested a hand on the older girl's knee. Behind her, she heard Chris curse under his breath and she knew something was up. Cleopatra's cries sounded a little broken and her breathing wasn't stable anymore. She could possibly be having a panic attack, though Kyra was unsure.
"Not again... She just got over one before you showed up," Chris said, sitting down next to Cleopatra and pulling her against him. Cleopatra shifted so that she could hide her face into him but that was about it. Kyra bit her lip, but it was probably best to try to fix this mess. Cleopatra had probably just had a very stressful night and the only thing she could do was try not to stress her out anymore.
"Hey, Cleopatra... I'm not going to tell anyone, okay? This is your battle. I'm only here to help you. If you don't want me to tell anyone, then I'm not going to tell anyone. I won't force you into anything." Kyra bit her lip and looked down a bit, debating whether or not she should continue speaking. Cleopatra did, however, take her face out of hiding to look over at her. "Trust me, I know my fair share of bad parenting. I guess if you want to keep it a secret for now, it'd be hypocritical for me to try anything." Kyra held up her hands and Cleopatra followed them with interest, probably thankful for the distraction but with Cleopatra, Kyra wasn't sure. "I wear gloves because my grandfather likes to punish me when I make a mistake. I've gotten so many cuts and burns on my hands that it's probably not very pleasant for anyone to look at. He's been doing it since I lost my parents." She gave a sad smile and took Cleopatra's hand her own, relieved when she didn't pull it away. "So, now we're even. I know you're secret and you know mine. Now we can both tell on the other if one of us does. Is that fair?"
Cleopatra sniffled and wiped at her eyes a bit with her free hand. "Why are you trusting me with that information? I could basically ruin everything." Kyra shrugged her shoulders a bit in response.
"You could. But then I do have the power to tell people about you're secret. So why would you? Plus, it's not like I don't want to trust you or anything." Kyra knew that Cleopatra wasn't the most trustworthy or loyal person. She knew that Cleopatra liked to get into a lot of trouble, to rebel just for the fun of it. But this was the side of her that she did all of those things to protect. Yeah, she was risky, but it was easy she did those things to prevent people from getting close enough to her to get hurt.
"But... that's a really stupid move to make, Kingsly... You shouldn't trust me," Cleopatra replied, fidgeting with the lace on her black nightgown. "I can't even keep a single friend. Why would you want to be friends with someone like that?" Kyra smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Because you need one, right?" They hadn't gotten along well in the past, nor was she sure if they would completely trust the other. Still, they both knew the others secret, the ones that they tried to hide from even themselves. That had to count for something. After all, they understood a little more about the other and why they worked the way that they did. That was an important piece to the puzzle that had other wise been missing before. Kyra didn't hate Cleopatra, she never had. She just wasn't sure how she was supposed to understand her. Now she did. The two of them were silent for a minute before Kyra spoke again.
"Isn't that what the Reject's Club is all about?"