Total pages in book: 9
Estimated words: 8106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 41(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 8106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 41(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
"For what?"
"A...missing person case?" That was not quite a lie, right?
"I get it..." Juno's tone was thoughtful. "You know I'm a comic geek, right?" She then pointed to the first line and read it out loud. "It's wrong, lads."
Vixen looked at the younger girl blankly. "And?"
"If 'wrong' means X, then maybe 'lads'—-"
"—-could mean 'men'," Vixen exclaimed in surprise.
Juno grinned. "It's possible, right?"
Vixen was in disbelief. X-Men? These clues were based on the X-Men? She sent a text to Gabriel's friend and asked if he knew about Pedro Martinez being a fan of superhero comics, that sort of thing.
No. Why?
Vixen gnawed on her lip. Hmm. She texted Claire next, but this time asked the same question about her friend's aunt.
She was, actually. Her favorites were Justice League and the X-Men. Why do you ask?
"I knew it! I was right, wasn't I? It's all about the X-Men!"
Juno's words made Vixen realize the girl had been reading her messages over her shoulder the entire time. "Juno..."
But the girl pretended not to hear this as well and grabbed Vixen's notebook instead. "Let's see...Anna Marie..."
Vixen wrinkled her nose. "The only Anna I know is by Tolstoy..."
"You're hopeless, Vix."
"At least I'm trying—-"
"It's Rogue," Juno interrupted her in a confident tone. "Her real name is Anna Marie, and let's see..."
Vixen was already busy looking up 'Rogue' on the Internet, and as for where Rogue first learned about herself, which Vixen could only interpret as the place where the character discovered her mutant powers—-
"Mississippi!"
Vixen and Juno laughed when they both ended up blurting the answer out at the same time.
"What's the next line?" the younger girl asked excitedly.
"It's about a park in which the crooning one is on a black pedestal..." Vixen paused. Most people only thought of Graceland when it came to Elvis Presley, but the legendary crooner was actually born in Mississippi.
A group of tourists entered the cafe just as Vixen had another hunch, but Juno was quick to give her a thumbs-up sign.
I got this, the younger girl mouthed, and Vixen gave her a grateful smile before resuming her search.
Let's see...oh!
Her heart leaped in excitement as Google provided a list of parks in Mississippi with statues of Elvis Presley, and only one of them was seated on a black pedestal.
What next?
Her gaze switched back to the clues she had written down.
Upon entering the site...
Did this mean she'd have to book tickets to Mississippi?
One must press the right key...
Vixen's head started to ache. The right key? Was this another X-Men reference that...
Oh!
Butterflies appeared in her tummy as she read these two lines again and again, but this time it had nothing to do with a handsome stranger possibly entering her life.
Juno popped back on her side as soon as the tourists left with their takeaway sandwiches and coffee, and it was just the two of them again. "What did I miss?"
"Read this..."
"Upon entering the site, one must press the right key..."
"I think that means I'm supposed to enter the official website of the park..."
Juno was already nodding vigorously even before Vixen finished speaking. "Good catch."
"But that's just the first half of the equation," Vixen pointed out ruefully. "Upon entering the site, one must press the right key, as many times as it took for storm to first appear..." She looked at Juno, asking, "Do you think this could have anything to do with Hurricane Katrina? Maybe the X-Men filmed—-"
"It's Storm," Juno gasped. "As in the Storm, and wait..."
Vixen watched her employee quickly type something on her phone.
"Here it is. Storm's first comic appearance was in the first issue of Giant-Size X-Men..."
The two of them looked at each other for one moment, and then both of them were hurrying towards the aviary, where Vixen had left her laptop.
Her fingers were actually shaking as she pulled up the park's official website on her browser. It took an inordinately long time to load, but she had a feeling the was deliberate, and her heart started pounding against her chest as her fingers hovered over the right arrow key on her laptop's keyboard.
I pray this is it, God.
But before she could do anything, both Vixen and Juno heard the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking...and Vixen's heart nearly stopped beating as she sensed a sinister presence come up from behind her.
Something cold and hard pressed against her back as she heard a man growl, "Nobody move or say a word."
Nine
JUST ONE LOOK, THAT'S it.
But fifteen minutes had already passed since he had parked his car, and Rule had yet to step out of it.
I'm here for Vix, not her.
The boy had wanted to treat him to coffee, and it was only polite to say 'yes'. That this was also the same cafe where she worked was a coincidence, and if Vix were to introduce her to him, well...
You really don't learn, do you?