She made her way to the door and opened it slightly.
It was the girl with bright red hair and piercings. She smiled politely at her and held out something in her hand. "It's a man called Agent Dexter. He keeps saying your name."
Looking down into the girl’s hand, she realized it was her pin. The dog pin.
She swallowed. “I think you'd better come in…"
This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.
The girl—who she had learned was called Vikki—was sitting on her bed, looking around the room. She acted just like she was a kid at Christmas, gazing at all the presents under the tree.
Red supposed that would be her reaction too. She'd taken the dog pin and put it in her ear, picking up the boat pin too. The moment she settled it comfortably in her ear, she heard Dexter's worn out voice, constantly calling her name.
"H—Hello?" She said timidly and quietly.
"RED. RED IS THAT YOU? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF YOU FOR HOURS AND THEN WHEN YOU PICK UP, YOU DON'T SPEAK? WHERE'S THE CAMERA? WHAT HAP—"
"Dexter, I think my cover’s been blown." She looked cautiously over to the girl, who was staring back at her.
Vikki sat there, her legs crossed and her arms behind her, chewing gum.
"Huh? What?" he said, sounding calmer than he had before.
She cleared her throat. “I lost the pin and she found it. She could hear you calling my name. I can't make up any excuse that'll be good enough," she said with an apologetic tone. There was a chance they'd get pulled off the mission.
There was silence on the other end of the line as a reply.
"Red, you'll have to think of something," he said, urgency lacing his every word.
She looked back over to the girl.
Vikki looked back. "You're an undercover agent right?" She blew a bubble with her gum and grinned at her. "Or an assassin. Either way, I’m pretty sure your target is one of the guys that live on this floor."
"H—How did you know that?" she said before she could stop herself. She slapped a hand to her mouth. She heard Dexter curse down the end of the line.
"Red—" he stopped, letting out a deep sigh. “I'll leave this one to you. I’ll come visit you tomorrow." The line went dead.
Red took the pin out of her ear and placed it on the desk, sitting beside Vikki.
The girl was still grinning at her.
"Hey, don't look so down. I haven't told anyone." Vikki placed a hand on Red’s shoulder.
Red looked back at the grinning girl, reaching out to grasp her hand with both of hers. "Please, you can't tell anyone. If this gets out, then Zane could be killed—" she cut herself off. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she widened her eyes. God, she just wouldn't stop.
Surprisingly, the girl giggled. "I’m amazed you got this far with the amount of stuff you've spilled to me within a couple of minutes." Vikki mimicked closing a zipper over her mouth. “I won't tell a soul." She leaned forward and looked around the room cautiously, as though there was the chance someone could be hiding.
“I'll let you in on a secret of mine," she whispered.
Despite her panic, Red found herself leaning in.
“I don't have any friends." Vikki whispered into her ear, moving backwards and smiling at her.
Red stared at the redhead. "None?" she asked.
Vikki shook her head and gestured to herself. "Do I look like the type of person a rich kid would want to hang around with?"
Red seriously examined Vikki and considered the questions. “I don't see anything wrong with you."
Vikki stared at Red silently for a minute, her eyes flickering through several emotions.
Had she said something wrong? Red wondered what it could be.
Vikki shuffled around on Red’s bed and started to bounce on it while sitting down. "Wow, these beds aren't as bouncy as the ones in Royal Nature. You sure are missing out."
Red found herself watching the girl, actually smiling at her sudden change in subject. She snapped out of her trance, grabbing hold of her elbow.
Vikki stopped bouncing to look at her with a question in her eyes.
"Let's be friends." Red looked surprised at her sudden outburst, and then her expression turned slightly emotional.
"Friends?" Vikki replied in a quiet voice.
Red nodded quickly. "If we're friends, we can keep each other's secrets and help each other when we need to, right?"
Vikki just sat there, her brown eyes staring deep into Red’s blue ones. "You sure have pretty eyes." The redhead commented. Then she grinned and nodded. "Alright, we'll be friends. If we're friends, will you tell me why you're here, special agent?"
Her question made Red’s stomach sink, but at the same time, she felt happy. So one person had discovered her secret? But she’d gotten a friend out of the mix—up, and someone she could turn to because of that fortunate accident hadn't she? Leaning forward, Red started from the very beginning.
Chapter 10: Crimson
Casper raised his fist to knock on the door. Then lowered it again, frowning in thought. He wanted to see her. God knows why, he just felt like he needed a mood lift and the only person who could do that was Red.
What was it about the spunky girl that was so captivating? The childlike smile? The way she was different from everyone else? The fact that she had an innocent air about her that rivaled his own?
Sucking in a breath, he hammered his fist on the door with his eyes closed. He'd just say hi, and then leave her to do what she wanted. Zane had told him not to bother her after she had been 'rude' to them the day before, but for once he wasn't going to listen. He hadn't been offended. Couldn't Zane see she was tired?
The door opened a crack and a strange rush of adrenaline surged through Casper's body when he saw Red's innocent face peeking up at him.
"Hey, Red! Whatcha doing? I thought you might want some company so came over—" he stopped talking when he noticed she wasn't alone in the room. His stomach sunk.
"Why is Icky Vikki in your room?" He said, his tone flat and emotionless. He didn't notice Red's surprised expression at his sudden rudeness.
She looked behind her, then back to Casper. "S—She's a friend. Why did you just—"
Casper pushed past Red and stalked over to the red—headed girl.
She smirked up at him. "Hello, angel."
"Why are you friends with Red?" He pointed at Red to emphasize what he was saying.
She leaned backwards on her arms and looked over to a confused Red. "What? Can't I be?"
He folded his arms, his face set in an expression similar to what a child would do when refusing an order from a parent. "No. You can't be."
"Casper—" Red moved towards him, bewilderment spread across her entire face.
Vikki held up her hand and rose to her feet. "Hold on Red, I got this." She pushed her face close to Casper's.
He stubbornly stayed put.
"Last time I checked, it wasn't up to you who I was friends with," Vikki drawled.
He jutted his chin out. "Last time I checked, you didn't want friends."
Vikki smirked and moved backwards. "Red and I share something special."
Casper looked at Red, who was watching the scene with wide eyes. He shifted his gaze back to the girl in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at her. "If you hurt her—"
"—what? You'll hurt me? Like that'll ever happen." She folded her arms, mimicking his posture.
He stared at her, an aura of hatred buzzing in the air between the two.
"Oh, you're waiting for me to leave? Sorry, I’m afraid I’m not going anywhere. Red's not finished with me and you happen to be on the girl’s side of the dorm," Vikki checked her watch, "past curfew. Let's hope you don't get caught."
Swallowing, Casper noticed this was right. Damn curfew. The dorm leaders would come around and check to make sure that the girls and boys were in their own rooms. The check—up done hourly and unless you had a specific reason, that would mak
e sense to the adults, for being on the other side, you were chucked out. It was a lot like being at a boarding school.
"Alright, I'll leave first." Casper put his nose in the air and started to walk away, his arms still folded. Vikki watched his every move as he did. Casper turned to glare at her before he left, then sent a quick glance towards Red.
She was still confused.
One side of his mouth rose up. He had an idea.
He wandered over to Red and wrapped one arm around her neck and pulled her into a hug. He placed a hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair down.
“I'll see you later, Red." he said, loud enough for Vikki to hear. Then before his face turned red with embarrassment, he left.
When he shut her door behind him and emerged into the hallway, he rested against the wall. His breathing was fast and deep. His heart felt like it was jumping out of his throat and his neck was hot. Damn, he must be getting ill. He stumbled dramatically back towards his room, staring over his shoulder at Red's door before opening his door and falling in, staggering towards his bed, he collapsed onto it.
He'd hugged Red. He'd hugged her.
He leaned over and switched his lamp off, suddenly wanting to go to sleep. But he couldn't. Damn it. He'd hugged Red…
* * * * *
She didn't know how long she stared at the door after Casper had left. Vikki was the one who snapped her out of her stupor. She blinked before looking at the new friend standing in front of her.
"Jeez, I had no idea you were friends with Cupid." Vikki had her hands on her shoulders and she looked towards the door, narrowing her eyes at it as though she thought it possible to glare at Casper through it.
Red gulped. “I—I didn't expect him to…" she trailed off and shook her head. "Why did you and he argue? I've never seen him act like that to anyone."
Vikki moved her gaze back to Red and dropped her arms, giving her a grim smile.
Red noticed that close up, Vikki was actually very pretty, despite the piercings on her nose, eyebrow and ears. If anything, they added to her appearance.
"Well, seeing as though I know everything about you and your secret bodyguard mission, I’ll tell you." She sat down on the bed and Red followed suit. Vikki grinned at her, her miserable expression gone. "We're old childhood friends."
* * * * *
She don't know why, but the next morning, she felt a lot better than she should have. Perhaps it was because the night before, she had finally made a friend who knew everything about her.
Vikki had stayed with her late into the night and part of the morning and they just talked. She'd been the first real friend Red had ever had. She walked to the piano meeting with a happy skip in her step, glad that she at least had a reason to be going. Vikki had come up with an idea to get closer to Zane.
She turned a corner, seeing the building that the meeting was held in, in the distance. She resisted the urge to skip for real toward the doors, knowing it would be strange if she did.
Before she reached the building, Red was pulled sideways and yanked out of her happy mood. A blindfold was put over her eyes and her hands were pulled behind her back, and tied with some kind of strong material.
She started to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. She bit the flesh, hard. Then lashed out and kicked the person behind her, wincing when the impact caused a rush of pain to her sore ankle. What was happening? Was she being kidnapped?
With her injuries, she couldn’t defend herself. She couldn’t stop her attackers from tying her up and leading her away. Eventually she could tell that they’d gone from the outside, to the inside. But she had no idea where she was. When the blindfold was suddenly removed, she realized that she was in a small dark room. Her attackers had sat her on a chair, with her arms tied behind her. Despite the fact that she had been taken against her will, she was feeling pretty calm.
"Alright, Red?" An unfamiliar female voice said from the darkness.
Red cleared her throat. "I’m feeling alright. What do you want?" she replied. She heard footsteps.
"Are you confident of your body?" What a strange question. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't really sure. Her body wasn't exactly something she worried about. “I don't know. Why?"
She felt her pants being tugged away from her. She yelped and started to kick whoever was doing this to her. "Go away!" she shouted angrily. But she couldn't stop them and the trousers were swept away from her body. She was half—naked in a dark room. She sucked in a breath when she felt someone pull at her shirt. No. They wouldn't…
She heard a rip and before she knew it, her shirt was gone. Suddenly, she felt very, very cold and vulnerable. She was sitting on a chair in nothing but her underwear and a pair of shoes.
"Let's see how you get out of this one, shall we?" the voice said.
She felt the bindings on her arms being cut loose. The moment she was free, she stood up and looked around the room. The lights turned on. She was in a closet, it looked like. And it was empty.
She was naked. In a closet. What was she supposed to do now? She sighed. She knew what her captors wanted her to do. Run naked outside, and then make her way back to the dorm. Filled with embarrassment and self—loathing, they thought she would leave.
She slowly edged her way to the door, opening it a crack. She didn't know where she was. There was nothing she could use to clothe herself in the room outside the closet. This look liked an older, abandoned house. There were windows to the outside. But they didn’t help her figure out where she was. Well, there wasn’t anything in the closet that could help her. Her attackers had made sure it was completely empty.
She carefully left the room, heading for the small hallway on the right. There were a couple of open doors, she glanced in one and found a bathroom. There was a cupboard under the sink. She glanced around the room, not spotting anything that could help. Surely, there had to be something she could cover herself with? She couldn't care less what it was. She bent down and opened the sink cupboard.
And spotted just what she needed.
* * * * *
Zane smiled smugly to himself. This was his best idea yet. He'd only had to resort to such tactics once before, in order to get some stubborn girl to leave, when she thought she was better than everyone else.
He'd requested his minions cover Red in flour the other day to remind her of the day she'd arrived in camp. It was a very clear warning. Then—just like before—she’d ignored the message and hadn’t left. So this time he'd taken it a step further.
Public humiliation. No rich kid could withstand being humiliated in front of everyone.
Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair and smiled genuinely, for the first time in what seemed ages. Checking his watch, he hopped up suddenly and opened his door. She'd be arriving any minute.
* * * * *
Wow, she was embarrassed. Was it her, or did everyone seem to be skipping their meetings today? She pressed the black garbage bag closer to her chest and hurried past a group of boys, who wolf—whistled jokingly.
So, the bullying was going to continue. And by the looks of it, it seemed to be getting worse. She sighed; it wasn’t like she had a choice. She couldn’t leave, so that meant she had to take it. She started to dread what happened next.
As she finally made her way into Royal Haven, after getting lost three times, she hurried as fast as her hurt ankle would carry her. She scurried up the stairs past a group of girls, who pointed and laughed loudly at what she was wearing. She felt like a complete idiot. Her cheeks warmed up. She rushed up the stairs and let out a sigh of relief as she left the third staircase, and stepped onto her floor.
Only to bump straight into Zane.
He looked at her, dressed in nothing but a garbage bag. Deep down inside, the teenage boy side of him felt disappointed. He'd expected her to be wearing nothing but her underwear.
But of course the infuriating girl had used her brains and grabbed something to cover herself with. He hadn't expe
cted that.
Well, judging by the red cheeks on her unusually pale skin, and the embarrassed frown on her forehead, she'd obviously been humiliated. Who wouldn't?
There she was, the girl causing him all this trouble, dressed in nothing but a cheap plastic bag. He should have felt satisfied, happy that his goal was in sight.
But he didn’t. Not even a little.
The worst thing was she didn't say anything, just scurried past him like he didn't even exist. He grabbed her wrist.
She turned around, looking at him with a disgruntled gaze. "What?" she said grumpily.
He scanned her up and down. "Aren't you curious as to why I didn't ask why you were dressed like that?" he asked her, keeping his eyes firmly on hers.
She gently tugged her wrist free from his grip. "You don't need to know, so you didn't ask," she said simply before heading into her room.
He noticed that her limp was worse. He stood there, staring at her door for at least two minutes.
That's all she said. She hadn't yelled, or accused him of doing it. Just simply said that he didn't need to know.
He folded his arms. This was getting ridiculous.
* * * * *
"And here's your cell phone, use this instead of the earpiece. It's more foolproof. Live footage isn’t required any longer; we know the campus, know the players. So you can leave the pins in your room." Dexter handed her a small, compact phone. She flipped it over. It looked pretty simple to use.
She was dressed now, obviously. Dexter had arrived shortly after she got back to her room, phone in hand and a whole lot of questions for her.
He sat next to her and she prepared herself for the interrogation.
"Have you made friends with him yet?"
She shook her head.
"Have you at least progressed?"
She frowned in thought. Well, he did seem to be taking more notice of her than he had before. She nodded.
"How did you patch up the situation yesterday?"
"I and the girl are now very close friends," she stated in a serious tone, like answering to a military commander. She nodded firmly as she said it.
Sunnyside Up with Red Ketchup Page 9