The Meandering Mind - Creative Musings of 7th Graders

by Jason Trinklein

  Chapter 6

  Scar took a deep breath, and tried to push down the butterflies. She never usually got nervous for missions. But this one was different. She would have to see the old members of the attack team for the first time in two years. She had to work with M16, which of course she still wasn’t too thrilled about. And of course she needed to succeed in this mission, because today was the day she would avenge James’ death. Just then Jonathan came and took a seat next to her. They were in the CIA’s plane on the way to Brussels, Belgium; they would be in the Belgian’s turf. She had been sitting next to the window by herself. “So, um Scar, are you ready?” Scar nodded weakly trying to hide her anxiety. Even Jonathan seemed nervous too. “Yes, this needs to be done,” she replied. Then she gave Jonathan a weak smile. They had started to learn to tolerate each other, because they knew this mission wouldn’t be successful if they didn’t. Joseph came over and joined them. “Well do you think the attack team will show up?” he asked. The general had revealed the locations of Isabelle, Jane, and Kasey, and sent messages to them three days ago, asking them to come on this mission. They had never responded. “I don’t know, we need their help, but we have a problem if they do come. We still never discovered who the traitor was,” Scar said, her voice sounding very distant. “Well, who do you think the traitor is?” Jonathan asked. “You know who my money is on,” Scar said bitterly. “I don’t know, Isabelle seems pretty suspicious to me,” Jonathan said thoughtfully. “But how much do you really know about Kasey?” Joseph asked.

  The plane landed in Brussels, and everyone got out and ready. Scar was really nervous now, this reminded her too much of the night James had died. She shivered. Joseph grabbed her hand and gave her a meaningful squeeze. It was nice for Scar to know Joseph was there for her. But Joseph wasn’t going to be there for her tonight he wasn’t even going inside, it would be too risky for the operation. Only Jonathan and Scar would go inside. Only Joseph and Camille were in Belgium with them, the rest of the team had stayed behind and had only helped with planning the operation. So Joseph and Camille would be watching on screens, helping them break in, but if anything went wrong, they wouldn’t be there to help them. She nodded to Joseph and hopped in the car with Jonathan. They were going to have to walk most of the way, but they would take a car as far as they could. In that way, this was like Scar’s operation with James, but after that everything would be different. This wasn’t a party like last time, and they wouldn’t be able to just walk right on in like last time. This was a serious weapons auction. The world’s most dangerous people would be there. They would have to go through tons of security just to get in, and to get even close to the Belgian would be impossible. The operation with James was cake compared to this one, and yet James had died when nothing should have gone wrong. And then she had the traitor to deal with, which would just make this mission even more fun. They had all been friends, and someone had murdered James and had almost caused her death, and had turned her from that happy girl to Scar.

  She realized she had been silent in the car this whole time, and she looked at Jonathan. “Well since we are about to die, do you want to tell me what happened that night?” he asked. Scar hesitated, she had never told anyone, besides Joseph, what happened or how she felt about James and her friends, but it just poured out of her. He nodded; she actually felt like he could understand and relate to her. She wondered if something had happened to turn him into the way he was, and the more she thought about it he is just like me. Scar pushed down the thought, dismissing it as crazy. They had parked near a forest, because they were trying to stay as remote as possible. Then he opened her door, and grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the car. “You look beautiful,” he said. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a long midnight blue gown, her hair in a golden blonde wig. She just blushed and grabbed his arm. Then she knew it was go time. They hurried along the edge of the woods. Then they reached the mansion on a hill, just like the one she had been to in Russia two years ago. They continued on the wood line, until they reached one of the walls surrounding the mansion. Jonathan was quick on taking down the guards. He got them all down, and then they kept along the shadows of wall until they got to the mansion. There was a secret door, which took you underground until you were in the wine cellar of the mansion. Colonel Patrick had cracked the code, and was supposed to tell her through her earpiece, what it was to get in. Fortunately everything was going all right, and he was able to contact her and give her the code. Jonathan and Scar made their way down the tunnel, and when Scar tripped, Jonathan steadied her. She was starting to become glad Jonathan was on this mission with her. Stay focused Scar, she told herself. That was your fatal mistake last time. Then they reached the wine cellar, and emerged onto the ground floor. They slid down a hallway, until they started seeing people. These men even look evil, Scar thought uneasily. What was happening to confident Scar? She asked herself. Then Scar and Jonathan pretended to act natural, they were supposed to blend in, and act like they were supposed to be there. Their cover names were Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmichael, international weapons dealers. Before they had gotten in the building, they had taken care of the real Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael, so they were happily unconscious in the tunnel. Scar and Jonathan had stolen their ID and everything they needed to bid with. The goal of this mission was to purchase weapons in their name, and take down the Belgian. Scar and Jonathan made their way through the crowd until they reached the bidding room. It was in a grand foyer, and lines of chairs were arranged around a large table. Behind it sat the Belgian. Jonathan glanced at Scar, she nodded that she was all right. Then they made their way into the bidding room, and sat down. Many other people were sitting down, and the Belgian looked like he was explaining a new weapon of his. The things it could do were unspeakable. If this got into the wrong hands, Scar thought, she shuddered at the idea. The bidding for it started. People started high, and when it was almost sold. Jonathan raised his card. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael, it looks like it is sold to you. Please come with me.”

  Jonathan and Scar got up, and followed the Belgian out of the room. Okay, Scar thought, either this is a trap and our identity has been compromised, and we are dead people, or he’s buying this. When he led them into a room Scarlet knew was the real room he kept his weapons, without any security, she was glad to know it was the latter one. The door came down behind them. The room was large, dark, and weapons, and many high-tech things were scattered about the room. “This is the Norsemen device,” he said his eyes glinting malevolently. Now’s our chance we have to do it now, Scar knew. Jonathan seemed to have had the exact thought because they both raised their guns to him at the same time. He stared at them in horror, and for a moment everything was still. Then the door flew open. Oh, no Scar thought, here comes security we are dead. But it wasn’t, in walked Isabelle, Kasey, and Jane, their guns all pointed at the Belgian. For a moment Scar was too stunned to speak. “Hello Scarlet.” Isabelle said coolly. “Hello old friends,” Scar said, then she turned to Jane “traitor” she spat. “Keep your paws out of my boot, Scarlet,” Jane replied coldly. But all of their eyes and guns were still on the Belgian. But then he laughed, a cruel, evil laugh. And then Kasey walked over to stand next to him, and she turned her gun on the girls and Jonathan.

  Chapter 7

  Scar and the others stood speechless. Finally she spoke. “Kasey, how could you betray us, we were a team, and you were our best friend?” Jane smiled. “Oh, Lucy you were always the star. You were the one everyone loved.” Scar’s shock was quickly turning into anger. “You killed James!” “I always loved James, and you ran off and got engaged to him!” Kasey shouted. “Well, you killed him so now neither of us can have him!” Scar yelled back. Then a horrible thought dawned on her. Scarlet had never checked a pulse, or had any evidence that James had actually died. Everything was a blur from that night, how could she have been sure he was dead? Kasey must have read the look on Scar’s face, because she smiled.
“Yes Scar, James is alive, and he is my partner, and husband.” She showed Scar the glittering ring on her finger. “How could you?” she demanded. “Well Scar, James and I had no respect for the CIA. But then we began working for the Belgian. We realized we could be powerful in this organization. Soon, our new generation of weapons will be all around the world. Our Norseman device is strong enough to destroy the world.” Just at that moment Joseph’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Scar, where are you, how is it going? We have a CIA SWAT team at the ready if anything goes wrong.” Perfect, Scar thought if I can just keep her talking, we might live. “I never guessed you were the traitor, Kasey. How did the CIA not know?” “I faked my death soon after James did, and since all communications were severed between us, you would have never known.” “Okay Scar, we have the building surrounded we are breaking in, in 30 seconds you need to kill them, and get the Norseman device, and get out of there, so go now.” Joseph said through Scar’s earpiece. All it took was one look from Scar to Jane, Isabelle, and Jonathan for them to know what the plan was. Jonathan grabbed Scar’s arm protectively, and Jane shouted, “Scar go!” Scar looked back at her friends. She had just called Jane a traitor, and now she and Isabelle were going to risk their lives fighting the Belgian, so Scar could get out of there. Isabelle and Jane nodded to her, and Jonathan pulled her through the door, and it slammed shut behind them.

  Scar raced down the all-metal hallway behind Jonathan. Then they stopped. “Scar, you go find the Norseman device its in the room right there.” He jerked his head toward a door right next to her she hadn’t noticed before. It looked like part of the wall. “Use the code, I need to go find Joseph, and help grab some of the terrorists before they get away with those weapons. You can do this, go!” Then he turned and ran back down one of the hallways. And then she stood there, realizing for the first time, just how a lone she was.

  In the distance, somewhere in the building she could her gunshots, and screaming, as the SWAT team had just broken in. This building was a maze. She might never get out of here. She didn’t want to go into that room, having no idea what might be behind that door, but she knew she had to. A DNA sample was required in order to gain access to the real weapons room. But Scar was one step ahead. She had grabbed a piece of hair out of Kasey’s hair when she had run. The room had been in a state of chaos when she had run; it had been easy. The door came upward, and Scar ducked in. It shut behind her leaving her in total darkness. She ran forward to a center case with the Norseman device in it. It was a huge bomb-looking thing. But on the case were some very heavy security codes. Scar luckily had her CIA sources, so she knew how to crack the code. She did it fairly quickly. But when she had finished and, was about to remove it from the case, she heard the door open. And James walked in the room. He was dressed in a business suit, and his hair had been shortly cut. He wasn’t the relaxed, fun James she had known. This was the real James, who had betrayed her. “Hello Scar, that is what you go by now, am I correct?” “How could you James?” she demanded. “Well darling,” he drawled. “The CIA are fools, and I needed to use you in order to take them down. You could have joined me, but you were always a fool. You were always loyal.” “And you married Kasey?” her voice was shaking, she was so mad. “She and I wanted the same things. So I faked my death, so I could join the Belgian. Kasey soon did the same. Tonight, finally the CIA will fall apart, as our weapons are distributed across the world. My plans will finally succeed, starting with your death.” He grabbed a gun and pointed it at Scar. This is it, she thought. Dying at the hands of my physco fiancé, whom I thought was dead. And worst of all I’m going down without a fight. Then she heard a gunshot, and James fell over. Jonathan had soundlessly come through the door, and shot James. Scar was shocked; she could distantly hear Jonathan yelling at her to grab the Norseman device. She did, and he took her hand leading her out of the building. They ran through the foyer, where the fighting had ended, and CIA agents were taking terrorist into custody. They were also carefully gathering the Belgian’s weapons. The CIA would now control those deadly weapons. They stopped running when they were on the steps outside the mansion. Jonathan wrapped his arms around Scarlet, and cradled her against himself. She could hear him whispering into her ear that Isabelle and Jane were okay. Joseph, and Camille were all right. Joseph had lead the SWAT team, and they had gotten rid of the terrorists and the weapons. He was a hero, and a leader for the first time. But the thing Scar was most aware of was Jonathan. And that she and Jonathan would be all right.

  Devon Lee

  Prologue

  The wind made the leaves dance in the night sky, the star light barely bright enough to make out the face of a lone figure, wading silently among the tall grass. The lights of a small house could barely be seen in the distance, a flickering candle among the sea of cane. The figure, now more visible in the light of the moon, was hidden behind a dark cloak that’s tail flapped in the shallow breeze like the wing of a large bird.

  Soon he was at the gates of the small shack. A few lanterns were strung around the rusted iron fence. A dog’s barking could be heard from inside. He entered the gate, and as he moved towards the door his shoes lightly tapping across the cobble stone walkway, a figure moved from inside as if it had still not known he was there.

  He put something down on the steps. It was a small basket. He lightly tapped on the door then turned and walked back into the night, his cloak dissolved like ink into the dark.

  An elderly man answered the door, he picked up the basket, and set it down on a table inside. An old dog curiously sniffed it, and then began to whine with anticipation for the old man to uncover the cloth. He did so, and inside was a small child nestled under a blanket quietly sleeping.It’s silent breathing almost perfectly aliened with the whispering wind outside the small window of the front door. The small child awoke and began to cry, a light rain began to fall, a crack of thunder could be heard in the distance.

  The man walked outside and looked out at the surrounding cane, no one. He went back inside and tried to calm the baby as thunder cracked outside, the pitter patter of rain on the window lulled the baby back to sleep. As the clouds began to move away, the cloaked figure watched from the limb of a tall tree, sticking out like an island in the grass. He turned to leave, looked back at the distant house, and dove into the grass, running with the receding storm. Soon all was quiet once more. The slow rain on the glass pane of the window fading away.

 

  Chapter 1

  The dust on the road blinded Sumati as he road in the front seat with his father. In the back, an old dog named Hari barked at passers by, making sure they knew not to come any closer. Sumati knew going into town was important, this was his first time since he was a baby.

  When they finally got to town, it was thriving with energy. Sumati had never seen so many people in one place. People were shopping, arguing, playing. When they got out of the wagon, his father got everything out of the back. He knew this was an important day for his father - he was opening his own shop where they would sell the crops from their small farm.

  Hari almost immediately wandered off sniffing for food near the fruit stands. Up on a large hill a bell rang signifying that it was afternoon. As soon as they set up, they were selling. They were making a fortune, off their fresh crops. His father soon told him that since they were doing so well, he could wander about in the city for a while.

  Sumati walked along the side of the dusty road,looking up at the large houses made from brick, and stone. The sun blazed down on the path, making it hazy and dreadful to stand in, so he wandered up towards the hill where he saw many trees he could rest under.

  When he arrived, he sat under a small banyon tree with flowers white as silk. He rested for a long time, listening to the bustling city below. Then an old man walked up to him, and asked if he wanted a cu
p ofwater. He accepted it, he was parched. “I am Ananta.” said the old man, in a voice old and broken from age.