Who in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

by Rebecca Tinker

  I slowly but surely tried to make my way to the hanging briefcase, but it was impossible for me to find my balance on the thin metal stilts, and I fell backwards.

  “Aahh!” I cried out, and reached for something to stop my fall. As I flew through the air, I managed to catch on to one of the climbing ropes and held on tightly. I could hear Sheena laughing at me, even though she hadn’t yet made it down from the ceiling rafters. Let’s see someone else do better, I thought.

  As I lowered myself to the ground, I heard a pair of feet land on the floor next to me and turned to see Jean-Paul. He was examining the stilts. “They’re for getting the briefcase,” I reminded him. He tossed them aside. “I do not need these,” he said matter-of-factly.

  The entire class stopped what they were doing and watched in stunned silence as Jean-Paul bounded up the wall toward the briefcase. He snatched it easily from the air, then sat down on a window ledge twenty feet above us.

  Coach Brunt clapped slowly, a smile spreading across her face. “Not bad. You jumped on up there like a mountain goat, didn’t you?”

  “Mountain goat?” Jean-Paul pondered this for a moment. “I like that.”

  Jean-Paul opened the briefcase and poured out handfuls of paper confetti.

  “All that for some confetti?” he asked as he jumped straight down to the gymnasium floor and landed easily on his feet.

  “The real prizes come after graduation,” Brunt told him with a shrug. “And y’all better clean that confetti up.”

  * * *

  The following week, Gray and I were playing chess in the study room when suddenly Jean-Paul burst in. He looked concerned.

  “What’s wrong, mate?” Gray asked, seeing the look on Jean-Paul’s face.

  “It is Antonio! He is missing! Black Sheep, you know this island better than anyone. Do you know where he may have gone?”

  Gray and I quickly agreed to help Jean-Paul look for his friend.

  The three of us looked throughout the academy halls and classrooms, even daring to poke our heads into the faculty lounge. We checked the beaches, thinking he might want to burrow in the sand, but had no luck there, either.

  After hours of searching, we agreed to take a break. I thought I knew every inch of the island, yet I had no idea where he could have gotten to. As we sat on the steps leading up to the school, I heard a haunting chuckle coming from the entrance.

  I quickly ran toward the sound. Gray and Jean-Paul were close behind. We found Professor Maelstrom standing in the lobby. “Professor Maelstrom, sir, have you seen Antonio?”

  “Oh, yes!”

  Jean-Paul looked up, surprised. “You have? Where is he?”

  “I’m putting his skills to the test. He gets extra credit if he can tunnel underneath the entire island,” Maelstrom said with a sinister smile. “He should be popping up any second now . . . if he actually did it, that is. There’s always the possibility that he could have gotten stuck or trapped somewhere.”

  Jean-Paul looked worried. But a moment later, we felt the floor beneath us tremble and shake. Right where the VILE logo was engraved into the floor, the ground caved in, and a large drill with a sharp spinning top burst into the air. We all jumped back as Antonio pulled himself out of the ground, covered from head to toe in dirt and grinning wildly.

  Professor Maelstrom laughed. He seemed delighted.

  “Excellent! Well done. You dug as fast as a little mole. And for your prize . . . You don’t have to volunteer in my class ever again!”

  Antonio breathed a sigh of relief as he brushed rocks and dirt from his shoulders.

  “Thank you, sir. But the real prize is having succeeded.”

  * * *

  Gray had quickly become Dr. Bellum’s favorite student. He spent all his free afternoons in her classroom coming up with new ways for VILE operatives to use electricity on heists and helping her improve her scientific devices.

  One day I walked into Bellum’s class to find myself staring at an elaborate laser grid that filled the entire room. The security lasers crisscrossed every inch of the room in lines of bright red light. There was a distinct sound of buzzing electricity in the air.

  “Black Sheep! Check it out!” Gray called to me proudly from the other end of the room. “Come here. I want to show you something!”

  “Um, hello? I can’t come over there when there are a hundred lasers in the way!”

  “Oh, these? They’re harmless!” Gray began to walk through the laser field. To my surprise, no alarms sounded, and the lasers themselves seemed to be nothing more than red lights. “It’s something I’ve been working on,” he explained. “If you come across a security grid when you’re stealing out in the field, you can use this device. It deactivates the real security grid and replaces it with a fake one! The lasers are harmless and won’t set off any alarms. But guards won’t be able to tell that anything’s different!”

  “Not bad, Gray. You know, for an electrician,” I teased, but I was impressed.

  “Well, as long as the great Lambkins approves, I’ll take that as a positive result.”

  * * *

  One afternoon, Shadowsan surprised us with a new challenge in his class.

  We watched as he set down two large clay jars on a bench. He then began to slowly fill each of them with grains of rice. The class looked on nervously, knowing that a difficult test would be in store for us.

  “A volunteer, please,” Shadowsan said, his expression as hard to read as ever. No one volunteered. “Sheena and Black Sheep. Come to the front.”

  I walked confidently down the aisle, even as Sheena attempted to knock me off balance by pushing me aside. “Out of my way, little lamb. This is my time to shine,” she said.

  I ignored her. Whatever Shadowsan had prepared for us, I was ready for it. I had been waiting for a chance to prove that I was the best student in the class, and I was not about to let Sheena get in the way of an opportunity like this.

  “Inside each of these jars of rice are a dozen little diamonds. You are each to try to find as many diamonds as you can in two minutes. Your time starts . . . now.”

  Sheena and I dove our hands into the jars. Sheena haphazardly began scooping rice out of the jars and dumping it on the floor. I took a different approach. I carefully began feeling for the different shape and texture of the diamonds among the grains of rice.

  Time was ticking down quickly, and soon the buzzer rang.

  “Aha!” Sheena cried, opening her palm triumphantly to reveal a single diamond.

  “I didn’t know we were supposed to stop at one,” I said as I opened my own hand to show the seven diamonds I had found.

  I looked up at Shadowsan, waiting patiently for him to say something . . . to congratulate me. Instead he simply frowned.

  “There were a dozen diamonds in each jar. I do not see a dozen in front of me. You will have to do better than that.”

  * * *

  “What does he have against you?” Gray asked as we left Shadowsan’s classroom.

  “I got seven times as many diamonds as Sheena! No one else could have done as well as I did!” I said as I kicked a locker in frustration. “He knows it, too!” I didn’t understand Shadowsan’s hatred toward me, and I never had.

  “Don’t let him get to you,” Gray said reassuringly. “Everyone knows you’re the best thief here. I’ll bet Shadowsan knows it too . . . even if he doesn’t want to admit it.”

  “Aww! Is Lambkins sad she didn’t get the teacher’s approval?” Sheena teased as she passed us.

  I spun around to face her, feeling a white-hot anger rising up inside me. “Only my friends can call me Lambkins!” I shouted.

  Sheena paused in front of me, her hand on her hip. “What are you going to do about it . . . Lambkins?”

  I balled my hands into fists at my side. But before I could make a move, I felt a calming hand on my shoulder. “She’s not worth it, Black Sheep,” said Gray. Deep down, I knew he was right, and I walked away.

  * * *


  I still checked in with Player as often as I could, but it was proving more and more difficult with the busy class schedule and the prying eyes of other students and faculty always around me.

  I had a close call when Antonio burrowed up out of the ground close to where I was hiding in the hedges. I had to pretend that I was stopping to smell the roses, which, much to my amazement, he actually bought. He even offered pointers on how to dig deep into the ground, since, according to him, that was the only way to really become one with the earth.

  To avoid a repeat of that little adventure, I crept into the supply closet one afternoon and took out a few fishing hooks.

  I then snuck into Coach Brunt’s gymnasium. I could see Brunt’s silhouette in her office. I did my best to slide carefully along the wall until I made it to where the gym equipment was stored. I took a few bungee cords and slung them over my back, then quickly made my escape. I could turn the stolen goods in for extra credit, I thought, until I remembered why I had taken them in the first place.

  Sitting outside, I tied a cord to one of the hooks, using the knots Coach Brunt had taught me to tie when I was a child. Then I flung the hook up to the roof. It took me a few tries, but soon it caught and stayed secure. I tested my weight, then began to climb up the side of the building. My makeshift grappling hook was working perfectly!

  As soon as I was on the rooftop, I pulled the grappling hook up and admired my handiwork. Not bad, I decided.

  From up here, I could see the entire island. Students were making their way across the quad. Some were practicing their criminal skills and training together; others were playing games and gossiping. In the distance, the ocean sparkled a deep turquoise blue.

  It was the perfect place to talk to Player. I could see everything, but as long as I lay low, no one could see me.

  I dialed his number, and as always, the white-hat logo came up onscreen.

  “Player! Any luck?” I asked hurriedly. Player had been working hard to try to determine where in the world I was. We had hoped he could figure out my location by hacking into VILE’s computer servers.

  “Bad news, Black Sheep.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Whatever school you’re at . . . they really don’t want to be found. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

  “Maybe it’s in the South Pacific. Or off the coast of New Zealand!”

  Player was silent for a moment as he thought long and hard. “Doesn’t it bother you that you’re at a school and you don’t even know where it is?”

  “Well, of course I’m curious. But it’s not like I’ll be here forever. When I graduate, I’m going to travel the entire world. Besides, it’s a . . . special kind of school. Is that really so crazy?”

  “Like I said, I’m homeschooled. I wouldn’t really know what’s crazy.”

  Chapter 5

  Along with training hard, my roommates and I would also play hard. I still loved pulling pranks and being a general mischief-maker—​and now I had friends to help with my wild plans.

  December first came around, and, like clockwork, the bookkeeper’s boat was pulling into the dock. I was once again armed with water balloons, only this time, I had convinced my roommates to help me.

  Jean-Paul, Antonio, and Gray were armed with more water balloons than I would ever be able to carry by myself. Even Sheena had come along, though I suspected it was because she didn’t want to be left out of anything and not because she was getting into the spirit of things.

  We crouched down in our hiding spot and looked at the docks below. The five of us watched and waited carefully as Cookie Booker made her way off the boat and onto the docks. I saw the captain whose cellphone I had stolen, and I wondered if he had ever reported it as missing.

  The bookkeeper was dressed in a bright yellow-and-black outfit, looking every bit like a human bumblebee. Gray nudged me. “Bookkeeper? More like the bee keeper, am I right?” he offered with a grin.

  I snickered, then caught sight of Sheena eyeing us. Forget her, I thought. It’s almost showtime.

  “See the handbag she’s carrying?” I whispered to the others quietly, gesturing to Cookie Booker’s yellow-and-black-striped purse. “It only looks like a purse. It’s actually a hard drive! It’s loaded with super-classified information gathered by VILE operatives all over the world! Apparently the information on the hard drive is everything VILE needs to plan all its heists and capers for the next year. It’s where they keep all their data about ongoing operations and new targets . . . it’s top-top-secret stuff.” I was talking fast, unable to contain my excitement.

  I had only heard rumors of the hard drive’s existence a year before. “It’s too important to risk uploading from a remote location, so they make her carry the hard drive onto the island by hand,” I explained. “She travels here by boat to avoid detection, but—​get this—​she’s afraid of water!” Even Jean-Paul and Antonio laughed at this.

  “That is hilarious,” Jean-Paul said with a grin.

  “And smart,” added Antonio. “What if someone hacked into it?”

  I gulped, thinking of Player. With awesome skills like his, I had no doubt that he could hack into the hard drive if he had access to it.

  “Ready to have some fun?” I asked them with a mischievous grin. “Take aim . . . and bring the rain!”

  The five of us brought our arms back. On my signal, we hurled the balloons, and they arched through the air like cannonballs.

  Cookie Booker looked up toward the sky and shielded her face, but it was too late—​the water balloons were already coming down around her, one by one. She yelped and shrieked as water splattered the ground around her fashionable shoes. “Black Sheep!” she yelled angrily. “I know it’s you!”

  Laughing loudly, the five of us took off running. I was relieved to see that even Sheena seemed to finally be having a bit of fun as she giggled while she ran. “Did you see her face? Now, that was hysterical!”

  “I know, right? Miss Bumblebee went for a swim!”

  I was leading the group away from the scene of the crime. We ran across the grounds, sprinting through the quad and toward the academy to safety. What I had failed to see was that I was leading the group right into the path of Vlad and Boris, the VILE “Cleaners.” They were the school’s janitors, but rumor had it they also helped the faculty with other, more secretive matters. I looked up to see their hulking frames blocking our path into the school.

  I skidded to a halt, my shoes screeching loudly on the floor.

  Boris was much taller than the stout Vlad, who crossed his arms against his chest as he looked at the five of us. In unison, Vlad and Boris each raised a disapproving eyebrow. This was bad, and I knew it. Vlad and Boris were the eyes and ears of the faculty members. Anything the two of them saw would certainly be reported.

  “We were just . . . going for a jog!” I said quickly. “Nothing like brisk exercise and fresh air, right, fellas?”

  Boris nodded in Sheena’s direction, and I saw that she was still holding a handful of colorful water balloons. She quickly tried to hide them behind her back but fumbled. The water balloons went spilling onto the ground with loud SPLATS!

  “Nice going, Sheena,” Gray groaned as Antonio clapped a hand to his forehead.

  * * *

  Vlad and Boris wasted no time in bringing the five of us before the faculty. The last time I had been in this room, I had asked to be enrolled in VILE Academy. Now I was here as a student facing punishment for my silly pranks. Would the faculty regret putting their faith in me?

  The faculty members towered over us. Beneath our feet was the huge VILE logo. I could see Sheena nervously shuffling her feet back and forth.

  I took a deep breath and looked up at the faces of my instructors. “I take full responsibility. It was all my idea. They didn’t even want to come along.” It was true, after all. They never would have thrown those water balloons if it weren’t for me. I was the one who had roped my friends into these childish games of
mine.

  “Did I not tell you Black Sheep was immature and reckless?” Shadowsan asked scornfully. “I recommend expulsion.”

  I felt my stomach drop. Expulsion! Over a few water balloons? I tried to come up with a response, but my mind was racing so fast that I couldn’t think clearly. Were they really going to expel me? Just when I had finally started to prove myself?

  “Esteemed faculty, with all due respect . . . Black Sheep isn’t to blame. We egged her on,” Gray said. I stared at him.

  “No, we didn’t,” Sheena hissed quietly. Gray quickly elbowed her in the ribs.

  “It is true,” Antonio said. Jean-Paul looked surprised. “Yes, I am taking the high ground for once,” Antonio whispered to his friend.

  I watched as the faculty members turned to talk quietly among themselves. Though I strained to hear what they were saying, I could catch only pieces of their conversation. “We can’t expel the whole herd of ’em,” came a clear Texan voice.

  “All in favor?” asked Maelstrom. I swallowed hard, worried about what it was they had just agreed upon.

  “If you insist upon acting like children . . .” began Shadowsan. My heart pounded. “. . . You shall be treated like children. You are all sentenced to . . . detention. For one week.”

  Detention? Now, that I could live with.

  * * *

  “Ugh, this is the worst! It’s like we’re in grade school!” Sheena was angrily pacing the study room where we were confined like a tiger in a zoo.

  “The worst?” asked Jean-Paul with a raised eyebrow. “I think the worst would have been expulsion.”

  “The only person who was going to get expelled was Black Sheep. And I would have been just fine with that. Actually, I would have been more than fine. I would have been thrilled!”

  Jean-Paul shook his head and focused on his game of solitaire.

  I ignored Sheena and turned to Gray. “Hey . . . thanks for having my back.”