St. Mary Girls Academy Part 1

“PLAYER 2 WINS! PLAYER 2 WINS!” flashes on Mimo’s screen.

“Hahaaa ~!” He cackles. “Another win!”

Text in the corner of the screen shows the score: “Mimo: 8, Mint: 0”. A ding chimes as the 8 turns into a 9. “I’ll let you in on my secret… You show everything on your face. Try working on your poker face.” Mimo whispers, genuinely trying to help. “It isn’t much fun if I win every time.”

Mint stays silent, looking downcast. Mimo frowns, brow creasing. “What’s wrong? Did I rub it in too much?”

“Asa’s been gone for too long. It’s been 2 hours. He said he’d be gone 30 minutes, tops!”

“Now that you mention it, he has been gone a long time. Maybe he got lost?” Mint stands and grabs the hotel key and his first aid kit. He then swipes up Mimo.

“Hey, where are we going?!”

“We’re going to look for Asa. Come on!” Mint runs out of the room and locks the door behind him.

In the lobby, he marches up to the front desk, startling the attendant. “Where is the nearest grocery store?!”

ꕤ

Asa slips a miniature lockpick from a compartment in the metal part of his glove. He lets out a satisfied hum, feeling clever. They didn’t think to take my gloves off!

☼

Mint hurries down the street, coming to a curve in the road. Magnolia blossoms float through the air, drifting past the traffic barrier and onto the ridge below the one he stands on. “Wait. What’s that?” Mimo asks. Mint spots something on the ground.

Asa’s wallet! He picks it up. He wouldn’t have left this here! Alarm bells ring in Mint’s mind and he runs further down the street.

ꕤ

The girl with the braids sits at her desk. It’s first hour Spanish. She pauses her note taking and snaps open her pencil bag to sneak a peek at the item she found.

The small, white object shifts with gravity. It seems ancient. Her heart flutters with excitement.

⟡

Mint carefully sneaks down a dim alleyway, Mimo at his side. Mimo’s turned his screen brightness down low. Mint steps over wet cardboard boxes, and comes to a door.

He delicately twists the knob and, to his surprise, the door opens. This building must be abandoned. No need to lock it if there’s nothing inside. The room is almost pitch black.

It’s spacious. Tables furnish the wide space. A dining room? A red emergency exit sign shines above the doorway he came through. Another light source shines from his right, warm and yellow. It’s small, not because it’s weak, but because it’s distant.

Mint walks into the room the light shines from. It’s similarly large. Two parallel countertops stretch from one end to the other. One has a deep sink with a tall faucet. This must be a kitchen. He’s in an old restaurant. The yellow light streams from yet another doorway.

It leads into a short hallway. There’s two men there. They sit on folding chairs, snoring. They look tough. Both have buzz cuts and one has a scar. Scarred one’s head is resting on the shoulder of the other one. Mint doesn’t believe the cartoonish scene in front of him.

Are these the guys who took Asa? He carefully tiptoes backwards out of the hallway, then rummages through his first aid kit. He grabs the sedation gun. He sneaks in close to the men, and presses the gun to one’s neck.

It makes a fssh sound as he injects them. If these guys are here, then Asa must be close. Mint’s sights settle on the door at the other end of the hall. He rushes in, fearing for Asa’s safety. Something slides with him, knocking him into a stack of boxes. His head whacks a wire shelf and plastic bottles rattle to the tiles. “Mint?!” Whispers Asa.

As Mint’s vision adjusts, he sees his stern expression. “What are you doing here?!” He scolds. Mint’s chest stings and his cheeks feel hot.

“I was coming to help you!”

“Shhh!”

“It’s okay. I took care of them.” Asa stares, growing concerned.

“They’re not dead! I put them to sleep.” Mint says. “I used the anesthetic from my medkit.”

“Oh…” Asa says, shoulders relaxing. “I forgot about the anesthetic. You’re pretty resourceful, you know that?”

A tingly warmth spreads through Mint’s body. “But – “

His smile falls. “Don’t put yourself in danger next time. If you see scary men, let me handle it myself, okay? I’m a pro!” Asa assures.

There’s a sinking feeling in Mint’s heart. “Let’s get out of here before they wake up.”

ꕤ

“This should be far enough.” Says Asa, a little out of breath. Cars honk in busy traffic. Pedestrians fill the sidewalks. Stores line the street. This must be the business district. “How do you plan to get the Key back?” Mint asks.

Asa looks in the direction of a women’s clothing resale shop, then turns to him with a self assured grin. “I know just the way.”

☼

Mint and Asa are wearing green blazers, pleated skirts, and loafers. Asa’s hair is parted, framing his face rather elegantly, and Mint has two small, bowed pigtails sprouting from his scalp. Shiny gloss adorns their lips. They huddle behind the brick post of the front gate, and peek their heads out at Saint Mary Liberal Arts Academy.

“We just need to go in there and find the girl with the braids.” Asa states.

“Won’t we stick out?” Says Mint.

“Don’t draw attention to yourself and nobody’ll cause a problem. People hate causing a scene as much as you’d hate getting caught. And…” He puts a hand on his hip and clenches his fist resolutely. “Manish women exist! Some women have broad shoulders, muscles, and beards. Wear it with pride!”

Caught up in the emotion of his words, he starts to march to the school’s entrance, then stops. “Oh yeah.” He turns to Mint. “You don’t need to worry about that. You’ll fit right in.”

Mint’s not sure if that’s a compliment or not. The bell rings. “They won’t notice us if classes are changing. Let’s go!”

☼

As the two walk down the hall, all eyes are on them. “They’re looking at us.” Mint whispers through gritted teeth. Girls scamper about, starting to form a circle around the unfamiliar faces.

“Who is that? I haven’t seen her before.”

“Is she in sports?”

“Her legs are so toned.”

“Such long legs…”

“So cool.”

“Handsome.”

“Do we have a new prince on our hands?”

“Isn’t she too good looking? Mia won’t like this…”

“Who’s that little girl with her? Is that her girlfriend?” Says a student with spiky, orange hair. It looks like she’s already starting to fume.

Asa didn’t intend to draw this much attention. However… It wasn't bad attention. He can use this. “Umm… Excuse me.” He says with a nervous expression and arms huddled to his chest.

“She’s shy too? What an interesting juxtaposition!”

“Cute!”

A sporty girl with short, black hair rushes forward. Pink dusts her cheeks. “Yes? What is it you need help with?”

“Have you seen a girl with blonde hair and braids with pink ribbons tied into them? I need to speak with her.”

“You mean Minoki?”

The crowd murmurs. “Minoki?”

“Minoki.”

“Yeah, Minoki.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get her!”

The crowd shuffles. A timid voice can be heard within the sea of bodies. “Hey… Hey. Hey!”

The owner of the voice, a girl with blonde braids and glasses, is pushed to the front of the crowd by the students. Her head whips back and forth as she’s passed from one set of hands to another like a baton on field day. “Why are you doing this?”

She stumbles into the clearing in front of Asa. “What is up with you guys?” She cries, growing distressed.

It’s the girl who took the Key. “You.” Says Asa.

She looks up at the beautiful, red haired girl above. Tall, muscular, and so serious looking, with her arms crossed and that piercing gaze! The husky voice demands her attention. Her heart starts to beat fast. I’ve never seen her before… What an imposing presence.

“Is that her girlfriend?!” Blurts an outraged student, sounding both jealous and unimpressed with this Minoki girl.

“I need to talk to you.” Asa says. He grabs her hand and drags her through the crowd. The students let out scandalized gasps and are already weaving stories together. He runs into a side hall. Before she can catch her breath, he slams both hands against the wall on each side of her head, pinning her.

“I know this is sudden, but it’s extremely important!”

She gazes into his eyes, chest pounding. She’s almost in disbelief. Why is this handsome girl being so forward with her? She hasn’t even met her. What could she have done that would warrant such urgency? Maybe…

Maybe all that digging around she does in ancient ruins has finally caught up with her, and she’s gotten looped into a government conspiracy. And this stunning woman is actually an undercover spy who had been watching her from a distance, aware of her genius but fearing the day she’ll stumble upon something she shouldn’t have… Wanting to protect her innocence and tender girlhood, but able to do nothing from afar as she’s plunged into the dark world of political espionage.

Now we have to run! To go on an adventure with lots of cool ruins and ancient tech! Just a feeble schoolgirl with the mind of a prodigy and dark, majestic female agent who’s hard boiled, but has a secret soft side! Just for me!

Her body trembles as her imagination runs wild. She shakes her head. No! I’m getting ahead of myself. It’d be too convenient for something so self indulgent to just happen. Reality wouldn’t cater to my ultra specific fantasies like that. That’s silly!

Asa looks at her with intense eyes. He glances from left to right, eyes narrowing. There’s too many people here. There’s no other choice.

He moves his mouth to her ear. Tingles runs through her body as his breath brushes its shell. “You know that object you picked up a little while ago?” No…

“Don’t tell anyone, but it’s dangerous ancient technology.” It can’t be.

“You need to hand it over to me as soon as possible.” No!

“People will be coming after you soon and the longer you have it, the more danger you’ll be in.”

Her heart breaks out of her chest. It takes everything in her to contain her excitement. A wobbly smile graces her lips. It’s real! It’s real! It wasn’t just a goofy fantasy. It was reality! I wasn’t just being silly!

Her legs quake and she hopes she isn’t drooling or making a stupid face. (Fortunately, she isn’t. She’s the perfect image of a delicate, love struck maiden.) I’m really going on an adventure with a beautiful spy! Firm hands grasp her shoulders, grounding her.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Asks Asa, now speaking aloud.

Her brain feels like pudding. All of her words are bouncing back and forth off thoughts that are swirling like a monsoon. “Is it that dangerous?” She murmurs, sounding clueless. It’s all she can manage.

His face doesn’t budge. “Millions could die.”

“Millions…” The lovey dovey feeling starts to fade.

“Millions.” He affirms, grabbing her hand. “Let’s get out of here. It’s not safe.”

“Wait!” She exclaims, holding him back. “I can’t ditch class. I’m trying to get the perfect attendance award…”

“Is that really as important?”

“No, but…”

“Then, let’s go!”

“If I skip school my mom will kill me! Just let me do the last three hours, then we can leave.”

“Okay, here. Give me the object now, then you can go to class.” He whispers.

She frowns. “I don’t have it. I took it home.”

“You did?” He runs his palm down his face, groaning.

“Hey, hey…” She soothes. “Let’s just get through the last three hours of school, then I can take you there right away. Okay?”

He purses his lips, clearly unhappy with this arrangement. “Fine.”

She smiles. “Thank you.”

“Meet me at the gate after school. And keep your eyes peeled. You never know who could be watching.”

“Okay. See you later!” What an ominous warning…

Asa watches her back as she rounds the corner. He feels like he’s forgetting something.