Secrets in the Shadows
We ran for a while through the dark tunnels until Leslie stopped.
We had reached an underground subway tunnel old, broken, and empty.
"This is how we move across the city," she said.
When we climbed out of the tunnel, the lights of the city glowed far away in the night. Leslie led us quietly to an old, abandoned factory.
The place looked empty, dust everywhere.
Inside, she walked straight to a steel door at the far end.
She pressed her hand on a small panel beside it.
A sound beeped.
"Welcome, Miss Leslie."
The door slid open.
Inside was something I never expected a hidden headquarters.
Rows of computers, maps glowing on screens, weapons stacked along the walls, and a round table in the center.
Awol was the first to speak.
"Whoa… what is this place? You some kind of secret agent or spy?"
Nico rolled her eyes. "Are you stupid? A secret agent doesn't run from the cops, genius."
Awol frowned. "You don't have to insult me every time, you know."
Aura laughed. "Nice. The 'smart one' really is your sister, huh?"
I sighed. "Seriously? You all think this is normal? We just escaped the police! By tomorrow morning, we'll be fugitives on the news. What do you think will happen when they catch us?"
Leslie turned to me calmly.
"That's the problem," she said. "The cops aren't the ones after you. This is something else something bigger."
Aura narrowed her eyes. "I knew it. That rich boy over there probably set us up. Look at him."
I snapped, "You criminal of a girl you better not be talking about me!"
Aura smirked. "Guess rich kids don't know how to mind their manners."
Awol groaned. "Can you both stop fighting? We have bigger problems."
Aura chuckled. "That's the smartest thing you've said all night."
Nico clapped her hands. "Alright, enough. Let's listen to the ninja girl."
"Fine," we all said at once.
I crossed my arms. "When she's done, I want to talk about how you guys killed my father."
Leslie looked straight at me. "That's the point, Alex. You didn't kill Mr. Kin. None of you did. The people who did… are the same ones who set you up."
The whole room went quiet.
Sweat ran down my neck.
We all waited for her to continue.
Leslie spoke slowly. "A few year ago, the FBI, police, and government were tracking a secret group of thieves. Around the same time, your father rose to power suddenly becoming one of the richest men in the world."
She took a deep breath.
"The government believed your father was connected to something called The Skeleton Key a powerful device stolen from a top-secret lab after a terrorist attack. The key was split into four parts, each piece hidden by different people. One of them was your father."
She looked at me sadly. "That's why he was killed. But the killers didn't find the key."
Awol scratched his head. "Wait, wait… I only caught some words skeleton key, terrorists, killed, something-something."
Aura blinked. "So we got framed because of a key?"
I clenched my fists. "You're saying my father was involved in this? And we were set up just to cover it up?"
Nico nodded slowly. "But why us? Why frame random street kids and a cleaner?"
Leslie answered, "Because they needed to get the government, FBI, and police off their trail. You four were perfect easy to control, easy to blame."
Nico frowned. "So we were chosen because we're poor?"
Leslie looked down. "You were desperate. They knew you'd take the bait."
Nico glared. "Are you explaining or insulting us?"
I sighed. "No, she's right. Think about it.
A girl who's been in prison more than once…
Two twins who live on the streets…
And me a rich kid with a dead father.
We're the perfect story criminals and a broken family. Of course they'd frame us."
Awol groaned. "You could've said that without calling us names."
Aura crossed her arms. "Still, he's right. We got played."
Nico looked at Leslie. "So what do we do now? How do we clear our names?"
Leslie turned toward the glowing map on the screen. "We go back to your father's mansion. The last piece of the Skeleton Key is still there hidden in one of the rooms."
I stared at her. "You want us to go back? To the place where he was killed?"
Awol nodded. "We don't have a choice. If we want the truth and our freedom we need that key."
Aura grinned. "I'm in. Let's do this."
Nico crossed her arms. "We're doing it, with or without you."
I hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. I'm in too.
Not because I trust you all… but because I need to prove I'm not a murderer."
Leslie smiled faintly. "Good. Then get ready."
She turned toward the wall, pressing another button.
The lights dimmed.
The map on the screen shifted, showing a red marker flashing over a huge mansion Kin Estate.
Mission Start: Return to Sky High.
The Chase Begins
The next morning, the news broke out.
Four fugitives on the run.
Our pictures and faces were everywhere.
A huge bounty was placed on our heads.
Leslie called us together inside one of the safe rooms in the hideout a place filled with all kinds of clothes and weapons.
Leslie looked serious.
"If you guys are going to do this," she said, "you'll need backup and weapons. These people aren't just normal thieves. They'll kill anyone who knows the truth."
Awol looked around and smiled, grabbing a black hoodie. He changed his clothes quickly, then picked up one of the katanas placed on the rack.
Nico changed into simple clothes and wore a cap and mask.
She said quietly, "I don't plan to kill anyone," and picked up a bat lying near her.
Aura, being her usual crazy self, didn't even change clothes.
"What's the need for disguise if we're already playing thief?" she said, then grabbed a short sniper gun resting on the table.
I didn't have a choice.
This was my first time doing something like this, so I changed too into shorts and a simple top.
I picked up a short black pipe as my weapon.
We were ready.
Ready to go back to my father's company Sky High to prove our innocence and to find the Skeleton Key before the people who killed him got to it first.
At the Sky High building, a memorial was being held for my father.
The person standing as his successor wasn't me since I was adopted, it was Mrs. Kin, his wife, who hosted the event.
She had always been kind to me. Back then, she was the only one I felt close to.
But today wasn't a day for family.
It was a day to prove we weren't murderers.
Leslie led us to a black van.
We drove quietly through the city toward Sky High.
Our faces were already all over the news, the internet, and every phone screen.
Fugitives. Murderers. Wanted.
We had no choice but to stay low and move fast.
The game had begun
and now the chase was on.