"Are you ready for part two?"

Yes

Good...here is your next riddle:

The pool was only the first stop,

Now it's time to drop,

The easiness of the game.

Drive 10 miles down Sunset Road and get out at the mailbox.

Walk into the woods for 175 paces,

and there you will find 39 cases.

There is only one contains your next clue,

but be careful,

Choose the wrong one, and you'll go KABOOM

Do you understand?

Yes. I understand.

Great.

You have 11 hours to find the next clue. Remember, I

watch your every move.

I slam my phone into the couch. Only eleven hours, are you kidding me? Why am I getting less time for something even harder? Oh, wait. That's right. He's a fucking kidnapper. Why would he be nice to me?

Oh Cassie, where ever you are, I do hope you are giving this guy hell like I know you would.

I have until eleven o'clock tonight to find these dumb ass cases.

I grab a small duffel bag from my room, knowing I'd be out late I decided I needed to pack some things. I throw a jacket and an extra pair of socks into the bag. Along with the walkie, a hat, and a water bottle. I lace up my hunting boots and grab my phone charge. I rush into the kitchen to get a snack and a pop because my mature self-has yet to eat anything. This time I text my mom, telling her I'll be staying at Dan's house tonight.

Finally ten minutes later I'm out the door and in my driveway. I look at my old piece of junk car. It's a pretty sad site. Rust is crusted within every corner on the outside. Millions of dents and ding marks define the rust even more. Scratches from key marks and other items scar on the paint. The inside still smells like mothballs, even with all my might to clear the stench. The blueish seats are ripped and dirty.

I look at all of this and just frown. My car looks a lot like me on the inside, is all I could think of.

I sigh deeply, reminding myself that should be grateful that I have a car. I hop on in and start it, ignoring the rumbling sounds coming from the hood. 

"Let's go find some cases, you piece of shit car."

It takes me another twenty minutes to even get to Sunset Road, and it'll take me even fifteen more minutes to drive ten miles to get to where ever the hell I'm going. I've already lost basically an hour and I'm already short on time.

I check my speedometer to see that I have almost driven ten miles, I slow my speed looking for a mailbox, apparently. 

Alas, I see an object, sticking out of the muddy ground and a pull off next to it. I park my car in the pull off and snatch the duffel bag from the passenger side.

I walk over to the mailbox and look at the rotting wood covered in dirt and dust. I blow towards the mailbox and dist flies everywhere, making me sneeze uncontrollably. Man am I a genius or what.

After my nose finally stops sneezing, I look back at the mailbox to see the words "Gretchen Family" written in the most beautiful cursive I had ever seen. I look at the surrounding woods and see no trace of any human life. There are no houses or even paths.

I realize the clocks still ticking and turn my head forward.

"Well, here I go," I mumble to myself.

"1,2,3...4....5...6..."

***********************************************************************************************

"175!"

I look up to realize there is a large open space. The space is totally clear except for one tree that grows in the middle. The open space is totally flat, with green moss coating the floor. Trees surround the space, but none branch into it. I walk towards the huge beautiful oak tree that stands in the middle.

I trip and fall to the ground, where the moss softens my fall. I look behind to see what caused such a trip. I see a black object.

It's a case.

I shuffle away from it, due to the fact that if this dude is right, it could explode at any moment. I stand up and wipe all the dirt off of my jeans. Turning and looking back at the open space, I notice black dots covering the floor. How did I not see these the first time?

I pull out my phone. The time reads 4:00, I have only nine hours to get the right case, or Cassie, and possibly me are dead.

I walk over to the tree in the center, this time carefully looking down, avoiding any more cases along the way. I finally reach the tree and look around the open place and count exactly 39 cases, spread sporadically on the green floor. I turn back to the huge oak tree to notice a note tacked onto its trunk.

It reads:

Congratulations, you have made it to the correct place. Now it's time to solve the case matter, by solving a math equation. Let's hope you passed Algebra...

Solve this equation: 5x^2+18x+13

Of course, this asshole would know that I did in fact NOT pass Algebra last year. Since I didn't understand any of it, I just slept every day in that class. The one time I tried to pay attention and actually understood it, I still failed the test. So I gave up on even trying.

I looked at this equation for what seemed like an hour, and in fact, it was. Only eight hours to solve this stupid little equation. I didn't even know where to start...if only Cass was here to help me...

I waited in the school library for what seemed like forever. It was the second quarter in my tenth-grade year, and I was already failing Algebra. So I decided to get some help, from the only genius I know.

She sat down and talked to me like I was just another person she was tutoring, not like I was one of her best friends. "Hi, Jass-Jason. Shall we begin our session?"

I looked at her confused, who was this Cassidy that sat across from me, acting all courteous and mature. What was running through my mind was unimaginable? Was this still from the kiss?

"Uh...yeah I guess?" I replied.

"OK, so what are you confused about?" She said while folding her hands together.

I looked at her hands, was she acting British or something? "Ummm...kind of everything."

"Okay then let's start with the basics."

We went through equation and equation, and I started to somewhat understand. The way she explained it with confidence and knowledge made me remember how much of a natural born teacher she was.

Suddenly I see a pale hand wave in front of my eyes, "Hey, Jason, pay attention." 

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

"So as I was saying, the quadratic formula is easy to remember if you put it into a little song. It goes like this: X equals opposite B, plus or minus the square root, of B squared minus 4AC, all over 2A!" She grinned, "See, that simple!"

I chuckled slightly, but my face soon went back to a frown. I felt it as Cassidy's mood began to change.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked earnestly.

I couldn't bear it any longer. I couldn't let this kiss tear us apart anymore. It was eating me up inside, tearing me apart bit by bit. Every lunch was quiet, as she moved to another table with her  "new friends". She ignored me in the hallways, and never dared to make eye contact with me.

"NO! I'm sorry Cassidy, but I'm not alright! What happened between us, Cass? Was that kiss so horrific that you can't even look me in the eye? What happened on that bridge was magical! And then you walked away as if I were just a forgotten toy! I don't understand Cass. Why aren't we friends anymore! Is it so wrong to love you?! Is it so wrong to...love...me?"

As I said this out loud, partially yelling, I stood up and looked down at her. She looked up at me, and her eyes glittered with tears. She looked small, weak and scared. Her pupils were dilated, and she looked like she was about to run out of the library.

I couldn't believe that I had confessed my love to her in this way. I had just ripped out her heart and stomped on it, but then again, she did the same to me on that bridge all those months ago.

"Cass, I am so sorry, I really am, but please, I have to know what happened, or else I will never forgive you..."

She looked down at the paper, which was beginning to disintegrate from her tears. I wanted to pull her into a hug, but after what I had just said, I knew that wasn't the right move.

"I'm sorry Jason. I really am. But you surprised me with that kiss. I didn't know how to react considering the fact that I was about to tell you something. Earlier that day, Bailey, you know, the pitcher on our baseball team, had asked me out. And I said yes. But then you kissed me, out o the blue, and I just got so confused, I started questioning my whole relationship status. And that's why I ran because I didn't know what to do."

I stood there, dumbfounded. This wasn't how the movies said this was supposed to go. I was supposed to break her heart, not the other way around.

"And that's why I have been avoiding you because I feel guilty. And also because Bailey and I  are together."

My mouth hung open. My best friend, the person who I love, broke my heart. My sweet Cassidy broke my heart.

All I could do was pick up my things and run out of the library, leaving half of my things behind. I left her there alone like she did to me. I didn't look back on Cassidy Elaine Scott as she called after me. I just kept walking, because today was going to be the day I asked her out, and look where it ended up.

I woke up from my slumber, freaking out as I hadn't realized I fell asleep. I cursed at myself as it was already 6:00, and I only had seven hours to unlock one of those cases.

Then it dawned on me, that my memory of Cass had given me what I needed to solve the equation.

I grabbed the paper next to me and a pen from my bag and sang the quadratic formula song in my head while writing down the work to solve the equation.

*********************************************************************************************

AN: Hello! Sorry for the long chapter, but as you can see, we still haven't even gotten to solving the second riddle! I was going to keep writing but I saw it  was almost 2000 words long.

Anyway,  how do you like this chapter?

Can you solve the math equation? (Hint: you should get two answers)

New Rank as of 11/9/17 is #844! Yay!

Thank you all, make sure you leave a vote and a comment!