They didn't take us seriously. or those kids didn't know what to say because they didn't answer. Genny stormed back to me with red cheeks.

"How rude! Come on, we have the next class together. I don't know where Mr. Wales went but it doesn't look like he's coming back." Genny puffed.

"Most of the kids have already left." I noted, pulling my shoes back on.

Apparently, word spreads fast, because in Science, the last subject of the day, a kid leaned and whispered into my ear.

"I heard you solve mysteries."

Genny, who was sitting next to me and seemed to have better hearing than I did, instantly perked up.

"Yeah, what do you want?" She said bluntly, wondering if this was another joke.

He glanced around. "Somebody's been stealing my homework, I have a few guesses-"

"Wonderful, tell us your room number and further information, then keep all the suspects in your room. Will and I will meet you at four o'clock sharp. Any later and it's free." Genny smiled at him as the bell rang and we stood up, leading him out.

He led us to his locker. "I leave it in here overnight, in the morning it's always gone."

Genny pulled out a note pad and scribbled things down, it was up to me for questioning.

"What's your name?"

"Ryan, you guys have done this before right?"

Genny and I shared a look.

We don't want to lose our first customer, she thought.

"Yeah of course," I assured him, patting the younger kids shoulder and smiling wide.

He gave me a skeptical look. "Who knows your combination?" I inquired, moving on.

"Just my roommates, do you need their names?" He twiddled his fingers nervously.

"Yes please, are they mutants?"

"Michael and Ferdinand are, not Daniel." Ryan shrugged.

Genny stopped writing for a second and smiled evilly. "Thank you Ryan, I do believe we have our hitting."

"Can I go? I'm kinda missing a football game right now," Ryan swiveled on his feet.

"Sure!"

"What's a hitting?" I asked, after we had decided to set up camp on my bed.

"It's like a goal, something you want to apprehend or achieve. Or in our case, solve." She explained while laying out some pieces of paper.

"What are those for?" They had little swabs of color and tiny words written next to them.

"I'm getting to that, okay, so the past years I've been here I've made an extensive chart of what colors match which emotions. So you know who's the guilty one when I touch him. The color is dark orange."

"I got it," I sighed, staring at her for a few moments.

She was so strikingly beautiful. They way her eyes sparkled whenever she had an idea was thrilling, and sent shivers done my spine, anticipating the chase. The way her long, curly, golden, tresses bounced on her shoulder when she ran made me want to brush my fingers through her hair. The way she would casually flip that one loose piece behind her ear made my heart skip a beat. She was ultimately the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I wonder if she felt the same way towards me.

"Hello, earth to Will? Can you hear me Major Tom?" She chuckled to herself.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, just appealing to the lighter side of a song I like. You know what to do right?"

I blushed. "Sorry, can you tell me again?"

"When my eyes turn orange, and only then, I want you to read to mind of the culprit and find out how he broke into Ryan's locker. Then without the bully even knowing, we'll report him to Principal Wales." She crossed her arms and stuck out her chest in a triumphant manner.

"That's a wonderful plan," I answered truthfully. It was genius, that way we wouldn't end up with enemies.

"I know right? Come on, it's almost four."

She knocked sharply on the room with the number Ryan had given us. The door opened and the familiar kid poked his head out looking relived.

"Thank goodness, they're beginning to get out of control." He sighed, opening the door.

There were two bunk beds, one had a lanky kid draped across it, looking bored while staring at a text book. Genny instantly walked up and casually brushed against him. Her eyes turned teal first, in surprise, then flashed brown in disgust.

"What is a girl doing here?" He snorted.

"We're helping Ryan look for his lost homework, have you seen it?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.

Her eyes didn't change color, which means he was still disgusted. And they faded slowly back to silver. Not him. The boy rolled his eyes and continued reading.

Genny shrugged in my direction while I faded into the background. Ryan watched with growing curiosity, not sure how we were doing this.

She slyly touched the last two boys while bringing up the topic of Ryan's homework, still no dark orange. I began to get worried when she slunk back towards me.

"Maybe they don't feel guilty about it? Try reading their minds while I create a diversion." She whispered in my ear.

I was about to ask what she meant when she suddenly yelled as loud as she could. "I think I found it!"

I reached a hand to my temple and opened myself up to the flow of the surrounding peoples thoughts.

Thank goodness, that boy is so irresponsible.

Maybe he could help me with my homework.

I thought Angela said she come at four-thirty?

"Oh! False alarm, never mind." Recover Genny, while Ryan gave us both quizzical stares.

She gave me a questioning look, I raised my hands. She rubbed her chin before dragging both Ryan and me outside by the collars of our shirts.

"I regret to inform you, none of the people in that room are guilty." She sighed.

"Are you going to figure out who is?" Asked Ryan worriedly.

She nodded. "It will be a bit harder, but we won't stop until this case is solved, right Will?"

"Right." I agreed.

He bit his lip, then accepted we knew what we were doing. Until Genny leaned down with that look in her eyes again.

"Come Will, we need to brain storm, back to our lair!" She shrieked while pushing me forward.

I laughed and tried to stop her. Eventually we were running down the halls, bouncing on the walls, and receiving angry calls. Try saying that five times fast.

What we didn't see was the older frizzy-haired girl carrying a stack of paper in our way. And I tripped, instinctively flapping my wings on my way down, creating a hurricane of wind that sent her papers flying.

"Oh my gosh! We're so sorry!" Genny apologized, reaching down to help her.

I picked myself up off the ground, smiling, and handed her a paper. She took one look at my wings, with were half-spread from messiness, and snatched the paper, hurrying down the hall. I turned to Genny.

"Did, you see her face?" I laughed.

Her face was stock still, and I couldn't help but notice her eyes had taken on the deep hue of a sunset orange.

"It's her, that's the culprit we're after!" She exclaimed.

We both looked at each other for a moment, before dashing back down the hall where the teen had disappeared. We saw her slip into Ryan's room and I pressed up against the wall, holding two fingers to me forehead to concentrate better.

-definitely worth the trouble.

Such a great girlfriend helping me with my studies.

-can't believe the little brat hasn't figured it out!

"It is her!" I whispered loudly, zeroing on the particualr mind stream.

-just had to get the combination from my boyfriend, and he thinks I'm the smartest girl in the world.

"She's doing it to impress her boyfriend, who doesn't know anything, her name is Angela and she cheated the combination out of him," I explained.

Genny high-fived me. " I knew it would work! Alright, time to meet up with the Principal."

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