It had been hours since that fight. Rick and James walked along the hallways in the police station, looking over research papers from the clipboard. Rick explained how Richard was in the infirmary getting treated. While Mindy was locked in a contaminated cell and being held captive for the time being.

James squeezed his arm, looking down at the floor. “I still can’t believe one of Jim’s plans ended up working out. I’m not sure how I feel about this.”

“We should be glad someone finally apprehended those terrorists,” Rick said. “Now we can focus on who sent them out here.”

“I know.” James crossed his arms. “But I wasn’t expecting much from that Reginald fellow.”

“Hey, when the two blobs recover, what do you suppose we do with them?” Rick glanced up from the clipboard. “Do we take them to jail, send them to the authorities, or—?”

“Personally, I’d hate to let others take care of our job, maybe we should—?”

“You weren’t thinking of letting your chief decide, were you?” Reginald entered the room, overhearing them. “Don’t give me that nonsense.”

“Who are you to judge?” James retorted. “We don’t abide by your orders.”

“The sole reason I took that assignment was to take Richard for my personal gain,” Reginald told him.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“That doesn’t matter. I just want revenge. Even if you complain to the chief, I won’t care.”

James scowled at the man while Rick tried to stay optimistic about the situation.

“So, what about the other one?” The naive officer asked.

“If I were you, I suggest you keep her alive for now,” Reginald warned them. “Then again, it’s not my call.” He waved them off as he walked away.

“Like we’d listen to you regardless,” James muttered under his breath.

.-.-.-.

Mindy opened her eyes, finding herself surrounded by a warm liquid in a giant chamber. She couldn’t speak and had chains attached to her arms, keeping her down. She squinted her eyes, examining the room outside her prison. Only one officer stood by on guard duty. He sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and tapped the chin with his finger. His mind appeared to have wandered off somewhere.

Mindy shook her head as bubbles surfaced out of her mouth. How did she end up in this situation? She questioned it, but her mind went straight to Reginald, and her blood boiled.

When I get my hands on that guy, he’s dead meat! But how do I get out of here?

The officer leaned against the wall as he overheard a conversation from the other side about potentially finding the person who started the blue blob fiasco.

“Man, I wish I knew what was going on over there. Sounds a lot more interesting and exciting than what I’m doing now.” He yawned.

Mindy looked over; the officer’s eyes slowly drifted off as he tried to keep his composure and stay awake. This gave her an idea. She created a bunch of bubbles in the chamber with her mouth. The officer looked over, having no clue what she was doing. He noticed the scenery and found it to be relaxing. His eyes drifted off, and he rested back in his chair, snoozing softly.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Excellent, now to get out of here.

She moved up to the top of the chamber and pressed her head against the lid until it came off the tube. Mindy stretched her arms to lower the cover down on the ground. She then closed her eyes to transform back into her human form, slipping through the shackles. However, this didn’t give her time to stay in the waters for long. Mindy climbed out of the tube, almost losing her footing. She tiptoed past the sleeping guard and exited the room.

.-.-.-.

Mindy walked around the hallway, making sure not to get spotted by anyone. She hid behind walls, snuck around the corners, and peeked at each door. No sign of him. She glanced at an entry with a label that said ‘Infirmary.’

Mindy darted back and forth to make sure the coast was clear before entering. She trudged over; the first thing that caught her eye was Richard, resting on a stretcher. Covered in bandages and stitches, his eyes were closed, not making a single sound. Mindy walked over and placed a hand on his forehead, still warm, his heart beating slow.

Oh man, if only there were something I could do for—

The doorknob turned, her head perked up. Mindy’s heart dropped as a shadow emerged from the door window. She needed to find a good spot to hide, and fast. Looking around, there didn’t appear to be many places to blend in or take cover. Mindy could always transform back into the blob and hide in the ceiling, but that would be too risky. She noticed an opening under the bed as muffled voices roared from outside. Without thinking, she crawled under the bed instead. She didn’t know if the plan would work, but didn’t have time to think at the moment.

The door slammed open as Reginald and another cop, by the name of Greg, walked into the room to examine Richard’s unconscious body.

“So, how’s he doing?” Greg inquired.

“The procedure should’ve been done by now,” Reginald explained. “He’s resting now as we speak.”

“I see, but why didn’t you kill him when you had the chance?”

“I want to see him suffer, die slowly and painfully.”

“Really? I think you still got a soft spot for your brother—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I have a soft spot for that murderer?” He scoffed. “I have all the evidence in the back of my mind. I’ll never forget that moment.” He looked down to glare at his brother. “To think this guy was part of the royal family.” Reginald turned his head. “Greg, let me know when he wakes up.” He told him before leaving the room.

Greg turned his attention back at Richard. “What to do, if only you two could’ve gotten along all those years ago.” He looked away and sighed, tipping his hat. “What caused that rift between you two…?”

“Is somebody still here?” A voice asked.

Greg looked back. Richard rubbed his eyes and leaned his back forward. “Oh, you’re awake?”

“Yeah, I’ve been awake,” Richard replied, not afraid to admit it. “I was just trying to avoid that jerk.” He sighed. “I still can’t believe my family died. I didn’t even know about it and don’t know how to feel.” He rubbed his head and massaged his temples.

“Look, don’t get me wrong, you have a right to be mad at your brother, but you need to understand his reasoning for—”

“What? How can I?”

Greg took a chair and scooted it closer to the bed, and sat down. “Tell me, do you remember anything about what happened while you were at the mansion that day?”

Richard explained to him how he ran away from home on the day of the formal party when he saw lightning, tripped, and fell unconscious. He couldn’t remember anything else before that. Richard paused as something occurred to him. He slowly looked Greg in the eye.

“Wait, how do you know I used to live in a mansion?”

“You might not believe it, but I was there during that time. I was good friends with your butler.”

“You mean Gerald?!”

“It’s nice to finally meet you face to face, young master Richard.”

“So, do you know what happened during those events?” Richard inquired.

Greg nodded. “It’s a bit of a long story though.”

“I got all the time you need.”

“Ok.”