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After a weekend that was as tiring as it was relaxing, Deshya heads off to Tetazo school to start her first week of classes in her 4th year. She first meets 'Amora Takt', her best friend, before running into 'Frie Rengoat', a new friend in the same class as her. It's while they're chatting that a fourth person shows her face: 'Lam Douce', a friend she's known for some time. After chatting for a while, the four friends separate and Deshya goes to meet 'Maruno Uffite', a member of the 'Fox Incorporated', just like the one she loves, 'Tessa Merossa'. Moments after their conversation begins, two boys come running up to them: 'Abdoul and Minoru Ferino’, both brothers and in the same class as Deshya, 4B. They come to bring their friend what they've found: an envelope sticking out of her locker, addressed to her. When she opened it, she found a small letter reading:

"This is a letter challenging the 'Fox Incorporated', you three geniuses.

It's on this letter that you'll find the directions to find the 'gift'.

Find the invisible dots; the enlightened ones will lead you to the answer.

The place of the offering is in the school, look up and see.

Before classes end, find me, that coded message invisible to idiots.

I challenge you, Deshya, Maruno and Tessa. This letter is your only clue."

This is the content of the letter Deshya has received, addressed to the three teenagers who make up the 'Associated Foxes'. They don't yet understand where this 'place' is, but they don't have time to look anyway: the school bell rings. The three of them separate, and Deshya keeps the letter for herself, since it's dedicated to her.

- The handwriting is very beautiful, but done on purpose so that it's impossible to recognize... Also, someone may have asked their sister or a friend to write it... I assume it's someone who knows me, otherwise it would have been sent to Tessa or Maruno. Maybe it's a coincidence, but it's definitely someone at school who knows me a little, since my record isn't public knowledge... Maybe it's someone from the class? Another one? In any case, whoever sent it is challenging all three of us with this letter. Even if I know who sent it, it doesn't mean I know where I'm supposed to go... I wonder where this place is? Who knows?

- D-Deshya...?

The red-haired girl blinks and turns to her best friend, who tilts her head, questioning her with her eyes.

- What's this letter...?" asks Amora.

Deshya holds it in her hands: it arrived in the classroom a minute before, but the French teacher hasn't arrived yet, so she takes the opportunity to figure out the clues in the letter. For the moment, however, she has no real clues. She puts it in her pocket and smiles at her best friend.

- Someone sent me this letter in my locker, and Abdoul and Minoru brought it to me," she confesses.

- A letter?

Amora touches her mouth with her index finger. She really opens her mouth wide and brings her head close to Deshya's before whispering:

- A love letter?

Deshya had expected such a remark and sighed, so she reacts simply by resting his head against her fist.

- You'd like that, wouldn't you?" says Deshya.

- Not really.

- E-Eh?

- Well, if it was a love letter, that means you should have rejected that person, and Tessa's not the letter writing type, so all the better if it wasn't!

- Girls…

Deshya and Amora froze and slowly looked up at the woman who was staring at them with an unhappy expression.

- First hour of the first real week of school... and you two are already talking so much...?

A woman with purple hair, the teacher of French, English or even Latin. She tilts her head towards the two best friends and looks at them for a few moments before sighing.

- Silence, please..." she asks before returning to the painting.

- I'm so sorry.

- Pardon, madame.

They apologize at the same time, and the students giggle, but calm soon returns. Deshya concentrates on her lesson, but she can't stop thinking about that letter…

- I'll think about it more during playtime..." she says to herself.

CHAPTER 26

⎾The Challenge's Letter ; Fox Incorporated⏌

- So, have you thought about it?

Deshya sits next to Maruno and Tessa, who are eating their snack next to each other.

- I haven't thought about it yet," admits Maruno before swallowing what's in his mouth.

Tessa responds in kind and Deshya takes the letter out of her pocket with a sigh.

- Well, we'll have to think about it…

Tessa grabs the letter and her two friends look at it. The three of them are on a bench in the playground, so they can't think in silence, but they are used to it.

- Well, it says on the letter that you'll find directions to a… gift…

- What could this gift be?" wonders Maruno.

- As long as it's not just 'The gift is the adventure you three had', I'm fine with it..." smiles Tessa.

- It's not impossible, either..." thinks Deshya, hoping that it’s not this either.

Maruno rubs his chin, holding the letter in his other hand.

- Find the invisible dots; the enlightened ones will lead you to the answer, eh?

- I wonder what that means…

- Same.

The three of them ponder. There aren't many leads written on this letter, after all.

- Invisible points... enlightened..

- What could 'the enlightened' mean?" wonders Tessa, looking up at the sky.

- I don't think it's about the three of us, that wouldn't make any sense. Could an ‘enlightened’ be an academic genius...?

- There aren't many of them, and even if you think like that, what are the invisible dots? If they're invisible, how can we see them...?

- Dots... Dots... Points at school…

- Points on a test?

Tessa and Maruno turn their gaze to Deshya, who is pinching her lower lip with her thumb and the proximal phalanx of her index finger. She notices her two friends watching her and nods softly.

- I don't know why it would be invisible, but at school, when I think of points, I think of test or exam points," she explains.

Maruno squinted.

- Stitches on the computer?

- The director's room, perhaps?

- It's not impossible that this sentence refers to the control points on the computer, but I don't see what it has to do with the word 'invisible'..." says Tessa.

After a few moments of intense reflection, they agree that even if the term 'invisible' doesn't seem to have anything to do with the computer or the director's room, they'll go and have a look there. However, they haven't finished analyzing the sentences in this letter.

- The place of the offering is in the school, look up and see," reads Maruno

He rubs his cheek.

- So it confirms that we have to look for a place nearby, at the school, but the end...?

- Look up and see... See what? The sun? The sky? The clouds?" wonders Deshya.

The three of them look up and observe their surroundings, searching for the slightest clue. Deshya points to a certain room.

- The director's office is on the top floor, so wouldn't that confirm what we were already thinking?

- So the 'place of offering' would be at the director's office? Y-You don't mean…

A frightened look appears on Tessa's face and she looks in the same direction as Deshya. Maruno chuckles.

- Do you think the director wrote this letter?" he asks her.

- She likes us a lot, so it's not impossible..." replies Deshya.

Maruno reads the next sentence to see if their theory holds water or not.

- Before the end of class, find me that coded message invisible to idiots... I-Idiots?!

Maruno clicks his tongue.

- The letter insults us, too!

- I suppose it's because whoever wrote this letter is confident that we won't find this famous place..." sighs Tessa.

Deshya squints as she looks ahead. Is this just a phrase to tease them or does it mean anything else?

- This letter is our only clue, it's written at the end... Well, the lead to the director's office is surely correct, I think?" surmises Maruno.

- Although I feel we're looking a little too far afield and I'm not sure what this has to do with the invisibility of the dots, I also think it's the right track," admits Tessa.

Deshya shrugs and nods. Even though she was the one who suggested going over there, the more she thinks about it, the less she believes it. What's more, something's bothering her... When she touched the letter, she had a strange feeling, but she couldn't explain it. Perhaps she knows who wrote the letter, but can't find the name?

- Shall we check it out at lunchtime?" suggests Tessa.

- Yes, we don't have time now..." admits Deshya.

Maruno is about to speak when two girls approach them. Both have bleached white hair, though not as light as Korone's.

- Say, Deshya.

Frie speaks first. Lam remains silent beside her, smiling.

- What's up?

Deshya turns his attention to her. Maruno wants to give her back the letter, but she beckons him to keep it.

- I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with Lam, Amora and me to the hotel south of Tetazo, the 'Beleza Verde'.

- Aaah, I heard about it... When, today?

Lam shakes her head and offers her a piece of paper. She looks at it carefully, Maruno and Tessa bending over to see what it says. It's a brochure advertising this famous hotel. They read it silently, Lam and Frie waiting patiently for her to reply. Deshya finally looks up.

- A night at the hotel on sale this weekend and the opening of their big new pool in the evening... I suppose you'd like to go?

Frie nods and takes something out of her pocket. The three members of the 'Fox Incorporated' notice that there are four tickets in her hand.

- My mother managed to win four tickets yesterday morning, during a game on the radio. We were going to go as a family and invite someone else, but my father isn't interested and my mother has planned an outing with friends that day, suggesting I invite my own friends.

- Aaaaah, I understand better.

Deshya smiles at her and grabs one of the tickets, analyzing it.

- So you invited Lam and Amora and you want me to come too?

Frie nods happily.

- They've already said yes, but I hope you can!

- Yes, I can come, but from what time to what time, exactly?

- It's written on the ticket," Tessa points out.

Deshya looks down and sees the time written at the bottom.

- From 6pm, Friday September 09, until 6pm, Saturday September 10... 24 hours in all, eh…

Deshya gives Frie back the ticket, which worries her, but her friend smiles at her.

- Sure, why not.

- R-Really?!

Frie looks at Lam with a big smile and she returns it with a giggle. Deshya nods.

- I know I have to go somewhere with my dad on Saturday night, but if I let him know, they can pick me up or I'll come home a little early.

- Great! Thanks!

Frie doesn't hide her joy and Lam leans gently towards Deshya, smiling.

- We can finally do something all together,” she tells her.

- We've already been to the beach with Amora and Alec, so it's not like we've ever done anything together," Deshya replies.

- But not with Frie, hihi.

- That's right…

Lam chuckles before turning on her heels after greeting the 'Fox Incorporated'. Deshya gently waves her hand towards her before turning to Tessa and Maruno.

- Shall we go there for lunch?" she asks.

Maruno puts the letter in his pocket and pats it

- I'll think again if I find another clue, but I think we're on the right track.

- I think so too," admits Tessa.

They nod simultaneously. Maruno smiles as he looks at his two friends.

- What is it?" asks Tessa. You smile because you're thinking that Deshya will probably sleep with Amora at the hotel and they'll

- Shut up," orders Maruno with a tired expression.

Deshya sighs, shaking her head.

- She's teasing me so much about this 'fake' couple between Amora and me that I'm beginning to wonder if she doesn't really mean it..." she says to herself.

- It's not that, it's just that I thought that even though we're called the 'Fox Incorporated', apart from that famous mystery in the science room, the three of us have never really done anything... Even if it's just a letter sent by the headmistress or a student, I think it's cool that the three of us could be solving something," he explains with a smile.

Tessa turns her gaze to the boy, gently opening her mouth.

- I just think it's nice, that's why I'm smiling.

- Since you've been in a relationship with your sweetheart, you're getting more and more sentimental, I see," Tessa points out.

- It's true that I find you hide your emotions less than before," admits Deshya.

Maruno scratches his cheek, embarrassed.

- I've grown up since…

- We're still babies.

Deshya smiled as she said this and Tessa squinted.

- You're a baby, Maruno's a little kid and I'm all grown up. I'm the only adult here.

- Ah?! Don't get a big head because you're two years older than us, and you're in the same class as us!" shouts Maruno.

- Not cool.

- But real, hehe.

Tessa grabs Maruno's head in her arm and starts violently scratching her hair, smiling. Deshya watches them laughing, happy to see them getting on so well together. Maruno has a point: the three of them form a group called 'Renards Associés', but they haven't solved much together. We've seen them ask for help, but the three of them don't necessarily work hand in hand, but rather on their own. The only time they were really together was for that famous mystery in the science room... It's a name they're given and they're popular with the students, but all they do is solve riddles that some people pass to them, nothing else... Admittedly, it's not their job to deal with criminal cases or robberies, but Deshya would love to 'work' with the two of them more often. Maruno is a very close friend and Tessa the one she loves, after all... They know each other well and know how they work and think... for most of the time. Tessa leaves Maruno alone with a chuckle and Deshya turns to the two of them.

- Otherwise, what about your summer vacations?" she asks.

- Great, and you?" replies Maruno.

- I had to fight a kid who stole my bike.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Her two friends stare at her silently, mouth agape. Tessa's eyelids droop and she rests her cheek against her fist.

- What?

- Seriously?

- Why would I lie? If not, were yours great too, Deshya?

- Don't change the subject!

- I'm not changing the subject.

- Why did you have to fight...?

- To get my bike back.

- But did some kid really steal your bike?

- He threw a rock at me while I was riding. So while he was driving, I threw a stone back at him.

She crosses her arms.

- I had to fight his parents, but verbally. It was exhausting, but it was vacation, so we never saw them again and I never will. I hate kids like that, so I don't care.

- I don't have the words..." admits Deshya.

- Why does that only half surprise me..." sighs Maruno.

Tessa smirks and looks at Deshya.

- What about your vacation?" she asks.

- They were very good, but a little tiring at times....

- Still, you look good. You're solving murders before the police, you beat Tessa at poker and you seem to have a lot of energy," remarks Maruno.

- Well, that doesn't mean anything…

Deshya smiles.

- If they only knew what happened during my summer vacations…

Maruno puts both hands behind his head and looks up at the sky, playtime almost over. Deshya and Tessa follow suit, thinking about what they've been up to this summer. All three of them much prefer the vacations to school, but they're also happy to be able to see friends they wouldn't be able to if they were at home. Of course, they talk to each other on the internet and by message almost every day, but it's far from being the same as talking to each other in person. Deshya really missed friends like Lam, but Tessa missed them even more. There are so many people she likes so much that she wants to talk to in real life, not on a phone. She's very happy to be going back to school simply because she can afford to without any problems.

- In any case, why don't we meet again at lunchtime to go to the director's office?" suggests Maruno.

- Yup, yup.

- Sure.

The end-of-school bell rings at the same moment and all three rise from the bench simultaneously. They greet each other and Deshya moves her bag behind her back to put it back on properly. As she walks to class, Abdoul Ferino stands beside her, holding his school bag tightly.

- Did you understand the meaning of the letter?" he asks.

- I think," Deshya doesn't deny.

- Eeeh, where is it?

Her friend smiles.

- Good question.

- Aaah?

Deshya runs to join Lam and Amora, leaving Abdoul behind. However, she stops halfway and beckons him to join her. He stares at her for two long seconds, but finally smiles back and tucks both hands into his trouser pockets.

- Always the same..." he mumbles, amused.

He joins them running, his brother already in class. A minute later, the playground is completely deserted: all the pupils and teachers are in class.

The minutes ticked by, and after two long hours of science, Deshya emerged from her classroom, Amora, Lam and Minoru at her side.

- Are you coming to eat with us?" Minoru asks, addressing Deshya.

- I have to do something," she admits with an embarrassed smile.

Amora stops and turns abruptly towards her best friend.

- Eeeh, aren't you going to eat with us? But it's our first Monday together!" she shouts.

- Don't shout, everyone's looking at us..." Lam told him.

- Sorry…

She apologizes, lowering her head gently. Deshya smiles at her as she walks up the stairs to the floor below.

- I won't take long!" she reassures them. I'll come eat with you in a few minutes!

Deshya climbs the stairs two at a time, not wanting to delay joining her two friends and then eating with the others: she's hungry and doesn't want to waste too much time. She runs up the stairs, making sure her bag doesn't fall off her back, reaching the top floor to check if their theory is right. Deshya skips the last step and when she reaches the corridor on the top floor of the school, she notices that Tessa and Maruno are both already standing in front of the office door.

- You took your time..." sighed Tessa.

- We've been waiting for you!" smiled Maruno.

Deshya catches her breath and walks towards them.

- You... you've been here a long time...?" she asks.

- Not really, but I wanted to make looks like it," replies Tessa in an amused tone.

- A-Ahah…

Now that the three of them are together, the members of the 'Fox Incorporated' decide to check out the office. Maruno is the one who knocks on the door, and the voice of Kana Koweni, the headmistress of this school, rings out.

- Come in!

Tessa abruptly opens the door and enters the office without missing a beat. The headmistress looks at the three students who have just entered and blinks.

- Tessa, Maruno and Deshya?

She moves slowly to the right, withdrawing from the computer, and looks at the three members of the 'Fox Incorporated' with surprise.

- What do you want?

Maruno approaches the desk and shows the lady the letter. He asks her if she wrote it, while Deshya and Tessa look around the room. Kana grabs the letter and reads it carefully before giggling. The two girls stop and watch her. The headmistress returns the letter to Maruno with an amused expression.

- Do you really think that, as a director, I'd enjoy writing such a letter?" she asks.

- You're one of the few adults who consider us to be the 'Fox Incorporated', so it's not impossible..." Deshya replies honestly.

Tessa stares out the window, squinting. The director touches her ponytail as she speaks.

- Maybe, but I don't have time to write such a letter for you. Whoever wrote it must be a student.

Deshya scratches her cheek: she thought so too, but she can't see what else the letter could mean.

- Is it possible that something was left here and that the letter does indeed point to this room, but that it wasn't you who wrote it?" asks Deshya.

Kana looks around and shakes her head.

- I always lock the door and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. Even if it's just a little game between you and I don't have a problem with it, if a student has actually placed something in my office, I'm afraid I'm going to have to crack down…

Which all three of them understand. Tessa returns to her two friends' side, hands in her pockets.

- I guess it's not here, then," she says. Maybe it's on the roof.

- I suppose so. If we're going to look up... Maybe the invisible dots represent... I don't know, actually.

Maruno rubs his chin and Kana smiles at them.

- If that's all, I'll keep working. Is it possible that you're leaving now?

- A-Ah, we apologize for the inconvenience!

Deshya bows politely and Maruno follows suit. Tessa runs out of the room, wanting to get to the roof first.

- Ah?! Wait for us!

Maruno runs after her and Deshya laughs to see them getting so excited. She is about to go out when the headmistress calls her. Deshya turns around and notices Kana looking at her with a sweet, beautiful smile. The sunlight streaming through the glass draws her silhouette in a beautiful golden white, creating a sublime image in Deshya's eyes.

- I'm glad you're feeling better.

Deshya stares at the woman with surprised eyes, mouth agape. Kana tilts her head gently, a few strands of her hair flowing over her forehead and eyes radiate.

- If you need anything, don't hesitate, okay?

Deshya blinks and nods. She smiles back and thanks the headmistress with a polite bow of the head. She leaves the room, closing the door behind her, and runs down the corridor to join her two friends, smiling. Kana continues to work on her computer, a cheerful expression on her face.

- We finally found nothing…

Deshya sighs as she descends the stairs to the cafeteria in the basement. It's a large, brightly lit room with lots of tables and benches decorating it. Some eat there, others outside or even outside the school, but Amora likes to eat downstairs a lot, for some reason. Sometimes Deshya goes outside at lunchtime and enjoys the sun, but she likes to eat with her best friend, so she follows her. Deshya opens the cafeteria doors and Lam stands up to greet her. Deshya hurries over and sits down next to the three of them: Lam, Amora and Minoru are already halfway through their meal.

- Did you find what you were looking for?" asks Lam.

- We seem to have made a mistake..." admits Deshya.

She had hoped that this famous 'place' would be on the roof, but even that hadn't been the case. So, like Maruno and Tessa, she didn't know where to look. The clues in this letter don't make much sense, and searching every room is one possibility, but one she doesn't wish to employ.

- I bet it's not as simple as that anyway..." she thinks as she starts to eat.

A strawberry jam tartine and a cheese and ham tartine are in a beautiful box that Deshya often takes to school. She can prepare her own lunches, but her mother is almost always the one who cooks them. Sometimes it's just toast, but she once cooked a paella for her last year. Deshya is spoiled by her mother, and she's very happy about it.

- Here, Deshya! I heard something on TV that might interest you!

Deshya turns to Minoru, who is putting away his lunch box.

- What is it?

- I've heard that a new detective series based on real investigations by 'Minos Kiyon' is coming out next month!

- Aaah, I heard about that. I hope it will be good, given that it's highly romanticized and the author is rather well-known.

Deshya bites into her toast, looking at Minoru. Amora applauds with joy.

- I'll read that too! If you buy it, will you pass it on to me, Deshya?

- Of course.

- I don't read much crime or detective fiction, so I'll have to start..." admits Lam.

- It's a genre that doesn't appeal to everyone, it has to be said.

- Yes, but I'd love to!

Amora pulls out her phone and shows her a few references to books she really likes, to Deshya's great delight. She continues to eat her toast, looking at her two friends with colored hair. She had wanted to dye it red to see how it would look, or pink to imitate Amora, but decided she liked her ginger hair too much to change it. Plus, since she's now a girl with fox-like attributes, it fits perfectly.

- Me, who loves foxes, my red hair, my personality, which is said to be a bit feline... It's a case of serendipity.

She's already wondered if it was really a chance, but she can't believe in a 'God' who decided to transform her in this way to please him. She's certain there must be another reason... more obscure or more complex. Perhaps even both. Lam notices Deshya in her thoughts and waves her hand in front of her.

- Yes ?

Deshya tilts her head, questioning her with her eyes. Lam smiles.

- Nothing, you seemed to have your head in the clouds," she replied.

- Ah, sorry...

Deshya munched on her toast and turned to Minoru. She hasn't seen him, but her big brother has arrived and is chatting with him. It's a rather surprising scene, given that Abdoul bothers her almost every time, but this time they talk with a smile. Lam also notices Abdoul's sudden arrival and asks him if he's all right.

- Fine and you, princess?

- P-P... Princess?!

Amora opens her eyes wide when she hears Abdoul's nickname. The latter nods in agreement.

- Lam is beautiful, don't you think? She deserves that nickname," he compliments her.

- I don't remember you calling her 'princess' before..." replies Deshya.

- He calls her that because he thinks she's so beautiful, don't let him get to you," sighs Maruno.

- But he's right, I'm a princess!

Lam gently shakes her head to move her hair with a proud, almost haughty air. Abdoul nods and Amora follows.

- I agree! Lam is super beautiful!

No one would contradict them, but they're not ashamed to shout it out and be heard by everyone, which makes Deshya, Minoru and even Lam a little uncomfortable. Of course, they all know Amora's personality, so they're not going to criticize her for her enthusiasm, which seems to know no bounds. They all love her like that.

Math class is drawing to a close, which means Deshya will only have Spanish left before the end of lessons... and she still hasn't understood the meaning of the letter they've been sent. The 'invisible dots' don't seem to be associated with anything in the school, but the place they're looking for is definitely inside the building, if not in the playground. Deshya had thought of the stars shining in the night, but it isn’t possible, since they have to find this 'place' before 4.15pm, the end of Deshya's classes. She gently taps her bench with her pen, annoyed by this letter. What should be a simple message to solve is actually very complex. She wonders if Maruno or Tessa have figured out the meaning, since it's always the dark-haired boy who has it on him. The math teacher passes by one of the students' benches and looks at the sheet for a few moments before smiling.

- Be careful: without the comma, the meaning of the sentence is no longer the same.

Deshya turns her gaze to the professor, pen in mouth.

- A comma can change a whole sentence, so you have to be careful where you put it, too.

- …

Deshya squints.

- The meaning of the sentence... Coded message… Invisible? Invisible!

Deshya opens them wide and turns to the window, where the sun still shines with its many rays. She stares out for a long moment before smiling with a touch of anger.

- I-It's not what I think, is it...?

At the end of math lessons, Deshya hurries through the corridors to the playground, without even saying goodbye to some of her friends. She tumbles down the stairs and jumps the last four steps before reaching the outside of the building. She turns her gaze in all directions and finally finds Maruno, who is chatting with Tessa as she walks. She runs towards them and almost bumps into a student saying hello.

- Excuse me and hello!" replies Deshya.

She finally arrives in front of her two friends and catches her breath. Maruno tilts her head gently to the right.

- Why are you running like that?" he asks her.

- You... You solved the letter?

Tessa shakes her head and shrugs.

- I was too focused in my classes and I feel like the letter is just taking us for a ride," she replies.

- I think I understand, but if I do…

Deshya asks for the letter back and Maruno takes it out of her pocket. She catches it and looks at it for a few moments before smiling and shaking her head.

- I think that's it…

Deshya raises her head to the sky, chuckling, and her two friends question her with their eyes.

- I've already checked, but there are no invisible words," says Maruno.

- That's not it... Ahah! Check it out!

And then she shows the letter, illuminated by the sun. Tessa and Maruno don't hide their surprise. What they see...!