Twinepathy (Part 15): IDIA Headquarters

Hullo, everyone! As one of you so wisely predicted… yes, I am leading up to something big. And it has a terrible cliffhanger, as well, so… *prepares Captain America’s shield* And Vision’s on my side, too… he’s a big fan, and he’ll be laughing maniacally with me after the cliffhanger… Just kidding. 😉 But that’s in Part 17, so you must wait in suspense until then… New? Check out part one!

After we finish setting up Maddie’s sleeping bag, I coach her in some of the questions Mom and Dad will probably ask. She quickly catches on, so we go ahead and head downstairs.

Our parents quickly grow comfortable with Maddie. It’s still a little weird, of course, but they’re definitely making an effort to make her feel welcome. Denver’s not home when the three of us go upstairs to go to bed, but that’s typical. He and Ezra spend a lot of time together. He’ll probably be back around eleven.

Brooklyn falls asleep instantly – she’s a knock-out sleeper: once she’s out, she’s out. Maddie takes a while, but soon she falls asleep too, cuddling one of Brooklyn’s old stuffed animals. But I can’t fall asleep. It’s understandable, I guess, after everything that’s happened. My brain’s on overload, trying to figure things out. Not only is this the weirdest and most unusual day I’ve ever had, it’s a real-life mystery, too.

I’m still awake when Denver gets home. I can hear him come in, and Mom and Dad start talking to him, probably explaining about Maddie. Soon, doors close and I guess everyone goes to sleep. But I’m too busy trying to figure out how we can solve this mystery.

Tomorrow’s Monday, a school day. Obviously we can’t skip… and what’s going to happen with Maddie? Mom and Dad might try to get her into school, but we only have a couple months left. Then again, I don’t think we should leave her here by herself. Maybe she can go to IDIA Headquarters. I guess we can contact them and ask about that tomorrow… And I should probably try to find some information online about the others with amnesia…

Before I know it, it’s morning. I know it’s morning because Brooklyn and Maddie both jump on my bed, laughing. I would sleep forever if I could, but Brooklyn won’t let me. Stubborn. I certainly don’t need as long as she does to get ready in the mornings, so why won’t she just let me sleep in? After I finish getting ready, I help Maddie pick her outfit. When Brooklyn finally finishes, we all head downstairs. Mom already has a buffet of steaming bacon, eggs, and sausage out, along with some fresh, fluffy pancakes. She usually sets the food out like this since we all get up at different times. Mom and Dad get up at six, Brooklyn and I usually wake up around seven, and Denver… well, who knows when he gets up. His classes at the local college don’t start until eleven, and he usually stays up late working on who knows what.

The three of us eat quickly, and when we finish, Brooklyn notices a note from Mom on the fridge. Mom’s the co-owner of a small café close to our house, and she usually goes to help out at least every other day. Today’s one of her days, so the note asks us to take Maddie to the daycare facility owned by our friend Felicity’s mom.

The problem is that “our friend” Felicity was our friend about ten years ago. We haven’t talked to her in ages… and we have no idea where the “daycare facility” is. Plus, Maddie’s ten! She doesn’t need daycare.

So the only solution is to contact Blaze. He appears in our room only two minutes after I push the button. “Whaddya need?” he asks, scanning the room.

Brooklyn points at Maddie. “We have to go to school, and she needs somewhere safe to stay. We were thinking you could take her to IDIA headquarters.”

Blaze nods. “Sure.” A slow grin spreads across his face. “Why don’t you guys come, too? It’ll be quick and fun and you don’t have to worry about being late to school.”

I’m pretty sure my grin lights up my face. Brooklyn’s shaking her head, but I jump in first. “Definitely.” Curiosity killed the cat, and Brooklyn always says it’ll be my demise, too… but really, I can’t help it.

Brooklyn rolls her eyes, but Blaze grabs all of our hands before we can say anything else, and the next second, we’re in the middle of a completely different room. The walls are whitish, an odd texture that I can’t distinguish, and it’s a pretty large room. Jen is sitting at a huge desk, but leaps up when we appear. She relaxes and smiles when she sees who it is. “Hello, girls. Are you here for a tour?”

Brooklyn shakes her head firmly. “We’re just dropping off Maddie before we go to school.” She gives me and Blaze a pointed glare.

Jen nods. “Of course. Maddie, would you like to stay and help me?”

Maddie looks around cautiously, then at Brooklyn, then turns back to Jen and nods. “Sure.” She goes over to the desk.

“Come on,” Blaze says, grabbing our wrists. “I’ll show you the main room, and then we can go back.”

Jen walks around her desk and takes Maddie’s hand. “We’ll come, too.” She seems to be hiding a grin. Why?

Blaze leads us out a door and into a huge, huge, huge room. It’s like Kohl’s… except three of them laid out in a row. And the ceiling! It’s so high… and walls and ceiling are made of the same weird white texture. I’ve never seen any building, not even in pictures, that looks like it could be shaped like this. It certainly doesn’t look like any government building I’ve ever been to. Where are we?

“Where are we?” Brooklyn asks in amazement. Twin-ness, I tell you.

Jen grins. “Girls, welcome to Antarctica.”

Antarctica! Woo-hoo!!! I may like Antarctica… a lot… And if anyone thought that Jen doesn’t have a sense of humor… you’re wrong. 😉 What thoughts do you have, my friends?

Stay tuned this week for a special character interview with Jen! If you have any questions you’d like to ask her, comment below!

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