The origins

[Laverna]

(( disclaimer: this is my own version of Carmen Sandiego in its universe. It takes inspiration from where on earth is Carmen Sandiego, word detective, math adventures, and treasures of knowledge))



Chapter: the unusual girl


A brilliant and unusual girl lived; She didn’t know much about herself or where she came from. It didn’t bother her as much as life in that dusty orphanage that nothing happened. Not that the place called itself an orphanage; It was the Golden Gate school for girls. A non-profit children's home for abused and orphaned girls.


She was presumed to be orphaned or at least abandoned at the age of two on the streets of San Francisco, California.


She only spoke Spanish, Which made things somewhat tricky, and after six months of waiting for someone to claim her. She became a ward of the state.




At Eight years old, Carmen Isabella Sandiego had already memorized every book in the library from front to back. She has reorganized it in alphabetical order and genre.


It wasn't like there were that many books in this school library; the majority were from religious groups and charities. Carmen Sandiego was annoyed at the limited knowledge these wooden shelves contained.


She often snuck out to the public library and spent most of her time browsing the geography and history sections. She memorized the classic novels and fell in love with the power each sentence she read contained.


This is where she was found, sitting in an oversized leather chair, Her feet folded underneath her in her Golden Gate school for girls uniform.


A massive book on ancient Egyptian artifacts sat in her lap as she studied. A genuine smile across her tanned face as she read. That was until she heard familiar footsteps. These were squeaky, heavy footsteps of a square-heeled shoe.


Little Carmen was becoming well known for her disappearing acts from the orphanage.

She sighed as she looked up from her book to see the woman whom Carmen referred to as la llorona


Miss Germaine was one of the teachers at the Golden Gate school for girls. She was a stern older woman in her early 60s. Her white streaked blonde hair made her look more ancient to the orphaned girls. She smelt like cigarettes and was as interesting as a lizard sunbathing in the Arizona sun. She was also very resourceful as she used to be a nurse during ww2,



“I am in trouble ,” Carmen thought as she closed her book and stood up.

She straightened her skirt and adjusted her oversized hat before running over to miss Germaine. Carmen put on her best show of having gotten misplaced by the other girls.


She was lucky; They all were on a field trip to an amusement park when Carmen wandered off to her favorite location in all of San Francisco.


Miss Germaine snatched Carmen by her wrist and dragged the mischievous child back to the group.


Carmen didn’t like to be dragged around; She didn’t like being humiliated in front of crowds, and Being dragged around like a puppy on a leash was humiliating.


She sighed as she was now back to the group of overly giggly and excited girls of various ages.

There weren't any babies as they were too young to enjoy a fun outing at the park.


Oddly, Carmen didn’t want to engorge herself on cotton candy or ride thrill rides.

The thought of being restrained made her more nauseous than the loops of a roller coaster.


She had already researched everything in the park, which killed her excitement for the park had become predictable. Yet, she knew to pretend to be enthused as the girls loaded up on the bus.


She found herself sitting in the back next to the stinkiest girl. Carmen once overheard someone describe it as a medical condition that caused her to smell like rotten fish. Carmen felt sorry for Samantha as she knew she was abandoned for her odor.


Carmen snatched her hat off her head and buried her face into it; She could at least filter the smell through the fabric. The motion of the bus starting and the yelling of Miss Germaine at Sofia, who stuck gum in Bethany’s hair, was annoying.


The other girls laughed and talked loudly; Carmen wished she could have stayed in the library.

She could already feel her stomach in her chest, and she wasn't even there yet.


“Are you okay, Carmen?” Samantha asked as she looked at Carmen curled up into a ball.


The only noticeable thing was her curly black hair and her leather dress shoes.


“I've never been better,” Carmen lied through her teeth as the bus drove down the road. The noise became background noise as she disassociated to keep herself from vomiting all over herself.


Samatha patted Carmen's back, much to Carmen's dismay. If her guts weren't in such knots, then she would’ve scooted closer to the window. Yet she couldn't move as she tried to keep her breakfast in her stomach.


“If you need me to, I can call Miss Germaine over,” Samantha politely asked.


“No, I am quite alright, Sam,” Carmen replied, although she knew she wasn't alright.


After a few more bumpy moments, The bus stopped in the parking lot. The girls immediately stood up, and Carmen was the last to get on her feet.


She left the bus like the other girls, not letting anyone realize she was having that issue again. She didn’t need to be judged for poor behavior.

But her senses were so much stronger than her peers; Smells, tastes and lights, and textures were intense, and she honestly wondered what was wrong with her.


The girls were squealing again, and Carmen sighed as they entered the park.

Carmen faked a smile as she placed her hat back on her head. “Okay, I got this,” she thought as they marched in a line of fifteen girls.


“ Abigail, Bethany, Sofia, Juniper, Claudia, Kim, Jessie, Lucile, Summer, Felicity, Samantha, Martha, Joan, Lily, and finally, Carmen.” Miss Germaine said as she counted the girls.

“Now behave and have fun,” Miss Germaine said as they entered past the colorful gates.


Yet, Carmen didn't want to be here; She was already formulating a plan to vanish for the field trip.


Where would she go? She didn't know, perhaps under a shady tree, to get out of the summer sun.


They walked around, and several onlookers gushed at how adorable they were. Carmen needed to escape quickly; As soon as the girls split up to ride the rides. She vanished into thin air.


No one had even noticed her flawless disappearance act as she watched the events from a strong branch overseeing the amusement park grounds.


In her hands was a jumbo lollipop she successfully snatched from one of the vendors. She nibbled on its sweet spiral as she watched the girls go crazy over sugary delights.


She was an observer; she often felt excitement as she people-watched. She knew she was different from the others for many reasons.

Yet, it never bothered her as she constantly could vanish to be on her own.

 

[Jade]

That is one good origin story you wrote there, @Laverna, keep up the good work.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter 2: dreaming big


Carmen was glad to be back home.

She didn’t visualize anywhere else as it.

A few other girls imagined their old houses and apartments where they used to live.

Carmen didn’t remember her birth parents as she came here at roughly two years old.


The only thing she had from them was the locket she wore around her neck, which was the least of her concerns. Carmen darted into the bedroom. “ no running in the house,” Mrs. Jones shrieked as she watched in disapproval.


The other girls were exhausted from the day out. Carmen was tired of her binding uniform; She wanted out of the beautiful matching skirt and jacket set and into something more comfortable. She slipped into a plain red tank top and black slip-on pajama shorts.

“Much better,” Carmen exclaimed as she put her shoes in their cubby.


She entered the dining room for dinner; The girls were already filling their plates as Carmen scooped up hers. She placed spaghetti on her plate with a dry dinner roll. The food wasn’t the tastiest in the world, and yet Carmen didn’t mind it being bland


“Hey, squirt, sit next to me,” Bethany said while waving to her. Carmen nodded and joined the table beside Bethany.


Bethany was the textbook definition of a California girl. She had long, straight blonde hair and suntanned skin. She knew how to have fun and had caramel-colored eyes. Carmen considered her a friend. She didn’t exactly see the teenager as beautiful; Carmen felt Athena or Cleopatra to be her ideal feminine beauty.


Carmen was tanned from a light dose of melanin.

Her hair was black and curly; Her greenish-blue cat eyes were probably the feature others would call attractive. She was muscular and brainy, and she was much younger than Bethany, who was already blooming into her womanhood.


Carmen noticed Bethany had already gotten that gum out of her hair; She was very opinionated about her appearance and knew Sofia was trying to cause a riot. Sofia threw a roll at Bethany; Bethany just ate it and smirked at Carmen, which made Carmen laugh.


“Sofia, I don’t think Mrs jones and miss Germaine taught us to throw food like animals,” Bethany scolded the thirteen-year-old Hispanic girl.


Eventually, they did the standard prayers, and everyone started to eat dinner.


Afterward, Everyone went for some alone time.




She was bored as she hung upside down from the top bunk. The empty room was still bland as she viewed it from a different point of view. Her hands supported most of her body weight as she tried to climb back up.

They slipped, causing her to fall on the top of her head. She screamed, causing Miss Germaine to run in to find Carmen on the floor, Holding her head in one hand and tears streaming down her face.


“What did you do, Carmen?” she asked as she helped Carmen to her feet.


“I fell out of my bed onto my head. “ Carmen whined as she removed her hand.


“ It would be best if you were more careful,” Miss Germaine explained while examining Carmen for a concussion.


Luckily, Carmen didn't have a concussion; a prominent lump appeared, and Miss Germaine told Bethany to fetch the first aid kit and an ice pack from the freezer.


“Yes, miss,” Bethany said before hurrying away downstairs.


A few moments later, Carmen held an ice pack to her scalp and swallowed an aspirin to help with the pain.


Bethany sat in the corner of the room, observing Carmen. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” kidded Bethany.


Bethany was one of the older girls; She was too old to be adopted. At least according to the trends of adopted children. Carmen was, unfortunately, getting too old as well, but she was the child prodigy. If she played the cute factor, she had a decent chance of getting adopted. However, Bethany was much older than Carmen and was about to age out of the system. She was seventeen years old and had a secret boyfriend that Carmen accidentally discovered, sneaking out to the rooftop one night.


They had a truce; neither would tattle on the other as they taught each other how to sneak out of this place.


“Are you calling me the devil?” Carmen hissed, which caused Bethany to run out laughing.


Carmen laughed to herself, knowing she would miss that girl when she moved in with her boyfriend in the next three months. She wished she was older and could move away where she could do what she wanted when she wanted. She dreamed of becoming an archeologist and exploring ancient ruins, recovering lost treasures for museums.


“That’s the dream; I want to be a treasure hunter,” she told herself as the ice pack dripped cold water down her face.


“Of course, it's already melted,” she chuckled as she tossed it aside. Her dream required money, and as an orphaned child, that wasn't readily available, but she would exploit her knowledge and win cash to save for college. She needed permission from the headmistress to do the game show called the whiz kid. She knew she would never agree to it.


Ironically, Carmen even has a sob story to win the judges over.


This year's season of the show was over, but they were having auditions for the next season very soon, right here in San Francisco.


In three months, This gave Carmen a devious plan she would have Bethany pretend to be her adoptive mother. Bethany looked a bit older than her age, so it was the perfect cover.


She would inform her later on the mission; right now, Carmen is preparing to go to bed earlier.

She climbed into her bed and quickly went to sleep.

The dreams of exploring, and taking priceless artifacts danced around in her head.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter 3: The orphan’s grief
Carmen was sound asleep; She slept heavily from the top bunk. Bethany, who slept in the bottom bunk, was waking up to get a drink of water.

She worried about what Carmen would do when she was gone. She practically raised Carmen since she was two years old, and she was only eleven when they met.

She knew Carmen didn’t have friends; the awkward child cared more about educational pursuits than trying to get adopted.
She saw potential adoptive families become disheartened when Carmen refused to acknowledge them as anything.

They would also choose not to adopt her; She was too different. She avoided complete eye contact as her hair always covered half her face. She talked too much about history and geography.
They would say she’s not normal; she doesn’t know her place.

Bethany used to get in trouble for fighting those close-minded couples who couldn’t see Carmen as the diamond she indeed was.

You would think a child prodigy that reads at a college level in three languages would be having loads of adoption requests. Yet, She creeped them out, unfortunately.

She considered saving money, adopting Carmen to live a 70s sitcom-inspired life.
She recently got hired as a roller skating carhop at a drive-in theater.

The pay was light; they could get by with the help of her boyfriend’s parents, who had come to love her as their own.
If that didn't work, she would wait for her to age out as she would take her home as a roommate.

Bethany walked to the kitchen to fill a glass of water. The area was dark, not to disturb anybody.

She could see the stars outside the small kitchen window. They twinkled brightly as the water filled the glass from the faucet under the window.
“That girl is something, and My parents would have adopted her if they were alive.” Bethany thought out loud. She turned the water off.

Her parents were activists against the Vietnam war. She remembered their smiling faces shining down on her. They were killed in a riot by the police. Bethany hated the police ever since they orphaned her. She remained on the law-abiding side to prevent meeting a similar demise. It didn’t happen here in San Francisco; it was a small town nearby that she barely remembers.

She couldn’t comprehend at eleven years old; that it was just a tragedy. She grew attached to Carmen as her coping skill to deal with the trauma. She remembered the officers' words that brought her to the school, blaming her parents. They assumed they were neglectful and drug-addicted. All because they were dirty hippies.

Bethany was a hippie, too, despite Miss Germaine's wishes.

She angrily drank the water; mysterious circumstances surrounded Carmen's arrival here. Her theory was the police didn't search hard enough for the baby’s family. She knew a grieving family existed somewhere who believed their daughter had died in that hotel fire.

If this is the pain of the orphaned, She could only imagine the pain of losing your child. A couple of tears fell from her hazel eyes. . Bethany wondered if she had a family that people were too lazy to place her with them

Did her possible other relatives think negatively of her parents and her? No, she should only focus on Carmen like she has been doing for seven years. It's what her parents would have wanted her to do; Take care of the less fortunate.

“Shouldn't you be in bed?” Mrs. Jones asked when she noticed Bethany staring at the wooden wall.

“I couldn't sleep; The memories,” Bethany replied without realizing she was crying.

“I know it isn't easy for you girls. Everyone here has trauma and secrets. It's best not to let it ruin you.” Mrs. Jones advised.
.
“Yes, yet, it's easier said than done.” Bethany snapped. She marched over to wash the glass

Mrs. Jones was a widowed African American woman. She was in her late twenties and wise beyond her years. Her husband Alfred was killed by a serial killer that was never caught.

Mrs. Jones could sympathize with the orphan’s grief to a certain degree. Bethany thought losing a husband to death doesn't ruin you like losing your parents. . She knew it was like losing your best friend permanently, and your children would have half of the orphan grief.

That's what her naive teenage mind could imagine it to be like. She knew grief wasn't a competition or a badge of honor. She oddly found it fascinating the different types of the same emotion existing inside these usually happy walls. She was wrong on a lot of her theories on death, Grief, and the best way to handle situations.
The teachers have tried time and time to explain to Bethany that if she doesn’t allow herself to process her parents’ death that it will be her downfall.

She made impulsive and uneducated choices;
She blames society for her problems; she doesn’t realize her actions have consequences.
Only one tragedy away; from breaking beyond repair.

“I need to get back to Carmen.” Bethany stated as she placed the glass back in the cupboard.

“You need to live for yourself, Beth.” Mrs Jones warned as Bethany shook her head.

“That’s ridiculous, I don’t live for her.” Bethany argued.

Mrs Jones laughed like they haven’t had this conversation a million times before.

“It's what River and Florian would have wanted for their little flower.” Mrs. Jones replied.

“I know, you knew them too,” Bethany whined.

She hurriedly ran back to her and Carmen's small shared bedroom. She didn't need to live for herself. She wasn't special like Carmen was special

 

[Jade]

So far, so good, @Laverna!

 

[Laverna]

Chapter 4: making the plan
In the morning; Carmen hurried her morning routine causing Bethany to fall over laughing.
Carmen had put on her uniform backwards from the rushing.

“Stop laughing, help me,”. Carmen begged; Bethany jumped up immediately to help Carmen straighten her clothes back out. The girls’ laughter is infectious.

“I love you, Beth,”. Carmen said.

“I love you, too”. Bethany replied as she buttoned the shirt.

“You're a silly girl today,” Bethany whined as Carmen was overly wiggly. It was hard to assist a child when they were dancing like they was at a disco.

“I'm excited to tell you something,
Later as we don't have time,” Carmen explained.
Bethany just nodded as she finished straightening out Carmen's pleated skirt.
It wasn't long until they were both dressed.

Yet Bethany wasn't in the same outfit.
She wore a floral mint green and purple mini dress. She tied her hair up in a braid with a mint green scarf which puzzled Carmen.

“I'm not sure you can get away with that fit,” Carmen teased.

“It's my work uniform for that new drive in the theater gig. I'm not even sure that I like it.” Bethany complained.

“You are working now?” Carmen asked
Bethany nodded as she said “In about 2 hours from now, “

“I guess I should tell you the plan now,” Carmen added

Carmen explained she wanted Bethany to pretend to be her adoptive mother and get her on her favorite game show.
Bethany agreed; She couldn't say no to this girl.

“I recommend you ask the headmaster for permission anyways,” Bethany pleaded.



Chapter 5: Asking the headmistress.

Bethany had suggested asking the headmaster Mrs Jones for permission to audition.

Carmen knew that was a terrible idea.
The permission didn't come freely; Mrs Jones seemed old-fashioned and prudish to Carmen. Bethany knew Mrs Jones much better than she did.

She decided to bite the bullet; To just see how it ends. She was still going to do it no matter the answer she got.

Carmen pushed open that dreaded office door. She paused in the doorway to observe Mrs jones.
She was reading a book with a pleasant look across her face.

“Mrs Jones, May I have permission for something?” Carmen confidently asked. If you wanted something; if you were bold enough you got it. At least that's her current life strategy.

Mrs Jones looked up with a twinkle in her eye.
She was in a good mood; This was going to be easier said than done.

“Come, sit down. My genius and brave child.” Mrs Jones invited and praised Carmen in the same statement.

Carmen walked over; She perched herself on the lovely wickered chair. Her body language was on point in her mind.

“I would like permission to audition for the whiz kid game show. Bethany has already agreed to drop me off and that side of things.” Carmen asked with dignity.

Only for Mrs Jones to shift from pleasant to concern.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I cannot give you permission for that; There are all these new regulations for child safety being implemented. I would be in trouble with the law.” she explained only for Carmen to physically pout.

“That pout will not help you either; My hands are tied. You need to understand that pure might will not make the world bend to your fantasies.” Mrs Jones tried to explain.

She needed Carmen to understand; She tried many times over the years to get through to her.

“It’s for my shot at a promising future, you always told us to strive to be the best we can be.”Carmen argued without realizing it.

“Your future?” Mrs Jones asked in pure curiosity.

Carmen had a dream; nothing was wrong with a life vision. She didn't expect Carmen to have plans for the future and wanted to see if there were any alternative options for her young pupil’s dream to come true. She could easily get her more study material; even college level ones if the child desired. She could possibly even get a professor on a potential subject over to mentor Carmen.

“I want to be a treasure hunter and find lost treasure, Yet I need money for a scholarship to attend an archeology course at college. The whiz kid gives out both of those as prizes.” Carmen excitedly explained like that was normal for a girl her age.
Mrs Jones rolled her eyes;

This child knew nothing about the dangers of life.
“I can get you books on this subject, I could even see if one of the local museums would allow you to intern there, however, I can't have you endangering yourself for a thrill.” Mrs Jones raised her voice.

Carmen sat there in disbelief; she was told no; Mrs Jones had the audacity to recommend a museum internship. That's not even a paying job; where's the excitement ofdusting a wax model of a historical figure?

“Why not; focus on increasing your chances of being adopted or placed with a foster family.” Mrs Jones firmly demanded.

“Why is it so important for me to be placed or adopted? I can live here forever,” Carmen explained which made Mrs jones visually frown.

Despite the fact that this was a child prodigy; there were many things Carmen apparently refused to understand at this point in time.
She knew that her only friend was moving out soon; her friend was becoming an adult. She didn't understand why her friend was moving out in the near future.

She didn't understand what it meant to be without family, without a home. She knew they were missing; it didn't bother her like it bothered the other girls.

She didn't understand why she couldn't live in the public library either; many assumed she was joking about living in the public library.
She didn't know if she was joking about it herself.

“Carmen, why can’t you be a normal child?” Mrs Jones asked.

She didn't expect a reaction; Carmen didn't normally react to statements like this.
Her eyes filled up in tears, “I don't know, I do know you don’t think I have been trying. I have been trying, honestly, I am a good girl.” Carmen whined.

She was bawling; not something she normally does; she normally had this arrogant aura to her; This usually overly mature child was acting what society deemed inappropriate for her age.

Mrs Jones’s heart ached at this sight.
This child was excellent at hiding her true emotions and self. If she had known; help could have been implemented. She could have been coached enough to have a significantly better chance of a better life.

They could have taught her to sing and dance. Female Child prodigies with musical talent were more acceptable than Carmen's traditionally masculine interests.
She only heard of men doing that field of work Carmen has set her whole life on.

Mrs Jones knew there were expectations; you just have to bide your time; build a strong skill set of various types in order to survive.
This is what she wanted for everyone in the world.

“I never said; you weren't a good girl;” Mrs Jones tried to comfort the distressed eight-year-old girl.. Carmen avoided her touch; she quickly fled leaving Mrs Jones to worry about Carmen's future.

Carmen thought she was normal; At least she tried to tell herself that she was normal. Yet normal children didn't exist inside places like this school.

She didn't even try to ask Miss Germaine as she skidded past her classroom. A class was in session; it didn't matter to Carmen to study at the moment.

She wanted to hide to observe the world for a short while.

She left; the Golden Gate school for girls. She decided to head to her favorite place in the whole world, the library. Fiction novels were calling her this time. Perhaps she will reread the wizard of oz.

Her leather shoes stomped as she ran away.
Someone noticed her and came up beside her.

“Squirt, You aren't supposed to be out alone,” Bethany scolded as she skated over.
Carmen found herself in front of Bethany's workplace; the local drive in theater.

“I'm not alone; you are here,.” Carmen answered as Bethany dragged her inside the concussion stand.

“And I am gonna put you to work,” she teased as she replaced Carmen's hat with a paper rectangular one.

Bethany handfed Carmen nachos: Causing cheese to drip on the freshly ironed uniform.

“I'm not a baby,” Carmen protested while trying to hold back her laughter.

“You're my baby, and mama beth says it's time for a snack!” Bethany playfully explained as she shared the nachos with Carmen.

“I was born on March 1 1968, iand it's May 17th 1976.” Carmen chuckled.

“According to this I am old, I was born on August 14 1959,” Bethany joked as she noticed Jonathan coming to hang out.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter 6: the sleeze bag



There was a man who was very close to finding out what would happen if he made his boss angry.


This man was in trouble: if he didn’t head out soon.


She wanted the Diablo eye diamond; yet how was he supposed to get this diamond? He couldn't make diamonds that big appear out of thin air:


He knew it was located in Brazil; Cause his boss told him that. He wasn’t the brightest con artist but he was the sleaziest.


“Vic!” His boss screamed at him causing him to jump like she shot a pistol.


“If you don’t get it soon, you will be the eye.” She hissed.


He swallowed as he understood; He left her chambers with his jittery nerves.


“My babydoll is real mad, our funds are low.” He grumbled as stumbled onto the streets of San Francisco California.


When he overheard a young woman talking about a child prodigy to her boyfriend.

The woman was just a hippy with a child with her: They were working at a drive-in movie theater. The child was sitting near them.


She was praising this prodigy for her ability to speak Spanish fluently;

She was a master in geography and history.


Vic had found his jackpot; This child prodigy will be his target. That's until he heard her name.


“Johnny, this is my friend, Carmen SanDiego.” Bethany introduced carmen to her boyfriend


Vic the slick chickened out for now; “Nah, I can't do it,” he thought as he left the parking lot.


He grumbled in annoyance as he walked in his green polyester suit.


The teenagers and the child prodigy didn't notice him; If they had; he wouldn't know of their plan. He was coming up with his own plan to get that diamond; even if it meant kidnapping an orphan.


He couldn't do it right away; he had to see if they weren't lying about her talents. If she wins the game show then he will strike.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter 7: the audition


Three months later,

Bethany was eighteen years old now and been living with Johnathan for a few weeks.


She bought Carmen a disguise in order to escape easier as Mrs jones and miss germaine has raised their security.


Luckily, Carmen was already waiting outside when they pulled up.


Her hair was in a curly ponytail topped with an oversized red hair bow. For once, you could see her face without something obstructing it.


She wore a red jumper dress over a white short sleeve turtleneck. White knee highs with little red roses embroidered all over them. She wore black patent leather dress heels. They were one inch heels.


Carmen felt like she looked ridiculous; It showed too much of her figure and she rather hid away in overly baggy clothes.


“Stop being so insecure, get in the flower machine,”. Bethany giggled from the driver seat of a Volkswagen bus that was orange with bright pink flowers.


“It’s so frilly,”. Carmen complained as she climbed in. Bethany laughed at Carmen’s observations.


The inside had fuzzy pink fur all over the seats.

This was itchy and scratchy to Carmen’s arms and legs.


“If this fur is meant to be fluffy, it’s in fact the opposite of fluffy.” Carmen whined as Bethany drove away.


“Thank you, nerd.” Bethany teased, causing Carmen to pout.


Bethany was wearing embroidered bell bottom jeans and a cream peasant blouse, she wore wooden clogs with a hand painted rainbow on them. .A golden peace sign necklace dangled around her chest which Carmen found herself staring at.


It didn’t bother Bethany as she knew Carmen was admiring her necklace.


“You like my necklace?” Bethany asked as she focused on the road. She considered herself lucky to have a driver's license and didn't mind being a taxi driver for her, unfortunately, a waif of a friend.


“Yes I do,”. Carmen answered while shifting in her seat. .


Eventually; they arrived at the auditorium.

Bethany exited the van first before opening the door for Carmen.


“Now remember, no wandering off.” Bethany warned as Carmen stood up in the parking lot.


They quickly entered the auditorium.

Bethany forged the information needed for Carmen to audition.


Carmen felt nervous; she has never been around so many like-minded individuals.

There were child geniuses way younger than her.

There were a few that was slightly older than her.

She didn’t coward around competition; she flourished. Much to Bethany’s dismay being surrounded by loving doting parents of overachieving children.


Bethany noticed she stuck out; she looked like a fun auntie not the adoptive or biological mother of Carmen sandiego. Bethany secretly wished for Carmen’s plan to fail; it was an awful reminder that she would never be Carmen’s mother.


She didn’t feel like she had the right attitude to give her the proper foundation for a sturdy lifestyle. She felt like her friend’s life was built on sand. She didn’t want to watch carmen get washed out to sea.


Bethany considered herself simple minded, she believed in equality, world peace and being appreciative of the smaller things in life.


She enjoyed watching clouds, Collecting and pressing flowers in a heavy book.


She couldn’t comprehend the excitement of this crowded room of giggly children and their guardians.


If a mother or a father tried to talk to Bethany; a few did. She would shrug and say It’s my kids idea. Which was the truth; it didn’t please the perfectionist, snobbish materialistic parents.

.


Carmen blended in with the horde of children; for once she was a normal child; Bethany enjoyed seeing Carmen engaging with her peers without her being alienated.


Eventually Carmen was called on stage to audition.


To Bethany’s surprise; it was flawless topping every child in the room. Bethany rubbed her eyes in shock. She never should've doubted that child prodigy.


Carmen’s eyes were lit up like never before; she was having the time of her life. Apparently; she loved the mental gymnastics of answering trivia questions on extremely hard subjects.


“Thank you, Miss Sandiego, we will be calling your mother with the results this weekend,”. The judges answered.


“You're welcome, and thank you for having me..” Carmen answered before walking off the stage.


She ran into Bethany’s arms in a warm embrace.

Bethany said: “Good job kid,”.


Neither of the girls was aware the cops was looking for them

 

[Jade]

Your story is getting better so far, so good.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter: Bethany’s fear


Bethany drove back to the golden gate school of girls and Carmen already knew to sneak back in

Only for them to discover the place surrounded by police cars who were looking for them.


“Umm, Bethany?” Carmen asked, noticing the flower machine moving backwards to hide away.


Her friend didn’t respond as Bethany froze in fear while trying to hide in a thick forested area.

Carmen pinched her and she still didn’t respond.

“Bethany?” Carmen whined as she never seen the calm and collected girl become paralyzed in fear.


She wasn’t here mentally; She was at that horrific incident that killed her parents.


Carmen climbed into Bethany’s lap; She wrapped her arms around her friend’s neck to see if she would respond.


She did not; Carmen informed “fine, I’m gonna get help. You better not complain.” She climbed out of the van;


Carmen didn’t realize the trouble Bethany would be in. She walked up only for the police to look at her like she was a unicorn.


“Umm hi,”. Carmen muttered before running off allowing the cops to chase her.


Bethany would have to forgive her for this. But Carmen didn’t know why Bethany wasn’t responding to name or embrace.

The flower machine was missing; Bethany had fled to not deal with the police's suspicious attitudes

 

[Jade]

I like where this story is going, Laverna.

 

[Laverna]

Chapter: Growing ego


Carmen is now nine years old; she missed Bethany when she wasn’t sneaking out to compete on the whiz kid game show.


Mrs Jones knew; she hadn't told the producers of the show that fact their golden star was lying about being adopted.


She didn’t believe it would change their opinion on the inquisitive pupil named Carmen sandiego


Besides; the school would be closing soon; It wouldn’t be here in four more years. She didn’t know how to explain this to Carmen. She hoped Bethany had a plan on what to do for Carmen’s sake.


Carmen’s room was now littered with magazines, newspapers all praising her intelligence and spunky personality. This fueled Carmen’s ego much to Miss Germaine's disapproval.


The girl spent hours just laying in the middle of these acknowledgements of her existence and accomplishments; for once she was special; Not some unknown child hogging the library for hours; The girl who was out wandering into places she shouldn’t be. The one that was always called a delinquent or a street urchin despite not causing major public disturbance during her usually daily escapades.


Mrs Jones loved seeing Carmen enjoying her life. While Miss Germaine found the motion to be the signs of vanity, she needed to be taught to be a proper young lady.


The other half of her time was spent studying harder than ever to stay on top of the competion. She didn't sneak out as much; she was content with the challenge of beating her weekly rivals.


Samatha popped into Carmen's bedroom out of curiosity. She hadn’t come down for snacktime


She saw Carmen studying the potato famine in Ireland. She was hyper focused; she was in her own mind processing all the information until she smelt that stomach turning scent of a girl whom carmen is merely tolerant of


Carmen turned around to look at Samantha.

Samatha was younger by a few months;

Her light brown hair was kept in two dutch braids. She wasn't completely unpleasant to look at; she was a nervous individual which was a major snitch. This is why Carmen didn't consider this person a friend; despite Samantha constantly attempting to befriend her.

The other girls have grown used to the smell or they were good at hiding their revolting bodily reactions. If Carmen's nose wasn't so sensitive; she would have played with Samantha.


Carmen in annoyance asked " Sam, what is it?" Samantha just tugged on her skirt's hem.

She was likely scared as Carmen's newly found ego changed the dynamic of the school.


" You missed snacks, we are having vanilla yogurt and pretzels. Mrs Jones is holding onto your snack, " informed samantha.


"Thanks, Samantha Greene, " Carmen answered before getting off her wooden chair in front of her rusty metal desk.


Samathna wanted to be a chef; She got disappointed when people forgot to eat. Carmen didn't think any restaurant would hire Samantha; she tried not to judge or cut others' dreams down. After all, she learned dreams can come true if you force it to.


Carmen hurried downstairs to collect her snack. After all, she didn't want to starve like the Irish people she just studied about.

She wondered if someone stole all the potatoes to cause discord in a Country the thief didn't appreciate.


She literally shook the inconceivable thought out of her brain. "No one can steal that many potatoes, where would you even put them ?" Carmen pondered as she entered the dining room.


Mrs Jones was happy that samatha convinced Carmen to come eat. “Here's your snack.” Mrs jones said while handing a cup of generic vanilla yogurt and a. Small bag of crunchy pretzels to Carmen.


Carmen nodded as thanks before sitting down to eat at the dinner table.


It was peaceful as the thirteenth year old troublemaker Sofia Hernandez was adopted. The rumor was she was adopted by a traveling circus family; Which Carmen never believed. Her personal theory is that Sofia was most likely adopted by a heavily religious family who believe they are doing the lord’s work by adopting the figurative spawn of satan.


The seven year old twins Lily and Lucile Gardner are being prepped to go to a foster home; it’s all they talked about to everyone’s annoyance.


The eight year olds Odette Kennedy, Summer Day and Felicity Ford had adoptions pending; they would be heading to new families any day, month or in the new year.


The ten year olds Abigail Fisher, Kim park and juniper O’Hara hadn’t received any news of adoption or foster home placement


The eleven year old Jessie buckham has been removed and placed somewhere else; Carmen suspects prison but Mrs Jones informs her she was not arrested for arson.


Nine year old Martha cook was in the hospital;

Claudia Grey and Joan Moore was showing signs of aging out of the system at the same time as Samantha Greene and carmen sandiego


There were a few babies in the nursery; They were developmentally delayed; Carmen was remorseful for the babies; she didn’t understand Popit; she knew she was once considered one of those babies. She has read everyone’s case file. She couldn’t help it; the pursuit of forbidden knowledge was very tempting.


She knew the secret Bethany was keeping from her. She knew Bethany saw her parents die in front of her eyes by a deranged officer at a peaceful anti war protest. This information should have sickened Carmen. It just explained Bethany's unusual behavior perfectly.


There she was thinking of Bethany again; What was she up to? Hopefully not getting pregnant out of wedlock like Miss Germaine grumbled about. Carmen didn't know the meaning of the words pregnancy or wedlock. It sounded serious to her innocent ears.


Carmen’s file was mostly empty; It contained information like her suspected birthdate, Developmental milestones, Her likes and dislikes and medical history.


The other girls’ contained a section on personal history such as neglect, abuse, abandonment and other horrible things.


Carmen didn't realize how lucky she was; she didn't have a section detailing inhumane things that no child should go through.


She did have a sheet explaining she was known for escaping, stealing food, trespassing, wandering, and Dangerous stunts; one example climbing onto the roof.


Carmen would deny these as false allegations; which was a lie; She liked the challenge of defying the exceptions and societal rules.


She was closer to ten years old than her nine birthday.


Tomorrow was another episode to be filmed; That’s why she was forgetting to live outside of her research.


“Will you stop acting like you're a celebrity?” Joan whined as Carmen ignored everyone.


Carmen didn’t answer as she finished her snack;

She threw it away; she hurried back to her room without saying a word to anyone. She was always a loner; She didnt understand her peers. She went back to studying.