Chapter 3

Pieces of the puzzle

Sportacus stirred and opened his eyes. He immediately became aware of a weight of his shoulder. He moved slightly and looked at his right shoulder. A gentle smile came over his face at the sight of the girl laying there next to him. Moving her head slightly he laid it gently on his pillow. Stephanie opened her eyes the second her head touched the pillow.

"Good Morning Sportacus," she said smiling up at him.

"Good Morning Stephanie," said Sportacus, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Fruit will be just fine," replied Stephanie. Stephanie looked around the airship as Sportacus prepared breakfast.

"Hey Sportacus," she said, "Where's the Hornet?"

"Probably out trying to figure out where X is hiding." replied Sportacus.

Later that Day Stephanie walked down the hall of the courthouse looking for her uncle- she had been told by Bessie that he was there. Suddenly Stephanie heard rustling in one of the rooms. Slowly she moved toward the door. She peaked around the narrowly open door expecting to see one of those men from last night. Instead she saw a tall brown haired boy who looked to be about 18 years-old; he was standing in front of an open file cabinet drawer and was leafing through the files. Suddenly he seemed to find what he was looking for. He took a piece of paper out of the file, replaced the file and shut the drawer. Then he looked up and saw Stephanie looking around the door at him.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Hello," said Stephanie she moved around the door until her body and her neck were all in a straight line again.

"What are you doing?" she blurted out. The man smiled.

"I was just hunting up a land deed for the Mayor. He needed to see it before he could give the O.K. for me to open up a branch office for my father's newspaper here. By the way my name is Brett Reid."

"I'm Stephanie," Stephanie replied, "and it is probably a good idea that you came and got that yourself. My uncle is a good man but at the rate he gets things done it could be ten o'clock next summer before he ever got over here."

Brett smiled. That's when it struck Stephanie. There was something very familiar about his smile and his mannerisms. She was almost positive that she had seem them somewhere before. Brett's voice brought her back to reality.

"I'd better get going," he said, "it was nice to meet you." With that and a wave he headed out the door. Stephanie was about to follow him were she caught sight of a certificate. That was lying out on the table by the window. She walked over to it and discovered that it was her birth certificate. She picked it up and looked at it when the light passed through the paper saw the water mark in the paper grain itself. The water mark consisted of the words: RAINBOW PAPER. Stephanie stopped short when she saw the dates on the paper and ice began to fill her lungs,

"Rainbow paper," she said, "Rainbow paper didn't even exist until nearly a year after I was born!"

Stephanie walked down the hall with a dazed look on her face. Her mind raced over a thousand different possible explanations for what she had discovered. She didn't even notice that she was in the lobby until she bumped squarely into Brett.

"Careful there little miss," said Brett with a smile

"Sorry," apologized Stephanie, "I had my mind on something else."

"Well, Well," said a sneering voice, "If it isn't the pink cheerleader."

"What do you want Robbie?" Stephanie snarled Brett looked at Stephanie who was still glaring at Robbie.

"Stephanie," he said Jabbing a thumb in Robbie's direction, "do you know this piece of cheese?"

"Listen Junior," growled Robbie, "I just came to warn you, if you try to build that newspaper hear you might just meet with an accident." Brett returned Robbie's without flinching.

"Do you know what I think of threats?" snarled Brett.

"Please do tell." Robbie Sneered. Brett gave a little smirk and grabbed Robbie by the collar and the belt. Then with one fluid motion he lifted Robbie off the ground and plopped him head first into the huge yellow trash can that the janitor was pushing by." Robbie's legs flailed madly as the janitor grinned wheeled him away. Stephanie burst into a fit of giggles.

"You'll pay for this," snarled Robbie in a very muffled voice

"Oh blow it out your ear," snapped Brett, "Just be glad I didn't put you in the wet garbage!"

A few seconds later Robbie came sliding out of the Garbage chute to land right at X's feet.

"You idiot," snarled X, "you can't even make at threat without getting knocked on your butt!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that Brett Reid was that strong?" Robbie Whimpered. X Rolled his eyes as grabbed Robbie but the scruff of the neck.

"Let's go Hopeless."

Meanwhile…

Sportacus had arrived just in time to see Robbie being wheeled away with the rest of the garbage.

"Sportacus," said Stephanie this is Brett Reid, "He's going to open a newspaper in Lazytown."

"That's great," said Sportacus. He and Brett shook hands.

"Actually," said Brett, "it's a branch of the Daily Sentinel my Father's newspaper."

"I'm going over to Pixel's," said Stephanie abruptly.

"Okay," said Sportacus "see you later for some soccer."

"Right," said Stephanie and with that she was out the door.

As soon as Stephanie was out of ear shot Sportacus leaned over to Brett.

"What are you doing?" he whispered

"Well," replied Brett, "X doesn't know who the Hornet is, but he does know that wherever Brett Reid and the Daily Sentinel are the Hornet won't be far behind."

"I get it," said Sportacus, "The old stir the pot and see what floats to the top approach."

Brett nodded and flashed the hornet seal under his jacket.

"Exactly," he said

Stephanie; however, didn't go straight to Pixel's, she first went back to her room to hide the birth certificate that she had found intending to interrogate her uncle about it later. Looking around for a hiding place she finally decided on the bottom drawer of her desk. She grabbed the handle to pull the door open and it twisted sideways in her hand. A small secret compartment in the top of the desk opened. When she looked inside she found envelope with old letter addressed to her Father. She opened it and read:

Dear Ian,

I need not tell you of the circumstances that I am now in I know that the evil one will not stop until my whole family is torn from me. You have been a trusted friend to me through thick and thin, you have stood by me when my other friends deserted me. It is because of this trust that I now must ask of you the greatest favor of all. I give you my Crown of Victory to care for as your own. I go to fight the evil one and perhaps, one day when the evil one no longer plagues my family I will be reunited with my Crown of Victory. I thank you with all my heart.

Your Friend,

Torben S.

"Is my father hiding a special crown?" thought Stephanie as she finished reading the letter. Just then she heard the front door open and she knew that her uncle was home. Quickly she grabbed the envelope to put the letter away, as she did something fell out of it and into her hand. It was a crystal and as soon as it touched her hands it began to glow softly. Softer than the glow was Stephanie's voice as she whispered.

"Who Am I?"

TBC Please Read and Review, Thanks.

A\N: Please feel Free to contribute ideas for this story cause who knows I might use them.