FANGS IN DISGUISE

CHAPTER ONE THE NECKLACE Inside the most famous museum in the country stood the orphans of Moist Orphanage. One of the orphans had been rolling her eyes continuously at Miss Joy, who had been appointed to guide the children around the museum. The museum had given the orphanage a free day to stroll around and admire its famous artifacts. Crystal had rolled her eyes so many times that they were beginning to hurt. She listened as Miss Joy explained the artifact she was holding, but Crystal was already bored. She could bet anyone that Miss Joy was definitely lying. The museum was huge, spotless, and filled with the fresh scent of polished floors. It was probably one of the reasons it was considered the most famous museum in the country. Crystal's eyes wandered around the enormous building, searching for something more interesting than whatever nonsense Miss Joy was saying. Then she saw them. Two people dressed completely in black stood near one of the display cases. Their faces were covered with black masks. Crystal's eyes widened. They were trying to steal a necklace. And, fortunately for them, the security guard standing beside the display case was fast asleep. Crystal almost laughed. She quickly covered her mouth, trying not to make a sound. Instead of running to inform anyone, she decided to watch. She wanted to know what the thieves were planning. One of the thieves successfully took the necklace. But before they could hide it, the other thief suddenly snatched it away. The first thief became furious. Within seconds, the two thieves began fighting over the necklace. Crystal's eyes widened with excitement. At least something interesting was finally happening. One of the thieves stumbled backward and crashed into the chair where the sleeping security guard was sitting. The chair shook violently. The security guard's eyes snapped open. Crystal smiled. Finally, she was enjoying herself. The guard looked around and immediately spotted the thieves. "Close the doors! Intruders!" Panic spread throughout the museum. Visitors screamed and began running in different directions, afraid that the intruders might be armed. The orphans ran too. Crystal ran with them—but not because she was afraid. She wanted to see how the thieves would escape. The two thieves raced toward the museum entrance. Then, suddenly, one of them snatched the necklace from the other. The second thief became furious. She quickly ran ahead of her partner and pulled out a strange lipstick-shaped object, pointing it toward the glass entrance. Crystal slowed down. What is that? Before she could figure it out, the glass door suddenly cracked. A loud explosion-like sound echoed through the museum. The glass shattered, leaving just enough space for the thief to squeeze through. She immediately escaped outside. The other thief was left behind. By then, the security guards had probably called for backup because several more guards came running into the museum. The remaining thief looked around frantically. Then, without warning, she threw the necklace away. She turned and ran. Nobody noticed. Nobody except Crystal. Crystal stared at the spot where the necklace had landed. Slowly, she walked toward it. She bent down and picked it up. It was beautiful. An icy-blue, oval-shaped pendant hung from the necklace, shining brightly beneath the museum lights. Crystal had never been interested in jewelry before. Yet something about this necklace felt different. Almost as if it were calling to her. She smiled slightly. Then she held the necklace against her heart and closed her eyes. For a moment, everything around her became strangely quiet. The screams disappeared. The footsteps disappeared. Even Miss Joy's voice disappeared. Crystal opened her eyes. And froze. She wasn't inside the museum anymore. She was standing between two boys. They stood on a raised platform while dozens of people surrounded them. Everyone was wearing uniforms. Crystal looked down at herself before looking at the people around her. There was a badge attached to every uniform. Her eyes focused on the words written across it. VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL. Crystal's heart began pounding. She looked around in confusion. Where was she? What had happened? And why was she standing between two boys who looked as though they wanted to kill each other? Crystal swallowed hard. Something was terribly wrong. She had no idea where she was, who these people were, or why she had been brought there. But one thing was certain. Picking up that necklace had just changed her life forever.