Author's Note:

Hello, friends! I am back with another story and another series. Yes, this is a new series as I have wanted to do an origin story with the characters for a long time now so I'm hoping it will do well. For the past few weeks, I have been working on the story to make sure that it's going to go in the direction I'd like for it to go before I start publishing it. So far, so good but again, that might change as we continue on in our journey. I'm actually rather surprised to be getting it out as quickly as I am but then again, I had an amazing writing session a few days ago which opened up everything. This prologue was the end result of that session so I'm very proud of it. I'm not sure if the title will stick either but let me knowif you like it or not. There are at least two more stories to follow this one with possibly more later on. To give you insight into this before reading, I'm going to give a little bit of background. For one, our trio is younger than the other stories I have written, roughly around the same age as the super mysteries. There is no Ned or Callie either, if you're wondering. I wanted a story without either of them for once so don't ask if they're eventually going to be written in. No significant others at first but that will change as well though I won't go any further on that. I hope you enjoy the story and please, if you will, leave your mark so that I know you were here! Have a wonderful day and God bless!

Prologue

The little girl sat on the chair, her feet dangling over the edge though they were several inches from the floor. She stared at the cute shoes she wore, the same ones her mommy bought her the week before. But her mommy was gone she thought sadly, a small tear escaping down her cheek. She looked around the room at the adults talking in hushed tones. They were dressed in black or dark blue and the air around exuded sympathy and sorrow. The little girl herself wore a black drew with a white collar, the black Mary Janes prominent over white tights. Blond curls framed her face though in the light, slight shades of red could be seen. Her blue eyes continued to tear up even though no one seemed to notice. Well, almost no one.

"Hello," a voice said politely. She looked up to see a boy about her age standing before her. He had a smile on his face and his brown eyes showed excitement at the sight of another child in the drab house they were in. The girl could see another boy with blond hair about a year old clinging to his mother's dress, a thumb stuck in his mouth. He seemed to have more interest in getting his mother's attention than to play. The dark haired boy spoke again. "Wanna play?"

The little girl looked back at him sadly then shook her head.

"Why you so sad?"

"My…my mommy's gone. She went away and I want to go wif her," she blubbered. The girl rubbed her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks. The boy climbed up on the chair, the two easily able to sit together, their shoulders touching. He gently took her hand and squeezed it, smiling at her with excitement.

"My Daddy will find her then," he said puffing out his chest proudly. The boy pointed to two men talking quietly with one another though one of them didn't look happy. "He's a detective and he's the best in the whole world. He'll help, I know it."

"Really?" She looked at him, her eyes gleaming with hope. "He can find my mommy and bring her home?"

"Oh, yeah! He can do anything! And if he can't, then I'll do it. I'm going to be a great detective one day, just like Daddy."

Their exchange stopped at the sound of yelling coming from across the room. The two men who were once talking were now screaming at each other, the others in the room stopping all conversations at the sudden interruption. One of them threw a punch and the boy's father was now rubbing his jaw, looking at him in shock.

"I trusted you, Fenton!" the other man yelled. "She wasn't supposed to be there and look what happened! You lied to me!"

"Carson, please," Fenton replied, stepping forward. A woman came up to him though the little blond boy screamed in terror at what was going on. The room was quiet as the other mourners watched in shock as the scene continued to unfold. "I didn't know what was going on! She came in at the last minute and I had no choice but to let her come! She wanted to be there! You have to believe me!"

"I don't want excuses!" Carson cried pushing him back. "I want you out of my house and out of our lives! NOW!"

"Carson…" the woman pleaded, gently grabbing a hold of his arm.

"Don't, Laura," he said through gritted teeth. "Just take the boys and go."

Carson looked over at the little girl and rushed over to her. Without another word, he gathered her in his arms and walked out of the room as everyone looked on. The girl looked over his shoulder and waved solemnly at the little boy who had been so kind to her. Although she never caught his name, she would never forget what happened. She would never forget the boy's father or how angry her own father was at the man. She never saw the boy again but always wondered what became of him as she grew up.

Sixteen Years Later...

The waves crashed on the beach, the evening sun sitting on the horizon. The beach was all but empty save for the sounds of music and laughter that drifted in the wind. A young woman in her late teens walked along the beach, heading toward a party that got louder and louder as she approached. Though she didn't have an invitation, she was dressed for the night in a bright blue, skin tight dress that accentuated her curves and brought out the blue in her eyes if anyone noticed. She was alone though her intention was to mingle as if she belonged. The girl had heard the stories of those who crashed the parties and got caught but she had no intention of becoming one of those unfortunate souls. She was to find information and she was intent on fulfilling that job.

A squeal of delight caught her attention. A couple played in the surf nearby, the girl splashing the man who chased her into the waves, neither one of them caring about getting wet. The young woman stopped, watching enviously, her heart yearning. She shook it off, her determination to find the pirates returning.

"Hey!" called a voice from above. The young woman looked up to see a smiling face above her staring down. "Whatcha doing down there, Beautiful Lady? The party's up here!

She smiled broadly though wary of the stranger. She could tell he was drunk from the way he swayed and the ever-present slur when he spoke. But she also knew he could vouch for her in the even someone asked for her invitation so she went up the stairs to the deck to meet him.

He was handsome that was for sure, with dark hair and chiseled features. The clothing that he wore spoke loudly of wealth, the Rolex watch on his wrist a dead giveaway. At the last step, the man took her by the hand and whirled her around to him, dipping her at the last moment in surprise. The man was really hard not to laugh at though he almost dropped her at one point.

"God, you're gorgeous," he huffed, staring at her in the lights above them. "Where have you been all my life?"

Before she could say anything, the man kissed her sloppily, the first impression of him not going so well for her. Finally, he let up and brought her upright and out of breath. As she smoothed her dress out, the man looked at her from head to toe, taking her in. She was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. Even in his drunken state, he knew he wanted to get to know her better. He looked around nonchalantly at the party goers. No one really paid any attention to them as the party was unusually small that night, the host wanting a more intimate gathering than normal. Most of the guests were inside anyway, enjoying the tables of delicious food laid out for them all. The young woman looked around herself, seemingly excited about the prospect of being at the party and with him…or so the man thought. They were soon interrupted though as a waiter came with two glasses of champagne, offering his tray to the two before the man took both flutes. The waiter disappeared as quickly as he appeared, neither one of the two noticing another pair of eyes watching them with keen interest.

"To such a Beautiful Lady," the man toasted as he gave her the other flute. She gratefully took it and the two downed the champagne quickly.

Once they were done with the flutes, she gently placed hers on the railing of the deck, listening to the man talk. She listened intently though she had no real interest in him. Her eyes scanned the party, searching for something that might be a clue though there was really nothing that could be seen. There were no other party goers outside which struck her as strange.

The man made a joke that she slightly laughed at though her thoughts soon moved to the boy for some reason, the one she met so many years before. She knew the man standing before her wasn't the boy grown up but she always compared men to him whenever she'd meet someone new. Almost as if she was drawn to him. What she wouldn't do to be in his company instead of the windbag in front of her.

Suddenly, her mind clouded over like a storm had blown in. She swayed slightly, trying to shake off the cloudiness. Glancing at the railing, her vision blurred, the flute she drank from fuzzy looking. Realizing what happened, she steadied herself on the railing though it didn't do any good. She started toward the stairs to the beach and escape just as the man she was with collapsed from the same drug she was given.

As her thoughts continued to cloud, one thing kept coming up: how did someone find out about her intentions? She had only been at the party for a few minutes before the champagne was given. Her mind went blank as she fell forward toward the steps. Before she tumbled down, a pair of strong hands grabbed a hold of her and eased her back onto the deck. Just before she completely blacked out, the girl heard voices speaking in low tones. She strained herself to hear, fighting whatever drug was given to her.

"Take him to the boat, Jorge," a man's voice ordered. "We'll deal with him later."

"What of her?" asked another.

"She was with him though I have a feeling they didn't come here together," the first man observed. Her eyes fluttered as she felt a hand caressing her cheek. "Take her discretely to the guest room and make sure she's comfortable. She will probably not even remember what happened this evening but I need to make sure she doesn't when she wakes up before I allow her to leave."

She tried to protest though nothing came out, her body limp as someone hefted her into his arms. The last thing she remembered was the man who said that they finally had the payout they wanted.