THE SECRET

CHAPTER ONE

Marlene was waking up from a normal day. Not much happened at the zoo. People came, they watched you, and they left. But today was a little different. For her and a certain someone, it was a special day. Skipper's birthday. They planned to go out and spend the evening together around New York. She hopped out of bed and quickly ate a quick breakfast. Once she finished, she headed over to the penguin habitat, when she saw Skipper, sneaking toward the habitat. She was about to call out to him, when she saw the way he looked. He had cuts all over him. A bandage was over one eye and he was bleeding horribly. She also noticed a limp in his step.

What had he been doing? She wondered. She decided to hang back until he got in the fishbowl entrance. He slowly eased in, like he was trying to sneak in and quietly pulled the fishbowl back. She hopped over the walls and into the water. She noticed that there were puffs of blood in the water where Skipper had been, and as she neared the entrance, she saw bloody footprints that confirmed that he was limping. She moved the fishbowl aside and looked in. Skipper had apparently been caught in the act of sneaking in. The other team members were standing around with their flippers on their hips. Skipper looked uncomfortable and not just because all the injuries he had. She decided to see how it would play out.

"Skipper?" said Kowalski with suspicion. "Why are you so badly beaten?"

Skipper hesitated.

"Um- why do you ask?" he said nervously.

"Skipper really!" said Kowalski "What have you been doing?"

"Um- I was uh-…" she knew Skipper was trying to come up with a good lie. "Um- patrol."

"Were you in a fight?" Private asked

"No- no, just patrol." he said uncertainly.

"Okay," said Kowalski "Anything happen?"

"Well I was- uh," he rambled "No, no. Just regular patrol duty."

"Even though it was my night to patrol?" Kowalski pressed on.

Skipper gulped. He was sweating with anxiety.

"W-was it?" he finally said shakily

Kowalski nodded.

"I- uh forgot."

Kowalski looked skeptical and then finally decided to seduce the information out of Skipper some other way.

"What happened to your eye?" he asked

"I- uh tripped on the uh- concrete stairs."

"Oh, and I suppose that's where the cuts are from to?"

"Uh-, yea."

"Funny," said Kowalski "If you had fallen on the stairs, your body would have scraps. Now what really happened?"

Skipper sighed, ready to tell the truth. You never were a good liar. Marlene thought.

"I- I have to tell you later." said Skipper

There was now a puddle of blood at his feet.

"I have to treat my wounds first."

"We'll wait." Kowalski

Skipper left. Marlene waited to see what horrible thing Skipper might have done. Her stomach tightened.