B.R.E.A.D..C.R.U.M.B.S

A Sonny With a Chance Story

By EmbracingRain

Chapter Two

Clue Two

You turn to me when you want a disguise. In my depths, you'll find a clue and a prize.

Sonny stared at the piece of paper in front of her, completely stumped. She had never liked mind games, had never been good with logic. Whoever was sending her on this stupid scavenger hunt must have hated her and very much the "hell bent on revenge" type. Nobody she knew would purposely do this to her. The comedienne already had a headache from trying to work out the puzzle and she had no idea how many more were after this one.

Depths could mean water, Sonny reasoned, figuring that the part about the next clue and prize had nothing to do with the location. But then again, how would the clue not get destroyed by water?

Groaning, Sonny flopped backward on the couch and let the hand clasping the paper dangle to the floor. This was getting ridiculous! She'd been sitting here for half an hour trying to solve this stupid riddle and was nowhere near close to figuring it out! She was running low on time; her next rehearsal was within the hour.

"Screw you, Chad," Sonny muttered. "You're probably in cahoots with this guy. That's why it's screwing with my mind."

She heard Tawni's door open and sat up, watching as her friend entered the room. Tawni was staring intently into a tiny mirror and touching up her lipgloss. Sonny rolled her eyes. That was so typically Tawni.

"Hi, Sonny."

"Hey, Tawn."

Tawni frowned and set both the tube of gloss and the mirror on her vanity. She turned to face Sonny, hands on her hips and a suspicious look on her face. "You sound tortured," the blond stated frankly. "Is Chad involved?"

"In a way. Why?"

"Whenever you get all mopey and upset like this, Chad's usually involved," Tawni said. She sat primly down on her chaise lounge, looking expectant. "What'd he do this time?"

"Why do you care?" Sonny raised an eyebrow, immediately on edge. If Tawni was caring, then something craftier than a stupid scavenger hunt was afoot. Tawni never cared.

The blond prima donna shrugged. She pulled a nail file seemingly from nowhere. "Nothing better to do. Figured I may as well ask so you don't explode or something."

Sonny sighed and looked back at the letter before deciding that it couldn't hurt to ask Tawni for help. After all, whoever wrote the letter said absolutely nothing about asking for help. Sonny had already considered asking Zora, but Zora would make her feel stupid for not getting the clue straightaway. At least when Tawni made Sonny feel bad, Sonny could let it just roll off her back.

"It's not really Chad," Sonny explained finally. "I'm just trying to figure something out and logic isn't exactly my strong point."

Tawni snorted. "Yeah, that's been obvious since day one. Your point?"

"I'm just trying to figure out where in the studio someone would find a disguise." Sonny stood up and began to pace the room, feeling Tawni's eyes on her as she walked to and fro.

"You do realize that you, like, just gave yourself the answer, right?" Tawni finally said after a few silent moments during which Sonny paced and stared at the letter in her hands. "It's totally obvious. A kindergartner could figure it out!"

"I didn't ask you to take jabs at my intelligence, Tawni! Can you please just help me? I'll buy your lipstick for two months or something if you do," the brunette begged.

"Oh, relax, Spazzy. You don't have to bribe me. Just go to the stupid costume department. Sheesh!"

Sonny moaned. It was so obvious! How had she not seen the answer? It was clearly spelled out. Seriously! Where did an actress get a disguise? The costume department. She exited her dressing room at a fast pace, dashed down the hallways, and was nearing the door she was in search of when a strong, long-fingered hand grabbed hold of her arm and tugged her to a very ungraceful stop. She wound up tripping over her own feet and the hand was the only thing that helped her not fall straight into a face full of rug burn.

"Whoa there, Sonny! Where do you think you're headed?" Chad's arrogant voice demanded loudly.

Sighing in annoyance, Sonny whirled around to face the jerk who'd brought this logical nightmare upon her. "Let go of my arm, Cooper," she said coolly.

"Not until you tell me where you're trotting off to." He started laughing. "Trotting, whoa… Ahahaha! All you need is a ponytail and some reins!"

With Chad's hand still clamped around her arm, Sonny did the only plausible thing a girl could do given the situation. She kicked his shin. Chad yelped and let go of her (Thank God!) then began to hop up and down on one foot in the middle of the hallway.

"What was that for?" he wailed.

"I am not a horse, you moron," Sonny said, shoving a finger in his face. She then made her escape while it was still possible, sprinting through the door she'd been in search of and finding herself face to face with racks upon racks of nothing but clothing, accessories, and shoes.

"Aw crap."

Whoever sent her on this stupid adventure was sooo going to get it if she ever saw his face! Really, who did this to a girl who hated mind games and logic? Sonny could read a mystery twenty times and still not know how the detective solved the crime. That was the reason she always turned down Grady and Nico's ideas for a detective sketch!

Sonny stopped rifling through the racks of clothing for a moments. They would play a prank on her like this. They'd send her off on a wild goose chase (all in good fun, of course. Grady and Nico were harmless softies) just for the fun of seeing her get frustrated.

"Well, I guess I have two suspects," Sonny muttered to herself. "And that stupid clue is nowhere in these clothes." She spun around, brown eyes searching the shelves of accessories. They finally alit upon a black top hat that looked like it had seen extremely better days and had a plain white envelope sitting on its brim. Naturally, it was placed on a shelf just out of the Wisconsinite's reach and she was forced to stand on an unsteady cardboard box that threatened to cave under her weight.

Mentally cursing the letter writer once more, Sonny sat down on her makeshift ladder and slit open the envelope. Out of it tumbled a silver bracelet with a solitary charm and a small slip of paper. Sonny picked up the bracelet first. The charm was a tiny replica of the sun with a yellow-orange stone placed in the center. It was simple and pretty, though Sonny felt a sun-shaped charm was just a little cheesy. She could also tell that the bracelet was expensive and quickly secured it around her wrist. It wouldn't be the smartest move to lose it.

"Who are you, mysterious letter writer?" Sonny mused aloud, running a finger over the silver links of her new piece of jewelry. "You like to play mind games, you're cheesy, and you have expensive taste in women's jewelry. That does not sound like anyone I know."

Sighing, Sonny leaned back against the wall and picked up the slip of paper that had accompanied the bracelet. After reading what was written across the tiny page, she had to refrain from letting out a scream of frustration. It was another riddle.

"Why can't you let me attract normal guys, Universe?"

oOoOoOo

I'm often used behind a back. Look for me when you want a snack.

Those of you who have read Twelve Months will recognize the bracelet Sonny receives in this chapter as the same one Chad gives to Sonny in chapter two of Twelve Months. Make of that what you will. C:

I have no idea when chapters will be getting posted. Like I said before, this is just a bit of a side project for me. Four Seasons is my main concentration on the site and I'm also deep into the planning process for my book. I will be posting, though, and if you feel like I've just vanished without a trace, don't hesitate to PM me and reel me back in!

Extra cookies to TeddyLuver who was the first to review the story!

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You guys are awesome. C:

Love,

EmbracingRain