"And then, the handsome prince slipped the glass slipper onto Cinderella's foot. It fit perfectly."

The young boys and girls gawked as Carmen showed them the picture of Cinderella wearing her glass slippers.

Carmen wasn't a fan of fairytales. She felt like stories that possess more knowledge of the world would be more alluring. But the children at her mother's orphanage demanded fictional tales for story time.

Either way, Carmen loved reading to the kids. The sets of laughter, shocked gasps, and sincere smiles that came with it warmed Carmen's heart.

"What happened next, Isabel?" A little girl asked.

Carmen smiled. She loved hearing the children calling her by her real birth name; it felt like a whole new identity. Here, at her mother's orphanage, she wasn't Carmen Sandiego, the elusive thief that defeated VILE. She was Isabel, the daughter of Carlotta Valdez and caretaker of the orphans.

"Well, Ramira," Carmen said as she turned the page, "Cinderella and the prince went back to the castle, where they finally got married and lived happily ever after."

"And what happened to the stepmother and stepsisters?" Ramira asked again.

"They had to fend for themselves now that Cinderella wasn't there to do their chores anymore."

"It's what they deserve!" A little boy exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

Carmen chuckled, "You're right."

"Can you read us another story?"

"Umm..."

"Please, Ms. Isabel!" The children pleaded.

"Ms. Isabel? When did you guys start calling me that?" Carmen teased hands on her hips.

"We want another story!" Ramira demanded.

Carmen glanced at the clock on the wall and smirked.

"I can't read you guys another story, it's your lunchtime. Why don't you head over to the cafeteria, and I'll join you in a bit?"

The children groaned as they all got up from the carpet and dragged their feet to the cafeteria.

"That was fast! Usually, they put up a fight before they finally leave."

Carmen smiled at the familiar voice. She turned around to find her adopted sister, Elena, standing on the other side of the room.

"Maybe with you, they're all angels to me."

"Angels? More like little devils." Elena joked.

Carmen laughed as she put the book back on the shelf.

The day Carmen reunited with her mother, she met the thirteen-year-old girl, Elena, who was an orphan her entire life until Carlotta adopted her and took her in as a daughter. Carmen never admitted it aloud, but she wasn't expecting her mother to raise another child. But she quickly grew to love Elena and accept her as a little sister.

Now Elena was 15, but she still possessed the bold but caring personality Carmen always adored.

"Aww they aren't that bad. But anyway, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be helping mom outside?"

"I was, but we finished earlier than expected."

"Oh."

Elena looked over at the clock, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be attending that online meeting with your friends?"

"No," Carmen said, raising her brow, "The meetings at 1. I still have an hour."

"But didn't that hologram chick say you were meeting an hour early because of some errand she had to run?"

Carmen gasped, "Shoot! Your right!" She quickly grabbed her laptop and ran into her mothers office.

"Elena, tell mom I'll be preoccupied for the next 30 minutes!" Carmen called out.

"Will do!" Elena answered.

Carmen quickly logged on, her close friends: Ivy, Zack, Chief, Shadowsan, Chase, Julia, Player, and Zari appearing her screen.

"Hey everyone, I'm sorry I'm late!" Carmen apologized.

"A bit out of character for you, Ms. Sandiego," Chief smiled, "You're never late."

"Yeah, storytime at the orphanage took longer than expected."

"Aww, how are the little ones doing?" Zack asked.

"They're doing great! Now, did I miss anything important?"

"We didn't start anything yet, we were waiting for you!" Julia responded.

"Really?"

"You're practically our leader, Red. We would never start without you!" Player said.

Carmen blushed, "I should've known."

Carmen then gestured Chief to start the meeting.

Chief cleared her throat, "As we all know, a few days ago, we successfully arrested the former VILE operative known as Paper Star. She's currently in jail with the rest of her team. But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods. We still have over a dozen operatives hiding in the shadows all over the world."

"Do we have any intel on where they could be?" Carmen asked.

"Nothing yet. Our CrimeNet specialists are hard at work. We'll call when we have something to report."

Carmen furrowed her brows. Two years had passed since VILE's defeat, yet the battle wasn't over. But it wasn't the fight Carmen was concerned about, but her family.

Carmen might've gotten the opportunity to settle down with her family, but with all these operatives on the loose, the fear of one striking her, her mother, and Elena when she least expected it haunted her every night. And Carmen wasn't going to lose her family again.

"We need to find those operatives as soon as possible. The longer they're out there, the more danger they possess to the world." Carmen gritted, her hands clenched.

"As I said, we're working on it," Chief assured.

"Julia and I will track down those leads you mentioned, Chief," Chase informed.

"Go ahead. I'll give you two permission to sign off and continue your work. Just make sure you two don't get distracted."

Carmen managed to perceive a trace of blush forming on both Julia and Chase's face before they signed off the meet.

"I should go and check if there are any updates on those operatives," Chief said. Chief and Agent Zari signed off, leaving Carmen and her former team on the meet.

"Well, well, it's been a while since we've been together." Carmen chuckled.

"Says the one who left us with nothing but a note." Ivy teased.

"I had my reasons... guess I was too eager to see my mother."

"It's okay, Carm. We understand." Zack said sweetly, earning a grin from Carmen.

"Thanks guys."

Carmen then turned towards Shadowsan, "How's it going with your brother?"

"Better than I imagined."

"I'm proud of you... I'm proud of you all. I miss you guys."

"We miss you too, Carmen." Ivy said, "who knows, maybe one day we can meet up in person. Non-work-related."

"That would be fun!" Player exclaimed.

"It would... but for now, it's time we part ways again," Shadowsan said.

"Awwww!" Zack and Ivy groaned, earning a chuckle from Carmen.

"Shadowsans right, I'll see you guys at the next meeting."

The group said their goodbyes and logged off, except for Carmen. She watched as her friends disappeared from her screen until only her face remained on screen.

She sulked in her seat as she slowly dragged her mouse and clicked to end the call.

"Isabel?"

Carmen's head shot up at the sweet call of her name.

Her stormy grey eyes elevated to meet her mother's warm brown ones.

"Mom... I didn't see you come in."

Carmen's gaze shifted to the small plate in Carlotta's hands, stuffed with rice, beans, and two empanadas.

Carmen smiled and carefully took the plate from her mother.

"Thanks, but I could've gotten lunch on my own."

Carlotta pursed her lips as she watched her daughter staring at her food with sadness in her eyes.

She knew about VILE and how Carmen defeated the criminal organization. She was proud of her, she truly was. But what really troubled her was seeing Carmen stress over the same thing everyday. It killed Carlotta to see her struggling this way. Yet every time she tried to confront her, Carmen gave her the same response every time.

"I won't stop until every last operative has been captured. I hope you understand, mother."

Carlotta sighed and stepped closer towards her daughter.

"Let me guess..." Carlotta chimed, "those operatives are worrying you again?"

All Carmen could do was nod.

Carlotta stood over her daughter's shoulder and handed her a glass of water.

"I know you won't give up until the job is complete, and I'm proud of you. You have your father's courage. But try to relax for once, you've already done so much."

"Thanks, mom... I'll try."

"Anytime, honey. Now, I have to stop by the grocery store. I'm counting on you and Elena to take care of the kids. Can you do that for me?"

Carmen smirked, "You know you don't have to ask me twice."

Carlotta smiled and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on Carmen's head.

"I'll be back in a few hours."

Carmen smiled as she watched her mother walk out of the room.

❤️