Part 11


Trunks spent the better part of the next two weeks searching for Marron. She didn't turn up in school and she wasn't at home. Ethan nor Bra knew anything about her disappearance. Her mom kept saying she left her a note that said she was okay but Trunks didn't believe her. He finally asked her to see it. She got up and came back with a piece of paper. It was scrawled in her neat handwriting as though she'd been in a hurry. 

Mom and Dad,
I'm in a safe place and I'm still getting my education here. I'm doing my homework and I'm getting an A+ in math! Love you and tell Bra and Trunks I'm safe.
Love,
    Marron*
"See? Did you really think I was lying?"
"No, but I had to know."
"Anytime. Oh and don't think I'm not worried about her."
"Why wouldn't you be?"
"She's been working out on the punching bag in the bag and me and Videl are giving her some lessons. For not being a Saiyan she's doing great. She can take care of herself."
"I trust since you're her mother you know her best."
"Yes, but I'm glad she's back with you. I never trusted that other character she was going out with." At least someone was on his side.

"And you're okay with her just being gone like this?"
"Well, ya." 

The next day as soon as school was out he missed the bus on purpose and just flew away. He didn't care what rumors started because he never flew that much, all he cared about was finding Marron. Where else could she be getting her education? Of course! Why didn't he think of it before? He remembered Marron mentioning a girl named Erica who tutored students mostly one on one at a private learning center. He couldn't remember where the center was or its name but he had to go there and he had to go there now. He landed by a pay phone and reached in his pocket, pulling out forty-five cents. He stuck in thirty-five cents and returned the rest into his pocket and waited for the dial tone. He dialed Marron's house and her mom answered.
"Hello?"
"This is Trunks can I have that girl Erica's address?"
"Sorry Trunks, I don't know where she lives. I can tell you where she works though, if-"
"That'd be great."
"It's called the Edison Learning Center."
"Thanks a bunch, bye." But before she had a chance to say bye back he'd hung up and was looking in the yellow pages under the phone. He took a pen out of his pocket and wrote the address on his had and hopped into the air for another brief period of flying. He found it after thirty-minutes. He went into the building and to the front desk.
"Is there a teacher here named Erica?" Trunks asked immediately.
"Yes there is. How may I help you?"
"You could let me speak to her or tell me what her schedule is."
"She comes in at six-thirty in the mornings and leaves at eight, depending with how much work she has to do."
"Does she have breaks? Like what time is her lunch break?"
"Her lunch break is at twelve to twelve-thirty. Why do you want to speak with her?"
"Please! It's an emergency."
"Then you can tell me? Why haven't you called 911?"
"Not that kind. Please! Just tell me what room number she's in."
"No, I . . . I don't think so. You're her ex-boyfriend aren't you?"
"Don't you think if I was her ex-boyfriend I would know what she looked like and that I could locate her on my own?"
"Good point. How do you know her then?"
"I've never met her in my life! It's my friend. My friend knows her and I need to know something. Please, it'll only take a second." But Trunks looked around and saw that there was no security and ran further into the building.
"Hey! Hey, you can't go in there!" The lady yelled. He walked towards the first hallway and saw the first classroom with people in it. He opened the door slowly and walked inside. There were four students all looking at the board until he disrupted her classroom.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"Yes, I'm a visitor here and I need to know where Erica teaches. What room is she in?"
"Are you her ex-boyfriend?"
"No. Do you think I'd be asking you where her room was? I would know already."
"Good point."
"I have never met her but my friend knows her and I need to speak with her badly. Please tell me what room she teaches in." The teacher looked sympathetic and finally said "G3. She teaches in room G3." 
"Thank you so much." He walked out quickly looking up and down the hallway. He was by D9. He saw a teacher in the hall.
"Can you point me towards G3?"
"That way." She pointed down a different hallway along the main one. 
"Thanks." He walked faster. F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, and then the beginning of G. He saw it. He quietly opened the door. There were two students in this classroom. She looked up. Her short black hair curved around her face. The two boys were packing to leave.
"Now Jonathan remember, move the decimal point to the right. Just how we practiced it and Greg FOIL stands for what?"
"First, Inside, Outside, Last." The boy said. Then they left. 
"Yes? Heidi said a boy with lavender hair was running about looking for me." 
"I wasn't running about, but she wouldn't let me speak to you." He said assuming Heidi was the stubborn lady at the front desk.
"And why would you want to do that?"
"I'll tell you in a second. You might figure it out by yourself." She stuck out an awkward hand but she shook it and spoke first. 
"I'm Erica Cohen."
"Trunks Briefs."
"Now, I still do not understand why you are here."
"Marron. Tell me where Marron is." She gasped. 
"How . . . did you know?"
"I don't miss a word she says."
"Are you related to her? I don't remember her ever having a brother or a step brother and you certainly aren't her father so-"
"I'm her boyfriend." She gasped again. 
"Marron told me about you."
"She left cause she thought she made a mistake, but she didn't."
"She told me that too."
"Tell me where she is." 
"I . . . can't."
"You have to."
"How is that?"
"I love her and I'll do anything for her. Anything. It took me a very long time to regain her love and I won't lose her again. She slipped through my fingers and I won't let her slip through again."
"And you expect me to tell you where she is?"
"Yes."
"Don't get your hopes up so high. Why would I do that?"
"A note doesn't ensure safety, in case you hadn't noticed."
"And what makes you think you can?"
"No, I haven't won any medals for fighting but I am pretty good. I would fight anyone for her." She walked around the desk and picked up the phone. 
"Send in Damien." Within ten minutes a man walked in. He had a security officer's uniform on.
"This what I gotta fight? Piece of cake."
"You guys ready?" She asked as she moved a desk.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Trunks muttered. But the man was slow and Trunks wasn't. He didn't hurt him but he got him into impossible situations that were very hard to get out of without hurting yourself. He finally gave up trying to block his punches and kicks without retaliating because that would take all day. He kicked and swept the man's legs out from under him.
"Where did you learn to fight like that? That's the style of very few. It's not common here. It is popular among a small group of people that only show in tournaments."
"I kind of taught myself. My dad does that style but he never showed me. My other friend does it too and we practice together all the time."
"And your speed?"
"That's family blood."
"What do you mean 'family blood'?"
"Uhhh…nothing." He said keeping his Saiyan blood out of the conversation.
"Have you ever won a tournament?" 
"When I was eight. I was placed in the junior ranks and I ended up going against the friend I train with but he touched something outside the ring."
"Why haven't you competed since? I know you're not nine."
"No, you're right I'm twenty-four. The last time I went to a tournament was with my friend like I told you. His dad came and left and never came back and my dad trashed the stadium." 
"What do you mean trashed the stadium?"
"He blew a hole through it."
"With what?" 
"His hand."
"That's not possible."
"Oh, yes it is. Maybe we're talking about something different. The group you saw at the tournament, was there a green guy there?"
"Ya!"
"Well, obviously you didn't watch close enough but they threw attacks." 
"What? I don't know what you're trying to say." How do you explain Saiyan's power to a guy who's never heard of them? This was his reasoning: Pick an attack and explain it. Okay, pick an attack. Destructo-Disk, the one Krillin always throws.
He though for a while but nothing came to his head. He would just have to show them.
"Let's go outside. I'll show you what I mean." Erica hadn't been listening very closely until the end of the conversation and followed them through a back exit. 
"Give me a target and I'll blow it up." They both looked at him with weird expressions.
"Okay, that big tree stump over there."
"Yes, that's been a menace and no one can uproot it." Erica told him. He held out his hand and threw an orange globe speeding toward it. It blew up. They goggled at him and when the smoke cleared there was no stump. He looked at his watch.
"Hey, I gotta run and Erica, I'll find out where you live and I'll follow you there and I'll get Marron back, but I'm in a hurry today." 
"Even if you come, I'll be at the library." She said matter-of-factly. He ran and jumped into the air, ignoring her but listening all the same. As he flew away they were both dumbfounded. He went to the nearest pay phone. He looked in the section of C's. He found Cohen's. He finally found Erica Cohen. He found her number but there was no address. He called it.
"Hello?" It was Marron's voice. His heart skipped a beat. He took a deep breath.
"Hello, this is the Public Library. Is this Erica Cohen's house?"
"Yes it is."
"Well, we might be needing the book you took out of the library back because we are doing a book check this week and all books must be present." His voice sounded low and uneven.
"Ummm, all right I'll be down there immediately."
"Thank you miss." She hung up. This was working out perfectly. He flew to the library and went inside. There was a man doing nothing so Trunks took a shot.
"There'll be a girl with blonde hair claiming that you were doing a book check and will you tell her it was the other library and they changed their dates for the check?"
"Sure. We weren't doing a book check for another two months though."  
"Tell her that they got the phone lists mixed up."
"Okay." 
"Thanks you're a great help." And he went outside and flew onto the roof. He was ready to wait. Sure enough she got out of the car and came with a book in her hands. She came out a little upset that she drove there for nothing. He watched her get into her car and followed her car in the air. Finally, after about ten minutes it turned down a deserted street and went down more and more until it stopped at a house and pulled into the driveway. He waited for her to go inside and he dropped down and got the address on his hand in pen. He took off. He figured it out. Erica was tutoring her while living with her. He concentrated on flying again. Even his backpack wasn't weighing him down. He landed at the library and told the man standing there what a great job he did. He left and went home. He did his homework quicker than a flash and though of what he would do next. What was his next move? He called Goten.
"Hello?"
"Hey Chichi it's Trunks. Is Goten there?"
"No, he's at Gohan's."
"Oh okay. Thanks."
"Your welcome." And they both hung up. He went downstairs and told Bulma he was going to Gohan's. 
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye dear." She called. By the time he got there he realized he hadn't seen Goten in school and really paid him a lot of attention. He wanted to tell him everything that had happened that'd he'd missed. Wait, Goten had been in school. Everything was such a blur because of Marron. Why did he love her so much? Even he didn't know. Maybe it was fate. He landed and knocked on the door. Videl answered it.
"Hey."
"Hey. Is uh . . . Goten there?"
"Yea. Come on in." She looked at him as if there was something different about him. 
"Hey man." Said Goten coming into the front hall. 
"Can we talk?"
"Yea."
"Alone?"
"Let's go outside." They walked outside and they were best friends again. Trunks told him his entire problem and Goten put the same load on his shoulders by telling him Bra and him got into a fight. Then they shared solutions about each other's problems. Goten had been holding something back. Trunks knew it.
"What's wrong?"
"I uh . . . nothing."
"Yes there is. I can sense it. You aren't telling me something." Goten looked at his feet. They were leaning against the house and Goten had just sat down when he uttered the words: "I'm gonna get my dad back."
"Why didn't you tell me?" 
"I dunno, I need someone to come with me and help me uh . . ."
"Find them? Man I wish I could go."
"You're my best friend. Who else would I ask? You're so stupid! I have one problem: How are we gonna go to school? Mom'll get mad if I don't study and I haven't told anyone but you so don't let the cat out of the bag just yet."
"Fine I won't. I have connections and my mom's dragon finder is one of a kind." He winked at Goten and it looked like his spirit was lifted. 
"Help me will ya?"
"Another problem?"
"Your sis."
"What happened?"
"She thinks I was cheating on her."
"Were you?" Goten shot him an agitated look. He waited before he answered.
"No."
"What did she see you doing?"
"You're really gonna ask me?"
"Yes."
"You know Wade Jitney? He's in fourth period with us?"
"Ya?"
"His girlfriend cornered me at lunch and was whispering to me and from that view it looked like she was kissing my cheek. She stormed out before I could explain."
"What was she whispering?"
"That Wades gonna beat me up."
"And you're afraid?"
"Not of Wade. But Bra was all-mad. What else should I be scared of?"
"Keunai going after Bra."
"Well, wouldn't you be."
"No, I am. She's my sister remember?"
"Yes, I remember." He shook his head and thought 'With Trunks and me on a team, you'll be on this planet in no time, dad. I can't wait to see you again'.